The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and 20th in Indianapolis. The Colts improved on their 10–6 record from 2002, going 12-4 and reached the postseason for the second straight season. After the season, quarterback Peyton Manning was named league MVP along with Steve McNair of the Tennessee Titans.
The 2003 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 34th in the National Football League (NFL), their 44th overall and their third under head coach Dick Vermeil.
The 2005 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 36th in the National Football League (NFL), their 46th overall, and their fifth and final season under head coach Dick Vermeil.
The 2002 season was the New England Patriots' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and their third under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth. It was their first season at their new home field, Gillette Stadium, which replaced the adjacent Foxboro Stadium.
The 2002 season was the New York Jets' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd season overall and their second under head coach Herman Edwards. The team tried to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2001 but failed to do so after a 2–5 start. However, the Jets recovered and finished 9–7, winning their second AFC East division title.
The 2004 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 35th in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th overall and their 42nd in Kansas City.
The 2002 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and the franchise's 40th in Kansas City, Missouri.
The 2000 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 31st in the National Football League (NFL), their 41st overall and their second and final season under head coach Gunther Cunningham. They failed to improve on their 9–7 record from 1999 and finished the season 7–9, marked by a series of on and off-field struggles and incidents.
The 1998 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 39th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 29th overall.
The 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 69th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). After finishing the previous three seasons a combined 22–26, the Steelers returned to the top seed in the AFC, rolling to a 13–3 record in their first playoff berth and AFC Central title since 1997 and playing at Heinz Field. The Steelers went 7–1 in their new home stadium, with the only loss coming to the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
The 2002 season was the Oakland Raiders' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall, their eighth since returning to Oakland and their first under head coach Bill Callahan. The Raiders played their home games at Network Associates Coliseum as members of the AFC West. The Raiders had essentially traded their head coach Jon Gruden following the 2001 season. The Raiders hired Callahan, the offensive coordinator under Gruden, to return them to the playoffs.
The 2004 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the tenth season in franchise history, Jack Del Rio’s second year as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Byron Leftwich’s first full year as starting quarterback. In a time of transition for the franchise, Del Rio’s coaching and Leftwich’s play helped to pull the Jaguars out of a four season slump to a finish of 9–7, placing second in the AFC South. However, they missed the playoffs for the fifth successive season.
The 2003 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 34th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 44th overall.
The 2002 season was the Detroit Lions' 73rd in the National Football League (NFL). It was the Lions’ inaugural season at the new Ford Field in Downtown Detroit and their first in the city since the team left Tiger Stadium after the 1974 season. Following the season, Marty Mornhinweg was fired and Steve Mariucci was hired as the Lions' head coach. The Lions entered the 2002 season looking to improve on their 2–14 record from 2001 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
The 2002 season was the Miami Dolphins' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 37th overall and their third under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 11–5, winning only nine games. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
The 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 8th under head coach Jack Del Rio. The Jaguars, who were in their second year of "rebuilding" under general manager Gene Smith, improved upon their 7–9 record from 2009, but narrowly missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record. Although blackouts were a problem in 2009 for the franchise, they sold out all of their 2010 home games.
The 2012 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League (NFL), the 53rd overall, the 16th in the state of Tennessee and the second under head coach Mike Munchak. It was also the last full season under the ownership of Bud Adams, who died on October 21, 2013. The Titans failed to improve on their 9–7 record in 2011 and were eliminated from postseason contention in Week 14.
The 2013 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 44th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under head coach Doug Marrone. It was also the final season under the ownership of Ralph Wilson, who died in March 2014 at the age of 95. The team equaled their record from 2012 and missed the playoffs, increasing their playoff drought to 14 seasons. This was the first year of renewed leases on Ralph Wilson Stadium and for the Bills Toronto Series, both of which were signed in the preceding offseason.
The 2014 season was the Miami Dolphins' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 49th overall and their third under head coach Joe Philbin. Following the appointment of Dennis Hickey, the team had a new general manager for the first time since 2007 after Jeff Ireland was fired on January 7, 2014. The Dolphins equaled their 8–8 record from 2013 and missed the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season.
The 2020 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 68th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 37th in Indianapolis. It was also their third season under head coach Frank Reich and fourth under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard. Long-time San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers signed a one-year contract worth $25 million on March 17, 2020, to take over as the team's starting quarterback, reuniting him with Frank Reich, who served as quarterbacks coach for the Chargers during the 2013 season.