| Team: | Green Bay Packers |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Record: | 10–6 |
| Division Place: | 1st NFC North |
| Coach: | Mike Sherman |
| Stadium: | Lambeau Field |
| Uniform: | File:Packers 12 uniform.xcf |
| Shortnavlink: | Packers seasons |
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.
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) |
See main article: 2003 NFL draft.
| 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 |
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 | Fox 12:00pm | 70,505 | ||
| 2 | September 14 | Detroit Lions | W 31–6 | Lambeau Field | Fox 12:00pm | 70,244 | |
| 3 | September 21 | L 13–20 | Fox 3:05pm | 58,784 | |||
| 4 | at Chicago Bears | W 38–23 | ABC 8:00pm | 61,500 | |||
| 5 | October 5 | W 35–13 | Lambeau Field | Fox 12:00pm | 70,365 | ||
| 6 | October 12 | L 34–40 | Lambeau Field | CBS 12:00pm | 70,407 | ||
| 7 | October 19 | L 24–34 | Fox 12:00pm | 66,201 | |||
| 8 | Bye | ||||||
| 9 | November 2 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 30–27 | ESPN 7:30pm | 64,482 | ||
| 10 | L 14–17 | Lambeau Field | ABC 8:00pm | 70,291 | |||
| 11 | November 16 | W 20–13 | Fox 3:15pm | 65,614 | |||
| 12 | November 23 | W 20–10 | Lambeau Field | Fox 12:00pm | 70,250 | ||
| 13 | at Detroit Lions | L 14–22 | Fox 11:30am | 62,123 | |||
| 14 | December 7 | Chicago Bears | W 34–21 | Lambeau Field | Fox 12:00pm | 70,458 | |
| 15 | December 14 | W 38–21 | Fox 3:15pm | 64,978 | |||
| 16 | W 41–7 | ABC 8:00pm | 62,298 | ||||
| 17 | December 28 | W 31–3 | Lambeau Field | CBS 3:15pm | 70,299 | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text | |||||||
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. Jackson signed a two-year contract extension on December 29, 2003.
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]
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.
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.