| Team: | New York Jets |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Record: | 9–7 |
| Division Place: | 1st AFC East |
| Coach: | Herman Edwards |
| Owner: | Woody & Christopher Johnson |
| Stadium: | The Meadowlands |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Colts) 41–0 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 10–30 |
| Pro Bowlers: | C Kevin Mawae DE John Abraham |
| Ap All-Pros: | C Kevin Mawae (2nd team) |
| Uniform: | Jets uniforms12.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Jets seasons |
The 2002 season was the New York Jets' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd season overall and their second under head coach Herman Edwards. The team tried to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2001 but failed to do so after a 2–5 start. However, the Jets recovered and finished 9–7, winning their second AFC East division title.
After a 24–21 week 8 loss to the Cleveland Browns at the Meadowlands dropped the Jets' season record to 2–5, head coach Herman Edwards gave his famous "You play to win the game" response to a question in his press conference the following Tuesday. Edwards' vigorous defense of his team's refusal to quit, along with the midseason debut of quarterback Chad Pennington, helped spark the Jets' turnaround.
After posting a stunning rout of the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 41–0 at the Meadowlands in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they lost for the second year in a row to the eventual AFC champion Oakland Raiders, 30–10 in the Divisional round.
As of the 2023 season, this is the Jets' most recent AFC East division title and is also the last time they have hosted a home playoff game.
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| P Matt Turk (Dolphins) | P Tom Tupa (Buccaneers) | |
| CB Aaron Beasley (Jaguars) | G Kerry Jenkins (Buccaneers) | |
| G Dave Szott (Redskins) | DT Shane Burton (Panthers) | |
| DT Josh Evans (Titans) | DE Rick Lyle (Patriots) | |
| CB Donnie Abraham (Buccaneers) | LB James Farrior (Steelers) | |
| LB Sam Cowart (Bills) | WR Craig Yeast (CFL) | |
| DT Larry Webster (Ravens) | G David Loverne (Redskins) | |
| FS Sam Garnes (Giants) | S Victor Green (Patriots) | |
| DE Steve White (Buccaneers) | DE Eric Ogbogu (Bengals) | |
| S Chris Hayes (Patriots) | ||
| DT Steve Martin (Patriots) | ||
| WR Matthew Hatchette (Raiders) |
See main article: article and 2002 NFL expansion draft.
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | Ryan Young | Tackle | Houston Texans | |
| — | 3 | Aaron Glenn | Cornerback | Houston Texans | |
| — | 3 | Marcus Coleman | Cornerback | Houston Texans |
| Kroy Bailey | Wide receiver | North Carolina | |
| Scott Bradley | Linebacker | Boston College | |
| Jay Brooks | Cornerback | Texas A&M | |
| Jaime Burrow | Linebacker | Nebraska | |
| Ataveus Cash | Wide receiver | Howard | |
| Joe Cooper | Linebacker | Ohio State | |
| Andrew Davison | Cornerback | Kansas | |
| Little John Flowers | Running back | Michigan State | |
| Marcus Floyd | Cornerback | Indiana | |
| Jerimiah Janssen | Linebacker | St. Norbert | |
| Matt Knutson | Tackle | North Dakota | |
| Chad Kuhns | Fullback | Wisconsin | |
| Faaesea Mailo | Guard | USC | |
| Tavon Mason | Wide receiver | Virginia | |
| Kyle McCann | Quarterback | Iowa | |
| Brandon Moore | Guard | Illinois | |
| Idris Price | Linebacker | New Haven | |
| Johnathan Reese | Running back | Columbia | |
| Doug Shanahan | Safety | Hofstra | |
| Chris Smith | Tackle | UC Davis |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 16–6 | 1–0 | Heinz Field | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 34–16 | 2–0 | Ravens Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | New York Giants | W 28–7 | 3–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap | ||
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–16 | 4–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
Under the NFL's newly established schedule rotation, during the 2002 regular season the Jets played against all of the teams from the AFC West, as well as the Cleveland Browns from the AFC North and the Jacksonville Jaguars from the AFC South, who finished in the same positions as the Jets in their respective divisions in 2001. Their non-conference opponents were from the NFC North.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | at Buffalo Bills | W 37–31 | 1–0 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 15 | New England Patriots | L 7–44 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 22 | at Miami Dolphins | L 3–30 | 1–2 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | September 29 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 3–28 | 1–3 | Alltel Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 25–29 | 1–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | Bye | ||||||
| 7 | October 20 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–7 | 2–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 27 | Cleveland Browns | L 21–24 | 2–5 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | November 3 | at San Diego Chargers | W 44–13 | 3–5 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 10 | Miami Dolphins | W 13–10 | 4–5 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 17 | at Detroit Lions | W 31–14 | 5–5 | Ford Field | Recap | |
| 12 | November 24 | Buffalo Bills | W 31–13 | 6–5 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | at Oakland Raiders | L 20–26 | 6–6 | Network Associates Coliseum | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 8 | Denver Broncos | W 19–13 | 7–6 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 13–20 | 7–7 | Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 22 | at New England Patriots | W 30–17 | 8–7 | Gillette Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 29 | Green Bay Packers | W 42–17 | 9–7 | Giants Stadium | Recap | |
See also: 2002–03 NFL playoffs.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | Indianapolis Colts (5) | W 41–0 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap | ||
| Divisional | January 12, 2003 | at Oakland Raiders (1) | L 10–30 | 1–1 | Network Associates Coliseum | Recap |
This game turned out to be the Jets' last home playoff game at Giants Stadium, and as of 2023, it is also their last home playoff game to date.