FAKE RONJAN!!Box Score Monday: Revenge Against the Titans
Revenge. It can feel good. Some people prefer to serve it cold (in dish form!). And everyone wants it when they lose a game in heartbreaking fashion.
And you'd be hard-pressed to find a more heartbreaking way to lose a game than the Music City Miracle.
You know the story. It was the 1999 playoffs, and Rob Johnson got the surprise start over Doug Flutie to face the Tennessee Titans who were hosting their first-ever playoff game in Nashville. The Titans were up 12-0 at the half, but the Bills came back to take a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds left. And then this happened:
Ouch.
The hard-luck Buffalo Bills had lost yet another heartbreaker of a playoff game, this time in the worst way imaginable. And they wanted revenge. And as luck (or savvy schedule making) would have it, they'd get their chance in their very first game of the 2000 season!
I still remember this game as one of the hardest-hitting contests I've ever seen. It was clear that the Bills were trying to make a point and exorcise months of demons. And the Titans were responding in kind, unappreciative of the notion that they were merely lucky to win the last time around.
The game was what you'd expect: another defensive struggle. The teams combined for just 438 yards, 26 first downs, and two touchdowns, while the defenses registered nine sacks.
The Bills took a 16-13 lead on a field goal with 35 seconds left, prompting comparisons to, you know, the last game they played. The Titans put together a strong return -- not scoring, but getting to midfield. Uh oh.
Unlike last time, the Bills came through, holding tough and forcing the Titans to try -- and miss -- a 60-yard field goal as time expired.
Revenge!! Didn't that feel good?!
Well, kind of.
As it turns out, the 2000 Bills would finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs for just the third time in 13 seasons. And then they'd miss the playoffs again, and again, and again. They still haven't been back to the playoffs since the Music City Miracle loss, the longest drought in the NFL. They haven't even been able to beat the Titans in the five matchups since then, finishing 0-5 and losing four of them by less than 7 points.
What this all boils down to: this revenge game against the Titans may well be the biggest highlight in Buffalo Bills football since their last Super Bowl appearance in 1993. Ouch indeed.
-rj