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2003 Green Bay Packers season

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2003 Green Bay Packers season
Head coachMike Sherman
Home fieldLambeau Field
Results
Record10–6
Division place1st NFC North
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Seahawks) 33–27 (OT)
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Eagles) 17–20 (OT)
Pro Bowlers
6
AP All-Pros
1
Uniform
Packers (including QB Doug Pederson) at their preseason game against Tennessee, August 28, 2003

The 2003 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 85th season overall and their 83rd in the National Football League (NFL).

The Packers won the division on the last play of the season. Needing a win and a Minnesota Vikings loss to clinch the division, the Packers routed the Denver Broncos 31–3, while the Vikings lost 18–17 on a last second touchdown by the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals.

The Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round in overtime off an interception return for a touchdown by Al Harris after Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck proclaimed "We want the ball and we're going to score!" after the overtime coin toss. However, the season finished with an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional round of the playoffs after failing to stop the Eagles on 4th and 26, where a defensive stand on the play would have sealed the team a trip to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1997 as the Eagles had only one timeout remaining and just over a minute left in regulation.

In the Week 16 Monday night game, Brett Favre threw four touchdowns in a 41–7 win over the Oakland Raiders, one night after his father died of a heart attack.

Offseason

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The Packers were able to add Al Harris to their starting lineup from a trade with Philadelphia. They lost starters Terry Glenn to a trade and Vonnie Holliday to free agency.[1]

Additions Subtractions
FB Nick Luchey (Bengals) LB Nate Wayne (Eagles)
LB Hannibal Navies (Panthers) S Matt Bowen (Redskins)
C Grey Ruegamer (Patriots) CB Tyrone Williams (Falcons)
DE Chukie Nwokorie (Colts) CB Tod McBride (Falcons)
OT Reggie Coleman (Bengals) DE Vonnie Holliday (Chiefs)
RB Lamar Smith (Panthers) WR Terry Glenn (Cowboys)
OT Marcus Spriggs (Dolphins) LB Hardy Nickerson (retirement)
CB Al Harris (Eagles)

NFL draft

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Main article: 2003 NFL draft
2003 Green Bay Packers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 29 Nick Barnett  LB Oregon State
3 79 Kenny Peterson  DE Ohio State
4 147 James Lee  OT Oregon State
4 166 Hunter Hillenmeyer  LB Vanderbilt
6 212 Brennan Curtin  OT Notre Dame
7 245 Chris Johnson  CB Louisville
7 253 DeAndrew Rubin  WR South Florida
7 256 Carl Ford  WR Toledo
7 257 Steve Josue  LB Carson-Newman
      Made roster  

Undrafted free agents

[edit]
2003 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Tommy Collins Fullback UConn
Quentus Cumby Defensive back Kentucky
Cullen Jenkins Defensive end Central Michigan
Shantee Orr Linebacker Michigan
J. R. Taylor Running back Eastern Illinois

Personnel

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Staff

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2003 Green Bay Packers staff

Front office

  • President and chief executive officer – Bob Harlan
  • Executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer – John Jones
  • Vice president of Player Finance/General Counsel – Andrew Brandt
  • Vice president of football operations – Mark Hatley
  • Director of college scouting – John Dorsey
  • Director of pro personnel – Reggie McKenzie
  • Personnel analyst to general manager – John Schneider
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Shaun Herock
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Sean Howard

Head coaches

  • Executive vice president/general manager/head coach – Mike Sherman
  • Assistant head coach/defensive backs – Bob Slowik

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams Coordinator – John Bonamego
  • Assistant special teams – Stan Drayton
  • Special Teams Consultant – Frank Novak

Strength and conditioning


Roster

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2003 Green Bay Packers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Injured Reserve

Practice Squad

Rookies in italics

53 active, 12 inactive, 5 practice squad

Preseason

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Regular season

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The Packers finished the season 10–6 and advanced to the Divisional round of the playoffs.

Week Date Opponent Result Game site TV Time (CST) Attendance
1 September 7 Minnesota Vikings L 25–30 Lambeau Field Fox 12:00pm 70,505
2 September 14 Detroit Lions W 31–6 Lambeau Field Fox 12:00pm 70,244
3 September 21 at Arizona Cardinals L 13–20 Sun Devil Stadium Fox 3:05pm 58,784
4 September 29 at Chicago Bears W 38–23 Soldier Field ABC 8:00pm 61,500
5 October 5 Seattle Seahawks W 35–13 Lambeau Field Fox 12:00pm 70,365
6 October 12 Kansas City Chiefs L 34–40 (OT) Lambeau Field CBS 12:00pm 70,407
7 October 19 at St. Louis Rams L 24–34 Edward Jones Dome Fox 12:00pm 66,201
8 Bye
9 November 2 at Minnesota Vikings W 30–27 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome ESPN 7:30pm 64,482
10 November 10 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–17 Lambeau Field ABC 8:00pm 70,291
11 November 16 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 20–13 Raymond James Stadium Fox 3:15pm 65,614
12 November 23 San Francisco 49ers W 20–10 Lambeau Field Fox 12:00pm 70,250
13 November 27 at Detroit Lions L 14–22 Ford Field Fox 11:30am 62,123
14 December 7 Chicago Bears W 34–21 Lambeau Field Fox 12:00pm 70,458
15 December 14 at San Diego Chargers W 38–21 Qualcomm Stadium Fox 3:15pm 64,978
16 December 22 at Oakland Raiders W 41–7 Network Associates Coliseum ABC 8:00pm 62,298
17 December 28 Denver Broncos W 31–3 Lambeau Field CBS 3:15pm 70,299
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text

Game summaries

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Week 1: vs Minnesota Vikings

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Week One: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 10 10 7330
Packers 0 3 81425

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: September 7
  • Game time: 12:00pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 71 °F (22 °C), 78% humidity, wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 70,505
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Brian Baldinger & Drew Smith
Game information

Week 2: vs Detroit Lions

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Week Two: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 6 006
Packers 14 3 7731

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals

[edit]
Week Three: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 0313
Cardinals 7 3 3720

at Sun Devil Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona

  • Date: September 21
  • Game time: 3:05pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 102 °F (39 °C), 7% humidity, wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 58,784
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Brian Baldinger & Kevin McCabe
Game information

Week 4: at Chicago Bears

[edit]
Week Four: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 17 7 01438
Bears 0 6 31423

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Week 5: vs Seattle Seahawks

[edit]
Week Five: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 6 0013
Packers 7 14 14035

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 6: vs Kansas City Chiefs

[edit]
Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chiefs 7 7 020640
Packers 14 7 103034

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 7: at St. Louis Rams

[edit]
Week Seven: Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 3 7 7724
Rams 14 7 7634

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings

[edit]
Week Nine: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 6 14 01030
Vikings 7 7 6727

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 10: vs Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]
Week Ten: Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 0 31417
Packers 0 7 0714

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

On November 5, 2003, the Packers claimed defensive tackle Grady Jackson off waivers from the New Orleans Saints.[2] Jackson helped the Packers allow only 95.38 rushing yards per game over the final 8 games,[3] after allowing over 117 yards per game in the first 8 games.[3] Jackson signed a two-year contract extension on December 29, 2003.[2]

Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[edit]
Week Eleven: Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 6 0720
Buccaneers 0 6 7013

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

Week 12: vs San Francisco 49ers

[edit]
Week Twelve: San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 3 7010
Packers 7 10 0320

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 13: at Detroit Lions

[edit]
Week Thirteen: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 7014
Lions 10 3 0922

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 14: vs Chicago Bears

[edit]
Week Fourteen: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 14 0 0721
Packers 0 13 61534

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 15: at San Diego Chargers

[edit]
Week Fifteen: Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 10 02138
Bears 3 0 31521

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 14
  • Game time: 3:15pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 61 °F (16 °C), 52% humidity, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 64,978
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas & Drew Smith
Game information

Week 16: at Oakland Raiders

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Main article: Favre's Dad Game
Week Sixteen: Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 14 17 3741
Raiders 7 0 007

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

The day before the Week 16 game, Irvin Favre, father of Brett Favre, died suddenly of a heart attack. Favre elected to play and passed for four touchdowns in the first half, and 399 yards in a 41–7 defeat of the Raiders. Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight."[4]

Week 17: vs Denver Broncos

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Week Seventeen: Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 0 303
Packers 7 3 71431

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information
Lambeau Field on a game day, December 2003

Playoffs

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vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Main article: 2003 NFC Wild Card playoff game (Seattle–Green Bay)
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Seahawks 3 3 147027
Packers 0 13 014633

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Packers defensive back Al Harris returned an interception 52 yards for the game-winning touchdown 4:25 in overtime. The game was sent into overtime on Seahawk running back Shaun Alexander's third touchdown of the day. Ahman Green scored two touchdowns for Green Bay, and Bubba Franks caught a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The game is memorable for Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's ironic comment after winning the coin toss for the start of overtime, telling the referee "We want the ball and we're going to score!"[5] This game remains one of two times in NFL history that an NFL playoff game has ended with a defensive touchdown in OT (the other being the January 10, 2010 Wild Card game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Packers).[6]

Packers quarterback Brett Favre completed 26 of 38 passes for 319 yards and a touchdown.

This would be the last playoff win for the Packers without Aaron Rodgers until 2023 when Jordan Love led the 7th seeded Packers past the Dallas Cowboys 48-32. Despite the close final, the Packers led 27-0 late in the 2nd quarter. Brett Favre's last playoff win would come in 2007 when Green Bay beat Seattle in the Divisional Round 42-20 before falling to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship the following week.

vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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Main article: 4th and 26
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Packers 14 0 03017
Eagles 0 7 010320

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ahman Green's franchise postseason record 156 rushing yards was not enough to lift the Packers to victory. Facing fourth down and 26 yards to go, with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter and the Packers leading 17–14, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb completed a 28-yard pass to Freddie Mitchell on a famous play now known as "4th and 26". The play set up David Akers' 37-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. In the overtime Favre's deep pass was intercepted, and Akers then kicked a 31-yard field goal, giving the Eagles the victory.

McNabb had a spectacular performance in the game, completing 21 of 39 passes for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also rushing for 107 yards on 11 carries.

Standings

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NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Green Bay Packers 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 442 307 W4
Minnesota Vikings 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 416 353 L1
Chicago Bears 7 9 0 .438 2–4 4–8 283 346 L1
Detroit Lions 5 11 0 .313 2–4 4–8 270 379 W1

Awards and honors

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  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completion Percentage (65.4)
  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Touchdown Passes (32)

References

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  1. ^ Offseason Overview: Green Bay Packers, espn.com obtained 2009-03-12
  2. ^ a b "Green Bay Packers 2003 Team Transactions - Trades, Injured List, Free Agents, and Signings - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "2003 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "Official Packers press release regarding the 12/22/03 game". Archived from the original on March 9, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2006.
  5. ^ "Live NFL Scores for 2021 - Week 10". NFL.com.
  6. ^ "WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2007./index.php?ntid=266179
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