| Team: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Year: | 1990 |
| Record: | 14–2 |
| Division Place: | 1st NFC West |
| Owner: | Eddie DeBartolo Jr. |
| General Manager: | John McVay and Carmen Policy |
| Coach: | George Seifert |
| Off Coach: | Mike Holmgren |
| Def Coach: | Bill McPherson |
| Stadium: | Candlestick Park |
| Playoffs: | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Redskins) 28–10 Lost NFC Championship (vs. Giants) 13–15 |
| Shortnavlink: | 49ers seasons |
The 1990 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 45th overall. the team entered the 1990 season heavily favored to win their third consecutive Super Bowl. The season was highlighted by their victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football in Week 13. Throughout the season, the 49ers and the Giants were the two best teams in the NFL and they met again in the NFC Championship Game.
Between 1988 and 1990, the 49ers set a league record with 18 consecutive road victories. Jerry Rice had a career year by becoming the fourth receiver in the history of American football to have at least 100 receptions in one season. The 49ers won their fifth consecutive NFC West Division Title. Dating back to 1989, the 49ers completed a fifteen-game unbeaten streak in the regular season (5 victories in the last 5 games of 1989 and 10 victories in the first ten games of 1990).
The 49ers lost in the final seconds of the NFC Championship Game on a field goal by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, denying them a chance at a "three-peat" in the Super Bowl.
Following this season, the 49ers left team stalwarts Roger Craig (RB) and Ronnie Lott (FS) unprotected and let them go to the Los Angeles Raiders via Plan B free agency. Quarterback Joe Montana remained on the roster for the next two seasons, but never started another game for the 49ers. This would ultimately be the de facto final season for Montana as the 49ers starting quarterback, Montana would sit out all of 1991 and most of the 1992 season due to an elbow injury.
Montana had the NFL's highest salary in 1990 at $4 million, and the 49ers had the league's highest team payroll ($26.8 million).[1]
| = Pro Bowler [2] | = Hall of Famer |
See main article: 1990 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Dexter Carter | RB | Florida State |
| 2 | 48 | Dennis Brown | DE | Washington |
| 2 | 54 | Eric Davis | CB | Jacksonville State |
| 3 | 69 | Ronald Lewis | WR | Florida State |
| 4 | 93 | Dean Caliguire | C | Pittsburgh |
| 6 | 166 | Frank Pollack | DT | Northern Arizona |
| 8 | 221 | Dwight Pickens | WR | Fresno State |
| 9 | 249 | Odell Haggins | DT | Florida State |
| 10 | 277 | Martin Harrison | DE | Washington |
| 11 | 290 | Anthony Shelton | SS | Tennessee State |
| Joe Montana | 61.7 | 3,944 | 26/16 | |
| Steve Young | 61.3 | 427 | 2/0 | |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | at New Orleans Saints | W 13–12 | 1–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,629 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 16 | Washington Redskins | W 26–13 | 2–0 | Candlestick Park | 64,287 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 23 | Atlanta Falcons | W 19–13 | 3–0 | Candlestick Park | 62,858 | Recap | |
| 4 | Bye | |||||||
| 5 | October 7 | at Houston Oilers | W 24–21 | 4–0 | Astrodome | 59,931 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 14 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 45–35 | 5–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,921 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 27–7 | 6–0 | Candlestick Park | 64,301 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 28 | Cleveland Browns | W 20–17 | 7–0 | Candlestick Park | 63,672 | Recap | |
| 9 | November 4 | at Green Bay Packers | W 24–20 | 8–0 | Lambeau Field | 58,835 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 11 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 24–6 | 9–0 | Texas Stadium | 62,966 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–7 | 10–0 | Candlestick Park | 62,221 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 25 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–28 | 10–1 | Candlestick Park | 62,633 | Recap | |
| 13 | New York Giants | W 7–3 | 11–1 | Candlestick Park | 66,092 | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 9 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–17 | 12–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,084 | Recap | |
| 15 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 26–10 | 13–1 | Anaheim Stadium | 65,619 | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 23 | New Orleans Saints | L 10–13 | 13–2 | Candlestick Park | 60,112 | Recap | |
| 17 | December 30 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 20–17 | 14–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,590 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
It was the second highest rated Monday Night game ever at the time. The game had a 42% share and a 26.9 rating.
See also: 1990–91 NFL playoffs.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First-round bye | ||||||
| Divisional | Washington Redskins (5) | W 28–10 | 1–0 | Candlestick Park | |||
| NFC Championship | January 20, 1991 | New York Giants (2) | L 13–15 | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | ||
Just like the regular season game between the two teams won by the 49ers 7–3, the championship game was mostly a defensive battle. San Francisco running back Roger Craig's fumble with 2:36 left in the game led to Giants kicker Matt Bahr's 42-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Bahr was New York's only scorer with 5 (of 6) field goals. Despite not scoring a TD in eight quarters against the 49ers, the Giants moved on to Super Bowl XXV with their victory.