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1999 AFC Wildcard
Seattle(6) at Kansas City (3)
Kansas City won the division on a title breaker. Seattle was on a six game losing streak that had started with their lost to Tampa. Seattle edged out the defending Super Bowl champs Jets for the sixth seed. Many believed this game would take a back seat to the Buffalo v Tennessee game for the AFC. They would be right.
The game itself was an ugly game with mistakes on both sides. The defining moment of the game was when early in the third with the Chiefs being down two in the 9 to 7 game. Elvis Grbac was in the pocket getting ready to pass when he was sacked by Sam Adams. Grbac didn’t get up after the play. In what would latter be confirmed as an MCL tear, that play ended Grbac’s day. This brought Warren Moon into the game. The aging QB took over the game and help guide the Chiefs to victory over the Seahawks. However there were many questions around the Chiefs going into the Divisional Round.
Kansas City Advances, 17-12
Buffalo(5) at Tennessee(4)
This game was to be the highlight of the AFC Wildcard Weekend. Indeed it was but not in the way it was expected. The game was expected to be an offensive game. Instead it was a defensive grudge match with the game staying scoreless well into the third quarter when Al Del Greco kicked a 51 yard field goal. This gave the Bills the ball back at with 9 seconds left in the third. Even worse for Buffalo they were pinned inside the five at the four. What happened next would simply become known as The Drive. Over the next 13 minutes and 4 seconds the Buffalo drove the length of the field. Thurman Thomas would punch the ball through to the end zone. With the extra point the Bills took the lead for the first time all game. The Titans took the Ball back a minute 58 left in the game after the kick off. They had only one time out left. The long drive had allowed the Bills defensive to rest. The Titans were in a hurry up offensive and on a third and ten from their 31 with 1 minute 29 left on the clock Steve McNair hit Kevin Dyson around the 50. Just as Dyson was turning to run he was leveled by Henry Jones. This hit caused Dyson who would leave the game with a concussion to cough up the ball. The ball was recovered by Kurt Schulz who simply stayed on the ground after briefly looking like he would run with it.
Just as the Bills offensive was snapping the ball referee Phil Luckett called a time out challenge to the last play had been started by the booth replay team. Bills Head Coach Wade Philips was going nuts as they had already snap the ball meaning that the fumble couldn’t be reviewed. For the next seven minutes everyone was on edge in Adelphia Coliseum. Luckett then announced that Dyson didn’t fumble the ball and it was Titans first down at the Buffalo 49. The Bills were pissed at they had already snapped the ball before the review call came in. However, the Bills Defensive came back on to the field. The next play McNair was trying to hit Derrick Mason only for Manny Martin to pick off the pass at the Buffalo 32. Martin then ran back to the Buffalo 41 before running out of bounce. After which the Bills ran the clock out.
Buffalo Advances, 7-3
Kansas City won the division on a title breaker. Seattle was on a six game losing streak that had started with their lost to Tampa. Seattle edged out the defending Super Bowl champs Jets for the sixth seed. Many believed this game would take a back seat to the Buffalo v Tennessee game for the AFC. They would be right.
The game itself was an ugly game with mistakes on both sides. The defining moment of the game was when early in the third with the Chiefs being down two in the 9 to 7 game. Elvis Grbac was in the pocket getting ready to pass when he was sacked by Sam Adams. Grbac didn’t get up after the play. In what would latter be confirmed as an MCL tear, that play ended Grbac’s day. This brought Warren Moon into the game. The aging QB took over the game and help guide the Chiefs to victory over the Seahawks. However there were many questions around the Chiefs going into the Divisional Round.
Kansas City Advances, 17-12
Buffalo(5) at Tennessee(4)
This game was to be the highlight of the AFC Wildcard Weekend. Indeed it was but not in the way it was expected. The game was expected to be an offensive game. Instead it was a defensive grudge match with the game staying scoreless well into the third quarter when Al Del Greco kicked a 51 yard field goal. This gave the Bills the ball back at with 9 seconds left in the third. Even worse for Buffalo they were pinned inside the five at the four. What happened next would simply become known as The Drive. Over the next 13 minutes and 4 seconds the Buffalo drove the length of the field. Thurman Thomas would punch the ball through to the end zone. With the extra point the Bills took the lead for the first time all game. The Titans took the Ball back a minute 58 left in the game after the kick off. They had only one time out left. The long drive had allowed the Bills defensive to rest. The Titans were in a hurry up offensive and on a third and ten from their 31 with 1 minute 29 left on the clock Steve McNair hit Kevin Dyson around the 50. Just as Dyson was turning to run he was leveled by Henry Jones. This hit caused Dyson who would leave the game with a concussion to cough up the ball. The ball was recovered by Kurt Schulz who simply stayed on the ground after briefly looking like he would run with it.
Just as the Bills offensive was snapping the ball referee Phil Luckett called a time out challenge to the last play had been started by the booth replay team. Bills Head Coach Wade Philips was going nuts as they had already snap the ball meaning that the fumble couldn’t be reviewed. For the next seven minutes everyone was on edge in Adelphia Coliseum. Luckett then announced that Dyson didn’t fumble the ball and it was Titans first down at the Buffalo 49. The Bills were pissed at they had already snapped the ball before the review call came in. However, the Bills Defensive came back on to the field. The next play McNair was trying to hit Derrick Mason only for Manny Martin to pick off the pass at the Buffalo 32. Martin then ran back to the Buffalo 41 before running out of bounce. After which the Bills ran the clock out.
Buffalo Advances, 7-3
- Jim Smitty
- Word Count: 610