The 2002 Detroit Lions season was the 73rd season in franchise history. It was the Lions’ inaugural season at the new Ford Field in Downtown Detroit and their first in the city since the team left Tiger Stadium after the 1974 season. Following the season, Marty Mornhinweg was fired and Steve Mariucci was hired as the Lions' head coach. The Lions entered the 2002 season looking to improve on their 2–14 record from 2001 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They improved on their record, winning 3 games, but continued to disappoint, as the Lions began the season 0–3. By week 9, the Lions had a 3–5 record after a win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, after that win, the Lions lost their remaining 8 games to finish the season 3–13 and failed to reach the playoffs. The Lions also went 0–8 on the road for the second straight season. As a result, Marty Mornhinweg was fired after the season. In his 2 seasons as head coach, the Lions went 5–27 for a winning percentage of .156.
Personnel
Staff
2002 Detroit Lions staff |
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning – Jason Arapoff
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Malcolm Blacken
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[1]
Roster
2002 Detroit Lions final roster |
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Active, Inactive, Practice squad
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Regular season
In addition to their regular games against NFC North rivals, the Lions under the NFL’s new scheduling formula played games against teams from the new NFC South and from the AFC East. They also played against the Cowboys and the Cardinals, who were the lowest-ranked teams from 2001 in the remaining NFC divisions.
Schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
W–L |
TV |
Attendance |
1 |
September 8, 2002 |
at Miami Dolphins |
L 21–49 |
0–1 |
FOX |
72,216 |
2 |
September 15, 2002 |
at Carolina Panthers |
L 7–31 |
0–2 |
FOX |
71,951 |
3 |
September 22, 2002 |
Green Bay Packers |
L 31–37 |
0–3 |
FOX |
61,505 |
4 |
September 29, 2002 |
New Orleans Saints |
W 26–21 |
1–3 |
FOX |
60,023 |
5 | Bye |
6 |
October 13, 2002 |
at Minnesota Vikings |
L 24–31 |
1–4 |
FOX |
64,013 |
7 |
October 20, 2002 |
Chicago Bears |
W 23–20 (OT) |
2–4 |
FOX |
60,421 |
8 |
October 27, 2002 |
at Buffalo Bills |
L 17–24 |
2–5 |
FOX |
72,710 |
9 |
November 3, 2002 |
Dallas Cowboys |
W 9–7 |
3–5 |
FOX |
61,789 |
10 |
November 10, 2002 |
at Green Bay Packers |
L 14–40 |
3–6 |
FOX |
63,313 |
11 |
November 17, 2002 |
New York Jets |
L 14–31 |
3–7 |
CBS |
61,720 |
12 |
November 24, 2002 |
at Chicago Bears |
L 17–20 (OT) |
3–8 |
FOX |
62,375 |
13 |
November 28, 2002 |
New England Patriots |
L 12–20 |
3–9 |
CBS |
62,109 |
14 |
December 8, 2002 |
at Arizona Cardinals |
L 20–23 (OT) |
3–10 |
FOX |
28,640 |
15 |
December 15, 2002 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
L 20–23 |
3–11 |
FOX |
61,942 |
16 |
December 22, 2002 |
at Atlanta Falcons |
L 15–36 |
3–12 |
FOX |
69,307 |
17 |
December 29, 2002 |
Minnesota Vikings |
L 36–38 |
3–13 |
FOX |
60,233 |
References
- ↑ "Administration and Coaching Staff". 2002 Detroit Lions Media Guide. pp. 4–28.
External links
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Franchise | |
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Stadiums | |
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Culture | |
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Lore | |
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Rivalries | |
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Notable people | |
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Division championships (4) | |
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Conference championships (4) | |
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League championships (4) | |
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Media | |
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Current league affiliations | |
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Seasons (89) | |
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Championship seasons in bold |