NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers travel to face Washington Redskins at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Washington Redskins, the home crowd at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is asked to be a player; for San Francisco 49ers, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
San Francisco 49ers versus Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of San Francisco 49ers-Washington Redskins cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-7 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 12-4 | W5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8-8 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 8-8 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7-9 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 7-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 12-4 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-10 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 9-7 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 8-8 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-14 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 14-2 | W9 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8-7-1 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-11 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 3-12-1 | L4 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0002121 |
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 07212424 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | John Riggins 4 yard rush ( Mark Moseley kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | John Riggins 1 yard rush ( Mark Moseley kick) | 0-14 |
| Redskins | Charlie Brown 70 yard pass from Joe Theismann ( Mark Moseley kick) | 0-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Wilson 5 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Ray Wersching kick) | 7-21 |
| 49ers | Freddie Solomon 76 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Ray Wersching kick) | 14-21 |
| 49ers | Mike Wilson 12 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Ray Wersching kick) | 21-21 |
| Redskins | Mark Moseley 25 yard field goal | 21-24 |
| 49ers | Redskins | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 434 | 410 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 27/48 | 15/27 |
| Pass yards | 347 | 265 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 27 |
| Net pass yards | 347 | 238 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 16 | 45 |
| Rush yards | 87 | 172 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 4 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 72 | 35 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 27/48 | 347 | 3 | 1 | |
| WAS | |||||
| Joe Theismann | 14/26 | 229 | 1 | 1 | |
| John Riggins | 1/1 | 36 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Wendell Tyler #26 | 8 | 44 | 0 | 10 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 5 | 40 | 0 | 18 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| WAS | ||||
| John Riggins | 36 | 123 | 2 | 23 |
| Joe Washington | 6 | 23 | 0 | 8 |
| Jeff Hayes | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Joe Theismann | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 4 | 106 | 1 | 76 |
| Mike Wilson #85 | 8 | 57 | 2 | 22 |
| Russ Francis #81 | 4 | 48 | 0 | 13 |
| Eason Ramson | 3 | 47 | 0 | 23 |
| Renaldo Nehemiah #82 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 21 |
| Wendell Tyler #26 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 13 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| WAS | ||||
| Charlie Brown | 5 | 137 | 1 | 70 |
| Clint Didier | 3 | 61 | 0 | 46 |
| Art Monk | 3 | 35 | 0 | 13 |
| Joe Washington | 3 | 21 | 0 | 9 |
| Rick Walker | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Washington Redskins defeated San Francisco 49ers 24-21 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Redskins: Mark Moseley 25 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; Washington Redskins won by 3. Top line of the day: Joe Montana: 347 pass yards on 27-of-48, 3 TD, 1 INT. Washington Redskins advance to the Super Bowl.
Washington Redskins walked out of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium as the team that survived an NFC Championship San Francisco 49ers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 24-21. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Redskins: Mark Moseley 25 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Washington Redskins are bound for the Super Bowl.
Washington Redskins 24, San Francisco 49ers 21.
Round: NFC Championship. Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 4 scoring plays.
Top performers: - Joe Montana: 347 pass yards on 27-of-48, 3 TD, 1 INT - John Riggins: 123 rush yards on 36 carries - Charlie Brown: 5 catches for 137 yards
NFC Championship, played at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Final: San Francisco 49ers 21, Washington Redskins 24, with Washington Redskins taking the result by 3.
**Second quarter**
- Redskins: John Riggins 4 yard rush ( Mark Moseley kick)
**Third quarter**
- Redskins: John Riggins 1 yard rush ( Mark Moseley kick) - Redskins: Charlie Brown 70 yard pass from Joe Theismann ( Mark Moseley kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- 49ers: Mike Wilson 5 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Ray Wersching kick) - 49ers: Freddie Solomon 76 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Ray Wersching kick) - 49ers: Mike Wilson 12 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Ray Wersching kick) - Redskins: Mark Moseley 25 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Joe Montana: 347 pass yards on 27-of-48, 3 TD, 1 INT - John Riggins: 123 rush yards on 36 carries - Charlie Brown: 5 catches for 137 yards
A 3-point margin in NFC Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.