1988 San Francisco 49ers season

American football team season August 2023 March 2026 San Francisco 49ers 1988 10–6 1st NFC West Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. John McVay Bill Walsh George Seifert Candlestick Park Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Vikings) 34–9Won NFC Championship(at Bears) 28–3Won Super Bowl XXIII(vs. Bengals) 20–16 49ers seasons thumb | right | alt=The uniform of the San Francisco 49ers, 1984-1988. | The uniform of the San Francisco 49ers, 1984-1988. 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 team 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. 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 an episode of America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions about the 1988 49ers, with team commentary from Bill Walsh, Harris Barton and Roger Craig, and narrated by Ed Harris. Offseason Draft 1988 NFL draft 1988 San Francisco 49ers draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 25 Traded to the Los Angeles Raiders2 33 Danny Stubbs DE Miami (FL) from Raiders 39Pierce Holt DE Angelo State from Eagles via Buccaneers 53 Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 80Bill Romanowski LB Boston College 4 102 Barry Helton P Colorado from Bears via Raiders 107 Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers5 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) San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 700 Training Camp The 1988 San Francisco 49ers season held training camp at Sierra College in Rocklin, California. Personnel Staff 1988 San Francisco 49ers 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 coach – Bill Walsh Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Mike Holmgren Running backs – Sherman Lewis Wide receivers – Dennis Green Offensive line – Bobb McKittrick Defensive coordinator – George Seifert Defensive line – Fred von Appen Linebackers – Bill McPherson Defensive backs – Ray Rhodes Defensive assistant – Tommy Hart Special teams – Lynn Stiles Physical development coordinator – Jerry Attaway Roster 1988 San Francisco 49ers 47 7 16 Joe Montana  8 Steve Young American football 33 Roger Craig American football 25 Doug DuBose KR 32 Terrence Flagler 44 Tom Rathman FB 35 Del Rodgers KR 24 Harry Sydney 83 Terry Greer 80 Jerry Rice 82 John Taylor American football KR/PR 85 Mike Wilson wide receiver 86 John Frank tight end 89 Ron Heller tight end 84 Brent Jones 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 American football C 74 Steve Wallace American football T 95 Michael Carter nose tackle NT 75 Kevin Fagan American football DE 78 Pierce Holt y DE 67 Pete Kugler NT 91 Larry Roberts American football DE 96 Danny Stubbs y DE 50 Riki Ellison ILB 55 Jim Fahnhorst ILB 54 Ron Hadley OLB 94 Charles Haley OLB 57 Sam Kennedy American football ILB 53 Bill Romanowski y OLB 99 Michael Walter American football ILB 38 Greg Cox American football y SS 49 Jeff Fuller safety 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 cornerback, born 1959 CB 6 Mike Cofer kicker K 9 Barry Helton y P 65 Jeff Bregel G IR 31 Chet Brooks y 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 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1988_roster.htm 1988 San Francisco 49ers starters and roster Pro-Football-Reference.com March 1, 2015 1988 Team Starters Offense 16 Joe Montana QB 33 Roger Craig American football RB 44 Tom Rathman FB 85 Mike Wilson wide receiver WR 80 Jerry Rice WR 89 John Frank tight end TE 74 Steve Wallace American football LT 61 Jesse Sapolu LG 64 Randy Cross C 62 Guy McIntyre RG 79 Harris Barton RT Defense 91 Larry Roberts American football LDE 95 Michael Carter nose tackle NT 75 Kevin Fagan American football RDE 94 Charles Haley LB 50 Riki Ellison LB 99 Mike Walter American football LB 58 Keena Turner LB 22 Tim McKyer LCB 21 Eric Wright cornerback, born 1959 RCB 49 Jeff Fuller safety SS 42 Ronnie Lott FS Kicking Team 6 Mike Cofer kicker K 9 Barry Helton P 82 John Taylor American football PR 25 Doug DuBose KR Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 July 31 Miami Dolphins L 21–27 0–1 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium (London) 70,535Recap 2 August 6, 1988 Los Angeles Raiders W 24–10 1–1 Candlestick Park 64,457Recap 3 August 13, 1988 at Denver Broncos L 24–34 1–2 Mile High Stadium 75,067 Recap 4 August 20, 1988 at San Diego Chargers W 34–27 2–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 39,044 Recap 5 August 26, 1988 Seattle Seahawks W 27–21 3–2 Candlestick Park 53,357 Recap Preseason Game summaries Week P1 (Sunday, July 31, 1988): vs. Miami Dolphins San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 1: Miami Dolphins vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary July 31, 1988 10:00 a.m. PDT Dolphins (1–0) 7 6 7 7 49ers (0–1) 0 14 7 0 Wembley Stadium • London, England 70,535 Gordon McCarter NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator) right Miami Dolphins MIA San Francisco 49ers SF MIA SF collapsed 27 21 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: DolphinsGame statistics49ers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Week P2 (Saturday, August 6, 1988): vs. Los Angeles Raiders San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 2: Los Angeles Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary August 6, 1988 6:00 p.m. PDT Raiders (0–1) 3 0 0 7 49ers (1–1) 3 14 3 0 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 64,457 CBS Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) right Los Angeles Raiders RAI San Francisco 49ers SF RAI SF collapsed 10 24 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: RaidersGame statistics49ers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Week P3 (Saturday, August 13, 1988): at Denver Broncos San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 3: San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos – Game summary August 13, 1988 6:00 p.m. PDT 49ers (1–2) 0 21 3 0 Broncos (2–0) 3 21 3 7 Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado 75,067 Ben Dreith KPIX-TV Wayne Walker (play-by-play) and Bill Ring (color commentator) right San Francisco 49ers SF Denver Broncos DEN SF DEN collapsed 24 34 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 49ersGame statisticsBroncos First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Week P4 (Saturday, August 20, 1988): at San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary August 20, 1988 6:00 p.m. PDT 49ers (2–2) 7 3 3 21 Chargers (1–2) 10 10 7 0 Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California 39,044 KPIX-TV Wayne Walker (play-by-play) and Bill Ring (color commentator) right San Francisco 49ers SF San Diego Chargers SD SF SD collapsed 34 27 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 49ersGame statisticsChargers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Week P5 (Friday, August 26, 1988): vs. Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 5: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary August 26, 1988 6:00 p.m. PDT Seahawks (3–1) 0 7 14 0 49ers (3–2) 0 0 20 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 53,357 Pat Haggerty KPIX-TV Wayne Walker (play-by-play) and Bill Ring (color commentator) right Seattle Seahawks SEA San Francisco 49ers SF SEA SF collapsed 21 27 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: SeahawksGame statistics49ers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage 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 Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 4 at New Orleans Saints W 34–33 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 66,357 Recap 2 September 11 at New York Giants W 20–17 2–0 Giants Stadium 75,943 Recap 3 September 18 Atlanta Falcons L 17–34 2–1 Candlestick Park 60,168 Recap 4 September 25 at Seattle Seahawks W 38–7 3–1 Kingdome 62,382 Recap 5 October 2 Detroit Lions W 20–13 4–1 Candlestick Park 58,285 Recap 6 October 9 Denver Broncos L 13–16 (OT) 4–2 Candlestick Park 61,711 Recap 7 October 16 at Los Angeles Rams W 24–21 5–2 Anaheim Stadium 65,450 Recap 8 October 24, 1988 at Chicago Bears L 9–10 5–3 Soldier Field 65,293 Recap 9 October 30 Minnesota Vikings W 24–21 6–3 Candlestick Park 60,738 Recap 10 November 6 at Phoenix Cardinals L 23–24 6–4 Sun Devil Stadium 64,544 Recap 11 November 13 Los Angeles Raiders L 3–9 6–5 Candlestick Park 54,448 Recap 12 November 21, 1988 Washington Redskins W 37–21 7–5 Candlestick Park 59,268 Recap 13 November 27 at San Diego Chargers W 48–10 8–5 Jack Murphy Stadium 51,484Recap 14 December 4 at Atlanta Falcons W 13–3 9–5 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 44,048 Recap 15 December 11 New Orleans Saints W 30–17 10–5 Candlestick Park 62,977 Recap 16 December 18 Los Angeles Rams 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary September 4, 1988 10:01 a.m. PDT 49ers (1–0) 7 3 21 3 Saints (0–1) 7 10 0 16 Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana 66,357 indoors Jerry Markbreit CBS Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – September 4, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF New Orleans Saints NO Joe Montana 13/23, 161 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT Roger Craig 18 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD Roger Craig 5 REC, 43 YDS Bobby Hebert 22/31, 245 YDS, 4 TDs, 2 INTs Dalton Hilliard 19 CAR, 95 YDS Lonzell Hill 7 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD SF NO collapsed 1 8:41 49ers 13 70 RushTD Craig 1 good Cofer 7 0 1 1:24 Saints 12 67 RecTD Martin Hebert 2 good Andersen 7 7 2 14:55 Saints 3 28 RecTD Clark Hebert 21 good Andersen 7 14 2 8:47 Saints 7 24 FG 20 Andersen 7 17 2 6:55 49ers 6 51 FG 25 Cofer 10 17 3 11:05 49ers 4 49 RecTD Frank Montana 9 good Cofer 17 17 3 8:05 49ers 5 35 RecTD Wilson Montana 71 good Cofer 24 17 3 3:07 49ers 6 42 RecTD Frank Montana 17 good Cofer 31 17 4 13:26 Saints 10 79 RecTD Hill Hebert 18 good Andersen 31 24 4 6:33 Saints – – – SafetyOther Swilling tackled Young in end zone for a safety 31 26 4 1:50 49ers 9 29 FG 32 Cofer 34 26 4 0:21 Saints 8 70 RecTD Perriman Hebert 15 good Andersen 34 33 34 33 Point spread: 49ers Pick'em Over/under: 43.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 7 minutes 49ersGame statisticsSaints21 First downs 2332–124 Rushes–yards 31–147165 Passing yards 24514–26–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 22–31–20–0 Sacked–yards 5–48165 Net passing yards 197289 Total yards 344128 Return yards 3101–24.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–40.01–1 Fumbles–lost 2–12–12 Penalties–yards 10–7723:50 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/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateMontana13/2316131002999.8Young1/340000442.4 49ers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Craig1867110Rice229029Montana320010Rathman81005Young1–20–2 49ers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Frank559217Craig543014Rice241029Wilson117117Rathman1505 49ers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngDuBose410526.300 49ers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngGriffin2189.000 49ers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckRunager12424.0241 49ers KickingXPM–XPAFGM–FGACofer4–42–2 49ers SacksSacksCarter2.0Fagan1.0Haley1.0Roberts1.0 49ers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDLott1110110Carter10000 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants - Game summary September 11, 1988 10:00 a.m. PDT 49ers (2–0) 0 10 3 7 Giants (1–1) 7 3 0 7 Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey 75,943 63 °F °C; wind 5 (partly sunny) Gordon McCarter CBS Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants – September 11, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF New York Giants NYG Joe Montana 10/18, 148 YDS, 1 TD Roger Craig 18 CAR, 110 YDS Roger Craig 9 REC, 69 YDS Phil Simms 21/37, 227 YDS, 2 TDs Joe Morris 22 CAR, 67 YDS Lionel Manuel 6 REC, 80 YDS, 2 TDs SF NYG collapsed 1 11:12 Giants 4 30 RecTD Manuel Simms 12 good Allegre 0 7 2 14:51 49ers 8 39 FG 35 Cofer 3 7 2 9:18 49ers 10 57 RushTD DuBose 1 good Cofer 10 7 2 0:09 Giants 13 52 FG 36 Allegre 10 10 3 7:51 49ers 12 50 FG 26 Cofer 13 10 4 1:21 Giants 2 15 RecTD Manuel Simms 15 good Allegre 13 17 4 0:42 49ers 3 77 RecTD Rice Montana 78 good Cofer 20 17 20 17 Point spread: 49ers +2 Over/under: 44.0 (under) Time of game: 3 hours, 13 minutes 49ersGame statisticsGiants25 First downs 1733–181 Rushes–yards 29–112263 Passing yards 22721–37–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 21–37–03–14 Sacked–yards 3–30249 Net passing yards 197430 Total yards 30963 Return yards 1334–39.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–39.24–2 Fumbles–lost 2–09–97 Penalties–yards 4–3030:46 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary September 18, 1988 1:00 p.m. PDT Falcons (1–2) 0 21 3 10 49ers (2–1) 3 0 7 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 60,168 81 °F °C; (Sunny) wind 12 Fred Silva CBS Tim Brant (play–by–play) and John Dockery (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – September 18, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Atlanta Falcons ATL San Francisco 49ers SF Chris Miller 12/24, 175 YDS, 2 INTs Gerald Riggs 19 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD Gerald Riggs 4 REC, 64 YDS Joe Montana 32/48, 343 YDS, 2 TDs, 3 INTs Roger Craig 13 CAR, 57 YDS Roger Craig 10 REC, 61 YDS ATL SF collapsed 1 6:12 49ers 8 48 FG 38 Cofer 0 3 2 7:00 Falcons 13 80 RushTD Riggs 3 good Davis 7 3 2 2:58 Falcons 5 70 RushTD Primus 29 good Davis 14 3 2 0:00 Falcons 6 54 RushTD Miller 1 good Davis 21 3 3 13:41 Falcons 4 –9 FG 47 Davis 24 3 3 8:17 49ers 10 80 RecTD McIntyre Montana 17 good Cofer 24 10 4 11:33 Falcons – – – IntTD Moore 47 good Davis 31 10 4 2:18 49ers 10 86 RecTD Wilson Montana 13 good Cofer 31 17 4 1:05 Falcons 5 20 FG 41 Davis 34 17 34 17 Point spread: 49ers –14 Over/under: 44.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 5 minutes FalconsGame statistics49ers19 First downs 2241–196 Rushes–yards 19–104175 Passing yards 34312–24–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 32–49–41–4 Sacked–yards 3–21171 Net passing yards 322367 Total yards 426101 Return yards 604–40.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–41.50–0 Fumbles–lost 0–05–35 Penalties–yards 4–5030:44 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary September 25, 1988 1:00 p.m. PDT 49ers (3–1) 7 10 14 7 Seahawks (2–2) 0 0 7 0 The Kingdome • Seattle, Washington 62,382 indoors Dick Jorgensen CBS Steve Zabriskie (play–by–play) and Terry Bradshaw (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – September 25, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF Seattle Seahawks SEA Joe Montana 20/29, 302 YDS, 4 TDs, 1 INT Roger Craig 21 CAR, 107 YDS Jerry Rice 6 REC, 163 YDS, 3 TDs Kelly Stouffer 11/15, 133 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Curt Warner 9 CAR, 29 YDS Ray Butler 2 REC, 52 YDS, 1 TD SF SEA collapsed 1 6:02 49ers 7 63 RecTD Rice Montana 1 good Cofer 7 0 2 7:55 49ers 9 35 RecTD Frank Montana 13 good Cofer 14 0 2 1:57 49ers 5 40 FG 21 Cofer 17 0 3 11:05 49ers 3 76 RecTD Rice Montana 69 good Cofer 24 0 3 2:25 49ers 3 74 RecTD Rice Montana 60 good Cofer 31 0 3 1:24 Seahawks 3 71 RecTD Butler Stouffer 46 good Johnson 31 7 4 4:07 49ers 18 85 RecTD Wilson Young 16 good Cofer 38 7 38 7 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 0 minutes 49ersGame statisticsSeahawks27 First downs 848–239 Rushes–yards 12–29351 Passing yards 13924–35–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 12–27–42–10 Sacked–yards 3–14341 Net passing yards 125580 Total yards 15456 Return yards 1803–37.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–43.91–0 Fumbles–lost 2–16–70 Penalties–yards 3–1742:50 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 5: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary October 2, 1988 1:00 p.m. PDT Lions (1–4) 0 3 3 7 49ers (4–1) 0 10 7 3 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 58,285 68 °F °C; (Sunny) wind 12 Red Cashion CBS Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and Terry Bradshaw (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers – October 2, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Detroit Lions DET San Francisco 49ers SF Chuck Long 11/19, 139 YDS, 1 TD Garry James 12 CAR, 30 YDS Pete Mandley 7 REC, 116 YDS, 1 TD Joe Montana 19/30, 182 YDS Roger Craig 18 CAR, 90 YDS Mike Wilson 6 REC, 59 YDS DET SF collapsed 2 10:39 49ers 13 80 RushTD Rice 11 good Cofer 0 7 2 1:58 Lions 13 54 FG 24 Murray 3 7 2 0:03 49ers 10 68 FG 29 Cofer 3 10 3 12:35 49ers – – – Other Taylor 77-yard punt return for a touchdown, Cofer kick good 3 17 3 3:32 Lions 10 73 FG 34 Murray 6 17 4 8:08 49ers 12 64 FG 29 Cofer 6 20 4 5:32 Lions 8 88 RecTD Mandley Long 11 good Murray 13 20 13 20 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 2 minutes LionsGame statistics49ers18 First downs 1921–49 Rushes–yards 35–176275 Passing yards 18221–37–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 19–30–04–27 Sacked–yards 2–19248 Net passing yards 163297 Total yards 33986 Return yards 1716–39.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–36.83–2 Fumbles–lost 2–12–15 Penalties–yards 4–2531:19 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 6: Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary October 9, 1988 1:00 p.m. PDT Broncos (3–3) 0 3 3 7 3 49ers (4–2) 3 7 3 0 0 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 61,711 77 °F °C; (Sunny) wind 15 Jim Tunney NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers – October 9, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Denver Broncos DEN San Francisco 49ers SF John Elway 21/39, 210 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Sammy Winder 17 CAR, 100 YDS Vance Johnson 8 REC, 85 YDS, 1 TD Joe Montana 12/24, 191 YDS, 1 INT Roger Craig 26 CAR, 143 YDS Tom Rathman 5 REC, 27 YDS DEN SF collapsed 1 3:42 49ers 5 32 FG 37 Cofer 0 3 2 14:47 Broncos 14 69 FG 27 Karlis 3 3 2 6:50 49ers 8 95 RushTD Montana 6 good Cofer 3 10 3 5:18 Broncos 10 61 FG 27 Karlis 6 10 3 1:09 49ers 12 55 FG 27 Cofer 6 13 4 6:23 Broncos 9 58 RecTD Johnson Elway 8 good Karlis 13 13 OT 7:49 Broncos 2 0 FG 22 Karlis 16 13 16 13 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 37 minutes BroncosGame statistics49ers24 First downs 2131–147 Rushes–yards 48–246210 Passing yards 19121–39–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 12–28–35–43 Sacked–yards 3–20167 Net passing yards 171357 Total yards 41791 Return yards 1026–45.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–43.32–1 Fumbles–lost 2–15–40 Penalties–yards 14–9332:44 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 7: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary October 16, 1988 1:00 p.m. PDT 49ers (5–2) 7 10 0 7 Rams (5–2) 7 0 14 0 Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, California 65,450 66 °F °C; wind 8 Jerry Seeman CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – October 16, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF Los Angeles Rams LARams Joe Montana 21/31, 203 YDS, 1 INT Roger Craig 22 CAR, 190 YDS, 3 TDs Roger Craig 5 REC, 12 YDS Jim Everett 20/33, 199 YDS, 3 TDs, 2 INTs Greg Bell 13 CAR, 28 YDS Henry Ellard 7 REC, 83 YDS, 1 TD SF LARams collapsed 1 4:40 49ers 2 59 RushTD Craig 46 good Cofer 7 0 1 3:33 Rams 3 58 RecTD Cox Everett 44 good Lansford 7 7 2 14:24 49ers 10 80 RushTD Craig 2 good Cofer 14 7 2 3:41 49ers 12 66 FG 40 Cofer 17 7 3 9:20 Rams 4 34 RecTD Ellard Everett 18 good Lansford 17 14 3 0:25 Rams 6 34 RecTD McGee Everett 8 good Lansford 17 21 4 12:21 49ers 11 93 RushTD Craig 16 good Cofer 24 21 24 21 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 49ersGame statisticsRams24 First downs 1440–245 Rushes–yards 17–42203 Passing yards 19921–33–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 20–33–22–19 Sacked–yards 1–5184 Net passing yards 194429 Total yards 23661 Return yards 1547–34.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–43.94–1 Fumbles–lost 4–27–73 Penalties–yards 5–3536:11 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 8: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – Game summary October 24, 1988 6:00 p.m. PDT 49ers (5–3) 7 0 2 0 Bears (7–1) 0 10 0 0 Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois 65,293 38 °F °C; wind 17, wind chill 29 °F °C Johnny Grier ABC Al Michaels (play–by–play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator) and Frank Gifford (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – October 24, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2022 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 567 right San Francisco 49ers SF Chicago Bears CHI Joe Montana 13/29, 168 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Roger Craig 10 CAR, 31 YDS Roger Craig 6 REC, 39 YDS Jim McMahon 10/22, 132 YDS, 1 INT Neal Anderson 16 CAR, 62 YDS Neal Anderson 3 REC, 40 YDS SF CHI collapsed 1 6:56 49ers 8 88 RecTD Rice Montana 23 good Cofer 7 0 2 3:28 Bears 4 37 RushTD McMahon 1 good Butler 7 7 2 0:00 Bears 8 35 FG 18 Butler 7 10 3 11:04 49ers – – – SafetyTackle McMahon Roberts and Haley 9 10 9 10 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 2 hours, 59 minutes 49ersGame statisticsBears12 First downs 1421–78 Rushes–yards 41–122169 Passing yards 13214–30–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 10–22–14–34 Sacked–yards 3–17135 Net passing yards 115213 Total yards 237103 Return yards 588–37.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–33.41–0 Fumbles–lost 1–010–57 Penalties–yards 2–1423:29 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary October 30, 1988 1:00 p.m. PST Vikings (5–4) 0 7 7 7 49ers (6–3) 0 3 14 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 60,738 70 °F °C; (Sunny) wind 9 Fred Silva CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – October 30, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Minnesota Vikings MIN San Francisco 49ers SF Wade Wilson 18/30, 243 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Rick Fenney 6 CAR, 35 YDS, 1 TD Hassan Jones 6 REC, 81 YDS Steve Young 14/25, 232 YDS, 1 TD Steve Young 7 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD Roger Craig 3 REC, 37 YDS MIN SF collapsed 2 13:26 Vikings 2 27 RushTD Wilson 2 good Nelson 7 0 2 0:31 49ers 7 22 FG 30 Cofer 7 3 3 4:16 49ers 12 97 RushTD Craig 1 good Cofer 7 10 2 2:36 Vikings 5 78 RecTD Carter Wilson 67 good Nelson 14 10 2 2:17 49ers 1 73 RecTD Taylor Young 73 good Cofer 14 17 4 13:33 Vikings 2 21 RushTD Fenney 12 good Nelson 21 17 4 1:58 49ers 3 57 RushTD Young 49 good Cofer 21 24 21 24 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 8 minutes VikingsGame statistics49ers15 First downs 1631–92 Rushes–yards 28–130243 Passing yards 23218–30–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 14–25–02–14 Sacked–yards 4–23229 Net passing yards 209321 Total yards 339160 Return yards 1486–42.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–43.61–1 Fumbles–lost 3–28–53 Penalties–yards 5–5130:49 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.1988 Steve Young touchdown vs. Vikings on YouTube Week 10: (Sunday, November 6, 1988): at Phoenix Cardinals The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary November 6, 1988 1:00 p.m. PST 49ers (6–4) 3 13 7 0 Cardinals (6–4) 0 0 7 17 Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Arizona 64,544 74 °F °C; wind 6 Jerry Markbreit CBS Tim Ryan (play–by–play) and Dan Jiggetts (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Phoenix Cardinals – November 6, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF Phoenix Cardinals PHO Steve Young 14/27, 145 YDS, 1 TD Roger Craig 26 CAR, 162 YDS, 1 TD Tom Rathman 4 REC, 45 YDS Neil Lomax 25/41, 323 YDS, 3 TDs Earl Ferrell 12 CAR, 54 YDS Roy Green 6 REC, 93 YDS, 2 TDs SF PHO collapsed 1 11:41 49ers 9 54 FG 42 Cofer 3 0 2 12:06 49ers 10 70 RushTD Craig 3 good Cofer 10 0 2 8:24 49ers 6 34 FG 27 Cofer 13 0 2 0:08 49ers 9 45 FG 30 Cofer 16 0 3 7:20 49ers 12 75 RecTD Jones Young 3 good Cofer 23 0 3 3:39 Cardinals 8 74 RecTD Green Lomax 35 good Del Greco 23 7 4 10:51 Cardinals 9 59 FG 24 Del Greco 23 10 4 2:19 Cardinals 8 50 RecTD Jones Lomax 35 good Del Greco 23 17 4 0:03 Cardinals 7 66 RecTD Green Lomax 9 good Del Greco 23 24 23 24 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 29 minutes 49ersGame statisticsCardinals22 First downs 2138–240 Rushes–yards 19–67145 Passing yards 32314–27–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 25–41–04–28 Sacked–yards 7–35117 Net passing yards 288357 Total yards 35594 Return yards 1727–46.6 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–45.20–0 Fumbles–lost 3–314–106 Penalties–yards 3–3034:31 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 11: Los Angeles Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary November 13, 1988 1:00 p.m. PST Raiders (6–5) 0 0 6 3 49ers (6–5) 0 3 0 0 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 54,448 55 °F °C; (Light Rain) wind 20 Pat Haggerty NBC Tom Hammond (play–by–play) and Joe Namath (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Los Angeles Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – November 13, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Los Angeles Raiders RAI San Francisco 49ers SF Steve Beuerlein 8/22, 112 YDS Bo Jackson 18 CAR, 85 YDS Tim Brown 4 REC, 58 YDS Joe Montana 16/31, 160 YDS Roger Craig 17 CAR, 58 YDS Jerry Rice 5 REC, 61 YDS RAI SF collapsed 2 3:17 49ers 7 33 FG 44 Cofer 0 3 3 10:32 Raiders 7 41 FG 45 Bahr 3 3 3 6:51 Raiders 4 18 FG 50 Bahr 6 3 4 7:08 Raiders 7 14 FG 19 Bahr 9 3 9 3 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 2 hours, 59 minutes RaidersGame statistics49ers17 First downs 1545–159 Rushes–yards 26–83112 Passing yards 1128–22–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 16–31–02–20 Sacked–yards 4–2492 Net passing yards 88251 Total yards 21931 Return yards 726–39.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 8–38.21–1 Fumbles–lost 3–26–48 Penalties–yards 8–8535:33 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 12: Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary November 21, 1988 6:00 p.m. PST Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California Redskins (6–6) 7 0 7 7 49ers (7–5) 7 16 0 14 59,268 57 °F °C; (Light Rain) wind 8 Jerry Seeman ABC Al Michaels (play–by–play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator) and Frank Gifford (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers – November 21, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Washington Redskins WSH San Francisco 49ers SF Doug Williams 27/41, 271 YDS, 3 TDs, 2 INTs Mike Oliphant 4 CAR, 29 YDS Art Monk 9 REC, 89 YDS, 1 TD Joe Montana 15/23, 218 YDS, 2 IDs, 1 INT Roger Craig 24 CAR, 75 YDS Roger Craig 5 REC, 37 YDS WSH SF collapsed 1 8:14 49ers 5 55 RecTD Jones Montana 18 good Cofer 0 7 1 0:07 Redskins 5 35 RecTD Sanders Williams 15 good Lohmiller 7 7 2 11:46 49ers 10 34 FG 52 Cofer 7 10 2 4:24 49ers – – – Other Taylor 95-yard punt return for a touchdown, Cofer kick good 7 17 2 0:40 49ers 9 48 RushTD Rathman 1 no good Cofer 7 23 3 1:37 Redskins 9 41 RecTD Sanders Williams 4 good Lohmiller 14 23 4 11:58 49ers 6 44 RushTD Montana 4 good Cofer 14 30 4 4:10 49ers 5 96 RecTD Rice Montana 80 good Cofer 14 37 4 2:02 Redskins 10 76 RecTD Monk Williams 18 good Lohmiller 21 37 21 37 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 6 minutes RedskinsGame statistics49ers20 First downs 1825–56 Rushes–yards 30–112271 Passing yards 21827–42–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 15–25–20–0 Sacked–yards 2–10271 Net passing yards 208327 Total yards 320150 Return yards 1774–39.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–36.64–2 Fumbles–lost 0–05–51 Penalties–yards 10–6533:28 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 13: San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary November 27, 1988 1:00 p.m. PST 49ers (8–5) 7 17 14 10 Chargers (4–9) 0 7 3 0 Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California 51,848 57 °F °C; wind 6 Ben Dreith CBS Greg Gumbel (play–by–play) and Ken Stabler (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers – November 27, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF San Diego Chargers SD Joe Montana 14/22, 271 YDS, 3 TDs Roger Craig 17 CAR, 87 YDS, 2 TDs Jerry Rice 6 REC, 171 YDS, 2 TDs Mark Malone 17/32, 136 YDS, 2 INTs Gary Anderson 14 CAR, 61 YDS Rod Bernstine 9 REC, 80 YDS SF SD collapsed 1 4:43 49ers 1 96 RecTD Rice Montana 96 good Cofer 7 0 2 12:01 49ers 3 23 RushTD Craig 11 good Cofer 14 0 2 10:20 Chargers 4 65 RushTD DeLine 36 good Cofer 14 7 2 5:49 49ers 10 75 RecTD Craig Montana 2 good Cofer 21 7 2 0:00 49ers 5 35 FG 45 Cofer 24 7 3 13:30 49ers 5 76 RecTD Rice Montana 41 good Cofer 31 7 3 7:09 Chargers 11 54 FG 21 DeLine 31 10 3 2:32 49ers 12 72 RushTD Craig 7 good Cofer 38 10 4 12:47 49ers 8 29 FG 32 Cofer 41 10 4 2:52 49ers 10 90 RushTD DuBose 46 good Cofer 48 10 48 10 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 7 minutes 49ersGame statisticsChargers24 First downs 2136–203 Rushes–yards 23–136285 Passing yards 17916–25–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 23–45–22–13 Sacked–yards 1–3272 Net passing yards 176475 Total yards 312126 Return yards 1723–42.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–42.81–0 Fumbles–lost 1–18–79 Penalties–yards 9–9328:20 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 14: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary December 4, 1988 10:00 a.m. PST 49ers (9–5) 0 7 0 6 Falcons (5–9) 0 0 0 3 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia 44,048 49 °F °C; wind 8 Gordon McCarter CBS Tim Brant (play–by–play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – December 4, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF Atlanta Falcons ATL Joe Montana 20/34, 230 YDS, 1 TD Roger Craig 23 CAR, 103 YDS Roger Craig 7 REC, 73 YDS Chris Miller 13/27, 156 YDS, 1 INT Gerald Riggs 12 CAR, 17 YDS John Settle 6 REC, 40 YDS SF ATL collapsed 2 1:04 49ers 12 81 RecTD Rice Montana 20 good Cofer 7 0 4 14:52 Falcons 9 63 FG 21 Davis 7 3 4 7:25 49ers 13 51 FG 31 Cofer 10 3 4 1:48 49ers 9 35 FG 23 Cofer 13 3 13 3 Point spread: 49ers –7 Over/under: 41.0 (under) Time of game: 2 hours, 52 minutes 49ersGame statisticsFalcons20 First downs 837–140 Rushes–yards 21–43244 Passing yards 15621–35–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 13–27–11–6 Sacked–yards 3–22238 Net passing yards 134378 Total yards 17773 Return yards 413–44.7 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–44.82–0 Fumbles–lost 1–07–65 Penalties–yards 2–2136:49 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 15: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary December 11, 1988 1:00 p.m. PST Saints (9–6) 3 7 7 0 49ers (10–5) 0 21 3 6 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 62,977 62 °F °C; (Drizzle) wind 5 Red Cashion CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – December 11, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right New Orleans Saints NO San Francisco 49ers SF Bobby Hebert 19/30, 170 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Dalton Hilliard 9 CAR, 35 YDS Eric Martin 7 REC, 61 YDS Joe Montana 18/29, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Roger Craig 22 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD Jerry Rice 6 REC, 78 YDS NO SF collapsed 1 10:36 Saints 3 3 FG 38 Andersen 3 0 2 12:17 49ers 8 56 RushTD Craig 1 good Cofer 3 7 2 11:05 Saints 1 27 RecTD Hill Hilliard 27 good Andersen 10 7 2 6:05 49ers 9 80 RushTD Montana 2 good Cofer 10 14 2 3:37 49ers 1 66 RecTD Taylor Montana 66 good Cofer 10 21 3 6:50 49ers 4 31 FG 40 Cofer 10 24 3 1:25 Saints 8 80 RecTD Scales Hebert 6 good Andersen 17 24 4 11:53 49ers 9 43 FG 43 Cofer 17 27 4 9:18 49ers 4 3 FG 19 Cofer 17 30 17 30 Point spread: 49ers –6 Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 1 minute SaintsGame statistics49ers15 First downs 2024–70 Rushes–yards 35–152197 Passing yards 23320–35–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 18–29–12–15 Sacked–yards 2–12182 Net passing yards 221252 Total yards 373127 Return yards 795–38.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–36.72–1 Fumbles–lost 1–12–11 Penalties–yards 1–026:35 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/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateMontana18/29233312126884.4 49ers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Craig22115128Rathman7190555Montana618111 49ers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Rice678018Frank545915Taylor277168Rathman220018Craig2704Jones1606 49ers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngDuBose36622.000 49ers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngTaylor2136.500 49ers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckHelton311036.700 49ers KickingXPM–XPAFGM–FGACofer3–33–3 49ers SacksSacksCarter1.0Holt 1.0 49ers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDWright10000 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 16: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary December 18, 1988 5:00 p.m. PST Rams (10–6) 0 21 10 7 49ers (10–6) 3 10 0 3 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 62,444 50 °F °C; (Cloudy) wind 6 Gene Barth ESPN Mike Patrick (play–by–play) and Joe Theismann (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – December 18, 1988 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Los Angeles Rams LARams San Francisco 49ers SF Jim Everett 19/38, 201 YDS, 4 TDs, 1 INT Greg Bell 21 CAR, 88 YDS, 1 TD Henry Ellard 6 REC, 74 TDS, 1 TD Joe Montana 15/26, 171 YDS Roger Craig 16 CAR, 51 YDS John Taylor 5 REC, 54 YDS LARams SF collapsed 1 6:17 49ers 11 41 FG 23 Cofer 0 3 2 11:02 Rams 6 38 RecTD Johnson Everett 16 good Lansford 7 3 2 5:23 49ers 12 77 RushTD Rathman 1 good Cofer 7 10 2 1:13 Rams 11 74 RecTD Ellard Everett 9 good Lansford 14 10 2 0:20 Rams 2 19 RushTD Bell 1 good Lansford 21 10 2 0:03 49ers 3 38 FG 46 Cofer 21 13 3 5:28 Rams 9 66 RecTD Johnson Everett 11 good Lansford 28 13 3 2:40 Rams 6 15 FG 49 Lansford 31 13 4 10:20 Rams 13 65 RecTD Johnson Everett 5 good Lansford 38 13 4 0:09 49ers 8 66 FG 36 Cofer 38 16 38 16 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: RamsGame statistics49ers23 First downs 2030–121 Rushes–yards 21–70201 Passing yards 29119–38–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 22–37–00–0 Sacked–yards 9–45201 Net passing yards 246322 Total yards 31684 Return yards 1595–38.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–35.31–0 Fumbles–lost 2–15–33 Penalties–yards 7–5831:28 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. Standings 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 49ersOpponentsFirst downs326277First downs rushing14190First downs passing167160First downs penalty1827Third down efficiency94/22588/225Fourth down efficiency5/106/16Net yards rushing25231588Rushing attempts527441Yards per rush4.83.6Passing – Completions/attempts293/502292/530Times sacked-total yards47–29842–297Interceptions thrown1422Net yards passing33772987Yards per pass6.25.2Total net yards59004575Punt returns-total yards54–61247–426Kickoff returns-total yards55–97873–1362Interceptions-total return yards22–8814–185Punts-average yardage79–39.286–41.0Fumbles-lost27–1230–14Penalties-total yards115–98676–603Time of possession30:3129:29Turnovers2638 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 Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Divisional January 1, 1989 Minnesota Vikings (4) W 34–9 1–0 Candlestick Park 61,848 Recap NFC Championship January 8, 1989 at Chicago Bears (1) W 28–3 2–0 Soldier Field 66,946 Recap Super Bowl XXIII January 22, 1989 Cincinnati Bengals (A1) W 20–16 3–0 Joe Robbie Stadium 75,129 Recap 1988 NFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, January 1, 1989): vs. (4) Minnesota Vikings The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed NFC Divisional Playoffs: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary January 1, 1989 1:00 p.m. PST Vikings (1–1) 3 0 6 0 49ers (1–0) 7 14 0 13 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 61,848 43 °F °C; wind 9 Jerry Markbreit CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play), John Madden (color commentator) and Will McDonough (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; 1988 NFC Divisional Playoffs – Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – January 1, 1989 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Minnesota Vikings MIN San Francisco 49ers SF Wade Wilson 23/47, 255 YDS, 2 INTs Rick Fenney 6 CAR, 20 YDS Hassan Jones 7 REC, 71 YDS Joe Montana 16/27, 178 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT Roger Craig 21 CAR, 135 YDS, 2 TDs Jerry Rice 5 REC, 61 YDS, 3 TDs MIN SF collapsed 1 8:38 Vikings 12 57 FG 47 Nelson 3 0 1 1:49 49ers 6 48 RecTD Rice Montana 1 good Cofer 3 7 2 14:56 49ers 4 30 RecTD Rice Montana 4 good Cofer 3 14 2 0:38 49ers 10 70 RecTD Rice Montana 11 good Cofer 3 21 3 9:42 Vikings 8 61 RecTD Jones Wilson 5 no good Nelson 9 21 4 13:41 49ers 10 80 RushTD Craig 4 good Cofer 9 28 4 9:04 49ers 2 87 RushTD Craig 80 no good Cofer 9 34 9 34 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 9 minutes VikingsGame statistics49ers20 First downs 2019–54 Rushes–yards 34–201255 Passing yards 17723–47–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 17–28–16–47 Sacked–yards 1–6208 Net passing yards 171262 Total yards 372123 Return yards 767–39.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–36.21–1 Fumbles–lost 2–19–90 Penalties–yards 6–6028:13 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 The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed NFC Championship Game: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – Game summary January 8, 1989 1:00 p.m. PST Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois 49ers (2–0) 7 7 7 7 Bears (1–1) 0 3 0 0 66,946 20 °F °C; wind 29, wind chill 2 °F °C Bob McElwee CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play), John Madden (color commentator) and Will McDonough (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; 1988 NFC Championship Game – San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – January 8, 1989 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right San Francisco 49ers SF Chicago Bears CHI Joe Montana 17/27, 288 YDS, 3 TDs Roger Craig 18 CAR, 68 YDS Jerry Rice 5 REC, 133 YDS, 2 TDs Jim McMahon 14/29, 121 YDS, 1 INT Neal Anderson 14 CAR, 59 YDS Neal Anderson 5 REC, 31 YDS SF CHI collapsed 1 3:42 49ers 3 62 RecTD Rice Montana 61 good Cofer 7 0 2 7:25 49ers 7 64 RecTD Rice Montana 27 good Cofer 14 0 2 3:06 Bears 9 46 FG 25 Butler 14 3 3 9:33 49ers 13 78 RecTD Frank Montana 5 good Cofer 21 3 4 6:53 49ers 12 70 RushTD Rathman 4 good Cofer 28 3 28 3 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 2 minutes 49ersGame statisticsBears21 First downs 1537–138 Rushes–yards 25–91288 Passing yards 17617–27–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 20–41–12–20 Sacked–yards 0–0268 Net passing yards 176406 Total yards 26760 Return yards 906–34.5 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–31.41–1 Fumbles–lost 2–10–0 Penalties–yards 3–3531:03 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 Super Bowl XXIII The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-May-17. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Super Bowl XXIII: Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary January 22, 1989 2:18 p.m. PST Bengals (2–1) 0 3 10 3 49ers (3–0) 3 0 3 14 Joe Robbie Stadium •, Miami Gardens, Florida 75,129 72 °F °C; wind 17 Jerry Seeman NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) and Jim Gray (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; Super Bowl XXIII – Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers – January 22, 1989 San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 570 right Cincinnati Bengals CIN San Francisco 49ers SF Boomer Esiason 11/25, 144 YDS, 1 INT Ickey Woods 20 CAR, 79 YDS Cris Collinsworth 3 REC, 40 YDS Joe Montana 23/36, 357 YDS, 2 TDs Roger Craig 17 CAR, 71 YDS Jerry Rice 11 REC, 215 YDS, 1 TD CIN SF collapsed 1 3:14 49ers 13 73 5:02 FG 41 Cofer 0 3 2 1:15 Bengals 6 28 2:49 FG 34 Breech 3 3 3 5:39 Bengals 13 61 9:21 FG 43 Breech 6 3 3 0:50 49ers 4 8 1:30 FG 32 Cofer 6 6 3 0:34 Bengals — — — Other Jennings 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Breech kick good 13 6 4 14:03 49ers 4 85 1:31 RecTD Rice Montana 14 good Cofer 13 13 4 3:20 Bengals 11 46 5:27 FG 40 Breech 16 13 4 0:34 49ers 11 92 2:46 RecTD Taylor Montana 10 good Cofer 16 20 16 20 Point spread: 49ers –7 Over/under: Time of game: 3 hours, 24 minutes BengalsGame statistics49ers13 First downs 2328–106 Rushes–yards 28–111144 Passing yards 35711–25–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 23–36–05–21 Sacked–yards 3–14123 Net passing yards 343229 Total yards 454137 Return yards 1335–44.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–37.01–0 Fumbles–lost 4–17–65 Penalties–yards 4–3232:43 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. 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 49ersOpponentsFirst downs6448First downs rushing2219First downs passing3927First downs penalty32Third down efficiency18/3912/44Fourth down efficiency0/03/6Net yards rushing451251Rushing attempts9872Yards per rush4.63.5Passing – Completions/attempts57/9154/113Times sacked-total yards7–4211–68Interceptions thrown14Net yards passing780501Yards per pass9.05.0Total net yards1231752Punt returns-total yards9–1076–33Kickoff returns-total yards10–15214–317Interceptions-total return yards4–101–0Punts-average yardage15–35.719–37.7Fumbles-lost7–34–2Penalties-total yards6–6019–190Time of possession30:0229:58Turnovers46 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 XXIIISuper Bowl MVPs - Super Bowl History - National Football League https://www.espn.com/nfl/superbowl/history/mvps 2025-03-08 ESPN.com 1989 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl 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 San Francisco 49ers 2015 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 517 Media Pre season Local TV Channel Play-by-play Color commentator(s)KPIX-TV 5Wayne WalkerBill Ring Local Radio Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter (s) Studio hostKGO 810Lon 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 References External links 1988 49ers on Pro Football Reference 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons San Francisco Category:NFC West championship seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons Category:Super Bowl champion seasons San Francisco 49ers San