1998 Miami Dolphins season

The 1998 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 33rd overall and 29th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins improved upon their previous season's output of 9–7, winning ten games.[1] The team qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year. The Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills 24-17 in the Wild Card Game, but lost to the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos 38-3 in the Divisional Playoff Game.

1998 Miami Dolphins season
Head coach	Jimmy Johnson
Home field	Pro Player Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bills) 24–17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Broncos) 3–38
Pro Bowlers	DT Tim Bowens

The 2012 Football Outsiders Almanac states that the 1998 Dolphins had the single biggest defensive improvement (from the previous season) from 1991 to 2011.[2]

As with the 1985 Bears, the Dolphins defeated a team (the Broncos) widely tipped a few weeks earlier to beat their unbeaten 1972 season,[3][4] although this time the Dolphins were not defending their status as the only unbeaten team since the Giants had already beaten the Broncos. Because, before the admission of the Texans in 2002, scheduling for NFL games outside a team’s division was subject to much greater influence from table position during the previous season,[5] that game was the first time the Dolphins had opposed the Broncos since that same 1985 season.[6]

Offseason

NFL Draft

1998 Miami Dolphins draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	29	John Avery	Running back	Ole Miss
2	44	Patrick Surtain *	Cornerback	Southern Miss
2	49	Kenny Mixon	Defensive end	LSU
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

1998 Miami Dolphins final roster

	Quarterbacks 7 Craig Erickson 11 Damon Huard 13 Dan Marino Running backs 33 Karim Abdul-Jabbar 20 John Avery 30 Bernie Parmalee 36 Stanley Pritchett FB Wide receivers 17 Todd Doxzon 86 Oronde Gadsden 19 Nate Jacquet 88 Charles Jordan 81 O. J. McDuffie 85 Lamar Thomas Tight ends 84 Troy Drayton 89 Ed Perry 82 Frank Wainright		Offensive linemen 60 John Bock C 76 James Brown T 77 Jeff Buckey G 63 Mark Dixon G 65 Kevin Donnalley G 61 Tim Ruddy C 68 Mike Sheldon T 67 Barry Stokes G 78 Richmond Webb T Defensive linemen 93 Trace Armstrong DE 95 Tim Bowens DT 91 Lorenzo Bromell DE 75 Shane Burton DT 92 Daryl Gardener DT 79 Kenny Mixon DE 72 Barron Tanner DT 99 Jason Taylor DE		Linebackers 57 O. J. Brigance 51 Anthony Harris 50 Dwight Hollier 53 Larry Izzo 52 Robert Jones 59 Derrick Rodgers 54 Zach Thomas Defensive backs 38 Calvin Jackson SS 29 Sam Madison CB 31 Brock Marion FS 21 Rayna Stewart 23 Patrick Surtain CB 45 Brian Walker SS 24 Jerry Wilson FS Special teams 10 Olindo Mare K 8 Klaus Wilmsmeyer P		Reserve lists 87 Yatil Green WR (IR) -- Larry Shannon WR (IR) 22 Shawn Wooden SS (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV Time(ET)	TV Announcers	Attendance
1	September 6, 1998	at Indianapolis Colts	W 24–15	CBS 4:15pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	60,587
2	September 13, 1998	Buffalo Bills	W 13–7	CBS 1:00pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	73,097
3	September 20, 1998	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 21–0	CBS 1:00pm	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, Michele Tafoya	73,948
4	Bye
5	October 4, 1998	at New York Jets	L 9–20	CBS 1:00pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	75,257
6	October 12, 1998	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 21–28	ABC 8:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, Lesley Visser	74,051
7	October 18, 1998	St. Louis Rams	W 14–0	FOX 4:15pm	Sam Rosen & Jerry Glanville	65,418
8	October 25, 1998	New England Patriots	W 12–9 OT	CBS 1:00pm	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, Michele Tafoya	73,973
9	November 1, 1998	at Buffalo Bills	L 24–30	CBS 1:00pm	Kevin Harlan & Sam Wyche	79,011
10	November 8, 1998	Indianapolis Colts	W 27–14	CBS 1:00pm	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, Michele Tafoya	73,400
11	November 15, 1998	at Carolina Panthers	W 13–9	CBS 1:00pm	Don Criqui & Beasley Reece	67,887
12	November 23, 1998	at New England Patriots	L 23–26	ABC 8:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, Lesley Visser	58,729
13	November 29, 1998	New Orleans Saints	W 30–10	FOX 4:15pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	73,216
14	December 6, 1998	at Oakland Raiders	W 27–17	CBS 4:15pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	61,254
15	December 13, 1998	New York Jets	L 16–21	ESPN 8:15pm	Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Solomon Wilcots	74,369
16	December 21, 1998	Denver Broncos	W 31–21	ABC 8:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, Lesley Visser	74,363
17	December 27, 1998	at Atlanta Falcons	L 16–38	CBS 1:00pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	69,754

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV Time	TV Announcers	Attendance
Wild Card	January 2, 1999	Buffalo Bills	W 24–17	ABC 12:35pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, Lesley Visser	72,698
Division	January 9, 1999	at Denver Broncos	L 38–3	CBS 4:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	75,729

Standings

AFC East
	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

References

1. 1998 Miami Dolphins
2. Football Outsiders Almanac 2012 (ISBN 1478201525), p. 102
3. “Denver eyes 19–0, but there’s no rush” in Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 16, 1998
4. Freeman, Mike; “Chasing Perfection and Taking Questions; Voluble Broncos Are 13–0 and Ready to Talk” in The New York Times, December 9, 1998
5. History of the NFL’s Structure and Formats
6. Denver Broncos v Miami Dolphins