GAME DAY MEMORIES
Miami and San Francisco
Miami travels to San Francisco today and young
quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Colin Kaepernick will attract much of the
attention. Rookie Tannehill will try and
keep Miami's slim AFC wild card hopes alive. Second-year pro Kaepernick will try and cement his starting
role and justify Jim Harbaugh's decision to sit the incumbent QB Alex Smith.
Nearly 28 years ago the nation tuned in to watch two
future Hall of Fame quarterbacks lead these teams into Super Bowl XIX. Dan Marino and the Dolphins started the 1984
season 11-0 and cruised to a 14-2 finish.
Along the way Marino shattered the record books with 48 TD passes and
5,084 passing yards. The Dolphins scored
over 500 points and outscored their opponents by 215, an average of nearly two
touchdowns per game.
The 1984 Forty Niners amassed a 15-1 record. They nearly matched the Dolphins offensive
prowess with 475 points and led the league by outscoring opponents by 15.5
points a game. Joe Montana led a
balanced offense that did not yet include Jerry Rice. The Niners defense allowed the fewest points
in the league.
Super Bowl XIX had all the makings to be a Super
Game. The Niners were a 3-point favorite
to win the game.
The offenses shined early and the Dolphins led 10-7
after the first quarter. The game
changed in the second quarter when the Niner defense rattled Marino and the San
Fran offense mixed the run and the pass to move the ball consistently. The Niners scored three touchdowns in the
second quarter and led 28-16 at halftime.
The second half was largely anti-climatic. San Francisco finished the scoring with ten
points in the third quarter and won easily 38-16. Montana threw three touchdowns and Niner
tailback Roger Craig scored three touchdowns. San Francisco's balanced attack generated 320
yards passing and 215 yards on the ground.
The Niner defense and the early deficit made the Dolphin attack one-
dimensional. While Marino threw for
nearly 300 yards, the Dolphins ran the ball only nine times. In the end the Forty-Niner balance on offense
and defense and between the rushing and passing game overwhelmed the pass-happy
Dolphins.
In 2011 the Sporting News ranked the 1984 Forty-Niners
as the second best NFL team of all time.
Ironically (for this post anyway) the 1972 Miami Dolphins topped the
list.
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