Super Bowl XVI
San Francisco 49ers 26
Cincinnati Bengals 21
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Ray Wersching's Super Bowl record-tying four field goals and Joe Montana's controlled passing helped lift the San Francisco 49ers to their first NFL championship with a 26-21 victory over Cincinnati.
The 49ers built a game-record 20-0 halftime lead via Montana's 1-yard touchdown run, which capped an 11-play, 68-yard drive; fullback Earl Cooper's 11-yard scoring pass from Montana, which climaxed a Super Bowl record 92-yard drive on 12 plays; and Wersching's 22- and 26-yard field goals.
The Bengals rebounded in the second half, closing the gap to 20-14 on quarterback Ken Anderson's 5-yard run and Dan Ross's 4-yard reception from Anderson, who established Super Bowl passing records for completions (25) and completion percentage (73.5 percent on 25 of 34).
Wersching added early fourth-period field goals of 40 and 23 yards to increase the 49ers' lead to 26-14.
The Bengals managed to score on an Anderson-to-Ross 3-yard pass with only 16 seconds remaining. Ross set a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions for 104 yards.
Montana, the game's most valuable player, completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards.
Cincinnati compiled 356 yards to San Francisco's 275, which marked the first time in Super Bowl history that the team that gained the most yards from scrimmage lost the game.
SUPER BOWL XVI MVP: Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' Super Bowl era began with this 26-21 victory over Cincinnati. Most Valuable Player Joe Montana led the way by throwing a touchdown pass, scoring on a short run and directing drive after drive through the Bengals' defense.
San Francisco's first score, a 1-yard run by Montana, came after an impressive 11-play, 68-yard drive early in the first quarter. Montana then led another drive of 92 yards -- a Super Bowl record -- on 12 plays, capped off by an 11-yard TD pass to running back Earl Cooper.
The 49ers added a pair of field goals to grab a then-record 20-0 halftime lead. Cincinnati came back in the second half, and San Francisco needed a key goal-line stand late in the third quarter to maintain its advantage. Montana continued to run the finely tuned 49ers offense, setting up two more field goals on the way to the victory. Montana completed 14-of-22 passes for 157 yards.
SUPER BOWL XVI SCORING
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|
San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 26 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
1st Quarter
SF Montana 1 run (Wersching kick), 9:08
2nd Quarter
SF E. Cooper 11 pass from Montana (Wersching kick), 8:07
SF FG Wersching 22, 14:45
SF FG Wersching 26, 14:58 2nd
3rd Quarter
CIN Anderson 5 run (Breech kick), 3:35
4th Quarter
CIN Ross 4 pass from Anderson (Breech kick), 4:54
SF FG Wersching 40, 9:35
SF FG Wersching 23, 13:03
CIN Ross 3 pass from Anderson (Breech kick), 14:44
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - Team Statistics
Total First Downs |
20 |
Rushing |
9 |
Passing |
9 |
Penalty |
2 |
Total Net Yardage |
275 |
Total Offensive Plays |
63 |
Avg. Gain per Offensive Play |
4.4 |
Rushes |
40 |
Yards Gained Rushing (Net) |
127 |
Average Yards per Rush |
3.2 |
Passes Attempted |
22 |
Passes Completed |
14 |
Had Intercepted |
0 |
Tackled Attempting to Pass |
1 |
Yards Lost Attempting to Pass |
9 |
Yards Gained Passing (Net) |
148 |
Punts |
4 |
Average Distance |
46.3 |
Punt Returns |
1 |
Punt Return Yardage |
6 |
Kickoff Returns |
2 |
Kickoff Return Yardage |
40 |
Interception Return Yardage |
52 |
Fumbles |
2 |
Own Fumbles Recovered |
1 |
Opponent Fumbles Recovered |
2 |
Penalties |
8 |
Yards Penalized |
65 |
Total Points Scored |
26 |
Touchdowns |
2 |
Rushing |
1 |
Passing |
1 |
Returns |
0 |
Extra Points |
2 |
Field Goals |
4 |
Fields Goals Attempted |
4 |
Safeties |
0 |
Third-Down Efficiency |
8/15 |
Fourth-Down Efficiency |
0/0 |
Time of Possession |
30:34 |
CINCINNATI BENGALS - Team Statistics
Total First Downs |
24 |
Rushing |
7 |
Passing |
13 |
Penalty |
4 |
Total Net Yardage |
356 |
Total Offensive Plays |
63 |
Avg. Gain per Offensive Play |
5.7 |
Rushes |
24 |
Yards Gained Rushing (Net) |
72 |
Average Yards per Rush |
3.0 |
Passes Attempted |
34 |
Passes Completed |
25 |
Had Intercepted |
2 |
Tackled Attempting to Pass |
5 |
Yards Lost Attempting to Pass |
16 |
Yards Gained Passing (Net) |
284 |
Punts |
3 |
Average Distance |
43.7 |
Punt Returns |
4 |
Punt Return Yardage |
35 |
Kickoff Returns |
7 |
Kickoff Return Yardage |
52 |
Interception Return Yardage |
0 |
Fumbles |
2 |
Own Fumbles Recovered |
0 |
Opponent Fumbles Recovered |
1 |
Penalties |
8 |
Yards Penalized |
57 |
Total Points Scored |
21 |
Touchdowns |
3 |
Rushing |
1 |
Passing |
2 |
Returns |
0 |
Extra Points |
3 |
Field Goals |
0 |
Fields Goals Attempted |
0 |
Safeties |
0 |
Third-Down Efficiency |
6/12 |
Fourth-Down Efficiency |
1/2 |
Time of Possession |
29:26 |
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - Player Statistics
Passing |
CP/AT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
Montana |
14/22 |
157 |
1 |
0 |
|
Rushing |
CAR |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
Patton |
17 |
55 |
0 |
10 |
E. Cooper |
9 |
34 |
0 |
14 |
Montana |
6 |
18 |
1 |
8 |
Ring |
5 |
17 |
0 |
7 |
Davis |
2 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
Clark |
1 |
-2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Receiving |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
Solomon |
4 |
52 |
0 |
20 |
Clark |
4 |
45 |
0 |
17 |
E.Copper |
2 |
15 |
1 |
11t |
Wilson |
1 |
22 |
0 |
22 |
Young |
1 |
14 |
0 |
14 |
Patton |
1 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
Ring |
1 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
Interceptions |
INT |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Hicks |
1 |
27 |
27 |
0 |
Wright |
1 |
25 |
25 |
0 |
|
Punting |
NO |
AVG |
LG |
BLK |
Miller |
4 |
46.3 |
50 |
0 |
|
Punt Returns |
NO/FC |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Hicks |
1/0 |
6 |
6 |
0 |
Solomon |
0/1 |
0 |
** |
0 |
|
Kickoff Returns |
NO |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Hicks |
1 |
23 |
23 |
0 |
Lawrence |
1 |
17 |
17 |
0 |
CINCINNATI BENGALS - Player Statistics
Passing |
CP/AT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
Anderson |
25/34 |
300 |
2 |
2 |
|
Rushing |
CAR |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
Johnson |
14 |
36 |
0 |
5 |
Alexander |
5 |
17 |
0 |
13 |
Anderson |
4 |
15 |
1 |
6 |
A. Griffin |
1 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Receiving |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
Ross |
11 |
104 |
2 |
16 |
Collinsworth |
5 |
107 |
0 |
49 |
Curtis |
3 |
42 |
0 |
21 |
Kreider |
2 |
36 |
0 |
19 |
Johnson |
2 |
8 |
0 |
5 |
Alexander |
2 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
Interceptions |
INT |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
None |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Punting |
NO |
AVG |
LG |
BLK |
McInally |
3 |
43.7 |
53 |
0 |
|
Punt Returns |
NO/FC |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Fuller |
4/0 |
35 |
17 |
0 |
|
Kickoff Returns |
NO |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Verser |
5 |
52 |
16 |
0 |
Frazier |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
A. Griffin |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
January 24, 1982
Pontiac Silverdome (Pontiac, Michigan)
Attendance: 81,270
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