The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI. This Super Bowl was the first one played in a traditionally "cold weather in winter" city, in a suburb of Detroit. The game was played in an indoor facility, but icy roads and wind chill that was below zero made getting to the stadium a daunting task.
Joe Montana was named the game's MVP as he threw one touchdown pass and ran for another, helping the 49ers secure what was then the largest halftime lead in Super Bowl history, 20-0. The Bengals attempted to make a second half comeback, but with Cincinnati possessing the ball late in 3rd quarter on 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line, the Niners posted the greatest goal line stand in Super Bowl annals, preventing the Bengals from scoring on four straight plays. The championship was the first for the 49ers in their 35-year franchise history. Based on percentage of households, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever, and 4th rated program of all-time, until Super Bowl XLIV.
Epic in Miami, Frozen in Cincinnati
The Bengals won the AFC Central with a 12-4 record and defeated the Buffalo in the division round of the playoffs. Next they dispatched the San Diego Chargers in an AFC Championship Game that had the coldest recorded wind chill (-35°) for a game in NFL history. The Chargers had to contend with weather that hurt their "Air Coryell" passing attack, but also because they may not have had anything left after a division round win over Miami in double overtime in a game simply known as The Epic in Miami. Facing oppressive heat conditions, Kellen Winslow's 13 receptions for 166 yards and blocked field goal led the Chargers to victory.
The Catch
The 49ers finished a league best 13-3 and captured the NFC West title, then defeated the New York Giants in the division round of the playoffs 38-24. What would come next is arguably the most pivotal game in 49ers franchise history. The upstart 49ers would face off against their long time nemesis the Dallas Cowboys. Trailing 27-21 with 58 seconds left, Montana hit Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown. The grab by Clark, who leapt high into the air over Dallas defender Everson Walls, has become known simply as "The Catch".
A Classic Goal Line Stand in Super Bowl XVI
In this video from NFL Films released in 2009, highlights from a pivotal goal-line stand are shown. Former players Randy Cross and Ronnie Lott are shown now, commenting on each play and how it went down. The first play shown is a 3rd down play where Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson rolls out to the right and hits his running back Charles Alexander on the 1 yard line. 49ers linebacker Dan Bunz immediately tackled Alexander stopping his momentum from moving into the endzone. On 4th down the Bengals Head Coach Forrest Gregg elected to go for it with a inside hand off to 1,000 rusher Pete Johnson, who was met head-on by Ronnie Lott and Jim "Hacksaw" Reynolds at the one half yard line and stopped short.
Game Summary
| Super Bowl XVI | |||||||
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 7 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 26 | ||
| Cincinnati | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 | ||
Scoring
FIRST QUARTER
SF - Joe Montana 1-yard RUN (Ray Wersching kick)
SECOND QUARTER
SF - Earl Cooper 11-yard PASS from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick)
SF - Ray Wersching 22-yard FG
SF - Ray Wersching 26-yard FG
THIRD QUARTER
CIN - Ken Anderson 5-yard RUN (Jim Breech kick)
FOURTH QUARTER
CIN - Dan Ross 4-yard PASS from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick)
SF - Ray Wersching 40-yard FG
SF - Ray Wersching 23-yard FG
CIN - Dan Ross 3-yard PASS from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick)
