EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? What seemed like a dud of a season-opening party for the NFL actually turned into a thriller.

Jose Cortez kicked a 36-yard field goal with :06 to play, giving the San Francisco 49ers a 16-13 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night.

Fans cheer as Bon Jovi performs during the NFL Kickoff Live From Times Square concert. The concert preceded the Giants-49ers game Thursday at Giants Stadium.

Cortez also had field goals of 23 and 33 yards and Garrison Hearst scored on a 9-yard pass for the Niners.

Tiki Barber tied the game at 13 with a 1-yard score with 1:49 to play, and rookie Matt Bryant made field goals of 29 and 33 yards for the Giants in a mistake-filled game that turned into a nail-biter in the fourth quarter.

The NFL ushered in this season with a special midweek start that included a Manhattan concert. The league said it was celebrating New York’s resilience in the wake of the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.

The festivities kicked off with what the NFL termed the “world’s largest tailgate party,” a concert in Times Square featuring Bon Jovi, Eve, Alicia Keys, ‘N Sync’s Joey Fatone and Enrique Iglesias.

New York City police officer Daniel Rodriguez sang “God Bless America” as a 40-yard U.S. flag was unfurled by policemen, firefighters, members of the armed services and construction workers who helped clear the rubble of the World Trade Center towers.