2002 New York Jets season

The 2002 season was the New York Jets' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd season overall and their second under head coach Herman Edwards. The team tried to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2001 but failed to do so after a 2–5 start. However, the Jets recovered and finished 9–7, winning their second AFC East division title.

2002 New York Jets season
OwnerWoody & Christopher Johnson
Head coachHerman Edwards
Home fieldThe Meadowlands
Results
Record9–7
Division place1st AFC East
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Colts) 41–0
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Raiders) 10–30
Pro BowlersC Kevin Mawae
DE John Abraham
AP All-ProsC Kevin Mawae (2nd team)
Uniform

After a 24–21 week 8 loss to the Cleveland Browns at the Meadowlands dropped the Jets' season record to 2–5, head coach Herman Edwards gave his famous "You play to win the game" response to a question in his press conference the following Tuesday. Edwards' vigorous defense of his team's refusal to quit, along with the midseason debut of quarterback Chad Pennington, helped spark the Jets' turnaround.

After posting a stunning rout of the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 41–0 at the Meadowlands in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they lost for the second year in a row to the eventual AFC champion Oakland Raiders, 30–10 in the Divisional round.

As of the 2024 season, this is the Jets' most recent AFC East division title and is also the last time they have hosted a home playoff game.

Offseason

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Additions Subtractions
P Matt Turk (Dolphins) P Tom Tupa (Buccaneers)
CB Aaron Beasley (Jaguars) G Kerry Jenkins (Buccaneers)
G Dave Szott (Redskins) DT Shane Burton (Panthers)
DT Josh Evans (Titans) DE Rick Lyle (Patriots)
CB Donnie Abraham (Buccaneers) LB James Farrior (Steelers)
LB Sam Cowart (Bills) WR Craig Yeast (CFL)
DT Larry Webster (Ravens) G David Loverne (Redskins)
FS Sam Garnes (Giants) S Victor Green (Patriots)
DE Steve White (Buccaneers) DE Eric Ogbogu (Bengals)
S Chris Hayes (Patriots)
DT Steve Martin (Patriots)
WR Matthew Hatchette (Raiders)

2002 Expansion Draft

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New York Jets selected during the Expansion Draft
Round Overall Name Position Expansion team
2 Ryan Young Tackle Houston Texans
3 Aaron Glenn Cornerback Houston Texans
3 Marcus Coleman Cornerback Houston Texans

2002 NFL Draft

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2002 New York Jets draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 22 Bryan Thomas  DE UAB
2 57 Jon McGraw  S Kansas State
3 88 Chris Baker  TE Michigan State
4 121 Alan Harper  DT Fresno State
5 154 Jonathan Goodwin *  G Michigan from Washington
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

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2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Kroy Bailey Wide receiver North Carolina
Scott Bradley Linebacker Boston College
Jay Brooks Cornerback Texas A&M
Jaime Burrow Linebacker Nebraska
Ataveus Cash Wide receiver Howard
Joe Cooper Linebacker Ohio State
Andrew Davison Cornerback Kansas
Little John Flowers Running back Michigan State
Marcus Floyd Cornerback Indiana
Jerimiah Janssen Linebacker St. Norbert
Matt Knutson Tackle North Dakota
Chad Kuhns Fullback Wisconsin
Faaesea Mailo Guard USC
Tavon Mason Wide receiver Virginia
Kyle McCann Quarterback Iowa
Brandon Moore Guard Illinois
Idris Price Linebacker New Haven
Johnathan Reese Running back Columbia
Doug Shanahan Safety Hofstra
Chris Smith Tackle UC Davis

Staff

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2002 New York Jets staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Roster

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2002 New York Jets 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

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 2 reserve, 5 practice squad

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 8 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 16–6 1–0 Heinz Field Recap
2 August 15 at Baltimore Ravens W 34–16 2–0 Ravens Stadium Recap
3 August 24 New York Giants W 28–7 3–0 Giants Stadium Recap
4 August 30 Philadelphia Eagles W 23–16 4–0 Giants Stadium Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Under the NFL's newly established schedule rotation, during the 2002 regular season the Jets played against all of the teams from the AFC West, as well as the Cleveland Browns from the AFC North and the Jacksonville Jaguars from the AFC South, who finished in the same positions as the Jets in their respective divisions in 2001. Their non-conference opponents were from the NFC North.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 8 at Buffalo Bills W 37–31 (OT) 1–0 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap
2 September 15 New England Patriots L 7–44 1–1 Giants Stadium Recap
3 September 22 at Miami Dolphins L 3–30 1–2 Pro Player Stadium Recap
4 September 29 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 3–28 1–3 Alltel Stadium Recap
5 October 6 Kansas City Chiefs L 25–29 1–4 Giants Stadium Recap
6 Bye
7 October 20 Minnesota Vikings W 20–7 2–4 Giants Stadium Recap
8 October 27 Cleveland Browns L 21–24 2–5 Giants Stadium Recap
9 November 3 at San Diego Chargers W 44–13 3–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
10 November 10 Miami Dolphins W 13–10 4–5 Giants Stadium Recap
11 November 17 at Detroit Lions W 31–14 5–5 Ford Field Recap
12 November 24 Buffalo Bills W 31–13 6–5 Giants Stadium Recap
13 December 2 at Oakland Raiders L 20–26 6–6 Network Associates Coliseum Recap
14 December 8 Denver Broncos W 19–13 7–6 Giants Stadium Recap
15 December 15 at Chicago Bears L 13–20 7–7 Memorial Stadium Recap
16 December 22 at New England Patriots W 30–17 8–7 Gillette Stadium Recap
17 December 29 Green Bay Packers W 42–17 9–7 Giants Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Buffalo Bills

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Week 1: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Jets 0 17 311637
Bills 3 14 77031

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Week 2: vs. New England Patriots

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Week 2: New England Patriots at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 0 10 171744
Jets 0 0 707

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 3: at Miami Dolphins

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Week 3: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 3 003
Dolphins 10 3 01730

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: September 22, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,426
  • Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 4: New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 3 003
Jaguars 7 7 14028

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 9 31429
Jets 7 8 01025

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 6, 2002
  • Game time: 4:05 pm
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,149
  • Referee: Johnny Grier (23)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstien
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings

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Week 7: Minnesota Vikings at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 0 077
Jets 3 7 7320

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week 8: Cleveland Browns at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 3 15324
Jets 14 7 0021

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 9: at San Diego Chargers

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Week 9: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 14 17 31044
Chargers 0 7 6013

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 3, 2002
  • Game time: 4:05 pm
  • Game weather: Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 59,772
  • Referee: Bill Leavy (127)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: vs. Miami Dolphins

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Week 10: Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 3 7010
Jets 7 3 0313

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 11: at Detroit Lions

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Week 11: New York Jets at Detroit Lions
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 7 6 81031
Lions 0 7 7014

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: November 17, 2002
  • Game time: 4:15 pm
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 61,720
  • Referee: Johnny Grier (23)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Buffalo Bills

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Week 12: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 3 0 10013
Jets 3 14 7731

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 24, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 50 °F (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: at Oakland Raiders

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Week 13: New York Jets at Oakland Raiders
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 10 01020
Raiders 3 3 14626

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week 14: Denver Broncos at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 3 10 0013
Jets 0 6 31019

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 8, 2002
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 78,521
  • Referee: Tom White (123)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Chicago Bears

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Week 15: New York Jets at Chicago Bears
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 0 10313
Bears 0 10 7320

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: December 15, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 43 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,226
  • Referee: Mike Carey (94)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, and Beasley Reece
  • Recap. Game Book
Game information

Week 16: at New England Patriots

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Week 16: New York Jets at New England Patriots
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 14 3 31030
Patriots 7 3 7017

at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts

  • Date: December 22, 2002
  • Game time: 8:30 pm
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,436
  • Referee: Tony Corrente (99)
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, and Suzy Kolber
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week 17: Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 0717
Jets 0 14 141442

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Standings

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Division

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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

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV
Division leaders
1[a] Oakland Raiders West 11 5 0 .688 4–2 9–3 .529 .531
2[a] Tennessee Titans South 11 5 0 .688 6–0 9–3 .479 .474
3 Pittsburgh Steelers North 10 5 1 .656 6–0 8–4 .486 .451
4[b] New York Jets East 9 7 0 .563 4–2 6–6 .500 .500
Wild Cards
5 Indianapolis Colts South 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 .479 .400
6[c] Cleveland Browns North 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .486 .413
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c][d] Denver Broncos West 9 7 0 .563 3–3 5–7 .527 .486
8[b][c][d][e] New England Patriots East 9 7 0 .563 4–2 6–6 .525 .455
9[b][e] Miami Dolphins East 9 7 0 .563 2–4 7–5 .508 .486
10[f] Buffalo Bills East 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 .473 .352
11[f][g] San Diego Chargers West 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 .492 .453
12[g] Kansas City Chiefs West 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 .527 .516
13 Baltimore Ravens North 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 .506 .384
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .506 .438
15 Houston Texans South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .518 .492
16 Cincinnati Bengals North 2 14 0 .125 0–6 1–11 .537 .406
Tiebreakers[h]
  1. ^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b c N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (8–4 to 7–5) and Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  3. ^ a b c Cleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6)
  4. ^ a b Denver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b New England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  6. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ^ a b San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City based on division record (3–3 to 2–4).
  8. ^ 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.

Postseason

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Schedule

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Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 4, 2003 Indianapolis Colts (5) W 41–0 1–0 Giants Stadium Recap
Divisional January 12, 2003 at Oakland Raiders (1) L 10–30 1–1 Network Associates Coliseum Recap

Game summaries

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AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Indianapolis Colts

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AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Indianapolis Colts at (4) New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 0 000
Jets 7 17 10741

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

This game turned out to be the Jets' last home playoff game at Giants Stadium, and as of 2023, it is also their last home playoff game to date.

AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) Oakland Raiders

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AFC Divisional Playoffs: (4) New York Jets at (1) Oakland Raiders
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 3 7 0010
Raiders 3 7 71330

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: January 12, 2003
  • Game time: 4:30 pm
  • Game weather: Overcast, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,207
  • Referee: Dick Hantak (105)
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information
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