Jerry Rice, 49ers Beat Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals in B/R Madden GOAT Sim

In their first game of the B/R GOAT simulation tournament, the San Francisco 49ers earned a hard-fought 20-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals 

The 49ers offense wasted no time showcasing its skills, with Joe Montana connecting with Dwight Clark for a a nine-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-goal to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

Despite facing an early deficit, Arizona rose to the occasion on both sides of the ball. Carson Palmer engineered a scoring drive of his own, finding Roy Green deep down the field to even the score. 

Montana wasn't about to let his team fall into a hole in this game. The three-time Super Bowl MVP led a five-play, 82-yard drive late in the second quarter that ended with a perfectly thrown 25-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice. 

Heading into halftime with a 14-10 lead, Montana was a perfect 12-of-12 for 189 yards and those two touchdown passes. 

Neither team put up any points in the third quarter. Arizona's defense was able to break up Montana's perfect game with an interception on his first throw of the second half, but the offense couldn't capitalize. 

The 49ers did extend their advantage to seven with Ray Wersching's 40-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. 

Wersching would add another field goal with under two minutes remaining to seal the win for San Francisco. 

Montana finished the game 16-of-18 for 273 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark combined for 132 yards on eight catches. 

Larry Fitzgerald only had three receptions, but he made them count with 60 yards receiving. 

San Francisco's win sends it to the NFC West Championship Game against the winner of Thursday night's Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams matchup.