The 49ers (5-2) travel to Soldier Field for a Sunday kickoff against the Chicago Bears (7-0) on Mon October 24, 1988. Monday Night Football.
Montana continues at quarterback. The Bears start Jim McMahon. Neal Anderson at running back. Dennis McKinnon and Willie Gault at receiver. Mike Ditka in year seven as head coach.
Mike Ditka's Bears are 7-0, the NFL's only unbeaten team. Jim McMahon has thrown for 1,116 yards across six starts (Mike Tomczak in relief in two). Neal Anderson has 153 carries for 671. The defensive front (Dent, McMichael, Hampton, Singletary) has produced 28 sacks across seven games. The Sunday-afternoon Monday Night Football matchup at Soldier Field is the year's marquee NFC matchup.
Week 8 has the conference's two best NFC teams meeting Monday night. The Bears 7-0 lead the NFC. The 49ers 5-2. The Vikings 6-2. The Rams 4-3. The Bengals 7-1 lead the AFC. The Bills 6-2. The Monday-night matchup is the year's most-anticipated NFC game. Inside the division the NFC West contenders compete for the divisional slot and the inside track on the conference's seeding picture.
Through seven games the 49ers are 5-2 with a plus 23 differential. The Bears are 7-0 with a plus 95. Jim McMahon has thrown for 1,116 across six starts. Neal Anderson 153 carries for 671. Dennis McKinnon 21 catches for 322. Joe Montana 1,530 yards across seven. Roger Craig 697 rushing across seven (99.6 ypg, NFL lead). Jerry Rice 29 catches for 654 with five touchdowns. Vegas lists the 49ers as 1.5-point road underdogs with the total at 35.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-1 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 5-2 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-3 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-6 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 6-1 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-3 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 3-3-1 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 3-4 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-5 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 4-3 | W3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-3 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 3-4 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2-5 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-5-1 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 6-1 | W6 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5-2 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-2 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1-6 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 6-1 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-3 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-5 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-5 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 1-6 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 4-3 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4-3 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-4 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-5 | L3 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 23 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bears | Jim McMahon 1 yard rush (Kevin Butler kick) | 7-7 |
| Bears | Kevin Butler 18 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Safety, Roberts and Haley tackled McMahon in end zone | 9-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
Charles Haley sacked Jim McMahon for a safety in the third quarter, and the Bears beat the 49ers 10-9 at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football. Joe Montana finished 13 of 29 for 168 yards with one touchdown to Jerry Rice and one interception. Roger Craig ran for 31 yards. Jim McMahon ran in a 1-yard touchdown. The 49ers fell to 5-3.[1][2][3]
A 10-9 Monday-night road loss at Soldier Field. The Bears' defense held the 49ers to one touchdown and a safety across four quarters. The 49ers fell to 5-3 in the year's third defensive struggle.
Montana finished 13 of 29 for 168 with one touchdown to Jerry Rice (23 yards) and one interception. Rice four catches for 86 with the touchdown. Roger Craig ran 10 for 31. Tom Rathman six for 21 plus one for 13. Ron Heller three for 31. The 49ers' offense produced one touchdown drive across four quarters; the safety came in the third quarter on Haley's strip-sack of McMahon.
Jim McMahon finished 10 of 22 for 132 with no touchdowns and one interception plus a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Neal Anderson ran 16 for 62. The Bears' offense produced one touchdown drive and one Kevin Butler field goal. The 49ers' safety came on the Haley-Roberts strip-sack in the third quarter.
Bears 10, 49ers 9. Margin: minus 1. Record: 5-3. • Montana: 13 of 29, 168, 1 TD (Rice 23), 1 INT, 0 sacks. • Young (relief): 1 of 1, 1, 0 TDs. • Rice: 4 catches for 86, 1 TD. • Craig: 10 carries for 31, plus 6 for 39. • Rathman: 6 carries for 21, plus 1 for 13. • Heller: 3 catches for 31. • Defense safety: Roberts and Haley sacked McMahon in EZ in Q3. • McMahon (CHI): 10 of 22, 132, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 0 sacks (sacked once for safety); 8 carries for 27, 1 rushing TD (1y).
A 10-9 Monday-night road loss at Soldier Field. The 49ers fall to 5-3 with the year's third one-score defeat.
How it unfolded
Jerry Rice caught a 23-yard touchdown from Montana to open the scoring. Jim McMahon's 1-yard rush tied it 7-7. Kevin Butler kicked an 18-yard field goal for 7-10. Charles Haley sacked McMahon in the end zone for a safety to make it 9-10. The score did not change for the rest of the game.
The turning point
The Bears' fourth-quarter drive after the Haley safety. With the 49ers down 9-10 and the offense looking to drive for the eventual winning score, the Bears' defensive front produced two sacks and three TFLs across the closing 8 minutes. The 49ers' offense never reached field-goal range in the final period.
By the numbers
Montana 13 of 29 for 168, 5.8 yards per attempt, one touchdown and one interception. Rice four catches for 86 with the touchdown. Craig 31 on 10. Rathman 21 on six. The 49ers' offensive line gave up no sacks but the run game produced 60 yards on 22 carries. Defense produced the Haley safety plus one McMahon interception.
Personnel watch
The Bears' defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage for four quarters. Roger Craig's 31 rushing was his lowest single-game total of the year. Jim Burt and Charles Haley produced the Haley safety; the kind of front-seven cooperation that the year-10 Walsh defense has been building toward all year. The 5-3 record is the club's third loss of the year.
What it means
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 12 | 14 |
| Total Yards | 213 | 237 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 14/30 | 10/22 |
| Pass yards | 169 | 132 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 34 | 17 |
| Net pass yards | 135 | 115 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 21 | 41 |
| Rush yards | 78 | 122 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 10 | 2 |
| Penalty yards | 57 | 14 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 13/29 | 168 | 1 | 1 | 60.7 |
| Steve Young #8 | 1/1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 79.2 |
| CHI | |||||
| Jim McMahon | 10/22 | 132 | 0 | 1 | 46 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Roger Craig #33 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 12 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 11 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Steve Young #8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| CHI | ||||
| Neal Anderson | 16 | 62 | 0 | 13 |
| Jim McMahon | 8 | 27 | 1 | 12 |
| Matt Suhey | 9 | 12 | 0 | 5 |
| Thomas Sanders | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| Brad Muster | 5 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 4 | 86 | 1 | 45 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 6 | 39 | 0 | 13 |
| Ron Heller #85 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 22 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| CHI | ||||
| Neal Anderson | 3 | 40 | 0 | 32 |
| Glen Kozlowski | 1 | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Matt Suhey | 2 | 25 | 0 | 20 |
| Dennis McKinnon | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Ron Morris | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis Gentry | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Thomas Sanders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1988 W8 - 49ers at Chicago Bears - Game Thread
