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.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Rams, who had a losing record for each of the past 10 seasons, surprised the entire league by defeating the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

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 travelling 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-year adjustment.

Major rule changes

• Clipping is now illegal around the line of scrimmage just as it is on the rest of the field.
• A new instant replay system (different from the one used from 1986 to 1991) is adopted to aid officiating:
  • In each game, each team has two challenges that will start a review. Each challenge will require the use of a team's timeout. If the challenge is successful, the timeout is restored.
  • Inside of two minutes of each half, all reviews will be initiated by a Replay Assistant. The Replay Assistant has an unlimited number of reviews, regardless of how many timeouts each team has left. And no timeout will be charged for any review by the Replay Assistant.
  • All replay reviews will be conducted by the referee on a field-level monitor. A decision will be reversed only when there is indisputable visual evidence to overturn the call. The referee has 90 seconds to review the play.
  • The officials will be notified of a replay request or challenge via a specialized electronic pager with a vibrating alert. Each head coach would also have a red flag to use as a backup to get the attention of the officials to challenge a play.
  • The replay system will only cover the following situations:
    • Scoring plays
    • Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted
    • Runner/receiver out of bounds
    • Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds
    • Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible receiver or a defensive player
    • Quarterback pass or fumble
    • Illegal forward pass
    • Forward or backward pass
    • Runner ruled not down by contact
    • Forward progress in regard to a first down
    • Touching of a kick
    • Too many men on the field

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.

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

Final standings

Tiebreakers

• Miami was the third AFC Wild Card ahead of Kansas City based on better record against common opponents (6-1 to Chiefs' 5-3).
• N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on better division record (4-4 to Patriots' 2-6).
• Seattle finished ahead of Kansas City in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
• San Diego finished ahead of Oakland in the AFC West based on better division record (5-3 to Raiders' 3-5).
• Dallas was the second NFC Wild Card based on better record against common opponents (3-2 to Lions' 3-3) and better conference record than Carolina (7-5 to Panthers' 6-6).
• Detroit was the third NFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Green Bay (7-5 to Packers' 6-6) and better conference record than Carolina (7-5 to Panthers' 6-6).

Playoffs

Home team in capitals

AFC

• Wild-Card playoffs: TENNESSEE 22, Buffalo 16; Miami 20, SEATTLE 17
• Divisional playoffs: JACKSONVILLE 62, Miami 7; Tennessee 19, INDIANAPOLIS 16
• AFC Championship: Tennessee 33, JACKSONVILLE 14

NFC

• Wild-Card playoffs: WASHINGTON 27, Detroit 13; MINNESOTA 27, Dallas 10
• Divisional playoffs: TAMPA BAY 14, Washington 13; ST. LOUIS 49, Minnesota 37
• NFC Championship: ST. LOUIS 11, Tampa Bay 6

Super Bowl XXXIV

• St. Louis (NFC) 23, Tennessee (AFC) 16 at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Statistical leaders

Team

Individual

Awards

Notes

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

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 193299436X)
• NFL History 1991-2000 (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• 1999 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0062701746)
• Steelers Fever - History of NFL Rules (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• NFL introduces Instant Replay technology (Last accessed November 4, 2005)
• Tuck Rule Hard to Grasp by Mark Maske, Washington Post, October 15, 2005 (Last accessed November 4, 2005)

National Football League seasons | 1999 in sports

Saison NFL 1999