1991: Opportunistic Falcons Outlast 49ers for Wild Win

The Atlanta Falcons were off to a 2-3 start as they traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers on October 13, 1991. Coached by Jerry Glanville, the Falcons were coming off of eight consecutive losing seasons and had lost in their last five meetings with the 49ers. The club employed a run-and-shoot offense directed by talented but injury-prone QB Chris Miller (pictured at right) with WR Andre Rison as the leading receiver. The defense featured an outstanding cornerback tandem in Deion Sanders, who was also excellent at returning kicks, and Tim McKyer, a sixth-year veteran who started out with the 49ers.

San Francisco had been to the playoffs in each of the previous eight years under, first, Bill Walsh and now George Seifert, and that included three Super Bowl victories, most recently in 1988 and ’89. The 49ers reached the NFC Championship game in 1990 but were in a transition year. Most notably, the team lost 35-year-old star QB Joe Montana, who was out for the season with a torn elbow tendon in his throwing arm. Backup QB Steve Young was getting his chance, but the results had been uneven thus far and the Niners were also at 2-3.

There were 57,343 fans in attendance at Candlestick Park on a sunny afternoon. The Falcons had the ball first and quickly went 73 yards in four plays. Chris Miller started off with a completion to Andre Rison for 39 yards to the San Francisco 34 and, following two carries by RB Erric Pegram, Miller fired long for WR Michael Haynes in the end zone and it was good for a 27-yard touchdown. Norm Johnson added the extra point.

Steve Young (pictured at left) threw to Jerry Rice for a 15-yard pickup on the Niners’ first play from scrimmage, but RB Dexter Carter fumbled on the next one and SS Brian Jordan recovered for the Falcons at the San Francisco 49. Miller rolled out and threw to Haynes for a gain of 41 yards on first down and, three plays later, it was Miller to Rison for a seven-yard TD. Johnson’s point after put the visitors ahead by 14-0.

The teams traded punts before FS Scott Case intercepted a Young pass at the San Francisco 38. The Falcons made their way to the San Francisco 12 as the opening period came to an end and, two plays into the second quarter, Johnson kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it a 17-0 contest.

The 49ers responded by driving 72 yards in six plays. Young completed two passes to TE Jamie Williams for 16 and 15 yards and a long throw to WR Mike Sherrard picked up 31 yards to the Atlanta 10. FB Tom Rathman gained four yards up the middle and then Young, rolling to his left, ran for a six-yard touchdown. Mike Cofer converted to narrow Atlanta’s lead to 17-7.

The Falcons reached midfield on their next series before punting and the 49ers had to punt from their own 25 in turn, with Joe Prokop’s deflected kick traveling only 17 yards to give the visitors good field position at the San Francisco 41. They reached the 23 at the two-minute warning and Johnson kicked a 43-yard field goal to put the Falcons up by 20-7.

There was still time for the 49ers following Carter’s 34-yard kickoff return, and they advanced 66 yards in five plays. The big one was a long pass by Young that WR John Taylor caught for a 54-yard touchdown. Cofer’s extra point narrowed the Atlanta lead to 20-14 at halftime.

San Francisco had the first possession of the third quarter and traveled 70 yards in five plays. Young ran twice for 14 yards and, while an apparent 20-yard completion to Taylor was called back due to an illegal motion penalty, a Young throw to Rice was good for a 57-yard TD. Atlanta’s Jordan blocked Cofer’s extra point attempt, but the game was now tied at 20-20.

It didn’t stay tied for long when Deion Sanders gathered in the ensuing kickoff and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Johnson’s conversion put the Falcons back in front by seven points. The 49ers came back with a nine-play, 69-yard drive. Young completed four passes, most notably to Rice for 22 yards in a third-and-six situation and to Williams for 15 yards to the Atlanta 10. Two passes into the end zone fell incomplete but, following a defensive holding penalty, RB Harry Sydney swept around end to a five-yard TD. Cofer made the point after and the score was knotted once more at 27-27.

The Falcons drove 80 yards in 10 plays in response. Miller had four completions along the way, connecting with WR Mike Pritchard for 15 yards and Rison and Haynes for 10 yards apiece. RB Steve Broussard ran for 10 yards on a draw play and an end run picked up 23 yards to set up a one-yard Miller to Rison touchdown pass. The extra point attempt failed when holder/punter Scott Fulhage fumbled the snap, but the visitors were again in the lead by 33-27.

Carter returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to the San Francisco 49 and the Niners had the ball heading into the fourth quarter, putting together a 51-yard drive in eight plays. Young threw to Taylor for 20 yards and scrambled to a seven-yard touchdown, leaping into the end zone at the end. Cofer kicked the extra point and the 49ers had a one-point lead at 34-33 with 12 minutes to play.

Once more the Falcons fought back, advancing 48 yards in six plays that resulted in a 44-yard Johnson field goal and a regained lead of 36-34. The 49ers methodically drove into Atlanta territory, but after reaching the 20 thanks to an 11-yard completion to Rice, Sydney lost nine yards when attempting to reverse field on a failed running play, an intentional grounding penalty moved the Niners back another 10 yards, and a third-and-29 pass by Young was intercepted by Tim McKyer (pictured above), the ex-49er. McKyer returned it 24 yards, cutting to the middle of the field, and then tossed a lateral to Sanders, who picked up another 13 yards to the San Francisco 35.

Broussard, following a short gain, ran for 23 yards and while the Falcons couldn’t reach the end zone, they added a 30-yard field goal by Johnson to pad their lead to five points with 1:45 left on the clock. It was the icing on the cake. Young completed passes to Rice for 14 yards and WR Sanjay Beach for 20, but a desperate fourth down pass from his own 39 was intercepted by McKyer, his second of the fourth quarter, to seal the 39-34 win for Atlanta.  

The 49ers, playing catchup throughout the game, led in total yards (437 to 368) and first downs (24 to 19). However, San Francisco also turned the ball over four times, to none by the Falcons. Atlanta was also very effective running the ball, gaining 160 yards on the ground to San Francisco’s 94.

Chris Miller completed 16 of 28 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Andre Rison had 6 catches for 69 yards and two TDs and Michael Haynes gained 94 yards on his five receptions that included a score. Steve Broussard rushed for 104 yards on just 10 attempts.

For the 49ers, Steve Young was successful on 22 of 38 throws for 348 yards and two TDs, but also gave up three interceptions, and led the club in rushing with 68 yards on 11 carries that included two more touchdowns. Jerry Rice caught 7 passes for 138 yards and a TD and John Taylor contributed 80 yards on his three catches that also included a score.

“There was one bad play and boom-boom, there were two more bad plays and we were out of it,” said San Francisco’s Coach Seifert. “There are a number of disappointing things happening. I’m obviously devastated.”

The Falcons lost to Phoenix the next week but then won seven of eight games, including the rematch with the 49ers, on the way to a 10-6 record. San Francisco won two, lost two, and was at 4-6 before putting together a six-game winning streak to finish the season also at 10-6. However, the sweep of the season series by Atlanta made the difference in which team went to the postseason. As a result, the Falcons attained second place in the NFC West and grabbed a Wild Card slot, beating New Orleans in the first round before succumbing to the Redskins at the Divisional level. The 49ers ended up in third place and out of the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

Chris Miller passed for 3103 yards and a career-high 26 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Andre Rison also received Pro Bowl honors as he caught 81 passes for 976 yards (12.0 avg.) and 12 TDs and Michael Haynes led the NFL by averaging 22.4 yards-per-catch on his 50 receptions for 1122 yards that included 11 scores. Deion Sanders (pictured at left) intercepted 6 passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and averaged 22.2 yards on 26 kickoff returns, with his return against the 49ers the lone TD, and 8.1 yards on 21 punt returns. He was chosen to the first of eight Pro Bowls in this, his third pro season.

Things would get better for Steve Young, who led the league with a 101.8 passer rating, although he also missed time due to a knee injury. Jerry Rice had a typically outstanding year, catching 80 passes for 1207 yards and a NFL-leading 14 touchdowns.  

1994: Rice Has 16 Catches, 3 TDs as 49ers Overcome Rams

The San Francisco 49ers were cruising along at 8-2 as they hosted the rival Los Angeles Rams on November 20, 1994. Head Coach George Seifert’s team had an outstanding offense built around the nucleus of QB Steve Young, WR Jerry Rice (pictured at right), and RB Ricky Watters, and there were plenty of other fine players around them. The defense benefited from the addition of CB Deion Sanders and was anchored by young DTs Dana Stubblefield and Bryant Young.  

The Rams, coached by Chuck Knox, were struggling at 4-6 and had been beaten handily by the 49ers at home earlier in the season. QB Chris Miller was talented but injury prone and RB Jerome Bettis was having difficulty duplicating his first-year exploits, although rookie WR Isaac Bruce was showing promise.

There were 62,774 fans in attendance for the Sunday night game at Candlestick Park. The 49ers took the opening kickoff and drove 72 yards in eight plays. Steve Young completed five passes, three of them to Jerry Rice and the last to WR John Taylor for a seven-yard touchdown. Doug Brien added the extra point.

The Rams responded with a seven-play drive of their own that covered 48 yards. Chris Miller was sacked by DT Bryant Young for a loss of eight yards on first down and had to leave the game, but backup QB Tommy Maddox completed passes to RB David Lang for ten yards and WR Todd Kinchen for 39 to the San Francisco 21. Los Angeles reached the 14 before the drive stalled and Tony Zendejas kicked a 31-yard field goal.

San Francisco put together another methodical drive of 67 yards in 13 plays. Young completed five more passes, two of them to Ricky Watters and two to Rice, the second for a seven-yard TD. Brien converted and the Niners took a 14-3 lead into the second quarter.

LA benefited from a roughing-the-passer penalty on Miller, who was back in the game, and two completions to Isaac Bruce picked up 18 yards to the San Francisco 10. Once again the Rams were unable to reach the end zone, but Zendejas added another field goal from 27 yards to narrow the home team’s lead to 14-6.

The scoring parade finally ended as the teams exchanged punts. Starting from their own eight, the 49ers advanced 92 yards in 12 plays. Watters gained 22 yards on two carries to start, RB Dexter Carter ran twice more for 17 yards, and Young completed five passes and scrambled once for a first down. Rice again had two catches, and again the second was good for a touchdown, this time from six yards out. Brien added the PAT and the Niners took a 21-6 lead into halftime.

The Rams took the second half kickoff and drove 70 yards in six plays, the biggest of which was an end-around in which Kinchen raced 44 yards for a TD. The try to pass for two points failed and the score stayed at 21-12.

Once again the 49ers moved effectively down the field. Young had completions to Rice for 29 yards and Watters for 14, but this time they ended up with a field goal by Brien from 28 yards, still keeping them comfortably in the lead by 24-12.

LA faced a third-and-12 situation on its next series but Miller completed a pass to Kinchen for the needed yards and, three plays later, the Rams pulled off another big play when Miller threw long down the left sideline for WR Willie “Flipper” Anderson, who beat Deion Sanders and went the distance for a 50-yard touchdown. Zendejas added the extra point and the visitors were now just five points behind at 24-19.

On San Francisco’s second play after the ensuing kickoff, Young (pictured at left) went deep for Watters to pick up 35 yards and, adding on an unnecessary roughness penalty, the Niners advanced all the way to the LA 26. But the 49ers were able to gain only three more yards and Brien’s 41-yard field goal attempt was wide to the right.

The Rams were on the move as the game headed into the fourth quarter. Miller completed passes to Anderson for 14 yards and Jerome Bettis for 20 to reach the San Francisco 36. Two runs by Bettis, plus a facemask penalty, picked up another 14 yards before Miller fired a pass toward the goal line that WR Jessie Hester caught for a 22-yard TD. Bettis successfully ran for a two-point conversion and the upset-minded Rams were ahead by 27-24.

The 49ers again reached Los Angeles territory, but a penalty for an illegal forward pass by Young, who was a yard past the line of scrimmage on what would have been a long completion to TE Brent Jones, forced them to punt. The Rams went three-and-out and had to punt in turn and the 49ers, starting from their 43, advanced back into LA territory. But after a six-yard run by Watters gave the Niners a first down at the 25, Rice fumbled when hit by LB Shane Conlan after catching a pass and DE Gerald Robinson recovered for the Rams.

LA again couldn’t move on offense and punted following a short series, and San Francisco responded with a 10-play, 67-yard drive. Young threw to Jones for 19 yards and to Rice for 14 yards in a third-and-six situation. The drive was capped by another Young pass to Rice that resulted in an 18-yard touchdown. Brien’s extra point put the 49ers back on top by four.

The Rams regained possession with 1:56 remaining in regulation. Miller passed them to the San Francisco 38, but a holding penalty backed them up, Deion Sanders deflected a throw into the end zone that was intended for Anderson, and Lang dropped a fourth-down pass to seal the 31-27 win for the 49ers.

San Francisco had significant edges in total yards (459 to 358) and first downs (32 to 17). They also recorded the game’s only two sacks, but also the only turnover and led in penalties (7 for 60 yards to five for 50).

Jerry Rice set a then- club record with 16 catches, good for 165 yards and three TDs, and made up for his fourth quarter fumble with the game-winning reception. Steve Young completed 30 of 44 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns with none intercepted and also ran for 23 yards on 10 carries. Ricky Watters gained 81 yards on 20 rushing attempts and added 74 more yards on five pass receptions. John Taylor also had five catches, for 49 yards and a score.

For the Rams, Chris Miller (pictured above) was successful on 16 of 33 throws for 228 yards and two touchdowns, also with no interceptions. Willie Anderson caught five passes for 99 yards and a TD while Todd Kinchen contributed 51 yards on two receptions and had the one 44-yard scoring run, which made him the team’s leading rusher. Jerome Bettis was held to 29 yards on 15 attempts.

San Francisco kept on winning, finishing atop the NFC West with a league-best 13-3 record and going on to thrash San Diego in the Super Bowl. The Rams didn’t win again the rest of the way, ending up at the bottom of the division with a 4-12 tally. It was the franchise’s last season in Los Angeles as it departed for St. Louis the following year.

Jerry Rice led the NFL with 1499 yards on 112 catches that included 13 touchdowns. It marked his ninth consecutive season with over a thousand receiving yards and he was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection for the eighth time and a Pro Bowl selectee for the ninth straight year. Steve Young led the league in passing with a 112.8 rating and in touchdown passes with 35. He received consensus league MVP honors in addition to being a first-team All-NFL choice for the third year in a row and a Pro Bowl selection.

1990: Cunningham Rallies Eagles to Win Against Falcons

The Philadelphia Eagles, who started the 1990 NFL season at 1-3, carried a 5-4 record into Atlanta as they took on the Falcons on November 18. Under brash Head Coach Buddy Ryan, the aggressive defense was the key to Philadelphia’s success, anchored by DE Reggie White and featuring other outstanding players such as DE Clyde Simmons, DT Jerome Brown, LB Seth Joyner, and CB Eric Allen. Exciting QB Randall Cunningham (pictured at right), fleet-footed as well as strong-armed, directed the offense that lacked a potent ground attack but benefited from the addition of rookie wide receivers Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams.

Atlanta was struggling under first-year Head Coach Jerry Glanville. The wide-open passing offense was operated by QB Chris Miller and received a boost from the arrival of WR Andre Rison. However, the running game was only fair and while the defense was effective against the run, the backfield, despite the presence of rookie CB Deion Sanders, was prone to giving up big plays.

There were 53,755 fans in attendance at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Falcons had the first possession and drove deep into Philadelphia territory, the big play being a pass from Chris Miller to WR Michael Haynes for 55 yards to the 11. RB Steve Broussard followed up with a seven-yard run to the four, but two more running plays gained two yards and, trying to convert on fourth-and-one, Broussard ran wide to his left and was tossed for a four-yard loss by Seth Joyner.

The teams traded punts until, with just over three minutes remaining in the opening period, the Falcons commenced a 10-play, 73-yard series that extended into the second quarter. On a third-and-three play at the Philadelphia 40, Miller threw to Andre Rison for a 24-yard gain and that was followed by a pass interference penalty on Eric Allen that put the home team on the two yard line. Once again the Eagles defense proved difficult to penetrate, but the Falcons prevailed when RB Tracy Johnson ran for a touchdown from a yard out. Greg Davis added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

Philadelphia drove into Atlanta territory on the next possession, with RB Keith Byars (pictured below) gaining 20 yards on a carry from his 32 and Randall Cunningham completing two passes. However, penalties hindered the advance, including one that nullified an apparent TD throw to Fred Barnett, and the Eagles were forced to punt.

The Falcons, pinned deep in their own territory, also had to punt but retained possession when WR Anthony Edwards fumbled on the return. Atlanta was still unable to move the ball and punted again shortly thereafter and the Eagles, taking over at their 21, went 79 yards in just four plays. Cunningham threw to Byars, who picked up 33 yards, and then to TE Keith Jackson for another 27 to the Atlanta 19. Following the two-minute warning, Calvin Williams ran for 18 yards on a reverse and Cunningham finished off the drive with a one-yard TD pass to Jackson. Roger Ruzek added the point after to tie the score.

There was still 1:46 on the clock as the Falcons started a series that moved 25 yards in nine plays. Miller completed three passes to Rison, but three throws from the Philadelphia 36 fell incomplete and Davis kicked a 53-yard field goal that put the home team back on top by 10-7 at halftime.

Neither team was able to move the ball well to start the third quarter until the Falcons, on their second series, put together a nine-play, 34-yard scoring drive. Miller completed four passes along the way, including three on consecutive plays, to set up another Davis field goal, this time from 46 yards.

On Philadelphia’s next play following the ensuing kickoff, RB Heath Sherman fumbled and DE Tim Green recovered for the Falcons at the Eagles’ 35. In a series that extended into the fourth quarter, Atlanta chipped away and got a break when, after calling on Davis to successfully kick another field goal, a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave the Falcons a first down at the four. However, on first down Clyde Simmons sacked Miller for a six-yard loss and two passes fell incomplete. The home team still had to settle for a Davis field goal, this time from 28 yards. Atlanta was ahead by 16-7, but had missed an opportunity to take a more commanding lead.

RB Thomas Sanders returned the kickoff 37 yards to the Philadelphia 35, and Cunningham went to the air, hitting Byars for five yards and Barnett for 29. The five-play series covered 65 yards as Cunningham completed one more throw to Jackson for a 17-yard touchdown. Ruzek converted and Atlanta’s lead was down to two points.

The Falcons turned the ball over when a fumbled snap was recovered by Jerome Brown and the Eagles took full advantage on the next play when Cunningham fired to Williams for a 30-yard TD. Ruzek again converted and the visitors were in the lead by a score of 21-16.

Now it was Atlanta’s turn to advance quickly down the field. Following two incompletions, Miller converted a third-and-ten play with a pass to WR George Thomas that picked up 50 yards. Another pass to Rison was good for a 23-yard touchdown and, with Davis converting the extra point, the Falcons were back in the lead by 23-21 with 8:30 to play.

At this point the teams exchanged punts. Scott Fulhage’s 29-yard kick for the Falcons gave the Eagles the ball at their 47 and, with the clock now down to 3:26, Cunningham completed three passes to advance to the Atlanta 29. The drive stalled, but Ruzek’s 46-yard field goal attempt was successful and the visitors were back in front by one.

In the time remaining, the Falcons were unable to come back as Miller threw an incomplete pass, exited the game due to a bruised sternum, and backup QB Scott Campbell had three more incompletions to effectively end the game. Philadelphia came away the winner by a score of 24-23.

Atlanta led in total yards (315 to 279) and time of possession (35:51 to 24:09) while the teams were even in first downs with 16 apiece, although the Falcons had difficulty running the ball, gaining just 59 yards. The Eagles turned the ball over twice, to one by Atlanta, while the Falcons were penalized eight times, to seven flags thrown on Philadelphia.

Randall Cunningham completed 16 of 27 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns with none intercepted. Keith Byars had 7 catches for 78 yards in addition to rushing for 26 yards on three attempts. Keith Jackson contributed four receptions for 54 yards that included two TDs. Heath Sherman was Philadelphia’s leading rusher with just 27 yards on 11 carries.

For the Falcons, Chris Miller was successful on 19 of 38 throws for 268 yards and a TD, also giving up no interceptions. Andre Rison (pictured at left) caught 7 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown and Michael Haynes added 70 yards on his three receptions. Steve Broussard ran for 25 yards on 10 attempts to top the club.

The Eagles went 4-2 the rest of the way to finish second in the NFC East with a 10-6 record. They lost to Washington in the Wild Card round, their third straight failure to advance past the initial playoff game.  Atlanta kept losing, reaching seven consecutive defeats before winning the final two games to end up at 5-11 and fourth in the NFC West.

Randall Cunningham led the NFC with 30 touchdown passes and had his best year to date (his sixth) as he threw for 3466 yards with a completion percentage of 58.3 and a passer rating of 91.6. He also rushed for 942 yards and was named to the Pro Bowl as well as receiving MVP honors from the Pro Football Writers and the Bert Bell Award from the Maxwell Club as Player of the Year. Keith Byars led the club with 81 catches for 819 yards and Keith Jackson was a consensus first-team All-NFL choice with his 50 receptions for 670 yards.

Andre Rison ranked second in the NFL in pass receptions (82) and TD catches (10) and third with 1208 yards. He was also a consensus first-team All-NFL as well as Pro Bowl selection.