Heartbreak city. That's what they call Nashville and the Bills can testify to that afer losing a heartbreaker to the Tennessee Titans Saturday afternoon in Adelphia Coliseum. In a stunning series of events, the Bills went from being winners to losing one of the most controversial and wildest NFL games in history as the Titans shocked the Bills 22-16. The Bills went from the ultimate high to the ultimate low in a matter of 13 seconds! The game is being labeled as the "Music City Miracle" and the wildest game in NFL history.
Losing 15-13, Rob Johnson led the Bills down to field goal range, even playing shoeless on his final pass completion to Peerless Price. Steve Christie kicked a 41 yard field goal to apparently win the game for Buffalo. Instead of kicking a squib ball, Christie pooched it in the air down to the Titans 25. Lorenzo Neal caught it and handed off to Frank Wycheck who ran to his right six steps, stopped and threw it directly to the left sideline to Kevin Dyson. Dyson had clear sailing in front of him and three blockers who took the only Bill (Christie) between him and the victory. Christie had no chance of even getting close to Dyson.
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Kevin Dyson races down field to score winning touchdown after catching "lateral"
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"It was like being a little kid again, drawing something up in the dirt and then going out and doing it," said a jubilant Wycheck said who threw the pass "lateral" as well as a gifted quarterback.
"Some of us who had been around for awhile kind of looked at each other and winked," said cornerback Steve Jackson, who was with the Oilers when the Bills staged that miracle comeback. "It was poetic justice."
Rob Johnson, who was named starter early last week for this Wild Card game, did not have impressive stats in his first playoff action. Johnson completed 10 out of 22 for only 131 yards. Meanwhile, the controversy still brews amongst Bills fans over who should have started the game. Doug Flutie backers claim that Doug would have been able to avoid at least half the six sacks, including the safety that gave the ball right back to the Titans, resulting in another touchdown. However, in the face of the all-out attack by All-Pro rookie sensation Jevon Kearse, Flutie would have had his hands full also. With the Bills missing three of their starters on the offensive line, the Bills knew they would have a hard time keeping Kearse out of the backfield.
Johnson was clearly upset over the bitter defeat and was in a state of shock. "I had my plane ticket to Jacksonville for the next round," he said.
The Bills offensive line was a patch job at best. John Fina gave it a go at his left tackle position for just two series before going out because of his sore knee. Dusty Zeigler replaced Fina, while Jamie Nails was attempting to play right guard. Robert Hicks didn't start because of a sore ankle, but was pressed into action in the second half when Marcus Spriggs went down. It was a scenario where injured were replacing the injured. Not a great situation to put a quarterback in who never started a playoff game, let alone in the hostile confines of Adelphia Coliseum.
The game started out slowly for both teams as the defense put pressure on both quarterbacks.
The Bills defense made the Titans go three and out in their first series of downs. On Rob Johnson's first play from scrimmage, Josh Evans burst through the line and sacked him even before he could get back to complete his dropback. On third and 21, Johnson completed a 15 yard pass to Eric Moulds, but it was well short of the first down.
Once again, the Bills defense forced the Titans to punt after failing to get a first down and Johnson was ready to start another attempt to move the chains. After throwing incomplete to Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas broke out for a 9 yard gain. Johnson then hit Moulds with a 17 yard completion.
On first and 10 at the Bills 36, Johnson went back to pass but did not see Jevon Kearse charging up behind him. Kearse pounced on Johnson's back, forcing the Bills quarterback to fumble the ball. After a wild scramble, Barron Wortham came up with the ball for Tennessee at the Bills 29.
Eddie George went over left tackle for three. Steve McNair then threw two straight incompletions, so Al DelGreco attempted a 43 yard field goal, but it was wide left. The Bills had escaped early damage.
Starting at their own 34, the Bills went to the ground and Antowain Smith, who went over right tackle for 5 yards. On third down, Johnson hitched up with Peerless Price for ten yards and the first down. A three yard run by Thomas and a two yard scramble by Johnson got the ball down to the Tennessee 47. Out of the shotgun, Johnson hit Moulds for 8 yards and moved the chains.
Facing a 3rd and 18, Johnson went back to pass by was chased out of the pocket by Samari Rolle caught up to him for a two yard loss.
The Titans took over at their 13. McNair passed to Jackie Harris for ten yards. With 3rd and 9 at the Titans 29, McNair connected with Frank Wycheck for 14 yards and Tennessee had a first down. Buffalo's defense held the Titans and forced them to punt. Craig Hentriich had a 44 yard punt and it was downed at the Bills 4.
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Jevon Kearse tackles Rob Johnson in the endzone, forcing a fumble and Titans get a safety
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Christie's kickoff was returned 42 yards down to the Buffalo 28. George then went up the middle for 5 yards. On the next play, George fumbled the ball and it was picked up by Thomas Smith, but the other Smith in the Bills defense, Bruce was offsides. After a 5 yard run by George, Pat Williams was offsides again giving the Titans 10 yards in gifts.
George then went over left tackle for 4 yards, getting down to the Buffalo. 11. Next play George went around right end for nine yards getting down to the Bills 2 and a first and goal. McNair rolled around right end and found paydirt to put the Titans up 9-0.
After the teams exchanged the ball a couple times, the Titans took over at their 40. McNair completed a 5 yard pass to Harris. George, on third and two from the Tennessee 48, broke a tackle and went right for 7 yards. However, Kurt Schulz put his helmet to the ball, knocking it out and Phil Hansen recovered. It was the first break of the game for the Bills. Johnson threw incomplete to Bobby Collins and then was sacked for a one yard loss by Jason Fisk. After the two minute warning, Johnson had to scramble to avoid a sack and threw to Price who juggled it before going out of bounds. The official right behind the play ruled that Price did not have control of the ball and the Bills had to punt again.
Rodney Thomas burst up the middle for a 13 yard gain. And then came another controversial play. McNair rolled out to the right side and was pushed out of bounds short of the first down marker. But the officials decided to do a review of the spot and after over 3 minutes looking over the replay, spotted the ball right at the marker and gave the Titans a first down.
McNair passed to Yancey Thigpen for 8 yards and then hit his next pass to Chris Sanders for 11 more. With time running out, DelGreco attempted a 45 yard field goal. But once again it was wide left. As had been happening all day, the refs decided to take the game in their own hands and threw another flag. This time the refs got the Bills for holding. DelGreco was good this time from 40 yards out and the Titans were up at halftime 12-0.
Three big rulings by the officials, three straight huge breaks given to Tennessee in the last two minutes of the first half. First, the Price catch that was ruled incomplete. Second, the McNair dive for the first down marker that was reviewed and Tennessee was given the benefit of another first down. And then a holding call on the defense that gift wrapped three more points for the Titans.
Antowain Smith got the Bills rolling in the second half when he broke through for a 44 yard pickup. It was the Bills first first down in over 19 minutes! Johnson threw a 6 yard dump off to Sam Gash who got down to the Tennessee 12. Linton then burst over right tackle for 5 yards down to the Titans 7 to give the Bills a first and goal. Linton went the same direction once more as he picked up another 3 down to the 4 yard line. Smith, after hobbling off after his 44 yard gallop, came back into the lineup and got the Bills first points of the game as he also went over right tackle for the touchdown.
The officials continued to throw more yellow at the Bills. At the Tennessee 43, McNair threw incomplete to Thigpen, but Bruce Smith was flagged for going helmet to helmet on McNair when he took the quarterback down after the pass. Fifteen more yards walked off against the Bills. At that point, Buffalo had ten penalties to Tennessee's one.
On third and seven from the Buffalo 39, McNair had his pass picked off by Antoine Winfield. The Bills could not take advantage of the big turnover as Smith gained one yard, Johnson threw an incomplete pass and was sacked for the sixth time.
Near the end of the third quarter, the Bills started a drive that would put them in the lead for the first time in the game. Taking over at their 35, Buffalo went right to Antowain Smith to get the drive generated. He rand for 5 and 2 yards on consecutive carries. Johnson then took controls of the throttle and scrambled around left end to get the first down. On the next play, he tossed a 37 yard strike to Moulds, getting the Bills down to the Titans 17. Linton then went over right guard for two yards and then Johnson threw incomplete on third down. However, Kearse was penalized 7 yards for roughing the passer, putting the ball on the Tennessee 7, first and goal. Smith ran to the left for 6 yards, and he was given the ball again two plays later and scored the Bills second touchdown of the game. Wade Phillips decided to go for the two point conversion, but Johnson was broken up.
The Titans started to drive up the field, thanks to an 8 yard McNair pass to Wycheck and an 8 yard run by George. But then the Bills D pounded on Eddie George as he gained only one yard and was taken down for a one yard loss by Sam Cowart.
The Bills could not muster any offense in next series of downs. Thomas slipped when given the handoff and injured his knee. Linton ran for 3 yards and Johnson's third down pass fell incomplete.
McNair threw a pass that goes down as one of the zaniest this season. The pass went off John Holecek's left arm and Wycheck somehow caught the ball. Then McNair, facing a 3rd and 2, dove over the middle for 4 yards and continued their drive.
George carried two straight times for 8 yards and then tacked on another 3 down to the Bills 17 as the Titans were eating up the clock. With a 1:53 remaining in the game, DelGreco attempted a 35 yard field goal and was good putting the Titans up 15-13.
Johnson mounted a drive that should have won the game for the Bills. Price received a 14 yard pass from Johnson to move the ball up to the Tennessee 47. Johnson then ran up the middle for 3 yards. On the next play, Price caught a nine yard pass to put the ball on the Titans 32 yard line. With only 20 seconds left in the game, Steve Christie came on to try a 41 yard field goal. Flash backs of Scott Norwood must have danced in Christie's head as he lined up to win the game. His kick was long enough, but was sailing wide left. It just cleared the left upright by inches and the Bills had the game in their pockets, or so they thought!
Then came one of the most controversial endings of NFL playoff history as Christie decided not to pooch the ball and kicked it in the air. It went down to the 25 yard line and Wycheck returned it, stopped and lateraled to Kevin Dyson. Dyson had a wall of three Titans blocking for him and had only Christie to beat. Dyson roared down the field untouched and the game was over.
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Frank Wycheck tosses the infamous "lateral" to Kevin Dyson
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"I took it to the right and tried to sell it," Wycheck describe the historic play. "Then if you can get them flowing, you can get the play going. With all the people we had peeling back, we had a human wall. It's a home run. Go for the fences, and that's what we did. We did it in training camp. We did it all year long, once a week. I guess we saved it for the right time."
"I took a hard step out and made sure it was a lateral," said Dyson. "Everyone was asking, 'Are you sure, are you sure?' I knew."
Phil Luckett once again blotched an officiating game. He was the official who officiated the infamous Jets-Seahawks game last year, he also blotched the coin toss at the Thanksgiving game over a year ago in Detroit. This game had numerous officiating calls that were questionable at best.
"The line judge's initial ruling was that it was not a forward pass," said Luckett. "Taking from where the pass left the passer's hand right on that (25) yard line, the receiver catches it right there on that yard line. It did not appear to be a forward pass, therefore there is not a foul."
"They felt like they were going to win the game, and then they thought it was taken away from them," Phillips said about how his players felt after the game.
"I hope, just for the ref's sake, that it was legit, because everything we're seeing is that it wasn't," Johnson said. "... I've never had a swing of emotions that great."
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Steve Christie celebrates after kicking what he thought was the game winning field goal
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"This hurts more than the three Super Bowls I was involved in," Henry Jones said. "The bad part about it is we felt we had the best team."
Over in the Titans dressing room, the players were thanking their lucky (or Luckett) stars.
"Man, I thought they did it to us again," said Titans kicker Al Del Greco. "I don't want to say I thought the game was over, but there wasn't much hope of winning at that time."
"I guess we put in some prayers on the sideline, and God above looked over us," said Kearse, who was the star of the game before all the fireworks and the grande finale in the last 20 seconds.
The debate will continue for years over whether the lateral was legal or not. Once again Buffalo's sports teams are involved in a controversial call that comes down to officiating. Brett Hull's disputed goal that won the Stanley Cup in Buffalo last June is still being argued by Sabres fans. Now the Bills are hit with a similar controversy.
When you get the Bills and Oilers/Titans in a Wild Card game it's going to live up to its name and all hell is going to break loose. Back when Frank Reich led the Bills miraculous comeback, the Oilers were in a state of consternation. Unfortunately for the Bills, this time they were the ones in shocked anguish as they left the field for the final time this season.
Copyright © 2000 Bills Thunder & Rick Anderson, all rights reserved.
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