49ers Win in East and Gain in West, 35-8
The Rams had already played and lost by the time the San Francisco 49ers took the field Sunday afternoon against the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium.
Most of the 49ers said they hadn’t heard of the Ram loss, and the few who had heard said they could have cared less.
Which all goes to prove that when you’re world champions, you retain the right to be cool, even if you’re still in second place.
“I didn’t know and it didn’t matter,” 49er kick returner Carl Monroe said of the Ram loss to New Orleans.
Monroe got another point across when he returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to start the 49ers toward a 35-8 win over the Redskins before a disbelieving crowd of 51,321.
“I don’t remember much about it,” Monroe said. “It all happened so fast.”
Monroe was talking about his run, but he could well have been talking about closing the gap on the Rams in the NFC Western Division.
On Oct. 27, the Rams held a four-game lead over the 49ers. Today, it’s a one-game lead.
The 49ers, playing Sunday with the intensity of Super Bowl champions, have already beaten the Rams this season and will meet them again a week from tonight at Candlestick Park.
Wide receiver Jerry Rice wanted to pass along this simple message to the Rams.
“We’re back,” said Rice, even though he was a senior at Mississippi Valley State when the 49ers won the Super Bowl.
And safety Carlton Williamson was wondering if perhaps the Rams weren’t hearing a few cleatsteps.
“They have to be feeling the pressure,” he said. “They’re only human.”
Should they be worried?
“Yes,” Williamson said. “If I was in their position, I would be.”
The 49er defense was as good against the Redskins as it has been all season, though you couldn’t prove it on the statistics sheet.
The Redskins outgained the 49ers in total offense, 398 to 224, but the point seems mute.
San Francisco, aggressive and intimidating on defense, forced five turnovers, two leading directly to touchdowns.
The 49ers held a 7-5 lead in the second quarter when cornerback Dwight Hicks stepped in front of Redskin receiver Gary Clark and intercepted a Jay Schroeder pass at the Washington 42-yard line. It was the Schroeder’s first interception as a starter in 74 passes.
San Francisco didn’t waste any time getting into the end zone. Quarterback Joe Montana’s 39-yard pass to Freddie Solomon gave the 49ers a first down at the one-yard line. Wendell Tyler carried it in from there to give the 49ers a 14-5 lead with 7:19 left in the quarter.
Schroeder, who completed 30 of 58 passes for 348 yards, drove to the 49er 23-yard line on the next Redskin possession.
But, on second and nine, Schroeder dropped back to pass and was blind-sided by Jeff Fuller on a safety blitz. Fuller stripped Schroeder of the ball, which was picked up by linebacker Keena Turner and run back 65 yards for a touchdown.
“We wanted to throw a lot of things at him,” Fuller said of putting pressure on the rookie Schroeder. “I think we rattled him a few times out there.”
The next rattle came with 12:19 left in the third quarter when a Schroeder fumble was recovered by Jeff Stover at the Redskin 34-yard line.
Six plays later, the 49ers scored again, this time on a four-yard run by Tyler.
“Our defense was superb,” 49er Coach Bill Walsh said. “We’re rallying to play like we were a year ago. I believe we’re seeing the light. Our offense is staggering, but the defense is there.”
Montana and the San Francisco offense did have a rough time. Montana completed only 11 of 22 passes for 119 yards. But in the fourth quarter, when the 49ers were looking to kill some time on the clock, Montana drove his team 80 yards in 15 plays for the final touchdown, an eight-yard pass to Russ Francis with 8:17 left. San Francisco used up 6:13 on the drive.
For the Redskins (7-6), it was a day of frustration. Washington seemingly moved the ball at ease between the 20-yard lines but was stopped cold every time it got close to the goal line. Two missed field goals by Mark Mosley didn’t help.
“You can’t turn the ball over five times against that kind of team,” Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs, said. “You can’t start off the game with a kickoff return like that.”
The 49ers can start thinking about the Rams.
“Twenty-nine to three?” Williamson said in disbelief when he was told the score in the Ram loss to New Orleans. “You’re kidding.”
