2003 Indianapolis Colts season
| 2003 Indianapolis Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tony Dungy |
| General manager | Bill Polian |
| Owner | Jim Irsay |
| Home field | RCA Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC South |
| Playoff finish |
Won Wild Card Playoffs (Broncos) 41–10 Won Divisional Playoffs (Chiefs) 38–31 Lost Conference Championship (Patriots) 24–14 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Peyton Manning WR Marvin Harrison DE Dwight Freeney K Mike Vanderjagt |
| Uniform | |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
11:55
|
Colts | Brandon Stokley 31 yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick) | Colts 7–0 |
| 1 |
3:41
|
Broncos | Jason Elam 49 yard field goal | Colts 7–3 |
| 1 |
:24
|
Colts | Marvin Harrison 46 yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick) | Colts 14–3 |
| 2 |
7:28
|
Colts | Marvin Harrison 23 yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick) | Colts 21–3 |
| 2 |
1:51
|
Colts | Brandon Stokley 87 yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick) | Colts 28–3 |
| 2 |
:00
|
Colts | Mike Vanderjagt 27 yard field goal | Colts 31–3 |
| 3 |
5:19
|
Colts | Reggie Wayne 7 yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick) | Colts 38–3 |
| 3 |
:55
|
Colts | Mike Vanderjagt 20 yard field goal | Colts 41–3 |
| 4 |
7:04
|
Broncos | Rod Smith 7 yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jason Elam kick) | Colts 41–10 |
The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League and 20th in Indianapolis.
After defeating the Broncos and the Chiefs in the first two rounds, the Colts lost to the New England Patriots in the title game, which saw the first playoff meeting between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. New England would go on to defeat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 38. It was the final season seeing the Colts wear their blue facemasks and white shoes.
The Colts had high expectations leading into the 2003 season, and hoped to start the season on the right track after a humiliating loss the New York Jets in the 2002 AFC Divisional Playoffs. Peyton Manning struggled for most of the game, throwing two interceptions in the first half. Kelly Holcomb and the Cleveland Browns suffered from similar problems, however, as Holcomb twice drove the Browns inside of the Indianapolis ten yard line, but failed to score a touchdown on either drive. With the game tied 6–6 in the fourth quarter, Manning flawlessly drove the Colts from their own 8 yard line to the Cleveland 25, the highlight of the drive being a 15-yard connection to wide receiver Reggie Wayne on a 3rd and 10 situation. With six seconds left, coach Tony Dungy called timeout and sent in kicker Mike Vanderjagt to attempt the game winning field goal, which he connected on. This kick was Vanderjagt's first game winner since being labeled as an idiot kicker by Manning in the offseason after charging that Manning needed to show more emotion in games.
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