The 2002 season was the St. Louis Rams' 65th in the National Football League (NFL), their eighth in St. Louis and their third under head coach Mike Martz.
Fresh off their trip from Super Bowl XXXVI which ended with a loss to the 11–5 Patriots, the Rams collapsed and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998, losing their first five games.Martin, Jill. ‘2002: When the Patriots Were a Cinderella Team.’; Cable News Network, January 24, 2019
The season saw the emergence of new quarterback Marc Bulger, who filled in for an injured Kurt Warner and Jamie Martin. The Rams won six straight games where Bulger started and finished, but his season ended in Week 16 at Seattle.
However, the Rams did end the season on a high note with a 31–20 victory at home against the 49ers in Week 17 and they finished the season with a 7–9 record.
History Beginning in the offseason before the 1999 season, the Rams traded for Marshall Faulk, a running back. They then signed the quarterback, Trent Green and drafted a young wide receiver prospect, Torry Holt thereby making significant changes to their front line. Unfortunately, Green experienced a season-ending injury which brought in Kurt Warner, a relatively unknown player with little experience in the NFL
The injury marked the decline of Kurt Warner and the end of the so called "Greatest Show On Turf." This also marked the first season where the Rams did not make the playoffs under Mike Martz.
Star running back Marshall Faulk started in just 10 games due to ankle injury he suffered against San Diego. This weakened the Rams' running game and he finished the season with just 953 yards rushing, his lowest since 1996, where he rushed for 587 yards. At that time, he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts. His 953 rushing yards this season ended his streak of five straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons. Despite a down year, Faulk was still voted to play in the Pro Bowl after the season for the seventh and final time in his Hall of Fame career.
For the season, the team changed their uniforms, removing the side panels on the jersey.
Offseason Additions SubtractionsFS Chad Cota (Colts) T Ryan Tucker (Browns)FB Chris Hetherington (Panthers) S Rich Coady (Titans)WR Terrence Wilkins (Colts) LB Mark Fields (Panthers)LB Jamie Duncan (Buccaneers) LB London Fletcher (Bills)WR Troy Edwards (Steelers) WR Az-Zahir Hakim (Lions)P Mitch Berger (Vikings) RB Robert Holcombe (Titans) TE/LS Jeff Robinson (Cowboys) DE Sean Moran (49ers)
2002 expansion draft
+ St. Louis Rams selected during the expansion draft Round Overall Name Position Expansion team——18Brian AllenLinebackerHouston Texans
Draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 2002 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJames BroylesGuardSouthwest Missouri StateAlonzo CunninghamGuardIowaMaurice DouglasRunning backNorthwest Missouri StateMarques GlazeRunning backBloomsburgTodd HowardCornerbackMichiganAndy KingGuardIllinois StateMichael MalanRunning backBrown
Roster
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 8 at Denver Broncos L 16–23 0–1 Invesco Field 75,710 2 September 15 New York Giants L 21–26 0–2 Edward Jones Dome 65,932 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 14–26 0–3 Raymond James Stadium 65,652 4 September 29 Dallas Cowboys L 10–13 0–4 Edward Jones Dome 66,165 5 October 6 at San Francisco 49ers L 13–37 0–5 3Com Park 67,853 6 October 13 Oakland Raiders W 28–13 1–5 Edward Jones Dome 66,070 7 October 20 Seattle Seahawks W 37–20 2–5 Edward Jones Dome 65,931 8 Bye 9 November 3 at Arizona Cardinals W 27–14 3–5 Sun Devil Stadium 47,819 10 November 10 San Diego Chargers W 28–24 4–5 Edward Jones Dome 66,093 11 Chicago Bears W 21–16 5–5 Edward Jones Dome 66,250 12 November 24 at Washington Redskins L 17–20 5–6 FedExField 79,823 13 December 1 at Philadelphia Eagles L 3–10 5–7 Veterans Stadium 65,552 14 December 8 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–49 5–8 Arrowhead Stadium 78,601 15 December 15 Arizona Cardinals W 30–28 6–8 Edward Jones Dome 65,939 16 December 22 at Seattle Seahawks L 10–30 6–9 Seahawks Stadium 63,953 17 San Francisco 49ers W 31–20 7–9 Edward Jones Dome 66,118 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 7: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 9: vs. St. Louis Rams
Week 10: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 14: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks
Standings Division
St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle in the NFC West based on better division record (4–2 to 2–4).
Conference
References