1989 San Francisco 49ers: Operating again Roger Craig #33 of the San Francisco 49ers tries to interrupt away from Los Angeles Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin #47 in the course of the 1989 NFC Championship at Candlestick Park on January 14, 1990 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers received 30-3. (Picture by George Rose/Getty Pictures)
It’s one other All-NFC West showdown within the NFC Championship Recreation for the 49ers, who this time will journey south to face the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
It’ll be the third matchup of the 2021 season between the 2 longtime division rivals, who've performed one another twice a yr ever because the 49ers left the All-America Soccer Convention to affix the NFL in 1950. However even with 144 regular-season showdowns between two groups who've mixed for 38 division titles and 14 (quickly to be 15) convention championships, they’ve solely confronted off as soon as within the playoffs earlier than this week.
Forward of this yr’s NFC-deciding matchup, we’ll look again at 1989, when the 49ers and Rams performed their one different playoff recreation towards one another and the three — sure, three — matchups in that season that preceded the NFC Championship recreation.
Main as much as 1989 …
The Rams had dominated the NFC West within the Seventies, successful the division for seven straight years from 1973-79 and destroying their neighbors to the north within the course of. Los Angeles went 17-3 towards the 49ers within the decade, together with successful each recreation performed in San Francisco. However the Rams by no means might end the season with the last word prize, shedding 4 NFC title video games earlier than lastly breaking by way of to the Tremendous Bowl in 1979, solely to fall 31-19 to the Steelers.
However after shedding the division by one recreation to the Falcons in 1980, the 49ers lastly broke by way of towards the Rams in 1981, sweeping the 2 video games towards Los Angeles for the primary time since 1965 en path to their first Tremendous Bowl. The 49ers’ ascension made the Rams play second fiddle often in the remainder of the Eighties.
Apart from the strike-shortened 1982 season (each groups missed the playoffs), 1985 (the Rams received the West by a recreation over the wild-card 49ers) and 1987 (Rams missed playoffs completely), Los Angeles spent years as a wild-card playoff crew, the second-place finisher behind NFC West champion San Francisco, and was pressured to win two street video games simply to even make the NFC Championship recreation.
1988 added a painful chapter to Rams followers’ distress, as though they crushed the 49ers 38-16 at Candlestick, they misplaced 24-21 at house to the 49ers, and when the NFC West resulted in a three-way tie between the 49ers, Rams and Saints, the 49ers received the division crown as a result of they swept the Saints and the Rams break up with New Orleans. The Rams received a wild-card spot once more however misplaced in Minnesota, then noticed the 49ers beat the Vikings and beat the Bears in a frozen wind-whipped recreation to return to the Tremendous Bowl.
And after a long time of playoff appearances with out a Tremendous Bowl crown, Rams followers watched Joe Montana lead a 49ers fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Bengals 20-16 and win their third Tremendous Bowl in eight years. And that brings us to the 1989 preseason — and a visit exterior of California for each groups.
Aug. 6, 1989: Rams 16, 49ers 13 within the American Bowl in Tokyo, Japan
The NFL had dabbled in worldwide video games all through its historical past, sending exhibition video games abroad periodically up till 1983 — together with a 1976 recreation in Tokyo. However in 1986, the league formally began a collection titled the American Bowl, sending its first preseason recreation of the yr off. After three years of a single NFL recreation in London, which noticed each the Rams (1987 towards Denver) and the 49ers (1988 versus Miami) play as soon as, the league performed two in 1989 and despatched the 2 NFC West rivals to the Far East.
On-the-ground reviews on the time highlighted that even Japanese media targeted on the sport being George Seifert’s first in command of the 49ers, taking up after Invoice Walsh retired as a Tremendous Bowl champion. A number of starters on every crew sat the sport out due to both harm issues or contract disputes, although Joe Montana performed and obtained the lion’s share of cheers, even when he solely was 8-for-13 for 81 yards. 
Within the recreation, the 49ers scored their solely landing on a scoop-and-score and led 13-6 at halftime. However the Rams tied it with a second-half landing and compelled the sport to additional time. There, Los Angeles drove down the sector and lined up for a discipline purpose, a lot to the chagrin of the Japanese crowd wanting touchdowns. The 49ers blocked two kicks in a row however have been penalized every time, and the Rams lastly hit a 29-yard discipline purpose as additional time expired to win 16-13.
Oct. 1, 1989: Rams 13, 49ers 12 at Candlestick Park
As that they had completed for years, the 49ers opened with a street journey to keep away from discipline points with the Giants, their fellow tenants at Candlestick. This yr, they began with three straight street video games and received all of them, together with two wins in comeback trend at Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
However as town was getting fired up for these Giants, who had simply clinched the NL West for the second time in three years and have been making ready to face the Cubs the subsequent week, the 3-0 49ers hosted the 3-0 Rams in what turned out to be a defensive slugfest. Save for one 65-yard strike from Rams quarterback Jim Everett to huge receiver Flipper Anderson, the defenses (even a 49ers protection with out star security Ronnie Lott) had stored the offenses out of the top zone and compelled discipline objectives all day.
Regardless of the dearth of touchdowns, the 49ers had the ball and have been driving deep into Rams territory late within the fourth. However sure-handed again Tom Rathman fumbled the ball within the pink zone with lower than three minutes left, and Los Angeles sprinted down the sector in 9 performs to arrange their kicker, Mike Lansford, for a game-winning 26-yard discipline purpose with two seconds left. The win put the Rams on the prime of the division, and had the 49ers praising them after the sport.
“They’re the identical guys, however they’re extra assured,” Roger Craig mentioned, per The New York Occasions. “With Everett again there, they’ll combat for the highest passing recreation of the 90s.”
Dec. 11, 1989: 49ers 30, Rams 27 at Anaheim Stadium
The 49ers’ season received chaotic from there, as they flipped the host websites of their two divisional video games towards the Saints to accommodate the Giants, then needed to transfer their subsequent house recreation towards the Patriots to Stanford Stadium after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Nevertheless it didn’t appear to trouble the 49ers, who received eight of their subsequent 9, together with seven double-digit wins, to get to 11-2 heading into their rematch with the Rams. 
In the meantime, the Rams stumbled in the course of the season, shedding 4 straight at one level — together with an additional time loss to the Vikings that ended on a blocked punt out of the top zone for a security. However Los Angeles recovered with 4 wins in a row to get to 9-4 because the 49ers got here to city for a showdown on Monday Night time Soccer.
And the Rams opened this one pink sizzling, blitzing out to a 17-0 lead after one. The 49ers kicked a discipline purpose and the Rams drove right down to the Niners’ 4-yard line earlier than getting stalled with 3:30 left within the half. However as a substitute of kicking the sector purpose, Los Angeles tried a pretend and was stopped simply in need of the purpose line. After two 49ers arrange third down on the eight, 49ers receiver John Taylor beat the cornerback making an attempt to jam him, received Montana’s fast move on the 19-yard line and didn’t cease, avoiding a tackler and getting downfield blocks from Jerry Rice to attain a 92-yard landing. After a possibility to go up by three scores, it was solely 17-10 Rams at half.
However the Rams protection stood agency within the third quarter and their offense added one other landing, then tacked on a discipline purpose early within the fourth to make it 27-10. The 49ers answered shortly with a six-play, 66-yard drive for a landing, however Los Angeles drove proper again into the 49ers’ pink zone and seemed set to place the sport away.
However arrange 4 yards from the top zone, Everett fumbled a snap that by no means reached his fingers and 49ers linebacker Matt Millen recovered. The 49ers instantly made the lifeline depend, as Taylor ran a easy slant from the left, Montana hit him on the 15-yard line and Taylor dodged tacklers earlier than taking off up the precise sideline. With Rice as soon as once more lead blocking, Taylor went all the best way to paydirt for a 96-yard landing and main ABC commentator Dan Dierdorf to proclaim on the printed, “This can be a very bizarre recreation.”
There have been nonetheless bizarre twists to return. 49ers kicker Mike Cofer missed the additional level, so the 49ers have been down 27-23 and now wanted a landing. However on the kickoff, Rams returner Ron Brown had the ball punched out by Steve Hendrickson, a Napa Excessive and Cal alum, and the 49ers recovered on the Rams’ 27. Six performs later, Roger Craig ran it in to offer the 49ers the lead. The protection pressured a three-and-out and capped it off with a sack, after which Montana hit Taylor for a key first right down to ice the sport for the 49ers and provides Taylor 11 catches for 286 yards on the evening.
Jan. 14, 1990 – NFC Championship Recreation: 49ers 30, Rams 3 at Candlestick Park
After the extraordinary Monday Night time recreation, neither crew misplaced over the subsequent 4 weeks, because the Rams received three straight on the East Coast to get to the NFC title recreation, capped off by a 19-13 additional time win over the New York Giants within the divisional spherical. The comfy 49ers, in the meantime, received all three video games at Candlestick to get to the NFC Championship, crushing the Vikings 41-13 within the divisional spherical. It arrange a recreation that many billed as the actual Tremendous Bowl for that yr.
The Rams moved the ball early, kicking a discipline purpose to take the lead and driving again into San Francisco territory after a 49ers fumble by tight finish Brent Jones. However when Everett floated a move towards a wide-open Anderson a number of yards in need of the top zone, Lott got here flying in and swatted the ball away simply in time to interrupt up the simple rating. The Rams punted and the 49ers instantly went 89 yards in 13 performs, with Montana discovering Jones for a 20-yard landing.
San Francisco then picked off Everett and wanted 5 performs to attain once more, this time a 1-yard run from Craig. After one other Los Angeles punt, the 49ers methodically drove once more, capping off a 14-play, 89-yard drive with a Montana 18-yard landing move to — who else? — Taylor.
The 49ers protection continued to shine within the second half, battering Everett and inflicting him to take what turned generally known as the “phantom sack,” when Everett felt a defender on prime of him and fell down regardless of no defender being there. He completed the day 16-for-36 and threw three interceptions because the 49ers cruised to their second Tremendous Bowl in a row, the place they destroyed the Broncos, 55-10.
“These are the bullies on the block and we received bullied once more,” Everett mentioned after the sport, per The New York Occasions.
May we hear any Rams say one thing related subsequent week, if the 49ers beat them for a seventh straight time?