| 2003 Houston Texans season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bob McNair |
| General manager | Charley Casserly |
| Head coach | Dom Capers |
| Offensive coordinator | Chris Palmer |
| Defensive coordinator | Vic Fangio |
| Home stadium | Reliant Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4thAFC South |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The2003 Houston Texans season was the franchise's second season in theNational Football League and the second underhead coachDom Capers. It saw the Texans make a one-game improvement on its initial season's record.
In theNFL draft, the Texans selected wide receiverAndre Johnson fromMiami (FL) third overall. Johnson would become a cornerstone of the Texans' franchise for the next decade and would go on to hold nearly everyfranchise receiving record.[1] Considered one of the best receivers of his era, Johnson was selected for thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first player to start their career with the Texans to be inducted.[2]
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| GZach Wiegert (Jaguars) | LBKeith Mitchell (Jaguars) |
| GTodd Washington (Buccaneers) | WRJermaine Lewis (Jaguars) |
| LBSteve Foley (Bengals) | TRyan Young (Cowboys) |
| DTSteve Martin (Patriots) | GCameron Spikes (Cardinals) |
| WRJaJuan Dawson (Colts) |
| 2003 Houston Texans draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Andre Johnson * † | WR | Miami (FL) | |
| 2 | 41 | Bennie Joppru | TE | Michigan | fromBaltimore viaNew England |
| 3 | 67 | Antwan Peek | LB | Cincinnati | |
| 3 | 75 | Seth Wand | OT | Northwest Missouri State | fromWashington via New England |
| 3 | 88 | Dave Ragone | QB | Louisville | fromAtlanta |
| 4 | 101 | Domanick Davis | RB | LSU | |
| 6 | 192 | Drew Henson | QB | Michigan | Extra selection |
| 6 | 214 | Keith Wright | DT | Missouri | Extra selection |
| 7 | 217 | Curry Burns | S | Louisville | |
| 7 | 233 | Chance Pearce | C | Texas A&M | Extra selection |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | Denver Broncos | L 12–20 | 0–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 15 | atDallas Cowboys | L 6–34 | 0–2 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 23 | San Diego Chargers | L 17–19 | 0–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 28 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–34 | 0–4 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | atMiami Dolphins | W 21–20 | 1–0 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 14 | atNew Orleans Saints | L 10–31 | 1–1 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–42 | 1–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–20 | 2–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | Bye | |||||
| 6 | October 12 | atTennessee Titans | L 17–38 | 2–3 | The Coliseum | Recap |
| 7 | October 19 | New York Jets | L 14–19 | 2–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 26 | atIndianapolis Colts | L 21–30 | 2–5 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 9 | November 2 | Carolina Panthers | W 14–10 | 3–5 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 9 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 27–34 | 3–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 16 | atBuffalo Bills | W 12–10 | 4–6 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | New England Patriots | L 20–23(OT) | 4–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 30 | Atlanta Falcons | W 17–13 | 5–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 7 | atJacksonville Jaguars | L 0–27 | 5–8 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 14 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–16 | 5–9 | Raymond James Stadium | 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 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 21 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
atPro Player Stadium,Miami, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Saints | 7 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
atLouisiana Superdome,New Orleans, Louisiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atReliant Stadium,Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Texans | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Titans | 14 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
atThe Coliseum,Nashville, Tennessee
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
David Carr threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, including apick six.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| Texans | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Colts | 3 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
atRCA Dome,Indianapolis, Indiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 3 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| Bengals | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
atPaul Brown Stadium,Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Bills | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
atRalph Wilson Stadium,Orchard Park, New York
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
On the Texans' third offensive drive,David Carr was sacked in his own end zone byJeff Posey and fumbled the ball. The ball eventually went out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in asafety, giving the Bills a 2–0 lead. Carr was injured on the play and would be replaced byTony 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 andAndre 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.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Texans | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
atAlltel Stadium,Jacksonville, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
With injuries to bothDavid Carr andTony Banks, third-round rookie quarterbackDave Ragone made his first NFL start. Decimated by injuries, the Texans' offense struggled throughout the game, finishing with just 124 yards and three turnovers.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
atRaymond James Stadium,Tampa Bay, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 20 |
| Texans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| AFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3)Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 447 | 336 | W1 |
| (5)Tennessee Titans | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 435 | 324 | W3 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 276 | 331 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 255 | 380 | L4 |
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | David Carr | 2,013 | |
| Passing touchdowns | David Carr | 9 | |
| Rushing yards | Domanick Williams | 1,031 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | Domanick Williams | 8 | |
| Receiving yards | Andre Johnson | 976 | |
| Receiving touchdowns | Andre Johnson | 4 | |
| Defense | |||
| Tackles(Solo) | Jamie Sharper | 105 | |
| Sacks | Jamie Sharper | 4 | |
| Interceptions | Marcus Coleman | 7 | |
Source:[6]