1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
---|---|
Owner | The Rooney Family |
General manager | Tom Donahoe |
Head coach | Bill Cowher |
Home field | Three Rivers Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7–9 |
Division place | 3rd AFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | C Dermontti Dawson |
AP All-Pros | Dermontti Dawson (1st team) |
Team MVP | Levon Kirkland |
Team ROY | Alan Faneca |
The 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 66th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL).
This season marked the first time since the 1991 season that the Steelers failed to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh finished 7–9 after starting the season 5–2, losing their last five games to lose a spot in the playoffs. It was Bill Cowher's first losing record as head coach of the Steelers.
The season was marked by a controversial ending to the team's Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions, where Jerome Bettis claimed he called the coin toss in overtime as "tails" although referee Phil Luckett heard "heads." The Lions won 19–16 and started the Steelers' losing streak to finish the season.
The inept plays of Kordell Stewart was cited as another conflict, as the fans slowly began to turn on him. After their 11–5 1997 season, Pittsburgh lost two key offensive components: Chan Gailey, the offensive coordinator who went on to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and their leading receiver, Yancey Thigpen, a Pro Bowler for Pittsburgh in 1997, who joined the Tennessee Oilers.
1998 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 | Alan Faneca * | Guard | LSU | |
2 | 41 | Jeremy Staat | Defensive end | Arizona State | |
3 | 66 | Chris Conrad | Tackle | Fresno State | |
3 | 92 | Hines Ward * | Wide receiver | Georgia | |
4 | 117 | Deshea Townsend | Cornerback | Alabama | |
4 | 123 | Carlos King | Running back | NC State | |
5 | 137 | Jason Simmons | Safety | Arizona State | from Atlanta |
6 | 178 | Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala | Fullback | Utah | |
6 | 186 | Ryan Olson | Defensive tackle | Colorado | |
7 | 221 | Angel Rubio | Defensive tackle | SE Missouri State | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Notable additions include Hines Ward, Alan Faneca and Deshea Townsend.
Week | Date | Opponent | Game site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sat. Aug. 1 | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | 7:00 p.m. | ABC | L 30–6 | 0–1 |
2 | Sat. Aug. 8 | Buffalo Bills | Three Rivers Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | KDKA | W 24–13 | 1–1 |
3 | Fri. Aug. 14 | at Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | KDKA | L 21–17 | 1–2 |
4 | Sat. Aug. 22 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | Mountaineer Field (Morgantown, West Virginia) | 6:00 p.m. | KDKA | W 28–22 | 2–2 |
5 | Sat. Aug. 29 | Carolina Panthers | Three Rivers Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN | W 38–24 | 3–2 |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 6 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 20–13 | 1–0 | Ravens Stadium | |
2 | September 13 | Chicago Bears | W 17–12 | 2–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
3 | September 20 | at Miami Dolphins | L 0–21 | 2–1 | Pro Player Stadium | |
4 | September 27 | Seattle Seahawks | W 13–10 | 3–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
5 | Bye | |||||
6 | October 11 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 20–25 | 3–2 | Cinergy Field | |
7 | October 18 | Baltimore Ravens | W 16–6 | 4–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
8 | October 26 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 20–13 | 5–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | |
9 | November 1 | Tennessee Oilers | L 31–41 | 5–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
10 | November 9 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–20 | 6–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
11 | November 15 | at Tennessee Oilers | L 14–23 | 6–4 | Vanderbilt Stadium | |
12 | November 22 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 30–15 | 7–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
13 | November 26 | at Detroit Lions | L 16–19 (OT) | 7–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | |
14 | December 6 | New England Patriots | L 9–23 | 7–6 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
15 | December 13 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–16 | 7–7 | Raymond James Stadium | |
16 | December 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–25 | 7–8 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
17 | December 28 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 3–21 | 7–9 | Alltel Stadium |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
Ravens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
at Ravens Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dolphins | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Steelers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Bengals | 0 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 25 |
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Steelers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oilers | 3 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 31 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 20 |
Steelers | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Oilers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
Steelers | 7 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 30 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
Lions | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 19 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
Steelers | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Buccaneers | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 3 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 25 |
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Jaguars | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Scoring drives
AFC Central | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
The 2007 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and their 40th overall season. The team attempted to improve upon their 8–8 record in 2006 and were looking to return to the playoffs after narrowly missing them. They failed to do so, finishing with a 7–9 record.
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 73rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 6th season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 14th under head coach Bill Cowher. The Steelers failed to improve upon their 15–1 record from 2004 and in 2005, the Steelers struggled. At one point, they were 7–5 and in danger of missing the playoffs but rose to defeat the Chicago Bears on December 11 and started a four-game win streak to finish the season at 11–5.
The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 45th in the National Football League. After what was considered the franchise's greatest season ever in 1976, the 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers failed to improve on their 10-4 record from 1976 and finished with a 9-5 record; however, they appeared in the playoffs for their 6th straight season and won the AFC Central again. They had a hard time for most of the season as their record hovered around .500. Even the Steel Curtain seemed to have a little wear and tear allowing 243 points on the season, more than 100 more than the previous season. The sloppy plays would catch up with them in the Divisional Playoffs when they were knocked off by the Broncos 34–21 in Denver.
The 1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 49th in the National Football League. After enduring an injury plagued 9–7 season the previous year and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1971, the Steelers had hoped that the 1980 season was just a small hiatus from contending for championships. However, while the Steelers had flashes of their former glory years after starting the season with 2 unimpressive losses, the 1981 season would end in an 8–8 record and eventually prove the end of the Steelers great dynasty of the 1970s. The Steelers had a chance to make the playoffs with an 8–5 start to the year but lost all of their last three games to miss the playoffs.
The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 65th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1987 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 55th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The team improved from a 6–10 record from 1986 and finishing 8–7 record and fail to reach the playoffs for a third straight season. Noll was renowned as a stoic character, but in complete contrast was his reaction to Jerry Glanville, the head coach of the Oilers. After the Steelers second meeting, Noll in the postgame handshake grabbed Glanville and told him he'd better watch out or he'd get jumped on. This was in reaction to Glanville's earlier comments on how the Oilers field was the 'house of pain' and his prediction that his players would intentionally hurt the Steelers.
The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 57th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. They were considered a rebuilding team filled with many young players, especially after the release of longtime center Mike Webster in the offseason. The young team showed its inexperience in the first game of the season, when they lost at home to the archrival Cleveland Browns 51–0. The loss marked the Steelers worst defeat in franchise history. The following week wasn't much better, losing 41–10 to another division rival, the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
The 1990 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 58th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 59th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 60th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 61st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1994 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 62nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 63rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 64th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise’s 67th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 68th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 2002 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 70th as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 69th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). After finishing the previous three seasons a combined 22–26, the Steelers returned to the top seed in the AFC, rolling to a 13–3 record in their first playoff berth and AFC Central title since 1997 and playing at Heinz Field. The Steelers went 7–1 in their new home stadium, with the only loss coming to the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
The 1964 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 32nd in the National Football League.
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