1999 Buffalo Bills season

The 1999 Buffalo Bills season was the 30th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and 40th overall. It would be the final season that Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, and Thurman Thomas, the last three players remaining from the Bills' Super Bowl teams were on the same team together. All three were released at the end of the season due to salary cap reasons.

1999 Buffalo Bills season
OwnerRalph Wilson
Head coachWade Phillips
General managerJohn Butler
Home fieldRalph Wilson Stadium
Results
Record11–5
Division place2nd AFC East
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs (at Titans) 16–22[1]

The Bills surrendered only 229 points (14.3 points per game), the lowest total in franchise history in a 16-game season, and second-fewest in the league.[2] Buffalo's 2,675 passing yards and 4,045 total yards allowed were both the fewest totals in the NFL in 1999.

The Bills finished in second place in the AFC East and finished the National Football League's 1999 season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses. The Bills qualified for the postseason for the eighth time in the decade. They would lose to the Titans in the game called "The Music City Miracle".

The team would not make the playoffs again until 2017, where they were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild-Card round. They also would not have another 10 win season until 2019.

Offseason

NFL draft
Main article: 1999 NFL draft
1999 Buffalo Bills draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 23 Antoine Winfield *  CB Ohio St
2 53 Peerless Price *  WR Tennessee
3 86 Shawn Bryson  RB Tennessee
4 119 Keith Newman  OLB North Carolina
4 122 Bobby Collins  TE North Alabama
5 156 Jay Foreman  ILB Nebraska
6 194 Armon Hatcher  S Oregon St
7 230 Lamount Jackson  QB Kansas
7 248 Bryce Fisher  DE Air Force
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff
1999 Buffalo Bills staff
Front office
  • President – Ralph Wilson
  • Executive Vice President/General Manager – John Butler
  • Vice President of Football Operations – Wade Phillips
  • Director of Pro Personnel – A.J. Smith
  • Director of Player Personnel – Dwight Adams

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Wade Phillips
  • Assistant to the Head Coach – Max Bowman

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster
1999 Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result TV Time(ET) TV Announcers Attendance
1 September 12, 1999 at Indianapolis Colts L 31–14 CBS 1:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May
56,238
2 September 19, 1999 New York Jets W 17–3 ESPN 8:15pm Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Solomon Wilcots
68,839
3 September 26, 1999 Philadelphia Eagles W 26–0 FOX 1:00pm Curt Menefee, Brian Baldinger and Don Tollefson
70,872
4 October 4, 1999 at Miami Dolphins W 23–18 ABC 9:00pm Al Michaels, Boomer Esiason and Lesley Visser
74,073
5 October 10, 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–21 CBS 1:00pm Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
71,038
6 October 17, 1999 Oakland Raiders L 20–14 CBS 1:00pm Kevin Harlan and Sam Wyche
71,113
7 October 24, 1999 at Seattle Seahawks L 26–16 CBS 4:15pm Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
66,301
8 October 31, 1999 at Baltimore Ravens W 13–10 CBS 1:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May
68,673
9 November 7, 1999 at Washington Redskins W 34–17 CBS 1:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May
78,721
10 November 14, 1999 Miami Dolphins W 23–3 CBS 1:00pm Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
72,810
11 November 21, 1999 at New York Jets L 17–7 CBS 1:00pm Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
79,285
12 November 28, 1999 New England Patriots W 17–7 CBS 1:00pm Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
72,111
13 Bye
14 December 12, 1999 New York Giants L 19–17 FOX 1:00pm Sam Rosen and Bill Maas
72,527
15 December 19, 1999 at Arizona Cardinals W 31–21 ESPN 8:15pm Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Solomon Wilcots
64,337
16 December 26, 1999 at New England Patriots W 13–10 CBS 1:00pm Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
55,014
17 January 2, 2000 Indianapolis Colts W 31–6 CBS 1:00pm Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf and Bonnie Bernstein
61,959

Week 1
1 234Total
Bills 0 680 14
• Colts 7 7710 31

[3]

Week 2
1 234Total
Jets 0 030 3
• Bills 0 773 17

[4]

Week 3
1 234Total
Eagles 0 000 0
• Bills 9 1070 26

[5]

Week 4
1 234Total
• Bills 3 10010 23
Dolphins 6 309 18

[6]

Week 5
1 234Total
Steelers 7 707 21
• Bills 7 1070 24

[7]

Week 6
1 234Total
• Raiders 10 370 20
Bills 7 007 14

[8]

Week 7
1 234Total
Bills 0 367 16
• Seahawks 13 1003 26

[9]

Week 8
1 234Total
• Bills 0 3010 13
Ravens 10 000 10

[10]

Week 9
1 234Total
• Bills 3 14143 34
Redskins 7 307 17
  • Date: November 7
  • Location: Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Washington, D.C.
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 55°F, wind 14

[11]

Week 10
1 234Total
Dolphins 0 300 3
• Bills 9 770 23

[12]

Week 11
1 234Total
Bills 0 070 7
• Jets 0 1430 17

[13]

Week 12
1 234Total
Patriots 0 007 7
• Bills 3 770 17

[14]

Week 14
1 234Total
• Giants 3 1033 19
Bills 3 707 17

[15]

Week 15
1 234Total
• Bills 14 0314 31
Cardinals 0 1407 21
  • Date: December 19
  • Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
  • Game start: 6:20 p.m.
  • Game weather: 57°F, wind 4
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Solomon Wilcots

[16]

Week 16
1 234OTTotal
• Bills 3 0073 13
Patriots 0 3070 10

[17]

Week 17
1 234Total
Colts 3 300 6
• Bills 7 14010 31

[18]

Standings
AFC East
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) Indianapolis Colts 1330.813423333L1
(5) Buffalo Bills 1150.688320229W3
(6) Miami Dolphins 970.563326336L2
New York Jets 880.500308309W4
New England Patriots 880.500299284W1

Playoffs

AFC Wild Card
1 234Total
Bills 0 0016 16
• Titans 0 12010 22
Main article: Music City Miracle

The Music City Miracle is a famous play in the NFL Wild Card Playoffs involving the Tennessee 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 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 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 player 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. 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.

Aftermath

The victory, in front of a franchise-record crowd at Adelphia Coliseum, allowed the Tennessee franchise to advance to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs for the first time since 1993. Subsequent victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars sent the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV to face the St. Louis Rams, where they lost by one yard.

It could be said that the game served as revenge for the Titans/Oilers franchise for The Comeback, where the Bills came back from a 32-point deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers, 41–38, in overtime. For the Bills, it led to the firing after 13 seasons of special teams coach Bruce DeHaven. One year later, Phillips was fired (partly due to his failure to lead the Bills past the first round of the playoffs during his tenure) and replaced by Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. It was added to the list of infamous moments in Buffalo sports history, joining Wide Right and No Goal.

Buffalo would go on to miss the playoffs for 18 years following the Music City Miracle, finally snapping its drought in 2017.

References
  1. This game is also known as the Music City Miracle
  2. Jacksonville allowed 217 points
  3. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  4. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  5. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  6. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  7. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  8. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  9. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  10. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  11. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  12. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  13. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  14. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  15. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  16. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  17. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  18. Pro-Football-Reference.com
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