2002 New England Patriots season
| 2002 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Home field | Gillette Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | SpT Larry Izzo CB Ty Law SS Lawyer Milloy DT Richard Seymour K Adam Vinatieri C Damien Woody |
| AP All-Pros | K Adam Vinatieri (1st team) |
| Uniform | |
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The 2002 New England Patriots season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League and 43rd season overall. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth.
Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium in the NFL's prime-time Monday Night Football opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44–7 road win against the division rival New York Jets, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span. In the final week of the season, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins on an overtime Adam Vinatieri field goal to give both teams a 9–7 record. A few hours later, the Jets, who defeated the Patriots the week prior, also finished with a 9–7 record with a win over the Green Bay Packers. Due to their record against common opponents, the Jets won the tiebreaker for the division title, which eliminated the Patriots and Dolphins from the playoffs. As of 2016 this is the last season the Patriots failed to win 10 games.
At the time of the first public training camp practice at Bryant College on July 26, they had 79 players signed to their roster, one short of the NFL maximum of 80 players. The Patriots received five roster exemptions for the NFL Europe allocations of Mike Clare, Patrick Downey, Radell Lockhart, Scott McCready, and Maugaula Tuitele. Additionally, the Patriots allocated safety Mark Washington and cornerback Cecil Deckard to NFL Europe and received roster exemptions for them, but those players were waived before the start of training camp.
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