The 49ers (1-0) travel to Giants Stadium for a Sunday kickoff against the New York Giants (1-0) on Sun September 11, 1988.
Montana continues at quarterback. Steve Young in mixed duty. Roger Craig at lead back. The Giants start Phil Simms. Joe Morris at running back. Lionel Manuel and Mark Bavaro at the perimeter. Bill Parcells in year six as head coach.
Bill Parcells' Giants come into Sunday off the W1 road win at Washington. Phil Simms threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. The 49ers' Sunday at Giants Stadium is the kind of NFC East road game the schedule produces for a 1-0 NFC West contender; the Giants finished 6-9 in 1987 but their preseason ceiling is the kind of mid-tier conference contender the wire copy treats as a wild-card threat.
Week 2 has the conference's opening picture. The Bears 2-0 lead the NFC Central. The Cowboys 0-2 sit at the bottom of the NFC East after losses to the Steelers and Cardinals. The AFC's Bills 2-0 lead the AFC East. The Bengals 2-0 at the top of the AFC Central. The 49ers' Sunday at the Giants is one of two NFC matchups between contenders on the slate; the Bears at Colts is the other.
Through one game the 49ers are 1-0 with a plus 1 differential. The Giants are 1-0 with a plus 7. Phil Simms 17 of 30 in W1, 247 yards, 2 TDs. Joe Morris ran 17 for 47. Lionel Manuel 5 catches for 67. Joe Montana 161 in W1. Roger Craig 67 rushing. Jerry Rice 2 catches for 41. Vegas lists the 49ers as a 3-point road underdog with the total at 41. Number to track today: how the offensive line handles a Giants front that produced 4 sacks at Washington.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-0 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1-0 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 1-0 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 1-0 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-1 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-1 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 1-0 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-0 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 0-1 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-1 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 1-0 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 1-0 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 1-0 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-1 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 1-0 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-0 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-1 | L1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 0-1 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-1 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Lionel Manuel 12 yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 35 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| 49ers | Doug DuBose 1 yard rush (Mike Cofer kick) | 10-7 |
| Giants | Raul Allegre 36 yard field goal | 10-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 26 yard field goal | 13-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Lionel Manuel 15 yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) | 13-17 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 78 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 20-17 |
Joe Montana threw a 78-yard touchdown to Jerry Rice in the fourth quarter and the 49ers beat the New York Giants 20-17 at Giants Stadium. Steve Young threw for 115 yards in extended duty; Montana for 148. Roger Craig ran for 110 yards. Doug DuBose ran in a 1-yard touchdown. Phil Simms threw two touchdowns to Lionel Manuel. The 49ers improved to 2-0.[1][2][3]
Joe Montana's 78-yard touchdown to Jerry Rice in the fourth quarter was the difference in a 20-17 49ers road win at Giants Stadium. The 49ers' two-quarterback rotation produced 263 yards passing combined. Roger Craig ran for 110 yards on 18 carries.
Steve Young finished 11 of 18 for 115 yards in extended W2 duty. Montana came in for the fourth quarter and went 10 of 18 for 148 with the long touchdown. Rice four catches for 109 with the 78-yard score. Roger Craig 18 carries for 110 plus nine catches for 69. Tom Rathman six for 21 plus three for 27. Doug DuBose three for 2 with a 1-yard touchdown.
Phil Simms finished 21 of 37 for 227 with two touchdowns to Lionel Manuel (12, 15) and no interceptions. Joe Morris ran 22 for 67. The Giants' offense produced two scoring drives and one Raul Allegre field goal. The 49ers' defensive front produced two sacks of Simms and the kind of fourth-quarter pressure the long Rice touchdown needed to make the difference.
49ers 20, Giants 17. Margin: plus 3. Record: 2-0. • Young: 11 of 18, 115, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 sacks; 5 carries for 48. • Montana: 10 of 18, 148, 1 TD (Rice 78), 0 INTs, 0 sacks. • Rice: 4 catches for 109, 1 TD (78y). • Craig: 18 carries for 110, plus 9 for 69. • Rathman: 6 carries for 21. • DuBose: 3 carries for 2, 1 rushing TD (1y). • Wilson: 2 catches for 25. • Cofer: 2-for-2 (35, 26). • Simms (NYG): 21 of 37, 227, 2 TDs (Manuel 12, Manuel 15), 0 INTs.
A 20-17 road win at Giants Stadium. The 49ers move to 2-0 with the year's second close win.
How it unfolded
Lionel Manuel caught a 12-yard touchdown from Simms for the early 0-7 lead. Cofer's 35-yarder cut it to 3-7. Doug DuBose's 1-yard rush made it 10-7. Raul Allegre's 36-yarder tied it 10-10. Cofer's 26-yarder made it 13-10. Manuel's 15-yard touchdown made it 13-17. Rice's 78-yard touchdown reception made the final 20-17.
The turning point
The Rice 78-yard touchdown. With the Giants ahead 17-13 in the fourth quarter and a sustained Giants drive producing the touchdown that gave them the lead, Montana's response was the deep ball to Rice that turned a one-score deficit into the lead the 49ers would not give back.
By the numbers
Young 11 of 18 for 115. Montana 10 of 18 for 148 with the long touchdown. Combined 21 of 36 for 263 with one touchdown. Rice four catches for 109 with the 78-yard score. Craig 110 rushing on 18 plus 69 receiving on nine. Defense produced two sacks of Simms.
Personnel watch
The two-quarterback rotation produced the kind of offensive sequencing the conference had not seen before. Young's first half was the kind of yards-per-attempt the offense had been building toward. Montana's fourth-quarter relief work produced the long Rice touchdown. Charles Haley's sack of Simms pushed his year total to two through two games.
What it means
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 25 | 17 |
| Total Yards | 430 | 309 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 21/37 | 21/37 |
| Pass yards | 263 | 227 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 14 | 30 |
| Net pass yards | 249 | 197 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 33 | 29 |
| Rush yards | 181 | 112 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 4 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 9 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 97 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 10/18 | 148 | 1 | 0 | 101.2 |
| Steve Young #8 | 11/18 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 79.6 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| NYG | |||||
| Phil Simms | 21/37 | 227 | 2 | 0 | 93 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Roger Craig #33 | 18 | 110 | 0 | 17 |
| Steve Young #8 | 5 | 48 | 0 | 20 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 10 |
| Doug DuBose | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NYG | ||||
| Joe Morris | 22 | 67 | 0 | 11 |
| George Adams | 4 | 31 | 0 | 15 |
| Phil Simms | 2 | 14 | 0 | 12 |
| Jeff Hostetler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 4 | 109 | 1 | 78 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 9 | 69 | 0 | 16 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 11 |
| Mike Wilson #85 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| Ron Heller #85 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 17 |
| Wes Chandler | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| NYG | ||||
| Lionel Manuel | 6 | 80 | 2 | 23 |
| Mark Ingram | 4 | 48 | 0 | 25 |
| Mark Bavaro | 3 | 42 | 0 | 26 |
| Joe Morris | 3 | 26 | 0 | 16 |
| Zeke Mowatt | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Lee Rouson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| George Adams | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Maurice Carthon | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Ottis Anderson | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1988 W2 - 49ers at New York Giants - Game Thread
