NFL Old School Game of the Week: Young Rallies 49ers to Win over Manning's Colts

49ers quarterback Steve Young threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns while running for 60 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers' comeback win over the Colts.

At halftime of the Week 7 game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, 49ers quarterback Steve Young was so exhausted that he ended up vomiting into a trash can.

Young would go to his head coach Steve Mariucci and suggested that maybe backup Ty Detmer finish the game for the 49ers.

It was a good thing for the 49ers did not do that as Young would lead San Francisco to one of its greatest comeback wins against the Colts in 1998.

The 49ers came into the game with a 4-1 record as the season began with a thrilling 36-30 overtime win over the New York Jets on Garrison Hearst's game-winning 96-yard touchdown run in overtime(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-hearsts-96.html).

The 49ers' offense was humming to start the season as Young threw for at least 300 yards in all five games with a wide receiver corps that features J.J. Stokes, Terrell Owens, and Jerry Rice as San Francisco averaged 32.8 points per game in the first five games of the 1998 season.

The 49ers were probably licking their chops as they prepared to face the Colts, who came into the game with a 1-5 record with a defense that had given up an average of 26.5 points per game up to this point in the 1998 season.

The Colts were in rebuild mode with first-year head coach Jim Mora, who took over in Indianapolis after a one-year hiatus following a decade-long stint with the New Orleans Saints, as the Colts had finished with the league's worst record in 1997 at 3-13 to earn the rights to the #1 overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft.

The Colts would use that pick to select quarterback Peyton Manning, son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, who had thrown for 11,021 yards and 89 touchdowns in his four years at the University of Tennessee.

Manning had shown signs of his potential in the first six games of the 1998 season as he threw for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns but also a league-high 14 interceptions as the Colts were 18 point underdogs as they traveled to the Bay Area to take on the 49ers.

 The 49ers would get the ball to start the game as they hold the ball for over nine minutes as they drove from their 25-yard-line to the Colts' two-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal only to go backwards as they lost seven yards on the next three plays, forcing San Francisco to settle for a 27-yard field goal attempt by Wade Richey.

However, Richey's kick would sail wide left of the uprights as the 49ers came away with no points after a 17-play, 66-yard drive as the Colts would begin their opening possession of the game at their 35-yard-line after 49ers guard Ray Brown was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty after the missed field goal.

It would take the Colts just one play to get into the end zone as running back Marshall Faulk took a handoff from Manning and outran the San Francisco defense to give Indianapolis a 7-0 lead with 5:33 to go in the first quarter.

The 49ers would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Colts when Reggie Roby's punt bounced off the helmet of Colts defensive back Rico Clark and into the arms of free safety Jason Belser, who was not the designated returner, who would stun everybody with a 53-yard return to give Manning the ball at the San Francisco seven-yard-line.

After a run by Faulk went for three yards, Manning fired a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Harrison to increase the Colts' lead to 14-0 with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter.

Following a San Francisco three-and-out, the Colts got the ball back at their 16-yard-line as they would embark on a 12-play, 84-yard drive where Manning completed six of nine passes for 76 yards with the last completion being a six-yard touchdown to give Indianapolis a shocking 21-0 lead with 10:56 to play in the second quarter.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed 18 of 30 passes for 231 yards and threw touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Desperately needing points, the 49ers would start their next drive at their 32-yard-line as Young would complete three straight passes for 43 yards to move San Francisco to the Indianapolis 25-yard-line where Young would then throw three straight incomplete passes as Richey would come in to make a 43-yard field goal to put the 49ers on the scoreboard as to make it a 21-3 game in favor of the Colts.

The 49ers defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at the Colts' 46-yard-line as Young led the San Francisco offense to the Indianapolis five-yard-line when two controversial calls helped San Francisco as they would cut further into the Colts' lead.

The first call came on 3rd & goal when Young had a pass intended for Owens be picked off in the end zone by Colts cornerback Jeff Burris, who ran the interception back to the San Francisco 32-yard-line only to have it nullified as Burris was called for holding, giving the 49ers a 1st & goal at the Indianapolis two-yard-line.

After Hearst was dropped for an one-yard loss, Young threw a pass for Stokes in the left corner of the end zone when Colts defensive back Monty Montgomery pushed Stokes out of bounds before the receiver could get his second foot down to complete the catch.

However, the officials ruled that Stokes would have gotten his second foot inbounds if Montgomery had not pushed him out of bounds, aka "the force out" rule which existed through the 2007 season, thus the catch was good for a three-yard touchdown to trim the Colts' lead to 21-10 with 1:54 to go before halftime.

Manning would throw three straight incomplete pass on the Colts' ensuing possession as the 49ers would once again start in a drive in Indianapolis territory as San Francisco would take over at the Colts' 42-yard-line with 88 seconds before the end of the first half.

Two catches by Stokes for 21 yards helped the 49ers move to the Colts' 15-yard-line when for the second time in the half, the Colts had an interception wiped out by a holding penalty as Montgomery was called for holding Owens in the end zone as strong safety Robert Blackmon picked off the pass, resulting in a 1st & goal for the 49ers at the Colts' 10-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Young found Owens for the 10-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game at 21-17 with three seconds left in the first half as the reeling Colts would get the ball to start the second half.

After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the first half, the Colts had the ball at their 39-yard-line when Manning threw a short pass to Harrison, who spun out of a tackle attempt by 49ers cornerback Antonio Langham at the Indianapolis 45-yard-line, to race for his third touchdown of the game to push the Colts' lead back to double digits at 28-17 with 10:41 to go in the third quarter.

The 49ers would then drive to the Colts' 42-yard-line until Hearst lost the football after a hit by Colts linebacker Antony linebacker Antony Jordan as defensive end Kendel Shello would make the recovery as Manning and the Indianapolis offense would get the ball at the San Francisco 42-yard-line after a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on was called on the 49ers.

A 15-yard pass to tight end Ken Dilger and an eight-yard pass to running back Lamont Warren would help set up a 38-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to increase the Colts' lead to 31-17 with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter.

The 49ers would have a second drive that move into Colts territory end in a turnover as Young completed a 11-yard pass to Owens, who fumbled the football as Belser would recover the fumble to give the Colts the ball at their 24-yard-line.

The Colts would advance to the 49ers' 47-yard-line before punting the ball back to the 49ers who would take over at their nine-yard-line with 14:09 remaining in regulation and needed two touchdowns to tie the game.

The 49ers would drive down the field on the left arm of Young who completed six of eight passes for 83 yards on the 10-play, 91-yard drive that ended with Young running it in for a one-yard touchdown on a quarterback bootleg to cut the lead to 31-23 as Randy Kirk's snap on the extra point was bobbled by the holder,  Detmer who was then tackled by Colts cornerback Tyrone Poole.

After an Indianapolis three-and-out, the 49ers got the ball at their 47-yard-line as Young completed a six-yard pass to Owens which was followed by a holding penalty that pushed San Francisco back to its 43-yard-line with a 2nd & 14 when Young connected with Stokes for 21 yards to move the sticks.

Young would then complete a 13-yard pass to running back Chuck Levy to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Colts' 23-yard-line where after an incomplete pass, Young would then produce a run reminiscent of his famous touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings in 1988, as Young weaved through the Colts' defense than ran over at the Burris at the three-yard-line to score the 23-yard touchdown to make it a 31-29 game.

The 49ers then went for two to tie the game which they got when Young found Rice in the end zone to tie the game at 31 with 5:52 left in regulation.

J.J. Stokes would catch nine passes for 110 yards with one touchdown.

The Colts would begin their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line as two passes from Manning to wide receiver Jerome Pathon that totaled 35 yards moved Indianapolis to the San Francisco 44-yard-line.

Following an nine-yard run by Faulk, the Colts had a 2nd & 1 at the 49ers' 35-yard-line when a run by Craig "Ironhead" Heyward went for an one-yard loss to set up 3rd & 2 when Faulk was dropped for no gain as the 49ers called timeout to stop the clock with 1:13 to go.

Mora would send in Vanderjagt to attempt a 53-yard field goal that would give the Colts the lead only for the kick to fall short of the uprights as the 49ers would take over at their 44-yard-line with 68 seconds left in regulation and a chance to win the game.

The drive would begin with a 12-yard pass from Young to Owens to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Colts' 44-yard-line, which was followed by a incomplete pass to bring up 2nd down when Young threw deep for Stokes, whose feet got tangled with Poole as the Colts cornerback would be called for pass interference to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Indianapolis 17-yard-line with 38 seconds to go.

Clearly in field goal range, the 49ers would run the ball three more times, picking up another 11 yards before calling on Richey to attempt a game-winning field goal from 24 yards out.

Unlike his miss from 27 yards out earlier in the game, Richey would split the uprights with his 24-yard field goal to give the 49ers their first lead of the game with five seconds to go in the game.

The Colts could not pull off a miracle touchdown on the ensuing kickoff as the game ended with the 49ers on top 34-31 to equal the third greatest comeback in San Francisco 49ers history.

The loss to the 49ers would be the third of eight losses decided by a touchdown or less for the Colts as they would finish the season with a 3-13 record as Manning played all 16 games to finish the season with 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns but 28 interceptions.

However, brighter days were ahead for the Colts as they would put together on the greatest single season turnarounds in NFL history as they would go 13-3 the following season beginning a 12-year stretch where Indianapolis made the playoffs every year except 2001 as the Colts won eight division titles, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl as they defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI.

As for the 49ers, they would go on to finish the 1998 season with a 12-4 record to earn a seventh straight trip to the playoffs and 16th in 18 years as San Francisco would finally defeat the Packers in the playoffs with their 30-27 win over Green Bay in the Wild Card round thanks to Young's 25-yard touchdown pass to Owens with three seconds to go.

The 49ers' season would end the following week in the divisional round as they would fall to the Atlanta Falcons 20-18 in what would be the final postseason start in Young's career as a concussion following a violent hit by Arizona Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams in the third game of the 1999 season would end Young's professional football career after 15 plus seasons.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Rams Beat Bucs on Dickerson's Walk Off Overtime Touchdown

 

Eric Dickerson had the fourth and final 200 yard game of his illustrious career in the Rams win over the Buccaneers in 1986.

To beat the Los Angeles Rams of the mid 1980s, the first thing a team needed to do was stop running back Eric Dickerson.

But for NFL teams that was almost an impossible task as the #2 overall pick of the 1983 NFL draft ran for 5,147 yards in his first three seasons including the single season record for most yards in a season with 2,105 in 1984, a record which still stands today.

In week 6 of the 1986 NFL season, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' turn to try and stop Dickerson as they traveled to Southern California to take on the Rams.

The Rams came into the game with a 3-1 record under fourth year head coach John Robinson as Dickerson ran for 450 yards in the team's first four games of the season but was coming off a 17-carry, 58-yard performance the week before in a 34-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Rams were hoping that Dickerson could return to his top form especially since starting quarterback Steve Bartkowski, who had been signed in the preseason after incumbent starting quarterback Dieter Brock had been lost for the season because of a knee injury, was unavailable because of injury as Steve Dils would be making his first start in three years.

LA's opponent, the  Tampa Bay Buccaneers, came into the game with a 1-3 record hoping to win their second game of the season which would match the total from the previous season where they went 2-14 during the 1985 season which was the first season for head coach Leeman Bennett.

The 1986 offseason had been a tumultuous one for the Bucs as future Hall-of-Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon retired a week before the 1986 NFL Draft where Tampa Bay selected running back Bo Jackson with the #1 overall pick.

But Jackson would not suit up for the Buccaneers as he elected to play baseball as he would sign a contract to play for the Kansas City Royals after his selection in the 1986 MLB Draft.

The Bucs started the season losing their first two games of the season as quarterback Steve DeBerg would be benched in favor of Steve Young, who led the Bucs to a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 3 despite only throwing for 39 yards, as Tampa would fall to the Atlanta Falcons one week later.

Young would get the start again for the Bucs' game with the Rams, who The Rams were expected to win the game as they were favored by 11 points.

After the Bucs went three-and-out to start the game, the Rams took over at their 34-yard-line as they rely on Dickerson to drive them down the field as he carried the ball seven times for 53 yards on a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Barry Redden to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead.

Following another Tampa Bay three-and-out, the Rams got the ball back at their 48-yard-line as Dils would attempt his first pass of the game, an incomplete pass on 1st & 10, which was followed by two Dickerson runs for 12 yards and then another incomplete pass as LA was face with a 2nd & 10 at the Buccaneers' 40-yard-line.

That is when Dickerson took a handoff from Dils and ripped through the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run to cross the 100-yard rushing mark on just 10 carries to increase the Rams' lead to 14-0 with 1:37 left in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay would pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession but it once again ended on a punt as the Rams would begin their next drive at their 16-yard-line as Dils was able to complete a screen pass to Dickerson who ran for 22 yards until he was hit by Buccaneers cornerback Ricky Easmon, resulting in a fumble that was recovered by strong safety Craig Swope to give the Bucs the ball at the Los Angeles 38-yard-line.

The Bucs would run the ball on three straight plays gaining 10 yards before Young completed a 11-yard pass to wide receiver Gerald Carter for a Tampa Bay 1st down at the Rams' 17-yard-line as an one-yard run by running back Nathan Wonsley followed by an eight-yard pass from Young to tight end Jimmie Giles set up a 3rd & 1 at the eight-yard-line.

Wonsley would be stopped for no gain to make it 4th & 1 when Bennett decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Young snuck up the middle for two yards to move the sticks as Tampa Bay would have a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line.

After a Wonsley run that lost two yards, Young would get the two yards back on a quarterback run on 2nd down, then scramble on 3rd & goal for the four-yard touchdown to cut the Rams' lead in half to 14-7 with 9:43 to go in the second quarter.

Buccaneers quarterback  Steve Young only completed eight of 23 passes for 83 yards while running for 37 yards and scoring a touchdown on eight carries.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 36-yard-line as a 12-yard run by Redden followed by a 16-yard pass from Dils to Dickerson put LA at the Tampa Bay 36-yard-line when it looked like Dickerson ripped off another long touchdown run, only for it to be called because of an illegal formation penalty which pushed Los Angeles back five yards to the Bucs' 41-yard-line.

From there, the Rams would slowly drive down the field as it took them eight plays to 24 yards before calling on Mike Lansford to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which he made to extend the LA lead to 17-7 with 4:56 to remaining in the first half.

The Bucs would go three-and-out again on their next drive as the Rams would get the ball back at their 27-yard-line as a Dickerson run that lost four yards would bring up 2nd & 14 when Dils was sacked by Buccaneers linebacker Keith Browner, forcing a fumble that Browner recovered to give Tampa Bay the ball at the Los Angeles 11-yard-line.

However, the Bucs could only gain three yards on three plays as they would settle for a 26-yard field goal by Donald Igwebuike to once again make it a seven-point game at 17-10 with 1:55 left before halftime.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line but were content to go into the halftime break with the 17-10 lead as they basically ran out the clock but set to get the ball to start the second half.

But the Bucs' defense would force the Rams to go three-and-out on their initial possession of the second half as the two teams traded punts until midway through the third quarter when Wonsley exploded for a 59-yard touchdown run that with the extra point tied the game at 17.

The two teams would go back to trading punts until early in the fourth quarter when the Rams got great field position as a 11-yard punt return by Mickey Sutton gave Los Angeles the ball at the Tampa Bay 44-yard-line.

Dils would complete back-to-back passes for 12 yards to give LA a fresh set of downs at the Bucs' 32-yard-line as an end around reverse to wide receiver Ron Brown cost the Rams five yards as Dils would complete two straight passes for 14 yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the Tampa Bay 23-yard-line.

Robinson would send in Lansford to attempt the go-ahead field goal, which he made from 40 yards out to give the Rams a 20-17 lead with 9:41 left to play in the fourth quarter.

After another Tampa three-and-out, the Rams took over at their 30-yard-line as Dickerson, who had been held to 44 yards in the second and third quarters combined, ran for 12 yards on back-to-back carries to pick up a LA 1st down which was followed by a three-yard run by Redden and then two straight carries for Dickerson for seven yards to give the Rams a 1st down at Buccaneers' 48-yard-line.

But the drive would stall as the Rams would punt the ball back to the Buccaneers but would get a perfect punt by Dale Hatcher as the ball was downed at the one-yard-line, meaning Tampa Bay would have to go 99 yards for a possible game-winning touchdown with 4:34 left in regulation.

The drive would begin with a six-yard run by Wonsley followed by a 11-yard pass from Young to Carter to pick up a 1st down as it took three straight running plays to pick up the next 1st down at the Tampa Bay 30-yard-line right at the two-minute warning.

The Bucs would pick up the pace as Young would complete a eight-yard pass to Wonsley, then scramble for four yards and the 1st down, when Young connected with Carter for 15 yards and another 1st down at the Rams' 43-yard-line.

After throwing an incomplete pass on 1st down, Young would find Carter again, this time for 11 yards to move the sticks again as a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would force a 3rd & 12 situation when Young fired a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Phil Freeman to put the Bucs at the LA 19-yard-line with 20 seconds left in regulation.

Young would throw two straight incomplete passes to bring up 3rd down when it looked like Rams linebacker Kevin Greene sacked Young for a five-yard loss but ended up inadventrly grabbing the quarterback's face mask resulting in a five-yard penalty which essentially meant the play did not counted as the clock stopped with four seconds to go.

Needing at least a field goal to tie the game, Bennett sent in the field goal unit as Igwebuike would make a 37-yard field goal as time expired to cap off the 17-play, 80-yard drive but more importantly tie the game at 20 and send into overtime.

The Rams would win the overtime coin toss and elected to receive as Brown would return the overtime kickoff 21 yards to the LA 27-yard-line as the drive would begin with a 18-yard pass from Dils to wide receiver Bobby Duckworth for a LA 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

Following a Dickerson run that lost three yards, Dils would hit Brown for 16 yards and another Rams 1st down at the Tampa Bay 42-yard-line when they called "46 Gap" an off tackle run to the left side.

Dils handed the ball off to Dickerson, who was able to break a tackle at the 40-yard-line, then run up the middle where he dodged a diving attempt from a Buccaneer defensive back around the 25-yard-line and ran in untouched for the 42-yard touchdown to give the Rams the 26-20 win as Dickerson finished with 207 on 30 carries and two touchdowns.

The 1986 season would be another disaster for the Buccaneers as they would win just one more game to finish the season with a 2-14 record resulting in the firing of Bennett after just two seasons.

The Bucs would once again have the #1 pick in the NFL draft which they used to pick 1986 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who would play for the team, as Young would be traded to the San Francisco 49ers a few days before the 1987 NFL draft.

As for the Rams, they would continue to lean on Dickerson as he would win the rushing title for the third time in four years as he finished with 1,821 yards and 11 touchdowns as Los Angeles would finish the regular season with a 10-6 record, good enough to earn a spot in the playoffs despite tough losses in the final weeks of the season to the New England Patriots(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week.html) and Miami Dolphins(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-marino.html).

In the playoffs, the Rams would fall to the Washington Redskins 19-7 in the NFC Wild Card Game as Dickerson ran for 158 yards but lost three fumbles as Los Angeles turned the ball over six times in the game.

It would be one of Dickerson's final games as a Ram as in the middle of the 1987 NFL season, he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he played through the 1991 season as he won the rushing title for the final time in his career in 1988 with 1,659 yards.

Dickerson would play two more years before retiring from the NFL after the 1993 season as he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1999 as Dickerson would make amends with the Rams and have his number #29 retired in 2009.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Cardinals Rally From 23 Points Down to Shock 49ers

Roy Green raises his arms in celebration after his game-winning touchdown catch against the 49ers in 1988.

In Week 10 of the 1988 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers would play their first ever game in the state of the Arizona as they took on the Phoenix Cardinals(they changed the name to Arizona in 1994).

It would be an experience that the 49ers would like to forget while for the Cardinals it would be one of the greatest victories in team history.

 On March 15, 1988, the NFL voted to allow Brian Bidwell, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, to move his team to Phoenix, Arizona as the Cardinals would play their home games at Sun Devil Stadium, home of the Arizona State Sun Devils, in Tempe which is about 10 miles away from downtown Phoenix.

For the Cardinals' inaugural season in Arizona, the team was led by head coach Gene Stallings, who was trying to get Phoenix to the postseason for the first time since 1982 and the first time in a non-strike shortned season since 1975.

At quarterback was Neil Lomax, an eight-year veteran who had thrown for a franchise record 4,614 yards in 1984 and 3,387 in 1987, which was tops in the NFL for most passing yards by a quarterback as his favorite targets were wide receivers Roy Green and J.T. Smith.

Following an 0-2 start to the season, the Cardinals would go on a four-game winning streak as Phoenix would improve its record to 5-4 entering their showdown with the 49ers.

While the Cardinals were just hoping to make it to the playoffs, the 49ers had dreams of making it back to the Super Bowl as San Francisco had won two Super Bowls earlier in the decade behind head coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana.

However prior to the 1987 season, Walsh traded two NFL draft picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for quarterback Steve Young, as the creator of the West Coast offense thought that Montana was on the tail end of his career especially after a serious back injury sidelined Montana for several weeks during the 1986 season.

For the 1988 season, Montana would start the game at quarterback but at certain times would be replaced by Young for a series of two, leading to confusion on who really was the 49ers' starting quarterback as San Francisco went 6-3 over the first nine games of the '88 season.

With Montana bothered by his back, Young would get the start for the 49ers' trip to Phoenix to take on the Cardinals as Young hoped to rely on running back Roger Craig and wide receiver Jerry Rice to lead San Francisco to victory.

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they would use their running game to drive down the field with the biggest run being a 21-yard run by Young as San Francisco moved 53 yards in eight plays to set up a 42-yard field goal by Mike Cofer to give the 49ers an early 3-0 lead.

Neither team could mount a drive for the rest of the first quarter until the 49ers put together a 10-play, 70-yard drive that spilled over into the second quarter as fullback Tom Rathman accounted for 30 yards on the drive with a 16-yard reception and two runs for 14 yards, all leading up to a three-yard touchdown run by Craig to increase San Francisco's lead to 10-0 with 12:06 to go in the second quarter.

The Cardinals would start their next possession at their 27-yard-line as a four-yard run by Stump Mitchell and a quarterback sack by the 49ers' defensive lineman Michael Carter and Larry Roberts would force a 3rd & 14 situation when Lomax completed a 22-yard pass to J.T. Smith only for him to fumble after a hit by San Francisco strong safety Jeff Fuller.

Linebacker Keena Turner would make the recovery to give the 49ers the ball at the Cardinals' 44-yard-line where Young would complete a 14-yard pass to Rice which was followed by a 25-yard run by Craig would give San Francisco a 1st & goal at the Phoenix five-yard-line.

However, the Cardinals' defense would keep the 49ers out of the end zone as a quarterback sack by Phoenix defensive tackle Bob Clasby would stall the drive and force San Francisco to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Cofer which increased the 49ers' lead to 13-0 with 8:24 left in the second quarter.

49ers running back Roger Craig would run for 162 yards on 26 carries and score one touchdown.

The Cardinals would then have its best drive of the game thus far as they drove from their 20-yard-line to the San Francisco 46-yard-line thanks in large part to running back Earl Ferrell, who carried the ball on the first three plays of the drive, as he gained 25 yards on his three carries.

But it was Ferrell who would cough up the football after a hit by 49ers linebacker Mike Walter as free safety Ronnie Lott would make the recovery to give San Francisco the ball at their 38-yard-line.

The 49ers would go three-and-out as a holding penalty would wipe out an eight-yard run by Rice on 3rd & 1 which was followed by Young was running for 11 yards on 3rd & 11 only for an illegal block push the 49ers back another 10 yards to set up 3rd & 21 when Young was sacked once again by Clasby forcing San Francisco to punt the ball back to the Cardinals.

The Cardinals would once again move into San Francisco territory and once again Ferrell would fumble the football as Turner would make his second recovery of the first half to give the 49ers the ball at their 42-yard-line with 1:34 left before halftime.

The drive would begin with a 19-yard pass from Young to Rice which was followed by two runs by Craig for 12 yards and then a 15-yard pass from Young to Mike Wilson to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Cardinals' 12-yard-line.

But the 49ers could not put into the end zone as they ended up settling for another field goal by Cofer, this one from 30 yards out which increase their lead to 16-0 as the first half came to an end.

After the Cardinals went three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, the 49ers would put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock and did not end until Young threw a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Jones, the first touchdown of Jones' career, to increase San Francisco's lead to 23-0 with 7:20 left in the third quarter.

At this point you couldn't blame Phoenix fans for thinking the game was over but there was hope on the Cardinals sidelines that they could come back and win as one year earlier, the Cards scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome a 25-point deficit and defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-28 in the largest fourth quarter comeback in NFL history.

Going to a no-huddle offense, the Cardinals would start their next possession at their 26-yard-line as Lomax would complete a 15-yard pass to Smith on the first play of the drive as three plays later, Phoenix was faced with a 4th & 1 when Stallings decided to keep the offense on the field and go for the 1st down which they got when Ferrell ran for two yards to give the Cardinals a fresh set of downs at the San Francisco 48-yard-line.

After Ferrell caught a pass for nine yards then ran for four more yards to give Phoenix a 1st down, Lomax would hit Green in the corner of the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown to put the Cardinals on the scoreboard as they cut the 49ers' lead to 23-7 with 3:39 to go in the third quarter.

The 49ers would hold the ball for the rest of the third quarter as they drove from their 25-yard-line to the Cardinals' 37-yard-line where they would face a 3rd & 5 as the fourth quarter began with an apparent 1st down as Young scrambled for eight yards, only for it to be nullified by a holding penalty to set up 3rd & 15 when Young was sacked by Phoenix linebacker Kevin Harvey, forcing San Francisco to punt the ball back to the Cardinals.

Taking over at their 34-yard-line, the Cardinals would drive down to the field on the right arm of Lomax as he would complete four straight passes for 52 yards to move Phoenix to the San Francisco seven-yard-line when on 2nd & 5, Green dropped a sure touchdown that ended up costing the Cardinals four points as they settled for a 24-yard field goal by Al Del Greco to cut the 49ers' lead to 23-10 with 10:51 to go in the fourth quarter.

Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax would 19 of 30 passes for 214 yards and threw three touchdowns passes in the second half alone.

Following a 49ers three-and-out, the Cardinals got the ball back at the 50-yard-line as a holding penalty would wipe out a 11-yard pass from Lomax to Ernie Jones on 3rd & 10 as Phoenix ended up punting the ball back to San Francisco, only to get a reprieve as a holding penalty on 49ers cornerback Eric Wright before the punt gave the Cardinals a 1st down at the San Francisco 45-yard-line.

However, the Cardinals would end up punting the ball to the 49ers anyway as San Francisco would begin its next possession at their nine-yard-line hoping to some run clock as Craig carried the ball on three straight plays, gaining nine yards to force another San Francisco punt as the Cardinals would once again take over possession at the 50-yard-line with 4:11 to play.

From there, Lomax would complete four straight passes to four different receivers for 48 yards to put the Cardinals at the 49ers' two-yard-line with a 1st & goal to go.

But two incomplete passes and a run by Ferrell that lost three yards would set up a do-or-die 4th & goal when Lomax found Jones for a five-yard touchdown to make it a 23-17 game with 2:17 left in the game.

Stallings decided against an onside kick as the Cardinals still had two timeouts plus the two-minute warning as the 49ers would take over at their 15-yard-line hoping to pick up a 1st down to put the game away.

Craig would run for seven yards on 1st down, then would lose one yard on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 4 when Young kept the ball on a bootleg around the left side as he would try to stretch the ball to pick up the 1st down while being pursued by Cardinals linebacker E.J. Junior.

Young and the 49ers that he picked up the 1st down but the referees spotted him short which was reviewed by the instant replay booth and upheld, forcing the 49ers to punt the ball back to the Cardinals, who took over at their 34-yard-line with 1:27 to play in the game and needing a touchdown to win.

The drive would begin with Lomax completing a nine-yard pass to Smith which was followed by a 14-yard pass to Jones to give the Cardinals a 1st down at the 49ers' 43-yard-line where Lomax would throw an incomplete pass to stop the clock.

Lomax would then hit Smith for nine yards before connecting with Jones for a 25-yard completion to put the Cardinals at the 49ers' nine-yard-line when Lomax threw a pass out of bounds to stop the clock with six seconds to go.

Having perhaps just one chance to get into the end zone, Lomax lofted a pass for Green in the back of the end zone, who would make the catch despite good coverage from 49ers defensive back Darryl Pollard to tie the game at 23 with three seconds to go.

The play would be reviewed and upheld as Al Del Greco would come on to kick the go-ahead extra point as the 49ers could not pull off a miracle on the ensuing kickoff as time expired with the Cardinals on top 24-23 to complete the second greatest comeback in team history.

The collapse against the Cardinals would not be the low point for the 49ers as they would fall to the Los Angeles Raiders 9-3 the following week to drop San Francisco's record to 6-5.

Walsh would then name Montana the starting quarterback for the rest of the season as the 49ers would go on a four-game winning streak to clinch the NFC West division title with a 10-6 record as San Francisco would beat the Minnesota Vikings 34-9 in the Divisional Round, then knocked off the Chicago Bears 28-3 in the NFC Championship Game to send the 49ers to their third Super Bowl in eight years.

In Super Bowl XXIII, Montana would lead the 49ers on 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes of the game as his 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor would give San Francisco a 20-16 win and its third Lombardi Trophy in what would be Walsh's final game as the 49ers' head coach.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals seemed destined to return to the postseason especially after defeating the New York Giants 24-17 the following week to improve their record to 7-4 only to go on a five-game losing streak to end the season with a 7-9 record as Phoenix failed to earn a playoff spot.

The following season would be a tumultuous one for the Cardinals as Lomax missed the entire season because of an arthritic hip, which would lead to his retirement in 1990, while head coach Gene Stallings announced he would step down as head coach at the end of the season, only for general manager Larry Wilson to fire him and replace him with running backs coach Hank Kuhlmann.

The Cardinals would go 0-5 under Kuhlmann as they would finish the '89 season with a 5-11 record as it would they would have to wait until 1998 to finally earn a trip to the NFL postseason.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.