NFL: 25 Most Disappointing 1 Seeds In NFL Playoff History

25 Most Disappointing 1 Seeds In NFL Playoff History: 6. 1987 San Francisco 49ers

The 1987 San Francisco 49ers were coming off two disappointing playoff results in a row. After winning the Super Bowl in the 1984 season, they lost in the Wild Card round in 1985, scoring just three points in the game. Then, things hit rock bottom. The 49ers lost 49-3 to the New York Giants in 1986. It was a pathetic performance, one they wouldn’t soon forget. They started off the 1987 season down in the dumps, and they lost the first game. Then, a miracle happened. In Week 2, Joe Montana hit Jerry Rice on a 25-yard touchdown pass as time expired to beat the Bengals.

That led to a 13-1 run, finishing the season 13-2 on their way to the top seed in the conference. Rice put up one of his best seasons ever. Montana looked like he was unstoppable, as he basically ended a player strike in the middle of the season. Him crossing the picket line as he tried to get himself another Super Bowl took away all leverage from the players.

It was something he had to do. The entire 49ers team was hitting on all cylinders. They were waiting for their opponent in the playoffs, and they learned it would be the 8-7 Vikings. They had to have liked the matchup, but it would end up hurting them.

The Vikings were a huge underdog going into the game. The 49ers had this high-powered offense, but Anthony Carter outdid Rice with 227 yards receiving en route to a 36-24 victory. The 49ers defense just put up a dud at the one time it couldn’t. This was the beginning of the end of the Montana era, as Steve Young came in to replace him in the middle of the game.