Joe Montana was considered one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. With four Super Bowls, eight Pro Bowls and a Hall of Fame induction, he certainly earned that distinction. However, it can be argued that there are two specific years that truly separated him from all others. This is the story of Joe Montana's two league MVP's.
1989
Bill Walsh was gone, having retired immediately following the 49ers triumph in Super Bowl XXIII. With his mentor no longer around on a daily basis, Joe Montana knew that the time had come for him to assert even more command over the offense. More than anything, he wanted to show the world that he wasn't just another product of Walsh's famed West Coast Offense, that he had incremental value to the game itself.
Aside from a few minor tweaks, the 49ers roster was virtually the same as it had been a year earlier. Only this time, they were hungrier. Joe Montana began his first MVP campaign inconspicuously, completing just 57.29% of his passes for 233 yards and a 58 yard touchdown to Jerry Rice to beat the Indianapolis Colts 30-24 in Week 1. He made up for coughing up two interceptions the following week by accounting for two touchdowns, including the game winning four-yard scramble, in a 20-16 win over Tampa Bay.
The Eagles looked like easy pickings early on in Week 3 as Montana found Rice for a quick 68-yard catch-and-run to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead. But Buddy Ryan's fierce pass rush led by Reggie White and Jerome Brown soon got the better of the 49ers' otherwise stellar line. Before the day was over, "Joe Cool" would be sacked eight times and violently thrown to the turf multiple other times. But while the Eagles continued to pummel the signal caller, he remained steadfast, knowing that they would eventually break in the backfield.
Sure enough, Montana found John Taylor for a 70-yard touchdown top begin the fourth quarter fireworks. Philadelphia quarterback extraordinaire Randall Cunningham led his team on a long drive that culminated in a touchdown to again give the Eagles an 11-point lead with just seven minutes left to play.
And play they did. While that drive might have been demoralizing for the 49ers defense, their offense had found their stride. In the next three drives to end the game, Joe Montana would find fullback Tom Rathman for an eight yard reception, tight end Brent Jones for a 25 yarder to give San Francisco the lead and wide receiver Jerry Rice for a 33-yard dagger right through the heart of Philadelphia. In total, Joe Montana had completed 11 of 12 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone.
The 49ers quickly fell back to earth the following week when they opened their home schedule to a shocking 13-12 loss to the Rams. Montana helped his team rebound the following week in New Orleans. A week after posting a dismal 88.6 passer rating, he posted a sizzling 138.7 rating in the Big Easy while completing 21 of29 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the 24-21 triumph, hitting John Taylor for the game winner in the fourth.
After missing the next game with an injury, Montana returned just in time to lead his team in their first game back after the devastating Loma Prieta Earthquake. Although he left just before the end of the first half hobbled by a sprained knee, Montana had enough time to complete 16 of 22 passes for 178 yards and a three-yard touchdown to Jerry Rice to tie the game at seven-all. He watched from the sidelines as his backup Steve Young led the team to a 37-20 win over the Patriots.
Two weeks later, Montana returned confidently and promptly threw for 302 yards, accounted for four total touchdowns and posted a 134.1 passer rating in a 31-13 win over the Saints. He never missed a step. He was even more lethal the following week against the Falcons, completing 16 of 19 passes for 270 yards and an otherworldly 158.3 passer rating. After opening the scoring barrage with a one-yard plunge into the end zone, Montana found Jerry Rice for a 38 and 11 yard strike while finding John Taylor for a two-yarder in between. The 49ers won with ease, 45-3.
Week 11 was one of those weird games where Joe Montana and the offense arguably played better than their opposition but still managed to lose. Perhaps it was the Packers who completely shut down the 49ers rushing attack. Or perhaps the 49ers got a little too full of themselves and only gave their best runner, Roger Craig, the ball eight times.
Whatever the case may be, Joe Montana played well despite bing sacked five times, completing 30 of 42 passes for 325 yards with a 99.8 rating. Montana found Craig and Rice for touchdowns to tie the game at 14-all going into halftime. But Green Bay's quarterback Don Majkowski ran just well enough to give his team the win, rushing six times for 15 yards and two game changing touchdowns, including the game winner in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers would not lose again for over a year. Joe Montana and the 49ers lived up to the hype a week later against the 9-2 New York Giants. Under the lights of Monday Night Football, Joe Montana put on a clinic, finding John Taylor and Jerry Rice for four yard touchdowns in the first quarter alone before zipping a third to Brent Jones in the second quarter to extend the lead to 24-7. All told, Montana completed 27 of 33 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns while posting a 133.8 passer rating in the statement making 34-24 triumph.
He was horrid the following week in Atlanta. Against 19 mile per hour winds, Montana coughed up an interception and a 74.2 passer rating before hurting his ribs before halftime. Again, he watched on the sidelines as his understudy led the 49ers to a win.
In Anaheim on Monday Night, Joe Montana and his teammates found themselves on the wrong end of a 17-point deficit, twice. Staring down 17-3 in the middle of the second quarter, Joe Cool found John Taylor for an exhilarating 92-yard touchdown that should have sparked a comeback.
Instead, the 49ers stood mired in self doubt, awaiting another moment of clarity. Mercifully, that moment came as they were again facing a 17-point deficit, this time early in the fourth quarter. After a long drive, Montana found little used receiver Mike Wilson for a seven-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to ten.
Taylor again turned on the afterburners on the ensuing drive, turning a simple slant route into a magnificent 95-yard sprint into the end zone. After Roger Craig plunged from the one, the 49ers had claimed the NFC West as well as something much more dear, bragging rights over their rivals. Joe Montana finished the night having passed for a then-franchise record 458 yards and tossing three touchdowns while posting a 119 passer rating.
With their playoff position assured, Joe Montana rested the following week before suiting up for the first half of the regular season finale against the Bears. He finished the regular season by throwing a 29-yard touchdown to Jerry Rice to extend the 49ers lead to 13-0 before halftime.
For the season, Joe Montana led the league by completing 70.2% of his passes and throwing for 3,521 yards and 26 touchdowns against eight interceptions. What's more, the league MVP led the NFL with a 112.4 passer rating during the regular season. He was just getting warmed up.
1990
The 49ers 55-10 thrashing of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV had barely concluded when many of Joe Montana's teammates began talk of a "three-pete". He knew that it could be done, but it wouldn't be easy. After all, nothing worth pursuing ever is.
Joe Montana began the 1990 season under an avalanche of blitzes. Yet, he remained poised throughout, completing 26 of 43 passes for 210 yards while being sacked six times in New Orleans. Facing a 9-3 deficit at the half, his four yard touchdown strike to Brent Jones in the third was the only touchdown of the game. Mike Cofer's field goal won it for San Francisco, 13-12.
Things were much smoother for Montana in Week two as his offensive line didn't give up a sack all day. His 12-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice and 49 yard touchdown pass to John Taylor in the second quarter was all that the 49ers needed to beat the Redskins 26-13.
While their Week 3 tilt against Atlanta was a tough affair, Joe Montana was hot, throwing for 398 yards and posting a sizzling 125.7 passer rating while zipping touchdown passes of 35 and 67 yards to Rice and Jones in the third quarter against the backdrop of 12 mile per hour winds.
The 49ers had their hands full against Houston's Run and Shoot Offense the following week and quickly found themselves behind 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. But Montana came alive when it mattered the most, throwing a six yard strike to Rice in the second and a 78 yard rainbow to Taylor in the third to tie the game at 14-all. His 46 yard touchdown pass to Taylor won it in the fourth quarter, 24-21. At day's end, Joe Montana had completed 20 of 28 passes for 318 yards with a 129.8 passer rating, four of those passes went to the game's hero, John Taylor, for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Joe Montana and his compadres then went to Atlanta where they experienced one of the better shootouts of the years. In the first quarter, Montana connected with Rice for a 24 yard strike but Atlanta's Chris Miller soon found Andre Rison for a 75 yarder to tie the game. With the clock winding down in the first, Montana connected with Rice again for a 25 yard touchdown to give San Francisco the 14-7 advantage.
In the second, Bobby Butler returned a blocked punt 62 yards to tie the game, but Montana soon led the 49ers on another touchdown drive, this time finding little used receiver Mike Sherrard for a 43 yard touchdown. After the 49ers defense held Atlanta, Montana found Rice again for 19 yards to extend the lead to 14. James Milling then caught a five yard touchdown pass from Chris Miller to cut the lead to half before Mike Cofer nailed a 56 yard field goal to give the 49ers a 31-21 lead at the half.
Two more touchdown passes to Jerry Rice in the second half gave Joe Montana six for the afternoon while the great receiver caught 13 passes for 225 yards and five touchdowns. Montana threw for a franchise record 476 yards and posted a 119.6 passer rating in the 45-35 shootout.
Joe Montana managed just a single touchdown pass the following week, a five yarder to Sherrard in the second quarter. Aside from that, he was less than stellar, coughing up two interceptions and recording a 62.8 passer rating. Tom Rathman's two touchdown runs in the second half provided the 49ers all the insurance they needed in their 27-7 win over the Steelers.
Montana struggled against Candlestick Park's 11 mile per hour winds against the Browns, completing just 17 of 37 passes for 185 yards and posting a horrid 47.7 rating. The only bright spots for him in the game was a 14 yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice in the second quarter and the 20-17 triumph.
Joe Cool was white hot against the frigid backdrop of Green Bay Wisconsin. With 10 mile per hour winds and a 30 F windchill blowing against his face, Montana threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns with a 122 rating in San Francisco's 24-20 win over the Packers. It was the franchise's last win in Green Bay until 2012.
Against a talented but young Cowboys squad the next week, Joe Montana completed 27 of 37 passes for 290 yards and a short seven yard touchdown to Jerry Rice in the middle of the second quarter that extended the lead to 14-3 on their way to a 24-6 triumph. All was going well against Tampa Bay the following week as Joe Montana led his team on a drive in the middle of the third quarter.
Looking to add to his two touchdown passes to Brent Jones earlier, he instead threw an interception to Wayne Haddix which was promptly returned for a 65 yard touchdown, cutting San Francisco's commanding 17 point lead down to ten. Scoring runs by Roger Craig and Harry Sydney provided relief as the 49ers cruised to a 31-7 victory, extending their record to a franchise best 10-0.
At 16 miles per hour, the winds were harsher than usual at Candlestick. Joe Montana and the offense struggled all day to keep their composure yet he kept on throwing interceptions. It didn't help that the Ram's Cleveland Gary was having a career day. At day's end, he would account for three touchdowns.
Still, Montana and his teammates fought back. Down 21-7 at the half, he managed to find Harry Sydney for a a23 yard touchdown reception in the third to cut the deficit to seven. But alas, Gary proved to be too much, rumbling in from the one and giving the Rams a hard fought 28-17 win. Montana completed 22 of 37 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns that day, but he also coughed up three interceptions and posted a subpar 62.3 rating.
Even though he completed less than half of his passes, in many ways, he was better against the 10-1 Giants the next week. Montana was never sacked and didn't throw a costly interception and his 23 yard touchdown pass to John Taylor in the second quarter was all that his team needed to win ugly 7-3.
Joe Montana didn't throw a touchdown pass against the Bengals in Week 13, but his 19 completions put his team in position to win. Perhaps he was thinking of his next opponent, the Los Angeles Rams. With vengeance on his mind, Joe Montana completed half of his passes for 219 yards and posted an 85.3 passer rating against 11 mile per hour winds. He found Jerry Rice for an exhilarating 60 yard catch-and-run that extended the lead to 16-0 in the second quarter. the 49ers won the contest 26-10 and claimed another NFC West championship.
After not suiting up for the 49ers loss to the Saints in Week 15, Joe Montana played just the first half of their 20-17 win at Minnesota. He completed 10 of his 20 passes for 88 yards and threw an interception while posting a horrid 41.2 passer rating and watched from the sidelines as Steve Young posted a 117.5 rating, threw for 205 yards and tossed two touchdowns.
At season's end, Joe Montana earned his second straight league MVP award by completing 61.7% of his passes for 3,944 yards and 26 touchdowns on a career high 520 attempts. His 89 passer rating and three fourth quarter comebacks was the cherry on top.
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