2002 Kansas City Chiefs season

Last updated

2002 Kansas City Chiefs season
Owner Lamar Hunt
General manager Carl Peterson
Head coach Dick Vermeil
Home field Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record8–8
Division place4th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
5
  • TE Tony Gonzalez (2nd team)
  • KR Dante Hall (2nd team)
  • RB Priest Holmes (1st team)
  • T Willie Roaf (2nd team)
  • G Will Shields (1st team)
Kansas City at Oakland, 2002 Oakland Raiders 24, Kansas City Chiefs 0, 2002, by Ken Lund.jpg
Kansas City at Oakland, 2002

The 2002 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and the franchise's 40th in Kansas City, Missouri.

Contents

In their second season under head coach Dick Vermeil, the Chiefs's high-powered offense was led by quarterback Trent Green and 2002 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Priest Holmes, who was named to the NFL All-Pro team for the second of three years in a row. Green had a 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio (26 to 13) and Holmes led the league in touchdowns (24) and overall scoring (144 points).

Kansas City scored 467 points (29.2 per game), but gave up 399 points (24.9 per game), the second most in the AFC and fifth-most in the NFL. Football Outsiders stated that the 2002 Chiefs have the second-largest Offense-Defense imbalance from 1992 to 2010 [1] (the largest discrepancy coming from the 1992 Seattle Seahawks). Football Outsiders also calculated that the Chiefs had the second most efficient running game in the same period (second only to the 2000 St. Louis Rams). [2]

The Chiefs' offense also set two new NFL records with the fewest fumbles in a season (7, broken in 2010) and fewest fumbles lost in a season (2), the latter of which still stands. Additionally, Trent Green and Marc Boerigter in the Chiefs week 16 game against the Chargers, tied the record for longest pass play in NFL history, becoming the ninth occurrence of a 99-yard pass play.

Offseason

AdditionsSubtractions
QB Jonathan Quinn (Jaguars)LB Donnie Edwards (Chargers)
K Morten Andersen (Giants)K Todd Peterson (Steelers)
WR Johnnie Morton (Lions)TE Mikhael Ricks (Lions)
T Willie Roaf (Saints)CB Bracy Walker (Lions)
T Victor Riley (Saints)
WR Derrick Alexander (Vikings)

Draft

2002 Kansas City Chiefs draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
16 Ryan Sims   Defensive tackle North Carolina
243 Eddie Freeman   Defensive tackle UAB
4107 Omar Easy   Fullback Penn State
5143 Scott Fujita   Linebacker California
7221Maurice Rodriguez  Linebacker Fresno State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
PlayerPositionCollege
Marc Boerigter Wide Receiver Hastings
Clint Finley Defensive back Nebraska
Jarmar Julien Running back San Jose State

Personnel

Staff

2002 Kansas City Chiefs staff
Front office
  • Founder – Lamar Hunt
  • President/general manager/chief executive officer – Carl Peterson
  • Chairman of the board – Jack Steadman
  • Vice chairman of the board – Clark Hunt
  • Executive vice president/assistant general manager – Dennis Thum
  • Vice president of football operations/player personnel – Lynn Stiles
  • Director of football administration – Mike White
  • Director of pro personnel – Bill Kuharich

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster

2002 Kansas City Chiefs final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 13 inactive, 5 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 10at San Francisco 49ers W 17–14 (OT)1–0 3Com Park Recap
2August 17 Houston Texans W 19–92–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3August 24at Seattle Seahawks L 14–172–1 Seahawks Stadium Recap
4August 30 St. Louis Rams W 23–163–1Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Chiefs7070317
49ers7070014

at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 2: vs. Houston Texans

Week 2: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Texans33039
Chiefs766019

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 17
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 74 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,506
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs007714
Seahawks0100717

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: August 24
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 79 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 49,036
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week 4: St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams6100016
Chiefs03101023

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 30
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Clear, 79 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,410
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

In the 2002 season, the Chiefs' non-divisional, conference opponents were primarily from the AFC East. The Cleveland Browns were from the AFC North and the Jacksonville Jaguars were from the AFC South. Their non-conference opponents were from the NFC West.

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1 September 8at Cleveland Browns W 40–391–0 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap
2 September 15 Jacksonville Jaguars L 16–231–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3 September 22at New England Patriots L 38–41 (OT)1–2 Gillette Stadium Recap
4 September 29 Miami Dolphins W 48–302–2Arrowhead Stadium Recap
5 October 6at New York Jets W 29–253–2 Giants Stadium Recap
6 October 13at San Diego Chargers L 34–353–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
7 October 20 Denver Broncos L 34–37 (OT)3–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
8 October 27 Oakland Raiders W 20–104–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 Bye
10 November 10at San Francisco 49ers L 13–174–5 3Com Park Recap
11 November 17 Buffalo Bills W 17–165–5Arrowhead Stadium Recap
12 November 24at Seattle Seahawks L 32–395–6 Seahawks Stadium Recap
13 December 1 Arizona Cardinals W 49–06–6Arrowhead Stadium Recap
14 December 8 St. Louis Rams W 49–107–6Arrowhead Stadium Recap
15 December 15at Denver Broncos L 24–317–7 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap
16 December 22 San Diego Chargers W 24–228–7Arrowhead Stadium Recap
17 December 28at Oakland Raiders L 0–248–8 Network Associates Coliseum Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Cleveland Browns

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs7732340
Browns61471239

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 2: Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Jaguars0901423
Chiefs3301016

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 3: at New England Patriots

Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Chiefs37721038
Patriots09821341

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: September 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Warm and humid, 80 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,436
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 4: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Dolphins797730
Chiefs101471748

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 5: at New York Jets

Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs3931429
Jets7801025

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 6
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/3:05 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,149
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 6: at San Diego Chargers

Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs10771034
Chargers7072135

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 7: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Broncos331414337
Chiefs76147034

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 51 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,446
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, and Beasley Reece
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 8: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Raiders700310
Chiefs337720

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,685
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs370313
49ers3140017

at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 11: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 11: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Bills0133016
Chiefs730717

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,951
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 12: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs10701532
Seahawks02171139

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 56,250
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 13: Arizona Cardinals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cardinals00000
Chiefs14217749

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 14: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week 14: St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams1000010
Chiefs142101449

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,601
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, and Joel Goldberg
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs00141024
Broncos14014331

at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/2:05 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,947
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 16: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chargers339722
Chiefs777324

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 33 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,899
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: at Oakland Raiders

Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs00000
Raiders0143724

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 28
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Rain, 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,078
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Standings

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(1) Oakland Raiders 1150.6884–29–3450304W2
Denver Broncos 970.5633–35–7392344W1
San Diego Chargers 880.5003–36–6333367L4
Kansas City Chiefs 880.5002–46–6467399L1

Related Research Articles

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References