The 49ers (0-1) travel to the Metrodome for a 7:00 PM CT Thursday night kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings (1-0) on Thu September 8, 1983.
Joe Montana returns after a difficult opener. Wendell Tyler at running back. Roger Craig in the rotation. The Vikings start Tommy Kramer at quarterback. Ted Brown carries the ball for Minnesota.
Thursday night nationally televised. The 49ers need a win to avoid an 0-2 hole early in the year.[1][2][3]
Five days after the opener. Montana was benched in Week 1 and Walsh needs an answer on short rest. The Metrodome is loud and the Vikings (1-0) have the energy of an early winner. Kramer is the steady hand; the 49ers' secondary cannot afford the long completions it allowed to Jaworski.
This is the kind of game where the Walsh offense reasserts itself. Montana at his best is the most accurate reader in the NFC. Four days of practice and a week of film is sometimes all the difference.
Thursday night football in early September is the week's primary national showcase. The Vikings opened 1-0 with a home win. The 49ers are 0-1 and playing their second game in six days. Around the conference the Redskins and Cowboys are the early NFC leaders at 1-0. The Dolphins opened 1-0 in the AFC. The Metrodome game is the week's featured crossover.
Through one game the 49ers are 0-1 with a minus 5 differential. Montana was replaced in Week 1. Tyler ran for 73 yards in the opener. The Vikings opened 1-0. Tommy Kramer averaged 7.4 yards per attempt in their Week 1 win. The 49ers are 2-2 all-time at the Metrodome. Roger Craig made his NFL debut in Week 1.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-1 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-1 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts | 1-0 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-0 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 1-0 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0-1 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 1-0 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-0 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 1-0 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 1-0 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1-0 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-0 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 1-0 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-0 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 0-1 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 1-0 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-0 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 0-1 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0-1 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-1 | L1 |
On the call: Howard Cosell (via 80s Football Cards)
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 38 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| 49ers | Dwight Clark 21 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 10-0 |
| Vikings | Ted Brown 1 yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick) | 10-7 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 32 yard field goal | 13-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Earl Cooper 2 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 20-7 |
| 49ers | Eric Wright 60 yard interception return (Ray Wersching kick) | 27-7 |
| 49ers | Freddie Solomon 14 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 34-7 |
| 49ers | Wendell Tyler 6 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 41-7 |
| Vikings | Benny Ricardo 32 yard field goal | 41-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Terry LeCount 30 yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Benny Ricardo kick) | 41-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Roger Craig 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 48-17 |
Joe Montana threw four touchdown passes and the 49ers erupted for 48 points in a 48-17 blowout of the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. Montana finished 17 of 24 for 230 yards with no interceptions. Wendell Tyler rushed 19 times for 107 yards. Roger Craig scored the final touchdown on a 1-yard run. The 49ers moved to 1-1 with their most dominant win since the 1981 season.[1][2][3]
Everything Montana did in the opener, he reversed in Minnesota. Four touchdown passes, 17 of 24, no interceptions, and 230 yards — the 49ers' offense found its rhythm and ran it all the way to 48-17.
Tyler had his first 100-yard game as a 49er: 107 yards on 19 carries. The 49ers scored in every quarter. Montana found four different receivers for touchdowns. Roger Craig scored the final touchdown on a 1-yard rush in the fourth quarter, his first NFL rushing score.
Kramer went 20 of 38 for 254 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings but the 49ers' offense was so productive it didn't matter. The defense intercepted two passes and the 49ers held the Vikings to 17 points on 352 total yards. Thursday night at the Metrodome became a statement game.
49ers 48, Vikings 17. Margin: plus 31. Record: 1-1.
A 48-17 Thursday night road win at the Metrodome. The 49ers respond from the Week 1 loss in dominant fashion.
How it unfolded
Montana's first touchdown pass came in the opening quarter. Three more followed across the next three quarters. Tyler's 107 rushing yards on 19 carries sustained the run game. The 49ers scored on their first six possessions in a display of offensive variety the Week 1 film did not suggest was possible.
The turning point
Montana's rhythm after the opener's struggles. The Metrodome environment is one of the NFC's loudest; the 49ers carved through it with sustained execution on both sides of the ball.
By the numbers
Montana 17 of 24 at 9.6 yards per attempt. Four-touchdown, zero-interception game. Tyler 107 on 19 carries. The 49ers' 48 points were the offense's highest output since the 1981 season. Defense: two interceptions, held Minnesota to 17.
What it means
1-1 heading to St. Louis. The 48-point game resets the narrative. Montana's opener was the aberration.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 413 | 340 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 6 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/24 | 28/48 |
| Pass yards | 230 | 305 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 5 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 14 | 33 |
| Net pass yards | 216 | 272 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 43 | 19 |
| Rush yards | 197 | 68 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 30 | 25 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 17/24 | 230 | 4 | 0 | 140.6 |
| MIN | |||||
| Tommy Kramer | 25/41 | 274 | 1 | 3 | 58.4 |
| Steve Dils | 3/7 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 16.7 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Wendell Tyler #26 | 19 | 107 | 0 | 39 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 15 | 36 | 1 | 8 |
| Tom Orosz | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Bill Ring #39 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 8 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Carl Monroe | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| MIN | ||||
| Ted Brown | 10 | 33 | 1 | 9 |
| Tony Galbreath | 3 | 20 | 0 | 8 |
| Darrin Nelson | 3 | 15 | 0 | 7 |
| Tommy Kramer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rickey Young | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Mike Wilson #85 | 1 | 49 | 0 | 49 |
| Wendell Tyler #26 | 5 | 46 | 1 | 20 |
| Dwight Clark #87 | 3 | 44 | 1 | 21 |
| Renaldo Nehemiah #82 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 25 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 14 |
| Carl Monroe | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Russ Francis #81 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Eason Ramson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Earl Cooper #49 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| MIN | ||||
| Terry LeCount | 5 | 107 | 1 | 49 |
| Leo Lewis | 4 | 59 | 0 | 18 |
| Ted Brown | 5 | 38 | 0 | 15 |
| Bob Bruer | 5 | 34 | 0 | 9 |
| Tony Galbreath | 4 | 20 | 0 | 7 |
| Mardye McDole | 2 | 20 | 0 | 10 |
| Sammy White | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Darrin Nelson | 2 | 13 | 0 | 11 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1983 W2 - 49ers at Minnesota Vikings - Game Thread
