2002 Carolina Panthers
The 2002 Carolina Panthers went 7–9, finishing 4th in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 258 points and allowed 302.
- Record
- 7–9
- Home
- 4–4
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 258–302
- NFC South
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 258 points, the third-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 302, the fifth-fewest. Their point differential was -44.
How the season unfolded
The Panthers started 3–1 and were 3–5 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 7–9.
Their longest winning streak was three games, from Week 1 to Week 3.
Their longest losing streak was eight games, from Week 4 to Week 12.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 31–7 over the Detroit Lions in Week 2 (September 15, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 41–0 to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 (November 24, 2002).
They scored a season-high 52 points against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14 (December 8, 2002), winning 52–31.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 4–4.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 1–5 against the NFC South, splitting with the Saints and getting swept by the Falcons and the Buccaneers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–6 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 9–6–1, 2.5 games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a six-win improvement on 2001, when they went 1–15.
In 2003, they went 11–5 and returned to the playoffs.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | vs Baltimore Ravens | W 10–7 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | vs Detroit Lions | W 31–7 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 21–14 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–17 |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2002 | vs Arizona Cardinals | L 13–16 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–14 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 0–30 |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 9–12 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2002 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 24–34 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–23 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 0–41 |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–6 |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | W 52–31 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–30 |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2002 | vs Chicago Bears | W 24–14 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | at New Orleans Saints | W 10–6 |
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.