The

2003 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

was the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

' 43rd in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. They finished second in the

NFC North The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough ri ...

with a 9–7 record, 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. Despite their 9–7 record, they finished second in the division behind the 10–6

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. The Vikings were officially eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

on the last play of their final game. Wide receiver

Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...

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 Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at UCF and was selected ...

was voted to play in the second Pro Bowl of his career at the end of the season.

Offseason

2003 Draft

: While attempting to agree a trade, the Vikings' time elapsed, allowing the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

to move up and select QB

Byron Leftwich Byron Antron Leftwich (born January 14, 1980) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for ten seas ...

. The

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

were also able to select OT

Jordan Gross Jordan Alan Gross (born July 20, 1980) is a former American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American. He s ...

before the Vikings ultimately selected DT Kevin Williams. : The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (142nd overall) to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in exchange for Cleveland's

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

seventh-round selection and defensive lineman

Stalin Colinet Stalin D. Colinet ( ; born July 17, 1974) is a former defensive tackle and defensive end in the NFL. Early years Colinet was born in New York, to a Dominican mother, and a Haitian father. Colinet attended Cardinal Hayes High School where h ...

. : The Vikings traded quarterback

Todd Bouman Todd Matthew Bouman (; born August 1, 1972) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at St. Cloud State. Bouman also played for the New Orlean ...

to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in exchange for New Orleans' sixth-round selection (190th overall).

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

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 3: at Detroit Lions

Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 8: vs. New York Giants

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 10: at San Diego Chargers

Week 11: at Oakland Raiders

Week 12: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 13: at St. Louis Rams

Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 15: at Chicago Bears

Week 16: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 17: at Arizona Cardinals

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

after Josh McCown threw a 28-yard pass to

Nate Poole Nathan Poole (born February 1, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Marshall. Poo ...

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

Staff

Roster

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2003 Minnesota Vikings Season Minnesota Vikings seasons

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...