The 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the best defenses in team history
1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11-5 record, 1st in the NFL Central
270 points scored (27th/31 in the NFL)
235 points allowed (3rd/31 in the NFL)
Throughout the second half of the 1990s, it became clear that a great defense was building in Tampa. Anemic offenses blunted the effect of strong scoring defenses (between 1996-1999, the Buccaneers ranked last, 23rd, 18th and 27th in points scored), but in 1997 the Bucs made the playoffs and won their first playoff game in 18 years. It was a harbinger of things to come.
If you subtract a 45-0 road blowout loss to the Raiders, the 1999 iteration of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks quite a bit better on paper. Smartly, Tony Dungy pulled his starters from that game, instead of going for a comeback.
As it is, this defense was one of Dungy and Monte Kiffin's best, leading the NFC in points allowed (3rd in the NFL), and holding high scoring teams like the Greatest Show On Turf Rams to 11 points (2 by a safety, so really 9) in the NFC title game. In fact, only one other team held the 1999 Rams to less than 300 total yards, and none to fewer than 21 points. That's honestly \*insane\* levels of talent. The score was 5-3 at halftime.
In the preceding NFC Divisional Playoff against Washington, the Bucs defense held them to 157 total yards and 13 points (the TD was a Brian Mitchell KO return), and QB Shaun King became the first rookie to lead his team to a playoff win since Pat Haden in 1976 - with a 13 point comeback that was assisted by a couple Washington turnovers.
With no real receiving threat other than Jacquez Green's 56-791-3 career year, defenses were able to key in on RB Warrick Dunn easily, and he averaged just 3.2 YPC. However, he still recorded a 64-589-2 receiving line. Mike Alstott had arguably his greatest year, with almost 1200 combined yards and 9 TDs. Some of his biggest highlight reel moments came from the 1999 season, too.
Even despite a QB change from Trent Dilfer to rookie Shaun King, the Bucs at one point won 6 straight games. The only time they were blown out other than Oakland, was a 20-3 loss in Detroit - the game before the 6 game winning streak. Neither QB was particularly great in 1999 (though it was one of Dilfer's better seasons, with an 11-11 TD/INT ratio), but they were efficient enough.
The defense was one of the best in Buccaneers history, though. Other than the 2002 version that won the Lombardi and the 1979 version (that had eerie parallels with 1999), it ranks as one of the best Bucs defensive squads ever. 5 Bucs made the All-Pro team, including Alstott, John Lynch, Warren Sapp, Hardy Nickerson, and Derrick Brooks. CB Donnie Abraham also nabbed 7 INTs, scored 2 TDs, and probably should have made a Pro Bowl too.
One wonders what could've been if the Bert Emanuel catch hadn't been overturned. Would they have finished the drive off with a TD, completing a mighty upset of one of the greatest NFL teams in history? We'll never know. Even John Madden thought it shouldn't have been overturned. But considering this was the closest the Buccaneers had been to reaching the Super Bowl, better days were coming. Soon.
Also notable: The Buccaneers' 1999 NFL Draft was pretty nifty. They nabbed DT Anthony McFarland, QB Shaun King, kicker Martin "Automatica" Gramatica, and future Super Bowl XXXVII MVP DB Dexter Jackson. In their first four picks.