The 49ers (9-3) travel to Ericsson Stadium for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the Carolina Panthers (4-9). Steve Beuerlein remains the starter for the injured Kerry Collins (now in New Orleans). Tim Biakabutuka is the back. Muhsin Muhammad and Rocket Ismail are the receivers.
The 49ers come off the 31-7 home win over the Giants. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Bryant Young leads the team with 12 sacks.[1][2]
Carolina is 4-9 with George Seifert in his eighth year as head coach. Steve Beuerlein has produced the kind of late-season passing line that, in any other year, gets the team's offensive coordinator into the early playoff-MVP conversation. Muhsin Muhammad caught two touchdowns at 3Com in Week 10. The 49ers' Sunday issue is the same as the Week 10 issue: the secondary's coverage on Muhammad and Ismail.
Week 14 has the schedule's third NFC West road game for the 49ers plus a slate where the conference's wild-card seeding is settling. The Broncos sit at 12-1; the Vikings 12-1; the Falcons 10-2. The AFC East has the Dolphins at 9-4 and the Bills 7-6. Conference reading list the storyline is the Vikings' offense, Randall Cunningham's 32 touchdown passes across the first 13 games. The 49ers' Sunday at Ericsson is the conference's only matchup of NFC West rivals from above and below .500.
Through twelve games the 49ers sit at 9-3 with a plus 110 point differential. Young is on pace for 4,500 passing yards. Hearst is on pace for 1,520 rushing. Bryant Young has 12 sacks. The Panthers are 4-9 with Beuerlein averaging 250 passing per game and 18 touchdowns. Muhammad averages 6 catches per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 4-point road favorites. Worth watching: 49ers' first-half scoring, which has been 24-plus points in three of the last four games.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-3 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-5 | L1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 6-6 | L2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5-7 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-10 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 8-4 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 8-4 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-5 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 7-5 | W2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 12-0 | W12 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-5 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-6 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 10-2 | W5 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9-3 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-7 | L2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-9 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-1 | W4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-4 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-7 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-7 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 8-4 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6-6 | -- |
| New York Giants | 4-8 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-9 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-10 | L3 |
Steve Young threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Garrison Hearst ran for 139 on 20 carries with a touchdown and the 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers 31-28 at Ericsson Stadium. Terry Kirby added 68 yards on 9 carries. J.J. Stokes caught two touchdowns; Terrell Owens caught one. Tim Biakabutuka ran for 81 with a touchdown; Steve Beuerlein threw for 235 with three touchdowns. The 49ers led 21-13 at halftime.[1][2]
Steve Young threw two touchdowns. Garrison Hearst ran for 139. J.J. Stokes caught two touchdowns. The 49ers won 31-28 at Ericsson Stadium in the kind of road game that, in calendar 1998, beat reporters file as the club's clinching-game against the divisional bottom.
The Panthers cut the lead to 31-28 on a Beuerlein touchdown reception by Rocket Ismail with 2:14 to play. The 49ers' offense produced one first down on the closing drive; Hearst converted a third-and-three with 1:09 to play that allowed the team to kneel out the clock.
The 49ers walk away 10-3 with the home game against the Lions on Sunday next. The road record is 5-3. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the Hearst third-and-three closing conversion. The film room is going to spend the week on the front rotation against Biakabutuka.
49ers 31, Panthers 28. Margin: plus 3. Record: 10-3, plus 113 differential. • Young: 19-of-31 for 213, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 4 rushes for 29. • Hearst: 20 carries for 139, 1 TD; 2 catches for 28. • Kirby: 9 carries for 68; 2 catches for 29. • Stokes: 4 catches for 53, 2 TDs. • Owens: 4 catches for 53, 1 TD. • Rice: 5 catches for 36. • Beuerlein: 18-of-33 for 235, 3 TDs. • Biakabutuka: 22 carries for 81, 1 TD. • Muhammad: 8 catches for 73, 1 TD.
A 31-28 road win at Ericsson Stadium. The 49ers improve to 10-3 with the kind of one-score road win that, in calendar 1998, secures the wild-card seeding.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a touchdown drive ending in an Owens 24-yard score. Beuerlein answered with a Muhammad touchdown reception. Hearst's rushing touchdown made it 14-7. The second quarter produced two more 49ers scores: a Stokes first touchdown and a Wade Richey field goal to push the lead to 21-13 at the half. The third quarter saw a Beuerlein touchdown drive ending in a Biakabutuka rushing score to cut it to 24-20. Stokes caught his second touchdown to push the lead to 31-20. The Rocket Ismail closing touchdown made it 31-28 with 2:14 to play.
The turning point
The closing third-and-three conversion. With the 49ers up 31-28 and the offense facing third-and-three at their own 41 with 1:09 to play, the staff called the Hearst inside dive. The 5-yard pickup gave the 49ers the first down that allowed the kneel-down sequence.
By the numbers
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 19/31 | 213 | 2 | 1 | |
| Terry Kirby | 1/1 | 28 | 1 | 0 | |
| CAR | |||||
| Steve Beuerlein | 18/33 | 235 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 20 | 139 | 1 | 71 |
| Terry Kirby | 9 | 68 | 0 | 19 |
| Steve Young #8 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 17 |
| CAR | ||||
| Tim Biakabutuka | 22 | 81 | 1 | 11 |
| Anthony Johnson | 7 | 66 | 0 | 21 |
| Rocket Ismail | 1 | 36 | 0 | 36 |
| Steve Beuerlein | 3 | 17 | 0 | 13 |
| William Floyd | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| J.J. Stokes | 4 | 53 | 2 | 33 |
| Terrell Owens | 4 | 53 | 1 | 28 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 5 | 36 | 0 | 12 |
| Terry Kirby | 2 | 29 | 0 | 18 |
| Garrison Hearst | 2 | 28 | 0 | 19 |
| Greg Clark | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Marc Edwards | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Irv Smith | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| CAR | ||||
| Muhsin Muhammad | 8 | 73 | 1 | 12 |
| Rocket Ismail | 2 | 47 | 1 | 40 |
| Wesley Walls | 4 | 47 | 0 | 16 |
| Anthony Johnson | 2 | 41 | 1 | 38 |
| Tim Biakabutuka | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Donald Hayes | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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