Notable Forty Niners/Vikings contests

[74_75_78_79_]

Tomorrow's divisional playoff game will mark the 48th time both have played each other with the overall series being tied at 23-wins-apiece (and one tie, 20-20, in 1966). Five playoff meetings with SF in the lead, 4-1.

I'll start the thread off with an "off-the-beaten-path" example - Bud Grant in his 'comeback' but more-so final season! He hosting Bill Walsh's defending-Champs at home in the Metrodome on Opening Sunday, 1985. SF draws first blood in the 1st Q on a 10-yard Roger Craig TD run. No score at all until the 3rd when Vikes tie it up at 7-apiece. And then...an explosive 21 to 14 final quarter in Minnesota's favor (Roger Craig scoring the two other TDs for SF as well; both of these pass plays)!

[ChrisBabcock]

As soon as the Vikings won last Sunday and their matchup with the 49ers was set, the 1987 divisional round upset immediately came to mind.

[BD Sullivan]

Three from the 1960's

*10/25/64: Wrong Way Marshall (Vikings win 27-22)
*10/24/65: Niners lead 35-14 at the half; Vikings outscore them 28-6 in the second half to win, 42-41.
*12/14/69: Vikings defeat 49ers in a snowstorm, 10-7. Somehow, Steve Spurrier threw for 282 yards in that weather.

[JuggernautJ]

Just to un-jinx the 49ers tomorrow:

1/1/89 49ers beat Vikings in Divisional Round en route to victory in SB XXIII
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... 010sfo.htm

1/6/90 49ers beat Vikings in Divisional Round en route to victory in SB XXIV
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... 060sfo.htm

[JWL]

A rarity occurred in their 1976 meeting. In that game, San Francisco had two running backs gain over 150 rushing yards.

[Citizen]

12-27-70: In single-digit weather, 49ers stun 7-point favorite Vikings in division round, 17-14.

1-29-76: 49ers gouge Vikings for 317 rushing yards in a 20-16 MNF upset.

12-4-77: Trailing 24-7 in the fourth quarter, Vikes replace Bob Lee with rookie Tommy Kramer, who throws for 188 yards and three TDs in leading a 28-27 win.

10-30-88: Steve Young's mad dash for the winning score.

[74_75_78_79_]

Of course there’s the big ’87 upset, and it just occurred to me that it was the Saints whom the Vikes had to beat on the road a week prior in order to get to Candlestick! History repeating itself. And then the back-to-back slaughters in ’88 & ’89...to me, a simple combination of revenge but more-so just how superior those San Fran teams were, especially once the playoffs began. As for ’76, Floyd Peters with the other team, such a sick stat...Scott Bull 3-for-8 for 32 yards, no TDs (except the 1-yarder he ran in), 1 INT, sacked twice (10.4 rating) yet SF still wins!!

I forgot about the Jim Marshall game while starting the thread. At risk of quoting Paul Davis, the ’65 affair the following year (one day shy of a year later, actually) a nice knowledge drop, BD! Must be an exciting comeback game to watch. Looking further into it, I wasn’t aware SF finished 7-6-1 that year (as well as start 5-1 two years later). SF, who would go on to win just four games in ’69, giving that juggernaut Vikings team all they could handle in that 10-7 snowstorm just went to show how well Nolan’s squad can play on that field, foreshadowing SF’s road wins vs them in both ’70 (playoffs) & ’71!

EDIT - I’m surprised, Citizen, that Vikes were just a 7-point favorite going into that ’70 playoff game. They were 12-2 yet again as well as defending NFL champs from the year before. San Fran was new to the post-season and it was at Minnesota, and in the elements! I also wasn’t thinking about that Steve Young run in that ’88 regular season game upon starting this thread.

Just looking at the beginning of the ’76 Monday Nighter (Karras smoking a cigar, lol), Howard points out that San Fran thus far had 49 sacks going into that game!

2nd EDIT - That game in '65, BD, is more intriguing the more I look at it! Future-('Revenge of the")-NERDS-backer, Bernie Casey scores the first two TDs in this game as well as scoring a third later on. Tommy Mason (never heard of him) scored three TDs as well. And Tarkenton...could this possibly be one of the best-ever pure-passer performances of his career? 400+ yards, 3TDs, zero INTs (129.1 rating), but minus-3 rushing yards (two attempts)!

[JuggernautJ]

Of course there’s the big ’87 upset, and it just occurred to me that it was the Saints whom the Vikes had to beat on the road a week prior in order to get to Candlestick! History repeating itself....

Bite your tongue.

In 1970 the 49ers had the NFL MVP, John Brodie, at QB.
That may be one reason they were "only" seven point underdogs.
They were also 10-3-1 and had the league's #1 offense...

[Todd Pence]

1972 - John Brodie comes off the bench in the season finale to lead the Niners to a comeback and into the playoffs.

[Citizen]

Also, the 2009 Favre-to-Lewis miracle.

Some pretty memorable moments for a non-division rivalry.