Five games to circle on 49ers’ path to 14-3 mark, Super Bowl encore

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers will go 14-3 this regular season. Yep, that’s the prediction, leading into a Super Bowl return in New Orleans, where they’ll beat Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers.

Too much of a stretch? Look, the 49ers went 12-5 last year, 13-4 in 2022, and they’ve posted double-digit wins in four of the past five seasons.

Their roster is still stacked (for at least one more season), especially on offense. They have a Pro Bowl quarterback (Brock Purdy), their backfield...