2002 Detroit Lions season

NFL team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2002 season was the Detroit Lions' 73rd in the National Football League (NFL). It was the Lions’ inaugural season at the new Ford Field in Downtown Detroit and their first in the city since the team left Tiger Stadium after the 1974 season. Following the season, Marty Mornhinweg was fired and Steve Mariucci was hired as the Lions' head coach. The Lions entered the 2002 season looking to improve on their 2–14 record from 2001 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Quick facts Detroit Lions season, Owner ...
2002 Detroit Lions season
OwnerWilliam Clay Ford Sr.
General managerMatt Millen
Head coachMarty Mornhinweg
Home stadiumFord Field
Results
Record3–13
Division place4th NFC North
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone
Uniform
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They improved on their record, winning 3 games. However, the new stadium didn't help the team overall, and they continued to disappoint, beginning the season with three consecutive losses. By week 9, the Lions had a 3–5 record after a win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, after that win, the Lions lost their remaining 8 games to finish the season 3–13 and failed to reach the playoffs. The Lions also went 0–8 on the road for the second straight season. As a result, Marty Mornhinweg was fired after the season. In his 2 seasons as head coach, the Lions went 5–27 for a winning percentage of .156.

Offseason

More information Additions, Subtractions ...
AdditionsSubtractions
G Ray Brown (49ers)QB Charlie Batch (Steelers)
FS Corey Harris (Ravens)LB Scott Kowalkowski (retirement)
WR Bill Schroeder (Packers)WR Johnnie Morton (Chiefs)
TE Mikhael Ricks (Chiefs)DE Tracy Scroggins (retirement)
LB Jeff Gooch (Buccaneers)TE David Sloan (Saints)
WR Az-Zahir Hakim (Rams)CB Terry Fair (Panthers)
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NFL draft

More information Round, Pick ...
2002 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 3 Joey Harrington  Quarterback Oregon
2 35 Kalimba Edwards  Defensive end South Carolina
3 68 André Goodman  Cornerback South Carolina
4 134 Johnathan Taylor  Defensive end Montana State
5 138 John Owens  Tight end Notre Dame
6 175 Chris Cash  Cornerback USC
7 214 Luke Staley  Running back BYU
7 252 Matt Murphy  Tight end Maryland
7 259 Victor Rogers  Tackle Colorado
      Made roster  
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Undrafted free agents

More information Player, Position ...
2002 undrafted free agents of note
Player Position College
Pierre Brown Wide receiver Wayne State
Robert Chapman Linebacker Southern
Crance Clemons Cornerback UTEP
Mike Collins Defensive tackle Ohio State
Eddie Drummond Wide receiver Penn State
Aaron Edmonds Punter BYU
Chris Glantzis Defensive end Bowling Green
Abdual Howard Safety Florida State
Marcel Howard Tackle Iowa State
Kenny Jackson Defensive tackle Ole Miss
Antwan Lake Defensive tackle West Virginia
James McCall Tackle West Virginia
Labrone Mitchell Wide receiver Georgia
James Mungro Running back Syracuse
Dave Pavich Kicker Kent State
Ken Philpot Linebacker Eastern Michigan
Kris Ryan Fullback Penn
Josh Thornhill Linebacker Michigan State
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Personnel

Staff

2002 Detroit Lions staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jason Arapoff
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Malcolm Blacken
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Mondray Gee

[1]

Roster

2002 Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 14 reserve, 5 practice squad

Regular season

In addition to their regular games against NFC North rivals, the Lions under the NFL's new scheduling formula played games against teams from the NFC South and from the AFC East. They also played the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, who had the fourth best records from 2001 of the teams placed in their respective divisions.

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 8 at Miami Dolphins L 21–49 0–1 Pro Player Stadium 72,216
2 September 15 at Carolina Panthers L 7–31 0–2 Ericsson Stadium 71,951
3 September 22 Green Bay Packers L 31–37 0–3 Ford Field 61,505
4 September 29 New Orleans Saints W 26–21 1–3 Ford Field 60,023
5 Bye
6 October 13 at Minnesota Vikings L 24–31 1–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,013
7 October 20 Chicago Bears W 23–20 (OT) 2–4 Ford Field 60,421
8 October 27 at Buffalo Bills L 17–24 2–5 Ralph Wilson Stadium 72,710
9 November 3 Dallas Cowboys W 9–7 3–5 Ford Field 61,789
10 November 10 at Green Bay Packers L 14–40 3–6 Lambeau Field 63,313
11 November 17 New York Jets L 14–31 3–7 Ford Field 61,720
12 November 24 at Chicago Bears L 17–20 (OT) 3–8 Memorial Stadium 62,375
13 November 28 New England Patriots L 12–20 3–9 Ford Field 62,109
14 December 8 at Arizona Cardinals L 20–23 (OT) 3–10 Sun Devil Stadium 28,640
15 December 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 20–23 3–11 Ford Field 61,942
16 December 22 at Atlanta Falcons L 15–36 3–12 Georgia Dome 69,307
17 December 29 Minnesota Vikings L 36–38 3–13 Ford Field 60,233
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Game summaries

Week 1: at Miami Dolphins

Week 1: Detroit Lions (0–0) at Miami Dolphins (0–0) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 7 7721
Dolphins 7 21 14749
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at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 2: at Carolina Panthers

Week 2: Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 707
Panthers 0 10 14731
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at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 10 14637
Lions 7 10 01431
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 4: New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 7 8621
Lions 13 7 3326
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 6: Detroit Lions (1–3) at Minnesota Vikings (0–4) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 14 7 3024
Vikings 3 7 71431
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at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 7: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 7: Chicago Bears (2–3) at Detroit Lions (1–4) – Game summary
More information Quarter, OT ...
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Bears 0 10 100020
Lions 0 14 33323
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 8: at Buffalo Bills

Week 8: Detroit Lions (2–4) at Buffalo Bills (4–3) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 14 0317
Bills 7 7 10024
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at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: October 27, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,710
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
  • TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Tim Green and Bob Trimble
  • Recap, Game Book
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 9: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 0 077
Lions 0 0 639
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 10: at Green Bay Packers

Week 10: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 0 0714
Packers 3 27 10040
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at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 11: vs. New York Jets

Week 11: New York Jets (4–5) at Detroit Lions (3–6) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 7 6 81031
Lions 0 7 7014
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 12: at Chicago Bears

Week 12: Detroit Lions (3–7) at Chicago Bears (2–8) – Game summary
More information Quarter, OT ...
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Lions 0 3 140017
Bears 0 7 010320
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at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

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After winning the coin toss to begin overtime, because of the windy conditions, Marty Mornhinweg chose to have the Lions kick off instead of receive, affectionately known as "taking the wind". This decision backfired after the Bears took the ball and kicked a field goal on their drive. It was later mocked by Chris Berman on Monday Night Countdown the next night.

Week 13: vs. New England Patriots

Week 13: New England Patriots (6–5) at Detroit Lions (3–8) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots' 10 7 0320
Lions 3 3 3312
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

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Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 14: Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals
More information Quarter, OT ...
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Lions 14 3 30020
Cardinals 7 7 33323
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at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: December 8, 2002
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 28,640
  • Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
  • TV announcers (FOX): Ron Pitts, Dwight Clark, and Kevin McCabe
  • Recap, Box Score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 15: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 10 01023
Lions 0 10 3720
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

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Week 16: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 16: Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 01515
Falcons 3 10 61736
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at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 17: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 17: Minnesota Vikings (5–10) at Detroit Lions (3–12) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 14 14 7338
Lions 14 3 71236
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at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

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Standings

Division

More information NFC North, W ...
NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Green Bay Packers 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 398 328 L1
Minnesota Vikings 6 10 0 .375 4–2 5–7 390 442 W3
Chicago Bears 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 281 379 L2
Detroit Lions 3 13 0 .188 1–5 3–9 306 451 L8
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Conference

More information #, Team ...
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV
Division leaders
1[a] Philadelphia Eagles East 1240.750 5–111–1.469.432
2[a][b] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 1240.750 4–29–3.482.432
3[a][b] Green Bay Packers North 1240.750 5–19–3.451.414
4 San Francisco 49ers West 1060.625 5–18–4.504.450
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East 1060.625 5–18–4.482.450
6 Atlanta Falcons South 961.594 4–27–5.494.429
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 New Orleans Saints South 970.563 3–37–5.498.566
8[c] St. Louis Rams West 790.438 4–25–7.508.446
9[c] Seattle Seahawks West 790.438 2–45–7.506.433
10[d] Washington Redskins East 790.438 1–54–8.527.438
11[d] Carolina Panthers South 790.438 1–54–8.486.357
12 Minnesota Vikings North 6100.375 4–25–7.498.417
13[e] Arizona Cardinals West 5110.313 1–55–7.500.400
14[e] Dallas Cowboys East 5110.313 1–53–9.500.475
15 Chicago Bears North 4120.250 2–43–9.521.430
16 Detroit Lions North 3130.188 1–53–9.494.375
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. Philadelphia finished ahead of Tampa Bay and Green Bay based on conference record (11–1 vs 9–3/9–3).
  2. Tampa Bay finished ahead of Green Bay based on head-to-head victory.
  3. St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  4. Washington finished ahead of Carolina based on common games (2–3 to 1–4)
  5. Arizona finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory.
  6. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.
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References

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