2002 Chicago Bears
The 2002 Chicago Bears went 4–12, finishing 3rd in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 281 points and allowed 379.
- Record
- 4–12
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 1–7
- Points
- 281–379
- NFC North
- Place 3 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 281 points, the sixth-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 379, the eighth-most. Their point differential was -98.
How the season unfolded
The Bears started 2–2 and were 2–6 after eight games. They went 1–3 over the final four weeks to finish 4–12.
Their longest losing streak was eight games, from Week 3 to Week 11.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 20–13 over the New York Jets in Week 15 (December 15, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 25–7 to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8 (October 27, 2002).
They scored a season-high 30 points against the New England Patriots in Week 10 (November 10, 2002), losing 33–30.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 4–6.
They played three games that went to overtime and went 1–2 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC North, splitting with the Vikings and the Lions and getting swept by the Packers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–4 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 9–6–1, 5.5 games better than their record.
Before and after
That was nine wins fewer than in 2001, when they went 13–3.
In 2003, they went 7–9.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | vs Minnesota Vikings | W 27–23 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 14–13 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 23–29 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | at Buffalo Bills | L 27–33 (OT) |
| Week 5 | Oct 7, 2002 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 21–34 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–23 (OT) |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 7–25 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–19 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2002 | vs New England Patriots | L 30–33 |
| Week 11 | Nov 18, 2002 | at St. Louis Rams | L 16–21 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | vs Detroit Lions | W 20–17 (OT) |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | at Green Bay Packers | L 20–30 |
| Week 14 | Dec 9, 2002 | at Miami Dolphins | L 9–27 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | vs New York Jets | W 20–13 |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2002 | at Carolina Panthers | L 14–24 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 0–15 |
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.