The 2002 season was the Buffalo Bills' 43rd as a franchise and 33rd in the National Football League.
The Bills acquired veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe from the New England Patriots on draft weekend in exchange for Buffalo's first-round pick in the 2003 draft, (the Bills later gained a first-round pick via a sign-and-trade of receiver Peerless Price, coming off a breakout season, to the Atlanta Falcons for their first-round pick in the 2003 draft). Bledsoe brought instant credibility to Buffalo's inept passing game; the Bills' offense scored the sixth most points in the AFC in 2002, after having scored the fifth fewest in the entire league the previous season.
The Bills competed in a very competitive AFC East, but ultimately finished the season in last place at 8–8 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. They were the only team in the division who didn't finish with a winning record or win 9 games during the season.
The season saw the Bills change their uniform, which lasted until 2011.
Offseason Additions Subtractions QB Drew Bledsoe (Patriots) QB Rob Johnson (Buccaneers) LB London Fletcher (Rams) LB Jay Foreman (Texans) K Mike Hollis (Jaguars) LB Sam Cowart (Jets) TE Dave Moore (Buccaneers) T John Fina (Cardinals) DE Chidi Ahanotu (Rams) CB Ken Irvin (Saints) LB Eddie Robinson (Titans) G Craig Heimburger (Texans) T Marcus Price (Saints) C Trey Teague (Broncos) S Billy Jenkins (Packers)
2002 expansion draft
+ Buffalo Bills selected during the expansion draft Round Overall Name Position Expansion team—16Avion BlackWide receiverHouston Texans
Draft
The Bills infamously drafted Mike Williams, an offensive tackle from Texas with the #4 overall pick of the draft, with University of Miami offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie still available. Williams spent only four seasons with the team. Sporting News named Williams as the #4 biggest NFL draft bust from 1989–2008.
Undrafted free agents
+ 2002 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeAhmad BrooksCornerbackTexasJamarei BryantCornerbackKansasJoe BurnsRunning backGeorgia TechClarence ColemanWide receiverFerris StateEdward DangerfieldWide receiverLSUJohn DuckettLinebackerVirginiaGrant IronsDefensive endNotre DameChip MattinglyLong SnapperLouisvilleDavid PriestleyQuarterbackPittsburghMilton ProctorSafetyKansas StateMarc SamuelKickerGeorgetown
Personnel
Roster
Regular season Due to the Bills' 3–13 record the previous season, the NFL did not schedule any of their games in prime time (Sunday night or Monday night), and all but two of the Bills' games had 1:00 start times. However, due to the attention the Bills' free-agent acquisitions brought to the team, as well as the team being in the thick of the competitive AFC East race, several division games were aired nationally on CBS.
After a one-year absence, the NFL Primetime theme "Powersurge" returned as the Bills' theme song on the ESPN program. It was used for the show's Bills highlights for each game during the season except for the Bengals/Bills game in Week 17.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 8 New York Jets L 31–37 0–1 Ralph Wilson Stadium 72,751 Recap 2 September 15 at Minnesota Vikings W 45–39 1–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,047 Recap 3 September 22 at Denver Broncos L 23–28 1–2 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,359 Recap 4 September 29 Chicago Bears W 33–27 2–2 Ralph Wilson Stadium 72,780 Recap 5 October 6 Oakland Raiders L 31–49 2–3 Ralph Wilson Stadium 73,038 Recap 6 October 13 at Houston Texans W 31–24 3–3 Reliant Stadium 70,120 Recap 7 October 20 at Miami Dolphins W 23–10 4–3 Pro Player Stadium 73,180 Recap 8 October 27 Detroit Lions W 24–17 5–3 Ralph Wilson Stadium 72,710 Recap 9 November 3 New England Patriots L 7–38 5–4 Ralph Wilson Stadium 73,448 Recap 10Bye 11 November 17 at Kansas City Chiefs L 16–17 5–5 Arrowhead Stadium 77,951 Recap 12 November 24 at New York Jets L 13–31 5–6 Giants Stadium 78,745 Recap 13 December 1 Miami Dolphins W 38–21 6–6 Ralph Wilson Stadium 73,287 Recap 14 December 8 at New England Patriots L 17–27 6–7 Gillette Stadium 68,436 Recap 15 December 15 San Diego Chargers W 20–13 7–7 Ralph Wilson Stadium 61,838 Recap 16 December 22 at Green Bay Packers L 0–10 7–8 Lambeau Field 64,106 Recap 17 December 29 Cincinnati Bengals W 27–9 8–8 Ralph Wilson Stadium 47,850 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Game summaries Week 1: vs. New York Jets
Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: at Denver Broncos
Week 4: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week 6: at Houston Texans
Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 9: vs. New England Patriots
Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 12: at New York Jets
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 14: at New England Patriots
Week 15: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 16: at Green Bay Packers
Week 17: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
References
External links 2002 Buffalo Bills at jt-sw.com 2002 Buffalo Bills at ProFootballArchives.com 2002 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com