2002 San Francisco 49ers season

American football team season August 2023 March 2026 San Francisco 49ers 2002 10–6 1st NFC West Denise DeBartolo York and John York Terry Donahue Steve Mariucci 3Com Park Won Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Giants) 39–38Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Buccaneers) 6–31 QB Jeff GarciaWR Terrell OwensG Ron StoneC Jeremy NewberryDT Bryant YoungLB Julian Peterson WR Terrell Owens (1st team)RB Fred Beasley (2nd team)LB Julian Peterson (2nd team) File:49ers98_06.png 49ers seasons thumb | right | alt=The uniform of the San Francisco 49ers, 1998-2006. | The uniform of the San Francisco 49ers, 1998-2006. The 2002 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 57th season, and 53rd in the National Football League (NFL) and the sixth and final under head coach Steve Mariucci. The first season following divisional realignment, the 49ers won the new-look NFC West title with a 10–6 record; they swept their new division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals while splitting with the St. Louis Rams. In the Wild Card round, the 49ers fell behind the New York Giants 38–14 but erupted with 25 unanswered points and survived a chaotic last-second field goal attempt by the Giants; the 39–38 win was the 26th playoff win in the team's history and as of 2019, it is the fourth biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. The 49ers lost the next week in the divisional round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31–6 and head coach Steve Mariucci was fired, the result of a power struggle with owner John York and new general manager Terry Donahue. 2002 was the last winning season for the 49ers until 2011. Until 2025, this represents the most recent season where the 49ers made the playoffs, but not the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl. Offseason Additions SubtractionsFS Tony Parrish (Bears) FS Lance Schulters (Titans)G Ron Stone (Giants) G Ray Brown (Lions)DE Sean Moran (Rams) QB Rick Mirer (Raiders) LB Terry Killens (Broncos) NFL draft 2002 NFL draft 2002 San Francisco 49ers 1 27 Mike Rumph CB Miami (FL) yes 3 69 Saleem Rasheed LB Alabama From Buffalo yes 3 Forfeited due to a Salary Cap Violation 4 102 Jeff Chandler K Florida From Buffalo yes 4 127 Kevin Curtis S Texas Tech yes 5 163 Brandon Doman QB BYU yes 5 172 Josh Shaw DT Michigan State compensatory selection yes 6 201 Mark Anelli TE Wisconsin yes 7 239 Eric Heitmann C Stanford yes 7 248 Kyle Kosier T Arizona State yes 7 256 Teddy Gaines CB Tennessee Undrafted free agents + 2002 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeKenny HarrisCornerbackNorthern IowaNate JacksonWide receiverMenlo CollegeMichael JenningsWide receiverFlorida StateAustin LeeTackleStanfordBrandon MooreLinebackerOklahomaDonnie O’NealWide receiverArizona StateDarryl SandersDefensive EndVirginiaMatt StanleyFullbackUCLAFrank StrongLinebackerUSC Personnel Staff 2002 San Francisco 49ers Owner – Denise DeBartolo York Owner – The DeBartolo Corporation Director/owner's representative – John York President/chief executive officer – Peter L. Harris General manager – Terry Donahue Consultant – Bill Walsh Vice president/director of football operations – John McVay Asst. director of football operations/salary cap – Dominic Corsell Director of pro personnel – Bill McPherson Head coach – Steve Mariucci Offensive coordinator – Greg Knapp Quarterbacks – Ted Tollner Running backs – Tom Rathman Wide receivers – George Stewart Tight ends – Tom Batta Offensive line – Patrick Morris Offensive assistant – Andy Sugarman Offensive quality control – Jason Tarver Defensive coordinator – Jim Mora Defensive line – Dwaine Board Linebackers – Richard Smith Secondary – Brett Maxie Defensive assistant – Chris Beake Defensive quality control – Dan Quinn Special teams – Bruce DeHaven Physical development coordinator – Jerry Attaway Strength development coordinator – Terrell Jones Roster 2002 San Francisco 49ers 53 9 4 11 Brandon Doman  5 Jeff Garcia 13 Tim Rattay 32 Kevan Barlow 40 Fred Beasley FB 20 Garrison Hearst 27 Paul Smith FB 81 Terrell Owens 83 J. J. Stokes 89 Tai Streets 84 Cedrick Wilson 82 Eric Johnson 88 Justin Swift 63 Derrick Deese T 78 Scott Gragg T 66 Eric Heitmann G 72 Kyle Kosier T 60 Ben Lynch C 62 Jeremy Newberry C 71 Craig Osika C 65 Ron Stone G 77 Matt Willig G/T 96 Andre Carter DE 92 Jerome Davis DT 95 John Engelberger DE 75 Jim Flanigan DT 99 Sean Moran DE 91 Chike Okeafor DE 93 Josh Shaw DT 94 Dana Stubblefield DT 97 Bryant Young DT 57 Cornelius Anthony OLB 56 Brandon Moore OLB 98 Julian Peterson OLB 51 Saleem Rasheed MLB 50 Derek Smith MLB 54 Quincy Stewart OLB 53 Jeff Ulbrich OLB 55 Jamie Winborn OLB 31 Zack Bronson FS 45 Tim Hauck SS 43 Duane Hawthorne CB 38 Ronnie Heard FS 25 Rashad Holman CB 28 John Keith FS 35 Jason Moore SS 33 Tony Parrish SS 29 Ahmed Plummer CB 24 Mike Rumph CB 36 Jason Webster CB  3 Jeff Chandler K 86 Brian Jennings LS  4 Bill Lafleur P 30 Kevin Curtis S (IR) 7px 74 Dave Fiore G (IR) 7px 22 Terry Jackson RB (IR) 7px -- Alex Lincoln LB (NF-Inj.) 7px  9 Cade McNown QB (IR) 7px 21 Anthony Parker CB (IR) 7px 25 Jamal Robertson RB (IR) 7px 58 Frank Strong LB (IR) 7px 23 Jimmy Williams CB (IR) 7px 85 Mark Anelli TE 41 Jasen Isom FB 18 James Jordan WR 15 Aaron Lockett WR Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 August 4 vs. Washington Redskins L 7–38 0–1 Osaka Dome 2 August 10 Kansas City Chiefs L 14–17 (OT) 0–2 3Com Park 3 August 19 at Denver Broncos W 12–7 1–2 Invesco Field 4 August 24 at Oakland Raiders L 10–17 1–3 Network Associates Coliseum 5 August 28 San Diego Chargers W 27–3 2–3 3Com Parkhttps://www.profootballarchives.com/2002nflsf.html#gsc.tab=0 2002 San Francisco 49ers (NFL) Scores, Roster, Stats, Coaches, Draft Pro Football Archives June 5, 2026 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 5 at New York Giants W 16–13 1–0 Giants Stadium 78,748 2 September 15 Denver Broncos L 14–24 1–1 3Com Park 67,685 3 September 22 Washington Redskins W 20–10 2–1 3Com Park 67,541 4Bye 5 October 6 St. Louis Rams W 37–13 3–1 3Com Park 67,853 6 October 14, 2002 at Seattle Seahawks W 28–21 4–1 Seahawks Stadium 66,420 7 October 20 at New Orleans Saints L 27–35 4–2 Louisiana Superdome 67,903 8 October 27 Arizona Cardinals W 38–28 5–2 3Com Park 67,173 9 November 3 at Oakland Raiders W 23–20 (OT) 6–2 Network Associates Coliseum 62,660 10 November 10 Kansas City Chiefs W 17–13 7–2 3Com Park 67,881 11 November 17 at San Diego Chargers L 17–20 (OT) 7–3 Qualcomm Stadium 67,161 12 November 25, 2002 Philadelphia Eagles L 17–38 7–4 3Com Park 67,919 13 December 1 Seattle Seahawks W 31–24 8–4 3Com Park 67,594 14 December 8 at Dallas Cowboys W 31–27 9–4 Texas Stadium 64,097 15 December 15 Green Bay Packers L 14–20 9–5 3Com Park 67,947 16 December 21, 2002 at Arizona Cardinals W 17–14 10–5 Sun Devil Stadium 44,051 17 December 30, 2002 at St. Louis Rams L 20–31 10–6 Edward Jones Dome 66,118 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at New York Giants At Giants Stadium the 49ers clawed to a 13–6 lead on three Kerry Collins interceptions, but a late Tiki Barber score tied the game 13–13. Two Jeff Garcia passes for 45 yards and three Garrison Hearst runs for seven yards set up Jose Cortez's 36-yard field goal with ten seconds left and the 16–13 49ers win. Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos Despite an eight-yard touchdown to Terrell Owens (suffering from a season-long groin issue), Jeff Garcia struggled in San Francisco's home opener, fumbling in the third quarter then throwing an interception to Deltha O'Neal in the fourth. A late rushing score by Garcia made the final score 24–14 for the Broncos. |Weather= 68 F (Sunny) Week 3: vs. Washington Redskins Jeff Garcia and Tim Rattay combined for just 125 passing yards as the Niners defeated the Redskins 20–10. Food poisoning forced Garcia out of the game. "I just didn't feel real crisp," Garcia said in the postgame press conference. |Weather= 71 F (Sunny) Week 5: vs. St. Louis Rams The Rams' collapse following their loss in Super Bowl XXXVI continued as Jamie Martin started and was intercepted twice. Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow rushed for 166 yards as the Niners pummeled the Rams 37–13. |Weather= 84 F (Sunny) Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 6: San Francisco 49ers (3–1) at Seattle Seahawks (1–3) – Game summary October 14 Monday 6:09pm local 49ers 10 3 7 8 Seahawks 7 7 7 0 Seahawks Stadium, Seattle 66,420 clear, 64 °F °C, 48% humidity, wind N 6 mph km/h Bill Leavy ABC Al Michaels, John Madden, Melissa Stark Gamecenter, Gamebook First quarter SF – José Cortéz 35-yard field goal, 10:06 (SF 3–0) SF – Terrell Owens 8-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (José Cortéz kick), 6:50 (SF 10–0) SEA – Mack Strong 5-yard pass from Trent Dilfer (Rian Lindell kick), 1:45 (SF 10–7) Second quarter SEA – Bobby Engram 61-yard punt return (Rian Lindell kick), 5:41 (SEA 14–10) SF – José Cortéz 29-yard field goal, 2:09 (SEA 14–13) Third quarter SF – Kevan Barlow 6-yard run (José Cortéz kick), 5:29 (SF 20–14) SEA – Shaun Alexander 1-yard run (Rian Lindell kick), 1:11 (SEA 21–20) Fourth quarter SF – Terrell Owens 37-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (2-pt PAT: Garrison Hearst pass from Jeff Garcia), 7:46 (SF 28–21) Top passers SF – Jeff Garcia: 16/29, 202 yds, 2 TD SEA – Trent Dilfer: 21/31, 212 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers SF – Kevan Barlow: 12 car, 68 yds, 1 TD SEA – Shaun Alexander: 25 car, 96 yds, 1 TD Top receivers SF – Terrell Owens: 6 rec, 84 yds, 2 TD SEA – Bobby Engram: 6 rec, 85 yds Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers SF – 190 – 161 – 351 – 0 SEA – 211 – 123 – 334 – 2 Week 7: at New Orleans Saints The 4–1 49ers faced the 5–1 Saints for the first time since divisional realignment split the two clubs out of the NFC West and formed the new NFC South. The two clubs put up a combined 840 yards of offense; the Niners led 24–13 after three quarters but the Saints outscored San Francisco 22–3 in the fourth quarter; Jeff Garcia was intercepted with 2:30 to go and Aaron Brooks ran in a one-yard touchdown for the 35–27 Saints win. Week 8: vs. Arizona Cardinals San Francisco 49ers 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Arizona Cardinals (4–2) at San Francisco 49ers (4–2) – Game summary October 27 1:05 p.m. PST/2:05 p.m. MST Cardinals 0 7 14 7 49ers 17 14 0 7 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 67,173 62 F C Larry Nemmers FOX Kenny Albert, Brian Baldinger Box Score First quarter SF – José Cortez 45-yard field goal, 13:12. 49ers 3–0. SF – Terrell Owens 21-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (José Cortez kick), 7:19. 49ers 10–0. SF – Tai Streets 47-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (José Cortez kick), 4:13. 49ers 17–0. Second quarter SF – Kevan Barlow 5-yard run (José Cortez kick), 14:05. 49ers 24–0. ARI – Marcel Shipp 7-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 9:22. 49ers 24–7. SF – Terrell Owens 61-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (José Cortez kick), 0:12. 49ers 31–7. Third quarter ARI – Jake Plummer 34-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 11:18. 49ers 31–14. ARI – Marcel Shipp 11-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 3:27. 49ers 31–21. Fourth quarter SF – Kevan Barlow 9-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (José Cortez kick), 14:55. 49ers 38–21. ARI – Thomas Jones 7-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 8:23. 49ers 38–28. Top passers ARI – Jake Plummer – 24/36, 286 yards, 3 INT SF – Jeff Garcia – 18/28, 252 yards, 4 TD Top rushers ARI – Thomas Jones – 15 rushes, 54 yards, TD SF – Kevan Barlow – 18 rushes, 51 yards, TD Top receivers ARI – David Boston – 6 receptions, 83 yards SF – Terrell Owens – 8 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers ARI – 286 – 151 – 420 – 4 SF – 252 – 105 – 357 – 0 Four rushing touchdowns (two of them from Marcel Shipp) were not enough for the Cardinals against the Niners as Jeff Garcia tossed four touchdowns and Jake Plummer was intercepted three times in a 38–28 San Francisco win. Week 9: at Oakland Raiders The two Bay Area teams clashed in an overtime grinder as Rich Gannon threw for 164 yards and a one-yard touchdown to Jerry Porter. Garcia threw for 282 yards and two scores and rushed for 46 yards, 21 of them in overtime following a missed 27-yard Jose Cortez field goal attempt at the end of regulation. Cortez nailed the 23-yard kick in overtime for the 23–20 49ers win. Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs San Francisco 49ers 2002 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs (4–4) at San Francisco 49ers (6–2) – Game summary November 10 1:15 p.m. PST Chiefs 3 7 0 3 49ers 3 14 0 0 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 67,881 Cloudy, 61 F C Ron Blum CBS Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian Recap, Game Book First quarter SF – José Cortez 42-yard field goal, 7:06. 49ers 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 56 yards, 7:54. KC – Morten Andersen 33-yard field goal, 2:13. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 4:53. Second quarter SF – Garrison Hearst 5-yard run (José Cortez kick), 11:13. 49ers 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:00. KC – Priest Holmes 12-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 9:06. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 2:07. SF – Kevan Barlow 6-yard run (José Cortez kick), 2:40. 49ers 17–10. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 6:26. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter KC – Morten Andersen 43-yard field goal, 14:21. 49ers 17–13. Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 5:09. Top passers KC – Trent Green – 15/27, 193 yards SF – Jeff Garcia – 25/35, 175 yards, INT Top rushers KC – Priest Holmes – 11 rushes, 51 yards, TD SF – Garrison Hearst – 15 rushes, 69 yards, TD Top receivers KC – Eddie Kennison – 8 receptions, 134 yards SF – Terrell Owens – 7 receptions, 51 yards The Niners faced former Rams coach Dick Vermeil, whose Chiefs had scored at least 34 points five times to that point of the season; they were held to 13 points and 256 yards of offense as the Niners ground out the 17–13 win. Week 11: at San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: San Francisco 49ers (7–2) at San Diego Chargers (6–3) – Game summary November 17 1:05 p.m. PST 49ers 0 7 10 0 0 Chargers 7 0 0 10 3 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California 67,161 72 F C, relative humidity 54%, wind 9 mph Mike Carey Fox Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman Box score, Game Book First quarter SDG – Reche Caldwell 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (Steve Christie kick), 0:40. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:40. Second quarter SF – Terrell Owens 32-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jose Cortez kick), 1:04. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:32. Third quarter SF – Terrell Owens 76-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jose Cortez kick), 14:06. 49ers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:54. SF – Jose Cortez 24-yard field goal, 6:38. 49ers 17–7. Drive: 11 plays, 41 yards, 5:20. Fourth quarter SDG – Steve Christie 36-yard field goal, 5:05. 49ers 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:33. SDG – Fred McCrary 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (Steve Christie kick), 0:31. Tied 17–17. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 2:51. Overtime SDG – Steve Christie 40-yard field goal, 4:11. Chargers 20–17. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:35. Top passers SF – Jeff Garcia – 25/43, 337 yards, 2 TD, INT SDG – Drew Brees – 29/50, 336 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers SF – Garrison Hearst – 12 rushes, 66 yards SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 24 rushes, 88 yards Top receivers SF – Terrell Owens – 7 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TD SDG – Curtis Conway – 7 receptions, 152 yards At San Diego Terrell Owens caught two touchdowns, one a 76-yard bomb, but the Niners blew a 17–7 lead to the Chargers as Drew Brees' touchdown to Fred McCrary with 31 seconds to go tied the game, and former Buffalo Bill Steve Christie won it with 4:11 to go in overtime on a 40-yard field goal. The two teams combined for 908 yards of offense. Kicker Jose Cortez, who missed another game-winning field goal attempt in overtime, was cut by the 49ers. Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles Despite putting up 409 yards of offense the Niners were pounded by the Eagles 38–17 as Koy Detmer and A. J. Feeley combined for three touchdown throws; Detmer added a rushing score and Brian Mitchell ran back a 76-yard punt for a touchdown. Future Eagle Terrell Owens caught two touchdown passes from Jeff Garcia. |Weather= 68 F (Clear) Week 13: vs. Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Seattle Seahawks (4–7) at San Francisco 49ers (7–4) – Game summary December 1 1:15pm local Seahawks 0 3 7 14 49ers 0 17 7 7 3Com Park, San Francisco 67,594 clear, 58 °F °C, 14% humidity, wind variable Tom White Fox Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, Brian Webber Gamecenter, Gamebook First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter SEA – Rian Lindell 20-yard field goal, 14:31 (SEA 3–0) SF – Garrison Hearst 5-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 5:45 (SF 7–3) SF – Jimmy Williams 89-yard punt return (Jeff Chandler kick), 2:48 (SF 14–3) SF – Jeff Chandler 23-yard field goal, 0:20 (SF 17–3) Third quarter SF – Garrison Hearst 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 10:12 (SF 24–3) SEA – Darrell Jackson 36-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Rian Lindell kick), 8:52 (SF 24–10) Fourth quarter SF – Garrison Hearst 1-yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 13:25 (SF 31–10) SEA – Koren Robinson 15-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Rian Lindell kick), 3:50 (SF 31–17) SEA – Darrell Jackson 3-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Rian Lindell kick), 1:57 (SF 31–24) Top passers SEA – Matt Hasselbeck: 30/55, 427 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT SF – Jeff Garcia: 16/29, 164 yds, 2 INT Top rushers SEA – Shaun Alexander: 16 car, 74 yds SF – Garrison Hearst: 31 car, 124 yds, 3 TD Top receivers SEA – Darrell Jackson: 7 rec, 114 yds, 2 TD SF – Tai Streets: 6 rec, 66 yds Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers SEA – 427 – 80 – 507 – 3 SF – 157 – 142 – 299 – 2 The Niners raced to a 31–10 lead behind three Garrison Hearst touchdown runs and a punt return score. In the fourth quarter Matt Hasselbeck (who had 427 passing yards in all) scored twice on passes to Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson but was intercepted with 1:31 to go, ensuring the 31–24 Niners win. Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys Though the championship rivalry of a decade past had cooled off with the fall of the Cowboys to sub-mediocrity, the game at Texas Stadium nonetheless resembled Cowboy-49er clashes of yore. Despite intercepting Chad Hutchinson twice, the 49ers saw the lead change four times before the Cowboys surged to a 27–17 lead in the fourth quarter. Jeff Garcia then stormed the 49ers to the win on touchdowns to Tai Streets and a bobbling eight-yard catch by Terrell Owens with fifteen seconds remaining. In the 31–27 49ers win the two teams combined for 35 fourth-quarter points. Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers San Francisco 49ers 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 15: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers December 15, 2002 4:15 p.m. Packers 3 0 14 3 49ers 0 6 8 0 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 67,947 Light Rain, 58 F C Tony Corrente (99) FOX Recap, Game Book First quarter GB – Ryan Longwell 48-yard field goao, 2:12. Packers 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 16 yards, 4:37. Second quarter SF – Jeff Chandler 47-yard field goal, 9:34. Tied 3–3. Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 1:46. SF – Jeff Chandler 42-yard field goal, 0:07. 49ers 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 44 yards, 3:52. Third quarter GB – Ahman Green 9-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 11:02. Packers 10–6. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 3:58. GB – Donald Driver 5-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 5:35. Packers 17–6. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 3:19. SF – Terrell Owens 45-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jeff Garcia run), 1:04. Packers 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:31. Fourth quarter GB – Ryan Longwell 28-yard field goal, 4:41. Packers 20–14. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 4:59. Top passers GB – Brett Favre – 25/33, 201 yards, TD SF – Jeff Garcia – 19/34, 156 yards, TD, INT Top rushers GB – Ahman Green – 24 rushes, 90 yards, TD SF – Garrison Hearst – 12 rushes, 51 yards Top receivers GB – Terry Glenn – 3 receptions, 46 yards SF – Terrell Owens – 8 receptions, 75 yards, TD Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth & Pam Oliver The Niners’ perennial struggles against the Packers since Green Bay's 1995 playoff win continued with San Francisco's tenth loss in eleven meetings. Terrell Owens caught a pass and bulled off a defender into the end zone; after scoring he took the pom poms of a Niners cheerleader and celebrated. On the Niners final drive Garcia drove to the Packers 14 (gaining a first down on a run and despite running into a Packers assistant coach on the sideline) but was stopped on fourth down. Week 16: at Arizona Cardinals The Niners held the Cardinals to just 184 yards of offense in a 17–14 Niners win. Terrell Owens did not play. Regardless, the 49ers clinched the NFC West with the win. This would be their last NFC West title until 2011. Week 17: at St. Louis Rams Having clinched the NFC West, the Niners rested many starters against the Rams as Jeff Garcia threw only three passes and Tim Rattay threw a pair of touchdowns to Tai Streets. The Rams played to salvage a win in their disappointing season and exploded for 28 fourth-quarter points to win 31–20; the Rams thus finished 7–9 while the Niners were 10–6. Standings Division Conference Playoffs Schedule Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue NFL.comrecap Wild Card January 5, 2003 New York Giants (5) W 39–38 1–0 3Com Park Recap Divisional January 12, 2003 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2) L 6–31 1–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap Game summaries NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. New York Giants San Francisco 49ers 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (#5) New York Giants at (#4) San Francisco 49ers January 5, 2003 4:30 p.m. EST Giants 7 21 10 0 49ers 7 7 8 17 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 66,318 53 °F °C, sunny Ron Winter FOX Recap First quarter SF – Terrell Owens 76 yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jeff Chandler kick), 10:10. 49ers 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 76 yards, 0:11. NYG – Amani Toomer 12 yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 0:22. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 4:15. Second quarter NYG – Jeremy Shockey 2 yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 12:24. Giants 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:24. SF – Kevan Barlow 1 yard run (Jeff Chandler kick), 6:58. Tied 14–14. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 6:14. NYG – Amani Toomer 8 yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 2:54. Giants 21–14. Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:05. NYG – Amani Toomer 24 yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 0:16. Giants 28–14. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:43. Third quarter NYG – Tiki Barber 6 yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 9:57. Giants 35–14. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:16. NYG – Matt Bryant 21 yard field goal, 4:30. Giants 38–14. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:20. SF – Terrell Owens 26 yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Jeff Garcia–Terrell Owens pass), 2:10. Giants 38–22. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:24. Fourth quarter SF – Jeff Garcia 14 yard run (Jeff Garcia–Terrell Owens pass), 15:00. Giants 38–30. Drive: 3 plays, 27 yards, 0:41. SF – Jeff Chandler 25 yard field goal, 7:52. Giants 38–33. Drive: 15 plays, 74 yards, 5:26. SF – Tai Streets 13 yard pass from Jeff Garcia (pass failed), 1:05. 49ers 39–38. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 2:01. The Steelers' comeback earlier in the day (36–33 over the Cleveland Browns) was matched by San Francisco's similar late drive, overcoming a 38–14 deficit by scoring 25 unanswered points in the second half. A last-minute Giants drive collapsed when Trey Junkin botched a field goal snap, leading to a desperation heave to the endzone that fell short. There were two notable events in this game. The first one was when after the 49ers scored a touchdown, Terrell Owens caught a pass from Jeff Garcia for the two-point conversion. After the catch, Owens did a little showboating. Michael Strahan of the Giants went up to Owens and pointed to the scoreboard and mocked Owens. (At the time, the Giants led 38–22.) This is significant because the 49ers came back to win. After the 49ers scored another touchdown and made the score 38–30, Joe Buck remarked "The scoreboard doesn't look so great to Strahan anymore." The second event in the game was that in the 3rd quarter, Jeremy Shockey dropped a touchdown pass that would have put the Giants up 41–14. Instead, the Giants had to kick a field goal, making the score 38–14. Nobody at the time knew how big of a mistake this dropped pass would be for the Giants, and how big of a blessing for the 49ers. The win was the 26th in a playoff game for the club and the last until the 2011 divisional playoffs. The 49ers 25-point comeback led them to the Divisional Round but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccanners 31-6. NFC Divisional Playoffs: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – January 12, 2003 San Francisco 49ers 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse NFC Divisional Playoffs: (#4) San Francisco 49ers at (#2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers January 12, 2003 1:00 p.m. EST 49ers 3 3 0 0 Buccaneers 7 21 3 0 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida 65,599 54 °F °C, partly cloudy Gerald Austin FOX Recap First quarter TB – Mike Alstott 2 yard run (Martín Gramática kick), 6:41. Buccaneers 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:16. SF – Jeff Chandler 24 yard field goal, 0:22. Buccaneers 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:17. Second quarter TB – Joe Jurevicius 20 yard pass from Brad Johnson (Martín Gramática kick), 9:35. Buccaneers 14–3. Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 5:50. SF – Jeff Chandler 40 yard field goal, 8:36. Buccaneers 14–6. Drive: 5 plays, 9 yards, 0:46. TB – Rickey Dudley 12 yard pass from Brad Johnson (Martín Gramática kick), 7:31. Buccaneers 21–6. Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 1:07. TB – Mike Alstott 2 yard run (Martín Gramática kick), 0:55. Buccaneers 28–6. Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 1:10. Third quarter TB – Martín Gramática 19 yard field goal, 8:33. Buccaneers 31–6. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 6:16. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. The Buccaneers, with the league's top-ranked defense during the 2002 regular season, forced five turnovers, sacked quarterback Jeff Garcia four times, and limited the 49ers to only two field goals. Tampa Bay quarterback Brad Johnson, who had been sidelined for a month, returned to throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Mike Alstott scored two touchdowns, while the Buccaneers held onto the ball for 36:46 and held the 49ers to a season low 228 yards. This was San Francisco's first playoff game without a touchdown since 1986. Despite San Francisco's 10–6 record and their Wild Card playoff win against New York, coach Steve Mariucci was fired three days after this game. This would be the 49ers last playoff appearance until 2011 and their last loss in the Divisional Round loss until 2025. References 49ers on Pro Football Reference 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com San Francisco 49ers Category:NFC West championship seasons Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons Category:2002 in San Francisco San