The was the 84th one played by the major professional American Football league in the United States . With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 4 2003 to December 27 . Due to damage caused by the Cedar Fire , Qualcomm Stadium was used as an emergency shelter, and thus the Miami Dolphins - San Diego Chargers regular season match on October 27 was instead played at Sun Devil Stadium , the home field of the Arizona Cardinals .
The Buccaneers failed to qualify for the Playoffs , which began on January 3 2004 . The NFL title was eventually won by the New England Patriots when they defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII , the Super Bowl championship game, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 1 .
- If an onside kick inside the final five minutes of the game does not go 10 yards, goes out of bounds, or is touched illegally, the receiving team will have the option of accepting the penalty and getting the ball immediately. Previously, the kicking team was penalized, but had another chance to kick again from five yards back.
- League officials encouraged networks to immediately cut to a commercial break if an instant replay challenge review was initiated. Previously networks rarely utilized those stoppages for their prescribed commercial periods.
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
- Indianapolis finished ahead of Tennessee in the AFC South based on better head-to-head record (2-0).
- Denver clinched the AFC 6 seed instead of Miami based on better conference record (9-3 to 7-5).
- Buffalo finished ahead of N.Y. Jets in the AFC East based on better division record (2-4 to 1-5).
- Jacksonville finished ahead of Houston in the AFC South based on better division record (2-4 to 1-5).
- Oakland finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on better conference record (3-9 to 2-10).
- Philadelphia clinched the NFC 1 seed instead of St. Louis based on better conference record (9-3 to 8-4).
- Seattle clinched the NFC 5 seed instead of Dallas based on strength of victory (.406 to .388).
See Also: NFL playoffs, 2003-04
| |
New England Patriots
|
| |
East
|
| |
Kansas City Chiefs
|
| |
West
|
| |
Indianapolis Colts
|
| |
South
|
| |
Baltimore Ravens
|
| |
North
|
| |
Tennessee Titans
|
| |
Denver Broncos
|
| |
Philadelphia Eagles
|
| |
East
|
| |
St Louis Rams
|
| |
West
|
| |
Carolina Panthers
|
| |
South
|
| |
Green Bay Packers
|
| |
North
|
| |
Seattle Seahawks
|
| |
Dallas Cowboys
|
|
- Wild-Card playoffs: Tennessee 20, BALTIMORE 17; INDIANAPOLIS 41, Denver 10
- Divisional playoffs: NEW ENGLAND 17, Tennessee 14; Indianapolis 38, KANSAS CITY 31
- AFC Championship: NEW ENGLAND 24, Indianapolis 14 at Gillette Stadium , Foxborough , Massachusetts , January 18 , 2004
- Wild-Card playoffs: CAROLINA 29, Dallas 10; GREEN BAY 33, Seattle 27 (OT)
- Divisional playoffs: Carolina 29, ST. LOUIS 23 (2OT); PHILADELPHIA 20, Green Bay 17 (OT)
- NFC Championship: Carolina 14, PHILADELPHIA 3 at Lincoln Financial Field , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , January 18, 2004
The following players set all-time NFL records during the season:
- ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 2001- (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
- ''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
- NFL owners reject OT proposal (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
|
