The NFL is celebrating its 100th season in 2019 and has slated 17 games throughout the regular season to be called “landmark games.”
The matchups bear historical significance, and there will be one each week.
It’s no surprise that the Titans’ Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills is included, given just how hard of a time Bills fans have had overcoming a totally legal play in which they still, to this day, term an “illegal forward pass.”
From NFL.com’s Herbie Teope, here’s a description of the play and its importance.
“Buffalo and Tennessee captivated audiences with the Music City Miracle in the 1999 playoffs,” he wrote.
“With 16 seconds remaining in the game and the Titans facing a 16-15 deficit, fullback Lorenzo Neal fielded a short kickoff, made a move to his right, and then handed the ball off to tight end Frank Wychek. The tight end took a few steps to his right before stopping, and then turned his body to the left and threw a lateral across the field to an uncovered wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who raced 75 yards down the left sideline untouched for the game-winning touchdown.”
We’ll let Dyson himself, who spoke with Titans Wire on the subject, explain why there shouldn’t be any controversy surrounding it.
“…if people look at the rule book and the actual play, they’d understand it,” he said.
“It truly wouldn’t be as controversial as it has been made over the years. Because by rule, it’s about the flight of the ball, not the body position of the players. And the flight of the ball actually is more backwards than anything, even more than a lateral. But we get people who get caught up on the body position of me and Frank, and not the flight of the football. But a lot of people don’t talk about that part, it’s just ‘was it a lateral or was it not.’ They’re not talking about the actual rule. The actual rule pertains to the flight of the ball. The flight of the ball goes slightly backwards.”
The current overall record between the two teams when they go head-to-head stands at 28-18-0, with the Titans on top.
The Titans lost the last meeting against the Bills when they fell 13-12 at New Era Field in October.
Tennessee will hope for more positive results when the two square off again on Oct. 6 at 12 p.m. CT at Nissan Stadium.
