The 2002 season was the Detroit Lions' 73rd in the National Football League (NFL). It was the Lionsâ inaugural season at the new Ford Field in Downtown Detroit and their first in the city since the team left Tiger Stadium after the 1974 season. Following the season, Marty Mornhinweg was fired and Steve Mariucci was hired as the Lions' head coach. The Lions entered the 2002 season looking to improve on their 2âÂÂ14 record from 2001 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
They improved on their record, winning 3 games. However, the new stadium didn't help the team overall, and they continued to disappoint, beginning the season with three consecutive losses. By week 9, the Lions had a 3âÂÂ5 record after a win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, after that win, the Lions lost their remaining 8 games to finish the season 3âÂÂ13 and failed to reach the playoffs. The Lions also went 0âÂÂ8 on the road for the second straight season. As a result, Marty Mornhinweg was fired after the season. In his 2 seasons as head coach, the Lions went 5âÂÂ27 for a winning percentage of .156.
In addition to their regular games against NFC North rivals, the Lions under the NFL's new scheduling formula played games against teams from the NFC South and from the AFC East. They also played the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, who had the fourth best records from 2001 of the teams placed in their respective divisions.
After winning the coin toss to begin overtime, because of the windy conditions, Marty Mornhinweg chose to have the Lions kick off instead of receive, affectionately known as "taking the wind". This decision backfired after the Bears took the ball and kicked a field goal on their drive. It was later mocked by Chris Berman on Monday Night Countdown the next night.