The 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise’s 67th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
For the second consecutive season the Steelers failed to make the playoffs after starting off the season by winning 5 of their first 8 games. Losing seven of the remaining eight dropped Pittsburgh to 6–10 for the year, their worst record under Bill Cowher.
The 1999 Steelers are the only NFL team since at least 1940 to concede so many as five safeties in one season.Only the 1985 Packers, the 2003 Falcons, and the 2015 Dolphins have otherwise conceded four safeties in an NFL season since 1940.Pro Football Reference; In a single season, from 1940 to 2017, requiring opp Safeties >= 3, sorted by descending opp Safeties
Offseason Additions SubtractionsT Wayne Gandy (Rams) CB Carnell Lake (Jaguars) WR Charles Johnson (Eagles)
1999 expansion draft
+ Steelers selected during the expansion draft Pick Name Position Expansion team9 Rod Manuel Defensive end Cleveland Browns
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents + 1999 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeTony D’AmatoLinebackerUtah StateMatt DavenportKickerWisconsinMike SchneckLong snapperWisconsinAnthony WrightQuarterbackSouth Carolina
Personnel
Staff
Notable additions include Joey Porter and Aaron Smith.
Roster
Preseason
Schedule Week Date Opponent Game Site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record 1 August 13 Chicago Bears Three Rivers Stadium 7:30 p.m. KDKA W 30–23 1–0 2 August 20 at Carolina Panthers Ericsson Stadium 8:00 p.m. KDKA L 20–13 1–1 3 August 28 Washington Redskins Three Rivers Stadium 7:30 p.m. KDKA L 27–14 1–2 4 September 4 at Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Stadium 7:30 p.m. KDKA L 16–14 1–3
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 September 12 at Cleveland Browns W 43–0 1–0 Cleveland Browns Stadium 2 September 19 at Baltimore Ravens W 23–20 2–0 PSInet Stadium 3 September 26 Seattle Seahawks L 10–29 2–1 Three Rivers Stadium 4 October 3 Jacksonville Jaguars L 3–17 2–2 Three Rivers Stadium 5 October 10 at Buffalo Bills L 21–24 2–3 Ralph Wilson Stadium 6 October 17 at Cincinnati Bengals W 17–3 3–3 Cinergy Field 7 Atlanta Falcons W 13–9 4–3 Three Rivers Stadium 8 Bye 9 November 7 at San Francisco 49ers W 27–6 5–3 3Com Park 10 November 14 Cleveland Browns L 15–16 5–4 Three Rivers Stadium 11 November 21 at Tennessee Titans L 10–16 5–5 Adelphia Coliseum 12 November 28 Cincinnati Bengals L 20–27 5–6 Three Rivers Stadium 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 6–20 5–7 Alltel Stadium 14 December 12 Baltimore Ravens L 24–31 5–8 Three Rivers Stadium 15 at Kansas City Chiefs L 19–35 5–9 Arrowhead Stadium 16 December 26 Carolina Panthers W 30–20 6–9 Three Rivers Stadium 17 January 2 Tennessee Titans L 36–47 6–10 Three Rivers Stadium
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 12, 1999): at Cleveland Browns
Week 2 (Sunday September 19, 1999): at Baltimore Ravens
at PSINet Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game time: 1:00 PM EDT Game weather: Game attendance: 68,965 Referee: Gerald Austin TV announcers: (CBS) Don Criqui (play by play), Steve Tasker (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – Stewart 8 run (Brown kick) Baltimore – Rhett 2 run (Stover kick) Pittsburgh – Huntley 17 run (Brown kick) Baltimore – FG Stover 45 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 32 Baltimore – FG Stover 28 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 28 Baltimore – Ismail 19 pass from Case (Stover kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 36
Week 3 (Sunday September 26, 1999): vs. Seattle Seahawks
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 PM EDT Game weather: (Sunny) Game attendance: 57,881 Referee: Phil Luckett TV announcers: (CBS) Kevin Harlan (play by play), Sam Wyche (color commentator), Marcus Allen (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Seattle – Hanks 23 interception return (Peterson kick) Seattle – Rogers 94 punt return (Peterson kick) Seattle – FG Peterson 45 Seattle – FG Peterson 51 Seattle – FG Peterson 41 Seattle – FG Peterson 26 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 33 Seattle – FG Peterson 38 Pittsburgh – Edwards 16 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick)
Week 4 (Sunday October 3, 1999): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 PM EDT Game weather: (Partly Sunny) Game attendance: 57,308 Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers: (CBS) Verne Lundquist (play by play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator), Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Jacksonville – McCardell 7 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) PIttsburgh – FG Brown 48 Jacksonville – FG Hollis 27 Jacksonville – FG Hollis 41 Jacksonville – Safety, Stewart fumbled ball out of end zone Jacksonville – Safety, Smeenge sacked Stewart in end zone
Week 5 (Sunday October 10, 1999): at Buffalo Bills
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
Game time: 1:00 PM EDT Game weather: Game attendance: 71,038 Referee: Ed Hochuli TV announcers: (CBS) Verne Lundquist (play by play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator), Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – Ward 12 pass from Stewart (Brown kick) Buffalo – Gash 2 pass from Flutie (Christie kick) Buffalo – Moulds 49 pass from Flutie (Christie kick) Buffalo – FG Christie 29 Pittsburgh – Edwards 17 pass from Stewart (Brown kick) Buffalo – Riemersma 8 pass from Flutie (Christie kick) Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Brown kick)
Week 6 (Sunday October 17, 1999): at Cincinnati Bengals
at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game time: 1:00 PM EDT Game weather: Game attendance: 59,669 Referee: Jeff Triplette TV announcers: (CBS) Gus Johnson (play by play), Brent Jones (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Brown kick) Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 37 Pittsburgh – Bettis 5 run (Brown kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 43
Week 7 (Monday October 25, 1999): vs. Atlanta Falcons
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 9:00 PM EDT Game weather: (Clear) Game attendance: 58,141 Referee: Ron Winter TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Boomer Esiason (color commentator), Lesley Visser (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – Huntley 13 pass from Stewart (Brown kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 51 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 25 Atlanta – Mathis 5 pass from Chandler (Andersen kick) Atlanta – Safety, Miller stepped out of end zone
Week 8 (Sunday October 31, 1999): Bye Week
Week 9 (Sunday November 7, 1999): at San Francisco 49ers
at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California
Game time: 4:15 PM EST Game weather: (Rain) Game attendance: 68,657 Referee: Tom White TV announcers: (CBS) Greg Gumbel (play by play), Phil Simms (color commentator), Armen Keteyian (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (Brown kick) San Francisco – FG Richey 19 Pittsburgh – Ward 13 pass from Stewart (Brown kick) PIttsburgh – FG Brown 28 San Francisco – FG Richey 20 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 38 Pittsburgh – Bettis 22 run (Brown kick)
Week 10 (Sunday November 14, 1999): vs. Cleveland Browns
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 PM EST Game weather: (Partly Sunny) Game attendance: 58,213 Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers: (CBS) Craig Bolerjack (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Cleveland – K. Johnson 35 pass from Couch (Dawson kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 41 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 32 Pittsburgh – Huntley 5 run (run failed) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 47 Cleveland – Edwards 5 pass from Couch (run failed) Cleveland – FG Dawson 39
Week 11 (Sunday November 21, 1999): at Tennessee Titans
at Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
Game time: 1:00 PM EST Game weather: Game attendance: 66,619 Referee: Mike Carey TV announcers: (CBS) Don Criqui (play by play), Steve Tasker (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Tennessee – McNair 2 run (Del Greco kick) Pittsburgh – Edwards 15 pass from Stewart (Brown kick) Tennessee – McNair 3 run (Del Greco kick) Tennessee – Safety, Stewart penalized for intentional grounding in end zone Pittsburgh – FG Brown 24
Week 12 (Sunday November 28, 1999): vs. Cincinnati Bengals
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 PM EST Game weather: (Mostly Sunny) Game attendance: 50,907 Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers: (CBS) Bill Macatee (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Cincinnati – Scott 76 pass from Blake (Pelfrey kick) Cincinnati – Blake 4 run (Pelfrey kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 35 Cincinnati – Heath 58 interception return (Pelfrey kick) Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 29 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 33 Pittsburgh – Shaw 15 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick) Pittsburgh – Ward 34 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick) Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 29
Week 13 (Thursday December 2, 1999): at Jacksonville Jaguars
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Game time: 8:20 PM EST Game weather: Game attendance: 68,806 Referee: Bill Carollo TV announcers: (ESPN) Mike Patrick (play by play), Joe Theismann & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Solomon Wilcots (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Brown 40 Jacksonville – FG Hollis 25 Jacksonville – FG Hollis 32 Pittsburgh – FG Brown 39 Jacksonville – Smith 27 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) Jacksonville – Stewart 1 run (Hollis kick)
Week 14 (Sunday December 12, 1999): vs. Baltimore Ravens
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 PM EST Game weather: (Partly Sunny) Game attendance: 46,715 Referee: Jeff Triplette TV announcers: (CBS) Ian Eagle (play by play), Mark May (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – Ward 21 pass from Bettis (Brown kick) Baltimore – Holmes 64 run (Stover kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 31 Baltimore – FG Stover 19 Baltimore – Ismail 54 pass from Banks (Stover kick) Pittsburgh – Edwards 6 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick) Baltimore – Ismail 59 pass from Banks (Stover kick) Baltimore – Ismail 76 pass from Banks (Stover kick) Pittsburgh – Stewart 11 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick)
Week 15 (Saturday December 18, 1999): at Kansas City Chiefs
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game time: 12:30 PM EST Game weather: Game attendance: 78,697 Referee: Larry Nemmers TV announcers: (CBS) Verne Lundquist (play by play), Dan Dierdorf (color commentator), Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – T. Edwards 12 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick) Kansas City – Gonzales 15 pass from Grbac (Stoyanovich kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 42 Kansas City – D. Edwards 28 interception return (Stoyanovich kick) Kansas City – Gonzales 2 pass from Grbac (Stoyanovich kick) Pittsburgh – FG Brown 47 Kansas City – Alexander 82 run (Stoyanovich kick) Kansas City – Morris 10 run (Stoyanovich kick) Pittsburgh – Shaw 11 pass from Tomczak (pass failed)
Week 16 (Sunday December 26, 1999): vs. Carolina Panthers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 1:00 PM EST Game weather: (Light Snow) Game attendance: 39,428 Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers: (FOX) Ray Bentley (play by play), Ron Pitts (color commentator), Alby Oxenreiter (sideline reporter)
Scoring drives:
Pittsburgh – FG Brown 46 Pittsburgh – Davis 102 fumble return (Brown kick) Carolina – Lane 41 run (Kasay kick) Pittsburgh – Huntley 25 run (fumbled snap) Carolina – Jeffers 88 pass from Beuerlein (kick failed) Pittsburgh – Ward 9 pass from Tomczak (Brown kick) Carolina – Jeffers 43 pass from Beuerlein (Kasay kick) Pittsburgh – Bettis 8 run (Brown kick)
Week 17 (Sunday January 2, 2000): vs. Tennessee Titans
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game time: 4:15 PM EST Game weather: (Mostly Cloudy) Game attendance: 48,025 Referee: Tom White TV announcers: (CBS) Don Criqui (play by play), Steve Tasker (color commentator)
Scoring drives:
Tennessee – Wycheck 9 pass from McNair (Del Greco kick)