# 2002 Atlanta Falcons season

The 2002 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 37th in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in the newly formed NFC South. It was also the team's first season under new owner Arthur Blank, who acquired the team during the 2002 offseason. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 7–9 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. The team was also involved in a rare tie, matching the Pittsburgh Steelers 34–34 at the end of overtime. This was the last time the Atlanta Falcons ended a season with a tie.
Before the season, the Falcons acquired running back Warrick Dunn to help with the team’s running game. Their running game had suffered the past three years. Dunn finished the season with 927 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns. With the boost of Dunn, the Falcons rushed for 2,368 yards (148 yards per game) and 23 touchdowns, both the fourth-best in the NFL.
After seeing limited action as a rookie, this was Michael Vick's first full season as starting quarterback.
In the Wild Card Game, Vick and the Falcons defeated the Brett Favre-led Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 27–7, giving the Packers their first ever playoff loss in Lambeau. However, a 20–6 loss to Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles in the next round kept the Falcons from advancing in the playoffs.
This was Dan Reeves' last full season as head coach as he was replaced by interim Wade Phillips during the following season.
Vick and linebacker Keith Brooking were voted to play in the Pro Bowl after the season. However, neither Vick not Brooking actually participated in the game. The Pro Bowl was Vick's first and Brooking's second. It was the final season the Falcons used their traditional black falcon helmet logo.
The last remaining active member of the 2002 Atlanta Falcons was quarterback Michael Vick, who played his final NFL game in the 2015 season, although he missed the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

## Offseason

| Signings | Departures |
| RB Warrick Dunn (Buccaneers) | QB Chris Chandler (Bears) |
| DE John Thierry (Packers) | G Bob Hallen (Chargers) |
| DT Ellis Johnson (Colts) | LB Henri Crockett (Vikings) |
| LB John Holecek (Chargers) | FS Ronnie Bradford (Vikings) |
| T Todd Weiner (Seahawks) | WR Terance Mathis (Steelers) |
| CB Allen Rossum (Packers) | DE Chuck Wiley (Vikings) |
| CB Kevin Mathis (Saints) | |
| CB Fred Weary (Saints) | |

### NFL Draft

2002 Atlanta Falcons draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 16 | T. J. Duckett | Running back | Michigan State | from Washington via Oakland |
| 3 | 80 | Will Overstreet | Linebacker | Tennessee | |
| 4 | 116 | Martin Bibla | Guard | Miami | from Houston |
| 5 | 148 | Kevin McCadam | Safety | Virginia Tech | |
| 5 | 158 | Kurt Kittner | Quarterback | Illinois | from Oakland |
| 6 | 184 | Kahlil Hill | Wide receiver | Iowa | |
| 7 | 217 | Michael Coleman | Wide receiver | Widener | from Dallas |
| 7 | 244 | Kevin Shaffer | Offensive tackle | Tulsa | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Matt Allen | Punter | Troy State |

## Regular season
### Schedule

In addition to their NFC South rivals, the Falcons played all teams from the NFC North and AFC North. In addition, the Falcons played the New York Giants from the NFC East, and the Seattle Seahawks from the NFC West, based on 2001 standings.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | September 8 | at Green Bay Packers | L 34-37 (OT) | 0–1 | 63,127 |
| 2 | September 15 | Chicago Bears | L 13-14 | 0–2 | 68,081 |
| 3 | September 22 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–3 | 1–2 | 68,129 |
| 4 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 5 | October 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 6-20 | 1–3 | 68,936 |
| 6 | October 13 | at New York Giants | W 17–10 | 2–3 | 78,728 |
| 7 | October 20 | Carolina Panthers | W 30–0 | 3–3 | 68,056 |
| 8 | October 27 | at New Orleans Saints | W 37–35 | 4–3 | 67,883 |
| 9 | November 3 | Baltimore Ravens | W 20–17 | 5–3 | 68,532 |
| 10 | November 10 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | T 34–34 (OT) | 5–3–1 | 62,779 |
| 11 | November 17 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–17 | 6–3–1 | 70,382 |
| 12 | November 24 | at Carolina Panthers | W 41–0 | 7–3–1 | 72,533 |
| 13 | December 1 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 30–24 (OT) | 8–3–1 | 63,947 |
| 14 | December 8 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10-34 | 8–4–1 | 65,648 |
| 15 | December 15 | Seattle Seahawks | L 24-30 (OT) | 8–5–1 | 69,551 |
| 16 | December 22 | Detroit Lions | W 36–15 | 9–5–1 | 69,307 |
| 17 | December 29 | at Cleveland Browns | L 16-24 | 9–6–1 | 73,528 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 34 |
| Packers | 3 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 37 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Date: September 8, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,127
* Referee: Ron Winter (14)
* TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Tim Ryan, and Drew Smith
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
GB – Ryan Longwell 28-yard field goal, 4:08. Packers 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 77 yards, 8:45.
Second quarter
ATL – Michael Vick 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 11:26. Falcons 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 7:42.
ATL – Warrick Dunn 3-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 8:43. Falcons 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:31.
GB – David Martin 3-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 5:54. Falcons 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:49.
ATL – Alge Crumpler 2-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:15. Falcons 21–10. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 3:01.
GB – Ryan Longwell 42-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 1:15.
Third quarter
GB – Rondell Mealey 2-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 12:48. Falcons 21–20. Drive: 4 plays, 59 yards, 2:12.
ATL – Jay Feely 21-yard field goal, 5:24. Falcons 24–20. Drive: 15 plays, 76 yards, 7:24.
GB – Javon Walker 13-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 0:30. Packers 27–24. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:54.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Warrick Dunn 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 8:07. Falcons 31–27. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:36.
GB – William Henderson 1-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 1:10. Packers 34–31. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:57.
ATL – Jay Feely 52-yard field goal, 0:05. Tied 34–34. Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 1:05.
Overtime
GB – Ryan Longwell 34-yard field goal, 5:15. Packers 37–34. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 4:15.
Top passers
ATL – Michael Vick – 15/23, 209 yards, TD
GB – Brett Favre – 25/36, 284 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
ATL – Michael Vick – 9 rushes, 72 yards, TD
GB – Ahman Green – 27 rushes, 155 yards
Top receivers
ATL – Willie Jackson – 4 receptions, 73 yards
GB – Donald Driver – 7 receptions, 78 yards :

#### Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: September 15, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 68,081
* Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
* TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
ATL – Warrick Dunn 10-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 11:33. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 4:00.
CHI – Anthony Thomas 3-yard run (Paul Edinger kick), 1:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 5:04.
ATL – Jay Feely 37-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:10.
Third quarter
CHI – David Terrell 14-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 9:27. Bears 14–10. Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 0:55.
ATL – Jay Feely 27-yard field goal, 6:08. Bears 14–13. Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards, 3:19.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
CHI – Jim Miller – 12/24, 143 yards, TD, INT
ATL – Michael Vick – 17/28, 166 yards, TD
Top rushers
CHI – Anthony Thomas – 26 rushes, 84 yards, TD
ATL – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
CHI – Marty Booker – 5 receptions, 48 yards
ATL – Brian Finneran – 6 receptions, 76 yards :

#### Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Falcons | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: September 22, 2002
* Game time: 8:30 pm
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 68,129
* Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Suzy Kolber
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 44-yard field goal, 10:01. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 4:69.
ATL – Jay Feely 26-yard field goal, 7:19. Falcons 6–0. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:48.
ATL – Brian Finneran 20-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:57. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:28.
Second quarter
ATL – Brian Finneran 13-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 4:56. Falcons 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 1:42.
CIN – Neil Rackers 24-yard field goal, 0:03. Falcons 20–3. Drive: 14 plays, 53 yards, 4:53.
Third quarter
ATL – Warrick Dunn 4-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 5:07. Falcons 27–3. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 7:00.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 34-yard field goal, 7:30. Falcons 30–3. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 5:39.
Top passers
CIN – Jon Kitna – 18/35, 136 yards, INT
ATL – Michael Vick – 16/26, 174 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CIN – Corey Dillon – 18 rushes, 66 yards
ATL – TJ Duckett – 18 rushes, 67 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Peter Warrick – 4 receptions, 34 yards
ATL – Brian Finneran – 6 receptions, 77 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
| Vikings | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: December 1, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 63,947
* Referee: Ed Hochuli (85)
* TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Tim Green
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
MIN – Daunte Culpepper 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 9:38. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:22.
Second quarter
ATL – Bob Christian 1-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 12:48. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 40 yards, 0:21.
MIN – Hunter Goodwin 2-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 2:40. Vikings 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:25.
ATL – Brian Finneran 39-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 0:37. Tied 14–14. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 2:03.
Third quarter
MIN – Michael Bennett 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 3:19. Vikings 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 2:40.
ATL – Michael Vick 28-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 1:00. Tied 21–21. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:19.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 44-yard field goal, 3:33. Falcons 24–21. Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 3:53.
MIN – Gary Anderson 29-yard field goal, 0:11. Tied 24–24. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 3:22.
Overtime
ATL – Michael Vick 46-yard run, 12:35. Falcons 30–24. Drive: 2 plays, 48 yards, 0:51.
Top passers
ATL – Michael Vick – 11/28, 173 yards, TD, INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 23/43, 266 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
ATL – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 173 yards, 2 TD
MIN – Michael Bennett – 18 rushes, 86 yards, TD
Top receivers
ATL – Brian Finneran – 5 receptions, 114 yards, TD
MIN – Randy Moss – 9 receptions, 134 yards :

#### Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Falcons | 3 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 36 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: December 22, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: none (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 69,307
* Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
* TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, and Ron Pitts
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 23-yard field goal, 7:50. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 5:35.
Second quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 23-yard field goal, 6:06. Falcons 6–0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:08.
ATL – Quentin McCord 20-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 0:17. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 0:59.
Third quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 36-yard field goal, 10:56. Falcons 16–0. Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 4:04.
ATL – Jay Feely 20-yard field goal, 7:20. Falcons 19–0. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:38.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 39-yard field goal, 13:31. Falcons 22–0. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:25.
DET – James Stewart 1-yard pass from Mike McMahon (Mike McMahon-Bill Schroeder pass), 9:53. Falcons 22–8. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 3:38.
DET – Aveion Cason 15-yard pass from Mike McMahon (Jason Hanson kick), 9:31. Falcons 22–15. Drive: 2 plays, 15 yards, 0:10.
ATL – Warrick Dunn 3-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 3:49. Falcons 29–15. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:42.
ATL – Brian Finneran 34-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:51. Falcons 36–15. Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 1:36.
Top passers
DET – Mike McMahon – 11/33, 149 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
ATL – Michael Vick – 20/38, 337 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
DET – James Stewart – 12 rushes, 34 yards
ATL – Warrick Dunn – 30 rushes, 132 yards, TD
Top receivers
DET – Bill Schroeder – 2 receptions, 60 yards
ATL – Quentin McCord – 7 receptions, 182 yards, TD :

## Playoffs
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
| Wild Card | January 4 | at Green Bay Packers | W 27–7 | 65,358 |
| Divisional | January 11 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 6–20 | 66,452 |

### Game summaries
#### NFC Wild Card: at Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Date: January 4, 2003
* Game time: 8:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear, 31 °F (−1 °C)
* Game attendance: 65,358
* Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
* TV: ABC
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Shawn Jefferson 10-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 9:17. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:43.
ATL – Artie Ulmer 1-yard return of blocked punt (Jay Feely kick), 6:38. Falcons 14–0.
Second quarter
ATL – TJ Duckett 6-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 12:06. Falcons 21–0. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 2:30.
ATL – Jay Feely 22-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 24–0. Drive: 16 plays, 90 yards, 6:34.
Third quarter
GB – Donald Driver 14-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 10:26. Falcons 24–7. Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 4:34.
ATL – Jay Feely 23-yard field goal, 3:43. Falcons 27–7. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 6:43.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
ATL – Michael Vick – 13/25, 117 yards, TD
GB – Brett Favre – 20/42, 247 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
ATL – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 64 yards
GB – Ahman Green – 11 rushes, 34 yards
Top receivers
ATL – Warrick Dunn – 4 receptions, 40 yards
GB – Javon Walker – 5 receptions, 104 yards :

## Standings
### Division

NFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 346 | 196 | W1 |
| $^{(6)}$ Atlanta Falcons | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 402 | 314 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 432 | 388 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 258 | 302 | W2 |

### Conference

NFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV |
| Division leaders |||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .469 | .432 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .482 | .432 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .451 | .414 |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .504 | .450 |
| Wild Cards |||||||||||
| 5 | New York Giants | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .482 | .450 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .494 | .429 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason |||||||||||
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .498 | .566 |
| 8 | St. Louis Rams | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .508 | .446 |
| 9 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .506 | .433 |
| 10 | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .527 | .438 |
| 11 | Carolina Panthers | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .486 | .357 |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .498 | .417 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .500 | .400 |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .500 | .475 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .521 | .430 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .494 | .375 |
| Tiebreakers |||||||||||
| 1 2 3 Philadelphia finished ahead of Tampa Bay and Green Bay based on conference record (11–1 vs 9–3/9–3). 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Green Bay based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). 1 2 Washington finished ahead of Carolina based on common games (2–3 to 1–4) 1 2 Arizona finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. |||||||||||