The 49ers (9-1) host the Carolina Panthers (4-6) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. Kerry Collins is the Panthers' starter under Dom Capers. Fred Lane is the back; Mark Carrier, Rae Carruth and Wesley Walls are the targets. The Panthers come off back-to-back wins.
The 49ers come off the 24-12 road win at Philadelphia. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Brent Jones is at tight end.[1][2]
Carolina visits 3Com having won back-to-back games to climb back to 4-6. Dom Capers' year-three team produced a 12-4 record and the NFC Championship game two years ago. The team's current rebuild is the kind that, in any year, the 49ers' staff has to take seriously despite the records. The Sunday at 3Com is the second meeting of the year. The first ended 34-21 with Hearst's 141 rushing on 28 carries.
Week 12 has the schedule's home matchup against the NFC West's projected fourth team plus a slate where the conference's playoff seeding is locked. The Packers sit at 10-1; the Cowboys 6-4; the Vikings 8-3. The AFC East has the Patriots at 9-1 and the Bills 5-5. Inside the division the storyline is the Packers and 49ers, the conference's two top teams, both above 9-1 with five games left.
Through ten games the 49ers sit at 9-1 with a plus 128 point differential. Young is on pace for 3,700 passing yards. Hearst is on pace for 1,150 rushing. Bryant Young has 11.5 sacks. The Panthers are 4-6 with Collins averaging 230 passing per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 7-point home favorites. A figure to follow: Bryant Young's chase of 15 sacks, sitting at 11.5 across 10 games.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-3 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-3 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 5-5 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-6 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-7 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 6-4 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 6-4 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 6-4 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-10 | L10 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 9-1 | W3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-3 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-6 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 9-1 | W9 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5-5 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-7 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-8 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-8 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 8-2 | W5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-2 | W6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-3 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-6 | L3 |
| Chicago Bears | 1-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 6-4 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-4 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-5 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-6 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-8 | -- |
Steve Young threw for 221 yards and a touchdown, William Floyd caught a touchdown reception and the 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers 27-19 at 3Com Park. Young ran in a touchdown of his own. Garrison Hearst ran for 48 on 18 carries. Kerry Collins threw for 190 with a touchdown. Wade Richey kicked four field goals. The 49ers led 17-13 at halftime.[1][2]
Steve Young threw a touchdown to William Floyd at 3Com Park. He ran in a touchdown of his own. The 49ers won 27-19. Wade Richey kicked four field goals. The Sunday at 3Com was the kind of home game where the offense's two scores by the quarterback and the kicker's four field goals were the structural ceiling.
Garrison Hearst ran for 48 on 18 carries against the Panthers' front. The Panthers' offense, with Kerry Collins throwing for 190, produced 19 points. The defensive front produced two sacks of Collins. The secondary held Wesley Walls to one touchdown and 47 receiving.
The 49ers walk away 10-1 with the home game against the Chargers on Sunday next. The home record is 5-0. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the home undefeated record. The film room is going to spend the week on the running game's lower per-carry number against the Panthers' front.
49ers 27, Panthers 19. Margin: plus 8. Record: 10-1.
A 27-19 home win over the Panthers. The 49ers improve to 10-1 with the home record at 5-0.
How it unfolded
The Panthers opened with a John Kasay field goal. Young answered with a touchdown drive ending in a Floyd 19-yard touchdown reception. A Wade Richey field goal pushed the lead to 10-3. A Lane rushing touchdown cut it to 10-10. Young's second-quarter rushing touchdown made it 17-10. A Kasay field goal made it 17-13 at the half. The third quarter saw two more Richey field goals to push the lead to 23-13. A closing fourth-quarter Richey field goal made it 26-13; a Walls touchdown reception made the final 27-19.
The turning point
The second-quarter Young rushing touchdown. With the 49ers up 10-10 and the offense facing third-and-five at the Panthers' 8, the staff called a quarterback draw. Young walked in untouched. The 17-10 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture against a Panthers offense that produced one touchdown across the closing two quarters.
By the numbers
Young 17-of-22 for 221 with one touchdown plus the rushing score; 6 carries for 22 yards. Hearst 48 on 18 carries (2.7 ypc); the lowest per-carry of the year. Stokes 5 catches for 56. Floyd 3 catches for 59 with a touchdown. Owens 3 catches for 40. Defensively the front produced two sacks (Bryant Young 1, Stubblefield 1).
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 17/22 | 221 | 1 | 0 | |
| CAR | |||||
| Kerry Collins | 18/33 | 190 | 1 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 18 | 48 | 0 | 13 |
| Steve Young #8 | 6 | 22 | 1 | 11 |
| William Floyd | 5 | 21 | 0 | 9 |
| Terry Kirby | 6 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| CAR | ||||
| Fred Lane | 16 | 66 | 1 | 11 |
| Scott Greene | 5 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Kerry Collins | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Anthony Johnson | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| William Floyd | 3 | 59 | 1 | 44 |
| J.J. Stokes | 5 | 56 | 0 | 21 |
| Terrell Owens | 3 | 40 | 0 | 17 |
| Greg Clark | 2 | 26 | 0 | 18 |
| Terry Kirby | 2 | 16 | 0 | 13 |
| Garrison Hearst | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| CAR | ||||
| Mark Carrier | 6 | 87 | 0 | 26 |
| Wesley Walls | 4 | 47 | 1 | 20 |
| Rae Carruth | 4 | 35 | 0 | 12 |
| Rocket Ismail | 2 | 23 | 0 | 17 |
| Scott Greene | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Fred Lane | 1 | -4 | 0 | -4 |
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