The 49ers (6-2) travel to Three Rivers Stadium for a mid-afternoon ET kickoff against the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4) on Sun November 1, 1981.
Montana continues at quarterback. The Steelers start Terry Bradshaw. Franco Harris at running back. The 49ers' run of four straight wins meets the AFC's two-time Super Bowl champion of the last decade.
Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers are 4-4, off the runs of the late 1970s but still the kind of team that walks into a home game with Jack Lambert at middle linebacker and Mel Blount at corner. The 49ers' Sunday at Three Rivers is the year's first cross-conference road game and the kind of test the year-three Walsh project has been working toward.
The four-game winning streak is the longest of the Walsh tenure. The defensive unit has produced takeaways in every game over the past month.
Week nine is the early-November cross-conference check. The Eagles (7-1), 49ers (6-2), Cowboys (6-2), Falcons (5-3), and Rams (4-4) lead the NFC. The AFC's Chargers (7-1), Bills (6-2), Bengals (6-2), Steelers (4-4), and Raiders (5-3) lead. The 49ers' Sunday at Three Rivers is the kind of cross-conference road game where the year-three project gets its first AFC contender test.
Through eight games the 49ers are 6-2 with a plus 51 differential. The Steelers are 4-4 with a plus 18. Terry Bradshaw 96 of 167, 1,287, eight touchdowns, eight interceptions. Franco Harris 161 carries for 575, 3.6 per attempt. The Steelers' defense generates four turnovers per game on average. Montana 153 of 237, 1,910, nine touchdowns, five interceptions through eight.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-3 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-3 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-4 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 4-4 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 5-2-1 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-3 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 3-4-1 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 1-7 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-2 | W3 |
| Denver Broncos | 5-3 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-3 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-5 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-6 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-2 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-4 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4-4 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2-6 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-3 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-4 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-4 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-6 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-6 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-1 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-2 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5-3 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 3-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 2-6 | W1 |
On the call: Brent Musburger, Vin Scully, Cris Collinsworth (via 80s Football Cards)
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 | Charle Young 5 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 7-0 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 45 yard field goal | 10-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Mel Blount 50 yard interception return (David Trout kick) | 10-7 |
| Steelers | Jim Smith 22 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (David Trout kick) | 10-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Walt Easley 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 17-14 |
Walt Easley ran in a 1-yard touchdown with 1:50 left and the 49ers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 at Three Rivers Stadium. Joe Montana finished 22 of 37 for 205 with one touchdown to Charle Young and two interceptions including a 50-yard Mel Blount pick-six. The 49ers improved to 7-2 with their fifth straight win.[1][2][3]
Walt Easley plunged in from the 1 with 1:50 left and the 49ers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 at Three Rivers Stadium. The win was a close, possession-by-possession road grind against a Steel Curtain defense that produced three turnovers from the 49ers' offense (two interceptions, one fumble) and a 50-yard Mel Blount interception return for a touchdown.
Montana finished 22 of 37 for 205 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Charle Young caught a 5-yard touchdown for the opening score. Ray Wersching's 45-yard field goal in the second quarter made it 10-0 before Blount's pick-six. Jim Smith caught a 22-yard touchdown from Bradshaw to give the Steelers a 14-10 lead. Easley's 1-yard rush gave the road team back the lead and the final.
The 49ers' defense generated three interceptions of Bradshaw. Franco Harris ran 17 times for 104 yards but no touchdowns. The 49ers' defensive front held the Steel Curtain front-seven's offensive identity in check.
49ers 17, Steelers 14. Margin: plus 3. Record: 7-2.
A 17-14 cross-conference road win at Three Rivers Stadium. The 49ers improve to 7-2 with their fifth straight win.
How it unfolded
Montana hit Young for a 5-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Wersching's 45-yard field goal made it 10-0. Mel Blount returned a Montana interception 50 yards for a touchdown to make it 10-7. Jim Smith caught a 22-yard touchdown from Bradshaw to give the Steelers a 14-10 lead. The 49ers' offense managed two punts and a fumble across the third quarter. Easley's 1-yard touchdown rush with 1:50 left was the winning score.
The turning point
Easley's 1-yard rush with 1:50 left. After Bradshaw's third interception of the day (by Eric Wright in the fourth quarter), the 49ers' final drive of regulation produced the kind of two-minute scoring possession that the Walsh playbook has been building toward.
By the numbers
Montana 22 of 37 for 205, 5.5 yards per attempt, one touchdown and two interceptions (one returned for a score). Easley 47 on 14 with the winning rush. Clark seven catches for 80. Cooper five for 53 in the slot. Bradshaw 12 of 23 for 125, one touchdown and three interceptions. Harris 104 on 17 carries with no rushing touchdowns. The 49ers' defense forced three interceptions and held the AFC's premier run game without a goal-line score.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 25 | 16 |
| Total Yards | 330 | 269 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 6 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 23/38 | 12/23 |
| Pass yards | 210 | 125 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 3 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 10 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 200 | 125 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 39 | 28 |
| Rush yards | 130 | 144 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 3 |
| Penalties | 6 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 55 | 45 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 22/37 | 205 | 1 | 2 | 61.2 |
| Walt Easley | 1/1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 |
| PIT | |||||
| Terry Bradshaw | 12/23 | 125 | 1 | 3 | 43.1 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Walt Easley | 14 | 47 | 1 | 7 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 13 | 35 | 0 | 9 |
| Paul Hofer | 5 | 26 | 0 | 12 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| PIT | ||||
| Franco Harris | 17 | 104 | 0 | 21 |
| Frank Pollard | 7 | 28 | 0 | 7 |
| Terry Bradshaw | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Russell Davis | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Dwight Clark #87 | 7 | 80 | 0 | 23 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 5 | 53 | 0 | 22 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 23 |
| Ricky Patton #27 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| Charle Young | 3 | 13 | 1 | 5 |
| Walt Easley | 3 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| Paul Hofer | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| PIT | ||||
| Frank Pollard | 3 | 42 | 0 | 26 |
| Jim Smith | 2 | 42 | 1 | 22 |
| John Stallworth | 3 | 26 | 0 | 12 |
| Bennie Cunningham | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Franco Harris | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Randy Grossman | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1981 W9 - 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers - Game Thread