2002 Buffalo Bills season
43rd season in franchise history
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The 2002 season was the Buffalo Bills' 43rd as a franchise and 33rd in the National Football League.
| 2002 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| General manager | Tom Donahoe |
| Head coach | Gregg Williams |
| Home stadium | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 4th AFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | WR Eric Moulds (2nd team) G Ruben Brown (2nd team) |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Drew Bledsoe RB Travis Henry WR Eric Moulds G Ruben Brown |
The Bills acquired veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe from the New England Patriots on draft weekend in exchange for Buffalo's first-round pick in the 2003 draft,[1] (the Bills later gained a first-round pick via a sign-and-trade of receiver Peerless Price, coming off a breakout season, to the Atlanta Falcons for their first-round pick in the 2003 draft). Bledsoe brought instant credibility to Buffalo's inept passing game; the Bills' offense scored the sixth most points in the AFC in 2002, after having scored the fifth fewest in the entire league the previous season.
The season saw the Bills change their uniform, which lasted until 2011.[2][3]
Offseason
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| QB Drew Bledsoe (Patriots) | QB Rob Johnson (Buccaneers) |
| LB London Fletcher (Rams) | LB Jay Foreman (Texans) |
| K Mike Hollis (Jaguars) | LB Sam Cowart (Jets) |
| TE Dave Moore (Buccaneers) | T John Fina (Cardinals) |
| DE Chidi Ahanotu (Rams) | CB Ken Irvin (Saints) |
| LB Eddie Robinson (Titans) | G Craig Heimburger (Texans) |
| T Marcus Price (Saints) | |
| C Trey Teague (Broncos) |
2002 expansion draft
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 16 | Avion Black | Wide receiver | Houston Texans |
Draft
The Bills infamously drafted Mike Williams, an offensive tackle from Texas with the #4 overall pick of the draft, with University of Miami offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie still available.[4] Williams spent only four seasons with the team. Sporting News named Williams as the #4 biggest NFL draft bust from 1989–2008.[5]
| 2002 Buffalo Bills draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Mike Williams | OT | Texas | |
| 2 | 36 | Josh Reed | WR | LSU | |
| 2 | 61 | Ryan Denney | DE | BYU | |
| 3 | 97 | Coy Wire | S | Stanford | |
| 5 | 139 | Justin Bannan | DT | Colorado | |
| 6 | 179 | Kevin Thomas | CB | UNLV | |
| 7 | 215 | Mike Pucillo | C | Auburn | |
| 7 | 249 | Rodney Wright | WR | Fresno State | |
| 7 | 251 | Jarrett Ferguson | RB | Virginia Tech | |
| 7 | 260 | Dominique Stevenson | LB | Tennessee | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmad Brooks | Cornerback | Texas |
| Joe Burns | Running back | Georgia Tech |
| David Priestley | Quarterback | Pittsburgh |
| Marc Samuel | Kicker | Georgetown |
Personnel
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Due to the Bills' 3–13 record the previous season, the NFL did not schedule any of their games in prime time (Sunday night or Monday night), and all but two of the Bills' games had 1:00 start times. However, due to the attention the Bills' free-agent acquisitions brought to the team, as well as the team being in the thick of the competitive AFC East race, several division games were aired nationally on CBS.
After a one-year absence, the NFL Primetime theme "Powersurge" returned as the Bills' theme song on the ESPN program. It was used for the show's Bills highlights for each game during the season except for the Bengals/Bills game in Week 17.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | New York Jets | L 31–37 (OT) | 0–1 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 72,751 | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 45–39 (OT) | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,047 | Recap |
| 3 | September 22 | at Denver Broncos | L 23–28 | 1–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High | 75,359 | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | Chicago Bears | W 33–27 (OT) | 2–2 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 72,780 | Recap |
| 5 | October 6 | Oakland Raiders | L 31–49 | 2–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 73,038 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | at Houston Texans | W 31–24 | 3–3 | Reliant Stadium | 70,120 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | at Miami Dolphins | W 23–10 | 4–3 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,180 | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | Detroit Lions | W 24–17 | 5–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 72,710 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | New England Patriots | L 7–38 | 5–4 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 73,448 | Recap |
| 10 | Bye | ||||||
| 11 | November 17 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 16–17 | 5–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 77,951 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | at New York Jets | L 13–31 | 5–6 | Giants Stadium | 78,745 | Recap |
| 13 | December 1 | Miami Dolphins | W 38–21 | 6–6 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 73,287 | Recap |
| 14 | December 8 | at New England Patriots | L 17–27 | 6–7 | Gillette Stadium | 68,436 | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–13 | 7–7 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 61,838 | Recap |
| 16 | December 22 | at Green Bay Packers | L 0–10 | 7–8 | Lambeau Field | 64,106 | Recap |
| 17 | December 29 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–9 | 8–8 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 47,850 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
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 |
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. New York Jets
Week 1: New York Jets (0–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–0) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 17 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 37 |
| Bills | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: September 8, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 84 °F or 28.9 °C
- Game attendance: 72,751
- Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 2: Buffalo Bills (0–1) at Minnesota Vikings (0–1) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 6 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 45 |
| Vikings | 3 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 39 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: September 15, 2002
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT, 3:15 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,047
- Referee: Ron Winter (14)
- TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Denver Broncos
Week 3: Buffalo Bills (1–1) at Denver Broncos (2–0) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 23 |
| Broncos | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
- Date: September 22, 2002
- Game time: 4:05 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 59 °F or 15 °C
- Game attendance: 75,359
- Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross and Beasley Reece
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 4: Chicago Bears (2–1) at Buffalo Bills (1–2) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| Bills | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 33 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week 5: Oakland Raiders (3–0) at Buffalo Bills (2–2) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 7 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 49 |
| Bills | 0 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: October 6, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F or 17.8 °C
- Game attendance: 73,038
- Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross and Beasley Reece
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Houston Texans
Week 6: Buffalo Bills (2–3) at Houston Texans (1–3) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Texans | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: October 13, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium) (roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,120
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
- Recap Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
Week 7: Buffalo Bills (3–3) at Miami Dolphins (5–1) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Dolphins | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: October 20, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F or 29.4 °C
- Game attendance: 73,180
- Referee: Johnny Grier (23)
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 8: Detroit Lions (2–4) at Buffalo Bills (4–3) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Bills | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: October 27, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Cloudy, 47 °F or 8.3 °C
- Game attendance: 72,710
- Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
- TV announcers (FOX): Ron Pitts, Tim Green and Bob Trimble
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. New England Patriots
Week 9: New England Patriots (3–4) at Buffalo Bills (5–3) – Game summary
| Quarter | 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 pm
- Game weather: Cloudy, 37 °F or 2.8 °C
- Game attendance: 73,448
- Referee: Dick Hantak (105)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 11: Buffalo Bills (5–4) at Kansas City Chiefs (4–5) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: November 17, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F or 8.9 °C
- Game attendance: 77,951
- Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at New York Jets
Week 12: Buffalo Bills (5–5) at New York Jets (5–5) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| Jets | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: November 24, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 50 °F or 10 °C
- Game attendance: 78,745
- Referee: Ron Blum (7)
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 13: Miami Dolphins (7–4) at Buffalo Bills (5–6) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Bills | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: December 1, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Snow, 25 °F or −3.9 °C
- Game attendance: 73,287
- Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at New England Patriots
Week 14: Buffalo Bills (6–6) at New England Patriots (7–5) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Patriots | 17 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 15: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 15: San Diego Chargers (8–5) at Buffalo Bills (6–7) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Bills | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: December 15, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Light rain, 37 °F or 2.8 °C
- Game attendance: 61,838
- Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
- TV announcers (CBS (Blacked out locally)): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: at Green Bay Packers
Week 16: Buffalo Bills (7–7) at Green Bay Packers (11–3) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Packers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 17: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 17: Cincinnati Bengals (2–13) at Buffalo Bills (7–8) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Bills | 6 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: December 29, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F or 1.7 °C
- Game attendance: 47,850
- Referee: Mike Carey (94)
- TV announcers (CBS (Blacked out locally)): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|