Lance McAlister

Lance McAlister

Lance McAlister covers everything in Cincinnati sports! Host of sports talk on Cincinnati News Radio 700WLW and ESPN 1530!Full Bio

 

Watch this date 1982: Bengals fall in Super Bowl XVI

This date: January 24, 1982

26 San Francisco 49ers  

21 Cincinnati Bengals

Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Attendance: 81,270

Boxscore HERE

The first Super Bowl held in a cold-weather city. Kickoff was 4:20 ET.

The game was one of the most watched broadcasts in American TV history, with more than 85 million viewers. The final national Nielsen rating was a 49.1 (73 share), which is still a Super Bowl record, and ranks second to the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983 among television broadcasts in general.

Three turnovers cost the Bengals 17 points as the 49ers built a 20-0 halftime lead. 

Ray Wersching kicked a record-tying four field goals for the 49ers. 

Bengals TE Dan Ross set a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions for 104 yards.

Joe Montana completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards.

Ken Anderson established Super Bowl records for completions (25) and completion percentage (73.5 percent on 25 of 34).

Cincinnati's 356 yards of total offense to San Francisco's 275 marked the first time in Super Bowl history that the team which was out gained in total yards won. 

The Bengals committed four turnovers to one for the 49ers. 

Phil Samp and Andy MacWilliams had the call for 700 WLW.

Missed chance early

The Bengals had an opportunity to score early in the game when San Francisco's Amos Lawrence fumbled at his own 26-yard line on the opening kickoff. But Ken Anderson was later intercepted at the 5-yard line.

Down 7-0, the Bengals threatened to score early in the second quarter. But Cris Collinsworth lost a fumble while being tackled by 49ers defensive back Eric Wright. After recovering the fumble, the 49ers drove 92 yards for a touchdown and a 14–0 lead.

Squib kicks 

With :15 left in the half, Wersching's squib kick was fumbled by Archie Griffin and the 49ers recovered the ball on the Bengals' 4-yard line. A field goal increased the 49ers' lead to 20–0.

The stand

The Bengals trailed 20-7 in the third quarter when the sequence of the game unfolded.

1st and goal at the San Francisco three-yard line:

Pete Johnson drove into the line and gained two yards to the 49ers' one-yard line.

2nd down:

The Bengals tried to run Johnson into the line, but he lost a yard.

3rd down.

Anderson faked to Johnson and threw a swing pass to CharlesAlexander. But 49ers LB Dan Bunz made an open-field tackle of Alexander and kept him from reaching the end zone.

4th down:

After calling a timeout, rather than attempting a field goal on fourth down, the Bengals handed off to Johnson into the middle of the line. But San Francisco cornerback Ronnie Lott, Bunz and Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds tackled Johnson for no gain, giving the ball back to the 49ers.

Last chance:

Anderson completed a three-yard touchdown pass to Ross to make the score 26–21. But by the time Ross scored, only 16 seconds remained in the game. The Bengals tried an onside kick, but Clark recovered the ball for the 49ers, allowing San Francisco to run out the clock to win the game.


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