1999 NFL season
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. 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.
Major rule changes
- Clipping is now illegal around the line of scrimmage just as it is on the rest of the field.
- An instant replay system was adopted to aid officiating:
- 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.
- 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.
- The replay system will only cover the following situations:
- Scoring plays
- Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted
- Runner/reciever out of bounds
- Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds
- Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible reciever or a defensive player
- Quarterback pass or fumble
- Illegal forward pass
- Forward or backward pass
- Runner ruled not down by contact
- Forward progress in regards to a first down
- Touching of a kick
- Too many men on the field
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
|---|
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 423 | 333 |
| Buffalo Bills | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 320 | 229 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 326 | 336 |
| New York Jets | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 308 | 309 |
| New England Patriots | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 299 | 284 |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 396 | 217 |
| Tennessee Titans | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 392 | 324 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 324 | 277 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 317 | 320 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 283 | 460 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 217 | 437 |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 338 | 298 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 390 | 322 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 269 | 316 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 390 | 329 |
| Denver Broncos | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 314 | 318 |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 443 | 377 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 352 | 276 |
| New York Giants | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 299 | 358 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 245 | 382 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 272 | 357 |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 270 | 235 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 399 | 335 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 322 | 323 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 357 | 341 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 272 | 341 |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| St. Louis Rams | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 526 | 242 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 421 | 381 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 285 | 380 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 295 | 453 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 260 | 434 |
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
- 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
- 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
- St. Louis (NFC) 23, Tennessee (AFC) 16 at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia