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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

49ers’ Rice Too Much For Vikes To Stomach Career-High Yardage Total Leads 37-30 Victory Over Minnesota

Associated Press

Jerry Rice outdid himself and did in the Minnesota Vikings.

In the fifth highest yardage total by a receiver in NFL history, Rice had a career-high 289 yards and caught three touchdown passes from Steve Young on Monday night, leading the playoff-bound San Francisco 49ers to a 37-30 victory.

It was the sixth straight win for the 49ers, who led 21-0 after one quarter, then held off the Vikings.

“I feel I’m in great shape and I haven’t lost a step,” said Rice, who’s in his 11th season. “The main thing is to keep our team on track for the playoffs.

“When we had the momentum and they came back, I knew I had to make some plays and I went out and made them.”

Rice had 14 receptions to increase his season total to 110, making him the first player with three 100-catch seasons.

“The guy’s fantastic,” said Minnesota coach Dennis Green, a former 49ers assistant, who coached Rice. “He’s had a lot of great games and today was one of them.

“He made a lot of crucial plays down the stretch on third downs. I know his yardage was his best and that’s from his ability to stay up when he gets hit. When you team him up with (Steve) Young, when the pressure’s on, they make the plays. We were doing everything we could.”

The win gave the 49ers a first-round playoff bye. They could sew up home-field advantage with a victory at Atlanta in the regular-season finale. The 49ers had a bye and home-field during last year’s Super Bowl run.

Rice overtook Herman Moore of Detroit to set an NFL record for most receiving yards in a season. Going into the last game, Rice has 1,695 yards and Moore 1,581.

Young threw for 425 yards, completing 30 of a career-high 49 passes for San Francisco (11-4). Warren Moon, his ribs aching from a previous injury, completed 22 of 39 for Minnesota, throwing for 224 yards and three TDs. He was sacked five times.

“When we were down 21-0, we had to keep our composure and do the things were capable of doing to get back into it,” Minnesota’s Quadry Ismail said. “Warren’s a competitor. He sucked it up like everybody else and went at them.”

Minnesota’s loss allowed Detroit to clinch a playoff berth. The Vikings (8-7) can still qualify for the postseason by beating Cincinnati and getting help from other teams.