December 18, 1995
On December 18, 1995, the Minnesota Vikings had a Monday night date with the San Francisco 49ers. Candlestick Park. I was at this game. Typically, a night game at Candlestick is very cold. Not Minnesota cold. It’s California cold. About 50 degrees. The play on the field this night kept the stadium cozy. Tense but cozy. As a California-based fan, I haven’t been to a lot of Vikings games. So every game I’ve attended sticks with me. This game sticks with me. It was a treat to be there.
The 1990s was an interesting decade for the Vikings. With Dennis Green as head coach, the Vikings were consistently competitive. They were also consistently eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. 1995, the year of this 49ers game, was the only year of the decade that the Vikings didn’t end the season in the postseason.
In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers were defending champions. They entered this Week 16 game with a nice 11-4 record. The 49ers dynasty had stretched into a second decade. The Vikings were 8-7. They needed this game much more than the 49ers. This was a terrific game. Maybe, some of you remember it.
The 49ers, led by Steve Young and Jerry Rice, jumped all over the Vikings from the start. The score was 21-0 after the first quarter. It looked like the game was going to be a laugher. Then, something changed. Being in the stadium, I could feel it. Cris Carter put his team on his back and pushed, pulled, and willed his team back into the game. This may have been the moment when Carter joined Alan Page as my favorite Vikings football players. The Vikings erased much of the early deficit. They creeped back into the game. From 21-0, it was 27-20 at the half. This game turned into an aerial show of Hall of Famers. Warren Moon and Cris Carter vs Steve Young and Jerry Rice. More specifically, it turned into a duel between Carter and Rice. Whatever you can do I can do better. As a fan of receivers, it was a beautiful night.
The 49ers ultimately won this game. The final was 37-30.
This game sticks with me because it was great. It was the best demonstration of pass-catching that I’d ever seen. Rice vs Carter. It also sticks with me because of it’s time. This was before cell phones. This was before fantasy football dominated game day thoughts. In-game statistics were not blasted throughout the stadium. Unless one was listening to a radio play-by-play or actively charting the game, there was no way for one to accurately know player statistics. This was an incredible Cris Carter vs Jerry Rice show. Rice had some big plays. Carter had some big plays. Due to the early 21-0 deficit, every single catch by Carter felt so important. I feel like every catch either moved the chains or scored a touchdown. He put the team on his back and carried them for three quarters. Leaving Candlestick, I figured that Rice had caught about a dozen passes for 180-200 yards and the three TDs. I figured that Carter had also caught about a dozen passes for about 150 yards and two TDs.
I was stunned when I saw these game statistics in the newspaper on Tuesday morning.
Cris Carter
12 catches
88 yards
2 TDs
Jerry Rice
14 catches
289 yards
3 TDs
Jerry Rice had one of the greatest careers in NFL history. Arguments rage about the best player in league history at nearly every position. There are no such arguments about the best receiver. Rice is #1. His career statistics are ridiculous and so far ahead of every other receiver. Statistically, this was his best game. If one were to only look at the numbers and ignore how the game was played, this was a one-sided receiver battle. Rice gained 200 more yards than Carter. As one of the 64,975 seated in Candlestick that night, it wasn’t one-sided. This was a receiver duel and it felt like an even one. Every one of Carter’s 12 catches meant something. Each chain-moving 8-yard catch meant more to the Vikings than a Rice 30-yard catch meant to the 49ers. There was so much fluff to Rice’s stats and so much substance to Carter’s stats. Perhaps that’s due to the early 21-0 score. Those points came so easily. It took great effort for the Vikings to come back. This game has stuck with me because it was a fun, thrilling game. It was especially fun for a fan of incredible receiver play. Rice and Carter were two of the best to ever do it and they were at their best this night. This game has also stuck with me because it revealed a lot about statistics. They’re fun but they don’t always reveal the narrative of the game.
The 1990s was an interesting decade for the Vikings. With Dennis Green as head coach, the Vikings were consistently competitive. They were also consistently eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. 1995, the year of this 49ers game, was the only year of the decade that the Vikings didn’t end the season in the postseason.
In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers were defending champions. They entered this Week 16 game with a nice 11-4 record. The 49ers dynasty had stretched into a second decade. The Vikings were 8-7. They needed this game much more than the 49ers. This was a terrific game. Maybe, some of you remember it.
The 49ers, led by Steve Young and Jerry Rice, jumped all over the Vikings from the start. The score was 21-0 after the first quarter. It looked like the game was going to be a laugher. Then, something changed. Being in the stadium, I could feel it. Cris Carter put his team on his back and pushed, pulled, and willed his team back into the game. This may have been the moment when Carter joined Alan Page as my favorite Vikings football players. The Vikings erased much of the early deficit. They creeped back into the game. From 21-0, it was 27-20 at the half. This game turned into an aerial show of Hall of Famers. Warren Moon and Cris Carter vs Steve Young and Jerry Rice. More specifically, it turned into a duel between Carter and Rice. Whatever you can do I can do better. As a fan of receivers, it was a beautiful night.
The 49ers ultimately won this game. The final was 37-30.
This game sticks with me because it was great. It was the best demonstration of pass-catching that I’d ever seen. Rice vs Carter. It also sticks with me because of it’s time. This was before cell phones. This was before fantasy football dominated game day thoughts. In-game statistics were not blasted throughout the stadium. Unless one was listening to a radio play-by-play or actively charting the game, there was no way for one to accurately know player statistics. This was an incredible Cris Carter vs Jerry Rice show. Rice had some big plays. Carter had some big plays. Due to the early 21-0 deficit, every single catch by Carter felt so important. I feel like every catch either moved the chains or scored a touchdown. He put the team on his back and carried them for three quarters. Leaving Candlestick, I figured that Rice had caught about a dozen passes for 180-200 yards and the three TDs. I figured that Carter had also caught about a dozen passes for about 150 yards and two TDs.
I was stunned when I saw these game statistics in the newspaper on Tuesday morning.
Cris Carter
12 catches
88 yards
2 TDs
Jerry Rice
14 catches
289 yards
3 TDs
Jerry Rice had one of the greatest careers in NFL history. Arguments rage about the best player in league history at nearly every position. There are no such arguments about the best receiver. Rice is #1. His career statistics are ridiculous and so far ahead of every other receiver. Statistically, this was his best game. If one were to only look at the numbers and ignore how the game was played, this was a one-sided receiver battle. Rice gained 200 more yards than Carter. As one of the 64,975 seated in Candlestick that night, it wasn’t one-sided. This was a receiver duel and it felt like an even one. Every one of Carter’s 12 catches meant something. Each chain-moving 8-yard catch meant more to the Vikings than a Rice 30-yard catch meant to the 49ers. There was so much fluff to Rice’s stats and so much substance to Carter’s stats. Perhaps that’s due to the early 21-0 score. Those points came so easily. It took great effort for the Vikings to come back. This game has stuck with me because it was a fun, thrilling game. It was especially fun for a fan of incredible receiver play. Rice and Carter were two of the best to ever do it and they were at their best this night. This game has also stuck with me because it revealed a lot about statistics. They’re fun but they don’t always reveal the narrative of the game.
