"If every game was a Super Bowl, Joe Montana would be undefeated."
-49ers C Randy Cross

Super Bowl XXIII

January 22, 1989 - Joe Robbie Stadium - Miami, FL

Cincinnati
Bengals
(14-4)
Super Bowl XXIII Logo San Francisco
49ers
(12-6)
Bengals Logo Lombardi 'vs.' 49ers Logo
AFC Logo Cincinnati -16
San Francisco -20
NFC Logo

Rosters & Coaches | Game Summary | Play-by-Play | MVP Profile | SB Ring | Ticket | Program

Super Bowl XXIII Quick Stats
Date:January 22, 1989
Location:Joe Robbie Stadium - Miami, FL
Surface:Outdoors on grass
Game Weather:
Conditions:Temp: 76 F
Attendance:75,129
Kickoff Time:5:00 P.M. Eastern
Commentary:Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen (NBC)
Officials:Referee: Jerry Seeman (70), Umpire: Gordon Wells (89), Line Judge: Bob Beeks (59), Side Judge: Gary Lane (120), Head Linesman: Jerry Bergman (17), Back Judge: Paul Baetz (22), Field Judge: Bobby Skelton (73)
Pre-Game Show:Burt Reynolds, Miami Sound Machine, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, NASA
National Anthem:Billy Joel
Coin Toss:Nick Buoniconti, Bob Griese, Larry Little
Halftime Show: "Be Bop Bamboozled"
Ftr: Elvis Presto, South Florida dancers, 3-D stuff
Producer: Dan Witkowski
Winner Share:$36,000
Loser Share:$18,000
Ticket Price:$100 or $150, depending on seat location
Favorite:San Francisco by 7 pts.
TV Rating:43.5, 68 share (NBC)
Most Valuable Player:49ers WR Jerry Rice (11 rec, 215 yds, 1 TD, 1 for 5 yds)

* Denotes Division Champion | † Denotes Overtime
1988 NFL Playoffs
AFC WildcardAFC DivisionalAFC Conference NFC ConferenceNFC DivisionalNFC Wildcard
Houston (10-6) at
Cleveland (10-6)
24
23
Seattle* (9-7) at
Cincinnati* (12-4)
13
21
Buffalo (13-4) at
Cincinnati (13-4)
10
21
San Francisco (11-6) at
Chicago (13-4)
28
3
Philadelphia* (10-6) at
Chicago* (12-4)
12
20
L.A. Rams (10-6) at
Minnesota (11-5)
17
28
Houston (11-6) at
Buffalo* (12-4)
10
17
Minnesota (12-5) at
San Francisco* (10-6)
9
34

* Denotes Wildcard Team | Tiebreakers: Cincinnati was top playoff seed ahead of Buffalo based on head-to-head victory (1-0). Indianapolis finished ahead of New England based on better record against common opponents (7-5 to Patriots' 6-6). Cleveland finished ahead of Houston based on better division record (4-2 to Oilers' 3-3). Houston did not play Cincinnati and Minnesota did not play Chicago in the divisional playoffs because, from 1970-1989, two teams from the same division could not meet prior to the conference championship game. Philadelphia finished ahead of N.Y. Giants based on head-to-head sweep (2-0). Washington finished ahead of Phoenix due to better division record (4-4 to Cardinals' 3-5). Detroit finished ahead of Green Bay due to head-to-head sweep (2-0). San Francisco finished ahead of L.A. Rams and New Orleans based on better head-to-head record (3-1 to Rams' 2-2 and Saints' 1-3). L.A. Rams finished ahead of New Orleans based on better division record (4-2 to Saints' 3-3) and earned wildcard based on better conference record (8-4) than N.Y. Giants (9-5) and New Orleans (6-6).
1988 NFL Standings
American Football Conference
EasternCentralWestern
Buffalo Bills
Indianapolis Colts
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
12-4-0
9-7-0
9-7-0
8-7-1
6-10-0
0.750
0.563
0.563
0.531
0.375
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns*
Houston Oilers*
Pittsburgh Steelers
12-4-0
10-6-0
10-6-0
5-11-0
0.750
0.625
0.625
0.313
Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Raiders
San Diego Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs
9-7-0
8-8-0
7-9-0
6-10-0
4-11-1
0.563
0.500
0.438
0.375
0.281
National Football Conference
EasternCentralWestern
Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants
Phoenix Cardinals
Washington Redskins
Dallas Cowboys
10-6-0
10-6-0
7-9-0
7-9-0
3-13-0
0.625
0.625
0.438
0.438
0.188
Chicago Bears
Minnesota Vikings*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
12-4-0
11-5-0
5-11-0
4-12-0
4-12-0
0.750
0.688
0.313
0.250
0.250
San Francisco 49ers
Los Angeles Rams*
New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons
10-6-0
10-6-0
10-6-0
5-11-0
0.625
0.625
0.625
0.313

* Denotes night game | † Denotes Overtime
Cincinnati 1988 Schedule
DateOpponentScore
Regular Season (12-4)
Sun9/4PhoenixW21-14
Sun9/11at PhiladelphiaW28-24
Sun9/18at PittsburghW17-12
Sun9/25ClevelandW24-17
Sun10/2at L.A. RaidersW45-21
Sun10/9N.Y. JetsW36-19
Sun10/16at New EnglandL21-27
Sun10/23HoustonW44-21
Sun10/30at ClevelandL16-23
Sun11/6PittsburghW42-7
Sun11/13at Kansas CityL28-31
Sun11/20at DallasW38-24
Sun11/27BuffaloW35-21
Sun12/4San DiegoW27-10
Sun12/11at HoustonL6-41
Sat12/17WashingtonW20-17†
Post Season
Sat12/31SeattleW21-13
Sun1/8BuffaloW21-10
* Denotes night game | † Denotes Overtime | [m] Played in Milwaukee, WI
San Francisco 1988 Schedule
DateOpponentScore
Regular Season (10-6)
Sun9/4at New OrleansW34-33
Sun9/11at N.Y. GiantsW20-17
Sun9/18AtlantaL17-34
Sun9/25at SeattleW38-7
Sun10/2DetroitW20-13
Sun10/9DenverL13-16†
Sun10/16at L.A. RamsW24-21
Mon*10/24at ChicagoL9-10
Sun10/30MinnesotaW24-21
Sun11/6at PhoenixL23-24
Sun11/13L.A. RaidersL3-9
Mon*11/21WashingtonW31-27
Sun12/27at San DiegoW48-10
Sun12/4at AtlantaW13-3
Sun12/11New OrleansW30-17
Sun*12/18L.A. RamsL16-38
Post Season
Sun1/1MinnesotaW34-9
Sun1/8at ChicagoW28-3

Starting Lineups
CINCINNATISAN FRANCISCO
OFFENSEDEFENSEOFFENSEDEFENSE
T.McGeeWRJ.SkowLEJ.TaylorWRL.RobertsLE
A.MunozLTT.KrumrieNTS.WallaceLTM.CarterNT
B.ReimersLGJ.BuckREJ.SapoluLGK.FaganRE
B.KozerskiCL.WhiteLOLBR.CrossCC.HaleyLOLB
M.MontoyaRGC.ZanderLILBG.McIntyreRGJ.FahnhorstLILB
B.BladosRTJ.KellyRILBH.BartonRTM.WalterRILB
R.HolmanTER.WilliamsROLBJ.FrankTEK.TurnerROLB
E.BrownWRL.BillupsLCBJ.RiceWRT.McKyerLCB
B.EsiasonQBE.ThomasRCBJ.MontanaQBD.GriffinRCB
J.BrooksRBD.FulcherSSR.CraigRBJ.FullerSS
I.WoodsRBS.WilcotsFST.RathmanRBR.LottFS

Substitutions
CINCINNATISAN FRANCISCO
OFFENSEDEFENSEOFFENSEDEFENSE
T.Schonert (QB)E.Edwards (DE)D.Rodgers (RB)P.Holt (DE)
S.Jennings (RB)S.McClendon (DE)H.Sydney (RB)P.Kugler (DE)
M.Logan (RB)D.Grant (DT)T.Greer (WR)J.Stover (DE)
C.Collinsworth (WR)L.Barker (LB)M.Wilson (WR)D.Stubbs (DE)
I.Hillary (WR)E.Brady (LB)R.Heller (TE)R.Ellison (LB)
C.Parker (WR)E.King (LB)B.Jones (TE)S.Kennedy (LB)
J.Riggs (TE)R.Dixon (CB)C.Thomas (C)B.Romanowski (LB)
J.Rourke (G)R.Horton (CB)B.Collie (G)D.Pollard (CB)
D.Smith (T)D.Smith (CB)B.Paris (T)E.Wright (CB)
B.Bussey (S) G.Cox (S)
T.Holmoe (S)
KICKERSKICKERS
J.Breech (K)L.Johnson (P)M.Cofer (K)B.Helton (P)
DID NOT PLAYDID NOT PLAY
M.Norseth (QB) S.Young (QB)

Team Statistics
CINSF
FIRST DOWNS-Total
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
13
7
6
0
23
6
16
1
3rd DOWN EFF.4/13-31%4/13-31%
4th DOWN EFF.0/1-0%0/0-0%
TOTAL NET YARDS
Total Offensive Plays
Average Gain
229
58
3.9
453
67
6.8
NET RUSH YARDS
Rushing Plays
Average Gain
106
28
3.8
112
27
4.1
NET PASS YARDS
Pass Att-Comp-INT
Tackled-Yds Lost
Gross Yards Passing
144
25-11-1
5-21
165
357
36-23-0
4-16
341
PUNTS-Yards
Average Dist.
Blocked
5-221
44.2
0
4-148
37.0
0
RETURN YARDS-Total
Punt Returns
Kickoff Returns
Interception Returns
137
2-5
3-132
0-0
133
3-56
5-77
1-0
PENALTIES-yards 7-654-32
TOTAL TURNOVERS
Fumbles-Lost
Had Intercepted
1
1-0
1
1
4-1
0
TOUCHDOWNS-Total
Rushing
Passing
Returns
1
0
0
1
2
0
2
0
EXTRA POINTS-Made
Kicking-Made/Att
Blocked
1
1/1
0
2
2/2
0
FIELD GOALS-Made/Att
Blocked
3/3
0
2/4
0
SAFETIES 00
TOTAL POINTS 1620
T.O.P.32:3627:24
Scoring Summary
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Total
CINCINNATI0310316
SAN FRANCISCO3031420

1st Quarter
  • SF - M.Cofer, 41 yard FG. 12-73, TOP 5:02 (11:46)
2nd Quarter
  • CIN - J.Breech, 34 yard FG. 5-28, TOP 2:45 (13:41)
3rd Quarter
  • CIN - J.Breech, 43 yard FG. 12-61, TOP 9:15 (9:15)
  • SF - M.Cofer, 32 yard FG. 3-8, TOP 1:32 (14:10)
  • CIN - S.Jennings, 93 yard kickoff return. J.Breech kick. TOP 0:16 (14:26)
4th Quarter
  • SF - J.Rice, 14 yard pass from J.Montana. M.Cofer kick. 4-85, TOP 1:31 (0:57)
  • CIN - J.Breech, 40 yard FG. 10-46, TOP 5:27 (11:40)
  • SF - J.Taylor, 10 pass from J.Montana. M.Cofer kick. 11-92, TOP 2:56 (14:26)

49ers QB Joe Montana, WR John Taylor and C Randy Cross celebrate Taylor's game-winning TD catch. (AP)

Individual Statistics
CINCINNATI BENGALSSAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
PASSING
ATCMPPCTYDSTDINTYDS/CMPSK/YD
B.Esiason251144.01440113.95/21
PASSING
ATCMPPCTYDSTDINTYDS/CMPSK/YD
J.Montana362363.93572015.54/16
RUSHING
ATTYDSAVGLGTD
I.Woods20793.9100
J.Brooks6244.0110
S.Jennings133.030
B.Esiason100.000
TOTAL281063.8110
RUSHING
ATTYDSAVGLGTD
R.Craig17744.4130
T.Rathman5234.6110
J.Montana591.8110
J.Rice155.050
TOTAL281114.0130
RECEIVING
NOYDSAVGLGTD
E.Brown44411.0170
C.Collinsworth34013.3230
T.McGee22311.5180
J.Brooks12020.0200
I.Hillary11717.0170
TOTAL1114413.1230
RECEIVING
NOYDSAVGLGTD
J.Rice1121519.5441
R.Craig810112.6400
J.Frank2157.580
T.Rathman11616.0160
J.Taylor11010.0101
TOTAL1528018.756t2
PUNTING
NOYDSAVGLGIN20TB
L.Johnson522144.26330
PUNTING
NOYDSAVGLGIN20TB
B.Helton414837.05520
PUNT RETURNS
NOFCYDSAVGLGTD
R.Horton1055.050
I.Hillary1000.000
TOTAL2052.550
PUNT RETURNS
NOFCYDSAVGLGTD
J.Taylor315618.7450
KICKOFF RETURNS
NOFCYDSAVGLGTD
S.Jennings2011758.593t1
J.Brooks101515.0150
TOTAL3013244.093t1
KICKOFF RETURNS
NOFCYDSAVGLGTD
D.Rodgers305317.7220
J.Taylor101313.0130
H.Sydney101111.0110
TOTAL507715.4220
INTERCEPTIONS BY
NOYDSAVGLGTD
TOTAL000.000
INTERCEPTIONS BY
NOYDSAVGLGTD
B.Romanowski100.000
FUMBLES
CINCINNATIFUMOWN-RECYDSTDFRCD OPP-RECYDSTDOOB
I.Hillary100000000
R.Horton010000000
D.Fulcher000010000
J.Skow000001000
TOTAL110011000
SAN FRANCISCOFUMOWN-RECYDSTDFRCD OPP-RECYDSTDOOB
J.Montana210000000
R.Craig100000000
J.Taylor100000000
H.Sydney010000000
D.Pollard010000000
TOTAL430000000

Defensive Statistics
(Tackles are not an official stat, hence some variation from source to source)
CINCINNATI BENGALSREGULAR DEFENSIVE PLAYSSPECIAL TEAMSMISC

TKLASTCOMSCK/YDSINTPDFFFR TKLASTFFFRBLTKLASTFFFR
R.Williams7071.03.00000 00000 0000
D.Fulcher5051.06.00110 00000 0000
L.Billups5050.00.00000 00000 0000
S.Wilcots4040.00.00000 00000 0000
J.Buck3031.05.00000 00000 0000
D.Grant3031.02.00000 00000 0000
L.Barker3030.00.00000 10000 0000
B.Bussey3030.00.00100 00000 0000
E.Thomas3030.00.00000 00000 0000
C.Zander3030.00.00000 00000 0000
R.Horton2130.00.00000 10010 0000
S.McClendon2020.00.00000 00000 0000
L.White2020.00.00000 00000 0000
T.Krumrie1010.00.00000 00000 0000
R.Horton1010.00.00000 00000 0000
Dar.Smith0000.00.00000 10000 0000
R.Holman0000.00.00000 00000 1000
J.Skow0000.00.00001 00000 0000
C.Parker0000.00.00000 10000 0000
TOTAL471484.016.00211 40010 1000
TKL = Tackle
PD = Pass Defense
AST = Assist
FF = Forced Fumble
COM = Combined
FR = Fumble Recovery
INT = Interception
BL = Blocked
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERSREGULAR DEFENSIVE PLAYSSPECIAL TEAMSMISC

TKLASTCOMSCK/YDSINTPDFFFR TKLASTFFFRBLTKLASTFFFR
C.Haley6062.010.00000 00000 0000
K.Fagan5051.00.00000 00000 0000
T.McKyer5050.00.00100 00000 0000
D.Griffin4040.00.00000 00000 0000
R.Lott3030.00.00100 00000 0000
J.Fuller3030.00.00000 00000 0000
L.Roberts3030.00.00000 00000 0000
D.Stubbs2021.08.00000 00000 0000
M.Carter2021.03.00000 00000 0000
B.Romanowski2020.00.01000 00000 0000
J.Fahnhorst1010.00.00000 00000 0000
K.Turner1010.00.00000 00000 0000
M.Walter1010.00.00000 00000 0000
P.Holt1010.00.00000 00000 0000
T.Holmoe0000.00.00000 10000 0000
R.Horton0000.00.00000 10010 0000
J.Montana0000.00.00000 00000 0001
H.Sydney0000.00.00000 00000 0001
D.Pollard0000.00.00000 00010 0000
E.Wright0000.00.00100 00000 0000
TOTAL390395.021.01300 20020 0002

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