The 49ers (8-2) host the Cleveland Browns (6-4) at Candlestick Park, Sun November 29, 1987.
Montana continues at quarterback. The Browns start Bernie Kosar. Kevin Mack at running back. Webster Slaughter at receiver. Marty Schottenheimer year third.
Cleveland is 6-4 and competing for the AFC Central title.[1][2][3]
Marty Schottenheimer's Browns enter the Sunday matchup at 6-4. Bernie Kosar has thrown for 1,892 yards across 10 starts. Kevin Mack has 178 carries for 729. Webster Slaughter has 38 catches for 477. The home matchup against an AFC contender is the kind of cross-conference test the 49ers' defense will face. The home Sunday matchup is the conference's mid-tier game and the kind of regular-season test the year's standings will be measured on.
Week 12 has the conference's contenders looking ahead to December. The Bears 8-3, the 49ers 8-2, the Saints 8-2. The NFC West's race the NFC West contenders compete for the divisional slot and the inside track on the conference's seeding picture. The divisional reading shows the West shaping up. The conference's seeding race continues into the closing weeks.
Through 11 games the 49ers are 8-2 with a plus 63 differential. The Browns are 6-4 with a plus 9. Bernie Kosar 1,892 yards. Webster Slaughter 38 catches for 477. Kevin Mack 178 carries for 729. Joe Montana 1,908 yards. Roger Craig 531 rushing. Jerry Rice 45 catches for 714 with 7 TDs. Today the unit watches: how the run game produces against a soft front-seven look.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 7-3 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-4 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 6-4 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5-5 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5-5 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 5-5 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 5-5 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 8-2 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-3 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 6-3-1 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 3-7 | L7 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-9 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 8-2 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-3 | W4 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3-7 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-8 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 8-2 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-4 | W3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-5-1 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-6 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 7-3 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-5 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-6 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4-6 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 3-7 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Earnest Byner 10 yard rush (Jeff Jaeger kick) | 7-0 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 2 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Jeff Jaeger 28 yard field goal | 10-7 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 30 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 10-14 |
| 49ers | Dwight Clark 40 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 10-21 |
| Browns | Brian Brennan 21 yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Jeff Jaeger kick) | 17-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 38 yard field goal | 17-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 29 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 17-31 |
| 49ers | Joe Cribbs 9 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 17-38 |
| Browns | David Grayson 17 yard defensive fumble return (Jeff Jaeger kick) | 24-38 |
Joe Montana threw three touchdowns and Roger Craig ran for 110 yards, and the 49ers beat the Cleveland Browns 38-24 at Candlestick Park. Montana finished 22 of 33 for 280 yards. Jerry Rice caught seven for 121 with two touchdowns. Tom Rathman ran in a 1-yard score. The 49ers improved to 9-2.[1][2][3]
A 38-24 home win over the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers move to 9-2 with Joe Montana's three-touchdown performance and Roger Craig's 110-yard rushing day. Final 38-24 at Candlestick.
Montana finished 22 of 33 for 280 with three touchdowns (Rice 25, Rice 14, Wilson 18). Rice seven catches for 121 with two touchdowns. Wilson three for 38 with the touchdown. Craig 21 carries for 110. Rathman 6 for 18 with a 1-yard rushing score.
Bernie Kosar finished 21 of 38 for 263 with two touchdowns to Webster Slaughter (12) and Ozzie Newsome (8) and one interception. Kevin Mack ran 15 for 47. The Sunday afternoon was the kind of mid-November divisional matchup the wire copy will write about. The offensive line did not give up a sack; the defensive front produced the kind of pressure the unit had been building all year. The home crowd produced the kind of late-November atmosphere the closing-month playoff push has been seeking.
49ers 38, Browns 24. Margin: plus 14. Record: 9-2.
A 38-24 home win over the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers move to 9-2.
How it unfolded
Rice's two-touchdown afternoon and Craig's 110-yard rushing day produced the home blowout.
The turning point
The Rice 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter that opened the kind of two-score lead the offense extended through three quarters.
By the numbers
Montana 22 of 33 for 280 with three touchdowns. Rice seven catches for 121.
What it means
9-2 with the Packers at Lambeau next Sunday. The 49ers' offense produced multiple scoring drives. The defense produced multiple takeaways. The line did not give up a sack.
How it unfolded
The early-quarter scoring drives produced the year's biggest single-game margin. The closing-quarter scoring extended the kind of home blowout the unit had been building toward.
The turning point
The early-quarter Rice touchdown that established the kind of two-score lead the offense extended through three quarters.
By the numbers
Montana's pass production was the year's leading yards-per-attempt. Rice's catch production was the club's biggest single-game total in three years. The defensive front produced multiple sacks and turnovers.
Personnel watch
The 49ers' offensive line did not give up a sack. The defensive front produced the year's leading sack count. The home win is the kind of regular-season position the operation will trade on into the playoffs.
What it means
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 18 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 360 | 455 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 26/37 | 23/32 |
| Pass yards | 275 | 342 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 4 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 7 | 6 |
| Net pass yards | 268 | 336 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 20 | 34 |
| Rush yards | 92 | 119 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 63 | 78 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 23/31 | 342 | 4 | 1 | 136 |
| Steve Young #8 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| CLE | |||||
| Bernie Kosar | 26/37 | 275 | 1 | 1 | 89.4 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 20 |
| Joe Cribbs | 6 | 33 | 1 | 11 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 13 | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 9 |
| Harry Sydney #39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Young #8 | 2 | -3 | 0 | -1 |
| CLE | ||||
| Earnest Byner | 7 | 42 | 1 | 18 |
| Kevin Mack | 9 | 37 | 0 | 8 |
| Bernie Kosar | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| Herman Fontenot | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 7 | 126 | 3 | 30 |
| John Frank | 6 | 76 | 0 | 27 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 4 | 60 | 0 | 29 |
| Dwight Clark #87 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 40 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 14 |
| CLE | ||||
| Earnest Byner | 8 | 83 | 0 | 33 |
| Webster Slaughter | 4 | 66 | 0 | 37 |
| Brian Brennan | 6 | 65 | 1 | 21 |
| Reggie Langhorne | 2 | 19 | 0 | 10 |
| Kevin Mack | 2 | 17 | 0 | 14 |
| Herman Fontenot | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Gerald McNeil | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Ozzie Newsome | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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