European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 24, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 21 sports 49ers rip cowboys As Craig s double helps Nef wild card san i Incisco a fullback Roper c  scored san Francisco s go ahead touchdown on a 4-Yard run in the third period and made National football league history a few minutes later As the defending super bowl Champion 49ers whipped the Dallas cowboys 31-16. The Victory sunday helped san Francis co earn a wild card berth in the playoffs. The 49crs trailed 13-0 late in the second period before rallying for the Victory that gave them a 10-6 regular season record. They will play the new York giants Sun Day in East Rutherford ., in the pfc wild card game. The cowboys also 10-6, won the pfc East title last week. Their playoff opener will be on the Road Jan. 4 or 5 against the los Angeles rams. Craig the 49crs fullback became the first player in nil history to gain i.oc9 Yards Rushing and 1,000 receiving in one season. He topped 1,000 Rushing during the second period. Craig went Over 1,000 Yard in receptions with a 15-Yard gain late in the third Quarter on a drive that ended with Jerry Rice s 15 Yard scoring run off a reverse. Joe Montana threw touchdown passes of 49 and 24 Yards to Dwight Clark. The first one opened the 49ers scoring. The second with 5 09 remaining in the game clinched the Victory. The cowboys took the game s opening Kickoff and drove 82 Yards scoring on Gary hog Boom s i Yard to pass to tight end Doug cosmic. Rafael Septien kicked Field goals from 29 and 48 Yards Early in the second period he booted a 41-yarder in the closing minutes of the half. San Francisco scored 10 Points in the  four minutes of the firm . Ray Wirsching kicked a 39-Yard Field goal As time ran out ending a 33-Sccond, 47-Yard drive that featured a 31-Yard pass to Rice. An interception by cornerback Dwight Hicks set up the third period drive of 44 Yards which Craig ended by carrying two potential tacklers into the end 7-Onc for his touchdown. Wirsching s extra Point kick gave san Francisco a 17-16 Lead. Craig s to was his 15th of the season a club record. The fullback in his third nil season had 978 Yards Rushing and 966 receiving going into the game. He had 23 Yards on two catches in the first half then caught two in a Row for 23 Yards More during the to drive late in the third period As san fran Cisco pulled ahead 24-16. Craig who was named As a starter on this season s pro bowl team has been called the Best All around running Back in the nil by 49ers coach Dill Walsh. I never expected to be used As a receiver so much because we did t pass the Ball much at Nebraska Craig said As he approached his 1,000-1,000double. He caught Only 16 passes during his col lege playing career at Nebraska where the main assignment in his senior season was to Block for Star tailback Mike Rozier. Craig s season reception total before sunday was a 49crs record 87, and his three year nil total was 206. Craig totalled 135 Yards Rushing and receiving and scored three touchdowns in the super bowl Victory Over Miami last Jan uary. His regular season highs before this year were 725 Yards Rushing As a Rookie and 675 receiving last year. 49ers Roger Craig Rocs Oicer 1,000 a. Besting i00 Yards in for 1st time not Good enough Broncos 1i -5 made history Denver a without Ever Tak ing the Field the Denver Broncos made National football league history on sunday. The Broncos who concluded their Reg ular season Friday night with a 27-24 Victory Over Seattle failed to qualify for the playoffs when the new York jets and the new England patriots both won Sun Day. The jets Defeated Cleveland 37-10 and the patriots beat Cincinnati 34-23. Denver thus became the first 11-5 team in nil history not to make the  jets and patriots who also finished at 11-5, earned wild card playoff berths prevailing Over Denver on the basis of nil tiebreaker criteria. New England will play at new York next  s playoff Hopes were diminished somewhat saturday when Pitts Burgh lost to tse new York giants 28 10. The St Celers loss enabled Cleveland to Clinch the acc Central division title and eliminated Cincinnati which meant that neither Cleveland nor Cincinnati had much incentive to win sunday. Some Broncos fans will no doubt decry the apparent unfairness of the nil play off formula. Cleveland for example makes the playoffs As a division Champion but had an 8-8 record which was Well below Den ver s. To make matters worse for the Bron cos supporters three of the five teams thai qualified for Post season play from the National conference had poorer re cords than Denver. Pats fans gof charge ouf of win Foxboro. Mass a fans Cele Brating a Victory sunday that sent he new England patriots to the playoffs broke Down a Metal goal Post and five people were injured when part of it touched a 13,200-Volt wire authorities said. Four fans were severely burned while the fifth was in Shock a state trooper said. A crowd swarmed around the goal Post after the patriots 34-2.1 Victory Over the Cincinnati bengals and broke off the upper Section said a Sullivan stadium official. A piece of that Section was carried about a Quarter of mile Down a Highway from the stadium by about 800 people and placed in a barrel marking Trade lanes on the High Way trooper David Rhca said. When the aluminium pole began to tip Over the five fans tried to right it and it touched the overhead wire. Rhca said. Two of them were thrown across the Road by the Shock. Rac  five were taken by ambulances to Norwood Hospital. It was an extremely unruly crowd after the game Rae said. The crowd spilled out onto the Highway and blocked both vehicles and pedestrians he said. A Tholo ads Rushing sunday in second Quarter receptions had to wait until late 3rd Quarter . Triumphs forced switch in playoff plan new York a in a shift made necessary because both new York teams qualified As Home teams for wild card games the new England patriots will play the new York jets at giants stadium saturday to open the National football league playoffs. The new York giants will Host the san Francisco 49crs, who gained a wild card spot with a 31-16 Victory Over pfc East Champ Dallas on sunday. Both originally were to be played on Sun Day. But the games had to be split because both the jets and the giants play in giants stadium at East Rutherford  League officials have been negotiating with the networks Over the times of the game after it became Likely that both the jets and giants could play wild card games at Home and could t do it in the same stadium in the same Day. The giants clinched their berth with a 28-10 Victory Over Pittsburgh on saturday and the jets 37-10 win Over Cleveland Sun Day combined with Miami s 28-0 Triumph Over Buffalo and new England s 34-23 Vic tory Over Cincinnati set up the problem. The task was made More difficult this season because Abc which does acc games was committed to televise the Citrus bowl on saturday and lbs had both the Sun bowl and a College basketball game scheduled for that Day