2002 Cincinnati Bengals season

The 2002 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League (NFL), the 35th overall, and the second and final full season under head coach Dick LeBeau. With a record of 2–14, however, they were the worst team in football in 2002. The team's struggles continued as they lost their first seven contests losing by an average of 19 points in each game. The Bengals would finally garner their first victory Week 8 by soundly defeating the expansion Houston Texans on the road 38–3. The winning would not last long, however, as the Bengals lost their next six games to fall to 1–13, this lethargic result was later matched by the 2019 team, which also finished at 2–14.

2002 Cincinnati Bengals season
Head coach	Dick LeBeau
Home stadium	Paul Brown Stadium
Results
Record	2–14
Division place	4th AFC North
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	FB Lorenzo Neal
← 2001 Bengals seasons 2003 →

In their final game at home, the Bengals would stun the New Orleans Saints 20–13 to earn their second win on the season, but there would be no saving the Bengals from setting a new franchise record for losses as they finished the season with a 27–9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on the road to finish with a league-worst 2–14 record. This resulted in the Bengals owner Mike Brown firing head coach Dick LeBeau and replacing him with Washington's defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis.

By being the worst team in 2002, they earned the first pick in the 2003 NFL draft, which they would use to draft Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Carson Palmer out of USC, and releasing embattled quarterback Akili Smith.^[1]

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
QB Gus Frerotte (Broncos)	TE Tony McGee (Cowboys)
WR Michael Westbrook (Redskins)	WR Darnay Scott (Cowboys)
CB Jeff Burris (Colts)	FS Chris Carter (Texans)

NFL draft

Main article: 2002 NFL draft

2002 Cincinnati Bengals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	10	Levi Jones	Offensive tackle	Arizona State
2	41	Lamont Thompson	Safety	Washington State
3	67	Matt Schobel	Tight end	TCU
4	109	Travis Dorsch	Punter	Purdue
6	181	Marquand Manuel	Safety	Florida
7	219	Joey Evans	Defensive end	North Carolina
Made roster

^[2]

Undrafted free agents

2002 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Dwayne Levels	Linebacker	Oklahoma State
Reggie Myles	Defensive back	Alabama
Thatcher Szalay	Center	Montana

Personnel

2002 Cincinnati Bengals staff

Front office President – Mike Brown Head coaches Head coach – Dick LeBeau Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Bob Bratkowski Quarterbacks – Ken Anderson Running backs – Hollywood Bill Wide receivers – Steve Mooshagian Tight ends – John Garrett Offensive line – Paul Alexander Offensive assistant – Bob Surace

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Mark Duffner Defensive line – Tim Krumrie Cornerbacks – Kevin Coyle Safeties – Darren Perry Defensive assistant – Louie Cioffi Special teams coaches Special teams – Al Roberts Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Kim Wood Strength and conditioning assistant – Rodney Holman

Roster

2002 Cincinnati Bengals roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Gus Frerotte  7 Joe Germaine  3 Jon Kitna 11 Akili Smith Running backs (RB) 36 Brandon Bennett KR 28 Corey Dillon 32 Rudi Johnson KR 30 Nick Luchey FB 41 Lorenzo Neal FB Wide receivers (WR) 81 Ron Dugans 83 Danny Farmer 84 T. J. Houshmandzadeh PR 85 Chad Johnson 80 Peter Warrick Tight ends (TE) 87 Chris Edmonds 89 Matt Schobel 86 Tony Stewart

Offensive linemen (OL) 71 Willie Anderson T 74 Rich Braham C 60 Reggie Coleman T 63 Mike Goff G 62 Brock Gutierrez C 76 Levi Jones T 77 Victor Leyva G/T 72 Matt O'Dwyer G 79 Scott Rehberg G 66 Thatcher Szalay G Defensive linemen (DL) 96 Vaughn Booker DE 92 Eric Ogbogu DE 90 Justin Smith DE 68 Ron Smith DT 70 Glen Steele DT 97 Bernard Whittington DE 94 Tony Williams DT 55 Reinard Wilson DE

Linebackers (LB) 98 Canute Curtis OLB 50 Riall Johnson OLB 52 Dwayne Levels OLB 57 Adrian Ross OLB 56 Brian Simmons MLB 51 Takeo Spikes OLB Defensive backs (DB) 33 JoJuan Armour SS 21 Jeff Burris CB 42 Lavar Glover CB 27 Artrell Hawkins CB 34 Kevin Kaesviharn CB 44 Marquand Manuel SS 37 Reggie Myles CB 31 Jason Perry FS Special teams (ST) 10 Travis Dorsch K/P  8 Nick Harris P  5 Neil Rackers K 48 Brad St. Louis LS

Practice squad 93 Mario Monds DT 46 Tito Rodriguez LB 43 Derek Smith TE Reserve 88 Sean Brewer TE (IR) 95 Steve Foley LB (IR) 99 Oliver Gibson DT (IR) 26 Cory Hall S (IR) 25 Ligarius Jennings CB (IR) 45 Stephon Kelly S (IR) 20 Mark Roman S (IR) 59 Armegis Spearman LB (IR) 75 Jamain Stephens T (IR) 24 Lamont Thompson S (IR) 73 Richmond Webb T (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 11 reserve, 3 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 8, 2002	San Diego Chargers	L 6–34	0–1	53,705
2	September 15, 2002	at Cleveland Browns	L 7–20	0–2	73,358
3	September 22, 2002	at Atlanta Falcons	L 3–30	0–3	68,129
4	September 29, 2002	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 7–35	0–4	57,234
5	October 6, 2002	at Indianapolis Colts	L 21–28	0–5	56,570
6	October 13, 2002	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 7–34	0–6	63,900
7	Bye
8	October 27, 2002	Tennessee Titans	L 24–30	0–7	52,822
9	November 3, 2002	at Houston Texans	W 38–3	1–7	69,827
10	November 10, 2002	at Baltimore Ravens	L 27–38	1–8	69,024
11	November 17, 2002	Cleveland Browns	L 20–27	1–9	64,060
12	November 24, 2002	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 21–29	1–10	60,473
13	December 1, 2002	Baltimore Ravens	L 23–27	1–11	44,878
14	December 8, 2002	at Carolina Panthers	L 31–52	1–12	66,799
15	December 15, 2002	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 15–29	1–13	42,092
16	December 22, 2002	New Orleans Saints	W 20–13	2–13	43,544
17	December 29, 2002	at Buffalo Bills	L 9–27	2–14	47,850

Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text

Game summaries

Week 3: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	3	0	0	3
Falcons	13	7	7	3	30

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 22, 2002
• Game time: 8:30 pm
• Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
• Game attendance: 68,129
• Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, and Suzy Kolber
• Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter ATL – Jay Feely 44-yard field goal, 10:01. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 4:69. ATL – Jay Feely 26-yard field goal, 7:19. Falcons 6–0. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:48. ATL – Brian Finneran 20-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:57. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:28. Second quarter ATL – Brian Finneran 13-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 4:56. Falcons 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 1:42. CIN – Neil Rackers 24-yard field goal, 0:03. Falcons 20–3. Drive: 14 plays, 53 yards, 4:53. Third quarter ATL – Warrick Dunn 4-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 5:07. Falcons 27–3. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 7:00. Fourth quarter ATL – Jay Feely 34-yard field goal, 7:30. Falcons 30–3. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 5:39. Top passers CIN – Jon Kitna – 18/35, 136 yards, INT ATL – Michael Vick – 16/26, 174 yards, 2 TD Top rushers CIN – Corey Dillon – 18 rushes, 66 yards ATL – TJ Duckett – 18 rushes, 67 yards Top receivers CIN – Peter Warrick – 4 receptions, 34 yards ATL – Brian Finneran – 6 receptions, 77 yards, 2 TD

Week 17: at Buffalo Bills

Week 17: Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	3	0	6	9
Bills	6	14	7	0	27

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: December 29, 2002
• Game time: 1:00 pm
• Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,850
• Referee: Mike Carey (94)
• TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui, Steve Tasker
• Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter BUF – Mike Hollis 32-yard field goal, 8:36. Bills 3-0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:15. BUF – Mike Hollis 25-yard field goal, 1:12. Bills 6-0. Drive: 4 plays, 4, yards, 1:32. Second quarter BUF – Drew Bledsoe 7-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 10:25. Bills 13-0. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 4:15. BUF – Eric Moulds 2-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Mike Hollis kick), 2:41. Bills 20-0. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 5:12. CIN – Neil Rackers 19-yard field goal, 0:24. Bills 20-3. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 2:17. Third quarter BUF – Larry Centers 4-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 1:37. Bills 27-3. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:11. Fourth quarter CIN – Jon Kitna 6-yard run (run failed), 8:05. Bills 27-9. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:49. Top passers CIN – Jon Kitna – 19/35, 241 yards, 2 INT BUF – Drew Bledsoe – 23/31, 231 yards, TD Top rushers CIN – Corey Dillon – 13 rushes, 53 yards BUF – Travis Henry – 30 rushes, 80 yards Top receivers CIN – Chad Johnson – 6 receptions, 123 yards BUF – Eric Moulds – 9 receptions, 75 yards, TD

Standings

Division

AFC North
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers	10	5	1	.656	6–0	8–4	390	345	W3
(6) Cleveland Browns	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	344	320	W2
Baltimore Ravens	7	9	0	.438	3–3	7–5	316	354	L2
Cincinnati Bengals	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	279	456	L1

Conference

AFC v t e
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV
Division leaders
1[a]	Oakland Raiders	West	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	.529	.531
2[a]	Tennessee Titans	South	11	5	0	.688	6–0	9–3	.479	.474
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	10	5	1	.656	6–0	8–4	.486	.451
4[b]	New York Jets	East	9	7	0	.563	4–2	6–6	.500	.500
Wild Cards
5	Indianapolis Colts	South	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	.479	.400
6[c]	Cleveland Browns	North	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	.486	.413
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c][d]	Denver Broncos	West	9	7	0	.563	3–3	5–7	.527	.486
8[b][c][d][e]	New England Patriots	East	9	7	0	.563	4–2	6–6	.525	.455
9[b][e]	Miami Dolphins	East	9	7	0	.563	2–4	7–5	.508	.486
10[f]	Buffalo Bills	East	8	8	0	.500	2–4	5–7	.473	.352
11[f][g]	San Diego Chargers	West	8	8	0	.500	3–3	6–6	.492	.453
12[g]	Kansas City Chiefs	West	8	8	0	.500	2–4	6–6	.527	.516
13	Baltimore Ravens	North	7	9	0	.438	3–3	7–5	.506	.384
14	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	6	10	0	.375	1–5	4–8	.506	.438
15	Houston Texans	South	4	12	0	.250	1–5	2–10	.518	.492
16	Cincinnati Bengals	North	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	.537	.406
Tiebreakers[h]
Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory. N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (8–4 to 7–5) and Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). Cleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6) Denver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory. New England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). Buffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory. San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City based on division record (3–3 to 2–4). When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Team leaders

Passing

Player	Att	Comp	Yds	TD	INT	Rating
Jon Kitna	473	294	3178	16	16	79.1

Rushing

Player	Att	Yds	YPC	Long	TD
Corey Dillon	314	1311	4.2	67	7

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yds	Avg	Long	TD
Chad Johnson	69	1166	16.9	72	5
Peter Warrick	53	606	11.4	37	6

Defensive

Player	Tackles	Sacks	INTs	FF	FR
Takeo Spikes	171	1.5	0	2	4
Justin Smith	67	6.5	0	1	0
Artrell Hawkins	92	2.0	2	1	2
Kevin Kaesviharn	62	0.0	2	1	0

Kicking and punting

Player	FGA	FGM	FG%	XPA	XPM	XP%	Points
Neil Rackers	18	15	83.3%	32	30	93.8%	75

Player	Punts	Yards	Long	Blkd	Avg.
Nick Harris	65	2608	57	1	40.1

Special teams

Player	KR	KRYards	KRAvg	KRLong	KRTD	PR	PRYards	PRAvg	PRLong	PRTD
Brandon Bennett	49	1231	25.1	94	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
T. J. Houshmandzadeh	13	288	22.2	44	0	24	117	4.9	34	0

Awards and records

Pro Bowl Selections

• Lorenzo Neal FB, AFC Pro-Bowl Selection

Milestones

• Corey Dillon, 6th 1,000 yard rushing (1,311 yards) season^[3]