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: Montana's Four 4th Quarter TD Passes Leads 49ers to Comeback Win over Eagles

 

49ers quarterback Joe Montana would threw for 428 yards and five touchdown passes in San Francisco's win over the Eagles.

When the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in Week 3 of the 1989 NFL season, it was billed as a game between the "Team of the 80's" vs the "Team of the 90's."

The 49ers were coming off their third Super Bowl title in eight years as they had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 in Super Bowl XXIII, which was the final game in head coach Bill Walsh's career after he turned the 49ers from a bottom feeder into the league's newest dynasty.

George Seifert, who had served as the 49ers' defensive coordinator since 1983, was promoted to head coach as he had inherited a roster which featured quarterback Joe Montana, running back Roger Craig, wide receiver Jerry Rice, and defensive back Ronnie Lott.

The 49ers won their first two games of the season as they had hoped to become the first team since the Pittsburgh Steelers a decade earlier to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

While the 49ers' dynasty was in transition, the Philadelphia Eagles were being billed as the team that would take over the 49ers' mantle at the top of the NFL, thanks in large part to a ferocious defense directed by head coach Buddy Ryan, who was in his fourth season as the Philadelphia head coach after serving as the defensive coordinator of the 1985 Chicago Bears defense.

The Eagles' defense was led by a ferocious pass rush featuring defensive end Reggie White and defensive tackle Jerome Brown who to go along with an offense led by dynamic quarterback Randall Cunningham helped lead Philadelphia to the 1988 NFC East division title and team's first playoff appearance in seven years.

Just like the 49ers, the Eagles won their first two games of the 1989 season, which included a 42-37 shootout win over the Washington Redskins the week before(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-eagles.html) as Philadelphia prepared to host the defending Super Bowl Champions at Veterans Stadium.

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they gained 11 yards on five plays to set up 3rd & 9 from their 32-yard-line when Montana threw a deep pass down the middle of the field for Rice, who made the catch and outraced his defender for the the 68-yard touchdown to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead.

After an exchange of punts, the Eagles would get the first turnover of the game as Taylor fumbled the football on a punt return which was recovered by defensive back William Frizzell to give Philadelphia the ball at the 49ers' 31-yard-line.

But on the very next play from scrimmage, the 49ers would get the ball back as defensive end Kevin Fagan recovered Eagles running back Heath Sherman's fumble at the same spot where Frizzell made his fumble recovery at the 49ers' 31-yard-line.

The 49ers would be unable to drive into Philadelphia territory as the Eagles' pass rush would begin to make its presence felt as Montana would be sacked twice on the ensuing drive, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Eagles.

However, the 49ers would not get the punt away  punter Mike Helton  mishandled the snap from center leading him to being dropped for a 13-yard loss by Eagles defensive end Clyde Simmons to give Philadelphia the ball at the San Francisco 33-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Eagles were in the end zone as Sherman punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven with 1:48 left in the first quarter.

Eagles defensive end Reggie White accounted for 2.5 sacks as Philadelphia sacked Joe Montana eight times.

The 49ers would have another special teams blunder on the ensuing kickoff as Terrence Flagler would mishandle the kick leading to him being tackled at his 11-yard-line where San Francisco would begin its next possession.

Things would get worse for the 49ers as Montana was sacked by White for an eight-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by a delay of game penalty that pushed the 49ers back another yard, and then followed by right guard Bruce Collie stepping on Montana's foot, causing the quarterback to fall to the ground in the end zone as Eagles linebacker Al Harris would touch Montana for a safety to give Philadelphia a 9-7 lead and the ball at their 28-yard-line following the ensuing kick by the 49ers.

From there, the Eagles would drive 55 yards in eight plays to set up a 35-yard field goal by Luis Zendejas which increased their lead to 12-7 with 12 minutes left in the second quarter.

The 49ers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Craig opened the drive with a four-yard run, which was followed by three straight completions by Montana for 35 yards to put the 49ers at the Eagles' 41-yard-line when the drive stalled as a false start penalty and another quarterback sack, this time by defensive tackle Mike Pitts, would force another San Francisco punt.

The San Francisco defense would force the Eagles to punt the ball back to the 49ers, who took over at their 31-yard-line as Montana completed passes of nine yards to wide receiver John Taylor, 14 yards to Rice, and 23 yards to tight end Brent Jones to put San Francisco at the Philadelphia nine-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

But the Eagles' pass rush would strike again as White sacked Montana for a seven-yard loss on 3rd & goal from the eight-yard-line, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Mike Cofer which cut the Philadelphia lead to 12-10 with 2:11 remaining in the second quarter.

Neither team would mount another scoring threat for the rest of the first half as the Eagles went into the halftime break leading 12-10 after sacking Montana six times in the game's first 30 minutes.

The Eagles would get the ball to start the second half as three runs by Sherman for 20 yards and an incomplete pass would bring up 4th down when Philadelphia lined up to punt, only to run a fake as punter John Teltschik took the ball and ran for 23 yards to give the Eagles a 1st down at the 49ers' 37-yard-line.

From there, the Eagles would drive to the 49ers' 17-yard-line until Zendejas came on and kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap off the 13-play, 63-yard drive and increase Philadelphia's lead to 15-10.

Following a 49ers punt, the Eagles would drive 40 yards in eight plays to set up another Zendejas field goal, this one from 44 yards out which increased Philadelphia's lead to 18-10 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter.

The Eagles defense would give their offense a golden opportunity to possibly put the game away as Harris intercepted a Montana pass and returned the pick 11 yards to the 49ers' 15-yard-line where Cunningham and the offense would take over.

However, the Eagles could not put it in the end zone as they had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Zendejas on the second play of the fourth quarter which pushed their lead to 21-10 as the 49ers would begin their ensuing possession at their nine-yard-line following a penalty on the kickoff.

49ers wide receiver John Taylor caught six passes for 136 yards and scored one touchdown.

When the 49ers' offense came back onto the field, they lined up in a four wide receiver formation in hopes that the Eagles' defense would bring in extra defensive backs in favor of pass rushers.

The strategy would pay off for the 49ers as Montana completed three passes in a row for a total of 21 yards to set up 2nd & 6 from the 30-yard-line when Joe threw a short pass to Taylor, who made the catch at his 32-yard-line, made a juke move on Eagles cornerback Izel Jenkins, and raced down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown to bring San Francisco to within four at 21-17.

The 49ers seemed set to get the ball back as their defense forced a three-and-out only to have linebacker Bill Romanski have Teltschik's punt bounce off his helmet, leading to a recovery by Henry Williams to give the Eagles the ball at the 50-yard-line.

A 31-yard pass from Cunningham to tight end Jimmie Giles would be the big play of the eight-play, 50-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown pass from Cunningham to Giles which pushed the Eagles' lead back to 11 points at 28-17 with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Montana scrambled for 19 yards to pick up the initial 1st down of the drive, then handed the ball off to running back Harry Sydney who ran for 18 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Eagles' 41-yard-line.

From there, Montana would complete four consecutive passes beginning with a 11-yard pass to Sydney, then 15 yards to Rice, followed by nine yards to Taylor, and wrapped up with an eight-yard touchdown pass to fullback Tom Rathman which cut the 49ers' deficit back to four points at 28-24 with 6:03 to play.

After the Eagles went three-and-out on their next possession, the 49ers would get the ball back at the Eagles' 47-yard-line with a chance to take the lead when White struck again as he sacked Montana for a 13-yard loss, pushing San Francisco back to its 40-yard-line where they would face a 2nd & 23.

That is when Montana found Taylor for 36 yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Eagles' 24-yard-line as Montana would loft a pass for Jones, who made the catch at the Philadelphia 10-yard-line and outran linebacker Seth Joyner to complete the 24-yard touchdown and give San Francisco a 31-28 lead with 3:17 left in regulation.

The Eagles would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as Cunningham completed a 17-yard pass to Sherman, then scrambled for three yards, before throwing a pass for fullback Keith Byars, which bounced off his hands and into the arms of Lott, who made the interception and returned it six yards to the Philadelphia 39-yard-line.

Two straight running plays for six yards would set up 3rd & 4 when Montana found Rice down the middle for a 33-yard touchdown that increased the 49ers' lead to double digits at 38-28 with 2:02 remaining in the game.

The Eagles would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Cunningham completed three of his next five passes for 33 yards until the quarterback scrambled for nine yards when he was hit by Romanski leading to a fumble that was recovered by 49ers defensive back Jonnie Jackson at the San Francisco 41-yard-line with 52 seconds to go.

Montana would come on and take two knees to run out the clock as the 49ers had pulled out the 38-28 victory following a fabulous fourth quarter by "Joe Cool" in which he completed 11 of 12 passes for 227 yards and threw four touchdown passes in the game's final 15 minutes.

Jerry Rice would catch six passes for 164 yards and score two touchdowns.

The Eagles would finish the regular season with a 11-5 record good enough to earn a spot in the NFC Wild Card game where they would play the Los Angeles Rams on a rainy New Year's Eve in Philadelphia.

The Rams would upset the Eagles 21-7 to end Philadelphia's season as "Gang Green" would not fulfill the prophecy of becoming the "Team of the 1990s" as Ryan would be fired after the 1990 season in which the Eagles were once again eliminated at home in the NFC Wild Card Game, this time to the Washington Redskins.

As for the 49ers, they would go on to finish with the league's best record at 14-2, which included another dramatic comeback win, this one over the Rams 30-27 on Monday Night Football(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-montana.html) as San Francisco earned the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

In the playoffs, the 49ers would defeat the Minnesota Vikings 41-13 in the Divisional Round, then knock off the Rams 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game, and finally destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV, to earn the franchise their second straight Super Bowl title and fourth in nine years.

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.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Upset Defending Super Bowl Champion 49ers

Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh completed 12 of 18 passes for 175 yards and threw one touchdown in Indy's win over the 49ers in 1995.

The 1995 season for the Indianapolis Colts was a wild ride where the majority of the games would go down to the wire.

Such was the case in Week 7 when the Colts hosted the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.

The Colts entered the game with a 3-2 record as all five of their games had been decided by a touchdown or less with four of those games decided by a field goal or less.

Led by quarterback Jim Harbaugh, the Colts had staged memorable comeback wins over the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins were they had to overcome 21-point deficits in each game to win in overtime on field goals by Cary Blanchard.

The 3-2 start had given Indianapolis fans hope that the Colts would make the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

While the Colts were looking to end their playoff drought, the 49ers were trying to defend their Super Bowl title from the year before as they entered their game with the Colts with a 4-1 record.

The 49ers were led by head coach George Seifert and the famous "West Coast" offense under the direction of quarterback Steve Young and wide receiver Jerry Rice.

However, the 49ers were still searching to find a replacement for running back Ricky Watters, who had left the team in the offseason to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, as Derek Loville and William Floyd looked to fill the void left by Watters.

Despite that, the 49ers were 10 point favorites for their trip to Indianapolis to take on the Colts, a team that had not beaten San Francisco dating back to 1968 as the Colts were one of the three NFL teams to move into the AFC following the AFL-NFL merger, meaning the 49ers and Colts rarely played in the regular season, playing only three times since the merger with the 49ers winning all three.

The Colts would get the ball at their 24-yard-line to start the game as they would drive 61 yards in 15 plays on a drive which took over nine minutes and ended with a 32-yard field goal by Blanchard to give Indianapolis a 3-0 lead with 5:53 left in the first quarter.

The 49ers would start its first possession of the game at their 18-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down gave the ball back to the Colts when Young was sacked by Indianapolis defensive end Tony Bennett, causing a fumble that was recovered by fellow defensive end Bernard Whittington at the San Francisco 30-yard-line.

However, the Colts could not convert the turnover into points as Indianapolis would drive to the San Francisco 16-yard-line until Harbaugh was intercepted by 49ers free safety Merton Hanks, whose 23-yard return gave the 49ers the ball at their 40-yard-line.

The 49ers would then hold the ball for over seven minutes as they drove 60 yards in 12 plays as Young completed all seven of his passes on the drive for 53 yards, including the five-yard touchdown pass to Rice to give San Francisco a 7-3 lead with 10:53 left in the second quarter.

49ers quarterback Steve Young completed 28 of 40 passes for 229 yards and threw one touchdown, but was sacked six times in the 49ers' loss to the Colts.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Colts got the ball back at their 41-yard-line when Harbaugh handed the ball off to Faulk, who picked up eight yards that became a 23-yard play when 49ers defensive lineman Junior Bryant get called for unnecessary roughness, drawing a 15-yard penalty and putting Indy at the San Francisco 36-yard-line.

From there, the Colts ran the ball five straight times, picking up 14 yards until Harbaugh was sacked by 49ers defensive end Jamal Fountaine on 3rd & 8, dropping him for a six-yard loss and forcing the Colts to settle for a 46-yard field goal by Blanchard to trim the San Francisco lead to 7-6 with 2:44 left in the first half.

When the 49ers got the ball back at their 26-yard-line, they went no-huddle in hopes of getting some points before halftime.

Young hit Loville for 13 yards on the second play of the drive, then connected with Floyd for 11 more yards to convert on 3rd & 10 at the San Francisco 39-yard-line to give the 49ers a 1st down at midfield.

Following a two-yard pass to Floyd, Young found John Taylor for 21 yards and a 1st down at the Colts' 27-yard-line with 1:15 left in the half.

After two incomplete passes, Young completed a 11-yard pass to  Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Indianapolis 16-yard-line as San Francisco called timeout with 55 seconds left.

A five-yard run by Loville followed by a five-yard pass to Floyd gave San Francisco 1st & goal at the Colts' six-yard-line when Young hit a two-yard pass to Loville, then tried to run in for the touchdown only to be stopped at the one-yard-line by Colts linebacker Quentin Coryatt as the 49ers used their last timeout with 25 seconds left and needing one yard to get into the end zone.

That is when Coryatt stepped up again as he stopped for Young for no gain as the 49ers tried to get the field goal unit on before time expired in the first half when they got a repreive from the referees as a second football come onto the field allowing them to stop the clock with two seconds before 4th & 1.

Instead of taking the three points, Seifert gambled and went for the touchdown as Young handed the ball to Loville only to have Colts linebacker Trev Alberts break into the backfield causing Loville to move to his left where he was dropped for a two-yard loss by Indy free safety Jason Belser as time expired in the first half with the 49ers coming away with zero points and clinging to a 7-6 lead.

The 49ers would get the ball to start the second half from their 29-yard-line but would gave it right back to the Colts when on 3rd & 4 Young was intercepted by Colts linebacker Derwin Gray, whose 10-yard return gave Indianapolis the ball at the San Francisco 34-yard-line.

From there, Harbaugh would fire a 18-yard pass to Dilger, which was followed by an one-yard run by Faulk and then a 15-yard touchdown pass from Harbaugh to Dilger to give the Colts a 12-7 lead with 11:42 left in the third quarter.

Colts tight end Ken Dilger caught seven passes for 125 yards and scored the first touchdown of his NFL career.

The Colts would go for two to try and make it a seven-point game but Harbaugh's pass was picked off in the end zone by 49ers strong safety Tim McDonald to keep it 12-7.

The 49ers would get good field position to begin its next drive as Jamal Willis returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the San Francisco 45-yard-line where after Loville picked up six yards on the first two plays of the drive, Young connected with Floyd for 10 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Colts' 39-yard-line.

Young would then hit J.J. Stokes for 20 yards and another 1st down at the Colts' 19-yard-line as the 49ers would run the ball on the next four plays, culminating with Loville's four-yard touchdown run to give San Francisco a 14-12 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts the Colts had the ball at the 21-yard-line when Dilger made his presence felt again as he caught a 41-yard pass from Harbaugh to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the 49ers' 38-yard-line.

From there, Faulk would run the ball three straight times, picking up nine yards before the Colts called on Blanchard again, this time to make a 45-yard field goal, which he did to give Indianapolis a 15-14 lead with 91 seconds left in the third quarter.

The game would move into the 4th quarter with Indianapolis still ahead 15-14 when the 49ers got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the drive began with Young throwing an incomplete pass intended for Rice, only to have Colts cornerback Eugene Daniel get called for pass interference, drawing a 13-yard penalty and a 1st down at the Indy 33-yard-line.

Young would then find Taylor for 15 yards and another 1st down at the Indy 48-yard-line before connecting with Loville for nine yards to put San Francisco in Colts territory where after an incomplete pass on 2nd & 1, Loville ran for six yards and a 1st down at the Indianapolis 37-yard-line.

Young would then hit Rice for eight yards and then Jones for five yards for another 1st down at the 24-yard-line until back-to-back incomplete passes and a quarterback sack by Alberts for a nine-yard-loss led to Seifert calling on Doug Brien to attempt a 51-yard field goal.

Brien successfully made the field goal to give the 49ers a 17-15 lead with 7:29 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Colts would begin its ensuing possession at their 14-yard-line when the Harbaugh-to-Dilger connection struck again as the rookie tight end caught a five-yard pass to start the drive, then made a 33-yard catch to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the 49ers' 48-yard-line.

A five-yard-loss on a Warren run and an incomplete pass lead to a 3rd & 15 where Harbaugh found Floyd Turner for 16 yards to give the Colts a 1st down at the 49ers' 37-yard-line when Harbaugh handed the ball off to Warren, who ran for 10 yards and another 1st down at the San Francisco 27-yard-line.

Three straight running plays would only pick up three more yards, forcing the Colts to call on Blanchard again to kick a 41-yard field goal that would put Indianapolis in the lead.

Blanchard's kick sailed through the uprights to give the Colts a 18-17 lead with 2:25 to go in the game, plenty of time for Young and the 49ers to drive down for the winning score.

Colts kicker Cary Blanchard made all four of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning 41-yarder late in the 4th quarter.

The 49ers got another great return from Willis as his 39-yard return put the 49ers at their 41-yard-line to begin what they would hoped to be a game-winning drive.

Young would complete a five-yard pass to Rice, then hit Jones for 10 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Colts' 44-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

A four-yard run by Floyd followed by a seven-yard pass to Jones gave the 49ers another 1st down at the Colts' 33-yard-line when Young was hit hard by Colts defensive tackle Ellis Johnson on a pass for Loville that went for no gain.

Young was shaken up on the play causing San Francisco to spend its final timeout with 1:05 remaining in hopes of not having to take out Young of the game.

However, Young could not recover in time for 2nd down, so backup quarterback Elvis Grbac went in and threw an incomplete pass intended for Jones before Young came back into the game for 3rd down where he hit Floyd for five yards to set up 4th & 5 when the Colts called timeout with 50 seconds to go.

The Colts figured Brien would make the field goal so the Colts where trying to preserve time in order to mount a scoring drive of their own assuming Brien made the 46-yard kick that would give the 49ers the lead.

But Brien's kick sailed wide right allowing the Colts to take a knee to run out the clock and come away with the 18-17 win, giving Indianapolis its first win over the 49ers since 1968.

The 49ers would go on to finish with a 11-5 record, good enough to win the NFC West for the fourth year in a row and 12th time out of the previous 15 seasons, as well as the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs.

But the 49ers would be stunned in the Divisional Round by the Green Bay Packers 27-17, ending their season and their reign as Super Bowl champions.

As for the Colts, the emotional roller coaster known as the 1995 season was just beginning as Indianapolis finished the regular season with a 9-7 record, good enough to earn a Wild Card spot as Cary Blanchard kicked a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of the Colts' 10-7 win over the New England Patriots in the regular season finale, which sent the Colts to the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

In the playoffs, the Colts would knock off the defending AFC Champion San Diego Chargers 35-20 in the Wild Card Round, then shocked the #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs 10-7 in the Divisional Round(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-colts-shock.html) to advance to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost a 20-16 heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers as Harbaugh's "Hail Mary" pass for Aaron Bailey fell to the ground(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-steelers.html).

Still, the 1995 season was a magical one for the Indianapolis Colts and their win over the 49ers is one of their highlights.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Kelly + Buffalo Outgun Young + 49ers in the "No Punt Game"

Bills quarterback Jim Kelly would throw for 403 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-33 passing in the famous "No Punt Game".

For seven straight years in the 1990s, ESPN's Chris Berman would predict that the Super Bowl would feature the Buffalo Bills out of the AFC going up against the San Francisco 49ers of the NFC.

While the Bills would make four Super Bowls in a row and the 49ers would play in the NFC title game  six out of seven years between 1988 and 1994, neither team would meet each other in the Super Bowl.

The closest thing we got to a Bills-49ers Super Bowl was a Week 2 matchup that would see NFL history be made.

Both teams entered the game coming off Opening Day wins as the 49ers took care of the New York Giants 31-14 while the Bills would destroy the Los Angeles Rams 40-7.

The Bills were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl losses and hoping to make a run at a third straight appearance under head coach Marv Levy.

The Bills were one of the most complete teams in the NFL at that time as their famous no-huddle offense was led by quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas, and wide receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton.

Plus, they had quarterback sack master Bruce Smith at defensive end and all-pro linebacker Cornelius Bennett on the defensive side.

While the Bills had been in the Super Bowl the previous two years, the 49ers had not having lost in the 1990 NFC Championship Game, then missing out on the playoffs in 1991.

By this time, Steve Young was fully entrenched as the 49ers' starting quarterback as he taken over the starting quarterback job from Joe Montana who had suffered an elbow injury in the 1991 preseason that kept him on the sidelines for two years.

Much like Kelly, Young had a strong cast of supporting characters on offense which featured running back Ricky Watters, who was in his first year in the 49ers' backfield, and the wide receiver tandem of John Taylor and the greatest wide receiver of all time, Jerry Rice.

With all this talent on offense on both teams, many fans were hoping for a shootout much like the one Kelly and Young had in the United States Football League(USFL) where Kelly lead the Houston Gamblers back from a 20-point 4th quarter deficit to defeat Young and the Los Angeles Express 34-33 as Kelly threw for 574 yards and five touchdowns on 35-of-54 passing while Young threw for 255 on just 13 completions.

The fans at Candlestick Park and watching on NBC would get that shootout and one of the best quarterback duels in NFL history.

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they came out throwing as Young completed five of his first six passes for 53 yards in leading the San Francisco offense from their 22-yard-line to the Bills' 15-yard-line.

But that is where the drive started to unravel as Watters lost nine yards on a 1st down carry, which was followed by an incomplete pass, then a 10-yard pass to Rice, who was hit by Bills strong safety Henry Jones, leaving the All-Pro receiver with a concussion.

49ers kicker Mike Cofer would come on to attempt a 33-yard field goal but his kick sailed wide right and no good as San Francisco came with no points on their opening drive and had lost Rice for the rest of the game.

The Bills would take over at their 20-yard-line and would drive to their 47-yard-line until Kelly was sacked by 49ers defensive end Pierce Holt, knocking the ball loose which was recovered by linebacker Tim Harris at the Buffalo 40-yard-line.

Four plays later, the 49ers were in the end zone as Young completed a pass to Odessa Turner, who made the catch at the 10-yard-line, then ran in untouched for the 23-yard touchdown to put San Francisco ahead 7-0 with 3:26 left in the first quarter.

The Bills would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line and would quickly drive to the 49ers' 27-yard-line as Kelly connected with tight end Pete Metzelarrs for 20 yards and then Reed for 23 until the San Francisco defense rose up and forced Buffalo to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Steve Christie to cut the 49ers lead to 7-3 with 18 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

San Francisco would begin its next possession at its 20-yard-line where after four plays picked up 18 yards they were faced with a 3rd & 6 when Young threw a short pass to Turner for the 1st down, who then cut upfield for a 57-yard gain to give the 49ers 1st & goal from the five-yard-line.

Rathman would get the ball on the next two plays with the last one being for a two-yard touchdown which increased the 49ers' lead to 14-3 with 11:53 to go in the second quarter.

Down by 11, the Bills needed a response as they took over at their 27-yard-line only to have Kelly throw two straight incomplete passes to start the drive.

But on 3rd down, Kelly threw a screen pass to Thomas, who turned into a 24-yard gain and a 1st down at the San Francisco 49-yard-line.

After Thomas was dropped for an one-yard-loss on 1st down, Kelly would hit Reed for 30 yards and another 1st down at the 49ers' 20-yard-line, which was followed by another incomplete pass, then a 20-yard touchdown strike to Thomas to bring the Bills to within four point at 14-10 with 9:35 left in the second quarter.

It would take the 49ers two plays to get inside the Bills' red zone as Young would connect with Mike Sherrard for a 39-yard catch-and-run which was followed by a 20-yard run by Watters to put San Francisco at the Buffalo 12-yard-line.

However, the Bills' defense would allow five more yards on the next three plays, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Cofer to extend San Francisco's lead to 17-10 with 6:53 left in the first half.

Filling in for the injured Jerry Rice, 49ers wide receiver Mike Sherrard caught six passes for 159 yards.

Back came the Bills with a 10-play, 80-yard drive which included another big play on a screen pass as Kelly threw a short pass to Thomas who turned into a 43-yard reception, leading to Christie's 28-yard field goal to make it a 17-13 game with 2:31 before halftime.

That was plenty of time for the 49ers to drive down and put up some points on the board as San Francisco took over at its 20-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, Young found Sherrard again at the 49ers' 33-yard-line, who then proceeded to run down the left sideline before he was knocked out of bounds at the Buffalo 24-yard-line.

Five plays later, Young found Taylor for a seven-yard touchdown to extend the San Francisco lead to 24-13 with 11 seconds left in the first half.

Kelly would take a knee to run out the clock in the first half came to a close with the 49ers on top 24-13 which saw Young throw for 257 yards while Kelly threw for 193.

But the fireworks were far from over.

The Bills would begin the second half with the ball at their 20-yard-line where it took them just five plays to get back into the end zone as Kelly found Metzelaars for a 47-yard touchdown to make it a four-point game at 24-20 just 2:27 into the third quarter.

Young and the 49ers would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line and drove into Buffalo territory where they faced a 3rd & 1 at the Bills' 44-yard-line when running back Keith Henderson lost the football after a hit by Smith, leading to a recovery by Bennett at the Bills' 40-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Thomas to start the drive, Kelly would complete four straight passes as he hit Beebe for 13 yards, then Reed on back-to-back completions that totaled 21 yards, and then finishing it off with a 24-yard touchdown to Metzelaars to give the Bills their first lead of the game at 27-24 with 6:51 remaining in the third quarter.

Now trailing for the first time in the game, the 49ers got the ball at their 20-yard-line where after an one-yard pass to Rathman, Young threw a short pass to Taylor, who made the catch at the 29-yard-line, then spun around a defender as he made his way to the Buffalo 47-yard-line to complete a 32-yard reception.

49ers quarterback Steve Young would account for nearly 500 yards of total offense as threw for 449 and three touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing and ran for 50 yards on seven carries.

Watters would run the ball two straight times for 11 yards to pick up another 1st down when after a delay of game penalty pushed the 49ers back five yards, Young found tight end Jamie Williams, who was filling for an injured Brent Jones, at the Buffalo 28-yard-line, only for Williams to fumble the ball after the catch.

The ball was recovered by cornerback Nate Odomes whose 12-yard return gave the ball back to the Bills at their 39-yard-line.

Kelly and the Bills would drive to the 49ers' 40-yard-line until running back Kenneth Davis was stripped of the football by San Francisco linebacker Mike Walter, who was also recovered the fumble at the 40-yard-line.

Watters would run for 16 yards to start the drive but a sack of Young for 10 yards and an incomplete pass lead to a 3rd & 20 from the 49ers' 46-yard-line.

That is when Young threw a pass over the middle to Taylor, who made the catch at the Buffalo 32-yard-line and then ran into the endzone for a 54-yard touchdown to give the lead back to the 49ers at 31-27 with six seconds left in the third quarter.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Bills would get the ball at their 29-yard-line to start the 4th quarter as Kelly would lead the Bills to the 49ers' 17-yard-line until he was picked off by 49ers strong safety Merton Hanks on a pass intended for Reed, giving the ball back to San Francisco at its 11-yard-line.

The 49ers would move the ball to the Bills' 48-yard-line when disaster nearly struck as Young fumbled a 3rd down snap, only to pick up and run for a nine-yard gain and a 1st down at the Buffalo 39-yard-line.

But on the very next play, Young would be intercepted by Odomes to give the Bills the ball back at their 28-yard-line with 6:48 left in regulation for Kelly to lead Buffalo to the go-ahead touchdown.

The drive would begin with a six-yard pass to Reed, then two straight runs by Thomas that gained eight yards, which was followed by a 16-yard completion to Metzelaars to give Buffalo a 1st down at the San Francisco 42-yard-line.

After a six-yard run by Thomas on 1st down and an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Kelly would find Lofton for 10 yards and a 1st down at the 49ers' 26-yard-line.

Thomas would pick up four more yards on 1st down which was followed by a quarterback sack by 49ers linebacker John Johnson that dropped Kelly for a 10-yard-loss and pushed the Bills back to the 32-yard-line where they faced 3rd & 16.

Kelly would connect with Reed for 12 yards, leading to a 4th & 4 situation at the 20-yard-line with 3:37 left in the game.

Knowing a field goal would would no them no good and the fact that the Buffalo defense had not stopped the 49ers all game, the Bills went for the 1st down which they got as Kelly found Lofton for nine yards.

On the very next play, Kelly handed the ball off to Thomas who ran up the middle for the 11-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 34-31 lead with 3:04 left in the game.

Bills running back Thurman Thomas carried the ball 19 times for 85 yards, caught four passes for 91 yards, and scored two touchdowns.

That was plenty of time for Young to drive the 49ers down the field for the game-tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown as the 49ers had all three timeouts and the two-minute warning still to come as they would begin their ensuing drive at their 20-yard-line.

The drive started with a bang as Young found Sherrard for 21 yards and a 1st down at the San Francisco 41-yard-line, which was followed by an eight-yard run by Watters to set up 2nd & 2.

But an incomplete pass and an one-yard run by Young would set up a do-or-die 4th & 1 at the 50-yard-line with 1:47 to go.

That is when Young took the snap and ran around the left side for three yards and the 1st down at the Bills' 47-yard-line.

The 49ers would get five free yards as Smith was called for offsides to make it 1st & 5 when Young found Sherrard again this time for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Bills' 30-yard-line.

But then is when 49ers left tackle Steve Wallace got called for holding during a six-yard pass to Rathman, pushing the 49ers back 10 yards to the Bills' 40-yard-line to make it 1st & 20.

Young would hit Rathman for 11 yards, then fire two straight incomplete passes, forcing a 4th & 9 from the 29-yard-line when head coach George Seifert sent in Cofer to try and tie the game with a 47-yard field goal.

But just like in the first quarter, Cofer's kick sailed wide right and no good, giving the ball to the Bills with 54 seconds left as Kelly would take three knees to run out the clock as the Bills would come away with the 34-31 win.

In all, the two teams combined for 67 points and 1, 084 yards of total offense as both  quarterbacks would throw for over 400 yards in the first game in NFL history where neither team punted the football.

A rematch seemed plausible as the 49ers would finish the regular season with the best record in the league at 14-2 to earn home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs while the Bills would lose three of their final five games to finish with a 11-5 record earning them a Wild Card spot.

It was in the Wild Card round where the Bills famously pulled off the greatest comeback in NFL history as Frank Reich, filling for an injured Kelly, lead the Bills back from a 35-3 deficit to a 41-38 overtime win over the Houston Oilers, then lead Buffalo to a 24-3 upset win over the AFC's #1 seed, the Pittsburgh Steelers while the 49ers defeated the Washington Redskins 20-13 in the Divisional Round as both teams earned trips to their respective conference championship games.

Kelly would return for the Bills as they knocked off the Miami Dolphins 29-10 to win thier third straight AFC title but the 49ers fell to the Dallas Cowboys 30-20 in the NFC Championship Game as the Cowboys advanced to Super Bowl XXVII where they would destroy the Bills 52-17.

The Bills and 49ers would again make it all the way to the championship round the following season with the Bills knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs, who had traded for Montana in the offseason, 30-13 in the AFC Title Game while the 49ers lost to the Cowboys 38-21 in the NFC Title Game.

The 49ers would finally get past the Cowboys in the 1994 NFC Championship Game to advance to the Super Bowl but the Bills were not there as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

So while Berman's dream of a Bills-49ers Super Bowl never came, he still has this classic to watch over and over again.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana to Rice Last-Minute TD Gives 49ers Stunning Victory over Giants

Jerry Rice caught four passes for 109 yards including the game-winning touchdown.

Entering the 1988 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers were a team at a crossroads.

They had made the playoffs the previous three years without winning a playoff game, including a shocking 36-24 upset at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings the year before.

While the 49ers had arguably the greatest football of all time in wide receiver Jerry Rice and versatile running back Roger Craig, the quarterback situation was muddled as veteran Joe Montana was trying to hold off Steve Young for the starting quarterback job.

Despite having led the 49ers to two Super Bowl titles earlier in the decade, some thought Montana's days in San Francisco were numbered after head coach Bill Walsh had traded for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Steve Young before the 1987 season and allowing him to appear in eight games during the regular season.

Following a poor performance by Montana in the 49ers' playoff loss to the Vikings, the door was open for Young to become the starting quarterback.

However, Montana would start the 1988 season as the starting quarterback as he threw three touchdown passes in the 49ers' 34-33 win over the New Orleans Saints in the season opener.

But Montana bruised his right elbow during the game and did not practice for much of the week prior to the Giants game, paving the way for Young to get the start as the 49ers traveled to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants.

Like the 49ers, the Giants were at a crossroads as they were coming off a 6-9 season in 1987, missing the playoffs one year after winning the Super Bowl.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells but were missing their best player as linebacker Lawrence Taylor was out for the first four games of the 1988 regular season because of a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Despite the absence of Taylor, the Giants won their regular season opener 27-20 against the Washington Redskins as they prepared to host the 49ers in a early season showdown.

The 49ers got the ball to start the game at their 28-yard-line but would turn it over when Young was sacked by Giants linebacker Andy Headen, forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Eric Dorsey at the San Francisco 30-yard-line.

After Morris picked up 18 yards on three straight running plays, Giants quarterback Phil Simms fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to Lionel Manuel to give New York a 7-0 lead just 3:48 into the game.

Following the touchdown, the 49ers would get the ball back at their eight-yard-line when Young would lead San Francisco down the field as he would complete five of his next eight passes for 45 yards to set up a 3rd & 4 from the Giants' 18-yard-line when Young was sacked again, this time by Dorsey, leading to another fumble that was recovered by New York linebacker Pepper Johnson at the Giants' 24-yard-line. 

A pair of 15-yard penalties on the 49ers helped the Giants drive to the San Francisco 34-yard-line where the Giants lined up to attempt a 52-yard field goal.

But the Giants never got a kick away as center Bart Oates' snap bounced to holder Jeff Hostetler, who was tackled at the New York 44-yard-line, giving the ball back to the 49ers.

From there, Young would three passes in a row for 42 yards to set up a 35-yard field goal by Mike Cofer on the second play of the second quarter to put San Francisco on the scoreboard as they trailed 7-3.

After forcing the Giants to go three-and-out on their next possessions, the 49ers got the ball at their 43-yard-line when Walsh decided to call on the running game to get San Francisco down the field.

On the 10-play, 57-yard drive, Craig would carry it twice for 28 yards, while fullback Tom Rathman had two carries for 12 yards, which was followed by Doug Dubose carrying the ball on the last two plays of the drive, with the final run being an one-yard touchdown to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 10-7 with 9:18 left in the second quarter.

49ers running back Roger Craig accounted for 179 yards of total offense as he carried the ball 18 times for 110 yards and caught nine passes for 69 yards.

Following an exchange of punts, the Giants got the ball at their 29-yard-line with less than four minutes to go in the first half.

The Giants would pick up one 1st down until a sack by 49ers defensive end Kevin Fagan dropped Simms for a 13-yard-loss and a holding penalty on left tackle Jumbo Elliott forced a 2nd & 33 from the New York 17-yard-line.

Simms would hit running back George Adams for six yards on 2nd down, then connect with Mark Ingram for 25 yards on 3rd down to set up 4th & 2 from the Giants' 48-yard-line.

That is when Parcells decided to gamble and go for the 1st down which he got when running back Joe Morris went up the middle for a 11-yard run to the 49ers' 41-yard-line.

Simms would connect with Ingram for again, this time for nine yards, which were followed by two straight runs by Adams for 13 yards to the 49ers' 19-yard-line with 23 seconds left before halftime.

Simms would throw two straight incomplete passes, forcing the Giants to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Allegre to tie the game at 10 with just nine seconds left in the first half.

However, the 49ers would get one more chance to put points on the board after Allegre's kickoff went out of bounds to give San Francisco the football at their 35-yard-line, which was followed up by a 20-yard run by Young, who went out of bounds at the New York 45-yard-line with enough time on the clock to give Cofer a shot at a 62-yard field goal.

But Cofer's kick was short and the score remained tied 10-10 as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break.

After the 49ers defense forced the Giants to punt on their opening possession of the second half, Walsh decided to insert Montana into the game as the 49ers offense came out onto the field to begin their initial possession of the second half at their 41-yard-line.

If Montana's elbow was sore, it didn't show as he completed five of seven passes 42 yards to set up a 26-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 13-10 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Giants would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line and would drive to the 49ers' 39-yard-line until they were faced with another 4th & 2 situation.

Again, Parcells decided to go for the 1st down, but this time it was unsuccessful as Morris would be stopped one yard short, giving the 49ers the ball at their 38-yard-line.

Following another exchange of punts, the 49ers got the ball at their 27-yard-line as went back to the running game as Craig carried the ball four times for 34 yards while Rathman ran for 10 yards on one carry and caught a 11-yard pass to lead San Francisco to the New York 18-yard-line as the game went into the 4th quarter.

But two straight incomplete passes, including a rare drop by Rice on what would have been a touchdown, forced the 49ers to call on Cofer to attempt a 35-yard field goal, which sailed wide right to keep it a three-point game at 13-10 with 12:51 left in regulation.

Both teams would trade punts on their ensuing possessions giving the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 17-yard-line as they drove down to the 49ers' 21-yard-line, thanks in large part to Simms, who hit Manuel twice for 39 yards and Morris for 16 yards to help set up a 39-yard field goal attempt by Allegre that would tie the game.

But Allegre's kick sailed wide left keeping it 13-10 in favor of the 49ers with 3:18 left in regulation and a chance to run out the clock.

Giants wide receiver Lionel Manuel caught six passes for 80 yards and scored both of the Giants' touchdowns.

With the help of an illegal use of the hands penalty on left guard Jesse Sapolu, the Giants were able to force a three-and-out as the 49ers were set to punt the ball from their 13-yard-line with 2:15 left.

Barry Helton's punt only traveled 34 yards to the San Francisco 47-yard-line, where it was fielded by Giants wide receiver Phil McConkey, whose 32-yard return set the Giants up at the 49ers' 15-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After Morris was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Simms dropped back to pass and found Manuel for a 15-yard touchdown to put the Giants ahead 17-13 with 1:21 left in the game.

Even though they had the lead, the Giants knew the game was far from over as the 49ers had two timeouts left and Joe Montana behind center.

On the ensuing kickoff, Dubose looked to make a good return as he picked up Allegre's kickoff at his 14-yard-line and ran nine yards before fumbling the ball which was recovered by teammate Sam Kennedy at the San Francisco 23-yard-line.

On 1st down, Montana threw a pass to Rice, who dropped his second pass of the game, which was followed by Montana fumbling the snap from center Randy Cross on 2nd down, with Montana recovering it after an one-yard-loss setting up 3rd & 11.

That is when Walsh called "76 All Go" a play that called for four wide receivers to run down the field in hopes that the quarterback would hit him on a deep pass.

As the 49ers broke the huddle, Wes Chandler and Calvin Nicholas lined up on the left side while Rice and Mike Wilson lined up on the right side, with Rathman in the backfield and Montana behind center.

Montana took the snap, dropped back, and fired a pass toward the right sideline that was caught by Rice in stride at the 49ers' 45-yard-line when Giants safety Kenny Hill, who was running over to help on the play, collided with cornerback Mark Collins, allowing for Rice to run in untouched for a shocking 78-yard touchdown to give San Francisco a 20-17 lead with 42 seconds left in regulation.

The Giants took over at their 27-yard-line but only made it to the 49ers' 47-yard-line as time ran out as San Francisco had come away with the 20-17 win.

The loss was one of four for the Giants by a touchdown or less, including the regular season finale which they lost to the New York Jets, which cost the Giants a playoff spot as they finished with a 10-6 record but lost on a conference tiebreaker as the Los Angeles Rams finished with a better NFC record than the Giants.

As for the 49ers, they would struggle for much of the season as Montana and Young continue to trade snaps at quarterback only to have the 49ers fall to a 6-5 record with five weeks in the season.

That is when Walsh decided that Montana would be his starting quarterback for the rest of the season which paid off for the 49ers as they won four of their last five games to finish with a 10-6 record, good enough to win the NFC West division title.

In the playoffs, Rice would dominate as he caught three touchdown passes in the 49ers' 34-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round, then caught five passes for 133 yards and scored two more touchdowns in San Francisco's 28-3 rout of the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

Then in Super Bowl XXIII, Rice would catch a then Super Bowl record 11 passes for a record 215 yards and score one touchdown as the 49ers knocked off the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 as Montana threw the game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left for the 49ers' third Super Bowl title in the 1980s.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Saints Prevail Over 49ers in "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" Rematch

In week 6 of the 1987 NFL regular season, which was also the first week where all the regular NFL players played following three games featuring replacement players because of the NFL strike, the New Orleans Saints lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers 24-22 as Morten Andersen's 52-yard field goal in the final seconds sailed wide left.
In the locker room following the game, second-year Saints head coach Jim Mora went one of his legendary rants saying the Saints weren't good enough to beat the 49ers:

The "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" rant as it became to be known would be seen as the turning point in the Saints' 1987 season as it helped sparked the team toward their first winning season in team history.
Since their inception in 1967, the Saints had never finished beyond .500 and had never made the playoffs.
In 1986, the team hired Mora after he had spent three years in the USFL, leading the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars to a 48-13-1 record and two league championships.
Mora wasn't the only USFL refugee to land in New Orleans as quarterback Bobby Hebert, as well as linebackers Sam Mills and Vaughn Johnson joined Mora to help the Saints to a 7-9 season in 1986.
But after their loss to the 49ers in week 6, the Saints stood at 3-3 and most New Orleans fans were expecting another mediocre season at best.
The Saints would easily dispatch of the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams the next two weeks, beating them by a combined score of 69-14 to improve their record to 5-3 as they traveled to San Francisco for a rematch with the 49ers in week 9.
By 1987, the 49ers had established themselves as the rulers of the NFC West, winning the division in four of the previous six years as well as two Super Bowl titles.
The 49ers were led by head coach Bill Walsh and his famous "West Coast" Offense with Joe Montana at quarterback, running back Roger Craig who had had 1,000 yards receiving and running in 1985, plus third-year wide receiver Jerry Rice who was just coming into his prime.
To go along with this high-powered offense, the 49ers had a stingy defense led by safety Ronnie Lott which had led San Francisco to a 7-1 record as they prepared to host the Saints at Candlestick Park for the anticipated rematch.
However, Montana would not be starting as a sprained index finger on his right hand allowed for Steve Young to get the start in this important game, though Montana would be available if Young were to be injured or ineffective.
The 49ers got the ball to start the game at their 28-yard-line as a 17-yard run by Rice off a reverse on the first play of the game and a 21-yard pass from Young to fullback Tom Rathman help set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Ray Wersching, with Montana as the holder despite his injured finger.
Wersching's kick would be short and no good to give the Saints the ball at their 29-yard-line where they were able to put together a nine-play, 48-yard drive that was capped off with a 40-yard field goal by Andersen to give New Orelans a 3-0 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter.
The 49ers would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line but were pushed back 10 yards after an ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a 12-yard pass from Young to Craig on 1st down.
Nevertheless, Young would lead the 49ers to the New Orleans 46-yard-line where Young connected with Rice on a 46-yard touchdown to give the 49ers a 7-3 lead with 67 seconds left in the opening quarter.
But for Young, his touchdown to Rice would be the final play of the game for him as coaches noted he was woozy believing he had suffered a concussion on one of his two quarterback runs during the touchdown drive.
As Montana was getting warmed up to enter the game, the Saints took over at their 36-yard-line but could not make a 1st down and were forced to punt the ball back to the 49ers.
However, the Saints would catch a break on the punt as 49ers linebacker Keena Turner was called for roughing the kicker, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving New Orleans an 1st down at their 46-yard-line.
The Saints would hold the ball into the second quarter as they drove down to the 49ers' 24-yard-line before calling on Andersen to attempt a 41-yard field goal which sailed wide right and no good to keep it 7-3 in favor of the 49ers.
When the San Francisco offense come onto the field, Montana came in with them as they took possession at their 24-yard-line as they drove to the Saints' 40-yard-line in just three plays as Craig ran for 27 yards on two carries and Montana connected with tight end John Frank for nine yards.
But on 1st & 10 at the New Orleans 40-yard-line, Montana's pass intended for Ron Heller was tipped and intercepted by Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson to give the Saints the ball at their 28-yard-line.
From there, the Saints would drive 63 yards in 14 plays, primarily on the ground with running backs Dalton Hilliard and Reuben Mayes to set up a 27-yard field goal by Andersen which he made to cut the 49ers' lead to 7-6 with 1:52 left in the first half.

Despite not starting the game, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana would complete 16 of 29 passes for 144 yards.

Montana and the 49ers would get the ball at their 20-yard-line where they hoped to put their two-minute offense to good use to drive down and pick up some more points before halftime.
However, Montana would throw his second interception of the half as Saints cornerback Dave Waymer picked off a pass intended for Heller again and ran it back 17 yards to the San Francisco 23-yard-line to give the New Orleans offense the ball with 1:24 left in the half.
But the Saints ended up going backwards as they lost 12 yards, thanks in large part to a 10-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by 49ers defensive tackle Clyde Glover, forcing Mora to call on Andersen for the fourth time in the first half, this time to attempt a 51-yard field goal.
Andersen's kick was true and the Saints would go into the halftime break with a 9-7 lead and would get the ball to start the second half.
Starting at their own 35-yard-line, the Saints would drive to the 49ers' 43-yard-line when they were faced with a 3rd & 3 situation.
That is when Hebert threw a short pass to wide receiver Mike Jones, who made the catch at the San Francisco 38-yard-line, then spun away to break the tackle attempt made by 49ers cornerback Tim McKyer, and outraced the rest of the 49ers defense for a 43-yard touchdown to extend the Saints' lead to 16-7 with 11:26 left in the third quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers had the ball at exactly the 50-yard-line when Walsh decided to go into his bag of tricks as Montana threw to seldom-used running back Harry Sydney, who then fired a perfect pass for Rice who made the catch for a 50-yard touchdown to bring the 49ers to within two points at 16-14 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.

Jerry Rice caught his seventh and eighth touchdown receptions of his 22-touchdown catch season in the 49ers' Week 9 game.

After another exchange of punts, the Saints had the ball at the 49ers' 43-yard-line when Hebert was intercepted by Lott, whose 34-yard return set up shop for the 49ers offense at the New Orleans 31-yard-line.
Three plays netted only two yards, forcing Walsh to send in Wersching to attempt a 46-yard field goal that would give the lead back to the 49ers.
But Saints defensive back Reggie Sutton would break through the right side of the 49ers' offensive line to block the kick, which bounced into the hands of teammate Johnnie Poe, who returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to increase the New Orleans lead to 23-14 with just three seconds left in the third quarter.
Instead of having a one-point lead, San Francisco now needed two scores to retake the lead as the fourth quarter began with the 49ers holding the ball at their 35-yard-line.
After two plays gained four yards, Montana would hit Russ Francis for 16 yards and a 1st down, which was followed by a 22-yard pass to Frank, giving the 49ers a 1st down at the Saints' 23-yard-line.
However, the Saints' defense would stiffen once again as they allowed only three more yards on the next three plays, leading to a 35-yard field goal by Wersching, which he made to cut the New Orleans lead to 23-17 with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter.
The Saints would get the ball back at their 14-yard-line but couldn't it make it past their own 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 37-yard-line with 6:46 to go in the game.
The drive began with four straight running plays which picked up 18 yards before Montana threw his first pass of the drive which fell incomplete leading to a 3rd & 7 situation at the Saints' 46-yard-line.
Montana would connect with Craig for six yards setting up 4th & 1 as Walsh decided to go for the 1st down.
The 49ers would get it as Craig took a pitch from Montana and ran around the left side for eight yards and a 1st down at the New Orleans 32-yard-line.
But three plays later, the 49ers would be faced with another 4th down situation, this time needing seven yards to pick up the 1st down.
That is when Montana faked a draw to Craig and fired a pass for Heller for the 29-yard touchdown that with Wersching's extra point gave the 49ers a 24-23 lead with 2:54 remaining.
The Saints would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line with two timeouts in their pocket and needing just a field goal.
But up to this point in the game, Hebert had only completed eight of 24 passes for 127 yards.
If the Saints were to drive down and kick the winning field goal, they would need Hebert to step up.
Hebert would answer the call on the first two plays of the drive as he hit Lonzell Hill for 23 yards, then Eric Martin for 31 yards, driving the Saints 54 yards in just two plays as they had a 1st down at the 49ers' 24-yard-line.
Two runs by Hilliard only picked up one yard before Hebert put the ball back in the air only to have it fall incomplete and forcing 4th down as Mora sent in Andersen to attempt a 40-yard field goal to give the Saints the lead.
With a chance to redeem himself for his miss from three weeks prior, Andersen made the 40-yard kick to give New Orleans a 26-24 lead with 1:06 remaining.
But that was still plenty of time for Montana to drive the 49ers down the field and give Wersching a chance to win the game with a field goal of his own.
Taking over at his 26-yard-line, Montana would complete three passes in a row to Craig, gaining 19 yards before spending the 49ers' last timeout with 41 seconds to go.
After the timeout, Montana would connect with John Taylor for 15 yards and a 1st down at the Saints' 40-yard-line.
Back-to-back incomplete passes lead to a 3rd down with 18 seconds left when Montana dropped back to pass only to find no one open.
This lead him to scramble and try to pick up the 1st down, but he was tackled one yard short at the Saints' 31-yard-line with 10 seconds to go.
Montana tried to get the 49ers lined up for one last play only to have the clock run out with the Saints victors by the score of 26-24.

Morten Andersen celebrates after making the game-winning field goal.

In the locker room after the game, Mora was asked if his team was contenders to which the coach replied "Yes, we're contenders".
Mora and the Saints were not lose a game for the rest of the regular season as they finished with a then franchise best 12-3 record to earn their first ever winning season and playoff berth in franchise history.
But the 49ers would not lose for the rest of the regular season as well as they finished one game ahead of the Saints with a league best 13-2 record as Rice would catch fire as he caught 14 touchdown passes in the 49ers' final six regular season games to set the NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a season with 22, which stood for 20 years until Randy Moss broke it in 2007.
However, both teams' seasons would end at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings as the 8-7 Vikings destroyed the Saints 44-10 in the NFC Wild Card Game, then shocked the 49ers 36-24 in the Divisional Round, before being eliminated by the Washington Redskins 17-10 in the NFC Championship Game.