The 49ers (3-0) travel to Rich Stadium for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the Buffalo Bills (2-2). Rob Johnson is the Bills' starter for the injured Doug Flutie. Antowain Smith is the back. Eric Moulds and Kevin Williams are the receivers.
The 49ers come off the 31-20 home win over Atlanta. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Jerry Rice is at full speed.[1][2]
Rob Johnson is the Bills' starter Sunday for the second straight week with Doug Flutie on the injury report. The Bills' offense, with Wade Phillips as head coach in his first year, has produced 24 points per game across the first four weeks. Andre Reed is in his fourteenth season; the receiver room remains the kind that the 49ers' secondary has historically had answers for.
Week 5 has the schedule's only matchup of two AFC East division leaders in the league's marquee game and the 49ers' first significant road matchup. The Broncos sit at 4-0; the Vikings 3-1; the Falcons 2-2. The AFC East has the Bills 2-2 and the Dolphins 3-1. Around the league the storyline is Brett Favre's 12 touchdown passes across the first four weeks. The Sunday-night game is Kansas City at Seattle.
Through three games the 49ers sit at 3-0 with a plus 52 point differential. Young is on pace for 5,000 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. Hearst averages 7.5 yards per carry across the first three. Rice returned to 100-yard form Sunday with 162 on 8 catches. Buffalo is 2-2 with Johnson starting for the injured Flutie. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point road favorites. Stat worth watching today: 49ers' sacks allowed, sitting at three across the first three games.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-0 | W4 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-1 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2-2 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-3 | L2 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 1-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 3-0 | W3 |
| New England Patriots | 2-1 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 1-2 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0-3 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-4 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 4-0 | W4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 3-1 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3-1 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-2 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 3-0 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-0 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-1 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-3 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 4-0 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-0 | W4 |
| Detroit Lions | 1-3 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-3 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 0-4 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-2 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-2 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 2-2 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-4 | L4 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-4 | L4 |
Steve Christie kicked a 38-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play and the Buffalo Bills beat the 49ers 26-21 at Rich Stadium to drop San Francisco to 3-1. Steve Young threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns. J.J. Stokes caught 5 for 77 and a touchdown. Antowain Smith ran for 47 yards on 22 carries; Rob Johnson threw for 254 and a touchdown. Bruce Smith had 2.5 sacks. The 49ers led 21-13 at halftime before the Bills scored 13 in the second half.[1][2]
Steve Christie kicked a 38-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play and the 49ers lost 26-21 in Buffalo. The first loss of the year came on a Sunday where Steve Young threw three touchdowns, Jerry Rice was held to 3 catches for 54, and Bruce Smith produced two and a half sacks against the offensive line that had been the unit's biggest pre-Sunday concern.
The 49ers led 21-13 at halftime and 21-20 with three minutes to play. The Bills drove the field for the Christie game-winner on a 10-play sequence that ended with Smith's second sack of the game. The 49ers' offensive line gave up four sacks total; Young took every hit. The defensive secondary held Reed under 50 receiving and forced one Johnson turnover.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 3-1 with the road trip to New Orleans on Sunday next. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the offensive line. The film room is going to spend the week on the protection scheme against Bruce Smith on the Christie game-winning drive.
Bills 26, 49ers 21. Margin: minus 5. Record: 3-1, plus 47 differential.
A 26-21 road loss at Rich Stadium. The 49ers' first loss of the year on a Steve Christie field goal with 14 seconds to play.
How it unfolded
Young opened with two scoring drives in the first quarter, both touchdown passes (a Stokes 18-yarder and a Marc Edwards 6-yarder). The Bills answered with a Christie field goal and an Antowain Smith touchdown to make it 14-10 at the second quarter. Young added a third touchdown pass to make it 21-13 at the half. The third quarter saw a Christie field goal and a Johnson touchdown to Kevin Williams to make it 21-20. The fourth quarter was scoreless until the Bills' closing drive ended in the Christie game-winning field goal.
The turning point
The second-quarter Bruce Smith sack on Young's blind side. With the 49ers driving for a possible fourth touchdown that would have made it 28-13, Bruce Smith beat the left tackle off the edge and stripped the ball. The 21-13 halftime cushion was the margin the 49ers' offense could not extend against the Bills' front in the second half.
By the numbers
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 23/38 | 329 | 3 | 1 | |
| BUF | |||||
| Rob Johnson | 19/27 | 254 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Steve Young #8 | 5 | 34 | 0 | 13 |
| Garrison Hearst | 12 | 28 | 0 | 7 |
| Chuck Levy | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| BUF | ||||
| Antowain Smith | 22 | 47 | 1 | 12 |
| Thurman Thomas | 8 | 42 | 0 | 15 |
| Rob Johnson | 6 | 20 | 0 | 11 |
| Kevin Williams | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Sam Gash | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| J.J. Stokes | 5 | 77 | 1 | 21 |
| Terrell Owens | 4 | 69 | 0 | 27 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 33 |
| Marc Edwards | 2 | 50 | 1 | 47 |
| Garrison Hearst | 5 | 38 | 0 | 14 |
| Irv Smith | 3 | 34 | 1 | 19 |
| Chuck Levy | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| BUF | ||||
| Kevin Williams | 4 | 87 | 0 | 46 |
| Eric Moulds | 3 | 86 | 0 | 50 |
| Quinn Early | 8 | 57 | 1 | 11 |
| Thurman Thomas | 2 | 13 | 0 | 12 |
| Lonnie Johnson | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Jay Riemersma | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1998 W5 - 49ers at Buffalo Bills - Game Thread
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