| Team: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Record: | 10–6 |
| Division Place: | 1st NFC West |
| Owner: | Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. |
| General Manager: | John McVay |
| President: | Bill Walsh |
| Coach: | Bill Walsh |
| Def Coach: | George Seifert |
| Stadium: | Candlestick Park |
| Playoffs: | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Lions) 24–23 Lost NFC Championship (at Redskins) 21–24 |
| Pro Bowlers: | QB Joe Montana DE Fred Dean CB Ronnie Lott FS Dwight Hicks |
| Shortnavlink: | 49ers seasons |
The 1983 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 34th season in the National Football League and their 38th overall. The team attempted to improve on its 3–6 record from 1982. The 49ers started the season with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, 22–17. However, the 49ers throttled the Vikings the next week 48–17 and then the Cardinals the following week 42–27. They ended the first half of the season 6–2 before splitting their last eight games to finish the season 10–6 and clinching the NFC West and the #2 seed in the playoffs. In the divisional round of the playoffs, the 49ers came back to beat the Lions 24–23 after Joe Montana found Freddie Solomon in the end zone with 1:23 remaining, and Lions kicker Eddie Murray missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired. However, in the NFC Championship game, the 49ers were not able to outlast the top-seeded Redskins, as after coming back to tie a game in which they trailed 21–0 at the start of the 4th quarter, they lost 24–21 after Washington took the lead on a field goal with 40 seconds left in the game.
See main article: 1983 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Traded to the Chargers | ||||
| 22 | Traded to the Chargers | ||||
| 2 | 49 | ||||
| 3 | 59 | ||||
| 4 | 90 | ||||
| 5 | 117 | ||||
| 7 | 175 | ||||
| 9 | 229 | ||||
| 10 | 259 | ||||
| 11 | 289 | ||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L 23–26 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 41,337 | |||
| 2 | August 14 | New England Patriots | W 17–15 | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | 50,043 | |
| 3 | at San Diego Chargers | L 7–24 | 1–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 43,939 | ||
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | L 6–20 | 1–3 | Candlestick Park | 47,074 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–22 | 0–1 | Candlestick Park | 55,775 | |||
| 2 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 48–17 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,167 | |||
| 3 | September 18 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 42–27 | 2–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 38,132 | ||
| 4 | September 25 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–20 | 3–1 | Candlestick Park | 57,814 | ||
| 5 | October 2 | at New England Patriots | W 33–13 | 4–1 | Sullivan Stadium | 54,293 | ||
| 6 | October 9 | Los Angeles Rams | L 7–10 | 4–2 | Candlestick Park | 59,118 | ||
| 7 | October 16 | at New Orleans Saints | W 32–13 | 5–2 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,154 | ||
| 8 | October 23 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 45–35 | 6–2 | Anaheim Stadium | 66,070 | ||
| 9 | October 30 | New York Jets | L 13–27 | 6–3 | Candlestick Park | 54,796 | ||
| 10 | November 6 | Miami Dolphins | L 17–20 | 6–4 | Candlestick Park | 57,832 | ||
| 11 | November 13 | New Orleans Saints | W 27–0 | 7–4 | Candlestick Park | 40,022 | ||
| 12 | November 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 24–28 | 7–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 39,782 | ||
| 13 | November 27 | at Chicago Bears | L 3–13 | 7–6 | Soldier Field | 40,483 | ||
| 14 | December 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 35–21 | 8–6 | Candlestick Park | 49,773 | ||
| 15 | December 11 | at Buffalo Bills | W 23–10 | 9–6 | Rich Stadium | 38,039 | ||
| 16 | Dallas Cowboys | W 42–17 | 10–6 | Candlestick Park | 59,957 | |||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
See also: 1983–84 NFL playoffs.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | Detroit Lions (3) | W 24–23 | Candlestick Park | ||
| NFC Championship | January 8, 1984 | at Washington Redskins (1) | L 21–24 | RFK Stadium |
Quarterback Joe Montana hit Freddie Solomon with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:23 left in the game as the 49ers held off the Lions 24–23. Lions kicker Eddie Murray missed a 43-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the game, one of his two misses in the 4th quarter. Five interceptions of Lions quarterback Gary Danielson played a major role in the 49ers' win.
The 49ers overcame a 21-point 4th-quarter deficit to tie the game. But two controversial calls against the 49ers set up a 25-yard field goal by Mark Moseley with 40 seconds remaining. Joe Montana was then intercepted on the last play of the game to seal the win for Washington.