2002 Atlanta Falcons
The 2002 Atlanta Falcons went 9–6–1, finishing 2nd in the NFC South, and lost in the Divisional round. They scored 402 points and allowed 314.
- Record
- 9–6–1
- Home
- 5–3
- Road & neutral
- 4–3–1
- Points
- 402–314
- NFC South
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Divisional
Where the season ranked
They scored 402 points, the fifth-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 314, the eighth-fewest. Their point differential was +88.
How the season unfolded
The Falcons started 1–3 and were 5–3 after eight games. They went 1–3 over the final four weeks to finish 9–6–1.
Their longest winning streak was four games, from Week 6 to Week 9.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 41–0 over the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 (November 24, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 34–10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 (December 8, 2002).
They shut out the Carolina Panthers (Week 7) and the Carolina Panthers (Week 12).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–4–1.
They played four games that went to overtime and went 1–2–1 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 4–2 against the NFC South, sweeping the Panthers and the Saints and getting swept by the Buccaneers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–4–1 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they beat the Green Bay Packers 27–7 on the road.
In the Divisional round, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 20–6 on the road.
Before and after
That was a two-win improvement on 2001, when they went 7–9.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance in any season from 1999 on.
In 2003, they went 5–11 and missed the playoffs.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | at Green Bay Packers | L 34–37 (OT) |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | vs Chicago Bears | L 13–14 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–3 |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2002 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 6–20 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | at New York Giants | W 17–10 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 30–0 |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | at New Orleans Saints | W 37–35 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | vs Baltimore Ravens | W 20–17 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2002 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | T 34–34 (OT) |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | vs New Orleans Saints | W 24–17 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | at Carolina Panthers | W 41–0 |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 30–24 (OT) |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–34 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | vs Seattle Seahawks | L 24–30 (OT) |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2002 | vs Detroit Lions | W 36–15 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | at Cleveland Browns | L 16–24 |
| Wild Card | Jan 4, 2003 | at Green Bay Packers | W 27–7 |
| Divisional | Jan 11, 2003 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 6–20 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2002 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.