| 2002 Indianapolis Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jim Irsay |
| General manager | Bill Polian |
| Head coach | Tony Dungy |
| Home stadium | RCA Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2ndAFC South |
| Playoffs | LostWild Card Playoffs (atJets) 0–41 |
| Pro Bowlers | QBPeyton Manning WRMarvin Harrison |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The2002 season was theIndianapolis Colts' 50th in theNational Football League (NFL) and 19th inIndianapolis. The Colts made it to the playoffs after a one-year absence, improving upon their 6–10 record from the2001 season. This was the first of nine consecutive playoff appearances for the Colts. The 2002 season marked the first for the Colts in the newly formedAFC South after competing for 32 seasons in theAFC East. The season is memorable for the team hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coachTony Dungy. He would later take the Colts to a victory inSuper Bowl XLI after a successful 2006 season.
In the Wildcard round, the Colts were soundly embarrassed by theNew York Jets, as they ended up losing the game 41–0. The Jets would go on to lose to the eventual AFC championOakland Raiders the following week.
| Signings | Departures |
|---|---|
| CBWalt Harris (Bears) | TEKen Dilger (Buccaneers) |
| WRTroy Walters (Vikings) | SSChad Cota (Rams) |
| QBBrock Huard (Seahawks) | WRTony Simmons (Texans) |
| WRQadry Ismail (Ravens) | WRTerrence Wilkins (Rams) |
| FBDetron Smith (Broncos) | CBJeff Burris (Bengals) |
| WRJerome Pathon (Saints) | |
| DTEllis Johnson (Falcons) | |
| GSteve McKinney (Texans) | |
| GLarry Moore (Redskins) |
| 2002 Indianapolis Colts draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Dwight Freeney * † | Defensive end | Syracuse | |
| 2 | 42 | Larry Tripplett | Defensive tackle | Washington | |
| 3 | 74 | Joseph Jefferson | Defensive back | Western Kentucky | |
| 4 | 106 | David Thornton | Linebacker | North Carolina | |
| 6 | 182 | David Pugh | Defensive tackle | Virginia Tech | |
| 6 | 183 | James Lewis | Defensive back | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 204 | Brian Allen | Running back | Stanford | |
| 7 | 220 | Josh Mallard | Defensive end | Georgia | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| David Collett | Kicker | Tennessee Tech |
| Todd Delamielleure | Linebacker | Boise State |
| Ricky Williams | Running Back | Texas Tech |
| Mike Souza | Center | Northwestern |
| Kurt Vollers | Tackle | Notre Dame |
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) | Practice squad Reserve
Rookies in italics 53 active, 8 reserve, 5 practice squad |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10 | atSeattle Seahawks | W 28–10 | 1–0 | Qwest Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 10–22 | 1–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 3 | August 24 | Buffalo Bills | W 19–7 | 2–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 4 | August 30 | atNew Orleans Saints | L 21–25 | 2–2 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | atJacksonville Jaguars | W 28–25 | 1–0 | Alltel Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 15 | Miami Dolphins | L 13–21 | 1–1 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 3 | September 22 | atHouston Texans | W 23–3 | 2–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | Bye | ||||||
| 5 | October 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 28–21 | 3–1 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 6 | October 13 | Baltimore Ravens | W 22–20 | 4–1 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 7 | October 21 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 10–28 | 4–2 | Heinz Field | Recap | |
| 8 | October 27 | atWashington Redskins | L 21–26 | 4–3 | FedExField | Recap | |
| 9 | November 3 | Tennessee Titans | L 15–23 | 4–4 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 10 | November 10 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 35–13 | 5–4 | Veterans Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 17 | Dallas Cowboys | W 20–3 | 6–4 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 12 | November 24 | atDenver Broncos | W 23–20 | 7–4 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap | |
| 13 | December 1 | Houston Texans | W 19–3 | 8–4 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 14 | December 8 | atTennessee Titans | L 17–27 | 8–5 | Adelphia Coliseum | Recap | |
| 15 | December 15 | atCleveland Browns | W 28–23 | 9–5 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 22 | New York Giants | L 27–44 | 9–6 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| 17 | December 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 20–13 | 10–6 | RCA Dome | Recap | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 25 |
atAlltel Stadium,Jacksonville, Florida
In the2002 season, the Colts andJaguars faced off for the first time as divisional rivals in their season opener on September 8 in Jacksonville. The Colts initiated the scoring with a touchdown in the first quarter. The Jaguars tied it in the second quarter. In the final minutes of the second quarter, Mark Brunell threw a 40–yard pick–six to LBMarcus Washington. The Jaguars then missed a 52–yard field goal attempt, resulting in a halftime score of 14–7 in favor of the Colts. In the third quarter, a fumble by Colts RBEdgerrin James led to a Jaguars' field goal, followed by another fumble from Colts TEMarcus Pollard that led to a Jaguars touchdown, giving them the lead. However, after the Jaguars forced a Colts three–and–out, return specialistDamon Gibson mishandled the catch, allowing Colts DBClifton Crosby to recover the ball at Jacksonville's 19–yard line. The Colts capitalized on this opportunity, scoring a touchdown to regain the lead. In the fourth quarter, the Colts added another touchdown to widen their advantage. The Jaguars mounted a lengthy drive, scoring a touchdown and converting a two–point attempt to narrow the Colts' lead. The Colts effectively managed the Jaguars' timeouts, leaving them with the ball and about a minute remaining. The Jaguars advanced to the Colts' 46–yard line but ultimately ran out of time, resulting in a 28–25 victory for the Colts.[4][5]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
atRCA Dome,Indianapolis, Indiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Colts | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
atRCA Dome,Indianapolis, Indiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Although the Colts had lost the inaugural AFC South title to theTitans the week prior, they still have the opportunity to secure a playoff berth with a victory against the eliminated Jaguars.[6] The Colts began the game sluggishly, but a fumble by the Jaguars at their 23–yard line enabled the Colts to score a quick touchdown, leveling the score by halftime. In the third quarter, as the Colts advanced into Jacksonville territory, James fumbled the ball, allowing the Jaguars to convert it into a field goal and take a 13–10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. On the subsequent drive, the Jaguars appeared to force a three–and–out, but a penalty for running into the kicker granted the Colts a fresh set of downs. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the Colts tied the game with a field goal. After forcing another three–and–out, a strong punt return positioned the Colts at Jacksonville's 47–yard line. Manning then connected with Pollard for an 11–yard touchdown, putting the Colts ahead. In the closing moments, the Colts' defense held firm, securing a 20–13 victory over the Jaguars, completing a sweep in their initial matchups as divisional rivals and earning a wild card spot in the playoffs.[7]
| AFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2)Tennessee Titans | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–0 | 9–3 | 367 | 324 | W5 |
| (5)Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 349 | 313 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 328 | 315 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 213 | 356 | L3 |
| # | 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 | NFL Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | January 4, 2003 | atNew York Jets (4) | L 0–41 | 0–1 | Giants Stadium | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (16) | |
| Conference championships (7) | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
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