Lott Helps 49ers Grab 31-17 Win Out of the Air : He Scores Touchdown, Sets Up Another Against Packers With Interceptions

It was experience going against inexperience, and San Francisco safety Ronnie Lott got the best of Green Bay quarterback Randy Wright.

Lott, the NFL’s pass interception leader, picked off two of Wright’s three interceptions in the 49ers’ 31-17 victory over the Packers Sunday.

The first interception set up a third-quarter touchdown, and Lott returned the second 55 yards for a fourth-quarter score that put the 49ers ahead to stay.

“They had run the same play right before halftime,” said Lott, who is in his sixth professional season. “I expected them to try it again. I got a good jump on the ball and after I got it, it was over.”

Cornerback Tory Nixon also took advantage of Wright, who is in his third pro year but his first as a starter. Nixon returned an interception 88 yards for a touchdown to end the Packers’ final drive.

The 49ers (5-2-1) fell behind, 14-0, and trailed, 14-7, at halftime. Lott’s touchdown put them ahead, 21-14.

“When we got down 14-0 early, it was do-or-die time for our defense. The team was depending on us, and we just went out and played harder,” Lott said.

San Francisco Coach Bill Walsh said: “He (Lott) was the leader of the defense. The quarterback tended to telegraph his throws. You can get a jump on his throws.”

Wright completed 30 of 54 passes for 328 yards and a touchdown.

Lott stepped in front of Green Bay wide receiver Phillip Epps and raced down the sideline with 14:07 remaining. Lott’s two interceptions gave him eight this season.

The 49ers’ Mike Moroski, subbing for the injured Jeff Kemp at quarterback, completed 17 of 29 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, and was intercepted once. He also ran for a touchdown.

“Getting behind is like a slap in the face. It wakes you up,” Moroski said. “We went to three receivers and threw more. Once we tied it at 14, we went back to our regular plan, running the ball more.”

The Packers (1-7) jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a one-yard run by Paul Ott Carruth and a three-yard pass from Wright to tight end Mark Lewis, who caught the ball in the end zone after it was tipped by linebacker Todd Shell.

The 49ers cut the lead to 14-7 at the half on a seven-yard pass from Moroski to Jerry Rice, and tied the game early in the third period after Lott returned his first interception 18 yards to the Green Bay 27. Four plays later, Moroski rolled out to pass, then ran nine yards into the end zone when his receivers were covered.

After Lott’s score, the Packers drove from their 27 to the San Francisco 4, but had to settle for a 22-yard field by Al Del Greco that narrowed the margin to 21-17 with eight minutes remaining.

Ray Wersching added a 27-yard field goal with 5:13 left, and Nixon got the final touchdown with 33 seconds left.

Green Bay wide receiver James Lofton caught his 500th career pass with 5:05 left in the half, becoming the 15th player in professional football history to reach that mark.

“It was a disappointing loss, but every loss is disappointing,” Packers’ Coach Forrest Gregg said. “This one hurt because we did so many things right. We had a couple of long drives early and I felt we should have been able to do it again, but we made too many mistakes.”