The Oakland Raiders had lost 18 of their previous 20 games against the Kansas City Chiefs, so the utter debacle unfolding at Arrowhead Stadium in the final game of the 1999 season should not have shocked anyone. Oakland trailed 14-0 before the Chiefs’ offense ran a single play. That the Raiders, under second-year coach Jon Gruden, battled into position to attempt the tying field goal with 50 seconds left in regulation was remarkable. That Oakland made that kick and the winner in overtime seemed surreal for a team that could not kick straight.



No team missed more field goal tries than the Raiders over the final four seasons of the 1990s, so when Joe Nedney’s winner knocked the Chiefs from the playoffs while delivering Oakland its first victory at Arrowhead in more than a decade, possibly saving Gruden’s job in the process, there was a feeling the Raiders had finally found a kicker they could trust. A strong finish guaranteed nothing for Nedney, but as the...