Which Madden NFL game first featured online multiplayer?

Madden NFL 2003 was the first Madden NFL game to feature online multiplayer. Its Online Head-to-Head feature allowed players to compete against opponents over the internet instead of limiting multiplayer to people sharing the same room.

The game was released in 2002 for the 2003 NFL season, which explains the apparent mismatch between its title and release date. EA Sports later described Madden NFL 2003’s online head-to-head play as a major franchise milestone, letting players challenge opponents around the world. It helped establish online competition as a central part of Madden’s identity.

This question is specifically about online multiplayer, not multiplayer in general: earlier Madden games already supported local multiplayer on the same console or computer. It is also different from Online Franchise, a connected multi-season league-management feature that arrived later, in Madden NFL 10. Madden NFL 2004 and Madden NFL 2005 built on online play, but they did not introduce it to the series.