The 49ers (11-4) travel to the Georgia Dome for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons (8-7). June Jones is the head coach. Bobby Hebert is the starter. Craig Heyward is the back. Eric Metcalf and Bert Emanuel are the receivers.
Steve Young is the starter. The 49ers have clinched the NFC West title with the Week 15 divisional sweep of Carolina.[1][2]
The closing road game at the Georgia Dome is the regular-season finale. Steve Young's pocket reads have produced two 300-yard passing days across the last two weeks. The 49ers' wild-card weekend opponent will be determined Monday morning. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the rotation Mariucci calls in the closing two quarters. The Sunday at the Georgia Dome is the kind of closing road afternoon where the wild-card preparation begins.
Week 17 closes the season. The Cowboys, Packers, 49ers and Lions hold the NFC's playoff seeds; the Vikings chase the wild card. The Dolphins, Steelers, Chiefs and Bills hold the AFC's. The Sunday-night game is Indianapolis at New England. The 49ers' Sunday at the Georgia Dome is the schedule's last regular-season game. The regular-season closer has six games with playoff seeding implications across the slate.
Through fifteen games the 49ers sit at 11-4 with a plus 202 point differential. Young is on pace for 3,500 passing yards. Rice has 1,612 receiving yards. Bryant Young has 10 sacks. The Falcons are 8-7 with Hebert averaging 220 passing per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point road favorites. A figure to follow: Rice's chase of 1,800 receiving yards.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-4 | W8 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-9 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 6-9 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-10 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-12 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 10-5 | W2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-7 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-7 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 6-9 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 3-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 12-3 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-7 | L5 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-7 | W4 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-7 | W3 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 11-4 | W6 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 8-7 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-8 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 7-8 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-5 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-6 | W6 |
| Chicago Bears | 8-7 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 11-4 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-5 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5-10 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-10 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-11 | -- |
Bobby Hebert threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, Eric Metcalf caught a 91-yard touchdown and the Atlanta Falcons beat the 49ers 28-27 at the Georgia Dome in the regular-season finale. Steve Young threw for 316 yards. Jerry Rice caught 12 for 153 to push his 1995 receiving total to 1,848 yards, a franchise single-season record. The 49ers finished 11-5.[1][2]
Eric Metcalf caught a ninety-one-yard touchdown at the Georgia Dome and the Falcons beat the 49ers 28-27 in the regular-season finale. Jerry Rice caught twelve passes for one hundred and fifty-three yards to push his 1995 receiving total to one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight yards. The franchise single-season receiving-yards record.
Steve Young threw for 316 with no touchdowns. The 49ers' offense produced 27 points; J.J. Stokes caught the only touchdown. The defensive secondary, on the field for the Metcalf 91-yarder, surrendered the kind of explosive play that, in calendar 1995, decided the closing road afternoon.
The 49ers finish 11-5 with the NFC West title. The wild-card opponent for the divisional weekend is the Green Bay Packers at 3Com Park. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Rice's franchise record. The film room is going to spend the week on the Packers' film and the wild-card weekend preparation.
Falcons 28, 49ers 27. Margin: minus 1. Final record: 11-5. • Young: 31-of-44 for 316, 0 TDs, 1 INT; 4 rushes for 24. • Loville: 15 carries for 62, 1 TD; 9 catches for 47. • Rice: 12 catches for 153 (pushed 1995 total to 1,848 , franchise single-season record). • Stokes: 5 catches for 106, 1 TD. • Hebert: 17-of-27 for 197, 2 TDs. • Heyward: 7 carries for 35. • Metcalf: 5 catches for 91, 1 TD (91-yard TD). • Emanuel: 7 catches for 86.
A 28-27 road loss at the Georgia Dome. The 49ers finish 11-5 with the NFC West title and the wild-card weekend bracket Sunday after.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a touchdown drive ending in a Loville rushing score. A Falcons field goal cut it to 7-3. The second quarter produced two more 49ers scores: a Wade Richey field goal and a Stokes touchdown to make it 17-3. A Hebert touchdown to Metcalf made it 17-10 at the half. The third quarter saw a Metcalf 91-yard touchdown to push the score to 17-17. A 49ers field goal and a second 49ers field goal made it 27-17. A Falcons touchdown made it 27-24. A closing Falcons field goal made the final 28-27.
The turning point
The third-quarter Metcalf 91-yard touchdown. With the 49ers up 17-10 and the defensive secondary aligned in a Cover 2 shell, Hebert found Metcalf on a deep crossing route over the safety. The 91-yard score tied the game and the 49ers' offense never extended the lead beyond ten in the second half.
By the numbers
Young 31-of-44 for 316 with no touchdowns and one pick. Rice 12 catches for 153; pushed his 1995 receiving total to 1,848, the franchise's single-season receiving-yards record. Stokes 5 catches for 106 with the only 49ers receiving touchdown. Loville the dual line: 62 rushing on 15 carries with a touchdown plus 47 receiving on 9 catches. Defensively the front produced one sack of Hebert.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 31/44 | 316 | 0 | 1 | |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1/1 | 41 | 1 | 0 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Bobby Hebert | 17/27 | 197 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jeff George | 9/13 | 112 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Derek Loville | 15 | 62 | 1 | 16 |
| Steve Young #8 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 13 |
| ATL | ||||
| Craig Heyward | 7 | 35 | 0 | 19 |
| Eric Metcalf | 4 | 12 | 0 | 5 |
| Jeff George | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Bobby Hebert | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 12 | 153 | 0 | 57 |
| J.J. Stokes | 5 | 106 | 1 | 41 |
| Derek Loville | 9 | 47 | 0 | 14 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 17 |
| Chris Thomas | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Adam Walker | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| ATL | ||||
| Eric Metcalf | 5 | 91 | 1 | 41 |
| Bert Emanuel | 7 | 86 | 0 | 32 |
| Terance Mathis | 8 | 84 | 2 | 37 |
| J.J. Birden | 4 | 31 | 0 | 15 |
| Craig Heyward | 2 | 17 | 0 | 9 |
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