NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bills Clinch AFC East Title with Win over 49ers

Fans greet the Buffalo Bills after their 18-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers clinched the AFC East title for Buffalo.

As the Buffalo Bills traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in the final week of the 1980 regular season, the Bills had a chance to do something they had not done since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970: win a division championship.

The Bills came into Week 16 with a 10-5 record needing a win or tie over the 49ers to secure the first division title for Buffalo since they won the Eastern Division title in the American Football League in 1966.

The Bills were led by head coach Chuck Knox, who after a five-year tenure with the Los Angeles Rams in which he led LA to five straight NFC West titles and three trips to the NFC Championship Game, left to become the Buffalo head coach in 1978.

After two straight losing seasons, the Bills become winners in 1980 as they ended a 20-game losing streak to the Miami Dolphins with a 17-7 over Miami in Week 1 as Buffalo jumped out to a 5-0 start.

The key to the Bills' turnaround was their defense which ranked first in fewest yards allowed as led by the trio of nose tackle Fred Smerlas and inside linebackers Jim Haslett and Shane Nelson, otherwise known as the "Bermuda Triangle" as opposing running backs could not get past this trio.

On offense, the Bills were led by quarterback Joe Ferguson, who had been the Buffalo starting quarterback since 1973 and running back Joe Cribbs who had rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season.

However, Ferguson's status for the game against the 49ers was a question mark as he had sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the Bills' 24-2 loss to the New England Patriots the week before.

While the Bills were hoping that their franchise quarterback could give it a go, the 49ers had no such issues at quarterback as they had found their quarterback of the future in Joe Montana.

Entering his third NFL season, Montana was named the 49ers starting quarterback by second year head coach Bill Walsh in the seventh week of the 1980 season in the midst of an eight-game losing streak for the 49ers.

While the 49ers were destined for their fourth straight losing season and seventh in eight years, San Francisco fans were given a glimmer of hope two weeks before the game with the Bills as Montana led the 49ers back from a 28-point halftime deficit to lead San Francisco to a 38-35 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in what was at the time the greatest comeback in NFL history.

San Francisco came into their final game of the 1980 season with a 6-9 record as they had hoped to spoil the Bills' hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1974 on a muddy field in Candlestick Park.

 After the 49ers went three-and-out to start the game, the Bills would get the ball at their 24-yard-line when Ferguson handed the ball off to Cribbs, who took around the left side for a 48-yard run, his longest run of the season to put Buffalo at the San Francisco 28-yard-line after just one play.

Cribbs would run the ball on the next three plays, picking up 12 yards, before Curtis Brown get a carry for six yards to set up 3rd & 3 at the 49ers' 10-yard-line when Ferguson throw his first pass of the game which would be a touchdown to wide receiver Jerry Butler to give Buffalo a 6-0 lead as Nick Mike-Meyer's extra point would bounce off the upright.

The 49ers would begin their ensuing possession at their 23-yard-line as San Francisco would drive down the field with the help of a couple of Buffalo penalties as defensive end Sherman White would be called for roughing the passer to add 15 yards to an 11-yard pass from Montana to running back Earl Cooper to put San Francisco in Buffalo territory at the Bills' 38-yard-line.

Two plays later, Montana would complete a three-yard pass to running back Lenvil Elliott when linebacker Isiah Robertson would be called for unnecessary roughness to help put the 49ers at the Bills' nine-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

The 49ers would move to the four-yard-line where they faced 3rd & goal when Montana handed the ball off to Cooper, who took up the middle and fumbled the football before crossing the goal line as Smerlas would recover the fumble.

However, the referees ruled that Cooper had crossed the goal line before he fumbled the football even though replays showed that was not the case, as the controversial touchdown tied the game at six.

A holding penalty would push the 49ers back 10 yards for Ray Wersching's extra point which would bounce off the left upright to keep the game tied at six with 6:14 left in the first quarter.

Despite a gimpy ankle, Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson would complete 12 of 20 passes for 102 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Bills would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter as they would drive from their 27-yard-line to the 49ers' 40-yard-line before punting the ball on the first play of the second quarter back to San Francisco, who would take over at their 20-yard-line as the Buffalo defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at the 49ers' 43-yard-line.

But the three-and-out would be costly as Nelson would be lost for the game with a broken right wrist as he was replaced by former Raider linebacker Phil Villapiano.

The Bills would drive down the field behind the right arm of Ferguson as the veteran quarterback would complete a 14-yard pass to Frank Lewis, then hit tight end Mark Bremmer on two straight 3rd down situations, to help set up a four-yard touchdown run by Brown that with a successful extra point gave Buffalo a 13-6 lead with 9:01 left in the second quarter.

The 49ers would start their next drive at their 29-yard-line as the 49ers would methodically drive down to the Buffalo two-yard-line where they were faced with a 4th & goal situation when Walsh decided to go for the touchdown instead of attempting the field goal.

On the play, Montana would roll to his right and threw a pass toward the end zone intended for Elliott only to have Bills strong safety Steve Freeman knock the ball down to force a turnover on downs and give the ball back to Buffalo at their two-yard-line with 1:59 left before halftime.

The Bills would run the ball four straight times to run out the clock on the first half with Buffalo ahead 13-6 as they were 30 minutes away from a division title.

Buffalo would get the ball to start the second half as they would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the 49ers, who would take over at their 43-yard-line as Cooper would run for six yards to begin the drive to bring up 2nd & 4 when Cooper would run 47 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the Buffalo four-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Elliott, Montana would find Eason Ramson for a two-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 13 with 11:20 left in the third quarter.

The Bills would start their next drive at their 30-yard-line as Ferguson would go deep for Lewis as the wide receiver would draw a pass interference penalty on 49ers cornerback Gerard Williams to give Buffalo a 1st down at the San Francisco 35-yard-line.

From there, the Bills would drive to the 49ers' eight-yard-line until Mike-Meyer would come on to kick a 25-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 16-13 lead with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

On their ensuing possession, the 49ers would move from their 25-yard-line to their 42-yard-line before they lined up to punt the ball back to the Bills when the snap went over punter Jim Miller's head as Miller would fall on the ball in the end zone until he was touched by defensive end Ken Johnson for a safety to extend Buffalo's lead to 18-13 with 1:38 to go in the third quarter.

Running back Roland Hooks would receive the free kick at his 28-yard-line and ran it back 30 yards until he was hit by the 49ers' Ricky Patton to knock the ball loose as cornerback Ray Rhodes would recover the ball to give San Francisco the ball at their 41-yard-line.

The 49ers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Bills, who would take over at their 20-yard-line as two runs by Cribbs would go for 26 yards to put the Bills at their 46-yard-line when Ferguson would fumble a snap from center as defensive tackle Archie Reese would recover it to give San Francisco the ball at the Buffalo 45-yard-line early in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco would use its running game to drive down the field as they would run the ball on seven of their next eight plays as the 49ers drove down to the Bills' eight-yard-line until disaster struck when Cooper fumbled the football when he was hit by Buffalo linebacker Lucas Sanford as cornerback Mario Clark would make the recovery at the San Francisco five-yard-line with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter.

Bills running back Joe Cribbs would run for 128 yards on 18 carries.

The two teams would exchange punts until the 49ers got the ball at their 24-yard-line with 3:23 left in the game as the drive would begin with a four-yard loss by Cooper which was followed by a 12-yard pass from Montana to Elliott to set up 3rd & 2 as the two-minute warning hit.

Following the timeout, Elliott would run for four yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at their 36-yard-line as Montana would hit Dwight Clark for nine yards, then completing a three-yard pass to Cooper to put San Francisco at their 48-yard-line with a fresh set of downs.

Three plays later, the 49ers were forced with a 4th & 10 situation when Montana found Clark over the middle for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Bills' 34-yard-line with 28 seconds to go in the game.

Montana would complete an one-yard pass to Freddie Soloman before throwing an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 9 at the 33-yard-line with nine seconds to go when Montana threw a Hail Mary pass to the left corner of the end zone that tight end Charlie Young got his hands around the ball but could not bring it down as Buffalo cornerback Charles Romes would knock the ball out of Young's hands to make the pass incomplete with two seconds to go.

That gave Montana another chance at a Hail Mary pass at the left corner of the end zone as time expired as the pass was batted around before it fell to the ground and incomplete to give the Bills the 18-13 win and the AFC East division title.

The "Bills Mafia" were so excited by the division title that nearly 8,000 fans braved the 13-degree night to greet their beloved Bills when they arrived at the Buffalo airport at 3:30 in the morning following the win over the 49ers.

Buffalo would get a first round bye as all division champions did in the 1980 NFL playoffs before traveling to San Diego to take on the Chargers in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

The Bills led late in the game until Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith with 2:06 left in the game to give San Diego a 20-14 win to end Buffalo's dream of making it to the Super Bowl.

The Bills would respond the following year by going 10-6 to earn a spot in the AFC Wild Card Game where they would defeat the New York Jets 31-27 after building up a 24-0 1st quarter lead to earn Buffalo its first playoff win since the 1965 AFL Championship.

Buffalo's 1981 season would end the following week in a 28-21 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals as the Bills would not return to the postseason until 1988 which began a six-year run of playoff appearances that included four straight AFC Championships from 1990 through 1993.

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: Elway & Broncos Knock off Montana & 49ers in Infamous "Snowball Game"

 Broncos quarterback John Elway threw for 215 yards and two TDs in leading Denver to a comeback win over the 49ers in 1985.

When the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Mile High Stadium to take on the Denver Broncos in week 10 of the 1985 NFL season, they knew they had a daunting task ahead of them as they would have to deal with the noise from nearly 75,000 Bronco fans.

Little did they know that one fan would have a impact on the game not by making noise but by throwing an object onto the field.

The Broncos came into the game atop the AFC Western Division with a 6-3 record while the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers came in with a 5-4 record, hoping to get a win to make up some distance on the 1st place Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Western Division.

Both teams were led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks as San Francisco was led by two-time Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana while Denver had third-year sensation John Elway at the helm.

Two days before their showdown, seven inches of snow fell in Denver forcing the field crew at Mile High Stadium to try and get as much snow off the field before the Broncos' showdown with the 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The crew got the playing field clear but the stands were still filled with snow as the temperature at kickoff was 17 degrees with a wind chill of 9 degrees.

It was a scene reminiscent of the Broncos' last Monday Night Football appearance when they defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-14 in a blizzard(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-broncos.html).

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 20-yard-line to the Denver 41-yard-line until they were forced to punt when Max Runager shanked the punt as the kick only went one yard to give the Broncos the ball at their 40-yard-line.

While the shanked punt did not immediately hurt the 49ers as the Broncos went three-and-out on their first possession of the game, it come back to haunt after the 49ers went three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give Denver the ball at the San Francisco 37-yard-line.

From there, running back Sammy Winder would carry the ball two straight times for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Elway found Steve Watson for 13 yards and a 1st down which was followed by two more runs by Winder for 10 yards to give Denver a 1st & goal at the 49ers' eight-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Winder on 1st down and a three-yard catch by the running back on 2nd down, Elway found another Denver running back, Gene Lang, for a three-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead with 4:47 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos would have their own special teams miscue later in the quarter when 49ers linebacker Ron Ferrari partially blocked a punt to give San Francisco the ball at the Denver 40-yard-line.

Montana would hit tight end John Frank for 14 yards to start the drive which was followed by three straight running plays that picked up 18 yards until Montana threw two straight incomplete passes to force the 49ers to settle for a 26-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to cut the Broncos' lead to 7-3.

49ers quarterback Joe Montana completed 17 of 40 passes for 222 yards and threw one TD.

Following an exchange of punts, the Broncos had the ball at their 42-yard-line facing a 2nd & 1 when Elway handed the ball off to Winder, who ran up to the line of scrimmage then tossed it back to Elway on a flea flicker as the third-year quarterback hit Vance Johnson for 50 yards to give Denver a 1st & goal at the San Francisco eight-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone again as Elway connected with Watson for a six-yard touchdown to increase the Denver lead to 14-3 with 8:59 left in the second quarter.

Later in the quarter, the 49ers would be given a great opportunity to score their first touchdown of the game as center Glenn Hyde's 4th down snap went over the head of punter Chris Norman, who managed to get on the football before he was touched by Ferrari to give San Francisco the ball at the Broncos' four-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Derrick Harmon, Montana lofted a pass to the back of the end zone intended for running back Earl Cooper, who bobbled the ball before making the catch, only to land out of bounds to make the pass incomplete and bring up 3rd down where fullback Roger Craig dropped a Montana pass to set up 4th down.

Instead of taking a 19-yard field goal to make it 14-6, head coach Bill Walsh decided to go for the touchdown as Montana handed it off to Craig who was tackled by Broncos defensive end Andre Townsend one yard short of the end zone to give the ball back to Denver at its one-yard-line.

The Broncos would drive to their 31-yard-line before they had to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 39-yard-line with 1:43 left in the first half and three timeouts.

The drive got off to a good start as Montana completed a 33-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Jerry Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Broncos' 28-yard-line as the next three San Francisco plays picked up nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the 19-yard-line when Walsh decided to go for the 1st down.

This time, Walsh's gamble would pay off as Montana handed it off to Craig, who ran for eight yards and a 1st down at the Denver 11-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes and a nine-yard run by Craig would set up 4th & 1 at the Broncos' two-yard-line when Walsh decided to send in the field goal unit to give the 49ers some points before halftime.

That is when a Broncos fan made his or her presence felt as a snowball landed right in front of holder Matt Cavanuagh just as center Randy Cross snapped the ball distracting Cananaugh just long enough to make him bobble the snap.

The former University of Pittsburgh quarterback tried to gather himself and find an open receiver but ended up throwing an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their two-yard-line and took a knee to run out the clock in the first half with Denver on top 14-3.

After the Broncos punted on their opening possession of the second half, the 49ers got the ball at their 32-yard-line when Montana connected with Mike Wilson for a 44-yard completion to put San Francisco at the Denver 24-yard-line as Craig ran for 11 yards on the next two plays to set up Montana's 13-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to cut the Broncos' lead to 14-10 with 10:41 to go in the third quarter.

It would not take long for the 49ers to get the ball back as Elway was intercepted by Lott on the Broncos' next play from scrimmage to give San Francisco possession at the Denver 40-yard-line.

The 49ers would run the ball five straight times, picking up 34 yards until the drive stalled at the Denver six-yard-line forcing San Francisco to settle for another field goal attempt by Wersching.

This time, no snowballs were thrown as Wersching calmly made the 22-yard field goal to cut the Denver lead to one point at 14-13 with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

The Broncos would then drive 54 yards in nine plays to set up 1st & goal from the 49ers' nine-yard-line when running back Gerald Wilhite carried the ball on three straight plays picking up eight yards to bring up 4th & goal at the one-yard-line.

Denver head coach Dan Reeves decided to go for the touchdown as Elway handed the ball off to Winder, who was stopped at the line of scrimmage by Lott to keep the Broncos out of the end zone and give the ball back to San Francisco.

The 49ers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos, who took over at the 49ers' 45-yard-line where Elway completed a 14-yard pass to Johnson on the final play of the third quarter, which was followed by three straight incomplete passes, forcing Denver to attempt a 48-yard field goal by Rich Karlis.

Karlis' kick was long enough but wide left and no good to give the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 31-yard-line with 14:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Both teams would trade punts until the 49ers got the ball again at their 37-yard-line with 5:30 to go in the game when Montana completed a 13-yard pass to Craig followed by a 16-yard completion to Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Denver 34-yard-line.

After the next three plays picked up six yards, Wersching was called on to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which he made to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 16-14 with 3:36 left in the game.

Following a 25-yard return by Lang on the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos took over at their 30-yard-line as the drive began with a two-yard run by Wilhite, followed by a false start penalty and an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 13 from the Denver 27-yard-line.

That is when Elway scrambled around in the pocket before firing a long pass intended for Watson, only for the pass to hit the right shoulder of 49ers free safety Dwight Hicks, who was defending the Denver receiver,  and fall incomplete.

However, because Hicks never turned around until the ball hit him, he was called for face guarding or pass interference, giving the Broncos a 1st down at the 49ers' 31-yard-line following the 42-yard penalty.

Two more incomplete passes would set up another 3rd down situation for the Broncos when Elway was able to dodge a safety blitz by Lott and fire a 22-yard pass to Watson to give Denver 1st & goal at the 49ers' nine-yard-line.

The Broncos would run three more plays netting only two yards before calling on Karlis to attempt the go-ahead field goal which he made from 24 yards out to give Denver a 17-16 lead with 1:27 remaining.

Rich Karlis(3) would make the game-winning field goal in the infamous "Snowball Game".

The 49ers would get one last chance as they began their next possession at their 20-yard-line but could not pick up a 1st down as the clock ran out with the Broncos on top 17-16.

While the loss to the Broncos did not keep the 49ers out of the playoffs as they finished with a 10-6 record, it did have an effect on their seeding as San Francisco finished one game back of the Rams for the NFC West division title.

If the 49ers had defeated Denver, they would have finished in a tie with the Rams and won the NFC West based on their division record which was better than Los Angeles and would allow San Francisco to earn the #2 seed and a first round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Instead, the 49ers were forced to travel to the Meadowlands where they would fall to the New York Giants 17-3 in the NFC Wild Card Game.

As for the Broncos, they would miss the playoffs despite finishing with a 11-5 record as Denver would finish one game back of the Los Angeles Raiders for the AFC West division title and would lose out on tiebreakers for a Wild Card spot to both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

While the "Snowball Game" did not have an significant effect on the Broncos' season, it did change their stadium policies as the organization announced that if any fan threw a snowball onto the field, they would be ejected from the stadium and possibly be banned from attending any more Broncos games.

Three days later after the incident, an anonymous fan apologized for throwing the snowball in an article that was published in the San Francisco Examiner.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana Leads Chiefs to Comeback Win over Steelers in AFC Wild Card Game

Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana completed 28 of 43 passes for 276 yards and throw a touchdown in Kansas City's 1993 playoff win over the Steelers.

When the Kansas City Chiefs acquired quarterback Joe Montana, they were hoping that Joe still a little bit of that "Montana Magic" left in him.

That opportunity presented itself in the Chiefs' AFC Wild Card game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1993 NFL Playoffs.

After spending 14 years with the San Francisco 49ers, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to become its starting quarterback after spending Joe had spent the last seasons on the sidelines because of an elbow injury which led to him losing his job as the 49ers' starting quarterback after Steve Young had been the NFL's highest rated passer for the 1991 + 92 NFL seasons.

With Marcus Allen in the backfield, Montana lead the Chiefs to their first division title in 22 years as Kansas City went 11-5 during the 1993 regular season for the team's fifth straight winning season under head coach Marty Schottenheimer and fourth consecutive playoff berth.

The Chiefs were hoping Montana could lead them to success in the playoffs as Kansas City had gone 1-3 over the previous three seasons.

While the Chiefs were AFC West Champions, they could not get a first-round bye, meaning they had to play in the Wild Card Round for the fourth straight year as they hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers had endured a roller-coaster season to finish with a 9-7 record, good enough to earn the final playoff spot in the AFC under second-year head coach Bill Cowher.

The Steelers were led by quarterback Neil O' Donnell who had become only the second quarterback in team history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season and all-pro cornerback Rod Woodson leading a stingy defense.

Pittsburgh entered Arrowhead Stadiums as seven-point underdogs as they prepared to face the Chiefs and Montana who was playing in his first postseason game since the 1990 NFC Championship Game.

After the Chiefs went three-and-out to start the game, the Steelers got the ball at their 34-yard-line for their opening possession of the game.

Pittsburgh would drive 66 yards in nine plays primarily on the right arm of O'Donnell who completed all four of his passes on the drive, which included two passes to Jeff Graham for 22 yards, a 27-yarder to running back Merrill Hoge on a 3rd & 17, and finally a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adrian Cooper to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead with 8:45 left in the opening quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Chiefs had the ball at their 20-yard-line facing a 3rd & 15 just hoping to see if Montana could complete a pass as he had started out the game with seven incomplete passes.

Facing a blitz, Montana was able to get the pass off before he was crushed by Steelers defensive end Donald Evans and find Willie Davis for a 25-yard gain and a Kansas City 1st down at the Chiefs' 45-yard-line.

But the hit by Evans sent Montana to the sidelines with bruised ribs as Dave Krieg came in to take over at quarterback following the completion to Davis.

Krieg's first play would be a routine handoff to Allen who was stopped for a two-yard-loss only to become a 13-yard gain and another Kansas City 1st down as Steelers cornerback D.J. Johnson was called for unnecessary roughness after he kicked wide receiver Tim Barnett which resulted in Johnson's ejection from the game.

A 15-yard run by Kimber Anders and a four-yard run by Allen put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 23-yard-line where Krieg threw a pass toward the right corner of the end zone where J.J. Birden made a diving catch for the touchdown to help Kansas City tie the game 7-7 with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Chiefs running back Marcus Allen ran for 67 yards on 21 carries and caught four passes for 29 yards.

The Steelers would begin their next drive at their 24-yard-line where Pittsburgh would put together a 15-play, 63-yard drive that took over seven minutes and culminated with a 30-yard field goal by Gary Anderson to put the Steelers back in front 10-7 with 9:34 left in the second quarter.

When the Chiefs' offense came back onto the field to start their next possession, Montana was back in at quarterback as he would lead Kansas City to the Pittsburgh 36-yard-line as Joe completed passes of 15 yards to Barnett and 11 yards to tight end Keith Cash.

However, the drive would stall as a quarterback sack and a delay of game penalty pushed the Chiefs back to the Steelers' 41-yard-line where they would punt the ball back to Pittsburgh who would take over at its 20-yard-line following a touchback on the punt.

The Steelers would once again drive into Kansas City territory as O'Donnell completed a 35-yard pass to Graham on 3rd & 3 to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Chiefs' 38-yard-line.

Three straight running plays picked up only three yards to set up a 4th & 7 when Cowher decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.

The gamble would not pay off as O'Donnell's pass for Ernie Mills fell incomplete giving the Chiefs the ball at their 35-yard-line with 1:57 left in the first half.

Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, Montana would complete three passes in a row totaling 22 yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Montana handed the ball off to Allen who picked up only a yard to set up 4th & 1 from the Pittsburgh 42-yard-line.

Just like Cowher had done on the Steelers' previous possession, Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down only to see it backfire as Montana tripped over the feet of Allen leading to Montana being sacked by Steelers defensive end Gerald Williams for a seven-yard loss to give Pittsburgh the ball at its 48-yard-line with 55 seconds left before halftime.

After two incomplete passes and a Kansas City offsides penalty, O'Donnell hit Graham for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Kansas City 35-yard-line which was followed by another incomplete pass and a nine-yard run by Hoge to set up 3rd & 1 from the Chiefs' 26-yard-line.

That is when O'Donnell hit Mills for a 26-yard touchdown puss to increase the Pittsburgh lead to 17-7 with 18 seconds left in the first half.

The Chiefs would take a knee to end the first half as they went into the locker room down 10 points with the Steelers set to get the ball to start the second half.

Steelers quarterback Neil O' Donnell completed 23 of 42 passes for 286 yards and threw three TDs.

The Steelers would be given great field position to begin the second half as Woodson returned the opening kickoff 42 yards to the Pittsburgh 48-yard-line.

The Steelers would pick up one 1st down until the drive stalled thanks to an illegal man downfield penalty and a quarterback sack forcing them to punt the ball to the Chiefs who would take over at their 12-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Chiefs got the ball back at their 45-yard-line where three straight running plays gained a total of 14 yards to put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 41-yard-line when Montana completed back-to-back passes to Anders for 22 yards, then connected with Barnett for eight yards and Birden for six yards to give Kansas City a 1st & goal at the Steelers' five-yard-line.

However, the Pittsburgh defense would stiffen and not allow another yard as the Chiefs had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Nick Lowery to cut the Steelers' lead to 17-10 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs would force the Steelers to punt following their ensuing possession to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line just 44 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The drive would start with an eight-yard pass to Anders followed by a two-yard run by Allen for a Kansas City 1st & 10 that became 1st & 15 when the Chiefs were called for a delay of game penalty to push them back to their 25-yard-line.

Montana would get out of the hole by completing a 22-yard pass to Davis which was followed by two straight running plays that totaled 20 yards and put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 33-yard-line.

Montana would then connect with Birden for 19 yards, then handed the ball off to Allen who picked up four yards before hitting Cash for eight yards to give Kansas City 1st & goal at the Pittsburgh two-yard-line.

That is when Montana handed the ball off to Allen who punched it in for the two-yard touchdown that with Lowery's extra point tied the game at 17 with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers would begin their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line with O' Donnell throwing a two-yard pass to Hoge, then connecting with running back Dwight Stone for a 26-yard gain to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Kansas City 46-yard-line.

Two straight runs by Leroy Thompson picked up 14 yards for another Pittsburgh 1st down as O' Donnell completed a seven-yard pass to Mills, then handed it off to Thompson who was stopped for no gain to set up 3rd & 3 where Thompson caught a five-yard pass to put the Steelers at the Chiefs' 20-yard-line.

After Thompson was stopped for a two-yard loss, O'Donnell found tight end Eric Green for a 22-yard touchdown pass to give Pittsburgh a 24-17 lead with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter.

Following a Kansas City three-and-out, the Steelers got the ball at their 48-yard-line with exactly three minutes and a chance to ice the game away with a few 1st downs.

Two runs by Thompson netted zero yardage to set up 3rd & 10 when O'Donnell fired a pass intended for Graham only to have Graham drop it to force 4th down as the Steelers were set to punt the ball away giving Montana a chance to drive down the field for the game-tying score.

That is when Cash burst through the line untouched and was able to block Mark Royals' punt as Fred Jones scooped the blocked punt and ran it down 31 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the Pittsburgh nine-yard-line.

Allen would run for one yard on 1st & goal which was followed by an incomplete pass and then another one-yard run by Allen to set up a do-or-die 4th & goal at the seven-yard-line.

Needing a touchdown to keep the Chiefs alive, Montana found Barnett in the back of the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown that with Lowery's extra point tied the game at 24 with 1:43 left in regulation.

Tim Barnett acknowledges the Kansas City fans after catching the game-tying touchdown.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line but could only move five yards on three plays forcing them to punt the ball away to the Chiefs who took over at their 28-yard-line with 74 seconds left and no timeouts.

The drive would begin with a 15-yard pass from Montana to Danan Hughes for a Kansas City 1st down as the Chiefs ran up to spike the ball to stop the clock with 56 seconds left.

Montana would then hand it off to Allen, who ran for 11 yards and another Kansas City 1st down at the Pittsburgh 46-yard-line when Montana went back to the air and completed a four-yard pass to Cash, then an eight-yarder to Birden that put Kansas City at the Steelers' 34-yard-line when Montana spiked the ball with 19 seconds to go.

After running back Todd McNair was knocked out of bounds following a nine-yard catch, Schottenheimer sent in the field goal unit to try and win the game with a 43-yard field goal.

But Lowery's kick would sail wide right and no good allowing the Steelers to take a knee to run out the clock on regulation as the game moved into overtime with the two teams deadlocked 24-24.

The Chiefs won the coin toss to get the ball to start the overtime period but would go three-and-out to punt the ball to the Steelers who took over at their 26-yard-line.

The Steelers would drive to the 50-yard-line until they were forced to punt it back to the Chiefs who took over at their 20-yard-line with 9:56 to go in overtime.

The drive would began with back-to-back penalties on the Steelers as Woodson was called for holding to give Kansas City an automatic 1st down at its 25-yard-line when linebacker Greg Lloyd jumped offsides to give the Chiefs another five yards.

Montana would then complete a seven-yard pass to Allen for another 1st down, then found Birden for six yards which was followed by a six-yard pass to tight end Jonathan Hayes for a Kansas City 1st down at its 49-yard-line.

Then after an one-yard run by McNair, Montana fired a 18-yard pass for Cash to put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 32-yard-line and in field goal range.

Two runs by Allen gained four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Montana found Birden for 10 yards and another 1st down at the Steelers' 18-yard-line.

Two more running plays picked up four yards before Schottenheimer sent Lowery to try and win the game again with a 32-yard field goal.

This time, Lowery's kick sailed through the uprights to the Chiefs a 27-24 overtime win and a trip to the Astrodome to take on the Houston Oilers in the Divisional Round.

Nick Lowery kicks the game-winning 32-yard field goal in overtime of the Chiefs' Wild Card Win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Again down by 10 points at halftime, Montana would throw three touchdown passes in the second half to lead Kansas City a 28-20 win to send the Chiefs to the AFC Championship  Game where they would face off with the three-time defending AFC Champion Buffalo Bills.

That is when the Chiefs' playoff run ended as Montana was knocked out of the game with a concussion while Bills running back Thurman Thomas ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead Buffalo to a 30-13 victory to send the Bills to their fourth Super Bowl in a row.

Montana would return for one more season with the Chiefs as he lead Kansas City to a 9-7 record, which included a 24-17 win over his former team the 49ers in Week 2(To read more about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-montana.html).

The Chiefs' season and Montana's NFL career would end in the Wild Card round of the 1994 playoffs as they were eliminated by the Miami Dolphins 27-17.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Montana Leads Irish to 4th Quarter Comeback Win over Clemson

Any time the Notre Dame football team comes to an opponent's stadium, you can almost always except a sellout or record crowd.

While Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina got a then record crowd of 54, 189 to come see the #15 ranked Tigers take on #5 Notre Dame.

Notre Dame entered the game with a 7-1 record and were in the thick of the national championship race under third year head coach Dan Devine.

Devine's offense was primarily focused on the two-head running attack of Vagas Ferguson and Jerome Heavens, but had a steady hand at quarterback in the form of junior Joe Montana.

Experts seem to believed that the Irish, who were on a six-game winning streak, were to win out, would receive an invitation to the Cotton Bowl to take on undefeated Texas.

But to get to the Cotton Bowl, they had to go through "Death Valley" and knock off the Tigers, who entered the Notre Dame game with a 7-1-1 record under first-year head coach Charley Pell.

Pell had been the defensive coordinator for Clemson the year before and the 1977 team was built around his defense which was giving up only an average of nine pointe per game up to this point in the season.

So if the the Tigers were to pull off the upset, they would need their defense to stop the Irish's vaunted running attack which had led Notre Dame to three straight games of 40 points or more.

 Clemson got the ball to start the game and were able to drive 43 yards to the Notre Dame 37-yard-line thanks to two big completions by Fuller, one to Jerry Butler for 15 yards and another to tight end Anthony King for 22 yards.

It was at the Notre Dame 37-yard-line where the drive stalled as Pell decided to sent his kicker, Obed Ariri, to attempt a 53-yard field goal.

The kick was long enough, but missed wide left to keep the scoreless.

After both teams traded punts, the Irish got the ball at the Clemson 44-yard-line where it took them seven plays to get into the end zone as Montana completed a 22-yard pass to Kris Haines while Heavens carried the ball six times for 22 yards, including the five-yard touchdown that put Notre Dame ahead 7-0.

Notre Dame would be given a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Clemson wide receiver Rick Weddington fumbled the football after a 19-yard reception, which was recovered by Notre Dame strong safety Jim Browner at the 49-yard-line.

The Irish drove to the Clemson 12-yard-line but the Tigers defense stiffened and pushed the Irish back three yards, forcing them to attempt a 32-yard field goal by Dave Reese.

Reese's kick was wide left giving the ball back to the Tigers at their 20-yard-line.

From there, Clemson was able to drive to down the field as running back Lester Brown had runs of 12 + 17 yards while Fuller connected with Butler for 16 yards and Weddington for 11 to lead the Tigers to the Notre Dame seven-yard-line where they had 1st & goal

It looked like the Tigers were going to have 2nd & goal at the one-yard-line as Brown ran for six yards but officials ruled that Fuller's pitch to Brown was a forward lateral, nullifying the run and knocking the Tigers back five yards to the 12-yard-line.

That is where the drive stalled and Ariri was called on to make a 30-field goal which he did to put Clemson on the scoreboard as they trailed 7-3 with 10:20 left in the second quarter.

The Clemson defense would force the Irish to punt on their next possession and would get the ball in Irish territory after Willie Jordan's 28-yard return to the Notre Dame 34-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Tigers were in the end zone as Fuller ran it in from 10 yards out to give Clemson a 10-7 lead with 5:37 left before halftime.

Clemson quarterback Steve Fuller would complete 13 of 20 passes for 185 yards and ran the ball 16 times for 51 yards.

The Tigers kept the momentum going as they forced Notre Dame to punt again on its ensuing possession to get the ball back at its 40-yard-line.

Fuller lead the Tigers down to the Notre Dame 10-yard-line with 30 seconds left where they had 2nd & 6 when All-American defensive end Ross Browner made his presence felt.

First, Browner dropped Fuller for a two-yard-loss on 2nd down to push Clemson back to the Irish 12-yard-line where they would face 3rd & 8 when Browner pressured Fuller into making a bad pass that was intercepted by Notre Dame free safety Joe Restic at the two-yard-line, keeping the Tigers from increasing their lead as the first half came to a close with the Tigers up 10-7.

The Irish got the ball to start the second half but could do nothing with it and were forced to punt it back to Clemson who would take over at the Notre Dame 48-yard-line after Restic shanked the punt.

Fuller would connect with Warren Ratchford for a 36-yard pass play to give the Tigers a 1st & goal from the Irish 10-yard-line.

Three straight runs picked up nine yards leading to a 4th & goal from the one-yard-line.

Pell decided to go for the touchdown and would get it as Fuller took the snap and ran left before pitching it out to Brown, who got some help from referee Bill Cummings who got in the way of Notre Dame cornerback Ted Burgmeier's attempt at a tackle, which allowed Brown to go in untouched for the touchdown which increased Clemson's lead to 17-7 with 11:41 to go in the third quarter.

Down 10 points, Montana tried to get the Notre Dame offense moving on their next possession and it appeared that he did that as he drove the Irish into Clemson territory, only to have Haines cough up the football following a 13-yard catch that was recovered by Tigers linebacker Randy Scott at the Clemson 44-yard-line.

Clemson was able to move the ball to the Irish 33-yard-line until Notre Dame linebacker Steve Heimkreiter jarred the ball loose from Tigers fullback Ken Callicutt, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Irish linebacker Doug Becker to end the Tigers' drive.

The Tigers defense would force another Notre Dame punt and got the ball back at their 34-yard-line and proceeded to drive to the Irish 13-yard-line where it appeared the Tigers were on the doorstep of another score.

But once again Callicutt fumbled the ball as Notre Dame defensive tackle Mike Calhoun recovered the loose ball at the Irish 16-yard-line to give the Irish the ball back with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

After being held in check since Heavens' touchdown in the first quarter, the Notre Dame offense finally got moving as they had used a halfback pass to get the Irish going as Mike Courney connected with Haines for 24 yards that helped the Irish get to the Clemson 35-yard-line.

That is when all hell broke loose as two penalties called on the Irish sent Devine into a frenzy.

The first penalty, an offsides penalty on MacAfee nullified a 31-yard run by Ferguson to the Clemson four-yard-line.

Devine believed that MacAfee was onside and got onto the field to argue his case but quickly went back to the sidelines.

Three plays later on 2nd & 12 from the Clemson 37-yard-line, Fergurson had a 14-yard run get called back because of a clipping penalty on Haines, which was ironically called by Cummings, the same man who blocked a Notre Dame tackler on Clemson's second touchdown.

The clipping call was the one that really set off Devine as he argued with Cummings on the field and eventually drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, pushing the Irish back to their 44-yard-line where they had a 2nd & 32.

That is when "Montana Magic" happened as Montana would find MacAfee for 27 yards to set up a manageable 3rd & 5 where Ferguson ran for three yards leading to a 4th & 2 to which Devine decided to go for it.

Montana connected with MacAfee again, this time for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Clemson 11-yard-line.

The 15-play, 84-yard drive would finally come to an end on the first play of the fourth quarter when Montana ran it for a two-yard touchdown to cut it to 17-14 Clemson lead.

The Tigers looked to respond on their ensuing possession as Fuller had a 23-yard run only to fumble two plays later on a two-yard run, which was recovered by Calhoun at exactly the 50-yard-line.

Montana would hit Ferguson for a 36-yard screen pass which was followed five plays later by a Montana one-yard touchdown run to give Notre Dame a 21-17 lead with 7:11 left in the game.

Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana would run for two touchdowns in the 4th quarter in the Irish's comeback win.

From then on, the Notre Dame defense took over as they would not allow another 1st down for the rest of the game, allowing the Irish to escape with the 21-17 win.

The Tigers would rebound the next week with a 31-27 win over rival South Carolina, thanks to Jerry Butler's 20-yard touchdown reception with less than a minute to go that would become known as "The Catch" to Clemson fans, allowing the Tigers to play in the Gator Bowl which they lost 34-3 to the Pittsburgh Panthers, to finish the season with a 8-3-1 record and a #19 ranking in the final AP poll.

Notre Dame would its final two games of the regular season by a combined score of 97-10 to earn an invitation to the Cotton Bowl where they would face #1 Texas.

Heavens would run for 101 yards on 22 carries while Ferguson would run for 100 yards and score three touchdowns as the Irish easily dismantled of the Longhorns 38-10.

That coupled with #2 Oklahoma losing to Arkansas in the Orange Bowl and #4 Michigan losing to Washington to the Rose Bowl, propelled the Irish to the #1 ranking and the 1977 national championship.

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.