by Mike Triplett
Sacramento Bee
Franchise playoff record:
25-17
Here are some memorable moments in 49ers playoff history:
1. NFC championship game, Jan. 10, 1982. Despite their five Super Bowl titles, the most memorable moment in 49ers history wasn't among them. With 58 seconds remaining in the 1982 NFC title game, quarterback Joe Montana threw a six-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Dwight Clark, a play forever known simply as "The Catch." The surprising 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-27 to gain entry into the franchise's first Super Bowl, where they would kick off a dynasty.
2. Super Bowl 16, Jan. 24, 1982. Led by Hall of Famer Montana and an upstart defense with Ronnie Lott and two other rookie defensive backs in the starting lineup, the 49ers capped a remarkable turnaround from a 6-10 season in 1980 to a 16-3 season and their first Super Bowl title. They jumped to a 20-0 lead against the Cincinnati Bengals en route to a 26-21 victory that included a memorable goal-line stand.
3. Super Bowl 22, Jan. 22, 1988. Perhaps Montana's finest moment, he led the 49ers on a 92-yard, game-winning touchdown drive to again beat the Bengals 20-16. Montana capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown strike to John Taylor and finished the game with 357 passing yards.
4. Super Bowl 29, Jan. 29, 1995. Making some Super Bowl history of his own, quarterback Steve Young finally became a champion, throwing a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes as the 49ers routed the San Diego Chargers 49-26. The 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowl titles (joined later by Dallas), winning all five in a remarkable 14-year span.
5. Super Bowl 19, Jan. 20, 1985. Montana won a memorable quarterback shootout against Miami's Dan Marino in front of the hometown fans at Stanford Stadium as the 49ers beat the Dolphins 38-16. Montana threw for 331 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in his final game without receiver Jerry Rice. Running back Roger Craig scored three touchdowns in his career-topping performance.
6. Super Bowl 24, Jan. 28, 1990. Rice had his best day, scoring three touchdowns in a 55-10 rout over the Denver Broncos -- the 49ers' fourth Super Bowl title in nine years. But again it was Montana's day. He threw five TD passes while matched up against another legendary quarterback, John Elway.
7. NFC wild-card game, Jan. 3, 1999. Known as "The Catch II," Young hit rising star Terrell Owens with a 25-yard bullet pass with three seconds remaining to beat the Green Bay Packers 30-27. Some say it saved second-year coach Steve Mariucci's job, and now both Mariucci and Owens are key figures in the 49ers' return to prominence.
8. Western Conference playoff, Dec. 22, 1957. The first touchdown in 49ers' NFL playoff history was a signature 34-yard "alley oop" pass from Y.A. Tittle to R.C. Owens. The 49ers lost to the Detroit Lions, 31-27, however, and would need to wait 24 years for their first NFL title.
9. NFC championship game, Jan. 8, 1989. The 49ers traveled to face brutal Chicago weather conditions, but rolled to a 28-3 victory despite a wind chill of 26 degrees below zero. Montana hit Rice on first-half touchdown passes of 61 yards and 27 yards.
10. NFC championship game, Jan. 15, 1995. In another epic battle between longtime rivals Dallas and San Francisco, Young hit Rice for a 28-yard touchdown pass with seconds remaining before halftime to spark the 49ers' 38-28 victory.
| Season | Game | Result |
| 1949 | AAFC semifinal | San Francisco 17, Brooklyn-New York 7 |
| 1949 | AAFC championship | Cleveland 21, San Francisco 7 |
| 1957 | Western Conf. playoff | Detroit 31, San Francisco 27 |
| 1970 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 17, Minnesota 14 |
| 1970 | NFC championship game | Dallas 17, San Francisco 10 |
| 1971 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 24, Washington 20 |
| 1971 | NFC championship game | Dallas 14, San Francisco 3 |
| 1972 | NFC divisional game | Dallas 30, San Francisco 28 |
| 1981 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 38, New York 24 |
| 1981 | NFC championship game | San Francisco 28, Dallas 27 |
| 1981 | Super Bowl 16 | San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21 |
| 1983 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 24, Detroit 23 |
| 1983 | NFC championship game | Washington 24, San Francisco 21 |
| 1984 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 21, New York 10 |
| 1984 | NFC championship game | San Francisco 23, Chicago 0 |
| 1984 | Super Bowl 19 | San Francisco 38, Miami 16 |
| 1985 | NFC wild-card game | New York 17, San Francisco 3 |
| 1986 | NFC divisional game | New York 49, San Francisco 3 |
| 1987 | NFC divisional game | Minnesota 36, San Francisco 24 |
| 1988 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 34, Minnesota 9 |
| 1988 | NFC championship game | San Francisco 28, Chicago 3 |
| 1988 | Super Bowl 23 | San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 |
| 1989 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 41, Minnesota 13 |
| 1989 | NFC championship game | San Francisco 30, Los Angeles 3 |
| 1989 | Super Bowl 24 | San Francisco 55, Denver 10 |
| 1990 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 28, Washington 10 |
| 1990 | NFC championship game | New York 15, San Francisco 13 |
| 1992 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 20, Washington 13 |
| 1992 | NFC championship game | Dallas 30, San Francisco 20 |
| 1993 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 44, New York 3 |
| 1993 | NFC championship game | Dallas 38, San Francisco 21 |
| 1994 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 44, Chicago 15 |
| 1994 | NFC championship game | San Francisco 38, Dallas 28 |
| 1994 | Super Bowl 29 | San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 |
| 1995 | NFC divisional game | Green Bay 27, San Francisco 17 |
| 1996 | NFC wild-card game | San Francisco 14, Philadelphia 0 |
| 1996 | NFC divisional game | Green Bay 35, San Francisco 14 |
| 1997 | NFC divisional game | San Francisco 38, Minnesota 21 |
| 1997 | NFC championship game | Green Bay 23, San Francisco 10 |
| 1998 | NFC wild-card game | San Francisco 30, Green Bay 27 |
| 1998 | NFC divisional game | Atlanta 20, San Francisco 18 |
| 2001 | NFC wild-card game | Green Bay 25, San Francisco 15 |
