NFL-Willis backs 49ers' bid to play home Super Bowl as 60-day countdown begins

Dec 10 : With 60 days to go until the Super Bowl returns to Levi's Stadium, former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis says he is hoping the team can join a select group of franchises that have won the NFL's championship game on their home fields.

"Obviously, I'm rooting for the Niners to be in it," Willis told Reuters in an interview marking the countdown.

"I just found out there's only been two teams to host the Super Bowl and actually play in it. I think the Niners, if they were to do it, could be the third."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV and Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI on their home fields in consecutive years. The Super Bowl's location is chosen years in advance.

The 49ers are 9-4 with a good shot of making the playoffs as a wild-card team and could even clinch the number one seed in the NFC if they win their last four games and other teams falter down the stretch.

Willis, who spent his entire NFL career with San Francisco, said the week-long build-up around the Bay Area would be a showcase for both the region and the sport, whether or not his former team makes it.

"All in all, it's going to be a great week - a week filled with the Super Bowl Experience where fans get to come out and have a good time with former players, current players, and test your NFL combine skills," he said.

INJURIES FOR NINERS

Season-ending injuries to star defenders such as linebacker Fred Warner and pass rusher Nick Bosa have tested the 49ers this season but Willis said the unit had held together under difficult circumstances.

"You don't replace guys like Fred and Nick but you just continue to work with what you've got and try to add some pieces if you can," he said.

"Those guys are playing hard, they're