1998 Arizona Cardinals season

1998 Arizona Cardinals season
Head Coach	Vince Tobin
Home Field	Sun Devil Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Place	2nd NFC East
Playoff Finish	Lost NFC Divisional Playoff
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1997	1999

The 1998 Arizona Cardinals season was the Cardinals 11th season in Arizona. The club appeared in the postseason for the first time since the 1982 season and won its first postseason game since 1947.

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..."

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1998 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club Team
1	3	Andre Wadsworth	Defensive End	Florida State
2	33	Corey Chavous	Defensive Back	Vanderbilt
2	36	Anthony Clement	Tackle	Lafayette
4	95	Michael Pittman	Running Back	Fresno State
5	125	Terry Hardy	Tight End	Southern Miss
6	158	Zack Walz	Linebacker	Dartmouth College
7	193	Phil Savoy	Wide Receiver	Colorado
7	209	Jomo Cousins	Defensive End	Florida A & M
7	226	Pat Tillman	Defensive Back	Arizona St.
7	233	Ron Janes	Running Back	Mizzou

Personnel

Staff

1998 Arizona Cardinals staff
Head Coaches Head Coach – Vince Tobin Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Marc Trestman Quarterbacks – Geep Chryst Running Backs – Johnny Roland Wide Receivers – Vic Rapp Tight Ends – Hank Kuhlmann Offensive Line – George Warhop			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Dave McGinnis Defensive Line – Joe Greene Linebackers – Glenn Pires Defensive Backs – Larry Marmie Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Al Everest Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Bob Rogucki

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 6, 1998	at Dallas Cowboys	L 38-10	63,602
2	September 13, 1998	at Seattle Seahawks	L 33-14	57,678
3	September 20, 1998	Philadelphia Eagles	W 17-3	39,782
4	September 27, 1998	at St. Louis Rams	W 20-17	55,832
5	October 4, 1998	Oakland Raiders	L 23-20	53,240
6	October 11, 1998	Chicago Bears	W 20-7	50,495
7	October 18, 1998	at New York Giants	L 34-7	70,456
8	Bye
9	November 1, 1998	at Detroit Lions	W 17-15	66,087
10	November 8, 1998	Washington Redskins	W 29-27	45,950
11	November 15, 1998	Dallas Cowboys	L 35-28	71,670
12	November 22, 1998	at Washington Redskins	W 45-42	63,435
13	November 29, 1998	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 34-24	69,613
14	December 6, 1998	New York Giants	L 23-19	46,128
15	December 13, 1998	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 20-17	62,176
16	December 20, 1998	New Orleans Saints	W 19-17	51,617
17	December 27, 1998	San Diego Chargers	W 16-13	71,670

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Dallas Cowboys	10	6	0	.625	381	275
Arizona Cardinals	9	7	0	.563	325	378
New York Giants	8	8	0	.500	287	309
Washington Redskins	6	10	0	.375	319	421
Philadelphia Eagles	3	13	0	.188	161	344

Playoffs

NFC Wildcard Game

Arizona Cardinals 20, Dallas Cowboys 7 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.

NFC Divisional Playoff

Minnesota Vikings 41, Arizona Cardinals 21 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
• Kwamie Lassiter, Tied NFL Record, Most Interceptions in One Game, 4 (Achieved on December 27)
• Frank Sanders, Led NFC in Receptions, 89

References

• Cardinals on Pro Football Reference
• Cardinals on jt-sw.com