December 11, 1989 – Joe Montana and John Taylor hit it big for the San Francisco 49ers

December 11, 1989: Joe Montana and John Taylor stand out on Monday Night Football

Monday Night Football is one of the biggest venues for professional sports. The eyes of the American sports watching public and, in some cases, soccer fans around the world, are fixed on the two teams that will meet on Monday night. This seems to have always been the case, and was definitely the case on December 11, 1989.

The San Francisco 49ers were 11-2 and on the road in Anaheim to take on the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams. This was right in the heart of the dominant 49ers teams that featured Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Jerry Rice, and the rest of the greats of the day. On this night, while it wasn’t Jerry Rice who would be headlining, it was his counterpart, who usually lined up on the other side of the formation, wide receiver John Taylor.

Joe Montana had one of the best performances of his career, completing 30 of 42 passes for 458 yards and three interceptions. John Taylor, a great receiver in his own right but often overshadowed by the rich talent on this great team, would have the best night of his career. He caught a 92-yard TD pass in the second quarter and then added a 95-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. He would finish the night with 11 receptions for 286 yards and two touchdowns.

The 49ers trailed 17-0 early in the game and then trailed 24-10 by the end of the third quarter. Montana, Taylor, Rice, Craig, and Brent Jones would rally the team in the fourth quarter and win by a final score of 30-27. The 49ers of the late 1980s were truly something else to watch and they and the Rams made this one of the most exciting Monday Night Football matchups ever.