October 17, 2026
October 17, 2026
The Jacksonville Jaguars played fairly solid football in 1998 and made another playoff run, but they fell short of their ultimate goal. The team was missing a few things in 1998 that it tried to address in 1999, and for a long time it looked like the Jaguars had solved their problems. With Tom Coughlin still leading the way as head coach, the Jaguars were well guided to win football games, and they did a lot of winning in 1999.
The 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars went 14-2, finishing one game ahead of the Tennessee Titans to win the AFC Central Division. That 14-2 mark remains the best regular-season record in Jaguars franchise history. The Jaguars went 7-1 at their home stadium, ALLTEL Stadium, and 7-1 on the road.
Quarterback Mark Brunell had established himself as one of the more reliable and efficient quarterbacks in the NFL. Brunell went 13-2 in 15 starts, completing 259 of 441 pass attempts for 3,060 yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing 9 interceptions. He also had 47 rushing attempts for 208 yards and 1 touchdown.
In 9 starts, running back James Stewart had 249 rushing attempts for 931 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 21 receptions for 108 yards. Running back Fred Taylor was just beginning his NFL career, and he quickly became a go-to option for Jacksonville. In 7 starts, Taylor had 159 rushing attempts for 732 yards and 6 touchdowns, along with 10 receptions for 83 yards. Running back Tavian Banks had 14 receptions for 137 yards.
Wide receiver Jimmy Smith quietly became one of the most productive receiving options in the entire NFL. Smith led the NFL with 116 receptions, a franchise single-season record, for 1,636 yards, also a franchise single-season record, and 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver Keenan McCardell had 78 receptions for 891 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end Kyle Brady had 32 receptions for 346 yards and 1 touchdown. Wide receiver Damon Jones had 19 receptions for 221 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Reggie Barlow had 16 receptions for 202 yards.
Barlow made the most of his opportunities on special teams, with 38 punt returns for 414 yards and 1 touchdown and 19 kick returns for 396 yards. Fullback Alex Whitted had 8 kick returns for 187 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Stacey Mack had 6 kick returns for 112 yards.
The Jaguars’ defense had struggled statistically in 1998, ranking 25th in the NFL in total defense. With the hiring of Dom Capers as the new defensive coordinator, however, the Jaguars showed quick improvement in 1999 and ranked 4th in total defense. The Jaguars allowed only 217 points, the fewest in the NFL, for an average of 13.6 points per game.
Linebacker Kevin Hardy had 74 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. Cornerback Fernando Bryant had 68 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries. Middle linebacker Lonnie Marts had 63 tackles, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Defensive end Tony Brackens had 55 tackles, 12 sacks, 2 interceptions for 16 yards and 1 touchdown, 8 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
Strong safety Donovin Darius had 56 tackles and 4 interceptions. Cornerback Aaron Beasley had 57 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 6 interceptions for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns, and 2 forced fumbles. Free safety Carnell Lake had 50 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Defensive tackle Gary Walker had 46 tackles and 10 sacks. Defensive end Joel Smeenge had 5 sacks. Middle linebacker Brant Boyer had 4 sacks and 1 interception. Defensive back Dave Thomas had 2 interceptions. Defensive tackle Larry Smith had 3 sacks.
The high point of the regular season came when the Jaguars went on an 11-game winning streak. It began with a 17-3 victory over their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Week 4 on October 3, and ended with a 24-14 victory over the expansion Cleveland Browns in Week 15 on December 19. As the season progressed, fans and critics alike were convinced that the 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the best teams in the entire NFL.
The Divisional Round served as an emphatic exclamation point on Jacksonville’s 1999 campaign, as the Jaguars delivered one of the biggest blowout victories in NFL postseason history. On January 15, the Jaguars destroyed the Miami Dolphins 62-7 at ALLTEL Stadium. Mark Brunell completed 5 of 9 passes for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. Backup quarterback Jay Fiedler completed 7 of 11 passes for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns while throwing an interception. Fred Taylor had 18 rushes for 135 yards and 1 touchdown.
This game would be the final game of the storied career of Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who completed 11 of 25 passes for 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
With 10:32 remaining in the 1st quarter, Jimmy Smith caught an 8-yard touchdown pass. With 6:19 remaining, kicker Mike Hollis nailed a 45-yard field goal. With 3:46 remaining, Taylor broke loose for a remarkable 90-yard touchdown run. With 3:21 remaining, the defense chimed in when Tony Brackens returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown. To start the 2nd quarter, at 14:48, Taylor had a 38-yard touchdown reception, and at 12:05 James Stewart had a 25-yard touchdown run. With 1:51 remaining before halftime, Hollis kicked a 28-yard field goal.
The final touchdown pass Dan Marino would ever throw, which was also Miami’s only score of the game, was caught by wide receiver Oronde Gadsden with just 0:01 remaining before halftime.
Imposing their will and refusing to stop, the Jaguars kept scoring. With 12:02 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Smith had a 70-yard touchdown reception. With 6:19 remaining, Alex Whitted had a 38-yard touchdown reception. In the 4th quarter, running back Chris Howard added a 5-yard touchdown run with 10:37 remaining.
The AFC Championship Game at ALLTEL Stadium on January 23 was supposed to mark the team’s arrival as an elite franchise, but it just wasn’t meant to be, as the Jaguars fell 33-14 to the Tennessee Titans. Still, the 1999 season sent a message to the rest of the NFL: the 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars were able to impose their will on many teams with their balance on offense and defense. The Jaguars would remain competitive for the next few years.
7th February, 2017
17th June, 2026
5th March, 2016
29th March, 2016
17th April, 2016
October 17th, 2026 2
October 17th, 2026 2
October 16th, 2026 2
