2002 San Diego Chargers
The 2002 San Diego Chargers went 8–8, finishing 4th in the AFC West, and missed the playoffs. They scored 333 points and allowed 367.
- Record
- 8–8
- Home
- 5–3
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 333–367
- AFC West
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 333 points, the 13th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 367, the 11th-most. Their point differential was -34.
How the season unfolded
The Chargers opened with four straight wins and were 6–2 after eight games. They lost their last four games to finish 8–8.
Their longest winning streak was four games, from Week 1 to Week 4.
Their longest losing streak was four games, from Week 14 to Week 17.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 34–6 over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 (September 8, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 44–13 to the New York Jets in Week 9 (November 3, 2002).
They scored a season-high 35 points against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 (October 13, 2002), winning 35–34.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 6–4.
They played four games that went to overtime and went 3–1 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the AFC West, splitting with the Broncos, the Chiefs, and the Raiders.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–2 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among AFC playoff teams was 9–7, one game better than their record.
Before and after
That was a three-win improvement on 2001, when they went 5–11.
In 2003, they went 4–12.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–6 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | vs Houston Texans | W 24–3 |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 23–15 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | vs New England Patriots | W 21–14 |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2002 | at Denver Broncos | L 9–26 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | W 35–34 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | at Oakland Raiders | W 27–21 (OT) |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | vs New York Jets | L 13–44 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2002 | at St. Louis Rams | L 24–28 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | vs San Francisco 49ers | W 20–17 (OT) |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | at Miami Dolphins | L 3–30 |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | vs Denver Broncos | W 30–27 (OT) |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | vs Oakland Raiders | L 7–27 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | at Buffalo Bills | L 13–20 |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2002 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 22–24 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | vs Seattle Seahawks | L 28–31 (OT) |
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.