| Team: | Houston Texans |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Record: | 5–11 |
| Division Place: | 4th AFC South |
| Coach: | Dom Capers |
| Off Coach: | Chris Palmer |
| Def Coach: | Vic Fangio |
| Owner: | Bob McNair |
| Stadium: | Reliant Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | None |
| Shortnavlink: | Texans seasons |
The 2003 Houston Texans season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League and the second under head coach Dom Capers. It saw the Texans make a one-game improvement on its initial season's record.
In the NFL draft, the Texans selected wide receiver Andre Johnson from Miami (FL) third overall. Johnson would become a cornerstone of the Texans' franchise for the next decade and would go on to hold nearly every franchise receiving record.[1] Considered one of the best receivers of his era, Johnson was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first player to start their career with the Texans to be inducted.[2]
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| G Zach Wiegert (Jaguars) | LB Keith Mitchell (Jaguars) | |
| G Todd Washington (Buccaneers) | WR Jermaine Lewis (Jaguars) | |
| LB Steve Foley (Bengals) | T Ryan Young (Cowboys) | |
| DT Steve Martin (Patriots) | G Cameron Spikes (Cardinals) | |
| WR JaJuan Dawson (Colts) |
See main article: article and 2003 NFL Draft. [3]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Broncos | L 12–20 | 0–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 6–34 | 0–2 | Texas Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | San Diego Chargers | L 17–19 | 0–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | ||
| 4 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–34 | 0–4 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Miami Dolphins | W 21–20 | 1–0 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 14 | at New Orleans Saints | L 10–31 | 1–1 | Recap | ||
| 3 | September 21 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–42 | 1–2 | Recap | ||
| 4 | September 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–20 | 2–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | Bye | ||||||
| 6 | October 12 | at Tennessee Titans | L 17–38 | 2–3 | Recap | ||
| 7 | October 19 | New York Jets | L 14–19 | 2–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 26 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 21–30 | 2–5 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 2 | Carolina Panthers | W 14–10 | 3–5 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 9 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–34 | 3–6 | Recap | ||
| 11 | November 16 | at Buffalo Bills | W 12–10 | 4–6 | Recap | ||
| 12 | November 23 | New England Patriots | L 20–23 | 4–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | November 30 | Atlanta Falcons | W 17–13 | 5–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 7 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 0–27 | 5–8 | Recap | ||
| 15 | December 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–16 | 5–9 | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 21 | Tennessee Titans | L 24–27 | 5–10 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 28 | Indianapolis Colts | L 17–20 | 5–11 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
David Carr threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, including a pick six.
On the Texans' third offensive drive, David Carr was sacked in his own end zone by Jeff Posey and fumbled the ball. The ball eventually went out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety, giving the Bills a 2–0 lead. Carr was injured on the play and would be replaced by Tony Banks for the rest of the game. On the final play of the game, the Texans were facing a 4th and 14 at their own 34-yard line with 0:03 left to play up 12–8. The team lined up in a punt formation and Andre Johnson took the ball, intentionally running backwards to his own end zone and ran out of bounds for a safety with 0:00 on the clock, securing a 12–10 victory for the Texans.
With injuries to both David Carr and Tony Banks, third-round rookie quarterback Dave Ragone made his first NFL start. Decimated by injuries, the Texans' offense struggled throughout the game, finishing with just 124 yards and three turnovers.
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 2,655 | 165.9 | 29th | |
| Rushing offense | 1,651 | 103.2 | 23rd | |
| Total offense[4] | 4,306 | 269.1 | 31st | |
| Passing defense | 3,712 | 232.0 | 31st | |
| Rushing defense | 2,370 | 148.1 | 31st | |
| Total defense[5] | 6,082 | 380.1 | 31st |
| Category | Player | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing yards | 2,013 | ||
| Passing touchdowns | David Carr | 9 | |
| Rushing yards | 1,031 | ||
| Rushing touchdowns | Domanick Williams | 8 | |
| Receiving yards | 976 | ||
| Receiving touchdowns | Andre Johnson | 4 | |
| Defense | |||
| Tackles | 105 | ||
| Sacks | Jamie Sharper | 4 | |
| Interceptions | 7 | ||