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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Young’s Heroics Lift 49ers S.F. Overcomes Cincinnati After Falling Behind 21-0

Associated Press

Steve Young played hurt. Steve Young won hurt.

Overcoming a nagging groin strain, Young led the Niners back from a 21-0 deficit to beat Cincinnati 28-21 Sunday. He threw a game-tying touchdown pass with 2:08 left, then ran 15 yards for the winning score exactly a minute later, limping into the end zone on his sore leg.

“You could not ask for a more gutsy performance performance than what he did out there, especially when you know what Steve’s been going through,” said San Francisco coach George Seifert, who picked up his 100th career win faster than anyone else in NFL history.

Seifert, who fired up his team with a halftime tirade in which he threw a chair, did it in his 132nd game. The fastest before him was Vince Lombardi, who needed 136.

The 49ers (5-2) were nearly done in by five turnovers and injuries to their top two quarterbacks before prevailing in dramatic fashion.

“I think we had him frustrated at first but he’s a great quarterback and he made the plays when he had to,” Bengals linebacker James Francis said.

Young, struggling in his first start in four games, was taken out in favor of Elvis Grbac in the first quarter but had to return when Grbac went down with a shoulder injury just before the end of the first half.

“George told me if I looked like I was hobbling, he would take me out. But I’m glad I got to go back in,” Young said. “I told him I could hop along in there.”

Trailing 21-14 in the fourth quarter, with 5:35 left in regulation, San Francisco started at its own 12.

Young went 4-for-4 for for 67 yards, the last 45 coming on a pass to the streaking Terrell Owens, a rookie starting in place of injured J.J. Stokes.

“The ball came over my shoulder and I just had to concentrate on the catch. I had it all the way,” said Owens, whose first reception of the game ended in a fumble. “Everything I did I was just trying to make up for that stripped pass.”

Dedrick Dodge intercepted Jeff Blake on the ensuing series, setting the 49ers up at the Bengals’ 32-yard line. Four plays later, Young rolled left on a bootleg, turned upfield into the clear and went in for the score, limping.

“It was a great, fun, memorable moment,” said Young, who jumped into Jerry Rice’s arms and then was quickly engulfed by other teammates in an end zone celebration.

Blake completed 15 of 34 for 200 yards and three touchdowns in nearly leading the Bengals (1-6) to an upset of the 49ers, who were coming off a 23-20 overtime loss at Green Bay.

Young was 19 of 30 for 274 yards in his first game since aggravating the groin injury in a Sept. 22 loss at Carolina.