2002 Dallas Cowboys
The 2002 Dallas Cowboys went 5–11, finishing 4th in the NFC East, and missed the playoffs. They scored 217 points and allowed 329.
- Record
- 5–11
- Home
- 4–4
- Road & neutral
- 1–7
- Points
- 217–329
- NFC East
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 217 points, the second-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 329, the 13th-fewest. Their point differential was -112.
How the season unfolded
The Cowboys started 2–2 and were 3–5 after eight games. They lost their last four games to finish 5–11.
Their longest losing streak was four games, from Week 7 to Week 11.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 21–13 over the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 (September 15, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 44–13 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 (September 22, 2002).
They scored a season-high 27 points against Washington in Week 13 (November 28, 2002), winning 27–20.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–6.
They played one overtime game and lost it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 1–5 against the NFC East, splitting with Washington and getting swept by the Eagles and the Giants.
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, 4.5 games better than their record.
Before and after
That matched the win total of 2001, when they went 5–11.
In 2003, they went 10–6 and returned to the playoffs.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | at Houston Texans | L 10–19 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | vs Tennessee Titans | W 21–13 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–44 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | at St. Louis Rams | W 13–10 |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2002 | vs New York Giants | L 17–21 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 14–13 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 6–9 (OT) |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | vs Seattle Seahawks | L 14–17 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–9 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 3–20 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–19 |
| Week 13 | Nov 28, 2002 | vs Washington | W 27–20 |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | vs San Francisco 49ers | L 27–31 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | at New York Giants | L 7–37 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2002 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L 3–27 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | at Washington | L 14–20 |
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.