The game includes several standard modes of play, such as practice, single game, and season. NFL Fever 2002 of course carries the full NFL license, which means it has all of the real teams, players, and stadiums. You can also go into the game's dynasty mode and build your own team and take it through 25 consecutive seasons. NFL Fever also includes a Create-A-Player section. You can set your created player's ability to what you'd like it to be in several different categories, such as acceleration, strength, agility, speed, and endurance.

The gameplay of NFL Fever 2002 feels like a mix of Madden 2002 and NFL 2K2. The controls are quite responsive and feature a slight touch of the Madden-style momentum-based physics system. The gameplay, however, is quite fast, much like the gameplay in NFL 2K2. Getting used to the game's default control setup takes a few games, but once you do, the gameplay is pretty solid.

The running game in NFL Fever 2002 is very solid, which is also tied into the impressive offensive and defensive line AI. Passing and receiving is easy in NFL Fever 2002 since it's icon-based, and the only decision you have to make beyond which receiver to throw the ball to is whether it's going to be a bullet or a lob pass. You can throw a bullet pass by holding the button, and if you tap the button the quarterback will throw a softer lob pass through the air.