2002 Atlanta Falcons season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Atlanta Falcons 2002 9–6–1 2nd NFC South Arthur Blank Dan Reeves Harold Richardson Georgia Dome Won Wild Card Playoffs(at Packers) 27–7Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Eagles) 6–20 QB Michael VickLB Keith Brooking LB Keith Brooking (2nd team) Falcons seasons The 2002 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 37th in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in the newly formed NFC South. It was also the team's first season under new owner Arthur Blank, who acquired the team during the 2002 offseason. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 7–9 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. The team was also involved in a rare tie, matching the Pittsburgh Steelers 34–34 at the end of overtime.Atlanta Falcons 34 at Pittsburgh Steelers 34 Before the season, the Falcons acquired running back Warrick Dunn to help with the team’s running game. Their running game had suffered the past three years. Dunn finished the season with 927 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns. With the boost of Dunn, the Falcons rushed for 2,368 yards (148 yards per game) and 23 touchdowns, both the fourth-best in the NFL. After seeing limited action as a rookie, this was Michael Vick's first full season as starting quarterback. In the Wild Card Game, Vick and the Falcons defeated the Brett Favre-led Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 27–7, giving the Packers their first ever playoff loss in Lambeau. However, a 20–6 loss to Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles in the next round kept the Falcons from advancing in the playoffs. This was Dan Reeves' last full season as head coach as he was replaced by interim Wade Phillips during the following season. Vick and linebacker Keith Brooking were voted to play in the Pro Bowl after the season. However, neither Vick not Brooking actually participated in the game. The Pro Bowl was Vick's first and Brooking's second. It was the final season the Falcons used their traditional black falcon helmet logo. The last remaining active member of the 2002 Atlanta Falcons was quarterback Michael Vick, who played his final NFL game in the 2015 season, although he missed the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Offseason Signings Departures RB Warrick Dunn (Buccaneers) QB Chris Chandler (Bears) DE John Thierry (Packers) G Bob Hallen (Chargers) DT Ellis Johnson (Colts) LB Henri Crockett (Vikings) LB John Holecek (Chargers) FS Ronnie Bradford (Vikings) T Todd Weiner (Seahawks) WR Terance Mathis (Steelers) CB Allen Rossum (Packers) DE Chuck Wiley (Vikings) CB Kevin Mathis (Saints) CB Fred Weary (Saints) NFL draft 2002 NFL draft 2002 Atlanta Falcons 1 16 T. J. Duckett Running back Michigan State from Washington via Oakland yes 3 80 Will Overstreet Linebacker Tennessee yes 4 116 Martin Bibla Guard Miami from Houston yes 5 148 Kevin McCadam Safety Virginia Tech yes 5 158 Kurt Kittner Quarterback Illinois from Oakland yes 6 184 Kahlil Hill Wide receiver Iowa yes 7 217 Michael Coleman Wide receiver Widener from Dallas no 7 244 Kevin Shaffer Offensive tackle Tulsa yes no Undrafted free agents + 2002 undrafted free agents of note Player Position College Dusty Bonner Quarterback Valdosta State Curt Davis Defensive Lineman Arkansas R.J. English Wide receiver Pittsburgh Corey Harris Safety Arkansas Brian Holmes Kicker Samford Manly Kanoa Guard Hawaii Curt Lessman Center Northwest Missouri State Eric Sims Cornerback Eastern Kentucky Jerry Togiai Defensive Tackle Kansas State Terrance Williams Running back UCF Ryan Wingrove Defensive End Bowling Green Personnel 2002 Atlanta Falcons Chairman/president/chief executive officer – Arthur Blank Senior advisor to the president – Bobby Beathard Vice president of football operations – Ron Hill College scouting coordinator – Reed Johnson Director of pro personnel – Les Snead Assistant to head coach/pro personnel – Marvin Bass Executive vice president/head coach – Dan Reeves Quarterbacks – Jack Burns Running backs – Ollie Wilson Wide receivers – Mike Johnson Tight ends – James Daniel Offensive line – Pete Mangurian Assistant offensive line – Rennie Simmons Offensive quality control – Ed West Defensive coordinator – Wade Phillips Defensive line – Bill Johnson Linebackers – Billy Davis Secondary – Emmitt Thomas Defensive quality control – Dennis Allen Special teams – Joe DeCamillis Strength and conditioning – Al Miller Assistant strength and conditioning – Rocky Colburn Roster 2002 Atlanta Falcons 53 6 5 11 Doug Johnson American football 15 Kurt Kittner y  7 Michael Vick 44 Bob Christian American football FB 45 T. J. Duckett y 28 Warrick Dunn 38 George Layne FB 82 Darrin Chiaverini 86 Brian Finneran 81 Trevor Gaylor 84 Shawn Jefferson 88 Quentin McCord 83 Alge Crumpler 89 Reggie Kelly 85 Brian Kozlowski 64 Martin Bibla y G 71 Travis Claridge G 65 Kynan Forney G 63 Roberto Garza C/G 62 Todd McClure C 76 Kevin Shaffer y T 66 Michael Thompson American football T 74 Todd Weiner T 70 Bob Whitfield T 77 Ronald Flemons DE 98 Travis Hall American football DE 95 Ed Jasper NT 61 Ellis Johnson defensive lineman NT 97 Patrick Kerney DE 91 Brady Smith American football DE 56 Keith Brooking ILB 54 Chris Draft ILB 59 John Holecek ILB 51 Karon Riley OLB 93 Sam Rogers linebacker OLB 53 Mark Simoneau ILB 52 Matt Stewart American football OLB 55 John Thierry OLB 50 Artie Ulmer OLB 33 Ashley Ambrose CB 21 Juran Bolden CB/S 34 Ray Buchanan CB 29 Keion Carpenter FS 35 Johndale Carty SS 30 Henry Jones American football FS 23 Kevin Mathis CB 47 Kevin McCadam y SS 20 Allen Rossum CB/RS 22 Gerald McBurrows SS 24 Fred Weary defensive back CB  4 Jay Feely K 13 Chris Mohr P 48 Derek Rackley LS 75 Shane Dronett DE IR 16 R. J. English y WR IR 36 Travis Jervey RB IR 49 Dallas Neil FB/TE IR 90 Will Overstreet y LB IR -- Jerry Togiai DT IR 27 Jeff Chaney RB 87 Jimmy Farris WR 69 Kris Farris T 80 Jason Waters y WR 79 Ryan Watson American football y DT Regular season Schedule In addition to their NFC South rivals, the Falcons played all teams from the NFC North and AFC North. In addition, the Falcons played the New York Giants from the NFC East, and the Seattle Seahawks from the NFC West, based on 2001 standings. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 8 at Green Bay Packers L 34–37 (OT) 0–1 Lambeau Field 63,127 2 September 15 Chicago Bears L 13–14 0–2 Georgia Dome 68,081 3 September 22 Cincinnati Bengals W 30–3 1–2 Georgia Dome 68,129 4 Bye 5 October 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 6–20 1–3 Georgia Dome 68,936 6 October 13 at New York Giants W 17–10 2–3 Giants Stadium 78,728 7 October 20 Carolina Panthers W 30–0 3–3 Georgia Dome 68,056 8 October 27 at New Orleans Saints W 37–35 4–3 Louisiana Superdome 67,883 9 November 3 Baltimore Ravens W 20–17 5–3 Georgia Dome 68,532 10 November 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers T 34–34 (OT) 5–3–1 Heinz Field 62,779 11 November 17 New Orleans Saints W 24–17 6–3–1 Georgia Dome 70,382 12 November 24 at Carolina Panthers W 41–0 7–3–1 Ericsson Stadium 72,533 13 December 1 at Minnesota Vikings W 30–24 (OT) 8–3–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,947 14 December 8 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 10–34 8–4–1 Raymond James Stadium 65,648 15 December 15 Seattle Seahawks L 24–30 (OT) 8–5–1 Georgia Dome 69,551 16 December 22 Detroit Lions W 36–15 9–5–1 Georgia Dome 69,307 17 December 29 at Cleveland Browns L 16–24 9–6–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,528Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at Green Bay Packers Atlanta Falcons 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers September 8, 2002 1:00 p.m. Falcons 0 21 3 10 0 Packers 3 10 14 7 3 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin 63,127 Sunny, 83 F C Ron Winter (14) Fox Curt Menefee, Tim Ryan, and Drew Smith Recap, Game Book First quarter GB – Ryan Longwell 28-yard field goal, 4:08. Packers 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 77 yards, 8:45. Second quarter ATL – Michael Vick 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 11:26. Falcons 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 7:42. ATL – Warrick Dunn 3-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 8:43. Falcons 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:31. GB – David Martin 3-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 5:54. Falcons 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:49. ATL – Alge Crumpler 2-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:15. Falcons 21–10. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 3:01. GB – Ryan Longwell 42-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 1:15. Third quarter GB – Rondell Mealey 2-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 12:48. Falcons 21–20. Drive: 4 plays, 59 yards, 2:12. ATL – Jay Feely 21-yard field goal, 5:24. Falcons 24–20. Drive: 15 plays, 76 yards, 7:24. GB – Javon Walker 13-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 0:30. Packers 27–24. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:54. Fourth quarter ATL – Warrick Dunn 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 8:07. Falcons 31–27. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:36. GB – William Henderson 1-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 1:10. Packers 34–31. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:57. ATL – Jay Feely 52-yard field goal, 0:05. Tied 34–34. Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 1:05. Overtime GB – Ryan Longwell 34-yard field goal, 5:15. Packers 37–34. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 4:15. Top passers ATL – Michael Vick – 15/23, 209 yards, TD GB – Brett Favre – 25/36, 284 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ATL – Michael Vick – 9 rushes, 72 yards, TD GB – Ahman Green – 27 rushes, 155 yards Top receivers ATL – Willie Jackson – 4 receptions, 73 yards GB – Donald Driver – 7 receptions, 78 yards Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears Atlanta Falcons 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons Bears 0 7 7 0 Falcons 0 10 3 0 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia September 15, 2002 1:00 pm None (indoor stadium) Fox Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger Jeff Triplette (42) 68,081 Recap, Game Book First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter ATL – Warrick Dunn 10-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 11:33. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 4:00. CHI – Anthony Thomas 3-yard run (Paul Edinger kick), 1:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 5:04. ATL – Jay Feely 37-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:10. Third quarter CHI – David Terrell 14-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 9:27. Bears 14–10. Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 0:55. ATL – Jay Feely 27-yard field goal, 6:08. Bears 14–13. Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards, 3:19. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers CHI – Jim Miller – 12/24, 143 yards, TD, INT ATL – Michael Vick – 17/28, 166 yards, TD Top rushers CHI – Anthony Thomas – 26 rushes, 84 yards, TD ATL – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 56 yards Top receivers CHI – Marty Booker – 5 receptions, 48 yards ATL – Brian Finneran – 6 receptions, 76 yards Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals Atlanta Falcons 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons Bengals 0 3 0 0 Falcons 13 7 7 3 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia September 22, 2002 8:30 pm None (indoor stadium) ESPN Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Suzy Kolber Terry McAulay (77) 68,129 Recap, Game Book First quarter ATL – Jay Feely 44-yard field goal, 10:01. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 4:69. ATL – Jay Feely 26-yard field goal, 7:19. Falcons 6–0. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:48. ATL – Brian Finneran 20-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:57. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:28. Second quarter ATL – Brian Finneran 13-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 4:56. Falcons 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 1:42. CIN – Neil Rackers 24-yard field goal, 0:03. Falcons 20–3. Drive: 14 plays, 53 yards, 4:53. Third quarter ATL – Warrick Dunn 4-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 5:07. Falcons 27–3. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 7:00. Fourth quarter ATL – Jay Feely 34-yard field goal, 7:30. Falcons 30–3. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 5:39. Top passers CIN – Jon Kitna – 18/35, 136 yards, INT ATL – Michael Vick – 16/26, 174 yards, 2 TD Top rushers CIN – Corey Dillon – 18 rushes, 66 yards ATL – TJ Duckett – 18 rushes, 67 yards Top receivers CIN – Peter Warrick – 4 receptions, 34 yards ATL – Brian Finneran – 6 receptions, 77 yards, 2 TD Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings Atlanta Falcons 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Atlanta Falcons (7–3–1) at Minnesota Vikings (3–8) – Game summary December 1, 2002 12:00 p.m. CDT Falcons 0 14 7 3 6 Vikings 7 7 7 3 0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota 63,947 None (indoor stadium) Ed Hochuli (85) FOX Kenny Albert, Tim Green Recap, Game Book First quarter MIN – Daunte Culpepper 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 9:38. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:22. Second quarter ATL – Bob Christian 1-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 12:48. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 40 yards, 0:21. MIN – Hunter Goodwin 2-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 2:40. Vikings 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:25. ATL – Brian Finneran 39-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 0:37. Tied 14–14. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 2:03. Third quarter MIN – Michael Bennett 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 3:19. Vikings 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 2:40. ATL – Michael Vick 28-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 1:00. Tied 21–21. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:19. Fourth quarter ATL – Jay Feely 44-yard field goal, 3:33. Falcons 24–21. Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 3:53. MIN – Gary Anderson 29-yard field goal, 0:11. Tied 24–24. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 3:22. Overtime ATL – Michael Vick 46-yard run, 12:35. Falcons 30–24. Drive: 2 plays, 48 yards, 0:51. Top passers ATL – Michael Vick – 11/28, 173 yards, TD, INT MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 23/43, 266 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT Top rushers ATL – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 173 yards, 2 TD MIN – Michael Bennett – 18 rushes, 86 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Brian Finneran – 5 receptions, 114 yards, TD MIN – Randy Moss – 9 receptions, 134 yards With the overtime win, courtesy of a game winning 46 yard TD run by Michael Vick (which also secured 246 total yards for Vick) the Falcons improved to 8-3-1 (1-2 against the NFC North) and remained in contention for the NFC South division title. Week 15: vs. Seattle Seahawks Atlanta Falcons 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 15: Seattle Seahawks (4–9) at Atlanta Falcons (8–4–1) – Game summary December 15 1:03pm local Seahawks 7 0 14 3 6 Falcons 14 3 0 7 0 Georgia Dome, Atlanta 69,551 indoors Ron Blum Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Buck Lanford Gamecenter, Gamebook First quarter SEA – Shaun Alexander 3-yard run (Rian Lindell kick), 8:48 (SEA 7–0) ATL – Allen Rossum 91-yard kickoff return (Jay Feely kick), 8:35 (Tied 7–7) ATL – Alge Crumpler 20-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 0:13 (ATL 14–7) Second quarter ATL – Jay Feely 22-yard field goal, 0:24 (ATL 17–7) Third quarter SEA – Jerramy Stevens 5-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Rian Lindell kick), 11:01 (ATL 17–14) SEA – Willie Williams 25-yard fumble return (Rian Lindell kick), 4:02 (SEA 21–17) Fourth quarter SEA – Rian Lindell 43-yard field goal, 1:55 (SEA 24–17) ATL – Trevor Gaylor 12-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 0:17 (Tied 24–24) Overtime SEA – Shaun Alexander 27-yard run, 4:24 (SEA 30–24) Top passers SEA – Matt Hasselbeck: 22/31, 298 yds, 1 TD ATL – Michael Vick: 21/38, 240 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers SEA – Shaun Alexander: 28 car, 127 yds, 2 TD ATL – Warrick Dunn: 20 car, 101 yds Top receivers SEA – Koren Robinson: 9 rec, 143 yds ATL – Alge Crumpler: 5 rec, 75 yds, 1 TD Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers SEA – 298 – 166 – 464 – 3 ATL – 223 – 150 – 373 – 3 Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions Atlanta Falcons 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 16: Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons Lions 0 0 0 15 Falcons 3 10 6 17 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia December 22, 2002 1:00 p.m. none (indoor stadium) FOX Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, and Ron Pitts Walt Coleman (65) 69,307 Recap, Game Book First quarter ATL – Jay Feely 23-yard field goal, 7:50. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 5:35. Second quarter ATL – Jay Feely 23-yard field goal, 6:06. Falcons 6–0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:08. ATL – Quentin McCord 20-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 0:17. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 0:59. Third quarter ATL – Jay Feely 36-yard field goal, 10:56. Falcons 16–0. Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 4:04. ATL – Jay Feely 20-yard field goal, 7:20. Falcons 19–0. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:38. Fourth quarter ATL – Jay Feely 39-yard field goal, 13:31. Falcons 22–0. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:25. DET – James Stewart 1-yard pass from Mike McMahon (Mike McMahon-Bill Schroeder pass), 9:53. Falcons 22–8. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 3:38. DET – Aveion Cason 15-yard pass from Mike McMahon (Jason Hanson kick), 9:31. Falcons 22–15. Drive: 2 plays, 15 yards, 0:10. ATL – Warrick Dunn 3-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 3:49. Falcons 29–15. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:42. ATL – Brian Finneran 34-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:51. Falcons 36–15. Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 1:36. Top passers DET – Mike McMahon – 11/33, 149 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT ATL – Michael Vick – 20/38, 337 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers DET – James Stewart – 12 rushes, 34 yards ATL – Warrick Dunn – 30 rushes, 132 yards, TD Top receivers DET – Bill Schroeder – 2 receptions, 60 yards ATL – Quentin McCord – 7 receptions, 182 yards, TD With the win, the Falcons improved to 9-5-1 and finished 5-3 at home and 2-2 against the NFC North. Playoffs Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Attendance Wild Card January 4, 2003 at Green Bay Packers W 27–7 65,358 Divisional January 11, 2003 at Philadelphia Eagles L 6–20 66,452 Game summaries NFC Wild Card: at Green Bay Packers Atlanta Falcons 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Wild Card Game: (6) Atlanta Falcons at (3) Green Bay Packers – Game summary Falcons 14 10 3 0 Packers 0 0 7 0 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin January 4, 2003 8:00 p.m. Clear, 31 F C ABC Bernie Kukar (86) 65,358 Recap, Game Book First quarter ATL – Shawn Jefferson 10-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 9:17. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:43. ATL – Artie Ulmer 1-yard return of blocked punt (Jay Feely kick), 6:38. Falcons 14–0. Second quarter ATL – TJ Duckett 6-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 12:06. Falcons 21–0. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 2:30. ATL – Jay Feely 22-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 24–0. Drive: 16 plays, 90 yards, 6:34. Third quarter GB – Donald Driver 14-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 10:26. Falcons 24–7. Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 4:34. ATL – Jay Feely 23-yard field goal, 3:43. Falcons 27–7. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 6:43. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers ATL – Michael Vick – 13/25, 117 yards, TD GB – Brett Favre – 20/42, 247 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers ATL – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 64 yards GB – Ahman Green – 11 rushes, 34 yards Top receivers ATL – Warrick Dunn – 4 receptions, 40 yards GB – Javon Walker – 5 receptions, 104 yards Standings Division Conference References Category:Atlanta Falcons seasons Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons Category:2002 in Atlanta