The 1995 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 50th overall.
Fresh from their victory in the Super Bowl the previous season, the 49ers lost cornerback Deion Sanders to Dallas and running back Ricky Watters to Philadelphia. Despite a mediocre 5–4 start, the 49ers went 11–5 and for the fourth straight time, they repeated as NFC West champions. The 49ers finished the season as the league's top scoring offense, averaging 28.6 points per game. They also finished number one in total defense, surrendering just 275 yards per game, along with being the top rushing defense and finishing second in points allowed. However, a stunning 27–17 loss to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs stripped the 49ers of their title defense and ended their season. This would be the first of three consecutive seasons that the Packers beat the 49ers in the playoffs. From 1990 to 2000, the 1995 49ers were the only NFC team to lose a divisional-round playoff game following a first-round bye.
Jerry Rice caught a career-high 122 receptions along with 1,848 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns.
It was also the final season the 49ers wore their Super Bowl era uniforms. After the season, Rickey Jackson retired.
Offseason
NFL draft
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 July 29 at Denver Broncos L 7–9 0–1 Mile High Stadium 2 August 6 vs. Denver Broncos L 10–24 0–2 Tokyo Dome 3 August 13 at San Diego Chargers W 17–6 1–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 4 August 19 Carolina Panthers W 17–10 2–2 Candlestick Park 5 August 26 Seattle Seahawks W 17–7 3–2 Candlestick Park
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 3 at New Orleans Saints W 24–22 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 66,627 2 September 10 Atlanta Falcons W 41–10 2–0 3Com Park 63,627 3 September 17 New England Patriots W 28–3 3–0 3Com Park 66,179 4 at Detroit Lions L 24–27 3–1 Pontiac Silverdome 76,236 5 October 1 New York Giants W 20–6 4–1 3Com Park 65,536 6Bye 7 October 15 at Indianapolis Colts L 17–18 4–2 RCA Dome 60,273 8 October 22 at St. Louis Rams W 44–10 5–2 Busch Memorial Stadium 59,915 9 October 29 New Orleans Saints L 7–11 5–3 3Com Park 65,272 10 November 5 Carolina Panthers L 7–13 5–4 3Com Park 61,722 11 November 12 at Dallas Cowboys W 38–20 6–4 Texas Stadium 65,180 12 at Miami Dolphins W 44–20 7–4 Joe Robbie Stadium 73,080 13 November 26 St. Louis Rams W 41–13 8–4 3Com Park 66,049 14 December 3 Buffalo Bills W 27–17 9–4 3Com Park 65,568 15 December 10 at Carolina Panthers W 31–10 10–4 Clemson Memorial Stadium 76,136 16 Minnesota Vikings W 37–30 11–4 3Com Park 64,975 17 December 24 at Atlanta Falcons L 27–28 11–5 Georgia Dome 51,785 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: at New Orleans Saints The Niners began their Super Bowl defense on the road and raced to a 24–9 lead despite an injury to Steve Young (accidentally kicked in the back of his neck) that necessitated play by Elvis Grbac for part of the first half. Two second-half Saints scores only closed the final to 24–22 Niners.
Week 4: at Detroit Lions The Niners suffered their first defeat of the season in a 27–24 loss at the 0–3 Lions. The game lead tied or changed four times in the second half and a last-second Niners field goal attempt failed.
Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys
In one of the biggest upsets of the year, the injury-depleted 49ers thrashed the Cowboys 38–20. Coming into this game, the Cowboys were the NFL's best team, with an 8–1 record. The 49ers, on the other hand, were sitting at 5–4 coming off disappointing losses to New Orleans and the expansion Panthers by a combined score of 24–14. Steve Young was out with injury and Elvis Grbac was the 49ers' starting quarterback, but he had consistently struggled, completing 55 passes for 570 yards but with four INTs. As a result, the Cowboys were 14-point favorites coming in.
On just the second play of the game, Grbac split two defenders and hit Jerry Rice for an 81-yard touchdown, putting the 49ers up 7–0. On the ensuing possession, Michael Irvin fumbled the ball and it was picked up by Merton Hanks for a 38-yard touchdown, putting the 49ers up by two touchdowns just 1 minute and 24 seconds into the game. On the Cowboys' ensuing drive, they again turned it over (Troy Aikman interception) that resulted in a 49ers field goal. The 49ers led 17–0 just 4 minutes and 58 seconds into the game. By halftime, the 49ers had an astonishing 31–7 lead and held on for the win, upsetting the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys turned the ball over four times in the game, while the 49ers had no turnovers.
Standings
Postseason
Schedule RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordStadium Wild Card First-round bye Divisional January 6, 1996 Green Bay Packers (3) L 17–27 0–1 3Com Park
Game summaries NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (3) Green Bay Packers
The 49ers, who were almost 10-point favorites in the game, were upset by the visiting Green Bay Packers. Green Bay set the tone early with a Craig Newsome 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and never looked back. Even though Steve Young had more pass attempts, completions and passing yards than his counterpart 1995 League MVP Brett Favre, he failed to throw for a touchdown and finished with 2 interceptions. The 49ers had 4 turnovers in the game. This was the final game for 49ers wide receiver John Taylor.
Awards and records Led NFL, Points Scored, 457 PointsNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 455 Jerry Rice, Franchise Record, Most Receiving Yards in One Game, 289 Receiving Yards (December 18, 1995)NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 142 Jerry Rice, Franchise Record, Most Receptions in One Season, 122 Receptions Jerry Rice, NFL Record, Most Receiving Yards in One Season, 1,848 Receiving Yards Jerry Rice, Pro Bowl MVPNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 202
References
49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com