By an extended plane-wave-based transfer-matrix method, the photonic band structure and the corresponding transmission spectrum have been calculated for a two-dimensional photonic crystal composed of negative-phase-velocity-medium (NPVM) cylindrical rods. Dispersionless anticrossing bands in the two-dimensional NPVM periodic structure are generated by the couplings among surface polaritons localized in the NPVM rods. In part of the negative-phase-velocity frequency region, the photonic band structures of the NPVM photonic crystal are characterized by a topographical continuous dispersion relationship accompanied by many anticrossing bands. The effect of the filling fraction of the NPVM rods on the optical properties of photonic crystals has also been studied.