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SFMONTANA0

Joe Montana

Retired

Kansas City Chiefs · QB

Joe Montana recorded 192 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 16 rostered seasons with Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers.

▶Best highlights

211.2

pass yds/gm

8.7

rush yds/gm

23

playoff games

192

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Joe Montana's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked the Hall of Fame career record, championship histories, contemporary accounts, and verified archive box scores. The order centers Montana's defining fourth-quarter drive and The Catch, then uses his other three Super Bowl MVP performances to preserve every phase of the 49ers dynasty.

  1. #1. Montana completed the 92-yard championship drive and found John Taylor with 34 seconds left, finishing with 357 yards and two touchdowns to win Super Bowl XXIII. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Joe Montana
  2. #2. Montana's rolling six-yard touchdown pass to Dwight Clark became The Catch, defeating Dallas in the NFC Championship Game and announcing San Francisco's dynasty. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Joe Montana
  3. #3. Against Marino's record-setting Dolphins, Montana produced 331 passing yards, 59 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns to earn Super Bowl XIX MVP. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Joe Montana
  4. #4. Montana threw five touchdown passes without an interception in the largest rout in Super Bowl history, earning his third championship-game MVP award. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Joe Montana
  5. #5. Montana threw one touchdown and ran for another while directing a 20–0 first-half lead, winning the first championship and Super Bowl MVP of his career. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Joe Montana

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Super Bowl
XXIII
CINCINNATIBENGALS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 22, 1989

Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl XXIII · Jan 22, 1989

357 pass yds · 2 pass TD · 0 INT

Conference Championship
1981
DALLASCOWBOYS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 10, 1982

Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers

Conference Championship · Jan 10, 1982

286 pass yds · 3 pass TD · 3 INT

Super Bowl
XIX
MIAMIDOLPHINS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 20, 1985

Miami Dolphins vs San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl XIX · Jan 20, 1985

331 pass yds · 3 pass TD · 0 INT

Super Bowl
XXIV
DENVERBRONCOS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 28, 1990

Denver Broncos vs San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl XXIV · Jan 28, 1990

297 pass yds · 5 pass TD · 0 INT

Super Bowl
XVI
CINCINNATIBENGALS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 24, 1982

Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl XVI · Jan 24, 1982

157 pass yds · 1 pass TD · 0 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Joe Montana's indexed NFL box scores.

Career highs: 476 passing yards · 6 passing touchdowns

Regular Season
1990
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
ATLANTAFALCONS
OCT 14, 1990

San Francisco 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons

Regular Season · Oct 14, 1990

476 pass yds · 6 pass TD · 2 INT

Career high: 63 rushing yards

Divisional Round
1984
NEW YORKGIANTS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
DEC 29, 1984

New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers

Divisional Round · Dec 29, 1984

309 pass yds · 3 pass TD · 3 INT

One snap at a time

Greatest individual plays

The signature moments from Joe Montana's career.

Catch1981
CLARK87

Dwight Clark · Joe Montana · vs Dallas Cowboys

The Catch

1981 · NFC Championship Game

58 seconds left

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Joe Montana's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1979–1990

01
SFMONTANA16Joe Montana
SFRICE80Jerry Rice
SFLOTT42Ronnie Lott

The West Coast offense wins four championships

San Francisco 49ers · Walsh, Montana and the dynasty

Bill Walsh paired precise passing with a rebuilt defense, and Montana's calm produced four Super Bowl victories without a loss.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1991–1998

02
SFMONTANA16Joe Montana
SFYOUNG8Steve Young
SFRICE80Jerry Rice

A quarterback transition preserves greatness

San Francisco 49ers · Steve Young takes the baton

Young escaped Montana's shadow with an MVP peak and six touchdown passes in Super Bowl XXIX, extending the dynasty into another generation.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1989–1998

03
KCMONTANA16Joe Montana
KCTHOMAS58Derrick Thomas
KCSMITH90Neil Smith

Defense and power make the Chiefs a fixture

Kansas City Chiefs · Martyball restores Arrowhead

Marty Schottenheimer and Thomas produced seven playoff appearances and one of football's loudest home advantages, though no Super Bowl trip followed.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

NFL MVP · 1989, 1990NFL Offensive Player of the Year · 1989Super Bowl champion · 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989Super Bowl MVP · 1981, 1984, 1989NFL passing touchdowns leader · 1982, 198715 NFL seasons192 career games40,551 career passing yards273 career passing touchdowns1,676 career rushing yards20 career rushing touchdownsJersey: 023 playoff appearances4 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 2, 1979Most recent: Dec 31, 1994

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history

Official regular-season games via NFL.com ↗. Indexed games are the box scores currently available in Athlore.