| Team: | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Record: | 5–11 |
| Division Place: | 3rd AFC South |
| Coach: | Jack Del Rio |
| Stadium: | Alltel Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Uniform: | File:AFCS-2003-Uniform-JAX.PNG |
| Pro Bowlers: | DT Marcus Stroud |
| Shortnavlink: | Jaguars seasons |
The 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League and the 1st under head coach Jack Del Rio. The Jaguars failed to improve upon their 6–10 regular season record in 2002 and failed to make the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. An 0–8 record in road games eliminated any chance of postseason play.
Oddly, despite being in existence since 1995, this season marked the first time that the Jaguars played the San Diego Chargers.[1] This is due to old NFL scheduling formulas in place prior to 2002; the Jaguars had played the Chargers’ division rivals the Kansas City Chiefs four times;[2] the Denver Broncos[3] three times and the Oakland Raiders twice (though not since 1997).[4]
Week 3 was Mark Brunell's last game as a Jaguar, as he was benched forcing rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich to take his spot for the rest of the season. Brunell left the team at the end of the season.
Jacksonville defeated New Orleans 20–19 in the week 16 game despite the River City Relay, a play that has gone down in NFL lore.
During free agency, the Jaguars signed former Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas and former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Mike Peterson.
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| DE Hugh Douglas (Eagles) | WR Patrick Johnson (Redskins) | |
| LB Mike Peterson (Colts) | DT Larry Smith (Packers) | |
| WR Troy Edwards (Rams) | DE Marco Coleman (Eagles) | |
| WR Jermaine Lewis (Texans) | LB Wali Rainer (Lions) | |
| G Jamar Nesbit (Panthers) | ||
| FB Marc Edwards (Patriots) |
See main article: article and 2003 NFL draft.
| Chris Brown | Cornerback | UAB | |
| Chris L. Brown | Cornerback | Grambling State | |
| Cortez Hankton | Wide receiver | Texas Southern | |
| Matt Leonard | Defensive Tackle | Stanford | |
| Seth Marler | Kicker | Tulane | |
| Curtis Randall | Linebacker | Louisiana Tech | |
| Brett Romberg | Center | Miami (FL) | |
| Kevin Simmons | Wide receiver | Howard | |
| Joe Smith | Running back | Louisiana Tech |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 16–14 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | ||
| 2 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–23 | 2–0 | Alltel Stadium | ||
| 3 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 6–10 | 2–1 | Raymond James Stadium | ||
| 4 | Washington Redskins | W 17–15 | 3–1 | Alltel Stadium |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Carolina Panthers | L 23–24 | 0–1 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,134 | |
| 2 | September 14 | Buffalo Bills | L 17–38 | 0–2 | Alltel Stadium | 58,613 | |
| 3 | September 21 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 13–23 | 0–3 | RCA Dome | 55,770 | |
| 4 | September 28 | at Houston Texans | L 20–24 | 0–4 | Reliant Stadium | 70,041 | |
| 5 | October 5 | San Diego Chargers | W 27–21 | 1–4 | Alltel Stadium | 48,954 | |
| 6 | October 12 | Miami Dolphins | L 10–24 | 1–5 | Alltel Stadium | 66,437 | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | October 26 | Tennessee Titans | L 17–30 | 1–6 | Alltel Stadium | 55,918 | |
| 9 | November 2 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 17–24 | 1–7 | Ravens Stadium | 69,486 | |
| 10 | November 9 | Indianapolis Colts | W 28–23 | 2–7 | Alltel Stadium | 45,037 | |
| 11 | November 16 | at Tennessee Titans | L 3–10 | 2–8 | The Coliseum | 68,809 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at New York Jets | L 10–13 | 2–9 | Giants Stadium | 77,614 | |
| 13 | November 30 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–10 | 3–9 | Alltel Stadium | 60,543 | |
| 14 | December 7 | Houston Texans | W 27–0 | 4–9 | Alltel Stadium | 43,363 | |
| 15 | December 14 | at New England Patriots | L 13–27 | 4–10 | Gillette Stadium | 68,436 | |
| 16 | December 21 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–19 | 5–10 | Alltel Stadium | 49,207 | |
| 17 | December 28 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 14–21 | 5–11 | Georgia Dome | 70,266 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
After being down 3–0 at halftime, the Colts scored 17 third quarter points followed by six points in the fourth quarter to beat Jacksonville 23-13 and improve to 3–0. A standout moment from the game occurred when Colts' rookie DB Mike Doss caused a fumble by Jaguars' RB Fred Taylor. Doss reportedly quipped, "Hey, Fred, you forgot something." In retaliation, Taylor told reporters ahead of their next encounter, "I'm going to bust his (butt). I'm going to punish him."[5]
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Jaguars rallied with two touchdowns to take the lead. On the next possession, Peyton Manning connected with Marcus Pollard, who raced 70 yards to set up a go–ahead field goal. The Jaguars then moved deep into Colts' territory, but a fumbled field goal snap by punter/holder Mark Royals thwarted their efforts. After the Colts went three–and–out and a strong punt return set Jacksonville up at the Indianapolis 31–yard line, Fred Taylor made a 32–yard run, evading Mike Doss as he fell, to score a touchdown and put the Jaguars ahead with just a minute remaining. Manning's attempt to respond ended in an interception, sealing the Jaguars' first–ever victory over the Colts in a surprising upset. [5] After the game, Doss remarked, "I guess you'd have to say he got the final word today." Taylor expressed that his frustration arose from Doss forcing his head to the ground after he recovered the fumble, expressing "I felt he truly disrespected me,"[6]
See main article: River City Relay.