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2002 Green Bay Packers season
Head Coach Mike Sherman
Home Field Lambeau Field
Results
Record 12-4
Place 1st NFC North
Playoff Finish Lost NFC Wild Card (vs. Falcons) 7-27
Uniform
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Timeline
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2001 2003

During the 2002 Green Bay Packers season, the team completed a 12-4 regular season with before losing in the Wild Card playoff round to Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field.[1] It marked the first time in NFL history that the Packers had lost at home in the playoffs.[2]

In 2001, the Packers achieved the franchise’s best record since 1997, finishing 12-4 and advancing the divisional round of the playoffs. There the Packers lost to the eventual NFC Champion, St. Louis Rams. During the game, it became clear that the Packers would need wide receivers with greater speed and ability to compete with the conference’s best teams. GM Mike Sherman spent the 2002 offseason revamping Green Bay’s receiving corps. The team promoted Donald Driver to starter, acquired veteran Terry Glenn from the New England Patriots, and drafted Javon Walker in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The influx of new players seemed to position the Packers as one of the strongest contenders in the NFC.

Green Bay started the season with a dominating 8-1 record, led by the brilliant play of quarterback Brett Favre and power running game of Ahman Green. The Packers maintained a commanding division lead throughout the year, winning the NFC North by a six-game margin. Green Bay became the first team to win the newly rechristened division, formerly known as the NFC Central. It was the Packers’ first division title since 1997, and the team would win the NFC North for three consecutive seasons.

For the first time in years, it appeared that the Packers had a legitimate chance of reaching the Super Bowl. With one game left, Green Bay was 12-3, and a victory away from clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Packers had never lost a home playoff game in franchise history, had achieved an 8-0 record at home in 2002, and had established a run of Lambeau Field dominance since the Mike Holmgren era. As a result, playing home games at Lambeau Field would seemingly give the Packers a significant advantage in the playoffs. The final game was on the road against the New York Jets, who beat the Packers’ handily to win the AFC East division title. The loss was a devastating blow to the Packers. The team was bumped down to a number three seed in the NFC, and had an incredibly difficult road to the Super Bowl. Six days later, the Packers were beaten by Michael Vick’s Atlanta Falcons, the first home playoff loss in Packers history.

The 2002 season was another memorable year for quarterback Brett Favre. Throughout the season, Favre was a favorite to win his fourth Most Valuable Player award. The Packers’ lopsided loss to the Jets in the regular season finale may have swayed voters, as Favre lost the MVP award by merely two votes to Raiders’ quarterback Rich Gannon.


Offseason[]

2002 NFL draft[]

In the 2002 NFL draft, the Packers selected 20th overall, drafting future all-pro wide receiver Javon Walker with their first round pick.[3]

2002 NFL Draft selections
Round Sel# Player Pos. College
1 20 Javon Walker WR Florida State
3 92 Marques Anderson FS UCLA
4 135 Najeh Davenport RB Miami
5 156 Aaron Kampman DE Iowa
5 164 Craig Nall QB Northwestern State, La.
6 200 Mike Houghton T San Diego State

Players highlighted in yellow indicate players selected to the Pro Bowl during their NFL career.

Preseason results[]

Date Opponent Result Game site Record Attendance
August 10, 2002 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–20 Veterans Stadium 0-1
58,546
August 17, 2002 at Arizona Cardinals W 29-21 Sun Devil Stadium 1-1
35,716
August 26, 2002 Cleveland Browns W 27-20 Lambeau Field 2-1
62,668
August 30, 2002 Tennessee Titans W 21-20 Lambeau Field 3-1
62,485

Schedule[]

The Packers finished 12-4 overall, winning the NFC North crown by a six game margin.[4]

Week Date Opponent Result Game site Record Attendance
1 September 8 Atlanta Falcons W 37-34 (OT) Lambeau Field 1-0
63,127
2 September 15 at New Orleans Saints L 20-35 Louisiana Superdome 1-1
67,958
3 September 22 at Detroit Lions W 37-31 Ford Field 2-1
61,505
4 September 29 Carolina Panthers W 17-14 Lambeau Field 3-1
63,329
5 October 7 at Chicago Bears W 34-21 Memorial Stadium (Champaign) 4-1
63,226
6 October 13 at New England Patriots W 28-10 Gillette Stadium 5-1
68,436
7 October 20 Washington Redskins W 30-9 Lambeau Field 6-1
63,363
8 Bye week
9 November 4, 2002 Miami Dolphins W 24-10 Lambeau Field 7-1
63,284
10 November 10 Detroit Lions W 40-14 Lambeau Field 8-1
63,313
11 November 17 at Minnesota Vikings L 21-31 Metrodome 8-2
64,153
12 November 24 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 7-21 Raymond James Stadium 8-3
65,672
13 December 1 Chicago Bears W 30-20 Lambeau Field 9-3
64,196
14 December 8 Minnesota Vikings W 26-22 Lambeau Field 10-3
64,070
15 December 15 at San Francisco 49ers W 20-14 3Com Park 11-3
67,947
16 December 22 Buffalo Bills W 10-0 Lambeau Field 12-3
64,106
17 December 29 at New York Jets L 17-42 The Meadowlands 12-4
78,733

Standings[]

Template:2002 NFC North standings

Playoffs[]

Week Date Opponent Result Game site Attendance
Wildcard January 4 Atlanta Falcons L 7-27 Lambeau Field
65,358

Awards and records[]

  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Attempts (551)
  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completions (341)
  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader(tied), Touchdown Passes (27)

References[]

  1. 2002 Packers' schedule. Packers.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-24. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
  2. Vick, Falcons shock Packers in Lambeau. NFL.com (2003-01-04). Archived from the original on 2006-12-11. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
  3. Draft History - Green Bay Packers. NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
  4. NFL History - 2002 Regular Season Standings. NFL.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
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