As one of the longstanding members of the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers have a lot of firsts. Among them is the first time the Niners made the playoffs.
Although it is a question that has multiple answers.
The 49ers began their existence in 1946 as a member of the AAFC before joining the NFL for the 1950 season. They were part of the NFL’s National Conference alongside teams like the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions.
The question of playoffs is somewhat complicated because of those two leagues, but that duality also allows for a more in-depth response.
As far as the AAFC is concerned, the Niners missed the playoffs each of their first three seasons in the league. This, of course, is made murky by the fact that the “playoffs” in that eight-team league consisted of just the two division winners playing for the league championship, at least for the first two seasons.
In 1948, the league inadvertently added a third team to the playoffs with the league’s top team, the undefeated Cleveland Browns, advancing directly to the championship game. All this came because the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Colts finished with identical 7-7 records, so they faced off for the right to get smashed by the Browns in the title game.
The 49ers actually won the second-most games in the league that year with their 12-2 record, with both losses coming to Cleveland, but sharing a division with the Browns meant the Niners would miss out again.
So, the 49ers’ first AAFC playoff berth came the following year in 1949, although the league had shrunk down to just seven teams playing in one division. In that season, the top four teams advanced to the playoffs.
The Niners beat the New York Yankees 17-7 in the franchise’s first-ever postseason game on Dec. 4, 1949. The 49ers, of course, went on to lose the championship to the juggernaut Browns on Dec. 11 on a score of 21-7.
As for the NFL, it took the Niners a few years to crack the playoffs, which again was just the two division winners facing off for the title from 1951 until 1966 when the first Super Bowl was played and the NFL added its own champsionship game to decide who would play in that contest.
So, that leaves us with two more answers to this question.
In 1957, the 49ers tied the Lions for first place in the West Division, leading to the Niners’ first-ever postseason game in their NFL history. It took place on Dec. 22, 1957 at Kezar Stadium.
The game turned out to be a bit of an upside-down version of the 2024 NFC Championship game, with the 49ers jumping out to a 27-7 lead early in the third quarter via three touchdown passes from Y.A. Tittle to R.C. Owens, Hugh McElhenny, and Billy Wilson, and two field goals from Gordie Soltau (one was from 10 yards out).
Detroit thundered back in the second half, however, scoring 24 unanswered points and sending the 49ers home. The Lions would go on to thump the Browns in the title game, 59-14.
As far as the Super Bowl era is concerned, the 49ers’ first playoff berth came in 1970.
The league now featured 26 teams in six divisions, three in each conference. The 49ers won the NFC West with a 10-3-1 record, a game ahead of the Rams, and far ahead of the lowly Atlanta Falcons (4-8-2) and New Orleans Saints (2-11-1).
Ah, the old western cities of Atlanta and New Orleans!
San Francisco traveled to Minnesota to take on the 12-2 Vikings, beating the hosts 17-14 in the 49ers’ first official NFL playoff game on Dec. 27, 1970.
Quarterback John Brodie, who won the AP MVP and was a first-team All-Pro that season, led the charge with a touchdown pass to Dick Witcher in the first quarter before sealing the victory with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Unfortunately, the Niners would fall in their first home playoff game in the modern era, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 17-10 at Kezar Stadium on Jan. 3, 1971. Dallas would lose in the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Colts a few weeks later.
So, there you have it. The answer to the question isn’t simple, but it is interesting to see how the playoffs unfolded for the early years of the 49ers’ franchise.
