The 1953 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 4th season in the National Football League and their 8th overall. They were coming off a 7–5 record in 1952.
The 49ers played consistent football all season long, never losing consecutive games throughout the season en route to a franchise-best 9–3 record. However, the 49ers lost both their games against the Detroit Lions, who finished the season 10–2 to win the Western Conference and earn a spot in the NFL Championship game.
Offensively, San Francisco was led by quarterback Y. A. Tittle, who threw for 2,121 yards and 20 TDs while completing 57.5% of his passes. Running back Joe Perry had another great season, rushing for 1,018 yards along with 10 TDs, while Hugh McElhenny rushed for 503 yards and 3 TDs, and caught 30 passes for 474 yards and 6 TDs. Wide receiver Billy Wilson caught a team-high 51 passes for 840 yards and 10 TDs.
Week
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
Result
|
Record
|
Venue
|
Attendance
|
Recap
|
1
|
September 27
|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
W 31–21
|
1–0
|
Kezar Stadium
|
25,000
|
Recap
|
2
|
October 4
|
Los Angeles Rams
|
W 31–30
|
2–0
|
Kezar Stadium
|
41,446
|
Recap
|
3
|
October 11
|
Detroit Lions
|
L 21–24
|
2–1
|
Briggs Stadium
|
56,080
|
Recap
|
4
|
October 18
|
Chicago Bears
|
W 35–28
|
3–1
|
Wrigley Field
|
36,909
|
Recap
|
5
|
October 25
|
Detroit Lions
|
L 10–14
|
3–2
|
Kezar Stadium
|
52,300
|
Recap
|
6
|
November 1
|
Chicago Bears
|
W 24–14
|
4–2
|
Kezar Stadium
|
26,308
|
Recap
|
7
|
November 8
|
Los Angeles Rams
|
W 31–27
|
5–2
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
|
85,856
|
Recap
|
8
|
November 15
|
Cleveland Browns
|
L 21–23
|
5–3
|
Cleveland Stadium
|
80,698
|
Recap
|
9
|
November 22
|
Green Bay Packers
|
W 37–7
|
6–3
|
Milwaukee County Stadium
|
16,378
|
Recap
|
10
|
November 29
|
Baltimore Colts
|
W 38–21
|
7–3
|
Memorial Stadium
|
26,005
|
Recap
|
11
|
December 6
|
Green Bay Packers
|
W 48–14
|
8–3
|
Kezar Stadium
|
31,337
|
Recap
|
12
|
December 13
|
Baltimore Colts
|
W 45–14
|
9–3
|
Kezar Stadium
|
23,932
|
Recap
|
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
|
Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
edit
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Eagles |
7 |
0 | 7 | 7 |
21 |
• 49ers |
14 |
3 | 7 | 7 |
31 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| Q1 | | SF | Arenas 18 yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) | SF 7–0 |
| Q1 | | PHI | Burk 1 yard run (Walston kick) | Tie 7–7 |
| Q1 | | SF | Tittle 1 yard run (Soltau kick) | SF 14–7 |
| Q2 | | SF | Soltau 39 yard field goal | SF 17–7 |
| Q3 | | SF | Wilson 39 yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) | SF 24–7 |
| Q3 | | PHI | Walston 3 yard pass from Burk (Walston kick) | SF 24–14 |
| Q4 | | SF | Wilson 37 yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) | SF 31–14 |
| Q4 | | PHI | Pihos 10 yard pass from Thomason (Pollard kick) | SF 31–21 |
|
[2]
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
San Francisco's players selected for the Pro Bowl: