The 49ers (6-3) travel to Sun Devil Stadium for a Sunday kickoff against the Phoenix Cardinals (5-4) on Sun November 6, 1988.
Steve Young expected to start. The Cardinals start Neil Lomax. Earl Ferrell and Stump Mitchell share the backfield. Roy Green and J.T. Smith at receiver. Gene Stallings in year second as head coach.
Gene Stallings' Cardinals enter the divisional matchup at 5-4 with Neil Lomax's offense producing the kind of mid-tier passing performance the NFC East has been giving up. Roy Green has 47 catches for 757. J.T. Smith 39 for 533. The Cardinals' Sunday at home against the 49ers is the kind of late-season divisional crossover game the schedule produces between an NFC East team and an NFC West contender.
Week 10 has the conference's contenders in mid-November. The Bears 9-0 lead. The Vikings 7-2, the Rams 6-3, the 49ers 6-3, the Cardinals 5-4. The Bengals 8-2 lead the AFC. The Bills 8-2. The 49ers' Sunday at Phoenix is the year's one NFC East-West road game; the Bears at Buccaneers is the other Sunday divisional matchup. The NFC West shapes up with the NFC West contenders compete for the divisional slot and the inside track on the conference's seeding picture.
Through nine games the 49ers are 6-3 with a plus 25 differential. The Cardinals are 5-4 with a minus 11. Neil Lomax has thrown for 2,001 yards. Roy Green 47 catches for 757. J.T. Smith 39 for 533. Earl Ferrell 124 carries for 542. Joe Montana 1,698 yards. Steve Young 503 across his W2 + W9 starts plus relief. Roger Craig 784 rushing across nine. Jerry Rice 33 catches for 762 with 6 TDs. Vegas lists the 49ers as 3-point road favorites with the total at 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-2 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6-3 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 6-3 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 8-1 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 5-3-1 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5-4 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4-5 | W3 |
| New England Patriots | 4-5 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-4 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 4-5 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 4-5 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2-7 | L5 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-7-1 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 7-2 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-2 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-3 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-7 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 7-2 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-4 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-7 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-7 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 6-3 | W3 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5-4 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-5 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-7 | L5 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 42 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Roger Craig 3 yard rush (Mike Cofer kick) | 10-0 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 27 yard field goal | 13-0 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 30 yard field goal | 16-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Brent Jones 3 yard pass from Steve Young (Mike Cofer kick) | 23-0 |
| Cardinals | Roy Green 35 yard pass from Neil Lomax (Al Del Greco kick) | 23-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Al Del Greco 24 yard field goal | 23-10 |
| Cardinals | Ernie Jones 5 yard pass from Neil Lomax (Al Del Greco kick) | 23-17 |
| Cardinals | Roy Green 9 yard pass from Neil Lomax (Al Del Greco kick) | 23-24 |
Neil Lomax threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Cardinals beat the 49ers 24-23 at Sun Devil Stadium. Steve Young finished 14 of 27 for 145 yards with one touchdown to Brent Jones. Roger Craig ran for 162 yards and a touchdown. Roy Green caught two touchdowns. Ernie Jones caught one. The 49ers fell to 6-4.[1][2][3]
Neil Lomax's three-touchdown fourth quarter pushed the Phoenix Cardinals past the 49ers 24-23 at Sun Devil Stadium. The 49ers led 23-0 in the third quarter; the home team's four-quarter comeback produced 24 unanswered points across the final 17 minutes. The 49ers' second loss in three games.
Steve Young finished 14 of 27 for 145 with one touchdown to Brent Jones (3 yards). Roger Craig ran 26 for 162 with a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Tom Rathman five for 33. Jerry Rice three for 37. Brent Jones one for 3 with the touchdown. The 49ers' offensive line did not give up a sack but the offense produced no points across the final 30 minutes.
Neil Lomax finished 25 of 41 for 323 with three touchdowns (Roy Green 35, Ernie Jones 5, Roy Green 9) and no interceptions. Earl Ferrell ran 12 for 54. Stump Mitchell 7 for 13. The Cardinals' fourth-quarter comeback was the unit's largest playoff-impact comeback in three years. The 49ers' defensive front produced no sacks of Lomax.
Cardinals 24, 49ers 23. Margin: minus 1. Record: 6-4. • Steve Young: 14 of 27, 145, 1 TD (Brent Jones 3), 0 INTs, 0 sacks; 3 carries for 26. • Brent Jones: 1 catch for 3, 1 TD. • Rice: 3 catches for 37. • Craig: 26 carries for 162 (6.2 ypc), 1 rushing TD (3y). • Rathman: 5 carries for 33, plus 4 for 45. • Wilson: 2 catches for 24. • Heller: 2 catches for 24. • Cofer: 3 FGs (42, 27, 30).
A 24-23 road loss to the Phoenix Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium. The 49ers fall to 6-4 in the year's most stunning collapse.
How it unfolded
Cofer kicked a 42-yard field goal first. Craig's 3-yard rush made it 10-0. Cofer added two more field goals (27, 30) for 16-0. Brent Jones' 3-yard touchdown reception made it 23-0. Roy Green caught a 35-yarder for 23-7. Al Del Greco kicked a 24-yarder for 23-10. Ernie Jones caught a 5-yarder for 23-17. Roy Green caught a 9-yarder for the 23-24 final.
The turning point
The Cardinals' fourth-quarter rally. With the 49ers up 23-7 and the offense having produced four scoring drives, the 49ers' defense gave up three consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. The defensive failure was the kind of mid-November collapse that puts a 6-4 team's playoff seeding in question.
By the numbers
Steve Young 14 of 27 for 145 with the touchdown. Roger Craig 162 on 26 (6.2 ypc); his second 160-plus rushing game of the year. The 49ers' run game produced 232 rushing yards on 35 carries. Defense produced no sacks of Lomax and no interceptions. The fourth-quarter coverage on the Cardinals' three perimeter targets (Green twice, Ernie Jones once) was the unit's biggest single-quarter scoring breakdown.
Personnel watch
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 22 | 21 |
| Total Yards | 357 | 355 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 14/27 | 25/41 |
| Pass yards | 145 | 323 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 7 |
| Sack yards lost | 28 | 35 |
| Net pass yards | 117 | 288 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 38 | 19 |
| Rush yards | 240 | 67 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 3 |
| Penalties | 14 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 106 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 14/27 | 145 | 1 | 0 | 80 |
| PHO | |||||
| Neil Lomax | 25/41 | 323 | 3 | 0 | 110.1 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Roger Craig #33 | 26 | 162 | 1 | 25 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 5 | 33 | 0 | 12 |
| Steve Young #8 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 31 |
| Harry Sydney #39 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Terrence Flagler | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| PHO | ||||
| Earl Ferrell | 12 | 54 | 0 | 13 |
| Stump Mitchell | 7 | 13 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Tom Rathman #44 | 4 | 45 | 0 | 16 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 19 |
| Ron Heller #85 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 13 |
| Mike Wilson #85 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 15 |
| Terry Greer #84 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PHO | ||||
| Roy Green | 6 | 93 | 2 | 35 |
| J.T. Smith | 6 | 84 | 0 | 22 |
| Ernie Jones | 4 | 61 | 1 | 25 |
| Stump Mitchell | 4 | 41 | 0 | 19 |
| Earl Ferrell | 4 | 35 | 0 | 11 |
| Jay Novacek | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
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 W10 - 49ers at Phoenix Cardinals - Game Thread
