Who Knows Where 49ers Would Be Without Rice : Pro football: He has caught a pass in last 158 games and San Francisco has a 118-39-1 record. He can break two more records today.

It began with “the catch,” Dwight Clark reaching high to pull in Joe Montana’s pass in the back of the end zone to send the San Francisco 49ers past the Dallas Cowboysand on their way to winning their very first Super Bowl after the 1981 season.

It continues, year after year and catch after catch, with Jerry Rice, and now the 49ers are overwhelming favorites to win a sixth Super Bowl.

“Jerry’s the beacon out front for this team,” said Clark, now the team’s vice president and director of football operations. “He’s the one who jumps out and makes something happen when the team is flat.

“We’re in Miami, and we’re going nowhere the first couple of series earlier this year and he ad-libs a slant and turns it into a slant-and-go. Fortunately, Elvis Grbac notices, and just like that Jerry has us going with a touchdown.”

A year ago the 49ers won despite a series of injuries on the offensive line. They won early this season without running back Ricky Watters, who signed as a free agent with Philadelphia. They lost fullback William Floyd because of an injury and continue to win. They played a good portion of this season without quarterback Steve Young (shoulder) and repeated as NFC West Division champions. They took on the Cowboys in Dallas, and the game--and perhaps the season--turned dramatically in their favor from the outset with Rice going the distance for a touchdown.

Could the 49ers win without Rice in their lineup? It is a question that has yet to be confronted. Rice has caught at least one pass in 158 consecutive regular-season games, and during that time the 49ers are 118-39-1.

“I was still playing when Jerry first got here, and he was a raw kid out of a small college, but still there was something about him that told you he would be a great one,” Clark said. “In practice they would throw these long passes, and sometimes these throws would be all over the place with a whole bunch of people going up in the air for the ball, but somehow he would come away with it.

“I remember guys always saying, ‘Damn, how’d he get that one.’ The first few games he played he was trying to understand the offense and read defensive coverages, and in doing that sometimes a guy forgets to catch the ball. But then he played the Rams on a Monday night (Dec. 9, 1985), caught 10 passes for something like 250 yards and the reign of terror had started.”

Rice is 52 yards away from breaking Charley Hennigan’s 34-year-old NFL mark of 1,746 receiving yards in a single season. He is also 10 receptions shy of passing Art Monk to become the game’s all-time pass catcher.

“Playing with him was just great,” Clark said. “I had to go against only one guy because they were trying to stop him all the time. Sometimes they didn’t even cover me.”

Clark retired three years after Rice joined the league, but he has continued to have the opportunity to watch the greatest receiver to play the game.

“He’s in such great shape,” Clark said. “He takes such punishment, and so when you watch the guy in practice you worry about him: Won’t he get tired at some point? When the defense is working on their plays, he’s behind the huddle catching passes from the equipment guy.

“It’s like he’s this bionic receiver. What is it they say about sharks? They have to be in constant motion--well, Jerry Rice can’t sit still.”

But he’s so slow, or so that’s what they said when he finished his Mississippi Valley State career.

“He was timed running the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds coming out of college,” Clark said. “But you don’t see many people catching him from behind. He’s as fast as he needs to be. When he puts on his pads, his time doesn’t change, whereas it changes for most everyone else.

“The same thing was being said about J.J. Stokes too. He was timed running the 40 in 4.7 seconds, but check him out after two or three strides. Check him out in a game: Are people catching him? Is he getting separation from defenders? You watch guys like this and it proves one thing: Throw out the 40 times.

“Why is he unstoppable when everyone knows he’s going to get the ball? It’s his ability and desire to get the ball, plus the offensive system. You have those two things along with a great quarterback like Steve Young, who will hang in there knowing Jerry will eventually get open.

“Some defenses are going to stop him. You play this chess game in going against someone and they are going to have the right people in the right place at times, but make a wrong call, and he’s going to make them immediately pay for it.”

Rice, who has 930 regular-season receptions, has Super Bowl records for most receptions (28), receiving yardage (512) and touchdowns (seven) and should get the chance to pad those statistics in Super Bowl XXX.

“He shattered all my records,” said Clark, who retired in 1987 as the 49ers’ all-time leading receiver with 506 receptions. “It took me nine years to break the records set by all the previous 49ers and he breaks mine in his third or fourth year.

“But that’s all right. I can tell my grandkids that it took the best receiver to ever play the game to break my records.”

ON TV

* EGG NOG SPECIAL

Pittsburgh (11-4) at Green Bay (10-5), Channel 4, 10 a.m.: With nothing else ordinarily to do but put another log on the fire in these two outposts, here’s a reason to get excited about the hometown 11. Both teams are headed to the playoffs and still in need of a victory to improve their postseason chances. The Steelers get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory and a defeat by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers are trying to outlast the Detroit Lions for the playoff edge and NFC Central title.

* FORGET IT

San Francisco (11-4) at Atlanta (8-7) Channel 11, 10 a.m.: Here’s the Falcons’ assignment if they want to go to the playoffs: Beat the 49ers, who are on their own mission to gain the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That’s right, time in Atlanta to start looking forward to the Olympics.

Say goodbye: John Taylor, 49er receiver, has announced he will retire at the end of the season. Taylor has 347 catches for 5,598 yards and 43 touchdowns in 10 seasons.

* FORGET IT II

Denver (7-8) at Oakland (8-7) Channel 4, 1 p.m.: The Broncos still have a chance to make the playoffs, as long as they win, Indianapolis loses, Seattle wins and either Miami or San Diego loses. OK, so they have no chance, but at least they’re not as bad off as the Raiders, who might win, make the playoffs and have to play with Billy Joe Hobert at quarterback.

Commitment to good luck: The Raiders are in if they win, and either Seattle loses or any two of the following things occur: Indianapolis loses, Miami loses, San Diego loses.

IF . . .

Seattle (8-7) at Kansas City (12-3): Pay attention: The Seahawks advance to the playoffs for the first time since 1988 with a victory and one of the following: Indianapolis loss or tie, Miami loss or tie, San Diego loss or tie. Chiefs get home-field advantage and become favorites to be whipped by the 49ers in the Super Bowl if they win or Pittsburgh loses.

Tough neighborhood: The Chiefs are trying to go 8-0 at home for the first time since 1971.

WIN AND HELP

Philadelphia (10-5) at Chicago (8-7): The Eagles can still drop a lump of coal in the stocking of Dallas Coach Barry Switzer. One more win coupled with a Cowboy loss, and the Eagles win the NFC East title, Dallas becomes a wild card and Jerry Jones appoints himself head coach. The Bears need an Atlanta loss or tie--no problem. And a win of their own--oh, well.

Randall Cunningham update: Philadelphia quarterback Rodney Peete is 9-2 as a starter this season.

Minnesota (8-7) at Cincinnati (6-9): The Vikings have to win and get losses or ties from Chicago and Atlanta. The Bengals have to wonder if they will ever get to the playoffs again. Cincinnati has not won more than six games in a year since 1990.

Vince Lombardi Jr.: Minnesota Coach Dennis Green can become only the fifth coach in NFL history to reach the playoffs in each of his first four seasons on the job.

FLOPS R US

Miami (8-7) at St. Louis (7-8): The Dolphins loaded up their roster with former No. 1 draft picks and then took a dive. The Rams opened the season 5-1, got giddy and then got crushed. Miami can still go to the playoffs with a victory and one of the following: An Indianapolis loss or tie, a San Diego loss or tie, an Oakland loss or tie, or a Seattle win. Do you think Don Shula can remember all that? All the Rams have to do is win and then get losses from Minnesota, Chicago and Atlanta. Do you think Chris Miller can remember which team he plays for?

MEANINGLESS

Houston (6-9) at Buffalo (10-5): The Bills are going to rest quarterback Jim Kelly, and the Oilers are going to play rookie Steve McNair. Now go ahead, name Buffalo’s backup to Kelly and the starter for this game: Todd Collins. So that’s rookie against rookie at quarterback, and it takes one hearty football fan to sit in the Buffalo cold to watch this shootout.

Chilling fact: Buffalo has clinched the AFC East title and will host a wild-card game.

Carolina (7-8) at Washington (5-10): The Panthers might get excited about finishing .500 in their first season. Well, that’s about it.

LESS THAN MEANINGLESS

Cleveland (5-10) at Jacksonville (3-12): Happy New Year.

New Orleans (6-9) at N.Y. Jets (3-12): The Saints have Jim Everett at quarterback, but for the life of them they can’t figure out why they can’t make the playoffs. Anyone want to clue them in? The Jets won three games--maybe the single biggest achievement of the NFL season.