Editing Super Bowl XXIII (section)

===San Francisco 49ers===
{{main|1988 San Francisco 49ers season}}

For the 49ers, it was their first Super Bowl appearance since they defeated the [[Miami Dolphins]] in [[Super Bowl XIX]]. They had made the playoffs in the three seasons between Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII, but were eliminated each time in the first round, primarily because of the poor performances by their offensive stars in those games; quarterback [[Joe Montana]], receiver [[Jerry Rice]], and running back [[Roger Craig (American football)|Roger Craig]] all failed to produce a single touchdown. The previous season's 36–24 playoff loss to the [[Minnesota Vikings]] had been a particularly low point for Montana, who had played so poorly that head coach [[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]] had benched him early in the third quarter.

In the 1988 season, San Francisco won the [[NFC West]] with a 10–6 regular season record and earned the #2 playoff seed, but it was a long uphill battle.  Two other teams in their division, the [[Los Angeles Rams]] and [[New Orleans Saints]] had also recorded 10–6 records, meaning not only did they earn a first-round bye with the narrowest possible margin, but a one more loss would have caused them to miss the playoffs altogether.  The team had a quarterback controversy with Montana and [[Steve Young (American football)|Steve Young]] each starting during the season.  Young had started three games during the year, in which the 49ers went 2–1, including a crucial 24–21 week 9 win over the Vikings in which Young scored the game winning touchdown on a dynamic 49-yard run with time running out in the 4th quarter. But after a 6–5 start, Montana led the 49ers to win four of their final five regular season games.

Montana finished the regular season with 238 completions for 2,981 yards and 18 touchdowns, and also added 132 rushing yards. His favorite target was Rice, who recorded 64 receptions for 1,306 yards (a 20.4 yards per catch average) and 9 touchdowns. Craig was also a key contributor, leading the team in receptions (76) while finishing the season with a total of 2,036 combined rushing and receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him the [[NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award]]. Fullback [[Tom Rathman]] also made a big impact, rushing for 427 yards and catching 42 passes for 387 yards. San Francisco also had a major special teams threat in second-year receiver [[John Taylor (American football)|John Taylor]], who led the NFL in punt return yards (556), yards per return, (12.6), and touchdowns (2). He also gained 228 yards on kickoff returns and 325 receiving yards on just 14 receptions (a 23.2 yards per catch average).

The 49ers' defense was led by defensive backs [[Ronnie Lott]], [[Eric C. Wright|Eric Wright]], [[Jeff Fuller (safety)|Jeff Fuller]], and [[Tim McKyer]], who recorded a combined total of 18 interceptions. McKyer led the team with 7, while Lott recorded 5, along with 3 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. Linebacker [[Charles Haley]] was also a big contributor with 11.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.  The 49ers also had a solid defensive line, featuring [[Michael Carter (nose tackle)|Michael Carter]] (6.5 sacks), [[Danny Stubbs]] (6 sacks), [[Larry Roberts (American football)|Larry Roberts]] (6 sacks), and [[Pierce Holt]] (5 sacks).