49ers Get Taylor-Made Finish : Bengals Dealt Out on Score in Last Minute

In the most dramatic finish in Super Bowl history, Joe Montana hit receiver John Taylor on a 10-yard scoring pass with 34 seconds remaining Sunday to give the San Francisco 49ers a 20-16 over over the Cincinnati Bengals before a crowd of 75,179 at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The 49ers, who started their last-gasp effort with 3:10 remaining in Super Bowl XXIII, drove 92 yards on 11 plays on the go-ahead drive, highlighted by catches of 17 and 27 yards by receiver Jerry Rice.

It was the third Super Bowl victory of the decade for San Francisco and the fifth consecutive title for the National Football Conference.

A 40-yard field goal by Cincinnati kicker Jim Breech with 3:20 remaining gave the Bengals a 16-13 lead, but they couldn’t hold it.

The Bengals drove 46 yards in 11 plays on their drive toward that go-ahead field goal, after the 49ers missed a 49-yard field goal attempt that would have given them the lead with 8:47 remaining.

The key plays on the Bengals’ field goal drive were a 17-yard pass from Boomer Esiason to Ira Hillary on third and 12 at the Cincinnati 29-yard line, and a 13-yard pass from Esiason to James Brooks to the 49er 24, setting up Breech’s kick.

The first quarter was a costly one for both teams. The 49ers lost left tackle Steve Wallace with a broken left fibula on the game’s third play. Wallace was injured when Bengal nose tackle David Grant knocked Montana backward after a pass, Montana rolling over onto Wallace’s leg.

Later in the quarter, Cincinnati’s Pro Bowl nose tackle Tim Krumrie broke both the tibia and fibula bones in his left leg after he planted his foot awkwardly into the turf while chasing Roger Craig on an 8-yard run. Krumrie remained in the locker room after the injury, watching the game on television.

The 49ers quickly took advantage of the injury to the Bengals’ top defensive player, driving 73 yards in 13 plays for the game’s first score, a 41-yard field goal by Mike Cofer with 3:14 left in the quarter. It came after an apparent 22-yard pass completion from Montana to receiver Mike Wilson--down to the Cincinnati 2-yard line--was ruled incomplete after an instant-replay review. San Francisco had to settle for the field goal after two Montana incompletions.

The 49ers showed no signs of slowing as they headed into the second quarter. On the last play of the first quarter, Rice made a great left-handed catch of a Montana pass for a 16-yard gain. Rice’s hands, and his ankle, seemed fine, despite a Super Bowl week’s worth of worry.

Later in the drive, Montana read a Bengal blitz by safety David Fulcher and found Rice wide open down the right sideline for a 30-yard gain and a first down just outside the Cincinnati 10. The 49ers made it as far as the 1 on fourth down, called time out, and then decided to send Cofer in for the easy 19-yard field goal.

If only it was that easy. Randy Cross’ center snap skidded off line to holder Barry Helton, who didn’t do much with the plant, and Cofer’s kick hooked wide to the left with 12:59 left in the half.

The 49ers were dominating the game, but not the scoreboard. Later in the quarter, Taylor had a 45-yard return after a 63-yard punt, setting his team up nicely at the San Francisco 46.

But on third and 21, Craig fumbled after taking a short pass and heading up field into the Bengals’ secondary. Fulcher’s hit forced the fumble, and Jim Skow recovered with 9:52 left. The Bengals, again, did nothing with the opportunity.

Cincinnati didn’t get moving until late in the half, only after they held the 49ers in check deep in San Francisco territory.

The Bengals took over after a 49er punt on their own 44 with 4:04 left. They managed to drive 28 yards in 6 plays, the key play an 18-yard pass from Esiason to Tim McGee, and settled for a 34-yard Breech field goal to tie the game, 3-3, with 1:15 left in the half.

The Bengals took the lead for first time in the third quarter, 6-3, on a 43-yard field goal by Breech. Cincinnati did it the hard way, taking the second-half kickoff and driving 61 yards on 13 plays, using 9:21 on the clock. Esiason had key passes of 23 and 11 yards to Cris Collinsworth on the drive and another of 20 yards to Brooks.

But the drive stalled inside the 49ers’ 30. San Francisco Coach Bill Walsh, who would not say whether this game was his last as 49er coach, had a tough decision to make after the Bengals were called for illegal motion on an incomplete pass on third and 10 at the 25. The 49ers could have pushed the Bengals back 5 yards and given them another down. Instead, they decided to test Breech, who had made only 2 of 6 field goal attempts outside of 40 yards this season. Breech’s longest field goal was 45 yards, but he made this one with ease.

The first big play of the game came with 2:22 left in the third quarter when 49er linebacker Bill Romanowski intercepted an Esiason pass at the Cincinnati 23. San Francisco turned it into a 32-yard Cofer field goal to tie the game, 6-6.

The lead would last just 16 seconds, the time it took Stanford Jennings to return the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Jennings was untouched on the play until Terry Greer clipped Jennings’ heels at the 3. The score and extra point put Cincinnati ahead, 13-6.

It was only the second kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. The first occurred in 1983, when Miami’s Fulton Walker returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score in a 27-17 loss to Washington.

The Jennings play served to shock and inspire the 49ers, who drove with ease up the field on their next possession.

On first down at the 15, Montana threw 31 yards to Rice, who had beaten corner Lewis Billups. Then it was Montana to Craig for 40 yards down to the 14. After an incomplete pass, which could have been intercepted by Billups in the end zone, Montana threw perfectly to Rice, who was fading toward the left corner. Rice made the catch inside the 5, and hooked the ball over the end-zone marker as he went out of bounds. It was a 14-yard touchdown pass play on a drive covering 85 yards on 4 plays, and it helped tie the score, 13-13, with 14:03 left.

The 49ers had a great chance to take the lead on their next possession, thanks to a spectacular 44-yard reception by Rice to the Bengals’ 38. But the drive stalled there, and a 49-yard field goal try by Cofer was wide to the right.