49ers What If: Tweaking History

Returning to “What if?” scenarios, we continue our journey through 49ers alternate history, this time back to the 1970s, adding and subtracting championships. A few tweaks would have set the 49ers apart in history, including the NFL's only threepeat and a 19-0 perfect season.

January 20th 1991, Candlestick Park, San Francisco
NFC Championship: Giants 15 49ers 13

Coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins, the Niners hosted the NFC Championship poised for a threepeat. The defense did its part, never allowing a touchdown. As is often the case in these scenarios, special teams and turnovers did the Niners in. The Giants execute a fake punt for a big gain that set up a field goal. Roger Craig’s late fumble gave the Giants the ball in 49er territory and New York kicked a field goal with three seconds left to win it.

Take away Craig's fumble and the Niners balance on offense and defense would have been too much for Buffalo in the Super Bowl. Ring +1 and the NFL’s sole threepeat.

October 14th, 1984, Candlestick Park, San Francisco
Regular season game, Steelers 20 49ers 17

The 49ers came into the game 6-0, Pittsburgh 3-3. The Steelers decided to play keepaway with running back Frank Pollard who rushed for over 100 yards. The Niners struggled to establish a rhythm but finally went up 17-10 in the 4th. Pittsburgh tied it up and then Joe Montana threw a pick that Pittsburgh turned into a field goal and the lead

Montana led a final drive that set up a 37-yard field goal for Ray Wersching to go into overtime. He missed it wide right and a perfect season was lost. The Niners would win every game the rest of the way to go 18-1 and win another Lombardi Trophy.

January 8th, 1984, RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.
NFC Championship: Washington 24-21

The Niners could not get going against the Washington defense, scoreless through three. But Washington kicker Mark Moseley kept missing field goals to keep the Niners in it. Joe Montana got hot in the 4th leading the Niners to three touchdowns and a 21-17 lead.

Washington’s final drive. I don’t ref whine that’s the province of homers. But sometimes it’s so bad it has to be called out. In over 50 years of watching pro sports this was the most egregious example of refs carrying a team to a win I’ve ever seen.

Washington’s final drive was three pass interference calls, two of them questionable, one flat wrong on a play that should have ended the game. Joe Theismann sailed the ball way over the receiver’s head, uncatchable ball, PI called anyway. Bill Walsh went ballistic after the game, saying, “an eight foot Celtic couldn’t have caught that pass.” He was right. Jerry Markbreit and the back judge carried Washington to a completely undeserving Super Bowl appearance.

The Bay Area would have had Niners-Raiders in a Super Bowl for the ages. I believe the Niners were the better team. I was living outside D.C. at the time, one of the Washington team doctors lived two doors down, great guy. We had an ice storm that week and in the front yard dad made a Jim Plunkett ice man with a small tin food tray for a helmet and he put a 16 on him. The iceman cometh.

Take away Jerry Markbreit and the Niners take down the Raiders in the Super Bowl. Ring +1.

This loss did have a silver lining. The Niners were seething, they knew they had been totally screwed by Markbreit. Entering camp the following summer, the 49ers were foaming at the mouth with rage and became a buzzsaw that went 18-1. That doesn’t happen without the ref screw job in the NFC Championship the year before.

January 10th, 1982, Candlestick Park, San Francisco
NFC Championship, 49ers 28, Cowboys 27

The most important win in franchise history to that point, it propelled the Walsh Era and forged legends. And yet…after The Catch, Dallas still had enough time left to win. With 47 seconds left, Danny White hit Drew Pearson on a post and he had a clear path. Eric Wright brought him down by the fingertips on a now-illegal horse-collar tackle. Wright doesn’t make that play, The Catch doesn’t matter and the dynasty is delayed. Dallas ball on the Niner 44, next play White fumbles the snap, Lawrence Pillers recovers, and a huge sigh of relief.

Eric Wright, one of the most underrated Niners in history, saves the day and sets up the franchise run of the ‘80s. If not for that tackle, Ring -1.

December 23, 1972, Candlestick Park, San Francisco
Divisional Round Playoffs, Cowboys 30 Niners 28

The Niners had smoked Dallas earlier in the year in Dallas at Thanksgiving. Playoff game at home, Niners favored, and they take a 28-13 lead entering the 4th. But then arch-conservative head coach Dick Nolan starts playing not to lose. Dallas coach Tom Landry benches Craig Morton for Roger Staubach and the Cowboys come to life.

The Niners are up 12 with 90 seconds left. Staubach touchdown. The onside kick decides it, and yet again special teams haunt the Niners. Backup tight end Preston Riley fumbles the onside kick, Dallas recovers, marches for a score and wins. This was beyond painful and self-inflicted. Riley became the Kyle Williams of his day. Fans eviscerated him and Riley would never catch a ball in the league again.

Had the Niners advanced, they had a top-four offense but the defense was mediocre. That was the year of the Dolphins' perfect season, the Niners would not have taken them down.

So in this round of “What If?” the Niners threepeat and have a perfect season. Other “What if?” scenarios. Draft applied to the league, allow a redraft where teams unrealistically get to keep their slot and New England could have had Dan Marino, Jerry Rice, and Emmitt Smith. Oops. If I got to use a magic wand once my “What if?” would have taken away the Herschel Walker trade and the Niners own the nineties.