2003 NFL season

The NFL title was won by the New England Patriots when they defeated the Carolina Panthers, in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 1.

With the first pick, the Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Carson Palmer from the University of Southern California.

The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.

Although the Super Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.

The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season: In addition, new turf was installed for the following teams: This was the sixth year under the league's eight-year broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN to televise Monday Night Football, the AFC package, the NFC package, and Sunday Night Football, respectively.