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 2–14 record from 2001 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

However, the new stadium didn't help the team overall, and they continued to disappoint, beginning the season with three consecutive losses.

However, after that win, the Lions lost their remaining 8 games to finish the season 3–13 and failed to reach the playoffs.

[1] Running backs (RB) Wide receivers (WR) Tight ends (TE) Defensive linemen (DL) Defensive backs (DB) Special teams Reserve 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.