The 2003Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 34th season in the
National Football League (NFL), the 36th overall, and the first under
head coachMarvin Lewis, who replaced
Dick LeBeau, who was fired following the
2002 season which the worst season in Bengals history. The Bengals had the first overall pick in the
2003 NFL Draft with which they selected 2002
Heisman Trophy winner
Carson Palmer. After a slow start, the Bengals got hot winning at midseason, winning four straight games to stand at 7–5, entering a key Week 14 matchup with the
Baltimore Ravens with a chance to win the division. However, in the key showdown for first place the Bengals showed they were not quite ready for primetime as they were beaten 31–13. The Bengals would rebound to win their next game against the
San Francisco 49ers, but at 8–6 the Bengals could not get that ninth win, losing their last two games to spoil an effort to earn their first winning season since
1990, finishing at 8–8.[1]
Along with Willie Anderson, Chad Johnson, for the first time in his career, was named to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season.