1954 San Francisco 49ers season

1954 San Francisco 49ers season
Head coach Buck Shaw
Home field Kezar Stadium
Results
Record 7–4–1
Division place 3rd NFL Western
Playoff finish did not qualify
Uniform

The 1954 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's fifth season in the National Football League (NFL), and it was coming off a 9–3–0 record in 1953, finishing one game behind the Detroit Lions for a spot in the championship game.

The 49ers would get off to a strong start, beginning the season with a 4–0–1 record, as they were trying to finish on top of the conference for the 1st time in team history. The Niners would lose their next 2 games against the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams by close scores, however, they still found themselves in the playoff race as no team was running away with the conference. The 4–2–1 Niners had a huge game against the 5–1–0 Detroit Lions, which was a must-win game for San Francisco. The Lions though had other ideas, demolishing the 49ers 48–7, as they fell to a 4–3–1 record. San Francisco would finish the season with 3 wins in their final 4 games, and finished the year in 3rd place with a 7–4–1 record.

Offensively, Y.A. Tittle had another strong season, throwing for 2,205 yards and 9 touchdowns, while completing 57.6% of his passes. Billy Wilson led the club with 60 receptions and 830 yards and 5 touchdowns. San Francisco's ground attack was overwhelming. Joe Perry rushed for an NFL high 1,049 yards, and John Johnson rushed for 681 yards (2nd highest total in the NFL) and a team high 9 touchdowns. Hugh McElhenny was leading the team with 8.0 yards per carry until he separated his shoulder on October 31 against the Chicago Bears.

Joe Perry (FB), Bruno Banducci (G) and Leo Nomellini (DT) made the Associated Press All-Pro team. Hugh McElhenny (HB), Billy Wilson (E), and Bob St. Clair (T) made the second squad.

Schedule

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Attendance
1 September 26 Washington Redskins 41–7 San Francisco 49ers 1–0–0 32,085
2 October 3 San Francisco 49ers 24–24 Los Angeles Rams 1–0–1 79,208
3 October 10 San Francisco 49ers 23–17 Green Bay Packers 2–0–1 15,571
4 October 17 San Francisco 49ers 31–24 Chicago Bears 3–0–1 42,935
5 October 24 Detroit Lions 37–31 San Francisco 49ers 4–0–1 58,891
6 October 31 Chicago Bears 31–27 San Francisco 49ers 4–1–1 49,833
7 November 7 Los Angeles Rams 42–34 San Francisco 49ers 4–2–1 58,758
8 November 14 San Francisco 49ers 48–7 Detroit Lions 4–3–1 58,431
9 November 20 San Francisco 49ers 31–3 Pittsburgh Steelers 5–3–1 37,001
10 November 28 San Francisco 49ers 17–13 Baltimore Colts 5–4–1 23,875
11 December 5 Green Bay Packers 35–0 San Francisco 49ers 6–4–1 32,012
12 December 11 Baltimore Colts 10–7 San Francisco 49ers 7–4–1 25,456

Standings

NFL Western Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Detroit Lions 9 2 1 .818 8–2 337 189 W1
Chicago Bears 8 4 0 .667 7–3 301 279 W4
San Francisco 49ers 7 4 1 .636 5–4–1 313 251 W2
Los Angeles Rams 6 5 1 .545 4–5–1 314 285 W1
Green Bay Packers 4 8 0 .333 3–7 234 251 L4
Baltimore Colts 3 9 0 .250 2–8 131 279 L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

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