The 2002 season was the New York Giants' 78th in the National Football League (NFL) and their sixth under head coach Jim Fassel. The team improved upon their 7–9 record from the previous season by three games and returned to the playoffs for the second time in three years, ending the season on a four-game winning streak.2002 New York Giants After a midseason slump, head coach Jim Fassel stripped offensive coordinator Sean Payton of playcalling duties, and the Giants went on to a winning streak that would carry them to the playoffs.

Leading 35–14 in the third quarter of the NFC wild-card came at San Francisco, rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey dropped a touchdown pass forcing a field goal to make the score 38–14. The 49ers gained momentum after that, scoring 25 straight points, and the Giants did not score again, losing the game 39–38. Following the season, Payton was not retained; he won the Super Bowl seven years later as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Offseason Additions Subtractions DE Byron Frisch (Cowboys) K Morten Andersen (Chiefs) LB Jessie Armstead (Redskins) T Lomas Brown (Buccaneers) G Ron Stone (49ers) FS Sam Garnes (Jets) WR Joe Jurevicius (Buccaneers)

NFL draft

Undrafted free agents

+ 2002 undrafted free agents of note Player Position College Matt Bryant K Baylor Ryan Clark S LSU Calvin Coleman CB Montana Pat Crummey OG Youngstown State Ryan Deterding OT Chadron State Sean Guthrie DE Boston College Karon Key FB Tennessee State Gade Lindstrom P Toledo Matt Mitrione DT Purdue Delvin Joyce RB James Madison Charles Stackhouse FB Ole Miss David Thompson WR Holy Cross

Staff

Roster

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap HOF Houston Texans W 34–17 1–0 Fawcett Stadium (Canton) Recap 1 New England Patriots W 22–19 2–0 Giants Stadium Recap 2 at Atlanta Falcons L 24–36 2–1 Georgia Dome Recap 3 at New York Jets L 7–28 2–2 Giants Stadium Recap 4 Baltimore Ravens W 13–0 3–2 Giants Stadium Recap

Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 5 San Francisco 49ers L 13–16 0–1 Giants Stadium Recap 2 September 15 at St. Louis Rams W 26–21 1–1 Edward Jones Dome Recap 3 September 22 Seattle Seahawks W 9–6 2–1 Giants Stadium Recap 4 September 29 at Arizona Cardinals L 7–21 2–2 Sun Devil Stadium Recap 5 October 6 at Dallas Cowboys W 21–17 3–2 Texas Stadium Recap 6 October 13 Atlanta Falcons L 10–17 3–3 Giants Stadium Recap 7 Bye 8 at Philadelphia Eagles L 3–17 3–4 Veterans Stadium Recap 9 November 3 Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–17 4–4 Giants Stadium Recap 10 November 10 at Minnesota Vikings W 27–20 5–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap 11 November 17 Washington Redskins W 19–17 6–4 Giants Stadium Recap 12 November 24 at Houston Texans L 14–16 6–5 Reliant Stadium Recap 13 December 1 Tennessee Titans L 29–32 (OT) 6–6 Giants Stadium Recap 14 December 8 at Washington Redskins W 27–21 7–6 FedExField Recap 15 December 15 Dallas Cowboys W 37–7 8–6 Giants Stadium Recap 16 December 22 at Indianapolis Colts W 44–27 9–6 RCA Dome Recap 17 Philadelphia Eagles W 10–7 (OT) 10–6 Giants Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers

The Giants opened their 2002 season at home against the 49ers, in a preview of their infamous Wild Card game later that season. This was the first-ever Thursday night NFL season opener.

The Giants led 6–3 at halftime, with new kicker Matt Bryant kicking field goals of 29 and 33 yards. In the third quarter, 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia found running back Garrison Hearst for a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 10–6. After a Jose Cortez field goal made it 13-6 49ers with 8 minutes to go, Tiki Barber ran in for a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13–13 with 1:55 to go. However, the Giants defense failed to hold at the end of the game. A 33-yard pass from Garcia to Terrell Owens set up a 36-yard field goal by Cortez with 6 seconds left to win the game for the 49ers.

For the Giants, Amani Toomer caught nine passes for 134 yards.

Week 2: at St. Louis Rams

The Giants next traveled to St. Louis to take on the defending NFC champion Rams, who were favored by 12 to defeat the Giants. However, the Giants jumped out to a 17–0 lead in the first half. In the second quarter, Kerry Collins found rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey for his first career touchdown on a 28-yard pass. Later in the quarter, Jason Sehorn picked off Kurt Warner and returned his errant pass 31 yards for a touchdown. The Rams finally got on the board with Warner finding receiver Ricky Proehl for a 6-yard touchdown to make the score 17–7 Giants at the half.

In the third quarter, Marshall Faulk scored a touchdown to narrow the score to 17–14. After two Matt Bryant field goals, Faulk scored another touchdown from 8 yards out to make the score 23–21 with 8:24 to go. The Giants finally clinched the game when cornerback Will Allen intercepted a Kurt Warner pass with 1:43 remaining.

Kerry Collins was 22 of 26 for 307 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Ike Hilliard was the leading receiver with 4 receptions for 97 yards, while Amani Toomer added 4 catches for 92 yards. The defense forced 4 Rams turnovers against just one by the Giants.

Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Next came a contest against the Seahawks that did not feature a touchdown. The Giants trailed 6–0 at halftime after two Rian Lindell field goals, but Matt Bryant kicked three field goals in the second half, the last one a 47 yarder coming with 2:04 remaining. As he had the previous week, Will Allen clinched the game by intercepting a Trent Dilfer pass with 1:35 remaining.

The Giants held the Seahawks to just 145 yards of total offense. Amani Toomer caught four passes for 100 yards.

Week 4: at Arizona Cardinals

The Giants completed their NFC West cycle with a poor performance against the Cardinals. The Giants struck first with Tiki Barber running in for a 6-yard touchdown in the first quarter. However, in the second quarter, Kerry Collins was intercepted by Justin Lucas, who returned the pick 38 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 7–7 at the half. In the fourth quarter, Cardinals running back Marcel Shipp scored two touchdowns. The first one was on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Jake Plummer to give the Cardinals a 14–7 lead with 10:36 to go, and the second touchdown was a 10-yard run to clinch the game with 2:13 left.

Both teams gained 263 yards in this contest. However, the Cardinals won the turnover battle 3–1 and time of possession 36:05 to 23:55.

Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 6: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 9: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 10: at Minnesota Vikings

The Giants took on the Vikings in a midseason contest at the Metrodome. The Giants took charge early, with Kerry Collins finding Charles Stackhouse for a 1-yard touchdown to make the score 7–0. In the second quarter Ron Dayne ran in for a 30-yard touchdown, with a failed two-point conversion making the score 13–3 at the half. Late in the third quarter, Collins found Amani Toomer for an 11-yard touchdown, and the Giants led 19–6 at the start of the fourth quarter. While the Giants flourished offensively, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper struggled mightily. He completed just 9 of 20 passes, with many of his passes not even close to reaching his receivers. Due to his inability to perform and lack of confidence in this contest, Vikings head coach Mike Tice decided to have him take the rest of the day off.

To replace Culpepper, Tice put in Todd Bouman, a local product from St. Cloud State University. Immediately after he went in, the Vikings' fortunes changed. Early in the fourth quarter, Bouman threw a 48-yard bomb to Randy Moss, which set up a 1-yard touchdown by running back Moe Williams. The lead was now 19–13 Giants. On the next Vikings possession, the Vikings ran a draw play where the fastest man in the NFL, Michael Bennett, took off for a 78-yard touchdown. With 8:36 to go, the Vikings were now leading 20–19 in a contest the Giants had dominated. The Giants recovered, however, and Tiki Barber ran in for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:43 to go. On the two-point conversion, the Giants were thrown a life preserver when a Vikings player dropped an interception, with rookie tight end Marcellus Rivers catching the loose ball to make the score 27–20 Giants. The Giants forced a punt on the next Vikings possession when Kenny Holmes sacked Bouman on a third down play to essentially clinch the game.

Kerry Collins was 25 of 35 for 300 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Tiki Barber added 127 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown, and Ron Dixon caught four passes for 107 yards.

Week 11: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 12: at Houston Texans

Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 14: at Washington Redskins

Coming off two straight devastating losses, the 6–6 Giants were now two games behind the Saints for the NFC's second wild card playoff spot. To make matters worse, on the road against the 5–7 Redskins, they would be without five injured defensive players that opened the season as starters; however, many of their backups ended up playing pivotal roles.

Washington was first to threaten on their second drive behind the arm of Danny Wuerffel, but José Cortez missed a 36-yard field goal. A 20-yard pass from Kerry Collins to Jeremy Shockey led to Matt Bryant converting a 42-yard kick for a 3–0 Giants lead.

The Redskins reached New York's 22-yard line early in the second quarter; but following a 9-yard catch, Derrius Thompson had the ball stripped by Omar Stoutmire and recovered and returned 31 yards by Ralph Brown, a cornerback making his second career start. A 43-yard run by Tiki Barber and a third-down pass interference penalty on Antonio Pierce led to a touchdown reception by Charles Stackhouse.

On the ensuing drive, Wuerffel fumbled on a sack, with rookie Nick Greisen—making his first career start—coming up with the force and recovery. A missed 37-yard kick by Bryant spoiled the opportunity, but Wuerffel was intercepted by Brown three plays later. Shortly after, Collins found Amani Toomer for a 29-yard touchdown and a 17–0 Giants lead with two minutes left in the first half. However, Wuerffel scrambled 26 yards to put Washington in field goal range, and Cortez's 24-yard field goal was good as time expired.

In the third quarter, a 28-yard catch by Thompson put the Redskins in the red zone, but a taunting penalty on Darnerien McCants pushed them back 15 yards, and sacks by Brandon Short and Kevin Lewis—the latter also making his first start—forced them to punt. Soon after, Wuerffel fumbled on a sack by Cornelius Griffin; Stephen Davis recovered for Washington, but Wuerffel was out the rest of the game with a sprained right shoulder in favor of rookie Patrick Ramsey, who led Washington to a 44-yard Cortez field goal.

After New York went three-and-out, a 33-yard run by Davis led to Ramsey finding Rod Gardner for a 13-yard touchdown, and the two-point conversion by Chris Doering cut the Giants' lead to 17–14 late in the period. Washington's defense then forced another punt; but the fair catch was muffed by Champ Bailey and recovered by Kato Serwanga. Two plays later, Barber scored from the 1; then on their next drive, Collins completed a 30-yard pass to Shockey and a 32-yard strike to rookie Daryl Jones, which led to a 35-yard Bryant field goal to extend New York's lead to 27–14.