NFL Recap (San Francisco-St Louis)
Posted: Sun October 25, 1998 at 6:21 p.m. EST
SAN FRANCISCO 28, ST LOUIS 10
ST LOUIS (Ticker) -- Like death and taxes, some things are constant.
Wide receiver Jerry Rice
setting an NFL record and the San Francisco 49ers beating
the St. Louis Rams are
two such things.
Rice set an NFL record with a catch in his 184th straight game and
tied another with his 79th career touchdown pass from Steve Young as the San
Francisco 49ers recorded their 16th straight victory over the Rams, 28-10,
at St. Louis.
It took Rice exactly one offensive play to grab sole possession of his
13th NFL receiving record. Following an interception and 13-yard return by
cornerback Darnell
Walker to the St. Louis 12 on the first play from scrimmage, Young
rolled to his left and hit Rice, who was crossing from right to left, in
stride at the goal line.
"Anytime you can make a reception and also score a touchdown, that's a
very ideal situation," said Rice. "I feel like I have been very fortunate
over the years to have a supporting cast and a lot of guys to complement
me."
Rice passed Art Monk, who caught a pass in 183 straight games with the
Washington Redskins,
New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. Monk
caught most of those passes while a member of the Redskins, with whom he
spent 14 seasons.
"I really have a lot of respect for Art Monk," Rice added. "I feel no
doubt he was one of the best receivers to ever play the game and it is an
honor for me to go out and break his record. He was sure for every football
game and he would go out there and fight. So for me to go out and break
this one, it would have to be very high."
The 79th TD from Young to Rice matched an NFL record established by Miami Dolphins
quarterback Dan Marino,
who threw 79 scoring passes to wide receiver Mark Clayton. Rice finished
with four catches for 64 yards, surpassing the 17,000-yard mark for his
career.
"That's going to be high on my list also, because Joe Montana and I
have a great relationship and great chemistry," said Rice about this
record. "But Steve and I have something that can really put us at the top
of the game and I think it's ideal for him and I'm just happy to be part of
it."
"I think it is kind of like championships, things that you share with
other people are special," said Young. "Those are the things that are more
meaningful because of teammwork. I like the idea of teammwork and I think
football is a great metaphor for life and that is a great lesson in
teammwork."
The 49ers continued their decade-long dominance of St. Louis (2-5),
winning for the 16th straight time after losing the first meeting of the
'90s. San Francisco also is 7-0 against the Rams since they relocated to
St. Louis from Los Angeles in 1995.
San Francisco (6-1), however, was lethargic on offense and relied on
its defense to pound another NFC West opponent into submission. Rams
quarterback Tony Banks
was sacked eight times, threw three interceptions and fumbled a snap for a
fourth turnover. Those miscues led to 21 points for the 49ers.
The 49ers have allowed three points in division wins at New Orleans
and St. Louis and are 3-0 against NFC West rivals this season, outscoring
them 90-30.
"Our job was to put heat on Banks," said 49ers defensive end Roy Barker, who had a
career-high four sacks. "To make him think about not only his receivers,
but to also think about us on the defense. We got the win and were able to
do just that."
"I believe 21 of our points came after turnovers, we had a couple of
interceptions from Darnell Walker, so our defense was tremendous today,"
added 49ers coach Steve Mariucci.
Young failed to extend his NFL record streak of six straight 300-yard
games, completing 13-of-24 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns with
two interceptions.
Banks completed just 15-of-35 passes for 121 yards. He scrambled six
yards for a score in the fourth quarter and was the team's leading rusher
with 21 yards on six attempts. St. Louis had only 168 total yards.
"I thought about it a little in the first quarter and went back with
him, and it was in my mind and on my mind, and then he got going," said
Rams coach Dick Vermeil about the possibility of benching Banks. "He hit
some passes and got some things going, and I left him."
The Rams lost more than the game, though, as starting left tackle Orlando Pace, the first
overall pick in the 1997 draft, left with a shoulder injury in the first
half and did not return. Starting tight end Ernie Conwell also
suffered a left knee injury in the fourth quarter and is expected to miss
the remainder of the season.
"Well, for all of you that were there, we obviously lost more than a
football game there today," said Vermeil as he recited the list of
casualties. "Amp Lee broke his hand and Isaac Bruce re-strained
his hamstring. Ernie Conwell tore both his ACL and MCL, Orlando Pace did
something to his shoulder that'll take further examination. Other than
that, we had a great day from a health standpoint."
Walker made a second interception in the first quarter, and his
23-yard return gave Young the ball at the St. Louis 35. After a
three-yeard run by Hearst, Young completed two passes to Terrell Owens for 29
yards. Three plays later, Young found tight end Irv Smith in the end zone
to make it 14-0 with 2:06 left in the first quarter.
Despite recording two interceptions of Young in the first quarter, the
Rams were unable to move the ball as Banks went 0-for-7 with two
interceptions in the opening 15 minutes.
A 46-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins with 52
seconds left in the first half put the Rams on the board. An interception
by 49ers cornerback Marquez
Pope in the end zone thwarted St. Louis' opening drive of the second
half.
Young and Owens made it 21-3 with 2:07 to go in the third quarter,
hooking up on a 27-yard scoring pass. It came one play after Owens got
free down the left sideline for a 48-yard pass.
"It was a play where it was one-on-one, the guys doubled Jerry," said
Owens. "That was the case and he went down the middle and the guys clamped
on him and it was me one-on-one with (Ryan) McNeil. And Steve just put a
perfect pass right where he needed it to be."
The Rams responded with a 13-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in
Banks' six-yard scramble to the left corner of the end zone with 11:44 to
play. Wilkins then recovered his onsides kick at the St. Louis 42, giving
the Rams life.
But Banks quashed any momentum when he fumbled the snap on the next
play. Niners linebacker Ken
Norton recovered and returned it 12 yards to the St. Louis 21. On the
next play, Owens ran a reverse from left to right, broke two tackles and
scored.
"This isn't the first time I've been booed," said Banks, who was fined
$5,000 earlier this week by the team for missing the Monday film session.
"The fans paid a lot of money to see a good show, and if they don't see
that, that's their right to boo."
Owens finished with five receptions for 120 yards for the 49ers,
becoming the fourth different player to record a 100-yard receiving game.
Rice, J.J. Stokes and
running back Garrison
Hearst also have accomplished the feat.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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