The 49ers open 1994 at 3Com Park against the Los Angeles Raiders. Steve Young starts as the 1993 NFL MVP. Jerry Rice and John Taylor are the receivers; Brent Jones is at tight end.
Ricky Watters is the lead back; Tom Rathman is the fullback. The offseason cap moves added Ken Norton Jr. at linebacker, Deion Sanders at cornerback, and Bart Oates at center. The defensive front returns intact with Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield.[1][2]
George Seifert opens his sixth year as 49ers head coach. The offseason cap moves transformed the depth chart: Deion Sanders at corner, Ken Norton Jr. at linebacker, Bart Oates at center, Gary Plummer at linebacker, Rickey Jackson at defensive end. The front office spent eight months building the kind of defensive backup the championship-bracket schedule requires.
Opening Sunday begins the NFL year with the Cowboys as defending Super Bowl champions. The 49ers are picked second. The Packers third. Around the league the early stories are the Cowboys' Larry Brown contract dispute, the Vikings' Warren Moon trade, and the Eagles' new head coach Rich Kotite. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the only NFC-AFC marquee opening-week game.
Through zero games the 49ers reset to last year's profile: 10-6, NFC West champions, NFC Championship loss at Dallas. Young threw for 4,023 in 1993 and 29 touchdowns; the league MVP. Watters ran for 950. Rice caught 98 passes for 1,503. The Raiders opened 1993 10-6 with Hostetler averaging 220 passing per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 6-point home favorites. Number to track today: snaps with Sanders at corner.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Houston Oilers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
Jerry Rice's ICONIC Monday Night! (Raiders vs. 49ers 1994, Week 1)
1994 week 01 Los Angeles Raiders at San Francisco 49ers
1994 Raiders at 49ers MNF Week 1
1994-09-05 Los Angeles Raiders vs San Francisco 49ers
49ers vs Raiders 1994 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #losangelesraiders 8
49ers vs Raiders 1994 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #losangelesraiders 12
49ers vs Raiders 1994 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #losangelesraiders 11
1994 RAIDERS @ 49ERS 9-5-94 (14-44)**VIDEO ENHANCED**Steve Young threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns, Jerry Rice caught 7 for 169 with two scores and the 49ers blew out the Los Angeles Raiders 44-14 at 3Com Park in the home opener. Brent Jones caught 4 for 59 with two touchdowns. Jeff Hostetler threw for 168 with a touchdown. The 49ers led 27-7 at halftime.[1][2]
Steve Young threw four touchdowns in the home opener. Jerry Rice caught seven for one hundred and sixty-nine with two scores. Brent Jones caught two touchdowns. The 49ers blew out the Raiders 44-14 at 3Com Park. The offseason cap moves produced the kind of opening Sunday the staff has been projecting since the offseason.
The defensive front produced three sacks of Jeff Hostetler. Deion Sanders, in his 49ers debut, intercepted a pass and broke up two others. The 49ers' offense scored on seven of nine possessions. The Raiders' offense produced 14 points across the full sixty minutes.
The 49ers walk away 1-0 with the road trip to Kansas City and Joe Montana on Sunday next. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the Sanders debut. The film room is going to start with the defensive front's three-sack afternoon.
49ers 44, Raiders 14. Margin: plus 30. Record: 1-0.
A 44-14 home opener win over the Raiders. The 49ers open 1-0.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a touchdown drive ending in a Rice 49-yard score. A Wade Richey field goal made it 10-0. Young added a Brent Jones touchdown to push the lead to 17-0. Watters' rushing touchdown made it 24-0. A Raiders touchdown cut it to 24-7 at the second quarter. Young added two more touchdowns in the second half to push the lead to 44-7. The Raiders added a closing fourth-quarter touchdown.
The turning point
The first-quarter Rice 49-yard touchdown. With the 49ers driving from their own 35 and the offense facing third-and-eight at the Raiders' 49, Young found Rice on a deep cross over the safety. The 7-0 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture from the first quarter forward.
By the numbers
Young 19-of-32 for 308 with four touchdowns and one pick. Rice 7 catches for 169 with two scores. Brent Jones 4 catches for 59 with two touchdowns. Watters 37 rushing on 18 carries with a touchdown plus 55 receiving. Defensively the front produced three sacks of Hostetler; Sanders intercepted a pass and broke up two others.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 19/32 | 308 | 4 | 1 | |
| RAI | |||||
| Jeff Hostetler | 17/28 | 168 | 1 | 1 | |
| Vince Evans | 2/5 | 28 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Steve Young #8 | 5 | 51 | 0 | 23 |
| Ricky Watters | 18 | 37 | 1 | 13 |
| Marc Logan | 7 | 31 | 0 | 10 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 23 |
| William Floyd | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Dexter Carter | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Adam Walker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elvis Grbac | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| RAI | ||||
| Tom Rathman | 4 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Harvey Williams | 4 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Napoleon McCallum | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Vince Evans | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Tyrone Montgomery | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Jeff Hostetler | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 7 | 169 | 2 | 69 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 4 | 59 | 2 | 28 |
| Ricky Watters | 5 | 55 | 0 | 23 |
| John Taylor #82 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Marc Logan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| RAI | ||||
| Rocket Ismail | 4 | 70 | 0 | 30 |
| Tim Brown | 5 | 42 | 1 | 12 |
| James Jett | 3 | 39 | 0 | 17 |
| Andrew Glover | 2 | 17 | 0 | 9 |
| Daryl Hobbs | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Tom Rathman | 2 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Harvey Williams | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Tyrone Montgomery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1994 W1 - 49ers vs Los Angeles Raiders - Game Thread