The 49ers (12-2) host the Denver Broncos (11-3) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. John Elway is the Broncos' starter; Vaughn Hebron is the back. Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe are the receivers. The Broncos come off back-to-back wins.
The 49ers come off the 28-17 home win over the Vikings. Garrison Hearst is back at lead back. Steve Young is the starter. Brent Jones is at tight end.[1][2]
John Elway brings the Broncos to 3Com Park in the season's most-anticipated matchup. The two NFC-AFC franchises with combined seven Super Bowl titles meet at 12-2 against 11-3. The Sunday at 3Com is the kind of late-December matchup that defines the conference's playoff seeding. The Broncos' offense, with Terrell Davis at running back (out for this game with a back injury) and the wide receiver duo of Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe, has produced 28 points per game across the first 14 weeks.
Week 16 has the schedule's marquee home game plus a slate where the conference's playoff seedings are essentially locked. The Packers sit at 12-3; the Cowboys 7-7; the Vikings 9-5. The AFC East has the Patriots at 10-4 and the Bills 6-8. Conference reading list the storyline is the Broncos' chase of the AFC's one-seed. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the conference's marquee NFC-AFC matchup of the calendar.
Through fourteen games the 49ers sit at 12-2 with a plus 119 point differential. Young is on pace for 3,400 passing yards. Hearst is back at lead back. Bryant Young has 14 sacks. The Broncos are 11-3 with Elway averaging 240 passing per game and Hebron starting in relief of Davis. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point home favorites. Watching today: Bryant Young's chase of 15 sacks.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-4 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-5 | L1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 7-7 | L1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5-8-1 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 9-5 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 9-5 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 8-6 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-8 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 11-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 11-3 | W4 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-8 | L4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-10 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-10 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-2 | W1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-7 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-8 | W4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-9 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-10 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 11-3 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-5 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-6 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 7-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 8-5-1 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-6-1 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-7-1 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-8 | L3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-11 | -- |
Steve Young threw for 276 yards and a touchdown, Terry Kirby ran for 27 yards with a touchdown and added six catches for 76 yards and the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 34-17 at 3Com Park. Jerry Rice caught a 25-yard touchdown in his return from the ACL after sitting out the regular season. The 49ers' defense produced three sacks of John Elway. The 49ers led 24-3 at halftime.[1][2]
Jerry Rice caught a twenty-five-yard touchdown at 3Com Park. The future Hall of Famer's first regular-season touchdown since the season opener came on his fourth catch of the day in his return from the ACL. The 49ers won 34-17 over the Broncos.
The defense produced three sacks of John Elway. The secondary held Sharpe to 60 receiving and Rod Smith to 73. Terry Kirby caught six for 76 and ran in a touchdown. Steve Young threw for 276 with one touchdown to Rice. The 49ers led 24-3 at the half and 31-10 entering the fourth quarter.
The 49ers walk away 13-2 with the road trip to Seattle on Sunday next. The home record is 8-0. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Rice's return-game touchdown. The film room is going to spend the week on the front rotation's three-sack afternoon against Elway.
49ers 34, Broncos 17. Margin: plus 17. Record: 13-2. • Young: 22-of-34 for 276, 1 TD, 0 INTs; 4 rushes for 11. • Hearst: 12 carries for 39; 1 catch for 5. • Kirby: 15 carries for 27, 1 TD; 6 catches for 76. • Floyd: 7 carries for 19, 0 TDs; 3 catches for 21. • Rice: 3 catches for 40, 1 TD (return from ACL, first regular-season TD of 1997). • Brent Jones: 4 catches for 68. • Elway: 16-of-41 for 150, 0 TDs. • Hebron: 12 carries for 64, 1 TD.
A 34-17 home win over the Broncos. The 49ers improve to 13-2 with Jerry Rice's regular-season return.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a 25-yard touchdown to Rice on the first drive. The Broncos answered with a Jason Elam field goal. Kirby's rushing touchdown made it 14-3. A Wade Richey field goal pushed it to 17-3. Young added a touchdown to Marc Edwards to make it 24-3 at the half. The third quarter saw two Wade Richey field goals to push the lead to 31-3. The Broncos added a Hebron rushing touchdown and a Howard Griffith touchdown to cut it to 31-17. A closing fourth-quarter Wade Richey field goal made the final 34-17.
The turning point
The first-quarter Rice touchdown. With the 49ers driving from their own 40 and the offense facing third-and-eight at the Broncos' 25, Young found Rice on a deep cross. The 7-0 cushion and Rice's first regular-season touchdown since the opener put the home team in script-the-clock posture from the first quarter forward.
By the numbers
Young 22-of-34 for 276 with one touchdown. Rice 3 catches for 40 with the touchdown; the future Hall of Famer's first regular-season action since the Week 1 ACL. Kirby 27 rushing on 15 carries with a touchdown plus 76 receiving on 6 catches. Defensively the front produced three sacks (Bryant Young 1.5, Stubblefield 0.5, Junior Bryant 1); the secondary held the Broncos' wide receivers below 75 each.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 22/34 | 276 | 1 | 0 | |
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 16/41 | 150 | 0 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terry Kirby | 15 | 27 | 1 | 8 |
| William Floyd | 7 | 19 | 0 | 4 |
| Steve Young #8 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| Chuck Levy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DEN | ||||
| Vaughn Hebron | 12 | 64 | 1 | 46 |
| Terrell Davis | 10 | 28 | 1 | 7 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terry Kirby | 6 | 76 | 0 | 35 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 4 | 68 | 0 | 24 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 3 | 40 | 1 | 16 |
| Terrell Owens | 3 | 39 | 0 | 17 |
| J.J. Stokes | 3 | 32 | 0 | 13 |
| William Floyd | 3 | 21 | 0 | 12 |
| DEN | ||||
| Rod Smith | 5 | 73 | 0 | 26 |
| Shannon Sharpe | 5 | 60 | 0 | 22 |
| Willie Green | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Terrell Davis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dwayne Carswell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 1 | -5 | 0 | -5 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1997 W16 - 49ers vs Denver Broncos - Game Thread