# 2002 Houston Texans season

The 2002 season was the Houston Texans' debut season in the National Football League and the first NFL season for the city of Houston since the Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997 & became the Titans 2 years later in 1999. Their coaching staff was headed by Dom Capers, who previously coached the expansion Carolina Panthers when they debuted in 1995. The divisional realignment also placed the Texans and Titans in the same division.
The Texans won their inaugural regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys 19–10 on Sunday Night Football. The Texans finished their debut season with a 4–12 record.
Due to being an expansion franchise, the Texans were given the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Houston used the selection on Fresno State quarterback David Carr. Carr finished the season with 2,592 passing yards, setting the franchise record for most passing yards by a rookie in a single season. Carr's record would not be broken until 2021, when Davis Mills finished that season with 2,664 passing yards (a number since surpassed by C. J. Stroud's 4,108 in 2023).

## NFL returns to Houston

In June 1997, Bob McNair and Chuck Watson's plans for a National Hockey League expansion team fell apart due to the lack of an arena in the Houston area. Afterward, the Houston Oilers moved to Nashville to become the Tennessee Titans. The discussion eventually began to create a new NFL expansion team, with the 31st being awarded to the reformed Cleveland Browns. Houston and Los Angeles were the two finalists, and on October 6, 1999, the league's owners voted unanimously to award Houston the 32nd franchise. In 2000, the new team, tentatively known as "Houston NFL 2002", decided on five potential team names: Apollos, Bobcats, Stallions, Texans and Wildcatters. This shortlist was eventually reduced to Apollos, Stallions and Texans. On September 6, the team name was officially revealed as the Houston Texans.
On January 19, 2000, the team hired former Washington Redskins general manager Charley Casserly to serve in the same position. In the search for a head coach, Miami coach Butch Davis was involved in discussions with McNair, but elected to stay with the university. In January 2001, the Texans hired Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Dom Capers as head coach; Capers had previously worked with the expansion Carolina Panthers as their HC. On January 20, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Vic Fangio joined the staff in the same role, followed by former Cleveland Browns head coach Chris Palmer as offensive coordinator on February 3.

## Offseason
### Free agency

On November 5, 2001, the Texans held workouts for defensive backs at the Reliant Astrodome. On December 29, the team signed ten players: running back Michael Basnight, safety Leomont Evans, tackles Robert Hicks and Jerry Wisne, defensive tackle Jason Nikolao, quarterback Mike Quinn, fullback Matt Snider, cornerback Jason Suttle, linebacker Casey Tisdale and safety Kevin Williams. On March 6, 2002, Colts offensive lineman Steve McKinney became the first unrestricted free agent to be signed by the Texans.

### Expansion draft

To fill the Texans roster, the NFL held an expansion draft on February 18. The team was permitted to select 42 players from the other 31 teams, each of which allowed five players to be drafted. Houston were required to select 30 players or spend 38 percent ($27.24 million) of the $71.7 million salary cap.
The first player that the Texans selected was Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli; however, the five-time Pro Bowler had been suffering from shoulder injuries during the 2001 season and never played a snap for the Texans. Houston also selected 18 more players.
On February 26, quarterback Danny Wuerffel was traded to the Washington Redskins for defensive tackle Jerry DeLoach. The Texans had intended to draft DeLoach, but the Redskins replaced him with Matt Campbell.
| Round | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | Tony Boselli^ | Offensive tackle | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 2 | Ryan Young^ | Offensive tackle | New York Jets |
| 3 | Aaron Glenn^ | Cornerback | New York Jets |
| 4 | Gary Walker^ | Defensive tackle | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 5 | Jamie Sharper^ | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens |
| 6 | Jermaine Lewis^ | Wide receiver | Baltimore Ravens |
| 7 | Marcus Coleman^ | Defensive back | New York Jets |
| 8 | Seth Payne^ | Defensive tackle | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 9 | Matt Campbell | Offensive guard | Washington Redskins |
| 10 | Matt Stevens^ | Safety | New England Patriots |
| 11 | Jeremy McKinney^ | Offensive guard | Cleveland Browns |
| 12 | Ryan Schau^ | Offensive guard | Cleveland Browns |
| 13 | Charlie Rogers | Running back | Seattle Seahawks |
| 14 | Sean McDermott^ | Tight end | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 15 | Jabari Issa^ | Defensive end | Arizona Cardinals |
| 16 | Avion Black^ | Wide receiver | Buffalo Bills |
| 17 | Danny Wuerffel | Quarterback | Chicago Bears |
| 18 | Brian Allen | Linebacker | St. Louis Rams |
| 19 | Johnny Huggins | Tight end | Dallas Cowboys |
^ Made roster.

### NFL draft

2002 Houston Texans draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | David Carr | QB | Fresno State | |
| 2 | 33 | Jabar Gaffney | WR | Florida | |
| 2 | 50 | Chester Pitts | OT | San Diego State | Extra selection |
| 3 | 66 | Fred Weary | OG | Tennessee | |
| 3 | 83 | Charles Hill | DT | Maryland | Extra selection |
| 4 | 99 | Jonathan Wells | RB | Ohio State | |
| 5 | 136 | Jarrod Baxter | FB | New Mexico | |
| 5 | 153 | Ramon Walker | S | Pittsburgh | Extra selection |
| 6 | 173 | Demarcus Faggins | CB | Kansas State | |
| 6 | 190 | Howard Green | DT | LSU | Extra selection |
| 7 | 229 | Greg White | DE | Minnesota | Extra selection |
| 7 | 261 | Ahmad Miller | DT | UNLV | Extra selection |
| Made roster ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Atnaf Harris | Wide receiver | Cal State Northridge |
| Joey Knapp | Tight end | UTEP |
| John Minardi | Wide receiver | Colorado |
| Jimmy McClain | Linebacker | Troy State |
| Eric Parker | Wide receiver | Tennessee |
| Ed Stansbury | Running back | UCLA |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| HOF | August 5 | vs. New York Giants | L 17–34 | 0–1 | Fawcett Stadium (Canton) | Recap |
| 1 | August 10 | at New Orleans Saints | W 13–10 | 1–1 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| 2 | August 17 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 9–19 | 1–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 24 | Miami Dolphins | L 3–24 | 1–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 30 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–17 | 1–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 8 | Dallas Cowboys | W 19–10 | 1–0 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | at San Diego Chargers | L 3–24 | 1–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 22 | Indianapolis Colts | L 3–23 | 1–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–35 | 1–3 | Veterans Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 6 | October 13 | Buffalo Bills | L 24–31 | 1–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | at Cleveland Browns | L 17–34 | 1–5 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–19 | 2–5 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 3–38 | 2–6 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | at Tennessee Titans | L 10–17 | 2–7 | The Coliseum | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 21–24 | 2–8 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | New York Giants | W 16–14 | 3–8 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 1 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 3–19 | 3–9 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 14 | December 8 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–6 | 4–9 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | Baltimore Ravens | L 19–23 | 4–10 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 22 | at Washington Redskins | L 10–26 | 4–11 | FedExField | Recap |
| 17 | December 29 | Tennessee Titans | L 3–13 | 4–12 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Texans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 19 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 8, 2002
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 69,604
* Referee: Bill Carollo
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Suzy Kolber
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Billy Miller 19-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 14:43. Texans 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 64 yards, 0:13.
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 42-yard field goal, 13:22. Texans 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards.
DAL – Billy Cundiff 33-yard field goal, 1:05. Texans 10–3. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 0:32.
Third quarter
DAL – Michael Wiley 46-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 7:13. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 84 yards.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Corey Bradford 65-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 13:15. Texans 17–10. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 0:25.
HOU – Quincy Carter sacked in the end zone for a safety, 2:47. Texans 19–10.
Top passers
DAL – Quincy Carter – 13/30, 130 yards, INT
HOU – David Carr – 10/22, 145 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 17 rushes, 67 yards
HOU – James Allen – 19 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Joey Galloway – 6 receptions, 69 yards
HOU – Corey Bradford – 4 receptions, 99 yards, TD :

#### Week 2: at San Diego Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Chargers | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: September 15, 2002
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 74° (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 56,098
* Referee: Mike Carey
* TV announcers (CBS): Craig Bolerjack, Craig James and Scott Kaplan
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
SD – Curtis Conway 35-yard pass from Drew Brees (Steve Christie kick), 11:55. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 3:37.
SD – Curtis Conway 3-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 2:52. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 0:33.
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 45-yard field goal, 9:31. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:45.
SD – Steve Christie 36-yard field goal, 0:07. Chargers 17–3. Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 0:28.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
SD – Raylee Johnson fumble recovery in the end zone (Steve Christie kick), 11:49. Chargers 24–3.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 6/25, 87 yards, 2 INT
SD – Drew Brees – 15/28, 163 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
HOU – James Allen – 13 rushes, 51 yards
SD – LaDainian Tomlinson – 27 rushes, 84 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Jabar Gaffney – 2 receptions, 37 yards
SD – Curtis Conway – 5 receptions, 113 yards, TD :

#### Week 3: vs. Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 7 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 22, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Roof open 81° Sunny
* Game attendance: 69,204
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
IND – Qadry Ismail 42-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 2:40. Colts 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:25.
Second quarter
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 26-yard field goal, 12:59. Colts 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 10:59.
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 39-yard field goal, 1:38. Colts 13–0. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 2:34.
Third quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 24-yard field goal, 4:55. Colts 13–3. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 5:22.
Fourth quarter
IND – Reggie Wayne 43-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 4:06. Colts 20–3. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:30.
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 37-yard field goal, 1:15. Colts 23–3. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 2:03.
Top passers
IND – Peyton Manning – 21/28, 272 yards, 2 TD
HOU – David Carr – 12/22, 99 yards, INT
Top rushers
IND – Edgerrin James – 25 rushes, 88 yards
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 14 rushes, 93 yards
Top receivers
IND – Marvin Harrison – 8 receptions, 110 yards
HOU – JaJuan Dawson – 3 receptions, 32 yards :

#### Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Eagles | 3 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 35 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 29, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 72° (Sunny, partly cloudy)
* Game attendance: 64,867
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Corey Bradford 23-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 10:18. Texans 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:10.
PHI – David Akers 25-yard field goal, 3:56. Texans 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 5:23.
Second quarter
PHI – Duce Staley 1-yard run (David Akers kick), 13:31. Eagles 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 4:19.
PHI – Duce Staley 1-yard run (David Akers kick), 5:18. Eagles 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 4:08.
PHI – David Akers 41-yard field goal, 2:46. Eagles 20–7. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:15.
Third quarter
PHI – Brian Dawkins 57-yard pass from Brian Mitchell (McNabb pass to Lewis), 11:43. Eagles 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, 3:52.
HOU – Corey Bradford 29-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 9:16. Eagles 28–14. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:12.
HOU – Kris Brown 48-yard field goal, 2:37. Eagles 28–17. Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 2:33.
Fourth quarter
PHI – James Thrash 38-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 5:15. Eagles 35–17. Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 0:53.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 16/29, 188 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
PHI – Donovan McNabb – 24/42, 259 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
HOU – James Allen – 14 rushes, 41 yards
PHI – Duce Staley – 12 rushes, 33 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
HOU – Corey Bradford – 7 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD
PHI – Todd Pinkston – 6 receptions, 70 yards :

#### Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Texans | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 13, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 70,120
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 26-yard field goal, 10:26. Texans 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 82 yards, 2:19.
BUF – Mike Hollis 33-yard field goal, 5:00. Tied 3–3. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 5:26.
Second quarter
HOU – Jabar Gaffney 26-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 10:31. Texans 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:34.
HOU – David Carr 17-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 5:04. Texans 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 4:04.
BUF – Travis Henry 1-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 0:54. Texans 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 4:10.
Third quarter
BUF – Travis Henry 23-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 6:32. Tied 17–17. Drive: 11 plays, 95 yards, 5:10.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Billy Miller 5-yard pass from James Allen (Kris Brown kick), 14:10. Texans 24–17. Drive: 2 plays, 8 yards, 0:24.
BUF – Eric Moulds 23-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Mike Hollis kick), 10:39. Tied 24–24. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:31.
BUF – Peerless Price 26-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Mike Hollis kick), 3:55. Bills 31–24. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:30.
Top passers
BUF – Drew Bledsoe – 19/33, 254 yards, 2 TD
HOU – David Carr – 12/23, 218 yards, TD
Top rushers
BUF – Travis Henry – 28 rushes, 159 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 12 rushes, 70 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Peerless Price – 8 receptions, 121 yards, TD
HOU – Corey Bradford – 5 receptions, 126 yards :

#### Week 7: at Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Browns | 0 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 34 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
* Date: October 20, 2002
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 52°
* Game attendance: 73,248
* Referee: Gerald Austin
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
CLE – William Green 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 14:23. Browns 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 13 yards, 3:28.
HOU – Corey Bradford 37-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 12:41. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 0:37.
Third quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 36-yard field goal, 10:30. Browns 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:20.
HOU – Corey Bradford 39-yard pass from Jabar Gaffney (Kris Brown kick), 9:03. Texans 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 0:37.
CLE – André Davis 95-yard kick return (Phil Dawson kick), 8:31. Browns 17–14.
HOU – Kris Brown 47-yard field goal, 5:48. Tied 17–17. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 1:59.
CLE – Quincy Morgan 25-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 3:22. Browns 24–17. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:14.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 44-yard field goal, 5:46. Browns 27–17. Drive: 9 plays, 31 yards, 3:57.
CLE – Jamel White 2-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 2:00. Browns 34–17. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:35.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 22/36, 267 yards, TD
CLE – Tim Couch – 21/31, 148 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – James Allen – 5 rushes, 61 yards
CLE – Jamel White – 12 rushes, 65 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – Billy Miller – 6 receptions, 78 yards
CLE – Quincy Morgan – 7 receptions, 81 yards, TD :

#### Week 8: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 21 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: October 27, 2002
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 53,721
* Referee: Ron Blum
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
JAX – Jimmy Smith 25-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 12:11. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:39.
HOU – Jonathan Wells 3-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 8:31. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 2:08.
JAX – Chad Stanley tackled in end zone, 5:15. Jaguars 9–7.
Third quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 43-yard field goal, 11:55. Texans 10–9. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 3:39.
JAX – Tim Seder 34-yard field goal, 6:31. Jaguars 12–10. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:43.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Billy Miller 1-yard pass from David Carr (Carr pass to Gaffney), 18–12. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:12.
JAX – Stacey Mack 2-yard run (Tim Seder kick), 7:58. Jaguars 19–18. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:22.
HOU – Kris Brown 45-yard field goal, 2:24. Texans 21–19. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 0:28.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 11/18, 184 yards, TD
JAX – Mark Brunell – 16/34, 202 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – James Allen – 10 rushes, 40 yards
JAX – Fred Taylor – 25 rushes, 85 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Billy Miller – 3 receptions, 78 yards, TD
JAX – Jimmy Smith – 4 receptions, 80 yards, TD :

#### Week 9: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 10 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
| Texans | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 3, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 69,827
* Referee: Larry Nemmers
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU − Kris Brown 23-yard field goal, 10:58. Texans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:55.
CIN – Neil Rackers 25-yard field goal, 5:51. Tied 3–3. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 4:16.
CIN – Artrell Hawkins 102-yard interception return (Neil Rackers kick), 0:00. Bengals 10–3.
Second quarter
CIN – Michael Westbrook 26-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 6:00. Bengals 17–3. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 5:29.
CIN – Peter Warrick 33-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 0:42. Bengals 24–3. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 0:07.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
CIN – Michael Westbrook 12-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 11:28. Bengals 31–3. Drive: 13 plays, 98 yards, 16:59.
CIN – Chad Johnson 10-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 6:01. Bengals 38–3. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:38.
Top passers
CIN – Jon Kitna – 22/27, 263 yards, 4 TD
HOU – David Carr – 18/32, 199 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
CIN – Corey Dillon – 22 rushes, 92 yards
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 12 rushes, 44 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Peter Warrick – 7 receptions, 86 yards, TD
HOU – Corey Bradford – 5 receptions, 53 yards :

#### Week 10: at Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Titans | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: November 10, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 68,804
* Referee: Bill Leavy
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Derrick Mason 13-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 3:47. Titans 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 94 yards, 5:41.
Second quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 24-yard field goal, 7:54. Titans 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 0:36.
HOU – Kris Brown 51-yard field goal, 1:11. Titans 10–3. Drive: 12 plays, 41 yards, 5:06.
Third quarter
TEN – Shad Meier 17-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 10:52. Titans 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 4:06.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Jarrod Baxter 10-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 3:10. Titans 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 1:41.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 19/34, 182 yards, TD, 2 INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 10/21, 109 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 18 rushes, 41 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 25 rushes, 86 yards
Top receivers
HOU – JaJuan Dawson – 4 receptions, 75 yards
TEN – Derrick Mason – 4 receptions, 47 yards, TD :

#### Week 11: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 17, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 69,711
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
JAX – Stacey Mack 1-yard run (Tim Seder kick), 1:19. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:45.
Second quarter
JAX – Kyle Brady 2-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 10:20. Jaguars 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 96 yards, 1:44.
HOU – Corey Bradford 52-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 3:56. Jaguars 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:37.
JAX – Tim Seder 22-yard field goal, 0:00. Jaguars 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 1:55.
Third quarter
JAX – Jimmy Smith 13-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 12:50. Jaguars 24–7. Drive: 2 plays, 27 yards, 0:15.
HOU – David Carr 2-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 1:25. Jaguars 24–14. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 4:12.
Fourth quarter
HOU – David Carr 14-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 2:04. Jaguars 24–21. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 5:14.
Top passers
JAX – Mark Brunell – 15/25, 224 yards, 2 TD, INT
HOU – David Carr – 22/30, 228 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
JAX – Fred Taylor – 13 rushes, 56 yards
HOU – David Carr – 7 rushes, 33 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
JAX – Jimmy Smith – 6 receptions, 70 yards, TD
HOU – Corey Bradford – 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD :

#### Week 12: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Texans | 0 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 16 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 24, 2002
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,054
* Referee: Terry McAulay
* TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas and Matt Sampsell
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 40-yard field goal, 12:38. Texans 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 15:40.
NYG – Tiki Barber 2-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 3:45. Giants 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:22.
HOU – Matt Allen tackled in end zone, 0:26. Giants 7–5.
Third quarter
HOU – Jonathan Wells 1-yard run (David Carr pass to James Allen), 6:57. Texans 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:36.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Amani Toomer 31-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Matt Bryant kick), 13:18. Giants 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 12:02.
HOU – Kris Brown 50-yard field goal, 6:57. Texans 16–14. Drive: 11 plays, 41 yards, 5:57.
Top passers
NYG – Kerry Collins – 18/41, 214 yards, TD, 2 INT
HOU – David Carr – 10/23, 103 yards
Top rushers
NYG – Tiki Barber – 20 rushes, 147 yards, TD
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 24 rushes, 68 yards, TD
Top receivers
NYG – Amani Toomer – 8 receptions, 113 yards, TD
HOU – Billy Miller – 4 receptions, 70 yards :
The Giants entered the game at 6–4 looking for an easy victory over the expansion Texans. The first quarter was scoreless with miscues from both teams. Houston received the opening kickoff, but went three-and-out, punting the ball to end the drive. On the second play of the following drive, New York running back Tiki Barber fumbled the ball at the Giants 27-yard line with the ball being recovered by Houston linebacker Jamie Sharper. On the next drive, Texans' running back James Allen fumbled the ball and it was recovered at the New York 30-yard line by linebacker Dhani Jones for the Giants. The two teams would trade punts with the first points being scored by Houston kicker Kris Brown on a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Giants would respond a few drives later with Barber scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run. The game's next scoring play would come late in the second quarter. New York long snapper Bob Jones fumbled the snap with the ball being recovered by punter Matt Allen, who was tackled in his own end zone for a safety with the Texans trailing 7–5 at halftime.
Houston's first touchdown of the game came in the 3rd quarter, with a 1-yard run from Jonathan Wells. The Texans went for two, with Allen catching a pass from David Carr to put Houston up 13–7 with 6:57 left in the 3rd quarter. The Giants' following drive ended with Matt Bryant missing a 33-yard field goal. New York would score on its next possession with a 31-yard pass from Kerry Collins to receiver Amani Toomer to the Giants up 14–13 with 13:18 left in the game. Houston responded on the next drive with a 50-yard field goal to take a 16–14 lead with 6:57 left. The Giants had three drives to respond, but Collins was picked off twice on back-to-back possessions with the last play of the game being a failed Hail Mary to give the Texans a 16–14 upset victory.

#### Week 13: at Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Colts | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: December 1, 2002
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 56,820
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 31-yard field goal, 10:00. Colts 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:56.
IND – Marcus Pollard 16-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 8:55. Colts 10–0. Drive: 1 play, 16 yards, 0:08.
Second quarter
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 46-yard field goal, 12:30. Colts 13–0. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 0:50.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
IND – James Mungro 1-yard run (kick failed), 8:38. Colts 19–0. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:51.
HOU – Kris Brown 34-yard field goal, 3:55. Colts 19–3. Drive: 6 plays, 4 yards, 0:53.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 20/35, 137 yards
IND – Peyton Manning – 15/28, 190 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – James Allen – 16 rushes, 64 yards
IND – Edgerrin James – 20 rushes, 65 yards
Top receivers
HOU – James Allen – 10 receptions, 49 yards
IND – Marvin Harrison – 9 receptions, 101 yards :

#### Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 14 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 8, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 58,551
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kenny Wright 40-yard fumble return (Kris Brown kick), 6:15. Texans 7–0.
HOU – Aaron Glenn 70-yard interception return (Kris Brown kick), 2:30. Texans 14–0.
Second quarter
PIT – Jeff Reed 40-yard field goal, 0:25. Texans 14–3. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 2:28.
Third quarter
PIT – Jeff Reed 31-yard field goal, 9:45. Texans 14–6. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 5:08.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 43-yard field goal, 3:40. Texans 17–6. Drive: 4 plays, −5 yards, 0:17.
HOU – Aaron Glenn 65-yard interception return, 2:21. Texans 24–6.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 3/10, 33 yards
PIT – Tommy Maddox – 30/57, 325 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
HOU – James Allen – 13 rushes, 19 yards
PIT – Amos Zereoue – 11 rushes, 69 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Billy Miller – 3 receptions, 33 yards
PIT – Antwaan Randle El – 8 receptions, 88 yards :
The Texans had one of the worst offensive performances ever in an NFL game, only having 47 total yards of offense while the Steelers had 422 yards. The Texans' defense forced five turnovers and scored three touchdowns. Pittsburgh quarterback Tommy Maddox threw two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns by Houston cornerback Aaron Glenn; Maddox also lost a fumble that was recovered by Texans cornerback Kenny Wright for a touchdown.

#### Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ravens | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 15, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,108
* Referee: Bernie Kukar
* TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee and Craig James
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Matt Stover 22-yard field goal, 7:30. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 0:50.
Second quarter
HOU – Jonathan Wells 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 13:45. Texans 7–3. Drive: 14 plays, 91 yards, 18:27.
BAL – Matt Stover 22-yard field goal, 12:00. Texans 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 0:43.
BAL – Travis Taylor 26-yard pass from Jeff Blake (Matt Stover kick), 2:00. Ravens 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 97 yards, 5:00.
Third quarter
BAL – Chester Taylor 11-yard pass from Jeff Blake (Matt Stover kick), 7:30. Ravens 20–7. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:00.
HOU – Avion Black 76-yard punt return (Kris Brown kick), 0:59. Ravens 20–14.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Matt Stover 47-yard field goal, 9:00. Ravens 23–14. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 4:00.
HOU – Kris Brown 41-yard field goal, 3:40. Ravens 23–17. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 2:21.
HOU – Team safety, 2:28. Ravens 23–19.
Top passers
BAL – Jeff Blake – 18/30, 228 yards, 2 TD
HOU – David Carr – 19/34, 196 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
BAL – Jamal Lewis – 20 rushes, 49 yards
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 14 rushes, 48 yards, TD
Top receivers
BAL – Travis Taylor – 5 receptions, 96 yards, TD
HOU – Billy Miller – 8 receptions, 77 yards :

#### Week 16: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 26 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
* Date: December 22, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,291
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 47-yard field goal, 7:42. Texans 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 10 yards, 2:06.
WSH – Rock Cartwright 12-yard pass from Patrick Ramsey (José Cortez kick), 3:33. Redskins 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:29.
Second quarter
WSH – Houston penalty in end zone, 14:05. Redskins 9–3.
WSH – Derrius Thompson 13-yard pass from Patrick Ramsey (José Cortez kick), 1:15. Redskins 16–3. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 1:57.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
WSH – Ladell Betts 3-yard run (José Cortez kick), 14:30. Redskins 23–3. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 12:19.
HOU – Kevin Williams blocked punt recovery, 9:46. Redskins 23–10.
WSH – José Cortez 23-yard field goal, 2:54. Redskins 26–10. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 5:53.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 12/31, 112 yards, INT
WSH – Patrick Ramsey – 14/31, 190 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 15 rushes, 33 yards
WSH – Ladell Betts – 20 rushes, 116 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – Corey Bradford – 5 receptions, 43 yards
WSH – Derrius Thompson – 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD :

#### Week 17: vs. Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 29, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,694
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 28-yard field goal, 4:01. Titans 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:34.
Second quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 26-yard field goal, 2:56. Titans 6–0. Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 1:48.
Third quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 42-yard field goal, 1:19. Titans 6–3. Drive: 3 plays, 60 yards, 0:13.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Eddie George 5-yard run (Joe Nedney kick), 5:24. Titans 13–3. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 4:09.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 8/22, 148 yards
HOU – David Carr – 21/40, 214 yards, INT
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 25 rushes, 102 yards, TD
HOU – Jonathan Allen – 6 rushes, 20 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Drew Bennett – 2 receptions, 58 yards
HOU – Jabar Gaffney – 6 receptions, 73 yards :
This was the Titans' first game to be played in Houston since December 15, 1996 when the team was known as the Houston Oilers.

### Standings
#### Division

AFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ Tennessee Titans | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–0 | 9–3 | 367 | 324 | W5 |
| $^{(5)}$ Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 349 | 313 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 328 | 315 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 213 | 356 | L3 |

#### Conference

AFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV |
| Division leaders |||||||||||
| 1 | Oakland Raiders | West | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .529 | .531 |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–0 | 9–3 | .479 | .474 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 6–0 | 8–4 | .486 | .451 |
| 4 | New York Jets | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .500 | .500 |
| Wild Cards |||||||||||
| 5 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .479 | .400 |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .486 | .413 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason |||||||||||
| 7 | Denver Broncos | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .527 | .486 |
| 8 | New England Patriots | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .525 | .455 |
| 9 | Miami Dolphins | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .508 | .486 |
| 10 | Buffalo Bills | East | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .473 | .352 |
| 11 | San Diego Chargers | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .492 | .453 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .527 | .516 |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .506 | .384 |
| 14 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .506 | .438 |
| 15 | Houston Texans | South | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .518 | .492 |
| 16 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .537 | .406 |
| Tiebreakers |||||||||||
| 1 2 Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 3 N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (8–4 to 7–5) and Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). 1 2 3 Cleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6) 1 2 Denver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 New England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). 1 2 Buffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City based on division record (3–3 to 2–4). ↑ 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. |||||||||||

## Statistics

Despite being in their first season, Football Outsiders calculated that the Texans were, play-for-play, the least successful team in the NFL in 2002. FO also stated that the 2002 Texans had the worst offense and third-worst run offense they have ever tracked.

### Team

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
| Passing offense | 2,225 | 139.1 | 32nd |
| Rushing offense | 1,347 | 84.2 | 31st |
| Total offense | 3,572 | 223.3 | 32nd |
| Passing defense | 3,141 | 196.3 | 10th |
| Rushing defense | 2,089 | 130.6 | 28th |
| Total defense | 5,230 | 326.9 | 16th |

### Individual

| Category | Player | Total |
| Offense |||
| Passing yards | David Carr | 2,592 |
| Passing touchdowns | David Carr | 9 |
| Rushing yards | Jonathan Wells | 529 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jonathan Wells David Carr | 3 |
| Receiving yards | Corey Bradford | 697 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Corey Bradford | 6 |
| Defense |||
| Tackles (Solo) | Jay Foreman | 105 |
| Sacks | Jeff Posey | 8 |
| Interceptions | Aaron Glenn | 5 |
Source: