1999 St. Louis Rams season

The 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 62nd year with the National Football League and the fifth season in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13–3, and went on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

1999 St. Louis Rams season
Head coach	Dick Vermeil
Owner	Georgia Frontiere
Home field	Trans World Dome
Local radio	KSD–FM 93.7
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st NFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings) 49–37 Won NFC Championship (Buccaneers) 11–6 Won Super Bowl XXXIV (vs. Titans) 23–16
Pro Bowlers	QB Kurt Warner RB Marshall Faulk WR Isaac Bruce T Orlando Pace DT D'marco Farr DE Kevin Carter CB Todd Lyght
Team MVP	Marshall Faulk
Team ROY	Torry Holt

It was the team's first playoff appearance in St. Louis, their first since 1989, and their first division title since 1985.

The Rams were undefeated at home for the first time since 1973.[1] On the road, the Rams were 5–3. In the post-season, they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, who had just posted one of the greatest offenses in NFL history the year before, by a score of 49–37 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs and went on to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11–6 in the NFC Championship Game. Both of those games were played in St. Louis. The Rams then won their first ever Super Bowl title, defeating the Tennessee Titans by a score of 23–16 in Super Bowl XXXIV. The game was played on January 30, 2000 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. It was also the franchise's first NFL World Championship since 1951, when the Rams played in Los Angeles. The Rams also became the first “dome-field” (indoor home games) team to win a Super Bowl.

It was the first season of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense. The 1999 Rams remain one of only five teams in NFL history to score more than 30 points twelve separate times in a single season.[note 1][2] On defense, the Rams recorded seven interceptions returned for touchdowns, third most in NFL history.[3]

The Rams were the third St. Louis-based pro sports team to win a major championship, joining the, then, nine-time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball and the 1957–58 St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks of the NBA. They would be followed by two more World Series championships by the St. Louis Cardinals and a championship by the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals which made St. Louis the eighth city to win a championship in each of the four major U.S. sports.

Quarterback Kurt Warner was the MVP in both the regular season and in Super Bowl XXXIV.

It was the final season the Rams wore their 1973-1999 uniforms that had been synonymous with their time in Los Angeles (they brought them back as their home uniform set beginning in 2018).

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1999 NFL Draft

1999 St. Louis Rams draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	6	Torry Holt *	Wide receiver	NC State
2	41	Dré Bly *	Cornerback	North Carolina
3	68	Rich Coady	Safety	Texas A&M
4	101	Joe Germaine	Quarterback	Ohio State
5	145	Cameron Spikes	Guard	Texas A&M
6	176	Lionel Barnes	Defensive end	Louisiana–Monroe
7	252	Rodney Williams	Punter	Georgia Tech
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[4]

Final Roster

1999 St. Louis Rams final roster

	Quarterbacks  9 Joe Germaine 16 Paul Justin 13 Kurt Warner Running backs 28 Marshall Faulk 42 James Hodgins FB 25 Robert Holcombe FB 31 Amp Lee 36 Justin Watson Wide receivers 80 Isaac Bruce 81 Az-Zahir Hakim PR 88 Torry Holt 82 Tony Horne KR 87 Ricky Proehl 83 Chris Thomas Tight ends 84 Ernie Conwell 45 Jeff Robinson 86 Roland Williams		Offensive linemen 60 Mike Gruttadauria C 64 Andy McCollum C 73 Fred Miller RT 61 Tom Nütten LG 76 Orlando Pace LT 71 Cameron Spikes G 62 Adam Timmerman RG 50 Ryan Tucker C 77 Matt Willig T Defensive linemen 99 Ray Agnew DT 92 Lionel Barnes DE 93 Kevin Carter DE 75 D'Marco Farr DT 95 Nate Hobgood-Chittick DT 96 Jay Williams DT 98 Grant Wistrom DE 90 Jeff Zgonina DT		Linebackers 56 Charlie Clemons MLB 54 Todd Collins RLB 59 London Fletcher MLB 52 Mike Jones LLB 57 Leonard Little LB 58 Mike Morton OLB 91 Troy Pelshak RLB 51 Lorenzo Styles MLB Defensive backs 20 Taje Allen 32 Dré Bly DB 23 Devin Bush Sr. SS 24 Ron Carpenter S/KR 38 Rich Coady FS 22 Billy Jenkins SS 41 Todd Lyght CB 35 Keith Lyle FS 21 Dexter McCleon CB Special teams  2 Mike Horan P 14 Jeff Wilkins K		Reserve lists 63 John Flannery OG (IR) 10 Trent Green QB (IR) 89 Chad Lewis TE (IR) 11 Rick Tuten P (IR) Practice squad 26 Clifton Crosby DB 33 Derrick Harris RB Rookies in italics 53 active, 4 inactive, 2 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 7	Oakland Raiders	L 17–18	0–1	Trans World Dome	Recap
2	August 21	at Chicago Bears	L 24–38	0–2	Soldier Field	Recap
3	August 28	San Diego Chargers	W 24–21	1–2	Trans World Dome	Recap
4	September 2	at Detroit Lions	W 17–6	2–2	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 12	Baltimore Ravens	W 27–10	1-0	Trans World Dome	Recap
2	Bye
3	September 26	Atlanta Falcons	W 35–7	2–0	Trans World Dome	Recap
4	October 3	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 38–10	3–0	Cinergy Field	Recap
5	October 10	San Francisco 49ers	W 42–20	4–0	Trans World Dome	Recap
6	October 17	at Atlanta Falcons	W 41–13	5–0	Georgia Dome	Recap
7	October 24	Cleveland Browns	W 34–3	6–0	Trans World Dome	Recap
8	October 31	at Tennessee Titans	L 21–24	6–1	Adelphia Coliseum	Recap
9	November 7	at Detroit Lions	L 27–31	6–2	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
10	November 14	Carolina Panthers	W 35–10	7–2	Trans World Dome	Recap
11	November 21	at San Francisco 49ers	W 23–7	8–2	3Com Park	Recap
12	November 28	New Orleans Saints	W 43–12	9–2	Trans World Dome	Recap
13	December 5	at Carolina Panthers	W 34–21	10–2	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
14	December 12	at New Orleans Saints	W 30–14	11–2	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
15	December 19	New York Giants	W 31–10	12–2	Trans World Dome	Recap
16	December 26	Chicago Bears	W 34–12	13–2	Trans World Dome	Recap
17	January 2	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 31–38	13–3	Veterans Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Baltimore Ravens

1 2 3 4 Total Ravens 0 3 7 0 10 • Rams 3 14 0 10 27 Date: September 12 Location: TWA Dome, St. Louis, Missouri Game start: 12:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 62,100 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Tom White TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson (play–by–play), Brent Jones (color commentator)

Scoring summary 1 6:04 STL Jeff Wilkins 36 yard field goal STL 3–0 2 1:32 STL Roland Williams 6 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 10–0 2 9:00 BAL Matt Stover 25 yard field goal STL 10–3 2 14:27 STL Isaac Bruce 2 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 17–3 3 14:45 BAL Brandon Stokley 28 yard pass from Scott Mitchell (136 Yards kick) STL 17–10 4 13:39 STL Jeff Wilkins 51 yard field goal STL 20–10 4 12:20 STL Torry Holt 19 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 27–10

[5]

Week 2: Bye Week

Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons

1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 0 0 7 0 7 • Rams 7 21 7 0 35 Date: September 26 Location: TWA Dome, St. Louis, Missouri Game start: 12:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 2:48 Game attendance: 63,253 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert (play–by–play), Tim Green (color commentator), Pete Peterson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 10:13 STL Robert Holcombe 1 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 2 0:07 STL Torry Holt 38 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–0 2 0:36 STL Isaac Bruce 46 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–0 2 8:25 STL Marshall Faulk 17 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 28–0 3 7:28 ATL Brian Kozlowski 1 yard pass from Tony Graziani (Morten Andersen kick) STL 28–7 3 13:06 STL Kurt Warner 5 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 35–7

[6]

Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 3 4 Total • Rams 7 14 14 3 38 Bengals 3 0 0 7 10 Date: October 3 Location: Cinergy Field, Cincinnati Game start: 12:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 45,481 Game weather: 62 °F (16.7 °C) relative humidity 57%, no wind Referee: Phil Luckett TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee (play–by–play), Brian Baldinger (color commentator), Pete Peterson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 6:55 CIN Doug Pelfrey 26 yard field goal CIN 3–0 1 9:25 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 9 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–3 2 3:22 STL Robert Holcombe 1 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–3 2 11:55 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 51 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–3 3 2:01 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 84 yard punt return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 28–3 3 12:28 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 18 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 35–3 4 4:18 STL Jeff Wilkins 19 yard field goal STL 38–3 4 12:34 CIN Akili Smith 1 yard rush (Doug Pelfrey kick) STL 38–10

[7]

With this win the Rams moved to 3–0 in Kurt Warner's first three games as starting quarterback

Week 5: vs. San Francisco 49ers

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 3 14 3 0 20 • Rams 21 7 7 7 42 Date: October 10 Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 65,872 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Bill Carollo TV announcers (Fox): Ray Bentley (play–by–play), Ron Pitts (color commentator), Pete Peterson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 7:18 STL Isaac Bruce 13 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 1 10:31 STL Isaac Bruce 5 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–0 1 13:26 SFO Wade Richey 42 yard field goal STL 14–3 1 13:48 STL Isaac Bruce 45 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–3 2 2:36 SFO Lawrence Phillips 2 yard rush (Wade Richey kick) STL 21–10 2 10:51 STL Jeff Robinson 22 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 28–10 2 13:01 SFO Junior Bryant defensive fumble recovery in end zone (Wade Richey kick) STL 28–17 3 13:18 SFO Wade Richey 43 yard field goal STL 28–20 3 13:35 STL Tony Horne 97 yard kickoff return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 35–20 4 3:49 STL Isaac Bruce 42 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 42–20

[8]

This game ended the Rams’ 17-game losing streak against the 49ers. It was also the Rams' first home win against the 49ers since moving to St. Louis. The Rams had not beaten the 49ers at home since 1986, when they were located in Anaheim.

Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons

1 2 3 4 Total • Rams 14 14 6 7 41 Falcons 0 10 0 3 13 Date: October 17 Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta Game start: 12:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 51,973 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee (play–by–play), Brian Baldinger (color commentator), Mike Goldberg (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 5:40 STL Isaac Bruce 4 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 1 12:57 STL Marshall Faulk 6 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–0 2 3:41 ATL Bob Christian 13 yard pass from Chris Chandler (Morten Andersen kick) STL 14–7 2 4:01 STL Tony Horne 101 yard kickoff return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–7 2 13:18 STL Grant Wistrom 91 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 28–7 2 14:28 ATL Morten Andersen 20 yard field goal STL 28–10 3 2:18 STL Jeff Wilkins 22 yard field goal STL 31–10 3 7:26 STL Jeff Wilkins 49 yard field goal STL 34–10 4 4:34 STL Robert Holcombe 1 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 41–10 4 10:35 ATL Morten Andersen 25 yard field goal STL 41–13

[9]

The Rams moved to 5–0 with this win over the 1998 NFC champions.

Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns

1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 0 0 0 3 • Rams 14 7 3 10 34 Date: October 24 Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 65,866 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson (play–by–play), Brent Jones (color commentator)

Scoring summary 1 6:26 STL Roland Williams 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 1 8:11 STL Isaac Bruce 4 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–0 1 14:43 CLE Phil Dawson 47 yard field goal STL 14–3 2 4:01 STL Roland Williams 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–3 3 11:47 STL Jeff Wilkins 28 yard field goal STL 24–3 4 0:10 STL Marshall Faulk 33 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 31–3 4 10:54 STL Jeff Wilkins 36 yard field goal STL 34–3

[10]

The Rams ran their record to 6–0 against the revived Cleveland franchise.

Week 8: at Tennessee Titans

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 0 14 7 21 • Titans 21 0 3 0 24 Date: October 31 Location: Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville Game start: 1:03 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 66,415 Game weather: 76 °F (24.4 °C), wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn) Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton (play–by–play), Matt Millen (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 6:32 TEN Lorenzo Neal 1 yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick) TEN 7–0 1 12:19 TEN Eddie George 17 yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick) TEN 14–0 1 13:36 TEN Steve McNair 10 yard rush (Al Del Greco kick) TEN 21–0 3 0:27 STL Marshall Faulk 57 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) TEN 21–7 3 7:05 STL Isaac Bruce 3 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) TEN 21–14 3 10:42 TEN Al Del Greco 27 yard field goal TEN 24–14 4 12:46 STL Amp Lee 15 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins TEN 24–21

[11]

Despite a second half comeback, 21 unanswered first half points by the newly christened Titans enables them to inflict the Rams’ first defeat in a Super Bowl preview.

Week 9: at Detroit Lions

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 2 10 0 15 27 • Lions 0 10 11 10 31 Date: November 7 Location: Pontiac Silverdome Game start: 1:01 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 73,224 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton (play–by–play), Matt Millen (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 8:02 STL safety, London Fletcher tackled Greg Hill in end zone STL 2–0 2 0:41 DET Germane Crowell 4 yard pass from Charlie Batch (Jason Hanson kick) DET 7–2 2 3:28 STL Jeff Robinson 6 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 9–7 2 8:09 DET Jason Hanson 29 yard field goal DET 10–9 2 14:19 STL Jeff Wilkins 34 yard field goal STL 12–10 3 9:20 DET Cory Schlesinger 3 yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Germane Crowell pass from Frerotte) DET 18–12 3 4:49 DET Jason Hanson 43 yard field goal DET 21–12 4 4:54 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 75 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) DET 21–19 4 8:50 DET Jason Hanson 44 yard field goal DET 24–19 4 12:18 STL Ryan Tucker 2 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Isaac Bruce pass from Warner) STL 27–24 4 14:32 DET Johnnie Morton 12 yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Jason Hanson kick) DET 31–27

[12]

Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 7 3 0 0 10 • Rams 14 7 7 7 35 Date: November 14 Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis Game start: 12:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 65,965 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Phil Luckett TV announcers (Fox): Ray Bentley (play–by–play), Ron Pitts (color commentator), Pete Peterson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 5:22 CAR Wesley Walls 14 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (John Kasay kick) CAR 7–0 1 7:58 STL Isaac Bruce 22 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) 7–7 1 14:45 STL Todd Lyght 57 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–7 2 5:31 STL Roland Williams 19 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–7 2 0:44 CAR John Kasay 24 yard field goal STL 21–10 3 3:35 STL Mike Jones 37 yard defensive fumble return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 28–10 4 13:49 STL Marshall Faulk 18 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 35–10

[13]

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

1 2 3 4 Total • Rams 3 10 10 0 23 49ers 0 7 0 0 7 Date: November 21 Location: 3Com Park, San Francisco Game start: 4:15 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 68,193 Game weather: 55 °F (12.8 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Tony Corrente TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall (play–by–play), John Madden (color commentator), D. J. Johnson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 10:13 STL Jeff Wilkins 40 yard field goal STL 3–0 2 6:47 SFO Fred Beasley 1 yard rush (Wade Richey kick) SFO 7–3 2 11:58 STL Isaac Bruce 5 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 10–7 2 15:00 STL Jeff Wilkins 20 yard field goal STL 13–7 3 5:19 STL Mike Jones 44 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 20–7 3 12:37 STL Jeff Wilkins 49 yard field goal STL 23–7

[14]

With this win the Rams swept the 49ers for the first time since the 1980 season nineteen years previously.

Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints

1 2 3 4 Total Saints 3 9 0 0 12 • Rams 7 8 7 21 43 Date: November 28 Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:14 Game attendance: 65,864 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Bill Carollo TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen (play–by–play), Bill Maas (color commentator), Pete Peterson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 1:02 STL Torry Holt 25 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 1 8:23 NOR Doug Brien 51 yard field goal STL 7–3 2 0:04 NOR Doug Brien 42 yard field goal STL 7–6 2 5:52 NOR Doug Brien 45 yard field goal NOR 9–7 2 7:45 STL Marshall Faulk 1 yard rush (Faulk run) STL 15–9 2 14:53 NOR Doug Brien 35 yard field goal STL 15–12 3 11:52 STL Marshall Faulk 6 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 22–12 4 2:45 STL Robert Holcombe 3 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 29–12 4 8:24 STL Torry Holt 20 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 36–12 4 13:46 STL James Hodgins 1 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 43–12

[15]

Week 13: at Carolina Panthers

1 2 3 4 Total • Rams 14 7 0 13 34 Panthers 0 7 7 7 21 Date: December 5 Location: Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 62,285 Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C), humidity 49%, wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Larry Nemmers TV announcers (Fox): Ray Bentley (play–by–play), Ron Pitts (color commentator), Rich Brenner (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 4:48 STL Roland Williams 14 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 1 9:19 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 48 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–0 2 10:33 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 49 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 21–0 2 14:19 CAR Wesley Walls 15 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (John Kasay kick) STL 21–7 3 9:43 CAR Donald Hayes 36 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (John Kasay kick) STL 21–14 4 0:10 STL Jeff Wilkins 44 yard field goal STL 24–14 4 0:29 CAR Patrick Jeffers 71 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (John Kasay kick) STL 24–21 4 5:12 STL Dre' Bly 53 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 31–21 4 11:21 STL Jeff Wilkins 29 yard field goal STL 34–21

[16]

The Rams won their tenth game and clinched the NFC West Division title for the first time since 1985.

Week 14: at New Orleans Saints

1 2 3 4 Total • Rams 7 17 3 3 30 Saints 6 8 0 0 14 Date: December 12 Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans Game start: 1:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 2:59 Game attendance: 46,838 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman (play–by–play), Jeff Lageman (color commentator), Jim Gallagher (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 4:19 NOR Doug Brien 29 yard field goal NOR 3–0 1 9:21 STL Robert Holcombe 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–3 1 13:31 NOR Doug Brien 26 yard field goal STL 7–6 2 5:51 NOR Cam Cleeland 2 yard pass from Billy Joe Tolliver (Eddie Kennison pass from Tolliver) NOR 14–7 2 7:36 STL Jeff Wilkins 40 yard field goal NOR 14–10 2 11:32 STL Marshall Faulk 4 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 17–14 2 14:09 STL Marshall Faulk 30 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 24–14 3 5:40 STL Jeff Wilkins 30 yard field goal STL 27–14 4 2:29 STL Jeff Wilkins 38 yard field goal STL 30–14

[17]

The Rams clinched a first-round bye for the first time since 1985.

Week 15: vs. New York Giants

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 0 3 7 10 • Rams 3 7 7 14 31 Date: December 19 Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 66,065 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Gerry Austin TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton (play–by–play), Matt Millen (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 11:36 STL Jeff Wilkins 47 yard field goal STL 3–0 2 1:29 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 3 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 10–0 3 4:52 NYG Cary Blanchard 23 yard field goal STL 10–3 3 9:35 STL Devin Bush 45 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 17–3 4 1:02 STL Az-Zahir Hakim 65 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 24–3 4 7:50 STL Mike Jones 22 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 31–3 4 10:12 NYG Ike Hilliard 7 yard pass from Kerry Collins (Cary Blanchard kick) STL 31–10

[18]

With a 12–2 record with two games remaining, the Rams clinched home field advantage for the first time since 1985.

Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears

1 2 3 4 Total Bears 0 0 6 6 12 • Rams 0 17 14 3 34 Date: December 26 Location: Trans World Dome, St. Louis Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 65,941 Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Tom White TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert (play–by–play), Tim Green (color commentator), Pete Peterson (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 2 6:24 STL Marshall Faulk 48 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 2 12:49 STL Roland Williams 2 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–0 2 14:16 STL Jeff Wilkins 38 yard field goal STL 17–0 3 5:01 STL Isaac Bruce 4 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 24–0 3 6:52 STL Grant Wistrom 40 yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 31–0 3 12:00 CHI Bobby Engram 8 yard pass from Shane Matthews (pass failed) STL 31–6 4 3:42 CHI Bobby Engram 4 yard pass from Shane Matthews (pass failed) STL 31–12 4 9:55 STL Jeff Wilkins 28 yard field goal STL 34–12

[19]

Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 7 10 7 7 31 • Eagles 3 14 7 14 38 Date: January 2, 2000 Location: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia Game start: 1:02 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:24 Game attendance: 60,700 Game weather: 54 °F (12.2 °C), humidity 74%, wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn) Referee: Mike Carey TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert (play–by–play), Tim Green (color commentator)

Scoring summary 1 5:18 STL Marshall Faulk 8 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 7–0 1 7:33 PHI David Akers 46 yard field goal STL 7–3 2 3:03 STL Marshall Faulk 1 yard rush (Jeff Wilkins kick) STL 14–3 2 4:46 PHI Torrance Small 63 yard pass from Donovan McNabb (Norm Johnson kick) STL 14–10 2 8:40 STL Jeff Wilkins 47 yard field goal STL 17–10 2 14:28 PHI Duce Staley 3 yard pass from Donovan McNabb (Norm Johnson kick) 17–17 3 2:45 PHI Mike Mamula 41 yard interception return (Norm Johnson kick) PHI 24–17 3 5:38 STL Torry Holt 15 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) 24–24 4 4:05 PHI Chad Lewis 5 yard pass from Donovan McNabb (Norm Johnson kick) PHI 31–24 4 13:44 PHI Al Harris 17 yard interception return (Norm Johnson kick) PHI 38–24 4 14:01 STL Torry Holt 63 yard pass from Joe Germaine (Jeff Wilkins kick) PHI 38–31

[20]

The Rams lost 38–31 but finished 13–3 to gain the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(1) St. Louis Rams	13	3	0	.813	526	242	L1
Carolina Panthers	8	8	0	.500	421	381	W1
Atlanta Falcons	5	11	0	.313	285	380	W2
San Francisco 49ers	4	12	0	.250	295	453	L3
New Orleans Saints	3	13	0	.188	260	434	L1

Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner at the Super Bowl XXXIV post-game press conference

Warner was the backup quarterback for the St. Louis Rams during the 1998 regular season and the 1999 preseason. When starting quarterback Trent Green was injured in a preseason game, Warner took over as the starter. With the support of running back Marshall Faulk and wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl, Warner completed one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history by throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1 percent. The Rams' high-powered offense was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" and registered the first in a string of three consecutive 500-point seasons, an NFL record. Warner threw three touchdown passes in each of the first three games in the 1999 season, his first three NFL starts. He is the only NFL quarterback in history to accomplish that feat, and only the second other than Dan Marino to do it in his first two NFL starts.

Warner really drew attention, however, in the season's fourth game against the San Francisco 49ers, who had been NFC West Division champs for 12 of the previous 13 seasons. The Rams had lost 17 of their previous 18 meetings with the 49ers and had a 3–0 record along with the 49ers’ 3–1 record. Warner proceeded to throw three touchdown passes on the Rams' first three possessions of the game and four in the first half to propel the Rams to a 28–10 halftime lead on the way to a 42–20 victory. Warner finished the game with five touchdown passes, giving him 14 in four games and, more importantly, the Rams a 4–0 record. After many years of defeats and losing records, football experts finally had to take notice.

Warner's breakout season from a career in anonymity was so unexpected that Sports Illustrated featured him on their October 18 cover with the caption “Who IS this guy?”[21] He was named the 1999 NFL MVP at the season's end.

In the NFL playoffs, Warner led the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory against the Tennessee Titans. He threw for two touchdowns and a then Super Bowl record 414 passing yards, including a 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce when the game was tied with just over two minutes to play. Warner also set a Super Bowl record by attempting 45 passes without a single interception.

Warner was awarded the 1999 Super Bowl MVP, becoming one of only six players to win both the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the same year. The others are Bart Starr in 1966, Terry Bradshaw in 1978, Joe Montana in 1989, Emmitt Smith in 1993, and Steve Young in 1994.

Playoffs

Main article: 1999–2000 NFL playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
NFC Divisional	January 16, 2000	Minnesota Vikings	W 49–37	1–0	Trans World Dome	Recap
NFC Championship	January 23, 2000	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 11–6	2–0	Trans World Dome	Recap
Super Bowl XXXIV	January 30, 2000	vs. Tennessee Titans	W 23–16	3–0	Georgia Dome	Recap

NFC Divisional Playoff

St. Louis Rams 49, Minnesota Vikings 37

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	3	14	0	20	37
Rams	14	0	21	14	49

at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• Game attendance: 66,194
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall (play–by–play), John Madden (color commentator) D. J. Johnson, and Ron Pitts (sideline reporters)

As expected, this match between the two high powered offenses produced a lot of points (86), and yards (880, 475 by St. Louis, 405 by Minnesota). But after falling behind 17–14, St. Louis stormed to victory with 35 consecutive second half points to open a 49 to 17 lead early in the fourth quarter. It was also the first NFL Playoff game ever played in St. Louis.

NFC Championship Game

St. Louis Rams 11, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	3	0	3	0	6
Rams	3	2	0	6	11

at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• Game attendance: 66,396
• Referee: Bill Carollo
• TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator), D. J. Johnson, and Ron Pitts (sideline reporters)

The Rams and Buccaneers, a rematch of the 1979 NFC Championship game, would slug it out for most of the game, with the Buccaneers defense holding the Rams highly-potent offense in check. Tampa Bay, weak on offense, would only muster two field goals, and gave up a costly safety in the second quarter when a bad snap from center went over the head of rookie quarterback Shaun King and out of the endzone. Despite this, the Buccaneers nursed an unusual 6–5 lead into the 4th Quarter. The Rams broke open a defense dominated game when Kurt Warner threw a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl, his first and only touchdown catch of the season, with 4:44 left in the game.

The Buccaneers would mount a drive on their final possession, however a replay overturned what appeared to be a 2nd down reception by Buccaneers wide receiver Bert Emanuel which would have set up a short-yardage 3rd down. Emanuel dove for a catch and clasped the ball between two hands, then upon falling, the ball touched the turf while in Emanuel's hands. The ruling on the field was a completed catch, but was overturned on review because the ball had touched the ground before Emanuel was deemed in possession of it. Following this, the Buccaneers threw incomplete passes on 3rd and 4th down and the Rams were able to kneel out the clock.

This was the Rams’ first NFC Championship win since the 1979 season.

Super Bowl XXXIV

Main article: Super Bowl XXXIV

The first half of Super Bowl XXXIV had been uncharacteristically low-scoring for St. Louis, as they scored only three Jeff Wilkins field goals in the first half. The Rams finally got into the end zone in the third quarter, with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Torry Holt, giving St. Louis a 16–0 lead. Tennessee, however, scored 16 unanswered points with two Eddie George touchdown runs (1- and 2-yards respectively, the first with a failed two-point conversion attempt), and a 43-yard Al Del Greco field goal.

On St. Louis’ first play from scrimmage after Tennessee's tying field goal, Warner threw a 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce to take a 23–16 lead with just under two minutes left in the game, which would give Tennessee one more chance to tie the game with a touchdown.

The Titans took over the ball at their own 10-yard line with 1:54 left in the game after committing a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff. McNair started out the drive with a pair of completions to Mason and Wycheck for gains of 9 and 7 yards to reach the 28-yard line. Then after throwing an incompletion, defensive back Dre' Bly’s 15-yard facemask penalty while tackling McNair on a 12-yard scramble gave the Titans a first down at the St. Louis 45-yard line. On the next play, St. Louis was penalized 5 yards for being offsides, moving the ball to the 40-yard line with 59 seconds left. McNair then ran for 2 yards, followed by a 7-yard completion to wide receiver Kevin Dyson. Three plays later, with the Titans facing 3rd down and 5 to go, McNair was hit by two Rams’ defenders, but he escaped and completed a 16-yard pass to Dyson to gain a first down at the Rams 10-yard line.

Tennessee then used up their final timeout with just 6 seconds left in the game, giving them a chance for one last play. McNair threw a short pass to Kevin Dyson down the middle, which looked certain to tie up the game, until Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Dyson at the one-yard line as time expired. Dyson tried to stretch his arm and the football across the goal line, but he had already gone down, so it was too late. This final play has gone down in NFL history as simply “The Tackle”.

Team statistics

• Led NFL and NFC in total yards (400.8 yards per game)
• Led NFL and NFC in passing yards (272.1 yards per game)
• Led NFL and NFC in scoring (32.9 points per game)
• Led NFL and NFC in rushing defense (74.3 yards per game)
• Led NFL (tied with Jax) and NFC in sacks (57)

Awards and records

• Kurt Warner, Bert Bell Award[22]
• Kurt Warner, NFL MVP
• Kurt Warner, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
• Dick Vermeil, Coach of the Year
• Marshall Faulk, Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award (Rams MVP)
• Marshall Faulk, Offensive Player of the Year
• Torry Holt, Rams Rookie of the Year

League Leaders

Passing	Kurt Warner (109.2 rating)
Passing touchdowns	Kurt Warner (41 TDs)
Kickoff returns	Tony Horne (29.7 average yards)
Sacks	Kevin Carter (17)

Notes

1. The other five teams are the 2007 and 2011 New England Patriots, plus the 2013 Denver Broncos, and the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs

References

1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 267
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, requiring Points For >= 30, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
3. "Bears picking on history". Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
4. "1999 St. Louis Rams draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
5. Baltimore Ravens at St. Louis Rams – September 12th, 1999
6. Atlanta Falcons at St. Louis Rams – September 26th, 1999
7. St. Louis Rams at Cincinnati Bengals – October 3rd, 1999
8. San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams – October 10th, 1999
9. St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons – October 17th, 1999
10. Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Rams – October 24th, 1999
11. St. Louis Rams at Tennessee Titans – October 31st, 1999
12. St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions – November 7th, 1999
13. Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams – November 14th, 1999
14. St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers – November 21st, 1999
15. New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams – November 28th, 1999
16. St. Louis Rams at Carolina Panthers – December 5th, 1999
17. St. Louis Rams at New Orleans Saints – December 12th, 1999
18. New York Giants at St. Louis Rams – December 19th, 1999
19. Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams – December 26th, 1999
20. St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles – January 2nd, 2000
21. "SI.com – Oct. 18, 1999". Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2012-08-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• http://www.nfl.com/teams/schedule?team=STL&season=1999&seasonType=REG
• http://www.nfl.com/teams/schedule?team=STL&season=1999&seasonType=PRE
• http://rams1999season.com