the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on opening day. But the win was costly; Joe Montana injured his back and was out for two months. Jeff Kemp became the starting quarterback, and the 49ers went 4–3–1 in September and October. Upon Montana's return, the 49ers caught fire, winning five of the last seven games, including a 24–14 win over the Los Angeles Rams, to clinch the NFC West title. However, the New York Giants defeated them again in the playoffs, 49–3. Montana was injured in the first half by a hit from the Giants' Jim Burt. During the strike-shortened 1987 season, the 49ers led the league with a 13–2 record, including a 41–0 rout of the Bears in Week 14, because it turned out that the latter's feared defense was vulnerable to Bill Walsh's short passing game. But San Francisco failed to win a playoff game for the third year in a row when they fell to the Minnesota Vikings 36–14. The loss to the Vikings was a stunning upset considering the 49ers that year were ranked #1 on both offense and defense, making them the odds-on favorite to go to the Super Bowl. 1987 marked the first of six seasons when the 49ers had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks on the roster: from 1987 through 1992, Montana's backup (and frequent replacement) was Steve Young. 1988 In 1988, the 49ers struggled. At one point, they were 6–5 and in danger of missing the playoffs but rose to defeat the Washington Redskins on a Monday night, eventually finishing the season at 10–6. They gained a measure of revenge by thrashing the Minnesota Vikings 34–9 in the first round. The 49ers then traveled to Chicago's Soldier Field, where the chill factor at game-time was . They defeated the Chicago Bears 28–3 in an NFC Championship game upset. The win over the Bears gave the 49ers their third trip to the Super Bowl: Super Bowl XXIII, in Miami. However, the game was tied 3–3 at halftime, the 49ers having missed a few scoring opportunities. A late Cincinnati field goal seemed to seal the victory, but they left too much time for Joe Montana to work his magic. He drove the team 92 yards for the winning touchdown on a pass to John Taylor with only 34 seconds left. Final score: 20–16 49ers. 1989 The following year, coach Bill Walsh retired, and his defensive coordinator and