San Francisco Dumps Bears, 28-3

CHICAGO--The fear of freezing was nothing more than an object of scorn for Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and their San Francisco teammates yesterday.

Playing in 30 mph winds and wind-chill factors almost 20 below zero, Montana and Rice combined for two touchdowns and Montana threw a third to John Frank as the 49ers beat the Chicago Bears 28-3 to set up a rematch of their 26-21 Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati in 1982.

It was the first road playoff victory for the 49ers since 1970, and it dispelled the notion that the Californians would be numbed in the kind of weather that has been so good to the Bears in playoffs past.

The 49ers were almost flawless, without a single penalty and only one turnover.

The Bears were the frozen ones, able to get inside the 49er 40-yard line only twice.

Montana was true to his word that his college experience in similar conditions 90 miles east at Notre Dame would stand him well. He threw for 199 yards in the first half alone and finished 17 of 27 for 288 yards, combining with Rice on a 62-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 27-yarder in the second and also throwing a five-yarder to tight end Frank in the third.

Rice, a Mississippian, was equally at home in the cold, showing hands like an Eskimo in catching five balls for 133 yards. On his first TD catch, he leaped high into the air to grab the ball; on his second, he reached down and grabbed the ball at his ankles as San Francisco took a 14-3 halftime lead.

He finished with five receptions for 33 yards, including a 17-yarder on the opening drive of the third quarter that was capped by the TD pass to Frank that made it 21-3.

The win was the 49ers' sixth in their last seven games after a 6-5 start in what has been an erratic NFL season.

It also broke an eight-game winning streak by the home team in NFC title games and put San Francisco in position to become only the third team to win more than two Super Bowls.

The game began in 17-degree temperatures and a wind-chill factor of minus-26, leading the scoreboard to exult "Bearrrrrr Weather" between warnings to the 64,830 fans to watch for signs of frostbite.

But Montana, Rice and the defense limited the exultation to the scoreboard.