25 years ago, Titans made their first and only Super Bowl appearance

To date, it is the franchise’s lone appearance on Super Sunday. But what a ride that Jeff Fisher’s Tennessee Titans took football fans 25 years ago.

Remember the Oilers

The organization that began life as the Houston Oilers in 1960 as one of the original members of the American Football League eventually made its way to Nashville. In its early existence, the team was making regular appearances in the AFL Championship Game. The Oilers won the league’s first two titles, then fell to the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs) in double overtime, 20-17, in the 1962 title tilt.

The Super Bowl Era was on the horizon, and the Oilers fell to the Oakland Raiders in the 1967 AFL title game. A bit over a decade later, Houston made back-to-back appearances in the 1978 and 1979 AFC title games. Unfortunately, Earl Campbell and Bum Phillips ran into a Pittsburgh Steelers’ team loaded with Hall of Famers, and fell twice.

Onward and Upward

The Oilers became the Tennessee Oilers in 1997, and then the Tennessee Titans in 1999. That was the year that a wild card team with a 13-3 record would make its mark in the playoffs with a unimaginable comeback, a stifling ground attack, and a stunning conquest of the team with the best record in the NFL.

In ’99, Fisher’s team was part of the six-team AFC Central. The Titans featured quarterback Steve McNair, running back Eddie George, and a physical defense.

After a 9-2 start, the club went to Baltimore and was dealt an ugly 41-14 loss. Things turned around for the team, and Tennessee embarked on a seven-game winning streak. That include a three-game playoff run that began with the “Music City Miracle, a 22-16 come-from-behind win over the visiting Buffalo Bills that featured one of the most memorable plays in football history.

A week later at Indianapolis, George ran 26 times for 162 yards and a score and the Titans held off the Colts, 19-16. It was onto Jacksonville for the AFC Championship Game. And for the third time in 1999, Fisher’s club knocked off the Jaguars, via a complete team effort, 33-14. Tennessee was Super Bowl bound.

The Titans fell behind Dick Vermeil’s St. Louis Rams, 16-0. They rallied to tie the score. They fell behind, 23-16, in the closing moment. A gutty McNair drove his team downfield, and there was a chance to tie the score and possibly send the game into overtime (or win it?). It led to another memorable moment.

There have been a couple of near-Super Bowl misses since. The Titans fell in the 2002 and 2019 AFC title games to the Raiders and Chiefs, respectively. These days in Nashville, that amazing Super Bowl ride feels like it was ages ago. But amazing turnarounds are common in today’s NFL (ask the Commanders).