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1999–2000 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 1999 season began on January 8, 2000. The postseason tournament concluded with the St. Louis Rams defeating the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, 23–16, on January 30, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

These playoffs were notable in that all outdoor games were played with gametime temperatures of 50 F or higher, making for one of the warmest playoff seasons of all time. It was also the first time since 1969 that no California-based NFL team made the playoffs.

For only the second time during the Super Bowl era, all three Florida-based teams (the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) made the playoffs—something that did not occur again until the 2022–23 postseason, with the Jaguars and Dolphins facing off in the divisional round. As the Jaguars and Buccaneers advanced to their respective conference championships, the postseason became the closest to having a Super Bowl between teams from Florida.

Schedule
In the United States, ABC broadcast the first two Wild Card games on January 8, and Super Bowl XXXIV. CBS telecast the rest of the AFC playoff games and Fox the rest of the NFC games.

AFC: Tennessee Titans 22, Buffalo Bills 16
This game is remembered for the controversial "Music City Miracle": Kevin Dyson took a lateral from Frank Wycheck on a kickoff to score the game-winning touchdown with under 15 seconds left.

In the first quarter, the Titans had a big chance to score when Jevon Kearse forced a fumble while sacking Buffalo quarterback Rob Johnson that linebacker Barron Wortham recovered on the Buffalo 29-yard line. It was the start of a long day for Johnson, who ended up completing just 10 of 22 passes while being sacked six times, twice by Kearse. However, Tennessee only gained 3 yards with their next drive and Al Del Greco missed a 43-yard field goal attempt.

Early in the second quarter, Craig Hentrich's 44-yard punt pinned the Bills back at their own 4-yard line. Then on 2nd and 6 from the 8, Kearse sacked Johnson, forcing a fumble that went through the end zone for a safety that gave the Titans a 2–0 lead. After the safety, Derrick Mason returned the free kick 42 yards to the Bills 28-yard line. Five plays later, Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. After several punts, Buffalo got a first down on their own 43 when Kurt Schulz forced and recovered a fumble from Titans running back Eddie George. But the Bills could not gain a first down and had to punt. Then the Titans drove 56 yards in 11 plays. Del Greco initially missed a 45-yard field goal attempt, but the Bills were penalized for defensive holding on the play, and Del Greco's second attempt was good from 40 yards on the last play of the half. At the end of the half, the Bills were trailing 12–0 and had only managed to gain 64 yards, while also losing 44 yards on nine penalties.

But in the second half, the Bills managed to rally back. On Buffalo's first play of the third quarter, Antowain Smith broke off a 44-yard run, sparking a 62-yard drive that ended with his 4-yard touchdown carry, making the score 12–7. Later on, Tennessee drove to the Bills 39-yard line, only to lose the ball due to an interception by Antoine Winfield. With 41 seconds left in the third quarter, a Titans punt gave Buffalo the ball on their own 35-yard line, where they proceeded to drive 65 yards, featuring a 37-yard completion from Johnson to Eric Moulds, with a roughing the passer penalty on Kearse adding another 15. Smith finished the drive with another 4-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills a 13–12 lead after receiver Kevin Williams dropped a pass from Johnson on the two-point conversion attempt.

Late in the fourth quarter, Titans receiver Isaac Byrd's 16-yard punt return to the Bills 45 and five carries from George for 17 yards set up a 36-yard field goal by Del Greco, giving Tennessee a 15–13 lead with 1:38 left. But following a 33-yard kickoff return by Williams, the Bills retook the lead with a 41-yard field goal from Steve Christie at the end of a 38-yard drive that saw Johnson lose a shoe. Stuck in the no-huddle offense in order to beat the clock, Johnson was forced to play without a shoe for most of the drive, but still managed to lead the team into scoring range with two key completions to Peerless Price for 23 yards. Christie's field goal gave the Bills a 16–15 lead with only 16 seconds left in the game.

On the ensuing Christie kickoff, fullback Lorenzo Neal picked up the ball at his own 25-yard line. He then handed off to Wycheck, who ran all the way to the right sideline before lateralling the ball all the way back to Dyson on the left side of the field. After taking the ball, Dyson ran 75 yards for a touchdown to give his team the win. The play was reviewed by referee Phil Luckett, but it was determined that Wycheck's lateral did not travel forward, and the play was upheld.

"We worked on that play yesterday", said Titans coach Jeff Fisher of the winning return. "The play is called Home Run Throwback, it's a play you usually work on Saturdays, the day before a game. That play was designed with Frank Wycheck in the middle to try and put the ball out laterally." However, this was the first time they ran the play with Dyson, who replaced Mason as kick returner when he was injured earlier in the game.

George finished the game with 106 rushing yards. Bills defensive end Bruce Smith had 2.5 sacks. Both teams combined for just 413 total yards (219 for Buffalo, 194 for Tennessee). The game marked the end of an era in Buffalo as it was the final game that Smith, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed played for the Bills.

The Bills did not make the playoffs again after this game for another 18 years.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Bills and Titans. Buffalo won the prior two meetings when the Titans were the Houston Oilers.

NFC: Washington Redskins 27, Detroit Lions 13
Redskins running back Stephen Davis rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first half as Washington dominated the Lions, who had barely made the playoffs with an 8–8 record and had lost their last four games of the season. Washington outgained Detroit in rushing yards, 223–45, and recorded five sacks.

Washington took advantage of two key penalties against the Lions on their first drive as they drove 79 yards to score on Davis' 1-yard touchdown run. The first was a running into the punter penalty against linebacker Clint Kriewaldt that enabled them to keep the ball, and the second was a 41-yard pass interference penalty on Lions cornerback Bryant Westbrook. The next time Washington got the ball, they drove 87 yards, featuring a 58-yard run by Davis, and scored with another Davis touchdown run to take a 14–0 lead.

Late in the first quarter, Redskins cornerback Champ Bailey intercepted a pass from Gus Frerotte and returned it five yards to the Lions 39, setting up a 33-yard field goal from Brett Conway. After a punt, running back Brian Mitchell gave the team excellent field position with an 11-yard return to the Lions 49-yard line. Davis then rushed five times for 45 yards, setting up another field goal from Conway that gave the team a 20–0 lead. Davis was knocked out of the game on Washington's next possession, but his replacement, Skip Hicks, rushed for 13 yards and caught two passes for 27 as the Redskins drove 82 yards in eight plays. Brad Johnson finished the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Albert Connell, giving the Redskins a 27–0 lead with 1:19 left in the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Lions finally managed to get a touchdown when cornerback Lamar Campbell blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt by Conway and Ron Rice returned the ball 94 yards for a touchdown with 9:23 left in regulation. But after that, they were unable to score again until Frerotte finished a 90-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ron Rivers on the last play of the game.

The Lions, after this game, did not make the playoffs again until the 2011 season. Further, Washington did not host another playoff game until 2012.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Lions and Redskins. Washington had won both prior meetings.

NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
Running back Robert Smith helped the Vikings beat the Cowboys by rushing for a team playoff record 140 yards while also catching three passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings also got a big performance out of quarterback Jeff George, who threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns, and receiver Randy Moss, who caught five passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman threw for 286 yards and an interception in the final postseason game of his Hall of Fame career. This was also the final postseason game in the Hall of Fame career of running back Emmitt Smith, who rushed for 99 yards, caught a pass for 14 yards, and scored a touchdown. His 99 rushing yards gave him an NFL record postseason total 1,586 yards, surpassing the previous record of 1,556 yards held by Franco Harris. Cowboys receiver Raghib Ismail caught eight passes for 163 yards.

Early in the first quarter, Smith's 65-yard run set up an Eddie Murray field goal. It was the main highlight of the day for Smith, who gained only 30 yards on 14 carries for the rest of the game. Minnesota was forced to punt on their next drive, but returner Deion Sanders muffed the kick and Dwayne Rudd recovered the ball for the Vikings at the Cowboys 30-yard line. Four plays later, Gary Anderson kicked a 47-yard field goal to tie the game. Aikman led the Cowboys back, completing two passes to Ismail for gains of 45 and 25 yards before Smith finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

In the second quarter, Rudd stripped the ball from Cowboys running back Robert Thomas and safety Anthony Bass recovered the fumble at the Dallas 26-yard line. Faced with third down and 25 on the ensuing possession, George completed a short pass to Smith, who took it 26 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. Later in the quarter, George threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Moss after a daring 14-yard run by Smith on third down and 12, giving the Vikings a 17–10 lead with 22 seconds left in the half.

Early in the third quarter, Anderson kicked a 38-yard field goal to increase the Vikings lead to 20–10. In the fourth quarter, they drove 67 yards and scored with George's 5-yard touchdown pass to Cris Carter, while the Cowboys lost any chance of a comeback due to two more costly turnovers. First they drove inside the Vikings 20-yard line, but linebacker Ed McDaniel forced a fumble from receiver Jason Tucker right before he could cross the goal line and the ball rolled through the end zone for a touchback. Later on, Dallas drove all the way to the Minnesota 6-yard line, but safety Robert Griffith intercepted a pass intended for Tucker in the end zone.

This was the sixth postseason meeting between the Cowboys and Vikings. Dallas had won four of the previous five meetings.

AFC: Miami Dolphins 20, Seattle Seahawks 17
The Seattle Seahawks played host to their first playoff game since the 1984 season. But they were dominated by the Dolphins defense, who held them to only 171 yards, with just 32 in the second half, and sacked quarterback Jon Kitna six times, three by Trace Armstrong. Although they jumped out to a 17–10 lead in the third quarter, the Dolphins rallied back behind quarterback Dan Marino, who threw for 196 yards and a touchdown, leading his team to their first playoff win on the road since 1972 in what ultimately proved to be the final game played at the Kingdome and the final win of Marino's career.

At the end of the game's opening drive, Seattle punter Jeff Feagles' 35-yard punt pinned the Dolphins back at their own 4-yard line. Three plays later, Seahawks running back Charlie Rogers returned Tom Hutton's 58-yard punt 15 yards to the Miami 47. Kitna then completed a pair of passes to Mike Pritchard for gains of 12 and 17 yards as the team drove to a touchdown on his 9-yard completion to Sean Dawkins. Miami's only score of the first half was a 32-yard field goal from Olindo Mare set up by Brock Marion's 47-yard kickoff return.

In the second quarter, Miami got the ball with good field position when Marion intercepted a pass from Kitna on the Dolphins 41, but this merely resulted in three incompletions and a punt. After a few more drives, a 15-yard facemask penalty against Dolphins defensive lineman Sam Madison turned Ricky Watters' 14-yard run into a 29-yard gain, setting up Todd Peterson's 50-yard field goal with less than a minute left in the half. The Seahawks finished the half leading 10–3, and had limited Miami to just 69 offensive yards.

But Miami took the second half kickoff and nearly doubled their yardage, driving 60 yards in 10 plays, including receptions by O. J. McDuffie for gains of 11 and 27 yards. Marino, who completed only five of eight passes for 28 yards in the first half, completed all six of his passes for 55 yards on the drive and finished it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden. On the ensuing kickoff, Rogers fumbled the ball, then picked it up and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown, giving Seattle a 17–10 lead. After a few punts, Miami drove 32 yards in six plays, aided by two runs by Autry Denson for 28 yards, to set up a 50-yard field goal from Mare, cutting the score to 17–13. After the field goal, the Dolphins recovered an onside kick, but could only advance to their 49-yard line before being forced to punt.

With 9:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, Feagles' 50-yard punt gave the Dolphins the ball on their own 15-yard line. Marino then engineered an 11-play, 85-yard game-winning scoring possession. He completed four of seven passes for 84 yards on the drive, including a 23-yard completion to Tony Martin on third down and 17 from his own 8-yard line, a 20-yard pass to Martin from the Seahawks 49 to the Seahawks 29, and a 24-yard completion to Gadsden at the Seattle 5-yard line on third and 10. Rookie running back J. J. Johnson's 2-yard touchdown run finished the drive with 4:46 left in the game, and the Seahawks could not score again. After being forced to punt, Seattle didn't get the ball back until 1:05 remained, when Hutton's 38-yard punt pinned them on their own 12-yard line. They were only able to reach their 29 before time ran out. This is the last playoff game that the Seahawks played as an AFC member, as they moved to the NFC starting in the 2002 season.

Rogers finished the game with 4 kickoff returns for 159 yards and a touchdown, along with 3 punt returns for 24 yards.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Seahawks. Both teams split the prior two meetings.

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 62, Miami Dolphins 7
The Jaguars shredded the Dolphins with 520 total offensive yards in what became Miami quarterback Dan Marino's last game in the NFL and the most lopsided postseason contest since the Chicago Bears defeated the Redskins 73–0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. Their defense forced seven turnovers and held the Dolphins to 131 total yards.

Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in the first half, while also catching a 39-yard touchdown reception. In the second half, his replacement, James Stewart, added 62 yards on 11 carries. Quarterback Mark Brunell, playing with braces on both knees, completed five of nine passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns before being replaced by Jay Fiedler in the second quarter after the Jaguars scored 38 points in the first 18 minutes. Fiedler completed seven of 11 passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Receiver Jimmy Smith had the best postseason performance of his career, catching five passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Marino completed just 11 of 25 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

On the opening drive of the game, Brunell led the Jaguars 73 yards in nine plays, featuring a 41-yard completion to Smith, and finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Smith 4:28 into the game. After the ensuing kickoff, Jacksonville cornerback Aaron Beasley intercepted Marino's first pass of the game and returned it five yards to the Dolphins 41-yard line, setting a 45-yard field goal from Mike Hollis. Following a three-and-out for Miami, Tom Hutton's 57-yard punt pinned the Jaguars back at their own 9-yard line. But two plays later, Taylor took off down the right sideline for an NFL playoff record 90-yard touchdown run. Then on Miami's next possession, defensive end Tony Brackens forced a fumble from Marino and dove on the ball. With most players on both teams thinking he was down by contact, Brackens got up and started celebrating while the Dolphins offense walked off the field, but his teammate Bryce Paup realized that no one had touched Brackens and the play was still ongoing. He ran up to Brackens, shoved him in the back, and told him to start running, and Brackens ended up returning the ball 16 yards for a touchdown.

The situation never got much better for the Dolphins. After another three and out, Jacksonville got the ball back at their own 47-yard line, and they scored another touchdown when Taylor caught a short pass on third down and 14 and took it 39 yards for a touchdown, giving the Jaguars a 31–0 lead just 12 seconds into the second quarter. Then on Miami's next possession, Jaguars rookie Corey Chamblin blocked Hutton's punt and Chris Howard recovered the ball on the Dolphins 21-yard line. Faced with third down and 14 again on their ensuing drive, the Jaguars decided not to pass and Stewart ended up scoring with a 25-yard touchdown run.

Miami continued to turn the ball over through the second quarter. Beasley recorded his second interception from Marino on the Dolphins next possession. Then after a punt, running back Autry Denson fumbled a pitch from Marino, and safety Donovin Darius recovered the ball at the Dolphins 7-yard line. This time, the Jaguars could not take advantage of the turnover. Two plays later, Calvin Jackson intercepted a pass from Fiedler in the end zone. But several plays after the interception, Jacksonville safety Carnell Lake forced and recovered a fumble from J. J. Johnson on the Dolphins 30-yard line, setting up a 30-yard field goal from Hollis with 1:47 left in the second quarter. Marino, who completed only three of 11 passes for 12 yards up to this point, finally managed to respond, completing seven of 12 passes for 79 yards on an 80-yard scoring drive and finishing it off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden with less than 20 seconds left before halftime.

But even so, it was clear by now the game was over, as the Jaguars held a commanding 41–7 lead. Marino was benched in the second half, and his replacement, Damon Huard, completed just five of 16 passes for 46 yards in the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Jacksonville continued to increase their lead. On the third play of the second half, Fiedler threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Later on in the third quarter, he threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Alvis Whitted. And in the final quarter, another fumble from Johnson set up the final points of the game, a 5-yard touchdown run by Howard.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Jaguars.

NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14, Washington Redskins 13
The Buccaneers forced two key turnovers in the second half to rally from a 13–0 deficit, while their defense held Washington to just 157 yards, with only 32 in the second half. The win sent Tampa to its first NFC Championship Game in 20 years.

After a scoreless first quarter, a 35-yard punt from Mark Royals gave the Redskins great field position on the Tampa Bay 43-yard line. Brad Johnson started out the drive with a 19-yard completion to Albert Connell, and then a 12-yard run by Stephen Davis set up a 28-yard field goal from Brett Conway with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter. Then in the second half, Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, a playoff record. Later in the third quarter, Darrell Green intercepted a pass from Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King and returned it 12 yards to the Buccaneers 36-yard line, setting up Conway's second field goal to take a 13–0 lead. But after a Bucs punt, Tampa Bay safety John Lynch intercepted a pass from Johnson on the Tampa Bay 27-yard line. Aided by a 31-yard pass interference penalty on Leomont Evans, the Buccaneers subsequently drove 73 yards in six plays and scored on Mike Alstott's 2-yard touchdown run. Then in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Steve White forced a fumble from Johnson while sacking him and Warren Sapp recovered the ball on the Redskins 32-yard line. King then went to work, completing a 17-yard pass to Bert Emanuel and a 13-yard pass to Warrick Dunn. On fourth down and 1, Alstott's 5-yard run moved the ball to the Washington 3-yard line, and King eventually finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to John Davis.

The Redskins had a chance to win the game with a 51-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the game, but the snap from center Dan Turk to Johnson, the holder, was off and the Bucs won. (Contrary to popular belief, the snap was not to Matt Turk, the team's punter and Dan's brother.) It was Dan Turk's last game in the NFL, as he died later that year due to cancer. Meanwhile, King became the first rookie to lead his team to a playoff win since Pat Haden in 1976.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Redskins and Buccaneers.

NFC: St. Louis Rams 49, Minnesota Vikings 37
As expected, this match between the two high powered offenses produced a lot of points (86), and yards (880, 405 by St. Louis, 475 by Minnesota). But after falling behind 17–14, St. Louis stormed to victory with 35 second half points.

Minnesota took the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards in 11 plays, setting up a Gary Anderson field goal. But after the ensuing kickoff, Rams quarterback Kurt Warner on their first play from scrimmage, threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce. A 13-yard sack by Rams safety Billy Jenkins on the Vikings ensuing drive forced a punt, and Warner once again went to work. He threw a 26-yard completion to Bruce and an 11-yarder to Torry Holt before finishing the drive with a 41-yard touchdown pass to running back Marshall Faulk. Another sack, this time by linebacker Charlie Clemons, forced Minnesota to punt again, and once again the Rams decided to go deep, but this time the Vikings were ready, and cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock intercepted Warner's pass at his own 4-yard line.

After the interception, Jeff George led the Vikings 96 yards in eight plays, completing passes to Randy Moss and Jake Reed for gains of 24 and 41 yards and finishing the drive with a 22-yard touchdown completion to Cris Carter, cutting the score to 14–10 5:07 into the second quarter. Later on, Rams cornerback Dexter McCleon intercepted a pass from George on the Vikings 41-yard line. But on the next play, Faulk fumbled a handoff and safety Robert Griffith recovered the ball on the 47. After that, Minnesota took the lead by driving 53 yards and scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run from fullback Leroy Hoard with 2:40 left in the half. Aided by Bruce's 22-yard reception, the Rams responded with a drive to the Minnesota 37-yard line, but a 9-yard sack by defensive tackle John Randle pushed St. Louis out of field goal range and the score remained 17–14 by halftime.

The momentum seemed to be in Minnesota's favor, but the Rams suddenly exploded with 35 points in the second half. First, St. Louis receiver Tony Horne returned the second half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings were forced to punt on their next possession, and Az-Zahir Hakim returned the ball 15 yards with a facemask penalty adding another 5, giving the Rams a first down on Minnesota's 49-yard line. Faulk rushed three times for 14 yards and then Warner completed an 18-yard pass to Roland Williams at the Vikings 14-yard line. After an 8-yard reception from Bruce, Faulk scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing St. Louis' lead to 28–17. The Vikings had to punt again on their next drive, and Warner subsequently led the Rams 62 yards in 11 plays on the way to a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeff Robinson with 13 seconds left in the third quarter. After the ensuing kickoff, Rams defensive tackle D'Marco Farr recovered a fumbled snap from George on the Vikings 23-yard line. Warner then completed passes to Holt and Hakim for eight and 10 yards, then ran four yards to the 1-yard line. Warner finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to offensive lineman Ryan Tucker on a tackle-eligible play.

After another Vikings punt, Warner led the Rams 62 yards in eight plays and capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Williams, increasing St. Louis' lead to 49–17 with just over eight minutes left in regulation. George, who completed only two of eight passes for −9 yards in the second half until then, responded with three touchdown passes in the final five minutes of the game. His 42-yard completion to Moss on the ensuing drive set up his 4-yard touchdown pass to Reed. Then Carter recovered an onside kick, and the Vikings scored another touchdown on George's 44-yard pass to Moss. Following a Rams punt, Minnesota drove 85 yards in 16 plays to score on George's 2-yard touchdown toss to Moss, but by then only 35 seconds remained on the clock.

Warner finished his first career playoff game completing 27 of 33 passes for 391 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception. Bruce caught four passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Hakim rushed for five yards, caught five passes for 49 yards, and returned three punts for 72 yards. Horne set a franchise postseason record with 174 kickoff return yards. Jenkins had 11 tackles and a sack. George completed 29 of 50 passes for 423 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. Moss caught nine passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Carter caught seven passes for 106 yards and a score.

This was the first NFL postseason game ever played in St. Louis.

This was the seventh postseason meeting between the Vikings and Rams. Minnesota previously won five of the prior six meetings while the Rams were in Los Angeles.

AFC: Tennessee Titans 19, Indianapolis Colts 16
Although the Indianapolis Colts, behind second year quarterback Peyton Manning, had posted some gaudy numbers en route to a sterling 13–3 regular season record, the upstart Tennessee Titans paid them little respect. Running back Eddie George rushed for a team playoff-record 162 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown, to help lead the Titans to victory. Manning endured a rough playoff debut as he completed only 19 of 42 passes.

Despite George's impressive day, he actually struggled for most of the first half, gaining only 38 yards on nine carries while kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Al Del Greco spent the first two quarters trading field goals. Indianapolis scored first on their second drive with a 42-yard drive that ended with a 40-yard field goal by Vanderjagt. After a punt from each team, Tennessee drove 46 yards to tie the score on Del Greco's 49-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. Following two more punts, Indy put together the longest drive so far from either team, moving the ball 62 yards in seven plays, including Manning's 33-yard completion to receiver E. G. Green, to take a 6–3 lead on Vanderjagt's 40-yard field goal. Derrick Mason returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards to the Titans' 47-yard line. Two plays later, a 29-yard scramble from quarterback Steve McNair set up Del Greco's 37-yard field goal kick. Manning then completed 5/6 passes for 57 yards and rushed for seven on a 66-yard drive that ended with the team taking a 9–6 lead with Vanderjagt's 34-yard field goal with six seconds left in the first half.

Tennessee's inability to get into the end zone came to an end on just the third play of the third quarter, when George took a handoff from McNair and stormed through the middle of the field for a 68-yard touchdown run. Then after several punts, the Titans put together a 13-play, 73-yard drive, featuring a 26-yard completion from McNair to receiver Chris Sanders. With 12:57 left in the fourth quarter, Del Greco finished the drive with his third field goal, increasing the Tennessee lead to 16–9. Later in the quarter, the Colts had a great opportunity to come back when wide receiver Terrence Wilkins returned a punt 87 yards to the Titans 3-yard line, but it was overruled by a replay challenge from coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher had to burn a timeout to get his challenge heard over the roaring crowd in the RCA Dome, but it paid off, as the replay showed Wilkins had stepped out of bounds at his own 33-yard line during the return.

The lost opportunity was devastating. Indianapolis went three-and-out on their ensuing possession and Mason returned their punt 19 yards to the Colts 42-yard line, setting up Del Greco's fourth field goal to make the score 19–9. The Colts then turned the ball over on downs with their next drive, but managed to get it back with 3:11 left when defensive end Mark Thomas recovered a fumble from George on the Indianapolis 39. The Colts then drove 61 yards in nine plays to score on a 15-yard touchdown run by Manning, but by then there was only 1:50 left in the game and Titans receiver Yancey Thigpen sealed the victory by recovering Vanderjagt's onside kick.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Titans and Colts.

AFC: Tennessee Titans 33, Jacksonville Jaguars 14
The Jacksonville Jaguars had been one of the NFL's best teams in the 1999 season, pacing the AFC with a 14–2 record. However, both of those losses came at the hands of their opponents in the AFC Championship Game, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans proved up to the task of beating their division rival once again as the Titans scored a resounding 33–14 victory. The Titans advanced to their first Super Bowl in team history by forcing six turnovers and a safety.

Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and started out strong, gaining 51 yards on their first two plays. First, Mark Brunell completed an 18-yard pass to Jimmy Smith, and then Fred Taylor ran 33 yards to the Titans 13-yard line. Three plays later, Brunell threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Brady. But Tennessee struck right back. First, Derrick Mason returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Titans 49-yard line. Then quarterback Steve McNair completed three passes for 23 yards and rushed for 14 on a 51-yard drive that ended with his 9-yard touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen.

In the second quarter, the Jaguars drove 72 yards to the Titans 5-yard line, only to have Brunell throw an interception to safety Marcus Robertson in the end zone. But after forcing a punt, they drove 65 yards in four plays and took a 14–7 lead with a 33-yard touchdown run from James Stewart. Tennessee was forced to punt again on their next drive, but Reggie Barlow muffed the kick and Steve Jackson recovered the ball for the Titans on the Jacksonville 19-yard line. After that, Al Del Greco kicked a 34-yard field goal, cutting the score to 14–10 with 20 seconds left in the half.

The Titans defense dominated the second half, forcing four turnovers, while the offense took advantage of key penalties to take control of the game. On Tennessee's first drive of the second half, McNair completed a 15-yard pass to Eddie George at midfield, with a roughing the passer penalty on Tony Brackens adding another 15 yards. Two plays later, cornerback Fernando Bryant committed a 28-yard pass interference penalty while trying to cover Kevin Dyson, moving the ball to the Jaguars 6-yard line. After a 5-yard run by George, McNair scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, giving Tennessee their first lead of the game, 17–14.

On Jacksonville's next drive, Brady fumbled while being tackled by Robinson, and defensive tackle Jason Fisk recovered the ball at the Jaguars 35-yard line. McNair subsequently led his team to the 7-yard line, but then linebacker Kevin Hardy stripped the ball away from tight end Frank Wycheck and Lonnie Marts recovered the ball on the 1.

Then Tennessee's defense stepped up. First, linebacker Barron Wortham stuffed Taylor for no gain. Then Josh Evans and Fisk shared a sack on Brunell in the end zone for a safety. After that, Mason returned the free kick 80 yards for a touchdown, giving the Titans a 26–14 lead. Jacksonville reached the Titans 36-yard line on their next drive, but turned the ball over on downs with Brunell's incomplete pass on fourth down and 2.

In the fourth quarter, Brunell fumbled while being sacked by Kenny Holmes and Jevon Kearse initially recovered it on the 15-yard line. However, he attempted to lateral the ball to Samari Rolle, who fumbled the pitch, and receiver Keenan McCardell recovered it. But a few plays later, Brunell turned the ball over again when he threw an interception to rookie safety Donald Mitchell at the Titans 39-yard line. On the ensuing drive, McNair ripped off a 51-yard run, then scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to put the game away.

McNair completed 14 of 23 passes for 112 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Mason returned four kickoffs for 174 yards and two punts for 14 yards. Taylor rushed for 110 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards. This was the Jaguars' last home playoff game until 2017.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Titans and Jaguars.

NFC: St. Louis Rams 11, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6
In a hard-fought defensive struggle in which both teams combined for only 512 yards and lost a total of five turnovers, Rams quarterback Kurt Warner's 30-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 4:44 left in the game was just enough to edge out Tampa Bay.

On the first scrimmage play of the game, Bucs defensive end Steve White intercepted a screen pass from Warner on the Rams 20-yard line, setting up a 25-yard field goal from Martín Gramática. The Rams responded by driving 74 yards in 16 plays with Warner completing seven of 10 passes for 61 yards, including a 22-yard completion to tight end Roland Williams. But on third-and-goal from the Bucs 7-yard line, a fumbled handoff exchange from Warner to Marshall Faulk forced them to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins.

The second quarter was full of missed opportunities and poor play from both teams. On the first play, a high snap from Bucs center Tony Mayberry went over quarterback Shaun King's head and into the end zone. King managed to knock the ball out of the end zone to prevent a touchdown, but it gave the Rams a safety and a 5–3 lead. Az-Zahir Hakim returned the free kick 15-yards to the Rams 40-yard line. Hakim also caught a 14-yard pass and ran for six as the team drove to the Bucs 26, but the drive halted there and Wilkins missed a 44-yard field goal attempt. Following a punt from each team, Tampa Bay also got good field position from a 14-yard punt return from Karl Williams that gave them a first down on the Rams 45. Although they drove to the St. Louis 26, they ultimately fared no better than the Rams did. On third down, King fumbled while being sacked by Charlie Clemons. King recovered the ball, but the 13-yard loss pushed the team out of field goal range. The next time Tampa Bay had the ball, King threw a pass from the Rams 41 that went right into the arms of St. Louis cornerback Todd Lyght. A few plays later, the half ended with the score still 5–3, despite the Rams' 159–75 advantage over the Buccaneers in total yards.

Just as in the first half, Tampa Bay scored a field goal on their opening drive on the third quarter, set up by a 32-yard reception by Jacquez Green and a 15-yard facemask penalty on Taje Allen. Meanwhile, Warner was intercepted twice by the Buccaneers defense, including a costly interception to Hardy Nickerson on the Tampa Bay 3-yard line. But late in the fourth quarter, Rams cornerback Dré Bly intercepted a pass from King at the Buccaneers 49-yard line. Several plays later, Warner threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Proehl with 4:44 left, taking an 11–6 lead after the two-point conversion failed. King responded by leading the Bucs deep into St. Louis territory. With 1:25 left, his 22-yard completion to Williams gave the team a first down on the Rams 22-yard line. But on the next play, he was sacked by Grant Wistrom for a 13-yard loss. After that, his potential 11-yard completion to Bert Emanuel was controversially overturned by a replay challenge. (The play led the NFL to adopt the "Bert Emanuel rule" after the season, which still allows for a catch to be ruled if a receiver maintains possession and control of the ball even if the ball touches the ground.) King then threw two consecutive incompletions, turning the ball over on downs.

Proehl was the sole offensive star of the game, finishing with six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

En route to attending the game, Kansas City Chiefs star linebacker and future Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas was involved in a car accident in Kansas City that led to his death two weeks later from the injuries he sustained.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Buccaneers and Rams. The Rams won the only prior meeting while in Los Angeles.

Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Rams and Titans.

title: 1999–2000 NFL playoffs


text: Category:902 deaths

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Category:902 deaths


text:
Laing's Nek

Laing's Nek, or Lang's Nek is a pass through the Drakensberg mountain range in South Africa, south of Charlestown, at -27.46083°N, 29.86944°W at an elevation of 5400 to 6000 ft. It is the lowest part of a ridge that slopes from Majuba Hill east to the Buffalo River. Before the opening of the railway in 1891, the road over the nek was the main artery of communication between Durban and Pretoria. The railway crosses the pass via a 2213 ft tunnel.

History
There are two possible explanations for its name. It could be named after Henry Laing, owner of a farm at its foot, or after William Timothy Lang, who bought a farm in 1874 at its base.

When the Boers rose in revolt in December 1880, they occupied Laing's Nek to oppose the entry of British reinforcements into the Transvaal. On 28 January 1881, a small British force endeavoured to drive the Boers from the pass but was forced to retire after the Battle of Laing's Nek.

title: Laing's Nek


text:
Nota bene

Nota bene (, or ; plural: notate bene) is the Latin phrase meaning note well. In manuscripts, nota bene is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of nota bene and notate bene first appeared in the English style of writing around the year 1711. In Modern English, since the 14th century, the editorial usage of NB is common to the legal style of writing of documents to direct the reader's attention to a thematically relevant aspect of the subject that qualifies the matter being litigated, whereas in academic writing, the editorial abbreviation n.b. is a casual synonym for footnote.

In medieval manuscripts, the editorial marks used to draw the reader's attention to a supporting text also are called nota bene marks, however, the catalogue of medieval editorial marks does not include the NB abbreviation. The medieval equivalents to the n.b.-mark are anagrams derived from the four letters of the Latin word nota, thus the abbreviation DM for dignum memoria ("worth remembering") and the typographic index symbol of the manicule (☞), the little hand that indicates the start of the relevant supporting text.

title: Nota bene


text:
1998–99 NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 1998 season began on January 2, 1999. The postseason tournament concluded with the Denver Broncos defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, 34–19, on January 31, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida.

As of 2023, this is the last playoffs which has not featured Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Patrick Mahomes as a starting quarterback.

Schedule
Under the new U.S. television broadcast contracts that took effect starting this season, CBS replaced NBC as the broadcaster of most of the AFC playoff games. ABC continued to broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games. Fox televised the rest of the NFC games and Super Bowl XXXIII.

AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17
The Dolphins forced five Bills turnovers, including Buffalo quarterback Doug Flutie's fumble at the Miami 5-yard line with 17 seconds left in the game. Buffalo's wide receiver Eric Moulds set an NFL postseason record with 240 receiving yards, including a 32-yard touchdown catch.

The Bills had a great scoring chance when Moulds caught a 65-yard pass from Flutie on the first play from scrimmage, but Terrell Buckley knocked the ball out of his hands and safety Brock Marion recovered the fumble, returning it 17 yards to the Miami 29. Miami then drove 57 yards in 16 plays to score on kicker Olindo Mare's 31-yard field goal. After forcing a punt, Miami went on another long field goal drive, this one covering 66 yards in 11 plays, including a 22-yard reception by Ed Perry and two pass interference calls against Buffalo for a total of 26 yards.

Mare's 40-yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 6–0 lead with over 10 minutes left in the second quarter, but a failed surprise onside kick attempt gave Buffalo the ball on the Dolphins 42. Moulds then caught a 37-yard pass to set up Thurman Thomas' 1-yard touchdown run. Near the end of the half, Buffalo drove to the Dolphins 6-yard line, but Marion intercepted a pass from Flutie in the end zone with less than a minute left on the clock. Miami also blew a scoring chance as Dan Marino completed a 52-yard pass to Oronde Gadsden at the Bills 9-yard line on the next play, but Mare missed a 26-yard field goal on the last play of the half.

In the third quarter, Miami got an early scoring chance when Derrick Rodgers forced a fumble while sacking Flutie that linebacker Zach Thomas recovered on the Bills 40-yard line. But the Bills defense only allowed three yards over the next three plays and forced a punt. Miami's defense then returned the favor by forcing Buffalo to punt after three plays, and O. J. McDuffie returned Chris Mohr's 39-yard kick 20 yards to the Dolphins 48-yard line. Miami went on to take a 14–7 lead with a 12-play, 52-yard drive to score on Karim Abdul-Jabbar's 3-yard run (and Stanley Pritchett's 2-point conversion). However, Buffalo stormed right back with a 4-play, 81-yard touchdown drive to tie the game, taking advantage of a pass interference call against Patrick Surtain that gave them 29 yards. On the next play, Flutie's 23-yard completion to Moulds moved the ball to the Miami 32-yard line, and he ended up finishing the drive with a 32-yard touchdown completion to Moulds with less than a minute left in the quarter.

On Miami's opening drive of the fourth quarter, Marino completed 5/5 passes for 54 yards on a 75-yard drive that ended with Mare's third field goal, giving the Dolphins a 17–14 lead. Then Jerry Wilson forced a fumble while tackling Andre Reed, and Buckley recovered the ball for Miami at midfield, leading to Marino's 11-yard touchdown pass to Lamar Thomas that made the score a 10-point game at 24–14 with 3:42 left on the clock.

With time running out in the game, Flutie completed a 31-yard pass to Moulds and then threw the ball to Reed, who was tackled on the Miami 1-yard line. Believing he had scored, Reed argued vehemently with the referee Steve Zimmer and bumped into him, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct foul that got the receiver ejected from the game. It also pushed the Bills back 15 yards and left them facing second and goal from the 15 instead of the 1. Flutie's next two passes were incomplete, forcing the Bills to settle for Steve Christie's 33-yard field goal with 1:47 left. Buffalo subsequently recovered an onside kick and drove 64 yards in 10 plays to the Dolphins 5-yard line. But as Flutie stepped up to make a throw, he lost the ball while being sacked by Miami's Trace Armstrong and defensive tackle Shane Burton recovered the fumble.

"There wasn't any doubt he was in", Bills coach Wade Phillips said about Reed's ejection after the game. "That game looks a lot different at the end. With Andre Reed in the game and us only down 3, we would have done some different things at the end."

This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Bills and Dolphins. Buffalo won all three previous meetings.

NFC: Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7
Quarterback Jake Plummer passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Cardinals to their first playoff victory since 1947, ending the longest playoff win drought in NFL history. Their victory was especially satisfying against the Cowboys, who defeated them twice during the season (38–10 on opening day and 35–28 in week 11). Arizona running back Adrian Murrell rushed for 95 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown, while their defense sacked Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman four times (twice by linebacker Jamir Miller and two more by Andre Wadsworth) and intercepted three of his passes (two by cornerback Aeneas Williams).

Dallas had a chance to score on their second drive when Tyrone Hughes returned an Arizona punt 11 yards to the Cowboys 38. Aikman then led the team to the Cardinals 19-yard line, but the drive ended there and Richie Cunningham missed a 36-yard field goal attempt. On the first play of the Cardinals' following possession, Plummer completed a 59-yard pass to receiver Frank Sanders, setting up Murrell's 12-yard touchdown catch a few plays later.

In the second quarter, the Cowboys got another scoring opportunity when cornerback Kevin Mathis picked off a pass from Plummer on the Dallas 37. Dallas went on to drive to the Cardinals 7-yard line. On fourth and 1, the Cowboys tried to convert with a run by Emmitt Smith, but he was stopped by linebacker Mark Maddox, who broke through the line and dropped him for a 1-yard loss. Dallas' three remaining drives of the half would result in an interception by Williams and two punts, the second which was returned 10 yards to the Cardinals 38 by running back Eric Metcalf with less than two minutes left in the half. Plummer then completed a 15-yard pass to receiver Rob Moore and a 20 yarder to Metcalf, setting up a 37-yard Chris Jacke field goal that gave Arizona a 10–0 lead going into halftime.

On the second play of the second half, Murrell took off for a 74-yard run to the Cowboys 3-yard line. It was the longest postseason run ever surrendered by the Cowboys in their 52-postseason game history. On the next play, Plummer threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Larry Centers, making the score 17–0. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Williams recorded his second interception from Aikman, setting up a 46-yard field goal by Jacke. Now desperate for points, Dallas tried to convert a fourth and 1 deep in their own territory, only to have Aikman get sacked by Miller for a 10-yard loss. An interception by Darren Woodson prevented Arizona from scoring, but with only ten minutes remaining on the clock, there was little hope for a comeback. All Dallas could do was avoid a shutout when Deion Sanders' 41-yard punt return set up Aikman's 6-yard touchdown pass to Billy Davis with 3:33 left in the game.

It was the last time ABC aired a game between these two teams, after six games on Monday Night Football. ESPN finally aired a game between these two in 2017 (though they did meet on Sunday night on ESPN once). It was the last playoff game at Texas Stadium until 2007.

Arizona ended a nine-game losing streak at Texas Stadium; their previous win was during the Cowboys' 1–15 season of 1989. This was just the Cardinals' second victory vs. the Cowboys in the previous 18 meetings, the other being a 25–22 overtime victory in week two of 1997 at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona lost its last four visits to Texas Stadium between 1999 and 2005, and finished with an all-time mark of 5–27 in the facility.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Cowboys.

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 25, New England Patriots 10
Running back Fred Taylor ran for 162 yards and a touchdown as the Jaguars won their first home playoff game in team history. Jacksonville kicker Mike Hollis contributed four field goals. Patriots running back Robert Edwards, who rushed for 1,115 yards and nine touchdowns during the season, was held to 28 yards on 17 carries.

The Patriots, playing without starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, receiver Terry Glenn and linebacker Ted Johnson due to injuries, could not score any points in the first half. Hollis opened up the scoring with two field goals. The second one was set up by a 46-yard run by Taylor and followed two overthrown passes by quarterback Mark Brunell to receiver Keenan McCardell and running back George Jones, who were both wide open in the end zone. Brunell struggled throughout most of the game, finishing with just 14 of 34 completions for 161 yards. Later in the second quarter, Taylor's 21-yard run gave his team a first down on the Patriots 34-yard line. Four plays later, he scored on a 13-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 12–0 lead after a failed 2-point conversion attempt. Jacksonville got another chance to score when cornerback Aaron Beasley recovered a fumble from Edwards on the Jags 49-yard line. But New England's defense managed to force a turnover on downs at the Patriots 23-yard line, and the score would remain 12–0 going into halftime.

In the third quarter, Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak managed to spark a rally. First he led New England 85 yards, including a 21-yard completion to Troy Brown on third and 9, on a drive that consumed 8:48 off the clock and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from Edwards. Their defense quickly forced a punt, and Brown returned it 17 yards to the Patriots 46-yard line, where the team proceeded to drive to the Jacksonville 9. Following a dropped pass by tight end Lovett Purnell on third down, Adam Vinatieri's 27-yard field goal cut it to 12–10. But on the Jaguars ensuing possession, Brunell threw a pass to receiver Jimmy Smith, who managed to break past cornerback Ty Law and make a 37-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. After a punt from each team, Jacksonville defensive end Joel Smeenge forced a fumble while sacking Zolak that defensive end Tony Brackens recovered on the Patriots 25-yard line, setting up Hollis' third field goal. He added a fourth field goal to close out the scoring after the Patriots turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory on their next possession. Then on New England's final play, Zolak was intercepted by safety Chris Hudson.

This would be the Jags' only victory against the Patriots, in either the regular or postseason, until Week 2 of the 2018 regular season. It would also be the Patriots' last playoff loss until 2005 and the last Wild Card loss until 2009.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Patriots and Jaguars. New England won the only prior meeting.

NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27
The 49ers defeated the Packers, who had eliminated them from the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, in one of the wildest back-and-forth games in league history in what would be the last hurrah in the 49ers dynasty.

Both teams took advantage of each other's turnovers and mistakes throughout the game. In the first quarter, Green Bay safety Pat Terrell's recovery of a fumble from receiver Terrell Owens set up a 48-yard drive that ended with a Ryan Longwell field goal. But later in the quarter, Chris Doleman recovered a fumble from Dorsey Levens on the Packers 17-yard line. Two plays later, Steve Young threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Clark, giving San Francisco a 7–3 lead. The Packers offense responded by driving 62 yards in nine plays, and Levens made up for his miscue with a 22-yard run to the 49ers 2-yard line on fourth down and 1. On the next play, quarterback Brett Favre finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman four seconds into the second quarter.

Later in the second quarter, 49ers cornerback R. W. McQuarters returned a punt 19 yards to the 47-yard line. Running back Garrison Hearst then rushed three times for 28 yards on a 37-yard drive that ended with a field goal by Wade Richey, tying the game at 10. But before the half ended, the Packers retook the lead with a 9-play, 83-yard drive, aided by two 15-yard penalties against San Francisco. Levens finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving Green Bay a 17–10 halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter, 49ers linebacker Lee Woodall intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 17 yards to the Packers 33-yard line. Four plays later, Owens dropped a pass in the end zone, but Young threw his second touchdown pass to Clark on the next play, tying the score at 17. Then after forcing a punt, they took the lead by driving 48 yards and scoring with a 48-yard field goal by Richey.

In the fourth quarter, the Packers drove 60 yards in 11 plays, featuring a 33-yard reception by fullback William Henderson, and scored a 37-yard field goal to tie the game. But on the 49ers ensuing drive, a 34-yard completion for Young to Owens set up another Richey field goal to put them back in the lead, 23–20. With 6:16 left in the game, 49ers cornerback Darnell Walker intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Packers 40-yard line, giving his team a chance to put it out of reach. But after two runs by Hearst failed to make a significant gain, Owens dropped a potential first-down catch, his fourth drop of the day, and San Francisco had to punt.

Taking the ball back at their own 11-yard line with 4:19 remaining, Favre led the Packers back to retake the lead on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Freeman at the end of an 89-yard drive, featuring a 47-yard completion to seldom-used rookie receiver Corey Bradford. But San Francisco responded with an equally impressive drive, in which Jerry Rice visibly fumbled on his first reception of the game, but was ruled down by contact even though replays appeared to show the ball came out before his knee hit the ground. The use of instant replay challenges was not in effect until the following year, allowing the drive to continue behind Young, who completed seven of nine passes on a 76-yard drive for the winning score. Owens, who had dropped four passes and lost a fumble, caught the 25-yard winning touchdown pass with three seconds left in the game.

Hearst finished the game with 128 rushing yards and three receptions for 15 yards. Levens rushed for 116 yards, caught six passes for 37 yards, and scored a touchdown. Favre threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, while Young passed for 182 yards and three scores. Both Young and Favre were intercepted twice. Packers receiver Roell Preston set a postseason franchise record with 198 kickoff return yards.

This game was later featured on the NFL's Greatest Games as The Catch II.

This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Packers and 49ers as well as the fourth year in the row they had played each other in the postseason. Green Bay won all three previous meetings.

NFC: Atlanta Falcons 20, San Francisco 49ers 18
Atlanta running back Jamal Anderson rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while the Falcons defense intercepted three passes from quarterback Steve Young as they barely escaped with a victory in the first playoff game ever played at the Georgia Dome. This would eventually prove to be the final postseason game in Young's Hall of Fame career, as well as the final game for 49ers defensive end Chris Doleman, who finished his 14-season career with 142.5 sacks.

On the first play of the game, the 49ers suffered a major setback when running back Garrison Hearst, who rushed for 1,570 yards during the season, suffered a broken ankle. This turned out to be a devastating injury that would prevent Hearst from playing another game until the 2001 season. Without Hearst, San Francisco would rush the ball only 19 times the rest of the game, and finished with just 47 yards on the ground. Hearst's 7-yard carry on his injury play would be the 49ers longest run of the day.

San Francisco was unable to get a first down on their first three possessions. At the end of their second one, Falcons receiver Tim Dwight returned Reggie Roby's 51-yard punt 36 yards to the 49ers 38-yard line. Atlanta then drove 38 yards in six plays to take a 7–0 lead on Anderson's 2-yard touchdown run. The key play of the drive with a 19-yard completion from Chris Chandler to Terance Mathis on third and 8 from the San Francisco 22.

Midway through the second quarter, Atlanta drove 82 yards in eight plays to go up 14–0 on a 34-yard burst by Anderson. On the 49ers next drive, backup running back Terry Kirby fumbled a pitch from Young. After several players scrambled for it, the ball bounced up in the air and was picked up by Atlanta's Chuck Smith, who returned it for an apparent touchdown. However, line judge Ron Baynes ruled that Kirby briefly gained possession of the ball and his knee was down when touched by Atlanta linebacker Henri Crockett, and the 49ers regained possession. A few plays later, faced with third and 23 Young picked up the first down with a 34-yard completion to Chuck Levy on the Falcons 26-yard line. His next pass went to tight end Greg Clark for nine yards, and then he threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice, cutting the score to 14–7. On the Falcons ensuing possession, linebacker Charles Haley deflected a pass from Chandler into the arms of defensive end Junior Bryant, who returned the interception four yards to the Falcons 36-yard line. A 16-yard completion from Young to J. J. Stokes set up Wade Richey's 36-yard field goal to cut the 49ers deficit to 14–10 on the last play of the half.

In the third quarter, the 49ers drove all the way to the Falcons 3-yard line. But safety Eugene Robinson intercepted a pass from Young and returned it 77 yards to the 49ers 20-yard line, leading to Morten Andersen's 29-yard field goal. Later in the quarter, the 49ers drove deep into Falcons territory again, only to have Young throw an interception to William White, who returned the ball 14 yards with a personal foul on the 49ers adding another 15. Atlanta got the ball on the 49ers 36-yard line, and a 16-yard reception by Tony Martin on third and 8 got the team close enough to score on Andersen's second field goal, giving his team a 20–10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco responded with an 87-yard, 13-play drive, featuring a 33-yard completion from Young to Stokes. On the last play, Young ran the ball into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown. Backup quarterback Ty Detmer fumbled the snap on the extra point attempt, but he picked up the ball and threw it to Clark for a successful 2-point conversion to make it 20–18 with 2:57 left in the game. San Francisco managed to force a punt, but Dan Stryzinski managed to pin them back at their own 4-yard line with 34 seconds and no timeouts left. Young threw a 24-yard completion to Levy on the second play after that. But on the next play, White's interception at midfield as time expired sealed the victory. This was the last game for Jerry Markbreit as he retired from officiating NFL football. His first postseason assignment was the 1978 Pro Bowl, and he never failed to get a playoff assignment for the next 20 seasons. He still holds the record for Super Bowls for referees with four (XVII, XXI, XXVI and XXIX).

This was the first postseason meeting between the 49ers and Falcons.

This was Steve Young's final playoff game.

AFC: Denver Broncos 38, Miami Dolphins 3
Denver blew out Miami, outgaining them in rushing yards 250–14 and scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions.

On their opening drive, they took 7:55 off the clock with a 14-play, 92-yard drive on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by Terrell Davis. Then after forcing a punt, they moved the ball much faster, driving 66 yards in four plays, including John Elway's 33-yard completion to Ed McCaffrey, and scoring with Davis' second touchdown on a 20-yard burst. Miami managed to respond with a 76-yard scoring drive in which Dan Marino completed three passes to O. J. McDuffie for 45 yards. The possession ended on a 22-yard field goal from Olindo Mare, making the score 14–3. However, the Broncos stormed right back, with Davis carrying the ball four times for 47 yards (including a 28-yard rush on the first play) on an 11-play, 87-yard drive that ended with Derek Loville's 11-yard touchdown run, giving them a 21–3 lead by halftime.

On the first play of the second half, Davis had a 62-yard run, setting up Jason Elam's field goal to make it 24–3. Miami prevented Denver from scoring for the rest of the quarter, but in the fourth quarter, Denver drove 52 yards and scored on Elway's 28-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith. Then on Miami's ensuing drive, defensive end Neil Smith closed out the scoring by returning a fumble 79 yards for a touchdown.

Davis ran for 199 yards, caught a pass for seven yards, and scored two touchdowns. Elway threw for 182 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 19 yards. Marino threw for 243 yards, but could not lead his team to a single touchdown and was intercepted twice. This was the only time that Hall of Famers Elway and Marino (both members of the famous 1983 draft class) faced each other in the playoffs; Elway was in his last season, and Marino in his next-to-last.

This game was Bill Carollo's first playoff game as a head referee.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Broncos.

AFC: New York Jets 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
Quarterback Vinny Testaverde passed for 284 yards as the Jets held the ball for 39:16. Receiver Keyshawn Johnson caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 28 yards and a touchdown, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass on defense near the end of the game when he was brought in as an extra defensive back. Jets running back Curtis Martin rushed for 124 yards, caught six passes for 58 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Jacksonville receiver Jimmy Smith caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Mark Brunell threw three touchdowns, but completed just 12 of 31 passes for 156 yards and was intercepted three times.

On the opening drive of the game, New York drove 70 yards in seven plays to score on Testaverde's 21-yard touchdown pass to Johnson. The rest of the first quarter would be scoreless, but on the second to last play, New York started a 59-yard drive that ended on John Hall's 51-yard field goal.

New York would go on to dominate the second quarter, holding the ball for all but 51 seconds of it. On their next drive, Martin lost a fumble that safety Chris Hudson initially recovered on the Jaguars 18-yard line. But during the return, he fumbled while attempting a lateral to teammate Dave Thomas as he was being tackled by Testaverde, and Johnson recovered the ball on New York's 34-yard line. The Jets then drove back into Jacksonville territory and scored with Johnson's 10-yard run. However, Brunell threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the last play of the half, cutting the score to 17–7.

Early in the third quarter, Jets safety Corwin Brown intercepted a pass from Brunell on third down and returned it 40 yards. On the ensuing drive, Testaverde's 23-yard completion to Johnson set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Martin. However, Jacksonville's Reggie Barlow returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to the New York 4-yard line, setting up a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brunell to Keenan McCardell and cutting their deficit to 24–14. New York struck right back, with Testaverde throwing for 70 yards on a six-minute drive then ended with Martin's second touchdown run to put them up 31–14 going into the fourth quarter.

But Jacksonville refused to give up. First, a 29-yard run by Fred Taylor set off a 64-yard scoring drive that ended on Brunell's 19-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Then linebacker Kevin Hardy forced a fumble from Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet that was recovered by Thomas on the Jets 41-yard line, setting up a field goal from Mike Hollis and bringing the Jaguars to within one touchdown, 31–24. New York responded by driving inside the Jacksonville 20-yard line. With 2:30 left in the game, rookie safety Donovin Darius intercepted a pass from Testaverde in the end zone, but instead on kneeling down for a touchback, he attempted to return the ball and was tackled at the one-yard line. Jacksonville was unable to get a first down on their ensuing drive and turned the ball over on downs. A few plays later, Hall kicked a field goal to put the game away. Johnson then put the finishing touch on his exceptional performance by intercepting Brunell on the next play.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Jaguars and Jets.

NFC: Minnesota Vikings 41, Arizona Cardinals 21
Running back Robert Smith led the Vikings to a victory as he ran for a team-playoff-record 124 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards. Fullback Leroy Hoard scored a franchise playoff record three touchdowns, while quarterback Randall Cunningham completed 17 of 27 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Arizona quarterback Jake Plummer threw for more yards than Cunningham, but was intercepted twice by Robert Griffith. Running back Mario Bates scored three touchdowns, but had only four rushing yards.

Minnesota opened up the game with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive, featuring a 21-yard completion from Cunningham to receiver David Palmer on third and 6. Hoard's 1-yard touchdown run finished the drive and gave the Vikings a 7–0 lead. Later in the quarter, the Vikings drove all the way to the Cardinals 7-yard line, but on the first play of the second quarter, cornerback Aeneas Williams intercepted a pass intended for Randy Moss in the end zone and returned it 47 yards. However, Griffith returned the favor a few plays later by intercepting Plummer and returning the ball 31 yards to the Vikings 38. On the next play, Cunningham completed a 45-yard pass to Moss, and eventually finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Glover, making the score 14–0. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Griffith intercepted another pass from Plummer and returned this one 15 yards to the Cardinals 16-yard line, setting up a 34-yard field goal by Gary Anderson that gave the Vikings a 17–0 lead before Arizona had made a single completion or gained a first down. Aided by four Vikings penalties, Arizona managed to respond with a 12-play, 80-yard drive to score on a 1-yard touchdown run from Bates, but Smith's three carries for 42 yards on the ensuing drive set up Hoard's 16-yard touchdown reception, increasing the Vikings' lead to 24–7 by halftime.

Arizona regrouped on their opening drive of the second half, driving 80 yards in 14 plays, including a 23-yard reception by Rob Moore on third and 4, to score on Bates' 1-yard touchdown run, cutting their deficit to 24–14. However, the Vikings would go on to dominate the rest of the half, starting with Cunningham's 45-yard completion to Cris Carter that set up a 20-yard Anderson field goal. The next time Arizona got the ball, Plummer fumbled a snap that was recovered by Minnesota's Antonio Banks on the Cardinals 10-yard line, leading to Cunningham's third touchdown pass of the day, a 3-yard pass to Moss.

In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals took advantage of a 36-yard punt return by Eric Metcalf that gave them a first down on the Vikings 25-yard line, converting it into Bates' third 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 34–21. But the Vikings subsequently put the game away with a 12-play, 73-yard drive to score on Hoard's 6-yard touchdown with 4:33 left on the clock.

Moore was the top receiver of the game with six receptions for 91 yards. Metcalf had 66 kick return yards, 36 punt return yards, and two receptions for nine yards.

The Cardinals 9–7 record and Wild Card win in Dallas ultimately did not signal a turnaround for the long-troubled franchise. They fell to 6–10 in the following year and would not make the playoffs again until 2008, when they advanced to Super Bowl XLIII.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Vikings. Minnesota won the only prior meeting when the Cardinals were in St. Louis.

NFC: Atlanta Falcons 30, Minnesota Vikings 27 (OT)
This was the first conference championship game to feature two teams who play their home games in domes. The 14–2 Falcons came into the game as 11-point underdogs, but managed to overcome a 13-point deficit (the largest comeback in an NFC Championship Game until the Falcons themselves blew a 17-point lead against the 49ers in 2012) and win an extremely competitive game late in overtime, making Minnesota the first 15–1 team ever to fail to reach the Super Bowl (a dubious feat since matched by two other 15–1 teams, the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2011 Green Bay Packers). The Vikings had set an NFL record with 556 points and won their nine previous home games by an average of 23 points, but they could not win this game despite maintaining a lead for nearly all of the time in regulation. For good measure, this was Atlanta's first away victory against the Vikings in ten attempts, including the postseason, dating back to 1966. Fox Sports ranked it the third most exciting NFC Championship Game ever.

Atlanta took the opening kickoff and moved the ball 76 yards in 12 plays to score with Chris Chandler's 5-yard pass to Jamal Anderson. Aided by a 30-yard pass interference penalty on Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan, Minnesota struck right back on their first drive with Randall Cunningham's 31-yard scoring strike to Randy Moss.

In the second quarter, Vikings linebacker Ed McDaniel recovered a fumble from Harold Green on the Minnesota 40-yard line, which the team converted into a Gary Anderson field goal. Then on the first play of Atlanta's following drive, Orlando Thomas forced a fumble from tight end O. J. Santiago that Robert Griffith recovered and returned nine yards to the Falcons 33-yard line. Cunningham completed an 18-yard pass to Moss on the next play, and eventually finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that increased his team's lead to 17–7 with five minutes left in the half. Atlanta had to punt after three plays on their ensuing drive, and Dan Stryzinski's 42-yard kick gave Minnesota good field position on their own 43-yard line. The Vikings blew a chance at another touchdown when Moss dropped a pass in the end zone, but Anderson kicked another field goal to make the score 20–7. After forcing another Atlanta punt, Stryzinski's 44-yard kick sent the ball back to the Vikings on their own 18-yard line with 1:17 left in the half. Rather than simply run out the clock, the team decided to attempt to make a drive for points, but their gamble backfired horribly as Falcons defensive end Chuck Smith forced a fumble from Cunningham that Atlanta defensive end Travis Hall recovered on the Vikings 14, setting up Chandler's 14-yard touchdown pass to Terance Mathis to cut their deficit to 20–14 by the end of the half. It was the turning point for the Falcons, as the game's momentum began to shift their way (albeit subtly).

Atlanta forced the Vikings to punt on the opening drive of the second half, and two plays by receiver Tim Dwight, a 26-yard punt return and a 21-yard run, set up Morten Andersen's 27-yard field goal to cut their deficit to three points. The Vikings countered on their ensuing possession, driving 82 yards in 15 plays and scoring on Matthew Hatchette's 5-yard reception (his only touchdown of the season) to make the score 27–17 with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Receiver Cris Carter made two big receptions on the drive, converting a third and 10 with a 12-yard catch and later hauling in a 17-yard gain on third and 8.

Atlanta responded with Chandler's 70-yard completion to Tony Martin setting up a score on Andersen's 24-yard field goal that narrowed the gap to 27–20 with 11:02 left in the game. After a punt from each team, Atlanta got a chance to score when defensive end Shane Dronett recovered a fumbled snap from Cunningham on the Vikings 30-yard line. However, they turned the ball over on downs with Chandler's incomplete pass on a fourth and 4 attempt with six minutes left in regulation.

Minnesota then drove to the Falcons' 20-yard line, setting up a 38-yard field goal attempt for Anderson, who had not missed a field goal all season. Another successful kick would have wrapped up the NFC title for Minnesota, but Anderson's kick sailed wide left, giving the ball back to Atlanta with 2:07 left and new life. Chandler then led his team down to the Vikings 16-yard line, including a 29-yard completion to seldom-used receiver Ronnie Harris. Following a near interception by Griffith, Mathis' 16-yard touchdown catch tied the game with 49 seconds left. Vikings coach Dennis Green then chose to kneel down and sent the game into overtime. By this point, the Vikings had lost five starting players to injury, including Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle.

After the first three possessions of overtime ended in punts, Vikings punter Mitch Berger's 52-yard kick gave Atlanta the ball at their own 9-yard line. Chandler, now visibly limping due to an ankle injury, completed two passes to Santiago for gains of 15 and 26 yards on a 70-yard drive to the Minnesota 21-yard line where Andersen kicked a 38-yard field goal to win the game.

Chandler had one of the best games of his career, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Martin caught five passes for 129 yards. Cunningham also had a solid performance, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 13 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Dwight had 173 all-purpose yards (four kick returns for 110 yards, two punt returns for 35 yards, and three carries for 28 yards).

Numerous references to this game are made in "Little Minnesota", an episode from the television series How I Met Your Mother.

The game was featured as one of the NFL's Greatest Games as Andersen and Anderson.

This was the first NFC Championship Game to go to overtime (since, there have already been five other instances, with the 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2018 NFC Championship Games going to overtime).

This was the second postseason meeting between the Falcons and Vikings. Minnesota won the only prior meeting.

AFC: Denver Broncos 23, New York Jets 10
In John Elway's last home game of his career, he completed only 13 of 34 passes. However, running back Terrell Davis, the NFL MVP in 1998, ran for 167 yards and a touchdown, and Denver capitalized on six turnovers (two interceptions by Darrien Gordon and four fumbles) by the Jets to overcome a 10–0 deficit. Jets running back Curtis Martin was held to just 14 rushing yards on 13 carries. New York quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw for 356 yards, but no touchdowns and was intercepted twice. Gordon returned five punts for 79 yards and two interceptions for 48.

Both teams blew scoring opportunities throughout the first half. The Jets took the opening kickoff and drove deep into Denver territory, only to have John Hall miss a 42-yard field goal attempt. New York forced the Broncos to punt on their ensuing possession, and Dave Meggett gave his team good field position with a 33-yard return. However, Martin lost a fumble on the Broncos 44-yard line and cornerback Tyrone Braxton recovered it. Then Denver took the ball and drove all the way to the Jets 1-yard line, only to give it back when linebacker Mo Lewis deflected Elway's pass on a fourth down conversion attempt.

In the second quarter, Broncos punter Tom Rouen fumbled a snap and was downed on the Denver 43-yard line. New York subsequently drove to the 18-yard line, but then fullback Keith Byars fumbled the ball and linebacker John Mobley recovered it. Denver had to punt on their next drive, and Meggett returned the punt 10 yards to the Jets 40-yard line. This time, New York was finally able to take advantage of good field position, as Testaverde's completions to Wayne Chrebet and Dedric Ward for gains of 20 and 26 yards set up Hall's 32-yard field goal to give the team a 3–0 lead on the last play of the first half.

In the third quarter, Jets tight end Blake Spence blocked a punt and recovered it on the Broncos 1-yard line. On the next play, Martin scored a 1-yard touchdown run to increase their lead to 10–0. However, Denver stormed back with 23 unanswered points. On their ensuing kickoff, Vaughn Hebron returned the ball 28 yards to the Denver 36. Then Elway completed a 47-yard pass to Ed McCaffrey on the Jets 17-yard line. Two plays later, his 11-yard touchdown pass to Howard Griffith cut the score to 10–7. Then the Broncos caught a lucky break when the ensuing kickoff bounced back in their direction and was recovered by linebacker Keith Burns, setting up Jason Elam's 44-yard field goal to tie the game. Then after forcing a punt, Gordon returned the ball 11 yards to the Denver 44. The Broncos moved the ball 27 yards in eight plays, including a 20-yard run by Davis, to score on Elam's 48-yard field goal, giving the Broncos their first lead of the game. With time running out in the third quarter, Gordon's 36-yard punt return gave the Broncos great field position on the Jets 38-yard line. A few plays later, Davis' 31-yard touchdown burst 18 seconds before the fourth quarter gave them a 20–10 lead.

Denver went on to dominate the fourth quarter, forcing three turnovers. On their first one possession of the quarter, Broncos safety Steve Atwater forced and recovered a fumble from receiver Alex Van Dyke. After the next three drives ended in punts, Gordon intercepted a pass from Testaverde and returned it 18 yards to the Jets 18-yard line, where Elam kicked a 35-yard field goal to close out the scoring. On New York's next drive, Gordon recorded his second interception with 2:47 left on the clock.

This game would be Bill Parcells' only career loss in a conference championship game.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Jets and Broncos.

Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Broncos and Falcons.

title: 1998–99 NFL playoffs


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title: Category:908 deaths