# 2002 Carolina Panthers season

The 2002 season was the Carolina Panthers' eighth in the National Football League and their first under head coach John Fox. They tried to improve upon their 1–15 record in 2001, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.
After moving from the NFC West to the more geographically accurate NFC South, they improved by six games to finish 7–9, but were still five games behind the division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failed to make the playoffs. Their Week 12, 41–0 loss against the Atlanta Falcons was the Panthers' last shutout for 21 years.

## Offseason

| Signings | Departures |
| DE Shane Burton (Jets) | WR Donald Hayes (Patriots) |
| CB Terry Cousin (Dolphins) | FB Chris Hetherington (Rams) |
| LB Mark Fields (Rams) | DE Jay Williams (Dolphins) |

### NFL Draft

The 2002 NFL draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 15 and April 16, 2002. The Panthers selected nine players in seven rounds. Despite having the worst record in the league the previous season, the Panthers picked 2nd overall due to the Houston Texans picking first overall in their inaugural draft, as is tradition (under NFL rules) with expansion teams.

### NFL Draft

2002 Carolina Panthers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 2 | Julius Peppers * $^†$ | DE | North Carolina |
| 2 | 34 | DeShaun Foster | RB | UCLA |
| 3 | 73 | Will Witherspoon | LB | Georgia |
| 4 | 100 | Dante Wesley | CB | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| 5 | 137 | Randy Fasani | QB | Stanford |
| 5 | 145 | Kyle Johnson | FB | Syracuse |
| 6 | 174 | Keith Heinrich | TE | Sam Houston State |
| 7 | 213 | Pete Campion | G | North Dakota State |
| 7 | 258 | Brad Franklin | CB | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

Under the NFL’s new scheduling formula put in place for this season, the Panthers would play two games each season against their NFC South division rivals. A schedule rotation would see them play the NFC North in full in 2002 and every three seasons subsequently, and the AFC North in 2002 and every four seasons subsequently. As the Panthers had the worst record in the NFL in 2001, they would also play the Arizona Cardinals, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the reconstituted NFC West, and the Dallas Cowboys, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the NFC East.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 8 | Baltimore Ravens | W 10–7 | 1–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 70,386 |
| 2 | September 15 | Detroit Lions | W 31–7 | 2–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 71,951 |
| 3 | September 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 21–14 | 3–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,945 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–17 | 3–1 | Lambeau Field | 63,329 |
| 5 | October 6 | Arizona Cardinals | L 13–16 | 3–2 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,286 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–14 | 3–3 | Texas Stadium | 61,773 |
| 7 | October 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 0–30 | 3–4 | Georgia Dome | 68,056 |
| 8 | October 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 9–12 | 3–5 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,892 |
| 9 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 10 | November 10 | New Orleans Saints | L 24–34 | 3–6 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,566 |
| 11 | November 17 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–23 | 3–7 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,527 |
| 12 | November 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 0–41 | 3–8 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,533 |
| 13 | December 1 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–6 | 4–8 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,718 |
| 14 | December 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 52–31 | 5–8 | Ericsson Stadium | 66,799 |
| 15 | December 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–30 | 5–9 | Heinz Field | 58,586 |
| 16 | December 22 | Chicago Bears | W 24–14 | 6–9 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,602 |
| 17 | December 29 | at New Orleans Saints | W 10–6 | 7–9 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,946 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Panthers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: September 15, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 71,951
* Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
* TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Tim Green, and Paul Butler
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
CAR – John Kasay 23-yard field goal, 3:27. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 2:09.
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad 22-yard pass from Rodney Peete (John Kasay kick), 0:16. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 0:46.
Third quarter
DET – Mike McMahon 11-yard run (Jason Hanson kick), 8:21. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 3:10.
CAR – Lamar Smith 3-yard run (John Kasay kick), 6:44. Panthers 17–7. Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:37.
CAR – Mike Minter 40-yard interception return (John Kasay kick), 5:49. Panthers 24–7.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Lamar Smith 1-yard run (John Kasay kick), 9:43. Panthers 31–7. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 5:44.
Top passers
DET – Mike McMahon – 9/23, 95 yards, INT
CAR – Rodney Peete – 21/32, 310 yards, TD
Top rushers
DET – James Stewart – 12 rushes, 53 yards
CAR – Lamar Smith – 20 rushes, 60 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
DET – Scotty Anderson – 2 receptions, 31 yards
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad – 8 receptions, 107 yards, TD :

#### Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: September 22, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 63,945
* Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
* TV: FOX
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
MIN – Michael Bennett 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 12:58. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 2:02.
Third quarter
CAR – Steve Smith Sr. 14-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Jon Hilbert kick), 5:14. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 28 yards, 0:47.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Lamar Smith 12-yard run (Jon Hilbert kick), 13:28. Panthers 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:38.
CAR – Lamar Smith 24-yard run (Jon Hilbert kick), 7:54. Panthers 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:42.
MIN – Chris Walsh 4-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 3:29. Panthers 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 89 yards, 4:25.
Top passers
CAR – Rodney Peete – 20/30, 221 yards, TD, 2 INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 19/30, 191 yards, TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
CAR – Lamar Smith – 30 rushes, 154 yards, 2 TD
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 4 rushes, 32 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Steve Smith Sr. – 5 receptions, 81 yards, TD
MIN – Moe Williams – 4 receptions, 66 yards :

#### Week 4: at Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Packers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Date: September 29, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Overcast, 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,329
* Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
* TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and Brian Baldinger
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
GB – Ryan Longwell 30-yard field goal, 8:52. Packers 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 5:07.
CAR – Lamar Smith 3-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 0:23. Panthers 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 4:50.
Second quarter
GB – Donald Driver 31-yard pass from Bubba Franks (Ryan Longwell kick), 1:43. Packers 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:04.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Lamar Smith 2-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 12:55. Panthers 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:51.
GB – Donald Driver 22-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 4:10. Packers 17–14. Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:19.
Top passers
CAR – Rodney Peete – 10/24, 202 yards
GB – Brett Favre – 18/32, 200 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
CAR – Lamar Smith – 22 rushes, 66 yards, 2 TD
GB – Ahman Green – 17 rushes, 73 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Steve Smith Sr. – 5 receptions, 116 yards
GB – Donald Driver – 5 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Panthers | 0 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: December 22, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 72,602
* Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
* TV announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, and Dan Jiggetts
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Dez White 76-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Paul Edinger kick), 14:13. Bears 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:47.
Second quarter
CAR – Dee Brown 2-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 12:12. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 2:33.
CAR – Dee Brown 1-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 8:38. Panthers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 0:51.
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad 3-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Shayne Graham kick), 3:52. Panthers 21–7. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:54.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
CHI – Dez White 5-yard pass from Henry Burris (Paul Edinger kick), 11:48. Panthers 21–14. Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:32.
CAR – Shayne Graham 25-yard field goal, 5:16. Panthers 24–14. Drive: 4 plays, -1 yard, 2:08.
Top passers
CHI – Chris Chandler – 7/8, 113 yards, TD
CAR – Rodney Peete – 18/35, 179 yards, TD
Top rushers
CHI – Leon Johnson – 16 rushes, 29 yards
CAR – Dee Brown – 23 rushes, 55 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
CHI – Dez White – 2 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD
CAR – Steve Smith Sr. – 4 receptions, 97 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. |||||||||||