49ers vs. Denver Broncos

Rich Karlis kicked a 22-yard field goal 10:30 into overtime and the Denver Broncos beat the 49ers 16-13 at Candlestick Park. Joe Montana finished 12 of 24 for 191 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Roger Craig ran for 143 yards. Mike Cofer made two field goals. Vance Johnson caught an 8-yard touchdown from John Elway. The 49ers fell to 4-2.[1][2][3]

Rich Karlis kicked a 22-yard field goal 10:30 into overtime and the Denver Broncos beat the 49ers 16-13 at Candlestick Park. The 49ers' second loss of the year produced no offensive touchdowns. Joe Montana threw 12 of 24 for 191 yards with one interception. Roger Craig ran for 143 yards on 26 carries.

Montana's 12-of-24 day produced the lowest single-game completion percentage of his year. Steve Young's two-pass relief appearance produced both interceptions. Rice three catches for 78 plus two carries for 27. John Taylor caught one for 55. Tom Rathman 11 for 55 plus five catches for 27. The offensive line gave up no sacks.

John Elway finished 21 of 39 for 210 with one touchdown to Vance Johnson (8 yards) and two interceptions. Sammy Winder ran 17 for 100. Tony Dorsett ran 5 for 12 with the offense's only other significant carry. Vance Johnson caught eight for 85 with the touchdown. The Broncos' offense produced one touchdown drive and the kind of conservative game-management afternoon Reeves had been calling for in Denver.

Broncos 16, 49ers 13 (OT). Margin: minus 3. Record: 4-2. • Montana: 12 of 24, 191, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 0 sacks; 6 carries for 13, 1 rushing TD (6y). • Young (relief): 0 of 3, 0, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 0 sacks. • Rice: 3 catches for 78, plus 2 rushes for 27. • Taylor: 1 catch for 55. • Craig: 26 carries for 143, plus 2 for 18. • Rathman: 11 carries for 55, plus 5 for 27. • Wilson: 1 catch for 13. • Cofer: 2-for-2 (37, 27).

A 16-13 overtime home loss to the Denver Broncos. The 49ers fall to 4-2 in the year's second home defeat.

How it unfolded

Cofer kicked a 37-yard field goal first. Rich Karlis kicked a 27-yarder. Montana's 6-yard rushing touchdown made it 10-3. Karlis added a 27-yarder for 10-6. Cofer's 27-yarder made it 13-6. Vance Johnson caught an 8-yard touchdown to tie it 13-13. Karlis kicked the 22-yard overtime field goal.

The turning point

The Steve Young relief interception in the second quarter. With Young coming in for short-yardage red-zone work, his throw was intercepted; the turnover gave Denver the ball at the 49ers' 35 and led to Karlis' second field goal. The seven-point swing from a potential 49ers touchdown to a Broncos field goal margin meant the 49ers needed seven in the closing minutes of regulation and could not produce them.

By the numbers

Montana 12 of 24 for 191. Roger Craig 143 on 26 (5.5 ypc); the back's biggest single-game rushing total of the year. Defense produced two interceptions of Elway and no sacks. Allowed Sammy Winder 100 rushing yards.

Personnel watch

Steve Young's two-pass relief interception was his first multi-INT game of the year. Roger Craig's 143-yard rushing day was his biggest rushing line since 1985. The defensive front (Haley, Holt) produced no sacks against an Elway who took only one across five games.

What it means