The 49ers (7-4) host the St. Louis Rams (5-6) at 3Com Park. Chris Miller is the starter. Greg Robinson is the back. Todd Kinchen and Troy Drayton are the receivers. The Rams come off three of four losses.
Steve Young returns at starter after the five-game absence with the shoulder. Elvis Grbac is the backup.[1][2]
Steve Young returns at starter Sunday at 3Com Park after the five-game absence. Elvis Grbac's four-touchdown afternoon last Sunday secured the starting role for the back half. The Sunday's matchup is the kind of home game where the schedule offers Young a soft landing in his return.
The Rams are 5-6 with Chris Miller at starter. The Sunday's biggest unknown is Young's mobility after the shoulder.
Week 13 has the home matchup against the Rams plus a slate where the playoff race is settling. The Cowboys sit at 10-1; the Packers 9-2; the Lions 8-3. The AFC has the Dolphins at 7-4 and the Bills 7-4. Conference reading list the storyline is the Cowboys' chase of the NFC one-seed. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the only NFC West home matchup on the slate.
Through eleven games the 49ers sit at 7-4 with a plus 136 point differential. Young returns. Rice has caught 68 passes for 1,175. Grbac is the backup. The Rams are 5-6 with Miller averaging 200 passing per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 11-point home favorites. A figure to follow: Young's mobility after the five-game absence.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-4 | W4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-7 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-7 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 4-7 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-8 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 8-3 | W3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-5 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-5 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 4-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 2-9 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-1 | W7 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-3 | L1 |
| Denver Broncos | 6-5 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-6 | W3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-4 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-4 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-5 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5-6 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 7-4 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 6-5 | L3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-5 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-5 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-6 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-2 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-4 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-8 | -- |
| New York Giants | 3-8 | L3 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-8 | L3 |
Steve Young threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns in his return, J.J. Stokes caught two scoring passes and the 49ers blew out the St. Louis Rams 41-13 at 3Com Park. Derek Loville ran for 34 on 11 carries with a touchdown. Jerry Rice caught 7 for 67 with a touchdown. Chris Miller threw for 70 yards with a touchdown. The 49ers led 17-3 at halftime.[1][2]
Steve Young returned at starter and threw three touchdowns at 3Com Park. The 49ers won 41-13. J.J. Stokes caught two of the three scoring passes; the rookie wide receiver out of UCLA looked like a starter on both routes. Jerry Rice caught one touchdown.
The defensive front produced four sacks of Chris Miller. The Rams' offense, with Miller throwing for 70, produced 13 points across the full sixty minutes. The secondary held Isaac Bruce and Jessie Hester combined to under 90 receiving.
The 49ers walk away 8-4 with the home game against Buffalo on Sunday next. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Young's return. The film room is going to spend the week on Stokes' two-touchdown afternoon.
49ers 41, Rams 13. Margin: plus 28. Record: 8-4.
A 41-13 home win over the Rams. The 49ers improve to 8-4 in Steve Young's first start back from the shoulder.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a touchdown drive ending in a Rice 22-yard score. A Wade Richey field goal made it 10-3. Young added a Stokes touchdown to push the lead to 17-3 at the half. The third quarter produced two more 49ers scores: a Loville rushing touchdown and a Stokes second touchdown to make it 31-3. A Rams fourth-quarter touchdown made it 31-10. Two closing 49ers field goals and a closing 49ers touchdown made the final 41-13.
The turning point
The second-quarter Stokes touchdown. With the 49ers up 10-3 and the offense facing third-and-three at the Rams' 16, Young found Stokes on a fade. The 17-3 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture from the second quarter forward.
By the numbers
Young 21-of-32 for 226 with three touchdowns and two picks. Rice 7 catches for 67 with a touchdown. Stokes 5 catches for 65 with two scores; his first multi-touchdown afternoon. Loville 34 on 11 carries with a touchdown. Defensively the front produced four sacks of Miller (Bryant Young 1.5, Stubblefield 1.5, Junior Bryant 1).
Personnel watch
Young's return is the headline. The 49ers' starter looked the closest to his pre-injury form he has looked all year. Stokes' two-touchdown afternoon was the rookie wide receiver's breakout. Defensively Bryant Young registered his 8th sack of the year.
What it means
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 21/32 | 226 | 3 | 2 | |
| Elvis Grbac | 5/8 | 44 | 0 | 0 | |
| STL | |||||
| Mark Rypien | 6/16 | 80 | 1 | 2 | |
| Chris Miller | 12/24 | 70 | 1 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Derek Loville | 11 | 34 | 1 | 10 |
| Ricky Ervins | 8 | 24 | 0 | 11 |
| Steve Young #8 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 6 |
| Adam Walker | 3 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Jamal Willis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Elvis Grbac | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| STL | ||||
| Greg Robinson | 7 | 28 | 0 | 9 |
| Jerome Bettis | 6 | 20 | 0 | 15 |
| Johnny Bailey | 3 | 17 | 0 | 13 |
| Isaac Bruce | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Chris Miller | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Mark Rypien | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Ron Wolfley | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 7 | 67 | 1 | 17 |
| J.J. Stokes | 5 | 65 | 2 | 23 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 15 |
| Derek Loville | 4 | 31 | 0 | 9 |
| Ted Popson | 3 | 31 | 0 | 16 |
| Adam Walker | 2 | 29 | 0 | 15 |
| John Taylor #82 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| STL | ||||
| Todd Kinchen | 4 | 49 | 1 | 31 |
| Troy Drayton | 3 | 34 | 0 | 17 |
| Isaac Bruce | 2 | 24 | 1 | 21 |
| Marv Cook | 3 | 12 | 0 | 5 |
| Alexander Wright | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Jerome Bettis | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| J.T. Thomas | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Johnny Bailey | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
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