Steve Young made only a cameo appearance in the San Francisco 49ers' final preseason game.
That was enough to help the 49ers end the preseason on a winning note, with a 17-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks last night in San Francisco.
Young, who completed 6 of 10 passes for 103 yards while leading two scoring drives, left the game with 1:58 to go in the first quarter. Many of the other regulars soon followed him.
"I thought Steve Young looked sharp and the first offense had its moments, and the first defense as well," San Francisco Coach George Seifert said.
Besides, he didn't want to see Young get hurt in the final exhibition, a concern that was magnified when the two-time NFL MVP had his foot stepped on while throwing a scoring pass to Jerry Rice. Young limped in pain briefly but came back for the next series.
Advertisement
"He was moving the team well enough," Seifert said. "It was the last preseason game. We'd played five games. We've got a long, tough schedule ahead of us and we want to do everything we can to keep Steve healthy."
San Francisco (3-2) already was without five injured starters, including both offensive tackles. The injured players, who have missed most of the preseason, are expected back by next Sunday, when San Francisco opens defense of its Super Bowl title at New Orleans.
"You're always going to have some adversity in the preseason," San Francisco guard Jesse Sapolu said. "Both of our tackles went down and we still won three games. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be ready to play in the opener."
Seattle (2-2) plays host to Kansas City in its opener under new coach Dennis Erickson. PANTHERS 6, GIANTS 3: Things looked familiar for Carolina and New York. The Panthers won again without a great rushing game and Giants quarterback Dave Brown was injured again. The expansion Panthers used two second-half field goals by John Kasay to rally for the win in Clemson, S.C., giving them a 3-2 record in a preseason in which their offense didn't produce a rushing touchdown.
Advertisement
With the remnants of Tropical Storm Jerry enveloping the region and dumping heavy rain on Clemson's Memorial Stadium, the contest turned into a barrage of dropped balls and other miscues. The Giants appeared to have more trouble with the conditions. They had seven fumbles and were penalized 12 times. The result was the first loss since November for New York, which closed the 1994 regular season with seven consecutive victories and won its first three preseason games this year.
It briefly appeared as if the game might exact a much higher toll on the Giants. Brown took a hard shot that looked capable of causing serious damage, but the diagnosis was limited to a concussion. Face down, Brown lay motionless for almost two minutes. Two trainers finally assisted him to his feet, and they held on to him as he stumbled to the locker room, his knees nearly buckling several times.
Brown, who had just returned to the lineup the previous week after suffering a bruised elbow in the Giants' exhibition opener, watched the second half from the bench. CHIEFS 17, VIKINGS 13: Linebacker Tracy Rogers returned a fumble for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in Minneapolis. The Chiefs (3-1) also got a one-yard touchdown run from J.J. Smith to hand Minnesota (2-2) its first home preseason loss in eight games since Dennis Green became head coach in 1992.
Advertisement
Inconsistent in limited action through the first three exhibitions, the Vikings' first-team offense was pathetic in its final tuneup before the Sept. 3 opener at Chicago. Rogers's 14-yard touchdown return on the first play gave Kansas City a 7-0 lead. On the Vikings' next possession, quarterback Warren Moon appeared to turn the wrong way on a handoff, causing another fumble that Minnesota recovered. COWBOYS 10, OILERS 0: Alundis Brice's interception late in the fourth quarter gave Dallas its only touchdown at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Brice, a rookie cornerback from Mississippi, caught Will Furrer's pass intended for Chris Sanders on the Oilers 23 and ran it in for the score with 2:28 remaining.
The Cowboys were using the game to take a look at backup players and to give many starters a rest. Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith remained on the sideline the entire game, not even wearing pads. CAPTION: As Neil Smith (90) charges, Amp Lee can't hold Warren Moon's handoff on first play from scrimmage. Chiefs' Tracy Rogers returned it 14 yards for touchdown.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZK6zr8eirZ5no6W8s8DSaGhycWVkfXl7kXBmsqelo7RuucCknKxloaq2pLeMsKaro12ks26%2FxJqfmq%2BbqHpyg4xwZm1xk26Gcn%2BSZnCeamNigXmBl2aZcp2RYoFxrcJvam9tlZmyeXs%3D