[33] Kelly's tenure began with an emphatic 28–0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. The team was led in its turnaround from late 1970s doormat by new owner Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. and head coach Bill Walsh. For most of the next 13 years the 49ers would be an average team. Even after those initial rough spots early in the season, the 49ers finished the season 13–3 and with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Desiring head coach experience, Walsh looked to Stanford University in 1977. Witherspoon also will be a free agent after next season, and has struggled since the 49ers drafted him in 2017.
While he threw 11 touchdowns in Super Bowl competition, Montana never threw an interception in the big game.
In the 1985 season, Roger Craig became the first NFL player to gain 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. These new additions, when added to existing defensive mainstays like Keena Turner, turned the 49ers into a dominant team. Last year, the 49ers signed Verrett to compete with Ahkello Witherspoon for the starting cornerback job opposite Richard Sherman. Those two wins jumpstarted the 49ers' dynasty, as San Francisco would win five Super Bowls from 1981-94. All-time Receiving Leader: Jerry Rice 1,281 rec, 19,247 yds, 176 TD The win over the Bears gave the 49ers their third trip to the Super Bowl: Super Bowl XXIII, in Miami.
However, in one last moment of glory, Young hit Terrell Owens on a dramatic, game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass that put the Niners ahead at 30–27 with 0:03 left on the game clock. While its offense has traditionally received more fanfare, San Francisco has fielded several dominant defenses throughout the decades. In 1988, the 49ers struggled. However, the game was tied 3–3 at halftime, the 49ers having missed a few scoring opportunities. Cornerback may not look like a glaring need now for the San Francisco 49ers, but it is important to note that after the season the 49ers top four players at the position are set to hit free agency. Tittle, one of the greatest quarterbacks during the NFL's first half century, played the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the 49ers. The following week in Detroit, the 49ers trailed the Lions 14–0. In Week 7 (the bye week), the 49ers stood 6–2. As Montana had done for Notre Dame and the 49ers so many times before, he led the 49ers on a sustained drive to the Cowboys' 6-yard line. On October 27, Singletary said of their loss with him as head coach: "But right now, we've got to figure out the formula. There will be a few on this list from that era. With a 12–4 record, the 49ers returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1998, but lost to the Green Bay Packers in Wild Card round. Your privacy is safe with us. More injuries (notably to RB Hugh McElhenny) caused the 49ers to fall to a losing 4–8 the following year. Starting to think it's Kinlaw or a WR. The 49ers began the Kyle Shanahan era losing their first nine games of the 2017 season before winning their first game on November 12, 2017 against the New York Giants. A great player in his own right, Taylor earned consecutive Pro Bowl honors in 1988 and '89, averaging 18 yards per catch during the '89 season. The 49ers faced the New York Giants in the divisional playoffs and won, 38–24, in a game that was not as close as the score suggests. Key turnovers for the third straight year prevented San Francisco from winning it all. Vic Washington took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a score, and the 49ers took a 21–6 lead in the second quarter. He is the son of Dick Nolan, who led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances in the early 1970s. However, the team, still not quite ready for the big time, would lose their next eight games in a row, although many of those games were close, and the 49ers acquitted themselves well.
This page is a list of San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft selections. Their opponents in the divisional playoffs would again be the Dallas Cowboys, making it the third consecutive year the teams faced each other in the playoffs. Simpson indeed led the team in rushing, but with less than 600 yards.
However some of the key players that would be part of the 49ers stunning rise to emergence would begin their 49ers career in 1978. Time to crack open the history books and take a deep dive into the past of the 49ers. The defense, who ranked 28th last year, improved to 9th for the season. The group also includes Hall of Fame tackle Bob St. Clair, whose blocking helped create space for the "Million Dollar Backfield" while also helping the 49ers win their first division title in 1957. From that point on, the game was more competitive, but the 49ers held on for a 38–28 victory after Dallas scored a late touchdown, qualifying them for their fifth Super Bowl, and the first to be played by two teams from California.