2003 Kansas City Chiefs season
| 2003 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dick Vermeil |
| Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Colts) 38–31 |
| Pro Bowlers |
QB Trent Green RB Priest Holmes FB Tony Richardson TE Tony Gonzalez T Willie Roaf G Will Shields S Jerome Woods KR Dante Hall ST Gary Stills |
The 2003 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 34th season in the National Football League, the 44th overall and the third under head coach Dick Vermeil.
The season resulted in a 13–3 winning record, beginning with a nine-game winning streak—the franchise's best start in their 40-year history. The Chiefs won the AFC West and clinched the second seed in the playoffs. Kansas City lost in an offensive shootout at home in the AFC Divisional Playoffs to the Indianapolis Colts 38–31, a game noted for involving no punts from either team's kicking squad.
The season is best remembered for the Chiefs’ record-breaking offense. On December 28, running back Priest Holmes broke Marshall Faulk's single-season rushing touchdown record by scoring his 27th rushing touchdown against the Chicago Bears. Quarterback Trent Green threw for 4,000 yards and kick returner Dante Hall returned four kicks for touchdowns. However, the weak Chiefs defense would prove to be too big of a weakness, as they failed to stop the Colts in the 2003-04 playoffs.
2003 NFL Draft
The Chiefs originally had the 16th pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Vermeil was intent on selecting a defensive player, but felt that there were no defensive players available with their pick, and traded the pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 27th pick, as well as the Steelers third and sixth round picks.[1] With the 16th pick, the Steelers selected Troy Polamalu from USC. With the 27th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected running back Larry Johnson from Penn State.[2]
| Round | Selection | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 27 | Larry Johnson | Running back | Penn State |
| 2 | 15 | 47 | Kawika Mitchell | Linebacker | South Florida |
| 3 | 28 | 92 | Julian Battle | Defensive back | Tennessee |
| 4 | 16 | 113 | Brett Williams | Offensive tackle | Florida State |
| 5 | 18 | 153 | Jordan Black | Offensive tackle | Notre Dame |
| 6 | 16 | 189 | Jimmy Wilkerson | Defensive end | Oklahoma |
| 7 | 16 | 230 | Montique Sharpe | Defensive tackle | Wake Forest |
| 7 | 38 | 252 | Willie Pile | Linebacker | Virginia Tech |
Roster
Regular season
After beginning the 2003 season 9–0, the Chiefs finished the regular season with a record of 13–3. The Chiefs’ offense topped the NFL in almost all statistical categories and Kansas City became favorites to win Super Bowl XXXVIII.[3]
The Chiefs clinched their first AFC West title since 1997 with a 45–17 win against the Detroit Lions, as QB Trent Green became the first player in team history to register a "perfect" 158.3 passer rating in a game.[4]
Kansas City concluded its 13–3 regular season with a 31–3 victory vs. Chicago (December 28), marking a perfect 8–0 record at home and the club's 13th consecutive regular season victory at Arrowhead Stadium. In that win, Priest Holmes set a trio of TD records. He finished the season with 27 rushing scores, establishing NFL single-season records for both rushing TDs and total TDs. Holmes (61) also bypassed WR Otis Taylor (60) for the most career TDs scored by a player in Chiefs history.[4]
The Chiefs five win improvement from the previous season tied as the best mark in franchise history. Kansas City became the first AFC team to lead the NFL in scoring in consecutive seasons since San Diego in ‘81–82 as the club produced a franchise-best 484 points. The team also led the NFL with a +19 turnover differential.[4]
Nine Chiefs players received Pro Bowl recognition, the third-highest total in team history, while the club's six offensive Pro Bowlers marked the most in club annals.[4]
Schedule
| Week | Opponent | Result | Game site | TV Time | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Chargers | W 27–14 | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 41–20 | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 3 | at Houston Texans | W 42–14 | Reliant Stadium | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 4 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 17–10 | Ravens Stadium | CBS 3:15CT | ||
| 5 | Denver Broncos | W 24–23 | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 6 | at Green Bay Packers | W 40–34 (OT) | Lambeau Field | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 7 | at Oakland Raiders | W 17–10 | Network Associates Coliseum | ABC 8:00CT | ||
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | W 38–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | ESPN 7:30CT | ||
| Week 9 — Bye | ||||||
| 10 | Cleveland Browns | W 41–20 | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 11 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–19 | Paul Brown Stadium | CBS 12:00CT | ||
| 12 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–24 | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS 3:15CT | ||
| 13 | at San Diego Chargers | W 28–24 | Qualcomm Stadium | CBS 3:15CT | ||
| 14 | at Denver Broncos | L 45–27 | Invesco Field at Mile High | CBS 3:15CT | ||
| 15 | Detroit Lions | W 45–17 | Arrowhead Stadium | FOX 12:00CT | ||
| 16 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 45–20 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | CBS 3:15CT | ||
| 17 | Chicago Bears | W 31–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | FOX 12:00CT | ||
| 2004 playoffs | ||||||
| Divisional Playoff | Indianapolis Colts | L 38–31 | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS 12:05CT | ||
Playoffs
AFC Divisional Playoffs
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 79,159
- Referee: Gerald Austin
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator), and Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporter)
This offensive shootout became the second game without a punt in NFL playoff history, and first since the Buffalo Bills played the San Francisco 49ers in 1992. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while Edgerrin James ran for a career postseason high 125 yards and two scores. On the Kansas City side, Dante Hall caught a touchdown and returned a kickoff for another; and Priest Holmes, who set the regular-season rushing touchdown record, rushed for 176 yards, caught 5 passes for 32 yards, and scored twice. Kansas City quarterback Trent Green threw for 212 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 18 yards in his first career postseason game. The Chiefs defense failed to stop the Colts offense. Kansas City's defensive coordinator Greg Robinson was asked to resign the following week.
- Scoring
- IND – Stokley 29 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)
- KC – FG Andersen 22
- IND – James 11 run (Vanderjagt kick)
- KC – Hall 9 pass from Green (Andersen kick)
- IND – Lopienski 2 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)
- IND – FG Vanderjagt 45
- KC – Holmes 1 run (Andersen kick)
- IND – Wayne 19 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)
- KC – Hall 92 kickoff return (Andersen kick)
- IND – James 1 run (Vanderjagt kick)
- KC – Holmes 1 run (Andersen kick)
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Kansas City Chiefs | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 484 | 332 | W1 |
| (6) Denver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 381 | 301 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 270 | 379 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 313 | 441 | W1 |
References
- ↑ So there they were with the 16th pick... Retrieved October 4, 2010
- ↑ Kansas City Chiefs 2003 season – Database Football Archived December 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
- ↑ Zimmerman, Paul. The Race to XXXVIII Sports Illustrated, November 17, 2003.
- 1 2 3 4 Chiefs history: 2003 Archived June 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. KCChiefs.com, retrieved December 18, 2006.