The 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 62nd year with the National Football League (NFL) and the fifth season in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13–3, and defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.
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.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 267 On the road, the Rams were 5–3.
In the post-season, they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 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. These were the first NFL playoff games ever 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 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. Having finished last in their division the previous season, the Rams also became the first "worst-to-first" team to win the Super Bowl. It would be the franchise's only Super Bowl win during the St. Louis era; their next title would come in 2021, five years after their return to Los Angeles.
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.The other five teams are the 2007 and 2011 New England Patriots, plus the 2013 Denver Broncos, and the 2018 Kansas City ChiefsPro-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. On defense, the Rams recorded seven interceptions returned for touchdowns, third most in NFL history. The 1999 Rams' +284 regular-season point differential is the highest of any Super Bowl championship team, and second-highest of any team since the AFL–NFL merger, after the 2007 New England Patriots.
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 after their return to Los Angeles). This season would start a period of strength for the Rams, as they would post a winning record in all but one season from this year to 2003. The 1999 Rams team ranked No. 11 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.
Offseason After a poor showing from the Rams offense in the previous 1998 season, Rams VP John Shaw suggested the Rams hire Redskins quarterbacks coach Mike Martz, and Vermeil and the team agreed. Martz advocated for the Rams to sign quarterback Trent Green from Washington, which the team did. This made Tony Banks expendable, and he was traded to the Ravens, which moved Kurt Warner from third-string to backup quarterback. VP Shaw also acquired Marshall Faulk from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two draft picks.“Vermeil changes for better”, Baltimore Sun, January 25, 2000. The team also signed guard Adam Timmerman and linebacker Todd Collins, both of whom became starters.
NFL draft
Personnel Staff
Final roster
Preseason
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Oakland Raiders L 17–18 0–1 Trans World Dome Recap 2 at Chicago Bears L 24–38 0–2 Soldier Field Recap 3 San Diego Chargers W 24–21 1–2 Trans World Dome Recap 4 at Detroit Lions W 17–6 2–2 Pontiac Silverdome Recap
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 12 Baltimore Ravens W 27–10 1–0 Trans World DomeRecap 2Bye 3 September 26 Atlanta Falcons W 35–7 2–0 Trans World DomeRecap 4 October 3 at Cincinnati Bengals W 38–10 3–0 Cinergy FieldRecap 5 October 10 San Francisco 49ers W 42–20 4–0 Trans World DomeRecap 6 October 17 at Atlanta Falcons W 41–13 5–0 Georgia DomeRecap 7 October 24 Cleveland Browns W 34–3 6–0 Trans World DomeRecap 8 October 31 at Tennessee Titans L 21–24 6–1 Adelphia ColiseumRecap 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 DomeRecap 13 December 5 at Carolina Panthers W 34–21 10–2 Ericsson StadiumRecap 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 DomeRecap 16 December 26 Chicago Bears W 34–12 13–2 Trans World DomeRecap 17 January 2 at Philadelphia Eagles L 31–38 13–3 Veterans Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in his first NFL start. The Rams pass defense notched five sacks and two interceptions against Ravens quarterback Scott Mitchell.
Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Kurt Warner was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, completing 17 of 25 passes for 275 yards, three touchdown passes and also ran for another. Warner threw his first touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, hooking up with Torry Holt on a 38-yard strike. After an interception by safety Todd Lyght, Warner hit Isaac Bruce with a 46-yard touchdown. Bruce caught three passes for 68 yards. Marshall Faulk broke off with a 58-yard run down to the Falcons' 22-yard line. Three plays later, Warner's 17-yard scoring pass to Faulk gave the Rams a 28–0 lead. Faulk had his first 100-yard game for the Rams with 172 yards from scrimmage. After the Falcons got their only points midway through the third quarter. Warner broke loose for a 5-yard touchdown run as the Rams have their first win against Atlanta since 1996.
Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
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
The Rams got off to a strong start with Kurt Warner throwing touchdown passes to Isaac Bruce on each of the team's first three possessions. Isaac Bruce totaled 134 receiving yards and four touchdowns during the game. This game ended the Rams’ 17-game losing streak against the 49ers that began in 1990. It was also the Rams' first home win against the 49ers since 1986, when they were located in Los Angeles.
Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
Faulk gained 181 rushing yards, and the Rams defense generated two interceptions and four sacks. The Rams moved to 5–0 with this win over the 1998 NFC champions.
Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns
Marshall Faulk ran for 133 yards, and the Rams defense racked up three turnovers. The Rams ran their record to 6–0 against the revived Cleveland franchise.
Week 8: at Tennessee Titans
Despite a second half comeback, 21 unanswered first half points by Titans, due in part to two first-quarter fumbles by Kurt Warner in the Rams’ own half that Tennessee converted into touchdowns, enables them to inflict the Rams’ first defeat in a Super Bowl preview. Rams right offensive tackle Fred Miller had a miserable game, committing five false starts and two holding penalties.
Week 9: at Detroit Lions
Hoping to rebound from the loss to Tennessee, the Rams rallied from a nine point second-half deficit in Detroit to take a 27–24 lead over the Lions with 2:42 remaining in regulation. However, Gus Frerotte would lead the Lions down the field to reclaim the lead, converting a 4th-and-26 with a 57-yard pass to Germane Crowell along the way. Detroit then took a 31–27 lead on a Johnnie Morton touchdown reception with 28 seconds remaining. The Rams failed to respond, as Ron Rice would intercept Kurt Warner on the final drive, sealing St. Louis's second straight loss.
Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers
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
Week 13: at Carolina Panthers
With the win, the Rams improved to 10-2 (4-0 against the NFC West) and cinched both their first playoff berth since 1989 & the NFC West for the first time since 1985.
Week 14: at New Orleans Saints
The Rams pass defense pressured the Saints offense, racking up three interceptions and six sacks. The Rams clinched a first-round bye for the first time under the playoff format adopted in 1990.
Week 15: vs. New York Giants
With a 12–2 record with two games remaining, the Rams clinched home field advantage for the first time since 1978.
Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears
Marshall Faulk racked up 204 receiving yards, in addition to 54 rushing yards on 10 carries. With this victory, the Rams set single-season franchise records for most home wins with 8 and most overall wins with 13 (a record they would break two years later). Additionally, the Rams finished with a perfect home record for the first time since the 1973 season.
Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles
The Rams traveled to Philadelphia for their season finale against the struggling Eagles. The Rams rested a number of starters for much of the game, having already clinched homefield playoffs. Despite dominating Philadelphia offensively, St. Louis was doomed by a seven-turnover afternoon, with three lost fumbles and four interceptions, two of which were returned for Eagles touchdowns. The Rams lost to the Eagles, 38–31, snapping their seven-game win streak. St. Louis nevertheless finished as the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 13–3 record.
Standings
Kurt Warner
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.