1998 NFL season
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| Regular season | |||
| Duration | September 6 – December 28, 1998 | ||
| Playoffs | |||
| Start date | January 2, 1999 | ||
| AFC Champions | Denver Broncos | ||
| NFC Champions | Atlanta Falcons | ||
| Super Bowl XXXIII | |||
| Date | January 31, 1999 | ||
| Site | Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida | ||
| Champions | Denver Broncos | ||
| Pro Bowl | |||
| Date | February 7, 1999 | ||
| Site | Aloha Stadium | ||
National Football League seasons
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The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.
The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium (Adelphia Coliseum) in Nashville.
This was the first season that CBS held the rights to televise American Football Conference games, taking over the package from NBC. Meanwhile, this was the first time that ESPN broadcast all of the Sunday night games throughout the season (this was also the first season in which ESPN’s coverage used the Monday Night Football themes, before reverting to using an original theme in 2001).
Football Outsiders noted “1998 was the last hurrah for the great quarterbacks who came into the league in the 1980s. The top four QBs [statistically] were all over 35: Vinny Testaverde, Randall Cunningham, Steve Young, and John Elway. Troy Aikman, age 32, was fifth. Dan Marino was 11th in his last good year.”[1]
The season ended with Super Bowl XXXIII when the Denver Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos had won their first thirteen games, the best start since the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, and were tipped by some to have a realistic chance at winning the full nineteen games.[2][3] The Minnesota Vikings became the first team since the 1968 Baltimore Colts to win all but one of their regular season games and not win the Super Bowl or NFL Championship.
Major rule changes
- The officiating positions of back judge and field judge were swapped to become more consistent with college and high school football. The field judge is now 20 yards deep, positioned on the same sideline as the line judge, while the back judge is 25 yards from the line of scrimmage near the center of the field.
- Tinted visors on players' facemasks are banned except for medical need.
- A defensive player can no longer flinch before the snap in an attempt to draw movement from an offensive linemen.
- A team will be penalized immediately for having 12 players in a huddle even if the 12th player goes straight to the sideline as the huddle breaks.
- During the season, the rules regarding the coin toss were changed to where the visiting team must make the call before the coin is tossed instead of while it was in the air. On Thanksgiving, the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions went to overtime. During the coin toss, Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was heard calling "tails" but referee Phil Luckett claimed he said "heads". The coin landed on tails, and the Lions won the toss and eventually the game on a Jason Hanson field goal. It was later revealed that Bettis had changed his mind during the call and was originally going to call "heads" but stopped. Thus, the rule change was adopted to prevent any further confusion.
1998 NFL Season Changes
Stadium changes
- Tennessee Oilers – Moved from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
- Baltimore Ravens – Departed from Memorial Stadium to PSINet Stadium.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Departed from Houlahan's Stadium to Raymond James Stadium.
Uniform changes
- Baltimore Ravens – Removed black pants from road uniforms.
- New York Jets – Re-adopted their 1960s logo and uniform design.
- Jacksonville Jaguars – Removed black side panels on uniforms.
- San Diego Chargers – Returned navy pants on road uniforms.
- San Francisco 49ers – New gold pants.
- Detroit Lions – New Honolulu blue numbers on road uniforms and Honolulu blue road pants with gray socks.
1998 Coaching Changes
- Oakland Raiders – Jon Gruden; replaced Joe Bugel who was fired after the '97 season.
- Indianapolis Colts – Jim Mora; replaced Lindy Infante who was fired after the '97 season.
- Dallas Cowboys – Chan Gailey; replaced Barry Switzer who resigned after the '97 season.
- Buffalo Bills – Wade Phillips; replaced Marv Levy who retired after the '97 season.
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 season.
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) New York Jets | 12 | 4 | .750 | 416 | 266 | |
| (4) Miami Dolphins | 10 | 6 | .625 | 321 | 265 | |
| (5) Buffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | .625 | 400 | 333 | |
| (6) New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | .563 | 337 | 329 | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 13 | .188 | 310 | 444 | |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
| (3) Jacksonville Jaguars | 11 | 5 | .688 | 392 | 338 | |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8 | 8 | .500 | 330 | 320 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 9 | .438 | 263 | 303 | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6 | 10 | .375 | 269 | 335 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 13 | .188 | 268 | 452 | |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
| (1) Denver Broncos | 14 | 2 | .875 | 501 | 309 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 8 | .500 | 288 | 356 | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8 | 8 | .500 | 372 | 310 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | .438 | 327 | 363 | |
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 11 | .313 | 241 | 342 | |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (3) Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 6 | .625 | 381 | 275 | |
| (6) Arizona Cardinals | 9 | 7 | .563 | 325 | 378 | |
| New York Giants | 8 | 8 | .500 | 287 | 309 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 10 | .375 | 319 | 421 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 13 | .188 | 161 | 344 | |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
| (1) Minnesota Vikings | 15 | 1 | .938 | 556 | 296 | |
| (5) Green Bay Packers | 11 | 5 | .688 | 408 | 319 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8 | 8 | .500 | 314 | 295 | |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | .313 | 306 | 378 | |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 12 | .250 | 276 | 368 | |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | |
| (2) Atlanta Falcons | 14 | 2 | .875 | 442 | 289 | |
| (4) San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 4 | .750 | 479 | 328 | |
| New Orleans Saints | 6 | 10 | .375 | 305 | 359 | |
| Carolina Panthers | 4 | 12 | .250 | 336 | 413 | |
| St. Louis Rams | 4 | 12 | .250 | 285 | 378 | |
Tiebreakers
- Miami finished ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East based on better net division points (6 to Bills' 0).
- Oakland finished ahead of Seattle in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
- Carolina finished ahead of St. Louis in the NFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
Playoffs
Main article: 1998–99 NFL playoffs
| January 3, 1999 - Alltel Stadium | January 10 - Giants Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | New England | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Jacksonville | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Jacksonville | 25 | January 17 - Mile High Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Jets | 34 | ||||||||||||||||
| AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
| January 2, 1999 - Pro Player Stadium | 2 | New York Jets | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| January 9 - Mile High Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Denver | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Buffalo | 17 | AFC Championship | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Miami | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Miami | 24 | January 31 - Pro Player Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Denver | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wild Card Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Divisional Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
| January 3, 1999 - 3Com Park at Candlestick Point | A1 | Denver | 34 | |||||||||||||||
| January 9 - Georgia Dome | ||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Atlanta | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Green Bay | 27 | Super Bowl XXXIII | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | San Francisco | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | San Francisco | 30 | January 17 - Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Atlanta | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
| January 2, 1999 - Texas Stadium | 2 | Atlanta | 30* | |||||||||||||||
| January 10 - Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Arizona | 20 | NFC Championship | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Arizona | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota | 41 | ||||||||||||||||
* Indicates overtime victory
Statistical leaders
Team
| Points scored | Minnesota Vikings (556) |
| Total yards gained | San Francisco 49ers (6,800) |
| Yards rushing | San Francisco 49ers (2,544) |
| Yards passing | Minnesota Vikings (4,328) |
| Fewest points allowed | Miami Dolphins (265) |
| Fewest total yards allowed | San Diego Chargers (4,208) |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | San Diego Chargers (1,140) |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | Philadelphia Eagles (2,720) |
Individual
| Scoring | Gary Anderson, Minnesota (164 points) |
| Touchdowns | Terrell Davis, Denver (23 TDs) |
| Most field goals made | Al Del Greco, Tennessee (36 FGs) |
| Rushing | Terrell Davis, Denver (2,008 yards) |
| Passing | Randall Cunningham, Minnesota, (106.0 rating) |
| Passing touchdowns | Steve Young, San Francisco (36 TDs) |
| Pass receiving | O.J. McDuffie, Miami (90 catches) |
| Pass receiving yards | Antonio Freeman, Green Bay (1,424) |
| Receiving touchdowns | Randy Moss, Minnesota (17 touchdowns) |
| Punt returns | Deion Sanders, Dallas (15.6 average yards) |
| Kickoff returns | Terry Fair, Detroit (28.0 average yards) |
| Interceptions | Ty Law, New England (8) |
| Punting | Craig Hentrich, Tennessee (47.2 average yards) |
| Sacks | Michael Sinclair, Seattle (16.5) |
Awards
| Most Valuable Player | Terrell Davis, Running Back, Denver |
| Coach of the Year | Dan Reeves, Atlanta |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Terrell Davis, Running Back, Denver |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Reggie White, Defensive End, Green Bay |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Randy Moss, Wide Receiver, Minnesota |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Charles Woodson, Cornerback, Oakland |
| NFL Comeback Player of the Year | Doug Flutie, Quarterback, Buffalo |
External links
References
- ↑ 1998 DVOA Ratings and Commentary
- ↑ “Denver eyes 19–0, but there's no rush” in Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 16, 1998
- ↑ Freeman, Mike; “Chasing Perfection and Taking Questions; Voluble Broncos Are 13–0 and Ready to Talk” in New York Times, December 9, 1998
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1991–2000 (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
- Steelers Fever – History of NFL Rules (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
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