2002 Oakland Raiders Season

2002 Oakland Raiders Season

The 2002 Oakland Raiders season was the club’s 43rd in the NFL. The Raiders, under the leadership of first-year head coach Bill Callahan, clinched a third consecutive AFC West title with an 11-5 finish. The team is probably best remembered, however, for reaching the Super Bowl; in doing so, they became the first Raiders squad in nineteen years to reach professional football's biggest stage.

The 2002 season, due mainly to the aforementioned Super Bowl run, ranks among the most important in franchise history. The aging Raiders' controversial elimination from the prior year's playoffs set the stage for a concerted championship push. Owner Al Davis traded then-head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shortly after the Raiders' 2001 playoff loss; in doing so, he received two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and cash considerations from Tampa. Davis, despite team salary cap troubles, also managed to acquire veteran stars Sam Adams, Rod Woodson, and Bill Romanowski during the 2002 offseason.

The Raiders entered the season with a hugely talented (albeit aging) roster of players. The offense was led by superstar quarterback Rich Gannon. The team's receiving core of Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, and Jerry Porter ranked among the league's best; additionally, running back Charlie Garner posted an impressive 1,903 all-purpose yards. The offensive line, moreover, was anchored by pro-bowlers Lincoln Kennedy and Barret Robbins. The Raiders' offense, all told, led the league in total yardage; Gannon additionally led all NFL quarterbacks in passing with 4,689 yards. The defense, while less vaunted, nonetheless ranked among the NFL's finest; the contributions of Rod Woodson, Bill Romanowski, Charles Woodson, and Trace Armstrong aided the Raiders' cause greatly.

Despite their talent, the Raiders struggled in the first half of the 2002 season. A 4-0 start was followed by four consecutive losses; the team's 4-4 record stunned many onlookers. The team, however, redeemed itself by winning seven of its final eight contests. The Raiders clinched full home-field advantage throughout the playoffs (an impressive feat given their having won "merely" eleven games). They routed the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans in the playoffs; in doing so, they advanced to Super Bowl. Their opponent, ironically, would be Jon Gruden's Buccaneers.

The Raiders entered Super Bowl XXXVII as slight favorites; many predicted a hard-fought showdown between Oakland's top-ranked offense and Tampa's top-ranked defense. The resulting game, however, ended in disaster for the Raiders. A early three-point lead (courtesy of a Sebastian Janikowski field goal) evaporated as the Buccaneers scored thirty-four unanswered points. The Buccaneers defense, aided by Gruden's knowledge of the Raider offense, intercepted Rich Gannon three times during this scoring surge. A furious Raider rally cut the score to an almost-competitive 34-21 in the fourth quarter; two more Gannon interceptions, however, sealed the Raiders' fate in a 48-21 bludgeoning.

The Raiders unexpectedly limped to a 4-12 finish in 2003; the team, for the most part, was disbanded by 2004. As of the 2012 season, the Raiders have not appeared in a playoff game since.