2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 7–9, finishing 3rd in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 301 points and allowed 264.
- Record
- 7–9
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 4–4
- Points
- 301–264
- NFC South
- Place 3 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 301 points, the 15th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 264, the fourth-fewest. Their point differential was +37.
How the season unfolded
The Buccaneers started 2–2 and were 4–4 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 7–9.
Their longest losing streak was three games, from Week 9 to Week 11.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 35–13 over Washington in Week 6 (October 12, 2003).
Their heaviest loss was 33–13 to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17 (December 28, 2003).
They scored a season-high 35 points against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 (October 6, 2003), losing 38–35.
They shut out the Philadelphia Eagles (Week 1) and the Dallas Cowboys (Week 8).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 2–7.
They played two games that went to overtime and went 0–2 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC South, splitting with the Falcons and the Saints and getting swept by the Panthers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–5 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, three games better than their record.
Before and after
That was five wins fewer than in 2002, when they went 12–4.
In 2004, they went 5–11.
2003 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 8, 2003 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–0 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2003 | vs Carolina Panthers | L 9–12 (OT) |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2003 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 31–10 |
| Week 5 | Oct 6, 2003 | vs Indianapolis Colts | L 35–38 (OT) |
| Week 6 | Oct 12, 2003 | at Washington | W 35–13 |
| Week 7 | Oct 19, 2003 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 7–24 |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2003 | vs Dallas Cowboys | W 16–0 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2003 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 14–17 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2003 | at Carolina Panthers | L 24–27 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2003 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 13–20 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2003 | vs New York Giants | W 19–13 |
| Week 13 | Nov 30, 2003 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 10–17 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2003 | at New Orleans Saints | W 14–7 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2003 | vs Houston Texans | W 16–3 |
| Week 16 | Dec 20, 2003 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 28–30 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2003 | at Tennessee Titans | L 13–33 |
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.