2003 New Orleans Saints
The 2003 New Orleans Saints went 8–8, finishing 2nd in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 340 points and allowed 326.
- Record
- 8–8
- Home
- 5–3
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 340–326
- NFC South
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 340 points, the 14th-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 326, the 14th-fewest. Their point differential was +14.
How the season unfolded
The Saints started 1–3 and were 3–5 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 8–8.
Their longest losing streak was three games, from Week 3 to Week 5.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 45–7 over the New York Giants in Week 15 (December 14, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 55–21 to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4 (September 28, 2003).
They scored a season-high 45 points against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 (October 19, 2003), winning 45–17.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–4.
They played two games that went to overtime and went 1–1 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the NFC South, sweeping the Falcons, splitting with the Buccaneers, and getting swept by the Panthers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–6 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, two games better than their record.
Before and after
That was one win fewer than in 2002, when they went 9–7.
In 2004, they went 8–8.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2003 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 10–27 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2003 | vs Houston Texans | W 31–10 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2003 | at Tennessee Titans | L 12–27 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2003 | vs Indianapolis Colts | L 21–55 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2003 | at Carolina Panthers | L 13–19 |
| Week 6 | Oct 12, 2003 | vs Chicago Bears | W 20–13 |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 45–17 |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2003 | vs Carolina Panthers | L 20–23 (OT) |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–14 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | vs Atlanta Falcons | W 23–20 (OT) |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2003 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–33 |
| Week 13 | Nov 30, 2003 | at Washington | W 24–20 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 7–14 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | vs New York Giants | W 45–7 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2003 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 19–20 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | vs Dallas Cowboys | W 13–7 |
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.