The 49ers (8 weeks in) face the Phoenix Cardinals on 1992-11-01 at the visitors' stadium. The opener of this road week sees Steve Young at quarterback against an Phoenix Cardinals unit that opened the year on the schedule's projected fringe.
Ricky Watters is the lead back; Jerry Rice and John Taylor are the receivers. The defensive front rotates Pierce Holt and Charles Haley at the line.[1][2]
The Sunday matchup against the Phoenix Cardinals is the kind of road game where the offensive line has the matchup the staff has been pointing toward all week. George Seifert's calendar continues to be defined by the Young-led offense's pacing across the front of the schedule.
Win and the 49ers' divisional cushion stays intact. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the Phoenix Cardinals' offensive line. The pregame practice notes were clean.
Around the conference Week 9 continues to shape the playoff race. The Cowboys and Giants share the NFC East projection. The 49ers and Saints share the NFC West top spot. The AFC has the Bills as the conference's projected one-seed contender. The road matchup with the Phoenix Cardinals is the calendar's first significant game of the closing-half schedule.
Through 8 games the 49ers are tracking the kind of pace that, in calendar 1992, defines the NFC West projection. Young is on pace for 4,000 passing yards. Watters is on pace for a 1,000-yard rushing season. The Phoenix Cardinals are on pace for a sub-.500 finish projection. Vegas opens the 49ers as the favored side. A figure to follow: Watters' chase of the rookie rushing record.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-2 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 5-2 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-3 | W3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-5 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 6-1 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-2 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4-3 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 1-6 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 0-7 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 5-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-4 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-4 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 3-5 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-7 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-1 | W5 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-2 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-5 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-2 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-3 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-4 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-5 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-5 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-1 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-2 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-2 | W3 |
| New York Giants | 3-4 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 1-6 | L3 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Randal Hill 4 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Greg Davis kick) | 0-7 |
| Cardinals | Greg Davis 33 yard field goal | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Randal Hill 23 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Greg Davis kick) | 0-17 |
| 49ers | Mike Sherrard 39 yard offensive fumble return ( Mike Cofer kick) | 7-17 |
| Cardinals | Ricky Proehl 22 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Greg Davis kick) | 7-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ricky Watters 4 yard rush ( Mike Cofer kick) | 14-24 |
The 49ers lost 14-24 on the road against the Phoenix Cardinals on 1992-11-01. Bono started at quarterback. The 49ers fell behind 17-0 at the half. Watters' touchdown run cut the lead but the offense produced 14 points. Young threw for the kind of efficient line the staff has been pointing toward. The defense produced the kind of pressure that defined the afternoon.[1][2]
The 49ers lost 14-24 against the Phoenix Cardinals. Bono started at quarterback. The 49ers fell behind 17-0 at the half. Watters' touchdown run cut the lead but the offense produced 14 points. The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting. Steve Young threw the kind of efficient line that, in calendar 1992, anchored the calendar's projected one-seed posture.
Ricky Watters ran the kind of workhorse afternoon the offense has been building around. Jerry Rice caught the kind of full-route afternoon the staff has been calling. The defensive front produced the kind of pressure that, in calendar play, defines the divisional cushion. The Sunday's outcome sets the next week's posture.
49ers 14, Phoenix Cardinals 24. Margin: minus 10. The Sunday's box score reads in line with the projected outcome. Young's passing line came through clean. Watters' rushing workload was the staff's projected call. The defensive front produced multi-sack pressure.
A 14-24 road loss at the Phoenix Cardinals. The 49ers' calendar continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
Bono started at quarterback. The 49ers fell behind 17-0 at the half. Watters' touchdown run cut the lead but the offense produced 14 points. The Sunday's full-sixty produced the kind of game-flow the staff has been building toward.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in calendar 1992, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating.
By the numbers
Steve Young's passing line came through clean. Ricky Watters ran the workhorse line. Jerry Rice caught the full-route afternoon. The defensive front produced the multi-sack pressure that, in calendar play, defines the divisional cushion.
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort the staff has been projecting. The defensive front's pressure was the central strength of the afternoon. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in calendar 1992, anchored the year's pace.
What it means
The 49ers' divisional cushion stays in line with the projected pacing. The next-week matchup is the calendar's next sense-check. The film room note is the in-game adjustment that decided the closing two quarters.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Bono | 17/24 | 222 | 0 | 1 | |
| Steve Young #8 | 6/8 | 76 | 0 | 0 | |
| PHO | |||||
| Chris Chandler | 19/33 | 197 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Ricky Watters | 7 | 36 | 1 | 17 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 13 |
| Amp Lee | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| PHO | ||||
| Johnny Johnson | 26 | 102 | 0 | 13 |
| Chris Chandler | 4 | 27 | 0 | 18 |
| Ricky Proehl | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Larry Centers | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Johnny Bailey | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 6 | 87 | 0 | 23 |
| Mike Sherrard #84 | 5 | 82 | 0 | 25 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 6 | 58 | 0 | 19 |
| Ricky Watters | 3 | 48 | 0 | 20 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 18 |
| PHO | ||||
| Randal Hill | 6 | 92 | 2 | 40 |
| Ricky Proehl | 4 | 51 | 1 | 22 |
| Johnny Bailey | 3 | 28 | 0 | 10 |
| Anthony Edwards | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Butch Rolle | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Larry Centers | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Johnny Johnson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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