2003 Dallas Cowboys
The 2003 Dallas Cowboys went 10–6, finishing 2nd in the NFC East, and lost in the Wild Card round. They scored 289 points and allowed 260.
- Record
- 10–6
- Home
- 6–2
- Road & neutral
- 4–4
- Points
- 289–260
- NFC East
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Wild Card
Where the season ranked
They scored 289 points, the 12th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 260, the second-fewest. Their point differential was +29.
How the season unfolded
The Cowboys started 3–1 and were 6–2 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 10–6.
Their longest winning streak was five games, from Week 2 to Week 7.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 38–7 over the Detroit Lions in Week 7 (October 19, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 36–10 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14 (December 7, 2003).
They shut out Washington (Week 15).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–1.
They played one overtime game and won it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 5–1 against the NFC East, sweeping the Giants and Washington and splitting with the Eagles.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–2 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they lost to the Carolina Panthers 29–10 on the road.
Before and after
That was a five-win improvement on 2002, when they went 5–11.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 1999.
In 2004, they went 6–10 and missed the playoffs.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2003 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 13–27 |
| Week 2 | Sep 15, 2003 | at New York Giants | W 35–32 (OT) |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2003 | at New York Jets | W 17–6 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2003 | vs Arizona Cardinals | W 24–7 |
| Week 6 | Oct 12, 2003 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–21 |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | at Detroit Lions | W 38–7 |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2003 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 0–16 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | vs Washington | W 21–14 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2003 | vs Buffalo Bills | W 10–6 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | at New England Patriots | L 0–12 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2003 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 24–20 |
| Week 13 | Nov 27, 2003 | vs Miami Dolphins | L 21–40 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–36 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | at Washington | W 27–0 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2003 | vs New York Giants | W 19–3 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | at New Orleans Saints | L 7–13 |
| Wild Card | Jan 3, 2004 | at Carolina Panthers | L 10–29 |
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.