The 49ers (4-2) travel to Milwaukee County Stadium for a 1:00 PM CT kickoff against the Green Bay Packers (2-4) on Sun October 18, 1981.
Montana continues at quarterback. Patton at lead back, with Davis and Cooper rotating. Green Bay starts Lynn Dickey. James Lofton and Paul Coffman are the receiving headliners. The 49ers' defense has produced three interceptions in two of the last three games.
The Packers come off a Monday-night loss at Minnesota.[1][2][3]
Lynn Dickey and the Packers are 2-4 in Bart Starr's sixth year as head coach. Lofton and Coffman are the targets; the run game has been the team's struggle. The 49ers come off the 45-14 home win over the Cowboys and a two-game winning streak.
Montana on the road is the season's open question. The Pontiac opener and the Atlanta trip both produced multi-interception games. The Washington game was the year's most efficient road outing. Sunday in Milwaukee is the next data point.
Week seven is the mid-October sort. The Eagles (6-0), Cowboys (4-2), Falcons (5-1), and Rams (5-1) lead the NFC. The AFC's Chargers (6-0), Bills (6-0), Bengals (5-1) compete at the top. The Packers (2-4) and Bears (2-4) compete in the NFC Central middle. The 49ers' Sunday in Milwaukee is the kind of cross-divisional road game where the favorite has to handle business.
Through six games the 49ers are 4-2 with a plus 38 differential. The Packers are 2-4 with a minus 28. Lynn Dickey 102 of 178, 1,272 yards, eight touchdowns, six interceptions. Lofton 26 catches for 489. Coffman 20 catches for 268. The 49ers' defense has produced two defensive scores in three weeks. Montana 112 of 173, 1,403, seven touchdowns, five interceptions through six.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-2 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-2 | W4 |
| Houston Oilers | 4-2 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-4 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 4-1-1 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-2 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 2-3-1 | W1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 1-5 | L5 |
| New England Patriots | 1-5 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 5-1 | W4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-2 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-2 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-4 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-5 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 4-2 | W4 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-2 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-3 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-5 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-2 | W4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-2 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-4 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-4 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 1-5 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-0 | W6 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-2 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 3-3 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 2-4 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 1-5 | W1 |
On the call: Brent Musburger (via Rob)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Jan Stenerud 26 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 26 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Johnny Davis 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 10-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 32 yard field goal | 13-3 |
Johnny Davis ran in a 1-yard touchdown and Ray Wersching kicked two field goals as the 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 13-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Joe Montana finished 23 of 32 for 220 yards. The 49ers' defense generated three sacks and produced one takeaway. The Packers managed only one Jan Stenerud field goal. The 49ers improved to 5-2 with their third straight win.[1][2][3]
Sunday in Milwaukee produced a 13-3 win, the kind of defensive grind that says the 49ers' year-three project has a defensive identity. Lynn Dickey and the Packers' passing game (James Lofton, Paul Coffman, John Jefferson) was held to one Jan Stenerud field goal across 60 minutes.
Montana went 23 of 32 for 220 with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Johnny Davis' 1-yard rushing touchdown was the lone offensive score. Wersching added field goals of 26 and 32 yards. The 49ers' offense produced 354 total yards but settled for field goals after two trips into Packers territory ended on third-down stops.
The defense generated three sacks. The secondary did not produce a takeaway but limited Lofton to a 31-yard sideline catch and held the Packers' offense to 175 net passing yards. Dickey and David Whitehurst combined for 14 of 24 with one interception (Whitehurst's, fourth-quarter, to Hicks again). Gerry Ellis 50 rushing on seven carries.
49ers 13, Packers 3. Margin: plus 10. Record: 5-2.
A 13-3 cross-divisional road win at Milwaukee County Stadium. The 49ers improve to 5-2 with their third straight win.
How it unfolded
Jan Stenerud opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal. Wersching matched it with a 26-yarder of his own. Davis ran in a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter to make it 10-3 at halftime. Wersching added a 32-yarder in the third quarter for the final 13-3. The 49ers' defense produced three sacks and held the Packers to a field goal across the game.
The turning point
The Davis 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter. With the score 3-3 and both offenses producing field-goal drives, Davis' goal-line plunge from the 1 gave the 49ers a 10-3 lead they would extend rather than relinquish. The Packers' subsequent drives stalled in the secondary.
By the numbers
Montana 23 of 32 for 220, 6.9 yards per attempt, no touchdowns and no interceptions. The first turnover-free game of his career as a starter. Davis 65 on 16 with the touchdown. Cooper 38 on 12. The 49ers' two-back rotation produced 103 yards on 28 carries. The Packers' run game produced 70 yards on 17 carries. Lofton was held to five catches for 51.
What it means
5-2 with the Rams at home next Sunday. The three-game winning streak (now five wins in six) confirms the year-three Walsh project has reached the kind of defensive identity the offseason was built around. The Rams home game is the year's next NFC West test.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 13 |
| Total Yards | 337 | 241 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 23/32 | 14/24 |
| Pass yards | 220 | 193 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 9 | 30 |
| Net pass yards | 211 | 163 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 47 | 19 |
| Rush yards | 126 | 78 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 35 | 35 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 23/32 | 220 | 0 | 0 | 90.6 |
| GNB | |||||
| Lynn Dickey | 11/18 | 156 | 0 | 0 | 89.1 |
| David Whitehurst | 3/6 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 29.9 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Johnny Davis | 16 | 65 | 1 | 14 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 12 | 38 | 0 | 7 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| Walt Easley | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Paul Hofer | 8 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| GNB | ||||
| Gerry Ellis | 7 | 50 | 0 | 23 |
| Harlan Huckleby | 10 | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| David Whitehurst | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Lynn Dickey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Dwight Clark #87 | 6 | 55 | 0 | 12 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 4 | 49 | 0 | 17 |
| Paul Hofer | 5 | 44 | 0 | 22 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 25 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 13 |
| Amos Lawrence | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Charle Young | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Johnny Davis | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GNB | ||||
| Paul Coffman | 3 | 67 | 0 | 27 |
| Gerry Ellis | 5 | 50 | 0 | 28 |
| John Jefferson | 3 | 47 | 0 | 18 |
| Jim Jensen | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| James Lofton | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Harlan Huckleby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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] 1981 W7 - 49ers at Green Bay Packers - Game Thread