1988 San Francisco 49ers season

The 1988 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 39th in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall, and their tenth and final season under head coach Bill Walsh. The 49ers won their third Super Bowl victory after a challenging regular season, with the team slipping to a 6–5 record in week 11. In danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1982, they defeated the Washington Redskins on a Monday night and won four of their last five regular season games, finishing the season 10-6 as NFC West champions. In the divisional round of the playoffs, they thrashed the Minnesota Vikings 34–9, gaining revenge over the side that had upset the #1-seeded 49ers at the same point in the previous season. They then defeated the Chicago Bears 28–3 in the NFC Championship game, braving a wind-chill factor of 26 degrees below zero.

1988 San Francisco 49ers season
Owner	Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.
General manager	John McVay
Head coach	Bill Walsh
Defensive coordinator	George Seifert
Home stadium	Candlestick Park
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st NFC West
Playoffs	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Vikings) 34–9 Won NFC Championship (at Bears) 28–3 Won Super Bowl XXIII (vs. Bengals) 20–16
← 1987 49ers seasons 1989 →

Super Bowl XXIII marked the 49ers first Super Bowl appearance since they defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. They had made the playoffs in the three intervening seasons, but were eliminated each time in the first round, primarily because of the poor performances by their offensive stars in those games; quarterback Joe Montana, receiver Jerry Rice and running back Roger Craig all failed to produce a single touchdown.

The 49ers alternated quarterbacks, as Montana and Steve Young both started at various points of the season. The broadcast booth of the 49ers radio network also saw change, as Joe Starkey substituted for longtime 49ers play by play announcer Lon Simmons during several games, mostly in October when Simmons called the Oakland Athletics 1988 American League Championship Series and 1988 World Series games for the Oakland A's flagship station, KSFO. The 1988 season was the last for Simmons as 49ers broadcaster. Across the regular season and postseason, the 49ers won just 13 games, then a record-low for Super Bowl champions. The number was matched in 2011 by the New York Giants, who also finished with a worse record: 13–7 (.650 win percentage), compared to the 49ers’ 13–6 (.684).

NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled State of the Art; it was narrated by Jeff Kaye. On March 8, 2007, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, the 1988 San Francisco 49ers, with team commentary from Bill Walsh, Harris Barton and Roger Craig, and narrated by Ed Harris.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1988 NFL draft

1988 San Francisco 49ers draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	25	Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders
2	33	Danny Stubbs	DE	Miami (FL)	from Raiders
	39	Pierce Holt	DE	Angelo State	from Eagles via Buccaneers
	53	Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3	80	Bill Romanowski	LB	Boston College
4	102	Barry Helton	P	Colorado	from Bears via Raiders
	107	Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5	131	Traded to the New York Jets
	135	Traded to the Buffalo Bills
6	163	Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	191	Kevin Bryant	LB	Delaware State
8	219	Larry Clarkson	OT	Montana
9	247	Brian Bonner	LB	Minnesota
10	275	Tim Foley	K	Georgia Southern
11	303	Chet Brooks	DB	Texas A&M
12	331	George Mira Jr.	LB	Miami (FL)

^[1]

Training Camp

The 1988 San Francisco 49ers season held training camp at Sierra College in Rocklin, California.

Personnel

Staff

1988 San Francisco 49ers staff

Front office Owner/president – Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. Vice president/general counsel – Carmen Policy Vice president/general manager – John McVay Administrator of football operations – Neal Dahlen Director of college scouting – Tony Razzano Director of pro personnel – Allan Webb Head coaches Head coach – Bill Walsh Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Mike Holmgren Running backs – Sherman Lewis Wide receivers – Dennis Green Offensive line – Bobb McKittrick

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – George Seifert Defensive line – Fred von Appen Linebackers – Bill McPherson Defensive backs – Ray Rhodes Defensive assistant – Tommy Hart Special teams coaches Special teams – Lynn Stiles Strength and conditioning Physical development coordinator – Jerry Attaway

Roster

1988 San Francisco 49ers roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 16 Joe Montana  8 Steve Young Running backs (RB) 33 Roger Craig 25 Doug DuBose KR 32 Terrence Flagler 44 Tom Rathman FB 35 Del Rodgers KR 24 Harry Sydney Wide receivers (WR) 83 Terry Greer 80 Jerry Rice 82 John Taylor 85 Mike Wilson Tight ends (TE) 86 John Frank 89 Ron Heller 84 Brent Jones

Offensive linemen (OL) 79 Harris Barton T 69 Bruce Collie G 51 Randy Cross C 62 Guy McIntyre G 77 Bubba Paris T 61 Jesse Sapolu G 60 Chuck Thomas C 74 Steve Wallace T Defensive linemen (DL) 95 Michael Carter NT 75 Kevin Fagan DE 78 Pierce Holt DE 67 Pete Kugler NT 91 Larry Roberts DE 96 Danny Stubbs DE

Linebackers (LB) 50 Riki Ellison ILB 55 Jim Fahnhorst ILB 54 Ron Hadley OLB 94 Charles Haley OLB 57 Sam Kennedy ILB 53 Bill Romanowski OLB 99 Michael Walter ILB Defensive backs (DB) 38 Greg Cox SS 49 Jeff Fuller SS 29 Don Griffin CB 46 Tom Holmoe FS 42 Ronnie Lott FS 22 Tim McKyer CB 20 Tory Nixon CB 26 Darryl Pollard CB 21 Eric Wright CB Special teams (ST) 6 Mike Cofer K 9 Barry Helton P

Reserve 65 Jeff Bregel G (IR) 31 Chet Brooks CB/S (IR) 15 John Paye QB (IR) 90 Todd Shell LB (IR) 72 Jeff Stover DE (IR) 58 Keena Turner LB (IR) 27 Carlton Williamson S (IR) Rookies in italics 47 active, 7 reserve

^[2]

1988 Team Starters

Offense

• 16 Joe Montana QB
• 33 Roger Craig RB
• 44 Tom Rathman FB
• 85 Mike Wilson WR
• 80 Jerry Rice WR
• 89 John Frank TE

• 74 Steve Wallace LT
• 61 Jesse Sapolu LG
• 64 Randy Cross C
• 62 Guy McIntyre RG
• 79 Harris Barton RT

Defense

• 91 Larry Roberts
• 95 Michael Carter NT
• 75 Kevin Fagan

• 94 Charles Haley LB
• 50 Riki Ellison LB
• 99 Mike Walter LB
• 58 Keena Turner LB

• 22 Tim McKyer
• 21 Eric Wright
• 49 Jeff Fuller SS
• 42 Ronnie Lott FS

Kicking Team

• 6 Mike Cofer K
• 9 Barry Helton P
• 82 John Taylor PR
• 25 Doug DuBose KR

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time	TV	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
1	July 31	Miami Dolphins	10:00 a.m. PDT	NBC	L 21–27	0–1	Wembley Stadium (London)	70,535	Recap
2	August 6	Los Angeles Raiders	6:00 p.m. PDT	CBS	W 24–10	1–1	Candlestick Park	64,457	Recap
3	August 13	at Denver Broncos	6:00 p.m. PDT	KPIX-TV	L 24–34	1–2	Mile High Stadium	75,067	Recap
4	August 20	at San Diego Chargers	6:00 p.m. PDT	KPIX-TV	W 34–27	2–2	Jack Murphy Stadium	39,044	Recap
5	August 26	Seattle Seahawks	6:00 p.m. PDT	KPIX-TV	W 27–21	3–2	Candlestick Park	53,357	Recap

Preseason Game summaries

Week P1 (Sunday, July 31, 1988): vs. Miami Dolphins

Preseason Week 1: Miami Dolphins vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins (1–0)	7	6	7	7	27
49ers (0–1)	0	14	7	0	21

at Wembley Stadium • London, England

• Date: July 31, 1988
• Game time: 10:00 a.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 70,535
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
MIA	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MIA SF "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 21

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Dolphins	Game Statistics	49ers
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Week P2 (Saturday, August 6, 1988): vs. Los Angeles Raiders

Preseason Week 2: Los Angeles Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders (0–1)	3	0	0	7	10
49ers (1–1)	3	14	3	0	20

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: August 6, 1988
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 64,457
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator)

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
RAI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP RAI SF "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 24

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Raiders	Game Statistics	49ers
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Week P3 (Saturday, August 13, 1988): at Denver Broncos

Preseason Week 3: San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (1–2)	0	21	3	0	24
Broncos (2–0)	3	21	3	7	34

at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado

• Date: August 13, 1988
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 75,067
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (KPIX-TV): Wayne Walker (play-by-play) and Bill Ring (color commentator)

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF DEN "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 34

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

49ers	Game Statistics	Broncos
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Week P4 (Saturday, August 20, 1988): at San Diego Chargers

Preseason Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (2–2)	7	3	3	21	34
Chargers (1–2)	10	10	7	0	27

at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California

• Date: August 20, 1988
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 39,044
• TV announcers (KPIX-TV): Wayne Walker (play-by-play) and Bill Ring (color commentator)

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SD	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF SD "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 34 27

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

49ers	Game Statistics	Chargers
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Week P5 (Friday, August 26, 1988): vs. Seattle Seahawks

Preseason Week 5: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks (3–1)	0	7	14	0	21
49ers (3–2)	0	0	20	7	27

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: August 26, 1988
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 53,357
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (KPIX-TV): Wayne Walker (play-by-play) and Bill Ring (color commentator)

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SEA	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SEA SF "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 27

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Seahawks	Game Statistics	49ers
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Regular season

In the 1988 season, San Francisco won the NFC West with a 10–6 regular season record, but it was a long uphill battle; the 49ers, Rams, and Saints all finished 10–6 with the 49ers winning the division on tiebreakers. The team had a quarterback controversy with Montana and Steve Young each starting at quarterback during the season. But after a 6–5 start, Montana led the 49ers to win 4 of their final 5 regular season games.

Montana finished the regular season with 238 completions for 2,981 yards and 18 touchdowns, and also added 132 rushing yards. His favorite target was Rice, who recorded 64 receptions for 1,306 yards (a 20.4 yards per catch average) and 9 touchdowns. Craig was also a key contributor with a total of 2,036 combined rushing and receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. Fullback Tom Rathman also made a big impact, rushing for 427 yards and catching 42 passes for 387 yards. The 49ers defense was led by defensive backs Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, Jeff Fuller, and Tim McKyer, who recorded a combined total of 18 interceptions. McKyer led the team with 7, while Lott recorded 5. Linebacker Charles Haley was also a big contributor with 11.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time	TV	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
1	September 4	at New Orleans Saints	10:00 a.m. PDT	CBS	W 34–33	1–0	Louisiana Superdome	66,357	Recap
2	September 11	at New York Giants	10:00 a.m. PDT	CBS	W 20–17	2–0	Giants Stadium	75,943	Recap
3	September 18	Atlanta Falcons	1:00 p.m. PDT	CBS	L 17–34	2–1	Candlestick Park	60,168	Recap
4	September 25	at Seattle Seahawks	1:00 p.m. PDT	CBS	W 38–7	3–1	Kingdome	62,382	Recap
5	October 2	Detroit Lions	1:00 p.m. PDT	CBS	W 20–13	4–1	Candlestick Park	58,285	Recap
6	October 9	Denver Broncos	1:00 p.m. PDT	NBC	L 13–16 (OT)	4–2	Candlestick Park	61,711	Recap
7	October 16	at Los Angeles Rams	1:00 p.m. PDT	CBS	W 24–21	5–2	Anaheim Stadium	65,450	Recap
8	October 24	at Chicago Bears	6:00 p.m. PDT	ABC	L 9–10	5–3	Soldier Field	65,293	Recap
9	October 30	Minnesota Vikings	1:00 p.m. PST	CBS	W 24–21	6–3	Candlestick Park	60,738	Recap
10	November 6	at Phoenix Cardinals	1:00 p.m. PST	CBS	L 23–24	6–4	Sun Devil Stadium	64,544	Recap
11	November 13	Los Angeles Raiders	1:00 p.m. PST	NBC	L 3–9	6–5	Candlestick Park	54,448	Recap
12	November 21	Washington Redskins	6:00 p.m. PST	ABC	W 37–21	7–5	Candlestick Park	59,268	Recap
13	November 27	at San Diego Chargers	1:00 p.m. PST	CBS	W 48–10	8–5	Jack Murphy Stadium	51,484	Recap
14	December 4	at Atlanta Falcons	10:00 a.m. PST	CBS	W 13–3	9–5	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	44,048	Recap
15	December 11	New Orleans Saints	1:00 p.m. PST	CBS	W 30–17	10–5	Candlestick Park	62,977	Recap
16	December 18	Los Angeles Rams	5:00 p.m. PST	ESPN	L 16–38	10–6	Candlestick Park	62,444	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Regular Season Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday, September 4, 1988): at New Orleans Saints

^[3]

Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (1–0)	7	3	21	3	34
Saints (0–1)	7	10	0	16	33

at Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: September 4, 1988
• Game time: 10:01 a.m. PDT
• Game weather: indoors
• Game attendance: 66,357
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
• ^[4][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	13/23, 161 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	18 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Roger Craig	5 REC, 43 YDS
NO	Passing	Bobby Hebert	22/31, 245 YDS, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Dalton Hilliard	19 CAR, 95 YDS
	Receiving	Lonzell Hill	7 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF NO 1 8:41 13 70 49ers Craig 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 7 0 1 1:24 12 67 Saints Martin 2-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good 7 7 2 14:55 3 28 Saints Clark 21-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good 7 14 2 8:47 7 24 Saints 20-yard field goal by Andersen 7 17 2 6:55 6 51 49ers 25-yard field goal by Cofer 10 17 3 11:05 4 49 49ers Frank 9-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 17 17 3 8:05 5 35 49ers Wilson 71-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 24 17 3 3:07 6 42 49ers Frank 17-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 31 17 4 13:26 10 79 Saints Hill 18-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good 31 24 4 6:33 – – – Saints Swilling tackled Young in end zone for a safety 31 26 4 1:50 9 29 49ers 32-yard field goal by Cofer 34 26 4 0:21 8 70 Saints Perriman 15-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good 34 33 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 34 33

• Point spread: 49ers Pick'em
• Over/Under: 43.0 (over)
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 7 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Saints
21	First downs	23
32–124	Rushes–yards	31–147
165	Passing yards	245
14–26–1	Passes	22–31–2
0–0	Sacked–yards	5–48
165	Net passing yards	197
289	Total yards	344
128	Return yards	310
1–24.0	Punts	3–40.0
1–1	Fumbles–lost	2–1
2–12	Penalties–yards	10–77
23:50	Time of possession	36:10

Starting Lineups

Position	Starting Lineups – Week 1: at New Orleans
Offense
QB	#16 Joe Montana
RB	#33 Roger Craig
FB	#44 Tom Rathman
WR	#80 Jerry Rice
WR	#89 Wes Chandler
TE	#86 John Frank
LT	#74 Steve Wallace
LG	#61 Jesse Sapolu
C	#51 Randy Cross
RG	#62 Guy McIntyre
RT	#79 Harris Barton
Defense
LDE	#91 Larry Roberts
NT	#95 Michael Carter
RDE	#75 Kevin Fagan
LOLB	#94 Charles Haley
LILB	#50 Riki Ellison
RILB	#99 Mike Walter
ROLB	#53 Bill Romanowski
LCB	#22 Tim McKyer
RCB	#29 Don Griffin
SS	#49 Jeff Fuller
FS	#42 Ronnie Lott

Individual stats

49ers Passing
	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Montana	13/23	161	3	1	0	0	29	99.8
Young	1/3	4	0	0	0	0	4	42.4

49ers Rushing
	Car2	Yds	TD	LG3
Craig	18	67	1	10
Rice	2	29	0	29
Montana	3	20	0	10
Rathman	8	10	0	5
Young	1	–2	0	–2

49ers Receiving
	Rec4	Yds	TD	LG3
Frank	5	59	2	17
Craig	5	43	0	14
Rice	2	41	0	29
Wilson	1	17	1	17
Rathman	1	5	0	5

49ers Kick Returns
	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
DuBose	4	105	26.3	0	0

49ers Punt Returns
	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Griffin	2	18	9.0	0	0

49ers Punting
	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Runager	1	24	24.0	24	1

49ers Kicking
	XPM–XPA	FGM–FGA
Cofer	4–4	2–2

49ers Sacks
	Sacks
Carter	2.0
Fagan	1.0
Haley	1.0
Roberts	1.0

49ers Interceptions
	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Lott	1	11	0	11	0
Carter	1	0	0	0	0

The Saints, fresh off the first winning season in franchise history, clawed to a 17–10 halftime lead in the second quarter, but Joe Montana erupted in the third with three touchdown throws. Head coach Bill Walsh, wanting to get playing time for backup Steve Young, put Young in for the fourth quarter; Young was sacked in the endzone for a safety and the Saints scored seven more points after that, nonetheless coming up short 34–33 to the 49ers.

Week 2 (Sunday, September 11, 1988): at New York Giants

^[6]

Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants - Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (2–0)	0	10	3	7	20
Giants (1–1)	7	3	0	7	17

at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: September 11, 1988
• Game time: 10:00 a.m. PDT
• Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C); wind 5 (partly sunny)
• Game attendance: 75,943
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
• ^[7][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	10/18, 148 YDS, 1 TD
	Rushing	Roger Craig	18 CAR, 110 YDS
	Receiving	Roger Craig	9 REC, 69 YDS
NYG	Passing	Phil Simms	21/37, 227 YDS, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Joe Morris	22 CAR, 67 YDS
	Receiving	Lionel Manuel	6 REC, 80 YDS, 2 TDs

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF NYG 1 11:12 4 30 Giants Manuel 12-yard touchdown reception from Simms, Allegre kick good 0 7 2 14:51 8 39 49ers 35-yard field goal by Cofer 3 7 2 9:18 10 57 49ers DuBose 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 10 7 2 0:09 13 52 Giants 36-yard field goal by Allegre 10 10 3 7:51 12 50 49ers 26-yard field goal by Cofer 13 10 4 1:21 2 15 Giants Manuel 15-yard touchdown reception from Simms, Allegre kick good 13 17 4 0:42 3 77 49ers Rice 78-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 20 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 17

• Point spread: 49ers +2
• Over/Under: 44.0 (under)
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 13 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Giants
25	First downs	17
33–181	Rushes–yards	29–112
263	Passing yards	227
21–37–0	Passes	21–37–0
3–14	Sacked–yards	3–30
249	Net passing yards	197
430	Total yards	309
63	Return yards	133
4–39.0	Punts	5–39.2
4–2	Fumbles–lost	2–0
9–97	Penalties–yards	4–30
30:46	Time of possession	29:14

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 10/18, 148 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 11/18, 115 YDS; Rice – 0/1, 0 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 18 CAR, 110 YDS; Young – 5 CAR, 48 YDS; – Rathman – 6 CAR, 21 YDS; DuBose – 3 CAR, 2 YDS, 1 TD; Montana – 1 CAR, 0 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 9 REC, 69 YDS; Rice – 4 REC, 109 YDS, 1 TD; Rathman – 3 REC, 27 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 25 YDS; Heller – 2 REC, 24 YDS; Chandler – 1 REC, 9 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 3 KR, 49 YDS
• Punt Returns: Chandler – 2 PR, 14 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 4 PUNTS, 156 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 2/2 PAT, 2/4 FG
• Sacks: Fagan – 1.0; Haley – 1.0; Roberts – 1.0
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 62, 35

Concerned over Montana's health, coach Walsh started Steve Young in his place against the Giants; Young's rawness to the Niners offensive system showed as he was limited to 115 yards passing and the Niners trailed 17–13 in the fourth. Montana came in and fired a 77-yard touchdown in the final minutes to Jerry Rice and a 20–17 Niners win (the play, 76 All Go, had only bern installed that week).

Week 3 (Sunday, September 18, 1988): vs. Atlanta Falcons

^[8]

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons (1–2)	0	21	3	10	34
49ers (2–1)	3	0	7	7	17

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: September 18, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C); (Sunny) wind 12
• Game attendance: 60,168
• Referee: Fred Silva
• TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant (play–by–play) and John Dockery (color commentator)
• ^[9][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ATL	Passing	Chris Miller	12/24, 175 YDS, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Gerald Riggs	19 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Gerald Riggs	4 REC, 64 YDS
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	32/48, 343 YDS, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Roger Craig	13 CAR, 57 YDS
	Receiving	Roger Craig	10 REC, 61 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ATL SF 1 6:12 8 48 49ers 38-yard field goal by Cofer 0 3 2 7:00 13 80 Falcons Riggs 3-yard touchdown run, Davis kick good 7 3 2 2:58 5 70 Falcons Primus 29-yard touchdown run, Davis kick good 14 3 2 0:00 6 54 Falcons Miller 1-yard touchdown run, Davis kick good 21 3 3 13:41 4 –9 Falcons 47-yard field goal by Davis 24 3 3 8:17 10 80 49ers McIntyre 17-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 24 10 4 11:33 – – – Falcons Interception returned 47 yards for touchdown by Moore, Davis kick good 31 10 4 2:18 10 86 49ers Wilson 13-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 31 17 4 1:05 5 20 Falcons 41-yard field goal by Davis 34 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 34 17

• Point spread: 49ers –14
• Over/Under: 44.0 (over)
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 5 minutes

Falcons	Game Statistics	49ers
19	First downs	22
41–196	Rushes–yards	19–104
175	Passing yards	343
12–24–2	Passes	32–49–4
1–4	Sacked–yards	3–21
171	Net passing yards	322
367	Total yards	426
101	Return yards	60
4–40.0	Punts	4–41.5
0–0	Fumbles–lost	0–0
5–35	Penalties–yards	4–50
30:44	Time of possession	29:16

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 32/48, 343 YDS, 2 TDs, 3 INTs; Rice – 0/1, 0 YDS, 1 INT
• Rushing: Craig – 13 CAR, 57 YDS; Rathman – 2 CAR, 23 YDS; Rice – 2 CAR; 20 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR; 4 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 10 REC, 61 YDS; Rice – 8 REC, 183 YDS; Rathman – 5 REC, 29 YDS; Chandler – 3 REC, 24 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 18 YDS, 1 TD; Heller – 2 REC, 17 YDS; McIntyre – 1 REC, 17 YDS, 1 TD; Nicholas – 1 REC, 14 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 3 KR, 56 YDS
• Punt Returns: Chandler – 2 PR, 4 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 4 PUNTS, 166 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 2/2 PAT, 1/1 FG
• Sacks: Stubbs – 1.0
• Interceptions: Fuller – 1 INT, 0 YDS; Holmoe – 1 INT, 0 YDS

The 49ers lost to the Falcons for only the fourth time since 1981 as Joe Montana was intercepted three times and sacked three times in a 34–17 rout. Gerald Riggs of the Falcons rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Week 4 (Sunday, September 25, 1988): at Seattle Seahawks

^[10]

Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (3–1)	7	10	14	7	38
Seahawks (2–2)	0	0	7	0	7

at The Kingdome • Seattle, Washington

• Date: September 25, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: indoors
• Game attendance: 62,382
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV announcers (CBS): Steve Zabriskie (play–by–play) and Terry Bradshaw (color commentator)
• ^[11][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	20/29, 302 YDS, 4 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	21 CAR, 107 YDS
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	6 REC, 163 YDS, 3 TDs
SEA	Passing	Kelly Stouffer	11/15, 133 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Curt Warner	9 CAR, 29 YDS
	Receiving	Ray Butler	2 REC, 52 YDS, 1 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF SEA 1 6:02 7 63 49ers Rice 1-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 7 0 2 7:55 9 35 49ers Frank 13-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 14 0 2 1:57 5 40 49ers 21-yard field goal by Cofer 17 0 3 11:05 3 76 49ers Rice 69-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 24 0 3 2:25 3 74 49ers Rice 60-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 31 0 3 1:24 3 71 Seahawks Butler 46-yard touchdown reception from Stouffer, Johnson kick good 31 7 4 4:07 18 85 49ers Wilson 16-yard touchdown reception from Young, Cofer kick good 38 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 38 7

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 0 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Seahawks
27	First downs	8
48–239	Rushes–yards	12–29
351	Passing yards	139
24–35–1	Passes	12–27–4
2–10	Sacked–yards	3–14
341	Net passing yards	125
580	Total yards	154
56	Return yards	180
3–37.3	Punts	7–43.9
1–0	Fumbles–lost	2–1
6–70	Penalties–yards	3–17
42:50	Time of possession	17:10

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 20/29, 302 YDS, 4 TDs, 1 INT; Young – 4/6, 49 YDS, 1 TD
• Rushing: Craig – 21 CAR, 107 YDS; Rathman – 15 CAR, 79 YDS; DuBose – 8 CAR, 38 YDS; Sydney – 3 CAR, 16 YDS; Young – 1 CAR, –1 YD
• Receiving: Rice – 6 REC, 163 YDS, 3 TDs; Craig – 6 REC, 38 YDS; Wilson – 4 REC, 62 YDS; Rathman – 3 REC, 37 YDS; DuBose – 3 REC, 29 YDS; Frank – 1 REC, 13 YDS, 1 TD; Sydney – 1 REC, 9 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 2 KR, 28 YDS
• Punt Returns: Chandler – 2 PR, 10 YDS; Griffin – 1 PR, 10 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 3 PUNTS, 112 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 5/5 PAT, 1/4 FG
• Sacks: Haley – 2.0; Carter – 1.0
• Interceptions: Fuller – 1 INT, 10 YDS; Holmoe – 1 INT, 0 YDS; McKyer – 1 INT; 0 YDS; Wright – 1 INT, –2 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 31, 52, 55

The Niners rebounded by putting up 580 yards of offense in a 38–7 rout of the Seahawks. Joe Montana threw four touchdowns and Steve Young added a fifth while Roger Craig and Tom Rathman accounted for 186 rushing yards. The Seahawks' Jeff Kemp was intercepted three times and Kelly Stouffer added a fourth pick.

Week 5 (Sunday, October 2, 1988): vs. Detroit Lions

^[12]

Week 5: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions (1–4)	0	3	3	7	13
49ers (4–1)	0	10	7	3	20

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: October 2, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C); (Sunny) wind 12
• Game attendance: 58,285
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and Terry Bradshaw (color commentator)
• ^[13][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
DET	Passing	Chuck Long	11/19, 139 YDS, 1 TD
	Rushing	Garry James	12 CAR, 30 YDS
	Receiving	Pete Mandley	7 REC, 116 YDS, 1 TD
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	19/30, 182 YDS
	Rushing	Roger Craig	18 CAR, 90 YDS
	Receiving	Mike Wilson	6 REC, 59 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DET SF 2 10:39 13 80 49ers Rice 11-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 0 7 2 1:58 13 54 Lions 24-yard field goal by Murray 3 7 2 0:03 10 68 49ers 29-yard field goal by Cofer 3 10 3 12:35 – – – 49ers Taylor 77-yard punt return for a touchdown, Cofer kick good 3 17 3 3:32 10 73 Lions 34-yard field goal by Murray 6 17 4 8:08 12 64 49ers 29-yard field goal by Cofer 6 20 4 5:32 8 88 Lions Mandley 11-yard touchdown reception from Long, Murray kick good 13 20 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 20

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 2 minutes

Lions	Game Statistics	49ers
18	First downs	19
21–49	Rushes–yards	35–176
275	Passing yards	182
21–37–0	Passes	19–30–0
4–27	Sacked–yards	2–19
248	Net passing yards	163
297	Total yards	339
86	Return yards	171
6–39.2	Punts	6–36.8
3–2	Fumbles–lost	2–1
2–15	Penalties–yards	4–25
31:19	Time of possession	28:41

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 19/30, 182 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 18 CAR, 90 YDS; Rathman – 12 CAR, 74 YDS; Rice – 1 CAR, 11 YDS, 1 TD; Montana – 4 CAR, 1 YD
• Receiving: Wilson – 6 REC, 59 YDS; Craig – 5 REC, 31 YDS; Rathman – 4 REC, 38 YDS; Rice – 2 REC, 35 YDS; Heller – 2 REC, 19 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: Taylor – 2 KR, 41 YDS; Dubose – 1 KR, 24 YDS; Craig – 1 KR, 17 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 4 PR, 89 YDS, 1 TD
• Punting: Helton – 6 PUNTS, 221 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 2/2 PAT, 2/2 FG
• Sacks: Carter – 1.0; Griffin – 1.0; Haley – 1.0; Roberts – 1.0

Week 6 (Sunday, October 9, 1988): vs. Denver Broncos

^[14]

Week 6: Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Broncos (3–3)	0	3	3	7	3	16
49ers (4–2)	3	7	3	0	0	13

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: October 9, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C); (Sunny) wind 15
• Game attendance: 61,711
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
• ^[15][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
DEN	Passing	John Elway	21/39, 210 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Sammy Winder	17 CAR, 100 YDS
	Receiving	Vance Johnson	8 REC, 85 YDS, 1 TD
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	12/24, 191 YDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	26 CAR, 143 YDS
	Receiving	Tom Rathman	5 REC, 27 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DEN SF 1 3:42 5 32 49ers 37-yard field goal by Cofer 0 3 2 14:47 14 69 Broncos 27-yard field goal by Karlis 3 3 2 6:50 8 95 49ers Montana 6-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 3 10 3 5:18 10 61 Broncos 27-yard field goal by Karlis 6 10 3 1:09 12 55 49ers 27-yard field goal by Cofer 6 13 4 6:23 9 58 Broncos Johnson 8-yard touchdown reception from Elway, Karlis kick good 13 13 OT 7:49 2 0 Broncos 22-yard field goal by Karlis 16 13 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 13

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 37 minutes

Broncos	Game Statistics	49ers
24	First downs	21
31–147	Rushes–yards	48–246
210	Passing yards	191
21–39–2	Passes	12–28–3
5–43	Sacked–yards	3–20
167	Net passing yards	171
357	Total yards	417
91	Return yards	102
6–45.2	Punts	4–43.3
2–1	Fumbles–lost	2–1
5–40	Penalties–yards	14–93
32:44	Time of possession	35:27

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 12/24, 191 YDS, 1 INT; Young – 0/3, 0 YDS, 2 INTs; Sydney – 0/1, 0 YDS
• Rushing: Roger Craig – 26 CAR, 143 YDS; Rathman – 11 CAR, 55 YDS; Rice – 2 CAR, 27 YDS; Montana – 6 CAR, 13 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 3 CAR, 8 YDS
• Receiving: Rathman – 5 REC, 27 YDS; Rice – 3 REC, 78 YDS; Craig – 2 REC, 18 YDS; Taylor – 1 REC, 55 YDS; Wilson – 1 REC, 13 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 3 KR, 55 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 3 PR, 45 YDS; Griffin – 1 PR, 0 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 4 OUNTS, 173 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 1/1 PAT, 2/3 FG
• Sacks: Haley – 2.0; Fuller – 1.0; Stubbs – 1.0; Walter – 1.0
• Interceptions: Turner – 1 INT, 2 TDS; McKyer – 1 INT, 0 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 47

Joe Montana ran in a six-yard touchdown and threw for 191 yards and an interception; he was sacked three times and replaced by Young as John Elway tied the game 13–13 on a touchdown to Vance Johnson. Wind gusts up to 40 mph suddenly hit Candlestick Park and made passing more difficult; in overtime a Steve Young pass was intercepted (Young's second pick of the game), setting up Rich Karlis' winning field goal (16–13 final for the Broncos).

Week 7 (Sunday, October 16, 1988): at Los Angeles Rams

^[16]

Week 7: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (5–2)	7	10	0	7	24
Rams (5–2)	7	0	14	0	21

at Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, California

• Date: October 16, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C); wind 8
• Game attendance: 65,450
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
• ^[17][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	21/31, 203 YDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	22 CAR, 190 YDS, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Roger Craig	5 REC, 12 YDS
LARams	Passing	Jim Everett	20/33, 199 YDS, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Greg Bell	13 CAR, 28 YDS
	Receiving	Henry Ellard	7 REC, 83 YDS, 1 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF LARams 1 4:40 2 59 49ers Craig 46-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 7 0 1 3:33 3 58 Rams Cox 44-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 7 7 2 14:24 10 80 49ers Craig 2-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 14 7 2 3:41 12 66 49ers 40-yard field goal by Cofer 17 7 3 9:20 4 34 Rams Ellard 18-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 17 14 3 0:25 6 34 Rams McGee 8-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 17 21 4 12:21 11 93 49ers Craig 16-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 24 21 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 21

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

49ers	Game Statistics	Rams
24	First downs	14
40–245	Rushes–yards	17–42
203	Passing yards	199
21–33–1	Passes	20–33–2
2–19	Sacked–yards	1–5
184	Net passing yards	194
429	Total yards	236
61	Return yards	154
7–34.3	Punts	7–43.9
4–1	Fumbles–lost	4–2
7–73	Penalties–yards	5–35
36:11	Time of possession	23:49

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 21/31, 203 YDS, 1 INT; Young – 0/2, 0 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 22 CAR, 190 YDS, 3 TDs; Rathman – 9 CAR, 19 YDS; DuBose – 5 CAR, 16 YDS; Sydney – 1 CAR, 13 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 7 YDS; Young – 1 CAR, 0 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 5 REC, 12 YDS; Rice – 4 REC, 65 YDS; Rathman – 4 REC, 44 YDS; DuBose – 2 REC, 22 YDS; Jones – 2 REC, 4 YDS; Greer – 1 REC, 31 YDS; Taylor – 1 REC, 14 YDS; Wilson – 1 REC, 11 YDS; Heller – 1 REC, 0 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: Taylor – 2 KR, 31 YDS; DuBose – 1 KR, 0 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 6 PR, 26 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 7 PUNTS, 240 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 3/3 PAT, 1/2 FG
• Sacks: Stubbs – 1.0
• Interceptions: Lott – 2 INTs, 4 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 47

Roger Craig had one of his greatest games in a 190-yard stampede where he scored three touchdowns, highlighted by a dramatic 46-yard score in the first quarter. Despite three Jim Everett touchdowns the Rams fell to San Francisco 24–21, the tenth 49ers win in the rivalry's previous 14 games.

Week 8: (Monday, October 24, 1988): at Chicago Bears

^[18]

Week 8: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (5–3)	7	0	2	0	9
Bears (7–1)	0	10	0	0	10

at Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois

• Date: October 24, 1988
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C); wind 17, wind chill 29 °F (−2 °C)
• Game attendance: 65,293
• Referee: Johnny Grier
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels (play–by–play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator) and Frank Gifford (color commentator)
• ^[19][20]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	13/29, 168 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	10 CAR, 31 YDS
	Receiving	Roger Craig	6 REC, 39 YDS
CHI	Passing	Jim McMahon	10/22, 132 YDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	Neal Anderson	16 CAR, 62 YDS
	Receiving	Neal Anderson	3 REC, 40 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF CHI 1 6:56 8 88 49ers Rice 23-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 7 0 2 3:28 4 37 Bears McMahon 1-yard touchdown run, Butler kick good 7 7 2 0:00 8 35 Bears 18-yard field goal by Butler 7 10 3 11:04 – – – 49ers McMahon tackled in end zone for a safety by Roberts and Haley 9 10 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 9 10

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 2 hours, 59 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Bears
12	First downs	14
21–78	Rushes–yards	41–122
169	Passing yards	132
14–30–1	Passes	10–22–1
4–34	Sacked–yards	3–17
135	Net passing yards	115
213	Total yards	237
103	Return yards	58
8–37.2	Punts	7–33.4
1–0	Fumbles–lost	1–0
10–57	Penalties–yards	2–14
23:29	Time of possession	36:21

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 13/29, 168 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT; Young – 1/1, 1 YD
• Rushing: Craig – 10 CAR, 31 YDS; Rathman – 6 CAR, 21 YDS; Montana – 1 CAR, 15 YDS; Rice – 2 CAR, 8 YDS; Young – 2 CAR, 3 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 6 REC, 39 YDS; Rice – 4 REC, 86 YDS, 1 TD; Heller – 3 REC, 31 YDS; Rathman – 1 REC, 13 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: Taylor – 3 KR, 36 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 4 PR, 57 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 8 PUNTS, 293 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 1/1 PAT, 0/1 FG
• Sacks: Haley – 3.0
• Interceptions: McKyer – 1 INT, 0 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 51

The Niners struggled to a 10–9 loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football. The Niners incurred ten penalties for 57 yards and Joe Montana was sacked four times.

Week 9 (Sunday, October 30, 1988): vs. Minnesota Vikings

^[21]

Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings (5–4)	0	7	7	7	21
49ers (6–3)	0	3	14	7	24

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: October 30, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); (Sunny) wind 9
• Game attendance: 60,738
• Referee: Fred Silva
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
• ^[22][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
MIN	Passing	Wade Wilson	18/30, 243 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Rick Fenney	6 CAR, 35 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Hassan Jones	6 REC, 81 YDS
SF	Passing	Steve Young	14/25, 232 YDS, 1 TD
	Rushing	Steve Young	7 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Roger Craig	3 REC, 37 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MIN SF 2 13:26 2 27 Vikings Wilson 2-yard touchdown run, Nelson kick good 7 0 2 0:31 7 22 49ers 30-yard field goal by Cofer 7 3 3 4:16 12 97 49ers Craig 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 7 10 2 2:36 5 78 Vikings Carter 67-yard touchdown reception from Wilson, Nelson kick good 14 10 2 2:17 1 73 49ers Taylor 73-yard touchdown reception from Young, Cofer kick good 14 17 4 13:33 2 21 Vikings Fenney 12-yard touchdown run, Nelson kick good 21 17 4 1:58 3 57 49ers Young 49-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 21 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 24

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 8 minutes

Vikings	Game Statistics	49ers
15	First downs	16
31–92	Rushes–yards	28–130
243	Passing yards	232
18–30–2	Passes	14–25–0
2–14	Sacked–yards	4–23
229	Net passing yards	209
321	Total yards	339
160	Return yards	148
6–42.2	Punts	7–43.6
1–1	Fumbles–lost	3–2
8–53	Penalties–yards	5–51
30:49	Time of possession	29:11

Individual stats

• Passing: Young – 14/25, 232 YDS, 1 TD
• Rushing: Young – 7 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD; Roger Craig – 19 CAR, 56 YDS; Rathman – 2 CAR, 2 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 3 REC, 37 YDS; Wilson – 3 REC, 31 YDS; Jones – 3 REC, 26 YDS; Taylor – 2 REC, 88 YDS, 1 TD; Rice – 1 REC, 22 YDS; Greeg – 1 REC, 18 YDS; Rathman – 1 REC, 10 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 2 KR, 54 YDS; Taylor – 2 KR, 46 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 4 PR, 44 YDS
• Punts: Helton – 7 PUNTS, 305 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 3/3 PAT, 1/2 FG
• Sacks: Fagan – 1.0; Haley – 0.5; Roberts – 0.5
• Interceptions: McKyer – 2 INTs; 4 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 45

The Vikings' playoff win at San Francisco the previous season hung over Candlestick Park as Coach Walsh started Steve Young in Joe Montana's stead. Young struggled and was booed repeatedly by the crowd ("They were running him out of town", lineman Harris Barton said). Just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter the Vikings led 21–17 with the Niners at Minnesota's 49-yard line; Young escaped a sack and ran in the game-winning touchdown, earning applause from the same audience that had been booing him; the NFL Films clip with Lon Simmons' call of the score is among the most replayed in retrospectives on Young's career.^[23]

Week 10: (Sunday, November 6, 1988): at Phoenix Cardinals

^[24]

Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (6–4)	3	13	7	0	23
Cardinals (6–4)	0	0	7	17	24

at Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Arizona

• Date: November 6, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C); wind 6
• Game attendance: 64,544
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan (play–by–play) and Dan Jiggetts (color commentator)
• ^[25][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Steve Young	14/27, 145 YDS, 1 TD
	Rushing	Roger Craig	26 CAR, 162 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Tom Rathman	4 REC, 45 YDS
PHO	Passing	Neil Lomax	25/41, 323 YDS, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Earl Ferrell	12 CAR, 54 YDS
	Receiving	Roy Green	6 REC, 93 YDS, 2 TDs

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF PHO 1 11:41 9 54 49ers 42-yard field goal by Cofer 3 0 2 12:06 10 70 49ers Craig 3-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 10 0 2 8:24 6 34 49ers 27-yard field goal by Cofer 13 0 2 0:08 9 45 49ers 30-yard field goal by Cofer 16 0 3 7:20 12 75 49ers Jones 3-yard touchdown reception from Young, Cofer kick good 23 0 3 3:39 8 74 Cardinals Green 35-yard touchdown reception from Lomax, Del Greco kick good 23 7 4 10:51 9 59 Cardinals 24-yard field goal by Del Greco 23 10 4 2:19 8 50 Cardinals Jones 35-yard touchdown reception from Lomax, Del Greco kick good 23 17 4 0:03 7 66 Cardinals Green 9-yard touchdown reception from Lomax, Del Greco kick good 23 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 23 24

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 29 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Cardinals
22	First downs	21
38–240	Rushes–yards	19–67
145	Passing yards	323
14–27–0	Passes	25–41–0
4–28	Sacked–yards	7–35
117	Net passing yards	288
357	Total yards	355
94	Return yards	172
7–46.6	Punts	5–45.2
0–0	Fumbles–lost	3–3
14–106	Penalties–yards	3–30
34:31	Time of possession	25:29

Individual stats

• Passing: Young – 14/27, 145 YDS, 1 TD
• Rushing: Craig – 25 CAR, 162 YDS, 1 TD; Rathman – 5 CAR, 33 YDS; Young – 3 CAR, 26 YDS; Sydney – 1 CAR, 8 YDS; Flagler – 2 CAR, 6 YDS; Rice – 1 CAR, 5 YDS
• Receiving: Rathman – 4 REC, 45 YDS; Rice – 3 REC, 37 YDS; Heller – 2 REC, 24 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 24 YDS; Greer – 1 REC, 12 YDS; Jones – 1 REC, 3 YDS, 1 TD; Craig – 1 REC, 0 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 3 KR, 48 YDS; Craig – 1 KR, 15 YDS; Thomas – 1 KR, 5 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 3 PR, 26 YDS
• Punts: Helton – 7 PUNTS, 326 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 2/2 PAT, 3/3 FG
• Sacks: Roberts – 2.5; Holt – 2.0; Carter – 1.5; Stubbs – 1.0

With Young still starting, the 49ers raced to a 23–0 lead in the third quarter, and Coach Bill Walsh felt it was the sharpest the offense had looked all season. The Cardinals, however, began clawing back as Neil Lomax rifled a pair of touchdowns; making matters worse for San Francisco was a whopping 14 penalties for 106 yards. On a kick return Walsh was blindsided by a runner and suffered two cracked ribs; he then had to watch as the Cardinals raced down field in the final minute and scored on a nine-yard Lomax score to Roy Green. It turned out to be the last road loss for the 49ers until Week One of the 1991 season.

Week 11 (Sunday, November 13, 1988): vs. Los Angeles Raiders

^[26]

Week 11: Los Angeles Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders (6–5)	0	0	6	3	9
49ers (6–5)	0	3	0	0	3

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: November 13, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C); (Light Rain) wind 20
• Game attendance: 54,448
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play–by–play) and Joe Namath (color commentator)
• ^[27][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
RAI	Passing	Steve Beuerlein	8/22, 112 YDS
	Rushing	Bo Jackson	18 CAR, 85 YDS
	Receiving	Tim Brown	4 REC, 58 YDS
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	16/31, 160 YDS
	Rushing	Roger Craig	17 CAR, 58 YDS
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	5 REC, 61 YDS

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP RAI SF 2 3:17 7 33 49ers 44-yard field goal by Cofer 0 3 3 10:32 7 41 Raiders 45-yard field goal by Bahr 3 3 3 6:51 4 18 Raiders 50-yard field goal by Bahr 6 3 4 7:08 7 14 Raiders 19-yard field goal by Bahr 9 3 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 9 3

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 2 hours, 59 minutes

Raiders	Game Statistics	49ers
17	First downs	15
45–159	Rushes–yards	26–83
112	Passing yards	112
8–22–0	Passes	16–31–0
2–20	Sacked–yards	4–24
92	Net passing yards	88
251	Total yards	219
31	Return yards	72
6–39.0	Punts	8–38.2
1–1	Fumbles–lost	3–2
6–48	Penalties–yards	8–85
35:33	Time of possession	24:27

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 16/31, 160 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 17 CAR, 58 YDS; Rathman – 3 CAR, 15 YDS; Montana – 4 CAR, 12 YDS; Rice – 2 CAR, –2 YDS
• Receiving: Rice – 5 REC, 61 YDS; Craig – 5 REC, 29 YDS; Wilson – 4 REC, 44 TDS; Heller – 1 REC, 15 YDS; Rathman – 1 REC, 11 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 3 KR, 44 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 3 PR, 28 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 8 PUNTS, 306 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 1/1 FG
• Sacks: Ellison – 1.0; Holt – 1.0

The low point for the 49ers season came against the Raiders as Joe Montana started despite continuing concern by Walsh over his health; Montana had lost eight pounds and was coming off a stomach illness. Montana was held to 160 passing yards as the Raiders clawed out a 9–3 win. The 49ers’ final drive stalled when officials did not call a pass interference penalty on the Raiders over a play to Jerry Rice inside the 10-yard line.

As a result, it was the second game of the season they didn't score a touchdown. Following the loss, amid chatter from players interpreted as them giving up on the season, Ronnie Lott called a players-only meeting; Harris Barton called it "a ‘screw the coaches’ meeting" and said that it worked to refocus the players on playing better ("They usually don't work, but this one did.")

Week 12 (Monday, November 21, 1988): vs. Washington Redskins

^[28]

Week 12: Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins (6–6)	7	0	7	7	21
49ers (7–5)	7	16	0	14	37

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: November 21, 1988
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); (Light Rain) wind 8
• Game attendance: 59,268
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels (play–by–play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator) and Frank Gifford (color commentator)
• ^[29][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
WSH	Passing	Doug Williams	27/41, 271 YDS, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Mike Oliphant	4 CAR, 29 YDS
	Receiving	Art Monk	9 REC, 89 YDS, 1 TD
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	15/23, 218 YDS, 2 IDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	24 CAR, 75 YDS
	Receiving	Roger Craig	5 REC, 37 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH SF 1 8:14 5 55 49ers Jones 18-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 0 7 1 0:07 5 35 Redskins Sanders 15-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Lohmiller kick good 7 7 2 11:46 10 34 49ers 52-yard field goal by Cofer 7 10 2 4:24 – – – 49ers Taylor 95-yard punt return for a touchdown, Cofer kick good 7 17 2 0:40 9 48 49ers Rathman 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick no good 7 23 3 1:37 9 41 Redskins Sanders 4-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Lohmiller kick good 14 23 4 11:58 6 44 49ers Montana 4-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 14 30 4 4:10 5 96 49ers Rice 80-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 14 37 4 2:02 10 76 Redskins Monk 18-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Lohmiller kick good 21 37 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 37

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 6 minutes

Redskins	Game Statistics	49ers
20	First downs	18
25–56	Rushes–yards	30–112
271	Passing yards	218
27–42–2	Passes	15–25–2
0–0	Sacked–yards	2–10
271	Net passing yards	208
327	Total yards	320
150	Return yards	177
4–39.2	Punts	5–36.6
4–2	Fumbles–lost	0–0
5–51	Penalties–yards	10–65
33:28	Time of possession	26:32

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 15/23, 218 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT; Young – 0/2, 0 YDS, 1 INT
• Rushing: Craig – 24 CAR, 75 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 20 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 1 CAR, 12 YDS; Rathman – 2 CAR, 5 YDS, 1 TD; DuBose – 1 CAR, 0 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 5 REC, 37 YDS; Rice – 3 REC, 105 YDS, 1 TD; Wilson – 2 REC, 18 YDS; Rathman – 2 REC, 12 YDS; Taylor – 1 REC, 22 YDS; Jones – 1 REC, 18 YDS, TD; DuBose – 1 REC, 6 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: Taylor – 2 KR, 44 YDS; DuBose – 1 KR, 13 YDS; Wilson – 1 KR, 2 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 4 PR, 113 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 5 PUNTS, 183 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 4/5 PAT, 1/1 FG
• Interceptions: Fuller – 1 INT, 5 YDS; Lott – 1 INT, 0 YDS

The refocused Niners erupted on the defending champion Redskins, racing to a 23–7 halftime lead and winning 37–21. Joe Montana threw two touchdowns (including an 80-yarder to Jerry Rice) and ran in a third. Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams of the Redskins threw three touchdowns while Timmy Smith was held to just six rushing yards.

Week 13 (Sunday, November 27, 1988): at San Diego Chargers

^[30]

Week 13: San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (8–5)	7	17	14	10	48
Chargers (4–9)	0	7	3	0	10

at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California

• Date: November 27, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); wind 6
• Game attendance: 51,848
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel (play–by–play) and Ken Stabler (color commentator)
• ^[31][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	14/22, 271 YDS, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Roger Craig	17 CAR, 87 YDS, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	6 REC, 171 YDS, 2 TDs
SD	Passing	Mark Malone	17/32, 136 YDS, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Gary Anderson	14 CAR, 61 YDS
	Receiving	Rod Bernstine	9 REC, 80 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF SD 1 4:43 1 96 49ers Rice 96-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 7 0 2 12:01 3 23 49ers Craig 11-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 14 0 2 10:20 4 65 Chargers DeLine 36-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 14 7 2 5:49 10 75 49ers Craig 2-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 21 7 2 0:00 5 35 49ers 45-yard field goal by Cofer 24 7 3 13:30 5 76 49ers Rice 41-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 31 7 3 7:09 11 54 Chargers 21-yard field goal by DeLine 31 10 3 2:32 12 72 49ers Craig 7-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 38 10 4 12:47 8 29 49ers 32-yard field goal by Cofer 41 10 4 2:52 10 90 49ers DuBose 46-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 48 10 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 48 10

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 7 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Chargers
24	First downs	21
36–203	Rushes–yards	23–136
285	Passing yards	179
16–25–0	Passes	23–45–2
2–13	Sacked–yards	1–3
272	Net passing yards	176
475	Total yards	312
126	Return yards	172
3–42.3	Punts	4–42.8
1–0	Fumbles–lost	1–1
8–79	Penalties–yards	9–93
28:20	Time of possession	31:40

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 14/22, 271 YDS, 3 TDs; Young – 2/3, 14 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 17 CAR, 87 YDS, 2 TDs; DuBose – 7 CAR, 60 YDS, 1 TD; Rathman – 5 CAR, 20 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 14 YDS; Sydney – 3 CAR, 13 YDS; Young – 2 CAR, 9 YDS
• Receiving: Rice – 6 REC, 171 YDS, 2 TDs; Rathman – 3 REC, 35 YDS; Greer – 2 REC, 19 YDS; Craig – 2 REC, 8 YDS, 1 TD; Frank – 1 REC, 38 YDS; Sydney – 1 REC, 9 YDS; Taylor – 1 REC, 5 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 2 KR, 36 YDS; Taylor – 1 KR, 17 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 3 PR, 22 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 3 PUNTS, 127 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 6/6 PAT, 2/2 FG
• Sacks: Stubbs – 1.0
• Interceptions: Lott – 1 INT, 44 YDS; McKyer – 1 INT, 7 YDS

The Niners' scoring explosion continued at Jack Murphy Stadium as Joe Montana threw three touchdowns (the first a 96-yarder to Jerry Rice) and Roger Craig had two rushing scores and a touchdown catch, while Doug DuBose added a rushing score. Four Niners backs plus both quarterbacks (Montana and Steve Young) rushed for 203 yards, crushing the Chargers 48–10.

Week 14 (Sunday, December 4, 1988): at Atlanta Falcons

^[32]

Week 14: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (9–5)	0	7	0	6	13
Falcons (5–9)	0	0	0	3	3

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: December 4, 1988
• Game time: 10:00 a.m. PST
• Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C); wind 8
• Game attendance: 44,048
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant (play–by–play) and Hank Stram (color commentator)
• ^[33][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	20/34, 230 YDS, 1 TD
	Rushing	Roger Craig	23 CAR, 103 YDS
	Receiving	Roger Craig	7 REC, 73 YDS
ATL	Passing	Chris Miller	13/27, 156 YDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	Gerald Riggs	12 CAR, 17 YDS
	Receiving	John Settle	6 REC, 40 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF ATL 2 1:04 12 81 49ers Rice 20-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 7 0 4 14:52 9 63 Falcons 21-yard field goal by Davis 7 3 4 7:25 13 51 49ers 31-yard field goal by Cofer 10 3 4 1:48 9 35 49ers 23-yard field goal by Cofer 13 3 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 3

• Point spread: 49ers –7
• Over/Under: 41.0 (under)
• Time of Game: 2 hours, 52 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Falcons
20	First downs	8
37–140	Rushes–yards	21–43
244	Passing yards	156
21–35–0	Passes	13–27–1
1–6	Sacked–yards	3–22
238	Net passing yards	134
378	Total yards	177
73	Return yards	41
3–44.7	Punts	6–44.8
2–0	Fumbles–lost	1–0
7–65	Penalties–yards	2–21
36:49	Time of possession	23:11

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 20/34, 230 YDS, 1 TD; Rice – 1/1, 14 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 23 CAR, 103 YDS; Rathman – 7 CAR, 20 YDS; Rice – 1 CAR, 9 YDS; Montana – 5 CAR, 8 YDS; Sydney – 1 CAR, 0 YDS
• Receiving: Craig – 7 REC, 73 YDS; Rice – 5 REC, 63 YDS, 1 TD; Wilson – 3 REC, 49 YDS; Frank – 3 REC, 33 YDS; Greer – 1 REC, 16 YDS; Taylor – 1 REC, 10 YDS; Flagler – 1 REC, 0 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: DuBose – 1 KR, 30 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 5 PR, 40 YDS
• Punts: Helton – 3 PUNTS, 134 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 1/1 PAT, 2/4 FG
• Sacks: Haley – 1.0; Holt – 1.0; Stubbs – 1.0
• Interceptions: Fuller – 1 INT, 3 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 23, 40

The Niners traveled to Fulton County Stadium and limited the Atlanta Falcons to 177 yards of offense in a 13–3 win.

Week 15 (Sunday, December 11, 1988): vs. New Orleans Saints

^[34]

Week 15: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints (9–6)	3	7	7	0	17
49ers (10–5)	0	21	3	6	30

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: December 11, 1988
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C); (Drizzle) wind 5
• Game attendance: 62,977
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
• ^[35][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
NO	Passing	Bobby Hebert	19/30, 170 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dalton Hilliard	9 CAR, 35 YDS
	Receiving	Eric Martin	7 REC, 61 YDS
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	18/29, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	22 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	6 REC, 78 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NO SF 1 10:36 3 3 Saints 38-yard field goal by Andersen 3 0 2 12:17 8 56 49ers Craig 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 3 7 2 11:05 1 27 Saints Hill 27-yard touchdown reception from Hilliard, Andersen kick good 10 7 2 6:05 9 80 49ers Montana 2-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 10 14 2 3:37 1 66 49ers Taylor 66-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 10 21 3 6:50 4 31 49ers 40-yard field goal by Cofer 10 24 3 1:25 8 80 Saints Scales 6-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good 17 24 4 11:53 9 43 49ers 43-yard field goal by Cofer 17 27 4 9:18 4 3 49ers 19-yard field goal by Cofer 17 30 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 30

• Point spread: 49ers –6
• Over/Under: 41.0 (over)
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 1 minute

Saints	Game Statistics	49ers
15	First downs	20
24–70	Rushes–yards	35–152
197	Passing yards	233
20–35–1	Passes	18–29–1
2–15	Sacked–yards	2–12
182	Net passing yards	221
252	Total yards	373
127	Return yards	79
5–38.2	Punts	3–36.7
2–1	Fumbles–lost	1–1
2–11	Penalties–yards	1–0
26:35	Time of possession	33:25

Starting Lineups

Position	Starting Lineups – Week 15: vs. New Orleans
Offense
QB	#16 Joe Montana
RB	#33 Roger Craig
FB	#44 Tom Rathman
WR	#82 John Taylor
WR	#80 Jerry Rice
TE	#86 John Frank
LT	#74 Steve Wallace
LG	#61 Jesse Sapolu
C	#51 Randy Cross
RG	#62 Guy McIntyre
RT	#79 Harris Barton
Defense
LDE	#91 Larry Roberts
NT	#95 Michael Carter
RDE	#75 Kevin Fagan
LOLB	#94 Charles Haley
LILB	#55 Jim Fahnhorst
RILB	#99 Mike Walter
ROLB	#53 Bill Romanowski
LCB	#22 Tim McKyer
RCB	#29 Don Griffin
SS	#49 Jeff Fuller
FS	#42 Ronnie Lott

Individual stats

49ers Passing
	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Montana	18/29	233	3	1	2	12	68	84.4

49ers Rushing
	Car2	Yds	TD	LG3
Craig	22	115	1	28
Rathman	7	19	0	555
Montana	6	18	1	11

49ers Receiving
	Rec4	Yds	TD	LG3
Rice	6	78	0	18
Frank	5	45	9	15
Taylor	2	77	1	68
Rathman	2	20	0	18
Craig	2	7	0	4
Jones	1	6	0	6

49ers Kick Returns
	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
DuBose	3	66	22.0	0	0

49ers Punt Returns
	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Taylor	2	13	6.5	0	0

49ers Punting
	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Helton	3	110	36.7	0	0

49ers Kicking
	XPM–XPA	FGM–FGA
Cofer	3–3	3–3

49ers Sacks
	Sacks
Carter	1.0
Holt	1.0

49ers Interceptions
	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Wright	1	0	0	0	0

The Niners hosted the Saints with both teams at 9–5 but going in opposite directions following two straight Saints losses. Led by Roger Craig's 115 yards, the Niners rushed for 152 yards and two scores while Joe Montana threw for 233 yards and a score in San Francisco's 30–17 win. At halftime, the 49ers retired number 87, which was worn by Dwight Clark from 1979 to 1987.

Week 16: (Sunday, December 18, 1988) vs. Los Angeles Rams

^[36]

Week 16: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams (10–6)	0	21	10	7	38
49ers (10–6)	3	10	0	3	16

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: December 18, 1988
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C); (Cloudy) wind 6
• Game attendance: 62,444
• Referee: Gene Barth
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick (play–by–play) and Joe Theismann (color commentator)
• ^[37][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
LARams	Passing	Jim Everett	19/38, 201 YDS, 4 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Greg Bell	21 CAR, 88 YDS, 1 TD
	Receiving	Henry Ellard	6 REC, 74 TDS, 1 TD
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	15/26, 171 YDS
	Rushing	Roger Craig	16 CAR, 51 YDS
	Receiving	John Taylor	5 REC, 54 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP LARams SF 1 6:17 11 41 49ers 23-yard field goal by Cofer 0 3 2 11:02 6 38 Rams Johnson 16-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 7 3 2 5:23 12 77 49ers Rathman 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 7 10 2 1:13 11 74 Rams Ellard 9-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 14 10 2 0:20 2 19 Rams Bell 1-yard touchdown run, Lansford kick good 21 10 2 0:03 3 38 49ers 46-yard field goal by Cofer 21 13 3 5:28 9 66 Rams Johnson 11-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 28 13 3 2:40 6 15 Rams 49-yard field goal by Lansford 31 13 4 10:20 13 65 Rams Johnson 5-yard touchdown reception from Everett, Lansford kick good 38 13 4 0:09 8 66 49ers 36-yard field goal by Cofer 38 16 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 38 16

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Rams	Game Statistics	49ers
23	First downs	20
30–121	Rushes–yards	21–70
201	Passing yards	291
19–38–1	Passes	22–37–0
0–0	Sacked–yards	9–45
201	Net passing yards	246
322	Total yards	316
84	Return yards	159
5–38.2	Punts	6–35.3
1–0	Fumbles–lost	2–1
5–33	Penalties–yards	7–58
31:28	Time of possession	28:32

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 15/26, 171 YDS; Young – 7/11, 120 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 16 CAR, 51 YDS; Rathman – 2 CAR, 11 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 1 CAR, 9 YDS; Helton – 1 CAR, 0 YDS; Flagler – 1 CAR, –1 YD
• Receiving: Taylor – 5 REC, 54 YDS; Flagler – 3 REC, 72 YDS; Craig – 3 REC, 32 YDS; Rathman – 3 REC, 29 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 34 YDS; Rice – 2 REC, 29 YDS; Greer – 2 REC, 24 YDS; Heller – 1 REC, 10 YDS; Frank – 1 REC, 7 YDS
• Kickoff Returns: Rodgers – 6 KR, 98 YDS; Sydney – 1 KR, 8 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 3 PR, 53 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 6 PUNTS, 212 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 1/1 PAT, 3/3 FG
• Interceptions: McKyer – 1 INT, 0 YDS

The Niners clinched the NFC West despite a three-way tie with the Rams and New Orleans (all finishing 10–6) and despite a 38–16 slaughter by the Rams that put them into the playoffs. Jim Everett threw four touchdowns while Montana and Young combined for 291 yards but no scores. San Francisco won the division on tiebreakers and the Rams were the wild card, while the 10–6 Saints were eliminated from playoff contention on the conference record tiebreaker.

Game officials

Preseason

Week	Opponent	Referee	Umpire	Head Linesman	Line Judge	Back Judge	Side Judge	Field Judge	Replay
1	vs. Miami Dolphins (at London, England)
2	Los Angeles Raiders
3	at Denver Broncos	(12)	(89)	(72)	(94)	(21)	(47)	(113)	Bill Fette
4	at San Diego Chargers
5	Seattle Seahawks	(40)	(50)	(109)	(56)	(99)	(66)	(46)	Armen Terzian

Regular season

Week	Opponent	Referee	Umpire	Head Linesman	Line Judge	Back Judge	Side Judge	Field Judge	Replay
1	at New Orleans Saints	(9) Jerry Markbreit	(100) Bob Wagner	(72) Terry Gierke	(59) Bob Beeks	(4) Doug Toole	(58) Bill Quinby	(91) Bill Stanley	George Sladky
2	at New York Giants	(48) Gordon McCarter	(117) Ben Montgomery	(81) Dave Anderson	(3) Boyce Smith	(49) Dean Look	(61) Dick Creed	(84) Bob Wortman	Chuck Heberling
3	Atlanta Falcons	(7) Fred Silva	(42) Dave Hamilton	(8) Dale Williams	(54) Jack Johnson	(68) Louis Richard	(102) Merrill Douglas	(18) Bob Lewis	Royal Cathcart
4	at Seattle Seahawks	(60) Dick Jorgensen	(110) Ron Botchan	(10) Ron Phares	(51) Dale Orem	(92) Jim Poole	(20) Larry Nemmers	(44) Donnie Hampton	Bill Swanson
5	Detroit Lions	(43) Red Cashion	(27) Al Conway	(37) Burl Toler	(94) Vern Marshall	(52) Ben Tompkins	(29) Howard Slavin	(96) Don Hakes	Grover Klemmer
6	Denver Broncos	(32) Jim Tunney	(115) Hendi Ancich	(111) Earnie Frantz	(33) Howard Roe	(118) Tom Sifferman	(97) Nate Jones	(82) Pat Mallette	Bill Fette
7	at Los Angeles Rams	(70) Jerry Seeman	(103) Rex Stuart	(79) Aaron Pointer	(15) Bama Glass	(21) Pete Liske	(64) Dave Parry	(113) Don Dorkowski	Dave Kamanski
8	at Chicago Bears	(23) Johnny Grier	(78) Art Demmas	(87) Paul Weidner	(83) Ron Blum	(24) Roy Clymer	(90) Gil Mace	(119) Ron Spitler	Al Sabato
9	Minnesota Vikings	(7) Fred Silva	(42) Dave Hamilton	(8) Dale Williams	(54) Jack Johnson	(68) Louis Richard	(102) Merrill Douglas	(18) Bob Lewis	Royal Cathcart
10	at Phoenix Cardinals	(9) Jerry Markbreit	(100) Bob Wagner	(72) Terry Gierke	(59) Bob Beeks	(4) Doug Toole	(58) Bill Quinby	(91) Bill Stanley	George Sladky
11	Los Angeles Raiders	(40) Pat Haggerty	(50) Neil Gereb	(109) Sid Semon	(56) Ron Baynes	(99) Banks Williams	(66) Dave Hawk	(46) John Robison	Cal Lepore
12	Washington Redskins	(70) Jerry Seeman	(103) Rex Stuart	(79) Aaron Pointer	(15) Bama Glass	(21) Pete Liske	(64) Dave Parry	(113) Don Dorkowski	Dave Kamanski
13	at San Diego Chargers	(12) Ben Dreith	(88) Dave Moss	(55) Dave Barnes	(41) Dick McKenzie	(106) Al Jury	(16) Doyle Jackson	(31) Dick Dolack	Dixon Holman
14	at Atlanta Falcons	(48) Gordon McCarter	(117) Ben Montgomery	(81) Dave Anderson	(3) Boyce Smith	(49) Dean Look	(61) Dick Creed	(84) Bob Wortman	Chuck Heberling
15	New Orleans Saints	(43) Red Cashion	(27) Al Conway	(37) Burl Toler	(94) Vern Marshall	(52) Ben Tompkins	(29) Howard Slavin	(96) Don Hakes	Grover Klemmer
16	Los Angeles Rams	(14) Gene Barth	(57) Ed Fiffick	(85) Frank Glover	(74) Ray Dodez	(38) Bruce Maurer	(34) Gerald Austin	(76) Ed Merrifield	Mark Burns

Standings

NFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
San Francisco 49ers(2)	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	369	294	L1
Los Angeles Rams(5)	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	407	293	W3
New Orleans Saints	10	6	0	.625	3–3	6–6	312	283	W1
Atlanta Falcons	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	244	315	L3

Regular Season Stats

Passing

Passing
Player	Pos	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	Sk	Yds	NY/A	ANY/A	Sk%	4QC	GWD
Montana	QB	14	13	8–5–0	238	397	59.9	2981	18	4.5	10	2.5	96	7.5	7.3	12.5	212.9	87.9	34	223	7.9	6.40	6.19	2	2
Young	QB	11	3	2–1–0	54	101	53.5	680	3	3.0	3	3.0	73	6.7	6.0	12.6	61.8	72.2	13	75	11.4	5.31	4.65	1	1
Rice	WR	16	16		1	3	33.3	14	0	0.0	1	33.3	14	4.7	–10.3	14.0	0.9	9.7	0	0	0.0	4.67	–10.33
Sydney	RB	16	0		0	1	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0.0		0.0	39.6	0	0	0.0	0.00	0.00
Team Total		16		10–6–0	293	502	58.4	3675	21	4.2	14	2.8	96	7.3	6.9	12.5	229.7	83.5	47	298	8.6	6.15	5.77	3	3
Opp Total		16			292	530	55.1	3284	25	4.7	22	4.2	67	6.2	5.27	11.2	205.3	72.2	42	297	7.3	5.2	4.4

Rushing

Rushing
Player	Pos	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G
Craig	RB	16	15	310	1502	9	46	4.8	93.9	19.4
Rathman	FB	16	16	102	427	2	26	4.2	26.7	6.4
Young	QB	11	3	27	184	1	49	6.8	16.7	2.5
Montana	QB	14	13	38	132	3	15	3.5	9.4	2.7
DuBose	RB	14	0	24	116	2	37	4.8	8.3	1.7
Rice	WR	16	16	13	107	1	29	8.2	6.7	0.8
Sydney	RB	16	0	9	50	0	13	5.6	3.1	0.6
Flagler	RB	3	0	3	5	0	4	1.7	1.7	1.0
Helton	P	15	0	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.1
Team Total		16		527	2523	18	49	4.8	157.7	32.9
Opp Total		16		441	1588	8		3.6	99.3	27.6

Receiving

Receiving
Player	Pos	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Ctch%
Craig	RB	16	15	76	534	7.0	1	22	4.8	33.4	0.0%
Rice	WR	16	16	64	1306	20.4	9	96	4.0	81.6	0.0%
Rathman	FB	16	16	42	382	9.1	0	24	2.6	23.9	0.0%
Wilson	WR	16	11	33	405	12.3	3	31	2.1	2.53	0.0%
Frank	TE	7	6	16	195	12.2	3	38	2.3	27.9	0.0%
Taylor	WR	12	3	14	325	23.2	2	73	1.2	27.1	0.0%
Heller	TE	16	9	14	140	10.0	0	22	0.9	8.8	0.0%
Greer	WR	10	0	8	120	15.0	0	31	0.8	12.0	0.0%
Jones	TE	11	0	8	57	7.1	2	18	0.7	5.2	0.0%
DuBose	RB	14	0	6	57	9.5	0	13	0.4	4.1	0.0%
Flagler	RB	3	0	4	72	18.0	0	57	1.3	24.0	0.0%
Chandler	WR	4	4	4	33	8.3	0	9	1.0	8.3	0.0%
Sydney	RB	16	0	2	18	9.0	0	9	0.1	1.1	0.0%
McIntyre	RG	16	12	1	17	17.0	1	17	0.1	1.1	0.0%
Nicholas	WR	7	0	1	14	14.0	0	14	0.1	2.0	0.0%
Team Total		16		293	3675	12.5	21	96	18.3	229.3
Opp Total		16		292	2987	10.2	25		18.3	186.7

Kicking

Kicking
		Games		0–19		20–29		30–39		40–49		50+		Scoring
Player	Pos	G	GS	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	Lng	FG%	XPA	XPM	XP%
Cofer	K	16	0	1	1	10	9	11	9	11	7	5	1	38	27	52	71.1%	41	40	97.6%
Team Total		16		1	1	10	9	11	9	11	7	5	1	38	27		71.1%	41	40	97.6%
Opp Total		16												24	18		75.0%	34	34	100.0%

Punting

Punting
Player	Pos	G	GS	Pnt	Yds	Lng	Blck	Y/P
Helton	P	15	0	78	3069	53	1	39.3
Runager	P	1	0	1	24	24	0	24.0
Team Total		16		79	3093	53	1	39.2
Opp Total		16		86	3522		0	41.0

Kick Return

Kick Return
Player	Pos	G	GS	Rt	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/Rt
DuBose	RB	14	0	32	608	0	44	19.0
Taylor	WR	12	3	12	225	0	29	18.8
Rodgers	RB	1	0	6	98	0	24	16.3
Craig	RB	16	15	2	32	0	17	16.0
Sydney	RB	16	0	1	8	0	8	8.0
Thomas	C	16	0	1	5	0	5	5.0
Wilson	WR	16	11	1	2	0	2	2.0
Team Total		16		55	978	0	44	17.8
Opp Total		16		73	1362	0		18.7

Punt Return

Punt Return
Player	Pos	G	GS	Rt	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/R
Taylor	WR	12	3	55	556	2	95	12.6
Chandler	WR	4	4	6	28	0	13	4.7
Griffin	RCB	10	6	4	28	0	10	7.0
Team Total		16		54	612	2	95	11.3
Opp Total		16		47	426	0		9.1

Sacks

Sacks

Interceptions

Interceptions

Fumbles

Fumbles

Tackles

Tackles

Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary

Team

	San Francisco 49ers	Opponents
First downs	326	277
First downs rushing	141	90
First downs passing	167	160
First downs penalty	18	27
Third down efficiency	94/225	88/225
Fourth down efficiency	5/10	6/16
Net yards rushing	2523	1588
Rushing attempts	527	441
Yards per rush	4.8	3.6
Passing – Completions/attempts	293/502	292/530
Times sacked-total yards	47–298	42–297
Interceptions thrown	14	22
Net yards passing	3377	2987
Yards per pass	6.2	5.2
Total net yards	5900	4575
Punt returns-total yards	54–612	47–426
Kickoff returns-total yards	55–978	73–1362
Interceptions-total return yards	22–88	14–185
Punts-average yardage	79–39.2	86–41.0
Fumbles-lost	27–12	30–14
Penalties-total yards	115–986	76–603
Time of possession	30:31	29:29
Turnovers	26	38

Quarter-by-quarter

Quarter-by-quarter
Team	1	2	3	4	OT	T
49ers	54	140	95	80	0	369
Opponents	31	92	77	91	3	294

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Time	TV	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
Divisional	January 1, 1989	Minnesota Vikings (4)	1:00 p.m. PST	CBS	W 34–9	1–0	Candlestick Park	61,848	Recap
NFC Championship	January 8, 1989	at Chicago Bears (1)	1:00 p.m. PST	CBS	W 28–3	2–0	Soldier Field	66,946	Recap
Super Bowl XXIII	January 22, 1989	Cincinnati Bengals (A1)	2:00 p.m. PST	NBC	W 20–16	3–0	Joe Robbie Stadium	75,129	Recap

1988 NFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, January 1, 1989): vs. (4) Minnesota Vikings

^[38]

NFC Divisional Playoffs: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings (1–1)	3	0	6	0	9
49ers (1–0)	7	14	0	13	34

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

• Date: January 1, 1989
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C); wind 9
• Game attendance: 61,848
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play), John Madden (color commentator) and Will McDonough (sideline reporter)
• ^[39][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
MIN	Passing	Wade Wilson	23/47, 255 YDS, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Rick Fenney	6 CAR, 20 YDS
	Receiving	Hassan Jones	7 REC, 71 YDS
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	16/27, 178 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Roger Craig	21 CAR, 135 YDS, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	5 REC, 61 YDS, 3 TDs

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MIN SF 1 8:38 12 57 Vikings 47-yard field goal by Nelson 3 0 1 1:49 6 48 49ers Rice 1-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 3 7 2 14:56 4 30 49ers Rice 4-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 3 14 2 0:38 10 70 49ers Rice 11-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 3 21 3 9:42 8 61 Vikings Jones 5-yard touchdown reception from Wilson, Nelson kick no good 9 21 4 13:41 10 80 49ers Craig 4-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 9 28 4 9:04 2 87 49ers Craig 80-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick no good 9 34 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 9 34

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 9 minutes

Vikings	Game Statistics	49ers
20	First downs	20
19–54	Rushes–yards	34–201
255	Passing yards	177
23–47–2	Passes	17–28–1
6–47	Sacked–yards	1–6
208	Net passing yards	171
262	Total yards	372
123	Return yards	76
7–39.3	Punts	5–36.2
1–1	Fumbles–lost	2–1
9–90	Penalties–yards	6–60
28:13	Time of possession	31:47

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 16/27, 178 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT; Young – 1/1, –1 YDS
• Rushing: Craig – 21 CAR, 135 YDS, 2 TDs; Rathman – 3 CAR, 29 YDS; Rice – 1 CAR, 21 YDS; Montana – 3 CAR, 18 YDS; Sydney – 1 CAR, 1 YD; Young – 3 CAR, 1 YD; Flagler – 2 CAR, –4 YDS
• Receiver: Rice – 5 REC, 61 YDS, 3 TDs; Taylor – 3 REC, 42 YDS; Craig – 3 REC, 26 YDS; Rathman – 2 REC, 20 YDS; Jones – 2 REC, 17 YDS; Wilson – 1 REC, 12 YDS; Harry Sydney – 1 REC, –1 YD
• Kickoff Returns: Rodgers – 3 KR, 39 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 2 PR, 27 YDS
• Punts: Helton – 5 PUNTS, 181 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 4/5 PAT, 0/1 FG
• Sacks: Roberts – 2.5; Haley – 1.5; Holt – 1.0; Stubbs – 1.0
• Interceptions: Lott – 2 INTs, 10 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 60

For the third time in some 365 days the 49ers hosted the Vikings, and for the second time in that span it was in the playoffs. Minnesota entered having shot down the Rams 28–17 and boasting an offense fourth in scoring with a defense second in fewest points allowed with a plus-23 turnover differential – and none of it made any difference as Joe Montana threw three touchdowns in the first half and Jerry Rice caught all three. Wade Wilson was picked off twice as the Niners won 34–9, their first playoff win since Super Bowl XIX.

1988 NFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 8, 1989): at (1) Chicago Bears

^[40]

NFC Championship Game: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers (2–0)	7	7	7	7	28
Bears (1–1)	0	3	0	0	3

at Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois

• Date: January 8, 1989
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 20 °F (−7 °C); wind 29, wind chill 2 °F (−17 °C)
• Game attendance: 66,946
• Referee: Bob McElwee
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play), John Madden (color commentator) and Will McDonough (sideline reporter)
• ^[41][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	17/27, 288 YDS, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Roger Craig	18 CAR, 68 YDS
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	5 REC, 133 YDS, 2 TDs
CHI	Passing	Jim McMahon	14/29, 121 YDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	Neal Anderson	14 CAR, 59 YDS
	Receiving	Neal Anderson	5 REC, 31 YDS

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF CHI 1 3:42 3 62 49ers Rice 61-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 7 0 2 7:25 7 64 49ers Rice 27-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 14 0 2 3:06 9 46 Bears 25-yard field goal by Butler 14 3 3 9:33 13 78 49ers Frank 5-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 21 3 4 6:53 12 70 49ers Rathman 4-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good 28 3 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 28 3

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 2 minutes

49ers	Game Statistics	Bears
21	First downs	15
37–138	Rushes–yards	25–91
288	Passing yards	176
17–27–0	Passes	20–41–1
2–20	Sacked–yards	0–0
268	Net passing yards	176
406	Total yards	267
60	Return yards	90
6–34.5	Punts	7–31.4
1–1	Fumbles–lost	2–1
0–0	Penalties–yards	3–35
31:03	Time of possession	28:57

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 17/27, 288 YDS, 3 TDs
• Rushing: Craig – 18 CAR, 68 YDS; Rathman – 10 CAR, 36 YDS, 1 TD; Montana – 3 CAR, 12 YDS; Sydney – 2 CAR, 12 YDS; Flagler – 3 CAR, 7 YDS; Rice – 1 CAR, 3 YDS
• Receiving: Rice – 5 REC, 133 YDS, 2 TDs; Rathman – 5 REC, 51 YDS; Taylor – 3 REC, 51 YDS; Craig – 2 REC, 33 YDS; Frank – 2 REC, 20 YDS, 1 TD
• Kickoff Returns: Taylor – 1 KR, 22 YDS Sydney – 1 KR, 14 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 4 PR, 24 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 6 PUNTS, 207 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 4/4 PAT
• Interceptions: Fuller – 1 INT, 0 YDS

The Niners traveled to frigid Soldier Field a week after the Bears succeeded in the Fog Bowl against the Eagles and less than three months after San Francisco's ugly Monday Night loss in that same venue. The Niners put the game away in the third quarter following Joe Montana's third touchdown of the game as the Niners limited the Bears' sluggish offense (18th in scoring) to just one Kevin Butler field goal. The win was doubly personal for Walsh between returning to the Super Bowl and also quieting hecklers in the Soldier Field crowd, including one in particular who'd persisted in what Walsh delicately described as "remarks about my body parts and my preferences in life", but who was reduced to futile stuttering as the game got out of hand.

Super Bowl XXIII (Sunday, January 22, 1989): vs. (A1) Cincinnati Bengals

Main article: Super Bowl XXIII

^[42]

Super Bowl XXIII: Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals (2–1)	0	3	10	3	16
49ers (3–0)	3	0	3	14	20

at Joe Robbie Stadium •, Miami Gardens, Florida

• Date: January 22, 1989
• Game time: 2:18 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C); wind 17
• Game attendance: 75,129
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play–by–play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) and Jim Gray (sideline reporter)
• ^[43][5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
CIN	Passing	Boomer Esiason	11/25, 144 YDS, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ickey Woods	20 CAR, 79 YDS
	Receiving	Cris Collinsworth	3 REC, 40 YDS
SF	Passing	Joe Montana	23/36, 357 YDS, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Roger Craig	17 CAR, 71 YDS
	Receiving	Jerry Rice	11 REC, 215 YDS, 1 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CIN SF 1 3:14 13 73 5:02 49ers 41-yard field goal by Cofer 0 3 2 1:15 6 28 2:49 Bengals 34-yard field goal by Breech 3 3 3 5:39 13 61 9:21 Bengals 43-yard field goal by Breech 6 3 3 0:50 4 8 1:30 49ers 32-yard field goal by Cofer 6 6 3 0:34 — — — Bengals Jennings 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Breech kick good 13 6 4 14:03 4 85 1:31 49ers Rice 14-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 13 13 4 3:20 11 46 5:27 Bengals 40-yard field goal by Breech 16 13 4 0:34 11 92 2:46 49ers Taylor 10-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good 16 20 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 20

• Point spread: 49ers –7
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game: 3 hours, 24 minutes

Bengals	Game Statistics	49ers
13	First downs	23
28–106	Rushes–yards	28–111
144	Passing yards	357
11–25–1	Passes	23–36–0
5–21	Sacked–yards	3–14
123	Net passing yards	343
229	Total yards	454
137	Return yards	133
5–44.2	Punts	4–37.0
1–0	Fumbles–lost	4–1
7–65	Penalties–yards	4–32
32:43	Time of possession	27:17

Individual stats

• Passing: Montana – 23/36, 357 YDS, 2 TDs
• Rushing: Craig – 17 CAR, 71 YDS, Rathman – 5 CAR, 23 YDS; Montana – 4 CAR, 13 YDS; Rice – 1 CAR, 5 YDS
• Receiving: Rice – 11 REC, 215 YDS, 1 TD; Craig – 8 REC, 101 YDS; Frank – 2 REC, 15 YDS; Rathman – 1 REC, 16 YDS; Taylor – 1 REC, 10 YDS, 1 TD
• Kickoff Returns: Rodgers – 3 KR, 53 YDS; Taylor – 1 KR, 13 YDS; Sydney – 1 KR, 11 YDS
• Punt Returns: Taylor – 3 PR, 56 YDS
• Punting: Helton – 4 PUNTS, 148 YDS
• Kicking: Cofer – 2/2 PAT, 2/4 FG
• Sacks: Haley – 2.0; Carter – 1.0; Fagan – 1.0; Stubbs – 1.0
• Interceptions: Romanowsi – 1 INT, 0 YDS
• 49ers Missed Field Goals: Cofer 19, 49

The game is remembered for the 49ers' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 16–13, San Francisco got the ball on their own eight-yard line with 3:10 on the clock and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored the winning touchdown on a Joe Montana pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game.

49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice was named the Super Bowl MVP. He caught 11 passes for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing once for 5 yards.

This was also the final NFL game coached by the 49ers' Bill Walsh. This was also the final Super Bowl that Pete Rozelle presided over as NFL Commissioner.

Game officials

Round	Opponent	Referee	Umpire	Head Linesman	Line Judge	Back Judge	Side Judge	Field Judge	Replay	Alternates
NFC Divisional Playoff	Minnesota Vikings	(9) Jerry Markbreit	(78) Art Demmas	(81) Dave Anderson	(53) Bill Reynolds	(106) Al Jury	(120) Gary Lane	(73) Bobby Skelton	Dixon Holman
NFC Championship Game	at Chicago Bears	(95) Bob McElwee	(101) Bob Boylston	(35) Leo Miles	(54) Jack Johnson	(99) Banks Williams	(47) Tom Fincken	(82) Pat Mallette	Al Sabato
Super Bowl XXIII	Cincinnati Bengals (at Miami Gardens, Florida)	(70) Jerry Seeman	(89) Gordon Wells	(17) Jerry Bergman	(59) Bob Beeks	(22) Paul Baetz	(120) Gary Lane	(73) Bobby Skelton	Chuck Heberling	(14) Gene Barth (57) Ed Fiffick

Playoff Stats

Passing

Passing
Player	Pos	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	Sk	Yds	NY/A	ANY/A	Sk%	4QC	GWD
Montana	QB	3	3	3–0	56	90	62.2	823	8	8.9	1	1.1	61	0.1	7.3	12.5	274.3	117.0	7	42	7.9	6.40		1	1
Young	QB	2	0		1	1	100.0	–1	0	3.0	0	0.0	-1	6.7	–1.0	12.6	–1.0	79.2	0	0	11.4	5.31
Team Total		3		3–0	57	91		822	8		1		61						7	42				1	1
Opp Total		3			54	113		575	1		4		23						11	68

Rushing

Receiving

Kicking

Punting

Kick Return

Punt Return

Sacks

Interceptions

Fumbles

Tackles

Scoring Summary

Team

	San Francisco 49ers	Opponents
First downs	64	48
First downs rushing	22	19
First downs passing	39	27
First downs penalty	3	2
Third down efficiency	18/39	12/44
Fourth down efficiency	0/0	3/6
Net yards rushing	451	251
Rushing attempts	98	72
Yards per rush	4.6	3.5
Passing – Completions/attempts	57/91	54/113
Times sacked-total yards	7–42	11–68
Interceptions thrown	1	4
Net yards passing	780	501
Yards per pass	9.0	5.0
Total net yards	1231	752
Punt returns-total yards	9–107	6–33
Kickoff returns-total yards	10–152	14–317
Interceptions-total return yards	4–10	1–0
Punts-average yardage	15–35.7	19–37.7
Fumbles-lost	7–3	4–2
Penalties-total yards	6–60	19–190
Time of possession	30:02	29:58
Turnovers	4	6

Quarter-by-quarter

Quarter-by-quarter
Team	1	2	3	4	T
49ers	17	21	10	34	82
Opponents	3	3	13	3	22

Awards and records

• Mike Cofer, Led NFC, 27 Field Goals
• Mike Cofer, Led NFC, 121 Points
• Roger Craig, Offense, UPI NFC Player of the Year
• Roger Craig, Led NFC with 2068 total yards
• Jerry Rice, Most Valuable Player, Super Bowl XXIII^[44]

1989 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl

Main article: 1989 Pro Bowl

Number	Player	Position	Conference
95	Michael Carter	NT	NFC Pro Bowlers
33	Roger Craig	RB, Starter	NFC Pro Bowlers
94	Charles Haley	LB–DE	NFC Pro Bowlers
42	Ronnie Lott	FS, Starter	NFC Pro Bowlers
80	Jerry Rice	WR, Did Not Play	NFC Pro Bowlers
82	John Taylor	KR	NFC Pro Bowlers

^[45]

Media

Pre season Local TV

Channel	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)
KPIX-TV 5	Wayne Walker	Bill Ring

Local Radio

Flagship station	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporter (s)	Studio host
KGO 810	Lon Simmons (Pre Season, Week 1–5 and 8–16, Playoffs and Super Bowl XXIII) Joe Starkey (Week 6–7)	Wayne Walker (Pre Season Week 1–2, Regular Season, Playoffs and Super Bowl XXIII) Joe Starkey (Pre Season Weeks 3–5)	Joe Starkey (Pre Season Week 1–2, Week 1–5 and 8–16, Playoffs and Super Bowl XXIII)	Joe Starkey