# 2002 Tennessee Titans season

The 2002 season was the Tennessee Titans' 33rd in the National Football League and 43rd overall. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 7–9, managing eleven victories. After starting 1–4, the Titans won 10 of their next 11 games. They qualified for the playoffs with a first-round bye, but were unable to reach the Super Bowl, losing to the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship. The Titans would not return to the AFC Championship again until 2019.
The season also marked the first time that the Titans would return to Houston, in a week 17 match against the Texans since relocating 5 years earlier.
As of 2024, this was the last time the Titans won a home playoff game, having gone 0–3 since.

## Offseason

| Signings | Departures |
| S Rich Coady (Rams) | DT Josh Evans (Jets) |
| FB Robert Holcombe (Rams) | DT Jason Fisk (Chargers) |
| FS Lance Schulters (49ers) | C Bruce Matthews (retired) |
| | OLB Eddie Robinson (Bills) |

### NFL draft

2002 Tennessee Titans draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 12 | Albert Haynesworth * | Defensive tackle | Tennessee | from N. Y. Giants |
| 2 | 45 | Tank Williams | Safety | Stanford | |
| 3 | 77 | Rocky Calmus | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 4 | 110 | Mike Echols | Cornerback | Wisconsin | from N. Y. Giants |
| 4 | 115 | Tony Beckham | Cornerback | UW–Stout | |
| 4 | 133 | Rocky Boiman | Linebacker | Notre Dame | |
| 5 | 151 | Jake Schifino | Wide receiver | Akron | |
| 6 | 187 | Justin Hartwig | Center | Kansas | |
| 7 | 225 | Darrell Hill | Wide receiver | NIU | |
| 7 | 240 | Carlos Hall | Defensive end | Arkansas | from Green Bay |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2002 undrafted free agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Brad Kassell | Linebacker | North Texas |
| John Simon | Running back | Louisiana Tech |

## Preseason
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
| 1 | August 10, 2002 | St. Louis Rams | W 28–26 | 1–0 |
| 2 | August 15, 2002 | Oakland Raiders | W 24–14 | 2–0 |
| 3 | August 23, 2002 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 10–14 | 2–1 |
| 4 | August 30, 2002 | at Green Bay Packers | L 20–21 | 2–2 |

## Regular season

Under the NFL's divisional realignment, the Titans were moved from the AFC Central, where they had played since the NFL–AFL merger in 1970, into the new AFC South. In addition to their home and away games with AFC South opponents, the Titans in 2002 played games against the AFC North and NFC East according to the league's new schedule rotation. They also played one game each against the Patriots and the Raiders based upon standings from 2001.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV | Time (CT) | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | September 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–24 | FOX | 12:00 pm | 1–0 | 68,804 |
| 2 | September 15 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–21 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 1–1 | 62,527 |
| 3 | September 22 | Cleveland Browns | L 28–31 (OT) | CBS | 12:00 pm | 1–2 | 68,804 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Oakland Raiders | L 25–52 | CBS | 3:15 pm | 1–3 | 58,719 |
| 5 | October 6 | Washington Redskins | L 14–31 | FOX | 12:00 pm | 1–4 | 68,804 |
| 6 | October 13 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 23–14 | CBS | 3:15 pm | 2–4 | 68,804 |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 27 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–24 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 3–4 | 52,822 |
| 9 | November 3 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 23–15 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 4–4 | 56,752 |
| 10 | November 10 | Houston Texans | W 17–10 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 5–4 | 68,804 |
| 11 | November 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–23 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 6–4 | 68,804 |
| 12 | November 24 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 12–13 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 6–5 | 69,365 |
| 13 | December 1 | at New York Giants | W 32–29 (OT) | CBS | 12:00 pm | 7–5 | 78,640 |
| 14 | December 8 | Indianapolis Colts | W 27–17 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 8–5 | 68,804 |
| 15 | December 16 | New England Patriots | W 24–7 | ABC | 8:08 pm | 9–5 | 68,809 |
| 16 | December 22 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–10 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 10–5 | 51,033 |
| 17 | December 29 | at Houston Texans | W 13–3 | CBS | 12:00 pm | 11–5 | 70,694 |
Note: Division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Titans | 7 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: September 8, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 PM
* Game weather: Hot and Hazy, 83 °F (28.3 °C)
* Game attendance: 68,804
* Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
* TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter'
TEN – Eddie George 14-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 7:10. Titans 7-0. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 5:19.
PHI – James Thrash 18-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 5:20. Tied 7-7. Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:53.
PHI – Duce Staley 7-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 2:36. Eagles 14-7. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:44.
Second quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 33-yard field goal, 11:00. Eagles 14-10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:36.
PHI – Chad Lewis 7-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 5:05. Eagles 21-10. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:55.
PHI – David Akers 30-yard field goal, 0:48. Eagles 24-10. Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 1:00.
Third quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 47-yard field goal, 11:06. Eagles 24-13. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:54.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Justin McCareins 2-yard pass from Steve McNair (2PT run failed), 12:49. Eagles 24-19. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:21.
TEN – Eddie George 2-yard run (Eddie George run), 3:09. Titans 27-24. Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 5:41.
Top passers
PHI – Donovan McNabb – 18/36, 212 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 24/34, 269 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
PHI – Brian Westbrook – 8 rushes, 42 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 18 rushes, 42 yards, TD
Top receivers
PHI – Antonio Freeman – 3 receptions, 54 yards
TEN – Derrick Mason – 7 receptions, 109 yards :

#### Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: September 15, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 PM
* Game weather: Cloudy skies, 81 °F (27.2 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,527
* Referee: Ed Hochuli (85)
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter'
TEN – Frank Wycheck 1-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 0:00. Titans 7-0. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 8:27.
Second quarter
DAL – Tony McGee 17-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 12:00. Tied 7-7. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 3:00.
TEN – Joe Nedney 37-yard field goal, 5:31. Titans 10-7. Drive: 13 plays, 55 yards, 6:29.
Third quarter
DAL – Dexter Coakley 52-yard interception return (Billy Cundiff kick), 3:10. Cowboys 14-10.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Joey Galloway 38-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 11:25. Cowboys 21-10. Drive: 7 plays, 95 yards, 3:22.
TEN – Joe Nedney 53-yard field goal, 5:18. Cowboys 21-13. Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 2:36.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 20/38, 226 yards, TD, INT
DAL – Quincy Carter – 14/24, 240 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 19 rushes, 65 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 18 rushes, 59 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Derrick Mason – 7 receptions, 118 yards
DAL – Joey Galloway – 5 receptions, 88 yards, TD :

#### Week 15: vs. New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Titans | 0 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: December 16, 2002
* Game time: 9:00 pm
* Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (13.9 °C)
* Game attendance: 68,809
* Referee: Ron Winter (14)
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Melissa Stark
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
Second quarter
TEN – Steve McNair 11-yard run (Joe Nedney kick), 12:16. Titans 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 6:18.
TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Joe Nedney kick), 0:32. Titans 14–0. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 6:48.
Third quarter
NE – Tom Brady 10-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 13:08. Titans 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 1:52.
TEN – Rich Coady 24-yard interception return (Joe Nedney kick), 9:58. Titans 21–7.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 28-yard field goal, 9:22. Titans 24–7. Drive: 15 plays, 69 yards, 9:24.
Top passers
NE – Tom Brady – 14/29, 134 yards, INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 11/24, 136 yards, INT
Top rushers
NE – Antowain Smith – 6 rushes, 31 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 31 rushes, 101 yards
Top receivers
NE – Troy Brown – 8 receptions, 73 yards
TEN – Derrick Mason – 6 receptions, 86 yards :

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

## Playoffs

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
| Divisional | January 11, 2003 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 34–31 (OT) | 68,809 |
| Conference Championship | January 19, 2003 | at Oakland Raiders | L 24–41 | 62,544 |

### AFC Divisional Playoff vs Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 31 |
| Titans | 14 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 34 |
at Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
* Game time: 4:30 pm EST
* Game weather: Sunny, 34 °F (1.1 °C)
* Game attendance: 68,809
* Referee: Ron Blum
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
This was the Titans franchise's first playoff win over the Steelers in four tries, following three losses as the Oilers in 1978, 1979 and 1989, the last of which was also in overtime.

### AFC Championship Game

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Raiders | 14 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Clear, 52 °F (11.1 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,544
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian and Bonnie Bernstein
This was the Titans' last appearance at the AFC championship game until 2019.