NFL FOOTBALL - 2002
Pre-Season - San Francisco 49ers (7) v (38) Washington Redskins - New Redskins coach Steve Spurrier debuted in the American Bowl in Tokyo. The Redskins QB's Sage Rosenfels (10-20-172-2) and Danny Wuerffel (16-25-267-3) combined for 439 yards and 5 TD's as the Redskins eased past the 49ers (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Patrick/Theismann/Maguire, PAL)
Pre-Season - New York Giants (34) v (17) Houston Texans - In their 1st ever NFL game, the Texans acquitted themselves well with 17 points. QB David Carr (9-17-96-1) threw the Texans 1st ever TD pass. The play of the game was Giants TE Jeremy Shockey's thunderous hit on DB Kevin Williams on an interception return (8, 2 Discs, ABC - Michaels/Summerall, PAL)
Regular Season - Kansas City Chiefs (40) @ (39) Cleveland Browns - The opening game of the season for both teams was a shootout as Chiefs QB Trent Green (20-29-276-1) and Browns QB Kelly Holcomb (27-39-326-3) helped put up over 600 yards of pass offense. But the game was decided by a freaky last play. With the Browns leading by 2 with only seconds to go, Chiefs QB Trent Green dropped back to pass. Browns LB Dwayne Rudd broke free to tackle Green but as Green spun to the turf, he flipped the ball to lineman John Tait who rambled into Browns territory as time expired. While Tait was running downfield, Rudd took off his helmet to celebrate the sack. The referee penalised Rudd 15 yards for taking off his helmet while the play was live and the penalty put the Chiefs in FG range which they converted to win the game (8, 2 Discs, CBS - Eagle/Dierdorf/Bernstein, PAL)
Regular Season - Dallas Cowboys (10) @ (19) Houston Texans - The Texans kicked off their 1st ever season with a game against in-state rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. The Texans started fast, scoring their 1st ever TD on their 1st ever drive and this set the tone for the game as the Cowboys, led by QB Quincy Carter (13-30-131-0) and RB Emmitt Smith (17-67-0), couldn't get untracked. The Texans, led by #1 draft pick QB David Carr (10-22-145-2), were sensational (8, 2 Discs, ESPN - Patrick/Theismann/Maguire, PAL)
Regular Season - Arizona Cardinals (23) @ (31) Washington Redskins - New Redskins coach Steve Spurrier patrolled the sideline in his 1st ever NFL game as coach and his debut was a success as the Redskins held off a spirited Cardinals comeback. Redskins QB Shane Matthews (28-40-327-3) out-shone his counterpart Jake Plummer (14-36-187-1), and rolled up 442 yards of total offense with a little help from RB Stephen Davis (26-104-1) (8, 2 Discs, FOX - Summerall/Baldinger, PAL)
Regular Season - Seattle Seahawks (17) @ (14) Dallas Cowboys - In an historic game at Texas Stadium, RB Emmitt Smith (24-109-1) set the all-time rushing record for a RB, breaking the old record held by Walter Payton. It wasn't enough for the Cowboys to win, though, as the Seahawks mounted a last minute drive to the winning FG with 25 seconds left (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Summerall/Johnston, PAL)
NFL Regular Season - Washington Redskins (20) @ (27) Dallas Cowboys - In Redskins coach Steve Spurrier's 1st rivalry game, his team started strong but were steamrollered in the 2nd half by a vintage Emmitt Smith display as Smith rushed for 144 yards, his final 100 yard game for Dallas (8, 2 Discs, FOX - Buck/Aikman/Collinsworth, PAL)
NFC Wildcard - New York Giants (38) @ (39) San Francisco 49ers - The Giants built a 38-14 3rd quarter lead behind the awesome play of QB Kerry Collins (29-43-342-4) but the 49ers mounted a furious rally , led by QB Jeff Garcia (27-44-331-4) and WR Terrell Owens (9-177-2), taking the lead in the last minute. The Giants marched down the field for a last play, winning FG. But the 49ers held on when the snap was fumbled and the resultant pass was batted down. The following day the NFL officials admitted that the FG should have been re-tried as there were off-setting penalties. The 25 point comeback was the 2nd biggest in NFL playoff history (8, 2 Discs, FOX - Buck/Aikman/Collinsworth, PAL)