2003 Houston Texans season
The 2003 Houston Texans season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League and the second under head coach Dom Capers. It saw the Texans make a one-game improvement on its initial season's record.
| 2003 Houston Texans season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bob McNair |
| General manager | Charley Casserly |
| Head coach | Dom Capers |
| Offensive coordinator | Chris Palmer |
| Defensive coordinator | Vic Fangio |
| Home field | Reliant Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th AFC South |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
In the NFL draft, the Texans selected wide receiver Andre Johnson from Miami (FL) third overall. Johnson would become a cornerstone of the Texans' franchise for the next decade and would go on to hold nearly every franchise receiving record.[1] Considered one of the best receivers of his era, Johnson was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first player to start their career with the Texans to be inducted.[2]
Offseason
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| G Zach Wiegert (Jaguars) | LB Keith Mitchell (Jaguars) |
| G Todd Washington (Buccaneers) | WR Jermaine Lewis (Jaguars) |
| LB Steve Foley (Bengals) | T Ryan Young (Cowboys) |
| DT Steve Martin (Patriots) | G Cameron Spikes (Cardinals) |
| WR JaJuan Dawson (Colts) |
NFL draft
| 2003 Houston Texans draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Andre Johnson * | WR | Miami (FL) | |
| 2 | 41 | Bennie Joppru | TE | Michigan | from Baltimore via New England |
| 3 | 67 | Antwan Peek | LB | Cincinnati | |
| 3 | 75 | Seth Wand | OT | Northwest Missouri State | from Washington via New England |
| 3 | 88 | Dave Ragone | QB | Louisville | from Atlanta |
| 4 | 101 | Domanick Davis | RB | LSU | |
| 6 | 192 | Drew Henson | QB | Michigan | Extra selection |
| 6 | 214 | Keith Wright | DT | Missouri | Extra selection |
| 7 | 217 | Curry Burns | S | Louisville | |
| 7 | 233 | Chance Pearce | C | Texas A&M | Extra selection |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Staff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
| ||||||
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | Denver Broncos | L 12–20 | 0–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 15 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 6–34 | 0–2 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 23 | San Diego Chargers | L 17–19 | 0–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 28 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–34 | 0–4 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Miami Dolphins | W 21–20 | 1–0 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 14 | at New Orleans Saints | L 10–31 | 1–1 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–42 | 1–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–20 | 2–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | Bye | |||||
| 6 | October 12 | at Tennessee Titans | L 17–38 | 2–3 | The Coliseum | Recap |
| 7 | October 19 | New York Jets | L 14–19 | 2–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 26 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 21–30 | 2–5 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 9 | November 2 | Carolina Panthers | W 14–10 | 3–5 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 9 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–34 | 3–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 16 | at Buffalo Bills | W 12–10 | 4–6 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | New England Patriots | L 20–23 (OT) | 4–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 30 | Atlanta Falcons | W 17–13 | 5–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 7 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 0–27 | 5–8 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–16 | 5–9 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 21 | Tennessee Titans | L 24–27 | 5–10 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 28 | Indianapolis Colts | L 17–20 | 5–11 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: at Miami Dolphins
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 21 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
- Date: September 7
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT / 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C), wind 6 mph
- Game attendance: 73,010
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at New Orleans Saints
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Saints | 7 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 14
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,390
- Referee: Peter Morelli
- TV announcers (CBS): Craig Bolerjack, Beasley Reece
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: September 21
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,487
- Referee: Ron Blum
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Texans | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: September 28
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 70,041
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui, Steve Tasker
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Tennessee Titans
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Titans | 14 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: October 12
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), wind 3 mph
- Game attendance: 68,809
- Referee: Gerald Austin
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
David Carr threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, including a pick six.
Week 7: vs. New York Jets
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| Texans | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: October 19
- Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 70,623
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at Indianapolis Colts
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Colts | 3 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 26
- Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST / 4:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 56,132
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. Carolina Panthers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: at Cincinnati Bengals
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 3 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| Bengals | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: November 9
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), wind 7 mph
- Game attendance: 50,437
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Bills | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: November 16
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), wind 3 mph
- Game attendance: 72,677
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
On the Texans' third offensive drive, David Carr was sacked in his own end zone by Jeff Posey and fumbled the ball. The ball eventually went out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety, giving the Bills a 2–0 lead. Carr was injured on the play and would be replaced by Tony Banks for the rest of the game. On the final play of the game, the Texans were facing a 4th and 14 at their own 34-yard line with 0:03 left to play up 12–8. The team lined up in a punt formation and Andre Johnson took the ball, intentionally running backwards to his own end zone and ran out of bounds for a safety with 0:00 on the clock, securing a 12–10 victory for the Texans.
Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Texans | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: November 23
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,719
- Referee: Mike Carey
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Atlanta Falcons
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: November 30
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,388
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- TV: Fox
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: December 7
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), wind 7 mph
- Game attendance: 43,363
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
With injuries to both David Carr and Tony Banks, third-round rookie quarterback Dave Ragone made his first NFL start. Decimated by injuries, the Texans' offense struggled throughout the game, finishing with just 124 yards and three turnovers.
Week 15: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida
- Date: December 14
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), rain, wind 7 mph
- Game attendance: 65,124
- Referee: Gerald Austin
- TV: CBS
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. Tennessee Titans
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: December 21
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 70,758
- Referee: Peter Morelli
- TV: CBS
- Recap
Week 17: Indianapolis Colts
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 20 |
| Texans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: December 28
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,680
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV: CBS
- Recap
Standings
| AFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 447 | 336 | W1 |
| (5) Tennessee Titans | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 435 | 324 | W3 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 276 | 331 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 255 | 380 | L4 |
Statistics
Team
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 2,655 | 165.9 | 29th |
| Rushing offense | 1,651 | 103.2 | 23rd |
| Total offense[4] | 4,306 | 269.1 | 31st |
| Passing defense | 3,712 | 232.0 | 31st |
| Rushing defense | 2,370 | 148.1 | 31st |
| Total defense[5] | 6,082 | 380.1 | 31st |
Individual
| Category | Player | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing yards | David Carr | 2,013 | |
| Passing touchdowns | David Carr | 9 | |
| Rushing yards | Domanick Williams | 1,031 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | Domanick Williams | 8 | |
| Receiving yards | Andre Johnson | 976 | |
| Receiving touchdowns | Andre Johnson | 4 | |
| Defense | |||
| Tackles (Solo) | Jamie Sharper | 105 | |
| Sacks | Jamie Sharper | 4 | |
| Interceptions | Marcus Coleman | 7 | |
Source:[6]
References
- "NFL Receiving Yards per Game Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- "Andre Johnson Becomes Houston Texans' first Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee". Houston Texans. February 8, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- "2003 Houston Texans draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- "2003 NFL Team Total Offense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- "2003 NFL Team Total Defense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- "2003 Texans Statistics". Houston Texans. Retrieved April 29, 2022.