1998 Arizona Cardinals season
NFL team season
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The 1998 Arizona Cardinals season was the franchise's 100th season, 79th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 11th 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 also their first ever playoff win on the road). It was the Cardinals' first playoff appearance in the franchise's tenure in Arizona. After shocking the 10–6 Dallas Cowboys in the opening round in which the Cardinals won 20–7, Arizona ended up losing to the 15–1 Minnesota Vikings, 41–21 in the Divisional round. Over the next ten seasons, the Cardinals fell out of contention. They returned to the playoffs following the 2008 season, including a Super Bowl appearance despite a similarly mediocre 9–7 record. As such, this was the only playoff appearance for the Cardinals during their stay in Tempe. By 2008, they had moved west to Glendale.
| 1998 Arizona Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bill Bidwill |
| Head coach | Vince Tobin |
| Home stadium | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC East |
| Playoffs | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Cowboys) 20–7 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Vikings) 21–41 |
| Pro Bowlers | DB Aeneas Williams |
Statistics site Football Outsiders states that the 1998 Arizona Cardinals are the third-worst team behind the 2004 Rams and 2010 Seahawks to qualify for the NFL playoffs since they began calculating ratings.[1] Ironically, all three of those teams won their first playoff games before falling in the divisional round.
The Cardinals benefited from a weak schedule which allowed them to avoid the eventual two-time Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos from the AFC West. The other four teams in the division failed to post a winning record. Arizona also faced four of the NFC worst team's from the Central (Bears, Lions) and West (Rams, Saints) divisions.
The season also marked the Cardinals' first game in St. Louis since re-locating to Arizona after the 1987 season. The Cardinals defeated the St. Louis Rams 20–17. Prior to the 2002 season, the Cardinals would be realigned to the NFC West, thus becoming divisional rivals to the Rams, and from then would play a regular season game in their former city every year until the Rams' return to the Los Angeles metropolitan area after the 2015 season.
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 | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Cory Sauter | Quarterback | Minnesota |
| Cory Wedel | Kicker | Wyoming |
Personnel
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–38 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,602 | |
| 2 | September 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 14–33 | 0–2 | Kingdome | 57,678 | |
| 3 | September 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–3 | 1–2 | Sun Devil Stadium | 39,782 | |
| 4 | September 27 | at St. Louis Rams | W 20–17 | 2–2 | Trans World Dome | 55,832 | |
| 5 | October 4 | Oakland Raiders | L 20–23 | 2–3 | Sun Devil Stadium | 53,240 | |
| 6 | October 11 | Chicago Bears | W 20–7 | 3–3 | Sun Devil Stadium | 50,495 | |
| 7 | October 18 | at New York Giants | L 7–34 | 3–4 | Giants Stadium | 70,456 | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||||
| 9 | November 1 | at Detroit Lions | W 17–15 | 4–4 | Pontiac Silverdome | 66,087 | |
| 10 | November 8 | Washington Redskins | W 29–27 | 5–4 | Sun Devil Stadium | 45,950 | |
| 11 | November 15 | Dallas Cowboys | L 28–35 | 5–5 | Sun Devil Stadium | 71,670 | |
| 12 | November 22 | at Washington Redskins | W 45–42 | 6–5 | Jack Kent Cooke Stadium | 63,435 | |
| 13 | November 29 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–34 | 6–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 69,613 | |
| 14 | December 6 | New York Giants | L 19–23 | 6–7 | Sun Devil Stadium | 46,128 | |
| 15 | December 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 20–17 (OT) | 7–7 | Veterans Stadium | 62,176 | |
| 16 | December 20 | New Orleans Saints | W 19–17 | 8–7 | Sun Devil Stadium | 51,617 | |
| 17 | December 27 | San Diego Chargers | W 16–13 | 9–7 | Sun Devil Stadium | 71,670 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Seahawks | 10 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 33 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
- Date: September 13
- Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST/2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: None (Indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 57,678
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (Fox): Steve Buckhantz & Trevor Matich
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 17 |
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 4: at St. Louis Rams
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Rams | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: September 27
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST/12:00 p.m. MST
- Game weather: None (Indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 55,832
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert & Tim Green
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 6 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: October 11
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C)
- Game attendance: 47,860
- TV announcers (Fox): Ray Bentley & Ron Pitts
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 7: at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 18
- Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 70,456
- TV announcers (Fox): Ray Bentley & Ron Pitts
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 9: at Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Lions | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: November 1
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: None (Indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 66,087
- TV announcers (Fox): Ray Bentley & Ron Pitts
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 10: vs. Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 29 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: November 8
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 43,159
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (Fox): Tim Ryan, Bill Maas, & Ronnie Lott
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 12: at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 17 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
| Redskins | 0 | 6 | 21 | 15 | 42 |
at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Landover, Maryland
- Date: November 22
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,435
- TV announcers (Fox): Tim Ryan, Bill Maas, & Ronnie Lott
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 13: at Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: November 29
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 69,613
- TV announcers (Fox): Tim Ryan, Bill Maas, Ronnie Lott, & Kevin McCabe
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 14: vs. New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Cardinals | 14 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: December 6
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: overcast 45 °F (7 °C)
- Game attendance: 46,128
- TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen & Jerry Glanville
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 15: at Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: December 13
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,176
- TV announcers (Fox): Tim Ryan, Bill Maas, & Ronnie Lott
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Overtime
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 16: vs. New Orleans Saints
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: December 20
- Game time: 2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C)
- Game attendance: 51,617
- TV announcers (Fox): Tim Ryan, Bill Maas, Ronnie Lott, & Kevin McCabe
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 17: vs. San Diego Chargers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: December 27
- Game time: 2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,670
- TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui & Beasley Reece
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
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 |
Postseason
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | January 2, 1999 | at Dallas Cowboys (3) | W 20–7 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium |
| Divisional | January 10, 1999 | at Minnesota Vikings (1) | L 21–41 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
NFC Wild Card Round: at (3) Dallas Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Date: January 2
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Clear, 43 °F (6 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,969
- Referee: Bernie Kukar
- TV announcers (ABC/Westwood One): Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire (color commentators), and Solomon Wilcots (sideline reporter)/Joel Meyers (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (color commentator)
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Quarterback Jake Plummer passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Cardinals to their first playoff victory since 1947.[3]
NFC Divisional Round: at (1) Minnesota Vikings
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Vikings | 7 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: January 10
- Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST/2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: None (Indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,760
- Referee: Tom White
- TV announcers (Fox/Westwood One): Pat Summerall (play-by-play), John Madden (color commentator), and Ron Pitts (sideline reporter)/John Rooney (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (color commentator)
- Box Score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|