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The 2002 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League, the 35th overall, and the second and final full season under head coach Dick LeBeau. With a record of 2–14, however, they were the worst team in football in 2002. The team's struggles continued as they lost their first seven contests losing by an average of 19 points in each game. The Bengals would finally garner their first victory Week 8 by soundly defeating the expansion Houston Texans on the road 38–3. The winning would not last long, however, as the Bengals lost their next six games to fall to 1–13, this lethargic result was later matched by the 2019 team, which also finished at 2–14.
In their final game at home, the Bengals would stun the New Orleans Saints 20–13 to earn their second win on the season, but there would be no saving the Bengals from setting a new franchise record for losses as they finished the season with a 27–9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on the road to finish with a league-worst 2–14 record. This resulted in the Bengals owner Mike Brown firing head coach Dick LeBeau and replacing him with Washington's defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis.
By being the worst team in 2002, they earned the first pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, which they would use to draft Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Carson Palmer out of USC, and releasing embattled quarterback Akili Smith.[1]
Offseason
NFL Draft
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[2]
Undrafted free agents
Personnel
2002 Cincinnati Bengals staff |
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning – Kim Wood
- Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Rodney Holman
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Roster
2002 Cincinnati Bengals final roster |
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics 53 Active, 11 Inactive, 3 Practice squad
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Regular season
Schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Record |
Attendance |
1 |
September 8, 2002 |
San Diego Chargers |
L 34–6 |
0–1 |
53,705 |
2 |
September 15, 2002 |
at Cleveland Browns |
L 20–7 |
0–2 |
73,358 |
3 |
September 22, 2002 |
at Atlanta Falcons |
L 30–3 |
0–3 |
68,129 |
4 |
September 29, 2002 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
L 35–7 |
0–4 |
57,234 |
5 |
October 6, 2002 |
at Indianapolis Colts |
L 28–21 |
0–5 |
56,570 |
6 |
October 13, 2002 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
L 34–7 |
0–6 |
63,900 |
7 |
Bye |
8 |
October 27, 2002 |
Tennessee Titans |
L 30–24 |
0–7 |
52,822 |
9 |
November 3, 2002 |
at Houston Texans |
W 38–3 |
1–7 |
69,827 |
10 |
November 10, 2002 |
at Baltimore Ravens |
L 38–27 |
1–8 |
69,024 |
11 |
November 17, 2002 |
Cleveland Browns |
L 27–20 |
1–9 |
64,060 |
12 |
November 24, 2002 |
at Pittsburgh Steelers |
L 29–21 |
1–10 |
60,473 |
13 |
December 1, 2002 |
Baltimore Ravens |
L 27–23 |
1–11 |
44,878 |
14 |
December 8, 2002 |
at Carolina Panthers |
L 52–31 |
1–12 |
66,799 |
15 |
December 15, 2002 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
L 29–15 |
1–13 |
42,092 |
16 |
December 22, 2002 |
New Orleans Saints |
W 20–13 |
2–13 |
43,544 |
17 |
December 29, 2002 |
at Buffalo Bills |
L 27–9 |
2–14 |
47,850 |
Game summaries
Game information |
First quarter
- BUF – Mike Hollis 32-yard field goal, 8:36. Bills 3-0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:15.
- BUF – Mike Hollis 25-yard field goal, 1:12. Bills 6-0. Drive: 4 plays, 4, yards, 1:32.
Second quarter
- BUF – Drew Bledsoe 7-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 10:25. Bills 13-0. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 4:15.
- BUF – Eric Moulds 2-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Mike Hollis kick), 2:41. Bills 20-0. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 5:12.
- CIN – Neil Rackers 19-yard field goal, 0:24. Bills 20-3. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 2:17.
Third quarter
- BUF – Larry Centers 4-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 1:37. Bills 27-3. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:11.
Fourth quarter
- CIN – Jon Kitna 6-yard run (run failed), 8:05. Bills 27-9. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:49.
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Top passers
- CIN – Jon Kitna – 19/35, 241 yards, 2 INT
- BUF – Drew Bledsoe – 23/31, 231 yards, TD
Top rushers
- CIN – Corey Dillon – 13 rushes, 53 yards
- BUF – Travis Henry – 30 rushes, 80 yards
Top receivers
- CIN – Chad Johnson – 6 receptions, 123 yards
- BUF – Eric Moulds – 9 receptions, 75 yards, TD
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Standings
Team leaders
Passing
Player |
Att |
Comp |
Yds |
TD |
INT |
Rating |
Jon Kitna |
473 |
294 |
3178 |
16 |
16 |
79.1 |
Rushing
Receiving
Defensive
Kicking and punting
Player |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
XPA |
XPM |
XP% |
Points |
Neil Rackers |
18 |
15 |
83.3% |
32 |
30 |
93.8% |
75 |
Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Long |
Blkd |
Avg. |
Nick Harris |
65 |
2608 |
57 |
1 |
40.1 |
Special teams
Awards and records
Pro Bowl Selections
Milestones
References
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External links
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Franchise |
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Stadiums |
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Culture |
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Lore |
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Rivalries |
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Division championships (10) |
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Conference championships (3) |
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Retired numbers |
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Media |
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Current league affiliations |
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Former league affiliation |
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- ↑ Season statistics and summary at Sports E-Cyclopedia
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Corey Dilon, RB at NFL