The 1987 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 38th season in the National Football League and their 42nd overall. The 49ers won the division for the second consecutive season, and ended the season as the top seed in the NFC playoffs. The season ended with an upset loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The season

The 49ers lost the first game of the season to Pittsburgh. In their second game, against Cincinnati, it appeared that they were going to start the season 0–2, down by 6 points with just 2 seconds to play. However, quarterback Joe Montana threw a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice as time expired. The 49ers used the victory as a springboard to a 13–1 run to end the season with the best record in the NFL. The 49ers scored 459 points, the most in the NFL in 1987; they also scored 206 more points than they allowed, best in the league as well. The 49ers gained the most total yards (5,987), the most rushing yards (2,237) and second most passing yards (3,750) in the NFL in 1987. Wide receiver Jerry Rice was named

NFL Offensive Player of the Year The National Football League Offensive Player of the Year Award is an annual American football award given by various organizations to the National Football League (NFL) player who is considered the top offensive player during the regular season. Or ...

and the

Bert Bell Award The Bert Bell Award is presented by the Maxwell Football Club to the player of the year in the National Football League (NFL). The award is named in honor of Bert Bell (1895–1959), commissioner of the NFL and founder of the Maxwell Club. Voters ...

(for Player of the Year). Rice caught 22 touchdown passes in a strike-shortened 12 games (1 game was canceled because of the strike, and Rice didn't play in the next 3 games while the strike was on). This record stood for twenty years. Rice led the league in receiving yards per game (89.8), total touchdowns (23: 22 receiving, 1 rushing), and points scored (138). Quarterback Joe Montana (who crossed the picket line during the strike) led the league with 31 touchdown passes. He also led the league in passer rating (102.1) and completion percentage (66.8%). The San Francisco defense was also very strong, surrendering the fewest total yards (4,095), fewest passing yards (2,484) and fifth-fewest rushing yards (1,611) in the NFL in 1987. The 1987 49ers have the best passer rating differential (offensive passer rating minus opponents' combined passer rating) of the Live Ball Era (1978–present), with +52.4.

Offseason

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected quarterback

Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Hei ...

first overall in the

1987 NFL Draft The 1987 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Marq ...

, Tampa Bay quarterback Steve Young was traded to the 49ers on April 24, 1987. The Buccaneers received 2nd and 4th round draft picks in the trade, which they used to draft Miami linebacker

Winston Moss Winston N. Moss (born December 24, 1965) is a former American football linebacker and coach who served as head coach and general manager of the Los Angeles Wildcats. He was formerly the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Green B ...

, and Arizona State wide receiver Bruce Hill.

NFL Draft

Harris Barton Harris Scott Barton (born April 19, 1964) is a fund manager and a former All-Pro American football offensive tackle who played for the San Francisco 49ers. Early life Harris Scott Barton was born in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and is Jewish. Both ...

was the first offensive tackle selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the 49ers since

Forrest Blue Forrest Murrell Blue Jr. (September 7, 1945 – July 16, 2011) was an offensive lineman who spent eleven seasons in the National Football League, National Football League (NFL) with the San Francisco 49ers (1968–1974) and History of the Indian ...

was selected in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

Personnel

Staff

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

Roster

Regular season

In 1987, Jerry Rice led the NFL with 22 touchdown receptions. The runner-up was Philadelphia Eagles receiver Mike Quick with 11. This marked the first time in NFL history that a category leader doubled the total of his nearest competitor.

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 2

Standings

Postseason

NFC Divisional Playoff vs Minnesota Vikings

The 13–2 49ers suffered one of the biggest upsets in playoff history as the 8–7 Vikings came into Candlestick and beat the 49ers 36–24. Vikings QB Wade Wilson threw for 298 yards, and Anthony Carter caught 10 passes for 227 yards. Joe Montana struggled so much that Steve Young came in to relieve him. Though he played better, it wasn't enough. The Vikings took a 20–3 halftime lead, and held on for the major upset.

Awards and records

* Jerry Rice, Franchise Record, Most Touchdowns in One Season, 23 touchdowns (22 receiving, 1 rushing)''NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book'', Workman Publishing Co, New York, , p. 142 * Jerry Rice, Franchise Record, Most Points in One Season, 138 points * Jerry Rice, NFL Leader, 23 touchdowns * Jerry Rice,

Notes

References

External links

1987 49ers on Pro Football Reference

49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com
San Francisco NFC West championship seasons San Francisco 49ers seasons 1987 in San Francisco San {{Americanfootball-season-stub