The 2002 season was the Chicago Bears' 83rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Dick Jauron.
[1] The Bears began the season 2–0, but things quickly fell apart as the team fell into an eight-game losing streak, including a loss at home to the New England Patriots where, despite having a 27–6 lead at some point, the Patriots came back and won the game late in the fourth quarter.
With Soldier Field being rebuilt, the Bears opted to play all of their home games Downstate in Champaign, at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois.
2001 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas suffered a broken right index finger in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers.
[3] These injuries and the league's 23rd worst turnover differential contributed to the team's franchise record-tying eight-game losing streak and their poor record.
On July 17, 2001, the Bears announced Olivet Nazarene as the new Training Camp site on a two-year deal.