NFL team season
The 1951 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise 's 2nd season in the National Football League and their 6th overall. The team was coming off a 3–9 record in 1950.
The 49ers won their first ever NFL road game on October 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers , after losing their first 7 in the league. The Niners were in playoff contention all year long, finishing 7–4–1, just a half game out of first place in the National Conference. Their biggest win of the season was a 44–17 victory over their California rivals, the Los Angeles Rams .
Frankie Albert and Y. A. Tittle split time at quarterback, with Albert throwing for 1,116 yards, while Tittle led the club with 8 TDs and completed 55.3% of his passes. Joe Perry once again led the team in rushing with 677 yards and 3 TDs, and wide receiver Gordie Soltau led the club with 59 catches for 826 yards and 7 TDs.
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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 30 Cleveland Browns W 24–10 1–0 Kezar Stadium 48,263 Recap 2 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–21 1–1 Shibe Park 23,827 Recap 3 October 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 28–24 2–1 Forbes Field 27,124 Recap 4 October 21 at Chicago Bears L 7–13 2–2 Wrigley Field 42,296 Recap 5 October 28 Los Angeles Rams W 44–17 3–2 Kezar Stadium 49,538 Recap 6 November 4 at Los Angeles Rams L 16–23 3–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,346 Recap 7 November 11 New York Yanks W 19–14 4–3 Kezar Stadium 25,538 Recap 8 November 18 Chicago Cardinals L 21–27 4–4 Kezar Stadium 19,658 Recap 9 November 25 at New York Yanks T 10–10 4–4–1 Yankee Stadium 10,184 Recap 10 December 2 at Detroit Lions W 20–10 5–4–1 Briggs Stadium 46,467 Recap 11 December 9 Green Bay Packers W 31–19 6–4–1 Kezar Stadium 15,121 Recap 12 December 16 Detroit Lions W 21–17 7–4–1 Kezar Stadium 27,276 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 7 0 3 0 10 49ers 7 3 7 7 24
at Kezar Stadium , San Francisco
Game information First quarter Second quarter SF – Gordie Soltau 42 yard field goal (SF 10–7) Third quarter SF – Joe Perry 6 yard run, Gordie Soltau kick (SF 17–7) CLE – Lou Groza 40 yard field goal (SF 17–10) Fourth quarter SF – Joe Perry 6 yard run, Gordie Soltau kick (SF 24–10) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 0 0 7 14 Eagles 7 0 7 7 21
at Shibe Park , Philadelphia
Game information First quarter Second quarter No scoring
Third quarter Fourth quarter PHI – Clyde Scott 28 yard pass from Adrian Burk, Bobby Walston kick (PHI 21–7) SF – Verl Lillywhite 11 yard pass from Y. A. Tittle , Gordie Soltau kick (PHI 21–14) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 3: San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 0 21 0 28 Steelers 0 10 0 14 24
at Forbes Field , Pittsburgh
Game information First quarter Second quarter PIT – Elbie Nickel 77 yard pass from Joe Geri , Joe Geri kick (TIE 7–7) PIT – Joe Geri 16 yard field goal (PIT 10–7) Third quarter Fourth quarter PIT – Lynn Chandnois 8 yard pass from Ray Mathews , Joe Geri kick (SF 28–17) PIT – Elbie Nickel 22 yard pass from Ray Mathews, Joe Geri kick (SF 28–24) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 0 0 7 7 Bears 6 0 7 0 13
at Wrigley Field , Chicago
Game information First quarter Second quarter No scoring
Third quarter CHI – Johnny Lujack 1 yard run, Johnny Lujack kick (CHI 13–0) Fourth quarter Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 5: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Rams 3 7 7 0 17 49ers 10 28 0 6 44
at Kezar Stadium , San Francisco
Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter LA – Dick Hoerner 12 yard run, Bob Waterfield kick (SF 38–17) Fourth quarter SF – Gordie Soltau 48 yard pass from Y. A. Tittle, kick failed (SF 44–17) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 6: at Los Angeles Rams [ edit ] Week 6: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 7 6 3 16 Rams 10 3 0 10 23
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , Los Angeles
Game information First quarter LA – Bob Waterfield 39 yard field goal (LA 3–0) LA – Bob Waterfield 1 yard run, Bob Waterfield kick (LA 10–0) Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter SF – Gordie Soltau 11 yard field goal (SF 16–13) LA – Elroy Hirsch 79 yard pass from Bob Waterfield, Bob Waterfield kick (LA 20–16) LA – Bob Waterfield 39 yard field goal (LA 23–16) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 7: New York Yanks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Yanks 0 14 0 0 14 49ers 7 0 3 9 19
at Kezar Stadium , San Francisco
Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter SF – Gordie Soltau 19 yard field goal (NYY 14–10) Fourth quarter Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 8: Chicago Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 7 17 3 0 27 49ers 7 0 7 7 21
at Kezar Stadium , San Francisco
Game information First quarter Second quarter CHC – Elmer Angsman 80 yard pass from Charley Trippi, Cliff Patton kick (CHC 14–7) CHC – Don Paul 4 yard run, Cliff Patton kick (CHC 21–7) CHC – Cliff Patton 16 yard field goal (CHC 24–7) Third quarter SF – Frankie Albert 10 yard run, Gordie Soltau kick (CHC 24–14) CHC – Cliff Patton 24 yard field goal (CHC 27–14) Fourth quarter Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 9: at New York Yanks [ edit ] Week 9: San Francisco 49ers at New York Yanks – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 3 0 0 10 Yanks 0 0 0 10 10
at Yankee Stadium , The Bronx , New York City
Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter No scoring
Fourth quarter Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 6 0 7 7 20 Lions 0 3 7 0 10
at Briggs Stadium , Detroit
Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter SF – Joe Arenas 12 yard pass from Y. A. Tittle, Gordie Soltau kick (SF 20–10) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 11: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Packers 3 10 6 0 19 49ers 3 7 7 14 31
at Kezar Stadium , San Francisco
Game information First quarter Second quarter GB – Fred Cone 37 yard field goal (GB 6–3) SF – Joe Arenas 7 yard run, Gordie Soltau kick (SF 10–6) GB – Ray Pelfrey 3 yard pass from Tobin Rote , Fred Cone kick (GB 13–10) Third quarter SF – Joe Arenas 1 yard run, Gordie Soltau kick (SF 17–13) GB – Carl Elliott 11 yard pass from Tobin Rote, kick failed (GB 19–17) Fourth quarter Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Week 12: vs. Detroit Lions [ edit ] Week 12: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Lions 3 7 7 0 17 49ers 0 14 0 7 21
at Kezar Stadium , San Francisco
Game information First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter SF – Y. A. Tittle 1 yard run, Gordie Soltau kick (SF 21–17) Top passers Top rushers Top receivers Top tacklers
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
San Francisco's players selected for the Pro Bowl :
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Key figures Division championships (22) Conference championships (8) League championships (5) Current league affiliations Former league affiliation