| 2002 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| President | Pat Bowlen |
| General manager | Ted Sundquist and Mike Shanahan |
| Head coach | Mike Shanahan |
| Offensive coordinator | Gary Kubiak |
| Defensive coordinator | Ray Rhodes |
| Home field | Invesco Field at Mile High |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | DE Trevor Pryce LB Al Wilson |
| AP All-Pros | None |
The 2002 season was the Denver Broncos' 43rd in professional football and their 33rd in the National Football League.
With the sudden retirement of Terrell Davis in the preseason, Denver had to rely on rookie Clinton Portis, who provided an instant spark to the Broncos running game. Despite his contribution, however, the Broncos finished with a 9–7 record and narrowly missed the postseason.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| TE Shannon Sharpe (Ravens) | |
| T Blake Brockermeyer (Bears) | S Eric Brown (Texans) |
| DT Lional Dalton (Ravens) | RB Tony Carter (Packers) |
| S Izell Reese (Cowboys) | QB Gus Frerotte (Bengals) |
| T Ephraim Salaam (Falcons) | LB Bill Romanowski (Raiders) |
| FB Detron Smith (Colts) | |
| T Trey Teague (Bills) | |
| RB Terrell Davis (retirement) |
| 2002 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Ashley Lelie | Wide receiver | Hawaii | |
| 2 | 51 | Clinton Portis * | Running back | Miami | |
| 3 | 96 | Dorsett Davis | Defensive tackle | Mississippi State | from New England viaWashington and Baltimore |
| 4 | 131 | Sam Brandon | Safety | UNLV | from New England |
| 5 | 144 | Herb Haygood | Wide receiver | Michigan State | from Jacksonville via New England |
| 6 | 191 | Jeb Putzier | Tight end | Boise State | |
| 7 | 228 | Chris Young | Safety | Georgia Tech | from Atlanta |
| 7 | 231 | Monsanto Pope | Defensive tackle | Virginia | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Adams | Wide receiver | Hofstra |
| Lenny Walls | Cornerback | Boston College |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | St. Louis Rams | W 23–16 | 1–0 | 75,710 | |
| 2 | September 15 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 24–14 | 2–0 | 67,685 | |
| 3 | September 22 | Buffalo Bills | W 28–23 | 3–0 | 75,359 | |
| 4 | September 30 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 23–34 | 3–1 | 69,538 | |
| 5 | October 6 | San Diego Chargers | W 26–9 | 4–1 | 75,065 | |
| 6 | October 13 | Miami Dolphins | L 22–24 | 4–2 | 75,941 | |
| 7 | October 20 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 37–34 (OT) | 5–2 | 78,446 | |
| 8 | October 27 | at New England Patriots | W 24–16 | 6–2 | 68,436 | |
| 9 | Bye | |||||
| 10 | November 11 | Oakland Raiders | L 10–34 | 6–3 | 76,643 | |
| 11 | November 17 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 31–9 | 7–3 | 65,495 | |
| 12 | November 24 | Indianapolis Colts | L 20–23 (OT) | 7–4 | 75,075 | |
| 13 | December 1 | at San Diego Chargers | L 27–30 (OT) | 7–5 | 66,357 | |
| 14 | December 8 | at New York Jets | L 13–19 | 7–6 | 78,521 | |
| 15 | December 15 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 31–24 | 8–6 | 75,947 | |
| 16 | December 22 | at Oakland Raiders | L 16–28 | 8–7 | 62,592 | |
| 17 | December 29 | Arizona Cardinals | W 37–7 | 9–7 | 75,164 | |
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Oakland Raiders | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 450 | 304 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 392 | 344 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 333 | 367 | L4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 467 | 399 | L1 |
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado.
John Albert Elway Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who spent his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Following his playing career, he then spent 11 years with the Broncos in various front office positions, eventually being promoted to general manager. Elway, along with former backup quarterback and head coach Gary Kubiak, are the only individuals to be associated with all three of the Broncos' Super Bowl wins.
Empower Field at Mile High is an American football stadium in Denver, Colorado, United States. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. The venue was previously home of the Denver Outlaws lacrosse team and the Colorado Rapids soccer team. It has also played host to countless concerts and served as the venue for Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Stephen Dennis Atwater is an American former football safety who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion. Atwater was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2020.
Gary Wayne Kubiak is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos before coaching, serving as head coach for the Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Broncos from 2015 to 2016 before stepping down from the position on January 1, 2017, citing health reasons.
Patrick Dennis Bowlen was a Canadian–American lawyer, executive and the majority owner of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL), winning three Super Bowls. He was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the class of 2019. Bowlen owned other professional sports franchises in the Denver Colorado Area. Bowlen served as the Broncos CEO from 1984 until July 2014, when he stepped down as Broncos' CEO due to the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
The 1983 Denver Broncos season was its 24th in professional football and 14th in the National Football League (NFL). Led by third-year head coach Dan Reeves, the Broncos were 9–7, third in the AFC West, and made their first playoff appearance in four seasons.
The 1994 Denver Broncos season was the team's 35th year in professional football and its 25th with the National Football League. The season would be the final year that Wade Phillips was head coach. This would also be the final season for longtime defensive stalwarts Karl Mecklenburg and Dennis Smith. This would be the last time the Broncos started 1-5 until 2023.
The 1980 Denver Broncos season was the team's 21st year in professional football and its 11th with the National Football League (NFL). Led by fourth-year head coach Red Miller the Broncos were 8–8, tied for third in the AFC West, and missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
The 1982 Denver Broncos season was the team's 23rd year in professional football and its 13th with the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos played only nine games this season, owing to the strike imposed by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The Broncos were looking to improve on their 10–6 record from 1981. But due to many injuries plus the strike, the Broncos only won two games and lost seven. This was their worst record since 1971, their first losing season since 1975, and their first with fewer than three wins since 1964. Both of the Broncos’ wins came against interconference teams, and the team only won one home game the entire season, against the reigning Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. Their only other win was against the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos went winless against AFC foes in 1982, although all their non-division AFC games were cancelled by the strike.
The 1981 Denver Broncos season was the team's 22nd year in professional football and its 12th with the National Football League (NFL). Led by first-year head coach Dan Reeves, the Broncos were 10–6, tied for first in the AFC West, but failed to make the postseason again due to their loss to the Buffalo Bills, who gained the final berth.
Demaryius Antwon Thomas was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, earning third-team All-American honors in 2009. He was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. With Denver, Thomas made five Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers. He was also a member of the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
Vonnie B'VSean Miller is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Miller played college football at Texas A&M, where he earned consensus All-American honors and the Butkus Award. He was selected by the Denver Broncos second overall in the 2011 NFL draft.
Christopher Harris Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League, primarily with the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks and was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
Brock Alan Osweiler is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Osweiler first served as the Broncos' starter during their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015 when he relieved an injured Peyton Manning, although Manning resumed his starting duties for the playoffs and eventual Super Bowl 50 victory.
The Broncos–Raiders rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. Both teams compete in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Since the American Football League was established in 1960, the Broncos and Raiders are the most frequent Monday Night Football matchup in league history with 20. The Broncos and the Raiders have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger, the AFC West.
Justin Simmons is an American football safety for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft.
The Broncos–Patriots rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. Nowadays, the two teams do not play every year due to them playing in different intraconference divisions – Denver in the AFC West and New England in the AFC East; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium when their divisions are paired up, sometimes more often if they meet in the playoffs, or if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions.
Patrick Frank Surtain II is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was drafted ninth overall by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft.
 | This article relating to an American football season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
