NFL game summary for 12/26/1971:
Bob Hoskins, a reserve defensive lineman, scored the clinching touchdown for the San Francisco 49ers by recovering a bad pass from center that went through the legs of Washington punter Mike Bragg in a 24-20 victory that put the 49ers in the NFC final. San Francisco came back from a 10-3 halftime deficit with three second-half touchdowns, including a 78-yard pass from John Brodie to Gene Washington that tied the score. Brodie's second touchdown pass to Bob Windsor, following Rosey Taylor's interception, put the 49ers ahead to stay. After a late Redskin touchdown, Cedrick Hardman smeared Billy Kilmer on the final play.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 125.5 (14) | 162.4 (10) | 287.9 (13) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 99.7 (4) | 151.9 (12) | 251.6 (4) | 41 | |
 | OFFENSE | 152.1 (9) | 184.1 (4) | 336.1 (3) | 42 |
| DEFENSE | 119.1 (9) | 143.6 (7) | 262.8 (6) | 31 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins (9-5-1) | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| San Francisco 49ers (10-5-0) | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
( 7- 0) WAS Jerry Smith 5 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick) ( 7- 3) SF Bruce Gossett 23 yard field goal (10- 3) WAS Curt Knight 40 yard field goal (10-10) SF Gene Washington 78 yard pass from John Brodie (Bruce Gossett kick) (10-17) SF Bob Windsor 2 yard pass from John Brodie (Bruce Gossett kick) (13-17) WAS Curt Knight 36 yard field goal (13-24) SF Bob Hoskins 0 yard fumble return (Bruce Gossett kick) (20-24) WAS Larry Brown 16 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick)
WAS SF
First Downs: 13 11
Rushes-yards: 39-99 39-112
Yards/rush: 2.5 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-27-106-1 10-19-176-0
Sacked-yards: 1-13 1-3
Net pass yards: 93 173
Net yards/pass: 3.3 8.7
Total net yards: 192 285
Total plays: 67 (58% run) 59 (66% run)
Yards/play: 2.9 4.8
Fumbles-lost: 3-2 0-0
Turnovers: 3 0
Penalties-yards: 4-55 3-41
Attendance: 45,327
Passing:
WAS: Billy Kilmer, 11 of 27 for 106 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) SF: John Brodie, 10 of 19 for 176 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
WAS: Larry Brown, 27 for 84 yards; Charlie Harraway, 10 for 28 yards; Billy Kilmer, 1 for 0 yards; Roy Jefferson, 1 for -13 yards SF: Ken Willard, 19 for 46 yards; Vic Washington, 16 for 59 yards; Larry Schreiber, 4 for 7 yards
Receiving:
WAS: Larry Brown, 6 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Jerry Smith, 3 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Tommy Mason, 1 for 8 yards; Charlie Harraway, 1 for 4 yards SF: Ted Kwalick, 3 for 26 yards; Dick Witcher, 2 for 28 yards; Gene Washington, 1 for 78 yards and 1 TD; Larry Schreiber, 1 for 22 yards; Vic Washington, 1 for 10 yards; Ken Willard, 1 for 10 yards; Bob Windsor, 1 for 2 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
WAS: Speedy Duncan, 3 for 170 yards; Harold McLinton, 1 for 19 yards SF: Vic Washington, 4 for 79 yards; Doug Cunningham, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
WAS: Speedy Duncan, 3 for 11 yards; Ted Vactor, 1 for 47 yards SF: Johnny Fuller, 1 for 8 yards; Mike Simpson, 1 for 4 yards; Bruce Taylor, 1 for 1 yard
Interceptions:
SF: Rosey Taylor, 1 for 17 yards
Punting:
WAS: Mike Bragg, 5 for 231 yards SF: Steve Spurrier, 9 for 337 yards
Field Goals:
WAS: Curt Knight, 2/3 SF: Bruce Gossett, 1/1
WAS: Billy Kilmer, 11 of 27 for 106 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) SF: John Brodie, 10 of 19 for 176 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
WAS: Larry Brown, 27 for 84 yards; Charlie Harraway, 10 for 28 yards; Billy Kilmer, 1 for 0 yards; Roy Jefferson, 1 for -13 yards SF: Ken Willard, 19 for 46 yards; Vic Washington, 16 for 59 yards; Larry Schreiber, 4 for 7 yards
Receiving:
WAS: Larry Brown, 6 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Jerry Smith, 3 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Tommy Mason, 1 for 8 yards; Charlie Harraway, 1 for 4 yards SF: Ted Kwalick, 3 for 26 yards; Dick Witcher, 2 for 28 yards; Gene Washington, 1 for 78 yards and 1 TD; Larry Schreiber, 1 for 22 yards; Vic Washington, 1 for 10 yards; Ken Willard, 1 for 10 yards; Bob Windsor, 1 for 2 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
WAS: Speedy Duncan, 3 for 170 yards; Harold McLinton, 1 for 19 yards SF: Vic Washington, 4 for 79 yards; Doug Cunningham, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
WAS: Speedy Duncan, 3 for 11 yards; Ted Vactor, 1 for 47 yards SF: Johnny Fuller, 1 for 8 yards; Mike Simpson, 1 for 4 yards; Bruce Taylor, 1 for 1 yard
Interceptions:
SF: Rosey Taylor, 1 for 17 yards
Punting:
WAS: Mike Bragg, 5 for 231 yards SF: Steve Spurrier, 9 for 337 yards
Field Goals:
WAS: Curt Knight, 2/3 SF: Bruce Gossett, 1/1