2002 Minnesota Vikings
The 2002 Minnesota Vikings went 6–10, finishing 2nd in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 390 points and allowed 442.
- Record
- 6–10
- Home
- 4–4
- Road & neutral
- 2–6
- Points
- 390–442
- NFC North
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 390 points, tied for the eighth-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 442, the third-most. Their point differential was -52.
How the season unfolded
The Vikings opened with four straight losses and were 2–6 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 6–10.
Their longest winning streak was three games, from Week 15 to Week 17.
Their longest losing streak was four games, from Week 1 to Week 4.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 25–7 over the Chicago Bears in Week 8 (October 27, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 48–23 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 (September 29, 2002).
They scored a season-high 39 points against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 (September 15, 2002), losing 45–39.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 4–7.
They played two games that went to overtime and went 0–2 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 4–2 against the NFC North, sweeping the Lions and splitting with the Bears and the Packers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–5 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 9–6–1, 3.5 games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a one-win improvement on 2001, when they went 5–11.
In 2003, they went 9–7.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | at Chicago Bears | L 23–27 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | vs Buffalo Bills | L 39–45 (OT) |
| Week 3 | Sep 22, 2002 | vs Carolina Panthers | L 14–21 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 23–48 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | vs Detroit Lions | W 31–24 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | at New York Jets | L 7–20 |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | vs Chicago Bears | W 25–7 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24–38 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2002 | vs New York Giants | L 20–27 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | vs Green Bay Packers | W 31–21 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | at New England Patriots | L 17–24 |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 24–30 (OT) |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | at Green Bay Packers | L 22–26 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | at New Orleans Saints | W 32–31 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2002 | vs Miami Dolphins | W 20–17 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | at Detroit Lions | W 38–36 |
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.