The 49ers (15-3) face the Cincinnati Bengals (14-3) at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan for Super Bowl XVI, 4:00 PM ET on Sun January 24, 1982.
Montana continues at quarterback. Ken Anderson starts for Cincinnati. Pete Johnson at running back. Cris Collinsworth and Dan Ross at the receiving corps.
The 49ers' first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Bill Walsh's third year.[1][2]
Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome. The 49ers' first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history; the Bengals' first as well. Ken Anderson, the AFC MVP, and Cris Collinsworth, the rookie of the year, against Joe Montana and the Walsh offense.
The 49ers come in 15-3 with The Catch fresh. The Bengals beat San Diego 27-7 in the AFC Championship in the Freezer Bowl (minus-9 air temp). The Sunday matchup is the year-three Walsh project's biggest game.
Super Bowl XVI is the year's biggest game. The 49ers (NFC #1, 13-3 reg season, 15-3 entering) face the Bengals (AFC #1, 12-4 reg season, 14-3 entering). Around the conferences the Cowboys, Eagles, and Chargers finished the regular season at the top. The Super Bowl is the conference championship culmination. The Sunday matchup is the year's biggest game and the season's final week of preparation.
Through the regular season the 49ers finished 13-3 and the Bengals finished 12-4. The 49ers beat the Bengals 21-3 at Riverfront in W14. Ken Anderson reg season: 300 of 479, 3,754, 29 TDs, 10 INTs. Pete Johnson 274 carries for 1,077. Cris Collinsworth 67 catches for 1,009. Dan Ross 71 catches for 910. The 49ers won 38-24 over the Giants in the divisional and 28-27 over the Cowboys in the NFC Championship.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-4-1 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 10-5-1 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2-14 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-10 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 8-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | L5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6-10 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-9 | L2 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Montana 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Earl Cooper 11 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 14-0 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 22 yard field goal | 17-0 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 26 yard field goal | 20-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Ken Anderson 5 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) | 20-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Dan Ross 4 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) | 20-14 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 40 yard field goal | 23-14 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 23 yard field goal | 26-14 |
| Bengals | Dan Ross 3 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) | 26-21 |
Joe Montana ran in a 1-yard touchdown and threw an 11-yard touchdown to Earl Cooper and Ray Wersching kicked four field goals as the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 at the Pontiac Silverdome to win Super Bowl XVI. The 49ers led 20-0 at halftime. Montana finished 14 of 22 for 157 and was named Super Bowl MVP. The 49ers finished 16-3 with the first Super Bowl in franchise history.[1][2][3]
Joe Montana ran in a 1-yard touchdown and threw an 11-yard touchdown to Earl Cooper and Ray Wersching kicked four field goals, and the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 at the Pontiac Silverdome to win Super Bowl XVI. The franchise's first Super Bowl appearance ended with the franchise's first Super Bowl win.
Montana finished 14 of 22 for 157 yards with the touchdown to Cooper, the 1-yard rushing touchdown, and the Super Bowl MVP award. Cooper caught two for 15 with the touchdown. Solomon caught four for 52. Clark caught four for 45. Ricky Patton led the run game with 17 carries for 55; Cooper added nine for 34. Bill Ring caught one for 3.
Ken Anderson threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns to Dan Ross. Cris Collinsworth caught five for 107. Dan Ross caught 11 for 104 with the two touchdowns. Pete Johnson ran for 36 on 14 carries. The 49ers led 20-0 at halftime and held on through the second half against Cincinnati's two passing touchdowns.
49ers 26, Bengals 21. Margin: plus 5. Super Bowl XVI.
A 26-21 Super Bowl XVI win at the Pontiac Silverdome. The 49ers finish 16-3 with the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
How it unfolded
Montana ran in a 1-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Earl Cooper caught an 11-yard touchdown to make it 14-0. Wersching kicked field goals of 22 and 26 yards before halftime to make it 20-0. The Bengals' offense produced punts and a missed field goal across the first half. The third quarter was a Ken Anderson 5-yard rushing touchdown. Dan Ross caught a 4-yard touchdown from Anderson to make it 20-14. Wersching's 40-yard field goal made it 23-14. Wersching's 23-yard field goal pushed it to 26-14. Anderson hit Ross for a 3-yard touchdown to make the final 26-21. The Bengals' onside kick was recovered by the 49ers and Montana ran out the clock.
The turning point
Wersching's 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. After the Bengals had cut the lead to 20-14 with the Anderson rushing touchdown and the Ross touchdown reception, Wersching's 40-yarder pushed the lead back to two scores and the Bengals' next drive ended on a 49ers' goal-line stand inside the 5.
By the numbers
Montana 14 of 22 for 157, 7.1 yards per attempt, one touchdown and the rushing touchdown. Super Bowl MVP. Patton 55 on 17 carries. Cooper 34 on nine plus the touchdown reception. Wersching's four field goals. Anderson 25 of 34 for 300 with two touchdowns. Dan Ross's 11 catches set the Super Bowl record for a tight end. Cris Collinsworth'...
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 20 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 275 | 356 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 14/22 | 25/34 |
| Pass yards | 157 | 300 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 5 |
| Sack yards lost | 9 | 16 |
| Net pass yards | 148 | 284 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 40 | 24 |
| Rush yards | 127 | 72 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 2 |
| Penalties | 8 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 65 | 57 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 14/22 | 157 | 1 | 0 | 100 |
| CIN | |||||
| Ken Anderson | 25/34 | 300 | 2 | 2 | 95.2 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Ricky Patton #27 | 17 | 55 | 0 | 10 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 9 | 34 | 0 | 14 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 7 |
| Bill Ring #39 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 7 |
| Johnny Davis | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Dwight Clark #87 | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| CIN | ||||
| Pete Johnson | 14 | 36 | 0 | 5 |
| Charles Alexander | 5 | 17 | 0 | 13 |
| Ken Anderson | 4 | 15 | 1 | 6 |
| Archie Griffin | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 4 | 52 | 0 | 20 |
| Dwight Clark #87 | 4 | 45 | 0 | 17 |
| Mike Wilson #85 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 11 |
| Charle Young | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Bill Ring #39 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| CIN | ||||
| Cris Collinsworth | 5 | 107 | 0 | 49 |
| Dan Ross | 11 | 104 | 2 | 16 |
| Isaac Curtis | 3 | 42 | 0 | 21 |
| Steve Kreider | 2 | 36 | 0 | 19 |
| Pete Johnson | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Charles Alexander | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
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