If you were sitting on your couch in January 1999, you probably felt like the world of professional football had finally tilted on its axis. We weren't just watching games; we were watching the death of an old guard and the messy, explosive birth of the modern, high-scoring NFL. The 1998 99 nfl playoffs remain, for my money, the most emotionally exhausting stretch of postseason football ever played.
Think about the context. The Denver Broncos were trying to send John Elway out with a repeat. The Minnesota Vikings had basically broken the scoreboard all year. Meanwhile, the "Greatest Show on Turf" was still a year away, but the blueprints were being drawn in blood and turf pellets across the league. It was a time when kickers were legends—or villains—and when a single missed 38-yarder could alter the trajectory of a franchise for twenty-five years.
The Vikings and the Missed Kick Heard ‘Round the World
It’s impossible to discuss the 1998 99 nfl playoffs without starting in Minneapolis. Honestly, that Vikings team was a video game. Randall Cunningham, who was basically out of football not long before, was launching moonballs to a rookie named Randy Moss. They went 15-1. They scored 554 points, which was a record at the time. Everyone—and I mean everyone—assumed the Super Bowl was a formality.
Then came the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Gary Anderson had not missed a single field goal or extra point all season. Not one. So, when he stepped up for a 38-yarder to put the Vikings up by 10 with just over two minutes left, fans were already checking flights to Miami. He missed. Left. The collective gasp in the Metrodome was so loud you could hear it on the broadcast through the crowd noise. The Falcons, led by "Dirty Bird" Jamal Anderson and a gritty Chris Chandler, marched down, tied it, and eventually won in overtime on a Morten Andersen kick.
People still argue about this. Was it a choke? Was it destiny? If you ask a Vikings fan today, they’ll probably still look at the floor and shake their head. It was the moment that proved regular-season dominance means absolutely nothing once the calendar flips to January.
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John Elway’s Long Goodbye
While the NFC was melting down, the AFC was watching a legend execute a slow-motion mic drop. The Denver Broncos started the season 13-0. There was genuine talk about them going undefeated, a conversation that ended when they tripped up against the Giants in Week 15. But by the time the 1998 99 nfl playoffs rolled around, Mike Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme was a well-oiled machine.
Terrell Davis was a monster. He ran for over 2,000 yards in the regular season, and he didn't slow down in the playoffs. In the Divisional round against the Dolphins, he put up 199 yards. Denver absolutely dismantled Dan Marino’s Dolphins 38-3. It was a passing of the torch that felt more like a physical mugging.
The AFC Championship against the Jets was closer than the 23-10 score suggests, mostly because the wind at Mile High was doing weird things to the ball. Bill Parcells had that Jets team playing inspired football, but Denver’s defense was underrated. They forced fumbles, they shut down the run, and they gave Elway one last shot at glory. It wasn't just about Elway, though. It was about a complete roster that knew exactly how to win ugly when the pretty plays weren't there.
The Catch II: Terrell Owens and the End of a Dynasty
We often forget that the Wild Card round of the 1998 99 nfl playoffs featured one of the most iconic plays in San Francisco 49ers history. The Niners and the Packers had this incredible, bitter rivalry in the late 90s. Green Bay usually had their number. It felt like Brett Favre just owned Steve Young.
But late in the fourth quarter at 3Com Park, Steve Young stumbled, nearly fell, regained his balance, and fired a rocket into a tiny window between three Packers defenders. Terrell Owens—who had been dropping passes all day and was visibly frustrated—snagged it. He held on even as he got leveled.
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"The Catch II."
It effectively ended the Mike Holmgren era in Green Bay. It was a game of inches, literally. If Jerry Rice’s fumble earlier in that drive had been called correctly (replay wasn't what it is now), the Packers likely win. But the "human element" of officiating gave us a classic. It’s a reminder that before every play was scrutinized by forty cameras in New Jersey, games were decided by what the side judge saw through a pile of bodies.
Super Bowl XXXIII: The Anticlimax
By the time Super Bowl XXXIII kicked off in Miami, the air had sort of leaked out of the balloon for the neutral fan because the Vikings weren't there. A Denver vs. Minnesota matchup would have been a clash of titans. Instead, we got Denver vs. Atlanta.
The Falcons were a great story, but they were outclassed.
The night before the game, Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer. He had just received the Bart Starr Award for high moral character. You can't make this stuff up. It was a massive distraction, and on game day, John Elway picked Robinson apart.
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Elway threw for 336 yards. He ran for a touchdown. He won the MVP. The Broncos won 34-19. It wasn't the most competitive Super Bowl, but seeing Elway hold that trophy and then walk away from the game forever was the "right" ending for that era of football.
Why the 98-99 Season Still Echoes
If you look at how the NFL is played now, you see the fingerprints of the 1998 season everywhere.
- The Randy Moss Effect: Teams realized they needed big, fast receivers who could win jump balls, leading to the "devaluing" of the traditional ground-and-pound game.
- The Zone Blocking Revolution: Alex Gibbs and Mike Shanahan’s system in Denver influenced almost every modern wide-zone scheme you see today in San Francisco, Miami, and Los Angeles.
- Kicker Pressure: The Gary Anderson miss changed how coaches manage the end of games. Nobody takes three points for granted anymore.
Most people think of the 90s as the Cowboys or the Niners era. But the 1998 99 nfl playoffs were the bridge to the 2000s. It was the last time we saw the old AFL-style heavy hitters truly dominate before the league shifted toward the pass-heavy, quarterback-protected environment we have now.
It was a weird, wild, and heartbreaking month of football.
What You Should Do Next
If you really want to understand the tactical shift of this era, go back and watch the 1998 NFC Championship full game replay on YouTube. Don't just watch the highlights of the miss. Watch how the Vikings' offense used personnel. Look at how the Falcons used "bracket" coverage on Randy Moss. It's a masterclass in coaching adjustments that still apply to the modern game.
Also, take a look at Terrell Davis’s career arc. People forget how short his peak was because of injuries, but for that one stretch in the 1998 99 nfl playoffs, he was arguably the most dominant postseason runner in the history of the sport. Studying his vision in that zone-cut system is essential for any serious student of the game.
Check out the Pro Football Reference pages for the 1998 season to see the sheer statistical gap between the Vikings and the rest of the league. It puts the magnitude of their loss into perspective. Sometimes the best team doesn't win, and 1998 is the ultimate proof of that.