The
2002 season was the
Green Bay Packers' 82nd in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) and their 84th overall.
For the first time since 1989,
LeRoy Butler was not on the opening day roster.
This was the first of three consecutive NFC North titles for the Packers. They achieved a 12–4 record in the regular season, before losing in the NFC Wild Card playoffs round to 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 201 ...
's former team, the
Atlanta Falcons, at
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 ...
.
This marked the first time in NFL history that the Packers had lost at home in the playoffs.
Background
In 2001, the Packers achieved the franchise's best record since 1997, finishing 12–4 and advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. There, they lost to the eventual NFC champion St. Louis Rams. During the game, it became clear that the Packers would need wide receivers with greater speed and ability to compete with the conference's best teams. GM
Mike Sherman
Michael Francis Sherman (born December 19, 1954) is an American gridiron football coach and former player who most recently was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the head coach of the Green B ...
spent the 2002 offseason revamping Green Bay's receiving corps. The team promoted
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 ...
to starter, acquired veteran
Terry Glenn
Terry Tyree Glenn (July 23, 1974 – November 20, 2017) was an American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted by t ...
from the
New England Patriots and drafted
Javon Walker in the first round of the
2002 NFL Draft. The influx of new players seemed to position the Packers as one of the strongest contenders in the NFC.
Season summary
Green Bay started the season with eight wins in their first nine games, led by 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 201 ...
and 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 ...
. The Packers led the NFC North throughout the year, winning the division by a six-game margin. Green Bay became the first team to win the newly rechristened division, formerly known as the NFC Central. It was the Packers' first division title since 1997, and the team would go on to win the NFC North for three consecutive seasons.
For the first time in years, it appeared that the Packers had a legitimate chance of reaching the
Super Bowl heading into the final Sunday of the regular season. With one game left, Green Bay was 12–3, and a victory away from clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs after the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
failed to clinch home field advantage themselves one day prior in an overtime defeat to the
New York Giants. The Packers had never lost a home playoff game in franchise history, had achieved an 8–0 record at home in 2002, and had established a run of Lambeau Field dominance since the Mike Holmgren era. As a result, playing home games at Lambeau Field would seemingly give the Packers a significant advantage in the playoffs. The final game was on the road against the
New York Jets, who beat the Packers handily to win the
AFC East division title. The loss which coincided with the Buccaneers winning was a blow to the Packers, who dropped down to the number three seed in the NFC and had an incredibly difficult road to the Super Bowl. Six days later, the Packers were beaten by Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons, the first home playoff loss in Packers history.
The 2002 season was another memorable year for quarterback Brett Favre. Throughout the season, Favre was a favorite to win his fourth Most Valuable Player award. The Packers' lopsided loss to the Jets in the regular season finale may have swayed voters, as Favre lost the MVP award by merely two votes to 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 i ...
.
Offseason
2002 NFL draft
In the 2002 NFL draft, the Packers selected 20th overall, drafting future all-pro wide receiver
Javon Walker with their first round pick.
'' Players highlighted in yellow indicate players selected to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
during their NFL career. ''
Undrafted free agents
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason
Regular season
Schedule
The Packers finished 12–4 overall, winning the
NFC North
The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough r ...
crown by a six-game margin.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 2: at New Orleans Saints
Week 3: at Detroit Lions
Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 5: at Chicago Bears
Week 6: at New England Patriots
Week 7: vs. Washington Redskins
Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 12: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 14: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 17: at New York Jets
Standings
Playoffs
Schedule
Game summaries
NFC Wild Card: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Awards and records
* Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Attempts (551)
* Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completions (341)
* Brett Favre, NFC Leader(tied), Touchdown Passes (27)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 Green Bay Packers Season
Green Bay Packers seasons
Green Bay Packers
NFC North championship seasons
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...