2002 Cleveland Browns
The 2002 Cleveland Browns went 9–7, finishing 2nd in the AFC North, and lost in the Wild Card round. They scored 344 points and allowed 320.
- Record
- 9–7
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 6–2
- Points
- 344–320
- AFC North
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Wild Card
Where the season ranked
They scored 344 points, the 14th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 320, the tenth-fewest. Their point differential was +24.
How the season unfolded
The Browns started 2–2 and were 4–4 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 9–7.
Their longest losing streak was three games, from Week 4 to Week 6.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 34–17 over the Houston Texans in Week 7 (October 20, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 17–3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6 (October 13, 2002).
They scored a season-high 39 points against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 (September 8, 2002), losing 40–39.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 6–6.
They played two games that went to overtime and went 1–1 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the AFC North, sweeping the Bengals, splitting with the Ravens, and getting swept by the Steelers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 3–4 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 36–33 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 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | L 39–40 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–7 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | at Tennessee Titans | W 31–28 (OT) |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–16 (OT) |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2002 | vs Baltimore Ravens | L 21–26 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–17 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | vs Houston Texans | W 34–17 |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | at New York Jets | W 24–21 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–23 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–20 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | at New Orleans Saints | W 24–15 |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | vs Carolina Panthers | L 6–13 |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–20 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | vs Indianapolis Colts | L 23–28 |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2002 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 14–13 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | vs Atlanta Falcons | W 24–16 |
| Wild Card | Jan 5, 2003 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 33–36 |
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.