2003 Atlanta Falcons
The 2003 Atlanta Falcons went 5–11, finishing 4th in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 299 points and allowed 422.
- Record
- 5–11
- Home
- 2–6
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 299–422
- NFC South
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 299 points, the 13th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 422, the third-most. Their point differential was -123.
How the season unfolded
The Falcons started 1–3 and were 1–7 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 5–11.
Their longest losing streak was seven games, from Week 2 to Week 9.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 27–7 over the New York Giants in Week 10 (November 9, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 36–0 to the St. Louis Rams in Week 6 (October 13, 2003).
They scored a season-high 31 points against Washington in Week 2 (September 14, 2003), losing 33–31.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–5.
They played two games that went to overtime and went 1–1 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC South, splitting with the Buccaneers and the Panthers and getting swept by the Saints.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–5 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, five games better than their record.
Before and after
That was four wins fewer than in 2002, when they went 9–6–1.
In 2004, they went 11–5 and returned to the playoffs.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2003 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 27–13 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2003 | vs Washington | L 31–33 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2003 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–31 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2003 | at Carolina Panthers | L 3–23 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2003 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 26–39 |
| Week 6 | Oct 13, 2003 | at St. Louis Rams | L 0–36 |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 17–45 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L 16–23 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2003 | at New York Giants | W 27–7 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | at New Orleans Saints | L 20–23 (OT) |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2003 | vs Tennessee Titans | L 31–38 |
| Week 13 | Nov 30, 2003 | at Houston Texans | L 13–17 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 20–14 (OT) |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 7–38 |
| Week 16 | Dec 20, 2003 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 30–28 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–14 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2003 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.