1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 8 - 8 season . Rookie Shaun King replaced the injured and inconsistent Trent Dilfer late in the season . King helped rebound the team to their first NFC Central Division title 18 years . Leading 6 - 5 late in the NFC Championship game against the Rams , the Buccaneers lost the lead after a late Ricky Proehl touchdown . With less than a minute remaining , a controversial instant replay reversal of a catch by Bert Emanuel foiled their hopes at an upset victory and a trip to Super Bowl XXXIV . Regular season . Week 1 : New York Giants ( lost 13 - 17 ) . Quarterback Trent Dilfer threw three interceptions ( 2 returned for touchdowns ) , and lost one fumble in a pitiful individual performance against the New York Giants . Despite the Buccaneer defense holding the Giants to only 91 yards passing , 28 yards rushing , and only 4 first downs , the Giants scored 17 points off of turnovers . Coach Tony Dungy pulled Dilfer in favor of Eric Zeier , who did not fare well either . Week 2 : at Philadelphia Eagles ( won 19 - 5 ) . Tampa Bay sacked rookie Donovan McNabb six times , and recorded nine sacks overall as Tampa Bay won their first game of the 1999 season . Trent Dilfer threw two touchdown passes , and the Buccaneers rushed for over 150 yards . Week 3 : Denver Broncos ( won 13 - 10 ) . Mike Alstott rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown , as the Buccaneers defeated the visiting Denver Broncos . The Tampa Bay defense held Terrell Davis to only 53 yards , and quarterback Trent Dilfer was a noteworthy 15 - of - 18 with no interceptions . Tampa Bay took a 13 - 10 lead into halftime , and the second half was scoreless . Week 4 : at Minnesota Vikings ( lost 14 - 21 ) . The Minnesota Vikings blasted out to a 21 - 0 lead in the first quarter , with Randall Cunningham throwing three touchdown passes . With Warren Sapp out with an injury , the Vikings totalled 192 yard of offense . After trimming the deficity to 21 - 14 , the Buccaneers drove late in the fourth quarter looking to tie the game . With two minutes left , Trent Dilfer underthrew the ball to Warrick Dunn , and was intercepted at the Minnesota 10 yard line . With enough time for one last possession , the Buccaneers drove to the Minnesota 18 yard line . Dilfer ' s final pass to the endzone was knocked down as time expired . Week 5 : at Green Bay Packers ( lost 23 - 26 ) . Trent Dilfer threw three interceptions and lost one fumble , but appeared to be leading Tampa Bay to a fourth quarter comeback victory on " Sunday Night Football " at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers . After falling behind 10 - 0 , the Buccaneers managed a 13 - 13 tie at haltime . Trailing 19 - 16 with less than two minutes to go , Mike Alstott rumbled 22 yards for a go - ahead touchdown . Not to be denied , however , Brett Favre drove the Packers 73 yards in only 6 plays , and won the game 26 - 23 . The Buccaneers fell to 2 - 3 going into their bye week . Week 7 : Chicago Bears ( won 6 - 3 ) . Both the Buccaneers and Chicago Bears suffered through offensive futility , in a division game which both teams combined for only 9 points . Slumping quarterback Trent Dilfer passed for only 121 yards , while fans booed him throughout the afternoon . Twice in the first quarter , Dilfer missed wide - open receivers in the endzone . Martin Gramatica scored two field goals in the first half for Tampa Bay ' s only points . With 45 seconds left , Derrick Brooks intercepted third - string quarterback Jim Miller to secure the win . Week 8 : at Detroit Lions ( lost 3 - 20 ) . The biggest news going into the game was the benching of quarterback Trent Dilfer . Back - up Eric Zeier was named the starter for week 8 . On " Sunday Night Football " , the Buccaneers visited the Detroit Lions . Trailing 17 - 3 late in the third quarter , the Buccaneers appeared to reach the endzone and shift the game ' s momentum . Warrick Dunn caught a 12 - yard touchdown pass from Zeier , and the team lined up for the extra point , and a certain 17 - 10 score . With only ten men on the field , and confusion among the Buccaneers players , a delay of game penalty was incurred . During the delay , the Lions sidelines took the opportunity to throw the challenge flag , and the touchdown was reviewed . The replay showed Dunn was down at the one yard line , and play continued . Moments later , Mike Alstott fumbled away the ball at the 2 , and the Lions recovered . A field goal off the turnover iced the game for Detroit . Week 9 : at New Orleans Saints ( won 31 - 16 ) . Eric Zeier ' s stint as starting quarterback lasted only one week , and Trent Dilfer returned to the lineup . The Buccaneers rolled over the Saints , with Dilfer passing for 227 yards and three touchdowns . The biggest of the day being an early 62 - yard bomb to Jacquez Green . Mike Alstott rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown . Week 10 : Kansas City Chiefs ( won 17 - 10 ) . Trent Dilfer passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns ( 35 yards , 52 yards , respectively ) , but six turnovers nearly foiled the afternoon . The Buccaneer defense remained firm and held Kansas City to 5 yards passing in the first half . Dilfer , however , threw one interception and fumbled away a snap and Mike Alstott lost three fumbles . Leading 17 - 10 with 3 minutes to go , the Buccaneers looked to run out the clock . Alstott , however , committed his third fumble , and the Chiefs took over at their own 17 . In ten plays , Elvis Grbac drove the Chiefs 66 yards to the Tampa Bay 13 . With 28 seconds remaining in regulation , Hardy Nickerson intercepted Grbac in the endzone , and Tampa Bay held on to win . Week 11 : Atlanta Falcons ( won 19 - 10 ) . Martin Gramatica kicked four field goals against Atlanta , leading the team in scoring for the day . Trailing 9 - 10 with 53 seconds remaining , Gramatica kicked a 53 - yard field goal , and Tampa Bay took a 12 - 10 lead , their first lead of the day . Just moments later , Donnie Abraham intercepted Chris Chandler and returned the ball 47 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory . Week 12 : at Seattle Seahawks ( won 16 - 3 ) . Tampa Bay traveled to the west coast to take on the 8 - 2 Seahawks , and looked to break a long west coast losing streak . A tough first half saw a 3 - 3 tie . In the third quarter , the season came to a turning point . Quarterback Trent Dilfer was sacked by Phillip Daniels and suffered a broken clavicle . Dilfer would sit out the remainder of the season , and rookie Shaun King took over as quarterback . King was only 3 - for - 7 , but threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to lead the Buccaneers to victory . Week 13 : Minnesota Vikings ( won 24 - 17 ) . Shaun King made his first start against division rival Minnesota on " Monday Night Football " . The Buccaneers jumped out to a 7 - 0 lead after Donnie Abraham intercepted Jeff George for a 55 - yard touchdown return . King passed for only 93 yards , but threw two touchdowns . Minnesota dominated the first half , but four first half drives into Tampa Bay territory came up empty . The Buccaneers won their fifth straight game , and snapped Minnesota ' s five - game winning streak . Tampa Bay sat atop the NFC Central standings , tied for the lead with Detroit . Week 14 : Detroit Lions ( won 23 - 16 ) . Tampa Bay evened the series against Detroit , and took over sole possession of first place in the NFC Central . Shaun King passed for 297 yards and two touchdowns . Week 15 : at Oakland Raiders ( lost 0 - 45 ) . Tampa Bay ' s franchise record six consecutive wins came to a screeching halt , as the Oakland Raiders trounced the Buccaneers 45 - 0 . The Buccaneers were held to under 30 yards rushing , while Shaun King suffered mightily . The Raiders intercepted King once , returned a King fumble for a touchdown , sacked King four times , and took a 21 - 0 lead into halftime . In the third quarter , coach Tony Dungy pulled his starters from the game , and rested them for the upcoming games . Week 16 : Green Bay Packers ( won 29 - 10 ) . On the day after Christmas , Tampa Bay hosted Green Bay in a key division game . Four Packers turnovers turned into 20 Buccaneers points . Three Gramatica field goals established a 9 - 0 lead , but Green Bay took the lead 10 - 9 at halftime . In the fourth quarter , Mike Alstott ' s two touchdown runs put the game out of reach for Green Bay . With the victory , Tampa Bay improved to 10 - 5 , and win in week 17 would clinch the division title . Week 17 : at Chicago Bears ( won 20 - 6 ) . Tampa Bay traveled to Soldier Field to take on the Bears , with a division title on the line . Tampa Bay easlily handled the Bears , and won their first NFC Central title since 1979 . Shaun King threw for 178 yards , and one touchdown . Mike Alstott scored one touchdown run . The Buccaneers earned a first - round bye for the playoffs . Playoffs . NFC Divisional playoffs : Washington Redskins ( won 14 - 13 ) . " at Raymond James Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Buccaneers forced two key turnovers in the second half to rally from a 13 - 0 deficit , while their defense held Washington to just 157 yards , with only 32 in the second half . After a scoreless first quarter , a 35 - yard punt from Mark Royals gave the Redskins great field position on the Tampa Bay 43 - yard line . Brad Johnson started out the drive with a 19 - yard completion to Albert Connell , and then a 12 - yard run by Stephen Davis set up a 28 - yard field goal from Brett Conway with 5 : 37 remaining in the second quarter . Then in the second half , Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown , a playoff record . Later in the third quarter , Darrell Green intercepted a pass from Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King and returned it 12 yards to the Buccaneers 36 - yard line , setting up Conway ' s second field goal to take a 13 - 0 lead . But after a Bucs punt , Tampa Bay safety John Lynch intercepted a pass from Johnson on the Tampa Bay 27 - yard line . Aided by a 31 - yard pass interference penalty on Leomont Evans , the Buccaneers subsequently drove 73 yards in 6 plays and scored on Mike Alstott ' s 2 - yard touchdown run . Then in the fourth quarter , defensive tackle Steve White forced a fumble from Brad Johnson while sacking him and Warren Sapp recovered the ball on the Redskins 32 - yard line . King then went to work , completing a 17 - yard pass to Bert Emanuel and a 13 - yard pass to Warrick Dunn . On fourth down and 1 , Alstott ' s 5 - yard run moved the ball to the Washtingon 3 - yard line , and King eventually finished the drive with a 1 - yard touchdown pass to John Davis . The Redskins had a chance to win the game with a 52 - yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the game , but the snap from center Dan Turk to Brad Johnson , the holder , was off and the Bucs won . Contrary to popular belief , the snap was not to Matt Turk , the team ' s punter , and also his brother . This was Dan Turk ' s last game in the NFL , as he died later that year due to cancer . Meanwhile , King became the first rookie to lead his team to a playoff win since Pat Haden in 1976 . NFC Championship game : at St . Louis Rams ( lost 6 - 11 ) . " at Trans World Dome , St . Louis , Missouri " The Rams and Buccaneers would slug it out for most of the game , with the Buccaneers defense holding the Rams highly - potent offense in check . Tampa Bay , weak on offense , would only muster two field goals , and gave up a costly safety in the second quarter when a bad snap from center went over the head of rookie quarterback Shaun King and out of the endzone . Despite this , the Buccaneers nursed an unusual 6 - 5 lead into the 4th Quarter . The Rams broke open a defense dominated game when Kurt Warner threw a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 4 : 44 left in the game . The Buccaneers would mount a drive on their final possession , however a controversial replay overturned what appeared to be a reception by Buccaneers wide receiver Bert Emanuel , and the Buccaneers never recovered . On the first play of the game , Bucs defensive end Steve White intercepted a screen pass from Warner on the Rams 20 - yard line , setting up a 25 - yard field goal from Martin Gramatica . But that was all they could manage in the first quarter . On one possession , they moved the ball to the St . Louis 23 - yard line , but then King was sacked and fumbled . Tampa Bay recovered the ball , but lost 12 yards and were pushed out of field goal range . Then with 11 seconds left in the period , King threw a pass from the St . Louis 41 - yard line that went right into the surprised arms of defensive back Todd Lyght . The Rams didn ' t do much better . After Gramatica ' s field goal , they drove 74 yards in 16 plays before a fumbled handoff from Warner to Marshall Faulk on third down forced them to settle for a 24 - yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins . Then on their next drive , Wilkins missed a field goal attempt from 44 yards . In the second quarter , a high snap from Bucs center Tony Mayberry went over King ' s head and into the end zone . King managed to knock the ball out of the end zone to prevent a touchdown , but it gave the Rams a safety and a 5 - 3 lead . This would be the score by halftime , despite the Rams 159 - 75 advantage over the Buccaneers in total yards . Just as in the first half , Tampa Bay scored a field goal on their opening drive on the third quarter , set up by a 32 - yard reception by Jacquez Green and a 15 - yard facemask penalty on Taje Allen . Meanwhile , Warner was intercepted three times by the Buccaneers defense , including a costly interception to Hardy Nickerson on the Tampa Bay 3 - yard line . But late in the fourth quarter , Rams defensive back Dre ' Bly intercepted a pass from King at the Buccaneers 49 - yard line . A few plays later , Warner threw a 30 - yard touchdown pass to Proehl with 4 : 44 left , taking an 11 - 6 lead after the two point conversion failed . Despite being sacked twice , King responded by leading the Bucs to the St . Louis 22 - yard line . With 47 seconds remaining , King completed an apparent 13 - yard reception to Bert Emanuel at the Rams ' 22 yard line , setting up a reasonable 3rd & 10 , and a chance at a game - winning touchdown . The ruling on the field was a complete pass . The team called a quick timeout , and huddled . Despite the fact that Emanuel clearly controlled the ball at every point during the catch , booth replay official Jerry Markbreit ordered a review of the call during the timeout . Referee Bill Carollo determined that the nose of the ball had touched the ground as he brought it into his body . The catch was overturned , ruled incomplete , and Tampa Bay was moved back to a 3rd & 23 at the 35 . Faced with a now near impossible task , King threw two incompletions and turned it over on downs . The Rams held on to win 11 - 6 . Proehl was the sole offensive star of the game , finishing with 6 catches for 100 yards and one touchdown . The enusing controversy prompted the NFL to clarify the rule regarding what constitutes a valid pass reception . This would come to be known as " The Bert Emanuel Rule . "