Week #1
Saturday, Aug.25, at 3COM Park, 6:00pm PDT
vs
16
OT
13

Josè Cortez kicked the winning FG in Overtime to beat Atlanta
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers survived without Jerry Rice thanks to big plays by all three of his understudies.

Jose Cortez kicked a 24-yard field goal with 10:59 left in overtime as 49ers rallied to beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-13 Sunday in a game featuring the limited debut of Michael Vick and the return of Garrison Hearst.

Terrell Owens, J.J. Stokes and Tai Streets all turned short receptions into long gains late in the game, each leading to San Francisco scores. The 49ers scored 13 straight points in the final minutes to win after struggling through the first three quarters.

After Cortez made a 20-yard field goal with 8 seconds left in regulation to tie it, San Francisco won the coin toss and opened overtime at its own 20.

Jeff Garcia, who was 16-of-24 for 335 yards, quickly found Streets with a short pass that the fleet-footed receiver turned into a 52-yard reception. Moments later, Cortez made his third easy field goal, then jumped into his teammates' arms.

Owens and Stokes each had 93 yards receiving, while Streets added 83 yards for the 49ers, who beat Atlanta at 3Com Park for the 10th straight time.

Exactly 32 months after Hearst broke his left leg on the first play of a playoff game against the Falcons, he returned to the 49ers' starting lineup.

Though he didn't show the acceleration of departed tailback Charlie Garner - or even the Hearst of 1998, when he rushed for a career-best 1,570 yards - he was solid, rushing for 48 yards and catching four passes.

Jamal Anderson rushed for 86 yards and a score as Atlanta had a dismal offensive day despite the debut of Vick, the heralded No. 1 draft pick who signed a $62 million contract.

Vick played just two series and didn't complete a pass in four attempts, but he rushed twice for 32 yards - including a 25-yard keeper that gave a hint of things to come.

Stokes, primarily expected to pick up Rice's statistical slack, caught a 47-yard pass. Two plays later, Garcia found Stokes for a diving 16-yard play for a touchdown with 11:29 left, cutting Atlanta's lead to 13-10.

In the final minutes, Owens got the 49ers into scoring position on a short catch he turned into a 40-yard gain with 2:00 left. San Francisco got to the 4, but Garcia overthrew Owens and Streets on consecutive plays.

Vick debuted in the Falcons' second offensive series, overthrowing receivers with his first two NFL passes.

Chris Chandler, who was 11-of-18 for 121 yards, led the Falcons to the game's first score on their third possession. Anderson scored on a 1-yard run.

Vick didn't return until the second series of the second half. On his second career rush, Vick showed his breathtaking agility on the 25-yard scamper through the heart of the defense, setting up Jay Feely's second short field goal.


 

 
FINAL
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
OT
Total
Atlanta 
7
3
3
0
0
13
San Francisco
0
3
0
10
3
16
..... 
 
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
ATL TD  Jamal Anderson (ATL) rushed left side for a 1 yard touchdown. Extra point by Jay Feely (ATL) is good.
2nd Quarter
SFO FG 39 yard field goal by Jose Cortez (SFO) is good.
ATL FG 28 yard field goal by Jay Feely (ATL) is good.
3rd Quarter
ATL FG 24 yard field goal by Jay Feely (ATL) is good.
4th Quarter
SFO TD Jeff Garcia (SFO) pass left side complete to J.J. Stokes (SFO) for a 16 yard touchdown. Extra point by Jose Cortez (SFO) is good.
SFO FG 20 yard field goal by Jose Cortez (SFO) is good.
Overtime
SFO FG 24 yard field goal by Jose Cortez (SFO) is good.

 
TEAM STATISTICS ATL SFO
First Downs 13 20
Third Down Efficiency 5-14 5-13
TOTAL NET YARDS 227 418
Total Plays 53 68
Average Gain Per Play 4.0 6.0
NET YARDS RUSHING 134 105
Rushes 31 28
Average Per Rush 4.3 3.8
NET YARDS PASSING 93 313
Pass Completion 11-22 26-40
Yards Per Pass 4.9 8.1
Times Sacked 2 2
Yards Lost To Sacks 14 11
PUNTS 6 5
Average Punt 37.3 30.8
FUMBLES 0 0
Time Of Possesion 30:27 33:37

 
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
PASSING   PASSING
  CP/AT YDS TD INT     CP/AT YDS TD INT
Chandler 11/18 121 0 0   Garcia 26/40 335 1 1
Vick 0/4 0 0 0    
 
RUSHING   RUSHING
  ATT YDS TD FUM     ATT YDS TD FUM
Anderson 26 86 1 0   Hearst 14 48 0 0
Vick 2 32 0 0   Garcia 5 38 0 0
Chandler 3 16 0 0   Barlow 5 9 0 0
    Beasley 3 7 0 0
    Owens 1 3 0 0
 
RECEIVING   RECEIVING
  REC YDS TD FUM     REC YDS TD FUM
Martin 4 66 0 0   Owens 7 93 0 0
Mathis 3 26 0 0   Stokes 5 93 1 0
Christian 2 20 0 0   Streets 3 81 0 0
Anderson 1 8 0 0   Johnson 4 34 0 0
Jefferson 1 1 0 0   Hearst 4 24 0 0
    Swift 1 6 0 0
    Barlow 2 4 0 0
 
DEFENSE   DEFENSE
  T-A SCK INT FBR     T-A SCK INT FBR
Brooking 11-2 1 0 0   Smith 9-3 0 0 0
Buchanan 9-0 0 0 0   Ulbrich 7-0 0 0 0
Draft 7-3 0 0 0   Bronson 4-0 0 0 0
Smith 5-1 0 0 0   Okeafor 4-1 0 0 0
Ambrose 4-0 0 0 0   Webster 4-1 0 0 0
Hall 3-1 0 0 0   Plummer 3-0 0 0 0
Kerney 3-0 0 0 0   Carter 2-2 0 0 0
Vaughn 3-1 0 0 0   Killens 2-1 0 0 0
Carter 2-0 0 0 0   Schulters 2-0 0 0 0
Crockett 2-0 0 0 0   Young 2-0 2 0 0
Hudson 2-3 0 0 0   Engelberger 1-0 0 0 0
Dronett 1-0 0 1 0   Holman 1-1 0 0 0
Gordon 1-0 0 0 0   Stubblefield 1-1 0 0 0
Jasper 1-0 1 0 0    
Swayda 1-1 0 0 0    
Hamilton 0-1 0 0 0    
....