2003 San Diego Chargers
The 2003 San Diego Chargers went 4–12, finishing 4th in the AFC West, and missed the playoffs. They scored 313 points and allowed 441.
- Record
- 4–12
- Home
- 2–5
- Road & neutral
- 2–7
- Points
- 313–441
- AFC West
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 313 points, the 16th-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 441, the second-most. Their point differential was -128.
Their 4–12 record was tied for the worst in the NFL.
How the season unfolded
The Chargers opened with four straight losses and were 1–7 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 4–12.
Their longest losing streak was five games, from Week 1 to Week 5.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 42–28 over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10 (November 9, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 37–8 to the Denver Broncos in Week 11 (November 16, 2003).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–4.
They played one overtime game and lost it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 1–5 against the AFC West, splitting with the Raiders and getting swept by the Chiefs and the Broncos.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 0–6 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among AFC playoff teams was 10–6, six games better than their record.
Before and after
That was four wins fewer than in 2002, when they went 8–8.
In 2004, they went 12–4 and returned to the playoffs.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2003 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–27 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2003 | vs Denver Broncos | L 13–37 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2003 | vs Baltimore Ravens | L 10–24 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2003 | at Oakland Raiders | L 31–34 (OT) |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2003 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 21–27 |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | at Cleveland Browns | W 26–20 |
| Week 8 | Oct 27, 2003 | vs Miami Dolphins | L 10–26 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–20 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2003 | vs Minnesota Vikings | W 42–28 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | at Denver Broncos | L 8–37 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2003 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–34 |
| Week 13 | Nov 30, 2003 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–28 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | at Detroit Lions | W 14–7 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 21–38 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2003 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–40 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | vs Oakland Raiders | 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.