page_title: Joe Montana
section_title: 1990
hierarchical_section_title: Joe Montana / Professional career / San Francisco 49ers / 1990
caption_attribution_description: Pro Football Hall of Fame
context_page_description: Joseph Clifford Montana Jr., nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs. After winning a national championship at Notre Dame, Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons. While a member of the 49ers, Montana started and won four Super Bowls and was the first player ever to have been named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player three times. He also holds Super Bowl career records for most passes without an interception and the all-time highest passer rating of 127.8. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for his final two seasons, and he led that franchise to its first AFC Championship Game in January 1994. Montana was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility.
  In 1989 and again in 1990, the Associated Press named Montana the NFL Most Valuable Player, and Sports Illustrated magazine named Montana the 1990 "Sportsman of the Year".
context_section_description: In 1990, Montana once again led the 49ers to the best regular season record (14–2) in the NFL. He was named by Sports Illustrated as Sportsman of the Year. A highlight from the season was a rematch with the Atlanta Falcons. Intent on blitzing Montana most of the game, Atlanta's defense allowed Montana to throw for a career-best 476 yards (49ers single-game record) and six touchdown passes, five of them to Jerry Rice. He would end up throwing for 3,944 yards and 26 touchdowns, albeit while also throwing a career-high 16 interceptions.  Three of those interceptions came in a November 25 home loss to the Rams, which ended the 49ers' 18-game winning streak (dating back to a home loss to the Packers in November 1989).
  However, Montana cannot be blamed for the increase in interceptions in 1990 vs. 1989, as the team averaged 3.8 yards a carry, good enough for 19th in the league for 1990. No 49er exceeded 500 yards rushing for the entire year. Fullback Tom Rathman scored the most touchdowns (7) on the ground while gaining 318 yards.  Roger Craig (439 yards, 1 TD) was slowed by a knee injury suffered in week 5 at Houston.  Rookie running back Dexter Carter (460 yards, 1 TD) did not help much. Carter's only touchdown came on December 17 at the Rams; his 74-yard touchdown run that clinched home-field advantage for the 49ers constituted roughly one-sixth of his productivity in terms of yardage on the ground, and he lost four fumbles at home the following Sunday in a 13–10 loss to the Saints.
  The 49ers looked forward to becoming the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, and they moved through the playoffs to the NFC Championship Game to face the New York Giants. The 49ers defense was able to hold backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler and the Giants without a touchdown, but the tide of the game changed when Montana was sacked by Leonard Marshall while rolling out of the quarterback pocket; he was injured and left the game, which the Giants won, 15–13, on the last of five Giants field goals, which was set up by a fumble from 49ers running back Roger Craig. It would be Montana's next-to-last appearance in a 49er uniform.
caption: Montana's #16 jersey at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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