# 2002 Cleveland Browns season

The 2002 season was the Cleveland Browns' 54th as a professional sports franchise, their 50th as a member of the National Football League, and the second season under head coach Butch Davis.
In their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, linebacker Dwayne Rudd cost the Browns a victory when he threw his helmet in celebration unaware the play was still going on, incurring an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Because the clock expired during the play the Browns' unsportsmanlike conduct occurred on, per NFL rules, the Chiefs were given one untimed down. Chiefs' kicker Morten Andersen made the 30-yard field goal to win the game.
The Browns made their first playoff appearance since their re-activation. It was only the Browns' fourth year since returning to the league effectively as an expansion team, and their first winning season. The Browns faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round at Heinz Field. Despite a strong start with a 24–7 lead late in the third quarter, the Steelers would ultimately bounce back erasing a 17 point deficit, causing the Browns to lose 36–33. The Browns owner Al Lerner stepped down on October 2 and died on October 23, 2002, from brain cancer. His son, Randy Lerner took over the team until 2012. The Browns wore a patch with the initials "AL" for the remainder of the season and became a fixture on their uniforms to commemorate Lerner. After 2013 the initials were removed from the uniforms when Jimmy Haslam became owner of the franchise. The Browns would not make the playoffs again until 2020.

## Offseason

| Additions | Subtractions |
| T Ryan Tucker (Rams) | LB Wali Rainer (Jaguars) |
| FS Robert Griffith (Vikings) | T Roman Oben (Buccaneers) |
| LB Earl Holmes (Steelers) | DE Greg Spires (Buccaneers) |
| DE Kenard Lang (Redskins) | DE Keith McKenzie (Bears) |

### 2002 NFL draft

2002 Cleveland Browns Draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 16 | William Green | Running back | Boston College |
| 2 | 47 | André Davis | Wide receiver | Virginia Tech |
| 3 | 76 | Melvin Fowler | Center | Maryland |
| 4 | 101 | Kevin Bentley | Linebacker | Northwestern |
| 4 | 111 | Ben Taylor | Linebacker | Virginia Tech |
| 4 | 122 | Darnell Sanders | Tight end | Ohio State |
| 5 | 141 | Andra Davis | Linebacker | Florida |
| 7 | 227 | Joaquin Gonzalez | Offensive tackle | Miami |

### Undrafted free agents

2002 undrafted free agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Frisman Jackson | Wide receiver | Western Illinois |
| Kalvin Pearson | Safety | Grambling State |

## Regular season
### Schedule

Apart from their AFC North division games, the Browns played against the AFC South and NFC South according to the NFL's new conference rotation, and played the Chiefs and Jets based on 2001 standings with respect to the newly aligned divisions.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 39–40 | 0–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,938 |
| 2 | September 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–7 | 1–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,358 |
| 3 | September 22 | at Tennessee Titans | W 31–28 (OT) | 2–1 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,804 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–16 (OT) | 2–2 | Heinz Field | 62,864 |
| 5 | October 6 | Baltimore Ravens | L 21–26 | 2–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,688 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–17 | 2–4 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,625 |
| 7 | October 20 | Houston Texans | W 34–17 | 3–4 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,248 |
| 8 | October 27 | at New York Jets | W 24–21 | 4–4 | Giants Stadium | 78,502 |
| 9 | November 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–23 | 4–5 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,718 |
| 10 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 11 | November 17 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–20 | 5–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | 64,060 |
| 12 | November 24 | at New Orleans Saints | W 24–15 | 6–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,295 |
| 13 | December 1 | Carolina Panthers | L 6–13 | 6–6 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,718 |
| 14 | December 8 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–20 | 7–6 | Alltel Stadium | 46,267 |
| 15 | December 15 | Indianapolis Colts | L 23–28 | 7–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,098 |
| 16 | December 22 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 14–13 | 8–7 | M&T Bank Stadium | 68,348 |
| 17 | December 29 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–16 | 9–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,528 |
Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 40 |
| Browns | 6 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 39 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 72,938
* Referee: Ron Blum
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 20-yard field goal, 12:36. Browns 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:54.
KC – Tony Gonzalez 17-yard pass from Trent Green (Morten Andersen kick), 8:21. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:15.
CLE – Phil Dawson 32-yard field goal, 3:16. Chiefs 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:05.
Second quarter
CLE – Dennis Northcutt 43-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 12:19. Browns 13–7. Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:48.
KC – Priest Holmes 5-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 8:41. Chiefs 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 3:38.
CLE – Quincy Morgan 33-yard pass from Kevin Johnson (Phil Dawson kick), 5:38. Browns 20–14. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 3:03.
Third quarter
CLE – André Davis 4-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 7:09. Browns 27–14. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:51.
KC – Morten Andersen 33-yard field goal, 2:04. Browns 27–17. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 5:05.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 34-yard field goal, 11:19. Browns 30–17. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:27.
KC – Priest Holmes 26-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 9:06. Browns 30–24. Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 2:13.
KC – Priest Holmes 15-yard run (Morten Anderson kick), 8:05. Chiefs 31–30. Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:07.
CLE – Quincy Morgan 44-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (run failed), 5:52. Browns 36–31. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:13.
KC – Priest Holmes 7-yard run (run failed), 3:05. Chiefs 37–36. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:47.
CLE – Phil Dawson 41-yard field goal, 0:29. Browns 39–37. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:36.
KC – Morten Andersen 30-yard field goal, 0:00. Chiefs 40–39. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 0:29.
Top passers
KC – Trent Green – 20/29, 276 yards, TD, INT
CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 27/39, 326 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
KC – Priest Holmes – 22 rushes, 122 yards, 4 TD
CLE – Jamel White – 12 rushes, 42 yards
Top receivers
KC – Eddie Kennison – 4 receptions, 120 yards
CLE – Quincy Morgan – 9 receptions, 151 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 8: at New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 3 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 24 |
| Jets | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game time: 1:05 p.m.
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 78,502
* Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, and Beasley Reece
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Santana Moss 63-yard punt return (John Hall kick), 14:21. Jets 7–0.
CLE – Phil Dawson 23-yard field goal, 8:12. Jets 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 6:09.
NYJ – Laveranues Coles 37-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 5:57. Jets 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:15.
Second quarter
NYJ – Wayne Chrebet 8-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 14:23. Jets 21–3. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 4:22.
CLE – Phil Dawson 26-yard field goal, 7:29. Jets 21–6. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:39.
Third quarter
CLE – Mark Campbell 5-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 4:40. Jets 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 4:41.
CLE – André Davis 4-yard pass from Tim Couch (Tim Couch–Dennis Northcutt pass), 0:09. Tied 21–21. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 1:26.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 35-yard field goal, 3:30. Browns 24–21. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 8:33.
Top passers
CLE – Tim Couch – 32/48, 294 yards, 2 TD
NYJ – Chad Pennington – 19/26, 183 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
CLE – Jamel White – 14 rushes, 25 yards
NYJ – Curtis Martin – 18 rushes, 65 yards
Top receivers
CLE – Kevin Johnson – 5 receptions, 73 yards
NYJ – Laveranues Coles – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD :

### Standings
#### Division

AFC North :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 6–0 | 8–4 | 390 | 345 | W3 |
| $^{(6)}$ Cleveland Browns | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 344 | 320 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 316 | 354 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0–6 | 1–11 | 279 | 456 | L1 |

#### 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. |||||||||||

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| AFC Wild Card | January 5, 2003 | at Pittsburgh Steelers (3) | L 33–36 | 0–1 | Heinz Field | 62,595 | Recap |

### Game summaries

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 36 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
* Date: January 5, 2003
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Light snow, 27 °F (−3 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,595
* Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
CLE – William Green 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 13:44. Browns 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:16.
Second quarter
CLE – Dennis Northcutt 32-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 14:28. Browns 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 32 yards, 0:06.
PIT – Antwaan Randle El 66-yard punt return (Jeff Reed kick), 9:35. Browns 14–7.
CLE – Phil Dawson 31-yard field goal, 0:49. Browns 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:24.
Third quarter
CLE – Dennis Northcutt 15-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 12:11. Browns 24–7. Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 0:49.
PIT – Plaxico Burress 6-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 3:50. Browns 24–14. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 3:45.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 24-yard field goal, 14:52. Browns 27–14. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:58.
PIT – Jerame Tuman 3-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 12:28. Browns 27–21. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:24.
CLE – André Davis 22-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (pass failed), 10:17. Browns 33–21. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:11.
PIT – Hines Ward 5-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 3:06. Browns 33–28. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 2:24.
PIT – Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala 3-yard run (Tommy Maddox–Jerame Tuman pass), 0:54. Steelers 36–33. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 1:41.
Top passers
CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 26/43, 429 yards, 3 TD, INT
PIT – Tommy Maddox – 30/48, 367 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
CLE – William Green – 25 rushes, 30 yards, TD
PIT – Amos Zereoué – 13 rushes, 73 yards
Top receivers
CLE – Kevin Johnson – 4 receptions, 140 yards
PIT – Hines Ward – 11 receptions, 104 yards, TD :
An amazing performance from Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb was overshadowed by journeyman quarterback Tommy Maddox, who led the Steelers to 29 second-half points to overcome a 17-point deficit. A 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala 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'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 on the next play.
One play into the second quarter, Steelers receiver Antwaan Randle El fumbled a Browns punt, and Chris Akins 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. 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 for 22 total yards earned the team a Phil Dawson field goal that made the score 17-7 going into halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Northcutt returned Tom Rouen'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 a 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, 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, 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 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, 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 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 at the Steeler's 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.[6]
This was the first game that Heinz Field played Renegade.