1999 Seattle Seahawks season

The 1999 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League (NFL), the last playing their home games at the Kingdome and the first under head coach Mike Holmgren. It was also the first season that Seattle made the playoffs in eleven seasons. It would be Seattle's last playoff appearance as an American Football Conference (AFC) team. They would not return to the playoffs until 2003, after being moved to the National Football Conference (NFC).

Offseason
After the 1998 season, head coach Mike Holmgren left Green Bay to become the coach of the Seahawks. Holmgren was hired on January 8, 1999, to be the executive vice president, general manager and head coach.

Final roster

 * Starters in bold.
 * (*) Denotes players that were selected for the 2000 Pro Bowl.

Preseason

 * Source: Seahawks Media Guides

Regular season
Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC Central.


 * Bold indicates division opponents.
 * Source: 1999 NFL season results

Postseason
This game was the last event held in the Kingdome (1976–2000). On March 26, 2000, the Kingdome was imploded to make way for Seahawks Stadium.

Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions
Mike Holmgren’s debut as Seahawks head coach was a 28-20 loss to a Detroit Lions team playing without now-retired Barry Sanders and which had beaten him as Packers coach the year before at The Silverdome. Despite scoring two touchdowns in the final ten minutes Jon Kitna failed on a fourth down attempt in the final minute.

Week 2: at Chicago Bears
Glenn Foley started and threw two touchdowns in the final quarter erasing a 13-0 Bears lead. The Bears drove down in the final 2:42 but Brian Gowins’ missed 48-yard kick secured Holmgren’s first win as Seahawks coach (and third straight win over the Bears).

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Seahawks finished their two-game road trip by intercepting Kordell Stewart three times (ex-Niner Merton Hanks scored on the first pick not three minutes in) and Mike Tomczak twice while kicker Todd Peterson booted five field goals and running back John Edward Rogers caught a Steelers punt at his six and scored, in a 29-10 romp.

Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders
Rich Gannon led three touchdown drives for the Raiders in the game’s first thirty-five minutes; in that span Jon Kitna had a touchdown to Derrick Mayes (a two-point try to Sean Dawkins failed), a field goal drive and an interception, but in a roughly eleven minute span down 21-9 Kitna threw another touchdown (to Reggie Brown) and two successful field goals. The Raiders got the ball back with forty-five seconds left but a 61-yard kick missed for the 22-21 Seahawks win.

Week 6: at San Diego Chargers
The Seahawks fell 13-10 at Jack Murphy Stadium on a missed field goal attempt and two punts in the fourth quarter. Despite interceptions on four straight possessions encompassing the third quarter and part of the fourth Erik Kramer led the Chargers to two field goals, the game winner on the final play.

Week 7: vs. Buffalo Bills
Jon Kitna’s two touchdowns and three Todd Peterson field goals put the Seahawks ahead of the Bills 23-0, enough to withstand two Doug Flutie touchdowns; on Buffalo’s last two possessions Flutie was sacked, fumbling the ball once.

Week 8: at Green Bay Packers
Once fellow members of Bill Walsh’s staff on the Forty-Niners, Mike Holmgren faced his former defensive coordinator and now successor as Packers head coach Ray Rhodes. Shawn Springs’ blocked punt touchdown and Corey Bradford’s 74-yard catch opened a 7-7 game that then became a Seahawks rout as Brett Favre was intercepted four times and benched for Matt Hasselbeck. The 27-7 win left the Seahawks 5-2. Entering 2023 this was the last time the Seahawks defeated the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Seahawks season started turning for the worse in a 16-3 loss to the Buccaneers. Jon Kitna had a dismal day with five interceptions and just 197 yards.

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
The Raiders clawed to a 17-0 lead and Seattle’s comeback attempt resulted in three touchdowns, two turnovers, and a 30-21 loss

Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers
After the Seahawks clawed out a 16-13 lead the Chargers booted two additional field goals and the Seahawks fumbled once and missed three kicks of their own on their final four possessions; they thus had squandered an 8-2 start and at 8-5 were tied with Kansas City atop the AFC West.

Week 15 at Denver Broncos
The wildest game of the year (66 combined points a season high for both teams) occurred at Mile High Stadium. It was mostly a battle of Jason Elam and Todd Peterson field goals until the final four minutes saw the Seahawks outscore the Broncos 13-7; Seattle’s final ten points came in the final 62 seconds on a touchdown, onside kick, and field goal. In overtime Jon Kitna was strip sacked and Glenn Cadrez scored; the 36-30 loss now left the Seahawks’ playoff hopes in the air st 8-6.

Postseason
Seattle entered the postseason as the #3 seed in the AFC.