

Super Bowl XXIV

Jan. 28, 1990  New Orleans

The Biggest Easy as 49ers Roll, 55-10 By Michael Wilbon

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, January 29, 1990; Page C1

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 28  The San Francisco 49ers weren't overwhelming today, they were atomic. Joe Montana's soft lobs felt like bombs bursting in air to the Denver Broncos. When Montana left the field with 11 minutes to play in Super Bowl XXIV, it was an act of mercy on the part of Coach George Seifert. Before 72,919 in the Superdome, Montana choreographed the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history, completing a record five touchdown passes in a 55-10 ravaging of the forlorn American Football Conference champions. The NFC's 49ers became the first NFL team to win consecutive Super Bowl championships since the Pittsburgh Steelers won two straight to end the 1970s and start the 1980s. The Steelers now have to share their league record of four Super Bowl titles with the 49ers. "The 49ers did what every expert said they would do: dominate us," disconsolate Denver Coach Dan Reeves said after this sixth straight NFC victory in the big one. "They're playing at a level right now not many people have ever matched. They're playing as well as anybody has ever played. They're incredible." That goes double for Montana, who completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards, those Super Bowl-record five touchdowns and no interceptions. He wasn't sacked, he was rarely hurried or harassed and never fazed. "I think I might have gotten touched once," he said. "I could play till I'm 40 if the offensive line plays like that." He was so invincible today that he threw three consecutive touchdown passes on virtually the same route. He became the only three-time winner of the game's most valuable player award. Three of his touchdowns went to the man he helped become last year's Super Bowl MVP, wide receiver Jerry Rice; one went to wide receiver John Taylor, the other to tight end Brent Jones. Fullback Tom Rathman rushed for two scores, tailback Roger Craig for one. Montana set one record for touchdown passes in a Super Bowl game (passing Terry Bradshaw and Doug Williams), another with 13 consecutive completions in a Super Bowl (passing Phil Simms), another for career completions in the Super Bowl (passing Roger Staubach), another for career yardage (passing Bradshaw), and still another for attempts without an interception (122). This was Montana's world and he welcomed the Broncos and their zone defenses to it. On the flip side, it was another chapter in Denver's disappointing Super Bowl saga. The Broncos' record in pro football's championship game is now 0-4, tying them for futility with the Minnesota Vikings. "Life is awfully cruel and tough to handle," Reeves said. "But we're grown men and we have to move on." The Broncos have lost three Super Bowls in the last four years by an aggregate score of 136-40. At the end of the first quarter, the 49ers led by 13-3. At halftime it was 27-3. One play into the fourth quarter it was 48-3. With 14 minutes to play, 55-3. "And it could have been uglier," Broncos defensive end Ron Holmes said. "Let's get this straight: The 49ers were a great team today. But we didn't do anything. We didn't play. We came out and essentially went through a practice session with the 49ers. "We had four turnovers [including two interceptions and a fumble by shellshocked John Elway], we gave up more than 440 total yards. We missed tackles, we missed assignments. We dropped passes, we blew coverages. There's a whole list of things. A long list. Anybody who looked at this game would have to ask, 'Man, were these guys really a professional football team?' " And to think the Broncos thought themselves a better team than the one that lost to the New York Giants by 19 points and the Washington Redskins by 32 in recent Super Bowls. "I don't know why it's our team that's been blown out of Super Bowls," nose tackle Greg Kragen said. "We just come here and fall apart completely. "Someday the Broncos are going to win one. This really hurts. It's embarrassing. It's so hard to put into words. I said I wasn't going to talk about it, but it's like therapy; I need to talk about it. By halftime we knew nothing short of a miracle was going to get us out of this." Actually, the Broncos needed a game-long miracle of a performance from Elway, who instead produced this: eight yards rushing, 10 completions in 26 attempts for 108 yards and the two interceptions. He was sacked four times. Elway didn't scramble, he barely ran, and often his throws were off target. His play reflected that of his team: dreary and uninspired. Whenever Elway's face was shown on the Superdome scoreboard in the fourth quarter, catcalls cascaded from the few people who chose to stay. "They were too good," Elway said later. "The bottom line is we lost to a better team." That may have been the understatement of the day. Perhaps the only strategic point of the day worth pointing out is that the Denver safeties, specifically Pro-Bowler Dennis Smith, figured the Denver defense would hit Rice and Taylor viciously and frequently and see if they could deal with it. But Rice and Taylor ran free and easy, just as they have against everybody else in the NFL. On San Francisco's first touchdown, Rice caught a pass and not only survived a nasty hit from safety Steve Atwater, but stayed upright and completed the 20-yard play that made it 7-0 five minutes into the game. Denver got within 7-3 on David Treadwell's 42-yard field goal, and threatened to provide some excitement by stopping the 49ers and taking the ball at midfield. If there is such a thing as a turning point in a 45-point blowout, it came on the next play from scrimmage, when rookie running back Bobby Humphrey fumbled near midfield. Safety Chet Brooks recovered and the 49ers were on their way again. Montana's seven-yard flip to Jones made it 13-3, and the point-after kick failed -- about the only thing that failed all day for the 49ers. Denver punted, and Rathman ended a 69-yard, seven-minute drive with a one-yard touchdown run for 20-3. At that point, the Broncos had held the ball 5 minutes 11 seconds, and the 49ers were playing keep-away for 17:43. Just for fun, Montana ran the two-minute offense at the end of the half and hit Rice over the middle for a 38-yard touchdown that made it 27-3 with 34 seconds left. The Broncos had five defensive backs in the game, but none could stay with Rice, who was 10 yards in the clear when he caught the ball. If the game wasn't over by then, it was when Elway turned into an interception machine in the second half. After his first, into the belly of linebacker Michael Walter, opened the third quarter, Montana found Rice at the other end of another post pattern for 28 yards, another touchdown, and a 34-3 lead. On the next series, Elway was intercepted by Brooks, and Montana followed by hitting Taylor on what looked like a third straight post pattern for 35 yards, another touchdown and 41-3. Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said all three passing plays were different and the coverages were different each time. But Atwater, the rookie safety, said: "They were virtually the same pattern. On one side, one receiver would run a short route and the safety would bite, and on the other side the other receiver would run a long post pattern, taking the other safety with him." NFL players sitting in the Superdome press box said the 49ers were doing the same thing they always do, the same things Denver had seen all week in films. "We expected them but we just couldn't stop them because they executed so well," Phillips said. "Rice, we just couldn't handle him. When we used a three-man rush, Montana would just hold the ball and look for somebody to get open. "If we rushed four he'd kill you with his quick releases to Craig or Rathman out of the backfield." Elway did run three yards on a draw play for Denver's only touchdown, but by that time few people were paying attention. The building was quiet. Anyway, San Francisco countered with two touchdowns, on a three-yard run by Rathman and a one-yard burst by Craig after Elway had been sacked and fumbled. The 49ers were on such a rampage, even San Francisco linebacker Matt Millen felt sorry for Elway. After sacking him once late in the game, Millen helped a despondent Elway off the turf and told him to keep his head up. "He told me, 'Hang in there. See me after the game,' " Elway said. "He was trying to encourage me, but what could he say? It was their day." © Copyright 1990 The Washington Post Company Back to the top

