NFL Old School Game of the Week: Brown's OT Pick-Six Caps off Bears Comeback Win over 49ers

Mike Brown(30) prepares to make the interception that he would return for a walk-off touchdown in the Bears' win over the 49ers.

In week 8 of the 2001 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears in a game between two teams who were off to surprising 4-1 starts.

The 49ers were led by head coach Steve Mariucci who was in his fifth season as the team's head coach having led San Francisco to a combined 25-7 record over his first two seasons compared to a combined 10-22 record over the next two seasons as the franchise saw the retirement of quarterback Steve Young due to injuries in 1999 and the release of wide receiver Jerry Rice following the 2000 season.

Young's replacement was Jeff Garcia, a former Canadian Football League quarterback, who had set the team record for most passing yards in a season when he threw for 4,278 yards in 2000, with his favorite target being the loquacious Terrell Owens, who was coming off a nine-catch, 183-yard, three touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks earlier where Owens scored the game-winning touchdown on a 52-yard reception in overtime.

Owens was hoping for another strong performance against the Bears as he had set the NFL record for most catches in a game when he caught 20 passes for 283 yards in the 49ers' 17-0 win over the Bears in the penultimate week of the 2000 regular season.

On the other side of the field were the Chicago Bears, who came into the game with the 49ers on a four-game winning streak after dropping their season opener as head coach Dick Jauron who was in his third season as the Chicago head coach was looking to lead the Bears out of the cellar as they had finished in last place in the NFC Central the previous four seasons.

The main reason for the Bears' surprising start was their defense led by linebacker Brian Urlacher which had allowed just 43 points over the first five games of the 2001 season and were coming off a shutout the week before in a 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

While the defense was locked in, the offense was still trying to figure out who the quarterback would be after trading away former first round pick Cade McNown in the offseason as Shane Matthew started the season as the starting quarterback until he was injured in the second game as Jim Miller took over to lead the Bears to a 17-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Miller would remain as the Bears' starting quarterback throughout their winning streak as the "Monsters of the Midway" looked to return to the NFL postseason for the first time since 1994 and for only the second time since the firing of head coach Mike Ditka in 1992.

It looked like the Bears were going to get on the scoreboard first as Leon Johnson returned the opening 23 yards to the Chicago 38-yard-line which was followed by a 15-yard pass from Miller to Dez White to put the Bears in San Francisco territory after just one play from scrimmage.

However, the Bears would no travel further as they would punt the ball to the 49ers who begin their opening possession of the game at their 16-yard-line as Garcia would complete his first five passes of the game for 43 yards to help move San Francisco to the Chicago 26-yard-line.

The drive would stall as Garcia would throw two straight incomplete passes as Jose Cortez would come on to attempt a 44-yard field goal only to have it blocked by Bears defensive tackle James Williams to keep the game scoreless as Chicago would take over at its 34-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by rookie running back Anthony Thomas to start the drive, Miller would fumble the football after he was hit by 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young while trying to hand the ball off to Thomas as linebacker Julian Peterson would scoop up the fumble and run it back 26 yards for a touchdown to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Following a Chicago punt, the 49ers got the ball back at their 15-yard-line as Garcia regained his hot streak as he would complete all seven of his passes for 73 yards on a 10-play, 85-yard drive that culminated with an one-yard touchdown pass from Garcia to tight end Justin Swift to extend the San Francisco lead to 14-0 with 63 seconds left in the first quarter.

49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia completed 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

The two teams would exchange three-and-outs as the game moved into the second quarter when a 30-yard pass from Miller to wide receiver Marty Booker helped Chicago advance to the San Francisco five-yard-line when Miller tried to hook up with Booker again with a pass intended for the wide receiver in the corner of the end zone.

But 49ers cornerback Ahmad Plummer would intercept the pass to kill the Chicago scoring threat and give Garcia and the offense the ball back at their 20-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead.

The 49ers would drive to about midfield when Urlacher made his presence felt as he intercepted a Garcia pass intended for Owens to give the Bears the ball at the San Francisco 47-yard-line.

Thomas would run the ball four straight times for a total of 12 yards to move to the 49ers' 35-yard-line when Miller was knocked to the ground by 49ers linebacker Derek Smith, resulting in a hip pointer for Miller which knocked him out of the game as Shane Matthews would come on take over as the Chicago quarterback.

It looked like the Bears scored a touchdown on Matthews' first play from scrimmage as he connected with White for a 35-yard touchdown, only to have called back because of an ineligible receiver penalty on the Bears, as Chicago would end up punting the ball back to San Francisco.

The Bears offense was poised to get the ball back with less two minutes to go in the first half when 49ers long snapper Brian Jennings' snap went through the hands of punter Jason Baker and into the back of the end zone for a safety resulting in two points for Chicago as they would get the ball back at their 45-yard-line following the free kick.

The Bears would end up traveling 55 yards in seven plays as Matthews fired a three-yard touchdown pass to fullback Daimon Shelton to cut the 49ers' lead to 14-9 with 48 seconds to go in the first half.

Garcia would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half as the 49ers were set to get the ball to start the second half when on the third play of the second half, Garcia connected with Hearst on a 60-yard touchdown pass to push the 49ers back to double digits at 21-9.

The Bears would begin their first possession of the second half at their 42-yard-line as Matthews would lead the Chicago offense to the San Francisco 10-yard-line when 49ers free safety Zack Bronson intercepted a pass intended for tight end Fred Baxter and ran it back for a 97-yard pick-six to extend the 49ers' lead to 28-9 with 8:18 remaining in the third quarter.

It was looking bleak for the Bears as they now trailed by 19 points with a quarter and a half to go as they would start their ensuing drive at their 34-yard-line desperately needing some points.

Chicago would drive to the 49ers' 26-yard-line where they would face a 4th & 1 situation when Jauron decided to go for the 1st down which he got as Matthews completed a seven-yard pass to Baxter to give the Bears a fresh set of downs at the San Francisco 19-yard-line.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Matthews handed the ball off to Thomas, who would take it in for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-16 with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers would drive 71 yards in 14 plays to set up a 40-yard field goal by Cortez on a drive that took up nearly half the fourth quarter as San Francisco extended its lead to 31-16 with 7:23 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Bears would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line, needing a touchdown to keep their hopes alive, as four carries by Thomas for 26 yards help set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Matthews to rookie wide receiver David Terrell to trim the San Francisco lead to 31-23 with 4:08 left in regulation.

Bears quarterback Shane Matthews came off the bench to complete 25 of 31 passes for 166 yards and threw three touchdown passes.

The Bears defense would then force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 33-yard-line with 2:46 left and one timeout in their pocket.

After a 12-yard run by Thomas to begin the drive, Matthews would complete a 20-yard pass to White to move Chicago into San Francisco territory as the Bears had a 1st down at the 49ers' 35-yard-line.

The combination of an eight-yard pass to White and a two-yard run by Thomas would give the Bears another 1st down at the San Francisco 25-yard-line, which was followed by a pass to Booker that lost a yard and a false start penalty that pushed Chicago back to the San Francisco 31-yard-line with a 2nd & 16.

Matthews would then connect complete four straight passes for 23 yards to move the Bears to the 49ers' eight-yard-line when Thomas was stopped for no gain to force a do-or-die 4th & 3 as Chicago spent its final timeout with 48 seconds to go.

Chicago would stay alive as Matthews completed a four-yard pass to tight end John Davis to give the Bears a 1st down at the 49ers' four-yard-line as Matthews would spike the ball to stop the clock with 33 seconds to go.

That is when Matthews rolled to his left and fired a pass for Terrell in the end zone, who was able to make the catch and get both feet inbounds before being shoved by 49ers strong safety Lance Shulters, for the four-yard touchdown to make it 31-29 as the Bears now needed to be successful on a two-point conversion to tie the game.

On the two-point attempt, Matthews would hand the ball off to Thomas, who took it up the middle and was able to stretch the ball to cross the plane before his knee hit the ground, though the 49ers felt his knee hit the ground before the ball crossed the plane, to tie the game at 31 with 26 seconds remaining in regulation.

Despite having two timeouts and needing just a field goal to win, the 49ers would take a knee to run out the clock on regulation and send the game into overtime as San Francisco won the coin toss and elected to receive as the 49ers would begin their ensuing drive at their 20-yard-line.

However, the extra period would only last 16 seconds as Garcia would fire a pass over the middle that bobbled off the hands of Owens and into the arms of Bears free safety Mike Brown, who would run the interception back for a 33-yard touchdown to give the Bears a shocking 37-31 overtime victory after being down 15 points with over four minutes to go in the game.

The 49ers would recover from their collapse against the Bears to go on a five-game winning streak as San Francisco would finish the regular season with a 12-4 record to earn a spot in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1998 where the 49ers would fall to the Green Bay Packers 25-15 in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs.

As for the Bears, their win over the 49ers was the first of two improbable comeback wins as one week later they would score two touchdowns in final 28 seconds of regulation to force overtime when once again Brown would return an interception for a touchdown to give the Bears the win as they defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-21(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bears-pull.html).

From there, the Bears would go on to win the NFC Central division title, their first division title in 11 years, with a 13-3 record to send Chicago to the postseason for the first time since 1994, only for the Bears' Cinderella season to end at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in a 33-19 loss in the NFC Divisional Round.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Hearst's 96 OT TD Run Gives 49ers Season Opening Win over Jets

 

49ers running back Garrison Hearst(20) would run for 187 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns in the 49ers' win.

While the first Sunday of the NFL season is exciting, most NFL fans have a hard time remembering any close game or great play that often happen in Week 1.

That was not the case for the San Francisco 49ers' season opener with the New York Jets to begin the 1998 NFL season which featured one of the longest touchdown runs in NFL history.

The 49ers came into the 1998 season as Super Bowl contenders as the team was coming off a 14-2 regular season and a trip to the 1997 NFC Championship Game where they would fall to the Green Bay Packers.

Under second-year head coach Steve Marucci, the 49ers' offense was stacked they were led by quarterback Steve Young and the returning Jerry Rice, who had missed most of the 1997 season with knee injuries, to go along with running Garrison Hearst, who had rushed for 1,019 yards in his first season in San Francisco.

While the 49ers had Super Bowl aspirations, the Jets were just hoping to make the postseason for the first time since 1991 as the team was coming off a 9-7 season in 1997 during Bill Parcells' first year as Jets head coach.

The Jets had made a splash in free agency as they pried running back Curtis Martin from the New England Patriots to join an offense which featured former overall #1 pick Keyshawn Johnson at wide receiver and Glenn Foley at quarterback, taking over for Neil O' Donnell who left to join the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 49ers would get the ball to start the game as they drove from their 20-yard-line to their 42-yard-line until Young was intercepted by Jets free safety Kevin Williams, who returned it 34 yards to give the Jets the ball at the San Francisco 27-yard-line.

Two passes to Keyshawn Johnson for 18 yards help set up a 24-yard field goal by John Hall to give the Jets an early 3-0 lead.

Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers got the ball back at their 16-yard-line as Young would complete four passes for 72 yards on an eight-play, 84-yard drive which ended with Hearst running it in for a five-yard touchdown to give San Francisco a 7-3 lead with 3:31 left in the first quarter.

The Jets would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter but would give right it back to the 49ers on the first play of the second quarter when 49ers cornerback Antonio Langham intercepted a Foley pass to give San Francisco the ball at the New York 48-yard-line.

A 19-yard run by Hearst would put the 49ers in field goal range as Wade Richey would come on to attempt a 47-yard field goal, but his kick would be short to keep the score at 7-3 as the Jets would take over at their 37-yard-line.

The Jets would drive to the 49ers' 44-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 1 when Parcells decided to go for the 1st down when Martin ran for three yards to give New York a fresh set of downs at the 41-yard-line.

On the very next play, Foley went deep and hit Johnson on a deep post pattern for a 41-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 10-7 lead with 10:11 remaining in the second quarter.

Jets quarterback Glenn Foley completed 30 of 58 passes for 415 yards and threw three touchdowns.

After another exchange of punts, the 49ers had the ball at their 37-yard-line as Young completed passes of 25 yards to J.J. Stokes and 16 yards to fullback Marc Edwards to help set up Young's six-yard touchdown pass to Stokes to give the lead back to the 49ers at 14-10 with 2:11 left in the first half.

The Jets would get great field position to start its next drive as Leon Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the New York 40-yard-line as Foley completed passes of 19 yards to Dedric Ward and nine yards to Keyshawn Johnson to put the Jets at the 49ers' 32-yard-line.

That is when Foley was picked off by 49ers free safety Merton Hanks on a pass intended for Keyshawn, only to have it nullified because of a pass interference penalty on Langham, to give the Jets a 1st & goal at the 49ers' six-yard-line.

After two runs by Martin netted no yards, Foley found Wayne Chrebet in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 17-14 lead with 33 seconds left before halftime.

The 49ers would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Jets' 41-yard-line until time ran out in the first half with New York ahead 17-14 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Jets would be forced to punt after their opening possession of the second half as a short punt as the 49ers would take over at the New York 42-yard-line as a 26-yard pass to Stokes would help lead to a 22-yard field goal by Richey to tie the game at 17 with 9:05 to go in the third quarter.

It would take long for the Jets to respond as Foley hit Chrebet for 48 yards on the first play of their next possession which was followed by a roughing the passer penalty on 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young to put New York at the San Francisco 15-yard-line.

An incomplete pass and a six-yard loss on a Martin run would push the Jets back to the 49ers' 21-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 16 when Foley found Johnson again for a 21-yard touchdown to put New York on top 24-17 with 7:15 left in the third quarter.

The 49ers would get the ball back at their 32-yard-line as San Francisco would drive down the field on the left arm of Young as he was a perfect 5-of-5 for 62 yards on the seven-play, 68-yard drive which culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Young to Rice to put the 49ers on the verge of tying the game once again.

However, Richey's extra point would be blocked by Jets defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to keep New York in the lead at 24-23 with 3:03 remaining in the third quarter.

Steve Young(8) threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers 1998 season opener.

The Jets would respond by driving 54 yards in nine plays to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Hall which sailed wide right to keep the score at 24-23 in favor of New York with 13:31 left in the fourth quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until the Jets got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Foley completed passes of 22 yards to Martin, 14 yards to Johnson, and 22 yards to Chrebet to put New York at the San Francisco 20-yard-line with a chance to extend the lead.

Two runs by Martin for six yards and an incomplete pass would force the Jets to call on Hall to kick a 32-yard field goal which increased New York's lead to 27-23 with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Needing a touchdown, the 49ers would start their ensuing drive at their 24-yard-line as Hearst would turn a short screen pass from Young into a 35-yard gain to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Jets' 41-yard-line.

Four plays later, Young would fire a 31-yard touchdown pass to Stokes, who outjumped his defender to make the catch, to give the 49ers a 30-27 lead with 86 seconds left in regulation.

Following a 16-yard return by Aaron Glenn on the ensuing kickoff, the Jets would begin their ensuing possession at their 27-yard-line as Foley would throw two incomplete passes before hitting Chrebet for 19 yards to give New York a 1st down at its 46-yard-line where Foley would throw three straight incomplete passes to bring a 4th down with 33 seconds to go.

That is when Foley found Ward for 22 yards to give the Jets a fresh set of downs at the 49ers' 32-yard-line as after two more incomplete passes, Foley would connect with Ward again, this time for 19 yards to put New York at the San Francisco 13-yard-line with eight seconds to go as the Jets spent their last timeout.

The Jets would get one chance to get the game-winning touchdown as Foley threw an incomplete pass intended for Johnson leaving New York three seconds left for Hall to attempt a 31-yard field goal which he made as time expired to tie the game at 30 and send it into overtime.

The Jets would win the overtime coin toss to take the ball at their 20-yard-line where a quarterback sack by 49ers defensive tackle Junior Bryant for a nine-yard loss on 1st down would force New York to go three-and-out and punt the ball back to San Francisco who took over at the Jets' 43-yard-line.

However, the 49ers could not pick up a 1st down to punt the ball back to the Jets who took over at their 21-yard-line as New York drove to its 47-yard-line before punting it back to San Francisco who took over at its four-yard-line.

That is when Hearst took a handoff from Young and run up the middle, broke a tackle at about the seven-yard-line, then darted to his right as he stiffed arm another Jet at about the 20, then swerved around the tackle attempt of Otis Smith at about midfield, then carried linebacker Mo Lewis for the final five yards as he fell into the end zone following a stunning 96-yard touchdown run to give the 49ers a 36-30 Opening Day win.

The Jets would lose to the Baltimore Ravens the following week as Foley throw three interceptions in their 24-10 loss as Vinny Testaverde would take over the starting quarterback job and help lead New York to its first division title since the merger as they finished with a 12-4 regular season which earned the Jets the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

New York would defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-24 in the Divisional Round to earn a trip to the AFC Championship Game where the Jets jumped out to a 10-0 lead only to lose to the Denver Broncos 23-10.

As for the 49ers, they would also finish the regular season with a 12-4 record, but not enough for a division title as San Francisco would play the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round when Young threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens with three seconds left to give the 49ers a 30-27 win.

The 49ers would advance to the Divisional Round where they would fall to the Atlanta Falcons 20-18 in a game where Hearst broke his left ankle on the first play from scrimmage.

Little did Hearst know but the injury would lead him to missing the next two seasons as avascular neurosis, or death of bone tissue, developed around the ankle as Garrison would undergo seven surgeries in hopes of correcting the issue.

Not only would Hearst return for the 2001 season, he would run for 1,206 yards and catch 41 passes for 317 yards to be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for 2001.

Hearst would play two more seasons with the 49ers before being released after the 2003 season as he would sign with the Denver Broncos for 2004 as he played sparingly before a broken hand ended his season and eventually his NFL career after 10 seasons.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Young Plays Through Pain to Lead 49ers to Comeback Win over Bengals

 

Despite a sore groin, 49ers quarterback Steve Young accounted for 319 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in San Francisco's comeback win over the Bengals.

The NFL season is a grind, especially if you playing with an injury as was the case for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young when his team hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in week 8 of the 1996 season.

The 49ers entered the game with a 4-2 record and hopes of returning to the Super Bowl under head coach George Seifert who had San Francisco to two Super Bowl titles since he became the head coach of the 49ers in 1989.

The 49ers were led by their famous "West Coast Offense" with Young at quarterback plus wide receiver Jerry Rice and a rookie named Terrell Owens.

San Francisco won its first two games of the season before they were shocked by the second-year Carolina Panthers 23-7 in a game in which Young pulled the muscle in his left groin which would keep out of the lineup for the next three games as Elvis Grbac would lead the 49ers to a 2-1 record during that span.

Young was healthy enough after missing a month of football as the 49ers hosted the hapless Cincinnati Bengals who entered the game with a 1-5 record and their head coach, David Shula, on the hot seat.

Shula, the son of legendary head coach Don Shula, had been hired to replace Sam Wyche before the 1992 season after the Bengals had gone 3-13 in 1991.

The first three seasons for Shula were a nightmare as they went a combined 11-37 during that span before showing signs of life in 1995 as quarterback Jeff Blake help lead Cincinnati to a 7-9 record which was their best season since going 9-7 in 1990.

But with the Bengals entering their game with the 49ers on a four-game losing streak, rumors of Shula's dismissal were flying high as the Bengals traveled to Candlestick Park to take on the 49ers.

After forcing the Bengals to punt on their opening possession, the 49ers had the ball at their 20-yard-line when disaster struck on San Francisco's first offensive play of the game as Young was intercepted on a pass intended for Rice by Cincinnati cornerback Ashley Ambrose.

Ambrose's pick gave the Bengals the ball at the 29-yard-line where it would take them six plays to get into the end zone as Blake completed three of four passes for 29 yards on the drive with the last completion being a five-yard touchdown pass to Tony McGee to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead with 8:58 remaining in the opening quarter.

It would get worse for the 49ers on their ensuing possession as Young was sacked, which was followed by an one-yard run by Derek Loville to set up 3rd & 16 from the San Francisco 24-yard-line when Young completed a 17-yard pass to Owens only to have Bengals free safety Bo Orlando strip Owens of the ball leading to a fumble that was recovered by linebacker James Francis at the San Francisco 41-yard-line.

An offsides penalty on the 49ers and four running plays for 21 yards put the Bengals at the San Francisco 15-yard-line when Blake connected with Hearst on a 15-yard touchdown pass to increase the Cincinnati to 14-0 with 5:08 left in the first quarter.

Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake completed 15 of 34 passes for 200 yards and threw three touchdowns.

Both teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter with Cincinnati still ahead 14-0 as the 49ers had the ball at their 25-yard-line facing 3rd & 5 when Young was sacked by Bengals linebacker Steve Tovar for a five-yard loss as Young reaggravated the injury to his groin as he tried to run for the 1st down.

The 49ers punted the ball back to the Bengals who took over at their 37-yard-line and had Hearst run the ball two straight times for 13 yards until Blake threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Darnay Scott to increase the Cincinnati lead to 21-0 with 8:42 left in the second quarter.

When the San Francisco offense came back onto the field to start their next possession at their 40-yard-line, Young was on the sidelines as Seifert inserted Grbac at quarterback.

After his first pass fell incomplete, Grbac would hit Iheanyi Uwaezuoke for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 48-yard-line, followed by a seven-yard pass to Rice, then a 21-yarder to tight end Ted Popson to put the 49ers at the Cincinnati 20-yard-line.

An incomplete pass and a three-yard run by Terry Kirby set up 3rd & 7 where Grbac fired a pass over the middle for Popson who made the catch for the 17-yard touchdown to put the 49ers on the board and cut the Bengals' lead to 21-7 with exactly six minutes left in the second quarter.

It looked like the 49ers had turned the game around especially after their defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at the San Francisco 47-yard-line, only to give right back to the Bengals when Grbac's pass intended for Popson was intercepted by Tovar to give Cincinnati the ball at its 30-yard-line.

The 49ers would force another three-and-out to get the ball back at their 29-yard-line as Grbac would complete four of his next five passes for 30 yards to push San Francisco to the Bengals' 41-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 4 as the two-minute warning hit.

Instead of punting the ball away, Seifert decided to go for the 1st down as Grbac tried to do his best Steve Young impression and run for the 1st down.

Grbac would be stopped two yards short of the 1st down by Bengals defensive back Corey Sawyer which not only gave the ball to the Bengals at their 39-yard-line but also knocked Grbac out of the game as he landed hard on his left shoulder.

The Bengals would drive to the 49ers' 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to San Francisco who took a knee to run out the clock in the first half with Cincinnati on top 21-7.

When the 49ers' offense came out onto the field to start the second half, they did so with Young at quarterback as San Francisco had the ball at its 25-yard-line.

Two running plays picked up five yards to set up 3rd & 5 when Young connected with Rice on a 19-yard completion to give the 49ers a fresh set of downs at their 49-yard-line.

Young would then hit Kirby for six yards and then Rice again for six yards to put the 49ers at the Bengals' 39-yard-line when Young found a wide open Popson for a 39-yard touchdown to bring San Francisco to within a touchdown at 21-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.

49ers tight end Ted Popson caught eight passes for 116 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Both teams would trade punts until the 5:35 mark of the third quarter when the 49ers had the ball at their four-yard-line facing a 3rd & 12 when Young hit Owens for 19 yards and a 1st down at the San Francisco 23-yard-line.

Young would connect with Owens again, this time for 13 yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at its 36-yard-line which was followed by two straight passes to Kirby for eight yards followed by a five-yard-run by Young to put San Francisco at its 49-yard-line.

That is when Young threw deep trying to connect with the Rice only to have the future Hall-of-Famer bobble the ball into the air and into the hands of Orlando who made the interception at the Cincinnati 13-yard-line.

The Bengals would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 41-yard-line as Young handed the ball off to Dexter Carter who ran for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 41-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end with San Francisco still trailing 21-14.

Young would completed a 24-yard pass to Floyd to start the first quarter to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Cincinnati 17-yard-line where three plays later the 49ers would be faced with a 4th & 2 at the nine-yard-line.

Once again, Seifert decided to go for the 1st down and this time he got it as Young was able to run for three yards to pick up the 1st down at the Bengals' six-yard-line.

However on 3rd & goal from the seven-yard-line, Young would throw his third interception of the game as he tried to lob a pass to Kirby only to have Bengals cornerback Jimmy Spencer make the pick to end the 49ers' drive at the Cincinnati two-yard-line.

The two teams would exchange punts until the 49ers had the ball at their 12-yard-line with 3:37 remaining in regulation and needing a touchdown to tie the game.

Young would find Popson for five yards to start the drive then handed the ball off to Kirby who picked up nine yards and a 1st down at the San Francisco 26-yard-line.

Young would then run for 12 yards and another 1st down at the 49ers' 38-yard-line which was followed by a five-yard pass to Kirby, then a 12-yard pass to Popson to give San Francisco another 1st down at the Bengals' 45-yard-line.

That is when Young went deep and fired a pass down the right side of the field for Owens who made the catch for a 45-yard touchdown, the first of his NFL career, that with Jeff Wilkins' extra point tied the game at 21 with 2:08 left in regulation.

Terrell Owens had four catches for 94 yards and one touchdown.

With their 21-point lead having been evaporated, the Bengals needed to put together a drive in hopes of producing at least a potential game-winning field goal.

Blake would throw two straight incomplete passes before being picked off by 49ers nickel defensive back Dedrick Dodge giving the 49ers the ball at the Bengals' 32-yard-line with 1:40 left on the clock.

An incomplete pass followed by a six-yard run by Floyd set up 3rd & 4 when Young connected with Rice for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 15-yard-line.

That is when Young faked a handoff to Floyd and ran around the left end as he hobbled his way into the end zone for the 15-yard touchdown to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 28-21 with 1:08 left on the clock.

The Bengals would get one last chance to save themselves but turn it over on downs as Blake's pass on 4th & 2 from the Cincinnati 33-yard-line fell incomplete giving the ball back to the 49ers who would take a knee to run out the clock to come away with the 28-21 victory.

The loss to the 49ers was the end of the road for Shula as he was fired the next day and replaced by offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet who led the Bengals to a 7-2 record over the rest of the 1996 season as the Bengals finished with a 8-8 record, their best since the 1990 season.

However, it would take eight more seasons before the Bengals would finish with a winning record as they went 11-5 in 2005 to end their streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons.

As for the 49ers, they would claw their way to a 12-4 record which most years would have been good enough to clinch the NFC West, but because they were swept by the Panthers in the regular season, San Francisco had to play a Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 49ers would win that game 14-0 but it came with a price as Young sustained broken ribs after running for a touchdown, which lead to his removal the following week against the Green Bay Packers as the Packers defeated the 49ers 35-14 to end their season and Seifert's tenure as head coach as he resigned following a contract dispute to finish with a 98-30 record in his eight seasons in San Francisco.