NFL team season
The 2003 Oakland Raiders season was the 44th season of professional football for the Oakland Raiders franchise , their 34th season as members of the National Football League (NFL), and their ninth season since returning to Oakland . They were led by head coach Bill Callahan in his second and final year as head coach of the Raiders. The Raiders played their home games at Network Associates Coliseum as members of the AFC West . They finished the season 4–12 to finish in a tie with the Chargers for last place, but the Raiders finished in 3rd place because they had a better conference record than the Chargers did. It marked the first time since 1999 that the Raiders failed to make the playoffs and finished with a losing record for the first time since 1997 .
Quarterback Rich Gannon , who had been the league MVP the previous season , injured his shoulder in seventh game of the season and was put on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.[ 1] He was replaced by Marques Tuiasosopo and Rick Mirer . The Raiders had a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season and lost seven games by a touchdown or less. Their 4–12 record tied them with the San Diego Chargers , New York Giants , and Arizona Cardinals as the worst team in football in 2003 and they received the second pick in the 2004 NFL draft .
The season was the last year in Oakland for wide receivers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice . Both future Hall of Fame members were held to four total touchdowns for the season.
Following the season, Raiders owner Al Davis fired head coach Bill Callahan [ 2] [ 3] and replaced him with Norv Turner .[ 4]
The 2003 season marked a turning point in Oakland Raiders history, as it started a long period of futility and decline for the team. From 2003 to 2015, the Raiders failed to make the playoffs or have a winning season.
In Week 13, after a 22-8 loss to the Denver Broncos, head coach Bill Callahan stated "We've got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game. I'm highly critical because of the way we give games away. We give 'em away! Period. It's embarrassing, and I represent that. And I apologize for that."
The Raiders finished the 2002 season 11–5 to win the AFC West. As the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs , they defeated the Jets and Titans to advance to their first Super Bowl since 1984 , where they were defeated by the Buccaneers who were led by former Raider head coach Jon Gruden .
The Raiders lost defensive tackle Sam Adams , cornerback Tory James , defensive end Regan Upshaw and fullback Jon Ritchie in free agency.
[ 5]
2003 Oakland Raiders staff Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
Strength and conditioning – Tim Adams
2003 Oakland Raiders roster Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen Defensive linemen
Linebackers Defensive backs
Special teams
Injured Reserve Practice squad
rookies in italics
53 active, 14 inactive, 5 practice squad
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 7 at Tennessee Titans L 20–25 0–1 The Coliseum 68,809 2 September 14 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–20 1–1 Network Associates Coliseum 50,135 3 at Denver Broncos L 10–31 1–2 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,753 4 September 28 San Diego Chargers W 34–31 (OT) 2–2 Network Associates Coliseum 54,078 5 October 5 at Chicago Bears L 21–24 2–3 Soldier Field 61,099 6 October 12 at Cleveland Browns L 7–13 2–4 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,318 7 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–17 2–5 Network Associates Coliseum 62,391 8 Bye 9 November 2 at Detroit Lions L 13–23 2–6 Ford Field 61,561 10 November 9 New York Jets L 24–27 (OT) 2–7 Network Associates Coliseum 51,909 11 November 16 Minnesota Vikings W 28–18 3–7 Network Associates Coliseum 56,653 12 November 23 at Kansas City Chiefs L 24–27 3–8 Arrowhead Stadium 78,889 13 November 30 Denver Broncos L 8–22 3–9 Network Associates Coliseum 57,201 14 December 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–27 3–10 Heinz Field 53,079 15 December 14 Baltimore Ravens W 20–12 4–10 Network Associates Coliseum 45,398 16 Green Bay Packers L 7–41 4–11 Network Associates Coliseum 62,298 17 December 28 at San Diego Chargers L 14–21 4–12 Qualcomm Stadium 62,222
Week 1: at Tennessee Titans [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
TEN – Joe Nedney 50-yard field goal, 8:32. Titans 9–3. Drive: 8 plays, 19 yards, 4:06. OAK – Charlie Garner 46-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 1:06. Raiders 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 2:49. TEN – Craig Hentrich 49-yard field goal, 0:00. Titans 12–10. Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 1:06. Third quarter
TEN – Craig Hentrich 34-yard field goal, 2:52. Titans 15–10. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:09. Fourth quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 47-yard field goal, 13:51. Titans 15–13. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 4:01. TEN – Derrick Mason 3-yard pass from Steve McNair (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:51. Titans 22–13. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 4:06. OAK – Tim Brown 25-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 3:30. Titans 22–20. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:27. TEN – Craig Hentrich 33-yard field goal, 0:32. Titans 25–20. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 2:58. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers OAK – Charlie Garner – 8 receptions, 112 yards, TD TEN – Derrick Mason – 10 receptions, 99 yards, TD
Week 2: vs. Cincinnati Bengals [ edit ] Game information First quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 40-yard field goal, 12:12. Raiders 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:20. OAK – Tyrone Wheatley 2-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 9:27. Raiders 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:54. CIN – Shayne Graham 31-yard field goal, 5:14. Raiders 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:13. Second quarter
CIN – Corey Dillon 1-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 11:46. Tied 10–10. Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 7:20. Third quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 26-yard field goal, 8:18. Raiders 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 3:28. CIN – Shayne Graham 22-yard field goal, 0:30. Tied 13–13. Drive: 16 plays, 70 yards, 7:48. Fourth quarter
OAK – Phillip Buchanon 83-yard interception return (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 3:46. Raiders 20–13. CIN – Peter Warrick 8-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Shayne Graham kick), 1:18. Tied 20–20. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:28. OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 39-yard field goal, 0:09. Raiders 23–20. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 1:09. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 3: at Denver Broncos [ edit ] Game information First quarter
DEN – Shannon Sharpe 18-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jason Elam kick), 9:28. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 4:03. DEN – Ashley Lelie 44-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jason Elam kick), 4:14. Broncos 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 2:51. DEN – Jake Plummer 6-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 0:54. Broncos 21–0. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 2:23. Second quarter
DEN – Jason Elam 20-yard field goal, 2:28. Broncos 24–0. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 6:14. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 41-yard field goal, 12:26. Broncos 31–10. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 0:53. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers [ edit ] Week 4: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Total Chargers 7 14 3 7 0 31 Raiders 7 7 0 17 3 34
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
SDG – Justin Peelle 7-yard pass from Drew Brees (Steve Christie kick), 13:19. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 18 yards, 1:29. OAK – Doug Jolley 2-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 8:14. Tied 14–14. Drive: 11 plays, 92 yards, 5:05. SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 55-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 6:44. Chargers 21–14. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:30. Third quarter
SDG – Steve Christie 32-yard field goal, 10:41. Chargers 24–14. Drive: 8 plays, 20 yards, 4:19. Fourth quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 23-yard field goal, 9:29. Chargers 24–17. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:05. SDG – Lorenzo Neal 3-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 5:59. Chargers 31–17. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:30. OAK – Alvis Whitted 36-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 4:38. Chargers 31–24. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 1:21. OAK – Charlie Garner 24-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 1:24. Tied 31–31. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:27. Overtime
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 46-yard field goal, 5:01. Raiders 34–31. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:44. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
The Chargers jumped out to a 31–17 lead with just under 6 minutes left in regulation, but the Raiders scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game with 1:24 left in the 4th quarter. San Diego started the following drive at its own 20-yard line and made it to the Oakland 32-yard line, but ran out of time before being able to score, and the game went into overtime. The Chargers received the opening kickoff in overtime, but only gained 12 yards before punting. The two teams would trade punts before Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski made a 46-yard field goal to win the game for the Raiders.
Week 5: at Chicago Bears [ edit ] Week 5: Oakland Raiders at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 6 12 0 3 21 Bears 0 3 3 18 24
at Soldier Field , Chicago, Illinois
Date : October 5Game time : 10:00 a.m. PDT/12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : 58 °F (14 °C)Game attendance : 61,099Referee : Walt Anderson TV announcers (CBS) : Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie BernsteinBox score
Week 6: at Cleveland Browns [ edit ] Week 7: vs. Kansas City [ edit ] Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 7 3 0 7 17 Raiders 0 0 0 10 10
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Date : Game time : 6:00 p.m. PDTGame weather : Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)Game attendance : 62,391Referee : Mike Carey TV announcers (ABC) : Al Michaels, John Madden, and Lisa GuerreroBox score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
KC – Morten Andersen 37-yard field goal, 1:07. Chiefs 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:19. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 27-yard field goal, 8:06. Chiefs 10–3. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 5:49. KC – Priest Holmes 2-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 4:57. Chiefs 17–3. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 1:24. OAK – Zack Crockett 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 2:25. Chiefs 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:32. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
KC – Tony Gonzalez – 3 receptions, 87 yards OAK – Charlie Garner – 8 receptions, 71 yards
Week 9: at Detroit Lions [ edit ] Week 9: Oakland Raiders at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 3 7 3 13 Lions 10 0 7 6 23
at Ford Field , Detroit, Michigan
Date : November 2Game time : 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : None (played indoors)Game attendance : 61,561Referee : Jeff Triplette TV announcers (CBS) : Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Marcus Allen Box score
Game information First quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 54-yard field goal, 12:54. Lions 3–0 Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:26. DET – Olandis Gary 2-yard run (Jason Hanson kick good), 0:58. Lions 10–0 Drive: 4 plays, 12 yards, 1:26. Second quarter
Third quarter
DET – Cory Schlesinger 33-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick good), 11:06. Lions 17–3 Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:54. OAK – Charlie Garner 7-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick good), 2:55. Lions 17–10 Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards, 8:11. Fourth quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 42-yard field goal, 12:45. Lions 20–10 Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 5:10. OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 24-yard field goal, 9:14. Lions 20–13 Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:52. DET – Jason Hanson 39-yard field goal, 5:52. Lions 23–13 Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 3:22. Top passers
Top receivers
Top rushers
Week 10: vs. New York Jets [ edit ] Week 10: New York Jets at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Total Jets 7 3 0 14 3 27 Raiders 7 14 0 3 0 24
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings [ edit ] Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 0 3 7 8 18 Raiders 7 7 7 7 28
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
MIN – Aaron Elling 35-yard field goal, 11:24. Raiders 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 3:43. OAK – Zack Crockett 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 8:22. Raiders 14–3. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:07. Third quarter
OAK – Tyrone Wheatley 2-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 11:23. Raiders 21–3. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:37. MIN – Daunte Culpepper 11-yard run (Aaron Elling kick), 2:12. Raiders 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:52. Fourth quarter
MIN – Kelly Campbell 29-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Daunte Culpepper pass to Hunter Goodwin ), 8:32. Raiders 21–18. Drive: 2 plays, 81 yards, 0:44. OAK – Zack Crockett 2-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 2:16. Raiders 28–18. Drive: 4 plays, 11 yards, 0:30. Top passers
Top rushers
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 7 rushes, 42 yards, TD OAK – Tyrone Wheatley – 32 rushes, 109 yards, TD Top receivers
Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
OAK – Tyrone Wheatley 15-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 10:19. Chiefs 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:41. KC – Morten Andersen 43-yard field goal, 7:12. Chiefs 24–14. Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 3:07. Fourth quarter
OAK – Jerry Rice 47-yard pass from Rick Mirer (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 14:26. Chiefs 24–21. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 2:31. OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 41-yard field goal, 2:18. Tied 24–24. Drive: 7 plays, 18 yards, 1:33. KC – Morten Andersen 35-yard field goal, 0:04. Chiefs 27–24. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 2:14. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
OAK – Jerry Porter – 7 receptions, 89 yards KC – Priest Holmes – 6 receptions, 100 yards
Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos [ edit ] Week 13: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 14 0 8 22 Raiders 5 3 0 0 8
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Date : November 30Game time : 1:15 p.m. PSTGame weather : Light rain, 55 °F (13 °C)Game attendance : 57,201Referee : Ron BlumTV announcers (CBS) : Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross Box score
Game information First quarter
OAK – Punt blocked by O. J. Santiago out of bounds in the end zone for a safety, 7:49. Raiders 2–0 OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 46-yard field goal, 4:36. Raiders 5–0. Drive: 8 plays, 34 yards, 3:13. Second quarter
DEN – Shannon Sharpe 4-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jason Elam kick), 11:00. Broncos 7–5. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 8:36. OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 48-yard field goal, 9:03. Raiders 8–7. Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:57. DEN – Clinton Portis 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 4:24. Broncos 14–8. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:39. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
DEN – Clinton Portis 1-yard run (Clinton Portis run), 3:15. Broncos 22–8. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 6:04. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers [ edit ] Week 14: Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 7 0 0 0 7 Steelers 0 17 7 3 27
at Heinz Field , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date : December 7Game time : 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 30 °F (−1 °C)Game attendance : 53,079Referee : Johnny GrierTV announcers (CBS) : Gus Johnson and Brent Jones Box score
Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens [ edit ] Week 15: Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Ravens 3 3 6 0 12 Raiders 10 7 0 3 20
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Date : December 14Game time : 1:05 p.m. PSTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C)Game attendance : 45,398Referee : Ed HochuliTV announcers (CBS) : Ian Eagle , Solomon Wilcots Box score
Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers [ edit ] Week 16: Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Packers 14 17 3 7 41 Raiders 7 0 0 0 7
at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California
Date : December 22Game time : 6:00 p.m. PSTGame weather : Clear, 54 °F (12 °C)Game attendance : 62,298Referee : Tony CorrenteTV announcers (ABC) : Al Michaels, John Madden, and Lisa GuerreroBox score
The day before the game, Irvin Favre, father of Packers' quarterback Brett Favre , died suddenly of a heart attack. Favre elected to play and passed for four touchdowns in the first half, and 399 yards in a 41–7 defeat of the Raiders. Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight."[ 6]
Week 17: at San Diego Chargers [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 2-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 11:42. Chargers 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:23. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Franchise Stadiums Key personnel Culture Lore Rivalries Media Wild card berths (6) Division championships (15) Conference championships (4) League championships (4) Current league affiliations Former league affiliation