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148-629: In 2007, their player/Head Coach was Jon Horton , formerly of the San Francisco 49ers . Many of the current and past players of the Maastricht Wildcats are U.S. Military members, former American high school and collegiate players now stationed in the neighboring areas, and former German Football League players. The Maastricht Wildcats won the Dutch National Championships on October 28, 2007, by defeating

296-405: A 2–14 season and a 6–10 season to a Super Bowl championship. The 1982 season was a retrogression; the team lost all five games at Candlestick Park en route to a 3–6 record in a strike-shortened season. This year was the 49ers' last losing season for the next 17 years. Joe Montana was the one highlight, passing for 2,613 yards in just nine games, highlighted by five straight games in which he broke

444-539: A Monday night game versus Detroit on December 28, 1992. With the 49ers clinging to a 7–6 lead, Montana entered the game and looked as though he had not missed a single snap, completing 15–21 for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns, as the 49ers defeated the Lions 24–6. The 49ers finished the 1992 season with a 14–2 record and home-field advantage in the playoffs. San Francisco defeated the Washington Redskins 20–13 in

592-473: A bounce-back year after his injuries the previous year and being questioned by the media if he could still produce at a high level, by throwing 31 touchdown passes, a career-high. He also set the NFL record for most consecutive pass attempts without an incomplete pass (22), passed for 3,054 yards, and had a passer rating of 102.1. Rice had established himself as an elite receiver, he caught 65 passes for 1,078 yards and

740-487: A fine rookie year, leading the 49ers with 705 yards rushing. He and fellow running back Larry Schreiber combined for over 1,300 yards rushing. With Steve Spurrier injured and missing nearly the entire year, the 49ers did not have a regular quarterback but did put together a respectable 6–8 record. Following the season, longtime tight end Ted Kwalick left the 49ers to join the World Football League , then

888-408: A key defensive stand. In the '81 season, the defense had been a significant reason for the team's success, despite hiding in the shadow of the then-innovative offense. Montana won MVP honors mostly on the strength of leading the 49ers on a 92-yard, 12-play drive culminating in a touchdown pass to Earl Cooper. The 49ers completed one of the most dramatic and complete turnarounds in NFL history, going from

1036-813: A late field goal attempt in that game by San Francisco kicker Ray Wersching went off the uprights and was no good. In the playoffs, they beat the New York Giants 21–10, shut out the Chicago Bears 23–0 in the NFC championship, and in Super Bowl XIX the 49ers shut down a record-setting year by NFL MVP Dan Marino (and his speedy receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper), beating the Miami Dolphins 38–16. Their entire defensive backfield (Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, Dwight Hicks, and Carlton Williamson)

1184-585: A low turnout forced the game to be moved indoors to Chicago Stadium . The game was played under modified rules on a shortened 80-yard dirt field, and the Bears won with a final score of 9–0. As a result of the game, the Bears had the better winning percentage (.875) and won the league title. The loss gave the Spartans a final winning percentage of .750 and moved them to third place behind the Packers. While there

1332-705: A matchup against the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC Championship. In the final home game for the 49ers at Kezar Stadium , the 49ers kept up with the Cowboys before losing 17–10, which resulted in the Cowboys going to Super Bowl V . The 49ers sent five players to the Pro Bowl that season, including MVP veteran quarterback John Brodie , wide receiver Gene Washington , and linebacker Dave Wilcox . Nolan

1480-414: A modified playoff format was instituted. Divisional play was ignored (there were some cases where division rivals had both games wiped out by the strike, although each division ultimately sent at least one team to the playoffs), and the top eight teams from each conference (based on W-L-T record) were advanced to the playoffs. As a result, this became the first time that teams with losing records qualified for

1628-469: A one-yard touchdown run by Colts fullback Alan Ameche after eight minutes and fifteen seconds of extra time. Overtime under the original format was sudden death , the first team to score would be declared the winner. In March 2010 , the NFL amended its rules for postseason overtime, with the rule being extended into the regular season in March 2012. If a team scores a touchdown, or if the defense scores

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1776-414: A prominent role. He also acquired veteran linebacker Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds and veteran defensive end and sack specialist Fred Dean . These additions, when added to existing defensive mainstays like Keena Turner , turned the 49ers into an offensively and defensively balanced, dominant team. After a 1–2 start, the 49ers won all but one of their remaining games to finish with a 13–3 record; at this time, it

1924-600: A resurgence, rushing for 792 yards. Once again Gene Washington was the team's leading receiver with 457 yards receiving and six scores. The 49ers started the season 6–1 for their best start since 1970. Most of the wins were against second-tier teams, although the 49ers did shut out the Rams 16–0, in Los Angeles on Monday Night Football . In that game the 49ers recorded 10 sacks, including 6 by Tommy Hart . However,

2072-533: A safety on the (other team's) first possession, it is declared the winner. If it scores a field goal on its first possession, however, it then kicks off to the opposing team, which has an opportunity to score; if the score is tied again after that possession, true sudden death rules apply and whoever scores next will win. True sudden death rules would continue from double overtime hereafter. The league further amended its postseason overtime rules in March 2022 , allowing both teams to have at least one possession even if

2220-426: A second wild-card team to each conference. The first round of the playoffs is dubbed the wild-card round , wild-card weekend , or, since 2021, super wild-card weekend . In this round, the second-seeded division winner hosts the seventh-seeded wild card team, the third hosts the sixth, and the fourth hosts the fifth. There are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. The team with

2368-484: A single postseason (131), most consecutive seasons leading the league in scoring (4), most consecutive games scored (420 games from 1977 to 2004), most field goals in a season (44), most games won in a season (18), and most touchdowns (8) and points scored (55) in a Super Bowl . According to Forbes , the 49ers are the sixth most-valuable team in the NFL, valued at $ 5.2 billion in August 2022. In 2020, they were ranked

2516-548: A storied college career, leading the Fighting Irish to the 1977 national title and a number of dramatic comeback victories, the most stunning of all being his final game, at the 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic . Playing the University of Houston in an ice storm, and with Montana suffering from a bad flu, Notre Dame was down 34–10 in the third quarter. However, Montana led a magnificent rally that culminated with him throwing

2664-427: A successful onside kick that was recovered by Mel Renfro , giving the Cowboys the ball at midfield with 1:20 left on the clock. With the 49ers on the ropes, Staubach scrambled for 21 yards, then completed a 19-yard sideline pass to Billy Parks who went out of bounds at the 10-yard line to stop the clock. Staubach then completed the comeback with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ron Sellers with only 52 seconds left, giving

2812-574: A then NFL-record 22 touchdowns in just 12 games. 1987 was the second of six seasons in which Rice would lead the NFL in receiving or touchdown receptions, he was named Offensive Player of the Year . By the end of the regular season the 49ers were ranked No. 1 on both offense and defense and were heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl. However, they were stunned in the NFC divisional round , losing 36–24 to what

2960-644: A tie-breaker system was introduced. The first round determined the conference's champion and its representative in the NFL Championship Game , played the following week. During the three years (1967–69) that this playoff structure was in effect, there was one use of the tie-breaker system. In 1967, the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Colts ended the season tied at 11–1–2 for the lead in the Coastal Division. The Colts came into

3108-471: A tiebreaker – for example, if a division runner-up ties with teams finishing third and fourth in another division, the runner-up's record will be compared to the team awarded third place in the other division without regard to the teams' divisional finish. If three or four teams in one division are tied for the division title and/or division runner-up, and also if after breaking ties within divisions three or four teams in different divisions are tied, then should

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3256-551: A tight end, the Cowboys went off their strategy and drafted Doug Cosbie . The 49ers took Montana. The 49ers' other notable draft choice of the 1979 draft was wide receiver Dwight Clark in the 10th round. Walsh discovered the unheralded Clark while scouting quarterback Steve Fuller of Clemson University as Clark ran routes for Fuller during Walsh's evaluation of the quarterback. Walsh's serendipitous discovery of Clark proved to be an early glimpse into his philosophy for picking talent. As Walsh implemented his strategies and game plan,

3404-503: A touchdown pass on the game's final play to give Notre Dame the 35–34 win. Despite this, most scouts did not peg Montana as a top prospect. Although 6'2" and 190–200 lbs., Montana's arm strength was considered suspect as was the consistency of his play. Although he did get his share of the credit, most thought of him as a system player surrounded by a great team. In the 1979 draft, the Dallas Cowboys were placed just ahead of

3552-482: A winning touchdown. On the next play, White was sacked by Lawrence Pillers and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Jim Stuckey , giving the 49ers the win and a trip to their first-ever Super Bowl, against the Cincinnati Bengals , who were also in their first Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XVI The 49ers took a 20–0 halftime lead and held on to win 26–21 behind kicker Ray Wersching 's four field goals and

3700-486: Is 82 minutes, 40 seconds: Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian made the walk-off 37-yard field goal after 7:40 of the second overtime to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs , 27–24, in an AFC playoff game on December 25, 1971. The NFL's method for determining its champions has changed over the years. From the league's founding in 1920 until 1932, there was no scheduled championship game. From 1920 to 1923,

3848-406: Is further divided into four geographic divisions of four teams each. As of 2020, qualification into the playoffs works as follows: If teams are tied (having the same regular season won-lost-tied record), the playoff seeding is determined by a set of tie-breaking rules . The names of the first two playoff rounds date back to the postseason format that was first used in 1978, when the league added

3996-510: Is given credit for popularizing the ' West Coast offense '. The Bill Walsh offense was actually created and refined while he was an assistant coach with the Bengals. The offense utilizes a short, precise, timed passing game as a replacement/augmentation of the running game. The offense is extremely difficult to defend against as it is content to consistently make 6–8-yard gains all the way down the field. (The other West Coast offense—more focused on

4144-735: Is named after the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and joined the NFL in 1949 when the leagues merged. The 49ers were the first major league professional sports franchise based in San Francisco. They are the 10th oldest franchise in the NFL, and have been family owned and operated exclusively by Italian Americans (Morabito and DeBartolo families, respectively) since

4292-457: Is no consensus that this game was a real "championship" game (or even a playoff game), it generated considerable interest and led to the creation of the official NFL Championship Game in 1933 . Given the interest of the impromptu "championship game", and the desire of the league to create a more equitable means of determining a champion, the league divided into two conferences beginning in 1933 . The first-place teams in each conference met in

4440-407: Is often a decreased emphasis on regular season performance as a result. In October 2013, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced plans to revisit the idea to expand the playoffs to 14 teams, with the increased revenue gained from the two additional postseason games being used to offset plans to shorten the preseason. The 14-team playoff proposal remained tabled until December 2014, when no team in

4588-421: The 12th most valuable sports team in the world , behind the Los Angeles Rams and above the Chicago Bears . In June 2023, the enterprise branch of the 49ers completed the acquisition of English soccer club Leeds United . The San Francisco 49ers, an original member of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC), were the first major league professional sports franchise based in San Francisco, and one of

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4736-480: The 1970 season 7–1–1, with their only loss a one-point defeat to Atlanta . After losses to Detroit and Los Angeles , the 49ers won their next two games before the season finale against the Oakland Raiders . Going into the game, the 49ers had a half-game lead on the Rams and needed either a win or a Giants victory against the Rams in their finale to give the 49ers their first-ever divisional title. In

4884-463: The 1989 NFL season , Joe Montana threw for 3,521 yards and 26 touchdowns, with only 8 interceptions, giving him a 112.4 quarterback rating, which was then the highest single-season passer rating in NFL history, and was named NFL Most Valuable Player . Jerry Rice, in his fifth year in the league, continued to dominate; he led the league with almost 1,490 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns. The 49ers clinched their fourth straight division title, beating

5032-466: The 2015–16 season , every road team won their respective Wild Card playoff game, the first such occurrence in NFL history. Through 2019 however, NFL owners remained adamant that every division winner should still be rewarded with a home playoff game regardless of record. Calls to expand the playoffs to 14 teams began in 2006. Proponents of expansion noted the increased revenue that could be gained from an additional two playoff games. They also noted that

5180-510: The Green Bay Packers (10–3–1) had more wins, but a lower winning percentage (.769) as calculated under the rules of the day, which ignored ties. The Bears and Spartans had played to ties in both of their matchups, so the head-to-head tiebreaker did not apply. An additional game was therefore needed to determine a champion. It was agreed that the game would be played at Chicago 's Wrigley Field , but severe winter weather and fear of

5328-1209: The Loma Prieta earthquake : 2020 due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area : The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners ) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area . The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division . The team plays its home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California , located 38 miles (61 km) southeast of San Francisco . The team

5476-472: The Los Angeles Raiders via Plan B free agency. In 1991 , Steve Young injured the thumb on his throwing hand and later was sidelined with an injured knee. After 10 games, the 49ers had a record of 4–6. Backup quarterback Steve Bono helped the team win its next five games with Young sidelined. In the final game of the season, Monday night versus the NFC's number two seed, Young returned and

5624-492: The Los Angeles Rams 30–27 after a dramatic second-half comeback; they finished 14–2, gaining home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Their two losses were by a combined five points. In the divisional playoffs, they easily defeated the Vikings, 41–13. In the NFC championship game , they played against the Rams for a third time; the previous two games had been decided by a total of 4 points, but they were able to blow out

5772-465: The Los Angeles Rams in December. Rice was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year after recording 49 catches for 927 yards, and averaging 19.9 yards per catch, Roger Craig became the first NFL player to gain 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. In the 1985 playoffs, the 49ers were quickly eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Giants 17–3. In the 1986 NFL season,

5920-514: The Los Angeles Rams of the late 1940s alternating Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield . In all DeBerg started nine games, going 4–5 with 1,998 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Montana started seven games, going 2–5 with 1,795 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine picks; Montana also had a better completion percentage at 64.5 to DeBerg's 57.9. The highlight of the 1980 season, and a sign of good things to come, came in Week 14. The 49ers trailed

6068-506: The New Orleans Saints , who at the time were winless at 0–13, 35–7 at halftime. However, led by Joe Montana , the 49ers made (what was then) possibly the greatest comeback in NFL history, coming back to tie the score in regulation and winning the game in overtime with a field goal by Ray Wersching to give the 49ers an incredible 38–35 victory. It was this game, which marked Montana's first big NFL comeback win, that won Montana

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6216-493: The Pacific Time Zone , so they had to be played on Saturday and Sunday to accommodate for time differences. In 1985, both the New York Giants and Jets hosted wild-card games. As they have shared a home stadium since 1984, the games had to be played on different days. For the 1990 season, a third wild-card team for each conference was added, expanding the playoffs to twelve teams. The lowest-seeded division winner

6364-473: The Washington Redskins , by 24–20. This set up a rematch against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game, this time played in Dallas. Though the defense again held the Cowboys in check, the 49ers offense was ineffective, and the eventual Super Bowl champion Cowboys beat the 49ers again, 14–3. In 1971, eight 49ers made the Pro Bowl , including defensive back Jimmy Johnson and Gene Washington , both for

6512-726: The playoffs were expanded to four teams (division winners). When the league completed its merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970 , the playoffs were expanded to eight teams, which increased to ten in 1978 , twelve in 1990 , and fourteen in 2020 . Among the four major professional sports leagues in the United States , the NFL postseason is the only one to use a single-elimination tournament in all of its rounds. Major League Baseball (MLB) has traditionally used "best-of" series formats , though its Wild Card postseason round, initiated in 2012,

6660-504: The 12-team playoff system was implemented when the league still had 28 teams, four fewer than the 2002 expansion. The opposition to such a move notes that an expansion of the playoffs would "water down" the field by giving access to lower-caliber teams. Opponents of expansion further point to the NBA playoffs and the NHL playoffs where more than half of the teams qualify for the postseason, and there

6808-434: The 14-team playoff format in 2020 , placing a third wild-card team in each conference, and only giving the top seed a bye ( as explained above ). Correct as of the end of the 2023 regular season (including 2023–24 playoff berths). Notable current streaks in the table are listed below in bold . Only the longest streak for each team is listed. Note that the regular season increased from 14 to 16 games in 1978 , then to

6956-461: The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers , the 2011 Green Bay Packers and finally broken by the 2007 New England Patriots (with 16 regular-season victories). Their 18 wins overall is also still a record, tied by the 1985 Bears and the 2007 New England Patriots (who won 18 straight, but lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants ). The 49ers' only defeat in the 1984 season was a 20–17 loss to the Steelers;

7104-515: The 2019 season, the four division winners and two wild cards in both conferences are seeded 1–6, respectively, with the top two seeds receiving byes, and the highest seed in each round guaranteed to host the lowest seed. A limitation of the 12-team format was that division winners, including one with a .500 regular season record or a losing season, could play a home playoff game against wild card teams who had superior regular season records. Home field advantage does not guarantee success, however; during

7252-549: The 300-yard barrier. In 1983, the 49ers won their final three games and finished 10–6, winning their second NFC Western Divisional Title in three years. Leading the rebound was Joe Montana with another stellar season; he passed for 3,910 yards and 26 touchdowns. In the NFC Divisional Playoffs, the 49ers hosted the Detroit Lions. The 49ers jumped in front early and led 17–9 entering the 4th quarter, but

7400-479: The 49ers beat the Chicago Bears 52–14, finishing 10–6. However, the team missed qualifying for the playoffs by virtue of losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Atlanta Falcons , which had beaten the 49ers on a last-second Hail Mary pass earlier in the season. In 1992 , Joe Montana came back after missing almost two full seasons due to an elbow injury in his throwing arm and started the second half of

7548-498: The 49ers became the first NFL team to use the shotgun formation . It was named by the man who devised the formation, San Francisco 49ers' coach Red Hickey , in 1960. The formation, where the quarterback lines up seven yards behind the center, was designed to allow the quarterback extra time to throw. The formation was used for the first time in 1960 and enabled the 49ers to beat the Baltimore Colts , who were not familiar with

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7696-571: The 49ers got off to a quick start after a 31–7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on opening day. But the win was costly; Joe Montana injured his back and was out for two months, the injury was to a spinal disc in Montana's lower back and required immediate surgery. The injury was so severe that Montana's doctors suggested that Montana retire. On September 15, 1986, the 49ers placed Montana on the injured reserve list , Jeff Kemp became

7844-415: The 49ers had another year of losing, finishing 2–14 like the previous season. There were, however, a number of bright spots. Despite throwing more interceptions (21) than touchdowns (17), Steve DeBerg blossomed under Walsh, throwing for over 3,600 yards and completing 60% of his passes. Freddie Solomon also had a good year, with over 800 yards receiving. The running game was patchwork, with Paul Hofer leading

7992-404: The 49ers in 1978. The team was led in its turnaround from late 1970s doormat by new owner Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. and head coach Bill Walsh . The former head coach of Stanford University was known for stockpiling draft picks, making excellent draft selections, and patching roster holes by acquiring key free agents. Bill Walsh was hired to be the 49ers head coach in the 1978 off-season. Walsh

8140-533: The 49ers included defensive linemen Tommy Hart and Cleveland Elam , who made the Pro Bowl, and running backs Wilbur Jackson and Delvin Williams , who combined for over 1,600 yards rushing. Gene Washington again led the team in receiving in 1977, his final year with the 49ers. The 1977 offseason was marked by a number of questionable moves by Joe Thomas that backfired badly. Thomas's big offseason acquisition

8288-520: The 49ers lost four games in a row, including two against divisional rivals Los Angeles and Atlanta that proved fatal to their playoff hopes. Lou Spadia retired from the 49ers in 1977 upon the team's sale to the DeBartolo Family. The team was sold to Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. in March 1977, and despite finishing the season with a winning record of 8–6, Clark was fired after just one season by newly hired general manager Joe Thomas , who oversaw

8436-463: The 49ers, Walsh felt the team's best chance to win in the long run was with Montana. He alternated the two quarterbacks, giving Montana some experience while keeping opponents off guard. This strategy of alternating quarterbacks from game to game and during games is rare in football, although it had been employed by other successful teams in the past, specifically the Dallas Cowboys of the early 1970s who alternated Roger Staubach and Craig Morton , and

8584-420: The 49ers. The Cowboys' draft strategy through that time was to take the highest-ranked player on their draft board at the time of their selection, regardless of position. When the Cowboys' turn came up in the third round, the highest-rated player on their board was Montana. However, feeling that the quarterback position was in excellent long-term shape with Roger Staubach and Danny White , and desperately needing

8732-462: The AAFC, which would merge into the NFL for the 1950 season, used an identical playoff format to the NFL from 1946 to 1948. In 1949 (its last year), the AAFC merged its two conferences when one of its teams folded, and used a four-team playoff system. In 1948, the aforementioned issue of playoff inequity came into play when the San Francisco 49ers would miss the playoffs with a 12–2 record; they were in

8880-756: The AFC Central champions and the NFC West champions playing their games on the road. Then in 1971, it rotated to the AFC East champions and the NFC East champions playing their games on the road. In the 1972 divisional playoff games, the AFC West champions and the NFC Central champions were the visiting teams. And in 1973 it would start all over with the AFC Central and NFC West again, and again in 1974 with

9028-415: The AFC East champions and the NFC East champions playing their games on the road. The divisional playoff match-ups were pre-determined year by year. The designated division champion assigned to play on the road would travel to play the division champion from the same division as the wild card winner. The wild card team was only allowed to play their divisional rival in the conference championship, but not in

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9176-585: The AFC Western division champion and not the Central division, is because the AFC Eastern division winner played host to the AFC Central division winner in the divisional playoffs from the previous year (1970). This idea was designed to rotate playoff matchups year by year and not repeat. However, the rotation system led to several playoff inequities, such as: The league instituted a seeding system for

9324-658: The Amsterdam Crusaders, who had won the national title five times in a row, with a score of 25–16. However, on July 13, 2008, the Amsterdam Crusaders exacted revenge and regained the Tulip Bowl with a score of 20–8. Despite posting a 9–1 regular season record and losing only to Amsterdam Crusaders , Maastricht's 2009 season fell flat as they were shocked 10–7 in the semi-final game by Lightning Leiden . Another strong regular season in 2010 saw

9472-440: The Bears with a 28–3 victory, earning the team's third trip to the Super Bowl, to go against the Cincinnati Bengals . In Super Bowl XXIII , despite numerous trips deep into Cincinnati territory by the 49ers, the game was tied 3–3 at halftime. Early in the fourth quarter, Montana tied the score at 13; however, Cincinnati regained the lead on a Jim Breech field goal to put the Bengals ahead 16–13 with just over three minutes left on

9620-435: The Cowboys a dramatic 30–28 victory; it was the third straight season the Cowboys had defeated the 49ers in the postseason. It would also be their last postseason appearance for nine years . The 49ers run at the top of the NFC West ended in 1973 with the 49ers falling to a 5–9 record, their worst since 1969. The team lost six of its last eight games, including games to the also-ran New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions . In

9768-401: The Dallas Cowboys, who had the 17th selection overall, were intending to pick him. In the 1985 season, the 49ers were not as dominant as in 1984, finishing the regular season with a 10–6 record and a wild card berth. Jerry Rice struggled at times (dropping numerous passes), but he still impressed the NFL in his rookie season for the 49ers in 1985, especially after a 10-catch, 241-yard game against

9916-418: The Lions roared back, scoring two touchdowns to take a 23–17 lead. However, Montana led a comeback, hitting wide receiver Freddie Solomon on a game-winning 14-yard touchdown pass with 2:00 on the clock and putting the 49ers ahead 24–23. The game ended when Lions placekicker Eddie Murray missed a game-winning FG attempt. The next week, the 49ers came back from a 21–0 deficit against the Washington Redskins in

10064-539: The NFC South could finish better than .500; Goodell stated that the league would vote on it at the March 2015 Owners' Meetings. However, by February 2015, the Washington Post reported that support among team owners had eroded, and league leaders expressed reluctance to make a change until the end of the 2015 season. The proposal then lost all interest by 2017. The league eventually revisited and implemented

10212-484: The NFC West title. Jerry Rice continued to show improvement from the previous season catching 86 passes for a league-leading 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns. Montana was co-recipient of the 1986 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award, which he shared with Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer . However, the New York Giants would defeat the 49ers again in the playoffs, 49–3 in the team's worst post-season loss to date. Montana

10360-465: The NFC championship game to tie the game, before controversial penalties and a late Mark Moseley field goal sent the Redskins to a 24–21 victory and Super Bowl XVIII . In 1984, the 49ers had one of the greatest seasons in team history by finishing the regular season 15–1, setting the record for most regular-season wins that was later equaled by the 1985 Chicago Bears , the 1998 Minnesota Vikings ,

10508-472: The NFL Championship Game after the season. There was no tie-breaker system in place; any ties in the final standings of either conference resulted in playoff games in 1941 , 1943 , 1947 , 1950 (2), 1952 , 1957 , 1958 , and 1965 . Since the venue and date of the championship game were often not known until the last game of the season had been played, these playoff games sometimes delayed

10656-433: The NFL title game by a week. The playoff structure used from 1933 to 1966 was considered inequitable by some because of the number of times it failed to match the teams with the two best records in the championship game, as only the conference winners would qualify for playoff contention. Four times between 1950 and 1966 (in 1951 , 1956 , 1960 , and 1963 ) the team with the second-best win–loss record did not qualify for

10804-496: The NFL's best passers by throwing for 3,112 yards and 30 touchdowns. In 1966 , the Morabito widows named Lou Spadia team president. For the 1968 season , the 49ers hired Dick Nolan , who had been Tom Landry 's defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys , as their head coach. Nolan's first two seasons with the 49ers had gone much the same as the previous decade, with the 49ers going 7–6–1 and 4–8–2. The 49ers started out

10952-547: The NFL. After losing the opening game of the season, the 49ers won their next three against the Rams , Bears , and Packers before returning home to Kezar Stadium for a game against the Chicago Bears on October 27, 1957. The 49ers fell behind the Bears 17–7. 49ers owner Tony Morabito (1910–1957) collapsed of a heart attack and died during the game. The 49ers players learned of his death at halftime when coach Frankie Albert

11100-577: The Oakland Raiders upon the WFL's dissolution. The 49ers dropped to 5–9 in what would be Dick Nolan's final season as coach in 1975 , losing their final four games of the season. Wilbur Jackson was hurt much of the year and Delvin Williams led the 49ers in rushing with 631 yards rushing. Following the 1975 season the 49ers traded for New England Patriots quarterback Jim Plunkett , former Heisman Trophy winner from nearby Stanford University (which

11248-533: The Rams 30–3, earning another trip to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Denver Broncos in relatively easy fashion by a score of 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV – setting a record for points scored and widest margin of victory in a Super Bowl. Montana himself set many Super Bowl records (some since tied or surpassed) en route to his third Super Bowl MVP. In winning the Super Bowl, the 49ers became

11396-635: The Wildcats post an 8–2 record, losing only to Amsterdam Crusaders and Alphen Eagles . This time, Maastricht took care of business in the playoff game, dismissing the Amsterdam Panthers 44–20. Despite coming back strongly in the Tulip Bowl , the Wildcats were not quite able to overturn a 22-point first-half deficit, eventually losing the championship game 28–22 to rivals the Amsterdam Crusaders . San Francisco 49ers National Football League ( 1950 –present) 1989 due to

11544-445: The ball off balance to Dwight Clark, who leaped in the end zone and caught the ball to tie the game at 27 (" The Catch "), with the extra point giving the 49ers the lead. The Cowboys had one last chance to win. On the first play of the next possession, Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson caught a pass from Danny White and reached midfield before he was pulled down by the jersey at the 49ers' 44-yard line by cornerback Eric Wright, who prevented

11692-405: The best overall record from each conference receives a first round bye , automatically advancing them to the second round, dubbed the divisional round , and hosts the lowest-remaining seed from the wild-card round. Meanwhile, the other two winners from that round play each other with the higher seeds hosting. The two surviving teams from each conferences' divisional-round playoff games then meet in

11840-443: The bottom. The current tiebreakers are as follows, with coin tosses used if all of the criteria fail: The NFL introduced overtime for any divisional tiebreaker games beginning in 1940 and for championship games beginning in 1946 . The first postseason game to be played under these rules was the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants (the so-called "Greatest Game Ever Played"), decided by

11988-502: The championship was awarded to a team by a vote of team owners at the annual owners' meeting. From 1924 to 1932, the team having the best winning percentage was awarded the championship (the de facto standard owners had been using anyway). As each team played a different number of games, simply counting wins and losses would have been insufficient. Additionally, tie games were not counted in the standings in figuring winning percentage (under modern rules, ties count as ½ win and ½ loss). There

12136-536: The championship. In both years, the playoff winner went on the road for the AFL title game and lost. For 1969 , the final season before its merger with the NFL, the AFL added a first-round whereby each division winner played the second-place team from the other division. The winners of these games met in the AFL Championship Game . In the only year of this format, the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs were

12284-439: The clock. Following the kickoff, and a holding penalty, the 49ers took over on their 8-yard line with 3:08 left on the clock. Joe Montana began the final drive by stepping into the huddle and remarking to offensive tackle Harris Barton , during a television timeout, "hey, there's John Candy ", as he pointed to the stands on the other side of the field. His calm demeanor reassured the 49ers, and he then engineered what some consider

12432-432: The conference championship game. Thus, there would be times when the pairing in the divisional playoff round would be the 1 seed vs. the 3 seed and 2 vs. 4. Following an expansion of the regular season from 14 to 16 games in 1978 , the league added one more wild-card team for each conference. The two wild-card teams played the week before the division winners. The winner of this game played the top-seeded division winner as

12580-684: The decade of the 1950s, the 49ers were known for their so-called " Million Dollar Backfield ", consisting of four future Hall of Fame members: quarterback Y. A. Tittle and running backs John Henry Johnson , Hugh McElhenny , and Joe Perry . They became the only full-house backfield inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For most of the next 13 years, the 49ers hovered around .490, except for 1963 and 1964 when they went 2–12 and 4–10 respectively. Key players for these 49ers included running back Ken Willard , quarterback John Brodie , and offensive lineman Bruce Bosley . During this time

12728-417: The divisional playoff game but lost to the Dallas Cowboys 30–20 in the NFC championship at Candlestick Park. National Football League playoffs The National Football League ( NFL ) playoffs is the annual single-elimination tournament held to determine the league champion. The four-round tournament is held after the league's regular season. Since the 2020 season , seven teams from each of

12876-409: The divisional playoffs. In some years the designated road team was from the same division as the wild card team. In that case, the designated divisional road team would play one of the two other division champions, depending on the probable matchups from the previous year. For example, in the 1971 divisional playoffs, the AFC Eastern division winner was assigned to play on the road. The reason they played

13024-422: The early 1970s. The 49ers played the Cowboys tough, but the Cowboys forced six turnovers and held the lead late. The 49ers were down 27–21 and on their own 11-yard line with 4:54 remaining. As Montana had done for Notre Dame and the 49ers so many times, he led the 49ers on a sustained final 89-yard drive to the Cowboys' 6-yard line. On a 3rd-and-3 play, with his primary receiver covered, Montana rolled right and threw

13172-574: The early game, the Giants lost to the Rams 31–3, thus forcing the 49ers to win their game to clinch the division. In wet, rainy conditions in Oakland, the 49ers won against the Raiders, 38–7, giving the 49ers their first divisional title, which made them champions of the NFC West. The 49ers won their divisional playoff game 17–14 against the defending conference champion Minnesota Vikings , thus setting up

13320-482: The final minutes of the game, winning 15–13 and going on to win Super Bowl XXV . During their quest for a "three-peat" between 1988 and 1990, the 49ers set a league record with 18 consecutive road victories. Joe Montana missed almost all of the following two seasons with a recurring elbow injury. Following the 1990 season, the 49ers left team stalwarts Roger Craig and Ronnie Lott unprotected and let them go to

13468-427: The final season of his career, longtime 49ers quarterback John Brodie split playing time with two other quarterbacks, most notably longtime backup Steve Spurrier . The team also suffered from not having a dominant running back, with Vic Washington leading the team with only 534 yards rushing. In 1974 , the 49ers drafted Wilbur Jackson from the University of Alabama to be the team's primary back. Jackson enjoyed

13616-417: The first NFL Championship Game in 1933 , though in the early years, qualification for the game was based solely on regular-season records. From 1933 to 1966, the NFL postseason generally only consisted of the NFL Championship Game, which pitted the league's two division winners against each other (pending any one-game playoff matches that needed to be held to break ties in the division standings). In 1967 ,

13764-623: The first major league professional sports teams based on the Pacific Coast . In 1946, the team joined the Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC and the Los Angeles Rams of the rival National Football League as the first three teams playing a " big four "-sport in the Western United States, eventually becoming part of the NFL themselves in 1950. In 1957 , the 49ers enjoyed their first sustained success as members of

13912-506: The first overtime period, true sudden death rules would continue from the start of any third and subsequent overtime period. If a game reached a fifth overtime, another coin toss would be held and timing rules would be as if another new game started. Although a contest could theoretically last indefinitely, or last several overtime periods like several National Hockey League postseason games , no NFL playoff game has ever gone past two overtime periods. The longest NFL overtime game played to date

14060-399: The first team with possession scores a touchdown. Since postseason games cannot end in a tie, unlike the preseason or regular season, additional overtime periods are played as necessary until a winner is determined. Furthermore, all clock rules apply as if a game had started over. Therefore, if the first overtime period ends with the score still tied, the teams switch ends of the field before

14208-401: The formation. In 1961 , primarily using the shotgun, the 49ers got off to a fast 4–1 start, including two shutouts in back-to-back weeks. In their sixth game they faced the Chicago Bears, who by moving players closer to the line of scrimmage and rushing the quarterback, were able to defeat the shotgun and in fact shut out the 49ers, 31–0. Though the 49ers went only 3–5–1 the rest of the way,

14356-404: The fourth seed. The tie-breaking rules have changed over the years, with the most recent changes being made in 2002 to accommodate the league's realignment into eight four-team divisions; record vs. common opponents and most of the other criteria involving wins and losses were moved up higher in the tie-breaking list, while those involving compiled stats such as points for and against were moved to

14504-427: The greatest drive in Super Bowl history, as he drove the team 92 yards for the winning touchdown on a pass to John Taylor with only 34 seconds left, as they captured their third Super Bowl championship with a score of 20–16. Jerry Rice was named Super Bowl MVP. After Super Bowl XXIII, Bill Walsh retired as head coach; his defensive coordinator and handpicked successor, George Seifert , took over as head coach. In

14652-437: The home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly rotation. From 1970 to 1974, the divisional playoff round rotated which of the three division champions would have home-field advantage, with the wild-card team never having it; they and their opponents they faced in the divisional playoff game do not get home field advantage in the conference championship game. Starting in 1970, the divisional playoff games consisted of

14800-508: The last game of the season undefeated but were beaten by the Rams. Though the Colts shared the best win–loss record in the NFL that year, they failed to advance to the playoffs while three other teams with worse records won their divisions. This event figured into the decision in 1970 to include a wild-card team in the playoff tournament after the AFL–NFL merger . When the leagues merged in 1970 ,

14948-471: The league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage, with a tie-breaking procedure if required. The top team in each conference receives a first-round bye , automatically advancing to the next round. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl , the league's championship game, competed between teams from each conference. NFL postseason history can be traced to

15096-416: The league. 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. The 49ers faced the New York Giants in the divisional playoffs and won, 38–24. This set up an NFC championship game match-up with the Dallas Cowboys , whom the 49ers historically could not beat during their playoff runs in

15244-472: The most successful teams in NFL history. The 49ers sit alone in NFL history for most playoff wins (38), having been in the league playoffs 30 times (29 times in the NFL and one time in the AAFC), and have also played in the most NFC Championship games (19), hosting 11 of them, also an NFC record. The team has set numerous notable NFL records , including most consecutive away games won (18), most points scored in

15392-499: The new NFL (with 26 teams) reorganized into two conferences—the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC)—with three divisions each. From the 1970 season to the 1977 season, four teams from each conference (for a total of eight teams) qualified for the playoffs each year. These four teams included the three division champions, and a fourth wild-card team. Originally,

15540-414: The off-season, a quarterback controversy between Joe Montana and Steve Young had begun after Montana's poor performance in the playoffs the previous year. Many speculated that the 1988 season would be his last year with the team. In the 1988 NFL season , the 49ers struggled to start the season; Walsh would constantly switch QBs between Montana (who suffered an elbow injury week 1 that would linger for most of

15688-437: The older NFL. The success of the rival league eventually led to a full merger of the two leagues. From the 1966 season to the 1969 season (Super Bowls I–IV) the game featured the champions of the AFL and NFL. In 1967 , the NFL expanded to 16 teams and split its two conferences into two divisions of four teams each. The four division champions advanced to the league's first guaranteed multi–game playoffs . To remain on schedule,

15836-407: The one or two team(s) be qualified or eliminated at any step the tiebreaker reverts to step one for the remaining two or three teams. If multiple playoff spots are at stake, the rules are applied in order until the first team(s) qualify(ies) or are eliminated, then the process is started again for the remaining teams. Finally, once ties are broken between three or more teams qualifying for the playoffs,

15984-419: The only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls under different head coaches. This 1989 championship team is often regarded as one of the most dominant teams in NFL history, winning three playoff games by a combined 100 points. In 1990 , the 49ers won their first 10 games, and they eventually finished 14–2. They ripped through the season, and the coveted third consecutive Super Bowl victory seemed within reach. In

16132-413: The playoffs in 1975 , where the surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round. Thus, the top-seeded division winner played the wild-card team, and the remaining two division winners played at the home stadium of the better seed, forcing the lowest-ranked division winner to open the postseason on the road. However, two teams from the same division could not meet before

16280-401: The playoffs or to determine seeding in the playoff tournament. The rules below are applied in order until the tie is broken. Ties within divisions are always broken first to eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division before breaking ties between teams in different divisions, however, it should be emphasized that other than for division winners, divisional ranking is not in itself

16428-615: The playoffs while the team with the best record in the other conference, but only the third-best in the league, advanced to the championship game. During the 1960s, a third-place game was held in Miami , called the Playoff Bowl . It was contested in early January following the 1960 – 69 seasons. Though official playoff games at the time they were played, the NFL now officially classifies these ten games (and statistics) as exhibitions, not as playoff games. During its brief history,

16576-414: The playoffs, the 49ers dispatched the Washington Redskins 28–10, setting up a conference championship game with the New York Giants . Despite not scoring a touchdown in the game, the Giants took advantage of a fourth-quarter injury to Montana and converted a faked punt attempt to thwart the 49ers' attempt at a "three-peat". The Giants kicked a last-second field goal after recovering a Roger Craig fumble in

16724-402: The playoffs: the 4–5 Cleveland Browns and the 4–5 Detroit Lions . Several times between 1978 and 1989, the two wild-card games had to be played on different days. Normally they both would be held on Sunday. In 1983 and 1988, the games were split between Saturday and Monday because Sunday was Christmas, and the NFL had avoided playing on that day at the time. In 1984, both games were played in

16872-565: The quarterback job full-time. A number of key players emerged for the 49ers in 1980. Among them were Dwight Clark , who led the 49ers with 82 receptions and just under 1,000 yards receiving, and running back Earl Cooper , who ran for over 700 yards. With the offense playing well consistently, 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

17020-430: The relative positions of the seeds determined will not change regardless of wild card and divisional round results – for example, if division winners were to tie for the second, third and fourth seeds in a conference and the third and fourth seeds subsequently advanced to the conference championship game, the team that was originally awarded the third seed would host that game even if it lost a head-to-head tiebreaker against

17168-425: The respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher-seeded team. The winners of those contests go on to face one another in the Super Bowl which is played at a predetermined site. The New York Giants and New York Jets have shared the same home stadium since 1984 ( Giants Stadium from 1984 to 2009, and MetLife Stadium since 2010). Thus, if both teams need to host playoff games on

17316-686: The same conference as the 14–0 Cleveland Browns , who would go on to win the Western Conference and then the AAFC's championship game against the 7–7 Buffalo Bills (AAFC) . For the 1960 – 68 seasons, the AFL used the two-divisional format identical to the NFL to determine its champion. There was no tie-breaker system in place, so ties atop the Eastern Division final standings in 1963 and Western Division in 1968 necessitated playoff games to determine each division's representative in

17464-475: The same weekend, they are required to play on separate days, even during the Conference Championship round when both games are normally scheduled on the same day. The only time such a scheduling conflict occurred was during Wild Card weekend in 1985 when only 10 teams qualified for the postseason and there were only two wild-card games. Instead of playing both Wild Card games on the same day, as

17612-417: The score to within 28–16, and as the game wound down it appeared that this would be the last points the Cowboys would get. However, Dallas completed the comeback in the last two minutes. Just after the two-minute warning, Staubach took just four plays to drive 55 yards in only 32 seconds, hitting Billy Parks on a twenty-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 28–23. Cowboys kicker Toni Fritsch then executed

17760-483: The season at 10–6. They gained a measure of revenge by routing the Minnesota Vikings 34–9 in the divisional playoffs. The 49ers then traveled to Chicago's Soldier Field for the NFC championship against the Chicago Bears , where the wind chill factor at game time was −26°. However, despite the weather, Joe Montana picked apart the Bears' top-rated defense by scoring three touchdowns as the 49ers dominated

17908-414: The season) and Young. At one point, they were 6–5 and the team was in danger of missing the playoffs. Before week 11, Ronnie Lott called a players-only meeting; after the meeting, the team came together and defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins in a Monday night game, Montana had fully recovered from his injury and retook the starting quarterback job as the team eventually finished

18056-406: The second overtime. With two minutes to go in the second overtime, there would be a two-minute warning (but not during the first overtime period as in the regular season). If it were still tied at the end of the second overtime, the team that lost (or deferred) the coin toss before the first overtime would have the option to kick off, receive, or choose a side of the field to defend. However, unlike in

18204-430: The second year in a row, as well as defensive end Cedric Hardman , running back Vic Washington , and offensive lineman Forrest Blue . The 49ers won their third consecutive NFC West title in 1972 with five wins in their last six games, making them the only franchise to win their first three divisional titles after the 1970 AFL–NFL merger . Their opponents in the divisional playoffs were the Dallas Cowboys , making it

18352-517: The second-place team in the Western division and played both games on the road. They won Super Bowl IV in January and became the first division runner-up to win a Super Bowl . The Super Bowl began as an inter-league championship game between the AFL and NFL, an idea first proposed by Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt . This compromise was the result of pressures the upstart AFL was placing on

18500-398: The shotgun eventually became a component of most team's offenses and is a formation used by football teams at all levels. In 1962 , the 49ers had a frustrating season as they won only 6 games that year. They won only one game at Kezar Stadium while on the road they won five of seven games. After posting a losing record in 1963 . Victor Morabito died May 10, 1964, at age 45. The 1964 season

18648-514: The starting quarterback, and the 49ers went 4–3–1 in September and October. Montana returned to the team on November 6 of that year. In his first game back from injury, Montana passed for 270 yards and three touchdown passes in a 43–17 49er victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 49ers caught fire, winning the next 5 of the final 7 games, including a 24–14 win over the Los Angeles Rams , to clinch

18796-476: The team with 615 yards and O. J. Simpson , in his final season, rushing for only 460 yards and being sidelined with injuries. The 49ers got off to a strong start in 1980, winning their first three games of the season. However, the team, still maturing, lost their next eight games in a row. Many of those games though were close, and the 49ers acquitted themselves well. During the season Walsh alternated DeBerg and Montana at quarterback. Though DeBerg had played well for

18944-640: The team's inception. The team began play at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco before moving to Candlestick Park in 1971 and then to Levi's Stadium in 2014. Since 1988, the 49ers have been headquartered in Santa Clara. The 49ers won five Super Bowl championships between 1981 and 1994. Four of those came in the 1980s, and were led by Hall of Famers Joe Montana , Jerry Rice , Ronnie Lott , Steve Young , Charles Haley , Fred Dean , and coaches Bill Walsh and George Seifert . They have been division champions 22 times between 1970 and 2023, making them one of

19092-409: The third consecutive year the teams faced each other in the playoffs. Vic Washington took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a score, and the 49ers took a 21–6 lead in the second quarter. After the 49ers took a 28–13 lead in the fourth quarter, Tom Landry sent quarterback Roger Staubach , who was backing up Craig Morton , into the game. Staubach quickly led the Cowboys on a drive to a field goal, bringing

19240-458: The vertical, or downfield, passing game—was actually created by 1960s L.A. / San Diego coach Sid Gillman , and San Diego State coach Don Coryell , who also employed a version of it as head coach of the St. Louis (football) Cardinals and San Diego Chargers during a period where it garnered the nickname " Air Coryell ".) In Walsh's first draft, the 49ers had targeted Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana as an early-round pick. Montana had enjoyed

19388-420: The worst stretch of football in the team's history. Under coach Ken Meyer the 49ers lost their first five games of the 1977 season , including being shut out twice. Though they won five of their next six, they lost their last three games to finish the season 5–9. Playing in San Francisco did not revive Plunkett's career as he had another disappointing season, throwing only 9 touchdown passes. Bright spots for

19536-399: Was a disaster for the 49ers, as they finished 2–14, their only wins coming against the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Simpson indeed led the team in rushing, but with less than 600 yards. It became apparent that Simpson's knees and body were worn out, and he was near the end of his career. Wilbur Jackson also missed the entire season due to injury. Even worse for the franchise

19684-470: Was a disciple of Paul Brown , and served as Brown's offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1975. However, Brown did not appoint him as his successor upon his retirement, choosing another assistant, former 49ers center Bill "Tiger" Johnson . Walsh was hired by Stanford University in 1977. He went 17–7 in two seasons for the Cardinal before being hired by the 49ers in 1979. Walsh

19832-500: Was a head-to-head tiebreaker, which also was weighted toward the end of the season: for two teams that played each other twice, each winning once, the team winning the second game was determined to be the champion (the criteria used to decide the 1921 title). In 1932 , the Chicago Bears (6–1–6) and the Portsmouth Spartans (6–1–4) were tied at the end of the season with identical winning percentages (.857). Of note,

19980-572: Was a single game until 2022 when it was replaced with a best-of-three series. Both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) continue to use "best-of" series formats. The 32-team National Football League is divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Since 2002, each conference has 16 teams and

20128-440: Was again injured in the first half by a hit from the Giants' Jim Burt . In the off-season, Bill Walsh was concerned about Montana's health going forward, and with no reliable back-up at quarterback he completed a trade for Steve Young , then a quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . During the strike-shortened 1987 season, the 49ers became one of the NFL's elite teams once again with a league-best 13–2 record. Joe Montana had

20276-465: Was also named NFL Coach of the Year for 1970. Following the 1970 season, the 49ers moved from Kezar Stadium to Candlestick Park . Despite being located on the outskirts of the city, Candlestick Park gave the 49ers a much more modern facility with more amenities that was easier for fans to access by highway. The 49ers won their second straight divisional title in 1971 with a 9–5 record. The 49ers again won their divisional playoff game, this time against

20424-481: Was also the alma mater of John Brodie). Though Plunkett had shown promise with the Patriots, he had not won there, and it was thought that he needed a change of scenery. Monte Clark was also brought on as 49ers head coach. The 49ers featured one of the best running games in the NFL in 1976 . Delvin Williams emerged as an elite back, gaining over 1,200 yards rushing and made the Pro Bowl. Wilbur Jackson also enjoyed

20572-529: Was another lost campaign. According to the 1965 49ers Yearbook, the co-owners of the team were: Mrs. Josephine V. Morabito Fox, Mrs. Jane Morabito, Mrs. O.H. Heintzelman, Lawrence J. Purcell, Mrs. William O'Grady, Albert J. Ruffo , Franklin Mieuli , Frankie Albert , Louis G. Spadia and James Ginella. The 1965 49ers rebounded nicely to finish with a 7–6–1 record. They were led that year by John Brodie, who after being plagued by injuries came back to become one of

20720-408: Was believed to be an inferior Minnesota Vikings team, their third straight playoff loss. Joe Montana had one of the worst post-season games of his career and was eventually benched during the game in favor of Steve Young, who scored a rushing touchdown and threw another. After the game, owner Eddie DeBartolo stripped Walsh of the team president title. Dwight Clark retired that off-season. During

20868-450: Was done from 1970 to 1977. However, the league continued to prohibit intra-divisional games in the divisional playoffs but allowed such contests in the wild-card round. This ten-team playoff format was used through the 1989 season. Under this system, the Oakland Raiders became the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl following the 1980 season. During the strike-shortened 1982 season, only nine regular-season games were played, and

21016-474: Was elected to the Pro Bowl—an NFL first. In the 1985 NFL draft , the team received the 28th overall pick after winning the Super Bowl the previous year. On draft day, the 49ers traded its first two picks for New England's first-round choice, the 16th selection overall (the teams also swapped third-round picks as part of the deal), and selected Jerry Rice from Mississippi Valley State . It was reported that

21164-481: Was handed a note with two words: "Tony's gone". The 49ers scored 14 unanswered points to win the game, 21–17. Dicky Moegle 's late-game interception in the end zone sealed the victory. After Tony's death, 49er ownership went to Victor Morabito (1919–1964) and Tony's widow, Josephine V. Morabito (1910–1995). The 49ers' special assistant to the Morabitos, Louis G. Spadia (1921–2013) was named general manager. During

21312-649: Was running back O. J. Simpson from the Buffalo Bills . As with Plunkett two years previously, it was thought that rescuing Simpson from a bad situation and bringing him to the west coast where he had been raised would rejuvenate his career. To create playing time for Simpson, Thomas traded Delvin Williams to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Freddie Solomon . Thomas also released Jim Plunkett, giving up on him after two seasons. Finally, Thomas fired Meyer after only one season, and replaced him with Pete McCulley , his third coach in three seasons. The 1978 season

21460-478: Was that their first pick of the 1979 draft was traded to the Bills as part of the O. J. Simpson deal. Joe Thomas was fired following the season. Some of the key players that became part of the 49ers stunning rise began their 49ers career in 1978. Rookie quarterback Steve DeBerg , Joe Montana 's first mentor, was the 49ers' starting quarterback. Running back Paul Hofer and center/guard Randy Cross also started with

21608-619: Was the case when the 10-team system was used from 1978 to 1989, the Jets hosted their game on Saturday, December 28, before the Giants hosted their game on Sunday, December 29. This same scheduling conflict could occur for the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams , who began sharing SoFi Stadium in 2020. Often, teams will finish a season with identical records. It becomes necessary, therefore, to devise means to break these ties , either to determine which teams will qualify for

21756-409: Was the team's best regular-season win–loss record. Dean made the Pro Bowl , as did Lott and Hicks. Led by Montana, the unusual offense was centered on the short passing game , which Walsh used as ball control. 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 in

21904-541: Was then "demoted" to the wild-card weekend as the home team. Also, the restrictions on intra-divisional games during the divisional playoffs were removed. The 2001 season was the first with playoff games in prime time . Thus, the league no longer had the same restrictions like in 1984 as to when to schedule games in the Pacific Time Zone. The 1990 format continued until the 2002 expansion and realignment into eight divisions. In this format, used until

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