Top 12 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1999

[74_75_78_79_]

Just 11 teams with winning records this season but only 10 of those making the playoffs. Chiefs the only winner not to make it while, across conference, both Dallas and Detroit got in each at 8-8. In addition to those two, there were six other 8-8 teams as well (8 total). Both 9-7 Miami & Seahawks, of course, collapsed into the post-season with respective 2-6/1-5 finishes. But before you give KC the 'nod' over both, do be reminded that one of the games Seattle didn't lose down-the-stretch was the penultimate game vs KC hence completing the sweep vs them (KC lost finale as well). Are Jets the best of the 8-8 teams hence make this list? They did win 4 games vs above-500s teams, sweeping Dolphins albeit during their collapse (beat 8-8 playoff-qualifier Dallas as well).

Do neither 14-2 Jags nor 13-3 Rams beating an above-500 team cost each a top-2 ranking? Perhaps. At least Jags didn't "come out of nowhere" (4th-straight playoff berth) like Rams did. Colts, also 13-3, nothing to hoot and hollar over either ("out of nowhere" as well, Peyton's first playoff-appearance) but they at least split with Bills and Dolphins. In fairness to the teams so far mentioned this paragraph, hardly any teams with that many 'quality' wins being lack of above-500s. Titans, however...sweeping Jags, clobbering them in 2nd meeting; beating Rams...yeah, think I know where I just may place them. Okay, let's shuffle 'em up. All those Crazy 8s!

[ChrisBabcock]

I thought we did this one already? Maybe not.

1. Greatest Show On Turf
2. Titans
3. Jaguars... a solid #2A in spite of the Titans sweep. I completely forgot they led the league in in points allowed before getting reminded of that in a different thread.
4. Colts
5. Bills... probably the most underrated of the 90s Bills teams since it was so far removed from the Super Bowls. That defense was excellent. I wonder how much damage they could have caused in the playoffs beyond the wild card round if it wasn't for that FORWARD PASS.
6. Redskins... Not a lot of quality wins but they could definitely put points on the board.
7. Vikings
8. Buccaneers... Sure that defense was great but 45-0 shellacking @ Oakland sinks then this far.
9. Cowboys... wins over Minnesota and swept Washington
10. Ravens... Got hot down the stretch starting to show what was to come the next year. Convincing win over the Titans late in the year.
11. Raiders... What? Wins over strong Minnesota, Buffalo, and Tampa teams. I was tempted to place them higher.
12. Seahawks

[74_75_78_79_]

1) Titans
2) Rams
3) Colts
4) Jaguars
5) Bills
6) Vikings
7) Buccaneers
8) Raiders
9) Redskins
10) Jets
11) Cowboys
12) Seahawks

[CSKreager]

Still crazy to think the 1999 Seahawks at one point had the same 8-2 record as the Rams and Colts and were only 1 game behind the Jaguars.

[conace21]

A poll taken at the midpoint of the season would look radically different, judging by the following teams' records.
Miami 7-1
New England, Detroit, Seattle 6-2
Pittsburgh 5-3.

Heck, if someone from the midpoint of 1999 was told that the Patriots were going to be the team of the 00's, with only one consistent superstar, they would naturally assume you were talking about Drew Bledsoe.

[74_75_78_79_]

A poll taken at the midpoint of the season would look radically different, judging by the following teams' records.
Miami 7-1
New England, Detroit, Seattle 6-2
Pittsburgh 5-3.

Heck, if someone from the midpoint of 1999 was told that the Patriots were going to be the team of the 00's, with only one consistent superstar, they would naturally assume you were talking about Drew Bledsoe.

Yeah, in what goes down as Cowher's co-worst season, Steelers actually did start off 5-3. Still feeling the sting of the previous year's 0-5 slide, I remember at the time not feeling all-too excited over it. All 5 of those wins were against bad teams, the last two of those against a 1-5 Atl team and then a Steve Stenstrom-led, now-real-bad, San Fran squad. As for their three losses...all against winning teams. Starting the following week with their home-loss to expansion-Browns, I feel safe to say Steelers were the league's worst 2nd-half of '99.

Yes, '99 Pats (starting 6-2) and the '01 installment seem like an eternity away from one another. If you said that Carroll, upon getting fired end of that '99 campaign, would end up appearing in back-to-back SBs in 15 years (winning one of them)...And in a pre-game interview before Pats@Den MNF two years earlier (both 4-0, 5-0 respectively at the time), Bledsoe said he prefered having Carroll as his coach instead of Parcells. Even if you feel that Tuna still goes down as the better HC than Pete which I and I'm sure most personally do, that comment obviously doesn't sound as odd now as it did then.

Back to the '99 PRs, I simply placed Seattle ahead of Miami due to their last win (penultimate week) being (one week) later than Miami's last win; and it being against a winning KC squad still fighting for the playoffs. I don't remember at the time who I thought was going to win that "well someone has to win" wildcard game at the Kingdome, but with a clear-head going in I guess I would have, wrongly, picked Holmgren's home-team 'Hawks over the seemingly more struggling 'Phins.