The 2003 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 71st in the league. They matched their previous season's record, going 12–4,2003 Philadelphia Eagles however, they were again upset in the NFC Championship Game. The team made the playoffs for the fourth straight year, won its third straight NFC East division title, and had the NFC's top record for the second straight season.
After losing their final game in Veterans Stadium to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 NFC Championship Game, Philadelphia looked to turn the page with the opening of brand-new Lincoln Financial Field, but the stadium got an inauspicious start when the Eagles dropped their first two games there, with a season-opening shutout loss again to Tampa Bay and a crushing loss to the New England Patriots. The Eagles, expected to compete for the Super Bowl, were left at a precarious 2–3, and it looked to be 2–4 before Brian Westbrook returned a punt for a touchdown to shock the New York Giants in the closing minutes of their Week 7 contest. The play turned the Eagles' season around and they won their next nine games, finishing with a 12–4 record. In the playoffs, the Eagles needed a miracle conversion on 4th and 26 to defeat the Green Bay Packers, but the magic had run out by the next week and the team fell 14–3 to the underdog Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship Game, whom they had defeated in the regular season.
A preseason holdout by running back Duce Staley resulted in a running back by committee situation by Staley, Westbrook, and Correll Buckhalter. The trio rushed for a combined 1,613 yards and 20 touchdowns and became known as "The Three-Headed Monster" of a rushing attack that passed 2,000 total yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
The rushing attack, which also benefited from 355 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Donovan McNabb, carried the offense, which featured a weak receiving corps that did not record a touchdown until Week 9. There were calls early in the season to replace McNabb with backup A. J. Feeley, but McNabb would find his rhythm and enjoy a great season. The defense weathered early injuries to defensive backs Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins to eventually surrender the seventh-fewest points in the league. Cornerback Troy Vincent, in his final season as an Eagle, was elected to the Pro Bowl. The weakness in the defense would be in stopping the run, something the team struggled with even at the height of their nine-game winning streak.
Offseason
NFL draft
Staff
Roster
Opening training camp roster Philadelphia Eagles 2003 opening training camp roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
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Special teams
Final roster Philadelphia Eagles 2003 final roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
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Offensive linemen
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Linebackers
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Special teams Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in Italics 53 active, 7 inactive, 5 practice squad
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at New Orleans Saints W 27–17 1–0 Louisiana Superdome Recap 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 21–16 2–0 Heinz Field Recap 3 New England Patriots L 12–24 2–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 4 New York Jets L 9–17 2–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 0–17 0–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 2 September 14 New England Patriots L 10–31 0–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 3Bye 4 September 28 at Buffalo Bills W 23–13 1–2 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 5 October 5 Washington Redskins W 27–25 2–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 6 October 12 at Dallas Cowboys L 21–23 2–3 Texas Stadium Recap 7 October 19 at New York Giants W 14–10 3–3 Giants Stadium Recap 8 October 26 New York Jets W 24–17 4–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 9 November 2 at Atlanta Falcons W 23–16 5–3 Georgia Dome Recap 10 at Green Bay Packers W 17–14 6–3 Lambeau Field Recap 11 November 16 New York Giants W 28–10 7–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 12 November 23 New Orleans Saints W 33–20 8–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 13 November 30 at Carolina Panthers W 25–16 9–3 Ericsson Stadium Recap 14 December 7 Dallas Cowboys W 36–10 10–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 15 at Miami Dolphins W 34–27 11–3 Pro Player Stadium Recap 16 December 21 San Francisco 49ers L 28–31 11–4 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 17 at Washington Redskins W 31–7 12–4 FedExField Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers, who ruined the Eagles' bid for a Super Bowl the previous season by defeating them in their final game at Veterans Stadium, spoiled the opening of Lincoln Financial Field by thoroughly dominating the Eagles in a 17–0 shutout. A big run by James Thrash gave the Eagles a chance at an early field goal, but head coach Andy Reid tried a fake field goal to rookie tight end L. J. Smith, who let the ball go off of his fingertips. Early in the second quarter, Tampa Bay put up a field goal for a 3–0 lead, while the Eagles looked out of sync. A touchdown pass to Joe Jurevicius, who had made a huge reception in the 2002 NFC Championship, made it 10–0. Jurevicius caught another short touchdown on the next drive, which ate half of the fourth quarter. Brian Dawkins and Bobby Taylor both had to leave the game with injuries.
Week 2: vs. New England Patriots
The situation went from bad to worse as the Eagles suffered a second straight disastrous loss, again at their new home. The defense, already ravaged by injuries, fought hard and held the New England Patriots to only a first-quarter field goal. Duce Staley scored Philadelphia's first points of the season early in the second quarter, but two Tom Brady touchdown passes in the second quarter made it 17–7 Patriots at halftime. Brady found Deion Branch for a touchdown in the third quarter before Eagles' placekicker David Akers booted a 57-yarder, his career high. Tedy Bruschi intercepted Donovan McNabb for a pick six in the fourth quarter, extending New England's lead to 31–10 and putting the game out of reach. In total, the offense gave up six turnovers and seven sacks as the Eagles suffered their first home loss to the Patriots in franchise history.
Week 4: at Buffalo Bills
After two devastating losses to start the season, the Eagles used an early bye week to regroup and defeated the Buffalo Bills a 23–13. The Eagles methodically built a 16–0 lead through the first three quarters. Correll Buckhalter scored a short touchdown in the first quarter, and David Akers added three field goals. In the final period, Drew Bledsoe rallied Buffalo to two straight touchdowns, cutting the lead to 16–13. However, Brian Westbrook broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and charged through the middle for a 62-yard touchdown run to seal the deal. Donovan McNabb, nursing a sore thumb on his throwing hand, threw for 172 yards and rushed for 47, while the defense played a solid game, especially in the first half.
Week 5: vs Washington Redskins
In sunny 59-degree weather, and coming off a crucial win at Buffalo, the Eagles battled their division-rival Washington Redskins to a 27–25 victory. David Akers opened the scoring with a 52-yard field goal, and a short touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to fullback Jon Ritchie gave Philadelphia a 10–0 lead in the second quarter. Redskin quarterback Patrick Ramsey rushed for a touchdown to cut into the Eagles' lead, and the teams traded field goals to make it 13–10 Eagles at halftime. In the third quarter, the Redskins tied the game on a field goal. The Eagles defense restored the lead when defensive lineman Darwin Walker hit Ramsey as he was throwing, flinging the ball into the air and into the arms of teammate N.D. Kalu who returned it 15 yards for the touchdown. After another Washington field goal in the fourth quarter, Brian Westbrook scored on 19-yard run with three minutes left to play, which put Philadelphia up 27–16 and appeared to end the game, as in Buffalo the previous week. The Redskins instead mounted a furious rally, with kicker John Hall booting a 53-yard field goal, the special teams recovering an onside kick, and Ramsey firing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Darnerien McCants with seconds remaining. However, the Eagles broke up the two-point conversion to preserve Philadelphia's first victory in Lincoln Financial Field. The defense turned in a relatively strong performance despite the absence of Pro Bowlers Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent, and Bobby Taylor.
Week 6: at Dallas Cowboys
The 2–2 Eagles met the 3–1 Dallas Cowboys and fell to them 23–21, their first loss to Dallas since 1999. Andy Reid tried an opening kickoff onsides kick, which had helped spark the Eagles' 2000 season opening route of Dallas, but the Cowboys' new coach, Bill Parcells, was not fooled and the gamble blew up in Philadelphia's face. Randal Williams fielded the bouncing kick and raced into the end zone untouched in three seconds – the fastest touchdown in NFL history. Brian Westbrook's five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter tied the score, but Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal just before halftime to make it 10–7 Dallas. Troy Hambrick finished a third quarter Dallas drive with a one-yard touchdown to open a 17–7 Cowboy lead. A 52-yard catch-and-run by Duce Staley on the Eagles' ensuing drive brought Philadelphia within three points, but the Cowboys answered back with another field goal. With less than five minutes left to play, Correll Buckhalter broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run, giving Philadelphia a 21–20 lead. A long kick return helped set up Dallas' go-ahead field goal. Donovan McNabb, who struggled mightily throughout the game with a thumb injury, could not advance the team into field goal range after James Thrash returned the kickoff to midfield. Westbrook, Staley, and Buckhalter combined for over 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The loss dropped Philadelphia to 2–3 and a repeat of a division title appeared in doubt.
Week 7: at New York Giants
Brian Westbrook delivered the play of the year for the Eagles, returning a punt with less than two minutes left to win the game 14–10 over the New York Giants. In the first quarter, Westbrook's five-yard touchdown run (his fourth in four games) gave Philadelphia a 7–0 lead. New York got a field goal in the second quarter and a Jeremy Shockey touchdown reception in the third to take a 10–7 lead. It could have been more, as they drove inside the Philadelphia 40-yard line seven times, but usually squandered their opportunities. Meanwhile, the Eagles' offense was virtually non-existent throughout the game. Donovan McNabb had his worst game as a professional, only completing 9-of-23 passes for a meager 64 yards. Inside the two-minute warning, the Giants forced the Eagles to burn their timeouts, then punted to give it back to the dormant Philadelphia offense and end the game. However, Westbrook fielded the Jeff Feagles punt on a bounce, broke through the first few defenders, and began to race down the left sideline and into the end zone, stealing the victory and saving the Eagles' season. The 84-yard punt return was a turning point for Philadelphia, saving them from falling to 2–4 and propelling them on a what would be a nine-game winning streak.
Week 8: vs New York Jets