1999 Tennessee Titans season

40th season in franchise history, renamed "Titans", first Super Bowl appearance November 2013 March 2026 Tennessee Titans 1999 13–3 2nd AFC Central Jeff Fisher Les Steckel Gregg Williams Floyd Reese Bud Adams Adelphia Coliseum Won Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Bills) 22–16Won Divisional Playoffs(at Colts) 19–16Won AFC Championship(at Jaguars) 33–14Lost Super Bowl XXXIV(vs. Rams) 16–23 G Bruce MatthewsTE Frank WycheckRB Eddie GeorgeDE Jevon Kearse 1998 (Oilers) Titans seasons The 1999 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise's 40th season and their 30th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first year for the team under the name "Titans",Walker Teresa M. Oilers getting fresh start with new logo Associated Press Park City Daily News Bowling Green, Kentucky December 23, 1998 4B https://books.google.com/books?id=nfIaAAAAIBAJ&dq=tennessee+oilers+1997&pg=PA10&article_id=2549,3490750 Google Books while the nickname "Oilers" was retired by the NFL. The Titans qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1993, and their first since relocating from Houston, as well as their first playoff victory since 1991. They became the seventh Wild Card team to qualify for the Super Bowl.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 256 However, after defeating the Bills, Colts, and Jaguars in the postseason,https://books.google.com/books?id=F3NaAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=Tennessee+Titans&article_id=6959,1260210&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim1q3FnPiPAxXihIkEHUc9ObQQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=Tennessee%20Titans&f=false Titans claw way to Super Bowl January 28, 2000 11 Walker County Messenger LaFayette, Georgia September 27, 2025 Google News Archive they lost the Super Bowl to the St. Louis Rams, 23–16 on a famous last-second tackle made by Rams defender Mike Jones at the goal line that prevented Titans receiver Kevin Dyson from scoring a potential game-tying touchdown.Riley Jason A yard short of the glory Park City Daily News Bowling Green, Kentucky January 31, 2000 https://books.google.com/books?id=su8aAAAAIBAJ&dq=Super+Bowl+XXXIV+Titans&pg=PA1&article_id=5376,4605952 Google News Archive February 11, 2024 The highlight of the season was the Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, dubbed the Music City Miracle. In the game's closing seconds, Kevin Dyson caught a lateral on a kickoff and ran all the way down the sidelines for a touchdown. Also notable is the fact that the Titans were the only team to beat the Jaguars in 1999, as the latter finished 14–2 and lost both games to them, and lost the AFC Championship Game to the Titans as well. It was the franchise's first appearance in the AFC Championship Game in 20 years. The Titans also finished undefeated at home for the first time in franchise history. With the sixteenth pick of the 1999 NFL draft, the Titans selected defensive end Jevon Kearse of Florida; he had his best years in Tennessee, being named to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1999–2001) and winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Offseason 1999 expansion draft 1999 NFL expansion draft + Titans selected during the expansion draft Pick Name Position Expansion team10 Lenoy Jones Linebacker Cleveland Browns NFL draft 1999 Tennessee Titans 1 16 Jevon Kearse Defensive end Florida yes yes 2 52 John Thornton Defensive tackle West Virginia yes 3 81 Zach Piller Guard Florida yes 4 114 Brad Ware Defensive back Auburn 4 117 Donald Mitchell Defensive back SMU yes 5 151 Kevin Daft Quarterback UC Davis yes 6 186 Darran Hall Wide receiver Colorado State 7 222 Phil Glover Linebacker Utah yes no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/1999_draft.htm 1999 Tennessee Titans Draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com January 11, 2014 Personnel Staff 1999 Tennessee Titans Founder/owner/chairman of the board/CEO – Bud Adams President/chief operating officer – Jeff Diamond Executive vice president/general manager – Floyd Reese Director of player personnel – Rich Snead Head coach – Jeff Fisher Assistant head coach/running game – George Henshaw Offensive coordinator – Les Steckel Quarterbacks – Bart Andrus Running backs – Sherman Smith Wide receivers – Steve Walters Offensive line – Mike Munchak Defensive coordinator – Gregg Williams Defensive line – Jim Washburn Linebackers – O'Neill Gilbert Defensive backs – Jerry Gray Defensive assistant/quality control – Jim Schwartz Special teams – Alan Lowry Strength and conditioning – Steve Watterson Roster 1999 Tennessee Titans 56 0 5 13 Kevin Daft y  9 Steve McNair 14 Neil O'Donnell 27 Eddie George 26 Spencer George 41 Lorenzo Neal FB 20 Rodney Thomas 83 Isaac Byrd 87 Kevin Dyson 86 Joey Kent 85 Derrick Mason KR/PR 81 Chris Sanders wide receiver 82 Yancey Thigpen 84 Larry Brown tight end, born 1976 y 88 Jackie Harris 80 Michael Roan 89 Frank Wycheck 72 Brad Hopkins T 66 Jason Layman G 60 Kevin Long offensive lineman C 76 Jason Mathews T 74 Bruce Matthews C/G 75 Benji Olson G 71 Zach Piller G y 69 Jon Runyan T 91 Josh Evans defensive lineman DT 97 Jason Fisk DT 92 Henry Ford defensive lineman DE 94 Mike Frederick DE 99 Kenny Holmes DE 96 Mike Jones defensive lineman DT 90 Jevon Kearse DE y 95 Joe Salave'a DT 78 John Thornton American football DT y 58 Joe Bowden OLB 59 Doug Colman MLB 51 Greg Favors OLB 54 Phil Glover y MLB 50 Terry Killens OLB 55 Eddie Robinson Jr. OLB 52 Barron Wortham MLB 23 Blaine Bishop SS 33 Anthony Dorsett FS 24 Steve Jackson defensive back CB/S 38 George McCullough CB 30 Donald Mitchell American football CB y 35 Perry Phenix SS 31 Marcus Robertson FS 21 Samari Rolle CB 37 Dainon Sidney CB 25 Denard Walker CB  3 Al Del Greco K 15 Craig Hentrich P 53 Jason Gamble y G 98 Pratt Lyons DT NF-Inj. 73 Scott Sanderson American football G IR 56 Dennis Stallings LB IR 64 Keith Embray DE 45 Garett Gould y FB 62 Craig Page y C 77 Rod Walker y DT 36 Brad Ware S y 53 4 Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 August 15 at Kansas City Chiefs L 20–22 0–1Arrowhead StadiumRecap 2 August 20, 1999 at Arizona Cardinals L 17–27 0–2 Sun Devil Stadium Recap 3 August 27, 1999 Atlanta Falcons W 17–3 1–2 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 4 September 2, 1999 New Orleans Saints L 11–12 1–3 Adelphia Coliseum Recap Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 12 Cincinnati Bengals W 36–35 1–0 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 2 September 19 Cleveland Browns W 26–9 2–0 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 3 September 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 20–19 3–0 Alltel Stadium Recap 4 October 3 at San Francisco 49ers L 22–24 3–1 3Com Park Recap 5 October 10 Baltimore Ravens W 14–11 4–1 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 6 October 17 at New Orleans Saints W 24–21 5–1 Louisiana Superdome Recap 7 Bye 8 October 31 St. Louis Rams W 24–21 6–1 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 9 November 7 at Miami Dolphins L 0–17 6–2 Pro Player Stadium Recap 10 November 14 at Cincinnati Bengals W 24–14 7–2 Cinergy Field Recap 11 November 21 Pittsburgh Steelers W 16–10 8–2 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 12 November 28 at Cleveland Browns W 33–21 9–2 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 13 December 5 at Baltimore Ravens L 14–41 9–3 PSINet Stadium Recap 14 December 9, 1999 Oakland Raiders W 21–14 10–3 Adelphia ColiseumRecap 15 December 19 Atlanta Falcons W 30–17 11–3 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 16 December 26 Jacksonville Jaguars W 41–14 12–3 Adelphia Coliseum Recap 17 January 2, 2000 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 47–36 13–3 Three Rivers StadiumRecap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, 0-7611-2480-2 Game summaries Week 1 vs. Cincinnati Bengals Tennessee Titans 36, Cincinnati Bengals 35 Bengals 7 14 8 6 Titans 14 12 0 10 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 1:03 p.m. EDT/12:03 p.m. CDT 89 °F °C 1, sunny, wind 10 mph km/h knot CBS Don Criqui, Steve Tasker Mike Carey 65,272 In the team's inaugural game as the “Titans”, Steve McNair threw two touchdowns and ran in a third for a 26–15 lead with 2:55 left in the first half, but a Jeff Blake touchdown left the halftime score 26–21 Titans. The Bengals stormed to a 35–26 lead in the fourth before McNair connected with Eddie George for a 17-yard touchdown with 4:30 left in the fourth, then Al Del Greco kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal of a 36–35 Titans final. Week 2 vs. Cleveland Browns Tennessee Titans 26, Cleveland Browns 9 Browns 0 3 6 0 Titans 2 14 3 7 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 4:15 p.m. EDT/3:15 p.m. CDT 86 °F °C, sunny, wind 10 mph km/h knot CBS Bill Macatee, Beasley Reece Ed Hochuli 65,904 Week 3 at Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 19 Titans 0 0 7 13 Jaguars 3 0 14 2 Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida 4:05 p.m. EDT/3:05 p.m. CDT Rain 75 °F °C 1, wind 9 mph km/h knot CBS Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf Ron Winter 61,502 Neil O'Donnell was forced to start, and he threw a third-quarter touchdown to Eddie George, but an Aaron Beasley interception became a 35-yard Jaguars score and a 17–7 Jacksonville lead. O'Donnell rebounded with a fourth-quarter score to Michael Roan and a 20–19 Titans win as Tennessee surrendered a safety on the game's final play. Week 4 at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers 24, Tennessee Titans 22 Titans 3 7 3 9 49ers 0 14 0 10 3Com Park, San Francisco 4:15 p.m. EDT/1:15 p.m. PDT 64 °F °C 1, wind 5 mph km/h knot CBS Kevin Harlan, Sam Wyche Gerry Austin 67,447 Tennessee suffered its first loss of the year as Jeff Garcia ran in a one-yard touchdown, then connected with Terrell Owens in the fourth quarter. The Titans trailed 24–16 when O'Donnell hit Yancey Thigpen in the end zone with 2:48 left in regulation; the two-point try was stopped, however, and the Niners ran out the clock for a 24–22 Titans loss. Week 5 vs. Baltimore Ravens Tennessee Titans 14, Baltimore Ravens 11 Ravens 3 3 5 0 Titans 7 0 7 0 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 4:15 p.m. EDT/3:15 p.m. CDT 75 °F °C 1, mostly cloudy, wind 9 mph km/h knot CBS Bill Macatee, Beasley Reece Dick Hantak 65,486 The Titans committed the highest penalty yardage in league history to that point with fifteen fouls eating up 212 yards; the Ravens, under first-year coach Brian Billick, didn't fare much better with nine penalties for 81 yards. Titans starter Neil O'Donnell completed 24 of 35 passes for 216 yards and a 27-yard score to Yancey Thigpen while Eddie George was limited to just 55 rushing yards. Week 8 vs. St. Louis Rams Tennessee Titans 24, St. Louis Rams 21 Rams 0 0 14 7 Titans 21 0 3 0 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 1:03 p.m. EDT/12:03 p.m. CDT 78 °F °C 1, cloudy, wind 10 mph km/h knot FOX Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, Pam Oliver Bob McElwee 66,415 In a Super Bowl XXXIV precursor, Steve McNair threw two touchdowns and ran in a third in the first quarter, then the Titans sweated out three Kurt Warner touchdown throws for a 24–21 win. The Rams coughed up three fumbles to the Titans. Week 11 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Tennessee Titans 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 10 Steelers 7 0 0 3 Titans 14 0 2 0 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 1:03 p.m. EST/12:03 p.m. CST 66 °F °C 1, cloudy, wind 10 mph km/h knot CBS Don Criqui, Steve Tasker Mike Carey 66,619 Week 14 vs. Oakland Raiders Tennessee Titans 21, Oakland Raiders 14 Raiders 0 0 7 7 Titans 0 0 7 14 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 8:20 p.m. EST 60 °F °C 1, cloudy, wind 13 mph km/h knot ESPN Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, Solomon Wilcots Phil Luckett 66,357 Week 15 vs. Atlanta Falcons Tennessee Titans 30, Atlanta Falcons 17 Falcons 7 7 3 0 Titans 14 6 0 10 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 12:03 p.m. EST 57 °F °C 1, cloudy, wind 3 mph km/h knot FOX Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Mike Ferreri Bill Carollo 66,357 Week 16 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans 41, Jacksonville Jaguars 14 Jaguars 0 7 7 0 Titans 7 17 14 3 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 12:03 p.m. EST 51 °F °C 1, cloudy, wind 13 mph km/h knot CBS Kevin Harlan, Sam Wyche Bill Carollo 66,641 The Jaguars had beaten every team on their 1999 slate except the Titans, but the Titans finished a season sweep with a 41–14 rout. Steve McNair exploded to five touchdowns and 328 passing yards while Eddie George ran wild with 102 rushing yards. The Titans defense limited Jaguars quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Jay Fiedler to 196 combined yards and three interceptions. Week 17 at Pittsburgh Steelers Tennessee Titans 47, Pittsburgh Steelers 36 Titans 7 24 9 7 Steelers 7 0 22 7 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4:15 p.m. EST 70 °F °C 1, wind 23 mph km/h knot CBS Don Criqui, Steve Tasker Tom White 48,025 The Titans erupted to six touchdowns, a 42-yard Al Del Greco field goal, and a safety after sacking Mike Tomczak in the Pittsburgh end zone for a 47–36 triumph. Jevon Kearse and Denard Walker scored off Steeler fumbles while Steve McNair and former Steeler Neil O'Donnell combined for 203 passing yards and three touchdowns. Tomczak had two touchdown throws while Jerome Bettis and Richard Huntley each ran in a Pittsburgh touchdown. Playoffs AFC Wild Card Tennessee Titans 22, Buffalo Bills 16 Bills 0 0 7 9 Titans 0 12 0 10 Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST 58 °F °C 1, cloudy ABC Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire (color commentators), and Solomon Wilcots (sideline reporter) Phil Luckett 66,672 Music City Miracle Music City Miracle The Music City Miracle is a famous play in the NFL Wild Card Playoffs involving the Titans and Buffalo Bills that took place on January 8, 2000 (following the 1999 regular season) at Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee. Going into the game, Bills coach Wade Phillips created a stir by starting quarterback Rob Johnson, rather than Doug Flutie, who had started 15 games, and who had led the team to the playoffs. Late in the fourth quarter, the stage was set for an exciting finish. Tennessee received the ball with 6:15 remaining. Titans receiver Isaac Byrd’s 16-yard punt return and five carries from Eddie George for 17 yards set up a wobbly 36-yard field goal by kicker Al Del Greco. The Titans took a 15–13 lead with 1:48 to go. On the ensuing drive, with no timeouts remaining, Bills quarterback Johnson led the Bills on a five-play, 37-yard drive to the Titans' 24-yard line. On the last two plays from scrimmage, Johnson played with only one shoe on, as he had lost one during a scramble, and had no time to put it back on, with the clock running out. With only 16 seconds remaining in the game, Steve Christie, the Bills' kicker, made a 41-yard field goal to put Buffalo in the lead, 16–15. Moments later, Christie kicked off, and Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal received. Neal handed the ball off to Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, who then lateraled the ball across the field to another Titans player, Kevin Dyson, who then ran down the sidelines for a 75-yard touchdown.https://books.google.com/books?id=rcMfAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=Tennessee+Titans&article_id=1164,890296&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixztafofiPAxWClYkEHUrdH0g4WhDoAXoECAcQAw#v=onepage&q=Tennessee%20Titans&f=false Sweet music to the Tennessee Titans' ears Wilner Barry January 9, 2000 The Gadsden Times Gadsden, Alabama Associated Press C3 September 27, 2025 Google News Archive The play was named Home Run Throwback by the Titans and was developed by Special Teams Coordinator Alan Lowry. Official review Per the instant replay rules, the play was reviewed by referee Phil Luckett since it was uncertain if the ball had been a forward pass, which is illegal on a kickoff return. However, the call on the field was upheld as a touchdown, and the Titans won the game 22–16. After the game, however, many Bills players and fans continued to insist that it was indeed an illegal forward pass.gt00 AFC Divisional Playoff Tennessee Titans 19, Indianapolis Colts 16 Titans 0 6 7 6 Colts 3 6 0 7 RCA Dome, Indianapolis 4:00 p.m. EST Played indoors, domed stadium CBS Greg Gumbel (play-by-play), Phil Simms (color commentator), and Armen Keteyian (sideline reporter) Johnny Grier 60,314 Although the Indianapolis Colts, behind second year quarterback Peyton Manning, had posted some gaudy numbers (3rd in points scored compared to Tennessee's 7th) en route to a sterling 13–3 regular season record, the upstart Titans paid them little respect. Running back Eddie George rushed for a team playoff-record 162 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown, to help lead the Titans to victory. Manning completed only 19 of 43 passes in the loss for the Colts. AFC Championship game Tennessee Titans 33, Jacksonville Jaguars 14 Titans 7 3 16 7 Jaguars 7 7 0 0 Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida 12:30 p.m. EST 75 °F °C 1, partly cloudy CBS Greg Gumbel (play-by-play), Phil Simms (color commentator), Armen Keteyian, and Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporters) Bernie Kukar 75,206 The Jacksonville Jaguars had been one of the NFL's best teams in the 1999 season; they were 6th in scoring and first in fewest points allowed while pacing the AFC with a 14–2 record. However, both of those losses came at the hands of their opponents in the AFC Championship game, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans would prove up to the task of beating their division rival once again as the Titans scored a resounding 33–14 victory; the game was at times a chaotic affair as the Titans forced six turnovers and an end zone sack for a safety, all despite giving up four turnovers themselves; the Jaguars also committed nine penalties for 100 yards. The Titans advanced to the first Super Bowl in team history.wcm00Leskanic Todd Unlike Ithers, Titans Did Not Fear Jags Lakeland Ledger Lakeland, Florida January 24, 2000 C4 https://books.google.com/books?id=u8tOAAAAIBAJ&dq=Tennessee+Titans+AFC+Championship&pg=PA20&article_id=6370,3704800 February 17, 2024 Google Books Super Bowl XXXIV The Titans took over the ball at their own 10-yard line with 1:54 left in the game after committing a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff. McNair started out the drive with a pair of completions to Mason and Wycheck for gains of 9 and 7 yards to reach the 28-yard line. Then after throwing an incompletion, defensive back Dre' Bly’s 15-yard facemask penalty while tackling McNair on a 12-yard scramble gave the Titans a first down at the St. Louis 45-yard line. On the next play, St. Louis was penalized 5 yards for being offsides, moving the ball to the 40-yard line with 59 seconds left. McNair then ran for 2 yards, followed by a 7-yard completion to wide receiver Kevin Dyson. Three plays later, with the Titans facing 3rd down and 5 to go, McNair was hit by two Rams' defenders, but he escaped and completed a 16-yard pass to Dyson to gain a first down at the Rams 10-yard line. Tennessee then used up their final timeout with just 6 seconds left in the game, giving them a chance for one last play. McNair threw a short pass to Kevin Dyson down the middle, which looked certain to tie up the game, until Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Dyson at the one-yard line as time expired. Dyson tried to stretch his arm and the football across the goal line, but he had already gone down, so it was too late. This final play has gone down in NFL history as simply "The Tackle".pcdn01312000 After the game, many sports writers commented on Warner’s rise from an unknown backup to a Super Bowl MVP, but Warner himself wasn't impressed by it. "How can you be in awe of something that you expect yourself to do?" Warner pointed out. "People think this season is the first time I touched a football; they don't realize I've been doing this for years – just not on this level, because I never got the chance. Sure, I had my tough times, but you don't sit there and say, 'Wow, I was stocking groceries five years ago, and look at me now.' You don't think about it, and when you do achieve something, you know luck has nothing to do with it." Scoring summary STL – FG: Jeff Wilkins 27 yards 3–0 STL STL – FG: Jeff Wilkins 29 yards 6–0 STL STL – FG: Jeff Wilkins 28 yards 9–0 STL STL – TD: Torry Holt, 9-yard pass from Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) 16–0 STL TEN – TD: Eddie George 1-yard run (2-pt conv: pass failed) 16–6 STL TEN – TD: Eddie George 2-yard run (Al Del Greco kick) 16–13 STL TEN – FG: Al Del Greco 43 yards 16–16 tie STL – TD: Isaac Bruce 73-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) 23–16 STL References External links 1999 Tennessee Titans at Pro-Football-Reference.com Tennessee Titans Category:Tennessee Titans seasons Category:American Football Conference championship seasons Tennessee Titans