The 49ers (3-2) host the Dallas Cowboys (4-1) at Candlestick Park, 1:00 PM PT on Sun October 11, 1981.
Danny White starts at quarterback for Dallas. Tony Dorsett at running back. The Cowboys are the NFC's preseason favorite. Montana continues for the 49ers; Patton at lead back.
The Cowboys come off a Monday-night win at New England. The 49ers come off two straight wins, the second a road blowout at RFK.[1][2][3]
Tom Landry brings his offense, his defense, and his late-1970s reputation to Candlestick. The Cowboys won 12-4 a year ago and beat the 49ers in their previous five meetings. Danny White, Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, and Tony Dorsett are the names every preseason book begins with.
The 49ers' two-game streak is the longest of the year-three Walsh tenure. Patton at lead back. Montana off the most efficient road game of his career. The home game against a contender is the schedule's first real measuring stick.
Week six is the early-October NFC sort. The Eagles (5-0), Cowboys (4-1), Falcons (4-1), Rams (4-1) lead the conference. The Bears, Vikings, Buccaneers and Packers compete in the NFC Central. The AFC's Chargers (5-0), Bills (5-0), and Bengals (5-0) compete at the top. The 49ers' home Sunday against the Cowboys is the year's first marquee home opponent.
Through five games the 49ers are 3-2 with a plus 7 differential. The Cowboys are 4-1 with a plus 56. Danny White 79 of 137, 1,021, six touchdowns, four interceptions. Dorsett 78 carries for 312, 4.0 per attempt. The 49ers' defense has produced seven interceptions in five games. Hicks leads the team with two defensive touchdowns. Montana 93 of 144, 1,124, five touchdowns, five interceptions through five.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-2 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 3-2 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-3 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 4-0-1 | T1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-2 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 1-3-1 | T1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 1-4 | L4 |
| New England Patriots | 1-4 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 4-1 | W3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-1 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 3-2 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-3 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-4 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-2 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3-2 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-2 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-4 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 3-2 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-2 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-3 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-3 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 1-4 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-0 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-1 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 2-3 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 2-3 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-5 | L5 |
On the call: John Madden (via 80s Football Cards)
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Freddie Solomon 1 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Paul Hofer 4 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 0-14 |
| 49ers | Johnny Davis 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 0-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 18 yard field goal | 0-24 |
| Cowboys | Tony Hill 22 yard pass from Drew Pearson (Rafael Septien kick) | 7-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Dwight Clark 78 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 7-31 |
| 49ers | Ronnie Lott 41 yard interception return (Ray Wersching kick) | 7-38 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Amos Lawrence 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 7-45 |
| Cowboys | Benny Barnes 72 yard defensive fumble return (Rafael Septien kick) | 14-45 |
Joe Montana threw two touchdowns, Ronnie Lott returned an interception 41 yards for a score, and the 49ers crushed the Dallas Cowboys 45-14 at Candlestick Park. Dwight Clark caught four passes for 135 including a 78-yard score. Montana finished 19 of 29 for 279 yards. The 49ers' defense produced two interceptions and a fumble return touchdown. The 49ers improved to 4-2 in the year's signature home win.[1][2][3]
Dwight Clark caught a 78-yard touchdown from Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott returned a Cowboys interception 41 yards for a defensive score, and the 49ers blew the doors off Dallas 45-14 at Candlestick. The Cowboys came in 4-1 and the NFC's preseason favorite; they left having given up the worst loss of the Tom Landry late-era. Montana 19 of 29 for 279 with two touchdowns. Three Cowboys quarterbacks combined for 11 of 29, 113 yards and two interceptions.
Freddie Solomon caught the 1-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. Paul Hofer ran for a 4-yard score. Johnny Davis added a 1-yard touchdown. Lott's 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter pushed the score to 38-7. Amos Lawrence ran in a 1-yard goal-line touchdown to make the final 45-14.
49ers 45, Cowboys 14. Margin: plus 31. Record: 4-2.
A 45-14 home win over the Dallas Cowboys at Candlestick Park. The 49ers improve to 4-2 in the year's signature home win.
How it unfolded
Montana hit Solomon for a 1-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Hofer's 4-yard rush extended it to 14-0. Davis ran in a 1-yard score. Wersching's 18-yard field goal made it 24-0. Drew Pearson's 22-yard halfback-option throw to Tony Hill was the Cowboys' only sustained scoring drive of the first half. Clark caught a 78-yard touchdown from Montana to make it 31-7 by the third quarter. Lott's 41-yard interception return for a touchdown pushed it to 38-7. Lawrence's 1-yard rush made the final 45-14. Benny Barnes' 72-yard fumble return for a touchdown was Dallas' last scoring play.
The turning point
Clark's 78-yard touchdown from Montana in the third quarter. With the lead at 24-7 and the Cowboys' offense looking to mount a comeback, the long deep ball from the play-action package broke open the game and the Lott interception return for a touchdown two possessions later put the result out of reach.
By the numbers
Montana 19 of 29 for 279, 9.6 yards per attempt, two touchdowns. Clark four catches for 135 and the 78-yard touchdown. Solomon five for 74 and the opening touchdown. The Cowboys' three-quarterback line: 11 of 29, 113 yards, two interceptions. Dorsett held to 21 yards on nine carries (his lowest output of the year). The Cowboys' defense gave up 419 total yards.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 10 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 192 | 440 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 12/29 | 20/33 |
| Pass yards | 135 | 304 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 26 | 14 |
| Net pass yards | 109 | 290 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 21 | 46 |
| Rush yards | 83 | 150 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 3 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 4 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 40 | 28 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 19/29 | 279 | 2 | 0 | 119.8 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 1/1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 118.7 |
| Guy Benjamin | 0/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| DAL | |||||
| Danny White | 8/16 | 60 | 0 | 2 | 19.8 |
| Glenn Carano | 3/12 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 45.5 |
| Drew Pearson | 1/1 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 158.3 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Paul Hofer | 11 | 40 | 1 | 12 |
| Walt Easley | 8 | 28 | 0 | 8 |
| Johnny Davis | 8 | 28 | 1 | 6 |
| Amos Lawrence | 6 | 27 | 1 | 14 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| DAL | ||||
| James Jones | 4 | 26 | 0 | 16 |
| Tony Dorsett | 9 | 21 | 0 | 7 |
| Doug Cosbie | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Ron Springs | 5 | 14 | 0 | 7 |
| Danny White | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Glenn Carano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Dwight Clark #87 | 4 | 135 | 1 | 78 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 5 | 74 | 1 | 26 |
| Charle Young | 3 | 35 | 0 | 12 |
| Paul Hofer | 3 | 22 | 0 | 12 |
| Mike Wilson #85 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 11 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| DAL | ||||
| Doug Donley | 2 | 26 | 0 | 17 |
| Drew Pearson | 2 | 23 | 0 | 16 |
| Tony Hill | 1 | 22 | 1 | 22 |
| Robert Newhouse | 1 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Doug Cosbie | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Tony Dorsett | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Ron Springs | 3 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Billy Joe DuPree | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
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