1999 Tennessee Titans season | |
---|---|
Owner | Bud Adams |
General manager | Floyd Reese |
Head coach | Jeff Fisher |
Home field | Adelphia Coliseum |
Results | |
Record | 13–3 |
Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Bills) 22–16 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Colts) 19–16 Won AFC Championship (at Jaguars) 33–14 Lost Super Bowl XXXIV (vs. Rams) 16–23 |
Pro Bowlers | G Bruce Matthews TE Frank Wycheck RB Eddie George DE Jevon Kearse |
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”,[1] 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.[2] However, after defeating the Bills, Colts, and Jaguars in the postseason, 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.[3]
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 the Titans, and would lose the AFC Championship game to the Titans as well.
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.