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2003 Seattle Seahawks season

The 2003 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL), the second season in Seahawks Stadium and the 5th under head coach Mike Holmgren. After going 31–33 in his first four years as head coach, the Seahawks went undefeated at home for the first time in franchise history and improved to 10–6, thus making the NFC playoffs as a wild card team, the first of fifteen playoff appearances over the next twenty seasons, and their first playoff berth since 1999. However, the team fell 33–27 to the Green Bay Packers in the opening round due to an interception returned for a touchdown by Green Bay's Al Harris in overtime. Following the season, Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle retired after 14 seasons.

2003 NFL Draft

Final roster

[1][2]

Schedule

Preseason

Source: Seahawks Media Guides[3][4]

Regular season

Bold indicates division opponents.
Source: 2003 NFL season results[5]

Postseason

Standings

Game summaries

Preseason

Week P1: vs. San Diego Chargers

Preseason Week One: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Diego Chargers – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: August 9
  • Game time: 7:05pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 73 °F (23 °C), 64% humidity, wind variable 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 37,763
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV: FSNW
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Week P2: at Indianapolis Colts

Preseason Week Two: Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Date: August 15
  • Game time: 7:00pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 37,469
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV: FSNW
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Week P3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Preseason Week Three: Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: August 23
  • Game time: 7:05pm local
  • Game weather: overcast, 68 °F (20 °C), 39% humidity, wind SE 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 39,833
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV: FSNW
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Week P4: at Denver Broncos

Preseason Week Four: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver

  • Date: August 29
  • Game time: 7:05pm local
  • Game weather: cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C), 53% humidity, wind S 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 73,038
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV: FSNW
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Regular season

Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week One: Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: September 7
  • Game time: 1:18pm local
  • Game weather: cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C), 68% humidity, wind N 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 52,250
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Tim Ryan & Darrell Greene
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Shaun Alexander bulled the Seahawks to a 27–10 win as he rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown while also catching a touchdown. The Saints fumbled away the ball three times and also committed eleven penalties.

Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Two: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: September 14
  • Game time: 1:06pm local
  • Game weather: 98 °F (37 °C), 14% humidity, wind E 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 23,127
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Tim Green & Kevin McCabe
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

After forcing four turnovers by the Saints, the Seahawks picked off Jeff Blake and Josh McCown four times while swallowing two fumbles en route to a 38–0 shutout win. Maurice Morris and Shaun Alexander split carries for 118 yards and a touchdown while Matt Hasselbeck ran in a touchdown and threw another.

Week 3: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week Three: Seattle Seahawks vs. St. Louis Rams – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: September 21
  • Game time: 1:06pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 63 °F (17 °C), 60% humidity, wind variable 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 65,841
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Mass & Chris Myers
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

The Rams and Seahawks began to build a bitter rivalry as the two clubs met with the Rams at 1–1 and the Seahawks 2–0. A Rams goalline fumble led to a Seahawks touchdown before the Rams reeled off 23 points by the fourth quarter. Then Matt Hasselbeck erupted to two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the 24–23 Seahawks win.

Week 5: at Green Bay Packers

Week Five: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: October 5
  • Game time: 12:02pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 48 °F (9 °C), 49% humidity, wind N 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 70,365
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Mike Holmgren returned to Lambeau Field and saw his Seahawks routed 35–13 by his old team, the Packers. Brett Favre threw two touchdowns while Ahman Green and Tony Fisher combined for 141 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted once while Shaun Alexander managed 102 yards and a score.

Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Six: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: October 12
  • Game time: 5:37pm local
  • Game weather: partly cloudy, 59 °F (15 °C), 72% humidity, wind N 16 miles per hour (26 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 66,437
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, Suzy Kolber
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Former Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson came to Seattle and saw his 49ers fall behind 17–0 in the second quarter. The Niners clawed back but a failed point after kick left them trailing 17–16 in the third; it proved fatal as the Seahawks won 20–19 on a late 37-yard field goal.

Week 7: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Seven: Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: October 19
  • Game time: 1:15pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 63 °F (17 °C), 84% humidity, wind SW 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 65,671
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts & Tim Ryan
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Despite two Chris Chandler interceptions and just 211 yards of offense, the Bears erased a 17–6 Seahawks lead and tied the game in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks then finished it off on Shaun Alexander's 25-yard score and a 24–17 win.

Week 8: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Eight: Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: October 26
  • Game time: 1:02pm local
  • Game weather: cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C), 86% humidity, wind NE 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 52,131
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Dale Hellestrae, Ari Wolfe
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

The Seahawks season began to take on a concerning problem of road performances. Their second straight road loss and sixth in their last two seasons came in a game where the lead tied or changed seven times; the Seahawks fumbled twice and Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted three times; Chad Johnson's 53-yard touchdown catch gave the Bengals the 27–24 win.

Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Nine: Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: November 2
  • Game time: 1:06pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 44 °F (7 °C), 68% humidity, wind S 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 66,507
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf & Bonnie Bernstein
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

The first three quarters were a battle of field goals, then in the fourth up 9–6 the Seahawks scored twice while Tommy Maddox had a touchdown. The 23–16 Seahawks win left them at 6–2 with the Steelers 2–6.

Week 10: at Washington Redskins

Week Ten: Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins – Game summary

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: November 9
  • Game time: 1:02pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 42 °F (6 °C), 44% humidity, wind NE 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 80,728
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

For the third straight road game the Seahawks fell short, blowing a 14–3 lead as Patrick Ramsey and Rod Gardner combined for three touchdowns. The Seahawks lost two fumbles while Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted once.

Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Eleven: Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: November 16
  • Game time: 1:16pm local
  • Game weather: cloudy, 46 °F (8 °C), 93% humidity, wind SE 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 65,865
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts & Tim Ryan
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Bobby Engram scored twice, on a 34-yard catch from Matt Hasselbeck and an 83-yard punt return. The Seahawks and Lions combined for 49 points in the first half before being shut out in the second as Seattle won 35–14.

Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Twelve: Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 23
  • Game time: 1:02pm local
  • Game weather: partly cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C), 80% humidity, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 69,477
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Tim Green, Brent Harris
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Former Seahawks beat writer Clare Farnsworth called this game "one of the monumental collapses in Seahawks history." After going 29 minutes with just a pair of field goals and resultant 3–3 tie, the Seahawks scored 14 points to end the first half, then built a 41–24 lead in the fourth quarter. Ed Reed scored on a blocked punt, then Anthony Wright erupted with huge throws to Frank Sanders and Marcus Robinson and the score was now 41–38 Seahawks. In the final 33 seconds an administrative mistake on a Seahawks run and a withdrawn ineligible player penalty by referee Tom White stopped the clock and saved the Ravens from using their final timeout; they stopped a Matt Hasselbeck sneak on fourth down, then a pass interference penalty set up Matt Stover's tying field goal. In overtime ex-Raven Trent Dilfer had to come in for one play but the Seahawks had to punt and the Ravens won on another Stover field goal. It was Seattle's fourth straight road loss.

Week 13: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Thirteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: November 30
  • Game time: 1:05pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 42 °F (6 °C), 85% humidity, wind NE 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 64,680
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle & Solomon Wilcots
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Still angry over the loss to the Ravens, the Seahawks finished the AFC North portion of their schedule by crushing the Browns 34–7; Andre King scored on a blocked Seahawks punt in the fourth quarter but by then Matt Hasselbeck had thrown three touchdowns and the Seahawks had forced three Browns turnovers.

Week 14: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Fourteen: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

at Metrodome, Minneapolis

  • Date: December 7
  • Game time: 12:00pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 63,968
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas & Chris Myers
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

The Seahawks' road struggles continued as Randy Moss and Kelly Campbell caught touchdowns from Daunte Culpepper while Matt Hasselbeck was picked off by Mike Nattiel and Nattiel scored from 80 yards out. The Vikings won 34–7 by outgaining the Seahawks 463 total yards to 258, leaving both teams at 8–5.

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams

Week Fifteen: Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams – Game summary

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: December 14
  • Game time: 12:02pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 66,152
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth & Pam Oliver
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

The Seahawks fell out of contention for the NFC West as the Rams won 27–22 to go to 11–3 with the Seahawks clawing for a wildcard spot at 8–6 with their sixth straight road loss. The deciding play came in the final seconds when Hasselbeck launched a Hail Mary pass from the 50; a referee stumbled and Bobby Engram tripped over him short of the goalline as the pass was nearly intercepted.

Week 16: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Sixteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

at Seahawks Stadium, Seattle

  • Date: December 21
  • Game time: 1:15pm local
  • Game weather: overcast, 49 °F (9 °C), 97% humidity, wind SE 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 64,899
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dan Miller & Bill Romanowski
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

The Seahawks climbed back into wildcard contention as they sacked Josh McCown eight times, Shaun Alexander rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer combined for a touchdown and an interception apiece, and Seattle won 28–10. Seattle stood tied with the Vikings (45–20 winners over Kansas City) and Green Bay (who would blast the Oakland Raiders 41–7 on Monday Night Football the next night) all at 9–6 with the Cowboys holding the first wildcard at 10–5.

Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers

Week Seventeen: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at 3Com Park, San Francisco

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 2:15pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 49 °F (9 °C), 80% humidity, wind NE 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 67,840
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

Seattle finally won a second road game as they clawed from down 17–14 with a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown and a field goal; Jeff Garcia's 4th down incompletion sealed a 24–17 Seahawks win. The game was the second of a pre-New Year's Saturday triple header; the Seahawks thus had to wait until Sunday before a win by Green Bay, a loss by Dallas, and a last-second loss by Minnesota sorted out the NFC playoff picture, putting Seattle as the conference's fifth seed.

Postseason

Seattle entered the postseason as the #5 seed in the NFC.

NFC Wild Card Playoff: at #4 Green Bay Packers

NFC Wild Card Playoff: #5 Seattle Seahawks at #4 Green Bay Packers – Game summary

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: January 4
  • Game time: 1:04pm local
  • Game weather: 20 °F (−7 °C), 74% humidity, wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 71,457
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, Pam Oliver & Chris Myers
  • Gamecenter, Gamebook

With Nate Poole of the Cardinals in attendance (a result of knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs the week before) in a mild snowstorm, the Packers hosted the upstart Seahawks. Green Bay clawed to a 13–6 halftime lead, but in the third quarter Shawn Alexander touchdowns put the Seahawks up 20–13. Two Ahman Green touchdown rushes in the fourth quarter put the Packers back up 27–20. After the Seahawks tied the game, Brett Favre completed three straight passes for 41 yards in Green Bay's final drive, but Ryan Longwell misfired on the ensuing 47-yard field goal attempt. The Seahawks won the overtime coin toss; Matt Hasselbeck brashly stated to referee Bernie Kukar "We want the ball and we're gonna score!" The boast was picked up on stadium and FOX Sports television microphones and became a source of infamy; after completing two passes for twelve yards Hasselbeck targeted Alex Bannister but the ball was intercepted by Packers cornerback Al Harris at the Packers' 48-yard-line and he ran it back for a touchdown, ending the game with a 33–27 Packers victory and ending Seattle's season.

References

  1. ^ "Home". pro-football-reference.com.
  2. ^ Seattle Seahawks 2003 Roster accessed November 28, 2018.
  3. ^ 2003 Seahawks Media Guide Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 14, 2015.
  4. ^ 2004 Seahawks Media Guide Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 14, 2015.
  5. ^ 2003 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 1, 2015.

External links