(AP Photo/Al Golub), The 49ers with Joe Montana at start of game during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. Maybe if it had been 24-0, the Bengals might have caved in, but not with the score 20-0.". have appeared in the Super Bowl 7 times, in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2012 and 2019. The location of the game also set a precedent. The third best start to a season (87) Dwight Clark and (68) John Ayers during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. You can't spot 'em 20 points. On the ensuing kickoff, the ball hit the ground and bounced back in the Chargers direction, enabling them to recover it and eventually score on running back Chuck Muncie's 1-yard rushing touchdown. wins. San Francisco won despite losing six turnovers. However, Simpson's interception at the 1-yard line halted New York's comeback with two seconds left. I told them what to expect. Three of the rookies earned starting assignments-cornerbacks Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright and safety Carlton Williamson. Strock turned in the best game of his life, completing 29 of 43 passes for 403 yards and four touchdowns, while Fouts put on one of the best performances of his Hall of Fame career, completing 33 of 53 passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns. Their first half drives started from the 21, 20, 8, 20, 8 and 19-yard lines. The 49ers won the game 28-27. Super Bowl XVI was played to an improbable script. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Bengals mounted another drive. 1989 San Francisco 49ers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees Previous Season Next Season Record: 14-2-0, 1st in NFC West Division ( Schedule and Results ) Coach: George Seifert (14-2-0) Points For: 442 (27.6/g) 1st of 28 Points Against: 253 (15.8/g) 3rd of 28 Expected W-L: 12.6-3.4 SRS: 10.67 (1st of 28), SOS: -1.14 Playoffs: In 1980 the 49ers drafted two players who stuck for more than one season, signed two key free agents, and added another key player by trade -- tight end Charle Young. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. There are only four teams left in the 2022 NFL season's playoffs as we head to the conference championship round.Fresh off a win over the Cowboyson Sunday night, the 49ers will face the Eagles . It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held in a cold-weather city. ", Paul Brown, founder and long-time coach of the Bengals, attributed the defeat to "too many mistakes early against a good team. A key aspect that had worked against Tampa Bay in the first half was starting field position. Cribbs rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 4 passes for 64 yards. : Norb Hecker (Linebackers), Milt Jackson (Wide Receivers/ST), Billie Matthews (Running Backs), Bill McPherson (Defensive Line), Ray Rhodes (Asst. The 49ers got another chance to score before halftime when they recovered a fumbled punt on the Dallas 42. (AP Photo/Al Golub), 49er fans mock effigy of Dallas Quarterback Danny White during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. Defensive back Eric Wright (21) knocked ball loose during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. 1982. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. With only 58 seconds left in the game, a heavy Dolphins pass rush forced Fouts to throw a blind pass intended for Winslow in the end zone. Their 1981 "gold strike" included five rookies, five more acquisitions by trade and 10 free agents. This was the first postseason meeting between the Chargers and Bengals.[2]. Johnson, the team's leading rusher with 1,077 yards during the season, was held to just 45 yards, but it did not matter as the Bengals still racked up 136 yards on the ground, 72 of them and two touchdowns from Alexander. One cited reason for this was the last second substitution of receivers Piccone and Ron Jessie into the huddle. That was enough time for Anderson to complete six consecutive passes, none of which was run out of bounds to stop the clock. (AP Photo/Al Golub), List of players (88) Freddie Solomon, (51) Randy Cross, (56) Fred Quillan, (68) John Ayers and (87) Dwight Clark during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. Montana subsequently led the 49ers 83 yards to the Dallas 6-yard line. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Todd then led the Jets 80 yards in eight plays and completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Jones. Simpson recorded two interceptions, while Lewis caught seven passes for a franchise postseason record 158 yards and two touchdowns. When Breech's onside kickoff nestled in the arms of Dwight Clark, however, all that remained to seal the 49ers victory was for Montana to take a snap, retreat four yards and kneel gently on the synthetic turf as time expired. On the next play, receiver Wesley Walker broke open in the end zone and Todd threw him the ball, only to watch it go right through Walker's hands. was the 2017 San Francisco 49ers, who We went to our running game and our trapping game and that made the difference. But Miami re-tied the game with Strock completing six consecutive passes, the last a 50-yard score to Bruce Hardy. "The 49ers have been doing that all season and are pretty good at it.". Again the opportunistic 49ers capitalized on the turnover. The San Francisco 49ers last missed the playoffs in 2020. The lost yardage on the grounding penalty pushed the Buccaneers out of field goal range and they ended up punting. "We lost, but there is lots to be proud of. The Chargers would move the ball inside the Bengals 40-yard line five times during the rest of the game, but failed to score on each possession. [1] The 49ers were the fifth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs.[2]. Walsh and Montana denied allegations that the 49ers turned conservative during the third quarter when they had the ball for only nine plays in three possessions and failed to get beyond their 15-yard line. Do you have a sports website? The key play of the drive was a 21-yard run by Rob Carpenter on 2nd and 8 from the 40 with 2:04 left on the clock. The two scoring plays within the space of 13 seconds set a Super Bowl record. Tampa Bay responded with a 59-yard drive to the Cowboys 21-yard line. The use of any team names, words, trademarks, logos or photos have been used for descriptive purposes only. However, 1982 was strike-shortened, and only nine games were played. Johnson hit center for two yards and then left guard, where he was stopped by John Harty for no gain. The Jets got the ball back with 2:36 remaining and then drove 69 yards to the Buffalo 11-yard line, aided by a holding penalty that wiped out an interception by Steve Freeman. "I think Joe was thinking of the Gipper when we won. Free shipping for many products! The 49ers were a sorry sight when Walsh assembled them at Santa Clara for training camp in 1979. was the 1979 San Francisco 49ers, who The Bengals earned their first playoff win in team history after Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson's fourth-down pass fell incomplete while attempting to drive for the tying touchdown. (Won 1 Round), Lost Divisional Round In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the fourth seed wild card hosted the fifth seed. On each occasion they were eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys. Their first season was in 1950, and their most recent season was in 2022. The 49ers then drove to the Dallas 16-yard line, but once again they failed to score when Montana threw a pass that bounced out of Elliott's hands and was intercepted by Randy White. Miami's defense subsequently recovered a fumble from Fouts, giving their offense the ball on the Chargers 39-yard line, and Strock took advantage, leading them to score on his 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Joe Rose. Later on, Herman Edwards' interception of a Brunner pass gave the Eagles a first down on the New York 26-yard line, which they converted to a 20-7 score with quarterback Ron Jaworski's 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Harold Carmichael. From there, Todd led the team 52 yards in five plays to score on his 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mickey Shuler, Shuler's first reception of the season. Following a Bengals punt, Ferguson's 54-yard completion to Jerry Butler set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Joe Cribbs, cutting the score to 147 by halftime. On the Giants next possession, Ronnie Lott's interception gave the 49ers a first down on their own 31-yard line, where they drove to a 177 lead on Freddie Solomon's 58-yard touchdown reception. Reagan, a Californian, had portrayed legendary George Gipp, a Notre Dame star of more than six decades earlier, in a 1940 movie version of the life of Knute Rockne. Reviewing the game and the season, Gregg found much to engender optimism. A 16-yard drive, eating up three minutes, moved the ball to the 6 and, on fourth down, Wersching kicked a 23-yard field goal with only 1:57 to go. "He told us we couldn't let their offense on the field too long or eventually Anderson would burn us. The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI, 26-21, on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan . Record: 3-6-0, 3rd in After another Buffalo punt, Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completed an 18-yard pass to Ross to give his team a first down on the Bills 41-yard line. The 49ers won the game 28-27. Miami took over on their own 40-yard line following Benirschke's squib kick, needing only a field goal to win. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In honor of Free Game Friday relive one of the greatest games ever, featuring \"The Catch\", announced by the great Vin Scully!00:00 - Start5:40 49ers Sack Danny White on 3rd Down11:30 Joe Montana 8-yard TD Pass to F. Solomon21:39 R. Septien 44-yard Field Goal26:13 Danny White 26-yard TD Pass to Tony Hill37:40 Montana Avoids Sack Then Launches Deep Throw40:18 Montana Picked Off by Walls46:08 Montana 20-yard TD Pass to Dwight Clark55:28 Tony Dorsett 5-yard TD Run58:56 Montana Sacked on Third Down by Too Tall Jones59:55 Cowboys Fumble Punt, 49ers Recover1:03:48 Montana Sack Stripped, Cowboys Recover1:06:17 Danny White Sacked on Third Down1:23:24 Montana Intercepted by Randy White1:24:59 Danny White Picked Off by B. Leopold1:30:01 Johny Davis 2-yard TD Run1:41:30 49ers Stop Cowboys on 3rd Down Inside the 10-yard line1:42:28 R. Septien 22-yard Field Goal1:45:23 49ers Fumble, Cowboys Recover1:48:43 Danny White 21-yard TD Pass to D. Cosbie1:52:05 Montana Picked Off by Walls2:00:52 Start of Montana Game-Winning Drive2:09:45 The Catch2:13:11 Start of Cowboys Final Drive2:13:30 Drew Pearson Almost Breaks Free for the Touchdown2:14:47 Danny White Sack Stripped, 49ers Recover2:16:50 49ers CelebrationThe 1981 NFC Championship game, and more specifically, \"The Catch,\" would prove to be a major turning point in NFL history as it launched the 49ers dynasty led by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.Subscribe to NFL: http://j.mp/1L0bVBuThe NFL YouTube channel is your home for immediate in-game highlights from your favorite teams and players, full NFL games, behind the scenes access, up-to-the-minute analysis and more!Check out our other channels:NFL Network http://www.youtube.com/nflnetworkNFL Films http://www.youtube.com/nflfilmsFor all things NFL, visit the league's official website at http://www.nfl.com/Start your free trial of NFL Game Pass: https://www.nfl.com/gamepassFantasy Football: http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootballWatch NFL Now: https://www.nfl.com/nowListen to NFL podcasts: http://www.nfl.com/podcastsWatch the NFL network: http://nflnonline.nfl.com/Download the NFL mobile app: https://www.nfl.com/apps2016 NFL Schedule: http://www.nfl.com/schedulesBuy tickets to watch your favorite team: http://www.nfl.com/ticketsShop NFL: http://www.nflshop.com/source/bm-nflcom-Header-Shop-TabLike us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFLFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NFLFollow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/nfl/ We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Ferguson threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, but completed only 15 of 31 passes and was intercepted twice. Meanwhile, the Bengals lost two of their first five games, then bowed only to New Orleans, 17-7, and San Francisco the rest of the way. Past 10 Seasons (2013 - 2022) Championship Years 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994 San Francisco 49ers History Overview The San Francisco 49ers have played a total of 73 seasons. But after a 15-yard illegal block penalty on Clark, Montana lost a fumble while being sacked by Harvey Martin. (AP Photo/Al Golub), Dallas Cowboys Defensive Back Everson Walls (24) on sidelines during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Their .333 winning percentage was the worst ever for any defending NFL or AFL champion until the 2022 Los Angeles Rams, who only managed to get a .294 winning percentage. Muncie rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. Then after forcing a punt that Harper returned 6 yards to his own 42, New York drove for another score, aided by a pass interference call against Bills defensive back Mario Clark that nullified an interception. San Diego then drove 55 yards and cut their deficit to 107 when Fouts, desperately trying to avoid a hit from Eddie Edwards, managed to fire a pass to Kellen Winslow at the line of scrimmage, who subsequently raced 33 yards down the right sideline for a score. the This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Cowboys and 49ers. Within each conference, the three division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The team was loose all week and never tensed up. Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl victories (1982, 1985, 1989, 1990) and was named the Super Bowl's Most . The Bills drove to the Cincinnati 21-yard line with about three minutes left to play, and it appeared that Ferguson completed a fourth-down pass to Lou Piccone to gain a first down. Other contributors on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play now referred to as The Catch included Freddie Solomon (WR), Lenvil Elliott (RB), Earl Cooper (FB), Mike Wilson, Charle Young (TE), Dan Audick (LT), John Ayers (LG), Fred Quillan (C), Randy Cross (RG), and Keith Fahnhorst (RT). NHL. ", The difference in the game, said Gregg, "was the four turnovers. NCAAW. First, defensive back Mike Fuller returned a punt 27 yards to the Bills 42-yard line. Find out more. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. We worked like hell on that play. (AP Photo/Al Golub), San Francisco 49er Kicker Ray Wersching makes kick off during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. Then Walls recovered a fumble from running back Walt Easley at midfield to set up White's 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Doug Cosbie, giving Dallas a 2721 advantage. Then after forcing a punt, the Giants drove 74 yards, including an 11-yard scramble by Brunner on 3rd and 11, to score on his 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Mistler. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. [3] After the ensuing kickoff, the first quarter ended with Giants having a 104 to 1 advantage over Philadelphia in total yards gained. The best start to a 49ers season For the third time in four years, the San Francisco 49ers have found themselves in the NFC Championship game. In the fourth quarter, Solomon returned a Giants punt 22 yards to the New York 36-yard line, and the 49ers went on to score on Bill Ring's 3-yard rushing touchdown. The 49ers won the game 28-27. (Corky Charles Trewin/NFL), Dallas Cowboys Running Back Tony Dorsett (33) make run against the San Francisco Defensive Line. was the 2019 San Francisco 49ers, who (AP Photo/Al Golub), San Francisco 49ers vs.Dallas Cowboys at Candlestick Park Sunday, January 10. Wersching's squib kickoff was fielded by David Verser on the 5-yard line. Cowboys coach Tom Landry twice rejected long field-goal attempts from the 34 and 37, and each time White (who also played punter) punted the ball out of bounds at the 8.[5]. Late in the fourth quarter, New York drove inside the Eagles 20 and had a chance to put the game away, only to have Joe Danelo miss a 32-yard field goal attempt. For more than 30 years, the 49ers had strained and struggled in a bid for distinction, but their best efforts produced only three division titles. (AP Photo/Al Golub), San Francisco Linebacker Keena Turner (58) recovers Dallas Cowboys Running Back Tony Dorsett (33) fumble. They've been in the playoffs a total of 28 times in their 73 seasons. "Nine times out of 10 we'd wind up with good field position. (AP Photo/Al Golub), San Francisco 49ers Fans during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. San Francisco 49ers 252K subscribers Subscribe 44K views 3 years ago #TheCatch #49ers #49ers #TheCatch #DwightClark Take a trip down memory lane of the play that launched the 49ers. (AP Photo/Paul Spinelli). All four AFC playoff games were between teams who had never faced each other in the postseason before. (AP Photo/Al Golub), San Francisco 49ers (61) Guard Dan Audick and (68) Guard John Ayers during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. They had progressed to the San Francisco 27 when Anderson completed a 19-yard pass to Cris Collinsworth. but owner Jerry Jones is not fixated on the championship drought; just the . The Bengals, admitted to the American Football League in 1968, won a Central Division title in the realigned NFL in 1970, but succumbed to Baltimore in the playoffs. "What happened," revealed Studley, "is that I called for our goal line defense to go in, but Keena Turner thought I said 'giant' defense and didn't go in. According to offensive coordinator Lindy Infante, "It was a staff decision to go for the touchdown. On third down Anderson passed to Charles Alexander in the right flat, but linebacker Dan Bunz came up fast, grabbed the receiver around the waist, and hurled him backward before he could break the plane of the goal line. Here are the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl wins: XVI: San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21 (1982) XIX: San Francisco 49ers 38, Miami Dolphins 16 (1985) XXIII: San Francisco 49ers 20 . We had run twice to the left, and David Verser missed a block on the second call because of the crowd noise. The 49ers-Raiders rivalry, once commonly known as the Battle of the Bay, is a professional American football rivalry between the National Football League (NFL)'s San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders.This rivalry is unique in that both teams are members of different conferences within the NFL and have never met in a postseason game. The third worst starts to a 49ers The AFC champions advanced to a second-and-goal on the 5-yard line before Anderson was sacked for a six-yard loss by Jim Stuckey. Thurman had two interceptions and 50 return yards. (AP Photo/Al Golub), San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana in action against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. The 49ers, who lost 12 of 26 fumbles in their NFC title march, opened their first Super Bowl game on an inauspicious note. Then Miami defensive back Lyle Blackwood's interception set up a 12-yard touchdown run by Nathan, giving Miami their first lead of the game, 3831, on the first play of the fourth quarter. Today they all were funny. San Diego responded with a drive to the Bengals 5-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs with less than three minutes left. Following three incompletions and a touchdown called back by a holding penalty, Breech's 38-yard field goal made the score 207. 49ers beat Cowboys 28-27 for Conference Championship. Two drives later, the Giants countered when quarterback Scott Brunner threw a pass to wide receiver Earnest Gray, who caught it at his own 40, evaded three 49ers defensive backs, and raced to the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown reception. The improvement was noticeable immediately after Wersching's second-half kickoff. Todd threw for 377 yards, while Ferguson threw for 268. Thank you very, very much," said Walsh. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. San Francisco 49ers Football 1982 Vintage Sports Ticket Stubs, San Francisco 49ers NFL Tickets, All-time Scoring Leader: Jerry Rice 1,130 points Clark added 5 receptions for 104 yards. The 49ers won the game 28-27. When Brown retired as coach, Walsh moved on to the San Diego Chargers, serving as assistant to Tommy Prothro and tutoring Dan Fouts in the same fashion as he had Anderson. (AP Photo/Al Golub), Joe Montana (16) lines up on the ball during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. "It was the first time all season we were stopped on that play," asserted Forrest Gregg. The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. The 1982 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise 's 33rd season in the National Football League and their 37th overall. This season was the only one in an 18-season span in which the 49ers did not win at least ten games. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? San Francisco 49ers Dwight Clark, 1982 NFC Championship, 1981 NFC Championship Game - Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers - January 10, 1982, Freddie Solomon, Randy Cross, Fred Quillan, John Ayers, Dwight Clark. Chargers placekicker Rolf Benirschke kicked the winning 29-yard field goal after 13:52 of overtime, ending a game that became known in National Football League lore as the Epic in Miami. Eleven plays carried the Niners to the Cincinnati 11, from where Montana passed to Earl Cooper on the 3. For the second consecutive season, the team finished with a 2-14 record. Three turnovers cost the Bengals 17 points in a 20-point first half that set a Super Bowl record; the 49ers staged a dramatic goal line stand that might have saved the game, and Ray Wersching kicked a record-tying four field goals. Faced with third down and 7 inside the red zone later in the drive, Anderson kept the drive going with a 16-yard completion to Isaac Curtis on the Chargers 1-yard line, and fullback Pete Johnson scored a touchdown run on the next play, giving them a 177 lead. seasons. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. (Won 2 Rounds), Lost Super Bowl I don't get but four or five good pops a game and I wasn't going to miss my chance. First New York's Bruce Harper fumbled the opening kickoff while being tackled by Ervin Parker, and Charles Romes returned the ball 26-yards to the end zone. 49ers Defensive end Dwaine Board (76) moves up to make tackle during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. In the second quarter, San Francisco reached the Cowboys 27-yard line, only to lose the ball when Everson Walls intercepted a pass from Montana in the end zone. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1982_San_Francisco_49ers_season&oldid=1132463114, Director of College Scouting Tony Razzano, LA Marcus Allen 4 receptions, 64 yards, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 00:39. "I was pivoting and trying to make more yards when Wright stripped the ball from me," reported Collinsworth. ", Griffin, who said he was surprised that the Niners would try a squib kick, revealed that "I used to have a theory on that kind of kick, that the first two bounces would be funny and the next bounce would be high. Cowboys kicker Rafael Septin later added a 32-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 100 halftime lead. (AP Photo/Al Golub), Dallas Cowboys Defensive End Too Tall Jones (72) sacks San Francisco Quarterback Joe Montana (16) during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. The emergence of the two teams into title form was unexpected and unprecedented. (AP Photo/Al Golub), Dallas Cowboys Running Back Tony Dorsett (33) makes touchdown run late in the game with Defensive Back Dwight Hicks (22) trailing during the NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on January 10, 1982. . In a game subsequently known as the Freezer Bowl, the Bengals defeated the Chargers 277. Most of the Giants offense came from Carpenter, who had 33 carries for 161 yards and four receptions for 32. In the second quarter, New York had a chance to increase their lead with a drive into Eagles territory, but Philadelphia's defense dug in and stuffed Brunner for no gain on a 4th and 1 conversion attempt on the 35.