Season opener at the Pontiac Silverdome against the Detroit Lions, 1:00 PM ET on Sun September 6, 1981. Year three of Bill Walsh.
Joe Montana takes the first snap of his first full season as the starter. Earl Cooper, Ricky Patton and Walt Easley share the backfield. Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon at the perimeter.[1][2][3]
Walsh enters year three with a roster that does not yet look the part of a contender. The 1980 finish was 6-10 and the 49ers won three of their last six. Two-thirds of the snaps a year ago went to Steve DeBerg; Montana takes the job now, opening on the road against an opponent that finished 9-7 and has built its offense around its 1980 first-overall pick.
Opening Sunday begins a year shaped by the Dallas Cowboys' aging dynasty, the Eagles as defending NFC champs, and an AFC tilted around the Chargers' Air Coryell. The 49ers, picked under .500 in most preseason guides, are the second-year-of-Montana team that nobody is reading as a contender.
Around the league the openers feature the Cowboys at Washington, the Rams against the Oilers, and the Steelers hosting Kansas City.
Through zero games the 49ers reset to a 6-10 1980, third in the NFC West, finishing minus 105 in point differential. Returning starters: 17 of 22, with the secondary as the offseason's primary reshape. Montana started seven games in 1980 and went 2-5. Detroit went 9-7 a year ago and returns Sims off a 1,303-yard rookie season.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Houston Oilers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Baltimore Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 25 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Lions | Billy Sims 39 yard pass from Gary Danielson (Eddie Murray kick) | 3-7 |
| Lions | Eddie Murray 29 yard field goal | 3-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ricky Patton 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 10-10 |
| Lions | Horace King 17 yard pass from Gary Danielson (Eddie Murray kick) | 10-17 |
| 49ers | Freddie Solomon 21 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 17-17 |
| Lions | Billy Sims 1 yard rush (Eddie Murray kick) | 17-24 |
Billy Sims rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown and caught a 39-yard scoring pass from Gary Danielson as the Detroit Lions beat the 49ers 24-17 at the Pontiac Silverdome in the season opener. Joe Montana finished 18 of 28 for 195 with one touchdown to Freddie Solomon and one interception. Ricky Patton ran 15 times for 72 and a 1-yard score. The 49ers fell to 0-1.[1][2][3]
Year three of Bill Walsh opened with a road loss in Pontiac. Billy Sims accounted for two scores (a 39-yard touchdown reception and a 1-yard run), Gary Danielson threw two touchdowns, and the 49ers' new secondary gave up enough big plays that the final 24-17 looked closer than it played.
Montana's first start of his first full season produced 195 yards on 28 attempts. Freddie Solomon caught eight for 94 and the lone receiving touchdown. Dwight Clark added five for 57. Ricky Patton's 15-carry, 72-yard, one-touchdown afternoon was the most efficient running line of the day. The 49ers' offensive line gave up the kind of pocket pressure that limited Montana's downfield reads in the second half.
The defensive front did not get to Danielson with any consistency. The new secondary, with Lott, Wright and Williamson starting together for the first time, allowed the kind of opening-game completions that come with three rookies in the same backfield rotation. Detroit's 7-9-7-3 quarter scoring told the story of an offense that hit twice early and managed the rest.
Lions 24, 49ers 17. Margin: minus 7. Record: 0-1.
A 24-17 road loss at the Pontiac Silverdome to open the season. Montana's first start of his first full year as the QB1 produced a respectable line and the loss the opener still resembled.
How it unfolded
Ray Wersching opened the scoring with a 25-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Detroit answered on the next drive when Sims caught a 39-yard touchdown from Danielson. Eddie Murray's 29-yard field goal made it 10-3. Patton's 1-yard touchdown run tied it at 10. Horace King caught a 17-yard touchdown from Danielson to push the Lions ahead 17-10. Solomon caught a 21-yard touchdown from Montana to tie it at 17. Sims' 1-yard rush in the fourth was the decider.
The turning point
The Sims 1-yard rush, the third score on a Detroit drive that began on the 49ers' side of the field after a punt. The road defense had stops to that point; the give-up came on a sustained possession in the fourth quarter and the 49ers' answering drive stalled.
By the numbers
Montana 18 of 28 for 195, 7.0 yards per attempt, one touchdown, one interception. Solomon eight catches for 94, a target line that grew when Clark's coverage hardened. Patton 72 on 15 carries, 4.8 per attempt and the lone goal-line conversion. The 49ers' three-back rotation (Patton, Easley, Cooper) combined for 31 carries and 117 yards. Detroit's Sims was the centerpiece in both halves: 21 carries, 59 rushing, 66 receiving, two touchdowns.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 21 |
| Total Yards | 297 | 295 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 18/28 | 16/27 |
| Pass yards | 195 | 196 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 19 | 28 |
| Net pass yards | 176 | 168 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 33 | 30 |
| Rush yards | 121 | 127 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties | 8 | 7 |
| Penalty yards | 54 | 65 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 18/28 | 195 | 1 | 1 | 81.7 |
| DET | |||||
| Gary Danielson | 16/27 | 196 | 2 | 1 | 91 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Ricky Patton #27 | 15 | 72 | 1 | 22 |
| Walt Easley | 7 | 23 | 0 | 6 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| DET | ||||
| Billy Sims | 21 | 59 | 1 | 14 |
| Dexter Bussey | 4 | 23 | 0 | 16 |
| Leonard Thompson | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Vince Thompson | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Horace King | 2 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| Gary Danielson | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 8 | 94 | 1 | 21 |
| Dwight Clark #87 | 5 | 57 | 0 | 17 |
| Charle Young | 2 | 33 | 0 | 23 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| DET | ||||
| Billy Sims | 5 | 66 | 1 | 39 |
| Leonard Thompson | 3 | 63 | 0 | 28 |
| Horace King | 3 | 24 | 1 | 17 |
| Freddie Scott | 2 | 23 | 0 | 16 |
| Ulysses Norris | 2 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Rick Kane | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1981 W1 - 49ers at Detroit Lions - Game Thread
