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San Francisco 49ers: Ranking all 6 Super Bowl appearances

By Trevor Irvine

Sep 10, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Vince Lombardi Trophies from San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl victories on display at Justin Herman Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Vince Lombardi Trophies from San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl victories on display at Justin Herman Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 4: Super Bowl XVI vs. Cincinnati Bengals

There’s nothing better than your first, right?

In 1981, the 49ers had their best regular season in the history of the franchise, finishing with a record of 13-3.

After rolling through the New York Giants, and then the infamous WR Dwight Clark catch to beat the hated Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship, the 49ers went into the Pontiac Silverdome full of confidence.

The 49ers defense was sublime in the first half, blanketing the Bengals offense and the 49ers offense was efficient carrying a 20-0 lead at the half.

The 49ers cooled off in the second half (just two field goals), and the Bengals made a big fourth quarter comeback, scoring the last 14 points of the game but the 49ers hung on 26-21.

Montana only threw for 157 yards and a TD, but the defense sacked Bengals QB Ken Anderson five times and intercepted him twice, and forced two other Bengals turnovers that were the keys to winning the game.

This first Lombardi Trophy was filled with excitement (and drama), and set the stage for the dominance that was the 1980s San Francisco 49ers.

Next: Super Bowl XXIII