2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League (NFL).
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 5 – December 30, 2002 |
| Playoffs | |
| Start date | January 4, 2003 |
| AFC Champions | Oakland Raiders |
| NFC Champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Super Bowl XXXVII | |
| Date | January 26, 2003 |
| Site | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California |
| Champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Pro Bowl | |
| Date | February 2, 2003 |
| Site | Aloha Stadium |
The league went back to an even number of teams with the addition of the Houston Texans; the league has remained static with 32 teams since. The clubs were realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each. Also, the Chicago Bears played their home games in 2002 in Champaign, Illinois, at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of Soldier Field.
The NFL title was won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, on January 26, 2003. It is the last Super Bowl held in January and the last to be hosted in San Diego.
This was the first season to feature the "Equipment NFL" logo on the Yoke of the jerseys.
On November 10, during Week 10, a game between the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field ended in a 34-34 tie, the first NFL tie game since November 23, 1997, when the New York Giants and Washington Redskins ended in a 7-7 draw. No more games would end in a tie until 2008.