49ers What If, Tweaking History: 1990-2022
The margin of victory can be perilously small in football, particularly playoff games. Engaging in some "what if?" scenarios for the 49ers, championships can be added or taken away. Taking a ride with Doc and Marty in the DeLorean, let’s punch in the time coordinates and go through a Niners alternate history.
January 30th 2022, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
NFC Championship: Rams 20 49ers 17
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a wounded duck pop fly, a sure interception, or so it seemed. Jaquiski Tartt doesn’t set his feet, tries to gather the ball in, and drops it. Agony. Hearts and television sets are broken.
Petrificus Interceptus. In the "what if?" Tartt hangs on. Niners up 17-14 with the ball on their own 35 and 9:47 left. Riding a wave of emotion, the Niners punch it in as this time Kyle Shanahan remembers that Deebo Samuel is on his team (Samuel wouldn’t touch the ball for the final 10:30). The Niners go up 24-14 with five minutes left.
The Rams methodically work the ball to Cooper Kupp, but it takes too much time. The Rams close it to 24-21 but under two minutes left. The Niners hand the ball to Deebo for the first down that puts it away.
The 49ers go on to win the Super Bowl facing a Bengals team they beat in the regular season in Cincinnati. Rings +1.
The flip side of this "what if?" is if not for Tartt’s juggling act, would the Niners have tumbled to the need to add ball skills in the secondary to get interceptions? In 2022, the Niners tied for the league lead in picks with 20 thanks to ball skills.
A "what if?" for the 2023 NFC Championship? No, Philadelphia wins regardless by dominating both lines. The 2019 Super Bowl? Too many changes are required. Jimmy Garoppolo hitting Emmanuel Sanders deep wouldn’t be a "what if?" it would be science fiction.
February 3, 2013, Superdome, New Orleans
Super Bowl: Ravens 34 49ers 31
Frank Gore’s 33-yard run sets up the 49ers first-and-goal at the 7, down 34-29 with 2:39 left. First down LaMichael James up the middle for two. Second down Colin Kaepernick rolls right throws over Michael Crabtree incomplete at the goal line. Third down a Crabtree catch at the three, but the ball is knocked out incomplete. Fourth down Kaepernick throws deep corner, Jimmy Smith holds Crabtree no call. Ballgame.
So in the "what if?," pass interference or defensive holding is called on Smith and the Niners have a fresh set of downs from the goal line or the two to put up the winning score. Ring +1 on a blown call.
January 22, 2012, Candlestick Park, San Francisco
NFC Championship: Giants 20 49ers 17 OT
49ers punt returner Kyle Williams was still in the Christmas spirit, gift-wrapping the game for New York with two fumbles. The miscues set up the Giants at the Niners 24 and 30. If Williams just stays away from both kicks the Niners win.
In the Super Bowl the Niners play New England and the Patriots complete a perfect season, doing the great public service of rendering 1972 Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris both moot and mute. Another Super Bowl appearance for the Niners, but no ring.
November 3, 1991, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
Regular season game, Falcons 17 49ers 14
Amazing that this game would probably cost the 49ers a championship. Atlanta ball on the Niner 44, nine seconds left. Billy Joe Tolliver sends up a hail-mary and the Niners DBs foolishly try to make a play on the ball rather than knocking it away. Somehow Atlanta’s Michael Haynes catches it and the Falcons win. The victory gives Atlanta the tiebreaker over the Niners that keeps San Francisco out of the playoffs.
With Steve Young injured, the Niners would go on a five-game win streak with Steve Bono. Young returned for the season finale where the Niners tore apart the playoff-bound Chicago Bears 52-14. Young would go 21-32 for 338 yards and three touchdowns, and run for another 63.
So the "what if?" instructs the Niners DBs to knock the hail-mary down, Niners win, and they go into the playoffs on a six-game win streak with a healthy, rested, and ready Steve Young. Detroit made the NFC Championship, the Niners beat them earlier in the year 35-3.
The championship would have been against 14-2 Washington, but they lost to Philadelphia, who the Niners beat 23-7. The way the Niners and Young were playing, I think they go all the way. Talk in those playoffs was about teams breathing a huge sigh of relief that the Niners weren’t in it. If the 49ers were in the tournament they roll and take out Buffalo in the Super Bowl. Ring +1.
Hang on to one interception, get the correct call on a pass interference/defensive holding in the end zone, and make the intelligent play in hail-mary coverage, and the Niners have three more Super Bowl championships. Three plays, three rings. "What if?" is fun but painful.
Back into the '70s and '80s next time.