| Team: | Carolina Panthers |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Record: | 7–9 |
| Division Place: | 4th NFC South |
| Owner: | Jerry Richardson |
| Coach: | John Fox |
| Stadium: | Ericsson Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | DT Kris Jenkins P Todd Sauerbrun |
| Ap All-Pros: | DT Kris Jenkins (1st team) P Todd Sauerbrun (1st team) |
| Shortnavlink: | Panthers seasons |
The 2002 season was the Carolina Panthers' eighth in the National Football League and their first under head coach John Fox. They tried to improve upon their 1–15 record in 2001, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.
After moving from the NFC West to the more geographically accurate NFC South, they improved by six games to finish 7–9, but were still five games behind the division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failed to make the playoffs. Their Week 12, 41–0 loss against the Atlanta Falcons was the Panthers' last shutout for 21 years.
| Signings | Departures | |
|---|---|---|
| DE Shane Burton (Jets) | WR Donald Hayes (Patriots) | |
| CB Terry Cousin (Dolphins) | FB Chris Hetherington (Rams) | |
| LB Mark Fields (Rams) | DE Jay Williams (Dolphins) |
See main article: article and 2002 NFL Draft. The 2002 NFL draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 15 and April 16, 2002. The Panthers selected nine players in seven rounds. Despite having the worst record in the league the previous season, the Panthers picked 2nd overall due to the Houston Texans picking first overall in their inaugural draft, as is tradition (under NFL rules) with expansion teams.
See main article: article and 2002 NFL Draft.
Under the NFL’s new scheduling formula put in place for this season, the Panthers would play two games each season against their NFC South division rivals. A schedule rotation would see them play the NFC North in full in 2002 and every three seasons subsequently, and the AFC North in 2002 and every four seasons subsequently. As the Panthers had the worst record in the NFL in 2001, they would also play the Arizona Cardinals, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the reconstituted NFC West, and the Dallas Cowboys, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the NFC East.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Baltimore Ravens | W 10–7 | 1–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 70,386 | |
| 2 | September 15 | Detroit Lions | W 31–7 | 2–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 71,951 | |
| 3 | September 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 21–14 | 3–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,945 | |
| 4 | September 29 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–17 | 3–1 | Lambeau Field | 63,329 | |
| 5 | October 6 | Arizona Cardinals | L 13–16 | 3–2 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,286 | |
| 6 | October 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–14 | 3–3 | Texas Stadium | 61,773 | |
| 7 | October 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 0–30 | 3–4 | Georgia Dome | 68,056 | |
| 8 | October 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 9–12 | 3–5 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,892 | |
| 9 | Bye | ||||||
| 10 | November 10 | New Orleans Saints | L 24–34 | 3–6 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,566 | |
| 11 | November 17 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–23 | 3–7 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,527 | |
| 12 | November 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 0–41 | 3–8 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,533 | |
| 13 | December 1 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–6 | 4–8 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,718 | |
| 14 | December 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 52–31 | 5–8 | Ericsson Stadium | 66,799 | |
| 15 | December 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–30 | 5–9 | Heinz Field | 58,586 | |
| 16 | December 22 | Chicago Bears | W 24–14 | 6–9 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,602 | |
| 17 | December 29 | at New Orleans Saints | W 10–6 | 7–9 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,946 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||