| 2002 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Home field | Gillette Stadium[1] |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | ST Larry Izzo CB Ty Law SS Lawyer Milloy DT Richard Seymour K Adam Vinatieri C Damien Woody |
| AP All-Pros | K Adam Vinatieri (1st team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2002 season was the New England Patriots' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and their third under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth. It was their first season at their new home field, Gillette Stadium, which replaced the adjacent Foxboro Stadium.
This was the first season since 1992 that Drew Bledsoe was not on the opening day roster, as he was traded to the Buffalo Bills during the offseason.
Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium in the NFL's primetime Monday Night Football opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44–7 road win against the division rival New York Jets, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span. In the final week of the season, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins on an overtime Adam Vinatieri field goal to give both teams a 9–7 record. A few hours later, the Jets, who defeated the Patriots the week prior, also finished with a 9–7 record with a win over the Green Bay Packers. Due to their record against common opponents, after the Jets won the tiebreaker for the division title, both the Patriots and Dolphins were eliminated from the playoff contention.[2] The 2002 season was the only time the Patriots failed to win at least 10 games during the regular season in the Brady–Belichick era. It also marked the only season with Tom Brady as the primary starter that the team failed to make the playoffs, and until 2022 the only time that Brady lost three consecutive games. [3]
- ^ "New Stadium Has Face Value". Hartford Courant. August 6, 2002. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ^ "New England 27, Miami 24, OT". Yahoo! Sports. December 29, 2002. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ "Tom Brady loses third game in a row for first time since 2002 as Bucs fall to Ravens". CBS Sports. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.