2002 Buffalo Bills season
| 2002 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Gregg Williams |
| General manager | Tom Donahoe |
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Home field | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 4th AFC East |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 2002 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s forty-third season.
The Bills acquired quarterback Drew Bledsoe from the New England Patriots on draft weekend in exchange for Buffalo's first round pick in the 2003 draft. (The Bills would regain that first round pick via a sign-and-trade of Peerless Price, coming off a breakout season, to the Atlanta Falcons for Atlanta's first round pick after the 2002 season.) Bledsoe brought instant credibility to Buffalo's inept passing game; the Bills' offense scored the 6th most points in the AFC in 2002, after having scored the fifth fewest in the entire league the previous season.
The season saw the Bills change their uniform which lasted until 2011.
The Bills infamously drafted Mike Williams, an offensive tackle from Texas with the #4 overall pick of the draft, with University of Miami offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie still available. Williams spent only four seasons with the team. The Sporting News named Williams as the #4 biggest NFL draft bust from 1989–2008.
Drew Bledsoe debuted as Bills quarterback against the team that knocked him out of the 2001 season. Bledsoe led the Bills to a 10–0 lead in the second quarter but a 98-yard kick return by Chad Morton set off a Jets rally that tied the score at 17 at the half. The Jets snatched two Bledsoe INTs and took a 31–24 lead late in the fourth, but Bledsoe led the Bills down field and a 29-yard touchdown throw to Eric Moulds in the final half-minute forced overtime. Morton returned the opening kick of overtime 96 yards for the game-winning score and a 37–31 final for the Jets.
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