| Team: | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Record: | 6–10 |
| Division Place: | 3rd AFC North |
| Coach: | Bill Cowher |
| General Manager: | Kevin Colbert |
| Owner: | The Rooney Family |
| Stadium: | Heinz Field |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Ap All-Pros: | Alan Faneca (2nd team) Hines Ward (2nd team) |
| Mvp: | Hines Ward |
| Roy: | Troy Polamalu |
| Shortnavlink: | Steelers seasons |
The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 71st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
Their season began with the team trying to improve on their 10–5–1 record from 2002 in which they lost to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs.
With the team suffering through injuries as well as less reliance on the running game than normal, the Steelers stumbled to a 6–10 record, going the entire season without winning consecutive games. Since moving to Heinz Field in 2001, this was the Steelers' first season with a losing record and their first season missing the playoffs. The team's record is tied with that of the 1999 season as the worst for a season under head coach Bill Cowher.
In his final season with the team, linebacker Jason Gildon became the franchise's career sack leader during a game against the Arizona Cardinals on November 9.
Since then, this represents the most recent losing season for the Steelers.
Notable additions include Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | NFL Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | at Detroit Lions | L 13–26 | 0–1 | Ford Field | |
| 2 | August 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 16–21 | 0–2 | Heinz Field | |
| 3 | August 21 | Dallas Cowboys | W 15–14 | 1–2 | Heinz Field | |
| 4 | August 29 | at Carolina Panthers | L 14–21 | 1–3 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | NFL Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | Baltimore Ravens | W 34–15 | 1–0 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 2 | September 14 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–41 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Summary | |
| 3 | September 21 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–10 | 2–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | Summary | |
| 4 | September 28 | Tennessee Titans | L 13–30 | 2–2 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 5 | October 5 | Cleveland Browns | L 13–33 | 2–3 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 6 | October 12 | at Denver Broncos | L 14–17 | 2–4 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Summary | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | October 26 | St. Louis Rams | L 21–33 | 2–5 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 9 | November 2 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 16–23 | 2–6 | Seahawks Stadium | Summary | |
| 10 | November 9 | Arizona Cardinals | W 28–15 | 3–6 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 11 | November 17 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 14–30 | 3–7 | San Francisco Stadium | Summary | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–6 | 4–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Summary | |
| 13 | November 30 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 20–24 | 4–8 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 14 | December 7 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–7 | 5–8 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 15 | December 14 | at New York Jets | L 0–6 | 5–9 | Giants Stadium | Summary | |
| 16 | December 21 | San Diego Chargers | W 40–24 | 6–9 | Heinz Field | Summary | |
| 17 | December 28 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 10–13 (OT) | 6–10 | M&T Bank Stadium | Summary |
Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text.
See also: 2003 Baltimore Ravens season and Ravens–Steelers rivalry.
Pittsburgh won their season opener for the first time since 1999.[1]
This was the 1,000th game in Steelers history.
The Steelers were the only team in the 2003 season to play on the road following a Monday night road game. The NFL at that time had typically given teams that traveled for a Monday night game either a home game or their bye week the following week. Steelers head coach Bill Cowher objected to the team playing a road game after a Monday night road game. Team president Dan Rooney said that he would not pursue the matter with the NFL, noting that the second game was in Cleveland, only 112miles from Pittsburgh.[2]