NFL team season
2002 Denver Broncos season Head coach Mike Shanahan Home field Invesco Field at Mile High Record 9–7 Division place 2nd AFC West Playoff finish Did not qualify Pro Bowlers DE Trevor Pryce Al Wilson (injured, did not play) AP All-Pros None
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 [ ] Undrafted free agents [ ]
2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player
Position
College
Charlie Adams
Wide receiver
Hofstra
Lenny Walls
Cornerback
Boston College
Staff [ ]
2002 Denver Broncos staff
Front office
President and Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen
Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Mike Shanahan
General Manager – Ted Sundquist
Director of Football Administration – Neal Dahlen
Director of Pro Personnel – Rick Smith
Director of College Scouting – Jim Goodman Head coaches
Head Coach – Mike Shanahan
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Alex Gibbs
Assistant to the Head Coach – Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
Strength and Conditioning –
Assistant Strength and Conditioning –
Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Cedric Smith
Roster [ ]
2002 Denver Broncos final roster
Quarterbacks
11 Steve Beuerlein 14 Brian Griese 17 Jarious Jackson Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Regular season [ ] Schedule [ ]
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Attendance
1
September 8
St. Louis Rams
W 23–16
1–0
75,710
2
September 15
at San Francisco 49ers
W 24–14
2–0
67,685
3
September 22
Buffalo Bills
W 28–23
3–0
75,359
4
September 30
at Baltimore Ravens
L 23–34
3–1
69,538
5
October 6
San Diego Chargers
W 26–9
4–1
75,065
6
October 13
Miami Dolphins
L 22–24
4–2
75,941
7
October 20
at Kansas City Chiefs
W 37–34 (OT)
5–2
78,446
8
October 27
at New England Patriots
W 24–16
6–2
68,436
9
Bye
10
November 11
Oakland Raiders
L 10–34
6–3
76,643
11
November 17
at Seattle Seahawks
W 31–9
7–3
65,495
12
November 24
Indianapolis Colts
L 20–23 (OT)
7–4
75,075
13
December 1
at San Diego Chargers
L 27–30 (OT)
7–5
66,357
14
December 8
at New York Jets
L 13–19
7–6
78,521
15
December 15
Kansas City Chiefs
W 31–24
8–6
75,947
16
December 22
at Oakland Raiders
L 16–28
8–7
62,592
17
December 29
Arizona Cardinals
W 37–7
9–7
75,164
Game summaries [ ] Week 3: vs. Buffalo Bills [ ]
Week 3: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos
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
Date : September 22, 2002Game time : 4:05 p.m.Game weather : Sunny, 59 °F (15 °C)Game attendance : 75,359Referee : Walt Coleman (65)TV announcers (CBS ) : Kevin Harlan , Randy Cross and Beasley Reece Recap , Game Book
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.
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
Week 6: vs. Miami Dolphins [ ]
Week 6: Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos
1
2
3 4 Total
Dolphins 0
7
0 17 24
Broncos
6
3
3 10 22
at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver, Colorado
Date : October 13, 2002Game time : 8:35 p.m.Game weather : Clear, 58 °F (14 °C)Game attendance : 75,941Referee : Tony Corrente (99)TV announcers (ESPN ) : Mike Patrick , Joe Theismann and Suzy Kolber Recap , Game Book
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.
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
Week 8: at New England Patriots [ ]
Week 8: Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
1
2
3 4 Total
Broncos 7
14
0 3 24
Patriots
0
7
3 6 16
at Gillette Stadium , Foxborough, Massachusetts
Date : October 27, 2002Game time : 4:15 p.m.Game weather : Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)Game attendance : 68,436Referee : Tom White (123)TV announcers (CBS ) : Greg Gumbel , Phil Simms , and Armen Keteyian Recap , Game Book
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.
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
Week 14: at New York Jets [ ]
Week 14: Denver Broncos at New York Jets
1
2
3 4 Total
Broncos
3
10
0 0 13
Jets 0
6
3 10 19
at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date : December 8, 2002Game time : 4:15 p.m.Game weather : Cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 78,521Referee : Tom White (123)TV announcers (CBS ) : Dick Enberg , Dan Dierdorf , and Bonnie Bernstein Recap , Game Book
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.
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
Standings [ ] References [ ]
Denver Broncos
Founded in 1960
Based in Denver, Colorado
Headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado Franchise Stadiums
Mile High Stadium Empower Field at Mile High Key personnel
Owner Estate of Pat Bowlen
President/CEO Joe Ellis Executive Vice President/General Manager John Elway Head Coach Vic Fangio Culture Lore Rivalries Retired numbers Division championships (15) Conference championships (8) League championships (3) Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Bold indicates Super Bowl victoryItalics indicates Super Bowl appearance
