NFL game summary for 10/24/1971:
John Brodie's 50-yard touchdown pass to Dick Witcher midway through the final period proved to be the deciding play in the 49ers victory. Earlier, defensive end Tommy Hart raced 63 yards to score with a recovered fumble. Brodie completed 16 passes for 226 yards. Bruce Gossett had four field goals in four attempts.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 168.6 (6) | 196.8 (5) | 365.4 (1) | 20 |
| DEFENSE | 112.2 (10) | 130.0 (7) | 242.2 (5) | 13 | |
 | OFFENSE | 108.0 (20) | 165.6 (13) | 273.6 (17) | 19 |
| DEFENSE | 134.0 (15) | 129.0 (6) | 263.0 (9) | 11 |
Line: 49ers by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers (4-2-0) | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 26 |
| St. Louis Cardinals (2-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
( 3- 0) SF Bruce Gossett 12 yard field goal
(10- 0) SF Tommy Hart 63 yard fumble return (Bruce Gossett kick)
(10- 7) STL Jackie Smith 61 yard pass from Pete Beathard (Jim Bakken kick)
(13- 7) SF Bruce Gossett 19 yard field goal
(16- 7) SF Bruce Gossett 34 yard field goal
(16-14) STL John Gilliam 49 yard pass from Pete Beathard (Jim Bakken kick)
(23-14) SF Dick Witcher 50 yard pass from John Brodie (Bruce Gossett kick)
(26-14) SF Bruce Gossett 40 yard field goal
SF STL
First Downs: 16 15
Rushes-yards: 37-140 24-108
Yards/rush: 3.8 4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 16-32-226-0 11-26-212-1
Sacked-yards: 0-0 5-36
Net pass yards: 226 176
Net yards/pass: 7.1 5.7
Total net yards: 366 284
Total plays: 69 (53% run) 55 (43% run)
Yards/play: 5.3 5.2
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 2-2
Turnovers: 0 3
Penalties-yards: 13-168 6-60
Attendance: 50,419
Passing:
SF: John Brodie, 16 of 32 for 226 yards and 1 TD STL: Pete Beathard, 11 of 25 for 212 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Roy Shivers, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
SF: Vic Washington, 16 for 62 yards; Ken Willard, 14 for 58 yards; Doug Cunningham, 3 for 9 yards; John Brodie, 3 for 4 yards; Ted Kwalick, 1 for 7 yards STL: MacArthur Lane, 13 for 67 yards; Roy Shivers, 10 for 41 yards; Cid Edwards, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SF: Ted Kwalick, 3 for 65 yards; Dick Witcher, 3 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Doug Cunningham, 3 for 36 yards; Vic Washington, 3 for 31 yards; Gene Washington, 3 for 26 yards; Ken Willard, 1 for 4 yards STL: Mel Gray, 4 for 46 yards; Jackie Smith, 3 for 103 yards and 1 TD; John Gilliam, 2 for 68 yards and 1 TD; MacArthur Lane, 1 for -1 yards; Bob Reynolds, 1 for -4 yards
Kick returns:
SF: Vic Washington, 3 for 71 yards STL: Mel Gray, 5 for 160 yards; Larry Willingham, 1 for 13 yards
Punt returns:
SF: Bruce Taylor, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Jimmy Johnson, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
SF: Jim McCann, 5 for 207 yards STL: Chuck Latourette, 4 for 144 yards
Field Goals:
SF: Bruce Gossett, 4/4 STL: Jim Bakken, 0/1
SF: John Brodie, 16 of 32 for 226 yards and 1 TD STL: Pete Beathard, 11 of 25 for 212 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Roy Shivers, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
SF: Vic Washington, 16 for 62 yards; Ken Willard, 14 for 58 yards; Doug Cunningham, 3 for 9 yards; John Brodie, 3 for 4 yards; Ted Kwalick, 1 for 7 yards STL: MacArthur Lane, 13 for 67 yards; Roy Shivers, 10 for 41 yards; Cid Edwards, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SF: Ted Kwalick, 3 for 65 yards; Dick Witcher, 3 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Doug Cunningham, 3 for 36 yards; Vic Washington, 3 for 31 yards; Gene Washington, 3 for 26 yards; Ken Willard, 1 for 4 yards STL: Mel Gray, 4 for 46 yards; Jackie Smith, 3 for 103 yards and 1 TD; John Gilliam, 2 for 68 yards and 1 TD; MacArthur Lane, 1 for -1 yards; Bob Reynolds, 1 for -4 yards
Kick returns:
SF: Vic Washington, 3 for 71 yards STL: Mel Gray, 5 for 160 yards; Larry Willingham, 1 for 13 yards
Punt returns:
SF: Bruce Taylor, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Jimmy Johnson, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
SF: Jim McCann, 5 for 207 yards STL: Chuck Latourette, 4 for 144 yards
Field Goals:
SF: Bruce Gossett, 4/4 STL: Jim Bakken, 0/1