No Hitter Vs Perfect Game

>> this could be a prelude to a possible super bowl matchup in january. but buffalo -- the top touchdown-making team in the nfl

No Hitter Vs Perfect Game, last year with that no-huddle offense. how are the 49ers gonna try to stop it?

>> well, it presents a problem to san francisco, primarily because this is a big substitution defense, dick. what buffalo tries to do is lock your defense on the field. what san francisco has come up with is kind of a hybrid defense.

it's not the defense they like to play for a long, extended period of time, but at least it's a defense they feel that they can stop both the run of buffalo and also get some pressure on steve young. >> and we'll see that 49er defense later.

they'll get the ball first. they've won the toss. steve christie kicks it off and sends a squirrelly bounder down to the 3-yard line. amp lee, the rookie from florida state, out of bounds at the 22-yard line. and here come the 49ers and

steve young, their quarterback, from byu. joe montana watching on the sidelines. wallace -- he'll have his hands full. he'll have to stop bruce smith. mcintyre, sapolu, foster, and barton.

a tough, experienced offensive front. young, the quarterback. ricky watters, from notre dame -- 100 yards rushing last week, in the opener. tom rathman had three touchdown catches, a san francisco record for a running back.

of course, the familiar names -- taylor and rice -- outside. and brent jones, the tight end. from the 22. young comes out throwing. and hit. and rice is drilled, after a 12-yard pickup, at the 34-yard line, as nate odomes and

kurt schulz hit him from opposite sides, in a sandwich tackle. >> dick, interesting thing. first thing -- bruce smith lined up on the opposite side of where he normally is for the buffalo bills. trying to get some added

young stands in there. excellent completion. there was pressure. that's odomes, 37. you see that inside route. just a little hitch. just to get san francisco's feet on the ground. schulz with a big hit.

>> rice showing his toughness to get back in the huddle. first down at the 34. watters and rathman split behind young. play-action. and a throw to rathman. 40. 44, 45.

a pickup of 10 more before odomes and jones can make the stop. >> it's hard to talk about the san francisco 49ers without mentioning bill walsh. he is a big proponent, was a big proponent of play-action faking. rathman right up through the

line of scrimmage. holds everybody. singles jones on rathman, who has turned out, this season, to be an excellent receiver. he told us, yesterday at practice, last two years, just been a blocker, primarily, but they're getting him into the

passing game. >> they mark it down just across the 44. the measurement for the first down. as jerry rice continues his consecutive streak. it is a first down. the brilliant receiver from

mississippi valley state has now caught a pass in 97 straight games. what a tremendous talent. just to come to an nfl game and know you're going to see jerry rice. he is a premier player and working himself close to that

100-touchdown mark. he has 97 total touchdowns, 93 touchdown catches. he'll have the record. first down. young brings rice in motion. first running play. and it's watters to the 49. good gain. 5 yards.

jeff wright and henry jones with the tackle. ricky watters, 32. his idol, o.j. simpson. >> well, we've seen four snaps of the ball. now, this time, bruce smith is over here. obviously, the buffalo bills are

trying as best they possibly can to make sure that san francisco's offensive line does not get a real look at where bruce smith is. roy foster, an excellent block to the inside. >> smith went for rathman, but it was watters with the ball.

good start for the niners -- 28 yards on 3 plays. on second and 5. young, over the middle. complete to watters. and he's in buffalo territory, at the 49. another san francisco henry jones, from illinois,

second-year safety, with the >> another feature of this san francisco offense -- always have somebody to throw it to. you see the little halfback circle that watters runs. lots of motion around there, but, again, they're trying to isolate henry jones, 20 -- first

season, second game at safety -- on these running backs. and san francisco is winning that battle, dick. >> young -- 3 for 3. he was the top quarterback, in the rating system, in 1991. play-action to watters. young looking for something big.

has rice downfield. and just missed by a step. nate odomes the cover man for buffalo. he had two interceptions against the rams last week. >> there is henry jones, the guy that it looks like, at the initial point here,

san francisco is gonna pick on. former corner, out of the university of illinois. walt corey says he's got corner speed, but he's playing safety. and inside the offense of this san francisco 49ers -- tight end, running backs -- they really keep that safety busy in

coverage. >> talked to him yesterday, and his eyes spelled out awe as he talked about the thought of having to cover men like taylor and rice today. here's watters high-stepping his way through the 40 and down to the 37-yard line.

jones and williams and the safety secondary of buffalo to make the tackle. >> bruce smith, again, out of position, playing standing up on the other side. excellent lead block by 44, rathman, right at his knees. big guys don't like to get their

pants dirty. they don't like shots on their knees. >> well, bruce smith in particular. remember, last week upset with the rams' center, who blocked him down low. had a big game, with a couple of

sacks, 5 pressures, 9 tackles. in buffalo, bruce smith is back, and the fans certainly thinking big things with smith's play. the throw to rice. a quickie to the sidelines. it'll be close to a first down at the 34, as kelso, the free safety gets rice out of bounds.

see how they mark it. it is another first down. so, this has been a very impressive, typical, methodical san francisco drive, with the opening kickoff, taking what the defense gives them. at the 34, around second base on the candlestick baseball

alignment. jamie williams, tight end on the left side. rathman and watters split, and rice in motion. watters... breaks the tackle of talley, stays in bounds. no. he stepped out back at the

29-yard line. we welcome those of you who have seen the kansas city chiefs win their second game of this young season, beating seattle at arrowhead, 26-7. this is dick enberg with bob trumpy. san francisco has taken the

opening kickoff and has marched, with determination, downfield, has 4 first downs, and now has a second down at the buffalo bills' 29-yard line. second and 5. 49-yard drive with steve young, the quarterback, engineering the calls, mixing it up, pass and

run. fake to watters. wide open is rathman. a one-handed catch. and the fullback is out of bounds at the 15. 14 more yards for the 49ers. >> fake 18 "w" fullback slide. last week, rathman scored on

this play, perfectly. you can see the way it holds the buffalo bills at the line of scrimmage. rathman fakes the block at the top. wide open. i mean, come on, buffalo. you saw this, last week, work

against the giants. you got to recognize the situation. you got to know what's going on. see bruce smith move in there. they can't put bruce smith in coverage on tom rathman now. >> gave him some trouble. as watters -- oh, he extricates

himself and now has to duck down at the 25-yard line. kurt schulz, number 24, a rookie from eastern washington, was in the midst of all of that. he's been a surprise -- and a very pleasant one -- for a seventh-round pick. 10-yard deficit for marv levy's

bills, the first big play by his >> yeah, i think the first thing i'd ask marv levy and walt corey is -- why are they moving these defensive linemen around so much? what do they see in san francisco's offense that's making them move bruce smith

from side to side, almost flopping side to side? >> is that a compliment to steve wallace, the left tackle? >> i don't believe so, not at this point. >> second down and 19, officially. young, great scrambler.

but he throws to rice. rice fumbles the ball! and the 49ers recover at the 12-yard line. now they're gonna rule an incomplete pass or are they gonna say no fumble? i just saw the wave-off and they're gonna say incomplete

pass. >> don't i remember a day when we used to look closely at plays like this, replays? we're looking for the second foot down. does he have ahold of it? it's henderson who makes the catch.

i don't think a second foot was down. i think that was an excellent call by the officials. >> steve henderson, who was the leading rusher for san francisco last year, has seen his duties limited, so far, by the emergence of watters.

>> control of the football, both feet down. one... i don't think he ever had control of the football. good call by the officials. >> third and 19. young, plenty of time. the cross to jerry rice.

gets away from three bills and fights to the 15-yard line, but that won't be near a first down. gets them back to the spot of the start of this sequence. it'll be fourth and 10. and the field-goal unit comes on. and jerry rice has not gotten

up, and that is a big story anytime he doesn't pop to his feet. >> rice still down at the 15-yard line, as he drew a pack of white-jerseyed tacklers. >> san francisco likes the crossing patterns. you need big, tough receivers to

go into the middle to make those catches. i don't see anything yet. let's see what happens when he goes down. that was chris hale, it looked like, may have -- excuse me. henry jones who rolled up on his ankle.

but i'm not sure what part of him they're looking at right now. might have caught a knee in the helmet, too. let's look. >> i don't know. i can't see anything that really jumps out at you on that one,

dick. but rice doesn't go down very often. >> such a superbly conditioned athlete and, like so many great players, that ability to elude a direct hit. you tackle him, but you don't really get all of him.

in this case, the three bills -- >> well, he's trying to get up, and the doctors and trainers are encouraging him to stay down. you mentioned, earlier, that it's just a great thrill to sit in a stadium and know you're gonna watch jerry rice. as a former receiver, you are

talking about another class completely. i mean, you judge most of the people who play receiver, then you include a little extra for >> he's in a higher league. so, rice with his third catch. and they're going to be very careful before allowing him to

get to his feet. you can see him flexing his hand. it, at this point, does not appear to be serious and it obviously is not anything in the lower extremities. so, the 49ers take the opening kickoff.

they've marched 63 yards in 12 plays and now look at fourth and 10 at the 15-yard line. and the watters tackle in the backfield interrupting what has been a very impressive 49er drive, with young, the quarterback, completing 6 of 8,

3 to this man, jerry rice. and he'll get a hand. [ cheers and applause ] that's a sigh of relief, as well as applause you're hearing at candlestick. so, the field-goal unit now will deploy itself, as rice comes off the field.

mike cofer, who was just an average field-goal kicker last year for the 49ers, making 14 of 28, and he was only 3 for 10 between 30 and 39 yards. and this one is 33, out of steve bono's hold. it is...

no good. misses from 33, says red cashion. so, buffalo sees san francisco move downfield almost at will. then one play misfires -- watters tackled for a 10-yard loss. have to settle for a field-goal

try. and cofer unsuccessful from 33. >> when field-goal kickers like mike cofer miss one from 33 yards, there's no real reason for this. it's certainly within his range. it's amazing how they're always able to find the spot on the

bench where there are no other players. snap is good. bono does a good job getting it he just didn't follow through on that one. it goes wide. >> so, buffalo takes over -- first possession -- at their 20.

and it's thurman thomas, the national football league's mvp last year, bursting for nearly 10 on the opening play. dana hall, the rookie from washington, with the tackle. there is hall. 18th pick in the first round. kelly with the no-huddle, trying

to play his best 11 up against the 49ers' best 11. and thurman thomas hit up high, but drives out to the 33-yard line. thomas, who has led the national football league the last three seasons in scrimmage yards.

and very proud of that and knows that if he does it this year, he'll break jim brown's record of three consecutive years leading the league in that category. that really does place him in an elite spot as a total player. second and 7.

a little delay. and thomas first ran into john johnson, who rerouted him right back into mike walter. >> you see san francisco trying to make a defensive substitution here. they do -- at their leisure. >> three pass defenders in,

three big men out. third down, 9. kelly's first throw. wide open is andre reed. punishing tackle, but a first down at the 45-yard line. hall and merton hanks making the stop, but it's 15 yards on reed's first catch.

>> okay, the choice by the 49ers here is to go with a 4-1-5. watch 98 in red, coming from the right. that's goss. he is the coverage linebacker that the 49ers, apparently, are gonna use here in this passing >> thurman thomas up the middle.

48-yard line. apparently, that's been a design for marv levy's pregame strategy -- "let's attack san francisco right up the middle with thomas." and you know what they do? this offense goes to the line of they count people from

tackle-to-tackle, defensively, and then they decide whether they're gonna run or pass. >> and it's second and 7. kelly, plenty of time. now it breaks down! fumbles the ball! and san francisco has it! number 78, pierce holt, from

angelo state, was the man who dislodged the ball from kelly. >> kelly looking outside. there, you see holt. he comes right over parker, 74. ball does pop loose. >> recovered by tim harris, a former green bay packer. so, san francisco with a break.

candlestick park in san francisco. seen the bengals, in overtime, go 2-0, the raiders 0-2, 24-21. jim breech, a 34-yard field goal. here, no score. san francisco has just recovered a jim kelly fumble at the

buffalo 40-yard line. steve young, play-action to watters. run around. and young, who has averaged over 6 yards every time he's scrambled in the nfl... ...brings his calling card. >> dick, what we've seen here to

start -- cornelius bennett is playing an inside linebacker here for buffalo. shane conlan is moving out to the outside linebacker. bruce smith is going from side to side. there's no real end that bruce smith is playing to this

point. >> right now, he's lined up right over the ball. >> yeah. >> jerry rice is going to go back to the san francisco locker room. physically, he's showing all faculties, as he was hit by

three bills making a reception earlier in this first quarter. young, deep drop. scrambles away, as he's so talented to do. and down he goes, at the 23-yard line, with a slide right out about second base here at the candlestick park alignment.

shane conlan there to down him. that will bring up third down. >> yeah, we mentioned -- this is bennett inside here. he comes in on the blitz and flushes steve young out. young, that left-handed ability to get out away from the pressure.

it's pike -- excuse me. that's wright who makes the initial pressure, not cornelius bennett. but steve young taking the hook slide -- concession to his coaches. >> third down and 6. 49ers' first possession ended

when mike cofer missed a 33-yard young... wide open! no one picked up odessa turner! the former giant has a touchdown! a breakdown in the buffalo defense, and odessa turner has his first catch with his new

team, san francisco, and it's a 23-yard touchdown. cofer to try the extra point. turner, who played his college ball at northwestern louisiana, a plan b pickup by san francisco this year. cofer's extra point is there. and with 3:26 remaining in the

opening quarter, 7-0, >> the 49ers are accused of running picks. well, here is a very, very good one. you watch what happens. the guy on the inside -- they just kind of get all bunched up there.

and you see turner just separate from the crowd. lost coverage. it ends up in 6 easy points. >> odessa -- oh, my. odessa turner's 23-yard touchdown reception, the first score of the game. a little rub-off play, as

turner's man lost in the confusion, much like picking off your defender in basketball. >> pick-and-roll worked to perfection for odessa turner. >> and now cofer to kick it off. turner a member of the special teams. eddie fuller and brad lamb deep

for buffalo. 3:26 left in this opening quarter. the niners striking first, taking advantage of the kelly fumble. good kick by cofer. lamb will take the ball at the 20-yard line.

let's go back to the touchdown. >> you're gonna watch it from behind the defense. young gets good time, looks left, all while the pick-and-roll is going on. you can see that turner is completely left uncovered. kelso makes the contact.

turner, a big guy, gets in the end zone. seifert likes it. >> george seifert, a san francisco native. on first down, thurman thomas struggling for 5, with red jerseys all around. second and 5 for buffalo.

their first possession ended in a jim kelly fumble that led to the san francisco score. total yards all in 49ers' favor, on two possessions. thomas now way out as a split, on the left side. underneath to metzelaars, the tight end.

they run off the defenders. and metzelaars lumbers out to the 45-yard line. a 20-yard gain for the former little all-america basketball player at wabash. >> when thomas flanks out, it distorts the defense. there's no one underneath to

cover the tight end, pete metzelaars. no one at all. good recognition by jim kelly. >> metzelaars' second catch of the season. the bills are a little short at tight end, with keith mckeller suffering a knee injury.

he'll be out 6 to 8 weeks. so metzelaars -- and then they signed, this week, rob awalt, veteran tight end, who's been around -- denver, dallas, phoenix. second and 5 at midfield. >> change the play at the line of scrimmage, something to

accommodate this particular >> fake to thomas. kelly throwing. wide open is reed. and he turns it upfield, gets a couple more yards to the 27. >> see, this is one of the things that this at-the-line-of-scrimmage

offense does, dick. it locks people into a defensive look. and when you can audible at the line of scrimmage, and jim kelly can go to a part of his offense that fits that defense perfectly. and that play-action fake and

throw were perfect. >> the only thing wrong with it was -- carwell gardner shouldn't have been that close to reed. >> [ laughs ] >> he almost interrupted the play. now it's gardner getting a chance to run.

maybe picking up a yard. he's a 232-pounder from louisville. and marv levy told us, in the summer-training-camp period, that he wanted to use a gardner, a good runner, more. last year, he rushed for only 146 yards.

>> interesting thing about this buffalo offense -- it's gonna have trouble today against this san francisco defensive line. i think this is the quickest defensive line there is in the nfl. san francisco's front four are not great big people.

carter and brown are certainly big inside, but they all have great initial quickness. >> on second and 9. kelly... oh, just did get away from big trouble. and now hit out of bounds by keith delong, who is suited up

for the first time. delong late in signing with from great heritage -- his dad was an all-american player at tennessee, a defensive tackle, who played with the chargers and bears in the nfl 7, 8 years. kelly's scramble nets 3. >> here comes the hybrid defense

an extra defensive back, a coverage linebacker -- 98, goss. and they'll try to get goss, 98, hooked on to thurman thomas, 'cause thurman thomas is a big receiver in this situation. >> he's in the backfield. he picks up the blitz. the throw.

incomplete to beebe. good defense by the veteran don griffin. it was a solid throw. kelly had it on a line to beebe, but the timing on the tackle by griffin was immaculate. >> again, you can see the blitz coming from the outside.

53, the man on the right-hand side of the screen, is romanowski. goss -- no, 41, whitmore also on the blitz. kelly has to get rid of it a little quicker than he wanted to. goes to the outlet receiver.

good coverage. >> steve christie, 2 for 2 last week, tries a 41-yarder. and it is dead center. a little fade to the left. the bills on the board with 18 seconds left in the opening 7-3, san francisco. the word is they probably won't

play rice, if at all, until the second half. bandage on the side of that right eye. he might have been kicked by one of the bills players going over the top as he was being tackled by a mass of defenders. 7-3. christie hits his

third-out-of-three-tries field goals for buffalo and now kicks it off. he had 4 out of 8 kickoffs into the end zone against the rams. and this one deep enough that the niners elect to take it out at the 20-yard line, as marc logan with a kneel-down.

and we have a time-out. at the 20-yard line. all six of san francisco's first downs -- by pass and then another by run -- all responsible to young. last week, he was 4 for 6 before being pelted by the giants' eric dorsey and knocked out of

the game. that's sherrard, replacing rice, in motion. young under some pressure. to watters. beautiful running by watters, who gains 8 on the play. 9, they'll call it. well, the love affair, in

san francisco, with ricky watters not hurt by that kind of running. >> no. i thought he made a heck of an admission to us yesterday. came out of notre dame. gained 10 pounds. last year was 230 pounds. now at 212.

he displays great quickness and speed. >> jerry rice, on the sidelines, trying to ice out the cobwebs. second and 1, as we open this second quarter, from the san francisco 29. ricky watters. good hole.

and he has 5 more yards. the man who rushed for 100 yards in his first nfl game has 15 here today. jeff wright the tackler. watters -- he wore number 12 with the irish. last year, out with a broken foot, broken hand, didn't play

at all. he said, "i wanted 32." he said, "even though i didn't see him play, i heard about 'juice,' o.j., o.j." and, of course, o.j. simpson a native of san francisco. and last couple of runs by watters would have made o.j.

rather proud. had a little of that kind of flash and flair. incomplete. bruce smith, who had some deflections last week against jim everett, in the way. >> finally, his normal position. this is, again, an attempt at

that fake 18 "w" fullback slide. tried to get the ball to rathman. smith was unblocked, able to get off the ground, and knock the ball out of the air. i'd sure like to ask walt corey what he has in mind with moving his defense all over the field

we've seen them everywhere. >> now smith lining up in his usual position again, where steve wallace, the left tackle of san francisco, 74, admitted he's going to have his hands good job by wallace. the dump-out to watters. and he struggles out to the

38-yard line. nate odomes on the corner for happy with his two interceptions last week. he said, "i hope i wasn't so good that they won't throw in my direction. i want more picks." >> dick, that little swing pass

that we just saw is the absolute secret to the san francisco offense as designed by bill walsh. he has always stated, in his offense, complete the pass. make the defense defend every and that little fullback swing is the outlet for joe --

steve young now, was for joe montana. it's the secret to this offense. >> in other words, don't throw it away or don't get the sack. throw it to somebody. >> make the defense defend every >> oh, wide open is turner again.

they've forgotten about odessa turner, who's looking for a second touchdown! and he's stopped at the 5-yard line! kurt schulz saved another score. >> well, i'd say this is a nice beginning for odessa turner's career as a san francisco 49er.

and, dick, i think you're absolutely correct. they forgot about him. jerry rice out, odessa turner in. good blocking downfield. his first catch for a touchdown. there's his second catch. >> and bruce smith injured on

the play. let's see what happened as he works... gets twisted around, as it was harris barton, the blocker. >> he's lined up on the other side from where he normally is. but he's being attended to there on the sideline by -- and, of

course, you know he's had the knee problems. no structural damage to his knee. he's missed the entire training camp. >> two marquee players on the sidelines now -- jerry rice for san francisco, bruce smith for

and odessa turner has caught 2 balls for 80 yards and a touchdown. and the niners threaten -- first and goal from the 5. >> dick, you'll see why turner is so wide open. here he is. watch the tight end,

brent jones. it's a little bit illegal. but all you have to do is get in front of the defenders. and, all of a sudden, odessa turner breaks underneath. totally uncovered. makes a nice catch and an even better run.

nice block by 82, john taylor, out in front. 57 yards later, 49ers certainly in the scoring zone. >> bruce smith is back. first and goal for early in the second period. and smith will try to -- no. now he's coming back out.

>> yeah. he was -- the bills were charged with an injury time-out for bruce smith, so he can't come in on this play. he's got to stay out at least one play. >> so, gary baldinger goes back smith not seriously injured, and, of course, anytime a great

athlete coming off knee surgery and you see him limp away like that -- scary. >> millions of dollars flash in front of your eyes if you're the player. millions. >> young, who's 10 for 13 in this first half.

what controversy? rathman, big hole. slams to about the 2. >> now, dick, we've seen two pass completions off of that i've called them fake 18 "w" fullback slide. there's 18 "w." that's the companion play to the

pass that's worked so well for san francisco last week against the giants and the early stages of this game. >> so, you fake at rathman, throw to watters or, as the case was last week -- watters running so well -- fake it to watters, throw to rathman.

>> right. you can't cover them both. if you're running the ball well, it ties people to the line of somebody's gonna be open. >> rathman had three touchdowns, all on receptions, last week. that equaled his total for all of last year -- three

touchdowns. and he's right at the goal line. and no -- now the signal! touchdown, san francisco! rathman has his fourth of the season. >> he's a scoring machine, this kid is, huh? last week, he had a decal on the

back of his helmet that said "no fear." the nfl said, "sorry. no decals on the back of your helmet." it's gone, but the scoring touch isn't. >> boy, if anyone doesn't need a decal like that, it's rathman.

i mean, he is what hollywood looks for when they say, "get me a fullback" for the next movie. loves thoroughbred racing, as well, does rathman, who's a part owner of bermuda blue. i said, "how is he doing up here?" he said, "run twice, last twice.

i've been able to find him easily." >> cofer adds the extra point. and san francisco leads, 14-3. 14-3, san francisco. very impressive in this first half. and now mike cofer tees it up after the 80-yard drive in

7 plays. the key play -- the odessa turner catch for 57 yards. eddie fuller, 33, deep, along with brad lamb for buffalo. returnable. it's fuller at the 9. and returns to the 27.

thurman thomas in motion. but kelly not looking in that it's incomplete to don beebe. covered by don griffin. griffin may be one of the true underrates in the nfl. you just don't hear much about him. he's a quiet guy.

but griffin very tough on the cover, man-to-man or in zone. smart defender and always seems to do his job well. >> he's got some young kids he's playing out there with in this defense, too, so he's got to be a real leader. >> on second and 10, kelly guns

to lofton. incomplete. too high. covered by eric davis. >> what did james lofton tell us that jim kelly would tell him when he gets back to the huddle? "look it in. just look it in." >> yeah, whether the receiver makes the mistake or kelly makes

the mistake, that's just the routine now. he's not gonna blame anyone, but even blames himself. he says, "look it in." >> "look it in." >> "throw it in." third and 10. screen to thomas.

got some running room. oh, what a move! 40. 50. and to the san francisco 49. is that an all-pro piece of running? >> dick, he outran his blockers. they didn't lay a glove on a san francisco 49er, and he still

picks up the yardage. >> 25. >> it'll happen to the left. now watch, when he catches this ball, where his blockers are. he's in front of both of them. so he's out there on his own individual talents, picking up 25 yards.

>> boy, he made people miss. pierce holt finally got him from the backside. and kelly goes down. bill romanowski charging through. >> that's one of the problems with this offense of buffalo. they have such great offensive

weapons, you stop them for two or three downs. it's third down and 10. bam, little screen. thurman thomas breaks it for 27 yards. >> second and 11. kelly calling out the play. the crowd trying to make some

noise. down the middle to reed. he's open. tackled at the 19-yard line. andre reed stopped by merton hanks. 30 yards on that play. >> this is not a pattern as much as just simply noticing the

alignment of the defensive back on your receivers. straight up the field. nothing tricky by andre reed. kelly with a superior throw, and reed makes the catch. >> and we were talking to the atlanta defense about kelly and his accuracy.

you talk about arm strength and mobility, but accuracy -- and kelly one of the best. and that was a perfect throw. first down inside the 20. that one not so accurate to james lofton, but trying to keep it low and away from the >> just a hitch.

to follow up on what you said about jim kelly, he told us that he doesn't like the run-and-shoot in the u.s. football league, but it taught him two things -- read defenses and throw on the run. so the stay with the houston gamblers, he thought, a

very valuable one. >> now they come out in a formation with thomas in the slot, reed to the left of thomas, and wide out is lofton. and the throw. wide open is thomas! touchdown! oh, my! thurman thomas.

20 yards on the play. >> thomas on the inside. he's got romanowski, 53, linebacker, on him. now they've got a formation that they know where they got a linebacker on thurman thomas. that will never work. i have a feeling marv levy and

his offensive staff are going to exploit that formation a lot more. seifert's looking for something else to do against that formation. >> christie tries the point. frank reich to hold. and it just does squeak through.

73 yards, 7 plays. touchdown to thomas. it's 14-10. thurman thomas, who scored four times against the rams in the winner in the opener at rich stadium, has his fifth score of the year. beautiful throw from kelly.

and thomas, who had the 25-yard run with a screen pass, andre reed, a 30-yard catch, and then the touchdown play of 20. as christie kicks it off. 14-10, san francisco. a short spinner that comes down to marc logan. former miami dolphin.

logan to the 29-yard line. and kurt schulz, the rookie safetyman for buffalo, the tackler. how'd it work, bob? >> okay. we're gonna watch 36, merton hanks, the defensive back, make the call to draw romanowski, the linebacker, out

in single coverage. watch what happens. he'll move right out there. and, suddenly, on that single coverage, that's what buffalo wants. and you can see the net result. romanowski tries to hold him up a little bit.

another great throw by jim kelly. 6 for thomas. >> and romanowski was actually picked off by one of his own defenders. 14-10, as steve young goes to work. fakes to watters.

wide open is sherrard. 50. 40. and finally brought down at the buffalo 33 by conlan and williams. how open can you get? >> dick, again, a great play-action fake held both the linebackers and the defensive

line right at the line of on motion. sherrard, again, up inside of the coverage. the crossing patterns are working for the san francisco 49ers. that should come as no great surprise to buffalo.

san francisco's run these crossing patterns forever. now watch the linebackers and the line -- all six that you see there -- tied to the line of 97, bennett, steps up. smith hanging on the line of that's just the space that young needs to make the completion.

>> 39 yards on the play. first catch by sherrard. taylor hasn't caught a ball, rice is on the sidelines, and odessa turner and mike sherrard -- and now the rookie ricky watters. look at him go! all the way to the 12-yard line!

>> well, dick, for whatever reason, the buffalo defense hasn't shown up yet. i mean, we're already in the second quarter here. they have not shown up. they are not doing anything at the defensive line of scrimmage that's worth really looking at

and screaming about. see the bodies falling all over the place? poor tackling by kelso. he almost breaks the tackle of nate odomes. they're not here yet. they better get here in a hurry. >> 7:50 left in the first half.

san francisco leads, 14-10. some brilliant offensive plays, both sides. here's taylor's first catch. and he's ridden out of bounds by odomes at about the 7. >> you wonder -- john taylor and jerry rice get all this attention about their

pass-receiving skills, and it's justified. but these two are two of the best blockers you will find in the nfl. no one talks about it. only the defensive backs are aware of how treacherous these guys on any running play.

>> pump a little more air into that helmet, those internal airbags that help protect the head inside these modern-day helmets of jerry rice. maybe he is coming back in. young -- boy, eyes in the back of his head. slips and throws it away.

oh, that's gonna be grounding. the only 49er near there was 67, roy foster. unless they ruled him already darryl talley. red cashion, the referee, did not throw a flag. >> dick, the only thing i can tell you is -- the referee is

the only guy who can call intentional grounding or roughing the passer. his first priority is to watch that quarterback to protect him. when young was flushed out of the pocket, red cashion was looking to call -- "is there any contact here to call down on

contact? what's going on?" his responsibility is to protect the quarterback. and because young is out to his left, see, i think cashion was watching the tackle there. >> so, the 49ers get a break. there's no loss on the play.

third and 5. to rathman. just a little too much on the lead. and, so, cofer and the field-goal unit comes on. >> that's the first pressure that buffalo has put on steve young in the pocket.

that time, it was came with good pressure from the outside. and that really is the first time we've seen anybody in the face of steve young. he finally gets there. but we have not seen much pass rush from the buffalo bills so

far. >> cofer missed from 33 yards early in the game. this one not much more than an extra point. it'll be 25 or 24. they'll call it 24. the spot will be just inside that 25-yard line.

steve bono to hold. >> oh. >> and cofer hits that one. >> whew. whoa! >> he just barely kissed one through, a banker. right at that left upright and 17-10, san francisco leads.

less than 7 minutes remaining in the half. bono and young, the san francisco quarterback brain trust, with joe montana, on the bill musgrave is the third quarterback. as cofer kicks it off. 17-10, the niners lead.

fuller at the goal line. henderson downfield to get him first. and then three or four san francisco special teamers there to make the tackle. but there is the man who made the play, keith henderson. back to the field-goal try.

>> cofer does not look good, initial stages of this game. he obviously hits the home upright, 'cause he gets the favorable bounce, and the 3 points count. and george is saying, "oh! i'd rather be fishing. you got to do it this way."

>> go up the bodega bay. you know, a coach like seifert could get gray with stuff like that. >> yes. wouldn't that be awful? what a nice man he is. he's solid as a rock. 49ers -- 2-to-1 possession time, but kelly and buffalo trailing

by only a touchdown. plenty of time off the play-action. and reed can't make the diving merton hanks was on his heels. >> should have been a flag got their legs tangled right out of the break. hanks was not looking back for

the football. just impeded andre reed just enough that he could not get to that completion. >> you're looking at the other late-game scores today. and the first penalty of this game, as a flag goes down. apparently, against the

buffalo bills -- illegal use of the hands. mike walter hearing the options from red cashion. >> offensive pass interference -- number 35. penalty is declined. second down. >> carwell gardner, the

fullback. >> we got a fullback out here on a defensive back. yeah, when the ball is in the air, carwell, you can't make contact. that's just a little too obvious. >> "they won't give me a pick

play, i'll do my own pick." >> kelly scrambling. refusing to slide down. and tackled at the 14. a pickup of 4. >> the intended receiver was andre reed. excellent coverage by the linebackers of the 49ers.

and he put it away. did not want to throw one up here for san francisco to pick off. >> they spot it at the 15. screen to thomas. well-read. oh, what brilliant running! and now he's in the clear! one man to beat!

and out of bounds, finally, at the san francisco 42-yard line. what incredible individual running prowess by >> actually, they don't sell this screen that well. again, you can see romanowski, 53, is right there. but a good block by parker, 74,

and the rest is thurman thomas. >> 43 yards. just reverse the numbers on his uniform. that eluding romanowski -- he just left the ground. that little skip the great runners have and that ability not to give any solid target to

hit. >> takes himself out. when you ship him back to buffalo, you make sure he's packed in styrofoam. you don't want anything to happen to him. >> already, from scrimmage, over 100 yards for thomas.

his replacement, kenneth davis, to the 39-yard line. romanowski made the tackle. >> dick, i even think i noticed buffalo going into a huddle after that last play, too. >> so, thomas catching his breath on the sidelines. the last three years, the leader

in the nfl in most yards from last year, 1,400 yards-plus rushing, had 62 catches. over the middle to reed. and merton hanks rodeos him down at the 27-yard line. first down, buffalo. >> buffalo does a good job, too, on these crossing patterns.

they run andre reed right underneath the coverage. hanks, in my of thinking, a surprise starter here for looks like he's drawing coverage on reed, at least in the first >> reed, the pro bowler. solid half -- 80 yards on 4 catches.

hanks, who played at iowa, who's in his second year. thomas back in. kelly going deep to lofton! >> oh! should have been caught. >> that had touchdown written on it. a perfect toss by kelly. lofton doesn't drop many of

those. flag is down in the backfield of >> davis, 25, in coverage. james lofton would say that's inexcusable. >> the all-time yardage leader in the nfl. >> roughing the passer, personal foul -- number 97.

half the distance to the goal. first down! >> ted washington, defensive lineman from louisville, gets kelly late. >> there's one guy in the nfl i know for sure you can't intimidate as a quarterback. there he is right there,

number 12. plays this game like a linebacker. he would be out there on the special teams if they let him. >> penalty on washington. first down, buffalo, at the 13. this is thomas. runs into his own man.

and then wrapped up from behind by tim harris. >> that is certainly a running play that buffalo likes to use and use a lot. tim harris playing the "elephant." does a good job of catching that play from behind.

>> 4 minutes to go in the half. buffalo in striking distance to tie this game. trailing 17-10. carwell gardner in the game. >> here's the formation again -- thomas on romanowski. >> and it's to thomas again. tackled at the 5-yard line.

romanowski -- and finally tackled by mike walter, number 99. >> dick, it is walter. i misidentified the linebacker. but, in motion, they were trying to get the same effect that they had on the touchdown -- draw thomas out there, get a

linebacker on him. and, actually, that was pretty good coverage by walter. >> this is a big call for at the 5-yard line, third and 2. they're not looking for a field goal. kelly wants 6.

working off the pitcher's mound. tackle by michael carter, the nose tackle. and the field goal comes on. good coverage by the secondary of san francisco. >> yeah, kelly also didn't get any help when he flushed out of the pocket, going left.

you're taught, as a receiver, that when the quarterback runs left, anybody on the left, get out of the way. anybody on the right, run left with the quarterback. now watch what happens. the only choice he has out here is carwell gardner.

should show up right there. he's doing the right thing. the rest of the receivers just stopped dead. kelly had no receiver to go to. >> steve christie, plan b from tampa bay, looks for his fourth consecutive field goal. and has it.

so, with 2:31 left in this opening half, it's san francisco 17, buffalo 13. and it has been a very entertaining half of football. marv levy looking for more than 3. so, the san francisco 49ers and marv levy's buffalo bills -- a

little early to talk super bowl. that will be january in pasadena. but the team that has represented the afc, the bills, certainly one of the teams to beat on the afc side. and san francisco winning their last six after a disastrous 4-6

start. but the 6 losses were all by a touchdown or less. and many felt the 49ers, although they didn't make the playoffs last year, at the end of the season, were as good as anyone in the entire league. christie showing that leg power

denying a return. and amp lee will take the kneel-down, and the touchback at the 20. we still haven't seen a punt in this half, have we? no punts. here are the first-half possessions for the 49ers.

getting a chance to score and missing a short field goal -- 33. and then two touchdowns and the 3-pointer. and buffalo stopped once, on a kelly fumble. and they've gone field goal, touchdown, field goal since.

2:25, as young just 7 yards shy of 200 yards passing in this first half. that would have been for 200, as jamie williams, the tight end, couldn't quite reach out for "spider-man." ask him, "what do you call your other tight end here,

brent jones?" he said, "well, the way he reaches out, he's plastic man." maybe that was a jones pass. spider-man couldn't get it. >> steve young -- i had a chance to have a conversation with him in the off-season. he told me that the biggest

distraction he's had playing in san francisco is not joe montana, but just the fact that, every year, he's mentioned as part of a trade going somewhere else from >> watters in motion. and there's the open man. and now into the open,

mike sherrard! a footrace! 30. and out of bounds at the buffalo 24. another big play, san francisco. >> man, i'm telling you -- the big plays that this team has generated over the years -- you

see 31. jackson kind of drops coverage. the net result is -- sherrard is again wide open. i mean, we're not talking about people who are kind of open. they are wide open. and one of the attributes you always want for a quarterback is

to stand in there when you know you're gonna get hit. well, hansen lays a shot right on steve young. he's still able to get it off. >> and mike sherrard, 2 catches -- one for 39 yards, another for 56 yards. >> that last play all starts up

you can see what happens. when the receiver jumps inside, sherrard jumps in, james williams -- boy, there was no coverage in the middle whatsoever. and then, again, two buffalo defenders kind of knock each other off, and sherrard is able

to continue for yet another huge play for the 49ers. >> total yards between them -- over 500. 520, to be exact. san francisco -- a 300-yard here's watters. oh, he almost took it all the way.

to the 15-yard line. mark kelso was the last bill. >> dick, buffalo is now taking some defensive chances. that was a blitz. >> there's walt corey, the defensive coordinator, on his swizzle sticks. he says he's well-supplied.

got what? 10,000 of them in the mail this week. that will last him into the 24th century. >> second down, a long 1. this is henderson. and a first down at the 12, as keith henderson,

university of georgia product, rumbles for 3 1/2. phil hansen and darryl talley collaborated on the stop. and back comes tom rathman. henderson will go out. >> i think henderson runs that play just because he's got a little better speed than does

rathman more of the blocker than henderson, the ballcarrier in that situation. but that's the counter that was made so popular by the washington redskins. >> san francisco has two time-outs. not using one, so the clock

running. 48, 47 seconds left in the half. first down at the 12. the give to watters. tripped up. and he falls at the 8-yard line. looked to be jeff wright who reached out a big mitt -- nose tackle of the bills -- and made

and george seifert spends his second time-out. 36 seconds left in the half. 17-13, san francisco, as neither defense able to stop the charge from the opponents. and the 49ers endeavoring to claim the last word of this first half with a 4-point lead.

they have one time-out left. second down, 7, so buffalo has to figure young's gonna throw. and it's young. complete to rathman, but a gain of only 2, to the 6. well, they're gonna mark it at the 7-yard line. and the clock runs.

young trying to get his offense back in position. they don't want to spend their time-out here. third down and 5. to the end zone! touchdown, taylor! >> you're not supposed to be able to run a square-out, a

simple square-out, for a that's what taylor does. inside release. odomes lets him go. boy, i'm telling you -- this buffalo defense has not played the way it normally can. but that's a nice, tricky move. >> that's a veteran's move.

and he tailored that. he made it look like "i'm not going to get the ball" all the and young says, "there it is," a hummer. 80 yards in 7 plays. another fine drive led by steve young. cofer hits the extra point.

11 seconds left. and a flag is down. >> that's holding against the 49ers. odomes should not have bought that bit of salesmanship by taylor. >> he's a good salesman. >> yes, he is.

>> he worked for reggie jackson's chevy, selling cars one year. and now, perhaps enamored of those wheeled vehicles, he said his dream is to -- >> holding during the kick -- number 98 of the offense. 10 yards. we'll retry.

>> they'll have to retry the kick. his dream now -- taylor's -- is to become the nfl version of "the postman," karl malone. he wants his own 18-wheeler. you know, that sounds like a future show. you know, we'd get the pro stars

and their 18-wheelers. we got to come up with something. >> get john faratzis to produce >> the '90s version of "route 66"? is that what you're telling me? >> cofer able to hit that extra point from 10 yards farther

back. so, the score is 24-13. meanwhile, the san francisco offense -- they're gonna get bonus money. they've already picked up 325 yards in the first 30 minutes. averaging 9.6 yards a play, the

9.6 each play of this half. kelly and buffalo have moved it well, too, but niners almost unstoppable. brad lamb. to the 15 and that's all. marc logan made the tackle. >> now, dick, you mentioned the 325 yards of offense by

that's gonna wear out this buffalo bills defense by the kelly, i think, knows this defense of buffalo, last year, faced the most plays of any team and kelly, now, needs a big drive, and it's not gonna happen at the end of the first half. and he's gonna have to go in and

have to apologize to his defense a little bit here. but it's been thurman thomas for buffalo in this first half, hasn't it? >> well, they'll regroup. a terrific offensive show this first half, to the delight of the san francisco crowd at

thurman thomas was brilliant, but the 49ers -- team and offense -- builds a 24-13 lead at the intermission. 24-13, san francisco leads buffalo here at candlestick, as we open the second half. and buffalo will get the ball we go to the coors light

halftime statistics. there were 10 plays of 20 yards or more in that first half. that accounts for those large totals in total yards. 214 for the visitors from buffalo, and 328 yards for the we're on a 1,000-plus-yard pace, you know, the thing that

impresses me the most, i think, about the san francisco 49ers' yardage is -- they've been short completions and long runs. so, they're spreading the buffalo defense out all over the field. i mean, we've seen receivers from san francisco running

uncontested for 15 or 20 yards. i don't know what buffalo is trying to do with their defense. they're moving bruce smith all over the place, conlan outside, bennett inside. in the first half, it defeated itself. i mean, they accomplished

nothing with all these changes in defense. >> and that touchdown with just a few seconds left in the first half really put some pressure on buffalo to do something with this opening possession of the >> yeah, you're right. in the first half, it was all

i think they've got to find somebody else to be a more consistent contributor now. they can't rely on thurman thomas to do it the entire day. i mean, i wouldn't think they would. they got to get andre reed and

james lofton into the game plan here, dick. >> cofer kicks it off. second half under way here. 80-degree temperature in and too long for a return, as eddie fuller takes the touchback at the 20. give you an idea, again, of how

effective both offenses have been, look at the yards per buffalo -- 7.4 every play. and the 49ers -- 9.4 per play. and you know what? i haven't heard one cry, "we want bono." have you heard -- >> [ laughing ] no, no, no.

no, not at all. >> maybe marv levy would like to have bono in there, as young has been outstanding. now it's jim kelly and the no-huddle. buffalo number 1 in the national football league in rushing last year, but only

33 yards in the first half. they, like san francisco, had a lot of short passes turned into long runs -- thurman thomas in and it's thomas getting the call. and picks up 4 yards on the first play of the second half. ball pops out of there after the

>> dick, if there is such a thing as a critical drive for the buffalo bills in this game, i think it comes on this one. their defense had a rest, now, at halftime. a long, sustained drive here for buffalo would help their defense a great deal, kind of recatch

their breath, get used to what's going on. and i think jim kelly and his offense is well aware of that. >> lofton far out to the right. reed is in the slot. and the confusion. and will wolford pulled up off the line of scrimmage.

>> before the snap, false start -- number 69 on the 5 yards. still second down. >> only the second penalty of the game, first on buffalo. >> this is one of the dangers you have at running the offense at the line of scrimmage. if somebody misses the signal,

there's usually a standard snap count, unless there's an audible, and then the snap count changes. wolford didn't get a message, somehow. looked like they were about to run the counter there, dick. >> back to the 19-yard line.

second and 11. kelly over the middle to reed -- his favorite pattern. and reed has a first down at the 31-yard line. romanowski rides him down. andre reed -- 13 yards on the >> they, again, came with the formation -- thomas, 34, just

inside reed. this time, they run the underneath pattern by reed. he makes the catch. nice pickup. boy, that's worked, and worked consistently, for buffalo. >> reed, who had 81 catches last year to lead the bills.

thomas, some hard yards off the right side. to the 36, where he's tripped up by pierce holt. thomas, who said he was very busy in the off-season. that mvp award made him quite an attraction around the country. he has his mother and father

watching him here today. they flew in from houston. and his grandmother lives over in oakland. and so it's a little reunion for the thomas clan. >> got an injury out there. looks like it's whitmore, the safety.

looked like he was grabbing his leg there like it was cramping up on him a little bit. you know, it's hot out here in candlestick today. >> and whitmore, the former new york giant, helped off the a big hitter. meanwhile, jerry rice, who was

injured in the first quarter, continues to pace along the back of the san francisco bench, as he was k.o.'ed and fortunately not seriously, but they're not going to play him unless they're absolutely sure that he has full mental faculties. >> actually, that's when a guy

like george seifert earns his money as a head coach. you know jerry rice, with his reputation, with his competitive spirit, is going up to him, george seifert, probably three or four times, said, "i'm fine. i can play." seifert said, "get out of here.

shut up. don't talk to me anymore. you're not playing." >> well, they hardly have been wanting rice's talents, the way that sherrard and odessa turner have filled in. there's been plenty of offense. audible. second and 5.

buffalo at the 36. and some problems, but then thomas spins outside. and then out of bounds at the 47-yard line with a big gain. howard ballard made the block. >> dick, i asked him what this play was last night. remember, "15 s," he said?

they run the counter to him. he said, "i'm staring right there at the defensive end. i got to count on howard ballard or someone making a block on the outside guy." he gets johnson, 55. and a nice 11-yard pickup for >> gives him 43 yards rushing.

his bigger yardage has come pass-receiving. down the middle to metzelaars, the tight end! >> oh! >> he doesn't have a lot of speed! enough for the end zone?! yes! touchdown!

oh, that was dangerously close to a touchback for metzelaars on the goal line. as he's hit, he fumbles, but on the goal line. he had broken the plane. and the big guy -- 53 yards for the score. dana hall gets him at the 5.

metzelaars leaning forward. well, on the replay, they might have had that down at the 1-yard line. knees are down. >> he is 6'7". if metzelaars were 6'4", that's a fumble, and san francisco goes the other way.

>> well, it might have been ruled a fumble. his knees were down. they might have seen it that way, as well. but 53-yard score. metzelaars, who's not known for the long yardage, but he was so wide open and did put a good

move on the defensive back. that's his longest-career reception in his more than 100th. christie adds the extra point. so, buffalo does come out -- the offense delivers 7. it's a 4-point game. it's his longest-ever touchdown

catch or catch at all -- 53 yards. 24-20. and a high hopper. amp lee, the rookie. across the 20 to the 22-yard line, where kurt schulz makes still another tackle. and let's see metzelaars' catch

>> nothing fancy about this, he basically is, from the line of scrimmage, uncovered. now, i don't know what san francisco has in mind here, but totally uncovered. nice move there. the next point we make -- watch the official at the top of the

screen. he has a perfect viewpoint to determine whether or not metzelaars is breaking the plane of the goal line. he says "yes" without hesitation. 6 points count. no review. 11th play of 20 yards or more in

this game. now it's steve young. and breaks out of two tacklers's grasp. and cornelius bennett forces a fumble that goes out of bounds to san francisco. >> what a move. i mean, steve young avoids the

sack of two great sackers -- darryl talley and bruce smith. >> young, a great runner, and, for most coaches, to have a mobile quarterback -- and i know bill walsh salivated over the thought of having someone who could throw the ball so well and also could run the football.

and i think what they're talking about is that steve young might have batted that ball out of bounds. >> batting the ball -- number 8 of the offense. 10 yards. still first down. >> so, to avoid the fumble being recovered, he slapped it out of

let's see it. >> he slaps it out. that takes some athletic ability, with cornelius bennett hanging on you. but it's true. it's a good call by red cashion and his crew. see odomes, 37, strips it away.

he's able to get down there and get his hand on it. and it goes roll out of bounds. smart play. you take the 10 yards. you've still got possession. >> that might be a very sagacious minus-10 that had bills all around it.

>> wait a minute. i'm not letting you -- sagacious? >> a wise effort... >> ah! >> ...by steve young. >> yes. >> an academic all-america at byu.

13-yard line. young underneath to sherrard. breaks a tackle. out of bounds at the 26. and young hit by cornelius bennett, i believe, as he delivered that last one. bennett was on him. >> that former gte academic

all-american is on his backside at the end of this one. bennett does a good job of getting by rathman, 44. and is parked. but those byu cougars -- they're tough. again, an underneath pattern by sherrard taking the place of

they like to run those underneath ones and picks. >> pickup of 14 on the play, as sherrard now has 107 yards -- subbing for rice -- on just 3 catches. watters attracting three bills. gains only a yard. shane conlan, number 58, a key

man on the play. sherrard, whose mother was an olympian. they honored the northern california olympic stars through the years at halftime. his mother was in rome, in 19-- no, check that.

in melbourne, in '64. she was a hurdler. he says, "i get all my athletic talent from my mother, cherie." >> no telling how good a receiver this kid might have been had he not broken his leg twice in the same spot. forever slowed him down.

still got good speed, but not that blazing speed he used to have. >> in motion out of the backfield, sherrard. young gets away from bennett. >> look at this. >> all kinds of room. talley finally runs him out of

and they're looking for a flag, as talley hit him right on the i don't see one. >> looked to me like talley just backed off a little bit. there's canvas on the sideline. looked like steve young just tripped. >> 20-yard scramble.

>> again, confusion on the buffalo defense. henderson out there in front. young's saying, "come on. hit somebody. please, hit somebody." then, at the sideline, we'll see what happens. i think talley kind of takes it

easy on him. how about you? we can disagree. it's all right. >> well, that's a tough call. i'm glad i don't have to make them. the fans thought that talley could have laid off, didn't need to put his hands on him.

young has scrambled four times for 37 yards. first down at the san francisco 47. rathman to the buffalo 47, where mike lodish made the tackle. george seifert grew up -- was an usher, as a kid, at old kezar stadium.

cheered for the john brodies and leo nomellinis and hugh mcelhennys. and, you know, what a thrill for any man to be able to grow up dreaming of being an athlete, dreaming of the sport he loved, football, and now to be the head coach of the nfl franchise,

win a super bowl. seifert at 52. >> dreams do come true, don't they? >> mm-hmm. for the workers. rathman again. and conlan and others make the tackle at the 45. jamie williams and a

buffalo bill -- cornerback james williams -- in a little push and shove. the williams clan. "don't call me bill." >> mr. williams -- world-class i mean, i know that phrase is thrown around a lot in the nfl, but one of the game's fastest

people. in fact, he has supplanted darrell green when it comes to world-class speed in the nfl. >> played at fresno state, nearby. third and short. henderson hits a hole and fumbles the ball and may have

fumbled -- no. they say buffalo recovers. and a break for the bills. they take it away at the 40-yard line. >> geez. it looked like jamie williams, 81, had it. somehow, it bounced loose. and buffalo comes up with the

fumble recovery. >> bruce smith -- let's see if he didn't force the fumble. >> that's wallace, 74. smith inside, jumps inside. boy, pops the ball right out. that big, strong left arm. >> well, buffalo with a turnover, trailing, 24-20.

>> what up, mom? >> cornelius bennett and bruce smith, two all-pros collaborate on that turnover. smith punching the ball free from henderson, and cornelius falling on it at the 40 of you can't afford to lose the pumpkin in this game, because

possession means points. the defense unable to cope with either offense. thomas. oh, there's a good hit, as pierce holt charging into the ballcarrier, thomas. holt, who was the oldest rookie in the league when he was

drafted in '88, 26 years old. the well-told story of his, after high school, working various jobs -- construction, farm work -- and then went to angelo state. kelly, lots of time. and he finds beebe at the 45 of that's a first down.

>> everywhere you look, for both of these offenses, weapons. i mean, offensive weapons. beebe, on the outside, just a simple square-in. runs inside the underneath kelly has time. makes the catch. ball bobbled a little bit.

>> good pop by eric davis almost forced the fumble. this is andre reed. nearly 10 more yards. mike walter, number 99. dan hampton is not his hero. 99 worn by "the danimal." nice to see him in our new york studios and get his keen eye on

what he's seeing today. kelly on second and less than a yard. boy, he is -- is he open? he's got 11 more yards and a first down at the 25. is it this easy? >> no. but they're doing it out of formation.

there's thurman thomas inside reed. lofton outside. san francisco's going to the zone, and so all they're doing is running 5- and 6- and 7-yard hitches, and they're wide open. >> reed, who had only 2 catches against the rams, has 7 today.

here it is the triple left -- same three men. kelly looks it off. >> metzelaars! >> throws for the end zone! touchdown, metzelaars again! and buffalo, for the first time, has the lead. >> well, george seifert, the

head coach of the san francisco 49ers, is primarily a defensive guy. here's metzelaars. there's so much attention paid to the outside guys, metzelaars free down the middle to make the reception. this has happened many times to

this defense today. they just forget metzelaars. he even does a pirouette. >> 24 yards on the play. >> he does a 360, still gets it. >> christie adds the extra pete metzelaars -- two touchdowns today. and buffalo leads.

>> the 32-year-old veteran from wabash college. pete metzelaars with a career game -- 3 catches, 97 yards, 2 touchdowns. with keith mckeller injured, metzelaars the starting known more for his blocking than his pass catching.

some big plays in this second half, and buffalo leads, 27-24, quickly converting the fumble recovery and going 60 yards for the lead. christie hits it deep. out comes amp lee. and caught by an ankle, as steve tasker, the pro bowl

special teamer of the buffalo bills, makes the stop. >> dick, as we look at the touchdown, it's very telling, here, when you see what happens. from this formation, with thurman thomas out, look what these guys are doing. they're looking right at the

first indication -- zone. so they've decided, "against this formation, we're going total zone." they completely forget look at them all looking at the tim harris is the closest man in coverage, the elephant, 92. >> and, of course, that was that

triple-left formation, so all the receivers, other receivers were left, and kelly saw nothing metzelaars wide open. now it's steve young's turn. and he screens it, beautifully, to rathman. cornelius bennett -- there's a big-league tackle.

>> oh. whoa! that -- you don't coach that. i mean, he is inside the tackle, outside the guard. avoids both of them and stops rathman for... >> half-yard. >> ...a half-yard. but watch 97.

you'll see the whole thing go out of the picture. and 67 is foster. lookit -- boy, i'm telling you -- that is well-played. >> bennett, who missed most of the summer, a late signee with young under pressure. he hits taylor.

he's got great speed. and is all the way to the buffalo 47. and the big plays continue. 32 on that one. >> there is nothing to this pattern. james williams is the man in it's a hitch.

just a brilliant move by john taylor to the outside. and the speed -- kelso finally knocks him out of bounds. this is looking like the old american football league. [ laughs ] >> john taylor, who was an outstanding baseball player in

high school, in new jersey. his brother, keith, now has moved from indianapolis to new orleans. look at that. >> goodness gracious. >> over 700 yards, and we have 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

buffalo leading by 3. ricky watters to the almost, the way things are going, throw that one back in. that was only 6 yards. we're going for trophy. >> let's play that one over. >> absolutely. we want trophy plays here today.

ones you -- p.r. plays -- personal records, public relations. they write stories about them and make highlight films of >> watters, who had a 9-yard loss on one play and, yet, still comes out with 56 yards rushing so far today.

it's watters again. good blocking in front. he breaks a tackle. and, finally, carlton bailey wraps him up at the 36-yard line. that will be close to another there's bailey, who has taken over a

starting-inside-linebacker job. 54. >> a nice, little sweep here run by san francisco. and a huge block -- tom rathman on bruce smith. watters has great ability, there, to juke away -- watch 44 come out of the picture, come

back in the picture, on bruce smith. cuts him right at the legs, puts him on the ground. that will slow down a defense, that will give you some big plays. >> first down just outside the buffalo 35.

4:09 left in the third. buffalo leads, 27-24. >> confusion by buffalo here. too much time. >> well, young trying to change his play, and by the time his... >> 5 yards. still first down. >> ...backs were in position, delay of game, 5 yards.

a rare penalty. i don't think the officials have had time, with all these big plays, to call too much. >> arms are tired from sticking them in the air, signaling "touchdown." this is not one of his favorite kind of games, now.

>> no. his mind is defensively. he was the defensive coordinator under walsh, and that's his strength. no, this is -- even if san francisco wins, it's gonna be a tough week for that defense here in san francisco, because seifert is proud of that side of

the ball. wide open, jamie williams. carlton bailey -- a fumble. is it going to count? apparently. and it's picked up by nate odomes. nate odomes gets a block. 30. 40. out of bounds at the

>> boy, i see a lot of officials standing around, indicating nothing. >> well, apparently, that is ruled a fumble by williams and a return by odomes. >> upon further review... no, we can't say that anymore, can we?

he's got his choice -- sherrard, 88, williams, 81. ball is loose. no question about it. >> i tell you -- those officials know what they're doing. they don't need the instant replay. they can see it and call it.

>> upon further review, the play stands as called. buffalo ball. >> i got a job for you. >> that was bailey, big-fumble man in the afc championship game. took it in for the touchdown against denver.

that was the difference in buffalo -- not denver -- going to the super bowl. kelly off play-action. downfield to reed. was he juggling? >> whoa! >> no catch. he was juggling. and a good call at the 35 of

reed won't miss many of those. >> he did not catch it cleanly, and, of course, you have to have that second foot down. one, two... that's a good call. didn't get the second foot down. hanks was the man in coverage. that formation has worked well

for the buffalo bills. as he leaves. looks like he may have hurt something here. >> reed with 7 catches today. against san francisco a couple of years ago, he had 10 catches. lofton -- he was hit before the ball arrived.

and there's the flag. a late flag, but a proper call. griffin was there too soon. >> thought he got away with it. he was clapping his hands. there's reed on the sideline. he did take himself out. tell you what -- usually, when you squeeze your hand like

that -- >> pass interference -- number 29 on the defense. >> [ as cashion ] "first down!" lofton on the inside. there, you see griffin. and we see the contact? yeah. puts his arm around him.

late flag, but i think that's a good call. >> so, it's a first down at the 49 of san francisco. not much there. those quick feet at work. larry roberts, 91, made the roberts from alabama, part of that tremendous draft --

san francisco in 1986. steve tasker has come in at wide receiver for andre reed. tasker without a catch this year, but kelly told us, earlier this summer, that he runs as fine of routes as anyone. kelly pump-faking. >> oh, he just refuses to slide

he wants the challenge and, as you said, plays this game with linebacker mentality. he's just inside the 40. >> that same formation again, where they had thomas flanked out. he was trying to get the ball to tasker, 89, can't.

watch this nice, little move. whoop! eric davis goes to the ground. jim kelly jumps over him. >> did you see little tasker throw his body into larry roberts, a man almost 100 pounds heavier? good block.

third and a yard. andre reed -- apparently, they're taping his fingers, and he will be back. >> i'll tell you why they went in the huddle on that last play. >> rob awalt, the new tight end. and they stack up thomas! and he may have fumbled.

>> looked like it was loose. >> he didn't make the first did he fumble the ball? check that. kenneth davis, not thomas, on the short yardage. they used thomas against the rams down on the goal line. rare for buffalo.

and thomas kind of liked it last but davis is the short-yardage man. and the 49ers think they have red cashion -- no signal yet. >> you just saw buffalo go back in the huddle there. the reason they did it is -- mitch frerotte checked in as an

extra offensive lineman. whoa! 49ers' ball. nothing fancy, just straight ahead. walter, 99, knocks the ball loose. and then i don't know. in some of those pile-ups like that, dick -- we got buffalo and

san francisco playing here -- a guy from green bay may come up with the football. you don't know. >> first down, san francisco. the fumble recovered by dennis brown. ricky watters through a hole. has 10, has 15 yards.

to the 45 of buffalo. henry jones made the tackle. >> dick, that san francisco offense -- that offensive line has done an extraordinary job today. you can watch right here and see the double-team by harris barton, 79, great lead

block by rathman on 58, conlan. and ricky watters is up through there so quick. watch 44 on the lead block. the next time he does it. >> and watters ripping off 15 yards. rathman and watters behind and it is phil hansen wrapping

up steve young, with an assist from bruce smith. hansen with the first sack of >> hansen blew right by roy foster, 67. just an outside rush. went right around roy foster. here's foster. he comes right out here.

very, very quick move by hansen, gets to the quarterback. good swim move, defensive linemen call that. >> back at the 46 of a 10-yard loss. hansen gaining nearly 20 pounds this year from his rookie out of north dakota state.

>> young with lodish all over tried to dump it off to keith henderson. this time, it was lodish, in the middle, getting to the quarterback, 73. >> about all you could see out of that pile was the top of steve young's arm, just enough,

from the elbow to the hand, to get the ball off. it looks like, now, buffalo is establishing a little bit better control of the defensive line of scrimmage, getting some pass rush, and walt corey has settled down his defense. they're staying where they

normally are -- smith on the far side, cornelius bennett on the near side. >> third down and 20, as kurt schulz, an extra defensive back, in. john taylor left, odessa turner and mike sherrard to the right. young down the middle!

and wide open is taylor. taylor breaking tackles! he'll go all the way for a no fumble. he had crossed the goal line. 54 yards. san francisco reclaims the lead. >> just a straight dropback. henry jones, 20, misses the

and on a guy like john taylor, on a team like san francisco, that's death. when you hit them, they've got to go down. >> whoo! >> taylor's second touchdown of remember, he caught that pass -- kind of limp-legged into the end

zone as if he wasn't the receiver with just 10 seconds left in the first half. extra-point try by cofer. and san francisco jumps into a 4-point lead, 31-27. how many times have we seen taylor break tackles and do just this?

>> odomes is the man in look -- he's just sauntering down there again, becomes the receiver. jones has a square shot at him. but john taylor, who is a big, strong wide receiver -- most of the receivers you find in the nfl nowadays getting smaller and

smaller, but not these 49er receivers. kelso punches the ball out of taylor's arm, but he had crossed >> this crowd on its feet in the final seconds of the [ crowd cheering ] >> i don't know that i've ever witnessed a game with so many

big plays. >> it's been a sensational treat for these fans, who happily applaud john taylor giving san francisco the lead by 4. 6 seconds left in this steve young now, the other end of the passing heroics, is 20 for 27, 370 yards, and

3 touchdowns. >> goodness. >> took them a minute and a half to go 60 yards in 4 plays after the fumble by kenneth davis. >> quarterback controversy, you say? who should start here? >> very short, this kick.

and one of the linemen are gonna have to -- no, they duck out of the way. and it's eddie fuller to the and that is the end of a busy >> 31-27. >> when taylor makes his cut, you see jones come over to make the tackle, but schulz, here,

falls down, and that's why they can't make the tackle. and john taylor just continues into the end zone. jones should make this tackle, but then he drips over schulz. and it's a footrace between mark kelso and john taylor, and john taylor's gonna win all

those races. >> 54 yards. thurman thomas slamming up the middle. he's over 140 total yards today, rushing and receiving. bill romanowski makes the stop at the 38-yard line. a pickup of almost 9.

now kenneth davis, who fumbled when the bills, with the lead, had the ball at the and davis going over the top this time. has the first down at the 41. davis has been a terrific backup to thurman thomas. chipped in with a solid

624 yards rushing last season. big crowd. candlestick holds over 66,000. [ chuckles ] over 800 yards of offense, and we've just started the fourth period. dick enberg with bob trumpy. well, if this is a preview of

what might be the super bowl in pasadena in january, we're in for a treat all year long. nothing there for kenneth davis, as thurman thomas on the >> yeah, he walked over to the trainer. with his catches, with his yards, with his carries,

probably a little fatigued more than anything else. looks fine. gonna give kenneth davis a couple of reps here. >> no gain on first down. kelly to the sidelines. and lofton well-covered by >> ooh, that was that little

left hand by the defensive back on the receiver. the experienced defensive backs know how to use it. watch right at the cut, when lofton breaks out. eh, not too much contact there. just enough to maybe knock somebody off-balance.

here comes thurman thomas back in the game. that's a great matchup, though -- griffin and lofton. >> third and 10. and the crowd trying to help the lofton. and he hangs on to it, despite being drilled at the

39-yard line by dana hall, the rookie. 20 more yards. and it's hall that doesn't get up. >> what did he tell us yesterday when we were talking to him? he said, "i'm not one of those big, ferocious hitters."

he said, "i was a cornerback at washington and i did a lot of blitzing, but i didn't do a lot of hitting. i'm not one of those big, hammer guys." ooh. >> well, that was a steve atwater-type hit.

>> those are the scariest kind of collisions, when he's going square at him. those are the ones that scare me to death. you remember fuller, the safety that played here? >> did that game. yes. it was played at stanford.

and fuller -- early in the game against new england, and he still has some slight paralysis in one arm. >> well, dana hall is moving his arms, but that's a frightening sight when you see that kind of collision, when the helmet is square on the receiver.

>> you know, it's no time for an essay, but, you know, the helmets, in many ways, have created some injuries, as well as protecting, too, 'cause the helmet has become a weapon, even for the man hitting. welcome back. dana hall went off under his own

power. thane gash has replaced him. it's first down for kelly and rolling away from pressure. throwing deep for thomas! just missing, as romanowski -- boy, is he gonna sleep well tonight. >> they've run him all over

he knows every inch of this peninsula. >> i don't know how quickly you can pray -- "please overthrow him." but romanowski is getting -- he's saying something right -- "no, no. please. no, no. please.

thank you. thank you." >> romanowski, who has good speed and speed that can cover a back, but thurman thomas is something different going on a pattern like that. second and 10. it's kenneth davis to the ted washington made the tackle.

...blow to the head -- that one self-inflicted. third and 7. kelly, who has passed for over 20,000 yards in his career. gets some more. it's reed out of bounds. first down at the 22. >> oh, that's worked so well.

merton hanks, the man in coverage -- when you can figure out what offensive formation puts the defense in man-to-man coverage, then you can turn a guy like andre reed loose. and he's gonna run those square-outs and make yardage against most defensive backs in

this league. >> kenneth davis in the backfield. he gets the call. has the speed to get away from thane gash. bumped out of bounds at the 17. a gain of 5. don griffin with the tackle.

and they're approaching, the two teams, 900 yards in this game, and we have over 12 minutes left. san francisco 31, buffalo 27. >> the nfl wishes they would have a super bowl that would be like this, you know? >> we all do.

davis still the running back. both lofton and reed to the and it was metzelaars that kelly tried to find, with pressure coming from john johnson, number 55. >> outside-linebacker blitz. >> johnson, who intercepted against the giants, a 56-yard

touchdown last sunday. >> you can see johnson begin the blitz. there should be a hot receiver for jim kelly to go to, but no one was looking. here's thurman thomas back in the ballgame now. watch for him here.

see who covers him. >> beebe left, reed and lofton thomas in the backfield. and it's intercepted! merton hanks at the 16-yard line! hanks' first-career interception, denying buffalo a possible lead.

>> jim kelly shows where this is going. see, when they ran thurman thomas out there in the flat a little bit, he was supposed to draw merton hanks out there, along with the hanks didn't go. and, suddenly, he's right in the

throwing lane for kelly to reed didn't make a particularly good break on that. he didn't turn around and come back for the football. >> well, part of that was -- he was looking for the first-down yardage. >> yes, he was.

>> if he came back, then he would have been out of the first-down range. so, from the 11-yard line, san francisco takes over. we still have not seen a punt by either team today. the only time the offense stopped -- by a turnover,

fumble, interception. mike sherrard. to the 30. another first down and plenty of distance from the san francisco goal line. 18 yards on the play. >> dick, if we go back to the interception, thurman thomas

comes out here. he's supposed to draw this guy and this guy. reed runs a square-in. but merton hanks doesn't really -- he doesn't bite. see, there's a little space and if reed comes back hard for the ball, i think he makes the

but a heads-up play by hanks gives the 49ers the ball back. and george seifert likes the effort. >> there's hanks, who played at iowa. so did his wife. she was a star basketball player with the hawkeyes.

short gain. and darryl talley made the stop. hanks and the defense. converting turnovers, each team has scored on a fumble turnover. and san francisco has two touchdowns off their two fumbles. second and 8.

>> i think san francisco would be wise here -- let's see a little bit of watters here. run the ball a little bit. >> nope. coming in to throw. and it's watters running, but with the reception. and he's out of bounds at the darryl talley the defender.

watters, who said, last week against the giants, a lot of the giants defenders telling him, "hey, rookie, don't come in my area, if you're smart." and, so, he said, "i had to let them know that i wasn't afraid." and talley probably giving him some veteran lecture, as well.

>> every rookie has to go through that. i mean, that's part of the price you pay coming into the league. watters has made a terrific debut. >> that's a compliment when those veterans do talk to you. >> sure. i mean, the guys who

don't do anything -- look at >> 8 yards from 500 for the 49ers, but they need, more simply, 5 here for a first down. good protection. >> taylor. >> and it's a first down to taylor at the 48. san francisco -- over 500 yards

of offense. talley made the tackle. >> again, john taylor kind of floats up the field. he doesn't really accelerate gets inside jones, inside 47, kirby jackson, and just finds the dead spot. young finds him open.

another first down. >> john taylor, who had over 1,000 yards receiving last year, along with jerry rice. he had nine touchdown catches. rice had 14. here's rathman. and the big fullback to the 46-yard line.

all right, bob. and pittsburgh, with their new coach, bill cowher, surprising houston last week. well, now a solid game against the jets today. second down, san francisco. and watters pinned and dropped for a yard loss with 8:23 left

in the fourth quarter, and san francisco, a 4-point lead in this offensive fest in candlestick park. cornelius bennett with the defensive play to bring up third and 6. candlestick got its name -- it was a contest when they first

opened the stadium, back '59, '60, in the early '60s. named after a bird, candlestick, that inhabits the area. not safe for any birds here young -- 23 for 30 and 405 yards passing. fumbles the snap, picks it up, and has a first down.

wait a minute here. what is going on? >> isn't the guard supposed to pick that up and run with it? >> yeah, that's the fumblerooski. >> quick reaction by young. just scoops it up. >> perfect bounce on the

football, too -- on the point, comes back right to him. jones makes the tackle. seifert's saying -- or mike shanahan, maybe, "let's put this play in." "no, i don't think so." good hands. i mean, very flexible athlete.

keeps the drive alive. home-field advantage, home-field bounce. >> rushed for 46 yards and passed for 405 yards. first down at the 39. intercepted! that one intended for mike sherrard, and stepping in

front, i believe, was and odomes, who had two picks last week against the rams, makes a big play here, just as merton hanks, of 49ers, denied buffalo at the other end. >> and, you know, it was very similar in the way the ball was thrown.

this is not thrown right at the thrown behind him a little bit. if sherrard comes back for the football, san francisco has it. >> nate odomes, who led the bills last year with 5, has 3 already in the first two games of this season. that one stopped the 49er drive

at the buffalo 28. >> here's this formation again >> underneath. and it's andre reed to the 34-yard line. jim kelly's 18th completion of he's 18 for 28 for 358 yards. well, so many big numbers today, "slingshot" schneiderman, our

statistician -- he just quit. he said he's run out of pencils. so we're on our own. reed with 9 catches, 133 yards. out close to a first down. >> dick, this is the point in the football game now -- excuse me. this is the point in a football

game where offensive coordinators kind of think back on what's worked, formation-wise, motion-wise. and you're down by 4 points here on the road. buffalo is now trying to inventory what worked, when, and where.

and at this point, with 6:10 to go, they want to go to that stuff that's got a star, a double star, a triple star that's worked today. that's tom bresnahan on the sideline. >> well, what could be better for buffalo than when they put

thomas out with both wide receivers on one side? that seems to work. >> it's worked every time. but the coaches are thinking that, but the only guy in this stadium -- there's mike shanahan, the offensive coordinator of san francisco.

jim kelly calls the plays on this football team. so kelly's trying to put in his mind, trying to remember, "how'd that formation work? what coverage did we get here?" this is where the value of jim kelly's experience pays off. >> both quarterbacks --

3 touchdowns, 1 interception. thurman thomas out to the 41-yard line on the first-down carry. ted washington trips him up. gain of about 3. well, we talk about the defenses unable to stop the offenses, but, boy, these are two teams,

in the nfl, with such premier players at the skill positions. >> and with ricky watters emerging -- really looks to be a top-notch runner -- the 49ers have their version of a and there's metzelaars. what a day for this big guy, as he has another catch.

he has two touchdowns today. and that one's good for 16 yards. antonio goss made the tackle. >> that puts him over 100 yards. 4 catches, 113 yards. a simple out pattern. and goss, who is the coverage linebacker, can't keep up with

well, everywhere that kelly's looked, he has found bills open. >> career game for metzelaars. thurman thomas behind big ballard. and he's to the 36-yard line. a gain of 5, almost 6. metzelaars' biggest game -- just checking on his books --

7 catches against tampa bay, six years ago, for 113 yards. so he has matched his career best in yardage. on second and 4. now he throws for lofton. and good coverage in a tough spot for eric davis to stay with a man that long.

>> lofton did the right thing, though. you saw kelly -- now watch what happens. but when kelly shows -- flushes to the pocket, this side -- up get out of his way. he's gonna throw it to you. thurman thomas should have been

running to the sideline to make himself a target for the >> lofton, who set the all-time yardage mark in receptions last here's that triple formation, with thomas out to the left, on third and 4. and they go the other way. and it is to lofton for a first

down at the 28-yard line. 27, they'll call it. lofton, who dropped a pass that would have been a touchdown in the first half. >> let's see. it's single coverage. it's davis on lofton. and there's nobody else out

lofton is the lone receiver on this side of the field. you can see the confidence that kelly has in lofton. he drops one, bam. >> 36 years old and still with the speed and the moves. he really does have an athletic body 10 years younger than his

age, as thurman thomas inside the 25-yard line, down to about the 22. both sides showing the wear and tear of this incredible offensive track meet. >> yeah. hands on hips, i think, is the first indicator of players on the field -- when

they're standing there, hands on hips, trying to grab a fresh breath of air. >> field goal won't do it for with less than 4 minutes to go, they trail 31-27. this is a second and 6. seems to be some confusion. yep.

>> whoops. >> flags are down. and kelly is mauled. johnny johnson got him. flags are down. they may not call that a play. we'll see whether that's ruled backfield in motion or illegal motion.

>> that's the only thing that could help them. play doesn't count. >> it looked as if that might be the play where they snap it directly to thomas. but you could see the confusion, as thomas and kelly were talking before the snap.

>> illegal motion in the backfield of the offense. that penalty is declined. third down. >> and you can see what happens thurman thomas moves before the ball is snapped, and that's what really messes the whole thing it was an audible.

jim kelly tried to get the message. it did look like it was gonna be the snap to thurman thomas. >> and that's not -- they have to either take the play or the penalty. the penalty doesn't deny the underneath to reed.

with running room. but he doesn't get to the yardstick. he's stopped at the looked as if he might have room inside, but eric davis made another solid open-field tackle to deny the first down. so, fourth down comes up.

and a time-out called by buffalo with 3:37 left. it'll be a fairly long field-goal try, but that would only get them within 1. decision time. marv levy, 64-year-old headman of the buffalo bills, has made his decision on fourth and 4.

they're going for it. 3:37 left in a 1,000-yard offensive show at candlestick. can the bills make 4 and maintain position? >> blitz. >> to the sidelines. and he's got it at the 11. >> you know, i'm not so sure

they didn't choose lofton because he's out there in the skinned infield. did you see the defensive back lose his footing? this is just a hitch by james lofton. but griffin -- when lofton stopped, griffin lost his

footing. >> that was not an easy throw for kelly. he had to throw right through a defender in his face. >> 31-27, san francisco. thurman thomas breaks free! touchdown! thurman thomas scoring from

11 yards out. and buffalo has the lead, 33-31. >> dick, san francisco took a big chance. they had a double safety blitz. a double safety blitz. >> and thomas scores his second 6 touchdowns already this year for the sensation out of

oklahoma state. buffalo leads by a field goal with 3:04 remaining. >> dick, on this touchdown, i can't believe that this is the way this defense is designed, 'cause watch these two guys. and as soon as he bounces outside, there's nobody there to

touch him. i can't believe that both safeties are designed to blitz, because when they do, past the line of scrimmage, there was no one left to make the tackle. eric griffin, 25, gets an arm on but somebody was supposed to stay back there.

>> marv levy, in his best coe college and harvard university accent, firing up his troops on the far side. and thurman thomas -- he'll fire you up with his numbers. he, in two games, has already -- total yards from scrimmage --

over 300 yards. he has 179 total today and 85 rushing, 94 receiving. what a player. 73 yards in 12 plays for the bills, after the interception by and buffalo leads, 34-31. the old clichã© -- whoever has the ball last might win.

that really has its mark written on this one, doesn't it. you are absolutely correct. >> now it's christie to kick he's put most of his kicks in the end zone. the wind blows it off the tee. here's the fourth-and-4 play. >> now watch what happens.

here's lofton on the pattern. and you can see the defensive he loses his footing right there on the skinned portion. and, see, when his foot hits, that's all lofton needs to make a clean break and the reception to keep the drive alive. >> low, skidding kick by

christie that bounces -- ooh! -- just into the end zone. and, there, downed by marc logan. well, let's hope there's more excitement of this sort next sunday. "nfl live" at 12:30. the big game -- denver at

philadelphia, early. cincinnati-green bay, kansas city-houston, seattle-new england, and raiders-cleveland won't be at the coliseum. it'll be interesting there as to what raider changes might be made.

>> or how well bernie kosar's gonna do against the pass rush of the los angeles raiders? the raiders 0-2. they might be a little angry next week. >> cleveland with a date tomorrow night against miami on the monday night affair.

80 yards away from a touchdown, but a field goal would tie for young and the 49ers. the toss complete. sherrard. >> bodies flying all over the place here, dick. >> nate odomes the defender. >> on the rollout, steve young

one of the best quarterbacks in the league at throwing the ball. sherrard makes the catch. i think the officials will say he would have been pushed out of bounds, although they are conferring. ball gets loose. bodies flying all over the

place. red cashion, i think, is gonna clear all this up for us, thankfully. >> the play is 21 yards, if it stands. only the 17th time today we've had a play of 20 yards or more. >> catch is gonna count, dick.

>> we welcome those of you who have seen the los angeles rams shut out the new england patriots, 14-0. and for you especially, patriot fans, wondering where all the action is -- right here. buffalo 34, san francisco 31. we've had a game that has

featured one big play after another. and with just 2:15 left, san francisco, trailing by 3, has the ball out to the 49-yard line, in san francisco territory. between them, the two teams have rushed and passed for nearly

1,100 yards. 49ers down by 3. batted down, as young's pass fly-swatted by and that takes us to the 2-minute warning. 1:58 left. a game to remember for the 64,053 here at candlestick park.

34-31. there's the time-out situation. the 49ers have all three left. the total yards within 71 yards of the all-time nfl record, set in 1950, when the rams played the new york yankees and 1,133 yards were gained. we have 1,062 yards of offense,

and they're still going with san francisco's young tries a sneak and doesn't make the why start with that play? >> jeff wright stuffed it, the and with 1:47 left, time-out by that will bring up fourth down and 1, almost 1 1/2. >> a game in which neither team

has been forced to punt. the only time a club has been stopped, fumble or interceptions. fourth and 1. young -- he'll run for it. and he's got it at the buffalo there's the value of a man who is so skilled afoot,

his 50th yard rushing today gets a first down. >> he has running-back speed, and i think even though he takes this ball out like he may throw, it was run all the way. >> bruce smith, 78, closest man in pursuit. i'm glad they got that first

it would be a grave injustice they have all these yards, and the game determined on a missed quarterback sneak. >> 50 yards rushing, 426 yards passing for young. at the 47. the 49ers get a -- >> flag.

>> bruce smith offsides. and he's saying, "i was drawn just look over there at that man trying to block me -- 74, steve wallace." what does red cashion say? >> i think that's the closest that bruce smith has been to steve young today.

>> offsides on the defense. >> now let's see what wallace and smith were doing. >> wallace, 74, was certainly up to the task against bruce smith. yeah, wallace did move. but bruce smith -- >> yeah, couple of little... >> yeah, you can see that.

>> ...little bobs. wallace, who has done a great job against smith all day. seen the oilers beat the colts in indianapolis, 20-10. and what a game in candlestick park of record-setting offensive proportions.

1:42 left. 49ers with the ball at the buffalo 42. nearly 1,100 yards in yardage. and there's more. another big play to mike sherrard, who's subbing for the injured jerry rice. rice suffered a mild concussion

in the first quarter, did not return. first down at the 30. 6 catches for sherrard, 164 yards. san francisco with two time-outs plenty of time for young. tackled, but a flag is down. matt darby, a rookie from ucla,

made the stop. a flag is down in the backfield holding against the niners. the way the game has gone. san francisco 7-0. a field goal for the bills. then it was 14-3, san francisco. kelly brought them back. >> holding -- number 74 on the

still first down. >> steve wallace trying to stop >> you can see that the hand movement and the arm around the waist of bruce smith. and that's why the flag is continue with the story, dick. >> well, the score was 24-13 at the half, san francisco.

and then the bills took the lead for the first time in the third quarter on back-to-back pete metzelaars, the tight end, a couple of big plays and touchdowns for marv levy's team. and san francisco, on john taylor's second touchdown reception went ahead, 31-27.

and then a thurman thomas run of 11 yards has given buffalo the lead, 34-31. rathman in the flat. bumped out of bounds by darby at the 29-yard line, but it stops the clock with 1:08 left. each team with two time-outs. >> in this situation, you see

steve young looking to the sideline, getting the signals -- not from george seifert. they come from mike shanahan, upstairs, to an assistant coach, brian pariani. but there is a sequence that you practice. there is an automatic play here.

that's one. and he'll call two plays in the huddle. >> 598 total yards of offense for san francisco. second and 9. and they're going for the big intended for sherrard. it was james williams on the

good pump fake by young. >> yeah, the crossing patterns have worked very well for san francisco all day today. looks like the buffalo bills are using that matchup zone that you're now hearing about in the nfl, where as a receiver comes across your area, you take him

and let him go to the next guy. >> right now, a field-goal try would be 46 yards. cofer is 1 for 2. he missed from 33. third down and 9. >> zone. >> and the quick pass to rathman thrown a little low, and rathman

unable to pull it in, as jeff wright had foiled the 49er plan. and here comes cofer and the 49er field-goal unit to try a tough 46-yarder. he missed from 33 yards on the first scoring chance the first possession of the game for

san francisco and then he made good on a short field goal, but it hit the upright and glanced so he's hardly been steady. 47 yards, it appears, is where bono will kneel. this to tie. and buffalo celebrates on the far side, as cofer misses wide

>> cofer has not had a good day, as you just said, dick. hit the upright once. hit another one wide. this one, too, wide right. just didn't follow through. had plenty of distance. >> and, so, buffalo with 54 seconds left.

george seifert's body language doesn't help. it remains 34-31. cofer an off year last year, was 14 for 28. that was the fewest field goals in the national football league, 14. and he's 1 for 3 today.

he was 1 for 2 in the opener, at new york. so, kickers get in those slumps, and, boy -- >> this is almost cruel, but buffalo changed kickers for exactly things like that. >> scott norwood being replaced by steve christie.

christie coming from tampa bay on plan b, and he's been a perfect 4 for 4. so that, then, becomes the difference in the game. >> yes, it does. bruce smith have had big defensive games -- bennett particularly.

and cofer -- those are tough to take home with you. missing from 33 and 47 yards. time-out with 45 seconds left, as san francisco hoping for a big defensive play. next week, it's the bills, returning home, against the colts, and san francisco goes

back to new york, against the jets. and here's our lineup on the nfl on nbc. denver-philadelphia -- a big game, an early game cincinnati, 2-0, against the packers. kansas city has won their first

two games. houston 1-1. seattle looks for its first win, as does new england. and, in the late games, cleveland -- they'll play tomorrow night against miami. and the raiders are 0-2. pittsburgh goes against

san diego. well, this had all the talk of an early line on the two teams that could make it to pasadena and the super bowl. neither team had to punt once. that shows you how effective the offenses were. 34-31. nearly 1,100 yards and

exactly 1,087 yards in offense. and in the record book, that would place it tied for third all time. the rams and yanks, in '50, had the record -- 1,133. san diego-cincinnati -- 1,102. and this one's the third-most yards ever in an nfl game.

jim kelly with a kneel-down. and san francisco spends its final time-out. that gives us a chance to thank those who provided the pictures and the sounds of this delightful game, if you're a fan of football. executive producer --

terry o'neil. our coordinating producer -- john faratzis. even marv levy waving to him. directed by john gonzalez. associate director -- al szymanski. our production associate -- ed feibischoff.

steve mckeown, tim dekime, mitch geller, all the men and women -- our special thanks. jim lynch, bob coffee, matt grebin, ron lent, john niall, ross schneiderman in the booth. and, of course, with these losses by kelly to run out the

game, it will be the fourth-most yards in nfl history. this to get to that statistic correctly, as you look at the rest of our friends on nbc. the buffalo bills go home with a very important win. 34, as in thurman thomas, san francisco 31.

>> what's up, baby? what's up, man?

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