The 49ers (11-6) travel to Soldier Field for a 12:00 PM CT kickoff against the Chicago Bears (13-4) for the NFC Championship game, Sun January 8, 1989.
Montana continues at quarterback. The Bears start Mike Tomczak (Jim McMahon injured). Neal Anderson at running back. Mike Ditka in year seven as head coach.
The Bears come off the 20-12 'Fog Bowl' divisional win over the Eagles.[1][2]
Mike Ditka's Bears are the NFC's No. 1 seed and the conference's most dominant defense. The 49ers' Monday-night loss at Soldier Field in W8 (10-9) is the kind of memory the road team carries into the championship rematch. Mike Tomczak takes the snaps for the Bears with Jim McMahon still injured.
The NFC Championship at Soldier Field is the franchise's first conference championship appearance since 1984. The home defensive front (Dent, McMichael, Hampton, Singletary) is the kind of unit the 49ers' offensive line has been preparing for across two weeks.
Conference Championship Sunday is the league's most-watched playoff weekend. The Bears (NFC #1) host the 49ers (NFC #2). The Bengals (AFC #1) host the Bills (AFC #2). The Sunday-afternoon NFC matchup is the conference championship culmination and the year's marquee playoff weekend.
Through the regular season the Bears finished 12-4 and the 49ers finished 10-6. The two teams met in W8 at Soldier Field (Bears 10-9 Monday-night win). Mike Tomczak 1,310 reg season passing yards across nine starts. Neal Anderson 253 carries for 1,106. Dennis McKinnon 12 catches for 168. Joe Montana 2,981 reg season yards, 18 TDs, 10 INTs. Jerry Rice 64 reg season catches for 1,306, 9 TDs.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10-6 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 12-4 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8-7-1 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11-1 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-6 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 12-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-12 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 10-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 7-9 | L5 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-13 | L1 |
1988 NFC Championship San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
1988 NFC Championship - 49ers vs Bears
1988 NFC Championship 49ers vs Bears CBS intro
49ers vs Bears 1988 NFC Championship (Extended Version)
49ers vs Bears 1988 NFC Championship (Extended Version) 18
49ers vs Bears 1988 NFC Championship (Extended Version) 16
49ers vs Bears 1988 NFC Championship (Extended Version) 19
49ers vs Bears 1988 NFC Championship (Extended Version) 13
1988 NFC Championship 49ers vs Bears Highlights CBS Intro (January 8th, 1989)
1988 PLAYOFFS NFC CHAMPIONSHIP 49ERS AT BEARS PART 1
1988 NFC Championship Game Part 2 49ers vs Bears| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 61 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 27 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 14-0 |
| Bears | Kevin Butler 25 yard field goal | 14-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | John Frank 5 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 21-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Tom Rathman 4 yard rush (Mike Cofer kick) | 28-3 |
Joe Montana threw two touchdowns to Jerry Rice and John Frank, Tom Rathman ran in two short touchdowns, and the 49ers beat the Chicago Bears 28-3 at Soldier Field to win the NFC Championship. Montana finished 17 of 27 for 288 yards. Rice caught five for 133 with a 61-yard score. Tom Rathman ran in a 1-yard and 4-yard touchdown. The 49ers improved to 12-6 and advanced to Super Bowl XXIII.[1][2]
Joe Montana threw two touchdowns and the 49ers crushed the Chicago Bears 28-3 at Soldier Field to win the NFC Championship. The 49ers move to 12-6 and advance to Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals. The win avenges the W8 Monday-night 10-9 loss and the 1985 NFC Championship loss to the Bears 23-0.
Montana finished 17 of 27 for 288 yards with two touchdowns (Rice 61, Frank 5). Rice five catches for 133 with the long touchdown. John Frank one for 5 with the touchdown. Brent Jones two for 38. Roger Craig 17 carries for 27 against the Bears' loaded box. Tom Rathman 11 for 35 with two short rushing touchdowns (1, 4).
Mike Tomczak finished 11 of 27 for 188 with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Neal Anderson ran 19 for 56. The Bears' offense produced one Kevin Butler 25-yard field goal across four quarters. The 49ers' defensive front produced four sacks of Tomczak and the kind of championship-game defensive performance the unit had been building toward.
49ers 28, Bears 3. Margin: plus 25. NFC Championship.
A 28-3 NFC Championship road win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The 49ers move to 12-6 and advance to Super Bowl XXIII.
How it unfolded
Rathman's 1-yard rush opened the scoring. Kevin Butler kicked a 25-yarder. Rice's 61-yard touchdown reception made it 14-3. Rathman's 4-yard rush extended it to 21-3 at the half. Frank's 5-yard touchdown reception made the final 28-3.
The turning point
The Rice 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter. With the 49ers leading 7-3 and the Bears' offense having produced one field goal, Montana's deep ball to Rice on a slant produced the touchdown that gave the road team a two-score lead the Bears never closed.
By the numbers
Montana 17 of 27 for 288, 10.7 yards per attempt, two touchdowns. Rice five catches for 133 with the long touchdown. Roger Craig 27 on 17; the back's lowest single-game total in 8 weeks against the Bears' eight-in-the-box look. Rathman two short rushing touchdowns. Defense produced four sacks of Tomczak and three interceptions. Held the Bears to 188 passing yards.
Personnel watch
Montana's 288 yards on 27 attempts was the highest yards-per-attempt of any 49ers playoff game in five years. Jerry Rice's 61-yard touchdown was the receiver's third long playoff touchdown. Charles Haley produced two of the unit's four sacks of Tomczak. The defensive secondary (Lott, Wright, Williamson, Hicks) produced three interceptions; Lott's was a key second-quarter pickup.
What it means
12-6. Super Bowl XXIII at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals beat the Bills 21-10 in the AFC Championship. The Sunday-evening Super Bowl is the year's championship game and the franchise's third Super Bowl appearance.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 15 |
| Total Yards | 406 | 267 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/27 | 20/41 |
| Pass yards | 288 | 176 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 20 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 268 | 176 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 37 | 25 |
| Rush yards | 138 | 91 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 0 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 0 | 35 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 17/27 | 288 | 3 | 0 | 136 |
| CHI | |||||
| Jim McMahon | 14/29 | 121 | 0 | 1 | 45.3 |
| Mike Tomczak | 6/12 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 62.8 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Roger Craig #33 | 18 | 68 | 0 | 11 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 10 | 36 | 1 | 12 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Harry Sydney #39 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| Terrence Flagler | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| CHI | ||||
| Neal Anderson | 14 | 59 | 0 | 16 |
| Thomas Sanders | 7 | 22 | 0 | 14 |
| Jim McMahon | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Matt Suhey | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Brad Muster | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis McKinnon | 1 | -4 | 0 | -4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 5 | 133 | 2 | 61 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 5 | 51 | 0 | 22 |
| John Taylor #82 | 3 | 51 | 0 | 32 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 23 |
| John Frank | 2 | 20 | 1 | 15 |
| CHI | ||||
| James Thornton | 4 | 52 | 0 | 18 |
| Dennis McKinnon | 4 | 32 | 0 | 13 |
| Neal Anderson | 5 | 31 | 0 | 13 |
| Ron Morris | 2 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Thomas Sanders | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Brad Muster | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Matt Suhey | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Dennis Gentry | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1988 Conference Championships - San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears - Game Thread
![1988 NFC Championship Game - SF @ CHI [FULL GAME]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ytRJ4XFz9w4/hqdefault.jpg)
