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10. Going into a January 2, 1989 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick, Rice had failed to score a postseason TD in three games. In fact, Joe Montana, Roger Craig, and Jerry Rice didn't produce a single TD amongst themselves in those three playoff matchups--which all led to 49er losses. Time for that streak to end. The 49ers, shocked by the Vikings at home the year before, turn the tables the very next year. Rice scores 3 TDs--all in the first half. The Niners never look back in a 34-9 win.

9. The very next year, the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers would again face the Minnesota Vikings in a divisional matchup at Candlestick. The Vikings, bent on revenge, brought forth the league's top-rated defense. Time for Rice to work his magic. Trailing early in the game 3-0, Montana throws a short hook pass to Rice that travels 5 yards. Rice takes it the distance for a 72 yard TD that sends the Vikings into a daze. They never recovered, and Rice's 13 yard TD just before the half increased the 49er lead to 27-3. The Niners roll on to the yet another Super Bowl.

8. Catching 2 passes for 36 yards isn't exactly a vintage Jerry Rice performance. But in a 1994 NFC Championship showdown with Dallas, it was one of those catches by Rice which proved to be the turning point of the game. Holding a 21-14 lead that appeared to be shrinking, the 49ers had the ball at the 28 yard line of Dallas with 8 seconds left in the game, the Niners decided to go for the endzone. Rice, facing man-to-man coverage for probably the only time during the game, sheds Larry Brown like a bad cold, and cradles in a Steve Young pass for a 28 yd TD score. The momentum shifts back to the Niners, and they go on to win the ballgame, 38-28.

7. In a 1993 NFC Championship showdown with Dallas, Rice breaks open the game with a 63 yard TD score...but a holding penalty on 49er offensive lineman Guy Mc Intryre nullifies the play. Rice's 8 catches for 123 yards and a score aren't enough to lead the 49ers past the Cowboys in a 30-20 loss. However, one can't help but think that things would have been different if there wasn't a holding penalty on Rice's 63 yard TD.

6. In a 1990 NFC Championship matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, it isn't the stats of Rice that are impressive. It's his all-around game that comes to the forefront. Rice is not only the leading receiver in the game, but is the center of attention among the Rams' secondary. His constant double-teaming frees up John Taylor for a TD score, and his devestating blocks spring Roger Craig for long gains. When it's all said and done, Rice and the Niners roll past the Rams, 28-3.

5. Most "experts" predicted that the big, bad Chicago Bears would roll over the 49ers in the 1989 NFC Championship Game at frozen Soldier Field. The advantage clearly lay with the Bears--they were playing at home in weather conditions which they were used to. But the Niners would go on to defeat the Bears and Mother Nature on this day. Rice's opening score covers 61 yards. He adds a 15 yard TD moments later to build the 49er lead to 14-0. The Niners go on to the Super Bowl with a 28-3 victory.

4. In his first playoff game in three seasons, Jerry Rice could not wait to show the world he was still on top of his game. When the Raiders played the New York Jets in a wildcard matchup in Oakland, Rice showed a national television audience that he could still get it done, even at 39 years of age. Rice scorched the Jets with 9 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown and showed Raider fans that Rice was a Raider, not an ex-Niner.

3. Any Super Bowl performance by Rice could qualify as his best playoff performance ever. I'll go with the 1990 Super Bowl against Denver as his 3rd best playoff game. Coming into the game, Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith provided the pre-game trash talk. As usual, Rice provided his game and nothing else. His opening score covers 20 yards as he bounces off of a would-be Steve Atwater tackle. He adds a 38 yard TD just before the half, and his 28 yard score in the second half is the 3rd TD of the game. The Niners crush the Broncos, 55-10. Rice's numbers: 7 catches, 148 yards, 3 TDs.

2. Despite a separated shoulder, Rice places the team on his shoulders as the Niners roll past the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in the 1994 Super Bowl at Joe Robbie Stadium. His 44 yard TD in the first quarter is the fastest TD in Super Bowl history (1 minute, 24 seconds into the game). He finishes with 11 receptions for 149 yards and 3 TDs. His performance moves him into first place for career TDs, receptions, and receiving yards in the Super Bowl.

1. Rice's finest playoff game has to be his MVP performance in Super Bowl XXIII. He sets a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for 215 yards and a TD. On the decisive drive of the game, he snares 3 passes for 51 yards, and induces the double team that enables Montana to find John Taylor in the endzone to give the Niners the 20-16 victory. Just another day at the office for Jerry Lee Rice...