1996 San Francisco 49ers: The End Of The Seifert Era

George Seifert enjoyed an exemplary coaching career with the San Francisco 49ers. He was an assistant in the Bill Walsh era that produced three Super Bowl titles, and the defensive coordinator for two of those championships. Upon taking over as boss in 1989, he won a Super Bowl of his own. He won another one in 1994. His teams were consistently among the league’s elite. The 1996 season, while another success, was his last one with the 49ers.

Steve Young was at quarterback and the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer was still productive. His 68 percent completion rate was the best in the league. So was his 1.9 percent interception rate. And lest you think that efficiency came at the expense of big plays, Young averaged 7.6 yards-per-attempt—second-best among NFL starting quarterbacks. Injuries kept Young in and out of the lineup and he ultimately missed four games. That kept him out of the MVP conversation, but when healthy, the southpaw was still as good as it got.

Jerry Rice was certainly as good as it got, and the great wide receiver was 1^st-team All-Pro with 108 catches and over 1,200 yards receiving. Terrell Owens was starting to emerge as a quality second target. Veteran tight end Brent Jones was still reliable, and his 13.0 yards-per-catch were high for his position. Terry Kirby caught 52 passes out of the backfield.

The running game was more pedestrian. No one stood out on the offensive line, and Kriby finished with 559 yards on the ground. Young, with 310 rushing yards, was the team’s second-leading rusher. But the passing attack was potent enough that San Francisco still finished third in the NFL for points scored.

San Fran’s defense was led by strength up front. Bryant Young was an All-Pro defensive tackle and finished with 11 ½ sacks. On the edges of the 4-3, veteran defensive end Chris Doleman, along with Roy Barker combined for 23 ½ more sacks. The 49ers could bring the heat and free safety Merton Hanks roamed centerfield and made the Pro Bowl. San Francisco finished fourth in the NFL for points allowed.

The 49ers opened the season at home with New Orleans. Any running game issues were not present for this one. They ran for 157 yards, dominated in the trenches on both sides, built a 24-0 lead by halftime and cruised home, 27-11.

St. Louis, then home to the Rams, came in next. After a scoreless first quarter, Bryant Young broke through and got a sack for a safety. Then the offense got into gear. Rice caught seven balls for 99 yards, the ground game produced 130 yards and the Niners won in a 34-0 rout.

After an early bye week, San Francisco went to Carolina. The Panthers had been an expansion franchise in 1995 and played respectably. They would be even better this year and had also started 2-0. Moreover, in the divisional alignment that existed prior to 2002, Carolina was a rival. The Panthers, Saints, and Falcons joined the 49ers and Rams in the NFC West.

Carolina showed San Francisco they were for real by beating them up front. The 49ers couldn’t run the ball, and they couldn’t keep Steve Young protected. Rice caught ten passes for 127 yards, but he was a lonely warrior in a decisive 23-7 loss.

Steve Young suffered a groin injury and would miss the home game with Atlanta next week. Backup Elvis Grbac came in and played well against a bad team. Grbac went 22/36 for 222 yards. The Niners led 27-3 at the half and won 39-17.

Grbac was still in the lineup for a high-profile Monday Night visit to Green Bay. The Packers were a rising force with Brett Favre at quarterback. They had upset San Francisco in the previous year’s divisional playoff round and were seeing this as their breakthrough year.

The game would be a classic. The 49er defense came up with red zone stops to force field goals at a time when Green Bay had early momentum. San Francisco responded with touchdowns and eventually took a 17-6 lead. But the offense bogged down. The Packers rallied to tie the game 20-20, and eventually won in overtime.

Following the disheartening loss, Steve Young returned to the lineup to face mediocre Cincinnati at home. He got off to a horrible start, digging a 21-0 hole, and being removed for Grbac. Then Grbac injured his shoulder. Young was back in. And he found his rhythm. He ended up 19/30 for 274 yards. Backup tight end Ted Popson caught eight passes for 116 yards and the 49ers rallied for a 28-21 win.

But Young was still hurt after the game, and Grbac wasn’t healthy either. Time for third-stringer Jeff Brohm to get a shot, as San Francisco went on the road to face a so-so Houston Oilers team (today’s Tennessee Titans). The offense predictably struggled, but the defense kept the 49ers in the game, trailing 9-3 in the fourth quarter. Brohm threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Owens in the fourth quarter and San Francisco got out of Houston with a 10-9 win.

The Saints were having a terrible season as San Francisco went to New Orleans to open November on a Sunday Night. Steve Young was back in the lineup, but the ground game was the story. The 49ers outrushed the Saints 191-64, getting 90 yards from Kirby. The defense produced six sacks and three turnovers. Even with Young not in vintage form, it was enough for a 24-17 win.

San Francisco’s rivalry with Dallas had defined the NFL for the first part of the 1990s. The played in three straight NFC Championship Games and had combined to win the last four Super Bowls. The Cowboys weren’t dominant in 1996, but as the defending champs, they were still most certainly a contender, and their visit to San Francisco on November 10 was must-see.

The 49ers jumped out to a 10-0 lead, when Steve Young was again knocked out and forced to the sidelines. Grbac was healthy again, but he struggled in relief. Much like the Packer game in October, the offense bogged down, and the Cowboys rallied. They tied it 17-17. San Francisco lost in overtime.

With Young still not ready, a home date with the lowly Baltimore Ravens was a needed tonic. Grbac went 26/31 for 268 yards. Doleman delivered three sacks. The 49ers rolled to a 38-20 win.

A visit to Washington was a big one. While the Redskins would fade down the stretch, they were 8-3, as the 49ers were, coming into this one. Young was back and he was sharp—33/41 for 295 yards, with Kirby catching eleven balls. What San Francisco wasn’t doing was running the ball and that showed up in the red zone. They kept settling for field goals. Another big game went to overtime, tied 16-16. This time, the OT thing finally fell in San Fran’s favor, as they left the nation’s capital with a 19-16 win.

The 49ers were 9-3, and a game up on the Panthers in the NFC West. The division title would likely bring the 2-seed, which at that time got a bye. San Francisco was tied with Green Bay for the top seed in the NFC playoffs. The downside was that the 49ers had lost to both teams head-to-head—although they would get a chance to play Carolina at home down the stretch.

San Francisco went to Atlanta for a Monday Night date and beat up the Falcons on the trenches. The final margin for rush yardage was 202-61, with Kirby going for 105 yards. Bryant Young got home for two sacks and the final was 34-10.

Carolina kept pace, and that set up the big showdown at home with the Panthers. A win would give the 49ers the tiebreaker on division record and clinch the NFC West. A loss would hand the Panthers the tiebreaker on head-to-head and cost San Francisco control of the race.

In spite of the stakes, and in spite of all the big-game experience, the 49ers played poorly. They couldn’t run the ball. They turned it over four times and got none in return. They didn’t protect Steve Young and he was sacked six times. San Francisco fell behind 10-0 and chased the rest of the afternoon. While Young never quit, and went 27/41 for 393 yards, the 49ers never caught up and lost 30-24.

San Francisco was still tied for first and both they and Carolina had games with a good playoff-bound team in Pittsburgh in the final two weeks. The division and the first-round bye weren’t out of reach yet. And the 49ers went into the Steel City and played some good football. Young went 24/36 for 253 yards, no mistakes and spread the ball around. The defense was on point and San Francisco won 25-15. But Carolina held serve.

The 49ers final game was on Monday Night, so they would know their fate by the time they took the field. Pittsburgh gave Carolina a good game, but the Panthers got the win. The NFC West race was over. San Francisco was locked into the 4-seed (it was a three-division alignment prior to 2002). They would get a home game, but would be playing in the wild-card round.

Steve Young and Grbac both split time in what was now a meaningless finale against a disappointingly bad Detroit Lions team. The 49er defense couldn’t stop Barry Sanders from running the ball, but they did enough else right to close the regular season with a  24-14 win.

A 12-4 record marks you a Super Bowl contender, wild-card or not. San Francisco’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles would close the first weekend of the playoffs on late Sunday afternoon.

It was a rainy day in the Bay Area, the field was tough to get traction on and offensive movement was a challenge. Steve Young was the difference. He went 14/21 for 161 yards. He ran for one touchdown and threw a short TD pass to Rice. But what was most important is that Young never turned the ball over, while the 49er defense came up with three interceptions. The final was 14-0.

San Francisco was going back to Green Bay for an early Saturday afternoon game to kick off the Divisional Round. It was another wet day and sloppy field. The 49ers didn’t manage this one as well. They allowed a punt return for a touchdown. They turned the ball over five times. In a sadly fitting end to his season, Steve Young was knocked out early with broken ribs.

Grbac cut a 21-0 deficit to 21-14 in the third quarter, but his three interceptions were too much to overcome. The Packers pulled back away, and the 49er season ended with a 35-14 loss.

Seifert had one more year left on his contract and was invited to return. But he also wasn’t given an extension. The 49ers wanted to bring in Steve Mariucci as offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting, elevating him in 1998. Seifert decided that if the organization wanted that, they could start sooner rather than later. He stepped down and Mariucci took over for the ’97 season.

Seifert stayed out of football for a couple of years before an ill-fated three-year tenure in Carolina. This 1996 edition of the San Francisco 49ers was his last really good team. As for the 49ers, Mariucci kept the winning ways going. But the Super Bowl—the only goal in San Francisco in this era—remained out of reach. It took the 49ers until 2012 to get back to the top of the NFC, and they still look for their first championship since the Seifert Era.