NFL team season
The 2003 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL). They finished second in the NFC North with a 9–7 record, behind the 10–6 Green Bay Packers, but missed the playoffs for a third straight year. Despite gaining 6,294 yards of offense over their 16 games, by far the most in the league, the team managed just 416 points, the sixth-most in the NFL. The Vikings won their first six games of the 2003 season, then lost their next four games, after which they alternated wins and losses for the remainder of the season. The Vikings were officially eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals on the last play of their final game.
Wide receiver Randy Moss led the NFL with 17 touchdown receptions, the third time in his career that he led the league in that category. After two seasons of inconsistency, rejuvenated quarterback Daunte Culpepper was voted to play in the second Pro Bowl of his career at the end of the season.
Offseason
2003 draft
- ^[a] While attempting to agree a trade, the Vikings' time elapsed, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up and select QB Byron Leftwich. The Carolina Panthers were also able to select OT Jordan Gross before the Vikings ultimately selected DT Kevin Williams.[1]
- ^[b] The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (142nd overall) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Cleveland's 2002 seventh-round selection and defensive lineman Stalin Colinet.
- ^[c] The Vikings traded quarterback Todd Bouman to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for New Orleans' sixth-round selection (190th overall).
Staff
[2]
Roster
Preseason
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 3: at Oakland Raiders
Week 4: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 4: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date:
- Game time: 7:05 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,473
- Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
- Recap, Game Book
Regular season
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: September 7
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Mostly sunny, 71 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 70,505
- Referee: Pete Morelli (135)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 3: at Detroit Lions
Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: September 21
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 60,865
- Referee: Tom White (123)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 4: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: September 28
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,111
- Referee: Larry Nemmers (20)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 5
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,427
- Referee: Ron Blum (7)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos
Week 7: Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: October 19
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,381
- Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 8: vs. New York Giants
Week 8: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: October 26
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,114
- Referee: Tony Corrente (99)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 9: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: November 2
- Game time: 7:35 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,482
- Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 10: at San Diego Chargers
Week 10: Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: November 9
- Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT/1:05 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,738
- Referee: Ed Hochuli (85)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 11: at Oakland Raiders
Week 12: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 12: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: November 23
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,946
- Referee: Pete Morelli (135)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 13: at St. Louis Rams
Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 14: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: December 7
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,968
- Referee: Larry Nemmers (20)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 15: at Chicago Bears
Week 15: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 14
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 33 °F (1 °C)
- Game attendance: 61,804
- Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 16: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 16: Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: December 20
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,291
- Referee: Ron Blum (7)
- Recap, Game Book
Week 17: at Arizona Cardinals
Week 17: Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: December 28
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Clear, 51 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 52,734
- Referee: Tony Corrente (99)
- Recap, Game Book
Despite still having a chance to make the playoffs by winning the NFC North, the Vikings squandered a 17–6 fourth-quarter lead in the final two minutes and lost to the 3–12 Arizona Cardinals after Josh McCown threw a 28-yard pass to Nate Poole for the game-winning touchdown with no time left, and with the Packers' win over the Broncos, giving them the NFC North title, and ending the Vikings season.
Standings
Statistics
Team leaders
* Vikings single season record
League rankings
References
- ^ Pasquarelli, Len (April 26, 2003). "Slow on trigger, Vikings miss pick". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
- ^ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
