1989-90 NFL Playoffs

}} 49ers quarterback Joe Montana threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns as San Francisco dominated the Vikings. Minnesota scored first on a 38-yard field goal by Rich Karlis, but then Montana completed 4 unanswered scores: a 72-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice, an 8-yarder to tight end Brent Jones, an 8-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor, and a 13-yarder to Rice. 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, and running back Roger Craig rushed for a 4-yard score. Craig finished the game with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Rice caught 6 passes for 114 yards and 2 scores. One of the few bright spots of the game for Minnesota was tight end Steve Jordan, who caught 9 passes for 149 yards.
 * Scoring
 * MIN - FG Karlis 38 MIN 3-0
 * SF - Rice 72 pass from Montana (Cofer kick) SF 7-3
 * SF - Jones 8 pass from Montana (Cofer kick) SF 14-3
 * SF - Taylor 8 pass from Montana (kick failed) SF 20-3
 * SF - Rice 13 pass from Montana (Cofer kick) SF 27-3
 * MIN - FG Karlis 44 SF 27-6
 * SF - Lott 58 interception return (Cofer kick) SF 34-6
 * SF - Craig 4 run (Cofer kick) SF 41-6
 * MIN - Fenney 3 run (Karlis kick) SF 41-13


 * Scoring
 * DEN - FG Treadwell 29 DEN 3-0
 * DEN - Young 70 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick) DEN 10-0
 * CLE - Brennan 27 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) DEN 10-7
 * DEN - Mobley 5 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick) DEN 17-7
 * DEN - Winder 7 run (Treadwell kick) DEN 24-7
 * CLE - Brennan 10 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) DEN 24-14
 * CLE - Manoa 2 run (Bahr kick) DEN 24-21
 * DEN - Winder 39 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick) DEN 31-21
 * DEN - FG Treadwell 34 DEN 34-21
 * DEN - FG Treadwell 31 DEN 37-21

Quarterback John Elway led the Broncos to a 37-21 victory with 385 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while also leading the Broncos in rushing with 39 yards on the ground. Denver jumped to a 10-0 halftime lead with kicker David Treadwell's 29-yard field goal and wide receiver Michael Young's 70-yard touchdown reception. However, the two teams scored a combined 5 touchdowns in the third period. Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brian Brennan, but Elway countered with a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Orson Mobley. Running back Sammy Winder's 7-yard rushing touchdown extended the Broncos lead to 24-7. However, Cleveland scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:11 to cut the lead to 24-21: a 10-yard touchdown reception by Brennan and 2-yard touchdown run by Tim Manoa. But then Denver scored 13 unanswered points in the final period to clinch the victory: Winder's 39-yard touchdown reception and two field goals by Treadwell.

NFC

 * Scoring
 * RAMS - FG Lansford 23 RAMS 3-0
 * SF - Jones 20 pass from Montana (Cofer kick) SF 7-3
 * SF - Craig 1 run (Cofer kick) SF 14-3
 * SF - Taylor 18 pass from Montana (Cofer kick) SF 21-3
 * SF - FG Cofer 28 SF 24-3
 * SF - FG Cofer 36 SF 27-3
 * SF - FG Cofer 25 SF 30-3

The 49ers crushed the Rams with 442 total yards and held the ball for 39:48. Los Angeles jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Mike Lansford, but that eventually was their lone score of the game. While the Rams had momentum early in the game, it shifted to San Francisco's favor for good when safety Ronnie Lott batted down a pass intended for a wide open Flipper Anderson. Had Anderson made the catch, he would have scored easily, giving the Rams a 10–0 lead. The Lott knockdown inspired the Niners while deflating the Rams. From this point on, San Francisco dominated and led 21–3 at half. San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana threw 2 touchdown passes in the second period: a 20-yarder to tight end Brent Jones and an 18-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor. Running back Roger Craig recorded a 1-yard rushing touchdown, while kicker Mike Cofer made 3 field goals in the second half. Montana showed much precision and finished the game with 26 of 30 completions for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fullback Tom Rathman rushed for 63 yards and caught 6 passes for 48.