The
National Football League playoffs
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Currently, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs. A tie-breaki ...
for the
2001 season began on January 12, 2002. The postseason tournament concluded with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
defeating the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
in
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
, 20–17, on February 3, at the
Louisiana Superdome
The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...
in
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.
Until the
2020 season, this was the last season that three
wild card teams qualified for the playoffs in each conference, and the last time a wild card team from each conference hosted a postseason game. The addition of the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
to the league in 2002 led to a realignment to eight divisions. The number of playoff berths remained six per conference, meaning one wild card berth per conference was eliminated and there would be no more meetings between wild card teams in the first round. As was the case prior to 2002, division champions retain priority for higher seeding and home field advantage regardless of records. Under the 2002 system, the only way two wild card teams in the same conference could meet in the playoffs would be for both teams to each win two road games to advance to the conference championship game hosted by the fifth seed, which never occurred. Under the current playoff format, wild card qualifiers can meet in any playoff round except the wild card round.
Participants
Bracket
Schedule
The
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
led the league to postpone its September 16–17 games and play them a week after the scheduled conclusion of the regular season. This caused the playoffs and Super Bowl to be delayed by one week. This thus marked the first time in NFL history that the Super Bowl was played in February. No bye week was originally scheduled between the conference championships and the Super Bowl this season, so the NFL had to work diligently to get the final game in New Orleans rescheduled, including having alternative plans to host the Super Bowl in another city.
For the first time, the NFL scheduled
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
playoff games for the first two rounds in an attempt to attract more television viewers. Saturday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
EST to 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., respectively. Concurrently, the league abandoned its general practice of scheduling colder, northern playoff games for daylight hours only; any stadium, regardless of evening January temperatures, could host prime time playoff games.
In the United States,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games, then
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
broadcast the rest of the
AFC playoff games.
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
televised the rest of the
NFC
NFC may refer to:
Psychology
* Need for cognition, in psychology
* Need for closure, social psychological term
Sports
* NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game
* NCAA Football Championship (Philippines)
* Nati ...
games and
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
.
Wild Card playoffs
Saturday, January 12, 2002
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9
Eagles quarterback
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...
threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 54 yards, as Philadelphia dominated Tampa Bay from start to finish. Bucs quarterback
Brad Johnson was intercepted four times, twice by
Damon Moore
Damon Moore (born September 15, 1976, in Fostoria, Ohio) is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oh ...
. It was the second consecutive season in which Philadelphia eliminated Tampa Bay from the playoffs during the wild card round, and two days later, Buccaneers coach
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Dungy's teams be ...
was fired.
On the Eagles first drive of the game, Buccaneers safety
Dexter Jackson intercepted a pass from McNabb and returned it nine yards to the Eagles 36-yard line, setting up a 36-yard field goal from
Martín Gramática
Martín Gramática (born November 27, 1975) is an Argentine-born former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints. He played c ...
. But McNabb made up for his mistake with a 39-yard run on third down and 5 on Philadelphia's ensuing possession, setting up a field goal for
David Akers
David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Reds ...
that tied the game, 3–3. In the second quarter, McNabb completed all four of his passes for 70 yards on a 73-yard drive, including a 41-yard completion to
Todd Pinkston
Todd Pinkston (born April 23, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he caught 184 passes for 2,816 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Eagles w ...
, that ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Chad Lewis
Chad Wayne Lewis (born October 5, 1971) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams.
Early life
Lewis grew up in Orem, Utah and played football and ran track at Or ...
. Tampa responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive, but once again could not dent the end zone and had to settle for another Gramatica field goal, cutting their deficit to 10–6. Later in the quarter, Eagles punter
Sean Landeta
Sean Edward Landeta (born January 6, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in both the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL). Landeta played 22 seasons in the NFL for f ...
pinned the Buccaneers back at their own 5-yard line and Tampa Bay could not get a first down with their next drive. After receiving
Mark Royals
Mark Alan Royals (born June 22, 1965) is a former American football punter in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Mia ...
' short 28-yard punt at the Buccaneers 31-yard line, McNabb threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to
Duce Staley
Duce Staley (born February 27, 1975) is an American football coach and former player who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served in the same capac ...
with 35 seconds left in the half. But Tampa Bay managed to respond with Gramatica's third field goal before halftime, set up by a 46-yard reception from
Keyshawn Johnson
Joseph Keyshawn Johnson (born July 22, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons.
He played college football for the University of Southern Calif ...
, cutting their deficit to 17–9.
But Tampa Bay was completely dominated in the second half. Moore recorded his first interception from Brad Johnson at the Eagles 38-yard line on the Buccaneers opening drive of the third quarter. Later on, the Eagles drove 60 yards in six plays and scored on a 25-yard touchdown run from rookie
Correll Buckhalter
Correll Buckhalter (; born October 6, 1978) is a former American football running back who played for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Nebraska, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in th ...
. Johnson tried to rally his team back with a pair of drives deep into Eagles territory, but both of them were ended with interceptions. First, cornerback
Troy Vincent
Troy Darnell Vincent (born June 8, 1970) is a former American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dolphins as the 7th ...
picked off a pass from Johnson in the end zone with 4:09 left in the third quarter. Then late in the fourth quarter, safety
Brian Dawkins
Brian Patrick Dawkins Sr. (born October 13, 1973) is an American former football safety who played 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted b ...
intercepted Johnson on Philadelphia's 3-yard line. Following a punt, Moore put the game away by recording his second interception and returning it 59 yards for a touchdown.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Buccaneers and Eagles. Both teams previously split the two prior meetings.
AFC: Oakland Raiders 38, New York Jets 24
The Raiders defeated the Jets in a high scoring shootout, outgaining them in total yards 502 to 410, and holding them off in a wild, 36-point fourth quarter. Quarterback
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon (born December 20, 1965) is an American former football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Subsequently, he was a sports commentator with CBS Sports for 16 years.
Gannon was born in ...
completed 23 of 29 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. 39-year-old wide receiver
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
had a superb performance, catching nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. His nine receptions tied a franchise playoff record held by
Cliff Branch
Clifford Branch Jr. (August 1, 1948 – August 3, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders during his entire 14-year National Football League (NFL) career. He won three NF ...
and
Fred Biletnikoff
Frederick S. Biletnikoff (born February 23, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons and l ...
. Running back
Charlie Garner
Charlie Garner III (born February 13, 1972) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee ...
ran 80 yards for a touchdown to clinch the game with 1:27 remaining. He finished the game with 156 rushing yards on just 15 carries, along with three receptions for 26 yards. Jets quarterback
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Hei ...
threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Running back
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin Jr. (born May 1, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He spent his first three seasons with the New England Patrio ...
added 106 rushing yards, while receiver
Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Leon Coles (; born December 29, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football for ...
caught eight passes for 123 yards.
Following a missed field goal by Jets kicker
John Hall John Hall may refer to:
Academics
* John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic
* John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal
* John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...
on the opening drive, Oakland kicker
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...
made two field goals to give his team a 6–0 first quarter lead. In the second quarter, Hall and Janikowski both made field goals before Oakland scored the first touchdown of the game on a 66-yard drive that ended with
Tim Brown Timothy, Timmy, or Tim Brown may refer to:
Music
* Timothy Brown (bassist) (born 1969), bassist for the band The Boo Radleys
* Timothy Brown (conductor) (born 1946), English choral conductor
* Timothy Brown (hornist), English hornist
Sports Gridir ...
's 2-yard touchdown reception to make the score 16–3 with 22 seconds left in the half.
Early in the third quarter, Testaverde narrowed the score to 16–10 with a 17-yard touchdown pass to
Wayne Chrebet
Wayne Chrebet (born August 14, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver who played 11 seasons for the New York Jets of the National Football League from 1995 to 2005.
High school and college career
Chrebet grew up in Garfield, New J ...
. Later in the quarter, Raiders safety
Johnnie Harris
Johnnie Harris (born August 21, 1972) is a former American football Safety. He played in the Arena Football League (AFL) for the Tampa Bay Storm (1996–1998), Orlando Predators (2005), Grand Rapids Rampage (2006–2007), Philadelphia Soul (2007) ...
stripped the ball from fullback
Richie Anderson and defensive tackle
Grady Jackson
Grady O'Neal Jackson (born January 21, 1973) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Knoxville College.
Jackson also played f ...
recovered the ball for Oakland on their own 45-yard line. After a short run by Garner, Gannon's 47-yard completion to Rice moved the ball to the Jets 4-yard line. A few plays later, fullback
Zack Crockett
Zachary Theopolis Crockett (born December 2, 1972) is a SE Scout for the Las Vegas Raiders and former American football Fullback (American football), fullback. He was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 1995 NF ...
scored a 2-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving the Raiders a 24–10 lead. But instead of putting the game away, Crockett's score set off a wild scoring explosion from both teams, who ended up combining for 36 points in the final quarter as Testaverde desperately tried to rally his team back.
The Jets responded by driving 64 yards in 10 plays and scoring with Testaverde's 4-yard touchdown pass to Anderson. But Oakland stormed back with a 68-yard, seven play scoring drive. After a 21-yard completion to Rice and a 20-yard strike to
Jerry Porter on third down and 8, Gannon threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Rice with 5:53 left in regulation. Testaverde once again responded, completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Chrebet on fourth down and goal to make it 31–24 with 1:57 left. Because the Jets had two timeouts left, coach
Herm Edwards
Herman Edwards Jr. (born April 27, 1954) is an American football coach and former cornerback who was most recently the head football coach at Arizona State. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Phil ...
decided not to attempt an
onside kick
In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the o ...
. New York's defense managed to stuff running back
Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Anthony Wheatley Sr. (born January 19, 1972) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Previously, he served as the running backs coach of the Denver Broncos of ...
on two straight plays, but on third down, Garner took off down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown run, the longest in Raiders postseason history.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Jets and Raiders. New York won both prior meetings.
Sunday, January 13, 2002
NFC: Green Bay Packers 25, San Francisco 49ers 15
The 2001 NFC wild card game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers shares the title of the best wild card round matchup by record (along with the
1999 AFC Wild Card, between the 11-5 Buffalo Bills and 13-3 Tennessee Titans, and 2020 AFC Wild Card between the 11-5 Indianapolis Colts and 13-3 Buffalo Bills), with a combined mark of 24-8. The game was also the only wild card game in the sixteen game era to feature two teams with twelve or more regular season wins, as both teams finished with a 12-4 mark. In frigid temperatures, the 49ers came into
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...
and stood toe-to-toe with the Packers for most of the afternoon until being put away by a superb second half performance from Packers quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
.
Favre completed six of eight passes for 43 yards in the first half, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to
Antonio Freeman
Antonio Michael Freeman (born May 27, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech.
College ...
that gave the Packers a 6–0 lead after San Francisco defensive tackle
Dana Stubblefield
Dana William Stubblefield (born November 14, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Taylor High School in North Bend, Ohio, Stubblefie ...
blocked the extra point. The Packers defense limited San Francisco to just 53 yards and a blocked field goal on their first four drives, but the 49ers closed out the half with a 15-play, 86-yard drive that took seven minutes off the clock. Quarterback
Jeff Garcia
Jeffrey Jason Garcia (born February 24, 1970) is a former American football quarterback. After attending high school and junior college in Gilroy, California, Garcia played college football at San Jose State University.
A four-time CFL All-St ...
completed six of nine passes for 61 yards on the drive, and running back
Garrison Hearst
Gerard Garrison Hearst (born January 4, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Georgia, and was r ...
capped it off with a 2-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7–6 halftime lead. It marked the first time Green Bay had ever trailed at the end of the first half in a home playoff game since the famous
Ice Bowl in 1967.
However, Favre dominated the 49ers defense in the second half, completing 16 of 21 passes for 226 yards and leading his team to four scoring drives. First, he led the Packers 72 yards in 12 plays, completing two passes for 21 yards to
Bill Schroeder and a 22-yarder to Freeman en route to a 26-yard field goal by
. After a San Francisco punt, Favre led his team to the end zone in just three plays, tossing a 12-yard completion to fullback
William Henderson, following it up with a 51-yard strike to
Corey Bradford
Corey Lamon Bradford (born December 8, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. He played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and Detroit Lions. , and then finishing the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to
Bubba Franks
Daniel Lamont "Bubba" Franks (born January 6, 1978) is a former American football tight end who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Miami. He was drafted by the Green Bay ...
with 3:26 left in the third quarter, giving the Packers a 15–7 lead after the 49ers defense tackled
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver (born February 2, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Alcorn State University, Driver was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He ...
short of the end zone on a two-point conversion attempt.
In the fourth quarter, Hearst's 22-yard reception and 10-yard run set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Garcia to
Tai Streets
Tai Lamar Streets (born April 20, 1977) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected with the second pick of the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. H ...
, who also caught a subsequent 2-point conversion pass to tie the game at 15. But Green Bay responded with a 49-yard drive and retook the lead with a 45-yard field goal from Longwell. Then on San Francisco's ensuing possession, cornerback
Mike McKenzie deflected a pass from Garcia into the arms of
Tyrone Williams for an interception on the Packers 7-yard line. Favre took over from there, leading the Packers on an 8-play 93-yard drive for the game clinching touchdown, featuring two key third down completions by Favre. The first was a 37-yard completion to Freeman on third down and 7. Later, Driver caught a 12-yard pass on the 49ers 9-yard line on third down and 6. On the next play, running back
Ahman Green
Ahman Rashad Green (; born February 16, 1977) is a former American football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Green played college football at Nebraska and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd ro ...
scored on a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left in regulation.
Favre completed 22 of 29 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Garcia completed 22 of 32 passes for 233 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the 49ers and Packers. Green Bay previously won three of the four prior meetings.
This game also remains the last time the Packers defeated the 49ers in the postseason as they went on go 0-4 against the 49ers since then (, , , and ).
AFC: Baltimore Ravens 20, Miami Dolphins 3
The Ravens recorded 222 rushing yards, while limiting the Dolphins to 151 total yards and nine first downs, while forcing three turnovers and three sacks. Baltimore running back
Terry Allen ran for 109 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback
Elvis Grbac
Elvis M. Grbac (born August 13, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football at Michigan, where he won the ...
completed 12 of 18 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Throughout the day, the Dolphins were unable to move the ball on the ground. Running backs
Travis Minor and
Lamar Smith
Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States House of Representatives for for 16 terms, a district including most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as w ...
were held to a combined total of 20 yards on 11 carries, while quarterback
Jay Fiedler
Jay Brian Fiedler (born December 29, 1971) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played 76 games at quarterback in the NFL, starting 60, and threw 69 touchdowns. He was inducted into the National Jewi ...
ended up as the leading rusher with 16 yards. In contrast, the Ravens called 50 running plays, gained 222 rushing yards, and held the ball for 38 minutes.
The Dolphins' only score was
Olindo Mare
Olindo Franco Mare (born June 6, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at MacMurray College and Syracuse. Mare, who was se ...
's 33-yard field goal just two minutes into the game, after linebacker
Tommy Hendricks
Thomas Emmett Hendricks, III (born October 23, 1978) is a former American football player. He played college football as a defensive back for the University of Michigan from 1996 to 1999 and was a member of the undefeated 1997 Michigan Wolverin ...
recovered a fumble from Baltimore's
Jermaine Lewis on the opening kickoff. In the second quarter, the Ravens finished a 17-play, 90-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run from Allen to take a 7–3 lead. Baltimore later had a chance to increase their lead before halftime when linebacker
Peter Boulware
Peter Nicholas Boulware (born December 18, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for Florida State University, and was re ...
recovered Minor's fumble on the Dolphins 41-yard line, but their ensuing drive ended without points when
Matt Stover
John Matthew Stover (born January 27, 1968) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Cleveland Browns, he was amon ...
missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the half.
Later in the game, Grbac led the Ravens on a 99-yard scoring drive, featuring a 45-yard completion to
Travis Taylor on third down and 1. Taylor finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown catch to give the Ravens a 14–3 lead with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
Early in the final quarter, Boulware forced a fumble while sacking Fiedler that Ravens defensive tackle
Sam Adams
Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and ...
recovered on the Dolphins 37-yard line, leading to Stover's 35-yard field goal with 11:26 left in the game. The Dolphins responded with a drive to the Ravens 41. On first and 10, Fiedler's 40-yard pass to
James McKnight at the Ravens 5-yard line bounced off the receiver's shoulder and was intercepted by cornerback
Duane Starks
Duane Lonell Starks (born May 23, 1974) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.
Starks, who earned a Super Bowl ...
, who returned the ball 26 yards to the 28-yard line. Baltimore's offense subsequently drove 50 yards and took 6:30 off the clock, including five carries by
Jason Brookins
Jason Arnaz Brookins (born January 5, 1976) is a former professional American football running back who played one season for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He played college football at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee
...
for 36 yards, setting up Stover's second field goal to put the game away.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Ravens and Dolphins.
Divisional playoffs
Saturday, January 19, 2002
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 33, Chicago Bears 19
The Bears surprised everyone by finishing atop the NFC Central with a 13–3 record behind quarterback
Jim Miller. But after the Eagles jumped to a 6–0 lead, Miller was taken out of the game in the second quarter with a separated shoulder. Although Miller's replacement,
Shane Matthews
Michael Shane Matthews (born June 1, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for all or part of fourteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college footba ...
, led the Bears to a touchdown (a 47-yard reverse by
Ahmad Merritt
Ahmad Rashad Merritt (born February 5, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Wisconsin.
Merritt was also a member of the Dalla ...
), and
Jerry Azumah
Jerry Azumah ( ; born September 1, 1977) is a former American football cornerback who played seven seasons for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of New Hampshire, and was sele ...
's 39-yard interception return briefly put the Bears back in the lead early in the second half, the Eagles controlled most of the rest of the game. Matthews threw for only 66 yards and was intercepted twice. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...
threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another touchdown.
The Eagles controlled the first quarter, scoring with two field goals by
David Akers
David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Reds ...
while holding the Bears to 25 offensive yards and one first down. In the second quarter, Miller led the Bears to Philadelphia's 25-yard line before throwing an interception to safety
Damon Moore
Damon Moore (born September 15, 1976, in Fostoria, Ohio) is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oh ...
. On the ensuing interception return, defensive end
Hugh Douglas drove Miller to the ground, separating his shoulder and knocking him out of the game. Douglas was later fined $35,000 for the hit. Merritt's 47-yard touchdown run gave the Bears a 7–6 lead with 5:27 left in the quarter. But McNabb led the Eagles back, driving 69 yards in 11 plays, including a 9-yard completion to tight end
Jeff Thomason
Jeffrey David Thomason (born December 30, 1969) is a former American football tight end.
First NFL stint
After playing college football at Oregon, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992. He played for the B ...
on fourth down and 1 from the Bears 27-yard line. Four plays later, McNabb finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to fullback
Cecil Martin
Danyel Cecil Martin (born July 8, 1975) is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL).
Early life
Martin was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 8, 1975. He attended Evanston Township High School in Illinois before ...
, giving his team a 13–7 lead with just 14 seconds left in the half. The Eagles finished the half with 230 yards and held the ball over 20 minutes, while holding the Bears to 88 yards.
On the first drive of the second half, cornerback
R. W. McQuarters deflected a pass from McNabb into the arms of Azumah, who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown to give the Bears a 14–13 lead. Later on, Chicago punter
Brad Maynard
Bradley Alan Maynard (born February 9, 1974) is a former American football Punter (football), punter. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and has also been a member of the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, ...
's 15-yard punt gave the Eagles a first down on the Bears 36-yard line. Following a key 30-yard reception by Thomason on third down and 14, McNabb threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to
Duce Staley
Duce Staley (born February 27, 1975) is an American football coach and former player who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served in the same capac ...
, giving the Eagles a 20–14 lead with 5:55 left in the third quarter. Chicago responded with an 11-play, 44-yard drive that ended with a field goal from
Paul Edinger
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
, but the Eagles struck back with an 11-play drive of their own, driving 45 yards and scoring with Akers' third field goal. Then
Autry Denson fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Philadelphia rookie
Quinton Caver
Quinton Tyrone Caver ( born August 22, 1978) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in th ...
recovered it, setting up Akers' fourth field goal. McNabb added another touchdown on a 5-yard run with 3:21 left to put the game away, while the Bears only other score was an intentional safety from Eagles punter
Sean Landeta
Sean Edward Landeta (born January 6, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in both the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL). Landeta played 22 seasons in the NFL for f ...
on the last play of the game. This game was the last one ever played at the old
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...
as the stadium was closed for major renovations, thus marking the Philadelphia Eagles the last team to win at the legendary stadium.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Eagles and Bears. Both teams split the prior two meetings.
AFC: New England Patriots 16, Oakland Raiders 13 (OT)
This game has become a part of NFL lore. It was the final contest in the history of
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Pa ...
, played under heavy snowfall. It is best remembered for a call near the end of the game with Oakland protecting a three-point lead. The referees initially ruled that New England quarterback
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
had fumbled on a pass attempt. Invoking the "
tuck rule", where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward motion, the referee overturned the decision after reviewing the
instant replay
Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live.
The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...
, calling the drop an incomplete pass rather than a fumble.
Both teams struggled in the heavy snow storm during the first half, combining for the same number of punts as first downs (11) and converting only one of 13 third downs. However, Raiders quarterback
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon (born December 20, 1965) is an American former football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Subsequently, he was a sports commentator with CBS Sports for 16 years.
Gannon was born in ...
was efficient, completing 10 of 14 passes for 87 yards. The closest either team would come to scoring in the first quarter would be New England's drive to the Oakland 31-yard line, which ended when Brady threw an incomplete pass on fourth and 2. With 1:12 left in the quarter, a 15-yard fair catch interference penalty against Patriots safety
Je'Rod Cherry
Je'Rod LePatrick Cherry (born May 30, 1973) is a former professional football player who currently is a radio talk show host for WKNR AM 850 in Cleveland, and sideline analyst/reporter for the Cleveland Browns radio network.
He was previously a ...
at the end of
Ken Walter
Kenneth "Ken" Walter (born August 15, 1972) is a former American football punter of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Carolina Panthers from 1997–2000, the New England Patriots from 2001– 2003 and 2006 and the Seattle ...
's 39-yard punt gave Oakland a first down at midfield, where they drove to a 7-0 lead on Gannon's 13-yard touchdown pass to
James Jett
James Sherman Jett (born December 28, 1970), is a former American football wide receiver and Olympic sprinter who played nine seasons for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders from 1993 to 2002, in the National Football League. He attended college at ...
. A few plays later, Raiders safety
Johnnie Harris
Johnnie Harris (born August 21, 1972) is a former American football Safety. He played in the Arena Football League (AFL) for the Tampa Bay Storm (1996–1998), Orlando Predators (2005), Grand Rapids Rampage (2006–2007), Philadelphia Soul (2007) ...
intercepted a pass from Brady on the Patriots 41-yard line, but New England's defense managed to force a punt, which would be the final result of every following drive until the end of the half.
In the second half, things began to open up, especially for New England, who almost completely abandoned their running game and relied on Brady. He ended up completing 26 of 39 passes for 238 yards in the second half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, he completed passes to
David Patten
David Patten (August 19, 1974 – September 2, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League as a street fr ...
for gains of 25 and 19 yards as he led the Patriots 62 yards in 12 plays to the Raiders' 5-yard line, where
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest kick ...
made a 23-yard field goal to make it 7–3.
Terry Kirby
Terry Gayle Kirby (born January 20, 1970) is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 2002. A 6'1" running back from the University of Virginia, he is the younger br ...
returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Oakland 37-yard line, where the Raiders responded with a 10-play, 43-yard drive to score on a 38-yard field goal from
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...
. Then after Walter's 33-yard punt gave the Raiders a first down on their own 49, a 22-yard reception by receiver
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
set up Janikowski's second field goal, giving the Raiders a 13–3 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Brady led the Patriots on a 10-play, 67-yard drive, completing nine consecutive passes for 61 yards and finishing it with a 6-yard touchdown run that made the score 13-10. Later in the quarter, Patriots receiver
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and ki ...
returned
Shane Lechler
Edward Shane Lechler (; born August 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who played as punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted by th ...
's 37-yard punt 27 yards to the Patriots 46-yard line. Brown fumbled the ball at the end of the return, but Pats linebacker
Larry Izzo recovered it with 2:06 left on the clock. A few plays later, the "tuck" incident occurred. As Brady dropped back to pass, he lost the ball while being tackled by former college teammate
Charles Woodson, and Oakland linebacker
Greg Biekert
Gregory Biekert (born March 14, 1969) is an American football coach and former linebacker.
Biekert attended Longs Peak Middle School and Longmont High School in Longmont, Colorado, where he lettered in football. He was a standout linebacker for t ...
recovered it with 1:47 left. However, an official
instant replay
Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live.
The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...
review caused referee
Walt Coleman
Walt Coleman III (born January 16, 1952) is a former American football official who officiated in the National Football League (NFL) from the 1989 season until the end of the 2018 season. He wore uniform number 65. During his final season in ...
to overturn the fumble, ruling Brady's arm had been moving forward while being tackled and making the play an incomplete pass. Taking advantage of his second chance, Brady completed a 13-yard pass to Patten and rushed for a 1-yard gain that moved the team to the Raiders 28-yard line, where Vinatieri made a 45-yard field goal with 27 seconds left, a dramatic kick through heavy snowfall that barely cleared the crossbar, sending the game into overtime.
New England won the coin toss and drove 63 yards in 14 plays for the winning field goal, with Brady completing eight consecutive passes for 45 yards, including a 20-yard completion to
J. R. Redmond and a 6-yard pass to Patten at the Raiders' 22-yard line on fourth down and 4 to keep the drive alive. While Vinatieri's game-tying kick had the wind at his back, this drive was into the wind and the Patriots wanted to move closer. Following five runs from
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith (born March 14, 1972) is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots, with whom he won two Super Bowls, and the Buffalo Bi ...
for 15 yards and one from Brady for 2, and after a drive of more than eight minutes, Vinatieri and Walter cleared snow away from where the ball would be spotted. Vinatieri then gave New England its first lead of the game, making a 23-yard field goal to win.
Patten was the sole offensive star of the day, catching eight passes for 107 yards.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Raiders and Patriots. Both teams previously split the prior two meetings.
Sunday, January 20, 2002
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Baltimore Ravens 10
Steelers running back
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...
, sidelined for much of the regular season, was scheduled to make his return in the first playoff game at their new home,
Heinz Field
Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...
, but was sidelined at the last minute due to a painkiller mishap. It did not matter as the Pittsburgh offense rushed for 150 yards and held the ball for over 40 minutes. Their defense limited the defending champion Ravens to 150 yards and seven first downs, forced four turnovers, and recorded three sacks. Bettis' replacement,
Amos Zereoué
Amos L. Zereoué (born October 8, 1976) is a former American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for West Virginia. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (95th overall) of the ...
, rushed for two touchdowns. The first half was a disaster for Baltimore. Their first six drives resulted in two interceptions, three punts without gaining a first down, and a fumble. Steelers cornerback
Chad Scott started out the dominance by intercepting Baltimore quarterback
Elvis Grbac
Elvis M. Grbac (born August 13, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football at Michigan, where he won the ...
's first pass of the game and returning it 19 yards to the Ravens 43-yard line. Pittsburgh's offense subsequently gained 37 yards on their first three plays. Linebacker
Jamie Sharper
Harry James Sharper Jr. (born November 23, 1974) is a former American football linebacker and coach who is currently the Linebackers coach for the DC Defenders of the XFL. Sharper played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, and ...
managed to halt the drive by tackling
Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (; born March 4, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for t ...
for a 1-yard loss on third down and goal, but
Kris Brown
Kristopher Clayton Brown (born December 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons in the late 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Neb ...
kicked a field goal to give Pittsburgh a 3–0 lead. The next time Baltimore had the ball, they were forced to punt after linebacker
Mike Jones sacked Grbac for a 10-yard loss on third down and 10. Pittsburgh's offense then drove 51 yards in seven plays, featuring two completions from
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart (born October 16, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "Slash", he played college football at Colorad ...
to receivers
Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Antonio Burress (born August 12, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Michigan State, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth ove ...
and
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...
for gains of 17 and 20 yards. Zereoue finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 10–0.
In the second quarter, Baltimore cornerback
Chris McAlister
Christopher James McAlister (born June 14, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the University of Ar ...
gave the offense a great chance to score when he intercepted a pass from Stewart and returned it 18 yards to the Steelers 7-yard line. But on the next play, safety
Brent Alexander intercepted Grbac's pass in the end zone for a touchback. The Steelers took over and drove to the Ravens 9-yard line, but on third down, Stewart was sacked for an 8-yard loss by
Larry Webster
Larry Melvin Webster Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is a former American football defensive tackle, who spent eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at University of Maryland.
Early years
A native of Elkton ...
and Brown's ensuing field goal attempt was wide left. Following another three and out for Baltimore, receiver
Troy Edwards
Troy Edwards (born April 7, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech University, became o ...
returned their punt 27-yards to the Ravens 43-yard line, setting up Zereoue's second touchdown run. Then linebacker
Jason Gildon
Jason Larue Gildon (born July 31, 1972) is a former outside linebacker for the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers (1994–2003) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2004). He was selected to three Pro Bowl teams from 2000, 2001, and 2002, and i ...
recovered a fumble from
Terry Allen on Baltimore's next drive and the Steelers capitalized with a 46-yard field goal from Brown, increasing their lead to 20–0 with 4:23 left in the half. After going all this time without a single first down, Baltimore finally managed to respond on their next drive. Tight end
Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe (born June 26, 1968) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he ranks th ...
caught four passes for 48 yards on an 11-play, 57-yard drive.
Matt Stover
John Matthew Stover (born January 27, 1968) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Cleveland Browns, he was amon ...
capped it off with a 26-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 20–3 at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Baltimore receiver
Jermaine Lewis returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown. But the Steelers responded by driving 83 yards in 12 plays and scoring with Stewart's 32-yard touchdown pass to Burress.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Ravens and Steelers.
NFC: St. Louis Rams 45, Green Bay Packers 17
The matchup between two of the league's highly rated quarterbacks — the Packers'
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
and Rams'
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend fr ...
, who shared a combined total of five
NFL MVP
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (NFL MVP) is an award given by various entities to the American football player who is considered the most valuable in the National Football League (NFL) during the regular season. Organizati ...
awards, became lopsided thanks to St. Louis' improved defense, which forced eight turnovers. Although Favre threw for 281 yards, he tied a playoff record by tossing six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The Packers generated most of their offense early in the contest, but the turnovers gave the Rams a 24–10 halftime lead. The Rams then returned two interceptions in the second half to put the game away.
Rams cornerback
Aeneas Williams
Aeneas Demetrius Williams (; born January 29, 1968) is an American former football cornerback and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Arizona Cardinals franchise. He played college football ...
opened up the scoring by returning an interception from Favre 29 yards for a touchdown. The next time Green Bay had the ball, they turned it over again when safety
Kim Herring
Kimani 'Kim' Masai Herring (born September 10, 1975) is a former American football Defensive back, safety in the National Football League (NFL).
High school years
Herring attended Solon High School (Solon, Ohio) and was a letterman in football an ...
stripped the ball from
Ahman Green
Ahman Rashad Green (; born February 16, 1977) is a former American football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Green played college football at Nebraska and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd ro ...
and rookie
Adam Archuleta
Adam Jason Archuleta (born November 27, 1977) is a former professional American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State, and was selected in the first round o ...
recovered it. However, the Rams were unable to take advantage of this turnover. A few plays later, Warner's pass was intercepted by
Darren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper (born November 3, 1975) is an American convicted serial rapist and a former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football at William & Mary and was selected ...
on the Packers 35-yard line. Favre then completed a pair of passes to
Corey Bradford
Corey Lamon Bradford (born December 8, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. He played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and Detroit Lions. and
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver (born February 2, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Alcorn State University, Driver was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He ...
for gains of 27 and 16 yards, before tying the game with a 22-yard touchdown pass to
Antonio Freeman
Antonio Michael Freeman (born May 27, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech.
College ...
. But the Rams stormed right back with a 15-yard completion to
Az-Zahir Hakim
Az-Zahir Ali Hakim (born June 3, 1977) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who played nine seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at San Diego State. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the f ...
and a 38-yard burst from running back
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk (born February 26, 1973) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. He is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
advancing the ball to the Packers 11-yard line. Two plays later, Warner completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to
Torry Holt
Torry Jabar Holt (born June 5, 1976) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and retired with the 10th most rec ...
to put the Rams back in the lead. Then on Green Bay's next drive, Herring intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 45 yards to the Packers 4-yard line, setting up a 4-yard touchdown catch by fullback
James Hodgins
James William Hodgins (born April 30, 1977) is a former American football fullback.
High school
Hodgins graduated from Oak Grove High School in his birthplace of San Jose, California in 1995 and lettered in football, basketball, and track.
C ...
early in the second quarter.
Allen Rossum
Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum (born October 22, 1975) is a former American football cornerback and return specialist. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.
R ...
returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on
Torrance Marshall eliminated the score. Green Bay still managed to score with a
field goal, but Rams kicker
Jeff Wilkins
Jeffrey Allen Wilkins (born April 19, 1972), nicknamed "Money", is a former American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). With the Rams, he won Super Bow ...
responded with a field goal of his own to give the Rams a 24–10 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Rams scored two touchdowns in a span of 92 seconds. On Green Bay's opening drive, Green's 49-yard run moved the ball into Rams territory. But three plays later, Williams stripped the ball from Freeman, dove on it, then got up and returned it for a touchdown. A replay challenge overruled the score, showing Williams was down by contact when he recovered the fumble, but three plays later, Holt's 50-yard reception set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Faulk. Then on Green Bay's next possession, Rams defensive end
Grant Wistrom
Grant Alden Wistrom (born July 3, 1976) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. Wistrom played college football for the University of Nebras ...
deflected a pass from Favre into the arms of linebacker
Tommy Polley, who returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown.
In fourth quarter, the Rams defense scored again with another interception return from Williams, making him the first player ever to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a playoff game. Meanwhile, they managed to pin down the Packers, only allowing a meaningless score on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Freeman with 5:46 left in the game.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Packers and Rams, with Green Bay having won the only prior meeting when the Rams were previously in Los Angeles.
Conference Championships
Sunday, January 27, 2002
AFC: New England Patriots 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
The Patriots' storybook season continued as
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
came into the game in the second quarter in place of an injured
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
– who replaced Bledsoe himself early in the season when he suffered a sheared blood vessel.
Both defenses controlled the game early on, and with just over four minutes left in the first quarter, the Steelers had to punt the ball from their own 13-yard line.
Josh Miller appeared to bail his team out with a 64-yard punt, but Steelers receiver
Troy Edwards
Troy Edwards (born April 7, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech University, became o ...
was penalized for going out of bounds before tackling
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and ki ...
on the return. This turned out to make a big difference, as the punt was redone and on the second attempt, Brown returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. Pittsburgh responded by driving 65 yards in 10 plays, one of them a 34-yard run by quarterback
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart (born October 16, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "Slash", he played college football at Colorad ...
, and scoring with a 30-yard field goal from
Kris Brown
Kristopher Clayton Brown (born December 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons in the late 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Neb ...
, cutting the score to 7–3.
Later on, with under two minutes left in the half, Brady completed a 28-yard pass to Brown at the Steelers 40-yard line, but was knocked out of the game by a hit from safety
Lethon Flowers
Lethon 'Lee' Flowers (born January 14, 1973) is a former safety who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers most of his 8 years in the NFL from 1995–2002. He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Georgia Tech Yellow ...
. Bledsoe took over without missing a beat, rushing for four yards and completing three passes to
David Patten
David Patten (August 19, 1974 – September 2, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League as a street fr ...
for 36 yards, the last one an 11-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 14–3 lead.
On the first drive of the second half, New England linebacker
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi (; born June 9, 1973) is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, who currently serves as the senior advisor to the head coach at University of A ...
recovered a fumbled snap on the Steelers 35-yard line. But the Patriots gained only two yards on their next four plays and ended up turning the ball over on downs. Pittsburgh subsequently drove 52 yards to the 16-yard line to set up Brown's second field goal attempt, but this time his kick was blocked by defensive tackle
Brandon Mitchell and Troy Brown recovered the ball. After returning it 11 yards, Brown threw a
lateral pass
In gridiron football, a lateral pass or lateral (officially backward pass in American football and onside pass in Canadian football) occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to a teammate in a direction parallel to or away from the oppon ...
to
Antwan Harris
Melvin Antwan Harris (born May 29, 1977) is a former professional American football player who was a safety for six seasons for the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowls wit ...
, who took the ball the remaining 45 yards for a touchdown to increase New England's lead to 21–3.
The Steelers struck back with Stewart completing a 24-yard pass to
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...
and a 19-yard
screen pass
A screen pass is a play in gridiron football consisting of a short pass to a receiver who is protected by a screen of blockers. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is b ...
to
Amos Zereoué
Amos L. Zereoué (born October 8, 1976) is a former American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for West Virginia. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (95th overall) of the ...
on an 8-play, 79-yard drive.
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...
finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 21–10 with 5:11 left in the third quarter. New England was forced to punt after linebacker
Jason Gildon
Jason Larue Gildon (born July 31, 1972) is a former outside linebacker for the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers (1994–2003) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2004). He was selected to three Pro Bowl teams from 2000, 2001, and 2002, and i ...
sacked Bledsoe on third down, and Edwards returned the punt 28 yards to the Patriots 32-yard line. Five plays later, Zereoue scored with an 11-yard touchdown run, making the score 21–17.
Early in the fourth quarter,
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest kick ...
's 44-yard field goal at the end of a 45-yard drive increased New England's lead to 24–17. Later in the quarter, the Patriots made two key stops to clinch the victory. First, safety
Tebucky Jones
Tebucky Shermain Jones (born October 6, 1974) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). His professional career began when he was drafted out of Syracuse University in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by th ...
intercepted a pass from Stewart and returned it 19 yards to the Steelers 34-yard line. Pittsburgh's defense managed to prevent a first down and Vinatieri missed a 50-yard field goal attempt that would have sealed the game, giving the Steelers the ball back on their own 40-yard line, but a few plays later,
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy (born November 14, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and earned Al ...
intercepted a pass from Stewart with 2:02 left to seal the game, and the Patriots were able to run out the clock.
Brown was the top offensive performer of the day with eight receptions for 121 yards, along with three punt returns for 80 yards. Brady completed 12 of 18 passes for 115 yards, while Bledsoe completed 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Patriots and Steelers. Both teams split their two prior meetings.
NFC: St. Louis Rams 29, Philadelphia Eagles 24
The Eagles had a 17–13 lead at halftime, and had not allowed more than 21 points per game during the season and playoffs. But the Rams roared back thanks to
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend fr ...
completing two-thirds of his passes for 212 yards and
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk (born February 26, 1973) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. He is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
's 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns to earn their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years.
Early in the first quarter,
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...
fumbled while being sacked by defensive end
Leonard Little
Leonard Antonio Little (born October 19, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Little played college football for the Tennessee Volunte ...
, and
Brian Young recovered for the Rams at the Philadelphia 20-yard line. Five plays later, Warner threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to
Isaac Bruce
Isaac Isidore Bruce (born November 10, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and a member of the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round o ...
. Philadelphia responded with an 11-play, 50-yard drive, featuring a 20-yard run by
Duce Staley
Duce Staley (born February 27, 1975) is an American football coach and former player who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served in the same capac ...
, that ended with a 46-yard field goal by
David Akers
David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Reds ...
. Rams receiver
Yo Murphy
Llewellyn "Yo" Murphy (born May 11, 1971) is a former gridiron football player of multiple professional leagues. He was originally signed by the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 1993; he played colle ...
returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to his team's own 42-yard line before Warner completed a 20-yard pass to
Az-Zahir Hakim
Az-Zahir Ali Hakim (born June 3, 1977) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who played nine seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at San Diego State. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the f ...
and Faulk rushed for 15 yards to set up a 27-yard field goal from
Jeff Wilkins
Jeffrey Allen Wilkins (born April 19, 1972), nicknamed "Money", is a former American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). With the Rams, he won Super Bow ...
, giving the Rams a 10–3 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Wilkins hit the crossbar on a 53-yard field goal attempt, and the Eagles took over on their 43-yard line. On the next play, rookie running back
Correll Buckhalter
Correll Buckhalter (; born October 6, 1978) is a former American football running back who played for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Nebraska, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in th ...
broke off a 31-yard run to the St. Louis 26. A few plays later, Staley finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game. But on the Rams next drive, a 31-yard run by Faulk set up 39-yard field goal by Wilkins, and the Rams retook the lead. But McNabb responded with two completions to
James Thrash
James Ray Thrash (born April 28, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Missouri Southern State University.
Thrash also pla ...
for 27 yards and a 12-yard throw to
Chad Lewis
Chad Wayne Lewis (born October 5, 1971) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams.
Early life
Lewis grew up in Orem, Utah and played football and ran track at Or ...
before throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to
Todd Pinkston
Todd Pinkston (born April 23, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he caught 184 passes for 2,816 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Eagles w ...
with 46 seconds left in the half.
St. Louis dominated the Eagles in the third quarter, holding the ball for 12:30 and limiting Philadelphia to just five offensive plays. Murphy fumbled the opening kickoff, but Rams rookie
Nick Sorensen
Nicholas Carl Sorensen (born July 31, 1978) is an American football coach and former safety who is a defensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at Virginia Tech and signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted ...
recovered it. Following seven runs by Faulk for 27 yards, Warner completed a 21-yard pass to
Torry Holt
Torry Jabar Holt (born June 5, 1976) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and retired with the 10th most rec ...
at the Eagles 19-yard line, setting up Wilkins' third field goal to cut it to 17–16. Then after forcing a three-and-out, the Rams drove 71 yards in 10 plays, with Warner completing three passes to Bruce for 44 yards and a 16-yard pass to Holt at the Eagles 9-yard line. Faulk subsequently took the ball into the end zone with three consecutive running plays, giving the Rams a 22–17 lead after tight end
Ernie Conwell
Ernest Harold Conwell (born August 17, 1972) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.
Conw ...
dropped Warner's pass on a two-point conversion attempt.
Philadelphia went three-and-out again on its next two possessions, and Faulk took advantage of an Eagles' defense that was on the field for most of the second half. On the Rams drive after the second punt, he broke a 25-yard run on third down and 1, caught a 10-yard pass, and then ran for eight yards before finally scoring a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the Rams lead to 29–17 with 6:55 left in the game. A 41-yard kickoff return to the Rams 48-yard line from
Brian Mitchell sparked an Eagles rally. McNabb led the Eagles 52 yards, completing an 11-yard pass to Lewis on fourth down and 8 and a 17-yard pass to Thrash before taking the ball across the goal line himself on a 3-yard run. After forcing a punt, the Eagles got the ball back on their own 45-yard line with 2:20 left. But on a fourth down and 7 conversion attempt, St. Louis cornerback
Aeneas Williams
Aeneas Demetrius Williams (; born January 29, 1968) is an American former football cornerback and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Arizona Cardinals franchise. He played college football ...
intercepted a pass intended for
Freddie Mitchell
Freddie Lee Mitchell II (born November 28, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He was chosen as a consensus All-American in 2000 whi ...
and the Rams held the ball for the rest of the game.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Eagles and Rams. Both teams split the two prior meetings when the Rams were previously in Los Angeles.
Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and Patriots.
References
2001–02 NFL playoffs archivefrom CNNSI.com (Last accessed January 26, 2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:2001-02 NFL Playoffs
National Football League playoffs
Playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
St. Louis Rams postseason