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Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports decided to look back at the 1980s and identify his
top-five rivalries of that decade. There are several to choose from, which might make such a subjective list challenging to create. The San Francisco 49ers were represented within the ranking, not once, but twice.
Sitting at No. 5 was the rivalry between the 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. DeArdo lists the best game of the decade between the two teams as the October 30, 1988 matchup that saw the 49ers beat the Vikings 24-21.
San Francisco owned a 5-3 regular-season record against Minnesota during the 80s, winning during the 1983 and 1984 seasons. The Vikings went on to win three straight (1985, 1986, 1987) before that 1988 game. That includes a 36-24 victory in the playoffs during the 1987 season.
"The loss nearly led to the retirement of 49ers head coach Bill Walsh," writes DeArdo, "who called the defeat the most difficult one of his career. During the game, the 49ers benched Joe Montana in favor of Steve Young, which led to a highly publicized quarterback controversy that continued well into the 1988 season."
The 49ers followed the 1988 regular-season win with two Divisional Round playoff wins, both of which were precursors to Super Bowl championships.
Click here to view the results from the entire history between the 49ers and Vikings.
Then you have the 49ers and Giants, which came in at No. 1 on DeArdo's list. San Francisco owned an 8-3 regular-season record against New York but was 2-2 against the East Coast squad in postseason play.
The CBS Sports writer lists two games as the best between the set of franchises. The first was a 21-17 Giants win on December 1, 1986, and the second was a 20-17 49ers win on September 11, 1988.
That 1986 meeting in Week 13 saw the Giants score 21 unanswered points after the 49ers jumped to a 17-0 lead.
"One month later, in the divisional round of the '86 playoffs, Jim Burt's devastating hit on Joe Montana not only knocked Montana out of the game. It set the tempo for New York's 49-3 blowout win over the 49ers," wrote DeArdo.
Starting in 1984, the 49ers and Giants met each season — whether it was during the regular season or playoffs — for the remainder of the decade. San Francisco lost three straight, including two playoff games, in 1985 and 1986. The 49ers finished the decade strong with three consecutive wins against the Giants, including the second game from DeArdo's best head-to-head matchups between the two clubs.
"With Steve Young making his first start as a 49er, San Francisco's offense managed to score just 10 points during the game's first 30 minutes," wrote DeArdo. "With the 49ers trailing 17-13 with 58 seconds left, and Joe Montana in the game in relief of Young, head coach Bill Walsh called '76 All Go,' a play Walsh installed in practice earlier in the week specifically for the Giants. The play worked to perfection, as Montana lofted the ball down the near sideline to Jerry Rice, who beat two Giants defenders on his way to a 78-yard touchdown. The win helped set in motion the 49ers' second wave of Super Bowl success, as San Francisco closed out the decade with victories in Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV."
Click here to view the results from the entire history between the 49ers and Giants.
Despite initial reports, two draft prospects who were set to visit the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft ultimately did not meet with the team. Matt Barrows of The Athletic revealed that former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice and former Oregon safety Jamal Hill didn't end up visiting the Bay Area organization.
Barrows wrote, "Meanwhile, a report in March indicated that USC receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, would visit the 49ers, but he didn't end up coming, according to two league sources."
Justin Melo of The Draft Network first
With the 2024 NFL Draft just around the corner, the anticipation is palpable as San Francisco prepares to make their first first-round selection in over two years. Here, I present the top prospects for each offensive position, both inside and outside the top 100, with their potential to shape the team's future and draft grades.
Quarterback - Michael Penix Jr., Washington
2nd-round grade
Strengths:
Pocket passer
High IQ and processing
Blitz beater
Concerns:
Durability (Four season-ending injuries)
Accuracy outside the pocket.
Michael Penix Jr. is a great pocket-passing quarterback with a high IQ pre- and post-snap. He can read the defense well and
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
