| 2002 New York Jets season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Woody &Christopher Johnson |
| Head coach | Herman Edwards |
| Home stadium | The Meadowlands |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 1stAFC East |
| Playoffs | WonWild Card Playoffs (vs.Colts) 41–0 LostDivisional Playoffs (atRaiders) 10–30 |
| All-Pros | C Kevin Mawae(2nd team) |
| Pro Bowlers | CKevin Mawae DEJohn Abraham |
| Uniform | |
The2002 season was theNew York Jets' 33rd in theNational Football League (NFL), their 43rd season overall and their second underhead coachHerman Edwards. The team tried to improve upon their 10–6 record from2001 but failed to do so after a 2–5 start. However, the Jets recovered and finished 9–7, winning their secondAFC East division title.
After a 24–21 week 8 loss to theCleveland Browns at the Meadowlands dropped the Jets' season record to 2–5, head coachHerman 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 quarterbackChad Pennington, helped spark the Jets' turnaround.
After posting a stunning rout of theIndianapolis 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 championOakland 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.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| PMatt Turk (Dolphins) | PTom Tupa (Buccaneers) |
| CBAaron Beasley (Jaguars) | GKerry Jenkins (Buccaneers) |
| GDave Szott (Redskins) | DTShane Burton (Panthers) |
| DTJosh Evans (Titans) | DERick Lyle (Patriots) |
| CBDonnie Abraham (Buccaneers) | LBJames Farrior (Steelers) |
| LBSam Cowart (Bills) | WRCraig Yeast (CFL) |
| DTLarry Webster (Ravens) | GDavid Loverne (Redskins) |
| FSSam Garnes (Giants) | SVictor Green (Patriots) |
| DESteve White (Buccaneers) | DEEric Ogbogu (Bengals) |
| SChris Hayes (Patriots) | |
| DTSteve Martin (Patriots) | |
| WRMatthew Hatchette (Raiders) |
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | Ryan Young | Offensive Tackle | Houston Texans |
| — | 3 | Aaron Glenn | Cornerback | Houston Texans |
| — | 3 | Marcus Coleman | Cornerback | Houston Texans |
| 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 onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| 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 |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning |
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve lists
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 | atPittsburgh Steelers | W 16–6 | 1–0 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 15 | atBaltimore 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 |
Under the NFL's newly established schedule rotation, during the 2002 regular season the Jets played against all of the teams from theAFC West, as well as theCleveland Browns from theAFC North and theJacksonville Jaguars from theAFC South, who finished in the same positions as the Jets in their respective divisions in 2001. Their non-conference opponents were from theNFC North.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | atBuffalo 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 | atMiami Dolphins | L 3–30 | 1–2 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | atJacksonville 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 | atSan 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 | atDetroit 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 | atOakland 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 | atChicago Bears | L 13–20 | 7–7 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 22 | atNew 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 inbold text.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 17 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 37 |
| Bills | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
atRalph Wilson Stadium,Orchard Park, New York
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
New York won on the first play of overtime as Chad Morton returned the kickoff for 96 yards. The Jets improved to 1-0 with the win to start the year.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 44 |
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
atGiants Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
atPro Player Stadium,Miami Gardens, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
atAlltel Stadium,Jacksonville, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 3 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 29 |
| Jets | 7 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 25 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Jets | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 3 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 24 |
| Jets | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 14 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 44 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
atQualcomm Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Jets | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 31 |
| Lions | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| 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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Raiders | 3 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 26 |
atNetwork Associates Coliseum,Oakland, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Jets | 0 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 19 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 14 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Patriots | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
atGillette Stadium,Foxboro, Massachusetts
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Jets | 0 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
With their dominant win over Green Bay, the Jets (due to having tie-break over New England based on common record) were able to clinch the AFC East and the #4 seed in the AFC with a 9-7 record. As of 2024, this is the last time the Jets clinched the AFC East.
| 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 |
| # | 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] | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| 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 | atOakland Raiders (1) | L 10–30 | 1–1 | Network Associates Coliseum | Recap |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jets | 7 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
atGiants 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 2024, it is also their last home playoff game to date.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Raiders | 3 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 30 |
atNetwork Associates Coliseum,Oakland, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|