Quarter 1

Denver won the toss and elected to receive. If Coach Reeves hoped to gain some momentum by sending his offense out first, he was badly disappointed.

• Ken Bell returned Mike Cofer's kickoff to the 23.
• John Elway immediately went to the air but underthrew his first pass to WR Mark Jackson at the right sideline.
  49er S Ronnie Lott recalled, "When I saw that, I knew something wasn't right with him (Elway). He never bounces that pass. He just looked out of sync all day. Maybe he was trying too hard."
  Millen: "We started the game in our basic defense, and Elway came out throwing and he was off. ... As the Bronco fans, the Bronco opponents, and maybe the Bronco players themselves knew, Denver had a chance if Elway was on. But we would never let him get started."
  The 49ers admitted after the game that they had heard that Elway had been sick all week.
• On second down, Elway overthrew Jackson over the middle.
• Forced to pass again, Elway evaded the rush by running for 2y.
• Mike Horan punted 41y to John Taylor, who made a fair catch at the 34.
  Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote this the next day: "On the first play, QB John Elway threw too low. On the second, he threw too high. On the third, he ran for his life. Less than a minute into Super Bowl XXIV, it already was time for a Heimlich maneuver."
  What was not known at the time was that Elway was sick all week. He had a nasty cough all week. Coach Reeves didn't remember his quarterback being sick. "But all of us [assistant coaches] knew he was sick all week," said DB Coach Charlie Waters. "He was listless. But that guy's a gamer. He did everything he could. If it hadn't been a Super Bowl, I don't know if he would have been able to play. He was that weak."

Warriors in the trenches

• The first 15 plays were scripted, and in the first five, the 49ers wanted to get the ball to Rice. Montana was happily shocked to see Denver in their usual coverages. The 49ers would need only ten plays to reach the end zone.
• After an incompletion to TE Bruce Jones, Roger Craig took a handoff on a counter play and angled around left end for 18y to the Denver 48.
• Following a misfire to Craig over the middle, Roger again tried the right side of the defense but for only 1y.
• With four wide receivers in the game, Montana threw a screen pass to Craig, again off the left side, for 9y and a first down at the 38.
• Montana finally went to Jerry Rice for nine more.
• Craig tried the right side, but LB Michael Brooks and DE Alphonso Carre­ker dropped him him for a loss of three.
• On third-and-four, Montana ran out of the pocket for 10y to move the chains to the 22.
• LB Simon Fletcher dropped Craig after a gain of just two.
• Montana rolled slightly to his right but, finding no one open on that side, turned and, with no pressure on him, threw down the middle to Rice at the eight. Jerry bounced off FS Steve Atwater and ran into the end zone.
• Cofer booted the extra point. 49ers 7 Broncos 0 (10:06 on the clock)
  Both Denver safeties, Atwater and Dennis Smith, played the run aggres­sively, which made them vulnerable to play-action passes. If they froze even for a second, Rice or Taylor might slip by them on a deep post pat­tern. But if the safeties stayed back, Montana could dump off the ball to Craig or FB Tom Rathman.
  Rice: "
  217lb S Atwater, who had an excellent rookie season, on missing the tackle on Rice: "It was a chance of a lifetime. I tried to take him out."
  Millen: "I'm on the sidelines, and the first thing that I do is look at the Den­ver defense. And I'm going, 'They're lining up just the way we thought they would.' They were playing with that college look, with the wide safeties in a two-deep look, and leaving the middle of the field wide open. Now I remember what Joe told me–if they play it that way, we'll kill 'em."

Jerry Rice celebrates his first touchdown.

• Darren Carrington returned the kickoff 13y to the 26.
• To blunt the rush, Elway tossed a shovel pass to RB Bobby Humphrey, who was playing with two cracked ribs. Humphrey took the ball and zipped around the left side for 27y to the SF 47.
  Millen: "With Denver behind 7-0, Elway had his biggest passing play, a shovel pass to Bobby Humphrey that got them 27y down the left sideline. That play wasn't such a surprise because we knew they had it; it was more of a disappointment that it happened to us because it was something we had practiced against."
• Elway called the same play, but Humphrey wasn't looking, and the shovel pass bounced off his back for an incompletion.
• Humphrey ran through a big hole on the right side for 10y and a first down at the 37.
• Humphrey off the right side for 6y, then on a draw play for three more.
• On third-and-one, Elway took the snap, hesitated a moment, then pushed up the middle for 3y and another first down.
• Elway tried the shuttle pass a third time, but LDE Charles Haley came through untouched, and the ball bounced off him into the air back to Elway, who knocked it down for an incompletion.
• After an incompletion at the feet of TE Orson Mobley, TV commentator John Madden said, "I don't think Elway has gotten calmed down yet to play this game."
• Elway fired low on the right side to Jackson, who was sandwiched between DBs Don Griffin and Tim McKyer to make it fourth-and-10.
• So David Treadwell kicked a 42y field goal. 49ers 7 Broncos 3 (6:47)

Charles Haley rushes Elway past T Ken Lanier.

• Flushed out of the pocket with no receiver open, Montana ran out of bounds for no gain.
• Following Craig's 4y run, Montana again had to flee the pocket and threw incomplete to Rice.
• Barry Helton's weak punt of 36y was returned 7y by Vance Johnson to set up the Broncos at their 49.

But Denver immediately squandered the excellent field position when Humphrey took a handoff off the left side and fumbled forward when hit by DRE Kevin Fagan. SS Chet Brooks recovered for San Francisco on their 46.

• FB Tom Rathman tore through left tackle for 14y, but the play was nullified by a 10y holding penalty on C Jesse Sapolu.
• Montana gained the 20y for a first down on one pass to Rice running free over the middle. SS Dennis Smith pulled Jerry down at the Denver 44.
• Rathman gained two before Montana threw a quick pass to Craig on the left sideline to make it third-and-two.
• When Craig gained only one, Coach Seifert said go for it. That led to a con­troversial play. With both sides bunched in tight, Rathman drove through left tackle for 4y but fumbled forward as he hit the ground, and an orange shirt fell on it. But the officials correctly ruled Rathman down at the 31. First and 10 49ers.
• Montana threw two straight incompletions to WR John Taylor.
• With a chance to force a field goal on third-and-10, the Broncos couldn't stop Rice from cutting over their vulnerable middle and snagging a perfectly thrown pass for 21y to the 10.
• After handing to Craig for a 3y gain, Montana faked a handoff, rolled right, and threw to TE Brent Jones, who took the pass on the three and ran through SS Dennis Smith and CB Tyrone Braxton into the end zone. Cofer's PAT try sailed wide. 49ers 14 Broncos 3 (:03)
  On the sideline during Denver's possession, Jones had told Montana how he could make a certain play. Joe was a quarterback who listened to his players and then saw what they were talking about when he went back on the field.
  In the 49ers Suite, Bill Walsh turned to Eddie DeBartolo and said, "You can go home ... Eddie, they can't cover anybody. We have so many people that are open .. this game is going to be a blowout. George Seifert can name the score of the game."
  Denver CB Tyrone Braxton said the coverage plan changed on game day. "I think it was the damn coaches who panicked and got scared and played into what San Francisco really wanted. We had been practicing man-to-man and three-deep zone. The three-deep zone would have eliminated the run and put more pressure on the corners, but we all talked about it all week. We said we're going to have to do it until they burn us–hae somebody in the post and then have the corners locked up out wide. We came out and played two-deep. Of course, Montana and his guys ran up the seams and the middle on us. Against that offense, that wasn't the answer. If they know it's coming you better change up and get out of there."

Montana looks for a receiver as Rathman, with no one to block, becomes another target.

After Bell's 17y return to end the first quarter started Denver at the 25, the Bronco offense needed a scoring drive. Instead, they went three-and-out.

• CB Don Griffin broke up Elway's pass to Jackson.
• First-team All-Pro S Ronnie Lott broke up Elway's pass to TE Clarence Kay.
• Elway tossed a screen pass to RB Sammy Winder for 7y.
• Taylor fair-caught Helton's 36y punt at the SF 31.
  LB Matt Millen: "The 49ers defense supposedly worked out of a 3-4, but it was really a -3 with me in the middle. I was calling the defensive signals from the beginning. ... The Niners defense didn't situation substitute too much, so I played a lot. We didn't do much blitzing, but I'd play a lot in coverage. We played a lot of match-up zones, which really fit me perfectly. It wasn't a traditional zone where you dropped back to a position and had to rely on your peripheral vision to pick up things. This zone-it really was a 'man' concept within the zone-was very rule oriented: if this, then this; if that, then this, then this. It was very logical, which was perfect for me."

The 49er offensive machine drove from there to their third touchdown.

• With the Broncos doubling Rice on every play, Offensive Coordinator Mike Holmgren started moving him around. Rice would line up in different posi­tions on and behind the line or go in motion. The goal was to open up oppor­tunities for other receivers.
• FB Tom Rathman lined up behind Montana. But instead of taking a handoff or blocking, Rathman circled around the left side and down the field. He took Joe's pass in stride for an 18y gain to the 49.
• Craig, Rathman's fellow Nebraska Cornhusker, gained six, then nine for a first down at the Denver 36.
• Flushed out of the pocket, Montana threw too high for Rice.
• Montana faded way back looking for a receiver before finding Rathman again for 12y.
• Craig circled right end for eight.
• After Rathman gained one, Craig returned and got three for another first down at the 10 before the Broncos stopped him twice in a row for no gain.
• On third-and-ten, Montana tossed to Rathman over the middle for nine to make it fourth-and-one at the three.
• Continuing his good first half, Rathman took a quick handout and dove for­ward through left guard to make it first-and-goal at the two.
• The Broncos yielded ground grudgingly, stopping Craig inside the one.
• In a repeat of the play that gained the first-and-goal, Rathman plunged over the center and fell into the end zone.
• Cofer's extra point made it 20-3 San Francisco with 7:15 left in the half.
  Rathman had been integral part of the 49ers' offense for four seasons, and his teammates were happy he got a touchdown.
  McIntyre: "We knew how hard Tom worked. He was a very, very hard work­er and a hard-nosed guy. When any of those guys who are not the main guys have a big game, it's great to have."
  Craig: "I was really happy for him. You have a threat like that out of the backfield. It reminds me of when Wendell Tyler and I were in the same backfield together. They couldn't key on everyone. We had a lot of daggers."

Montana scrambles as Jerry Rice waves for the ball.

• LB Matt Millen dropped Humphrey for a loss of three.
• After Humphrey gained back two on a draw play, Elway fired to Jackson who did a button hook down the middle, but the ball went right through the receiver's hands.
• Horan punted out of bounds at midfield.

The Bronco defense salvaged some pride by forcing a three-and-out.

• CB Tyrone Braxton stopped Craig for no gain.
• Then Roger took a swing pass for one, followed by one over the middle that fell 3y short of the line to gain.
• LB Bill Romanowski made his third tackle on special teams, stopping John­son after a 4y return to the 43.

Elway threw five straight passes but made only one first down before having to punt.

• He completed the first three but all for short yardage - a dumpoff to Humph­rey for four, a low dart to Kay who caught it just off the turf for six and Den­ver's initial first down of the quarter, and Elway's first completion to a wide receiver - 8y to Vance Johnson.
• But misfires to Johnson and Jackson brought out Horan, who punted 42y to Taylor, who reversed directions and gained 17 to the SF 41.
  San Francisco CB Tim McKyer on Elway: "He has a problem reading zone. We kept showing him man [coverage] but playing zone. We really confused the guy."

The Niners wouldn't score again with just 1:38 left before halftime, would they? Oh yes they would.

• Montana to Rathman for four, then Joe scrambled for five. First timeout of the half for Frisco (1:05 left).
• Rathman gained three up the middle to move the chains.
• TE Wesley Walls made his first reception of the game for nine to the Den­ver 38. Second SF timeout (0:40).
• Rice hadn't caught a pass in the second quarter, but he changed that big time when he took a perfect Montana aerial over his shoulder in stride down the middle at the five and loped into the end zone for the earliest touchdown in Super Bowl history. 49ers 27 Denver 3 (0:34)
  On the scoring play, Craig went in motion left to right to pull nickel back Mark Haynes off of Rice. With no help, S Dennis Smith couldn't stay with Rice in the middle of the field. "Haynes was supposed to bump Rice before he switched coverage," said Montana. "He didn't. He gave him a clean re­lease. I faked a slant pattern to John Taylor on the other side and that froze the FS Steve Atwater. That was the thing about them. They kept following my eyes. Every time I looked somewhere, they overplayed. They showed that on film, and they never changed."

Rice catches his second touchdown pass.