2003 Houston Texans season

Last updated

2003 Houston Texans season
Owner Bob McNair
General manager Charley Casserly
Head coach Dom Capers
Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio
Home stadium Reliant Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place4th AFC South
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers None

The 2003 Houston Texans season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League and the second under head coach Dom Capers. It saw the Texans make a one-game improvement on its initial season's record.

Contents

In the NFL draft, the Texans selected wide receiver Andre Johnson from Miami (FL) third overall. Johnson would become a cornerstone of the Texans' franchise for the next decade and would go on to hold nearly every franchise receiving record. [1] Considered one of the best receivers of his era, Johnson was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first player to start their career with the Texans to be inducted. [2]

Offseason

AdditionsSubtractions
G Zach Wiegert (Jaguars)LB Keith Mitchell (Jaguars)
G Todd Washington (Buccaneers)WR Jermaine Lewis (Jaguars)
LB Steve Foley (Bengals)T Ryan Young (Cowboys)
DT Steve Martin (Patriots)G Cameron Spikes (Cardinals)
WR JaJuan Dawson (Colts)

NFL draft

2003 Houston Texans draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
13 Andre Johnson  *   WR Miami (FL)
241 Bennie Joppru   TE Michigan from Baltimore via New England
367 Antwan Peek   LB Cincinnati
375 Seth Wand   OT Northwest Missouri State from Washington via New England
388 Dave Ragone   QB Louisville from Atlanta
4101 Domanick Davis   RB LSU
6192 Drew Henson  QBMichiganExtra selection
6214 Keith Wright   DT Missouri Extra selection
7217 Curry Burns   S Louisville
7233Chance Pearce  C Texas A&M Extra selection
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

Staff

2003 Houston Texans staff

Front office

  • Founder, chairman and chief executive officer – Bob McNair
  • Senior vice president and general manager – Charley Casserly
  • Associate director of pro scouting – Bobby Grier
  • Associate director of pro scouting – Miller McCalmon
  • Coordinator of college scouting – Mike Maccagnan

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster

2003 Houston Texans roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 17 reserve, 3 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 9 Denver Broncos L 12–200–1 Reliant Stadium Recap
2August 15at Dallas Cowboys L 6–340–2 Texas Stadium Recap
3August 23 San Diego Chargers L 17–190–3Reliant Stadium Recap
4August 28at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 3–340–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 7at Miami Dolphins W 21–201–0 Pro Player Stadium Recap
2September 14at New Orleans Saints L 10–311–1 Louisiana Superdome Recap
3September 21 Kansas City Chiefs L 14–421–2 Reliant Stadium Recap
4September 28 Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–202–2Reliant Stadium Recap
5 Bye
6October 12at Tennessee Titans L 17–382–3 The Coliseum Recap
7October 19 New York Jets L 14–192–4Reliant Stadium Recap
8October 26at Indianapolis Colts L 21–302–5 RCA Dome Recap
9November 2 Carolina Panthers W 14–103–5Reliant Stadium Recap
10November 9at Cincinnati Bengals L 27–343–6 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
11November 16at Buffalo Bills W 12–104–6 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap
12November 23 New England Patriots L 20–23 (OT)4–7Reliant Stadium Recap
13November 30 Atlanta Falcons W 17–135–7Reliant Stadium Recap
14December 7at Jacksonville Jaguars L 0–275–8 Alltel Stadium Recap
15December 14at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 3–165–9 Raymond James Stadium Recap
16December 21 Tennessee Titans L 24–275–10Reliant Stadium Recap
17December 28 Indianapolis Colts L 17–205–11Reliant Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Miami Dolphins

Week One: Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans339621
Dolphins0140620

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

Game information

Week 2: at New Orleans Saints

Week Two: Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans0100010
Saints70101431

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Week 3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Three: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs77141442
Texans070714

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Four: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars3710020
Texans773724

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

Week Six: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans037717
Titans14731438

at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), wind 3 mph
  • Game attendance: 68,809
  • Referee: Gerald Austin
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

David Carr threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, including a pick six.

Week 7: vs. New York Jets

Week Seven: New York Jets at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jets073919
Texans770014

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 19
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 70,623
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

Week 8: at Indianapolis Colts

Week Eight: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans0140721
Colts31410330

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: October 26
  • Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST / 4:15 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 56,132
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
  • Recap
Game information

Week 9: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Nine: Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Panthers703010
Texans007714

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 2
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof)
  • Game attendance: 70,052
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV: Fox
  • Recap
Game information

Week 10: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Ten: Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans31410027
Bengals71071034

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: November 9
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 50,437
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

Week 11: at Buffalo Bills

Week Eleven: Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans063312
Bills233210

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: November 16
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), wind 3 mph
  • Game attendance: 72,677
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

On the Texans' third offensive drive, David Carr was sacked in his own end zone by Jeff Posey and fumbled the ball. The ball eventually went out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety, giving the Bills a 2–0 lead. Carr was injured on the play and would be replaced by Tony Banks for the rest of the game. On the final play of the game, the Texans were facing a 4th and 14 at their own 34-yard line with 0:03 left to play up 12–8. The team lined up in a punt formation and Andre Johnson took the ball, intentionally running backwards to his own end zone and ran out of bounds for a safety with 0:00 on the clock, securing a 12–10 victory for the Texans.

Week 12: vs. New England Patriots

Week Twelve: New England Patriots at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Patriots010010323
Texans30710020

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 23
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,719
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

Week 13: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Thirteen: Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons070613
Texans0314017

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 30
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,388
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV: Fox
  • Recap
Game information

Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Fourteen: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans00000
Jaguars71001027

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: December 7
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 43,363
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

With injuries to both David Carr and Tony Banks, third-round rookie quarterback Dave Ragone made his first NFL start. Decimated by injuries, the Texans' offense struggled throughout the game, finishing with just 124 yards and three turnovers.

Week 15: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Fifteen: Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans00303
Buccaneers763016

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida

  • Date: December 14
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), rain, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 65,124
  • Referee: Gerald Austin
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap
Game information

Week 16: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Sixteen: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Titans01071027
Texans0314724

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 21
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 70,758
  • Referee: Peter Morelli
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap

Week 17: Indianapolis Colts

Week Seventeen: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts0301720
Texans0107017

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 28
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,680
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap

Standings

AFC South
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(3) Indianapolis Colts 1240.7505–19–3447336W1
(5) Tennessee Titans 1240.7504–28–4435324W3
Jacksonville Jaguars 5110.3132–43–9276331L1
Houston Texans 5110.3131–53–9255380L4

Statistics

Team

CategoryTotal yardsYards per gameNFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense2,655165.929th
Rushing offense1,651103.223rd
Total offense [4] 4,306269.131st
Passing defense3,712232.031st
Rushing defense2,370148.131st
Total defense [5] 6,082380.131st

Individual

CategoryPlayerTotal
Offense
Passing yards David Carr 2,013
Passing touchdownsDavid Carr9
Rushing yards Domanick Williams 1,031
Rushing touchdownsDomanick Williams8
Receiving yards Andre Johnson 976
Receiving touchdownsAndre Johnson4
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Jamie Sharper 105
SacksJamie Sharper4
Interceptions Marcus Coleman 7

Source: [6]

References

  1. "NFL Receiving Yards per Game Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  2. "Andre Johnson Becomes Houston Texans' first Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee". Houston Texans. February 8, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  3. "2003 Houston Texans draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  4. "2003 NFL Team Total Offense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  5. "2003 NFL Team Total Defense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  6. "2003 Texans Statistics". Houston Texans. Retrieved April 29, 2022.