49ers flashback: Vikings pulled one of the NFL’s biggest playoff upsets in 1988
John McVay was enjoying the view out his back window of his Placer County home on Wednesday afternoon, the sun cascading off Folsom Lake. He was with wife Susan, whom he calls, “my queen.”
Then a reporter mentioned a flashback scene and crashed his party.
McVay is the retired 49ers front-office executive from the franchise’s five Super Bowl triumphs from 1981 through 1995, basking in his golden years in Granite Bay. The 49ers enjoyed a glorious era, but the darkest playoff day was Jan. 9, 1988, on a wet and slick field at Candlestick Park, where a sure-thing victory turned into a disaster in the mud and muck. The upstart fifth-seeded Minnesota Vikings pulled one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, bouncing the 13-win, top-seeded 49ers 36-24 in an NFC Divisional round.
“Well, thanks for reminding me!” McVay said with a laugh over the phone. “So many moons ago. It’s a coincidence that these teams meet again. You never know in the playoffs. Those things happen, even to the great teams. We had our success, but every now and then, one will get away.”
History repeats for Vikings and 49ers
History doesn’t always repeat itself in real life but it can in sports.
On Saturday at Levi’s Stadium, the 13-win, top-seeded 49ers will again host the lowest playoff seed in an NFC Divisional game.
Minnesota was an underdog playing at New Orleans in the 1987 playoffs, and won. That played out again last weekend, exactly.
Wade Wilson passed for 298 yards, hitting Anthony Carter 10 times for a then-playoff record 227 yards.
The 49ers had no answer for Carter. Minnesota’s Najee Mustafaa returned a Joe Montana pass 45 yards for a touchdown and a 20-3 halftime lead.
“I was on fire that day,” Carter told the St. Paul Pioneer Press this week. “Nobody gave us a chance in that game and we went out and shocked the world.”
The 49ers had won Super Bowls following the 1981 and 1984 seasons, and the 1987 outfit now included Jerry Rice, who caught 22 touchdowns. It also included a capable quarterback waiting in the wings in Steve Young, acquired via trade before the season from Tampa Bay.
Minnesota was 8-7 during that strike-shortened ‘87 season.
Young vs. Montana controversy is born
That playoff loss nearly tore the 49ers franchise to bits. Coach Bill Walsh benched Montana in the third quarter, trailing 27-10, and went with Young, igniting a quarterback controversy that dragged into the next season. Rice was held to three catches and 28 yards, and the NFL’s top defense was taken to task by the Vikings.
Young completed 12 of 17 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. He also dazzled as a runner, going for 72 yards and scoring a touchdown. Montana hit on 12 of 26 passes for 109 yards.
Said 49ers defensive tackle Michael Carter after that game, “They impressed me. They came out and brought it to us. I think all of us were looking down the road, and that’s unfortunate.”
Walsh said then of the quarterback change, “It was time to go with a quarterback who was faster than Joe.” When asked after the game if he would return as head coach, Walsh said, “until you hear otherwise.”
Walsh reflected on that loss to NFL Films years later, saying, “(it) was my most traumatic experience I’ve had in sports. Coming off the field, I was so embarrassed, so hurt, so humiliated. Our owner (Eddie DeBartolo Jr.) was beside himself, very, very angry, and hurt. In private conversations, Eddie was so frustrated, that he probably stated to other people that he’d like to fire me.”
DeBartolo Jr. fumed after that loss. He did consider firing Walsh, but he often pondered that when things got heated. Mostly, it was a proud owner letting off steam. But within months, he eventually stripped Walsh of his title of 49ers president.
“As I recall, he was not a happy camper,” McVay said Wednesday about DeBartolo. “Bill and Eddie had their moments. They worked well together. They weren’t agreeable on everything, which is not unusual.”
The Vikings loss was the third successive playoff setback for the 49ers. Weeks later, DeBartolo made a trade offer to San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos. Montana for linebacker Billy Ray Smith and two No. 1 draft picks. The Chargers wanted to keep Smith.
Walsh embraced the quarterback controversy before the 1988 season, saying then, “Well, our strength is at quarterback, but our problem is we have two.”
49ers rebooted their dynasty
The 49ers used both quarterbacks and started an unimposing 6-5. 49ers All-Pro Ronnie Lott held a players-only meeting which turned out to be a turning point for the franchise. Montana settled back into his role and the 49ers won seven of their final eight games, including in a rematch with Minnesota in the playoffs, rolling 41-13.
Montana had four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Carter, the hero in the upset the year before, had four catches for 44 yards. In the Super Bowl, a Montana late-game masterpiece drive beat Cincinnati 20-16.
Walsh stepped down after that season at 57, on the brink of burnout. At the news conference to announce that defensive coordinator George Seifert would take over and that Walsh would remain as executive vice president for football operations, DeBartolo called Walsh, “the greatest coach ever.”
With Montana in top form and Young back as a reserve, the 49ers cruised in 1989. They capped a 17-2 season with a 55-10 demolition of the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl as Montana hit Rice for three of his five touchdowns to earn his third Super Bowl MVP.
Wade Wilson had solid NFL moments at quarterback but none more significant that that wet day in Candlestick for Minnesota. He died last February on his 60th birthday.
McVay, the retired 49ers executive, said he admires the current 49ers team, praising owner Jed York for the hiring of general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan, who went from 4-12 to home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
“The three of them have really worked beautifully together,” MvVay said. “You can see the results. It’s been a great season.”
A great season with a Vikings detour looming.