The 49ers (10-1) host the San Diego Chargers (4-7) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. Craig Whelihan is the starter for the injured Stan Humphries. Kenny Bynum is the back. Freddie Jones is the tight end; Eric Metcalf is the slot.
The 49ers come off the 27-19 home win over Carolina. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Brent Jones is at tight end.[1][2]
Craig Whelihan is the Chargers' starter for the second straight week with Stan Humphries on the injury report. The third-year quarterback has thrown for 200-plus in one of three career starts. Kevin Gilbride's first year as head coach is 4-7 with the offense averaging 16 points per game. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the kind of home game where the offensive script is the running game and the play-action passing.
Week 13 has the schedule's home matchup against the AFC West's projected fifth team plus a slate where the conference's playoff race is settling. The Packers sit at 10-2; the Cowboys 6-5; the Vikings 9-3. The AFC East has the Patriots at 9-2 and the Bills 5-6. Conference reading list the storyline is the Patriots' chase of an AFC East title. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the conference's only NFC West-AFC West home game on the slate.
Through eleven games the 49ers sit at 10-1 with a plus 136 point differential. Young is on pace for 3,700 passing yards. Hearst is on pace for 1,140 rushing. Bryant Young has 12.5 sacks. The Chargers are 4-7 with Whelihan averaging 180 passing per game and Bynum 3.8 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 11-point home favorites. Tracking today: 49ers' home undefeated record, sitting at 5-0.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-3 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-3 | W2 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 5-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-6-1 | T1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 7-4 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 7-4 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 6-5 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-6 | L2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 9-2 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-3 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-5 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-1 | W10 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5-6 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-7 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-8 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-9 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 8-3 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-3 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-3 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-6 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 1-10 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 7-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-5 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-5 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-6-1 | T1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-9 | -- |
1997 Chargers at 49ers Week 13
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 10
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 17
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 16
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 18
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 12
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 15
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 23
49ers vs Chargers 1997 SF17-SD10 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #sandiegochargers 26Steve Young threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns, Garrison Hearst ran for 87 on 22 carries and the 49ers beat the San Diego Chargers 17-10 at 3Com Park. J.J. Stokes caught a touchdown reception. The 49ers' defense produced three sacks of Craig Whelihan and held the Chargers to 198 total yards. The 49ers led 10-3 at halftime.[1][2]
Steve Young threw two touchdowns and the 49ers won 17-10 at 3Com Park. The home record is now 6-0. Garrison Hearst ran for 87 on 22 carries. J.J. Stokes caught a touchdown reception. The Chargers' offense, with Craig Whelihan throwing for 81 yards, produced ten points across the full sixty minutes.
The defensive front produced three sacks of Whelihan. Bryant Young registered the 13th of the year. The linebacker rotation held Kenny Bynum to 64 rushing on 11 carries. The Sunday at 3Com was the kind of home win that, in calendar 1997, secured the home-field advantage in the wild-card weekend bracket.
The 49ers walk away 11-1 with the road trip to Kansas City on Sunday next. 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 per-carry production.
49ers 17, Chargers 10. Margin: plus 7. Record: 11-1.
A 17-10 home win over the Chargers. The 49ers improve to 11-1 with the home record at 6-0.
How it unfolded
The Chargers opened with a field goal. Young answered with an Owens 24-yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead. A Wade Richey field goal made it 10-3 at the half. The third quarter saw a Young touchdown to Stokes to push the lead to 17-3. A Chargers fourth-quarter touchdown made the final 17-10.
The turning point
The first-quarter Owens touchdown. With the 49ers down 3-0 and the offense facing third-and-six at the Chargers' 24, Young found Owens on a slant. The 7-3 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture from the second quarter forward.
By the numbers
Young 20-of-30 for 245 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hearst 87 on 22 carries (4.0 ypc); the running game produced 119 yards. Owens 4 catches for 84 with a touchdown. Stokes 3 catches for 21 with a score. Brent Jones 5 catches for 83. Defensively the front produced three sacks (Bryant Young 1, Stubblefield 1, Junior Bryant 1); the secondary held the Chargers' offense to 198 total yards.
Personnel watch
Bryant Young's 13th sack of the year is the club's most across 12 games since 1990. The linebacker rotation held Bynum below 4.0 a carry. Owens' touchdown was his sixth of the year. Stokes' score was his third. Young's 20-of-30 line was the third consecutive efficient passing afternoon.
What it means
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 20/30 | 245 | 2 | 0 | |
| SDG | |||||
| Craig Whelihan | 4/18 | 81 | 0 | 3 | |
| Todd Philcox | 6/10 | 57 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 22 | 87 | 0 | 12 |
| William Floyd | 6 | 19 | 0 | 7 |
| Steve Young #8 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| Terry Kirby | 2 | -3 | 0 | 1 |
| SDG | ||||
| Kenny Bynum | 11 | 64 | 0 | 19 |
| Terrell Fletcher | 5 | 20 | 0 | 8 |
| Aaron Craver | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Todd Philcox | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Eric Metcalf | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Craig Whelihan | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terrell Owens | 4 | 84 | 1 | 37 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 5 | 83 | 0 | 33 |
| Chuck Levy | 1 | 27 | 0 | 27 |
| J.J. Stokes | 3 | 21 | 1 | 11 |
| William Floyd | 3 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Terry Kirby | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Garrison Hearst | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Iheanyi Uwaezuoke | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| SDG | ||||
| Freddie Jones | 3 | 48 | 0 | 26 |
| Bryan Still | 1 | 39 | 0 | 39 |
| Eric Metcalf | 2 | 25 | 0 | 16 |
| Terrell Fletcher | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| Frank Hartley | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Tony Martin | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
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