FantasyHQ · Game Recap

NFL · Week 17 · December 28, 2003 · 11 min read

Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints: 2003 Week 17 Recap

Saints defeat Cowboys 13–7 in Week 17

D.Stallworth led Fantasy Impact as Saints prevailed in a 7–13 Week 17 finish.

Dallas Cowboys 7 10–6
Final 7–13
New Orleans Saints 13 8–8 Winner
Winner
New Orleans Saints
Final score
7–13
Halftime
Dallas Cowboys 7–10 New Orleans Saints
Top passer
Q. Carter
FantasyHQ MVP
D.Stallworth
Game date
December 28, 2003

Top fantasy performers · Cowboys

  • J.Galloway 3 REC · 71 YDS +4.3 Fantasy Impact
  • Ryder Anderson
    Ryder Anderson 10 REC · 83 YDS · 1 TD +4.3 Fantasy Impact
  • J.Witten 5 REC · 45 YDS +3.8 Fantasy Impact

Top fantasy performers · Saints

  • D.Stallworth 3 REC · 114 YDS · 1 TD +9.9 Fantasy Impact
  • Marcedes Lewis
    Marcedes Lewis 2 REC · 46 YDS +4.9 Fantasy Impact
  • A.Brooks 15/35 · 233 YDS · 1 TD +3.6 Fantasy Impact

Quick answer

Winner
New Orleans Saints
Final score
New Orleans Saints 13–7 Dallas Cowboys
Halftime
Dallas Cowboys 7–10 New Orleans Saints at halftime
FantasyHQ MVP
D. Stallworth
Top passer
Q. Carter
Biggest EPA play
(8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY…
Game date
2003-12-28

Game summary

The New Orleans Saints beat the Dallas Cowboys 13–7 on 2003-12-28. D. Stallworth posted a game-high +9.94 total EPA in the receiving.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 14 combined points.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Q1Q2Q3T
Dallas Cowboys070007
New Orleans Saints3730013

Scoring Map

Each pin marks where a score occurred on the field — yard line from play-by-play.

DALDallas Cowboys
NONew Orleans Saints

FantasyHQ Analytics

Scoring timeline

6 scores

Chronological scoring plays — scroll to follow the game.

  1. NONew Orleans Saints
    Q1 7:05FG
    JCJ. Carney

    Points+3

    Yard line
    DAL 6
    Score
    0-3

    (7:05) 3-J.Carney 24 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger.

  2. DALDallas Cowboys
    Q2 8:55TD
    Ryder Anderson

    Points+6

    Yard line
    NO 3
    Score
    6-3

    (8:55) 17-Q.Carter pass to 20-R.Anderson for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, Run 1

  3. DALDallas Cowboys
    Q2 8:50XP
    BCB. Cundiff

    Points+1

    Yard line
    NO 2
    Score
    7-3

    3-B.Cundiff extra point is GOOD, Center-85-J.Robinson, Holder-4-T.Gowin.

  4. NONew Orleans Saints
    Q2 8:36TD
    DSD. Stallworth

    Points+6

    Yard line
    DAL 76
    Score
    7-9

    (8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY on NO-83-D.Stallworth, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs.

  5. NONew Orleans Saints
    Q2 8:23XP
    JCJ. Carney

    Points+1

    Yard line
    DAL 2
    Score
    7-10

    3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger.

  6. NONew Orleans Saints
    Q3 12:01FG
    JCJ. Carney

    Points+3

    Yard line
    DAL 9
    Score
    7-13

    (12:01) 3-J.Carney 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA).

  1. 1D. Stallworth · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +9.94 total EPA · 3 snaps · +3.31 EPA/play
  2. 2Marcedes LewisMarcedes Lewis · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +4.91 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.45 EPA/play
  3. 3J. Galloway · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +4.31 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.44 EPA/play
  4. 4Ryder AndersonRyder Anderson · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +4.26 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.43 EPA/play
  5. 5J. Witten · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +3.76 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.75 EPA/play
  6. 6A. Brooks · New Orleans Saints · Passing · +3.65 total EPA · 35 snaps · +0.10 EPA/play
  7. 7T. Glenn · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +3.07 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.53 EPA/play
  8. 8Austin BryantAustin Bryant · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +3.01 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.51 EPA/play

FantasyHQ Game MVP

Highest total EPA with the player's top snap and the game's biggest single play when different.

FantasyHQ Game MVP

D. Stallworth — NO · Receiving

D. Stallworth posted the highest total EPA (+9.94) in the game, the strongest overall impact for New Orleans Saints. Across 3 counted snaps, they averaged +3.31 EPA per play.

D. Stallworth's top snap (+5.84 EPA): (8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY on NO-83-D.Stallworth, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs.

Quarterback report card

Q. Carter led all passers in efficiency for Dallas Cowboys, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

  • Q. Carter (Dallas Cowboys) · 50 dropbacks · 54.0% completion · -0.11 EPA/play · -5.74 total EPA
  • A. Brooks (New Orleans Saints) · 35 dropbacks · 42.9% completion · +0.10 EPA/play · +3.65 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency.

StatDallas CowboysNew Orleans Saints
Offensive EPA/play-0.059-0.010
Offensive success rate41.3%38.7%
Pass EPA/play-0.094+0.090
Rush EPA/play+0.014-0.296
Defensive EPA/play+0.010+0.059
Defensive success rate61.3%58.7%

Drive & efficiency notes

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (Dallas Cowboys -0.06, New Orleans Saints -0.01) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

Season benchmark context (offensive EPA per play):

  • Dallas Cowboys: -0.06 EPA/play (38th percentile vs. 2003 team-game averages)
  • New Orleans Saints: -0.01 EPA/play (51st percentile vs. 2003 team-game averages)
  • Dallas Cowboys: 12 drives, -5.42 total EPA, 1 scoring drives
  • New Orleans Saints: 11 drives, -0.74 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal from official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

  • Ryder AndersonDallas Cowboys — Ryder Anderson (Q. Carter pass) (Q2 8:55)
  • New Orleans Saints — D. Stallworth (A. Brooks pass) (Q2 8:36)

Field goals

  • New Orleans Saints — J. Carney (Q1 7:05)
  • New Orleans Saints — J. Carney (Q3 12:01)
Quarter by quarter

Quarter-by-quarter recap from live scoring plays.

The opening quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 3–0. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the DAL 6 (Q1 7:05) — (7:05) 3-J.Carney 24 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger..

The second quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. Dallas Cowboys found the end zone from the NO 3 (Q2 8:55) — (8:55) 17-Q.Carter pass to 20-R.Anderson for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, Run 1; Dallas Cowboys added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q2 8:50) — 3-B.Cundiff extra point is GOOD, Center-85-J.Robinson, Holder-4-T.Gowin.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the DAL 76 (Q2 8:36); New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the DAL 2 (Q2 8:23) — 3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger..

The third quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 3–0. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the DAL 9 (Q3 12:01) — (12:01) 3-J.Carney 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most.

  • Dallas Cowboys (Q4 1:33) — (1:33) 17-Q.Carter pass intended for 83-T.Glenn INTERCEPTED by 20-J.Bellamy at NO 8. 20-J.Bellamy to NO 9 for 1 yard (83-T.Glenn). [WPA -27.6% · EPA -3.63]
  • New Orleans Saints (Q2 8:36) — (8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY on NO-83-D.Stallworth, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs. [WPA +20.2% · EPA +5.84]
  • Dallas Cowboys (Q2 4:51) — (4:51) 17-Q.Carter pass intended for 88-A.Bryant INTERCEPTED by 34-T.Jones at NO 0. 34-T.Jones to NO 2 for 2 yards (88-A.Bryant). [WPA -14.3% · EPA -3.47]
  • New Orleans Saints (Q3 14:30) — (14:30) (Shotgun) 2-A.Brooks pass to 84-M.Lewis to DAL 2 for 38 yards (27-M.Edwards). Pass 34, Run 4 [WPA +11.4% · EPA +4.02]
  • Dallas Cowboys (Q2 13:46) — (13:46) 17-Q.Carter pass to 83-T.Glenn to NO 42 for 29 yards (22-F.Thomas). Pass 15, Run 14 [WPA +10.8% · EPA +2.28]
Impact plays

Highest EPA snaps that flipped field position.

  • New Orleans Saints (Q2 8:36) — (8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY on NO-83-D.Stallworth, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs. [WPA +20.2% · EPA +5.84]
  • New Orleans Saints (Q3 14:30) — (14:30) (Shotgun) 2-A.Brooks pass to 84-M.Lewis to DAL 2 for 38 yards (27-M.Edwards). Pass 34, Run 4 [WPA +11.4% · EPA +4.02]
  • Dallas Cowboys (Q3 14:49) — (14:49) 17-Q.Carter pass intended for 83-T.Glenn INTERCEPTED by 20-J.Bellamy at 50. 20-J.Bellamy to DAL 40 for 10 yards (20-R.Anderson, 83-T.Glenn). [WPA -9.2% · EPA -3.64]
  • Dallas Cowboys (Q4 1:33) — (1:33) 17-Q.Carter pass intended for 83-T.Glenn INTERCEPTED by 20-J.Bellamy at NO 8. 20-J.Bellamy to NO 9 for 1 yard (83-T.Glenn). [WPA -27.6% · EPA -3.63]
Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with play-by-play context.

  1. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q1 7:05 · DAL 6 · Score 0-3
    (7:05) 3-J.Carney 24 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger.
  2. Dallas Cowboys TD (+6) — Q2 8:55 · NO 3 · Score 6-3
    (8:55) 17-Q.Carter pass to 20-R.Anderson for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, Run 1
  3. Dallas Cowboys XP (+1) — Q2 8:50 · NO 2 · Score 7-3
    3-B.Cundiff extra point is GOOD, Center-85-J.Robinson, Holder-4-T.Gowin.
  4. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 8:36 · DAL 76 · Score 7-9
    (8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY on NO-83-D.Stallworth, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs.
  5. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 8:23 · DAL 2 · Score 7-10
    3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger.
  6. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q3 12:01 · DAL 9 · Score 7-13
    (12:01) 3-J.Carney 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-17-M.Berger.

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research and follow-up box score digging.

  • New Orleans Saints earned the result — use the box score for snap-level context.
  • One-score margin — verify garbage-time stats before drawing fantasy conclusions.
  • D. Stallworth (New Orleans Saints) led total EPA — start here for highlight and prop research.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints on 2003-12-28?

The New Orleans Saints beat the Dallas Cowboys 13-7 in Week 17, 2003.

What was the score by quarter in Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints?

Q1: Dallas Cowboys 0, New Orleans Saints 3; Q2: Dallas Cowboys 7, New Orleans Saints 7; Q3: Dallas Cowboys 0, New Orleans Saints 3; Final: Dallas Cowboys 7, New Orleans Saints 13.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals in Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints?

Dallas Cowboys touchdown — R. Anderson (Q. Carter pass) (Q2 8:55) New Orleans Saints touchdown — D. Stallworth (A. Brooks pass) (Q2 8:36) New Orleans Saints field goal — J. Carney (Q1 7:05, 3 pts) New Orleans Saints field goal — J. Carney (Q3 12:01, 3 pts) Extra points followed each touchdown unless noted in the play-by-play.

How did the quarterbacks play in Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints?

Q. Carter (Dallas Cowboys), 54.0% completion, -0.11 EPA per dropback, -5.74 total passing EPA. A. Brooks (New Orleans Saints), 42.9% completion, +0.10 EPA per dropback, +3.65 total passing EPA.

Who was FantasyHQ's player of the game in Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints?

D. Stallworth (New Orleans Saints) was FantasyHQ's Game MVP with +9.94 total EPA on Receiving plays. across 3 snaps. Their top snap (+5.84 EPA): (8:36) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 76 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 26, Run 50 PENALTY on NO-83-D.Stallworth, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs..

Was Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints a close game?

Yes — the margin was 6 points. New Orleans Saints won 13-7 in a game that stayed within one score into the fourth quarter.

Season records after this game

Dallas Cowboys

Entered 10-5 Now 10-6 L

New Orleans Saints

Entered 7-8 Now 8-8 W