1998 Arizona Cardinals season
| 1998 Arizona Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Vince Tobin |
| Owner | Bill Bidwill |
| Home field | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won NFC Wild Card (Cowboys) 20-7 Lost NFC Divisional Playoff (Vikings) 41-21 |
The 1998 Arizona Cardinals season was the franchise's 78th in the National Football League. It was the Cardinals' 11th season in Arizona. The club posted its first winning record since 1984, appeared in the postseason for the first time since 1982, its first postseason appearance in a non-strike season since 1975, and won its first postseason game since 1947. It was the Cardinals' first playoff appearance in its tenure in Arizona. (The team moved to Phoenix from St. Louis after the 1987 season.) Arizona ended up losing to the Minnesota Vikings, who won 15 games, 41-21 in the Divisional round. Over the next several years, the Cardinals fell out of contention. They returned to the playoffs following the 2008 season, including a Super Bowl appearance despite a mediocre 9-7 record.
Statistics site Football Outsiders calls the 1998 Cardinals "one of the greatest fluke teams of all time ... who went 9–7 despite getting outscored by their opponents 378–325. They rank[ed] 25th [statistically] below three different 4–12 teams. [T]hey were a colossal fluke, despite the fact that they managed to win a playoff game in a huge upset over Dallas. ... The Cardinals went 6–3 over their final nine games, but all six wins came against teams that were 6–10 or worse, and all six wins came by either two or three points. The next year, they were back to 6–10...."[1] Football Outsiders states that the 1998 Cardinals are the third-worst team (behind the 2004 Rams and 2010 Seahawks) to qualify for the NFL playoffs since they began calculating ratings.[2]
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1998 Arizona Cardinals draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Andre Wadsworth | Defensive end | Florida State | |
| 2 | 33 | Corey Chavous * | Defensive back | Vanderbilt | |
| 2 | 36 | Anthony Clement | Offensive tackle | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
| 4 | 95 | Michael Pittman | Running back | Fresno State | |
| 5 | 125 | Terry Hardy | Tight end | Southern Miss | |
| 6 | 158 | Zack Walz | Linebacker | Dartmouth | |
| 7 | 193 | Phil Savoy | Wide receiver | Colorado | |
| 7 | 209 | Jomo Cousins | Defensive end | Florida A&M | |
| 7 | 226 | Pat Tillman | Defensive back | Arizona State | |
| 7 | 233 | Ron Janes | Running back | Missouri | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
| 1998 Arizona Cardinals staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | TV Time | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6, 1998 | FOX 1:05 pm MT | at Dallas Cowboys | L 38–10 | |
| 2 | September 13, 1998 | FOX 1:15 pm MT | at Seattle Seahawks | L 33–14 | |
| 3 | September 20, 1998 | ESPN 5:15 pm MT | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–3 | |
| 4 | September 27, 1998 | FOX 10:00 am MT | at St. Louis Rams | W 20–17 | |
| 5 | October 4, 1998 | CBS 1:05 pm MT | Oakland Raiders | L 23–20 | |
| 6 | October 11, 1998 | FOX 1:05 pm MT | Chicago Bears | W 20–7 | |
| 7 | October 18, 1998 | FOX 10:00 am MT | at New York Giants | L 34–7 | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||
| 9 | November 1, 1998 | FOX 11:00 am MT | at Detroit Lions | W 17–15 | |
| 10 | November 8, 1998 | FOX 2:15 pm MT | Washington Redskins | W 29–27 | |
| 11 | November 15, 1998 | FOX 2:15 pm MT | Dallas Cowboys | L 35–28 | |
| 12 | November 22, 1998 | FOX 11:00 am MT | at Washington Redskins | W 45–42 | |
| 13 | November 29, 1998 | FOX 11:00 am MT | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 34–24 | |
| 14 | December 6, 1998 | FOX 2:15 pm MT | New York Giants | L 23–19 | |
| 15 | December 13, 1998 | FOX 11:00 am MT | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 20–17 | |
| 16 | December 20, 1998 | FOX 2:05 pm MT | New Orleans Saints | W 19–17 | |
| 17 | December 27, 1998 | CBS 2:05 pm MT | San Diego Chargers | W 16–13 | |
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Playoffs
NFC Wildcard Game
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 62,969
- Referee: Bernie Kukar
- TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire (color commentators), and Solomon Wilcots (sideline reporter)
Quarterback Jake Plummer passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Cardinals to their first playoff victory since 1947.[5]
NFC Divisional Playoff
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Vikings | 7 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
- Game attendance: 63,760
- Referee: Tom White
- TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall (play-by-play), John Madden (color commentator), and Ron Pitts (sideline reporter)
Awards and records
- Kwamie Lassiter, NFC Leader in Interceptions, 8 [6]
- Kwamie Lassiter, Tied NFL Record, Most Interceptions in One Game, 4 (Achieved on December 27) [7]
- Frank Sanders, Led NFC in Receptions, 89 [8]
References
- ↑ 1998 DVOA Ratings and Commentary
- ↑ Football Outsiders: Final 2010 DVOA Ratings "The Seahawks do pass the 1998 Cardinals as the second-worst playoff team in DVOA history."
- ↑ "1998 Arizona Cardinals Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- 1 2 1998 NFL Playoffs – www.football.com Archived February 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Arizona Cardinals (1988–Present)
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 452
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 94
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 451