Super Bowl XVI

The game

The Bengals had the first opportunity to score early in the game after they recovered a fumble from at the 49ers 26-yard line on the opening kickoff. They reached the 5-yard line, but 49ers safety Dwight Hicks intercepted a pass from quarterback Ken Anderson and returned it to the Bengals 32-yard line. From there, quarterback Joe Montana led the 49ers to the end zone, scoring himself on a 1-yard touchdown run, giving San Francisco a 7-0 lead. The Bengals threatened to score later in the quarter when they advanced to the 49ers 30-yard line. But after catching an 18-yard pass from Anderson at the 8-yard line, rookie reciever Chris Collinsworth lost a fumble while being tackled by 49ers defensive back Eric Wright.

Related Topics:
Dwight Hicks - Ken Anderson - Joe Montana - Chris Collinsworth

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After the fumble, the 49ers drove for a Super Bowl record 92 yards, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Montana to fullback Earl Cooper, increasing their lead to 14-0.

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Later in the second quarter with time running out, the 49ers added a field goal from kicker Ray Wersching. With just 15 seconds left in the half, the 49ers recovered another fumble and Wersching kicked his second field goal, increasing the score 20-0, the largest halftime lead in Super Bowl history.

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After receiving the opening kickoff of the second half, the Bengals drove 83 yards in 9 plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Anderson to cut the deficit to 20-7. Later in the quarter, Collinsworh caught a 49-yard pass from Anderson to the San Francisco 14-yard line. Bengals running back Pete Johnson then sucessfully converted a fourth down with a run, giving the Bengals a first down on the 3-yard line. But after a run for no gain, an incomplete pass, and a run to the 1-yard line, Cincinnati Faced with fourth down again. Rather than attempt a field goal, Johnson took a handoff and tried to score through the middle of the line, but 49ers linebacker Jack Reynolds and safety Ronnie Lott tackled him for no gain, preventing the Bengals from scoring on the drive.

Related Topics:
Jack Reynolds - Ronnie Lott

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The Bengals scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard pass from Anderson to tight end Dan Ross, cutting their deficit to 20-14. But the 49ers responded with Wersching's 40-yard field goal from on their ensuing drive, making the score 23-14. Then Wright intercepted a pass from Anderson on the Bengals next drive, and a few plays later Wersching kicked his fourth field goal to increase the 49ers lead to 26-14 with less then 2 minutes left in the game.

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On the ensuing drive, Anderson completed 6 consecutive passes, the last one a 3-yard touchdown pass to Ross, to make the score 26-21 with less then 50 seconds left in the game. The Bengals tried an onside kick, but the 49ers recovered it and ran out the clock to win the game.

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The Bengals gained 356 yards of total offense to the 49ers' 275, marking the first time in Super Bowl history that the team that compiled the most yards lost. Despite gaining more yards, the Bengals were unable to overcome their 5 turnovers.

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The game featured several great performances by players on both teams. Montana threw for 157 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for another 18 yards and a touchdown. Wright had an interception and forced a fumble. Collinsworth caught 4 passes for 107 yards, an average of 21.4 yards per catch. Ross recorded a Super Bowl record 11 receptions for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Anderson finished the game with 25 out of 34 pass completions for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. He also gained 14 rushing yards and a touchdown on 6 carries. Anderson's 25 completions and his 73.5 completion percentage were both Super Bowl records.

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Scoring summary

• SF- Montana 1 run (Wersching kick)
• SF- E. Cooper 11 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)
• SF- FG Wersching 22
• SF- FG Wersching 26
• CIN- Anderson 5 run (Breech kick)
• CIN- Ross 4 pass from Anderson (Breech kick)
• SF- FG Wersching 40
• SF- FG Wersching 23
• CIN- Ross 3 pass from Anderson (Breech kick)