1998 NFL season

1998 NFL season

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
Champions	Denver Broncos
Pro Bowl
Date	February 7, 1999
Site	Aloha Stadium
← 1997 NFL seasons 1999 →

Colts

Patriots

Bills

Dolphins

Jets

Bengals

Ravens

Oilers

Steelers

Jaguars

Broncos

Chiefs

Raiders

Chargers

Seahawks

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AFC teams: West, Central, East

Cowboys

Giants

Eagles

Cardinals

Redskins

Bears

Lions

Packers

Vikings

Buccaneers

Falcons

Rams

Saints

49ers

Panthers

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NFC teams: West, Central, East

The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). The season culminated with Super Bowl XXXIII, with the Denver Broncos defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34–19 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. 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 all nineteen games. ^{[1] [2]} 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. After no team had won 14 regular season games since the 1992 49ers, three teams went 14–2 or better for the only time in a 16-game season.

Draft

The 1998 NFL draft was held from April 17 to 18, 1998, at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback Peyton Manning from the University of Tennessee.

Referee changes

Dale Hamer and Gary Lane returned to head linesman and side judge, respectively. Tony Corrente and Ron Winter were promoted to referee.

Mike Pereira left the field after two seasons as a side judge to become an assistant supervisor of officials. He succeeded Jerry Seeman as Vice President of Officiating in 2001. Pereira's replacement, Terry McAulay, assumed Pereira's old position and uniform number (77). McAulay was promoted to referee in 2001 and was crew chief for three Super Bowls (XXXIX, XLIII and XLVIII).

Major rule changes

• The officiating position titles 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 lineman.
• 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. ^[3] Thus, the rule change was adopted to prevent any further confusion.

Preseason

Hall of Fame Game

The 1998 Hall of Fame Class included Paul Krause, Tommy McDonald, Anthony Muñoz, an offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals, Mike Singletary, a member of the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX championship team, and Dwight Stephenson, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman with the Miami Dolphins.

Regular season

Scheduling formula

Inter-conference AFC East vs NFC West AFC Central vs NFC Central AFC West vs NFC East

Highlights of the 1998 season included:

• Thanksgiving : Two games were played on Thursday, November 26, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings at the Dallas Cowboys, with the Lions and Vikings winning. The Steelers-Lions game is notable for going into overtime, where the Steelers' Jerome Bettis called the coin toss in the air, but referee Phil Luckett awarded the Lions the ball after he thought Bettis tried to call both heads and tails at the same time. The Lions went on to kick a field goal on the first possession, winning 19–16. In the other game, Vikings rookie wide receiver Randy Moss caught three touchdowns, all of over 50 yards in a 46–36 win.

Final standings

AFC East view talk edit W L T PCT PF PA STK (2) New York Jets 12 4 0 .750 416 266 W6 (4) Miami Dolphins 10 6 0 .625 321 265 L1 (5) Buffalo Bills 10 6 0 .625 400 333 W1 (6) New England Patriots 9 7 0 .563 337 329 L1 Indianapolis Colts 3 13 0 .188 310 444 L2 AFC Central view talk edit W L T PCT PF PA STK (3) Jacksonville Jaguars 11 5 0 .688 392 338 W1 Tennessee Oilers 8 8 0 .500 330 320 L2 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 9 0 .438 263 303 L5 Baltimore Ravens 6 10 0 .375 269 335 W1 Cincinnati Bengals 3 13 0 .188 268 452 L1 AFC West view talk edit W L T PCT PF PA STK (1) Denver Broncos 14 2 0 .875 501 309 W1 Oakland Raiders 8 8 0 .500 288 356 L1 Seattle Seahawks 8 8 0 .500 372 310 L1 Kansas City Chiefs 7 9 0 .438 327 363 W1 San Diego Chargers 5 11 0 .313 241 342 L5

NFC East view talk edit W L T PCT PF PA STK (3) Dallas Cowboys 10 6 0 .625 381 275 W2 (6) Arizona Cardinals 9 7 0 .563 325 378 W3 New York Giants 8 8 0 .500 287 309 W4 Washington Redskins 6 10 0 .375 319 421 L1 Philadelphia Eagles 3 13 0 .188 161 344 L3 NFC Central view talk edit W L T PCT PF PA STK (1) Minnesota Vikings 15 1 0 .938 556 296 W8 (5) Green Bay Packers 11 5 0 .688 408 319 W3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8 8 0 .500 314 295 W1 Detroit Lions 5 11 0 .313 306 378 L4 Chicago Bears 4 12 0 .250 276 368 L1 NFC West view talk edit W L T PCT PF PA STK (2) Atlanta Falcons 14 2 0 .875 442 289 W9 (4) San Francisco 49ers 12 4 0 .750 479 328 W1 New Orleans Saints 6 10 0 .375 305 359 L3 Carolina Panthers 4 12 0 .250 336 413 W2 St. Louis Rams 4 12 0 .250 285 378 L2

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

	Jan 3 – Alltel Stadium					Jan 10 – Giants Stadium
	6	New England	10
						3	Jacksonville	24
	3	Jacksonville	25								Jan 17 – Mile High Stadium
						2	NY Jets	34
						AFC
	Jan 2 – Pro Player Stadium										2	NY Jets	10
						Jan 9 – Mile High Stadium
											1	Denver	23
	5	Buffalo	17								AFC Championship
						4	Miami	3
	4	Miami	24													Jan 31 – Pro Player Stadium
						1	Denver	38
	Wild Card playoffs
						Divisional playoffs
	Jan 3 – 3Com Park															A1	Denver	34
						Jan 9 – Georgia Dome
																N2	Atlanta	19
	5	Green Bay	27													Super Bowl XXXIII
						4	San Francisco	18
	4	San Francisco	30								Jan 17 – Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
						2	Atlanta	20
						NFC
	Jan 2 – Texas Stadium										2	Atlanta	30*
						Jan 10 – Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
											1	Minnesota	27
	6	Arizona	20								NFC Championship
						6	Arizona	21
	3	Dallas	7
						1	Minnesota	41

* Indicates OT victory

This box:

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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
NFL Man of the Year	Dan Marino, quarterback, Miami
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player	John Elway, quarterback, Denver

Coaching changes

Offseason

• Oakland Raiders – Jon Gruden; replaced Joe Bugel, who was fired after the 1997 season.
• Indianapolis Colts – Jim Mora; replaced Lindy Infante, who was fired after the 1997 season.
• Dallas Cowboys – Chan Gailey; replaced Barry Switzer, who resigned after the 1997 season.
• Buffalo Bills – Wade Phillips; replaced Marv Levy, who retired after the 1997 season.

In-season

• San Diego Chargers - June Jones; replaced Kevin Gilbride, who was fired after Week 6 of the 1998 season.
• Atlanta Falcons - Rich Brooks; served as interim head coach for Weeks 16 and 17 of the 1998 season while Dan Reeves recovered from quadruple bypass surgery.

Stadium changes

• Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens moved from Memorial Stadium to Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards
• Buffalo Bills: Rich Stadium was renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium after Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson
• Oakland Raiders: The Oakland Coliseum was renamed Network Associates Coliseum after the software company Network Associates acquired the naming rights
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers moved from Houlihan's Stadium to Raymond James Stadium, with Raymond James Financial acquiring the naming rights
• Tennessee Oilers: The Oilers moved from the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville

New uniforms

• The Baltimore Ravens began wearing their white pants instead of black with their white jerseys.
• The Detroit Lions wore blue pants and silver-topped socks with their white jerseys for this season only.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars removed the black side panels on uniforms.
• The New York Jets unveiled a modernized version of the team's classic design and logo used from 1964 to 1977.
• The San Diego Chargers returned to navy pants with their white jerseys.
• The San Francisco 49ers switched from white to gold pants.

Television

This was the first season that CBS held the rights to televise AFC games, taking over 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). ABC and Fox renewed their rights for Monday Night Football and the NFC package, respectively. All of these networks signed eight-year television contracts through the 2005 season. ^[4]

This was also the first season where the late games kicked off at 4:05pm ET & 4:15pm ET (replacing the original 4:00pm ET start time), to give networks more time to finish the early games before the start of the late games. The 4:15 start time would last until 2011.

MNF broadcasts were also pushed back from its 9:00pm ET start time to 8:00pm ET. The actual kickoffs were at 8:20pm, preceded by a new pregame show hosted by Chris Berman. Frank Gifford was then reassigned as a special contributor to the pregame show, while Boomer Esiason replaced Gifford in the booth.

Longtime CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz was named as the host of the revived The NFL Today pregame show, with Marcus Allen, Brent Jones, and George Seifert as analysts. For its new lead broadcast team, CBS hired Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms from NBC. Randy Cross also came from NBC, and was paired with longtime CBS Sports announcer Verne Lundquist to form the network's new #2 crew.

Fox hired Cris Collinsworth from NBC to replace Ronnie Lott as one of the Fox NFL Sunday analysts.

ESPN hired Paul Maguire from NBC to join Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann in a three-man booth.

Official AFC team affiliates

Team	Affiliate
Baltimore Ravens	WJZ-TV
Buffalo Bills	WIVB
Cincinnati Bengals	WKRC
Cleveland Browns	WOIO
Indianapolis Colts	WISH-TV
Jacksonville Jaguars	WJAX
Kansas City Chiefs	KCTV
Miami Dolphins	WFOR
New England Patriots	WBZ-TV
New York Jets	WCBS
Oakland Raiders	KPIX
Pittsburgh Steelers	KDKA
San Diego Chargers	KFMB
Seattle Seahawks	KIRO-TV
Tennessee Oilers	WTVF

External links

• Football Outsiders 1998 DVOA Ratings and Commentary
• Pro Football Reference.com – 1998

References

1. "New York eyes 19–0, but there's no rush". Minneapolis Star Tribune . November 16, 1998.
2. Freeman, Mike (December 9, 1998). "Chasing Perfection and Taking Questions; Voluble Broncos Are 13–0 and Ready to Talk". The New York Times .
3. Pincus, David (November 26, 2010). "11/26/1998 - The Turkey Day coin flip". sbnation.com. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
4. Quinn, Kevin G. (2011). The Economics of the National Football League: The State of the Art. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 338. ISBN   978-1-4419-6289-8.

• 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)