The 1971 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 26th overall. The 49ers appeared in the NFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. The team moved into a new home, eleven-year-old Candlestick Park, which they shared with the baseball Giants.
After winning two of their first three games on the road, the 49ers lost their first game at Candlestick Park to the Los Angeles Rams 20–13. The 49ers rebounded and successfully defended their NFC West title by posting a 9–5 record. For a second year in a row, the 49ers’ season ended in disappointment with a 14–3 loss in the NFC Championship Game to the Dallas Cowboys, this time on the road.
Offseason
Personnel Staff / Coaches
Roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 8 Cleveland Browns W 38–24 1–0 Candlestick Park 40,000 2 at Miami Dolphins T 17–17 1–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 57,008 3 August 22 San Diego Chargers W 28–17 2–0–1 Candlestick Park 40,000 4 vs. Denver Broncos W 33–17 3–0–1 Joe Albi Stadium 33,184 5 at Oakland Raiders L 28–34 3–1–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,696 6 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–23 3–2–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 55,607
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 19 at Atlanta Falcons L 17–20 0–1 Atlanta Stadium 56,990 2 September 26 at New Orleans Saints W 38–20 1–1 Tulane Stadium 81,595 3 October 3 at Philadelphia Eagles W 31–3 2–1 Veterans Stadium 65,358 4 October 10 Los Angeles Rams L 13–20 2–2 Candlestick Park 44,000 5 October 17 Chicago Bears W 13–0 3–2 Candlestick Park 44,000 6 October 24 at St. Louis Cardinals W 26–14 4–2 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,419 7 October 31 New England Patriots W 27–10 5–2 Candlestick Park 45,092 8 November 7 at Minnesota Vikings W 13–9 6–2 Metropolitan Stadium 49,784 9 November 14 New Orleans Saints L 20–26 6–3 Candlestick Park 45,138 10 November 21 at Los Angeles Rams L 6–17 6–4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 80,050 11 November 28 at New York Jets W 24–21 7–4 Shea Stadium 63,936 12 Kansas City Chiefs L 17–26 7–5 Candlestick Park 45,306 13 December 12 Atlanta Falcons W 24–3 8–5 Candlestick Park 44,582 14 December 19 Detroit Lions W 31–27 9–5 Candlestick Park 45,580 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Postseason
Schedule Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Divisional December 26 Washington Redskins W 24–20 1–0 Candlestick Park 45,327 NFC Championship January 2, 1972 at Dallas Cowboys L 3–14 1–1 Texas Stadium 63,409
Game summaries NFC Championship: vs. Dallas Cowboys
References
External links 1971 49ers on Pro Football Reference 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com