2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 12–4, finishing 1st in the NFC South, and won the Super Bowl. They scored 346 points and allowed 196.
- Record
- 12–4
- Home
- 6–2
- Road & neutral
- 6–2
- Points
- 346–196
- NFC South
- Place 1 of 4
- Postseason
- Won Super Bowl
Where the season ranked
They scored 346 points, the 15th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 196, the fewest. Their point differential was +150.
Their 12–4 record was tied for the best in the NFL.
How the season unfolded
The Buccaneers started 3–1 and were 6–2 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 12–4.
Their longest winning streak was five games, from Week 2 to Week 6.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 35–7 over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 (September 29, 2002).
Their heaviest loss was 20–10 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 (October 20, 2002).
They scored a season-high 48 points against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII (January 26, 2003), winning 48–21.
They shut out the Baltimore Ravens (Week 2) and the Chicago Bears (Week 17).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 2–2.
They played one overtime game and lost it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 4–2 against the NFC South, sweeping the Falcons and the Panthers and getting swept by the Saints.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 4–2 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Divisional round, they beat the San Francisco 49ers 31–6 at home.
In the NFC Championship Game, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27–10 on the road.
They won Super Bowl XXXVII, beating the Oakland Raiders 48–21.
Before and after
That was a three-win improvement on 2001, when they went 9–7.
In 2003, they went 7–9 and missed the playoffs.
2002 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2002 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 20–26 (OT) |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2002 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 25–0 |
| Week 3 | Sep 23, 2002 | vs St. Louis Rams | W 26–14 |
| Week 4 | Sep 29, 2002 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 35–7 |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2002 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 20–6 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2002 | vs Cleveland Browns | W 17–3 |
| Week 7 | Oct 20, 2002 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–20 |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2002 | at Carolina Panthers | W 12–9 |
| Week 9 | Nov 3, 2002 | vs Minnesota Vikings | W 38–24 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2002 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 23–10 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2002 | vs Green Bay Packers | W 21–7 |
| Week 13 | Dec 1, 2002 | at New Orleans Saints | L 20–23 |
| Week 14 | Dec 8, 2002 | vs Atlanta Falcons | W 34–10 |
| Week 15 | Dec 15, 2002 | at Detroit Lions | W 23–20 |
| Week 16 | Dec 23, 2002 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–17 |
| Week 17 | Dec 29, 2002 | at Chicago Bears | W 15–0 |
| Divisional | Jan 12, 2003 | vs San Francisco 49ers | W 31–6 |
| Conference championship | Jan 19, 2003 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–10 |
| Super Bowl | Jan 26, 2003 | vs Oakland Raiders | W 48–21 |
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.