Biggest Comebacks In NFL Playoff History

By Henry Palattella , Tyler Maher
Editor , Editor
Mo Egger Contributor
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Biggest Comebacks In NFL Playoff History
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For sports fans (and bettors), few things are more exciting than watching your team pull off an epic comeback after falling behind early. There’s nothing like the swing from surefire defeat to the sudden rush of a thrilling, unexpected victory.

That’s especially true in the NFL playoffs, when the stakes are higher and every game is do-or-die. Games can change quickly on a handful of plays, and teams can rapidly erase deficits with a flurry of touchdowns, rewarding live bettors who took them at big plus odds.

The NFL postseason has given us plenty of historic comebacks over the decades. Below, we’ll look at the five biggest:

  • T-5: 2002 NFC Wild Card Round: San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants
  • T-5: 2019 AFC Divisional Round: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans
  • 4: Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
  • 3: 2022 AFC Wild Card Round: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Chargers
  • 2: 2013 AFC Wild Card Round: Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
  • 1: 1992 AFC Wild Card Round: Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Oilers

T-5. 2002 NFC Wild Card Round (24 Points)

Game Summary

  • Date: Jan. 5, 2003
  • Final Score: San Francisco 49ers 39, New York Giants 38
  • Spread: New York Giants +3, San Francisco 49ers -3
  • Total: Over/Under 41
  • Location: 3Com Park (San Francisco)

After taking down the New York Giants by a field goal in their 2002 season opener, the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers hosted the Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

New York raced out to a 28-14 lead at halftime thanks to four touchdown passes from Kerry Collins, including three in the second quarter. After extending their lead to 38-14 with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter, the Giants appeared well on their way to victory.

But New York’s defense promptly squandered the huge lead, surrendering 25 unanswered points over the final 17 minutes. The 49ers scored on their final four possessions, scoring three touchdowns and converting two 2-point conversions.

Meanwhile, San Francisco’s defense forced two quick three-and-outs to keep the G-Men at bay. Giants kicker Matt Bryant also missed a critical 42-yard field goal with three minutes left that would have extended New York’s lead to eight points.

Instead, 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia hit Taj Sheets for a go-ahead 13-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute remaining, giving San Francisco its first lead since the first quarter.

New York managed to advance the ball to the 49ers’ 23-yard line, only to botch the snap on the potential game-winning field goal. Giants holder Matt Allen heaved a desperation throw to guard Rich Seubert, who was tackled while trying to make the catch. However, the referees failed to call the penalty and instead flagged New York for an illegal man downfield, giving the 49ers the win.

The day after the game, the league apologized to the Giants for missing the pass interference call, giving this game an asterisk in the minds of many NFL fans. San Francisco got its comeuppance the following weekend, getting blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round.

T-5. 2019 AFC Divisional Round (24 Points)

Game Summary

  • Date: Jan. 12, 2020
  • Final Score: Kansas City Chiefs 51, Houston Texans 31
  • Moneyline: Houston Texans +377, Kansas City Chiefs -494
  • Spread: Houston Texans +10, Kansas City Chiefs -10
  • Total: Over/Under 51
  • Location: Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City)

While Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was already an NFL MVP heading into the 2019-20 playoffs, he had yet to make his mark as a postseason legend.

This game helped change that.

After jumping out to a shocking 21-0 first-quarter lead, the Houston Texans once again drove down the field at the start of the second quarter. Staring at a fourth-and-one on the Chiefs’ 13-yard line, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien settled for a field goal rather than going for the throat.

That decision quickly came back to haunt Houston, as the momentum immediately shifted to Kansas City. The Chiefs erupted for 28 points in the second quarter (including three touchdown catches by Travis Kelce) to take a 28-24 lead into halftime.

Stunned, the Texans folded in the second half, ultimately losing by 20 and allowing Kansas City to cover the 10-point spread. Mahomes and the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl that year, kicking off their modern dynasty.

4. Super Bowl LI (25 Points)

Game Summary

  • Date: Feb. 5, 2017
  • Final Score: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28
  • Moneyline: New England Patriots -150, Atlanta Falcons +140
  • Spread: New England Patriots -3, Atlanta Falcons +3
  • Total: Over/Under 58.5
  • Location: NRG Stadium (Houston)

While this is unquestionably the most important and most memorable comeback in NFL history, it wasn’t quite the largest in terms of points.

Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the rest of the New England Patriots were shooting for their fifth Super Bowl win in 16 seasons heading into Super Bowl LI against NFL MVP Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. They were also out for blood after the “Deflategate” scandal, which cost Brady four games at the beginning of the season.

However, fans and bettors were shocked to see the favored Patriots fall behind 28-3 early in the third quarter. New England appeared cooked, especially after giving up three touchdowns during a disastrous second quarter where Brady threw a pick-six.

The Patriots didn’t panic, however, and calmly went to work. They scored on their final four drives, converting a pair of 2-point conversions to tie the game and force overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history.

After New England won the coin toss in overtime, victory appeared inevitable. Sure enough, Brady & Co. marched down the field and ended the game on a two-yard rushing touchdown by James White, capping the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history and cementing Brady’s status as the NFL GOAT.

3. 2022 AFC Wild Card Round (27 Points)

Game Summary

  • Date: Jan. 14, 2023
  • Final Score: Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Los Angeles Chargers 30
  • Moneyline: Los Angeles Chargers -115, Jacksonville Jaguars -105
  • Spread: Los Angeles Chargers -1, Jacksonville Jaguars +1
  • Total: Over/Under 47.5
  • Location: TIAA Bank Stadium (Jacksonville)

Like every other team on this list, the Jacksonville Jaguars fell into an early hole because of miscues and bad quarterback play. In this case, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence threw four first-half interceptions in his postseason debut, helping the Chargers jump out to a commanding 27-0 lead in the first half.

Lawrence settled down after that, proving why he was the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He rebounded with four touchdown passes to lead Jacksonville back, including three during the second half.

With five minutes remaining and the Jaguars down 30-28, their defense forced a three-and-out from Justin Herbert, giving Lawrence the ball back with a chance to win the game. That’s exactly what he did, getting Jacksonville into field goal range and setting up a game-winning 36-yard kick from Riley Patterson as time expired.

This was the latest in a long line of recent late-game collapses by Los Angeles, which has yet to win a Super Bowl. Not surprisingly, head coach Brandon Staley was fired the following season.

2. 2013 AFC Wild Card Round (28 Points)

Game Summary

  • Date: Jan. 4, 2014
  • Final Score: Indianapolis Colts 45, Kansas City Chiefs 44
  • Spread: Kansas City Chiefs -1.5, Indianapolis Colts +1.5
  • Total: Over/Under 48
  • Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

Several years before Mahomes arrived, the Chiefs suffered one of the most catastrophic defeats in NFL history under head coach Andy Reid.

Led by Mahomes’ predecessor, Alex Smith, Kansas City built a 38-10 lead over the Indianapolis Colts early in the third quarter.

However, things quickly started going sideways for the Chiefs. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck woke up and fired three touchdown passes. He also found himself in the right place at the right time during a pivotal moment, recovering a Donald Brown fumble on the 2-yard line and taking it in himself for the score.

Indianapolis scored a whopping 35 points in the second half, easily topping the Over. The Colts took the lead on a 64-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton with four and a half minutes remaining, then held off Kansas City during the final minutes to secure the win.

1. 1992 AFC Wild Card Round (32 Points)

Game Summary

  • Date: Jan. 3, 1993
  • Final Score: Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38
  • Spread: Buffalo Bills -1.5, Houston Oilers +1.5
  • Total: Over/Under 48
  • Location: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, NY)

The biggest comeback in NFL postseason history was authored by a quarterback who wasn’t even supposed to be there.

While Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to the postseason, backup Frank Reich took over after Kelly suffered a knee injury in the season finale.

Not surprisingly, Reich & Co. got off to a poor start in the playoffs, falling behind 35-3 to the Houston Oilers at home in the third quarter after Reich threw a pick-six.

Then Reich found a new level, throwing four touchdown passes in the second half (including three to Andre Reed) to give Buffalo a 38-35 lead late in the game. While the Oilers kicked a last-second field goal to send the game into overtime, Reich led the Bills on a long drive that culminated in a game-winning 32-yard field goal from Steve Christie.

Some historical odds are from sportsoddshistory.com.

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Henry Palattella
Henry Palattella Editor

Henry Palattella is a writer and editor based in Cleveland, Ohio, where he can usually be found ranting to his cat about how injuries robbed Grady Sizemore of a Hall of Fame career. He also works as a writer for MLB.com along with freelancing for numerous publications in Northeast Ohio. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, he is a graduate of Kent State University, where he graduated the same year that Julian Edelman completed his degree.

Tyler Maher
Tyler Maher Editor

Tyler is the Deputy Editor of Forbes Betting, helping expand the vertical since its launch in 2022. Before joining Forbes, he worked for MLB.com, The Game Day and Minute Media. Originally from the Boston area, he graduated from Tufts University in 2015 and currently lives in Providence, RI.

Mo Egger
Mo Egger Contributor