Niner Noise takes a grimacing look back into the past to see the most infamous plays in San Francisco 49ers history.
We shouldn’t ignore the past, even if it brings up painful memories for fans of the San Francisco 49ers.
And while the majority of moments in Niners history have been good, there are more than a handful of plays that stand the test of time for the wrong reasons.
Yes, Niner Noise takes a look back at the most infamous plays in 49ers history.
Not everything can cause a celebration. There has to be a loser on every play — an antihero of sorts for every great moment.
San Francisco isn’t immune to this.
So lets grind our teeth a bit and look back at the five most infamous plays in Niners history.
But let’s start out with some “dishonorable” mentions first.
Dishonorable Mentions
There are a few plays worth mentioning that don’t quite make it into the top five.
Thankfully, we can keep these short.
Vance McDonald’s Stone Hands versus the Bengals in 2015
49ers tight end Vance McDonald doesn’t have a good reputation as a pass catcher.
Instead, his questionable hands have done more harm than good at times. And this was certainly the case on December 20, 2015 as the Niners were hosting the Cincinnati Bengals:
Enough said.
NaVorro Bowman’s Gruesome 2014 NFC Championship Injury
The 49ers were in an all-out battle with the Seattle Seahawks back in 2014 with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Linebacker NaVorro Bowman had just stripped Seattle wide receiver Jermaine Kearse of the ball. But safety Eric Reid ran into Kearse, who subsequently fell into Bowman’s left leg.
The subsequent injury resulted in Bowman tearing his MCL and ACL, and it sidelined the All-Pro linebacker for the subsequent 2014 season.
No. 5: Kyle Williams Fumbles in Overtime versus the New York Giants
The 49ers had endured nearly a decade of futility before the 2011 season, only to see then-head coach Jim Harbaugh resurrect a once-proud franchise and put it back in the NFC Championship game.
The 2012 NFC Championship turned out to be a classic, only Niners fans surely wished things had gone differently.
Wide receiver and return man Kyle Williams is another name living in franchise infamy. And we know the play. Tied at 17 in overtime, Williams fumbled a punt, which gave the ball directly back to the Giants. Five plays later, a 31-yard field goal by Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes gave New York the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLVI.
Making matters worse, Williams muffed a punt in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Giants to take the lead, thus forcing a late 49ers game-tying field goal.
“It was just one of those situations where I caught the ball, tried to head upfield, tried to make a play and it ended up for the worse,” Williams said, per Ann Killion of Sports Illustrated.
No. 4: 49ers Come Oh-So Close to Winning Super Bowl XLVII
Some might feel this infamous play should go higher on this list.
San Francisco 49ers
Perhaps. After all, the 49ers had never lost a Super Bowl before appearing in Super Bowl XLVII at the tail end of the 2012 season. That’s quite a feat, considering the five Super Bowl victories previously.
And yet the Niners did themselves no favors, falling behind 28-6 in the opening seconds of the third quarter.
Give San Francisco credit though. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Co. dug themselves out of the hole in the second half, eventually finding themselves on the Baltimore Ravens’ 5-yard line with 1:50 left to play and trailing 34-29.
On a do-or-die fourth-down play, Kaepernick tried a fade-route pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree. It sailed over his head.
Sure, some may argue Crabtree was held. Or maybe the Niners should have given the ball to running back Frank Gore instead of three-straight pass attempts to Crabtree.
Nevertheless, San Francisco endured its first Super Bowl loss in franchise history.
But in reality, the 49ers lost that game in the first half by putting themselves in such a precarious situation, which keeps this play a bit lower on the list.
No. 3: Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman Deflects the 49ers’ 2014 NFC Championship Victory
This one should hurt just a wee bit more than the failed completion at the tail end of Super Bowl XLVII.
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Why? Well, the Niners were in this game — the 2014 NFC Championship versus the Seattle Seahawks — throughout. Yet quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Co. found themselves trailing 23-17 in the waning minutes with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Fans can recall the fade-route pass from Kaepernick intended for wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
Had Crabtree caught it, with 30 seconds left in regulation, the Niners could have sealed the game.
But Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman got in the way and deflected the would-be game winner into the hands of linebacker Malcolm Smith.
Ballgame. San Francisco’s season was over.
To add salt to the wound, Sherman’s postgame rant about Crabtree ensured the 49ers and Seahawks rivalry wouldn’t cool at any point soon thereafter.
No. 2: Running Back Roger Craig’s Costly NFC Championship Fumble
For all intents and purposes, former 49ers running back Roger Craig should still be considered one of the greats in Niners lore. He had one really bad moment.
But that moment is still all too painful.
Fans will remember the 1991 NFC Championship game versus the New York Giants. And fans may recall how quarterback Joe Montana was knocked out with a hand injury. Yet the Niners were still leading 13-12 at the Giants 40-yard line and with less than three minutes in the fourth quarter.
All the 49ers had to do was wind down the clock and/or kick an insurance field goal, and they would be on their way to possibly doing something no NFL team has ever done — win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Craig fumbled, which led to a game-winning 42-yard field goal from Giants kicker Matt Bahr.
“It drained us of everything,” said Carmen Policy, the former team president, via Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News. “We lost the game. We lost our quarterback. We knew if we got to the Super Bowl, we were going to win it. The gloom was unbelievable. I don’t recall ever seeing the team or the organization as down as we all were that day.”
All us fans were down too.
No. 1: Cardinals’ Defensive Back Aeneas Williams Ends Steve Young’s Career
It’s impossible to find any worse play in 49ers history than this.
Let’s rewind to 1999. The 49ers are visiting the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, and the Niners are trying to get above the .500 mark after splitting the first two games of the season.
Quarterback Steve Young’s career might be winding to a close, but he still had some gas left in the tank at 38 years old.
Until Cardinals defensive back Aeneas Williams delivered the knockout blow.
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And how can anyone forgive San Francisco running back Lawrence Phillips for missing the block on what turned out to be the worst play in Niners history?
It is the worst because this play ended a Hall of Famer’s career. Unlike the previous slide, there would be no tomorrows.
Next: 5 Most Heartbreaking Playoff Losses in 49ers History
Young never played again.