Giants versus 49ers: January 15, 1994

In advance of the Giants and 49ers playing their 37th game all-time against each other, GmenHq will be highlighting some of the posts from the week leading up to the NFC Championship game last year. This post details Giants versus 49ers from January 15, 1994. This post originally appeared on Gmenhq on Jan 20, 2012 at 8:30am

In anticipation of the New York Giants versus the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday for the NFC Championship, GmenHq will be reliving the Giants versus 49ers playoff history. Each day this week (Monday-Saturday will feature a new game).

New York Giants at San Francsisco 49ers, January 15, 1994, Candlestick Park

The sixth career Play-Off battle between the Giants and 49ers came during the 1993-1994 NFL season. Gone were the names of Montana, Craig, Clark, Banks, Carson, and Reasons. The Giants were traveling across the country to play the 49ers after beating the Vikings 17-1o during Wild-Card weekend. The Giants entered the game with a 11-6 record. The 49ers, coming off a first round bye, entered the game with a 10-6 record.

There are two words that describe this game: Total Domination. From the 1st quarter till the 4th quarter the 49ers dominated and beat down the Giants in all aspects of the game. The 49ers 23-3 at halftime and went on to win the game by a 44-3 score. The game was never in doubt. This was the second largest point difference in the history of the Play-Off series.

The Giants were led on offense (if you can call it that) by Phil Simms. Simms, who was unable to finish the game threw for 124 yards and two interceptions. Simms was replaced by the famous Dave Brown who passed for an additional 56 yards.  Four different running backs combined for a total of 30 yards rushing on 16 carries. They were “led” by Rodney Hampton who had seven carries for 12 yards. Ed McCaffrey led all Giant wide-outs with five catches for 59 yards. The offense only manged 194 total yards and committed three turnovers.

Steve Young, replacing Joe Montana, dominated the Giants defense, passing for 226 yards and rushing for an additional 17 yards. Five running backs gained a total of 178 yards and SIX touchdowns against the defense. Ricky Watters led the 49ers rushing attack with 24 carries 118 yards and FIVE touchdowns. John Taylor had two catches for 74 yards. The Giants were able to hold Jerry Rice in check, limiting him to only three catches for 43 yards. That was about the only good thing they did on defense.

The defense. Well, there was not one. The Giants gave up 413 total yards and six touchdowns. The defense was going through many changes at this point. Gone were Banks, Reasons, and Carson. The starting four LB’s were: Taylor, Miller, Bailey, and Brooks.

All-Time Play-Off Series: Tied 3-3 (1-3 at Candlestick and 2-0 at Giants Stadium)

Giants versus 49ers: January 22, 2012 at 6pm