2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants 34-7 at the Raymond James Stadium in Florida.
Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000. It would be the last NFL season to date to start Labor Day weekend. It would also be the last time until 2015 that CBS televised the late games in Week 1, because both Week 1 of the NFL season and CBS' coverage of the U.S. Open tennis finals would take place on the same day beginning next season.
Major rule changes
- In order to cut down on group celebrations, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and fines will be assessed for celebrations by two or more players.
- Anyone wearing an eligible number (1–49 and 80–89) can play at quarterback without having to first report to the referee before a play.
- This rule change resulted in the increase of trick plays teams can employ on offense.
- The "Bert Emanuel" rule was implemented, stating that when making a catch and falling to the ground, the ball is allowed to touch the ground and still be considered a catch if the player maintains clear control of the ball.
Uniform and logo changes
- New England Patriots – New uniforms. Shade of blue darkened considerably, blue pants introduced for road uniforms.
- Baltimore Ravens – New Ravens Shield logo on sleeve ends.
- Kansas City Chiefs – Red pants on road uniforms for first time since 1988.
- New Orleans Saints – Updated logo and introduced alternative old gold logo. Returned to gold pants for road uniforms.
- New York Giants – Re-adopted their 1960s logo. New uniforms; home uniforms feature blue jerseys with white block numbers while road jerseys feature red numbers with blue outlines (reversing previous design). Pants color changes to gray.
- New York Jets & New York Giants – New grass field in Giants Stadium.
- St. Louis Rams – New logo and new uniforms. Shades of blue and gold darkened to "New Century Blue" and "Millennium Gold."
Coaching changes
Final regular season standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green. No ties occurred this year.
Tiebreakers
- Green Bay finished ahead of Detroit in the NFC Central based on better division record (5–3 to Lions' 3–5).
- New Orleans finished ahead of St. Louis in the NFC West based on better division record (7–1 to Rams' 5–3).
- Tampa Bay was the second NFC Wild Card based on head-to-head victory over St. Louis (1–0).
Playoffs
- * Indicates overtime victory
- Home team in capitals
AFC
- Wild-Card playoffs: Miami 23, Indianapolis 17 (OT); Baltimore 21, Denver 3
- Divisional playoffs: Oakland 27, Miami 0; Baltimore 24, Tennessee 10
- AFC Championship: Baltimore 16, Oakland 3 at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California, January 14, 2001
NFC
- Wild-Card playoffs: New Orleans 31, St. Louis 28; Philadelphia 21, Tampa Bay 3
- Divisional playoffs: Minnesota 34, New Orleans 16; N.Y. Giants 20, Philadelphia 10
- NFC Championship: N.Y. Giants 41, Minnesota 0 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, January 14, 2001
Super Bowl
Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:
| Record |
Player/Team |
Date/Opponent |
Previous Record Holder[1] |
|---|
| Most Rushing Yards Gained, Game |
Corey Dillon, Cincinnati (278) |
October 22, vs. Denver |
Walter Payton, Chicago vs. Minnesota, November 20, 1977 (275) |
| Most Pass Receptions, Game |
Terrell Owens, San Francisco (20) |
December 17, vs. Chicago |
Tom Fears, L.A. Rams vs. Green Bay, December 3, 1950 (18) |
| Most Points, Career |
Gary Anderson, Minnesota |
October 22, vs. Buffalo |
George Blanda 1949–1975 (2,002) |
| Most Two-Point Conversions by a Team, Game |
St. Louis (4) |
October 15, vs. Atlanta |
Tied by 2 teams (3) |
| Most Yards Gained by a Team, Season |
St. Louis (7,075) |
N/A |
Miami, 1984 (6,936) |
| Most Passing Yards Gained by a Team, Season |
St. Louis (5,232) |
N/A |
Miami, 1984 (5,018) |
Statistical leaders
Team
| Points scored | St. Louis Rams (540) |
| Total yards gained | St. Louis Rams (7,075) |
| Yards rushing | Oakland Raiders (2,470) |
| Yards passing | St. Louis Rams (5,232) |
| Fewest points allowed | Baltimore Ravens (165) |
| Fewest total yards allowed | Tennessee Titans (3,813) |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | Baltimore Ravens (970) |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | Tennessee Titans (2,423) |
Individual
| Scoring | Marshall Faulk, St. Louis (160 points) |
| Touchdowns | Marshall Faulk, St. Louis (26 TDs) |
| Most field goals made | Matt Stover, Baltimore (35 FGs) |
| Rushing | Edgerrin James, Indianapolis (1,709 yards) |
| Passing | Brian Griese, Denver (102.9 rating) |
| Passing touchdowns | Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota and Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (33 TDs) |
| Pass receiving | Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis and Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina (102 catches) |
| Pass receiving yards | Torry Holt, St. Louis (1,635) |
| Punt returns | Jermaine Lewis, Baltimore (16.1 average yards) |
| Kickoff returns | Darrick Vaughn, Atlanta (27.7 average yards) |
| Interceptions | Darren Sharper, Green Bay (9) |
| Punting | Darren Bennett, San Diego (46.2 average yards) |
| Sacks | La'Roi Glover, New Orleans (17) |
Awards
| Most Valuable Player | Marshall Faulk, Running back, St. Louis |
| Coach of the Year | Jim Haslett, New Orleans |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Marshall Faulk, Running back, St. Louis |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Mike Anderson, Running Back, Denver |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Brian Urlacher, Linebacker, Chicago |
| NFL Comeback Player of the Year | Joe Johnson, Defensive End, New Orleans |
External links
Notes
- ↑ "Records". 2005 NFL Record and Fact Book. NFL. 2005. ISBN 978-1-932994-36-0.
References
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Early era
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Modern era
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