The 49ers (2-0) travel to Veterans Stadium for a Sunday kickoff against the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) on Sun September 24, 1989.
Montana continues at quarterback. The Eagles start Randall Cunningham at quarterback. Heath Sherman at running back. Keith Jackson at tight end. Mike Quick and Cris Carter at receiver. Buddy Ryan in year four as head coach.
Philadelphia comes off a 42-37 win over Washington. The Eagles' defense ranks third in points allowed.[1][2][3]
Buddy Ryan's Philadelphia Eagles are the kind of defensive front the schedule produces for a 2-0 49ers team: Reggie White on the line, Seth Joyner at linebacker, Eric Allen and Wes Hopkins in the secondary. The 42-37 W2 win at Washington produced a Cunningham line of 244 passing and three touchdowns. The Sunday matchup is one of the conference's marquee matchups of September.
Week 3 has the conference's NFC matchups all marquee. The 49ers visit the Eagles. The Giants visit the Vikings. The Bears host the Lions. The Rams host the Packers. The AFC's Bills 3-0 lead, the Bengals and Browns 2-1. The Sunday Veterans Stadium matchup is one of two marquee NFC games on the slate; the Giants at Vikings is the other. Inside the division the Rams 3-0 lead, the Saints 0-2, the Falcons 0-2.
Through two games the 49ers are 2-0 with a plus 10 differential. The Eagles are 1-1 with a plus 5. Randall Cunningham has thrown for 459 yards across two starts, 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Plus 92 rushing yards on 18 carries. Keith Jackson 7 catches for 96. Mike Quick 6 for 89. Joe Montana 499 across two games with two touchdowns. Jerry Rice 14 catches for 285 and one touchdown. Vegas lists the 49ers as 3-point road favorites with the total at 45.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 2-0 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-1 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1-1 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 1-1 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-1 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 1-1 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-2 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 2-0 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-1 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 1-1 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-2 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 2-0 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-0 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1-1 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 2-0 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-1 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-1 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 2-0 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-0 | W2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 2-0 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-2 | L2 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-2 | L2 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 68 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 7-0 |
| Eagles | Heath Sherman 2 yard rush (Luis Zendejas kick) | 7-7 |
| Eagles | Safety, Harris tackled Montana in end zone | 7-9 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Luis Zendejas 35 yard field goal | 7-12 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 32 yard field goal | 10-12 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Luis Zendejas 35 yard field goal | 10-15 |
| Eagles | Luis Zendejas 44 yard field goal | 10-18 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Luis Zendejas 20 yard field goal | 10-21 |
| 49ers | John Taylor 70 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 17-21 |
| Eagles | Jimmie Giles 3 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Luis Zendejas kick) | 17-28 |
| 49ers | Tom Rathman 8 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 24-28 |
| 49ers | Brent Jones 25 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 31-28 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 33 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 38-28 |
Joe Montana threw five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, four in eight minutes, and the 49ers came back from a 21-10 fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-28 at Veterans Stadium. Montana finished 25 of 34 for 428 yards. Jerry Rice caught six for 164 with two touchdowns. John Taylor caught a 70-yard touchdown. Brent Jones caught a 25-yard touchdown. Tom Rathman caught an 8-yard touchdown. The 49ers improved to 3-0.[1][2][3]
Joe Montana threw four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, three of them in an 8-minute span, and the 49ers came back from a 10-21 fourth-quarter deficit at Veterans Stadium to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-28. The 49ers' 28-point fourth quarter was the unit's largest fourth-quarter scoring output in the Walsh-Seifert era.
Montana finished 25 of 34 for 428 yards with five touchdowns. The Taylor 70-yard touchdown started the comeback. Rathman's 8-yard touchdown reception cut it to 24-28. Brent Jones' 25-yard touchdown extended the lead to 31-28. Rice's 33-yard touchdown made the final 38-28. Rice ended with six catches for 164 with two touchdowns (68 and 33). Taylor six for 136. Brent Jones three for 65 with the touchdown. Rathman three for 19 with the touchdown reception.
49ers 38, Eagles 28. Margin: plus 10. Record: 3-0. • Montana: 25 of 34, 428, 5 TDs (Rice 68, Taylor 70, Rathman 8, Brent Jones 25, Rice 33), 1 INT, 0 sacks. • Rice: 6 catches for 164, 2 TDs. • Taylor: 6 catches for 136, 1 TD (70y). • Brent Jones: 3 catches for 65, 1 TD. • Rathman: 3 catches for 19, 1 TD. • Sydney: 4 carries for 30. • Craig: 8 carries for 14. • Cunningham (PHI): 19 of 38, 192, 1 TD (Giles 3), 1 INT; 8 carries for 52.
A 38-28 road win at Veterans Stadium. The 49ers move to 3-0 with the club's biggest fourth-quarter comeback win since 1986.
How it unfolded
Rice caught a 68-yard touchdown from Montana to open the scoring. Heath Sherman ran in a 2-yard score to make it 7-7. Mike Pitts tackled Montana in the end zone for a safety to give Philadelphia a 7-9 lead. Luis Zendejas kicked a 35-yarder. Cofer's 32-yarder cut it to 10-12. Zendejas added a 35-yarder for 10-15 and a 44-yarder for 10-18. Zendejas opened the fourth with a 20-yarder for 10-21. Taylor's 70-yard touchdown made it 17-21. Jimmie Giles caught a 3-yarder from Cunningham for 17-28. Rathman's 8-yard reception made it 24-28. Brent Jones' 25-yard touchdown made it 31-28. Rice's 33-yard touchdown closed the comeback at 38-28.
The turning point
The Taylor 70-yard touchdown. With the 49ers trailing 10-21 in the fourth quarter and the offensive line giving up the kind of pressure that produced the second-quarter safety, Montana hit Taylor on a deep over route that the Eagles' single-high safety did not get to. The seven-point swing started the comeback and changed the game from a defensive failure into a four-touchdown Montana fourth quarter.
By the numbers
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 444 | 315 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 25/34 | 19/38 |
| Pass yards | 428 | 192 |
| Pass TD | 5 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 8 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 43 | 31 |
| Net pass yards | 385 | 161 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 19 | 37 |
| Rush yards | 59 | 154 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 5 | 4 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 2 |
| Penalties | 10 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 70 | 35 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 25/34 | 428 | 5 | 1 | 142.8 |
| PHI | |||||
| Randall Cunningham | 19/38 | 192 | 1 | 1 | 62.6 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Harry Sydney #39 | 4 | 30 | 0 | 18 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 19 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 4 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Barry Helton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| PHI | ||||
| Randall Cunningham | 8 | 52 | 0 | 15 |
| Heath Sherman | 16 | 43 | 1 | 14 |
| Mark Higgs | 6 | 29 | 0 | 13 |
| John Teltschik | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Keith Byars | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 6 | 164 | 2 | 68 |
| John Taylor #82 | 6 | 136 | 1 | 70 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 3 | 65 | 1 | 24 |
| Harry Sydney #39 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 11 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 9 |
| Wesley Walls | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| PHI | ||||
| Heath Sherman | 4 | 53 | 0 | 17 |
| Jimmie Giles | 2 | 34 | 1 | 31 |
| Keith Byars | 3 | 29 | 0 | 15 |
| Keith Jackson | 3 | 25 | 0 | 15 |
| Gregg Garrity | 2 | 14 | 0 | 11 |
| Mike Quick | 2 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Cris Carter | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Ron Johnson | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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