The last time the Raiders made the playoffs, the world gave us Nickelback, ‘American Idol’

The NFL’s second-longest playoff drought has ended. The Oakland Raiders are headed to the postseason.

Derek Carr and Khalil Mack have teamed up to bring the Raiders back to their past glory. This year’s playoffs will mark the first time Oakland has participated since the 2002 season.

Fourteen years is a very long time to wait. There are high school freshmen in the Bay Area who have never known the experience of a Raiders playoff win. Their entire lives have been defined by 5-11 seasons, JaMarcus Russell, and various stages of terrible Mark Davis haircuts.

With the spirit of 2002 (and early 2003, when the franchise made its last postseason appearance in a 48-21 Super Bowl XXXVII defeat) in mind, let’s take a look back at those last glorious months of Raider glory.

Nickelback announced their arrival on the American music scene, charting the No. 1 single on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 Singles with How You Remind Me. In the biggest crime of 2002, Fat Joe (ft. Ashanti)’s What’s Luv comes in eighth, behind two Nelly songs but ahead of another Nelly song.

A controversial pass interference flag helped Ohio State defeat Miami (FL) to win the NCAA college football title. Sadly, the Buckeyes were never heard from again.

Australian short track speed skater Steven Bradbury won one of the greatest Olympic gold medals in history when his bold strategy of being slower than everyone but just not falling down pays off dividends.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers comes out, establishing itself as by far the best film of the trilogy and showcasing the devastating power of anthropomorphic trees. It is the second-most important sequel of the year, behind only The Santa Clause 2.

Donald Trump, still two years away from springing The Apprentice on unsuspecting Americans, remains a figure known primarily for his board game and scene-stealing Home Alone 2 cameos.

Jon Gruden was still a football coach, not just the guy who screams words like “pliable” and “gritty” at Sean McDonough during Monday Night Football. That season, he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an NFL championship over his former team, the aforementioned Raiders.

Derek Carr’s older brother David, a once-promising quarterback prospect since pounded into the upside-down thanks to years of playing behind a Texans offensive line made entirely of armless J.C. Penney mannequins, was selected No. 1 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft.

The never-ending onslaught of comic book movies is set in motion when Spider-Man becomes a commercial and box office hit. The film’s success is chalked up to the presence of “Macho Man” Randy Savage in a career-defining role (in a vast departure, he plays a wrestler).

Kelly Clarkson won the inaugural season of American Idol, a show best known for making Brian Dunkleman a star.

The Montreal Expos, Seattle Supersonics, and Atlanta Thrashers all existed.

The Washington Nationals, Oklahoma City Thunder, Winnipeg Jets, and 10 other MLS teams did not.

Sriracha was just that weird bottle in the ethnic section of the grocery store with a rooster on it and not a damn social phenomenon.

The Rock was WWE Heavyweight champion and not the world’s highest-grossing actor.

The Roots released Phrenology, a five-star album anchored by hit single The Seed 2.0. Jimmy Fallon hears it and softly mutters to himself “one day I’m gonna make these guys play a bunch of kids toys for my entertainment.”