Faithful Flashbacks #47: 49ers’ Giant Wild Card Comeback

Faithful Flashbacks revisits Jeff Garcia and the 49ers’ wild 24-point playoff comeback over the Giants.

Jul 7, 2026, 6:00 AM

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Coming in at No. 47 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in franchise history is the 49ers’ wild playoff comeback against the New York Giants.

By the 2002 season, the 49ers were already well removed from the peak of their dynasty years. Joe Montana and Steve Young were gone, Jerry Rice was in Oakland, and San Francisco was trying to extend its relevance with a different core led by Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens, and a group still good enough to win the NFC West.

That regular season success brought a playoff game back to Candlestick Park, but the Wild Card matchup against New York looked like it was heading toward an ugly ending. The Giants built a 24-point lead in the second half, leaving San Francisco with little time to avoid a frustrating postseason exit.

The 49ers leaned into a faster offensive pace, and Garcia helped push them back into the game while Owens became a major part of the rally. San Francisco kept trimming away at the deficit, turning what had been a comfortable Giants lead into a game that suddenly felt unstable.

The comeback was completed when Garcia found Tai Streets for the touchdown that put the 49ers ahead. Even then, the final minute still had room for one more bizarre twist, with New York lining up for a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds.

QB Jeff Garcia to WR Tai Streets game winning TD. Garcia hit Tai Streets with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left, and the Giants botched the snap on a 41-yard field-goal attempt as time expired, 49ers won 39-38 in the 2002 Wildcard game. #49ers #FTTB pic.twitter.com/EGNqhAF0PS

— 49er_Edits (@49er_edits) February 22, 2023

A bad snap threw off the entire operation. Instead of a clean kick attempt, the play turned into a scramble, with the Giants trying to salvage something out of a broken sequence. The final pass fell incomplete, and the 49ers survived with a 39-38 win.

It remains one of the largest comebacks in NFL playoff history and one of the most memorable victories from that post-dynasty stretch of 49ers football.

The postseason run did not last much longer, with San Francisco losing to Tampa Bay the following week. The franchise also entered a difficult stretch soon after, making this comeback feel like one of the last major moments before a longer reset.

That is part of why it still stands out. It was not attached to a Super Bowl run or one of the franchise’s cleanest eras. It was a frantic, ridiculous playoff comeback at Candlestick, led by Garcia and finished with one of the strangest final sequences imaginable.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT