Super Bowl XXIII
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Super Bowl XXIII took place on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. This was the second meeting between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl. They first met seven years earlier in Super Bowl XVI.
The final result was San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16.
The game is remembered for the 49ers' come back from a 16-13 deficit. The 49ers got the ball on their own eight yard line with 3:10 on the clock, and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They took the lead on a Joe Montana pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game, and went on to win. This was the drive in which, to break tension, Montana looked into the stands and pointed, saying "Isn't that John Candy?" Why, Yes it is.
After the game, 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice was named the Super Bowl MVP, catching 11 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown.
This was also the final NFL game coached by the 49ers' Bill Walsh.
NBC televised the game in the United States, with announcers Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen.
The Game
Defense dominated the first half as each team could only score a field goal. And after the 3-3 halftime tie, the teams traded field goals again.
But after the 49ers scored their second field goal to tie the game with less than a minute to go in the third quarter, the Bengals' Stanford Jennings took the kickoff 93 yards to the end zone.
The 49ers responded on their next possession when Montana threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rice to tie the score 13-13. The score was set up by a 31-yard pass to Rice and a 40-yard pass to running back Roger Craig.
The Bengals took the lead again 16-13 by scoring a field goal with 3:20 left in the game. The 49ers then got the ball on their own eight yard line with 3:10 on the clock.
But Montana led a 11-play, 92-yard drive to score the winning touchdown. During the drive, San Francisco overcame an illegal man downfield penalty, while Rice caught a 17-yard pass and a 27-yard pass.
John Taylor's 10-yard touchdown pass at the end of the drive pulled the 49ers into the lead for good, 20-16, with 34 seconds remaining. And San Francisco's defense sealed the victory after Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason's pass to Cris Collinsworth was broken up as time expired.
Scoring Summary
- SF- FG Cofer 41
- CIN- FG Breech 34
- CIN- FG Breech 43
- SF- FG Cofer 32
- CIN- Jennings 93 kick return (Breech kick)
- SF- Rice 14 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- CIN- FG Breech 40
- SF- Taylor 10 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
Playoffs
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