2003 New England Patriots season
Encyclopedia
The 2003
New England Patriots
season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League
and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII
.
Two seasons after winning Super Bowl XXXVI
, the Patriots went into 2003 after missing the playoffs in 2002. In a salary cap
-related move, captain and Pro Bowl
safety Lawyer Milloy
was released days before the start of the regular season, prompting second-guessing of head coach Bill Belichick
among fans and a report by ESPN
analyst Tom Jackson
that Patriots players "hated their coach," an accusation later denied by players. Milloy signed with the Buffalo Bills
, who defeated the Patriots, 31–0, in the season opener. The Patriots would rebound though, not losing another game after starting with a 2–2 record. Due to multiple injuries, the Patriots started 42 different players during the season, an NFL record for a division winner until the Patriots started 45 different players in 2005
. Undefeated at home, nose tackle Ted Washington
coined the phrase "Homeland Defense" for a Patriots' defense, boosted by the acquisitions of Washington and San Diego Chargers
castoff safety Rodney Harrison
in the offseason, that gave up a league-low 14.9 points per game en route to a 14–2 regular season record. The regular season was bookended with a 31–0 victory over the Bills at home in Week 17, a score reversed from the Patriots' shutout loss to the Bills in Week 1. The win gave the Patriots a perfect 8–0 record at home in the regular season.
After a first-round bye in the AFC
playoffs, the Patriots faced the Tennessee Titans
at home in one of the coldest games in NFL history and won, setting up an AFC Championship Game matchup with the Indianapolis Colts
. The top-seeded Patriots intercepted Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
, the league's co-MVP, four times, winning 24–14 and advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII
against the Carolina Panthers
. With a tied game late in the fourth quarter, Adam Vinatieri
kicked the game-winning field goal with seconds remaining, giving the Patriots their second Super Bowl victory in three seasons.
on July 24, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. The Patriots received seven roster exemptions for the NFL Europe allocations of Dyshod Carter
, Mike Malan, Mike Clare, Rod Trafford
, Courtney Ledyard, Brad Harris, and Scott McCready
. Additionally, the Patriots allocated offensive lineman Corey Mitchell, wide receiver T. C. Taylor, and quarterback Shane Stafford
to NFL Europe and received roster exemptions for them, but those players were waived before the start of training camp. Finally, injured exclusive rights free agent Stephen Neal
did not sign his tender until after camp began, and did not count against the roster limit.
the Patriots met the Bills in Buffalo, and Milloy was there after signing a deal with the Bills. Drew Bledsoe
threw for one touchdown while Tom Brady
was picked off four times; in the second quarter defensive lineman Sam Adams ran an interception for a 37-yard touchdown; a still from Adams' run was used for the cover of Sports Illustrated
. Brady was also sacked twice, once by Milloy, in a 31–0 Bills rout.
and one to Deion Branch
), Tom Brady
led the Patriots to their first win of the season by beating the Eagles. Donovan McNabb
was hammered by the Patriots defense, limited to just 18 completions in 46 throws; he was picked off twice (Tedy Bruschi
ran back an INT for an 18-yard Patriots touchdown) and sacked eight times. The Patriots came into the late-afternoon game after hearing ESPN
's NFL pregame show where analyst Tom Jackson
stated outright "They hate their coach," even though no effort at verification on the part of Jackson had ever been made. Bill Belichick
was incensed by the comment and refused to speak to anyone connected with ESPN outside of Chris Berman (long a friend of Belichick's) for years after.
had been injured in preseason and former Jets starter Vinny Testaverde
had to take over; it was the future Patriot's first game against New England since a 44–7 slaughter by the Pats in September 2002. The Jets running game had been shut down in that 2002 matchup and it didn't do much better this time around, totalling just 65 yards, 53 of them from former Patriot Curtis Martin
. Kevin Faulk
and Antowain Smith
rushed for 134 yards and Tom Brady
threw for 181 yards, but until the final five minutes of the third quarter it was a battle of field goals – tied at 9 until Brady ran in a one-yard score. At the start of the fourth rookie Asante Samuel
picked off Testaverde and ran back a 55-yard touchdown. Vinny did connect with Wayne Chrebet
two minutes later, but the remaining thirteen minutes went scoreless as the Patriots took the win 23–16.
became the last NFL coach to defeat the Patriots until Halloween
2004 as the Redskins raced to a 20–3 lead in the third quarter. Adam Vinatieri
missed a field goal try for the first time in the year and Tom Brady
was picked off in Washington's red zone twice, once by Champ Bailey
. Ladell Betts
and Rock Cartwright
ran in touchdowns as the Redskins ground game (led by Trung Canidate
's 70 yards) ate up 119 yards. It was enough to hold off two late Brady touchdowns in a 20–17 Patriots loss.
. The game lead changed seven times as Steve McNair
threw for 360 yards and rushed in two touchdowns while Patriots running backs Antowain Smith
and Mike Cloud
rushed for 153 yards and three scores and rookie Bethel Johnson
ran back a fourth-quarter kick 71 yards, setting up Cloud's second touchdown. The decisive score came when McNair was picked off by a hobbling Ty Law
for a 65-yard touchdown – McNair threw to Tyrone Calico
(who'd had a 60-yard touchdown called back when he was ruled out of bounds inside the 5-yard line), but Calico slipped to the ground just as Law jumped into his route – and a 38–30 Patriots triumph.
. The first throw by Kerry Collins
was batted in the air and intercepted, leading to a Patriots field goal attempt that missed. Later Tiki Barber
was hit and fumbled to Matt Chatham
, who ran in a 30-yard touchdown. Collins was picked off five times as the Patriots ground out a 17–6 win.
in the third. The Dolphins marched down field late in the fourth; during this drive a Ricky Williams
first down run was protested by the Patriots who felt Williams' knee touched the dirt infield at Pro Player Stadium, but the challenge was denied. The Dolphins attempted a 35-yard field goal at the two-minute warning, but the kick was blocked by Richard Seymour
. The Dolphins smothered the Patriots' final drive attempt (the decisive play came when former Patriot Terrell Buckley
stopped Kevin Faulk
for a four-yard loss) and the game went to overtime. Controversy ensued on the coin flip for overtime; referee Gerald Austin
used a silver dollar; the coin came up Lady Columbia (which is "heads" on a silver dollar) but Patriot captains Brady and Seymour protested that it came up "tails." The Dolphins drove downfield but missed another 35-yard field goal try, in part because Olindo Mare
couldn't plant his foot on the infield dirt, which was still in place because of the Florida Marlins
' run towards their 2003 World Series victory; after forcing a Patriots punt Jay Fiedler
was hit by Tedy Bruschi
and lobbed a 60-yard pass picked off at the Patriots 18-yard line by Tyrone Poole
. Brady then ended the game with a spectacular 82-yard touchdown strike to Troy Brown
and a 19–13 final.
field goals, with his fifth miss of the season added in. The Patriots defense limited the Browns to 203 yards of offense while Ty Law
picked off Kelly Holcomb
, Law's second INT of the season. Holcomb was also sacked three times as the Browns limped home after a 9–3 Patriots win.
of the season in this matchup against the Broncos, who had beaten the Patriots in 13 of the two teams' 15 previous meetings. The Broncos held a 24–23 lead in the fourth with backup quarterback Danny Kanell
starting and despite injuries to receiver Ed McCaffrey
and kicker Jason Elam
. Backed up to their one-yard line, the Patriots were forced to punt, but with so little room to work, they snapped the ball through the endzone for a deliberate safety. Thus getting a free kick, the Patriots pinned the Broncos near their own goalline and forced a Denver punt. In the final two minutes, the Patriots drove downfield and Tom Brady
fired an 18-yard touchdown strike to David Givens
. Kanell threw a long pass that was intercepted by rookie Asante Samuel
with seven seconds left, securing a 30–26 Patriots win.
contest at 7–2 and the game was the first showdown between Bill Belichick
and the coach he worked under for many years, former Patriots coach Bill Parcells
. The Cowboys gained only 291 yards of offense while the Patriots did worse, limited to 268 yards; three Quincy Carter
interceptions (two by Ty Law
) proved decisive. The Patriots managed two Adam Vinatieri
field goals and a two-yard Antowain Smith
touchdown marred by a blocked PAT. With a 12–0 win the Patriots continued their winning streak from the end of September.
, the Patriots made their first trip to Houston since 1988 and a 31–6 loss to the Oilers
at the Astrodome. The Patriots led 10–3 at the half, but Adam Vinatieri
missed a 38-yard field goal try at the end of the half, his first miss inside a dome in his career. Tony Banks erupted to three second-half touchdowns as the Texans' defense bullied the Patriots into two fumbles and a Tom Brady
INT. Trailing 20–13 in the final minutes of regulation the Patriots drove down field; at the Texan' 4-yard line Brady was chased out of the pocket and threw a pass caught in the endzone in mid-air by Daniel Graham
. In overtime a 37-yard Vinatieri field goal try was blocked, but the Texans were forced to punt. Late in overtime the Texans' Marlon McCree
picked off Brady at his 5-yard line but a holding penalty nullified the turnover, and Vinatieri kicked the game-winner with 41 seconds left in overtime and a 23–20 Patriots win. The game marked the last time New England would trail in any 2003 contest until Super Bowl XXXVIII—which took place in Houston as well.
after 32 seasons with the Pats in the AFC East
. The two teams stood at 9–2, the latest in a season two teams with nine wins had met. The Patriots raced to a 17–3 second-quarter lead behind scores by Mike Cloud
and Dedric Ward
. Following a Peyton Manning
touchdown to Marcus Pollard
with 12 seconds left in the first half, Bethel Johnson
ran back the ensuing kick 92 yards for a touchdown. But the Patriots 31–10 runaway following another Cloud touchdown became an epic shootout as two Brady interceptions gave the Colts touchdown drives, and they tied the game at 31 at 4:39 of the fourth. Another monster Johnson kick return set up a Brady to Deion Branch
touchdown, but the score stood at 38–34 Patriots in the final minute with the Colts at the Patriots goalline. A heroic goalline stand led by Willie McGinest
and Ted Washington
stopped the Colts from scoring and the win left several Patriots visibly shaken; Rodney Harrison
noted afterward, "I've never seen anything like this."
hit a 29-yard field goal to put the Patriots ahead. With both offenses struggling, the Patriots missed a chance to open a wider lead when Vinatieri missed a 54-yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Dolphins threatened the Patriots offensively for the first time in the game late in the third quarter, advancing to the Patriots' 10-yard line before Rodney Harrison
strip-sacked Jay Fiedler
, with Mike Vrabel
recovering the fumble for the Patriots (and embarrassing Dolphins rookie TE Randy McMichael
, who had talked trash about the Patriots before the game but blew his blocking assignment against Harrison on this play). In the fourth quarter, punter Brooks Barnard
(replacing Ken Walter
, who'd been cut a week after poor punts against the Colts
), would pin the Dolphins at their own 4-yard line. Fiedler's first pass was intercepted by Tedy Bruschi
and returned five yards for a touchdown. The play became notable more for the fans' celebration afterwards, as they would throw the fallen snow in the air in a form of "snow fireworks." At the two-minute warning, Brady would pooch-punt and pin the Dolphins at their own 1-yard line; Fiedler was sacked a few plays later for a safety that sealed a 12–0 Patriots victory and the division title.
in Week Five – the opponent scored a touchdown in Foxboro, as late in the fourth quarter Kevin Johnson caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Byron Leftwich
, the first home touchdown allowed since Steve McNair
ran in a score in the fourth quarter in Week Five – nearly five whole games. It didn't matter as two Tom Brady
touchdown throws, an Antowain Smith
rushing score, and two Vinatieri field goals were enough for a 27–13 Patriots win.
the week before; the Patriots were also facing Chad Pennington
for the first time since a 30–17 Jets win in 2002. The Patriots picked off Pennington right away, setting up David Givens
' 35-yard score not even one minute into the game. Pennington tied the game on a one-yard run late in the first quarter, but early in the second he was picked off by Willie McGinest
at his own 15 and McGinest scored. Givens caught another touchdown pass in the third, but the score was only 21–16 after a second Pennington rushing score and a missed two-point try. Pennington was then picked off for the fifth time late in the fourth, finishing an ugly 21–16 Patriots win. The game took a back seat in subsequent days, however, to an incident on the sidelines when ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber
interviewed Joe Namath
, whose speech seemed erratic; Namath burst out by saying, "I wanna kiss you!" to Kolber, and was forced to apologize for it in subsequent days.
threw four touchdowns, all in the first half, and despite an ugly hit in the legs by Lawyer Milloy
in the second quarter. Adam Vinatieri
missed a third-quarter field goal but connected from 24 yards out in the fourth. Drew Bledsoe
never got untracked and was pulled in the fourth quarter for Travis Brown, who got to the Patriots redzone at the end of the fourth quarter but was intercepted in the endzone by Larry Izzo
. The Patriots' 31–0 win bookended the season.
, relying on yet another game-winning field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri
late in the fourth quarter and a key defensive stand.
Tom Brady
stormed out the gates with a 19-yard completion to Kevin Faulk
with his first pass attempt. A few plays later, the Titans defensive scheme confused him and caused him to burn a timeout, but it was well spent. On the next play, he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Bethel Johnson
. McNair struck back with a 15-yard completion to Derrick Mason
and a 24-yard pass to running back Eddie George
, moving the ball to the Patriots 22-yard line. Roman Phifer
almost ended the drive by intercepting a pass from McNair, but lineman Richard Seymour
was penalized for roughing the passer and the Titans got the ball back with a first down on the New England 9-yard line. Two plays later, Chris Brown
scored a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
After the ensuing kickoff, Brady completed two passes to Dedric Ward
for 30 yards on a 38-yard drive to the Titans 26-yard line. The drive ended with no points when Vinatieri missed a 44-yard field goal attempt, but on the next play, safety Rodney Harrison
intercepted a pass from McNair and returned it 7 yards to the Patriots 43-yard line. Brady subsequently completed four of six passes for 49 yards and rushed for 3 on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by Antowain Smith
to retake the lead less than two minutes into the second quarter. Later in the period, the Titans drove 51 yards in nine plays to the Patriots 13-yard line, featuring a 29-yard completion from McNair to Mason. But New England's defense kept them out the end zone and blocked Gary Anderson's 31-yard field goal attempt.
Early in the third quarter, McNair led the Titans on a 70-yard scoring drive, completing 5 consecutive passes for 59 yards and capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mason. The rest of the third quarter was scoreless, but midway through the fourth quarter, Troy Brown
's 10-yard punt return gave the Patriots great field position at the Titans 40-yard line. The Patriots gained only 13 yards on their ensuing possession, but it was enough for Vinatieri to make a 46-yard field goal, giving New England a 17–14 lead with 4:02 left in regulation.
The Titans took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Patriots 33-yard line. But two penalties, a 10-yard intentional grounding call and a holding penalty, pushed them back 20 yards. McNair threw an 11-yard completion on the next play, but after that, Drew Bennett
dropped a potential first down catch on fourth down and 12, and the Titans turned the ball over on downs with 1:38 left.
(3 of them by Ty Law
), recording 4 sacks (three by Jarvis Green
), and forcing a safety. Although New England's offense fared no better and only scored one touchdown, Vinatieri's 5 field goals made up for the difference as the Patriots won, 24–14, to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance in 3 seasons.
The Patriots took the opening kickoff and scored on their first drive, advancing the ball 65 yards in 13 plays. Tom Brady
completed four passes to receiver David Givens
for 40 yards on the drive, including a 7-yard touchdown pass, and converted a fourth down on his own 44-yard yard with a 2-yard run. Manning seemed ready to counter, driving the Colts 68 yards to the New England 5-yard line, but on third down and 3, his pass was intercepted by Rodney Harrison
in the end zone. After the interception, the Patriots drove 67 yards to the Colts 13-yard line where Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal increased their lead to 10–0.
The Patriots defense continued to dominate the Colts in the second quarter. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Law intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 6 yards to the 41-yard line. The Patriots then drove 52 yards and increased their lead to 13–0 with a second Vinatieri field goal. Brady completed three passes for 42 yards on the drive, including a 17-yarder to Givens and a 16-yard completion to Troy Brown
on fourth down and 8. For the first time in the entire postseason, the Colts were forced to punt on their next drive. Apparently, they were very out of practice, because the snap from center Justin Snow
sailed over the head of punter Hunter Smith. The ball went into the end zone, and Smith was forced to knock it out of bounds for a safety, making the score 15–0.
The Colts had a great opportunity to score when rookie defense back David Macklin
recovered a fumble from receiver Bethel Johnson
three plays after the free kick, giving Indianapolis a first down on the Patriots 41-yard line. But five plays later, Harrison forced a fumble while tackling Marvin Harrison
, and cornerback Tyrone Poole
recovered it.
Trailing 15–0 at halftime, the Colts finally managed to build some momentum in the third quarter. First, Dominic Rhodes
gave them great field position by returning the second half kickoff 35 yards to the 49-yard line. Then running back Edgerrin James
spearheaded a 52-yard scoring drive, carrying the ball on 7 of 12 plays for 32 yards and capping it off with a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 15–7. But the Patriots took over the rest of the period. After Patrick Pass
returned the ensuing kickoff 21 yards to the 43-yard line, Brady completed passes to Larry Centers
for 28 yards, Brown for 17, and Kevin Faulk
for 8, setting up Vinatieri's third field goal to increase their lead to 18–7. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Indianapolis was forced to punt. Antowain Smith
then rushed four times for 53 yards on New England's next possession, advancing the ball to the Colts 3-yard line where Vinatieri kicked his fourth field goal. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Law recorded his second interception from Manning on the Colts 31-yard line. But this time, the Patriots failed to score because defensive back Walt Harris picked off a pass from Brady in the end zone.
After the turnover, the Colts drove 57 yards to the New England 31-yard line. But then Manning threw his third interception to Law with 8:17 left in the fourth quarter. After forcing a punt, Manning led the Colts back, completing 8 of 9 passes for 64 yards and finishing the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Pollard
with 2:22 left in regulation. The Colts failed to recover their ensuing onside kick attempt, but forced a punt with 2:01 left. However, the Patriots defense limited Manning to four consecutive incompletions, causing the Colts to turn the ball over on downs. Then after making Indianapolis use up all of their timeouts, Vinateir's 5th field goal increased the Patriots lead to 24–14. The Colts attempted one last desperation drive, but ended up turning the ball over on downs again with 7 seconds left in the game.
Brady completed 22 of 37 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown, with 1 interception. Smith rushed for 100 yards. Pollard caught 6 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Rhodes returned five kickoffs for 121 yards, rushed for 16, and caught 2 passes for 17.
Colts players would later publicly complain that the game officials did not properly call illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding penalties on the Patriots' defensive backs. This, and similar complaints made by others, would prompt the NFL during the 2004 offseason to instruct all of the league's officials to strictly enforce these types of fouls.
gave his team great field position with a 28-yard return to the Panthers 47-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched to the 9-yard line, but Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Adam Vinatieri
missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. The Patriots forced Carolina to punt after 3 plays and again got the ball with great field position, receiving Todd Sauerbrun
's 40-yard punt at the Panthers 49-yard line. New England then drove to the 31-yard line, but on third down, linebacker Will Witherspoon
tackled Brown for a 10-yard loss on an end-around play, pushing the Patriots out of field goal range. Later on, New England drove 57 yards to the Panthers 18-yard line with 6 minutes left in the second period, but once again they failed to score as Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Panthers defender Shane Burton
.
Meanwhile, the Carolina offense was stymied by the New England defense, with quarterback Jake Delhomme
completing just one out of his first nine passes, sacked three times, and fumbling once. That fumble occurred 3 plays after Vinatieri's second missed field goal; Delhomme lost the ball while being sacked by linebacker Mike Vrabel
, and Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour
recovered the ball at the Panthers 20-yard line. Two plays later, New England faced a third down and 7, but quarterback Tom Brady
scrambled 12 yards to the 5-yard line for a first down. Then wide receiver Deion Branch
caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady on the next play.
Branch's touchdown came after 26:55 had elapsed in the game, setting the record for the longest amount of time a Super Bowl remained scoreless. The play also suddenly set off a scoring explosion from both teams for the remainder of the first half.
The Panthers stormed down the field on their ensuing possession, driving 95 yards in 8 plays, and tying the game on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to wide receiver Steve Smith with just 1:07 left in the half.
The Patriots immediately countered with a 6-play, 78-yard scoring drive of their own. Starting from their own 22-yard line, Brady completed a 12-yard pass to wide receiver David Givens
. Then after throwing an incompletion, Brady completed a long pass to Branch, who caught it at the Panthers 24-yard line in stride before being tackled at the 14-yard line for a 52-yard gain. Three plays later, Givens caught a 5-yard touchdown from Brady to give New England a 14–7 lead with only 18 seconds left in the half. The Patriots decided to squib kick
the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return, but their plan backfired as Carolina tight end Kris Mangum
picked up the ball at his own 35-yard line and returned it 12 yards to the 47. Panthers running back Stephen Davis
then ran for 21 yards on the next play to set up kicker John Kasay
's 50-yard field goal as time expired in the half, cutting Carolina's deficit to 14–10.
The third quarter was scoreless as each team exchanged punts twice. But with 3:57 left in the period, the Patriots put together a 71-yard, 8-play scoring drive, featuring tight end Daniel Graham
's 33-yard reception to advance to the Carolina 9-yard line. Running back Antowain Smith
then capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run on the second play on the final period to increase their lead, 21–10. This was the start of another scoring explosion, one that became one of the biggest explosions in Super Bowl history, with both teams scoring a combined 37 points in the last 15 minutes, the most ever in a single quarter of a Super Bowl.
Delhomme started out Carolina's ensuing drive with a 13-yard completion to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad
. After committing a false start penalty on the next play, Delhomme completed a pair of passes to Smith for gains of 18 and 22 yards. Running back DeShaun Foster
then scored on a 33-yard touchdown run, cutting the Panthers' deficit to 21–16 after Delhomme's 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete. The Patriots responded on their ensuing possession by driving all the way to Carolina's 9-yard line, but the drive ended when Panthers defensive back Reggie Howard
intercepted a third down pass from Brady in the end zone. Then on 3rd down from his own 15-yard line, Delhomme threw for the longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history, an 85-yard touchdown completion to Muhammad. Carolina's 2-point conversion attempt failed again, but they took their first lead of the game, 22–21, with 6:53 remaining.
However, New England retook the lead on their next drive, advancing 68 yards with the aid of a pair of completions from Brady to Givens for gains of 18 and 25 yards. Once again the Patriots were faced with third down and goal, but this time they scored with Brady's 1-yard pass to Vrabel, who had lined up in an eligible tight end position. Then on a two-point conversion attempt, running back Kevin Faulk
took a direct snap and ran into the end zone to make the score 29–22. Despite amassing over 1,000 combined yards, Kevin Faulk
's two-point conversion constituted the only points he scored all season.
The Panthers countered on their next possession. Foster started the drive with a 9-yard run and a 7-yard reception. After that, Delhomme completed a 19-yard pass to Muhammad, followed by a 31-yard completion to receiver Ricky Proehl
. Then Proehl, who caught the fourth quarter game tying touchdown pass against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI
2 years earlier for the St. Louis Rams
, finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown reception. Kasay's ensuing extra point tied the game, 29–29, with 1:08 to play in regulation and it appeared that the game would be the first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime.
However, Kasay kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving New England the ball on their own 40-yard line. Brady calmly led the Patriots offense down the field with a 13-yard pass to Brown on second down. An offensive pass interference penalty on Brown pushed New England back to their own 43-yard line, but another 13-yard reception to Brown and a 4-yard pass to Graham brought up a critical 3rd down and 3 from the Carolina 40-yard line. The Panthers defense could not prevent the Patriots from gaining the first down, as Brady completed a clutch 17-yard pass to Branch. On the next play, Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal to give New England the lead, 32–29, with four seconds left in the game. Carolina failed on their last chance, as Rod Smart
went nowhere on the resulting kickoff, and the Patriots had won their second Super Bowl in three years. This was the fourth Super Bowl to be decided on a field goal in the final seconds. Super Bowl V
was won on a last second kick by Jim O'Brien, Super Bowl XXV
as Scott Norwood missed his field goal chance, and Super Bowl XXXVI
as Adam Vinatieri made his.
. Cornerback Ty Law
and defensive lineman Richard Seymour
were both named as starters, while linebacker Willie McGinest
was named as a reserve, replacing the injured Peter Boulware
.
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
.
Two seasons after winning Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
, the Patriots went into 2003 after missing the playoffs in 2002. In a salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
-related move, captain and Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
safety Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy is an American football safety. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington....
was released days before the start of the regular season, prompting second-guessing of head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
among fans and a report by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
analyst Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (American football)
Thomas Louie "Tom" Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an NFL analyst for ESPN and a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos.-College:...
that Patriots players "hated their coach," an accusation later denied by players. Milloy signed with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who defeated the Patriots, 31–0, in the season opener. The Patriots would rebound though, not losing another game after starting with a 2–2 record. Due to multiple injuries, the Patriots started 42 different players during the season, an NFL record for a division winner until the Patriots started 45 different players in 2005
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
. Undefeated at home, nose tackle Ted Washington
Ted Washington
Theodore Washington, Jr. is a former American football nose tackle. He was originally drafted out of Louisville by the San Francisco 49ers, 25th overall in the 1991 NFL Draft, but also played for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland...
coined the phrase "Homeland Defense" for a Patriots' defense, boosted by the acquisitions of Washington and San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
castoff safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
in the offseason, that gave up a league-low 14.9 points per game en route to a 14–2 regular season record. The regular season was bookended with a 31–0 victory over the Bills at home in Week 17, a score reversed from the Patriots' shutout loss to the Bills in Week 1. The win gave the Patriots a perfect 8–0 record at home in the regular season.
After a first-round bye in the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
playoffs, the Patriots faced the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
at home in one of the coldest games in NFL history and won, setting up an AFC Championship Game matchup with the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. The top-seeded Patriots intercepted Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
, the league's co-MVP, four times, winning 24–14 and advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
against the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. With a tied game late in the fourth quarter, Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
kicked the game-winning field goal with seconds remaining, giving the Patriots their second Super Bowl victory in three seasons.
2003 NFL Draft
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Ty Warren Ty Warren Ty'ron "Ty" Markeith Warren is an American football defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft... |
Defensive tackle | Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies football The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18... |
| 2 | 36 | Eugene Wilson | Cornerback Cornerback A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position... |
Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51... |
| 2 | 45 | Bethel Johnson Bethel Johnson Bethel Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M.... |
Wide receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... |
Texas A&M |
| 4 | 117 | Dan Klecko Dan Klecko Dan Klecko is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Temple.... |
Defensive tackle | Temple Temple Owls football The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference... |
| 4 | 120 | Asante Samuel Asante Samuel Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... |
Cornerback | Central Florida |
| 5 | 164 | Dan Koppen Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... |
Center Center (American football) Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense... |
Boston College Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division... |
| 6 | 201 | Kliff Kingsbury Kliff Kingsbury Klifford "Kliff" Kingsbury is an American Football Coach, serving as the current co-offensive coordinator for the University of Houston Cougar football team. Prior to his current role, Kingsbury was a Quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe, winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in a... |
Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
Texas Tech Texas Tech Red Raiders football Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
| 7 | 234 | Spencer Nead Spencer Nead Spencer Nead is a former American football fullback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Brigham Young.Nead was also a member of the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons.-External links:*... |
Tight end Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be... |
BYU Brigham Young University Cougars football The Brigham Young Cougars football team is a college football program representing Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The Cougars won the national championship in 1984 and have a Heisman Trophy winner in Ty Detmer. Since 1965, BYU has claimed 23 conference championships and played in 29 bowl... |
| 7 | 239 | Tully Banta-Cain Tully Banta-Cain Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots... |
Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... |
California California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to... |
| 7 | 243 | Ethan Kelley Ethan Kelley Ethan Jeffrey Arthur Kelley is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Baylor.-High school career:Kelley attended Kempner High School in... |
Defensive tackle | Baylor Baylor Bears Baylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference... |
Staff
| New England Patriots 2003 staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
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Opening training camp roster
At the time of the first public training camp practice at Gillette StadiumGillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
on July 24, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. The Patriots received seven roster exemptions for the NFL Europe allocations of Dyshod Carter
Dyshod Carter
Dyshod Carter is an American football cornerback who formerly played for the Cleveland Browns and the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL...
, Mike Malan, Mike Clare, Rod Trafford
Rod Trafford
Rodney Trafford is a former American football tight end in the NFL who has played for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots....
, Courtney Ledyard, Brad Harris, and Scott McCready
Scott McCready
Scott McCready is a British national who was an American football wide receiver who, most recently, played for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa from 2005 until the league's closure in 2007. Previously he played for the Scottish Claymores from 2002–2004, and was named to the All-League team on...
. Additionally, the Patriots allocated offensive lineman Corey Mitchell, wide receiver T. C. Taylor, and quarterback Shane Stafford
Shane Stafford
Shane Stafford is a gridiron football quarterback for the Dallas Vigilantes of Arena Football League . He was signed by the Tallahassee Thunder as a street free agent in 2000. He played college football at Connecticut.Prior to signing with Orlando, he played with the Tampa Bay Storm for five seasons...
to NFL Europe and received roster exemptions for them, but those players were waived before the start of training camp. Finally, injured exclusive rights free agent Stephen Neal
Stephen Neal
Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield...
did not sign his tender until after camp began, and did not count against the roster limit.
| New England Patriots 2003 opening training camp roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Tom Ashworth Thomas F. Ashworth is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers out of the University of Colorado at Boulder... T Brandon Gorin Brandon Michael Gorin is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.... T Russ Hochstein Russ Hochstein is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... G Adrian Klemm Adrian William Klemm is a former National Football League offensive lineman, who played for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. He is perhaps best known for being drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the same draft in which they selected Tom... T Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... C R Matt Light Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio... T Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft... ILB Matt Chatham Matt Chatham is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota.-High school years:... OLB Rosevelt Colvin Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue.... OLB Don Davis (American football) Donald Earl Davis Jr. is a former American football player and the current Team Chaplain for the New England Patriots.-High school years:... ILB Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... ILB Ted Johnson Ted Curtis Johnson is a former American football player in the National Football League. He grew up in Carlsbad, California where he graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1991. From there he attended the University of Colorado and was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1995 NFL... ILB Roman Phifer Roman Zubinsky Phifer is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He is currently the assistant linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Phifer's documentary film Blood Equity was released in November, 2009.Phifer played for the New... ILB Maugaula Tuitele Maugaula "Ula" Tuitele is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots in 2000. He played college football at Colorado State.... ILB Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... OLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Joe Andruzzi Joseph Dominick Andruzzi is a former American football offensive guard. In May 2007 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.-College career:... G (Active/PUP)  Tully Banta-Cain Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots... OLB (Active/PUP) R Mike Cloud Michael Alexander "Mike" Cloud is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He has played for the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants.-Early life:... RB (Active/NF-Inj.) Chas Gessner Charles Louis "Chas" Gessner is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003... WR (Active/PUP) UR Bethel Johnson Bethel Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M.... WR/KR (Active/NF-Inj.) R Kenyatta Jones Kenyatta Lapoleon Jones is an American football offensive tackle for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... T/G (Active/PUP) Willie McGinest William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:... OLB/DE (Active/NF-Inj.) Gene Mruczkowski Gene Vincent Mruczkowski is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Purdue.... G/C (Active/NF-Inj.) UR Antowain Smith Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles... RB (Active/NF-Inj.) Damien Woody Damien Michael Woody is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the National Football League... C (Active/NF-Inj.) Exclusive-Rights FAs
Notations
|
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Preseason
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:00 pm EDT North American Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... |
August 7, 2003 | New York Giants 2003 New York Giants season The 2003 New York Giants season was the team's 79th season in the National Football League. The team was unable to duplicate their 2002 season's playoff appearance, instead only winning four games and finishing the season on an eight game losing streak which cost head coach Jim Fassel his... |
W 26–6 | 1–0 | Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution... |
ESPN ESPN on ABC ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The... |
Recap |
| 2 | 8:00 pm EDT | August 16, 2003 | Washington Redskins 2003 Washington Redskins season The 2003 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 7-9 record from 2002.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
W 20–13 | 2–0 | FedEx Field | WCVB WCVB-TV WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by... |
Recap |
| 3 | 7:30 pm EDT | August 22, 2003 | Philadelphia Eagles 2003 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2003 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 71st in the league. They matched their previous season's record, going 12–4, however, they were again upset in the NFC Conference Championship... |
W 24–12 | 3–0 | Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex... |
WCVB | Recap |
| 4 | 8:00 pm EDT | August 27, 2003 | Chicago Bears 2003 Chicago Bears season -Scoring Summary:Q1 - SF - 7:51 - Jeff Chandler 22 yd FG Q1 - SF - 3:23 - 12 yd TD pass from Jeff Garcia to Garrison Hearst Q2 - CHI - 12:05 - 3 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to Desmond Clark... |
W 38–23 | 4–0 | Gillette Stadium | WCVB | Recap |
Regular season
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:00 pm EDT North American Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... |
September 7, 2003 | Buffalo Bills 2003 Buffalo Bills season The 2003 Buffalo Bills season was their 44th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–8, instead finishing 6–10... |
L 0–31 | 0–1 | Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium is a football stadium, located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
Recap |
| 2 | 4:15 pm EDT | September 14, 2003 | Philadelphia Eagles 2003 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2003 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 71st in the league. They matched their previous season's record, going 12–4, however, they were again upset in the NFC Conference Championship... |
W 31–10 | 1–1 | Lincoln Financial Field | CBS | Recap |
| 3 | 1:00 pm EDT | September 21, 2003 | New York Jets 2003 New York Jets season The 2003 New York Jets season was the 44th season for the team, and the 34th in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 9–7 record from 2002 and defend its AFC East title. The Jets finished the season with a record of 6–10.... |
W 23–16 | 2–1 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 4 | 1:00 pm EDT | September 28, 2003 | Washington Redskins 2003 Washington Redskins season The 2003 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 7-9 record from 2002.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
L 17–20 | 2–2 | FedEx Field | CBS | Recap |
| 5 | 1:00 pm EDT | October 5, 2003 | Tennessee Titans 2003 Tennessee Titans season The 2003 Tennessee Titans season was the team's 44th season and their 34th in the National Football League. At 12–4 the Titans posted the 15th season with at least ten wins in the franchise's history dating to their Houston Oilers days... |
W 38–30 | 3–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 6 | 1:00 pm EDT | October 12, 2003 | New York Giants 2003 New York Giants season The 2003 New York Giants season was the team's 79th season in the National Football League. The team was unable to duplicate their 2002 season's playoff appearance, instead only winning four games and finishing the season on an eight game losing streak which cost head coach Jim Fassel his... |
W 17–6 | 4–2 | Gillette Stadium | Fox NFL on FOX NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports... |
Recap |
| 7 | 1:00 pm EDT | October 19, 2003 | Miami Dolphins 2003 Miami Dolphins season The 2003 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 38th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins improved upon their previous season's output of 9–7, instead winning 10 games. This marked the second consecutive winning season for the team, however, they failed to clinch a playoff berth... |
W 19–13 (OT) | 5–2 | Pro Player Stadium Dolphin Stadium Sun Life Stadium is an American football stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami. It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins National Football League team, and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. It also hosts the Orange Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. It... |
CBS | Recap |
| 8 | 1:00 pm EST | October 26, 2003 | Cleveland Browns 2003 Cleveland Browns season The 2003 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 51st season with the National Football League.-Schedule:-References:... |
W 9–3 | 6–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 9 | 9:00 pm EST | November 3, 2003 | Denver Broncos 2003 Denver Broncos season The 2003 Denver Broncos season was the team's 44th year in professional football and its 34th with the National Football League.-Staff:-Schedule:-References:* *... |
W 30–26 | 7–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High INVESCO Field at Mile High Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001... |
ABC Monday Night Football Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series... |
Recap |
| 10 | Bye Bye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... |
|||||||
| 11 | 8:30 pm EST | November 16, 2003 | Dallas Cowboys 2003 Dallas Cowboys season 2003 marked the 44th season for the Dallas Cowboys organization as the team, coming off three consecutive 5–11 seasons, hired former New York Giants and New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells.... |
W 12–0 | 8–2 | Gillette Stadium | ESPN ESPN Sunday Night Football ESPN Sunday Night Football is the ESPN cable network's weekly television broadcasts of Sunday evening National Football League games. The first ESPN Sunday night broadcast occurred on November 8, 1987, while the last one aired on January 1, 2006.... |
Recap |
| 12 | 1:00 pm EST | November 23, 2003 | Houston Texans 2003 Houston Texans season The 2003 Houston Texans season was the second season in franchise history and saw the expansion club make a one-game improvement on its previous season record.-2003 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Preseason:-Schedule:-Standings:... |
W 23–20 (OT) | 9–2 | Reliant Stadium Reliant Stadium Reliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of 71,500, a total square footage of with of natural grass playing surface.... |
CBS | Recap |
| 13 | 1:00 pm EST | November 30, 2003 | Indianapolis Colts 2003 Indianapolis Colts season The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League and 20th in Indianapolis.-Roster:-Schedule:- Division standings :... |
W 38–34 | 10–2 | RCA Dome RCA Dome RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons .... |
CBS | Recap |
| 14 | 4:15 pm EST | December 7, 2003 | Miami Dolphins 2003 Miami Dolphins season The 2003 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 38th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins improved upon their previous season's output of 9–7, instead winning 10 games. This marked the second consecutive winning season for the team, however, they failed to clinch a playoff berth... |
W 12–0 | 11–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 15 | 1:00 pm EST | December 14, 2003 | Jacksonville Jaguars 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars season The 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the ninth season for the team in the National Football League. The Jaguars failed to improve upon their 6–10 regular season record in 2002 and did not make the playoffs.... |
W 27–13 | 12–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 16 | 8:30 pm EST | December 20, 2003 | New York Jets 2003 New York Jets season The 2003 New York Jets season was the 44th season for the team, and the 34th in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 9–7 record from 2002 and defend its AFC East title. The Jets finished the season with a record of 6–10.... |
W 21–16 | 13–2 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
ESPN | Recap |
| 17 | 1:30 pm EST | December 27, 2003 | Buffalo Bills 2003 Buffalo Bills season The 2003 Buffalo Bills season was their 44th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–8, instead finishing 6–10... |
W 31–0 | 14–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
Week 1 roster
| New England Patriots 2003 Week 1 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Joe Andruzzi Joseph Dominick Andruzzi is a former American football offensive guard. In May 2007 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.-College career:... G Tom Ashworth Thomas F. Ashworth is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers out of the University of Colorado at Boulder... T Brandon Gorin Brandon Michael Gorin is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.... T Adrian Klemm Adrian William Klemm is a former National Football League offensive lineman, who played for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. He is perhaps best known for being drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the same draft in which they selected Tom... T Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... C R Matt Light Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio... T Damien Woody Damien Michael Woody is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the National Football League... C Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft... ILB Matt Chatham Matt Chatham is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota.-High school years:... OLB Rosevelt Colvin Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue.... OLB Don Davis (American football) Donald Earl Davis Jr. is a former American football player and the current Team Chaplain for the New England Patriots.-High school years:... ILB Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... ILB Ted Johnson Ted Curtis Johnson is a former American football player in the National Football League. He grew up in Carlsbad, California where he graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1991. From there he attended the University of Colorado and was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1995 NFL... ILB Willie McGinest William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:... OLB/DE Roman Phifer Roman Zubinsky Phifer is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He is currently the assistant linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Phifer's documentary film Blood Equity was released in November, 2009.Phifer played for the New... ILB Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... OLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Tully Banta-Cain Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots... OLB (PUP) R Mike Cloud Michael Alexander "Mike" Cloud is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He has played for the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants.-Early life:... RB (Susp.) Chas Gessner Charles Louis "Chas" Gessner is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003... WR (PUP) UR Kenyatta Jones Kenyatta Lapoleon Jones is an American football offensive tackle for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... T/G (PUP) Kliff Kingsbury Klifford "Kliff" Kingsbury is an American Football Coach, serving as the current co-offensive coordinator for the University of Houston Cougar football team. Prior to his current role, Kingsbury was a Quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe, winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in a... QB (IR) R Scott McCready Scott McCready is a British national who was an American football wide receiver who, most recently, played for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa from 2005 until the league's closure in 2007. Previously he played for the Scottish Claymores from 2002–2004, and was named to the All-League team on... WR (IR) Gene Mruczkowski Gene Vincent Mruczkowski is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Purdue.... G/C (NF-Inj.) UR Stephen Neal Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield... G (PUP) Practice Squad
Notations
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Week 1: at Buffalo Bills
Following the release of Lawyer MilloyLawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy is an American football safety. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington....
the Patriots met the Bills in Buffalo, and Milloy was there after signing a deal with the Bills. Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
threw for one touchdown while Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
was picked off four times; in the second quarter defensive lineman Sam Adams ran an interception for a 37-yard touchdown; a still from Adams' run was used for the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. Brady was also sacked twice, once by Milloy, in a 31–0 Bills rout.
Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles
Behind 30 completions in 44 attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns (two to Christian FauriaChristian Fauria
Christian Ashley Fauria is a retired American football tight end.-Early life:Fauria attended Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California and lettered in football, track, and once in basketball...
and one to Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
), Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
led the Patriots to their first win of the season by beating the Eagles. Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
was hammered by the Patriots defense, limited to just 18 completions in 46 throws; he was picked off twice (Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
ran back an INT for an 18-yard Patriots touchdown) and sacked eight times. The Patriots came into the late-afternoon game after hearing ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's NFL pregame show where analyst Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (American football)
Thomas Louie "Tom" Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an NFL analyst for ESPN and a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos.-College:...
stated outright "They hate their coach," even though no effort at verification on the part of Jackson had ever been made. Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
was incensed by the comment and refused to speak to anyone connected with ESPN outside of Chris Berman (long a friend of Belichick's) for years after.
Week 3: vs. New York Jets
The Patriots home opener came against an injury-shot Jets squad. Chad PenningtonChad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
had been injured in preseason and former Jets starter Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
had to take over; it was the future Patriot's first game against New England since a 44–7 slaughter by the Pats in September 2002. The Jets running game had been shut down in that 2002 matchup and it didn't do much better this time around, totalling just 65 yards, 53 of them from former Patriot Curtis Martin
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
. Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
and Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
rushed for 134 yards and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
threw for 181 yards, but until the final five minutes of the third quarter it was a battle of field goals – tied at 9 until Brady ran in a one-yard score. At the start of the fourth rookie Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
picked off Testaverde and ran back a 55-yard touchdown. Vinny did connect with Wayne Chrebet
Wayne Chrebet
Wayne Chrebet is a former football player who played 11 seasons as a wide receiver for the New York Jets of the NFL from 1995 to 2005.- High school and college career :...
two minutes later, but the remaining thirteen minutes went scoreless as the Patriots took the win 23–16.
Week 4: at Washington Redskins
Steve SpurrierSteve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
became the last NFL coach to defeat the Patriots until Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
2004 as the Redskins raced to a 20–3 lead in the third quarter. Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
missed a field goal try for the first time in the year and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
was picked off in Washington's red zone twice, once by Champ Bailey
Champ Bailey
Roland "Champ" Bailey is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Bailey was drafted in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Georgia.Bailey is 8th among Broncos in all-time...
. Ladell Betts
Ladell Betts
Matthew Ladell Betts is an American football running back who is currently a free agent He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa....
and Rock Cartwright
Rock Cartwright
Roderick Rashaun Cartwright is an American football running back for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
ran in touchdowns as the Redskins ground game (led by Trung Canidate
Trung Canidate
Trung Jered Canidate is a U.S. former American football running back in the NFL. Drafted out of Arizona, Canidate was selected with the 31st overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.-Pre-draft:...
's 70 yards) ate up 119 yards. It was enough to hold off two late Brady touchdowns in a 20–17 Patriots loss.
Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans
The Patriots began a 21-game winning streak in hosting the Titans. Nursing a shoulder injury, Brady threw for a comparatively modest 219 yards and a 58-yard score to Troy BrownTroy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
. The game lead changed seven times as Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
threw for 360 yards and rushed in two touchdowns while Patriots running backs Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
and Mike Cloud
Mike Cloud
Michael Alexander "Mike" Cloud is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He has played for the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants.-Early life:...
rushed for 153 yards and three scores and rookie Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M....
ran back a fourth-quarter kick 71 yards, setting up Cloud's second touchdown. The decisive score came when McNair was picked off by a hobbling Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
for a 65-yard touchdown – McNair threw to Tyrone Calico
Tyrone Calico
Tyrone Bernard Calico is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. In college, he was the starting receiver for Middle Tennessee State University. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash in the 2002 NFL Scouting Combine at 4.34...
(who'd had a 60-yard touchdown called back when he was ruled out of bounds inside the 5-yard line), but Calico slipped to the ground just as Law jumped into his route – and a 38–30 Patriots triumph.
Week 6: vs. New York Giants
In a rainstorm that postponed Game Four of the 2003 ALCS later that night, the Patriots hosted the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The first throw by Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
was batted in the air and intercepted, leading to a Patriots field goal attempt that missed. Later Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber
Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
was hit and fumbled to Matt Chatham
Matt Chatham
Matt Chatham is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota.-High school years:...
, who ran in a 30-yard touchdown. Collins was picked off five times as the Patriots ground out a 17–6 win.
Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
Battling the Dolphins for the division lead, the Patriots erased a 13–6 gap with a Brady touchdown pass to David GivensDavid Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
in the third. The Dolphins marched down field late in the fourth; during this drive a Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
first down run was protested by the Patriots who felt Williams' knee touched the dirt infield at Pro Player Stadium, but the challenge was denied. The Dolphins attempted a 35-yard field goal at the two-minute warning, but the kick was blocked by Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
. The Dolphins smothered the Patriots' final drive attempt (the decisive play came when former Patriot Terrell Buckley
Terrell Buckley
Douglas Terrell Buckley is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League....
stopped Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
for a four-yard loss) and the game went to overtime. Controversy ensued on the coin flip for overtime; referee Gerald Austin
Gerald Austin
Dr. Gerald "Gerry" Austin is a retired American football official, who worked in the National Football League from the 1982 season through the 2007 season. He wore uniform number 34, which is now worn by Clete Blakeman. Austin has officiated in three Super Bowls, one as a side judge and two as a...
used a silver dollar; the coin came up Lady Columbia (which is "heads" on a silver dollar) but Patriot captains Brady and Seymour protested that it came up "tails." The Dolphins drove downfield but missed another 35-yard field goal try, in part because Olindo Mare
Olindo Mare
Olindo Franco Mare is an American football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
couldn't plant his foot on the infield dirt, which was still in place because of the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
' run towards their 2003 World Series victory; after forcing a Patriots punt Jay Fiedler
Jay Fiedler
Jay Brian Fiedler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early life and high school years:Fiedler was born to a Jewish family on Long Island in Oceanside, New York...
was hit by Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and lobbed a 60-yard pass picked off at the Patriots 18-yard line by Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole is a retired American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft...
. Brady then ended the game with a spectacular 82-yard touchdown strike to Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
and a 19–13 final.
Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
Despite 367 yards of offense the Patriots could only muster three Adam VinatieriAdam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
field goals, with his fifth miss of the season added in. The Patriots defense limited the Browns to 203 yards of offense while Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
picked off Kelly Holcomb
Kelly Holcomb
Bryan Kelly Holcomb is a former American football quarterback of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1995...
, Law's second INT of the season. Holcomb was also sacked three times as the Browns limped home after a 9–3 Patriots win.
Week 9: at Denver Broncos
The Patriots made their only appearance on Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
of the season in this matchup against the Broncos, who had beaten the Patriots in 13 of the two teams' 15 previous meetings. The Broncos held a 24–23 lead in the fourth with backup quarterback Danny Kanell
Danny Kanell
Daniel Paul Kanell is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League, and Arena Football League.-College career:...
starting and despite injuries to receiver Ed McCaffrey
Ed McCaffrey
Edward Thomas McCaffrey is a former American football wide receiver who played for the New York Giants , San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos of the National Football League...
and kicker Jason Elam
Jason Elam
Jason Elam is a retired American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
. Backed up to their one-yard line, the Patriots were forced to punt, but with so little room to work, they snapped the ball through the endzone for a deliberate safety. Thus getting a free kick, the Patriots pinned the Broncos near their own goalline and forced a Denver punt. In the final two minutes, the Patriots drove downfield and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
fired an 18-yard touchdown strike to David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Kanell threw a long pass that was intercepted by rookie Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
with seven seconds left, securing a 30–26 Patriots win.
Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys
For only the second time in their history the Patriots defeated the Cowboys. Both teams entered the Sunday Night FootballSunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
contest at 7–2 and the game was the first showdown between Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
and the coach he worked under for many years, former Patriots coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
. The Cowboys gained only 291 yards of offense while the Patriots did worse, limited to 268 yards; three Quincy Carter
Quincy Carter
Lavonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
interceptions (two by Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
) proved decisive. The Patriots managed two Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
field goals and a two-yard Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
touchdown marred by a blocked PAT. With a 12–0 win the Patriots continued their winning streak from the end of September.
Week 12: at Houston Texans
Facing their future defensive coach Dom CapersDom Capers
Ernest Dominic "Dom" Capers is an American football coach, the current defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, and the only man to serve two different National Football League expansion teams as their inaugural head coach....
, the Patriots made their first trip to Houston since 1988 and a 31–6 loss to the Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
at the Astrodome. The Patriots led 10–3 at the half, but Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
missed a 38-yard field goal try at the end of the half, his first miss inside a dome in his career. Tony Banks erupted to three second-half touchdowns as the Texans' defense bullied the Patriots into two fumbles and a Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
INT. Trailing 20–13 in the final minutes of regulation the Patriots drove down field; at the Texan' 4-yard line Brady was chased out of the pocket and threw a pass caught in the endzone in mid-air by Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. In overtime a 37-yard Vinatieri field goal try was blocked, but the Texans were forced to punt. Late in overtime the Texans' Marlon McCree
Marlon McCree
Marlon Tarron McCree is an American football safety who is currently a free agent, as well as a mentor and coach. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the Seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
picked off Brady at his 5-yard line but a holding penalty nullified the turnover, and Vinatieri kicked the game-winner with 41 seconds left in overtime and a 23–20 Patriots win. The game marked the last time New England would trail in any 2003 contest until Super Bowl XXXVIII—which took place in Houston as well.
Week 13: at Indianapolis Colts
This was the Patriots' first meeting with the Colts since a 2002 divisional realignment put the Colts into the new AFC SouthAFC South
The AFC South is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams...
after 32 seasons with the Pats in the AFC East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
. The two teams stood at 9–2, the latest in a season two teams with nine wins had met. The Patriots raced to a 17–3 second-quarter lead behind scores by Mike Cloud
Mike Cloud
Michael Alexander "Mike" Cloud is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He has played for the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants.-Early life:...
and Dedric Ward
Dedric Ward
Dedric Lamar Ward is a former American football player and coach. He played Wide Receiver, having played for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys...
. Following a Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
touchdown to Marcus Pollard
Marcus Pollard
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...
with 12 seconds left in the first half, Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M....
ran back the ensuing kick 92 yards for a touchdown. But the Patriots 31–10 runaway following another Cloud touchdown became an epic shootout as two Brady interceptions gave the Colts touchdown drives, and they tied the game at 31 at 4:39 of the fourth. Another monster Johnson kick return set up a Brady to Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
touchdown, but the score stood at 38–34 Patriots in the final minute with the Colts at the Patriots goalline. A heroic goalline stand led by Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
and Ted Washington
Ted Washington
Theodore Washington, Jr. is a former American football nose tackle. He was originally drafted out of Louisville by the San Francisco 49ers, 25th overall in the 1991 NFL Draft, but also played for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland...
stopped the Colts from scoring and the win left several Patriots visibly shaken; Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
noted afterward, "I've never seen anything like this."
Week 14: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins traveled to Foxboro to face the Patriots in the tail end of a snowstorm that dumped well over a foot of snow on the area. The only scoring of the first three quarters came late in the first quarter, when Adam VinatieriAdam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
hit a 29-yard field goal to put the Patriots ahead. With both offenses struggling, the Patriots missed a chance to open a wider lead when Vinatieri missed a 54-yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Dolphins threatened the Patriots offensively for the first time in the game late in the third quarter, advancing to the Patriots' 10-yard line before Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
strip-sacked Jay Fiedler
Jay Fiedler
Jay Brian Fiedler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early life and high school years:Fiedler was born to a Jewish family on Long Island in Oceanside, New York...
, with Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
recovering the fumble for the Patriots (and embarrassing Dolphins rookie TE Randy McMichael
Randy McMichael
-Miami Dolphins:McMichael was selected in the fourth round in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. The pick used by Dolphins to select him was originally acquired from the New Orleans Saints in the deal that sent running back Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins.McMichael made his NFL debut...
, who had talked trash about the Patriots before the game but blew his blocking assignment against Harrison on this play). In the fourth quarter, punter Brooks Barnard
Brooks Barnard
Brooks Alexander Barnard is an American football punter. He played professional football for the New England Patriots in the National Football League and for the Rhein Fire in the NFL Europe...
(replacing Ken Walter
Ken Walter
Ken Walter is a former American football punter for the New England Patriots in the National Football League. From 1997 – 2000, he played for the Carolina Panthers, from 2001 – 2003 he played for the Patriots, and in 2004 played for the Seattle Seahawks...
, who'd been cut a week after poor punts against the Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
), would pin the Dolphins at their own 4-yard line. Fiedler's first pass was intercepted by Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and returned five yards for a touchdown. The play became notable more for the fans' celebration afterwards, as they would throw the fallen snow in the air in a form of "snow fireworks." At the two-minute warning, Brady would pooch-punt and pin the Dolphins at their own 1-yard line; Fiedler was sacked a few plays later for a safety that sealed a 12–0 Patriots victory and the division title.
Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
In a mild snowstorm the Patriots faced the Jaguars for the first time since Jacksonville's 1998 playoff upset of New England. The Patriots defense saw something they hadn't seen since they faced the Tennessee TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in Week Five – the opponent scored a touchdown in Foxboro, as late in the fourth quarter Kevin Johnson caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Byron Leftwich
Byron Leftwich
Byron Antron Leftwich is an American football quarterback in the National Football League who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars seventh overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall University.Leftwich has also played...
, the first home touchdown allowed since Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
ran in a score in the fourth quarter in Week Five – nearly five whole games. It didn't matter as two Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
touchdown throws, an Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
rushing score, and two Vinatieri field goals were enough for a 27–13 Patriots win.
Week 16: at New York Jets
In bitter cold the 12–2 Patriots faced a grinder against the 6–8 Jets, who were coming off a 6–0 shutout of Pittsburgh2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 10–5–1 record from 2002 in which they lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional round of the playoffs....
the week before; the Patriots were also facing Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
for the first time since a 30–17 Jets win in 2002. The Patriots picked off Pennington right away, setting up David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
' 35-yard score not even one minute into the game. Pennington tied the game on a one-yard run late in the first quarter, but early in the second he was picked off by Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
at his own 15 and McGinest scored. Givens caught another touchdown pass in the third, but the score was only 21–16 after a second Pennington rushing score and a missed two-point try. Pennington was then picked off for the fifth time late in the fourth, finishing an ugly 21–16 Patriots win. The game took a back seat in subsequent days, however, to an incident on the sidelines when ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber
Suzy Kolber
Suzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber is a football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster for ESPN. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999....
interviewed Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
, whose speech seemed erratic; Namath burst out by saying, "I wanna kiss you!" to Kolber, and was forced to apologize for it in subsequent days.
Week 17: vs. Buffalo Bills
The regular season finale saw the Patriots hosting the same Bills that blanked them 31–0 in September. Revenge drove the Patriots as Tom BradyTom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
threw four touchdowns, all in the first half, and despite an ugly hit in the legs by Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy is an American football safety. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington....
in the second quarter. Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
missed a third-quarter field goal but connected from 24 yards out in the fourth. Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
never got untracked and was pulled in the fourth quarter for Travis Brown, who got to the Patriots redzone at the end of the fourth quarter but was intercepted in the endzone by Larry Izzo
Larry Izzo
Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
. The Patriots' 31–0 win bookended the season.
Standings breakdown
| W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 169 | 68 |
| Away | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 179 | 170 |
| AFC East AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets... Opponents |
5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 106 | 76 |
| AFC American Football Conference The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.... Opponents |
11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 271 | 202 |
| NFC National Football Conference The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,... Opponents |
3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 77 | 36 |
| By Stadium Type | ||||||
| Indoors | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 61 | 54 |
| Outdoors | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 287 | 184 |
Postseason schedule
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | Bye Bye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... |
|||||||
| Divisional | 8:00 pm EST North American Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... |
January 10, 2004 | Tennessee Titans 2003 Tennessee Titans season The 2003 Tennessee Titans season was the team's 44th season and their 34th in the National Football League. At 12–4 the Titans posted the 15th season with at least ten wins in the franchise's history dating to their Houston Oilers days... (5) |
W 17–14 | 1–0 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| AFC Championship | 3:00 pm EST | January 18, 2004 | Indianapolis Colts 2003 Indianapolis Colts season The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League and 20th in Indianapolis.-Roster:-Schedule:- Division standings :... (3) |
W 24–14 | 2–0 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season.... |
6:30 pm EST | February 1, 2004 | Carolina Panthers 2003 Carolina Panthers season -Regular season:-Postseason:-NFC Wild Card playoff:The Cowboys' turnaround season under coach Bill Parcells came to a crashing halt. The Panthers outgained the Cowboys in total yards 380-204 and held the ball for 34:23. Dallas Quarterback Quincy Carter threw for only 154 yards and an... (3) |
W 32–29 | 3–0 | Reliant Stadium | CBS | Recap |
Divisional Round vs. Tennessee Titans
In one of the coldest games in NFL history, with temperatures reaching 4 °F (-15.6 °C), the Patriots survived both the cold and NFL co-MVP Steve McNairSteve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
, relying on yet another game-winning field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
late in the fourth quarter and a key defensive stand.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
stormed out the gates with a 19-yard completion to Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
with his first pass attempt. A few plays later, the Titans defensive scheme confused him and caused him to burn a timeout, but it was well spent. On the next play, he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M....
. McNair struck back with a 15-yard completion to Derrick Mason
Derrick Mason
Derrick James Mason is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.Mason has also played for the Baltimore Ravens where he...
and a 24-yard pass to running back Eddie George
Eddie George
Edward Nathan "Eddie" George, Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He played for the Tennessee Titans both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers, and spent his final season with the Dallas Cowboys...
, moving the ball to the Patriots 22-yard line. Roman Phifer
Roman Phifer
Roman Zubinsky Phifer is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He is currently the assistant linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Phifer's documentary film Blood Equity was released in November, 2009.Phifer played for the New...
almost ended the drive by intercepting a pass from McNair, but lineman Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
was penalized for roughing the passer and the Titans got the ball back with a first down on the New England 9-yard line. Two plays later, Chris Brown
Chris Brown (American football)
Christopher Rejean Brown is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
scored a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
After the ensuing kickoff, Brady completed two passes to Dedric Ward
Dedric Ward
Dedric Lamar Ward is a former American football player and coach. He played Wide Receiver, having played for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys...
for 30 yards on a 38-yard drive to the Titans 26-yard line. The drive ended with no points when Vinatieri missed a 44-yard field goal attempt, but on the next play, safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
intercepted a pass from McNair and returned it 7 yards to the Patriots 43-yard line. Brady subsequently completed four of six passes for 49 yards and rushed for 3 on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
to retake the lead less than two minutes into the second quarter. Later in the period, the Titans drove 51 yards in nine plays to the Patriots 13-yard line, featuring a 29-yard completion from McNair to Mason. But New England's defense kept them out the end zone and blocked Gary Anderson's 31-yard field goal attempt.
Early in the third quarter, McNair led the Titans on a 70-yard scoring drive, completing 5 consecutive passes for 59 yards and capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mason. The rest of the third quarter was scoreless, but midway through the fourth quarter, Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
's 10-yard punt return gave the Patriots great field position at the Titans 40-yard line. The Patriots gained only 13 yards on their ensuing possession, but it was enough for Vinatieri to make a 46-yard field goal, giving New England a 17–14 lead with 4:02 left in regulation.
The Titans took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Patriots 33-yard line. But two penalties, a 10-yard intentional grounding call and a holding penalty, pushed them back 20 yards. McNair threw an 11-yard completion on the next play, but after that, Drew Bennett
Drew Bennett
Andrew Russell "Drew" Bennett is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at UCLA....
dropped a potential first down catch on fourth down and 12, and the Titans turned the ball over on downs with 1:38 left.
- Scoring
- NE – Johnson 41 pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick) NE 7–0
- TEN – Brown 5 run (Anderson kick) Tie 7–7
- NE – Smith 1 run (Vinatieri kick) NE 14–7
- TEN – Mason 11 pass from McNair (Anderson kick) Tie 14–14
- NE – field goal Vinatieri 46 NE 17–14
AFC Championship vs. Indianapolis Colts
New England's defense dominated the Colts, only allowing 14 points, intercepting 4 passes from Peyton ManningPeyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
(3 of them by Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
), recording 4 sacks (three by Jarvis Green
Jarvis Green
Jarvis Green is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
), and forcing a safety. Although New England's offense fared no better and only scored one touchdown, Vinatieri's 5 field goals made up for the difference as the Patriots won, 24–14, to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance in 3 seasons.
The Patriots took the opening kickoff and scored on their first drive, advancing the ball 65 yards in 13 plays. Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
completed four passes to receiver David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
for 40 yards on the drive, including a 7-yard touchdown pass, and converted a fourth down on his own 44-yard yard with a 2-yard run. Manning seemed ready to counter, driving the Colts 68 yards to the New England 5-yard line, but on third down and 3, his pass was intercepted by Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
in the end zone. After the interception, the Patriots drove 67 yards to the Colts 13-yard line where Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal increased their lead to 10–0.
The Patriots defense continued to dominate the Colts in the second quarter. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Law intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 6 yards to the 41-yard line. The Patriots then drove 52 yards and increased their lead to 13–0 with a second Vinatieri field goal. Brady completed three passes for 42 yards on the drive, including a 17-yarder to Givens and a 16-yard completion to Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
on fourth down and 8. For the first time in the entire postseason, the Colts were forced to punt on their next drive. Apparently, they were very out of practice, because the snap from center Justin Snow
Justin Snow
Justin Snow is an American football Long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He played college football at Baylor.-High school career:...
sailed over the head of punter Hunter Smith. The ball went into the end zone, and Smith was forced to knock it out of bounds for a safety, making the score 15–0.
The Colts had a great opportunity to score when rookie defense back David Macklin
David Macklin
David Thurman Macklin is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State....
recovered a fumble from receiver Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson
Bethel Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M....
three plays after the free kick, giving Indianapolis a first down on the Patriots 41-yard line. But five plays later, Harrison forced a fumble while tackling Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
, and cornerback Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole is a retired American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft...
recovered it.
Trailing 15–0 at halftime, the Colts finally managed to build some momentum in the third quarter. First, Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
gave them great field position by returning the second half kickoff 35 yards to the 49-yard line. Then running back Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James
Edgerrin Tyree James is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami....
spearheaded a 52-yard scoring drive, carrying the ball on 7 of 12 plays for 32 yards and capping it off with a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 15–7. But the Patriots took over the rest of the period. After Patrick Pass
Patrick Pass
Patrick Pass is an American football running back and fullback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
returned the ensuing kickoff 21 yards to the 43-yard line, Brady completed passes to Larry Centers
Larry Centers
Larry Eugene Centers is a former American football fullback in the National Football League for 14 seasons, mostly for his first team, the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals...
for 28 yards, Brown for 17, and Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
for 8, setting up Vinatieri's third field goal to increase their lead to 18–7. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Indianapolis was forced to punt. Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
then rushed four times for 53 yards on New England's next possession, advancing the ball to the Colts 3-yard line where Vinatieri kicked his fourth field goal. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Law recorded his second interception from Manning on the Colts 31-yard line. But this time, the Patriots failed to score because defensive back Walt Harris picked off a pass from Brady in the end zone.
After the turnover, the Colts drove 57 yards to the New England 31-yard line. But then Manning threw his third interception to Law with 8:17 left in the fourth quarter. After forcing a punt, Manning led the Colts back, completing 8 of 9 passes for 64 yards and finishing the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Pollard
Marcus Pollard
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...
with 2:22 left in regulation. The Colts failed to recover their ensuing onside kick attempt, but forced a punt with 2:01 left. However, the Patriots defense limited Manning to four consecutive incompletions, causing the Colts to turn the ball over on downs. Then after making Indianapolis use up all of their timeouts, Vinateir's 5th field goal increased the Patriots lead to 24–14. The Colts attempted one last desperation drive, but ended up turning the ball over on downs again with 7 seconds left in the game.
Brady completed 22 of 37 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown, with 1 interception. Smith rushed for 100 yards. Pollard caught 6 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Rhodes returned five kickoffs for 121 yards, rushed for 16, and caught 2 passes for 17.
Colts players would later publicly complain that the game officials did not properly call illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding penalties on the Patriots' defensive backs. This, and similar complaints made by others, would prompt the NFL during the 2004 offseason to instruct all of the league's officials to strictly enforce these types of fouls.
- Scoring
- NE – Givens 7 pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick) NE 7–0
- NE – field goal Vinatieri 31 NE 10–0
- NE – field goal Vinatieri 25 NE 13–0
- NE – Safety, Smith kicked ball out of end zone NE 15–0
- IND – James 2 run (Vanderjagt kick) NE 15–7
- NE – field goal Vinatieri 27 NE 18–7
- NE – field goal Vinatieri 21 NE 21–7
- IND – Pollard 7 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick) NE 21–14
- NE – field goal Vinatieri 34 NE 24–14
Super Bowl XXXVIII vs. Carolina Panthers
Most of the first half was a defensive struggle, with neither team able to score until late in the second quarter, despite several early scoring opportunities for New England. After Carolina was forced to punt on their opening drive, Patriots receiver Troy BrownTroy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
gave his team great field position with a 28-yard return to the Panthers 47-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched to the 9-yard line, but Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. The Patriots forced Carolina to punt after 3 plays and again got the ball with great field position, receiving Todd Sauerbrun
Todd Sauerbrun
Todd Scott Sauerbrun is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft...
's 40-yard punt at the Panthers 49-yard line. New England then drove to the 31-yard line, but on third down, linebacker Will Witherspoon
Will Witherspoon
-Carolina Panthers:Witherspoon was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Witherspoon was the latest addition to new coach John Fox's overhaul of the defense, and Witherspoon's versatility at linebacker helped the Panthers total the second-best defense in the...
tackled Brown for a 10-yard loss on an end-around play, pushing the Patriots out of field goal range. Later on, New England drove 57 yards to the Panthers 18-yard line with 6 minutes left in the second period, but once again they failed to score as Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Panthers defender Shane Burton
Shane Burton
Franklin Shane Burton is a former American football defensive tackle who played eight seasons in the National Football League. He was a member of the Miami Dolphins, the Chicago Bears, the New York Jets, and the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Tennessee.Born in Logan, West...
.
Meanwhile, the Carolina offense was stymied by the New England defense, with quarterback Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
completing just one out of his first nine passes, sacked three times, and fumbling once. That fumble occurred 3 plays after Vinatieri's second missed field goal; Delhomme lost the ball while being sacked by linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
, and Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
recovered the ball at the Panthers 20-yard line. Two plays later, New England faced a third down and 7, but quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
scrambled 12 yards to the 5-yard line for a first down. Then wide receiver Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady on the next play.
Branch's touchdown came after 26:55 had elapsed in the game, setting the record for the longest amount of time a Super Bowl remained scoreless. The play also suddenly set off a scoring explosion from both teams for the remainder of the first half.
The Panthers stormed down the field on their ensuing possession, driving 95 yards in 8 plays, and tying the game on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to wide receiver Steve Smith with just 1:07 left in the half.
The Patriots immediately countered with a 6-play, 78-yard scoring drive of their own. Starting from their own 22-yard line, Brady completed a 12-yard pass to wide receiver David Givens
David Givens
David Lamar Givens is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Then after throwing an incompletion, Brady completed a long pass to Branch, who caught it at the Panthers 24-yard line in stride before being tackled at the 14-yard line for a 52-yard gain. Three plays later, Givens caught a 5-yard touchdown from Brady to give New England a 14–7 lead with only 18 seconds left in the half. The Patriots decided to squib kick
Squib kick
A squib kick is a term used in American football meaning a short, low, line drive kickoff that usually bounces around on the ground before it can be picked up by a member of the receiving team. The ball is kicked so short that it forces the receiving team's slower players to recover the ball first...
the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return, but their plan backfired as Carolina tight end Kris Mangum
Kris Mangum
Kris Thomas Mangum is a former American football player who played tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League throughout his entire NFL career. He attended the University of Mississippi. His father, John Mangum, Sr. and his brother, John Mangum, Jr...
picked up the ball at his own 35-yard line and returned it 12 yards to the 47. Panthers running back Stephen Davis
Stephen Davis (American football)
Stephen Lamont Davis is a former American football running back in the National Football League. Davis will be the Carolina Panthers' minority coaching intern for the 2010-11 season.-College career:...
then ran for 21 yards on the next play to set up kicker John Kasay
John Kasay
John David Kasay is an American football kicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
's 50-yard field goal as time expired in the half, cutting Carolina's deficit to 14–10.
The third quarter was scoreless as each team exchanged punts twice. But with 3:57 left in the period, the Patriots put together a 71-yard, 8-play scoring drive, featuring tight end Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
's 33-yard reception to advance to the Carolina 9-yard line. Running back Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
then capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run on the second play on the final period to increase their lead, 21–10. This was the start of another scoring explosion, one that became one of the biggest explosions in Super Bowl history, with both teams scoring a combined 37 points in the last 15 minutes, the most ever in a single quarter of a Super Bowl.
Delhomme started out Carolina's ensuing drive with a 13-yard completion to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad II is a retired American football wide receiver who played for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
. After committing a false start penalty on the next play, Delhomme completed a pair of passes to Smith for gains of 18 and 22 yards. Running back DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Xavier Foster is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.-Early years:...
then scored on a 33-yard touchdown run, cutting the Panthers' deficit to 21–16 after Delhomme's 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete. The Patriots responded on their ensuing possession by driving all the way to Carolina's 9-yard line, but the drive ended when Panthers defensive back Reggie Howard
Reggie Howard
Reginald Clement Howard is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Memphis. He played for the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers...
intercepted a third down pass from Brady in the end zone. Then on 3rd down from his own 15-yard line, Delhomme threw for the longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history, an 85-yard touchdown completion to Muhammad. Carolina's 2-point conversion attempt failed again, but they took their first lead of the game, 22–21, with 6:53 remaining.
However, New England retook the lead on their next drive, advancing 68 yards with the aid of a pair of completions from Brady to Givens for gains of 18 and 25 yards. Once again the Patriots were faced with third down and goal, but this time they scored with Brady's 1-yard pass to Vrabel, who had lined up in an eligible tight end position. Then on a two-point conversion attempt, running back Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
took a direct snap and ran into the end zone to make the score 29–22. Despite amassing over 1,000 combined yards, Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
's two-point conversion constituted the only points he scored all season.
The Panthers countered on their next possession. Foster started the drive with a 9-yard run and a 7-yard reception. After that, Delhomme completed a 19-yard pass to Muhammad, followed by a 31-yard completion to receiver Ricky Proehl
Ricky Proehl
Richard Scott Proehl is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts...
. Then Proehl, who caught the fourth quarter game tying touchdown pass against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
2 years earlier for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown reception. Kasay's ensuing extra point tied the game, 29–29, with 1:08 to play in regulation and it appeared that the game would be the first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime.
However, Kasay kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving New England the ball on their own 40-yard line. Brady calmly led the Patriots offense down the field with a 13-yard pass to Brown on second down. An offensive pass interference penalty on Brown pushed New England back to their own 43-yard line, but another 13-yard reception to Brown and a 4-yard pass to Graham brought up a critical 3rd down and 3 from the Carolina 40-yard line. The Panthers defense could not prevent the Patriots from gaining the first down, as Brady completed a clutch 17-yard pass to Branch. On the next play, Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal to give New England the lead, 32–29, with four seconds left in the game. Carolina failed on their last chance, as Rod Smart
Rod Smart
Rod Smart is a former professional American football player. He played college football for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers, and began his professional career in the short-lived XFL league, where he played running back for the Las Vegas Outlaws and was known by the nickname "He Hate Me"...
went nowhere on the resulting kickoff, and the Patriots had won their second Super Bowl in three years. This was the fourth Super Bowl to be decided on a field goal in the final seconds. Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...
was won on a last second kick by Jim O'Brien, Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
as Scott Norwood missed his field goal chance, and Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
as Adam Vinatieri made his.
- Scoring
- NE – TD: Deion Branch 5 yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick) 7–0 NE 3:05. Drive: 4 plays, 20 yards in 2:10
- CAR – TD: Steve Smith 39 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay kick) 7–7 tie 1:07. Drive: 8 plays, 95 yards in 1:58
- NE – TD: David Givens 5 yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick) 14–7 NE 0:18. Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards in 0:49
- CAR – FG: John Kasay 50 yards 14–10 NE 0:00. Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards in 0:18
- NE – TD: Antowain Smith 2 yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick) 21–10 NE 14:49. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards in 4:08
- CAR – TD: DeShaun Foster 33 yard run (2-pt conv: pass failed) 21–16 NE 12:39. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards in 2:10
- CAR – TD: Muhsin Muhammad 85 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (2-pt conv: pass failed) 22–21 CAR 6:53 Drive: 3 plays, 90 yards in 0:45
- NE – TD: Mike Vrabel 1 yard pass from Tom Brady (2-pt conv: Kevin Faulk run) 29–22 NE2:51. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards in 4:02
- CAR – TD: Ricky Proehl 12 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay kick) 29–29 tie 1:08. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards in 1:43
- NE – FG: Adam Vinatieri 41 yards 32–29 NE 00:04 Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards in 1:04
Final roster
| New England Patriots 2003 final roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Joe Andruzzi Joseph Dominick Andruzzi is a former American football offensive guard. In May 2007 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.-College career:... G Tom Ashworth Thomas F. Ashworth is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers out of the University of Colorado at Boulder... T Wilbert Brown Wilbert Lemon Brown is a former American football guard and center in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, and New England Patriots... G Brandon Gorin Brandon Michael Gorin is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.... T Russ Hochstein Russ Hochstein is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... G Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... C R Matt Light Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio... T Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Tully Banta-Cain Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots... OLB R Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft... ILB Matt Chatham Matt Chatham is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota.-High school years:... OLB Don Davis (American football) Donald Earl Davis Jr. is a former American football player and the current Team Chaplain for the New England Patriots.-High school years:... ILB Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... ILB Ted Johnson Ted Curtis Johnson is a former American football player in the National Football League. He grew up in Carlsbad, California where he graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1991. From there he attended the University of Colorado and was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1995 NFL... ILB Willie McGinest William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:... OLB/DE Roman Phifer Roman Zubinsky Phifer is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He is currently the assistant linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Phifer's documentary film Blood Equity was released in November, 2009.Phifer played for the New... ILB Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... OLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Rosevelt Colvin Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue.... OLB (IR) Kliff Kingsbury Klifford "Kliff" Kingsbury is an American Football Coach, serving as the current co-offensive coordinator for the University of Houston Cougar football team. Prior to his current role, Kingsbury was a Quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe, winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in a... QB (IR) R Adrian Klemm Adrian William Klemm is a former National Football League offensive lineman, who played for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. He is perhaps best known for being drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the same draft in which they selected Tom... OT (IR) Fred McCrary Fred Demetrius McCrary was an American football fullback who played in the NFL.-Early years:McCrary attended Naples High School in Naples, Florida and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track... FB (IR) Sean McDermott (long snapper) Sean McDermott is a former American football long snapper in the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001. He played college football at Kansas.... LS (IR) Gene Mruczkowski Gene Vincent Mruczkowski is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Purdue.... G/C (IR) UR Stephen Neal Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield... G (IR) David Patten David Patten is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Albany Firebirds as a street free agent in 1996. He played college football at Western Carolina.... WR (IR) Lonie Paxton Leonidas E. "Lonie" Paxton III born March 13, 1978 in Orange, California) is an American football long snapper for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2000... LS (IR) Damien Woody Damien Michael Woody is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the National Football League... G (IR) Practice Squad
Notations
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Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award(s) |
|---|---|
| Joe Andruzzi Joe Andruzzi Joseph Dominick Andruzzi is a former American football offensive guard. In May 2007 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.-College career:... |
2003 New England Patriots Ron Burton Ron Burton Ronald E. "Ron" Burton became a college All-American running back at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame, and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.... Community Service Award |
| Bill Belichick Bill Belichick William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991... |
2003 Associated Press Associated Press The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists... NFL Coach of the Year NFL Coach of the Year Award The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the... |
| Tom Brady Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,... |
Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season.... MVP Week 9: FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week Week 17: FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week |
| Dan Klecko Dan Klecko Dan Klecko is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Temple.... |
2003 New England Patriots 12th Player Award |
| Willie McGinest Willie McGinest William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:... |
Week 16: AFC Defensive Player of the Week |
| Asante Samuel Asante Samuel Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... |
Week 3: Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week |
| Richard Seymour Richard Seymour Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft... |
Week 7: AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Divisional Playoffs: AFC Special Teams Player of the Week |
| Mike Vrabel Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... |
2003 New England Patriots Ed Block Courage Award |
Pro Bowl selections
Three Patriots were elected to the 2004 Pro Bowl2004 Pro Bowl
The 2004 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 8, 2004 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was NFC 55, AFC 52, the most points scored in a Pro Bowl game. Marc Bulger of the St. Louis Rams was the game's MVP.-Game summary:...
. Cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
and defensive lineman Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
were both named as starters, while linebacker Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
was named as a reserve, replacing the injured Peter Boulware
Peter Boulware
Peter Nicholas Boulware , is a former American football linebacker who played his whole NFL career for the Baltimore Ravens. He was a Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 9. His younger brother, Michael Boulware, a strong safety is currently a free agent.-Early...
.