The 2003 season
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl after the 2003 season, beating the Carolina Panthers 32-29 at Reliant Stadium.
They went 14-2 in the regular season and won the AFC East. The conference championships: the Carolina Panthers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 14-3; the New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-14.
The New England Patriots had the best record at 14-2 and won the Super Bowl; the Oakland Raiders, the San Diego Chargers, the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals finished bottom at 4-12.
The Kansas City Chiefs scored the most points (484) and the New England Patriots conceded the fewest (238). The longest winning run: the New England Patriots, 12 in a row (weeks 5-17).
The biggest upset: the Houston Texans, 14-point underdogs, beat the Miami Dolphins 21-20 in week 1, one of 16 wins by teams getting 7 or more points. The widest margin: the San Francisco 49ers beat the Chicago Bears 49-7 in week 1. The most points in one game: 85, when the Baltimore Ravens beat the Seattle Seahawks 44-41 in week 12.
At 41.7 points a game it ranks among the three lowest-scoring since 2002. 52% of games were decided by one score (8 points or fewer). 23 games went to overtime.
Play-offs
Wild card round
- Dallas Cowboys 10-29 Carolina Panthers
- Denver Broncos 10-41 Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks 27-33 Green Bay Packers (OT)
- Tennessee Titans 20-17 Baltimore Ravens
Divisional round
- Carolina Panthers 29-23 St Louis Rams (OT) · upset, 7-point underdog won
- Green Bay Packers 17-20 Philadelphia Eagles (OT)
- Indianapolis Colts 38-31 Kansas City Chiefs · upset, 3-point underdog won
- Tennessee Titans 14-17 New England Patriots
Conference championships
- Carolina Panthers 14-3 Philadelphia Eagles · upset, 4-point underdog won
- Indianapolis Colts 14-24 New England Patriots
Super Bowl
Final standings
AFC
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots · Won Super Bowl | 14 | 2 | .875 | +110 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 6 | .625 | +50 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 10 | .375 | -36 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 10 | .375 | -16 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens · Lost wild card round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +110 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 8 | .500 | -38 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 10 | .375 | -27 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | .313 | -68 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts · Lost conference championship | 12 | 4 | .750 | +111 |
| Tennessee Titans · Lost divisional round | 12 | 4 | .750 | +111 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 11 | .313 | -55 |
| Houston Texans | 5 | 11 | .313 | -125 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs · Lost divisional round | 13 | 3 | .813 | +152 |
| Denver Broncos · Lost wild card round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +80 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4 | 12 | .250 | -109 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 12 | .250 | -128 |
NFC
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles · Lost conference championship | 12 | 4 | .750 | +87 |
| Dallas Cowboys · Lost wild card round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +29 |
| Washington Redskins | 5 | 11 | .313 | -85 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 12 | .250 | -144 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers · Lost divisional round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +135 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | .563 | +63 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | .438 | -63 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | .313 | -109 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers · Lost Super Bowl | 11 | 5 | .688 | +21 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | .500 | +14 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 | 9 | .438 | +37 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 11 | .313 | -123 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Louis Rams · Lost divisional round | 12 | 4 | .750 | +119 |
| Seattle Seahawks · Lost wild card round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +77 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 9 | .438 | +47 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 12 | .250 | -227 |
Regular season only. Pct counts a tie as half a win. Div, Conf, Non-Conf: records against division, conference and other-conference opponents. Strk: current run of wins (W), losses (L) or ties (T). Last 5: oldest to newest. Teams level on Pct are ordered by division record, then points difference, which can differ from the official standings. Data: nflverse.
Season in numbers
| Measure | 2003 | Average since 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 41.7 | 44.7 |
| Home win rateNeutral-site games excluded; a tie counts as half. | 62% | 56% |
| One-score gamesDecided by 8 points or fewer. | 52% | 51% |
| Favourites wonAgainst the closing line; pick’ems and ties left out. | 68% | 67% |
| Overtime games | 23 (9%) | 6% |
Regular season only. Average: every completed season since 2002 except this one. Data: nflverse.