2002 Detroit Lions
The 2002 Detroit Lions went 3–13, finishing 4th in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 306 points and allowed 451.
- Record
- 3–13
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 0–8
- Points
- 306–451
- NFC North
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 306 points, the seventh-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 451, the second-most. Their point differential was -145.
How the season unfolded
The Lions started 1–3 and were 3–5 after eight games. They lost their last four games to finish 3–13.
Their longest losing streak was eight games, from Week 10 to Week 17.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 26–21 over the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 (September 29, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 49–21 to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 (September 8, 2002).
They scored a season-high 36 points against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 (December 29, 2002), losing 38–36.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–8.
They played three games that went to overtime and went 1–2 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 1–5 against the NFC North, splitting with the Bears and getting swept by the Packers and the Vikings.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 0–5 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 9–6–1, 6.5 games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a one-win improvement on 2001, when they went 2–14.
In 2003, they went 5–11.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | at Miami Dolphins | L 21–49 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | at Carolina Panthers | L 7–31 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 31–37 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | vs New Orleans Saints | W 26–21 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 24–31 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | vs Chicago Bears | W 23–20 (OT) |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–24 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | vs Dallas Cowboys | W 9–7 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2002 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–40 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | vs New York Jets | L 14–31 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–20 (OT) |
| Week 13 | Nov 28, 2002 | vs New England Patriots | L 12–20 |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 20–23 (OT) |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 20–23 |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2002 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 15–36 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 36–38 |
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.