The 49ers (5-0) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) at Candlestick Park, on Sun October 21, 1990. Off the 45-35 win at Atlanta last Sunday.
Montana continues at quarterback. Roger Craig at lead back. The Steelers start Bubby Brister at quarterback. Merril Hoge at running back. Eric Green at tight end. Chuck Noll in year 22 as head coach.
Chuck Noll's Pittsburgh team is not the Pittsburgh team Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls with. The Steelers' offense has scored 14 points a game across five weeks. Bubby Brister's last 300-yard game was 14 starts ago. The 49ers' Sunday at Candlestick is the kind of home game the schedule lays out for a 5-0 team that just produced 45 on the road: the rest stop between Atlanta's track meet and the back-to-back NFC road trips on the November slate.
Week 7 has the conference's leading dorsal-fin teams in mid-October sort. The Giants are 6-0 after Sunday-night beating the Eagles. The Bears are 5-1. The Eagles 3-3. The Bills 6-0 in the AFC. The Bengals 4-2. The Broncos 4-2. The 49ers' Sunday against Pittsburgh is the year's quietest home matchup; the wire copy is going to use it as the warm-up to the November slate.
Through five games the 49ers sit at 5-0 with a plus 33 differential. The Steelers are 2-3 with a minus 22. Bubby Brister has thrown for 879 yards across five starts, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Eric Green has 17 catches for 220 with two touchdowns. Montana has thrown for 1,792 yards through five games, the most through five of any quarterback in the league. Jerry Rice has 32 catches for 576 and eight touchdowns.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-2 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-3 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 3-3 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-4 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 4-1 | W3 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-1 | W2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-3 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 2-4 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 1-4 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 5-1 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-2 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 2-4 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2-4 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-4 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-0 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-3 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2-3 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1-4 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 5-1 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-2 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-4 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-4 | L2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-5 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 5-0 | W5 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-2 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-3 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 2-3 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-4 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Richard Bell 2 yard pass from Bubby Brister ( Gary Anderson kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 39 yard field goal | 7-3 |
| 49ers | Mike Sherrard 5 yard pass from Joe Montana ( Mike Cofer kick) | 7-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 20 yard field goal | 7-13 |
| 49ers | Tom Rathman 1 yard rush ( Mike Cofer kick) | 7-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Tom Rathman 1 yard rush ( Mike Cofer kick) | 7-27 |
Tom Rathman ran for two one-yard touchdowns, the 49ers' defense held Pittsburgh to seven points, and the 49ers beat the Steelers 27-7 at Candlestick Park. Joe Montana finished 20 of 30 for 157 yards with one touchdown to Mike Sherrard. Rookie Dexter Carter ran 17 times for 90 yards, his first big rushing game. The Steelers' only touchdown came on a 2-yard pass to running back Richard Bell from Bubby Brister. The 49ers improved to 6-0.[1][2]
The home win that did not need the offensive number, the 49ers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-7 at Candlestick on a defensive afternoon plus two Rathman goal-line plunges. Montana finished 157 yards passing, his lowest total in three years. The defensive front limited the Steelers to 110 passing yards and 94 rushing.
Dexter Carter, in his first start at lead back, produced 90 yards on 17 carries with the kind of north-south running the offense had not produced consistently in five weeks. Rathman added 27 yards on 10 carries with the two goal-line touchdowns. The 49ers ran for 169 total yards, the season's highest team rushing total. Sherrard's 5-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the only passing score.
The defense produced two sacks of Brister, two interceptions, and limited Pittsburgh to one of 11 on third down. Eric Green caught three for 37. Merril Hoge ran 16 times for 64. The 49ers' afternoon was the kind of slower, defensive home game that says the unit can win in a different mode than the Atlanta game.
49ers 27, Steelers 7. Margin: plus 20. Record: 6-0. • Montana: 20 of 30, 157, 1 TD (Sherrard 5), 2 INTs, 1 sack. • Carter: 17 carries for 90 (career high in carries). • Rathman: 10 carries for 27, 2 rushing TDs (1y each), plus 6 for 29 receiving. • Sydney: 7 carries for 31. • Rice: 3 catches for 31. • Sherrard: 3 catches for 26, 1 TD. • Cofer: 2-for-2 (39, 20). • Brister (PIT): 13 of 22, 120, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks. • Hoge (PIT): 16 carries for 64, plus 3 for 34.
A 27-7 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers move to 6-0 on a defensive afternoon and a 169-yard rushing day from the backfield rotation.
How it unfolded
Pittsburgh scored first on a 2-yard touchdown reception by Richard Bell out of the backfield from Brister. Cofer's 39-yard field goal cut it to 7-3. Sherrard's 5-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter put the 49ers ahead 10-7. Cofer added a 20-yarder in the third. Rathman's 1-yard touchdown extended the lead to 20-7. Rathman's second 1-yard rush in the fourth quarter made the final 27-7.
The turning point
The Sherrard 5-yard touchdown in the second quarter. After Pittsburgh's opening drive ended in seven points and the offense had stalled twice, the second-quarter scoring drive that produced the Sherrard touchdown gave the 49ers a lead they did not give back. The defensive afternoon followed.
By the numbers
Montana 20 of 30 for 157, 5.2 yards per attempt, one touchdown and two interceptions. The lowest passing total of his career as a starter since 1987. Carter 17 carries for 90, his first feature-back workload of the year. Rathman 10 for 27 with the two short touchdowns. Sydney seven for 31. The 49ers ran 41 times for 169, the unit's highest rushing volume of the year. Defense produced two interceptions of Brister, two sacks, and held the Steelers to 1 of 11 on third down.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 20/30 | 157 | 1 | 2 | |
| PIT | |||||
| Bubby Brister | 13/22 | 120 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Dexter Carter | 17 | 90 | 0 | 13 |
| Harry Sydney #39 | 7 | 31 | 0 | 15 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 6 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Steve Young #8 | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| PIT | ||||
| Merril Hoge | 16 | 64 | 0 | 20 |
| Warren Williams | 5 | 30 | 0 | 24 |
| Bubby Brister | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Dexter Carter | 7 | 57 | 0 | 12 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 19 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 6 |
| Mike Sherrard #84 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 12 |
| John Taylor #82 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| PIT | ||||
| Eric Green | 3 | 37 | 0 | 20 |
| Merril Hoge | 3 | 34 | 0 | 21 |
| Mike Mularkey | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Dwight Stone | 3 | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| Louis Lipps | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Derek Hill | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Richard Bell | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
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