The 2002 season was the Denver Broncos' 43rd in professional football and their 33rd in the National Football League.
With the sudden retirement of Terrell Davis in the preseason, Denver had to rely on rookie Clinton Portis, who provided an instant spark to the Broncos running game. Despite his contribution, however, the Broncos finished with a 9–7 record and narrowly missed the postseason.
Offseason
NFL draft
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Undrafted free agents
Staff
2002 Denver Broncos staff |
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
2002 Denver Broncos final roster |
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics Active, Inactive, Practice squad
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Regular season
Schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Record |
Attendance |
1 |
September 8, 2002 |
St. Louis Rams |
W 23–16 |
1–0 |
75,710 |
2 |
September 15, 2002 |
at San Francisco 49ers |
W 24–14 |
2–0 |
67,685 |
3 |
September 22, 2002 |
Buffalo Bills |
W 28–23 |
3–0 |
75,359 |
4 |
September 30, 2002 |
at Baltimore Ravens |
L 34–23 |
3–1 |
69,538 |
5 |
October 6, 2002 |
San Diego Chargers |
W 26–9 |
4–1 |
75,065 |
6 |
October 13, 2002 |
Miami Dolphins |
L 24–22 |
4–2 |
75,941 |
7 |
October 20, 2002 |
at Kansas City Chiefs |
W 37–34 (OT) |
5–2 |
78,446 |
8 |
October 27, 2002 |
at New England Patriots |
W 24–16 |
6–2 |
68,436 |
9 |
Bye |
10 |
November 11, 2002 |
Oakland Raiders |
L 34–10 |
6–3 |
76,643 |
11 |
November 17, 2002 |
at Seattle Seahawks |
W 31–9 |
7–3 |
65,495 |
12 |
November 24, 2002 |
Indianapolis Colts |
L 23–20 (OT) |
7–4 |
75,075 |
13 |
December 1, 2002 |
at San Diego Chargers |
L 30–27 (OT) |
7–5 |
66,357 |
14 |
December 8, 2002 |
at New York Jets |
L 19–13 |
7–6 |
78,521 |
15 |
December 15, 2002 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
W 31–24 |
8–6 |
75,947 |
16 |
December 22, 2002 |
at Oakland Raiders |
L 28–16 |
8–7 |
62,592 |
17 |
December 29, 2002 |
Arizona Cardinals |
W 37–7 |
9–7 |
75,164 |
Game summaries
Week 3: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 3: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Bills |
0 |
7 |
3 |
13 |
23 |
Broncos |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
28 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Game information |
First quarter
- DEN – Chester McGlockton 24-yard fumble return (Jason Elam kick), 3:38. Broncos 7–0.
Second quarter
- DEN – Clinton Portis 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 9:51. Broncos 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 5:09.
- BUF – Travis Henry 1-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 2:50. Broncos 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:59.
Third quarter
- BUF – Mike Hollis 38-yard field goal, 9:58. Broncos 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 5:02.
- DEN – Dwayne Carswell 1-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 0:33. Broncos 21–10. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:22.
Fourth quarter
- BUF – Josh Reed 4-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (pass failed), 7:35. Broncos 21–16. Drive: 3 plays, 12 yards, 0:43.
- DEN – Rod Smith 26-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 2:39. Broncos 28–16. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:56.
- BUF – Eric Moulds 2-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Mike Hollis Kick), 1:12. Broncos 28–23. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 1:27.
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Top passers
- BUF – Drew Bledsoe – 27/41, 283 yards, 2 TD
- DEN – Brian Griese – 19/31, 211 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
- BUF – Travis Henry – 12 rushes, 35 yards, TD
- DEN – Clinton Portis – 18 rushes, 103 yards, TD
Top receivers
- BUF – Eric Moulds – 9 receptions, 96 yards, TD
- DEN – Rod Smith – 7 receptions, 94 yards, TD
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Week 6: vs. Miami Dolphins
Game information |
First quarter
- DEN – Jason Elam 33-yard field goal, 12:09. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 2:51.
- DEN – Jason Elam 52-yard field goal, 4:14. Broncos 6–0. Drive: 11 plays, 40 yards, 6:18.
Second quarter
- DEN – Jason Elam 23-yard field goal, 11:25. Broncos 9–0. Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 6:00.
- MIA – Ricky Williams 10-yard run (Olindo Mare kick), 7:11. Broncos 9–7. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:14.
Third quarter
- DEN – Jason Elam 40-yard field goal, 13:44. Broncos 12–7. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:20.
Fourth quarter
- MIA – Ricky Williams 2-yard run (Olindo Mare kick), 9:48. Dolphins 14–12. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:08.
- MIA – Patrick Surtain 40-yard interception return (Olindo Mare kick), Dolphins 21–12.
- DEN – Mike Anderson 1-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 3:37. Dolphins 21–19. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:36.
- DEN – Jason Elam 55-yard field goal, 0:45. Broncos 22–21. Drive: 6 plays, 43 yards, 1:06.
- MIA – Olindo Mare 53-yard field goal, 0:06. Dolphins 24–22. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 0:39.
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Top passers
- MIA – Jay Fiedler – 19/29, 210 yards, INT
- DEN – Brian Griese – 27/46, 335 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
- MIA – Ricky Williams – 20 rushes, 49 yards, 2 TD
- DEN – Clinton Portis – 18 rushes, 75 yards
Top receivers
- MIA – Oronde Gadsden – 5 receptions, 77 yards
- DEN – Rod Smith – 9 receptions, 88 yards
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Week 8: at New England Patriots
Game information |
First quarter
- DEN – Clinton Portis 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 10:08. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:10.
Second quarter
- DEN – Shannon Sharpe 8-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 14:55. Broncos 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:56.
- NE – Antowain Smith 3-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 7:16. Broncos 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:54.
- DEN – Clinton Portis 4-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 2:45. Broncos 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 4:31.
Third quarter
- NE – Adam Vinatieri 26-yard field goal, 7:26. Broncos 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 2:51.
Fourth quarter
- NE – Christian Fauria 8-yard pass from Tom Brady (pass failed), 14:55. Broncos 21–16. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:07.
- DEN – Jason Elam 19-yard field goal, 9:45. Broncos 24–16. Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:10.
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Top passers
- DEN – Brian Griese – 18/23, 229 yards, TD, INT
- NE – Tom Brady – 15/29, 130 yards, TD
Top rushers
- DEN – Clinton Portis – 26 rushes, 111 yards, 2 TD
- NE – Antowain Smith – 13 rushes, 58 yards, TD
Top receivers
- DEN – Ed McCaffrey – 8 receptions, 116 yards
- NE – Troy Brown – 7 receptions, 59 yards
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Week 14: at New York Jets
Game information |
First quarter
- DEN – Jason Elam 22-yard field goal, 6:59. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 68 yards, 8:01.
Second quarter
- NYJ – Curtis Martin 1-yard run (kick blocked), 14:57. Jets 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 7:02.
- DEN – Jason Elam 23-yard field goal, 8:34. Tied 6–6. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 6:23.
- DEN – Ashley Lelie 10-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 0:11. Broncos 13–6. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 1:36.
Third quarter
- NYJ – John Hall 43-yard field goal, 10:21. Broncos 13–9. Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 4:39.
Fourth quarter
- NYJ – Laveranues Coles 28-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 14:43. Jets 16–13. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:25.
- NYJ – John Hall 24-yard field goal, 5:56. Jets 19–13. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 7:19.
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Top passers
- DEN – Brian Griese – 28/37, 266 yards, TD, INT
- NYJ – Chad Pennington – 19/30, 244 yards, TD
Top rushers
- DEN – Clinton Portis – 24 rushes, 103 yards
- NYJ – Curtis Martin – 18 rushes, 57 yards, TD
Top receivers
- DEN – Shannon Sharpe – 9 receptions, 100 yards
- NYJ – Laveranues Coles – 6 receptions, 126 yards, TD
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Standings
References
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Franchise |
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Stadiums |
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Key personnel |
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Culture |
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Lore |
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Rivalries |
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Retired numbers |
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Division championships (15) |
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Conference championships (8) |
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League championships (3) |
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Media |
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Current league affiliations |
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Former league affiliation |
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