1981 San Francisco 49ers season

American football team season August 2023 March 2026 San Francisco 49ers 1981 13–3 1st NFC West Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. Bill Walsh Bill Walsh Chuck Studley Candlestick Park Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Giants) 38–24Won NFC Championship(vs. Cowboys) 28–27 Won Super Bowl XVI(vs. Bengals) 26–21 49ers uniforms12.png 49ers seasons thumb|right|The 49ers playing against the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI. The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th overall and their third under head coach Bill Walsh. The 49ers were 13–3 in the regular season for their first winning season in five years and first playoff appearance in nine years. The franchise's most successful season to date, it was considered to be "the birth of a dynasty",Mays Robert The Birth of a Dynasty and the Death of a Dome SI 2016-01-27 https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/01/27/silverdome-super-bowl-san-francisco-49ers-dynasty 2025-03-08 when the 49ers began a decade of dominance over much of the NFL. The 49ers drew an average home attendance of 54,398 in the 1981 season. The 49ers won Super Bowl XVI, defeating the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals 26–21. It was the first of five Super Bowl victories in franchise history, all within the next thirteen seasons. From 1981 to 1997, the 49ers would have thirteen NFC West titles, eight NFC top seeds, and seven seasons with the NFL's best regular season record. Third-year quarterback Joe Montana began the 1981 season as the starter, and produced two fourth-quarter comeback victories. His signature game of the season was the NFC Championship Game, which culminated in "The Catch", a last-minute touchdown pass from Montana to Dwight Clark, propelling the 49ers to victory over Dallas and a berth in their first Super Bowl. The 49ers were undefeated in their first five Super Bowls. NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled A Very Special Team; it was narrated by John Facenda. On March 23, 2007, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, the 1981 San Francisco 49ers, with team commentary from Dwight Clark, Ronnie Lott and Randy Cross, and narrated by Gene Hackman. Offseason NFL draft A turning point for the franchise was the drafting of safety Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California, later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition, they also drafted cornerback Eric Wright from Missouri and safety Carlton Williamson from Pittsburgh. 1981 NFL draft 1981 San Francisco 49ers draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 8 Ronnie Lott CB USC 2 36 John Harty DT Iowa from Washington Traded to the Bears 40 Eric Wright CB Missouri from Chicago 3 65 Carlton Williamson SS Pittsburgh 4 Traded to the Cowboys 5 121 Lynn Thomas CB Pittsburgh 122 Arrington Jones RB Winston-Salem State from Chicago 6 147 Pete Kugler DT Penn State 7 Traded to the Eagles 8 203 Garry White RB Minnesota 9 Traded to the Bengals 10 Traded to the Colts 11 286 Ron DeBose TE UCLA 12 313 Major Ogilvie RB Alabama 322 Joe Adams QB Tennessee State from Pittsburgh Source:https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1981_draft.htm 1981 San Francisco 49ers Draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com Training camp The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season held training camp at Red Morten Park in Redwood City, California. Personnel Staff 1981 San Francisco 49ers Owner and President – Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. General manager – Bill Walsh Director of Football Operations – John McVay Director of College Scouting – Tony Razzano Head Coach – Bill Walsh Quarterbacks – Sam Wyche Running Backs – Billie Matthews Receivers – Milt Jackson Offensive Line – Bobb McKittrick Assistant Offensive Line – Cas Banaszek Defensive Coordinator – Chuck Studley Defensive Line – Bill McPherson Linebackers – Norb Hecker Defensive Backs – George Seifert Assistant Defensive Backs – Ray Rhodes Special Teams – Milt Jackson Strength and Conditioning – Al Vermeil Roster 1981 San Francisco 49ers  7 Guy Benjamin 16 Joe Montana 49 Earl Cooper American football 38 Johnny Davis American football 31 Walt Easley y 36 Paul Hofer 20 Amos Lawrence American football y 32 Ricky Patton 30 Bill Ring 87 Dwight Clark 84 Mike Shumann 88 Freddie Solomon 85 Mike Wilson wide receiver y 80 Eason Ramson 86 Charle Young 61 Dan Audick T 68 John Ayers G 60 John Choma American football G/C 51 Randy Cross G 62 Walt Downing C/G 71 Keith Fahnhorst T 66 Allan Kennedy y T 56 Fred Quillan C 76 Dwaine Board DE 74 Fred Dean DE 75 John Harty American football y NT 65 Lawrence Pillers DE 78 Archie Reese NT 79 Jim Stuckey DE 57 Dan Bunz ILB 59 Willie Harper OLB 52 Bobby Leopold OLB 53 Milt McColl y OLB 54 Craig Puki ILB 64 Jack Reynolds ILB 58 Keena Turner OLB 24 Rick Gervais y FS 22 Dwight Hicks FS 42 Ronnie Lott y CB 29 Saladin Martin CB 28 Lynn Thomas y CB 27 Carlton Williamson y SS 21 Eric Wright cornerback, born 1959 y CB  3 Jim Miller punter P 14 Ray Wersching K 72 Ken Bungarda T IR 33 Ricky Churchman S IR 35 Lenvil Elliott RB IR 48 Phil Francis RB IR -- Ed Judie y LB IR 77 Pete Kugler y NT IR 26 Ray Rhodes CB (Ret.) 7px 90 George Visger DT IR Source:https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1981_roster.htm 1981 San Francisco 49ers starters and roster Pro-Football-Reference.com November 14, 2014https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vlUaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WicEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3862%2C1840749 Spokane Chronicle Washington Team rosters January 23, 1982 12 Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 August 5, 1981 at Seattle Seahawks 7:30p.m. PDT KPIX-TV W 27–24 (OT) 1–0 Kingdome 56,958 Recap 2 August 15, 1981 San Diego Chargers 6:00p.m. PDT KPIX-TV L 28–31 1–1 Candlestick Park 41,667 Recap 3 August 22, 1981 Seattle Seahawks 6:00p.m. PDT KPIX-TV W 24–22 2–1 Candlestick Park 37,563 Recap 4 August 29, 1981 at Oakland Raiders 6:00p.m. PDT KPIX-TV L 7–21 2–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,192 Recap Preseason Game summaries Week P1 (Wednesday, August 5, 1981): at Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary August 5, 1981 7:30 p.m. PDT 49ers (1–0) 7 7 3 7 3 Seahawks (0–1) 7 3 0 14 0 The Kingdome • Seattle, Washington 56,958 indoors KPIX-TV Bob Waller (play-by-play) and Wayne Walker (color commentator) right San Francisco 49ers SF Seattle Seahawks SEA SF SEA collapsed 27 24 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsSeahawks 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 15, 1981): vs. San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 2: San Diego Chargers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary August 15, 1981 6:00 p.m. PDT Chargers (1–1) 0 7 7 17 49ers (1–1) 0 7 7 14 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 41,667 KPIX-TV Bob Waller (play-by-play) and Wayne Walker (color commentator) right San Diego Chargers SD San Francisco 49ers SF SD SF collapsed 2 Chargers RushTD Muncie 1 good Benirschke 7 0 2 49ers RecTD Solomon DeBerg 5 good Wersching 7 7 3 49ers RushTD Benjamin 1 good Wersching 7 14 3 Chargers RecTD Brooks Luther 28 good Benirschke 14 14 4 Chargers FG 30 Benirschke 17 14 4 Chargers RushTD Luther 1 good Benirschke 24 14 4 49ers RecTD Solomon Benjamin 10 good Wersching 24 21 4 49ers RecTD Solomon Benjamin 13 good Wersching 24 28 4 Chargers RecTD Scales Luther 73 good Benirschke 31 28 31 28 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: ChargersGame 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 22, 1981) vs. Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 3: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary August 22, 1981 6:00 p.m. PDT Seahawks (0–3) 17 0 0 0 49ers (2–1) 7 0 7 10 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 37,563 KPIX-TV Bob Waller (play-by-play) and Wayne Walker (color commentator) right Seattle Seahawks SEA San Francisco 49ers SF SEA SF collapsed 17 24 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 Week P4 (Saturday, August 29, 1981): at Oakland Raiders San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Preseason Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary August 29, 1981 6:00 p.m. PDT 49ers (2–2) 0 0 0 7 Raiders (2–2) 14 7 0 0 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California 51,192 KPIX-TV Bob Waller (play-by-play) and Wayne Walker (color commentator) right San Francisco 49ers SF Oakland Raiders OAK SF OAK collapsed 7 21 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsRaiders 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 With the offense in good shape, Walsh and the 49ers focused on overhauling the defense in 1981. Walsh took the highly unusual step of overhauling his entire secondary with rookies and untested players, bringing on board Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson and giving Dwight Hicks a prominent role. He also acquired veteran linebacker Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds and veteran defensive lineman and sack specialist Fred Dean. These new additions, when added to existing defensive mainstays like Keena Turner, turned the 49ers into a dominant team. After a 1–2 start, the 49ers won all but one of their final games to finish with a 13–3 record, easily the best record in the team's history. Additionally, the 49ers defense yielded more than 20 points in only three games. Dean and Hicks made the Pro Bowl. The 49ers selection of Lott in the 1981 NFL draft proved to be a seminal one. In addition to making the NFC Pro Bowl roster, Lott was voted First-Team All-Pro and received nods from all 5 newspapers that voted, a significant honor for a rookie. Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the only other rookie from the 1981 NFL draft to achieve this unanimous selection to the First Team All-Pro unit. Led by Montana, the unusual offense was centered around the short passing game, which Walsh used as ball control. Both Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon had excellent years receiving; Clark as the possession receiver, and Solomon as more of a deep threat. The 49ers running game, however, was among the weakest for any champion in NFL history. Ricky Patton led the 49ers with only 543 yards rushing. The 49ers' most valuable running back, however, might have been Earl Cooper, whose strength was as a pass-catching back (he had 51 catches during the season). Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 6 at Detroit Lions 10:00a.m. PDT CBS L 17–24 0–1 Pontiac Silverdome 63,710 Recap 2 September 13 Chicago Bears 1:00p.m. PDT CBS W 28–17 1–1 Candlestick Park 49,520 Recap 3 September 20 at Atlanta Falcons 10:00a.m. PDT CBS L 17–34 1–2 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 56,653 Recap 4 September 27 New Orleans Saints 1:00p.m. PDT CBS W 21–14 2–2 Candlestick Park 44,433 Recap 5 October 4 at Washington Redskins 10:00a.m. PDT CBS W 30–17 3–2 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 51,843 Recap 6 October 11 Dallas Cowboys 1:00p.m. PDT CBS W 45–14 4–2 Candlestick Park 57,574 Recap 7 October 18 at Green Bay Packers(at Milwaukee) 11:00a.m. PDT CBS W 13–3 5–2 Milwaukee County Stadium 50,171 Recap 8 October 25 Los Angeles Rams 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 20–17 6–2 Candlestick Park 59,190 Recap 9 November 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers 10:00a.m. PST CBS W 17–14 7–2 Three Rivers Stadium 52,878 Recap 10 November 8 Atlanta Falcons 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 17–14 8–2 Candlestick Park 59,127 Recap 11 November 15 Cleveland Browns 1:00p.m. PST NBC L 12–15 8–3 Candlestick Park 52,455 Recap 12 November 22 at Los Angeles Rams 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 33–31 9–3 Anaheim Stadium 63,456 Recap 13 November 29 New York Giants 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 17–10 10–3 Candlestick Park 57,186 Recap 14 December 6 at Cincinnati Bengals 10:00a.m. PDT CBS W 21–3 11–3 Riverfront Stadium 56,796 Recap 15 December 13 Houston Oilers 1:00p.m. PST NBC W 28–6 12–3 Candlestick Park55,707 Recap 16 December 20 at New Orleans Saints 11:00a.m. PST CBS W 21–17 13–3 Louisiana Superdome 43,639 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Regular season game summaries Week 1 (Sunday, September 6, 1981): at Detroit Lions The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions – Game summary September 6, 1981 10:00 a.m. PDT 49ers (0–1) 0 3 0 14 Lions (1–0) 0 10 0 14 Pontiac Silverdome • Pontiac, Michigan 63,710 indoors Tom Dooley CBS Lindsey Nelson (play-by-play) and George Allen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions – September 6, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Detroit Lions DET Joe Montana 18/28, 195 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Ricky Patton 15 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD Freddie Solomon 8 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD Gary Danielson 16/27, 197 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Billy Sims 21 CAR, 59 YDS, 1 TD Billy Sims 5 REC, 66 YDS, 1 TD SF DET collapsed 2 4:28 49ers FG 25 Wersching 3 0 2 0:28 Lions RecTD Sims Danielson 39 good Murray 3 7 2 0:00 Lions FG 29 Murray 3 10 4 14:54 49ers RushTD Patton 1 good Wersching 10 10 4 10:31 Lions RecTD King Danielson 17 good Murray 10 17 4 7:30 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 21 good Wersching 17 17 4 0:18 Lions RushTD Sims 1 good Murray 17 24 17 24 Point spread: 49ers +4 Over/under: 40.0 (over) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsLions19 First downs 2133–121 Rushes–yards 30–127195 Passing yards 19618–28–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 16–27–14–19 Sacked–yards 4–28176 Net passing yards 168297 Total yards 295105 Return yards 473–33.7 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–46.22–2 Fumbles–lost 1–18–54 Penalties–yards 7–6531:56 Time of possession 28:04 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 18/28, 195 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Patton – 15 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD; Easley – 7 CAR, 23 YDS; Cooper – 9 CAR, 22 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 4 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 8 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD; Clark – 5 REC, 57 YDS; Cooper – 3 REC, 11 YDS; Young – 2 REC, 33 YDS Kickoff returns: Jones – 3 KR, 43 YDS; Patton – 1 KR, 0 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 2 PR, 46 YDS; Solomon – 2 PR, 16 YDS Punting: Miller – 3 PUNTS, 101 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 1/2 FG Sacks: Pillers – 2.0; Harper – 1.0; McColl – 1.0 Interceptions: Reynolds – 1 INT, 0 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 32 Week 2 (Sunday, September 13, 1981): vs. Chicago Bears The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 2: Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary September 13, 1981 1:00 p.m. PDT Bears (0–2) 0 10 7 0 49ers (1–1) 7 7 7 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 49,520 62 °F °C; wind 12 Bob Frederic CBS Tom Brookshier (play-by-play) and Johnny Morris (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers – September 13, 1981 right Chicago Bears CHI San Francisco 49ers SF Vince Evans 19/33, 216 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Walter Payton 27 CAR, 97 YDS, 1 TD Rickey Watts 5 REC, 74 YDS Joe Montana 20/32, 287 YDS, 3 TDs Ricky Patton 14 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD Dwight Clark 6 REC, 81 YDS CHI SF collapsed 1 5:23 49ers RecTD Patton Montana 31 good Bahr 0 7 2 11:52 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 46 good Bahr 0 14 2 6:27 Bears RushTD Payton 2 good Thomas 7 14 2 0:32 Bears FG 37 Thomas 10 14 3 11:36 Bears RecTD Earl Evans 12 good Thomas 17 14 3 5:41 49ers RecTD Young Montana 5 good Bahr 17 21 4 1:25 49ers RushTD Patton 12 good Bahr 17 28 17 28 Point spread: 49ers Pick Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game: BearsGame Statistics49ers18 First downs 2036–123 Rushes–yards 32–125216 Passing yards 28719–33–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 20–32–01–0 Sacked–yards 0–0216 Net passing yards 287339 Total yards 412106 Return yards 1106–41.5 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–38.02–2 Fumbles–lost 2–24–16 Penalties–yards 3–2525:16 Time of possession 34:44 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 20/32, 287 YDS, 3 TDs Rushing: Patton – 14 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 14 CAR, 67 YDS; Easley – 3 CAR, 5 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, –3 YDS Receiving: Clark – 6 REC, 81 YDS; Solomon – 5 REC, 113 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 4 REC, 28 YDS; Patton – 2 REC, 34 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 2 REC, 19 YDS, 1 TD; Elliott – 1 REC, 12 YDS Kickoff returns: Lott – 3 KR, 55 YDS; Davis – 1 KR, 0 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 4 PR, 40 YDS; Hicks – 1 PR, 7 YDS Punting: Miller – 5 PUNTS, 190 YDS Kicking: Bahr – 4/4 PAT, 0/2 FG Sacks: Board – 0.5; Harty – 0.5 Interceptions: Hicks – 1 INT, 8 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Bahr 39, 48 Week 3 (Sunday, September 20, 1981): at Atlanta Falcons The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 3: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary September 20, 1981 10:00 a.m. PDT 49ers (1–2) 0 10 0 7 Falcons (3–0) 17 7 10 0 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia 56,653 61 °F °C; wind 8 Gene Barth CBS Lindsey Nelson (play-by-play) and George Allen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – September 20, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Atlanta Falcons ATL Joe Montana 24/34, 274 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Earl Cooper 9 CAR, 40 YDS Dwight Clark 9 REC, 77 YDS Steve Bartkowski 13/22, 208 YDS, 3 TDs William Andrews 12 CAR, 85 YDS William Andrews 4 REC, 37 YDS SF ATL collapsed 1 11:21 Falcons RecTD Jackson Bartkowski 29 good Luckhurst 0 7 1 5:14 Falcons FG 47 Luckhurst 0 10 1 3:57 Falcons RecTD Cain Bartkowski 17 good Luckhurst 0 17 2 13:32 49ers 9 80 RecTD Young Montana 11 good Bahr 7 17 2 8:05 49ers 6 10 FG 47 Bahr 10 17 2 4:57 Falcons RecTD Jenkins Bartkowski 15 good Luckhurst 10 24 3 9:39 Falcons — — — IntTD Pridemore 101 good Luckhurst 10 31 3 4:04 Falcons FG 18 Luckhurst 10 34 4 6:10 49ers 7 77 RecTD Solomon Montana 12 good Bahr 17 34 17 34 Point spread: 49ers +9 Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsFalcons23 First downs 1830–113 Rushes–yards 34–163274 Passing yards 22224–34–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 14–23–01–1 Sacked–yards 2–22273 Net passing yards 200386 Total yards 363110 Return yards 1993–35.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–36.71–1 Fumbles–lost 2–03–25 Penalties–yards 4v5032:08 Time of possession 27:52 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 24/34, 274 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing: Cooper – 9 CAR, 40 YDS; Patton – 12 CAR, 30 YDS; Easley – 4 CAR, 18 YDS; Elliott – 4 CAR, 17 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 0 YDS Receiving: Clark – 9 REC, 77 YDS; Young – 3 REC, 55 YDS, 1 TD; Solomon – 3 REC, 36 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 3 REC, 29 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 34 YDS; Patton – 2 REC, 16 YDS; Hofer – 1 REC, 22 YDS; Peets – 1 REC, 5 YDS Kickoff returns: Lott – 3 KR, 56 YDS; Ring – 1 KR, 23 YDS; Wilson – 1 KR, 22 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 2 PR, 9 YDS Punting: Miller – 3 PUNTS, 160 YDS Kicking: Bahr – 2/2 PAT, 1/2 FG Sacks: Board – 2.0 49ers Missed Field Goals: Bahr 24 (Blocked) Joe Montana was intercepted twice in 34 passes (24 completed) as the Niners fell to the Falcons for the eleventh time in the last eight seasons. Week 4 (Sunday, September 27, 1981): vs. New Orleans Saints The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 4: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary September 27, 1981 1:00 p.m. PDT Saints (1–3) 7 0 0 7 49ers (2–2) 0 7 7 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 44,433 64 °F °C; wind 12 Fred Silva CBS Lindsey Nelson (play-by-play) and George Allen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – September 27, 1981 right New Orleans Saints NO San Francisco 49ers SF Dave Wilson 11/22, 180 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT George Rogers 25 CAR, 115 YDS Wes Chandler 4 REC, 72 YDS Joe Montana 16/22, 175 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Johnny Davis 11 CAR, 48 YDS Charle Young 3 REC, 41 YDS NO SF collapsed 1 1:27 Saints RecTD Groth Wilson 24 good Ricardo 7 0 2 9:52 49ers RushTD Davis 6 good Bahr 7 7 3 11:48 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 60 good Bahr 7 14 4 11:32 49ers — — — IntTD Lott 26 good Bahr 7 21 4 1:09 Saints RecTD Wilson Manning 9 good Ricardo 14 21 14 21 Point spread: 49ers –6 Over/under: 43.0 (under) Time of game: SaintsGame Statistics49ers18 First downs 1537–163 Rushes–yards 39–146250 Passing yards 17521–38–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 16–22–10–0 Sacked–yards 1–7250 Net passing yards 168413 Total yards 314192 Return yards 1026–40.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 9–45.13–2 Fumbles–lost 1–111–106 Penalties–yards 8–7930:44 Time of possession 29:16 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 16/22, 175 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Davis – 11 CAR, 48 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 14 CAR, 42 YDS; Hofer – 4 CAR, 19 YDS; Montana – 3 CAR, 17 YDS; Cooper – 5 CAR, 10 YDS; Easley – 1 CAR, 5 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 5 YDS Receiving: Young – 3 REC, 41 YDS; Clark – 3 REC, 30 YDS; Cooper – 3 REC, 6 YDS; Solomon – 2 REC, 80 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 2 REC, 8 YDS; Hofer – 2 REC, 7 YDS; Lawrence – 1 REC, 3 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 1 KR, 26 YDS; Lott – 1 KR, 0 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 3 PR, 14 YDS; Hicks – 1 PR, 10 YDS Punting: Miller – 9 PUNTS, 406 YDS Kicking: Bahr – 3/3 PAT Interceptions: Lott – 1 INT, 26 YDS, 1 TD; Wright – 1 INT, 26 YDS Week 5 (Sunday, October 4, 1981): at Washington Redskins The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins – Game summary October 4, 1981 10:00 a.m. PDT 49ers (3–2) 14 10 6 0 Redskins (0–5) 0 3 0 14 RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C. 51,843 58 °F °C; wind 10 Gordon McCarter CBS Tom Brookshier (play-by-play) and Roger Staubach (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins – October 4, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Washington Redskins WSH Joe Montana 15/28, 193 YDS, 1 INT Ricky Patton 9 CAR, 43 YDS, 1 TD Lenvil Elliott 6 REC, 69 YDS Joe Theismann 10/22, 123 YDS, 2 INTs John Riggins 13 CAR, 47 YDS Joe Washington 8 REC, 49 YDS SF WSH collapsed 1 9:22 49ers RushTD Patton 16 good Bahr 7 0 1 4:16 49ers — — — FumbleTD Hicks 80 good Bahr 14 0 2 12:21 49ers FG 43 Bahr 17 0 2 8:46 Redskins FG 34 Moseley 17 3 2 6:17 49ers RushTD Davis 1 good Bahr 24 3 2 5:51 49ers — — — IntTD Hicks 32 no good Bahr 30 3 4 10:33 Redskins – – – Other Nelms 58-yard punt return for a touchdown, Moseley kick good 30 10 4 4:48 Redskins RushTD Washington 5 good Moseley 30 17 30 17 Point spread: 49ers +2 Over/under: 43.0 (over) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsRedskins16 First downs 1935–128 Rushes–yards 23–83193 Passing yards 24115–28–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 22–46–42–25 Sacked–yards 2–20168 Net passing yards 221296 Total yards 304176 Return yards 2245–40.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–40.41–1 Fumbles–lost 4–23–27 Penalties–yards 7–5029:17 Time of possession 30:43 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 15/28, 193 YDS, 1 INT Rushing: Patton – 9 CAR, 43 YDS, 1 TD; Davis – 13 CAR, 37 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 6 CAR, 21 YDS; Lawrence – 2 CAR, 14 YDS; Elliott – 3 CAR, 12 YDS; Easley – 2 CAR, 1 YD Receiving: Elliott – 6 REC, 69 YDS; Solomon – 5 REC, 77 YDS; Young – 2 REC, 24 YDS; Clark – 1 REC, 21 YDS; Cooper – 1 CAR, 2 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 2 KR, 41 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 2 PR, 9 YDS Punting: Miller – 5 PUNTS, 200 YDS Kicking: Bahr – 3/3 PAT, 1/2 FG Sacks: Board – 2.0 Interceptions: Hicks – 2 INTs, 104 YDS, 1 TD; McColl – 1 INT, 22 YDS; Lott – 1 INT, 0 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Bahr 25 Week 6 (Sunday, October 11, 1981): vs. Dallas Cowboys The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 6: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary October 11, 1981 Sunday 1:00 p.m. PDT Cowboys (4–2) 0 7 0 7 49ers (4–2) 21 3 14 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 57,574 58 °F °C; relative humidity 67%; wind 18 mph km/h knots Jim Tunney CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (analyst) Pro Football Reference; Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – October 11, 1981 right Dallas Cowboys DAL San Francisco 49ers SF Danny White 8/16, 60 YDS, 2 INTs Tony Dorsett 9 CAR, 21 YDS Ron Springs 3 REC, 9 YDS Joe Montana 19/29, 279 YDS, 2 TDs Paul Hofer 11 CAR, 40 YDS, 1 TD Freddie Solomon 5 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD DAL SF collapsed 1 11:15 49ers 11 61 RecTD Solomon Montana 1 good Wersching 0 7 1 7:07 49ers 6 68 RushTD Hofer 4 good Wersching 0 14 1 1:14 49ers 4 6 RushTD Davis 1 good Wersching 0 21 2 13:34 49ers 7 32 FG 18 Wersching 0 24 2 3:59 Cowboys 10 86 RecTD Hill Pearson 22 good Septién 7 24 3 9:12 49ers 1 78 RecTD Clark Montana 78 good Wersching 7 31 3 8:37 49ers — — — IntTD Lott 41 good Wersching 7 38 4 12:53 49ers 16 84 RushTD Lawrence 1 good Wersching 7 45 4 8:07 Cowboys — — — FumbleTD Barnes 72 good Septién 14 45 14 45 Point spread: 49ers +5 Over/under: 45.0 (over) Time of game: CowboysGame Statistics49ers10 First downs 2321–83 Rushes–yards 46–150135 Passing yards 30412–29–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 20–33–03–26 Sacked–yards 1–14109 Net passing yards 290192 Total yards 440138 Return yards 1108–39.5 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–46.23–2 Fumbles–lost 4–15–40 Penalties–yards 4–2825:53 Time of possession 34:07 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 19/29, 279 YDS, 2 TDs; Solomon – 1/1, 25 YDS; Benjamin – 0/3, 0 YDS Rushing: Hofer – 11 CAR, 40 YDS, 1 TD; Davis – 8 CAR, 28 YDS, 1 TD; Easley – 8 CAR, 28 YDS; Lawrence – 6 CAR, 27 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 7 CAR, 16 YDS; Cooper – 5 CAR, 9 YDS; Montana – 1 CAR, 2 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 5 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD; Clark – 4 REC, 135 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 3 REC, 35 YDS; Hofer – 3 REC, 22 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 22 YDS; Cooper – 2 REC, 12 YDS; Patton – 1 REC, 4 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 2 KR, 49 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 2 PR, 5 YDS; Hicks – 1 PR, 3 YDS Punting: Miller – 6 PUNTS, 277 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 6/6 PAT, 1/2 FG Sacks: Dean – 2.0; Pillers – 1.0 Interceptions: Lott – 2 INT, 53 YDS, 1 TD 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 40 Officials Referee: (#3) Jim Tunney Umpire: (#8) Pat Harder Head linesman: (#25) Sid Semon Line judge: (#8) Dick McKenzie Back judge: (#11) Pat Knight Side judge: (#5) Gil Mace Field judge: (#24) Johnny Grier Week 7 (Sunday, October 18, 1981) at Green Bay Packers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 7: San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary October 18, 1981 11:00 a.m. PDT 49ers (5–2) 0 3 7 3 Packers (2–5) 0 3 0 0 Milwaukee County Stadium • Milwaukee, Wisconsin 50,171 47 °F °C; wind 21 Ben Dreith CBS Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Johnny Morris (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers – October 18, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Green Bay Packers GB Joe Montana 23/32, 220 YDS Johnny Davis 16 CAR, 65 YDS, 1 TD Dwight Clark 6 REC, 55 YDS Lynn Dickey 11/18, 156 YDS Gerry Ellis 7 CAR, 50 YDS Gerry Ellis 5 REC, 65 YDS SF GB collapsed 2 13:34 Packers FG 18 Stenerud 0 3 2 0:00 49ers FG 26 Wersching 3 3 3 4:11 49ers RushTD Davis 1 good Wersching 10 3 4 4:31 49ers FG 32 Wersching 13 3 13 3 Point spread: 49ers –1 Over/under: 44.0 (under) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsPackers21 First downs 1347–126 Rushes–yards 19–78220 Passing yards 19323–32–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 14–24–11–9 Sacked–yards 4–30211 Net passing yards 163337 Total yards 24185 Return yards 1017–35.9 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–40.02–1 Fumbles–lost 1–07–35 Penalties–yards 4–3537:41 Time of possession 22:19 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 23/32, 220 YDS Rushing: Davis – 16, CAR, 65 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 12 CAR, 38 YDS; Patton – 7 CAR, 15 YDS; Easley – 3 CAR, 3 YDS; Hofer – 8 CAR, 3 YDS; Montana – 1 CAR, 2 YDS Receiving: Clark – 6 REC, 55 YDS; Hofer – 5 REC, 44 YDS; Solomon – 4 REC, 49 YDS; Patton – 3 REC, 41 YDS; Cooper – 2 REC, 19 YDS; Lawrence – 1 REC, 5 YDS; Young – 1 REC, 4 YDS; Davis – 1 REC, 3 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 2 KR, 21 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 3 PR, 24 YDS; Hicks – 1 PR, 14 YDS Punting: Miller – 7 PUNTS, 251 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 1/1 PAT, 2/2 FG Sacks: Pillers – 3.0; Dean – 1.0 Interceptions: Hicks – 1 INT, 26 YDS Week 8 (Sunday, October 25, 1981): vs. Los Angeles Rams The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 8: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary October 25, 1981 1:00 p.m. PST Rams (4–4) 0 10 7 0 49ers (6–2) 14 3 3 0 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 59,190 58 °F °C; wind 11 Pat Haggerty CBS Gary Bender (play-by-play) and Roger Staubach (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – October 25, 1981 right Los Angeles Rams LA San Francisco 49ers SF Pat Haden 20/39, 310 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Wendell Tyler 22 CAR, 90 YDS Preston Dennard 6 REC, 119 YDS Joe Montana 18/32, 287 YDS, 2 TDs Paul Hofer 8 CAR, 23 YDS Dwight Clark 8 REC, 109 YDS, 1 TD LA SF collapsed 1 5:22 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 14 good Wersching 0 7 1 0:01 49ers RecTD Clark Montana 41 good Wersching 0 14 2 7:38 Rams FG 25 Corral 3 14 2 1:03 Rams RushTD Guman 2 good Corral 10 14 2 0:00 49ers FG 42 Wersching 10 17 3 2:59 49ers FG 18 Wersching 10 20 3 0:56 Rams RecTD Tyler Haden 16 good Corral 17 20 17 20 Point spread: 49ers –1 Over/under: 46.0 (under) Time of game: RamsGame Statistics49ers25 First downs 1437–145 Rushes–yards 28–60310 Passing yards 28720–39–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 18–32–06–54 Sacked–yards 3–22256 Net passing yards 265401 Total yards 325267 Return yards 905–43.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 10–43.30–0 Fumbles–lost 0–07–39 Penalties–yards 5–4533:18 Time of possession 26:42 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 18/32, 287 YDS, 2 TDs Rushing: Hofer – 8 CAR, 23 YDS; Davis – 6 CAR, 14 YDS; Patton – 6 CAR, 13 YDS; Cooper – 5 CAR, 7 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 3 YDS; Easley – 1 CAR, 0 YDS Receiving: Clark – 8 REC, 109 YDS, 1 TD; Solomon – 5 REC, 79 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 2 REC, 57 YDS; Young – 1 REC, 29 YDS; Patton – 1 REC, 8 YDS; Wilson – 1 REC, 5 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 2 KR, 61 YDS; Ramson – 1 KR, 12 YDS; Wilson – 1 KR,8 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 2 PR, 9 YDS Punting: Miller – 10 PUNTS, 433 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 2/2 FG Sacks: Dean – 4.5; Pillers – 1.0; Stuckey – 0.5 Interceptions: Lott – 1 INT, 0 YDS Week 9 (Sunday, November 1, 1981): at Pittsburgh Steelers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 9: San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary November 1, 1981 10:00 a.m. PST 49ers (7–2) 0 10 0 7 Steelers (5–4) 0 0 14 0 Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 52,878 50 °F °C; wind 8 Bob Frederic CBS Vin Scully (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 1, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Joe Montana 22/37, 205 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Walt Easley 14 CAR, 47 YDS, 1 TD Dwight Clark 7 REC, 80 YDS Terry Bradshaw 12/23, 125 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INTs Franco Harris 17 CAR, 104 YDS Frank Pollard 3 REC, 42 YDS SF PIT collapsed 2 0:32 49ers RecTD Young Montana 5 good Wersching 7 0 2 0:03 49ers FG 45 Wersching 10 0 3 10:36 Steelers — — — IntTD Blount 50 good Trout 10 7 3 6:39 Steelers RecTD Smith Bradshaw 22 good Trout 10 14 4 5:35 49ers RushTD Easley 1 good Wersching 17 14 17 14 Point spread: 49ers +5 Over/under: 45.0 (under) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsSteelers25 First downs 1639–130 Rushes–yards 28–144210 Passing yards 12523–38–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 12–23–31–10 Sacked–yards 0–0200 Net passing yards 125330 Total yards 26986 Return yards 1925–45.8 Punts Number–Average yardage 2–48.50–0 Fumbles–lost 3–36–55 Penalties–yards 8–4534:16 Time of possession 25:34 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 22/37, 205 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs; Easley – 1/1, 5 YDS Rushing: Easley – 14 CAR, 47 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 13 CAR, 35 YDS; Hofer – 5 CAR, 26 YDS; Montana – 4 CAR, 12 YDS; Cooper – 3 CAR, 10 YDS Receiving: Clark – 7 REC, 80 YDS; Cooper – 5 REC, 53 YDS; Young – 3 REC, 13 YDS, 1 TD; Easley – 3 REC, 12 YDS; Solomon – 2 REC, 33 YDS; Patton – 2 REC, 17 YDS; Hofer – 1 REC,2 YDS Kickoff returns: Wilson – 2 KR, 37 YDS; Ring – 1 KR, 21 YDS Punting: Miller – 5 PUNTS, 229 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 1/2 FG Interceptions: Williamson – 1 INT, 28 YDS; Hicks – 1 INT, 0 YDS; Wright – 1 INT, 0 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 37 (Blocked) Week 10 (Sunday, November 8, 1981): vs. Atlanta Falcons The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 10: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary November 8, 1981 1:00 p.m. PST Falcons (5–5) 0 0 7 7 49ers (8–2) 0 10 0 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 59,127 58 °F °C; wind 11 Fred Wyant CBS Lindsey Nelson (play-by-play) and George Allen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – November 8, 1981 right Atlanta Falcons ATL San Francisco 49ers SF Steve Bartkowski 20/42, 236 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INTs William Andrews 18 CAR, 61 YDS, 1 TD Alfred Jenkins 7 REC, 134 YDS Joe Montana 16/30, 223 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Walt Easley 15 CAR, 31 YDS Dwight Clark 7 REC, 128 YDS ATL SF collapsed 2 3:52 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 14 good Wersching 0 7 2 0:00 49ers FG 45 Wersching 0 10 2 4:20 Falcons RushTD Andrews 1 good Luckhurst 7 10 4 7:29 49ers RecTD Young Montana 3 good Wersching 7 17 4 1:43 Falcons RecTD Jackson Bartkowski 25 good Luckhurst 14 17 14 17 Point spread: 49ers +2½ Over/under: 44.0 (under) Time of game: FalconsGame Statistics49ers19 First downs 1726–76 Rushes–yards 34–82236 Passing yards 22320–42–3 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 16–30–13–20 Sacked–yards 2–18216 Net passing yards 205292 Total yards 287126 Return yards 1628–44.9 Punts Number–Average yardage 10–42.02–0 Fumbles–lost 4–08–82 Penalties–yards 11–7429:29 Time of possession 30:31 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 16/30, 223 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing: Easley – 15 CAR, 31 YDS; Patton – 9 CAR, 26 YDS; Solomon – 3 CAR, 11 YDS; Clark – 1 CAR, 9 YDS; Cooper – 3 CAR, 4 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 1 YD; Hofer – 1 CAR, 0 YDS Receiving: Clark – 7 REC, 128 YDS; Solomon – 3 REC, 56 YDS, 1 TD; Easley – 2 REC, 9 YDS; Young – 2 REC, 9 YDS, 1 TD; Hofer – 1 REC, 21 YDS; Cooper – 1 REC, 0 YDS Kickoff returns: Ring – 1 KR, 29 YDS; Hicks – 1 KR, 22 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 4 PR, 36 YDS; Solomon – 3 PR, 15 YDS Punting: Miller – 10 PUNTS, 420 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 1/1 FG Sacks: Board – 1.0; Dean – 1.0; Turner – 1.0 Interceptions: Hicks – 2 INT, 37 YDS; Martin – 1 INT, 0 YDS Week 11 (Sunday, November 15, 1981): vs. Cleveland Browns The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 11: Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary November 15, 1981 1:00 p.m. PST Browns (5–6) 2 3 0 10 49ers (8–3) 0 6 6 0 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 52,455 60 °F °C; wind 15 Chuck Heberling NBC Don Criqui (play-by-play) and John Brodie (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers – November 15, 1981 right Cleveland Browns CLE San Francisco 49ers SF Brian Sipe 16/33, 180 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Mike Pruitt 18 CAR, 76 YDS Greg Pruitt 4 REC, 33 YDS Joe Montana 24/42, 213 YDS, 2 INTs Walt Easley 16 CAR, 59 YDS Paul Hofer 7 REC, 64 YDS CLE SF collapsed 1 8:35 Browns – – – SafetyOther Intentional grounding by Montana in end zone for a safety 2 0 2 11:28 49ers FG 28 Wersching 2 3 2 7:12 Browns FG 28 Bahr 5 3 2 1:07 49ers FG 29 Wersching 5 6 3 8:24 49ers FG 28 Wersching 5 9 3 1:00 49ers FG 28 Wersching 5 12 4 6:46 Browns RecTD Rucker Sipe 21 good Bahr 12 12 4 0:43 Browns FG 24 Bahr 15 12 15 12 Point spread: 49ers –3 Over/under: 43.0 (under) Time of game: BrownsGame Statistics49ers14 First downs 2126–106 Rushes–yards 35–118180 Passing yards 21316–33–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 24–42–22–19 Sacked–yards 3–26161 Net passing yards 187267 Total yards 305165 Return yards 845–42.4 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–36.01–1 Fumbles–lost 1–07–55 Penalties–yards 4–2924:48 Time of possession 35:12 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 24/42, 213 YDS, 2 INTs Rushing: Easley – 16 CAR, 59 YDS; Hofer – 10 CAR, 33 YDS; Patton – 4 CAR, 15 YDS; Davis – 2 CAR, 6 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 5 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 0 YDS Receiving: Hofer – 7 REC, 64 YDS; Clark – 6 REC, 52 YDS; Solomon – 3 REC, 35 YDS; Cooper – 3 REC, 21 YDS; Young – 2 REC, 16 YDS; Patton – 1 REC, 11 YDS; Shumann – 1 REC, 8 YDS; Easley – 1 REC, 6 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 2 KR, 52 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 2 PR, 22 YDS Punting: Jim Miller – 4 PUNTS, 144 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 4/5 FG Sacks: Board – 1.5; Reese – 0.5 Interceptions: Hicks – 1 INT, 10 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 40 The Niners’ winning streak ended in a battle of six combined field goals. Opposing quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Montana combined for 393 yards, three interceptions, and an average passer rating of 56. Week 12 (Sunday, November 22, 1981): at Los Angeles Rams The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 12: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary November 22, 1981 1:00 p.m. PST 49ers (9–3) 3 7 17 6 Rams (5–7) 0 17 7 7 Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, California 63,456 60 °F °C; wind 8 Red Cashion CBS Vin Scully (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – November 22, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Los Angeles Rams LA Joe Montana 19/30, 283 YDS, 1 INT Johnny Davis 8 CAR, 23 YDS, 1 TD Freddie Solomon 5 REC, 124 YDS Pat Haden 9/13, 122 YDS, 1 TD Wendell Tyler 23 CAR, 97 YDS, 1 TD Preston Dennard 5 REC, 56 YDS, 1 TD SF LA collapsed 1 7:33 49ers FG 47 Wersching 3 0 2 13:57 Rams FG 44 Corral 3 3 2 6:00 Rams RecTD Tyler Pastorini 16 good Corral 3 10 2 3:37 49ers RushTD Davis 1 good Wersching 10 10 2 0:23 Rams RecTD Dennard Guman 7 good Corral 10 17 3 14:42 49ers — — — Other Lawrence 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Wersching kick good 17 17 3 8:24 49ers FG 34 Wersching 20 17 3 5:33 49ers — — — IntTD Lott 25 good Wersching 27 17 3 2:04 Rams RecTD Arnold Haden 2 good Corral 27 24 4 10:10 49ers FG 32 Wersching 30 24 4 1:51 Rams RushTD Tyler 22 good Corral 30 31 4 0:00 49ers FG 37 Wersching 33 31 33 31 Point spread: 49ers +3 Over/under: 42.0 (over) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsRams19 First downs 2728–71 Rushes–yards 47–203283 Passing yards 20819–30–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 18–32–13–24 Sacked–yards 1–0259 Net passing yards 208330 Total yards 411220 Return yards 912–44.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–44.81–1 Fumbles–lost 4–15–51 Penalties–yards 7–7125:00 Time of possession 35:00 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 19/30, 283 YDS, 1 INT Rushing: Davis – 8 CAR, 23 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 8 CAR, 20 YDS; Hofer – 5 CAR, 16 YDS; Lawrence – 2 CAR, 9 YDS; Cooper – 4 CAR, 4 YDS; Montana – 1 CAR, –1 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 5 REC, 124 YDS; Cooper – 5 REC, 55 YDS; Clark – 4 REC, 59 YDS; Hofer – 2 REC, 20 YDS; Young – 2 REC, 18 YDS; Shumann – 1 REC, 7 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 3 KR, 138 YDS, 1 TD; Ring – 2 KR, 45 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 2 PR, 12 YDS Punting: Miller – 2 PUNTS, 88 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 3/3 PAT, 4/4 FG Sacks: Stuckey – 1.0 Interceptions: Lott – 1 INT, 25 YDS, 1 TD The game lead tied or changed eight times as the Rams wound up using quarterbacks Dan Pastorini and Pat Haden while running back Mike Guman threw a seven-yard touchdown to Preston Dennard. Amos Lawrence opened the third quarter by scoring on the opening kickoff and Ronnie Lott scored after intercepting Pastorini. Week 13 (Sunday, November 29, 1981): vs. New York Giants The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 13: New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary November 29, 1981 1:00 p.m. PST Giants (6–7) 0 3 0 7 49ers (10–3) 7 7 0 3 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 57,186 49 °F °C; relative humidity 77%; wind 10 mph km/h knots Jerry Markbreit CBS Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Fred Dryer (analyst) Pro Football Reference; New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – November 29, 1981 right New York Giants NYG San Francisco 49ers SF Scott Brunner 13/34, 162 YDS, 3 INTs Rob Carpenter 13 CAR, 40 YDS, 1 TD Rob Carpenter 5 REC, 55 YDS Joe Montana 27/39, 234 YDS Paul Hofer 8 CAR, 33 YDS Dwight Clark 7 REC, 87 YDS NYG SF collapsed 1 4:47 49ers 7 16 RushTD Davis 1 good Wersching 0 7 2 12:04 49ers 6 40 RushTD Montana 20 good Wersching 0 14 2 1:24 Giants 3 5 FG 52 Danelo 3 14 4 14:54 Giants 11 76 RushTD Carpenter 3 good Danelo 10 14 4 7:17 49ers 15 72 FG 23 Wersching 10 17 10 17 Point spread: 49ers –5 Over/under: 39.0 (under) Time of game: GiantsGame Statistics49ers12 First downs 1922–80 Rushes–yards 39–123162 Passing yards 23413–34–3 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 27–40–02–19 Sacked–yards 3–20143 Net passing yards 214223 Total yards 337119 Return yards 1366–42.8 Punts Number–Average yardage 8–37.53–2 Fumbles–lost 1–09–65 Penalties–yards 5–4821:44 Time of possession 38:16 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 27/39, 234 YDS; Clark – 0/1, 0 YDS Rushing: Hofer – 8 CAR, 33 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 24 YDS, 1 TD; Davis – 11 CAR, 21 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 7 CAR, 20 YDS; Cooper – 3 CAR, 12 YDS; Ring – 4 CAR, 9 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 6 YDS; Clark – 1 CAR, 5 YDS; Lawrence – 2 CAR, –7 YDS Receiving: Clark – 7 REC, 87 YDS; Patton – 5 REC, 23 YDS; Cooper – 4 REC, 37 YDS; Hofer – 4 REC, 31 YDS; Young – 3 REC, 33 YDS; Davis – 2 REC, –4 YDS; Solomon – 1 REC, 26 YDS; Lawrence – 1 REC, 2 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 1 KR, 25 YDS; Ring – 1 KR, 23 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 3 PR, 19 YDS; Solomon – 1 PR, 8 YDS Punting: Miller – 8 PUNTS, 300 YARDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 1/3 FG Sacks: Dean – 1.0; Kugler – 1.0 Interceptions: Williamson – 2 INT, 7 YDS; Hicks – 1 INT, 54 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 36 (BL), 40 Officials Referee: (#9) Jerry Markbreit Umpire: (#17) Ed Fiffick Head linesman: (#12) Dale Hamer Line judge: (#15) Bama Glass Back judge: (#7) Tom Kelleher Side judge: (#6) Willie Spencer Field judge: (#5) Bill Stanley Week 14 (Sunday, December 6, 1981): at Cincinnati Bengals The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 14: San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary December 6, 1981 Sunday 10:00 a.m. PST 49ers (11–3) 7 7 0 7 Bengals (10–4) 0 3 0 0 Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio 56,796 28 °F °C; relative humidity 65%, wind 7 mph km/h knots, wind chill 21 °F °C Jerry Seeman CBS Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Fred Dryer (analyst) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals – December 6, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF Cincinnati Bengals CIN Joe Montana 23/36, 187 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Earl Cooper 12 CAR, 62 YDS Dwight ClarkEarl Cooper 6 REC, 78 YDS, 1 TD6 REC, 34 YDS Jack Thompson 10/18, 114 YDS, 1 INT Pete Johnson 12 CAR, 82 YDS Dan Ross 7 REC, 69 YDS SF CIN collapsed 1 7:04 49ers 15 66 RecTD Ring Montana 4 good Wersching 7 0 2 2:32 Bengals 11 61 FG 30 Breech 7 3 2 0:02 49ers 10 80 RecTD Clark Montana 15 good Wersching 14 3 4 6:28 49ers 8 40 RushTD Montana 1 good Wersching 21 3 21 3 Point spread: 49ers +7 Over/under: 42.0 (under) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsBengals24 First downs 2435–146 Rushes–yards 20–155187 Passing yards 21123–36–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 21–38–31–8 Sacked–yards 3–21179 Net passing yards 190325 Total yards 34540 Return yards 1026–36.8 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–45.70–0 Fumbles–lost 4–37–55 Penalties–yards 9–7026:48 Time of possession 33:12 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 23/36, 187 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing: Cooper – 12 CAR, 62 YDS; Patton – 10 CAR, 36 YDS; Davis – 8 CAR, 21 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 14 YDS, 1 TD; Ring – 2 CAR, 8 YDS; Lawrence – 1 CAR, 5 YDS Receiving: Clark – 6 REC, 78 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 6 REC, 34 YDS; Young – 3 REC, 22 YDS; Patton – 3 REC, 11 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 28 YDS; Shumann – 1 REC, 6 YDS; Ramson – 1 REC, 4 YDS; Ring – 1 REC, 4 YDS Kickoff returns: Ring – 1 KR, 17 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 1 PR, 10 YDS Punting: Miller – 6 PUNTS, 221 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 3/3 PAT Sacks: Stuckey – 1.0; Turner – 1.0; Dean – 0.5; Leopold – 0.5 Interceptions: Lott – 1 INT, 13 YDS; Turner – 1 INT, 0 YDS; Wright – 1 INT, 0 YDS Officials Referee: (#17) Jerry Seeman Umpire: (#20) Frank Sinkovitz Head linesman: (#3) Leo Miles Line judge: (#6) John Leimbach Back judge: (#23) Paul Baetz Side judge: (#7) Bill Quinby Field judge: (#9) Bill O'Brien Week 15 (Sunday, December 13, 1981): vs. Houston Oilers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 15: Houston Oilers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary December 13, 1981 Sunday 1:00 p.m. PST Oilers (6–9) 0 0 0 6 49ers (12–3) 0 0 21 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 55,707 54 °F °C; wind 7 Dick Jorgensen NBC Bob Costas (play-by-play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Houston Oilers at San Francisco 49ers – December 13, 1981 right Houston Oilers HOU San Francisco 49ers SF Gifford Nielsen 21/30, 140 YDS Earl Campbell 18 CAR, 45 YDS, 1 TD Adger Armstrong 9 REC, 62 YDS Joe Montana 18/26, 204 YDS, 1 TD Ricky Patton 9 CAR, 57 YDS, 1 TD Earl Cooper 6 REC, 77 YDS HOU SF collapsed 3 8:56 49ers 10 69 RushTD Patton 3 good Wersching 0 7 3 3:47 49ers 9 65 RushTD Patton 3 good Wersching 0 14 3 1:34 49ers 4 26 RecTD Clark Montana 2 good Wersching 0 21 4 9:15 49ers 10 76 RecTD Wilson Benjamin 27 good Wersching 0 28 4 0:47 Oilers 8 59 RushTD Campbell 1 no good Fritsch 6 28 6 28 Point spread: 49ers –7 Over/under: 39.0 (under) Time of game: OilersGame Statistics49ers11 First downs 2222–56 Rushes–yards 29–148140 Passing yards 28621–30–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 25–35–01–10 Sacked–yards 3–20130 Net passing yards 288186 Total yards 414163 Return yards 347–36.4 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–42.32–2 Fumbles–lost 3–08–47 Penalties–yards 8–7727:40 Time of possession 32:20 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 18/26, 204 YDS, 1 TD; Banjamin – 7/9, 82 YDS, 1 TD Rushing: Patton – 9 CAR, 57 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 7 CAR, 38 YDS, 1 TD; Ring – 5 CAR, 18 YDS; Davis – 5 CAR, 15 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 2 YDS; Clark – 1 CAR, 18 YDS Receiving: Cooper – 6 REC, 77 YDS; Clark – 5 REC, 35 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 4 REC, 36 YDS; Solomon – 3 REC, 56 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 36 YDS, 1 TD; Ring – 2 REC, 24 YDS; Ramson – 1 REC, 14 YDS; Hofer – 1 REC, 11 YDS; Patton – 1 REC, –3 YDS Kickoff returns: Ring – 1 KR, 18 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 3 PR, 14 YDS; Solomon – 2 PR, 2 YDS Punting: Miller – 6 PUNTS, 254 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 4/4 PAT Sacks: Turner – 1.0 Week 16 (Sunday, December 20, 1981): at New Orleans Saints The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 16: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary December 20, 1981 11:00 a.m. PST 49ers (13–3) 7 7 0 7 Saints (4–12) 14 0 3 0 Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana 43,639 indoors Gene Barth CBS Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Fred Dryer (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – December 20, 1981 right San Francisco 49ers SF New Orleans Saints NO Joe Montana 9/11, 106 YDS, 2 TDs Bill Ring 11 CAR, 71 YDS Freddie Solomon 5 REC, 38 YDS, 1 TD Archie Manning 14/21, 110 YDS, 1 INT George Rogers 30 CAR, 107 YDS, 2 TDs Toussaint Tyler 5 REC, 21 YDS SF NO collapsed 1 8:27 49ers RecTD Young Montana 13 good Wersching 7 0 1 1:59 Saints RushTD Rogers 6 good Ricardo 7 7 1 0:13 Saints RushTD Rogers 5 good Ricardo 7 14 2 11:06 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 2 good Wersching 14 14 3 2:35 Saints FG 27 Ricardo 14 17 4 7:13 49ers RushTD Davis 1 good Wersching 21 17 21 17 Point spread: 49ers –7 Over/under: 37.0 (over) Time of game: 49ersGame StatisticsSaints19 First downs 1531–154 Rushes–yards 36–133195 Passing yards 11017–25–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 14–23–10–0 Sacked–yards 2–21195 Net passing yards 89349 Total yards 22274 Return yards 1184–46.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–34.83–2 Fumbles–lost 1–05–45 Penalties–yards 3–3026:03 Time of possession 33:57 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 9/11, 106 YDS, 2 TDs; Benjamin – 8/14, 89 YDS, 1 INT Rushing: Ring – 11 CAR, 71 TDS; Patton – 8 CAR, 36 YDS; Davis – 6 CAR, 19 YDS, 1 TD; Solomon – 1 CAR, 16 YDS; Montana – 1 CAR, 10 YDS; Easley – 2 CAR, 4 YDS; Benjamin – 1 CAR, 1 YD; Cooper – 1 CAR, –3 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 5 REC, 38 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 4 REC, 25 YDS; Easley – 3 REC, 35 YDS; Ramson – 2 REC, 27 YDS; Cooper – 1 REC, 36 YDS; Clark – 1 REC, 21 YDS; Young – 1 REC, 13 YDS, 1 TD Kickoff returns: Ring – 2 KR, 41 YDS; Lawrence – 2 KR, 24 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 1 PR, 0 YDS Punting: Miller – 4 PUNTS, 184 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 3/3 PAT Sacks: Dean – 2.0 Interceptions: Williamson – 1 INT, 9 YDS Standings Final statistics Regular season stats Individual 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 16 16 13–3–0 311 488 63.7 3565 19 3.9 12 2.5 78 7.3 7.0 11.5 222.8 88.4 26 193 5.1 6.56 6.25 2 2 Benjamin QB 4 0 15 26 57.7 171 1 3.8 1 3.8 27 6.6 5.6 11.4 42.8 74.4 3 30 10.3 4.86 4.00 1 1 Solomon WR 15 15 1 1 100.0 25 0 0.0 0 0.0 25 25.0 25.0 25.0 1.7 118.7 0 0 0.0 25.00 25.00 Easley RB 12 1 1 1 100.0 5 0 0.0 0 0.0 5 5.0 5.0 5.0 0.4 87.5 0 0 0.0 5.00 5.00 Clark WR 16 16 0 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.4 39.6 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 Team Total 16 13–3–0 328 517 63.4 3766 20 3.9 13 2.5 78 7.3 6.9 11.5 235.4 87.7 29 223 5.3 6.49 6.15 3 3 Opp Total 16 273 514 53.1 3135 16 3.1 27 5.3 67 6.1 4.36 11.5 195.9 60.2 36 290 6.5 5.2 3.5 Rushing Rushing Player Pos G GS Att Yds TD Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Patton RB 16 15 152 543 4 28 3.6 33.9 9.5 Cooper FB 16 11 98 330 1 23 3.4 20.6 6.1 Davis RB 16 5 94 297 7 14 3.2 18.6 5.9 Easley RB 12 1 76 224 1 9 2.9 18.7 6.3 Hofer RB 12 0 60 193 1 12 3.2 16.1 5.0 Ring RB 12 0 22 106 0 16 4.8 8.8 1.8 Montana QB 16 16 25 95 2 20 3.8 5.9 1.6 Lawrence RB 13 0 13 48 1 14 3.7 3.7 1.0 Solomon WR 15 15 9 43 0 16 4.8 2.9 0.6 Clark WR 16 16 3 32 0 18 10.7 2.0 0.2 Elliott RB 4 0 7 29 0 9 4.1 7.3 1.8 Benjamin QB 4 0 1 1 0 1 1.0 0.3 0.3 Team Total 16 560 1941 17 28 3.5 121.3 35.0 Opp Total 16 464 1918 10 4.1 119.9 29.0 Receiving Receiving Player Pos G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G Y/Tgt Clark WR 16 16 122 85 1105 13.0 4 78 5.3 69.1 9.1 Solomon WR 15 15 112 59 969 16.4 8 60 3.9 64.6 8.7 Cooper FB 16 11 71 51 477 9.4 0 50 3.2 29.8 6.7 Young TE 16 16 52 37 400 10.8 5 29 2.3 25.0 7.7 Hofer RB 12 0 34 27 244 9.0 0 22 2.3 20.3 7.2 Patton RB 16 15 42 27 195 7.2 1 31 1.7 12.2 4.6 Wilson WR 16 0 11 9 125 13.9 1 27 0.6 7.8 11.4 Easley RB 12 1 12 9 62 6.9 0 21 0.8 5.2 5.2 Elliott RB 4 0 11 7 81 11.8 0 19 1.8 20.3 7.4 Ramson TE 11 0 7 4 45 11.3 0 16 0.4 4.1 6.4 Ring RB 12 0 4 3 28 9.3 1 21 0.3 2.3 7.0 Shumann WR 13 1 7 3 21 7.0 0 8 0.2 1.6 3.0 Lawrence RB 13 0 5 3 10 3.3 0 5 0.2 0.8 2.0 Davis RB 16 5 5 3 –1 –0.3 0 3 0.2 –0.1 –0.2 Peets TE 5 0 1 1 5 5.0 0 5 0.2 1.0 5.0 Reese NT 16 16 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Team Total 16 497 328 3766 11.5 20 78 20.5 235.4 7.6 Opp Total 16 273 2845 11.5 16 67 Kick Returns Kick Returns Player Pos G GS Ret Yds KRTD Lng Y/Ret Lawrence RB 13 0 17 437 1 92 25.7 Ring RB 12 0 10 217 0 29 21.7 Lott LCB 16 16 7 111 0 20 15.9 Wilson WR 16 0 4 67 0 22 16.8 Jones RB 1 0 3 43 0 22 14.3 Hicks FS 16 16 1 22 0 22 22.0 Ramson TE 11 0 1 12 0 12 12.0 Davis RB 16 5 1 0 0 0 0.0 Patton RB 16 15 1 0 0 0 0.0 Team Total 16 45 909 1 92 20.2 Opp Total 16 67 1389 0 55 20.7 Punt Returns Punt Returns Player Pos G GS Ret Yds PRTD Lng Y/Ret Solomon WR 15 15 29 173 0 19 6.0 Hicks FS 16 16 19 171 0 39 9.0 Team Total 16 48 344 0 39 7.2 Opp Total 16 57 664 1 58 11.6 Kicking Kicking 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% Wersching K 12 0 2 2 7 7 7 4 7 4 0 0 23 17 48 73.9 30 30 100.0 Bahr K 4 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 6 2 47 33.3 12 12 100.0 Team Total 16 2 2 9 7 8 4 10 6 0 0 29 19 48 65.5 42 42 100.0 Opp Total 16 1 1 9 6 6 3 6 2 1 1 23 13 56.5 30 29 Punting Punting Player Pos G GS Pnt Yds Y/P RetYds NetYds NY/P Lng TB TB% Pnt20 In20% Black Miller P 16 0 93 3858 41.5 664 2894 31.1 65 15 16.1 14 15.1 0 Team Total 16 93 3858 41.5 664 2894 31.1 65 15 16.1 14 15.1 0 Opp Total 16 83 3433 41.4 66 5 17 0 Defense and Fumbles Defense and Fumbles Def Interceptions Fumbles Tackles Player Pos G GS Int Yds IntTD Lng FF Fmb FR Yds FRTD Sk Comb Ast Total Sfty Audick LT 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Bahr K 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 2 2 0 Board RDE 16 11 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7.0 28 25 53 0 Bunz LILB 14 8 0 0 0 0 6 0 2 0 0 0.0 39 21 60 0 Choma G 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2 0 2 0 Churchman DB 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3 0 3 0 Cooper FB 16 11 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0.0 3 0 3 0 Cross RG 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2 2 4 0 Davis RB 16 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Dean DE 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12.0 25 16 9 0 Easley RB 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Elliott RB 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Fahnhorst RT 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Gervais DB 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 7 4 3 0 Harper LOLB 16 16 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1.0 72 43 29 0 Harty NT 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 9 2 7 0 Hicks FS 16 16 9 239 1 72 1 1 4 80 1 0.0 76 60 16 0 Jones RB 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Kugler DE 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 12 9 3 0 Lawrence RB 13 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0.0 5 3 2 0 Leopold LB 16 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0.5 65 42 23 0 Lott LCB 16 16 7 117 3 41 5 1 2 0 0 0.0 89 52 37 0 Martin DB 15 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 18 14 4 0 McColl LB 16 0 1 22 0 22 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 19 13 6 0 Montana QB 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Patton RB 16 15 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Pillers RDE 14 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7.0 53 32 21 0 Puki RILB 16 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.0 51 24 27 0 Quillan C 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Ramson TE 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3 1 2 0 Reese NT 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 53 36 17 0 Reynolds RILB 16 16 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.0 117 61 56 0 Ring RB 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 21 18 3 0 Shumann WR 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Solomon WR 15 15 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Stuckey LDE 15 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2.5 49 33 16 0 Tautolo LB 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 10 9 1 0 Turner ROLB 16 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3.0 84 58 26 0 Williamson SS 16 16 4 44 0 28 1 0 2 3 0 0.0 82 51 31 0 Wilson WR 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 12 5 7 0 Wright 16 16 3 26 0 26 2 0 2 0 0 0.0 75 57 18 0 Team Total 16 27 448 4 72 21 26 32 83 1 36.0 0 0 0 0 Opp Total 16 Scoring Summary Scoring Summary Touchdowns PAT FG Player Pos G GS RshTD RecTD PRTD KRTD FRTD IntTD OthTD AllTD XPM XPA FGM FGA Sfty Pts Pts/G Wersching K 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 30 17 23 0 81 6.8 Solomon WR 15 15 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 48 3.2 Davis RB 16 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 42 2.6 Patton RB 16 15 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 30 1.9 Young TE 16 16 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 30 1.9 Clark WR 16 16 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 24 1.5 Bahr K 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 12 2 6 0 18 4.5 Lott LCB 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.1 Hicks FS 16 16 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.8 Lawrence RB 13 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.9 Montana QB 16 16 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.8 Cooper FB 16 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.4 Easley RB 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 Hofer RB 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 Ring RB 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 46 0.5 Wilson WR 16 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.4 Team Total 16 17 20 0 1 1 4 0 43 42 42 19 27 0 357 Opp Total 16 Statistical comparison San Francisco 49ersOpponentsFirst downs317280First downs rushing110113First downs passing183144First downs penalty2423Third down efficiency114/25987/224Fourth down efficiency0/00/0Net yards rushing19411918Rushing attempts560454Yards per rush3.54.1Passing – Completions/attempts328/517273/514Times sacked-total yards29–22336–290Interceptions thrown1327Net yards passing35432845Total net yards54844763Punt returns-total yards48–34457–664Kickoff returns-total yards45–90967–1389Interceptions-total return yards27–44813–297Punts-average yardage93–41.583–41.4Fumbles-lost26–1236–21Penalties-total yards92–752108–866Time of possession31:3828:22Turnovers2548 Quarter-by-quarter 49ers Quarter-by-quarter1234T49ers801008889357Opponents40765579250 Touchdown Log 49ers Touchdown LogWkOppQtrDistanceTypeDetail Field Goal Log 49ers Field Goal LogWkOppQtrDistanceDetail Opponent Touchdown Log Opponent Touchdown LogWkOppQtrDistanceTypeDetail Opponent Field Goal Log Opponent Field Goal LogWkOppQtrTypeDetail Postseason Round Date Opponent (seed) Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap Divisional January 3, 1982 New York Giants (5) 2:00p.m. PST CBS W 38–24 1–0 Candlestick Park 58,360 Recap NFC Championship January 10, 1982 Dallas Cowboys (2) 2:00p.m. PST CBS W 28–27 2–0 Candlestick Park 60,525 Recap Super Bowl XVI January 24, 1982 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (A1) 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 26–21 3–0 Pontiac Silverdome 81,270 Recap 1981 NFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, January 3, 1982): vs. (5) New York Giants The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed 1981 NFC Divisional Playoff: New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary January 3, 1982 Sunday 2:00 p.m. PST Giants (1–1) 7 3 7 7 49ers (1–0) 7 17 0 14 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 58,360 42 °F °C; wind 11 Ben Dreith CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play), John Madden (analyst) and Irv Cross (sideline) Pro Football Reference; NFC Divisional Playoff – New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – January 3, 1982 right New York Giants NYG San Francisco 49ers SF Scott Brunner 16/37, 290 Yds, 3 TDs, 2 INTs Rob Carpenter 17 CAR, 61 YDS Johnny Perkins 7 REC, 121 YDS, 2 TDs Joe Montana 20/31, 304 Yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT Earl Cooper 7 CAR, 52 YDS Freddie Solomon 6 REC, 107 YDS, 1 TD NYG SF collapsed 1 9:03 49ers RecTD Young Montana 8 good Wersching 0 7 1 2:45 Giants RecTD Gray Brunner 72 good Danelo 7 7 2 14:57 49ers FG 22 Wersching 7 10 2 12:04 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 59 good Wersching 7 17 2 10:24 49ers RushTD Patton 25 good Wersching 7 24 2 5:32 Giants FG 48 Danelo 10 24 3 11:13 Giants RecTD Perkins Brunner 59 good Danelo 17 24 4 10:37 49ers RushTD Ring 3 good Wersching 17 31 4 3:11 49ers — — — IntTD Lott 20 good Wersching 17 38 4 1:50 Giants RecTD Perkins Brunner 17 good Danelo 24 38 24 38 Point spread: 49ers –6 Over/under: 38.0 (over) Time of game: GiantsGame Statistics49ers14 First downs 2422–65 Rushes–yards 34–135290 Passing yards 30416–37–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 20–31–12–9 Sacked–yards 3–16281 Net passing yards 288346 Total yards 423162 Return yards 1474–43.8 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–41.24–2 Fumbles–lost 2–08–61 Penalties–yards 14–14525:42 Time of possession 34:18 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 20/31, 304 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing: Cooper – 7 CAR, 52 YDS; Patton – 7 CAR, 32 YDS, 1 TD; Clark – 1 CAR, 6 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 6 REC, 107 YDS, 1 TD; Clark – 5 REC, 104 YDS: Patton – 2 REC, 38 YDS, 1 TD; Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 3 KR, 88 YDS; Punt returns: Solomon – 1 PR, 22 YDS Punting: Miller – 5 PUNTS, 206 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 5/5 PAT; 1/2 FG Sacks: Harper – 1.0; Turner – 1.0 Interceptions: Lott – 2 INT, 32 YDS, 1 TD 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 50 Officials Referee: (#12) Ben Dreith Umpire: (#12) Dave Hamilton Head linesman: (#15) Ray Dodez Line judge: (#9) Jack Fette Back judge: (#9) Banks Williams Side judge: (#4) Ed Ward Field judge: (#14) Jack Vaughn Alternate Official: (#16) Jack Johnson The Giants were making their first appearance in the postseason since 1963. First-year starting quarterback Joe Montana led the 49ers to victory in his debut playoff game, completing 20 of 31 passes for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. His top target in the game was receiver Dwight Clark, who caught 5 passes for 104 yards. 1981 NFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 10, 1982): vs. (2) Dallas Cowboys The Catch (American football) The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed 1981 NFC Championship Game: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary January 10, 1982 Sunday 2:00 p.m. PST Cowboys (1–1) 10 7 0 10 49ers (2–0) 7 7 7 7 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 60,525 43 °F °C; relative humidity 73%; wind 4 mph km/h knots Jim Tunney CBS Vin Scully (play-by-play), Hank Stram (color commentator) and Irv Cross (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; 1981 NFC Championship Game – Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – January 10, 1982 right Dallas Cowboys DAL San Francisco 49ers SF Danny White 16/24, 173 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Tony Dorsett 22 CAR, 91 YDS, 1 TD James Jones 3 REC, 17 YDS Joe Montana 22/35, 286 YDS, 3 TDs, 3 INTs Lenvil Elliott 10 CAR, 48 YDS Dwight Clark 8 REC, 120 YDS, 2 TDs DAL SF collapsed 1 10:41 49ers 6 63 RecTD Solomon Montana 8 good Wersching 0 7 1 4:44 Cowboys 9 44 FG 44 Septién 3 7 1 2:49 Cowboys 2 29 RecTD Hill White 26 good Septién 10 7 2 6:12 49ers 4 47 RecTD Clark Montana 20 good Wersching 10 14 2 2:30 Cowboys 8 80 RushTD Dorsett 5 good Septién 17 14 3 5:44 49ers 4 13 RushTD Davis 2 good Wersching 17 21 4 14:08 Cowboys 11 64 FG 22 Septién 20 21 4 10:41 Cowboys 4 50 RecTD Cosbie White 21 good Septién 27 21 4 0:51 49ers 13 89 RecTD Clark Montana 6 good Wersching 27 28 27 28 Point spread: 49ers +3 Over/under: 42.0 (over) Time of game: CowboysGame Statistics49ers16 First downs 2632–115 Rushes–yards 31–127173 Passing yards 28616–24–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 22–35–34–38 Sacked–yards 3–20135 Net passing yards 266250 Total yards 393102 Return yards 1366–39.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–35.74–2 Fumbles–lost 3–35–39 Penalties–yards 7–10632:57 Time of possession 27:03 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 22/35, 286 YDS, 3 TDs, 3 INTs Rushing: Elliott – 10 CAR, 48 YDS; Cooper – 8 REC, 35 YDS; Ring – 6 CAR, 27 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 14 YDS; Easley – 2 CAR, 6 YDS; Davis – 1 CAR, 2 YDS, 1 TD; Montana – 3 CAR, –5 YDS Receiving: Clark – 8 REC, 120 YDS, 2 TDs; Solomon – 6 REC, 75 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 4 REC, 45 YDS; Cooper – 2 REC, 11 YDS; Elliott – 1 REC, 24 YDS; Shumann – 1 REC, 11 YDS Kickoff returns: Lawrence – 3 KR, 60 YDS; Ring – 3 KR, 47 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 2 PR, 21 YDS; Solomon – 1 PR, 3 YDS Punting: Miller – 3 PUNTS, 107 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 4/4 PAT Sacks: Pillers – 2.0; Board – 1.0; Stuckey – 1.0 Interceptions: Leopold – 1 INT, 5 YDS Officials Referee: (#3) Jim Tunney Umpire: (#5) Bob Boylston Head linesman: (#6) Ed Marion Line judge: (#16) Bob Beeks Back judge: (#5) Ray Douglas Side judge: (#9) Dean Look Field judge: (#20) Ed Merrifield Alternate Referee: (#20) Gordon McCarter Alternate Umpire: (#9) Dave Moss The 49ers were making their third appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Their opponent was their opponent for the two previous NFC Championship Games-the Dallas Cowboys. In both previous matches, the 49ers had lost the game. The game is remembered for "The Catch". The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight—Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Solomon, and Dwight Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab. Future New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who grew up in the Bay Area, attended the game as a four-year-old. The 49ers were victorious despite an astonishing six turnovers, including three interceptions by Joe Montana. A photograph of the catch, with Clark at the height of his leap and Everson Walls reaching out to try to block the ball, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated the following week. Super Bowl XVI (Sunday, January 24, 1982): vs. (A1) Cincinnati Bengals The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03. San Francisco 49ers 1981 2; text-align:center collapsed Super Bowl XVI: San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary January 24, 1982 Sunday 1:00 p.m. PST 49ers (3–0) 7 13 0 6 Bengals (2–1) 0 0 7 14 Pontiac Silverdome • Pontiac, Michigan 81,270 indoors Pat Haggerty CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play), John Madden (analyst) and Irv Cross (sideline) Pro Football Reference; Super Bowl XVI – San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals – January 24, 1982 right San Francisco 49ers SF Cincinnati Bengals CIN Joe Montana 14/22, 157 YDS, 1 TD Ricky Patton 17 CAR, 55 YDS Freddie SolomonClark 4 REC, 52 YDS4 REC, 45 YDS Ken Anderson 25/34, 300 Yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Pete Johnson 14 CAR, 36 YDS Dan Ross 11 REC, 104 YDS, 2 TDs SF CIN collapsed 1 5:52 49ers 11 68 5:58 RushTD Montana 1 good Wersching 7 0 2 6:53 49ers 12 92 5:29 RecTD Cooper Montana 11 good Wersching 14 0 2 0:15 49ers 13 61 3:56 FG 22 Wersching 17 0 2 0:02 49ers 1 0 0:03 FG 26 Wersching 20 0 3 11:25 Bengals 9 83 3:27 RushTD Anderson 5 good Breech 20 7 4 10:06 Bengals 7 53 3:52 RecTD Dan Ross Anderson 4 good Breech 20 14 4 5:25 49ers 10 50 4:32 FG 40 Wersching 23 14 4 1:57 49ers 7 16 3:00 FG 23 Wersching 26 14 4 0:16 Bengals 6 74 1:35 RecTD Ross Anderson 3 good Breech 26 21 26 21 Point spread: 49ers –1 Over/under: 48.0 (under) Time of game: 3 hours, 21 minutes 49ersGame StatisticsBengals20 First downs 2440–127 Rushes–yards 24–72157 Passing yards 30014–22–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 25–34–21–9 Sacked–yards 5–16148 Net passing yards 284275 Total yards 35698 Return yards 874–46.3 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–43.72–1 Fumbles–lost 2–28–65 Penalties–yards 8–5730:34 Time of possession 29:26 Individual stats Passing: Montana – 14/22, 157 YDS, TD Rushing: Patton – 17 CAR, 55 YDS; Cooper – 9 REC, 34 YDS; Montana – 6 CAR, 18 YDS, 1 TD; Ring – 5 CAR, 17 YDS; Davis – 2 CAR, 5 YDS; Clark – 1 CAR, –2 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 4 REC, 52 YDS; Clark – 4 REC, 45 YDS; Cooper – 2 REC, 15 YDS, 1 TD; Wilson – 1 REC, 22 YDS; Young – 1 REC, 14 YDS; Patton – 1 REC, 6 YDS; Ring – 1 REC, 3 YDS Kickoff returns: Hicks – 1 KR, 23 YDS; Lawrence – 1 KR, 17 YDS\ Punt returns: Hicks – 1 PR, 6 YDS Punting: Miller – 4 PUNTS, 185 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 4/4 FG Sacks: Dean – 1.0; Leopold – 1.0; Reynolds – 1.0; Stuckey – 1.0; Turner – 1.0 Interceptions: Hicks – 1 INT, 27 YDS; Wright – 1 INT, 25 YDS Officials Referee: (#4) Pat Haggerty Umpire: (#7) Al Conway Head linesman: (#17) Jerry Bergman Line judge: (#16) Bob Beeks Back judge: (#20) Bill Swanson Side judge: (#19) Bob Rice Field judge: (#6) Don Hakes Alternate Referee: (#14) Gene Barth Alternate Umpire: (#8) Pat Harder Awards and records Joe Montana, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Bill Walsh, National Football League Coach of the Year Award 1982 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl 1982 Pro Bowl Number Player Position Conference 87 Dwight Clark WR NFC Pro Bowlers 51 Randy Cross RG, Starter NFC Pro Bowlers 74 Fred Dean DE NFC Pro Bowlers 22 Dwight Hicks S NFC Pro Bowlers 42 Ronnie Lott RCB, Starter NFC Pro Bowlers 16 Joe Montana QB, Starter 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 5 Local Radio Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)KCBS–AM 740Don KleinWayne Walker References San Francisco 49ers 2023 Media Guide San Francisco 49ers 563 External links 1981 San Francisco 49ers at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1981 San Francisco 49ers season at 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 Category:1981 in San Francisco San