The 49ers face the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round on 1999-01-09 at the visitors' stadium. The road matchup is the kind of postseason game where the offensive line has the matchup the staff has been pointing toward all week.
Steve Young is the starter. The lead back and the receiver room are at full health. The defensive front rotation is the calendar's structural strength heading into the bracket.[1][2]
The divisional round matchup against the Atlanta Falcons is the kind of postseason game where the staff has been pointing toward since the regular season closed. The 49ers' calendar carries through to the divisional round bracket with the Atlanta Falcons as the kind of opponent that defines the postseason script. Win and the bracket continues. Lose and the calendar ends. The week of preparation has been the kind of bye-week buildup the staff has been calling.
Around the bracket the divisional round produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into. The 49ers' game is one of two postseason matchups on the slate's most-anticipated window. The AFC bracket carries through to its own conference matchup. The conference reading list this week is the postseason slate's full set of divisional round bracket games.
Through the regular season the 49ers' tracking the kind of pace that, in calendar play, anchored the conference seeding into the divisional round. Steve Young's passing line came through. The lead back's rushing workload was the staff's projected call. The Atlanta Falcons are tracking their own postseason posture. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotation's pass-rush production against the Atlanta Falcons.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-9 | L5 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-10 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 12-4 | W6 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 14-2 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-8 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-9 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 14-2 | W9 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-10 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4-12 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 15-1 | W8 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11-5 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L4 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 9-7 | -- |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-13 | L3 |
Divisional Round - San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons - January 9, 1999 (1998 season)
1998 NFC Divisional San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons
NFL on FOX - 1998 49ers vs Falcons - NFC Divisional Playoff
2-point Conversion, 49ers-Falcons, 1998 Divisional Round
1998 NFC Playoffs 49ers vs Falcons NFL Primetime Highlights (Fox Intro)
1998 NFC Divisional Playoff San Francisco v Atlanta
"The Catch II" Packers vs. 49ers 1998 NFC Wild Card Playoffs | NFL Full Game| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Jamal Anderson 2 yard rush ( Morten Andersen kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Jamal Anderson 34 yard rush ( Morten Andersen kick) | 0-14 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 17 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 7-14 |
| 49ers | Wade Richey 36 yard field goal | 10-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Morten Andersen 29 yard field goal | 10-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Morten Andersen 32 yard field goal | 10-20 |
| 49ers | Steve Young 8 yard rush ( Greg Clark pass from Ty Detmer ) | 18-20 |
The 49ers lost the divisional round 18-20 against the Atlanta Falcons on 1999-01-09. Morten Andersen kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired and the Falcons won 20-18 at the Georgia Dome. Garrison Hearst broke his ankle on the first play and was out for the year. Young threw for 282 with one touchdown. Jamal Anderson ran for 113 with two touchdowns for the Falcons. The 49ers' postseason ends on the closing field goal.[1][2]
The 49ers lost the divisional round 18-20 against the Atlanta Falcons. Morten Andersen kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired and the Falcons won 20-18 at the Georgia Dome. Garrison Hearst broke his ankle on the first play and was out for the year. Young threw for 282 with one touchdown. Jamal Anderson ran for 113 with two touchdowns for the Falcons. The 49ers' postseason ends on the closing field goal. The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script the staff has been projecting since the regular season closed.
Steve Young threw the kind of efficient passing line. Ricky Watters and the lead back produced the rushing workload. Jerry Rice caught the full-route receiving line. The defensive front produced the kind of pressure that, in postseason play, defines the bracket's outcome. The Sunday's outcome sets the next round's posture.
49ers 18, Atlanta Falcons 20. Margin: minus 2. The divisional round's box score reads in line with the projected postseason outcome. Steve Young's passing line came through. The lead back's rushing workload was the staff's call. The defensive front produced pressure.
A 18-20 divisional round road loss at the Atlanta Falcons. The 49ers' postseason bracket continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
Morten Andersen kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired and the Falcons won 20-18 at the Georgia Dome. Garrison Hearst broke his ankle on the first play and was out for the year. Young threw for 282 with one touchdown. Jamal Anderson ran for 113 with two touchdowns for the Falcons. The 49ers' postseason ends on the closing field goal. The Sunday's full-sixty produced the kind of game-flow the staff has been building toward across the bye-week preparation.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
Steve Young's passing line came through clean. Ricky Watters and the lead back ran the workhorse line. Jerry Rice caught the full-route afternoon. The defensive front produced the multi-sack pressure that, in postseason play, defines the bracket.
Personnel watch
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 15 | 16 |
| Total Yards | 334 | 289 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 23/37 | 13/19 |
| Pass yards | 289 | 169 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 1 | 16 |
| Net pass yards | 288 | 153 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 20 | 33 |
| Rush yards | 46 | 136 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 8 | 6 |
| Penalty yards | 47 | 51 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 23/37 | 289 | 1 | 3 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Chris Chandler | 13/19 | 169 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Steve Young #8 | 6 | 28 | 1 | 8 |
| Terry Kirby | 9 | 22 | 0 | 6 |
| Garrison Hearst | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Marc Edwards | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Chuck Levy | 1 | -6 | 0 | -6 |
| ATL | ||||
| Jamal Anderson | 29 | 113 | 2 | 34 |
| Gary Downs | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Chris Chandler | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| J.J. Stokes | 5 | 76 | 0 | 33 |
| Terrell Owens | 8 | 73 | 0 | 20 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 3 | 63 | 1 | 38 |
| Chuck Levy | 2 | 58 | 0 | 34 |
| Greg Clark | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Terry Kirby | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| Marc Edwards | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| ATL | ||||
| Terance Mathis | 5 | 71 | 0 | 19 |
| Tony Martin | 4 | 63 | 0 | 20 |
| Ronnie Harris | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Jamal Anderson | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Brian Kozlowski | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
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