2003 Cincinnati Bengals
The 2003 Cincinnati Bengals went 8–8, finishing 2nd in the AFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 346 points and allowed 384.
- Record
- 8–8
- Home
- 5–3
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 346–384
- AFC North
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 346 points, the 13th-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 384, the fifth-most. Their point differential was -38.
How the season unfolded
The Bengals started 1–3 and were 3–5 after eight games. They went 1–3 over the final four weeks to finish 8–8.
Their longest winning streak was four games, from Week 10 to Week 13.
Their longest losing streak was three games, from Week 1 to Week 3.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 34–26 over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 (October 19, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 30–10 to the Denver Broncos in Week 1 (September 7, 2003).
They scored a season-high 41 points against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15 (December 14, 2003), winning 41–38.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 8–5.
They played one overtime game and lost it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the AFC North, splitting with the Steelers, the Browns, and the Ravens.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 3–3 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among AFC playoff teams was 10–6, two games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a six-win improvement on 2002, when they went 2–14.
In 2004, they went 8–8.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2003 | vs Denver Broncos | L 10–30 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2003 | at Oakland Raiders | L 20–23 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2003 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–17 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2003 | at Cleveland Browns | W 21–14 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2003 | at Buffalo Bills | L 16–22 (OT) |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | vs Baltimore Ravens | W 34–26 |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2003 | vs Seattle Seahawks | W 27–24 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 14–17 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2003 | vs Houston Texans | W 34–27 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–19 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2003 | at San Diego Chargers | W 34–27 |
| Week 13 | Nov 30, 2003 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–20 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 13–31 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | vs San Francisco 49ers | W 41–38 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2003 | at St. Louis Rams | L 10–27 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | vs Cleveland Browns | L 14–22 |
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.