| 2002 New York Jets season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Herman Edwards |
| Home Field | The Meadowlands |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff Finish | Won AFC Wild Card 41–0 vs. Indianapolis Colts Lost AFC Divisional 30–10 at Oakland Raiders |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 2001 | 2003 |
The 2002 New York Jets season was the 43rd season for the team, and the 33rd in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 10–6 record from 2001. The Jets overcame a 2–5 start to finish 9–7 and won their second AFC East division title.
After a heartbreaking 24–21 week 8 loss to the Cleveland Browns at the Meadowlands, head coach Herman Edwards gave his famous "You play to win the game" tirade in the post-game press conference. The mid-season debut of quarterback Chad Pennington helped lead the Jets to a 7–2 record down the stretch. 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 Oakland Raiders, 30–10 in the Divisional round.
Offseason[]
2002 NFL Draft[]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Bryan Thomas | Defensive end | UAB |
| 2 | 57 | Jon McGraw | Safety | Kansas State |
| 3 | 88 | Chris Baker | Tight end | Michigan State |
| 4 | 121 | Alan Harper | Defensive tackle | Fresno State |
| 5 | 154 | Jonathan Goodwin | Guard | Michigan |
Schedule[]
Regular season[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-09-08 | at Buffalo Bills | W 37–31 (OT) | Ralph Wilson Stadium | |
| 2 | 2002-09-15 | New England Patriots | L 44–7 | The Meadowlands | |
| 3 | 2002-09-22 | at Miami Dolphins | L 30–3 | Pro Player Stadium | |
| 4 | 2002-09-29 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 28–3 | Alltel Stadium | |
| 5 | 2002-10-06 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 29–25 | The Meadowlands | |
| 6 | Bye week | ||||
| 7 | 2002-10-20 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–7 | The Meadowlands | |
| 8 | 2002-10-27 | Cleveland Browns | L 24–21 | The Meadowlands | |
| 9 | 2002-11-03 | at San Diego Chargers | W 44–13 | Qualcomm Stadium | |
| 10 | 2002-11-10 | Miami Dolphins | W 13–10 | The Meadowlands | |
| 11 | 2002-11-17 | at Detroit Lions | W 31–14 | Ford Field | |
| 12 | 2002-11-24 | Buffalo Bills | W 31–13 | The Meadowlands | |
| 13 | 2002-12-02 | at Oakland Raiders | L 26–20 | Network Associates Coliseum | |
| 14 | 2002-12-08 | Denver Broncos | W 19–13 | The Meadowlands | |
| 15 | 2002-12-15 | at Chicago Bears | L 20–13 | Memorial Stadium | |
| 16 | 2002-12-22 | at New England Patriots | W 30–17 | Gillette Stadium | |
| 17 | 2002-12-29 | Green Bay Packers | W 42–17 | The Meadowlands | |
Playoffs[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC | 2003-01-04 | Indianapolis Colts | W 41–0 | The Meadowlands | |
| Div | 2003-01-12 | at Oakland Raiders | L 30–10 | Network Associates Coliseum |
Standings[]
| 2002 AFC East standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC East | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| z- 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 |