2002–03 NFL playoffs
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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 2002 season began on January 4, 2003. The postseason tournament concluded with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
defeating the
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in
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
, 48–21, on January 26, at
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in
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,
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. Prior to the 2002–03 season, the league realigned its teams into eight divisions (four in each conference). Thus, the 12-team playoff format was modified. The league abided by this updated system until 2020: *The four division champions are seeded 1–4 based on their regular season won-lost-tied record. *Two "wild card" qualifiers (those non-division champions with the conference's best won-lost-tied percentages) are seeded 5 and 6 within the conference. As a result, a wild card team could no longer host a playoff game during the opening Wild Card round. Prior to the 2002–03 playoffs, a team could finish second in its division and host a playoff game by claiming the number 4 seed as a wild card team. The new rules meant that the number 4 seed would be awarded to a division champion and not a wild card team (non-division champion). Under the new system, a wild card team could host a playoff game only if the number 5 and number 6 seeds in one conference advance to a Conference Championship Game, in which case a number 5 seed would host the game (which, under this format, never happened).


Participants


Bracket


Schedule

During the
2001–02 NFL playoffs The National Football League playoffs for the 2001 season began on January 12, 2002. The postseason tournament concluded with the New England Patriots defeating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, 20–17, on February 3, at the Louisiana Supe ...
, the NFL experimented with playing Saturday
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. The league was pleased with the results, and decided to revise its entire playoff schedule, beginning with the 2002 season. Wild Card and Divisional Saturday games continued to be played at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST, as they had in the previous season. Sunday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. The start times for the Conference Championship Games were also changed, from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively. The conferences would then begin to annually alternate between the early and late games, with the first game during this 2002–03 season being the NFC title game and the second the AFC title game. Since then, the NFC title game is first in even-numbered seasons (2002, 2004, etc.) and the AFC title game first in odd-numbered seasons (2003, 2005, etc.). This continued an unofficial rotation that began with the Conference Championships in the 1996 NFL Playoffs. This change would also avoid the future possibility of having to reschedule a 9:30 a.m. PST/10:30 a.m.
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Conference Championship Game if both contests took place in those time zones. Conference Championship Games in those time zones now start no earlier than 12:00 p.m. local time. When
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and
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
hosted the AFC and NFC Championship Games in
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, the league moved both contests back an hour, but it also forced the networks to reluctantly change or move their
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 ...
lineups. Holding the games on separate days like in 1982–83 was rejected due to the short notice. And for the third time in recent few years, there was no bye week before Super Bowl. 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 and
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
.
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 Entertainmen ...
telecast the rest of the AFC playoff games and
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 ...
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.


Wild Card playoffs


Saturday, January 4, 2003


AFC: New York Jets 41, Indianapolis Colts 0

In his playoff debut, Jets quarterback
Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Marshall, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was selecte ...
completed 19 of 25 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Jets to a shutout victory over the Colts. Colts quarterback
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
completed only 14 of 31 passes for 137 yards and two interceptions. New York gained 396 yards and didn't commit any turnovers, while Indianapolis gained only 176 yards and turned the ball over three times. On New York's fifth play of the game, fullback Richie Anderson caught a
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 ...
from Pennington and took off down the left sideline for a 56-yard touchdown, the longest play in Jets postseason history. Indianapolis responded by driving deep into Jets territory, with Manning completing three passes to
Marvin Harrison Marvin Darnell Harrison Sr. (born August 25, 1972) is an American Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver who played 13 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL), much of it with Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton ...
for 38 yards, but the drive stalled and
Mike Vanderjagt Michael John Vanderjagt ( ; born March 24, 1970) is a Canadian former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts. He served as the Colts' placekicker from 1998 to ...
missed a 41-yard field goal attempt. After the missed field goal, Pennington completed a 13-yard pass to
Santana Moss Santana Terrell Moss (born June 1, 1979) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons. He played college football for the University of Miami, where he earned All-American hon ...
and a 23-yard 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 ...
, setting up
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 ...
's 41-yard field goal. Then
Ray Mickens Ray Mickens (born January 4, 1973 in Frankfurt, Germany) is a former professional American football cornerback. Mickens entered the National Football League (NFL) after receiving All-American honors at Texas A&M University. He last played profess ...
recovered a fumble from
Troy Walters Troy McHenry Walters (born December 15, 1976) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Walters played as a wide receiver and pun ...
that had been forced by Khary Campbell on the ensuing kickoff, giving New York the ball on the Colts 39-yard line. Six plays later,
LaMont Jordan LaMont Damon Jordan (born November 11, 1978) is an American football coach and former running back. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Maryland. Jordan also played for the ...
scored on a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Jets a 17–0 lead. Later in the quarter, the Jets got the ball with great field position by receiving
Hunter Smith Hunter Dwight Smith (born August 9, 1977) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Smith earned a Super Bowl ring ...
's 32-yard punt on the Colts 42-yard line, and they ended up increasing their lead to 24–0 with Pennington's 4-yard touchdown pass to Moss, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone with 37 seconds left in the half. Early in the third quarter, Hall kicked another field goal on the end of a drive that was set up by a 70-yard kickoff return from receiver
Chad Morton Chad Akio Morton (born April 4, 1977) is a former American football running back and kick/ punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted from USC late in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. After a st ...
. Later on, Pennington completed 5/6 passes for 59 yards on a 74-yard drive, the last one a 3-yard touchdown toss to rookie tight end Chris Baker. Then on Indy's ensuing drive,
Damien Robinson Damien Robinson (born December 22, 1973) is a former safety of the NFL. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks. He attended college at the University of Iowa. Professional career Philadelphia Eagles The E ...
intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 24 yards to the Jets 36-yard line. New York then drove 64 yards in 13 plays, 11 of them runs by Jordan for 59 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run to make the final score of the game 41–0. Jets linebacker James Darling then put the finishing touches on the win by intercepting Manning's final pass of the game. This was the Jets final playoff home game at
Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...
as well as the final playoff win for both the Giants and the Jets at the stadium. This was also the last playoff win until
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for an AFC East division champion that was not by the Patriots. Jordan finished the game with 20 carries for 102 yards, a reception for nine yards, and two touchdowns. This was the second postseason meeting between the Colts and Jets. New York won the previous meeting when the Colts were in Baltimore.


NFC: Atlanta Falcons 27, Green Bay Packers 7

The Packers suffered their first home playoff loss in franchise history as the Falcons forced five turnovers and limited Green Bay to only one touchdown. 22-year-old quarterback
Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's firs ...
passed for 117 yards and rushed for 64 yards. The Packers, playing without
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 ...
safety
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 ...
and their top receiver
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 th ...
due to injuries, fell down 24–0 in the first half and could not recover. Green Bay 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 ...
threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, while
Ryan Longwell Ryan Walker Longwell (born August 16, 1974Ryan Longwell
NFLPA.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
missed two field goals. The Falcons stormed out to a 7–0 lead by driving 76 yards on the opening drive, including an 18-yard reception and 12-yard run by running back
Warrick Dunn Warrick De'Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 ...
, scoring with Vick's 10-yard touchdown pass to
Shawn Jefferson Vanchi LaShawn "Shawn" Jefferson Sr. (born February 22, 1969) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the associate head coach & wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He previ ...
. Then over the next three plays, but at the end of the Packers next drive, Atlanta linebacker
Mark Simoneau Mark Lee Simoneau (born January 16, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for Kansas State University and was r ...
blocked
Josh Bidwell Joshua John Bidwell (born March 13, 1976) is a former American football punter who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Oregon. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers i ...
's punt and
Artie Ulmer Charles Artie Ulmer (born July 30, 1973) is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played for the Minnesota Vikings (1997), the Denver Broncos (1999), the San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49 ...
recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to increase their lead to 14–0. The Packers responded with a drive to the Atlanta 20-yard line. But after Brady Smith sacked Favre for a 9-yard loss, Longwell missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. Early in the second quarter, cornerback Tyrone Williams, a blocker on Green Bay's punt return team ran into returner
Eric Metcalf Eric Quinn Metcalf (born January 23, 1968) is a former American football player who was primarily known as a return specialist, but played running back and wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta F ...
. As a result, Metcalf muffed the kick and Atlanta fullback
George Layne George Langford Layne (born October 9, 1978) is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft after playing college football for TCU ...
recovered the ball on Green Bay's 21-yard line. Packers coach
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 ...
did not challenge the call, a mistake considering replays showed the punted ball bouncing off a Falcons player's left shoulder. Sherman said he spoke with an official on the field, "but he istakenlyled me to believe it would not be reviewable

Four plays after the turnover,
T. J. Duckett Todd Jeffery Duckett (born February 17, 1981) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons 18th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the Washington Redskins, D ...
's 6-yard touchdown run increased Atlanta's lead to 21–0. Green Bay responded by driving to a first and goal situation on the Atlanta 1-yard line, but over the next three plays, Favre threw two incomplete passes and
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 ...
was tackled by Smith and defensive end
Johndale Carty Johndale Edward Carty (born August 27, 1977) is a former American football defensive back who played four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the ...
for a 1-yard loss. On fourth down and 2, Green was dropped for a 4-yard loss by nose tackle Ellis Johnson. Then Vick led the Falcons 90 yards in 16 plays, one of them a 21-yard run by Dunn, to go up 24–0 on
Jay Feely Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for sever ...
's 22-yard field goal on the last play of the half. Green Bay regrouped on the opening drive of the second half, moving the ball 73 yards in 10 plays, the longest a 25-yard completion from Favre to receiver
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. ...
. Favre finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Driver, but the receiver was knocked out of the game on the play, and Atlanta responded with a 73-yard scoring drive of their own. The key play of the drive was a 22-yard scramble by Vick, while Feely finished it off with a 23-yard field goal that gave the Falcons a 27–7 lead. There was still 3:46 left in the third quarter, but this would be the game's final score. Green Bay responded with a drive to the Atlanta 26-yard line, only to have Longwell miss a 44-yard field goal attempt. The fourth quarter played out like comedy, as Feely missed two field goal attempts while Green Bay turned the ball over three times: once on downs, the second time when
Patrick Kerney Patrick Manning Kerney (born December 30, 1976) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers football, University of Virgi ...
recovered a fumble from Favre, and the third when Favre threw his second interception of the game to Carpenter. This would be the Falcons final road playoff victory until
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. This was the second postseason meeting between the Falcons and Packers. Green Bay won the only prior meeting.


Sunday, January 5, 2003


AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 36, Cleveland Browns 33

An amazing performance from Browns quarterback
Kelly Holcomb Bryan Kelly Holcomb (born July 9, 1973) is a former American football quarterback of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He played college football at Middle Tennessee State ...
, was overshadowed by journeyman quarterback
Tommy Maddox Thomas Alfred Maddox (born September 2, 1971) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played one season each for the New Je ...
, who led the Steelers to 29 second half points to overcome a 17-point deficit. A 3-yard touchdown run by
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 ...
with 54 seconds left capped the game-winning 58-yard drive. On the third play of the game, Holcomb completed an 83-yard pass to Kevin Johnson at the Steelers 1-yard line, setting up William Green's 1-yard touchdown run and giving the Browns a 7–0 lead after just 1:16 had elapsed in the game. Most of the rest of the quarter would be taken up by drives that ended in punts, but the Steelers got a big scoring opportunity when
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 ...
's 36-yard run gave them a first down on the Cleveland 23-yard line. This would only amount to nothing though, as Maddox was intercepted by
Daylon McCutcheon Daylon Anthony McCutcheon (born December 9, 1976) is a former American football cornerback who played his entire career with the Cleveland Browns. High school career McCutcheon played high school football at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in L ...
on the next play. One play into the second quarter, Steelers receiver
Antwaan Randle El Antwaan Randle El (; born August 17, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions of the Nati ...
fumbled a Browns punt, and
Chris Akins Christopher Drew Akins (born November 29, 1976) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. He played college ...
recovered the ball for Cleveland on the Steelers 32-yard line. On the next play, Cleveland took a 14–0 lead with Holcomb's 32-yard touchdown pass to
Dennis Northcutt Dennis LaMont Northcutt (born December 22, 1977) is a retired American professional football player who was a wide receiver and punt returner in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the Universit ...
. The Browns seemed to be taking control of the game now, particularly when another Steelers drive into field goal range was again snuffed out by a McCutheon interception (the Steelers' third turnover in less than six minutes). But suddenly Randle El brought the team right back into the game by returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, making the score 14–7. Cleveland stormed right back, as Holcomb's 29-yard pass to Johnson and two completions to running back
Jamel White Jamel M. White (born February 11, 1978) is a former professional American football running back who also played for the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts. White is a former NFL player for the Cleveland Browns and appeared in games for ...
for 22 total yards earned the team a
Phil Dawson Philip Drury Dawson (born January 23, 1975) is a former American football placekicker. He played for the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2012 and holds their franchise record for most field goals made, passing Hall of Famer Lou Groza in 2010. He pl ...
field goal that made the score 17-7 going into halftime. Early in the third quarter, Northcutt returned
Tom Rouen Thomas Francis Rouen (born June 9, 1968) is a former American football punter who was the long-time punter for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Early life Rouen attended Heritage High School in Littleton, Colorado, where h ...
's 37-yard punt 59 yards to the Pittsburgh 14-yard line, setting up Holcomb's 15-yard touchdown pass to Northcutt that increased the Browns lead to 24–7. Then after a punt, Cleveland drove to the Steelers 32-yard line. They were now in position to build a near-insurmountable lead, but Mike Logan made a clutch interception to keep the team's victory hopes alive. Maddox then completed 7/8 passes for 62 yards, one of them a 24-yard completion to Randle El, and rushed for eight as he led the team 71 yards to score on his 6-yard touchdown pass to
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 ...
, cutting the deficit to 24–14 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Cleveland responded by driving 64 yards in eight plays, featuring a 43-yard completion from Holcomb to receiver
André Davis André N. Davis (born June 12, 1979) is a former American football wide receiver and kick returner. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Davis also pl ...
, to score on Dawson's 24-yard field goal on the second play of the final quarter, increasing their lead to 27–14. On Pittsburgh's ensuing drive, Maddox completed three passes to Randle-El for gains of 20, 30, and six yards before finding tight end
Jerame Tuman Jerame Dean Tuman (born March 24, 1976) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers, defeating the Seattle Seahawks. He played ...
with a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. But the Browns stormed back, with Green's 23-yard run sparking a 61-yard drive that ended on Holcomb's 22-yard touchdown pass to Davis, giving them a 33–21 lead after the 2-point conversion failed. With 3:06 left in the game, Maddox finished off a 77-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown 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 ...
, cutting the score to 33–28. The Browns tried to run out the clock on their ensuing possession, but Northcutt dropped a potential first down catch on third down and 12, forcing his team to punt. Taking over at their own 42-yard line, Maddox threw to Burress for 24 yards, Ward for 10, Burress again for 17, and Ward again for seven before Fuamatu-Ma'afala finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Then Tuman scored the two-point conversion to give the Steelers a 36–33 lead. The Browns attempted to drive for the tying field goal, but time expired in the game on Holcomb's 16-yard completion to
Andre King Andre Omar King (born November 26, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played for the Cleveland Browns from 2001 to 2004. He went to the University of Miami for college. He also played baseball in ...
at the Steelers 29-yard line. Maddox completed 30 of 48 passes for a franchise postseason record 367 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Burress caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Ward caught 11 passes for 104 yards and a score. Randle El caught five passes for 85 yards and returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown. In his first career playoff game, Holcomb completed 26 of 43 passes for 429 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Johnson caught four passes for 140 yards, while Northcutt caught six passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and returned two punts for 70 yards. This was the most recent playoff appearance for the Browns until the 2020 season. This was the second postseason meeting between the Browns and Steelers. Pittsburgh won the only prior meeting. This was the first game that Heinz Field played
Renegade (Styx song) "Renegade" is a 1979 hit song recorded by the American rock band Styx on their ''Pieces of Eight'' album. Although songwriter Tommy Shaw and fellow Styx guitarist James Young usually played lead guitar on their own compositions, Shaw asked You ...


NFC: San Francisco 49ers 39, New York Giants 38

The Steelers' comeback earlier in the day was matched by San Francisco's similar late drive, overcoming a 38–14 deficit by scoring 25 unanswered points in the second half. In the first quarter, 49ers linebacker
Julian Peterson Julian Thomas Peterson (born July 28, 1978) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He pl ...
intercepted a pass from
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
at the San Francisco 24-yard line after it bounced off the hands of running back
Ron Dayne Ronald Dayne (born March 14, 1978) is a former professional American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. Dayne played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers football, University of Wisco ...
. On the next play, 49ers 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 ...
threw a moderate pass to
Terrell Owens Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), nicknamed T.O., is an American football wide receiver for the Knights of Degen of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Regar ...
, who broke two tackles and took it 76 yards to the end zone. New York responded with an 11-play, 65-yard drive, that ended with Collins' 12-yard touchdown pass to
Amani Toomer Amani Askari Toomer (born September 8, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver and punt returner who played his entire career for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He registered over 1,000 receiving yards each ...
, tying the game at 7. In the second quarter, the Giants stormed 61 yards in five plays, featuring a 29-yard run by
Tiki Barber Atiim Kiambu "Tiki" Barber (; born April 7, 1975) is an American former football running back who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Virginia. B ...
. After that, Collins completed a 27-yard pass to tight end
Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Charles Shockey (born August 18, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The winner of the fir ...
, and capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to him one play later. The 49ers however, responded with an unconventional 69-yard drive that featured two runs by Garcia for over 10 yards and a 25-yard completion from Owens to receiver
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 ...
on a reverse-pass play. Running back
Kevan Barlow Kevan Courtney Barlow (born January 7, 1980) is a former American football running back. During his career, he played for the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Early life Barlow played his high school football at P ...
completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game. However, two key 49ers turnovers allowed the Giants to go into their locker room at halftime with a 28–14 lead. First, the Giants were forced to punt on their ensuing possession, but returner Cedrick Wilson muffed the kick and New York's
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) ...
recovered the ball on the 49ers 8-yard line. Collins then threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Toomer on the next play. After the ensuing kickoff, cornerback
Jason Sehorn Jason Heath Sehorn (born April 15, 1971) is a former American football cornerback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants from 1994 to 2002 and St. Louis Rams in 2003. He played college football a ...
picked off a pass from Garcia at New York's 44-yard line. Two plays later on third down and 8, Collins completed a 30-yard pass to Barber, and followed it up with a 24-yard touchdown completion to Toomer with just 10 seconds left in the half. The Giants continued to build their lead in the second half. Five minutes into the third quarter, San Francisco turned the ball over on downs at the Giants 46-yard line, but the stop came at a cost for the Giants, as defensive end
Kenny Holmes Kenneth Jerome Holmes (born October 24, 1973) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers 18th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Miami. Holmes a ...
suffered a game-ending injury while making the tackle on fourth down. New York subsequently moved the ball 54 yards in six plays. Barber rushed for 37 yards on the drive and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown run, increasing the Giants lead to 35–14. Later in the quarter, Collins' 46-yard completion to Toomer set up a 21-yard field goal from kicker
Matt Bryant Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A ...
, making the score 38–14 with 4:27 left in the third quarter. However, the field goal came after Shockey dropped a potential touchdown catch in the end zone. San Francisco stormed back, driving 70 yards in seven plays on a drive that consumed only 2:24 and ended with Garcia's 26-yard touchdown pass to Owens. Owens added a 2-point conversion catch on the next play, cutting the 49ers deficit to 38–22. After the play, an iconic scene of defensive end
Michael Strahan Michael T. Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television personality, journalist, and former professional football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Giants of the Nation ...
walking over to Owens and pointing to the scoreboard to remind him of the deficit they still faced would be a highlight of the game. New York was forced to punt after three plays on their next drive.
Matt Allen Matt Allen (born October 23, 1977) is an former American football punter in the National Football League. Allen played college football at Troy State and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002. He played for one ...
's short kick and a 15-yard personal foul against
Dhani Jones Dhani Makalani Jones (born February 22, 1978) is a former American football linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football, Michigan Wolverines, earning Al ...
for hitting the returner after a fair catch gave San Francisco the ball on the Giants 27-yard line. Three plays later, Garcia scored on a 14-yard touchdown run, and then completed another two-point conversion pass to Owens, cutting the score to 38–30 five seconds into the fourth quarter. After forcing New York to punt once again, the 49ers drove 74 yards in 15 plays, including a 3-yard reception by Streets on fourth down and 1, and scored with a 25-yard field goal by
Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; yi, יראַ גראָססעל; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nom ...
. The Giants responded with a drive to the San Francisco 20-yard line, but with 3:01 left in the game, a poor snap from 41-year-old
Trey Junkin Abner Kirk "Trey" Junkin III (born January 23, 1961) is a former American football long snapper in the National Football League. Junkin played college football at Louisiana Tech University. Although considered one of the forefathers of the mode ...
, who had been signed back out of retirement less than a week before the game, threw off the timing on Bryant's 42-yard field goal attempt and it went wide left. Garcia then took over, converting two third downs, one of them a 25-yard completion to tight end
Eric Johnson Eric Johnson may refer to: Music *Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954) an American guitarist and recording artist * Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), member of multiple indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics * Eric Joh ...
, and rushing for 12 yards on the way to a 13-yard touchdown pass to Streets. This time, the two-point conversion failed when Will Allen intercepted Garcia's pass intended for Owens, but the 49ers took the lead, 39–38, with one minute left in regulation. The touchdown and 2-point conversion plays resulted in offsetting personal fouls on both teams after they ended. After the touchdown, Owens was flagged for taunting safety Shaun Williams, while Williams was flagged shoving him to the ground in response. Then after the two-point conversion, Owens was penalized for a late hit on Allen, which started a brawl between both teams. During the altercation, Williams was penalized and ejected from the game for throwing a punch at 49ers center
Jeremy Newberry Jeremy David Newberry (born March 23, 1976) is a former center in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He was born in Antioch, California, and played college football a ...
. However, the Giants did have a chance to win. Delvin Joyce returned Chandler's short kickoff 32 yards to the 48-yard line. Collins then led them to the 49ers 23-yard line with six seconds left, but Junkin botched a snap for a 41-yard field goal attempt, resulting in a feeble pass play that fell incomplete. The Giants were also called for having an illegal man downfield on the play, and the game ended. The following day, it was revealed that the penalized player (guard
Rich Seubert Richard Thomas Seubert (; born March 30, 1979) is a former American football guard who played his entire career with the New York Giants of the National Football League. High school career Born in Stratford, Wisconsin, Seubert attended Columbus ...
) had in fact checked in as an eligible receiver before the field goal attempt, although a different Giant lineman (guard Tam Hopkins) actually ''was'' illegally downfield. NFL Vice President of Officiating
Mike Pereira Mike Pereira (born April 13, 1950) is a former American football official and later Vice President of Officiating for the National Football League (NFL) and currently the Head of Officiating for the United States Football League. Since 2010, he ha ...
admitted pass interference also should have been called on 49ers defensive end
Chike Okeafor Chikezie Russell Okeafor (; born March 27, 1976) is a former American football player. During his National Football League career from 1999 to 2009, he played defensive end and linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, and th ...
for pulling down Seubert. Had the two right calls been made, the down would have been replayed at the previous spot, the San Francisco 23. Garcia threw for 331 yards, three touchdowns, and interception, while also leading the 49ers on the ground with 60 rushing yards and another score. Owens caught nine passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored two two-point conversions and completed a 25-yard pass. Collins threw for 342 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. Toomer caught eight passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. Barber rushed for 115 yards, caught five passes for 62 yards, and scored a touchdown. This was featured on the
NFL's Greatest Games ''NFL's Greatest Games'' is a series of television programs that air on NFL Network, ESPN and related networks. They are condensed versions of some of the most famous games in the history of the National Football League, using footage and sound ca ...
as One Wild Finish, and was #4 on
NFL Top 10 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 major ...
's ''Top Ten Comebacks'' and was also #6 on NFL Top 10's Top Ten Controversial Calls for
Rich Seubert Richard Thomas Seubert (; born March 30, 1979) is a former American football guard who played his entire career with the New York Giants of the National Football League. High school career Born in Stratford, Wisconsin, Seubert attended Columbus ...
's illegal man downfield call. This was the seventh postseason meeting between the Giants and 49ers. Both teams had split the prior six meetings.


Divisional playoffs


Saturday, January 11, 2003


AFC: Tennessee Titans 34, Pittsburgh Steelers 31 (OT)

The third time was the charm for Titans kicker
Joe Nedney Joseph Thomas Nedney (born March 22, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nedney played college football at San Jose State and signed as an undrafted player with the Miami Dolphins in 1996. He ...
. After missing the potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation time, and a second failed kick in overtime was negated because of a controversial running-into-the-kicker penalty on Pittsburgh's
Dewayne Washington Dewayne Neron Washington (born December 27, 1972) is an American former football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Kansas City Chief ...
, Nedney won the game from 26 yards out 2:15 into overtime. Steelers coach
Bill Cowher William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seas ...
was incensed, saying he called a timeout before the winning kick took place. Titans cornerback
Samari Rolle Samari Toure Rolle (born August 10, 1976) is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Rolle has also played for the Ba ...
gave his team an early scoring opportunity when he intercepted
Tommy Maddox Thomas Alfred Maddox (born September 2, 1971) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played one season each for the New Je ...
's first pass of the game and returned it 16 yards to the Tennessee 48-yard line. The Titans then drove 52 yards in seven plays to score on quarterback
Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...
's 8-yard scramble. Following a Steelers punt, Tennessee drove 76 yards in 16 plays to score on
Eddie George Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head coach at Tennessee State. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily f ...
's 1-yard touchdown run. The key player of the drive was receiver
Drew Bennett Andrew Russell Bennett (born August 26, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at UCLA. Be ...
, who was responsible for two of the drive's four third down conversions. He caught a 19-yard pass on third and 16 from the Titans 36, and later hauled in a 9-yard catch on third and 8 from the Steelers 43. However, Pittsburgh ended up dominating the second quarter. After punting on their next drive,
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 ...
recovered a fumble from George (his first fumble of the season) on the Titans 8-yard line, leading to Maddox's 8-yard touchdown 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 ...
. Then Tennessee lost another turnover when McNair threw a pass that was intercepted by Chad Scott on the Steelers 41. On the next play, Maddox completed a 40-yard pass to
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 ...
, setting up Jeff Reed's 30-yard field goal that made the score 14–10. The next time they had the ball, they took advantage of a 35-yard pass interference penalty against Rolle, along with three key plays by Ward, who caught two passes for 18 yards and rushed for 11. Reed finished the drive with a 39-yard field goal on the last play of the half, making the score 14-13 going into halftime. On the first play of the second half, Steelers nose tackle
Casey Hampton Casey Hampton Jr. (born September 3, 1977) is a former American football nose tackle who played twelve seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, and receiv ...
forced a fumble from George that Aaron Smith recovered for Pittsburgh on the Titans 31-yard line. On the next play, the team took a 20–14 lead with a 31-yard touchdown run by
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 ...
. But Tennessee stormed right back, going into a no-huddle offense and scoring twice in a span of five minutes. First, they responded by driving 70 yards in eight plays, including a 39-yard reception by tight end
Frank Wycheck Frank John Wycheck (born October 14, 1971) is a former American football tight end and sports talk radio host. He played college football at the University of Maryland. As a professional, Wycheck played 11 seasons for the Washington Redskins an ...
, and scored on McNair's 7-yard touchdown toss to Wycheck that retook the lead. The Steelers had to punt on their next drive, and
Derrick Mason Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the ...
returned the ball nine yards to the Titans 42-yard line. McNair then completed two passes to Mason for 24 total yards and one to Wycheck for 21 on the way to his 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Erron Kinney Erron Quincy Kinney (born July 28, 1977) is an American former college and professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the early 2000s. Kinney played college football for the U ...
, giving Tennessee a 28–20 lead with 2:53 left in the third quarter. The momentum seemed to be back in Tennessee's favor, particularly when Reed missed a 44-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. But after a Titans punt, Pittsburgh drove 65 yards in seven plays to score on Maddox's 21-yard touchdown pass to Ward. Then Burress caught a pass for a 2-point conversion that tied the game at 28. On the first play after the following kickoff,
Deshea Townsend Trevor Deshea Townsend (born September 8, 1975) is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He previously serv ...
intercepted a pass from McNair on the Steelers 43, leading to Reed's 40-yard field goal that gave the team a 31–28 lead. Titans running back John Simon returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Steelers 42-yard line, where the team proceeded to drive 38 yards, including a 20-yard catch by Bennett, to tie the game with Nedney's 43-yard field goal. After the next three drives ended in punts, the Titans drove for a potential game-winning field goal, only to have Nedney miss a 48-yard kick on the last play of regulation. In the first overtime period, referee
Ron Blum Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...
announced that each team had three timeouts. This caused some confusion because, compared with the regular season, overtime in the postseason utilizes slightly different rule

The Titans took the opening kickoff and McNair threw completions to
Justin McCareins Justin Morgan McCareins (born December 1, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He also played for the New York Jets. ...
for gains of 31 and 22 yards before
Robert Holcombe Robert Wayne Holcombe (born December 11, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). College Holcombe played running back at Il ...
's 3-yard run put the ball on the Steelers 16-yard line. They sent out Nedney to win the game, setting up a wild finish. Nedney's first kick was good, but it was negated because the Steelers had called timeout. The fireworks operator at the stadium inadvertently set off the fireworks, delaying the game for several minutes. After the fireworks had fizzled, Nedney attempted to win the game again. His kick was wide right, but Washington was penalized for running into Nedney. After the five-yard penalty was assessed, Nedney was given a third try. This time he converted the kick, winning the game. Wycheck finished the game with 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. McNair threw for a career postseason high 338 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions, while rushing for 29 yards and another score on the ground. Maddox threw for 266 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Ward caught seven passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 11 yards. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Steelers and Titans. Pittsburgh won all three prior meetings while the Titans were the Houston Oilers.


NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 20, Atlanta Falcons 6

The hyped quarterback duel between
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 ...
and
Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's firs ...
never materialized, as the Eagles' defense sacked Vick three times and intercepted him twice, including Bobby Taylor's 39-yard return for a touchdown. At the end of the game's second possession, Eagles punter
Lee Johnson Lee Johnson may refer to: Sportspeople * Lee Johnson (wide receiver) (born 1944), American football wide receiver *Lee Johnson (punter) (born 1961), American football punter *Lee Johnson (basketball) (born 1957), American basketball player * Lee Jo ...
pinned the Falcons back at their own 18-yard line with a 60-yard kick. A few plays later, Taylor intercepted a Vick pass and returned it 39 yards for the first score of the game. Following a Falcons punt, McNabb's completions 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 ...
and
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 ...
for gains of 15 and 24 yards set up
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 ...
's 34-yard field goal. Early in the second quarter, Akers kicked another field goal at the end of a drive that featured a 42-yard completion from McNabb to receiver
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 ...
. With the Eagles now leading 13–0, Vick tried to rally his team back. First he led them 61 yards in 13 plays, including a 23-yard completion to
Quentin McCord John Quentin McCord (June 26, 1978 – August 13, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted in the seventh round of the 200 ...
, to score on a
Jay Feely Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for sever ...
field goal with 4:10 left in the half. Then after forcing a punt, Vick ran for 20 yards and completed a 16-yard pass to
Brian Finneran Brian Joseph Finneran (born January 31, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1998 and also played for the Barcelona Dragons, Phila ...
to set up a 52-yard field goal from Feely, making the score 13–6 by halftime. But in the third quarter, a 20-yard touchdown run by Vick that could have tied the game was called back by a holding penalty on
Travis Claridge Travis Claridge (March 23, 1978 – February 28, 2006) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Atlanta Falcons between 2000 and 2003 and for the Carolina Panthers in 2004. Early life T ...
, and Feely missed a 37-yard field goal a few plays later. The Eagles eventually increased their lead to 20–6 with McNabb's 35-yard touchdown pass to Thrash with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter. Atlanta drove into scoring range on their next two possessions, but the first ended with a turnover on downs at the Eagles 21, and the second was ended by
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 ...
' interception with 17 seconds left in the game. McNabb finished with 20 of 30 completions for 247 yards and a touchdown, along with 24 rushing yards. This would be the last win for the Eagles at
Veterans Stadium Veterans Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The seating capacities were 65,358 for footb ...
. This was the second postseason meeting between the Falcons and Eagles. Atlanta won the only prior meeting.


Sunday, January 12, 2003


NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, San Francisco 49ers 6

The Buccaneers, with the league's top-ranked defense during the 2002 regular season, forced five turnovers, sacked 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 ...
four times, and limited the 49ers to only two field goals. Tampa Bay quarterback Brad Johnson, who had been sidelined for a month, returned to throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback
Mike Alstott Michael Joseph Alstott (born December 21, 1973), is a former American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nicknamed "A-Train", he played college football at Purdue an ...
rushed for 60 yards, caught three passes for 27 yards, and scored two touchdowns, while the Buccaneers held onto the ball for 36:46 and held the 49ers to a season low 228 yards. This was San Francisco's first playoff game without a touchdown since 1986, while Tampa Bay finished this game with more points scored than in their last three playoff games combined. San Francisco had a chance to score early when Rashad Holman intercepted a pass from Johnson on the opening drive and returned it 13 yards to the Buccaneers 40-yard line. But on third down, Bucs defenders
Warren Sapp Warren Carlos Sapp (born December 19, 1972) is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sapp played college football at Miami, where h ...
and
Derrick Brooks Derrick Dewan Brooks (born April 18, 1973) is an American former football outside linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college football at Florida State, wh ...
shared a sack on Garcia that pushed the 49ers out of field goal range. Tampa Bay then drove 74 yards in 13 plays with a drive that included 17-yard receptions by Alstott and receiver
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 ...
, along with four third down conversions. Alstott finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. San Francisco responded as Garcia's 30-yard completion 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 ...
set up a 24-yard field goal by
Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; yi, יראַ גראָססעל; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nom ...
, but the 7–3 score ended up being as close as the 49ers would get for the rest of the game. Tampa Bay increased their lead to 14-3 early in the second quarter with a 73-yard drive in which Keyshawn Johnson caught two passes for 42 total yards and Brad Johnson finished off with a 20-yard scoring pass to
Joe Jurevicius Joseph Michael Jurevicius (born December 23, 1974) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State. Jurevicius played for ...
. A pair of 15-yard penalties against the Bucs defense enabled the 49ers to drive back for another Chandler field goal, but a 36-yard pass interference call against San Francisco safety
Tony Parrish Anthony W. Parrish (born November 23, 1975) is a former American football safety that played nine seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft with the 35th overall pick. H ...
soon led to another Buccaneer touchdown, this one a 12-yard catch by tight end Rickey Dudley. Later on, Brooks intercepted a pass from Garcia at the 49ers 26-yard line. One play later, Michael Pittman's 22-yard burst moved the ball to the 4-yard line, and Alstott finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving Tampa Bay a 28–6 lead with 55 seconds left in the half. On the first play of the third quarter, Bucs safety Dwight Smith intercepted Garcia and returned the ball six yards to the San Francisco 37, setting up
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 ...
's 19-yard field goal. This ended up being the final score of the game as both defenses took over from that point on. The closest the Bucs would come to scoring again was a missed 45-yard field goal attempt by Gramatica. Meanwhile, San Francisco's remaining drives would result in two punts, a Garcia fumble that was recovered by Brooks on the Tampa Bay 35, a failed fourth down conversion attempt when Brooks tackled
Eric Johnson Eric Johnson may refer to: Music *Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954) an American guitarist and recording artist * Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), member of multiple indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics * Eric Joh ...
one yard short of the marker, an interception by Tampa Bay cornerback
Ronde Barber Jamael Orondé "Rondé" Barber (born April 7, 1975) is an American former football cornerback who spent his entire 16-year professional career playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He is the identical twin ...
, and time expiring in the game. Despite San Francisco's 10–6 record, the NFC West title, and their Wild Card playoff win against the New York Giants, coach
Steve Mariucci Stephen Ray Mariucci (born November 4, 1955), nicknamed "Mooch", is an American sportscaster and former football coach who was the head coach of two National Football League teams, the San Francisco 49ers (1997–2002) and the Detroit Lions (200 ...
was fired three days after this game. The 49ers would not return to the playoffs until 2011. This was the first postseason meeting between the 49ers and Buccaneers.


AFC: Oakland Raiders 30, New York Jets 10

Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Marshall, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was selecte ...
's dream season came to an end as the Jets quarterback threw two interceptions, lost two fumbles, and was sacked four times (twice by Rod Coleman). 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 ...
threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns as Oakland pulled away from a 10–10 halftime tie by forcing four consecutive turnovers and scoring twenty consecutive second half points. Aided by a 15-yard run from
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 ...
and a 20-yard pass interference penalty on
Charles Woodson Charles Cameron Woodson (born October 7, 1976) is a former American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Mic ...
,
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 ...
's 38-yard field goal gave the Jets an early 3–0 lead before he was matched by a 29-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 ...
to tie the game. On the Jets next drive,
Travian Smith Travian Smith (born August 26, 1975 in Shepherd, Texas) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahom ...
forced and recovered a fumble from Pennington on New York's 27-yard line. On the next play, 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 Tennesse ...
fumbled the ball, but Oakland guard
Frank Middleton Frank Middleton Jr. (born October 25, 1974) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive guard for eight seasons in the NFL during the 1990s and early 2000s. Middleton played college football for the Fort ...
recovered it, and 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 ...
ended up scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run a few plays later. But Pennington led the Jets back, completing eight of nine passes for 51 yards on an 81-yard drive that took seven minutes off the clock and ended with his 1-yard touchdown pass to
Jerald Sowell Jerald Monye Sowell (born January 21, 1974) is a former American football fullback. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Tulane. Playing caree ...
, tying the game with 22 seconds left in the first half. Early in the third quarter,
Tory James Tory Steven James (born May 18, 1973) is a former American football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). James attended Archbishop Shaw High School before going to college at Louisiana State University, an ...
intercepted a pass from Pennington on the Jets 45-yard line. Gannon then went downfield, hitting
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 ...
with a 16-yard completion and then throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to
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 ...
. New York turned the ball over on downs with their next possession, and Gannon once again went to work, completing a 50-yard strike to Jerry Porter and finishing the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rice, increasing the Raiders lead to 24–10. The Jets turned the ball over again when Richie Anderson fumbled a handoff on their ensuing drive.
Damien Robinson Damien Robinson (born December 22, 1973) is a former safety of the NFL. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks. He attended college at the University of Iowa. Professional career Philadelphia Eagles The E ...
intercepted a pass from Gannon on the next play, but Oakland's
Eric Barton Eric Barton (born September 29, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland before he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth ...
returned the favor with an interception of his own, setting up a 34-yard Janikowski field goal. Janikowski later added another field goal with less than five minutes left in the game. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Jets and Raiders. New York won two of the three previous meetings.


Conference Championships


Sunday, January 19, 2003


NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10

A game that is now known as Black Sunday in Philadelphia's sports lore, Tampa Bay won on the road for the first time in playoff history, and in temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C), in the last football game played at Veterans Stadium. The Eagles were heavy favorites at home going into the game. The Eagles had beaten the Buccaneers four consecutive times, in the wild card round the two previous seasons, and also during regular-season games in 2001 and 2002. During the two playoff losses, both at Veterans Stadium, Tampa Bay had failed to score a single touchdown. Eagles running back Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to the Tampa Bay 26-yard line, setting up a 20-yard touchdown 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 ...
less than a minute into the game. Tampa Bay responded by driving 37 yards and scoring with
Martin Gramatica Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...
's 48-yard field goal on their ensuing drive. After a Philadelphia punt, Eagles safety Bobby Taylor intercepted a pass from Brad Johnson on the Buccaneers 47-yard line. The Eagles then drove to a fourth down on the 32, but decided to punt rather than try a long field goal.
Lee Johnson Lee Johnson may refer to: Sportspeople * Lee Johnson (wide receiver) (born 1944), American football wide receiver *Lee Johnson (punter) (born 1961), American football punter *Lee Johnson (basketball) (born 1957), American basketball player * Lee Jo ...
's 28-yard punt pinned the Buccaneers back at their own 4-yard line. But Tampa Bay stormed 96 yards and scored with
Mike Alstott Michael Joseph Alstott (born December 21, 1973), is a former American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nicknamed "A-Train", he played college football at Purdue an ...
's 1-yard touchdown run to take a 10–7 lead. The key play on the drive was a 71-yard completion from Brad Johnson to
Joe Jurevicius Joseph Michael Jurevicius (born December 23, 1974) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State. Jurevicius played for ...
on third down and two from their own 24-yard line. According to ''
America's Game ''America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions'' is an American annual documentary series created by NFL Films (broadcast on NFL Network and CBS). Its 57 installments profile the 57 winning teams of the National Football League (NFL)'s annual Super ...
'', coach
Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is a former American professional football coach who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during thei ...
had three receivers stacked tight in a trips formation, and he got Jurevicius on a one-on-one "option" route against the
middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
of the Eagles. Early in the second quarter, Lee Johnson's 64-yard punt pinned the Bucs back on their own 2-yard line. This time the Eagles defense was able to take advantage of the field position, forcing a
three-and-out A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...
that earned the offense a first down on Tampa Bay 38-yard line after
Tom Tupa Thomas Joseph Tupa Jr. (born February 6, 1966) is a former American football punter and quarterback in the National Football League. Personal life and high school career As a child, Tupa participated in the NFL's Punt, Pass, and Kick contest, ...
's 36-yard punt. Philadelphia then drove 26 yards to tie the game 10–10 on a 30-yard field goal from
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 ...
, but the Bucs responded with an 80-yard, 12-play drive. Johnson completed a 31-yard pass to running back Michael Pittman and a 22-yard strike to
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 ...
before finishing the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson that gave the team a 17–10 lead. With time running out in the half,
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 ...
led the Eagles to the Tampa Bay 24-yard line, only to lose a fumble while being sacked by his high school teammate
Simeon Rice Simeon James Rice (; born February 24, 1974) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, forced 25 fumbles, recov ...
, who stripped the ball away and recovered it himself. On the Eagles' first drive of the third quarter, McNabb lost another fumble due to a tackle from cornerback
Ronde Barber Jamael Orondé "Rondé" Barber (born April 7, 1975) is an American former football cornerback who spent his entire 16-year professional career playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He is the identical twin ...
, and Bucs defensive tackle
Ellis Wyms Ellis Rashad Wyms (born April 12, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State. Wyms, who ...
recovered it. Later on, the Buccaneers took advantage of a 15-yard fair catch interference penalty against Philadelphia that gave them a first down on their own 48, driving 41 yards, including a 19-yard catch by tight end
Ken Dilger Kenneth Ray Dilger (born February 2, 1971) is a retired professional American football player. Early years Ken Dilger was raised in Mariah Hill, Spencer County, Indiana. He attended Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana where he ...
to score on a 27-yard
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 ...
field goal with 1:02 left in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles managed to drive 73 yards to Tampa Bay's 10-yard line, but Barber intercepted McNabb's pass with 3:12 left in the game and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory. This game was somewhat devoid of offensive stars. Jurevicius's single reception for 71 yards made him the leading receiver, while the leading rusher was Staley with a mere 58 yards. Brad Johnson threw for 259 yards and a touchdown. Mitchell, the NFL's all-time leader in both regular season and postseason kickoff return yards, returned four kickoffs for 125 yards and four punts for 34 yards in the final playoff game of his career. This was the last Eagles game played at Veterans Stadium, which was demolished following the
2003 Major League Baseball season The 2003 Major League Baseball season ended when the Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in a six-game World Series. The Detroit Tigers set the American League record for losses in a season, with 119, and the Marlins became the first te ...
. In a ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' list of the worst losses in Philadelphia sports history since the city's last title in
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
published in 2008, this game was ranked first. Until the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
' appearance in the 2017 AFC championship game, this was the last conference title game to feature a team from
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. This was also the Buccaneers' last NFC championship appearance until 2020. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Buccaneers and Eagles. Philadelphia had won two of the previous three meetings.


AFC: Oakland Raiders 41, Tennessee Titans 24

Oakland called only one running play in the first three quarters of the game, choosing to rely almost exclusively on the passing of 37-year-old 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 ...
. And Gannon proved to be up to the task, leading the Raiders to victory with 286 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with 41 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. On the first play from scrimmage, Gannon completed a 29-yard pass to
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 ...
. He went on to complete 5/5 passes for 64 yards and rush for three on a 70-yard drive that ended with his 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Porter. The Titans countered with a 9-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard touchdown pass from
Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...
to
Drew Bennett Andrew Russell Bennett (born August 26, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at UCLA. Be ...
to tie it up five minutes later. Oakland struck back as Gannon completed a 17-yard pass to
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 Tennesse ...
, a 14-yard pass to
Jon Ritchie Jon David Ritchie (born September 4, 1974) is an American sports radio host and former professional American football fullback in the National Football League. He started for seven seasons in the NFL, playing for the Oakland Raiders and the Ph ...
, and then ran the ball 13 yards to the Titans 42. Following a penalty, his 31-yard completion to Porter moved the ball to the 16, and he ended up finishing the drive with a 12-yard touchdown completion to Garner, giving the Raiders a 14–7 lead. Tennessee then drove 59 yards, featuring a 16-yard scramble by McNair, to cut the score to 14-10 early in the second quarter on
Joe Nedney Joseph Thomas Nedney (born March 22, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nedney played college football at San Jose State and signed as an undrafted player with the Miami Dolphins in 1996. He ...
's 29-yard field goal. Later on,
Derrick Mason Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the ...
returned a Raiders punt 11 yards to the Titans 45-yard line, sparking a 55-yard drive that ended on McNair's 9-yard touchdown run that gave the team a 17–14 lead with 2:54 left in the half. Then things fell apart for Tennessee. Backed up at their own 11-yard line by a
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 ...
punt and simply trying to run out the clock, running back
Robert Holcombe Robert Wayne Holcombe (born December 11, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). College Holcombe played running back at Il ...
fumbled the ball while being tackled by Raiders linebacker
Eric Barton Eric Barton (born September 29, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland before he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth ...
, and safety A nthony Dorsett, Holcombe's old teammate who was a member of the Titans when they reached
Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 NFL season, 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champ ...
, recovered the ball at the Tennessee 16-yard line. On the next play, Rice caught a 15-yard reception at the 1-yard line, and then Gannon found
Doug Jolley Doug Jolley (born January 2, 1979) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2002, where he played three years. He would also play single seasons for the NY Jets and Tampa Ba ...
in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass, giving the Raiders a 21–17 lead. Then on the ensuing kickoff, rookie returner John Simon was stripped of the ball by Tim Johnson, and
Alvis Whitted Alvis James Whitted (born September 4, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver. Early years Whitted played two years as a wide receiver at Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina and was also a standout in track and field a ...
recovered the fumble for Oakland on the Titans' 39-yard line, setting up a 43-yard field goal by
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 ...
on the last play of the first half, making the score 24–17. Tennessee took the second half kickoff and drove all the way to the Raiders 22-yard line before McNair was sacked for an 11-yard loss on third down by John Parrella. Because Nedney had been injured making a tackle in the second quarter, Titans coach
Jeff Fisher Jeffrey Michael Fisher (born February 25, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach and general manager for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He is a former cornerback and return specialist. He ...
decided to punt rather than attempt a long field goal. The next time they had the ball, Titans punter
Craig Hentrich Craig Hentrich (; born May 18, 1971) is a former American football punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He played college football for Notre Dame. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL ...
was tackled for a 6-yard loss by Johnson before he could kick the ball, giving Oakland a first down on the Tennessee 19. Janikowski then kicked another field goal to make the score 27–17. This time, the Titans managed to respond, driving 70 yards and scoring with McNair's 13-yard touchdown run to cut their deficit to 27–24. But the Raiders responded with a 66-yard drive, kept alive by a 14-yard pass interference penalty on defensive back
Samari Rolle Samari Toure Rolle (born August 10, 1976) is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Rolle has also played for the Ba ...
on a third down play in which Gannon threw an incompletion. Garner also made a big impact with an 18-yard run, and eventually Gannon capped the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. 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 ...
later finished a 69-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to put the game away. As of 2022, this is the last AFC championship game which has not featured
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 ...
,
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
,
Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...
or
Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes, he initially played co ...
as a starting quarterback. With the Raiders' approved relocation to
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
for
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, this would prove to be the last playoff game played at the
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently naming rights, branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880 (California), In ...
. In addition, this is, to date, the last Oakland Raiders' playoff victory, as they would not qualify for the playoffs again until
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Titans and Raiders. Oakland won all three previous meetings while the Titans were the Houston Oilers.


Super Bowl XXXVII: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21

This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Raiders and Buccaneers.


Notes and references


NFL.com scores for the 2002 playoffs
(Last accessed January 9, 2006) *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 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 ...