2002 New England Patriots season
The 2002 season was the New England Patriots' 33rd in the National Football League, their 43rd overall and their third under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth. It was their first season at their new home field, Gillette Stadium, which replaced the adjacent Foxboro Stadium.
2002 New England Patriots season | |
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Owner | Robert Kraft |
Head coach | Bill Belichick |
Home field | Gillette Stadium[1] |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | 2nd AFC East |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | ST Larry Izzo CB Ty Law SS Lawyer Milloy DT Richard Seymour K Adam Vinatieri C Damien Woody |
AP All-Pros | K Adam Vinatieri (1st team) |
Uniform | |
Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium in the NFL's primetime Monday Night Football opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44–7 road win against the division rival New York Jets, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span. In the final week of the season, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins on an overtime Adam Vinatieri field goal to give both teams a 9–7 record. A few hours later, the Jets, who defeated the Patriots the week prior, also finished with a 9–7 record with a win over the Green Bay Packers. Due to their record against common opponents, after the Jets won the tiebreaker for the division title, both the Patriots and Dolphins were eliminated from the playoff contention.[2] Before the 2020 season, the 2002 season was the last time that the Patriots failed to win at least 10 games during the regular season. It also marked the only season when Tom Brady started over half of the regular season games and the team failed to win their division or make the playoffs.
Offseason
Additions | Subtractions |
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TE Cam Cleeland (Saints) | QB Drew Bledsoe (Bills) |
TE Christian Fauria (Seahawks) | WR Terry Glenn (Packers) |
WR Donald Hayes (Panthers) | LB Bryan Cox (Saints) |
DE Rick Lyle (Jets) | WR Charles Johnson (Bills) |
DT Brandon Mitchell (Seahawks) | |
TE Rod Rutledge (Texans) | |
CB Terrance Shaw (Raiders) |
2002 NFL Draft
2002 New England Patriots draft | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | |
Round | Selection | ||||
1 | 21 | Daniel Graham | Tight end | Colorado | [3] |
2 | 65 | Deion Branch | Wide receiver | Louisville | |
4 | 117 | Rohan Davey | Quarterback | LSU | [4] |
4 | 126 | Jarvis Green | Defensive end | LSU | [5] |
7 | 237 | Antwoine Womack | Running back | Virginia | [6] |
7 | 253 | David Givens | Wide receiver | Notre Dame | Compensatory pick |
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Coaching Assistants
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–14 | 1–0 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 15 | at New York Jets | W 44–7 | 2–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 22 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 41–38 (OT) | 3–0 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
4 | September 29 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–21 | 3–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 6 | at Miami Dolphins | L 13–26 | 3–2 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 13 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–28 | 3–3 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
7 | Bye | |||||
8 | October 27 | Denver Broncos | L 16–24 | 3–4 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 3 | at Buffalo Bills | W 38–7 | 4–4 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 10 | at Chicago Bears | W 33–30 | 5–4 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 17 | at Oakland Raiders | L 20–27 | 5–5 | Network Associates Coliseum | Recap |
12 | November 24 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24–17 | 6–5 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
13 | November 28 | at Detroit Lions | W 20–12 | 7–5 | Ford Field | Recap |
14 | December 8 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–17 | 8–5 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 16 | at Tennessee Titans | L 7–24 | 8–6 | The Coliseum | Recap |
16 | December 22 | New York Jets | L 17–30 | 8–7 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 29 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–24 (OT) | 9–7 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Patriots | 7 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 30 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: September 9, 2002
- Game time: 9:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Overcast, 86 °F (30 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,436
- Referee: Tony Corrente (99)
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Melissa Stark
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 2: at New York Jets
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 44 |
Jets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: September 15, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Hazy, 78 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 78,726
- Referee: Larry Nemmers (20)
- TV: CBS
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 38 |
Patriots | 0 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 41 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: September 22, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Warm and humid, 80 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,436
- Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
- TV: CBS
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 4: at San Diego Chargers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Chargers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Game information | ||
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|
Week 5: at Miami Dolphins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
Dolphins | 6 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: October 6, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,369
- Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
- TV: CBS
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 6: vs. Green Bay Packers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Patriots | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: October 13, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Overcast, 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,436
- Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
- TV: Fox
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
Patriots | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Game information | ||
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Week 9: at Buffalo Bills
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
Bills | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: November 3, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,448
- Referee: Dick Hantak (105)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 10: at Chicago Bears
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 33 |
Bears | 0 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
- Date: November 10, 2002
- Game time: 4:15 p.m.
- Game weather: Overcast, 60 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,105
- Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
- TV: CBS
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 11: at Oakland Raiders
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
Raiders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Date: November 17, 2002
- Game time: 8:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Clear, 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,552
- Referee: Ed Hochuli (85)
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Patriots | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: November 24, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,436
- Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
- TV: FOX
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 13: at Detroit Lions
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots' | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
Lions | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Game information | ||
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Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
Patriots | 17 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: December 8, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 44 °F (7 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,436
- Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 15: at Tennessee Titans
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Titans | 0 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: December 16, 2002
- Game time: 9:00 pm
- Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,809
- Referee: Ron Winter (14)
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden, and Melissa Stark
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 16: vs. New York Jets
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 14 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
Patriots | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 17: vs. Miami Dolphins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
Patriots | 0 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 27 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Game information | ||
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Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) New York Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 359 | 336 | W2 |
New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 381 | 346 | W1 |
Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 7–5 | 378 | 301 | L2 |
Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 379 | 397 | W1 |
Notes and references
- "New Stadium Has Face Value". Hartford Courant. August 6, 2002. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- "New England 27, Miami 24, OT". Yahoo! Sports. December 29, 2002. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- The Patriots traded their first-, third- and seventh-round draft picks to the Washington Redskins for the Redskins' first-round pick. Patriots.com summary. Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- The Patriots traded fourth- and fifth-round draft picks to the Denver Broncos for the Broncos' fourth-round pick. The Patriots received the fifth-round pick in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Patriots' sixth-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. Patriots.com summary Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- The Patriots received a fourth-round pick from the Green Bay Packers in a trade for Terry Glenn and a conditional pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Patriots.com summary Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- The Patriots traded a fifth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for the Cowboys' fifth- and seventh-round draft picks. Patriots.com summary Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Glennon, Sean (2004), This Pats Year: A Trek Through a Season as a Football Fan, Taylor Trade Publishing, ISBN 1-58979-119-3