2002 New Orleans Saints season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 New Orleans Saints 2002 9–7 3rd NFC South Jim Haslett Mickey Loomis Louisiana Superdome Did not qualify Deuce McAllister (RB) Joe Horn (WR) Michael Lewis (KR) Fred McAfee (ST) Deuce McAllister (1st team)Michael Lewis (ST) Fred McAfee (ST) Saints seasons The 2002 season was the New Orleans Saints' 36th in the National Football League (NFL), their 27th playing home games at the Louisiana Superdome, and third under head coach Jim Haslett. They improved upon their previous season's performance of 7–9, winning nine games.2002 New Orleans Saints 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. This was the first season in which the Saints wore gold jerseys. They did so during a home game against the Minnesota Vikings in week 15. They would not wear them again until the 2025 season 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 SubtractionsWR 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 NFL draft 2002 New Orleans Saints 1 13 Donté Stallworth Wide receiver Tennessee yes 1 25 Charles Grant Defensive end Georgia yes 2 44 LeCharles Bentley Guard Ohio State yes yes 3 82 James Allen Linebacker Oregon State yes 4 125 Keyuo Craver Defensive back Nebraska yes 5 150 Mel Mitchell Defensive back Western Kentucky yes 6 186 J. T. O'Sullivan Quarterback UC Davis yes 6 196 John Gilmore Tight end Penn State yes 7 224 Derrius Monroe Defensive end Virginia Tech no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nor/2002_draft.htm 2002 New Orleans Saints Draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com January 5, 2014 Undrafted free agents + 2002 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeFrank CutoloWide receiverEastern IllinoisTodd ElstromWide receiverWashingtonChonn LaceySafetyTempleAndrew LeClairLinebackerNorth Dakota StateDerrick LewisWide receiverSan Diego StateJerry MontgomeryDefensive tackleIowaJeff ReedPlacekickerNorth CarolinaRick SherrodSafetyWest VirginiaDemetrius SmithFullbackSouthwest Missouri State Personnel Staff 2002 New Orleans Saints Owner – Tom Benson Executive vice president/general manager – Mickey Loomis Senior football administrator – Russ Ball Director of player personnel – Rick Mueller College scouting coordinator – Rick Thompson Head coach – Jim Haslett Assistant head coach/secondary – Mike Riley Offensive coordinator – Mike McCarthy Quarterbacks – Mike Sheppard Running backs – Dave Atkins Wide receivers – Hubbard Alexander Assistant wide receivers – Jim Hostler Tight ends – Bob Palcic Offensive line – Jack Henry Offensive assistant/quality control – Danny Langsdorf Defensive coordinator – Rick Venturi Defensive line – Sam Clancy Linebackers – Winston Moss Assistant secondary – Joe Baker Defensive assistant/quality control – Greg Brown Special teams – Al Everest Strength and conditioning – Rock Gullickson Assistant strength and conditioning – Evan Marcus Roster 2002 New Orleans Saints 53 2 4  2 Aaron Brooks American football 12 Jake Delhomme 14 J. T. O'Sullivan y 48 James Fenderson 28 Curtis Keaton 25 Fred McAfee 26 Deuce McAllister 44 Terrelle Smith FB 87 Joe Horn 89 Derrick Lewis American football y 84 Michael Lewis wide receiver KR/PR 80 Jerome Pathon 86 Jake Reed American football 83 Donté Stallworth y 81 Lamont Hall 88 David Sloan American football 82 Boo Williams 65 LeCharles Bentley G y 71 Spencer Folau G/T 62 Jerry Fontenot C 64 Kendyl Jacox G 67 Bubba Miller C/G 66 Victor Riley T 74 Scott Sanderson American football T 68 Kyle Turley T 63 Wally Williams American football G 92 Martin Chase DT 94 Charles Grant defensive end DE y 99 Norman Hand DT 93 Darren Howard DE 91 Grady Jackson DT 90 Kenny Smith American football DT 98 Willie Whitehead DE 50 James Allen linebacker y OLB 55 Travis Carroll y OLB 56 Charlie Clemons MLB 51 Bryan Cox MLB 52 Sedrick Hodge OLB 59 J. J. Jones linebacker OLB 53 Roger Knight American football OLB 54 Darrin Smith OLB 20 Jay Bellamy FS 35 Fakhir Brown CB 21 Dale Carter CB 43 Keyuo Craver y CB 37 Steve Gleason SS 27 Ken Irvin CB 29 Sammy Knight SS 40 Mel Mitchell y FS 22 Fred Thomas cornerback CB  3 John Carney American football K  4 Toby Gowin P 47 Kevin Houser LS 36 Michael Hawthorne CB IR 57 Curtis Holden LB IR 78 P. J. Alexander y G 30 Corey Hall American football S 77 Abdul-Salaam Noah y DT 34 Demetrius Smith fullback y FB 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 Venue Attendance 1 September 8 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 26–20 (OT) 1–0 Raymond James Stadium 65,554 2 September 15 Green Bay Packers W 35–20 2–0 Louisiana Superdome 67,958 3 September 22 at Chicago Bears W 29–23 3–0 Memorial Stadium 63,216 4 September 29 at Detroit Lions L 21–26 3–1 Ford Field 60,023 5 October 6 Pittsburgh Steelers W 32–29 4–1 Louisiana Superdome 67,734 6 October 13 at Washington Redskins W 43–27 5–1 FedExField 80,768 7 October 20 San Francisco 49ers W 35–27 6–1 Louisiana Superdome 67,903 8 October 27 Atlanta Falcons L 35–37 6–2 Louisiana Superdome 67,883 9 Bye 10 November 10 at Carolina Panthers W 34–24 7–2 Ericsson Stadium 72,566 11 November 17 at Atlanta Falcons L 17–24 7–3 Georgia Dome 70,382 12 November 24 Cleveland Browns L 15–24 7–4 Louisiana Superdome 68,295 13 December 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 23–20 8–4 Louisiana Superdome 68,226 14 December 8 at Baltimore Ravens W 37–25 9–4 Ravens Stadium 69,334 15 December 15 Minnesota Vikings L 31–32 9–5 Louisiana Superdome 67,851 16 December 22 at Cincinnati Bengals L 13–20 9–6 Paul Brown Stadium 43,544 17 December 29 Carolina Panthers L 6–10 9–7 Louisiana Superdome 66,946 Game summaries Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers New Orleans Saints 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints Packers 0 10 7 3 Saints 7 14 7 7 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana September 15, 2002 1:00 pm Partly Cloudy, 88 F C FOX Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, Ron Pitts Johnny Grier (23) 67,958 Recap, Game Book 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 New Orleans Saints 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 3: New Orleans Saints (2–0) at Chicago Bears (2–0) – Game summary September 22, 2002 1:00 p.m. Saints 0 14 7 8 Bears 10 10 0 3 Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois 63,216 Partly Cloudy, 68 F C Ron Blum (7) FOX Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Dan Jiggets Recap, Game Book 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 New Orleans Saints 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 4: New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions Saints 0 7 8 6 Lions 13 7 3 3 Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan September 29, 2002 1:03 pm None (indoor stadium) Fox Curt Menefee, Tim Ryan, Jennifer Hammond Ron Winter (14) 60,023 Recap, Game Book 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 Aaron 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 (Aaron 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 Aaron Brooks (Run Failed), 3:41. Lions 26–21. Drive: 9 plays, 82 yards, 2:22. Top passers NO – Aaron 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 New Orleans Saints 2002 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 15: Minnesota Vikings (3–10) at New Orleans Saints (9–4) – Game summary December 15, 2002 12:00 p.m. CDT Vikings 14 10 0 8 Saints 10 10 3 8 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 67,851 None (indoor stadium) Bob McElwee (95) FOX Ron Pitts, John Jurkovic, Joe Trahan Recap, Game Book 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 Conference References External links 2002 New Orleans Saints on Pro-Football-Reference.com Category:New Orleans Saints seasons New Orleans Saints New