2003 Detroit Lions
The 2003 Detroit Lions went 5–11, finishing 4th in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 270 points and allowed 379.
- Record
- 5–11
- Home
- 5–3
- Road & neutral
- 0–8
- Points
- 270–379
- NFC North
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 270 points, tied for the sixth-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 379, tied for the seventh-most. Their point differential was -109.
How the season unfolded
The Lions started 1–3 and were 2–6 after eight games. They went 1–3 over the final four weeks to finish 5–11.
Their longest losing streak was six games, from Week 2 to Week 8.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 42–24 over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 (September 7, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 38–7 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 (October 19, 2003).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 2–5.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC North, splitting with the Packers and the Bears and getting swept by the Vikings.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–6 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 a two-win improvement on 2002, when they went 3–13.
In 2004, they went 6–10.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2003 | vs Arizona Cardinals | W 42–24 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2003 | at Green Bay Packers | L 6–31 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2003 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 13–23 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2003 | at Denver Broncos | L 16–20 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2003 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 17–24 |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | vs Dallas Cowboys | L 7–38 |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2003 | at Chicago Bears | L 16–24 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | vs Oakland Raiders | W 23–13 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2003 | vs Chicago Bears | W 12–10 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 14–35 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2003 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 14–24 |
| Week 13 | Nov 27, 2003 | vs Green Bay Packers | W 22–14 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | vs San Diego Chargers | L 7–14 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–45 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2003 | at Carolina Panthers | L 14–20 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | vs St. Louis Rams | W 30–20 |
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.