The
2002 season was the
Indianapolis Colts' 50th in the
National Football League (NFL) and 19th in
Indianapolis. The Colts made it to the playoffs after a one-year absence in 2001 when they finished with a 6–10 record. This was the first of nine consecutive playoff appearances for the Colts. The 2002 season marked the first for the Colts in the newly formed
AFC South after competing for 32 seasons in the
AFC East. The season is memorable for the team hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach
Tony Dungy. He would later take the Colts to a victory in
Super Bowl XLI after a successful 2006 season.
In the Wildcard round, the Colts were soundly embarrassed by the
New York Jets, as they ended up losing the game 41–0. The Jets would go on to lose to the eventual AFC champion
Oakland Raiders the following week.
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abOakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
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abcN.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).
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abcCleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6)
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abDenver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory.
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abNew England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
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abBuffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory.
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abSan 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.