WMMS | record = 9–7 | division_place = 2nd AFC North | playoffs = Lost Wild Card playoffs (at Steelers) 33–36 | uniform = | pro bowlers = none | shortnavlink = Browns seasons }} The 2002 season was the Cleveland Browns' 54th as a professional sports franchise, their 50th as a member of the National Football League, and the second season under head coach Butch Davis.
In their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, linebacker Dwayne Rudd cost the Browns a victory when he threw his helmet in celebration unaware the play was still going on, incurring an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Because the clock expired during the play the Browns' unsportsmanlike conduct occurred on, per NFL rules, the Chiefs were given one untimed down. Chiefs' kicker Morten Andersen made the 30-yard field goal to win the game.
The Browns made their first playoff appearance since their re-activation. It was only the Browns' fourth year since returning to the league effectively as an expansion team, and their first winning season. The Browns then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round. The Browns would not make the NFL playoffs again until 2020. The Browns owner Al Lerner stepped down on October 2 and died on October 23, 2002 from Brain Cancer. His son, Randy Lerner took over the team until 2012. The Browns wore a patch with the initials "AL" for the remainder of the season and became a fixture on their uniforms to commemorate Lerner.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| T Ryan Tucker (Rams) | LB Wali Rainer (Jaguars) |
| FS Robert Griffith (Vikings) | T Roman Oben (Buccaneers) |
| LB Earl Holmes (Steelers) | DE Greg Spires (Buccaneers) |
| DE Kenard Lang (Redskins) | DE Keith McKenzie (Bears) |
style=""| 2002 Cleveland Browns Draft
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Frisman Jackson | Wide receiver | Western Illinois |
| Kalvin Pearson | Safety | Grambling State |
2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Apart from their AFC North division games, the Browns played against the AFC South and NFC South according to the NFL's new conference rotation, and played the Chiefs and Jets based on 2001 standings with respect to the newly aligned divisions.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 39–40 | 0–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,938 |
| 2 | September 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–7 | 1–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,358 |
| 3 | September 22 | at Tennessee Titans | W 31–28 <small>(OT)</small> | 2–1 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,804 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–16 <small>(OT)</small> | 2–2 | Heinz Field | 62,864 |
| 5 | October 6 | Baltimore Ravens | L 21–26 | 2–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,688 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–17 | 2–4 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,625 |
| 7 | October 20 | Houston Texans | W 34–17 | 3–4 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,248 |
| 8 | October 27 | at New York Jets | W 24–21 | 4–4 | Giants Stadium | 78,502 |
| 9 | November 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–23 | 4–5 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,718 |
| 10 | Bye | |||||
| 11 | November 17 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–20 | 5–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | 64,060 |
| 12 | November 24 | at New Orleans Saints | W 24–15 | 6–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,295 |
| 13 | December 1 | Carolina Panthers | L 6–13 | 6–6 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,718 |
| 14 | December 8 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–20 | 7–6 | Alltel Stadium | 46,267 |
| 15 | December 15 | Indianapolis Colts | L 23–28 | 7–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,098 |
| 16 | December 22 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 14–13 | 8–7 | M&T Bank Stadium | 68,348 |
| 17 | December 29 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–16 | 9–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,528 |
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Wild Card | January 5, 2003 | at Pittsburgh Steelers (3) | L 33–36 | 0–1 | Heinz Field | 62,595 | Recap |
Original source: 2002 cleveland browns season. Shared with Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License
Cleveland Browns 2002 Roster accessed November 28, 2018. ↩
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