2003 St. Louis Rams season | |
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Owner | Georgia Frontiere |
Head coach | Mike Martz |
Home field | Edward Jones Dome |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st NFC West |
Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Panthers) 23–29 (2OT) |
Pro Bowlers | QB Marc Bulger WR Torry Holt T Orlando Pace DE Leonard Little S Aeneas Williams K Jeff Wilkins |
The 2003 season was the St. Louis Rams' 66th in the National Football League, their ninth season in St. Louis and their fourth under head coach Mike Martz. The Rams were coming off a disappointing 7–9 season and former MVP Kurt Warner was demoted to backup quarterback; Marc Bulger earned the starting job after replacing Warner in 2002 and winning six of his seven starts. Though many agree that The Greatest Show on Turf ended after the 2001 season, the Rams nonetheless finished 12–4, winning the NFC West, only to lose to the eventual NFC champions Carolina Panthers. This would be the last time the Rams won the NFC West until the 2017 NFL season.
For the first time in 19 years, the Rams lost a playoff game at home. 2003 was also the last winning season that the Rams would achieve in St. Louis and was their last winning season anywhere until 2017 in Los Angeles. They did make the playoffs the following season despite a mediocre 8–8 record, considered one of the worst teams to make the playoffs, along with the 2010 Seahawks (7–9), the 1999 Lions (8–8), and the 1998 Cardinals (9–7).
Bulger was voted to play in the Pro Bowl following the season and was the game's MVP. As for Kurt Warner, he was released after the season in order to clear up cap space, and Bulger would spend the next six seasons as the Rams' starting quarterback.