2002 Denver Broncos season

The 2002 season was the Denver Broncos' 43rd in professional football and their 33rd in the National Football League.

2002 Denver Broncos season
Head coach	Mike Shanahan
Home field	Invesco Field at Mile High
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	2nd AFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	DE Trevor Pryce LB Al Wilson (injured, did not play)
AP All-Pros	None

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

Additions	Subtractions
T Blake Brockermeyer (Bears)	S Eric Brown (Texans)
DT Lional Dalton (Ravens)	RB Tony Carter (Packers)
S Izell Reese (Cowboys)	QB Gus Frerotte (Bengals)
T Ephraim Salaam (Falcons)	LB Bill Romanowski (Raiders)
	FB Detron Smith (Colts)
	T Trey Teague (Bills)

NFL draft

2002 Denver Broncos draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	19	Ashley Lelie	Wide receiver	Hawaii
2	51	Clinton Portis *	Running back	Miami
3	96	Dorsett Davis	Defensive tackle	Mississippi State	from New England viaWashington and Baltimore
4	131	Sam Brandon	Safety	UNLV	from New England
5	144	Herb Haygood	Wide receiver	Michigan State	from Jacksonville via New England
6	191	Jeb Putzier	Tight end	Boise State
7	228	Chris Young	Safety	Georgia Tech	from Atlanta
7	231	Monsanto Pope	Defensive tackle	Virginia
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

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 – George Dyer Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Gary Kubiak Running Backs – Bobby Turner Wide Receivers – Karl Dorrell Tight Ends – Brian Pariani Offensive Line – Rick Dennison Offensive Assistant – Pat McPherson			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Ray Rhodes Defensive Line – Jacob Burney Linebackers – Larry Coyer Defensive Assistant – Steve Watson Pass Rush Specialist – Keith Millard Defensive Backs – Ron Milus Defensive Backs – David Gibbs Special teams coaches Special Teams – Frank Bush Assistant Special Teams/Offensive Assistant – Anthony Lynn Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Rich Tuten Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Greg Saporta Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Cedric Smith

Roster

2002 Denver Broncos final roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Steve Beuerlein 14 Brian Griese 17 Jarious Jackson Running backs 38 Mike Anderson 21 KaRon Coleman 34 Reuben Droughns 22 Olandis Gary 86 Patrick Hape TE/FB 26 Clinton Portis Wide receivers 82 Herb Haygood 85 Ashley Lelie 87 Ed McCaffrey 83 Scottie Montgomery 80 Rod Smith Tight ends 89 Dwayne Carswell 88 Jeb Putzier 84 Shannon Sharpe		Offensive linemen 71 Blake Brockermeyer T 65 Cooper Carlisle G 64 Lennie Friedman G 50 Ben Hamilton C 79 Steve Herndon G 78 Matt Lepsis T 74 Ephraim Salaam T 62 Dan Neil G Defensive linemen 92 Bertrand Berry DE 91 Lional Dalton DT 98 Reggie Hayward DE 91 Chester McGlockton DT 75 Monsanto Pope DT 95 Kavika Pittman DE 93 Trevor Pryce DT 99 Montae Reagor DT 97 Keith Washington DE		Linebackers 55 Keith Burns 52 Ian Gold 51 John Mobley 59 Donnie Spragan OLB 56 Al Wilson MLB Defensive backs 42 Sam Brandon 31 Kelly Herndon 28 Kenoy Kennedy SS 23 Willie Middlebrooks CB 24 Deltha O'Neal CB 33 Jimmy Spencer CB 37 Tyrone Poole CB 43 Izell Reese FS 25 Denard Walker CB 35 Lenny Walls CB Special teams  1 Jason Elam K  4 Micah Knorr P 48 Mike Leach LS		Reserve lists 81 Chris Cole WR (IR) 30 Terrell Davis RB (IR) 66 Tom Nalen C (IR) Practice squad 12 Charlie Adams WR 15 Frank Rice WR 32 Chris Young S 57 Jashon Sykes LB 67 Chris Watton G Rookies in italics

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

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, 2002
• Game time: 4:05 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 59 °F (15 °C)
• Game attendance: 75,359
• Referee: 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, 2002
• Game time: 8:35 p.m.
• Game weather: Clear, 58 °F (14 °C)
• Game attendance: 75,941
• Referee: 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, 2002
• Game time: 4:15 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
• Game attendance: 68,436
• Referee: 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, 2002
• Game time: 4:15 p.m.
• Game weather: Cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)
• Game attendance: 78,521
• Referee: 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

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
^(1) Oakland Raiders	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	450	304	W2
Denver Broncos	9	7	0	.563	3–3	5–7	392	344	W1
San Diego Chargers	8	8	0	.500	3–3	6–6	333	367	L4
Kansas City Chiefs	8	8	0	.500	2–4	6–6	467	399	L1

References

• Broncos on Pro Football Reference
• Broncos Schedule on jt-sw.com