1998 San Francisco 49ers season

The 1998 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League and their 43rd overall.

1998 San Francisco 49ers season
Head coach	Steve Mariucci
Home field	3Com Park
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	2nd NFC West
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Packers) 30–27 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Falcons) 18–20

The season saw the return of Jerry Rice, who missed most of 1997 with a major knee injury.

After defeating the Packers in the Wildcard round, thanks to a game-winning catch by young Terrell Owens, San Francisco's season ended with a defeat to the Atlanta Falcons the following week. The Falcons then defeated the 15–1 Minnesota Vikings in the title game, but they lost to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.

The Divisional round was Steve Young's final playoff appearance as he suffered a concussion in Week 3 of the next season, ending his 15-year NFL career.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1998 NFL Draft

1998 San Francisco 49ers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	28	R. W. McQuarters	Cornerback	Oklahoma State
2	58	Jeremy Newberry *	Center	California
3	89	Chris Ruhman	Tackle	Texas A&M
4	119	Lance Schulters *	Safety	Hofstra
5	151	Phil Ostrowski	Guard	Penn State
6	180	Fred Beasley *	Fullback	Auburn
7	215	Ryan Thelwell	Wide receiver	Minnesota
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

Roster

1998 San Francisco 49ers roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Ty Detmer 14 Jim Druckenmiller  8 Steve Young Running backs 40 Fred Beasley FB 44 Marc Edwards FB 20 Garrison Hearst 41 Terry Kirby 32 Chuck Levy Wide receivers 88 Mark Harris 81 Terrell Owens 80 Jerry Rice 83 J. J. Stokes 89 Iheanyi Uwaezuoke Tight ends 85 Greg Clark 86 Chad Fann 82 Irv Smith		Offensive linemen 72 Jamie Brown LT 65 Ray Brown LG 67 Chris Dalman C 63 Derrick Deese LT 74 Dave Fiore G 66 Kevin Gogan RG 64 Steve Gordon C 69 Phil Ostrowski T 71 Chris Ruhman T 76 Kirk Scrafford RT Defensive linemen 92 Roy Barker DE 78 Shane Bonham 90 Junior Bryant DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 96 Jeff Posey 94 David Richie 98 Gabe Wilkins DE 97 Bryant Young DT		Linebackers 59 Reggie Givens OLB 58 Randy Kirk OLB 51 Ken Norton, Jr. MLB 50 Tony Peterson 55 Winfred Tubbs MLB 54 Lee Woodall LLB Defensive backs 31 Zack Bronson FS 36 Merton Hanks FS 43 Antonio Langham CB 45 Tyrone Legette 46 Tim McDonald SS 21 R. W. McQuarters CB 23 Marquez Pope CB 30 Lance Schulters 38 Darnell Walker CB Special teams  2 Eddie Howard P  7 Wade Richey K  4 Reggie Roby P		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV Time(PT)	TV Announcers	Attendance
1	September 6, 1998	vs New York Jets	W 36–30 (OT)	CBS 1:15pm	Greg Gumbel & Phil Simms	64,419
2	September 14, 1998 (Mon)	at Washington Redskins	W 45–10	ABC 5:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf & Boomer Esiason	76,798
3	Bye
4	September 27, 1998	vs Atlanta Falcons	W 31–20	FOX 1:15pm	Sam Rosen & Jerry Glanville	62,296
5	October 4, 1998	at Buffalo Bills	L 21–26	FOX 10:00am	Ray Bentley & Ron Pitts	76,615
6	October 11, 1998	at New Orleans Saints	W 31–0	FOX 10:00am	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	62,811
7	October 18, 1998	vs Indianapolis Colts	W 34–31	CBS 1:05pm	Verne Lundquist & Randy Cross	68,486
8	October 25, 1998	at St. Louis Rams	W 28–10	FOX 10:00am	Kenny Albert & Tim Green	58,563
9	November 1, 1998	at Green Bay Packers	L 22–36	FOX 1:15pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	59,794
10	November 8, 1998	vs Carolina Panthers	W 25–23	FOX 1:05pm	Josh Lewin & Ray Bentley	68,572
11	November 15, 1998	at Atlanta Falcons	L 19–31	FOX 10:00am	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	69,828
12	November 22, 1998	vs New Orleans Saints	W 31–20	ESPN 5:15pm	Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann & Paul Maguire	68,429
13	November 30, 1998 (Mon)	vs New York Giants	W 31–7	ABC 5:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf & Boomer Esiason	68,212
14	December 6, 1998	at Carolina Panthers	W 31–28 (OT)	FOX 10:00am	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	63,332
15	December 14, 1998 (Mon)	vs Detroit Lions	W 35–13	ABC 5:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf & Boomer Esiason	68,585
16	December 20, 1998	at New England Patriots	L 21–24	FOX 10:00am	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	59,153
17	December 27, 1998	vs St. Louis Rams	W 38–19	FOX 1:05pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	68,386

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New York Jets

1 2 3 4 OT Total Jets 3 14 7 6 0 30 • 49ers 7 7 9 7 6 36 Date: Sunday, September 6 Location: 3Com Park, San Francisco, California Game start: 4:15 p.m. EST Game attendance: 64,419 Game weather: 81°F (Sunny), wind 14 mph Referee: Bernie Kukar TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Jets John Hall 24 yard field goal Jets 3–0 1 49ers Garrison Hearst 5 yard run (Wade Richey kick) 49ers 7–3 2 Jets Keyshawn Johnson 41 yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick) Jets 10–7 2 49ers J.J. Stokes 6 yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick) 49ers 14–10 2 Jets Wayne Chrebet 6 yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick) Jets 17–14 3 49ers Wade Richey 22 yard field goal Tie 17–17 3 Jets Keyshawn Johnson 21 yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick) Jets 24–17 3 49ers Jerry Rice 14 yard pass from Steve Young (kick failed) Jets 24–23 4 Jets John Hall 32 yard field goal Jets 27–23 4 49ers J.J. Stokes 31 yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick) 49ers 30–27 4 Jets John Hall 31 yard field goal Tie 30–30 OT 49ers Garrison Hearst 96 yard run 49ers 36–30

The game lead tied or changed eight times in regulation as the Jets under Bill Parcells came to Candlestick Park. Jets quarterback Glenn Foley matched Steve Young's three touchdowns and one pick with three scores and one pick of his own; Foley put up 415 yard to Young's 363 yards. The two teams traded punts in overtime; the Niners had to start at their four-yard line and coach Steve Mariucci called "90 O", a run play intended to get away from their own endzone. Garrison Hearst burst through a hole and raced 96 yards straddling the sideline, getting key blocks from Dave Fiore despite an injured leg, and from Terrell Owens for the touchdown and a 36–30 Niners win.

Week 2: at Washington Redskins

The Niners crushed the Redskins 45–10 with 504 yards of offense and three touchdowns by Steve Young. The Redskins coughed up the ball three times in the loss.

Week 3: Bye

Bye week

Week 4: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Hosting the 2–1 Falcons, the Niners picked off Chris Chandler three times and won 31–20 behind 387 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and three touchdowns from Steve Young. |Weather= 62 °F (Light Rain)

Week 5: at Buffalo Bills

The Niners traveled to Rich Stadium to face the Bills and crashed hard 26–21 despite 21 fourth-quarter points. The Niners committed 22 penalties eating up 178 yards (compared to Buffalo's 12 fouls for 106), while the two teams' punters Chris Mohr and Reggie Roby combined for 323 punting yards.

Week 6: at New Orleans Saints

Still smarting from their poor performance at Buffalo, the Niners traveled to the Superdome and crushed Mike Ditka's Saints 31–0. The game was another penalty-laden affair with a combined 24 fouls eating up 240 yards. The Niners shut down Danny Wuerffel and Billy Joe Tolliver, limiting them to 15 completions for 174 yards and a pick.

Week 7: vs Indianapolis Colts

The Niners hosted the Colts and their new quarterback Peyton Manning. The Colts immediately served notice for the future as they raced to a 21–0 lead behind two Manning scores to Marvin Harrison and a 65-yard score from future Ram Marshall Faulk; Manning would add another touchdown to Harrison in the third quarter and the Colts added a field goal following a Garrison Hearst fumble and subsequent personal foul penalty. The Niners clawed back as Steve Young threw three touchdowns and ran in a fourth; a botched two-point conversion by Ty Detmer led on the Niners' next possession to a Jerry Rice two-point conversion catch from Young to tie the game. Mike Vanderjagt missed from 53 yards out on the Colts' next possession with 1:10 to go, then after a crushing pass interference penalty on Tyrone Poole against J.J. Stokes with 43 seconds to go (this following two Young interceptions erased on Indianapolis holding penalties in the first half) Wade Richey's 24-yard field goal won it 34–31 for the Niners.[1] The game became notable in league history for the showdown between veteran Young (331 passing yards, 60 rushing yards nearly matching Garrison Hearst at 65, and four total touchdowns) and rookie phenomenon Manning (231 passing yards and three scores); the game featured seven Hall Of Famers in Young, Manning, Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Marshall Faulk, Terrell Owens, and Chris Doleman. |Weather= 68 °F (Sunny)

Week 8: at St. Louis Rams

Hitting the TWA Dome, the Niners cruised to a 28–10 win over the Rams as Steve Young overcame two picks with three touchdowns and budding superstar Terrell Owens ran in a 21-yard score. The Niners picked off Tony Banks three times.

Week 9: at Green Bay Packers

For the fifth straight time the Niners fell to the Green Bay Packers, this time 36–22 at Lambeau Field. The Niners overcame a botched punt snap for a safety and erased a 16–0 Packer lead to take the lead 22–19 in the third quarter. From there, despite three Brett Favre interceptions, it all fell apart for the Niners as the Packers unleashed 17 unanswered points.

Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers

Ty Detmer took over for Steve Young against the 1–7 Panthers, throwing for 276 yards and three touchdowns (to J.J. Stokes and Terrell Owens), but three interceptions kept the Panthers in the game and they took a 23–22 lead before Wade Richey's 46-yard field goal capped a 25–23 Niners win. |Weather= 57 °F (Cloudy)

Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons

The battle for the NFC West had now become a true battle as the 7–2 Falcons hosted the 7–2 Niners and things got ugly for San Francisco. Steve Young managed 342 passing yards but only 21 completions; the Falcons grabbed a fumble at the Niners goalline for a Jessie Tuggle touchdown and when Young connected on long-range scores to Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice, Chris Chandler put the game away on his 78-yard strike to Terance Mathis. The 31–19 Falcons win marked the end of the Niners' hold on the division crown that season.

Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints

Steve Young outdueled ex-Panther Kerry Collins despite a Collins rushing score that put the 5-6 Saints up 10-0 in the first quarter. The Niners outscored the Saints 31-10 in the second and third quarters on four Young touchdown throws. Collins was picked twice and failed on fourth and goal at the Niners 1-yard line in the fourth quarter; an Aaron Craver rushing score in the final two minutes put the Saints within eleven points at the end.

Week 13: vs. New York Giants

A Gary Brown rushing score in the opening six minutes of the first quarter was the only time the Giants were in contention as Steve Young answered on a 79-yard touchdown to Terrell Owens. Young scored again at the end of the second quarter and Terry Kirby and Garrison Hearst ran in the ball for additional scores and 31-7 Niners win.

Week 16: at New England Patriots

Following four straight wins the Niners traveled to Foxboro Stadium to face a struggling Patriots squad. Regular starter Drew Bledsoe was out for the year with a broken throwing hand so backup Scott Zolak took over. Despite a blocked field goal attempt the Niners scored 21 second-quarter points (including a touchdown from backup Ty Detmer on a fake field goal attempt), but the Patriots battled back and tied the game on a Robert Edwards four-yard score, then won it on a drive in the final 1:48 on four straight Edwards rushes and then on Adam Vinatieri's 35-yard field goal with eighteen seconds left. Terrell Owens was held to three catches for 61 yards; in the second quarter the two teams exchanged interceptions as a pass for Owens was intercepted by Ty Law but three plays later a Zolak pass to Ben Coates was intercepted by Tim McDonald.

Week 17 vs. St. Louis Rams

Former Niner Steve Bono put the Rams, winless against the Niners since 1990, up 7-0 on a touchdown to Ricky Proehl. Proehl would catch another touchdown but by then the game was out of reach on two Steve Young touchdowns and scores from R. W. McQuarters and three Wade Richey field goals. A former Arena Football quarterback entered for the Rams late as Kurt Warner completed four of eleven passes for 39 yards.

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(2) Atlanta Falcons	14	2	0	.875	442	289	W9
^(4) San Francisco 49ers	12	4	0	.750	479	328	W1
New Orleans Saints	6	10	0	.375	305	359	L3
Carolina Panthers	4	12	0	.250	336	413	W2
St. Louis Rams	4	12	0	.250	285	378	L2

Playoffs

NFC Wild Card vs Green Bay Packers

NFC Wild Card: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	3	14	0	10	27
49ers	7	3	10	10	30

at 3Com Park, San Francisco

• Date: January 3, 1999
• Game time: 1:25 p.m. PDT

Game information

First quarter GB – FG Ryan Longwell 23 yard field goal. Packers 3–0 SF – TD Greg Clark 1 yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey). 49ers 7–3 Second quarter GB – TD Antonio Freeman 2 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick). Packers 10–7 SF – FG Wade Richey 34 yard field goal. Tie 10–10 GB – TD Dorsey Levens 2 yard rush (Ryan Longwell) kick. Packers 17–10 Third quarter SF – TD Greg Clark 8 yard pass from Steve Young. (Wade Richey kick). Tie 17–17 SF – FG Wade Richey 48 yard field Goal. 49ers 20–17 Fourth quarter GB – FG Ryan Longwell 37 yard field goal. Tie 20–20 SF – FG Wade Richey 40 yard field goal. 49ers 23–20 GB – TD Antonio Freeman 15 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick). Packers 27–23 SF – TD Terrell Owens 25 yard pass from Steve Young. 49ers 30–27

For the first time in the Brett Favre era, the 49ers pulled off a victory over the Packers. After a late Packers touchdown, the Niners trailed 27–23 and a continuing issue during the game was dropped passes by receiver Terrell Owens. In the final ten seconds, Steve Young dropped back in the Packers redzone, stumbled but stayed on his feet, then heaved the ball to the endzone where Owens caught it, landed in the endzone with four seconds left, and the Niners had pulled out one of the most dramatic wins in their history. This play is often referred to by 49ers fans as "the Catch II", a reference to “The Catch" touchdown from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in the final minute against the Cowboys in the 1981 playoffs. It turned out to be Young’s final playoff win.

NFC Divisional Playoff at Atlanta Falcons

NFC Divisional Round: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	10	0	8	18
Falcons	7	7	3	3	20

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta

• Date: January 9, 1999
• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST

The game started poorly for the 13–4 49ers, who lost 1,500-yard rusher Garrison Hearst to a broken bone in his left leg on the first play of the game. Backup Terry Kirby was able to only rush for 46 yards. With their running game hobbled, the 49ers trailed 14–0 in the first half, and 20–10 going into the fourth quarter. With 2:57 remaining, Young scored on an 8-yard run and the team converted a two-point conversion after a botched snap, to bring the score to 20–18. The 49ers had one more chance to win with the ball deep in their own territory but Young threw a desperation pass that was picked off by the Falcons' William White.[2]

Awards and records

• Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Game, 328 Rushing Yards (vs. Detroit Lions on December 14, 1998) [3]
• Led NFL, Total Yards, 6,800 Total Yards [4]
• Garrison Hearst, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Season, 1,570 Rushing Yards[5]
• Steve Young, Franchise Record, Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 36 Touchdown Passes[5]
• Steve Young, Led NFL, Touchdown Passes, 36 Passes[6]

References

1. Colts at Forty Niners box score from Pro Football Reference
2. "Dirty Birds Soar To Victory". CNNSI.com. 1999-01-10. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
3. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 248
4. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 456
5. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 142
6. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 450

External links

• 49ers on Pro Football Reference
• 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com