Visitor: Buffalo Bills

Home: Tennessee Titans

Date: January 8, 2000

AFC Wildcard

Scoring:

Team 1 2 3 4 Final

BUF 0 0 7 9 16

TEN 0 12 0 10 22

Visitor playmakers:

DE Bruce Smith, DE Phil Hansen, RB Antowain Smith

Home playmakers:

DE Jevon Kearse, QB Steve McNair, TE Frank Wycheck, DB Andre Dyson, Josh Evans

Network: ABC (NFL Network Classic Game)

Announcers: Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, Kenny Holmes

Pregame: No

Halftime: No

Postgame: No

Commercials: No

Grade: 9/10

Notes: The “Music City Miracle.” The game starts as a defensive battle, with both teams trading sacks and punts. Tennessee takes the ball away on a sack and forced fumble, but K Al Del Greco misses a 44-yard field goal attempt, and the first quarter remains scoreless.

In the second quarter, DE Jevon Kearse tackles a stumbling Rob Johnson in the end zone for a safety, and then QB Steve McNair runs it in from the 2 for a 9-point lead. Just before the two-minute warning, Shawn Price knocks the ball out of RB Eddie George’s arms and the Bills recover. But the Bills can’t capitalize, and when the Titans get the ball back Del Greco kicks a 40-yarder for a 12-0 lead at the end of the half.

The Bills come out strong in the second half with a 44-yard run by RB Antowain Smith. A few plays later Smith carries it in for a touchdown to cut Tennessee’s lead to 5. Smith runs it in again in the 4^th quarter, but the Bills lead stays at 1 point when the two-point conversion fails. Del Greco puts the Titans back on top by 2 with 1:48 remaining, but Buffalo puts together a quick 37-yard drive that results in a 41-yard field goal to give the Bills the lead with :16 remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, TE Lorenzo Neal hands off to TE Frank Wycheck, who laterals to DB Andre Dyson, who runs it all the way back for the touchdown to complete the miracle.

Running time: 2:14 (2 discs)