Super Bowl XVI — 1981 Season
January 24, 1982 · Pontiac, MI (Pontiac Silverdome)
Super Bowl XVI result: SF4San Francisco 49ers def. CBCincinnati Bengals, 26-21, January 24, 1982, at Pontiac, MI (Pontiac Silverdome).
Result
| Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | SF4San Francisco 49ers | 26-21 |
| Runner-up | CBCincinnati Bengals |
Super Bowl MVP
Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Starting lineups
Starting offense
| San Francisco 49ers | Cincinnati Bengals |
|---|---|
| Joe Montana (QB) | Ken Anderson (QB) |
| Ricky Patton (RB) | Charles Alexander (RB) |
| Earl Cooper (FB) | Pete Johnson (FB) |
| Dwight Clark (WR) | Cris Collinsworth (WR) |
| Freddie Solomon (WR) | Isaac Curtis (WR) |
| Charle Young (TE) | Dan Ross (TE) |
| Dan Audick (LT) | Anthony Munoz (LT) |
| John Ayers (LG) | Dave Lapham (LG) |
| Fred Quillan (C) | Blair Bush (C) |
| Randy Cross (RG) | Max Montoya (RG) |
| Keith Fahnhorst (RT) | Mike Wilson (RT) |
Starting defense
| San Francisco 49ers | Cincinnati Bengals |
|---|---|
| Jim Stuckey (DE) | Eddie Edwards (DE) |
| Archie Reese (NT) | Wilson Whitley (NT) |
| Dwaine Board (DE) | Ross Browner (DE) |
| Fred Dean (LB) | Bo Harris (LB) |
| Jack Reynolds (LB) | Jim LeClair (LB) |
| Bobby Leopold (LB) | Glenn Cameron (LB) |
| Keena Turner (LB) | Reggie Williams (LB) |
| Ronnie Lott (CB) | Louis Breeden (CB) |
| Eric Wright (CB) | Ken Riley (CB) |
| Carlton Williamson (S) | Bobby Kemp (S) |
| Dwight Hicks (S) | Bryan Hicks (S) |
Box score
Passing
| Team | Player | Comp/Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | Joe Montana | 14/22 | 157 | 1 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Ken Anderson | 25/34 | 300 | 2 | 2 |
Rushing
| Team | Player | Car | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | Ricky Patton | 17 | 55 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Earl Cooper | 9 | 34 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Pete Johnson | 14 | 36 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Charles Alexander | 5 | 17 | 0 |
Receiving
| Team | Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | Freddie Solomon | 4 | 52 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Dwight Clark | 4 | 45 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Earl Cooper | 2 | 15 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Dan Ross | 11 | 104 | 2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Cris Collinsworth | 5 | 107 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Isaac Curtis | 3 | 42 | 0 |
Game context
Super Bowl XVI launched the San Francisco 49ers dynasty of the 1980s, as the 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 at the Pontiac Silverdome to claim the first championship in franchise history -- a remarkable turnaround for a team that had gone just 2-14 two seasons earlier under new head coach Bill Walsh. The victory introduced the wider football world to Walsh's precision, timing-based "West Coast Offense" and to a young quarterback, Joe Montana, who would go on to become one of the position's all-time greats. San Francisco jumped to a then-Super Bowl-record 20-0 halftime lead, capitalizing on three Cincinnati turnovers to build the cushion through a Montana touchdown pass, a Montana rushing touchdown, and two Ray Wersching field goals. The Bengals came alive after halftime behind quarterback Ken Anderson, scoring a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown to cut into the deficit, but San Francisco's defense delivered one of the most celebrated goal-line stands in Super Bowl history, stopping Cincinnati on three consecutive plays from inside the 3-yard line in the third quarter to preserve the lead. Cincinnati pulled within 26-21 with 16 seconds remaining, but the ensuing onside kick failed, sealing San Francisco's win. Montana was named Super Bowl MVP after completing 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown while adding 18 rushing yards and a rushing score, a relatively modest statistical line that belied his command of Walsh's offense and his role in engineering the decisive first-half surge; the win made him, at the time, the second-youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl, trailing only Joe Namath. Kicker Ray Wersching tied a Super Bowl record with four field goals, accounting for 12 of San Francisco's points. For Cincinnati, tight end Dan Ross set a then-Super Bowl record with 11 receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Cris Collinsworth added five catches for 107 yards, but neither could overcome the first-half deficit or the goal-line stand that defined the game's outcome. The win completed one of the most dramatic single-franchise turnarounds in NFL history and validated Walsh's methodical rebuilding approach, including his selection of Montana in the third round of the 1979 draft. It also marked the first Super Bowl appearance and championship for a 49ers franchise that had existed since 1946 (dating to its All-America Football Conference days) without ever previously winning an NFL title, ending one of the league's longer championship droughts among its established franchises. More broadly, Super Bowl XVI is remembered as the true beginning of the 49ers dynasty that would go on to win four Super Bowls in the 1980s alone (and a fifth in the early 1990s), establishing Walsh's coaching tree and offensive system as one of the most influential in modern NFL history, with Montana at its center as the on-field embodiment of the team's poise under pressure.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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