This Week in 49ers History: Week 8, 1987

Editor's Note: My apologies to Paul for uploading this after Week 8 is in the books. It is a wonderfully well researched piece and very much worth your time.


The 1987 season was a very interesting one for the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL in general.

The players union called a strike two weeks into the campaign to protest against the league policy on free agents, which caused all Week 3 matchups to be cancelled.

During the three-week strike, club owners were controversially forced to employ replacement players for all games between Week 4 and Week 6, most of which came from the recently defunct USFL.

Once settled, the league returned to normal from week 7, but the impact of the strike had been felt league-wide.

The 1987 San Francisco team still retained many of the players that had been instrumental in the team's two previous Super Bowl wins in the 1980s, but a growing number of players were nearing the end of their effectiveness.

An offensive line that had been the bedrock of all of the Niners' success in the 80s was beginning to wear down. With that in mind, head coach Bill Walsh and the 49ers selected Harris Barton in the first round of the draft.

The North Carolina offensive tackle was the first lineman to be chosen in the opening round by the team since 1968. Alongside Barton, young linemen who had been understudies to the veterans for some time were thrown into starting roles.

Further to remodelling the offensive line, the 49ers also improved their depth at tight end with the addition of Brent Jones.

After being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 draft, Jones suffered a neck injury that sidelined the Santa Clara University alumnus for his entire rookie season. Pittsburgh, wary of Jones' neck injury, declined to sign him after the draft and released the rookie less than a month into the 1986 season.

Ever astute, Walsh signed Jones to a contract shortly before the 1987 pre-season and invited him to training camp. Jones would end up playing for the 49ers throughout the 80s and 90s and enjoyed a stellar career.

The most prominent move of the 1987 season came as a result of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' decision to select Miami Hurricanes quarterback Vinny Testaverde first overall in the draft.

Following that selection the Buccaneers deemed incumbent Steve Young surplus to requirements and looked to unload their starting signal-caller.

Walsh, all too aware that Joe Montana would not be around forever after the horrific back injury in 1986 that almost finished his career, moved to acquire Young, with the 49ers trading second and fourth-round picks to bring the southpaw passer to the Bay.

Young would backup Joe Montana for the first four seasons of his 49ers career, before eventually becoming the starter and winning Super Bowl XXIX.

In Week 8 of the 1987 season, the 49ers hosted the Houston Oilers. Coached by Jerry Glanville, the 5-2 Oilers came into Candlestick Park with a high powered offense led by their charismatic quarterback Warren Moon and a potent one-two wide receiver combination of Drew Hill and Ernest Givens, who both finished the season with just under 1000 yards receiving and six touchdowns each.

Accompanying the passing attack, Houston were fortunate to be able to call upon Pro Bowl running back Mike Rozier, who gave the offense a lot of attacking options with his running and pass-catching abilities.

With their only loss coming on opening day, the 49ers held a 6-1 record as they returned home to Candlestick Park for Week 8. Lining up against the in-form Oilers, this game was the highlight of the week's schedule and had been hotly anticipated for weeks.

The game

The Oilers' offense was quick to settle into their stride and moved the ball freely down the field, only to be held up just shy of the goalline. They settled for a 20-yard field goal and scored the first points of the game early in the first quarter.

Not to be outdone, Montana and the 49ers put an effective drive of their own together, capping it off with an eight-yard touchdown pass to fullback Tom Rathman.

Moon could not quite repeat his success of the first quarter and with their drive stalling in midfield, the Oilers had to settle for a 48-yard field goal that brought them to within 1 point of San Francisco.

In what was to become a theme throughout the game, the 49ers found themselves able to move the ball well but Houston were refusing to allow any big plays. Deep into the redzone, Montana somehow managed to find Jerry Rice for a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter and make it 14-6 to San Francisco at the half.

The 49ers continued to move the ball in small doses, with both Roger Craig and Tom Rathman carving out yardage against a Houston defense that found it tough going versus a 49er offensive line that included a rookie and a second-year player at right tackle and right guard respectively. The Oilers finished up with just one sack during the game and allowed 163 rushing yards and 289 pass yards.

Rathman collected his second touchdown catch of the day during the third quarter, propelling the 49ers into a 21-6 lead.

Following half-time adjustments, Moon was able to regain his form from the opening quarter and orchestrated a scoring drive that was completed when Curtis Duncan caught a three-yard pass in the endzone to cut the gap to 21-13 with a quarter still to play.

After the last Houston score and sensing a slight momentum shift towards the visitors, the 49ers defense took it upon themselves to make the difference in the game. Moon was picked off during the fourth quarter with that pick – one of three by the Houston quarterback – converted into a field goal.

Another Ray Wersching three-pointer soon after made the score 27-13 and Houston's aspirations were fading fast.

Moon refused to lie down, though, and regained his poise to guide the Oilers down the field and found wideout Ernest Givens for an eight-yard score, however, it was not enough for the visitors as

the 49ers held out for their 7th win of the season.

The 49ers would end the 1987 season with the top offense and third-ranked defense. Their 13-2 record during the strike-shortened season was the strongest in the entire league and they were clear favourites to go on to win the Super Bowl.

Montana set a career high of 31 touchdowns in the season, even though the campaign was one game shorter than usual.

Meanwhile, Jerry Rice broke the franchise record for the number of points scored by a player in a single season with 138. He also led the NFL by breaking the franchise record for touchdowns with an outstanding 23.

In an upset that still shocks to this day, the 49ers were beaten in the playoffs by the Minnesota Vikings who won by a score of 36-24. It was Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins however, who would go on to emerge victorious in Super Bowl XXII, hammering the Denver Broncos 42-10 in San Diego.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Kadwill

This Week in 49ers History: Week 7, 1950

The clocks roll back a whopping 64 years this week as we look at a week 7 matchup from the 1950 season, when the San Francisco 49ers took on the Baltimore Colts.

The 1950 season was the 49ers first in the National Football League. The team was forced to move leagues when the All American Football Conference folded after the end of the 1949 season. Just three AAFC teams made the transition, with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts joining the 49ers in the NFL.

This San Francisco side consisted of many players who went on to become legends for the club.

Behind center, the 49ers relied upon the charismatic quarterback Frankie Albert, who had steered the offense since its first ever season in 1946. At 5' 9" and 166 pounds, the uncharacteristically slight QB had a knack for making plays and was named to the Pro Bowl after the 1950 season.

49ers quarterback Frankie Albert

As well as quarterbacking the team, he was also the leading punter. This was relatively common in the era where every player had at least two roles on the team. After his playing days were over, Albert went on to become the head coach of the 49ers between 1956 and 1958.

Alongside Albert on the offense stood Gordie Saltau, who served as both a leading receiver and the kicker. He put up a team-high 44 points during the season.

The San Francisco rushing attack primarily consisted of future hall of famer Joe 'The Jet' Perry and 'Johnny Strike' Strzykalski. Both rushed for over 600 yards each in 1950, with Stryzalski also proving to be a venerable receiving threat out of the backfield. Alongside his 612 rushing yards, Johnny Strike also accumulated 178 receiving yards during the campaign.

Joe 'The Jet' Perry

With their first ever pick in the NFL draft, the 49ers chose Leo Nomellini. The Italian-born defensive tackle went by the nickname of 'The Lion' and was not only a successful football player, but a famous wrestling champion too. During the offseason Nomellini would wrestle in the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance), becoming a seven-time NWA World Tag-Team Champion.

On the field he was no less fearless, earning a Pro Bowl berth in his rookie season and compiling a career that included 10 Pro Bowl selections and nine All-Pro selections. Nomellini spent his entire 14-year professional career with the 49ers and was entered into the NFL Hall Of Fame in 1969.

In the AAFC years, San Francisco had become increasingly successful and reached the championship game at the end of the 1949 season. The club had hoped that the upward trend would follow them into the older and more established NFL, but their inaugural season was to be a difficult one.

After starting the 1950 season 0-5, the 49ers sealed their first win in a tense with the Detroit Lions, San Francisco emerging victorious 28-27. Even after that maiden victory, San Franciscans were still sceptical of the team's abilities against a winless Baltimore Colts team and only 14,800 people turned up at Kezar Stadium to watch the game.

This was to be the final year of the original Baltimore Colts franchise, which folded due to financial issues at the end of the season. They started life in the AAFC as the Miami Seahawks in 1946, but after several disasters the league confiscated the franchise and moved it to Baltimore, where the Colts were born in 1947.

The team's original colours from 1947 were green and silver, not the blue and white in which we know the Colts of today. They finished 7-7 in 1948, marking their most successful season.

During their first six games, the Colts lost by at least 10 points in each one, including a Week 6 thrashing by the Los Angeles Rams that saw Baltimore lose by 70-27 in what still stands as only the second time a team has conceded 70 or more points.

The Colts finished the 1950 season with another dubious record, becoming the only team in history to allow 50 or more points in four regular season games.

So the 1-5 49ers faced the 0-6 Colts in Week 7 but, records aside, the Niners were a much more talented side and entered the game as heavy favourites. As with any week in NFL history, however, the form guide was of little use.

The game

As could be expected from a match between two teams struggling for form, the first quarter was relatively quiet and finished scoreless.

San Francisco put the first points on the board when Emil Sitko found the end zone with a four-yard rush. This was Sitko's first and only season on the team and his only touchdown too. With Soltau hitting the extra point, the 49ers were up 7-0.

Y.A. Tittle in Baltimore colours

The Colts replied later on in the second quarter as Y.A. Tittle found Hal Crisler – who finished the game with 117 yards - for a 31-yard touchdown pass.

The 49ers' passing offense was struggling to get into rhythm against a Colts defense that was looking to prove its worth after being gashed for 359 passing yards and five touchdowns in the previous week's clash against the Rams.

Baltimore's secondary did a sterling job, intercepting three Albert passes, yet the defense could not stop 49ers fullback Joe Perry from having another big game, in which he amassed 162 rush yards on 16 attempts.

While the Colts were stopping the passing attack but enduring struggles against the run, the 49er defense was having the opposite problem.

Baltimore were held to a paltry 21 total rushing yards in the game and just could through a San Francisco front seven that included rookie sensation Nomellini.

Former 49er and pro wrestler Leo Nomellini

Instead the away team found that they were able to move the ball freely through the air with Tittle passing for 271 yards, although he was picked off four times.

The second half started much in the same way as the first, with the offensive difficulties continuing into a scoreless third quarter.

Albert stumbled in from a yard out to break the deadlock before a 13-yard field goal gave the 49ers a 10-point lead.

Thinking the game was all but won, the 49ers eased off the accelerator and almost paid the ultimate price as the Colts cut the deficit to three points with a one-yard Chet Mutryn score, only for the 49ers to survive and come through 17-14 after a tense finish.

The Colts, buoyed by their best performance of the season against the 49ers, went on to beat the Green Bay Packers 41-21 in Week 8 thanks to an amazing fourth quarter for Baltimore that featured a 96-yard rushing touchdown and three interceptions returned for scores.

That was to be the Colts only win of the season, though, as they slumped to a 1-11 record.

Meanwhile, the 49ers did not win again until they too beat the Packers in the final game of the season, San Francisco winning 30-14.

Thanks to their 3-9 season record, the 49ers would picked third overall in the 1951 NFL draft. With this pick they chose Yelberton Abraham Tittle, the man who they had faced in Week 7.

'The Bald Eagle' was originally drafted in 1948 by the Colts and was their starting quarterback during 1950. However, when the Colts folded at the end of the season, he was released and then redrafted by the 49ers, with whom he spent 10 seasons before being controversially traded to the New York 

Giants in 1961.

Tittle lead the Giants to three consecutive division titles in the most successful spell of his career, which he finished without winning an NFL crown.

An interesting side note to this game is that the 49ers had a player on their roster by the name of Clay Matthews while the Colts Kicker was called Rex Grossman, indicating that if you want your offspring to play in the NFL, maybe pick a name that already has some history in the league.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Kadwill

This Week in 49ers History: Week 6, 1990

Way back 24 years ago this week the San Francisco 49ers travelled to Georgia to face the Atlanta Falcons in what was to become an historic game in the history of the franchise.

The 1990 team was one of the most talented in the club's illustrious history.  Coming off of the back of a Super Bowl winning season in 1989, the 49ers added more talent to their defense by drafting defensive end Dennis Brown in the second round.

Brown played for several years and accumulated a healthy amount of sacks including six in his rookie season. The team's third round pick was defensive back Eric Davis, who enjoyed a great career and was a key member of the victorious Super Bowl XXIX team and went on to become a prominent football commentator.

Going into the season, head coach George Seiffert and the 49ers were aiming for the NFL's first ever 'three-peat'.

By Week 6 the Niners were well on their way with an impressive 4-0 start, defeating the Falcons in Week 3 by a 19-13 scoreline.

Having run San Francisco close, a young and gifted Atlanta team that featured sophomore cornerback and future Hall of Famer Deion Sanders came out to the media and all but guaranteed victory in the return meeting at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The game

The 49ers received the ball to start the game and opened the scoring just three plays later when Joe Montana found Jerry Rice for a 24-yard touchdown.

Atlanta's much vaunted offense emphatically responded later in the first quarter as star wide receiver Andre Rison scored on a 75-yard touchdown to level the scores at 7-7.

But, before the end of the quarter Montana and Rice – who recorded his first 100-catch season in 1990 - struck again, connecting on a 25-yard score to restore the 49ers' advantage.

Yet Atlanta continued to show great resiliency, which was highlighted again with defensive back Bobby Butler's scoop and score following a blocked 49er punt.

Montana was quite simply stunning for the entirety of the encounter, throwing two more touchdown passes before the end of the first half.

First the San Francisco signal-caller found wideout Mike Sherrard for a 43-yard strike and then displayed his precision again by hitting Rice for the third time to give the Niners a seemingly comfortable lead.

Atlanta refused to lie down, though, and capped an impressive drive with quarterback Chris Miller's five-yard touchdown pass to receiver James Milling to continue the shootout, although the 49ers tacked on 56-yard field goal from Mike Cofer before half-time to lead by 10 at the interval.

Both defenses made adjustments during the break and the free scoring of the first half came to something of a halt, with the only six-pointer of the third quarter as Montana produced another example of his rapport with Rice, who hauled in his fourth touchdown pass.

Rice then made the game safe in the fourth quarter by becoming only the third player in NFL history to catch five touchdowns in a single game and put the 49ers 45-21 to the good.

Miller tossed a three-yard pass to tight end Gary Wilkins before missing the rest of the game with a sprained MCL but, although backup Scott Campbell linked up with Rison to cut the gap to 45-35, the Falcons were unable to rally to a comeback as San Francisco emerged victorious.

Montana finished 32 of 49 with a career-high 476 yards and six touchdowns, while also throwing two interceptions, and Rice's record-tying day saw him make 13 catches for 225 yards.

Notable on the Atlanta side was Rison, whose 172 receiving yards and two touchdowns would normally have been headline news, however, he was barely mentioned due to the exploits of Montana and Rice.

Notable quotes after the game:

Falcons head coach Jerry Glanville:  "I don't know of a quarterback that can play any better than that, he (Montana) taught us a lesson we didn't want to learn."

"We did everything I know in football to the quarterback and it didn't seem to matter. . . . I can't wait until that quarterback retires."

Wide receiver Andre Rison:  "What champions are made of, thats what they taught us."

George Seiffert, 49ers head coach: "Our passing game was particularly good today....It was the best since I've been a head coach. We used the audible well against the blitz."

Joe Montana: "I had an off and on day.  At times I played well but not up to the standards of a Super Bowl."

The 49ers finished the season with an impressive 14-2 record and looked certain to be heading back to the Super Bowl for the third time in succession.  Sadly however, they fell one game short when the New York Giants managed to beat them in the NFC Championship game.  The Giants then went on to win Super Bowl XXV, beating the Buffalo Bills 20-19.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Kadwill

Niners defying doubters with hard-fought victories

Before I start with my first piece for this blog in what feels like an age, I must offer my gratitude to Paul Kadwill, whose always entertaining accounts of games from years gone by have kept this site up to date with fresh content each week.

But, while Paul has been taking a look back at the San Francisco 49ers' past, the current team has been writing the story of the 2014 season and, after the first three games, it looked set to be an unhappy tale.

Following a Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Niners suffered two second-half meltdowns in defeats to the Chicago Bears and the division rival Arizona Cardinals, leading to questions over the play of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the pass rush and the secondary as well as further speculation surrounding the future of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Various media reports have suggested that there is discord in the 49ers' locker room, with players supposedly keen for Harbaugh to be removed from his post.

San Francisco have responded to the rumours that have dogged their start to the campaign in the perfect manner, by winning.

There was little pretty about the losses to the Bears and Cardinals, which featured sloppy penalties and poor clock management in addition to plenty of offensive miscues and disappointing defensive performances.

However, in home games attended by some extremely fortunate members of our UK faithful crew, the Niners have bounced back impressively.

First the 49ers held the Philadelphia Eagles' offense without a touchdown and survived a collection of special teams mishaps to claim a 26-21 victory that was clinched with a defiant goal-line stand in the fourth quarter.

The defense may have secured that game for the Niners, yet what set up the triumph was a return to a power-run game reliant on running-back Frank Gore.

Gore had been very much neglected through the first three weeks of the season but put up a 100-yard game against the Eagles before repeating the feat this past Sunday as San Francisco dealt former quarterback Alex Smith a defeat on his return to the Bay with the Kansas City Chiefs, who the Niners overcame 22-17.

Smith ended the game in what many Niner fans will feel was fitting fashion, tossing a pick to Perrish Cox - who recorded his third interception of the season - on a potential game-winning drive to hand the victory to San Francisco.

Once again, though, it was Gore that laid the foundation for the win with 107 yards on 18 carries, the 49ers all-time leading rusher receiving good backup from impressive deputy Carlos Hyde.

San Francisco has displayed significant character in these two triumphs, which have been born of the physical brand of football that has the Niners to three consecutive NFC Championship games.

Still, the recent victories are unlikely to quiet the noises about Harbaugh's relationship with both his players and the franchise hierarchy.

Winning is the only way for the 49ers to prove that they remain a united group, however, the St Louis Rams promise to be no pushovers in Week 5, despite their 1-3 record.

Monday's contest in St Louis will come a day after the second game of baseball's National League Championship Series for the San Francisco Giants in the same city.

For a 49ers team aiming to prove they still have the talent and the togetherness to win a sixth Super Bowl crown, the prime-time clash with the Rams is just as big.

This week in 49ers history: Week 5, 2004

This week sees us turn the clock back a decade to a classic encounter between the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. The 2004 season can be used as a benchmark for bleakness.  But, there were flashes of excitement too, including this game.

The 2004 campaign was the second and final year for head coach Dennis Erickson, who was looking to guide his team to the playoffs after going 7-9 in 2003.

But the 49ers lost a number of key players prior to the season, with Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens and Garrison Hearst all leaving for pastures new.

Garcia was let go primarily because the team were suffering serious issues with their salary cap.

However, Erickson's style of offense was a significant departure from the west coast offense in which Garcia had thrived under head coach Steve Mariucci.

After a drop off in performance from Garcia in 2003, long-time backup Tim Rattay was given the starting job for the new season.  Halfway through 2004, however, Rattay was put on injured reserve and second-year player Ken Dorsey served as signal-caller for the rest of the term.

The turbulent relationship between the team and Owens led to the wide receiver eventually leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens was blocked by the wideout's camp.

After a couple of tense weeks Baltimore received their second-round pick back from the 49ers and Owens was off to the Eagles for a fifth-round pick and defensive end Brandon Whiting, who tore a knee ligament during the '04 season and never played for the 49ers again.

Hearst was one of the most exciting running-backs in franchise history but sadly his time was severely impacted by a horrific injury that led to him being diagnosed with avascular necrosis and missing two seasons.

He gallantly returned and posted another 1,000 yard rushing season in 2001 but was never the same after the injury. Hearst finished the 2003 season with 748 rushing yards, yet by then had been supplanted by Kevan Barlow and duly retired after a short stint with the Denver Broncos following his release from the 49ers.

The 49ers' 2004 draft was very much hit and miss. San Francisco's first-round selection, wide receiver Rashaun Woods, proved to be a disaster, although guard Justin Smiley and cornerback Shawntae produced several years of solid service.

The team also signed defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga, who also went on to be a starter but only after missing his entire rookie season through injury.

But the real steal of the 49ers draft came with the sixth-round selection of punter Andy Lee, who remains one of best in the league at his position and is still an integral part of the current side.

San Francisco started the 2004 campaign with narrow defeats but were then on the wrong end of a 34-0 drubbing by the Seattle Seahawks, which was followed by a 24-14 loss to the St Louis Rams in a scoreline that flattered the 49ers.

Those results left the 49ers 0-4 going into the Week 5 matchup with the division rival Cardinals, their worst start to a season since going 0-7 in 1979 and not what the fans who had witnessed the glory days were used to or expected.

The Game

After a scoreless first quarter a familiar pattern began to emerge when Arizona put the first points on the board with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Josh McCown to Freddie Jones.

The 49ers replied with a 37-yard field but the Cardinals extended their lead before the half with a second touchdown pass prior to the two-minute warning.

Getting the ball back, the 49ers put together a tidy drive using their two-minute offense but the chance to score a touchdown was halted by an Arizona sack with the 49ers on the Cardinals 14 yard line, leaving the Niners to settle for another three-pointer.

The 49ers retained possession to start the second half with the hope that a score on their first drive would put them back into contention for their first win of the season.

This was not to be the case, though, as the Cardinals forced a three and out. However, the San Francisco defense also stiffened and was rewarded as Arnaz Battle returned an Arizona punt for a 71-yard touchdown.

A two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful and the score did not swing the momentum in favour of the 49ers, with the two teams trading punts consistently in the third quarter, giving Lee plenty of opportunity to hone his craft.

The Cardinals managed to find a spark on offense heading into the fourth quarter courtesy of rookie wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who hauled in a 35-yard pass to move Arizona within 10 yards of the end zone and set up tailback Emmit Smith for the score.

Smith's touchdown left the Niners facing a nine-point deficit, which was increased further when Fitzgerald caught his first career touchdown for 24 yards as the Cardinals capitalised on a poor punt from Lee after Rattay was sacked on the first play of the 49ers' drive.

Down 28-12 with 8:19 remaining after another anaemic performance, the 49er offense suddenly found life, Rattay hitting Barlow, tight end Eric Johnson and receivers Brandon Lloyd, Curtis Conway and Cedrick Wilson to move San Francisco down to the eight-yard line.

Finally Rattay was able to put the ball into the end zone, finding Johnson on fourth and goal before a successful two-point conversion cut Arizona's lead to 28-20.

Now it was the time for the porous San Francisco defense to step up.  Looking to run off the clock Arizona started with a run but were held for no gain.  On second down, Josh McCown had his pass fall incomplete to Larry Fitzgerald, setting up a huge third down with 10 yards to go.

Troy Hambrick caught a McCown pass but was stopped valiantly by linebacker Brandon Moore before the first-down marker, giving the Cardinals little option but to punt.

The 49ers started their drive from their own 28 with 2:48 left.  After a critical third-down conversion by Barlow, San Francisco stopped the clock with 2:14 remaining in regulation and on their own 40-yard line.

On the ensuing play Tim Rattay scrambled all the way to the Arizona 45-yard line for a 15-yard gain, with just enough time for the 49ers to use another time-out before the two-minute warning.

Next Rattay saw a six-yard pass to Johnson turn into an 11-yard gain courtesy of a face-mask penalty on Arizona and then survived potential disaster as center Eric Hetimann fell on a fumble from the quarterback after he had been sacked by Bertrand Berry.

It did not take long for Rattay to regain his composure, hitting Conway for 14 yards, a completion that led to a 23-yard touchdown to Brandon Lloyd, who then successfully added another two-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28 and send the Candlestick Park crowd into raptures.

The Cardinals had less than a minute to try and seal the victory but were forced to put after a drive in which McCown was sacked by Dwaine Carpenter

Starting on their 39-yard line, the 49ers looked to have been held to a quick three and out on their first possession after opting to take a knee and send the game to overtime, yet a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Arizona's Darnell Dokett crucially kept the drive alive.

A 23-yard pass to Johnson moved the Niners down to the Cardinals' 16-yard line, only for the tight end to be flagged for holding on the next play.

Two carries for 12 yards from Kevan Barlow negated that penalty yardage, setting up Todd Peterson for a 32-yard field goal attempt to win the game following a Cardinals time-out.

Peterson made no mistake and knocked it through the uprights to seal the Niners first win of the 2004 season.

Rattay finished the game 38 of 57 for 417 yards with 2 touchdowns, while Lloyd had five receptions for 56yds and a score.

However, Lloyd was outshone by the superb Johnson, who put up a magnificent 13 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Any glimmers of hope found in this game were sadly short-lived, as the Niners failed to win again until the return match against the Cardinals in Arizona, which was to finish in another 31-28 overtime win in Week 14.

With a 2-14 record, the 2004 San Francisco 49ers were afforded the first overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft, which they used, somewhat surprisingly, to select Alex Smith over local-boy and Niners fan Aaron Rodgers.

Prior to that drama Erickson was removed from his post as head coach just two years into a lucrative five-year contract.  He was replaced by Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, the son of Dick Nolan, who had enjoyed reasonable success as the 49ers head coach during the 60s and 70s.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Kadwill