1999 NFL season

1999 National Football League season
Regular season
Duration September 12, 1999 – January 3, 2000
Playoffs
Start date January 8, 2000
AFC Champions Tennessee Titans
NFC Champions St. Louis Rams
Super Bowl XXXIV
Date January 30, 2000
Site Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Champions St. Louis Rams
Pro Bowl
Date February 6, 2000
Site Aloha Stadium
Photo of the Green Bay vs. Denver preseason game at Camp Randall Stadium on August 23, 1999

The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season. Also, the Tennessee Oilers changed its name to Tennessee Titans, and the league retired the name "Oilers" – a first in league history.

The return of the Browns increased the number of teams to 31, the first time the league had played with an odd number of clubs since 1966. As a result, the NFL was forced to give at least one team a bye each week; Previously, barring extreme circumstances, a club never received a bye during the first two weeks or last seven weeks of the season. Under a new system, for ten weeks of the season (Week #1 to Week #2, and Week #10 to Week #17), one team was scheduled a bye; for seven weeks of the season (Week #3 to Week #9), three teams sat out. This format would continue for the next two seasons until the Houston Texans joined the NFL in 2002 and returned the league to an even number of teams.

The start of the 1999 NFL Season was pushed back one week and started the weekend after Labor Day, a change from the previous seasons. Due to the Y2K concerns, the NFL did not want to hold the opening round of the playoffs on Saturday January 1, 2000, and did not want teams traveling on that day. Week 17 games were held on January 2, 2000, and the opening round of the playoff would be scheduled for January 8–9. The bye week before the Super Bowl was removed to accommodate the one-week adjustment. The start of the season after Labor Day would become a regular fixture for future seasons, beginning in 2001.

The final spot in the NFC playoffs came down to an exciting final day of the season. With both the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers at 7–8 and tied for the last spot in the playoffs with the Dallas Cowboys, and tied in other tiebreakers, the tie between them would be determined by best net point differential in conference games. Both the Packers and Panthers were playing at 1:00 PM Eastern on January 2, and both teams tried to outscore the other. The Packers beat the Arizona Cardinals 49–24, and the Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints 45–13. The Packers finished ahead of the Panthers by 11 points, but Dallas defeated the New York Giants later that night to claim the final playoff spot.

The St. Louis Rams, who had a losing record for each of the past nine seasons, surprised the entire league by defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome.

Major rule changes

The league also added the following then-minor rule change that became significant in the playoffs a few years later:

When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.[1]

This new interpretation of a forward pass would later be commonly known as the "Tuck Rule".

Changes

Coaching

Stadium

Uniform

Final regular season standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green. No ties occurred this year.

AFC East
TeamWLPCTPFPA
(2) Indianapolis Colts 133.813423333
(5) Buffalo Bills 115.688320229
(6) Miami Dolphins 97.563326336
New York Jets 88.500308309
New England Patriots 88.500299284
AFC Central
TeamWLPCTPFPA
(1) Jacksonville Jaguars 142.875396217
(4) Tennessee Titans 133.813392324
Baltimore Ravens 88.500324277
Pittsburgh Steelers 610.375317320
Cincinnati Bengals 412.250283460
Cleveland Browns 214.125217437
AFC West
TeamWLPCTPFPA
(3) Seattle Seahawks 97.563338298
Kansas City Chiefs 97.563390322
San Diego Chargers 88.500269316
Oakland Raiders 88.500390329
Denver Broncos 610.375314318
NFC East
TeamWLPCTPFPA
(3) Washington Redskins 106.625443377
(5) Dallas Cowboys 88.500352276
New York Giants 79.438299358
Arizona Cardinals 610.375245382
Philadelphia Eagles 511.313272357
NFC Central
TeamWLPCTPFPA
(2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 115.688270235
(4) Minnesota Vikings 106.625399335
(6) Detroit Lions 88.500322323
Green Bay Packers 88.500357341
Chicago Bears 610.375272341
NFC West
TeamWLPCTPFPA
(1) St. Louis Rams 133.813526242
Carolina Panthers 88.500421381
Atlanta Falcons 511.313285380
San Francisco 49ers 412.250295453
New Orleans Saints 313.188260434

Tiebreakers

Playoffs

                                   
Jan. 8 – FedExField   Jan. 15 – Raymond James Stadium          
 6  Detroit  13
 3  Washington  13
 3  Washington  27     Jan. 23 – Trans World Dome
 2  Tampa Bay  14  
NFC
Jan. 9 – Humphrey Metrodome  2  Tampa Bay  6
Jan. 16 – Trans World Dome
   1  St. Louis  11  
 5  Dallas  10 NFC Championship
 4  Minnesota  37
 4  Minnesota  27   Jan. 30 – Georgia Dome
 1  St. Louis  49  
 
Jan. 8 – Adelphia Coliseum  N1  St. Louis  23
Jan. 16 – RCA Dome
   A4  Tennessee  16
 5  Buffalo  16 Super Bowl XXXIV
 4  Tennessee  19
 4  Tennessee  22     Jan. 23 – Alltel Stadium
 2  Indianapolis  16  
AFC
Jan. 9 – Kingdome  4  Tennessee  33
Jan. 15 – Alltel Stadium
   1  Jacksonville  14  
 6  Miami  20 AFC Championship
 6  Miami  7
 3  Seattle  17  
 1  Jacksonville  62  

Statistical leaders

Team

Points scoredSt. Louis Rams (526)
Total yards gainedSt. Louis Rams (6,412)
Yards rushingSan Francisco 49ers (2,095)
Yards passingSt. Louis Rams (4,353)
Fewest points allowedJacksonville Jaguars (217)
Fewest total yards allowedBuffalo Bills (4,045)
Fewest rushing yards allowedSt. Louis Rams (1,189)
Fewest passing yards allowedBuffalo Bills (2,675)

Individual

ScoringMike Vanderjagt, Indianapolis (145 points)
TouchdownsStephen Davis, Washington and Edgerrin James, Indianapolis (17 TDs)
Most field goals madeOlindo Mare, Miami (39 FGs)
RushingEdgerrin James, Indianapolis (1,553 yards)
PassingKurt Warner, St. Louis (109.2 rating)
Passing touchdownsKurt Warner, St. Louis (41 TDs)
Pass receivingJimmy Smith, Jacksonville (116 catches)
Pass receiving yardsMarvin Harrison, Indianapolis (1,663)
Punt returnsCharlie Rogers, Seattle (14.5 average yards)
Kickoff returnsTony Horne, St. Louis (29.7 average yards)
InterceptionsRod Woodson, Baltimore; Sam Madison, Miami; James Hasty, Kansas City; Donnie Abraham, Tampa Bay; and Troy Vincent, Philadelphia (7)
PuntingTom Rouen, Denver (46.5 average yards)
SacksKevin Carter, St. Louis (17)

Awards

Most Valuable PlayerKurt Warner, Quarterback, St. Louis
Coach of the YearDick Vermeil, St. Louis
Offensive Player of the YearMarshall Faulk, Running back, St. Louis
Defensive Player of the YearWarren Sapp, Defensive Tackle, Tampa Bay
Offensive Rookie of the YearEdgerrin James, Running Back, Indianapolis
Defensive Rookie of the YearJevon Kearse, Defensive End, Tennessee
NFL Comeback Player of the YearBryant Young, Defensive Tackle, San Francisco

External links

References

  1. Official Rules of the NFL, Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2
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