# 2002 New Orleans Saints season

The 2002 season was the New Orleans Saints' 36th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 27th playing home games at the Louisiana Superdome. They improved upon their previous season's performance of 7–9, winning nine games. Despite the winning season, and ranking third in total offense in 2002, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. As of 2022, this remains the only season in which the Saints have worn their gold jerseys.
A bright moment during the season for the Saints was sweeping the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those two wins were almost guaranteed to make New Orleans a playoff team; however, three consecutive losses, all to losing teams, including one to the 1–13 Cincinnati Bengals, knocked New Orleans out of playoff contention.

## Offseason

| Additions | Subtractions |
| WR Jerome Pathon (Colts) | RB Ricky Williams (Dolphins) |
| TE David Sloan (Lions) | T Willie Roaf (Chiefs) |
| CB Ken Irvin (Bills) | DT La'Roi Glover (Cowboys) |
| WR Jake Reed (Vikings) | CB Fred Weary (Falcons) |
| T Victor Riley (Chiefs) | DE Joe Johnson (Packers) |
| CB Dale Carter (Vikings) | T Daryl Terrell (Jaguars) |

### NFL Draft

2002 New Orleans Saints draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 13 | Donté Stallworth | Wide receiver | Tennessee |
| 1 | 25 | Charles Grant | Defensive end | Georgia |
| 2 | 44 | LeCharles Bentley * | Guard | Ohio State |
| 3 | 82 | James Allen | Linebacker | Oregon State |
| 4 | 125 | Keyuo Craver | Defensive back | Nebraska |
| 5 | 150 | Mel Mitchell | Defensive back | Western Kentucky |
| 6 | 186 | J. T. O'Sullivan | Quarterback | UC Davis |
| 6 | 196 | John Gilmore | Tight end | Penn State |
| 7 | 224 | Derrius Monroe | Defensive end | Virginia Tech |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Jeff Reed | Placekicker | North Carolina |

## Regular season
### Schedule

Under the NFL's new scheduling formula, the Saints' non-divisional conference opponents in 2002 were primarily from the NFC North, although they also played former divisional rival the San Francisco 49ers from the NFC West, and the Washington Redskins from the NFC East. Their non-conference opponents were from the AFC North.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | September 8 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 26–20 (OT) | 1–0 | 65,554 |
| 2 | September 15 | Green Bay Packers | W 35–20 | 2–0 | 67,958 |
| 3 | September 22 | at Chicago Bears | W 29–23 | 3–0 | 63,216 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Detroit Lions | L 21–26 | 3–1 | 60,023 |
| 5 | October 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 32–29 | 4–1 | 67,734 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Washington Redskins | W 43–27 | 5–1 | 80,768 |
| 7 | October 20 | San Francisco 49ers | W 35–27 | 6–1 | 67,903 |
| 8 | October 27 | Atlanta Falcons | L 35–37 | 6–2 | 67,883 |
| 9 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 10 | November 10 | at Carolina Panthers | W 34–24 | 7–2 | 72,566 |
| 11 | November 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–24 | 7–3 | 70,382 |
| 12 | November 24 | Cleveland Browns | L 15–24 | 7–4 | 68,295 |
| 13 | December 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–20 | 8–4 | 68,226 |
| 14 | December 8 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 37–25 | 9–4 | 69,334 |
| 15 | December 15 | Minnesota Vikings | L 31–32 | 9–5 | 67,851 |
| 16 | December 22 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–20 | 9–6 | 43,544 |
| 17 | December 29 | Carolina Panthers | L 6–10 | 9–7 | 66,946 |

### Game summaries
#### Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: September 15, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 88 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 67,958
* Referee: Johnny Grier (23)
* TV: FOX
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Deuce McAllister 4-yard run (John Carney kick), 9:19. Saints 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 5:41.
Second quarter
GB – Ryan Longwell 27-yard field goal, 10:23. Saints 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 71 yards, 7:31.
NO – Jerome Pathon 5-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 5:12. Saints 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2:53.
NO – Donte Stallworth 34-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 2:03. Saints 21–3. Drive: 4 plays, 52 yards, 1:16.
GB – Terry Glenn 14-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 0:40. Saints 21–10. Drive: 1 play, 14 yards, 0:08.
Third quarter
NO – Keyuo Craver 28-yard fumble return (John Carney kick), 13:53. Saints 28–10.
GB – Donald Driver 26-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 0:31. Saints 28–17. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:31.
Fourth quarter
GB – Ryan Longwell 36-yard field goal, 4:31. Saints 28–20. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:03.
NO – Deuce McAllister 2-yard run (John Carney kick), 2:00. Saints 35–20. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 2:31.
Top passers
GB – Brett Favre – 29/44, 270 yards, 2 TD, INT
NO – Aaron Brooks – 16/28, 217 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
GB – Ahman Green – 17 rushes, 81 yards
NO – Deuce McAllister – 21 rushes, 123 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
GB – Terry Glenn – 9 receptions, 81 yards, TD
NO – Joe Horn – 6 receptions, 120 yards :

#### Week 3: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 0 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Bears | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
* Date: September 22, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,216
* Referee: Ron Blum (7)
* TV: FOX
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Paul Edinger 31-yard field goal, 7:36. Bears 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 4:01.
CHI – Dez White 10-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 2:47. Bears 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:10.
Second quarter
CHI – Marty Booker 22-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 13:35. Bears 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 3:05.
CHI – Paul Edinger 25-yard field goal, 11:47. Bears 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:30.
NO – Jerome Pathon 16-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 7:21. Bears 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 4:26.
NO – Aaron Brooks 7-yard run (John Carney kick), 6:23. Bears 20–14. Drive: 2 plays, 8 yards, 0:58.
Third quarter
NO – Joe Horn 5-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 8:15. Saints 21–20. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:45.
Fourth quarter
CHI – Paul Edinger 25-yard field goal, 8:43. Bears 23–21. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 5:59.
NO – Donte Stallworth 29-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Aaron Brooks run), 1:11. Saints 29–23. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:01.
Top passers
NO – Aaron Brooks – 22/34, 233 yards, 3 TD, INT
CHI – Jim Miller – 26/40, 236 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
NO – Deuce McAllister – 17 rushes, 45 yards
CHI – Anthony Thomas – 27 rushes, 111 yards
Top receivers
NO – Jerome Pathon – 5 receptions, 71 yards, TD
CHI – Marty Booker – 8 receptions, 97 yards, TD :

#### Week 4: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 0 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 21 |
| Lions | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: September 29, 2002
* Game time: 1:03 pm
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 60,023
* Referee: Ron Winter (14)
* TV: Fox
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 23-yard field goal, 12:03. Lions 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 2:57.
DET – James Hall 22-yard fumble return (Jason Hanson kick), 10:31. Lions 10–0.
DET – Jason Hanson 34-yard field goal, 5:41. Lions 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:42.
Second quarter
DET – Bill Schroeder 38-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 4:53. Lions 20–0. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:30.
NO – Donte Stallworth 4-yard pass from Ahmad Brooks (John Carney kick), 1:25. Lions 20–7. Drive: 12 plays, 91 yards, 3:28.
Third quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 23-yard field goal, 7:24. Lions 23–7. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 2:27.
NO – Deuce McAllister 12-yard run (Ahmad Brooks run), 3:41. Lions 23–15. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:43.
Fourth quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 38-yard field goal, 11:47. Lions 26–15. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 2:58.
NO – Jerome Pathon 6-yard pass from Ahmad Brooks (Run Failed), 3:41. Lions 26–21. Drive: 9 plays, 82 yards, 2:22.
Top passers
NO – Ahmad Brooks – 27/48, 269 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
DET – Joey Harrington – 20/35, 267 yards, TD
Top rushers
NO – Deuce McAllister – 12 rushes, 61 yards, TD
DET – James Stewart – 18 rushes, 65 yards
Top receivers
NO – Joe Horn – 6 receptions, 87 yards
DET – Az-Zahir Hakim – 3 receptions, 98 yards :

#### Week 15: vs. Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 14 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
| Saints | 10 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 31 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: December 15, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 67,851
* Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
* TV: FOX
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – John Carney 40-yard field goal, 11:50. Saints 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 3:10.
MIN – Daunte Culpepper 4-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 8:21. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 3:29.
MIN – Daunte Culpepper 6-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 1:01. Vikings 14–3. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 5:42.
NO – Michael Lewis 97-yard kickoff return (John Carney kick), 0:48. Vikings 14–10. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13.
Second quarter
MIN – Gary Anderson 41-yard field goal, 11:59. Vikings 17–10. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 3:49.
NO – John Carney 34-yard field goal, 5:25. Vikings 17–13. Drive: 12 plays, 44 yards, 6:34.
NO – Jake Reed 35-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 0:53. Saints 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 1:28.
MIN – Randy Moss 33-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 0:12. Vikings 24–20. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 0:41.
Third quarter
NO – John Carney 27-yard field goal, 0:55. Vikings 24–23. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:06.
Fourth quarter
NO – Deuce McAllister 17-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Aaron Brooks–Joe Horn pass), 5:21. Saints 31–24. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:35.
MIN – Randy Moss 13-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Daunte Culpepper run), 0:05. Vikings 32–31. Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 5:16.
Top passers
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 26/36, 312 yards, 2 TD
NO – Aaron Brooks – 21/33, 255 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 7 rushes, 73 yards, 2 TD
NO – Deuce McAllister – 18 rushes, 69 yards
Top receivers
MIN – Randy Moss – 11 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TD
NO – Joe Horn – 5 receptions, 60 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. |||||||||||