2002–03 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 2002 season began on January 4, 2003. The postseason tournament concluded with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, 48–21, on January 26, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.
Prior to the 2002–03 season, the league realigned its teams into eight divisions. Thus, the 12-team playoff format was modified. The league abided by this updated system until 2020:

The four division champions are seeded 1–4 based on their regular season won-lost-tied record.
Two "wild card" qualifiers are seeded 5 and 6 within the conference.

As a result, a wild card team could no longer host a playoff game during the opening Wild Card round. Prior to the 2002–03 playoffs, a team could finish second in its division and host a playoff game as the number 4 seed. The new rules meant that the number 4 seed was awarded to a division champion and not a wild card team. Under the new system, a wild card team could host a playoff game only if the number 5 and number 6 seeds in one conference advance to a Conference Championship Game, in which case a number 5 seed would host the game.
This would be the last season until 2022–23 in which the Divisional Round did not include Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger.

Participants

Bracket

Schedule

During the 2001–02 NFL playoffs, the NFL experimented with playing Saturday prime time playoff games. The league was pleased with the results, and decided to revise its entire playoff schedule, beginning with the 2002 season. Wild Card and Divisional Saturday games continued to be played at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST, as they had in the previous season. Sunday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
The start times for the Conference Championship Games were also changed, from 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. EST to 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively. The conferences would then begin to annually alternate between the early and late games, with the first game during this 2002–03 season being the NFC title game and the second the AFC title game. Since then, the NFC title game is first in even-numbered seasons and the AFC title game first in odd-numbered seasons. This continued an unofficial rotation that began with the Conference Championships in the 1996 NFL Playoffs.
This change would also avoid the future possibility of having to reschedule a 9:30 a.m. PST/10:30 a.m. MST Conference Championship Game if both contests took place in those time zones. Conference Championship Games in those time zones now start no earlier than 12 p.m. local time. When Denver and San Francisco hosted the AFC and NFC Championship Games in 1990, the league moved both contests back an hour, but it also forced the networks to reluctantly change or move their prime time lineups. Holding the games on separate days like in 1982–83 was rejected due to the short notice. And for the third time in recent few years, there was no bye week before Super Bowl.
In the United States, ABC broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games and Super Bowl XXXVII. CBS telecast the rest of the AFC playoff games and Fox the rest of the NFC games.

Round	Away team	Score	Home team	Date	Kickoff	TV	Viewers	TV Rating
Wild Card playoffs	Indianapolis Colts	0–41	New York Jets	January 4, 2003	4:30 p.m.	ABC	19.7	13.0
Wild Card playoffs	Atlanta Falcons	27–7	Green Bay Packers	January 4, 2003	8:00 p.m.	ABC	26.3	16.0
Wild Card playoffs	Cleveland Browns	33–36	Pittsburgh Steelers	January 5, 2003	1:00 p.m.	CBS	27.5	18.1
Wild Card playoffs	New York Giants	38–39	San Francisco 49ers	January 5, 2003	4:30 p.m.	Fox	29.8	18.2
Divisional playoffs	Pittsburgh Steelers	31–34 (	Tennessee Titans	January 11, 2003	4:30 p.m.	CBS	28.5	18.1
Divisional playoffs	Atlanta Falcons	6–20	Philadelphia Eagles	January 11, 2003	8:00 p.m.	Fox	24.9	14.8
Divisional playoffs	San Francisco 49ers	6–31	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	January 12, 2003	1:00 p.m.	Fox	28.1	18.3
Divisional playoffs	New York Jets	10–30	Oakland Raiders	January 12, 2003	4:30 p.m.	CBS	35.1	22.1
Conference Championships	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	27–10	Philadelphia Eagles	January 19, 2003	3:00 p.m.	Fox	38.7	23.8
Conference Championships	Tennessee Titans	24–41	Oakland Raiders	January 19, 2003	6:30 p.m.	CBS	41.5	24.6
Super Bowl XXXVII Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California	Oakland Raiders	21–48	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	January 26, 2003	6:30 p.m.	ABC	88.6	40.7

Wild Card playoffs

Saturday, January 4, 2003

AFC: New York Jets 41, Indianapolis Colts 0

In his playoff debut, Jets quarterback Chad Pennington completed 19 of 25 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Jets to a shutout victory over the Colts. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed only 14 of 31 passes for 137 yards and two interceptions. The Jets gained 396 yards and didn't commit any turnovers, while the Colts gained only 176 yards and turned the ball over three times.
On the Jets' fifth play of the game, fullback Richie Anderson caught a screen pass from Pennington and took off down the left sideline for a 56-yard touchdown, the longest play in Jets postseason history. The Colts responded by driving deep into Jets territory, with Manning completing three passes to Marvin Harrison for 38 yards, but the drive stalled and Mike Vanderjagt missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.
After the missed field goal, Pennington completed a 13-yard pass to Santana Moss and a 23-yard pass to Wayne Chrebet, setting up John Hall's 41-yard field goal. Then Ray Mickens recovered a fumble from Troy Walters that had been forced by Khary Campbell on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Jets the ball on the Colts' 39-yard line. Six plays later, LaMont Jordan scored on a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Jets a 17–0 lead. Later in the quarter, the Jets got the ball with great field position by receiving Hunter Smith's 32-yard punt on the Colts' 42-yard line, and they ended up increasing their lead to 24–0 with Pennington's 4-yard touchdown pass to Moss, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone with 37 seconds left in the half.
Early in the third quarter, Hall kicked another field goal on the end of a drive that was set up by a 70-yard kickoff return from receiver Chad Morton. Later on, Pennington completed 5 out of 6 passes for 59 yards on a 74-yard drive, the last one a 3-yard touchdown toss to rookie tight end Chris Baker. Then on the Colts' ensuing drive, Damien Robinson intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 24 yards to the Jets' 36-yard line. The Jets then drove 64 yards in 13 plays, 11 of them runs by Jordan for 59 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run to make the final score of the game 41–0. Jets linebacker James Darling then put the finishing touches on the win by intercepting Manning's final pass of the game.
This turned out to be the Jets' final playoff home game at Giants Stadium as well as the final playoff win for both the Giants and the Jets at the stadium. Coincidentally, the Giants' last playoff win in Giants Stadium, the 2000 NFC Championship Game, had the same final score as this game. This was also the last playoff win until 2020 for an AFC East division champion that was not by the New England Patriots. Jordan finished the game with 20 carries for 102 yards, a reception for nine yards, and two touchdowns.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Colts and Jets. The Jets won the previous meeting when the Colts were in Baltimore.

NY Jets leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games

NFC: Atlanta Falcons 27, Green Bay Packers 7

The Packers suffered their first home playoff loss in franchise history as the Falcons forced five turnovers and limited the Packers to only one touchdown. 22-year-old quarterback Michael Vick passed for 117 yards and rushed for 64 yards. The Packers, playing without Pro Bowl safety Darren Sharper and their top receiver Terry Glenn due to injuries, fell down 24–0 in the first half and could not recover. Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, while Ryan Longwell missed two field goals.
The Falcons stormed out to a 7–0 lead by driving 76 yards on the opening drive, including an 18-yard reception and 12-yard run by running back Warrick Dunn, scoring with Vick's 10-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Jefferson. Then over the next three plays, but at the end of the Packers' next drive, Falcons linebacker Mark Simoneau blocked Josh Bidwell's punt and Artie Ulmer recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to increase their lead to 14–0. The Packers responded with a drive to the Falcons' 20-yard line. But after Brady Smith sacked Favre for a 9-yard loss, Longwell missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.
Early in the second quarter, cornerback Tyrone Williams, a blocker on the Packers' punt return team ran into returner Eric Metcalf. As a result, Metcalf muffed the kick and Falcons fullback George Layne recovered the ball on the Packers' 21-yard line. Packers head coach Mike Sherman did not challenge the call, a mistake considering replays showed the punted ball bouncing off a Falcons player's left shoulder. Sherman said he spoke with an official on the field, "but he led me to believe it would not be reviewable." Four plays after the turnover, T. J. Duckett's 6-yard touchdown run increased the Falcons' lead to 21–0. The Packers responded by driving to a first and goal situation on the Falcons' 1-yard line, but over the next three plays, Favre threw two incomplete passes and Ahman Green was tackled by Smith and safety Johndale Carty for a 1-yard loss. On fourth down and 2, Green was dropped for a 4-yard loss by nose tackle Ellis Johnson. Then Vick led the Falcons 90 yards in 16 plays, one of them a 21-yard run by Dunn, to go up 24–0 on Jay Feely's 22-yard field goal on the last play of the half.
The Packers regrouped on the opening drive of the second half, moving the ball 73 yards in 10 plays, the longest a 25-yard completion from Favre to wide receiver Donald Driver. Favre finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Driver, but Driver was knocked out of the game on the play, and the Falcons responded with a 73-yard scoring drive of their own. The key play of the drive was a 22-yard scramble by Vick, while Feely finished it off with a 23-yard field goal that gave the Falcons a 27–7 lead. There was still 3:46 left in the third quarter, but this would be the game's final score. The Packers responded with a drive to the Falcons' 26-yard line, only to have Longwell miss a 44-yard field goal attempt.
The fourth quarter played out like comedy, as Feely missed two field goal attempts while the Packers turned the ball over three times: once on downs, the second time when Patrick Kerney recovered a fumble from Favre, and the third when Favre threw his second interception of the game to Carpenter. This would be the Falcons' final road playoff victory until 2017.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Falcons and Packers. The Packers won the only prior meeting.

Green Bay leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games