1999 Detroit Lions season

70th season in franchise history August 2023 March 2026 Detroit Lions 1999 8–8 3rd NFC Central Bobby Ross Sylvester Croom Larry Peccatiello Chuck Schmidt William Clay Ford Sr. Pontiac Silverdome Lost Wild Card Playoffs(at Redskins) 13–27 5 TE David Sloan DT Luther Elliss DE Robert Porcher LB Stephen Boyd K Jason Hanson None NFC-Throwback-Uniform-DET.PNG Lions seasons The 1999 season was the Detroit Lions' 70th in the National Football League (NFL). They finished the season with an 8–8 record, an improvement on their 5–11 record from the previous season, and qualified for the playoffs as the third-placed team in the NFC Central. It was their sixth playoff appearance of the decade, capping one of the most successful 10-year stretches in franchise history. In 2004, Football Outsiders Mike Tanier named the 1999 Lions as one of the "worst playoff teams ever".http://www.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/2004/skin-teeth-worst-playoff-teams-ever Football Outsiders: Skin of the Teeth: The Worst Playoff Teams Ever July 30, 2012 December 3, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203095831/http://www.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/2004/skin-teeth-worst-playoff-teams-ever dead The Lions had just lost Barry Sanders to an abrupt retirement and started the season with second-year pro Charlie Batch at quarterback before he was lost to an injury and replaced by Gus Frerotte. The team won six of their first eight games, including a victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, which made the Lions a surprise contender at the midway point of the season; however, they managed only two more wins in the second half of the season and lost their final four games. Offseason 1999 expansion draft 1999 NFL expansion draft + Lions selected during the expansion draft Pick Name Position Expansion team1 Jim Pyne Center Cleveland Browns36 Jerris McPhail Running back NFL draft 1999 NFL draft 1999 Detroit Lions 1 9 Chris Claiborne LB USC yes 1 27 Aaron Gibson OT Wisconsin from Miami yes 3 70 Jared DeVries DE Iowa from Miami yes 4 103 Sedrick Irvin RB Michigan State yes 5 137 Tyree Talton S Northern Iowa from Philadelphia yes 6 177 Clint Kriewaldt LB Wisconsin-Stevens Point yes 7 215 Mike Pringley DE North Carolina yes no Notes Detroit traded up from its second-round selection (39th) with Miami, receiving Miami's first-round selection (27th), which they had received from San Francisco, in return for Detroit's third- and fifth-round selections (70th and 142nd). Detroit traded up from a third-round selection (72nd) received from Baltimore as part of the trade of QB Scott Mitchell with Miami to the 70th pick, giving up a seventh-round selection (232nd) in return. Detroit had received the 232nd pick from Green Bay in exchange for RB Glyn Milburn. Detroit traded its fourth-round selection in 2000 to Philadelphia in exchange for the Eagles' fifth-round selection (137th). Undrafted free agents + 1999 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeNikia CodieSafetyBaylorDarryl DanielWide receiverSyracuseCharles DorseyDefensive tackleAuburnHenry DouglasWide receiverNorth Carolina A&TBrian GowinsKickerNorthwesternJoey HallLinebackerAppalachian StateDonnie HartWide receiverTexas TechDemetrius JohnsonCornerbackEastern MichiganSorie KanuSafetyMichigan StatePhil NashCornerbackSyracuseJeremy OffuttCenterOklahoma StateDaniel PopePunterAlabamaMarek RubinTackleYaleJoe TuipalaLinebackerSan Diego State Personnel Staff 1999 Detroit Lions Chairman and president – William Clay Ford Sr. Vice chairman – William Clay Ford Jr. Executive vice president and chief operating officer – Chuck Schmidt Vice president of player personnel – Ron Hughes Vice president of football administration – Larry Lee Vice president of stadium development and salary cap – Tom Lewand Director of pro scouting – Kevin Colbert Head coach – Bobby Ross Offensive coordinator – Sylvester Croom Quarterbacks – Jim Zorn Running backs – Frank Falks Wide receivers – Jerry Sullivan Tight ends – Danny Smith Offensive line – Jack Henry Offensive assistant – Stan Kwan Quality Control–Offense/Administrative Assistant – John Misciagna Defensive coordinator – Larry Peccatiello Defensive line – Brian Baker Linebackers – Gary Moeller Defensive backs – Richard Selcer Defensive assistant – Don Clemons Quality Control–Defense – Dennis Murphy Special teams – Chuck Priefer Special teams assistant – Stan Kwan Strength and conditioning – Bert Hill Assistant strength and conditioning – Rob Graf Roster 1999 Detroit Lions 10 Charlie Batch 12 Gus Frerotte 16 Cory Sauter 21 Greg Hill running back 33 Sedrick Irvin y 36 Travis Reece 34 Ron Rivers 30 Cory Schlesinger FB 82 Germane Crowell 18 Desmond Howard PR/KR 84 Herman Moore 87 Johnnie Morton 83 Brian Stablein 80 Iheanyi Uwaezuoke PR 89 Walter Rasby 86 David Sloan American football 45 Ed Smith tight end 79 Eric Beverly C 65 Kerlin Blaise G 76 Barrett Brooks T 77 Mike Compton American football C/T/LS 64 Jeff Hartings G 76 Paul Janus T 75 Tony Ramirez T 74 Juan Roque T 62 Tony Semple G/LS 95 Jared DeVries y DE 94 Luther Elliss DT 98 James Jones defensive lineman DT 67 Travis Kirschke DE 90 Dan Owens DT 91 Robert Porcher DE 92 Mike Pringley y DE 93 Kelvin Pritchett DT 97 Tracy Scroggins DE 55 Allen Aldridge OLB 57 Stephen Boyd American football MLB 50 Chris Claiborne y OLB 52 Scott Kowalkowski OLB 58 Clint Kriewaldt y OLB 59 Kevin O'Neill American football MLB 35 Robert Bailey American football CB 44 Corwin Brown FS 31 J. B. Brown cornerback CB 39 Lamar Campbell American football CB/S 27 Mark Carrier safety FS 38 Andre' Dixon y CB 40 Dwayne Harper CB 28 Ron Rice American football SS 25 Tyree Talton y SS/KR 32 Bryant Westbrook CB  4 Jason Hanson K 19 John Jett P 24 Kevin Abrams cornerback CB IR 81 Pete Chryplewicz TE IR 23 Terry Fair CB/KR/PR NF-Inj. 71 Aaron Gibson y T IR 99 Richard Jordan American football LB IR 26 Brock Olivo FB/KR IR 72 Ray Roberts American football T IR 54 Matt Russell LB IR 42 Ryan Stewart American football CB IR 29 Kywin Supernaw S IR 41 Chris Cummings cornerback y CB 51 Scott Fields American football LB 60 Paul Spicer DE 96 Henry Taylor American football DT 15 Corey Thomas American football WR Regular season section June 2019 The season had an inauspicious beginning as future Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders suddenly retired on the eve of training camp. Undaunted, coach Bobby Ross led the Lions to a fast start, highlighted by a Week 9 win over the then 6–1 St. Louis Rams. The following week, Ross made a questionable decision to go for a failed two-point conversion after a touchdown against Arizona. The game ended with Detroit trailing by four points in the red zone trying to score a game-winning touchdown. The Lions would lose at Green Bay the following week, but defeat Chicago at home to get back on track. The following week, the Lions picked up the franchise's first win vs. Washington since 1965 and snapped an 18 game losing streak, putting the team at an 8–4 and in sole possession of the second seed in the NFC. However, the Lions collapsed down the stretch and lost their last four regular season games to finish 8–8. Two other NFC teams—the Packers and Carolina Panthers—finished 8–8, but the Lions beat the Panthers 24–9 in Week 7 and they held the conference record tiebreaker over the Packers, thus allowing Detroit to make the playoffs as the sixth seed despite losing their final four games. This would be the Lions' last playoff appearance until the 2011 season. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 at Seattle Seahawks W 28–20 1–0 Kingdome 66,238 2 September 19 Green Bay Packers W 23–15 2–0 Pontiac Silverdome 76,202 3 September 26 at Kansas City Chiefs L 21–31 2–1 Arrowhead Stadium 78,384 4 Bye 5 October 10 San Diego Chargers L 10–20 2–2 Pontiac Silverdome 61,481 6 October 17 Minnesota Vikings W 25–23 3–2 Pontiac Silverdome 76,516 7 October 24 at Carolina Panthers W 24–9 4–2 Ericsson Stadium 64,322 8 October 31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 20–3 5–2 Pontiac Silverdome 63,135 9 November 7 St. Louis Rams W 31–27 6–2 Pontiac Silverdome 73,224 10 November 14 at Arizona Cardinals L 19–23 6–3 Sun Devil Stadium 49,600 11 November 21 at Green Bay Packers L 17–26 6–4 Lambeau Field 59,869 12 November 25 Chicago Bears W 21–17 7–4 Pontiac Silverdome 77,905 13 December 5 Washington Redskins W 33–17 8–4 Pontiac Silverdome 77,693 14 December 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 16–23 8–5 Raymond James Stadium 65,536 15 December 19 at Chicago Bears L 10–28 8–6 Soldier Field 50,256 16 December 25 Denver Broncos L 7–17 8–7 Pontiac Silverdome 73,158 17 January 2 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–24 8–8 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,103 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings Postseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Wild Card January 8 at Washington Redskins L 13–27 0–1 Jack Kent Cooke Stadium 79,411 Game summaries NFC Wild Card Game: at (#3) Washington Redskins Detroit Lions 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Wild Card Game: (#6) Detroit Lions at (#3) Washington Redskins – Game summary January 8 4:05 p.m. EST/3:05 p.m. CST Lions 0 0 0 13 Redskins 14 13 0 0 Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Washington D.C. 79,411 Partly cloudy, 45 F C 1 or Game Book First quarter WAS – Stephen Davis 1-yard run (Brett Conway kick), 9:09. Redskins 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 3:38. WAS – Stephen Davis 4-yard run (Brett Conway kick), 2:28. Redskins 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 87 yards, 3:36. Second quarter WAS – Brett Conway 33-yard field goal, 13:50. Redskins 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 1:55. WAS – Brett Conway 23-yard field goal, 9:50. Redskins 20–0. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:53. WAS – Albert Connell 30-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Brett Conway kick), 1:19. Redskins 27–0. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 3:36. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter DET – Ron Rice 94-yard return of blocked field goal (pass failed), 9:23. Redskins 27–6. DET – Ron Rivers 5-yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Jason Hanson kick), 0:00. Redskins 27–13. Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 2:35. Top passers DET – Gus Frerotte – 21/46, 251 yards, TD, 2 INT WAS – Brad Johnson – 15/31, 174 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers DET – Cory Schlesinger – 7 rushes, 23 yards WAS – Stephen Davis – 15 rushes, 119 yards, 2 TD Top receivers DET – Herman Moore – 3 receptions, 69 yards WAS – Larry Centers – 7 receptions, 61 yards References External links 1999 Detroit Lions at Pro-Football-Reference.com Category:Detroit Lions seasons Detroit Lions Detroit Lions Category:1999 in Detroit