| 1998 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| General manager | John Butler |
| Head coach | Wade Phillips |
| Home stadium | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rdAFC East |
| Playoffs | LostWild Card Playoffs (atDolphins) 17–24 |
| Pro Bowlers | QBDoug Flutie FBSam Gash WREric Moulds GRuben Brown DEBruce Smith DTTed Washington |
The1998 Buffalo Bills season was the team's 39th season, and 29th in theNational Football League (NFL).[1] The season marked an important development in the Bills’ history as a quarterback controversy would consume the whole season betweenRob Johnson andDoug Flutie. It would also mark the beginning of theWade Phillips era. The Bills improved on theprevious season's output of 6–10, and finished third in the AFC East with a 10–6 record,[2] and would qualify for the playoffs only to lose in the wild card round to theMiami Dolphins.
The Bills lost their first three games of the season, all by six points or less, and looked to be headed for a losing season. After a bye in Week Four, quarterback Rob Johnson finally won his first game with Buffalo, holding on for a 26–21 win overSan Francisco in Week Five. Flutie started the next eleven games, winning nine of them. The Bills had a playoff spot locked up by the final game of the season, which Johnson started and won.
The Bills playedthe Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the1998 AFC Playoffs, wherewide receiverEric Moulds would set the NFL playoff record for receiving yards, with 240. The Bills would end up losing the game 24–17, as Dolphins linemanTrace Armstrong sacked Flutie on Buffalo's last drive, forcing him to fumble, and icing the game for Miami.
The Bills, looking to upgrade the quarterback position, signedRob Johnson, who had played forJacksonville in 1997, and improved his stock with a win in relief of Jaguars quarterbackMark Brunell. Bills general manager John Butler traded away the Bills' first- and fourth-round picks to Jacksonville for the rights to Johnson.
The Bills also signed long-timeCFL quarterbackDoug Flutie to back up Johnson; Flutie would end the 1998 season with theNFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| QBRob Johnson (Jaguars) | WRSteve Tasker (retirement) |
| QBDoug Flutie (CFL) | QBTodd Collins (Chiefs) |
| GJoe Panos (Eagles) | LBBryce Paup (Jaguars) |
| GCorbin Lacina (Panthers) |
| =Pro Bowler[note 1] |
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 39 | Sam Cowart[note 2] | MLB | Florida State | |
| 3 | 68 | Robert Hicks | OT | Mississippi State | |
| 5 | 131 | Jonathan Linton | FB | North Carolina | |
| 6 | 160 | Fred Coleman | WR | Washington | |
| 7 | 198 | Victor Allotey | OG | Indiana | |
| 238 | Kamil Loud | WR | Cal-Poly SLO |
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Crebo | Linebacker | Montana |
| Shane Doyle | Defensive end | Washington State |
| James Grier | Defensive tackle | Mississippi State |
| Raymond Hill | Defensive back | Michigan State |
| Herb Howard | Defensive tackle | Virginia State |
| Todd Kollar | Offensive tackle | Youngstown State |
| Carl McCullough | Running back | Wisconsin |
| Hardy Mitchell | Defensive tackle | Buffalo |
| David Mudge | Offensive tackle | Michigan State |
| Mark Nohra | Running back | British Columbia |
| Willie Rodgers | Linebacker | Florida |
| Jerry Ross | Tight end | Pittsburg State |
| Hassan Shamsid-Deen | Defensive back | NC State |
| Adrion Smith | Defensive back | Southwest Missouri State |
| Duane Stewart | Defensive back | Washington State |
| Paul Turner | Wide receiver | Colorado State |
| Clarence "Pooh Bear" Williams | Running back | Florida State |
| Dan Williams | Center | Wofford |
| Undre Williams | Wide receiver | Florida A&M |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Practice squad 53 active, 3 inactive, 4 practice squadReserve
|
The opening game for 1998 constituted the first time since1985 that the Bills playedthe San Diego Chargers.[4] The reason for this is that before the admission ofthe Texans in2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team's division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season.[5]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 14–16 | 0–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | 64,037 |
| 2 | September 13 | atMiami Dolphins | L 7–13 | 0–2 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,097 |
| 3 | September 20 | St. Louis Rams | L 33–34 | 0–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 65,199 |
| 4 | Bye | |||||
| 5 | October 4 | San Francisco 49ers | W 26–21 | 1–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 76,615 |
| 6 | October 11 | atIndianapolis Colts | W 31–24 | 2–3 | RCA Dome | 52,938 |
| 7 | October 18 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 17–16 | 3–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 77,635 |
| 8 | October 25 | atCarolina Panthers | W 30–14 | 4–3 | Ericcson Stadium | 64,050 |
| 9 | November 1 | Miami Dolphins | W 30–24 | 5–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 79,011 |
| 10 | November 8 | atNew York Jets | L 12–34 | 5–4 | Giants Stadium | 75,403 |
| 11 | November 15 | New England Patriots | W 13–10 | 6–4 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 72,020 |
| 12 | November 22 | Indianapolis Colts | W 34–11 | 7–4 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 49,032 |
| 13 | November 29 | atNew England Patriots | L 21–25 | 7–5 | Foxboro Stadium | 58,304 |
| 14 | December 6 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 33–20 | 8–5 | Cinergy Field | 54,359 |
| 15 | December 13 | Oakland Raiders | W 44–21 | 9–5 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 62,002 |
| 16 | December 19 | New York Jets | L 10–17 | 9–6 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 79,056 |
| 17 | December 27 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 45–33 | 10–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 39,707 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
Starting QBs: Buffalo:Rob Johnson ** Johnson left with a concussion with the Bills trailing 10-0. **
San Diego Chargers:Ryan Leaf ** 1st NFL Start **
Vegas Line: San Diego Chargers -1.5
Over/Under:41.0 (under)
|
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | Passing | Doug Flutie | 12/20, 158 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Antowain Smith | 20 carries, 54 yards | |
| Receiving | Andre Reed | 7 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TD | |
| Chargers | Passing | Ryan Leaf | 16/31, 192 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Natrone Means | 15 carries, 57 yards | |
| Receiving | Bryan Still | 6 receptions, 128 yards, 1 TD |
| Statistics | Bills | Chargers |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 62-297 | 51-254 |
| Rushes–yards | 28-90 | 20-67 |
| Passing yards | 207 | 187 |
| Passing:comp–att–int | 20-34-2 | 16-31-2 |
| Time of possession | 33:08 | 26:52 |
Week 2 at Miami Dolphins
Week 3 vs St Louis Rams
Week 4 Bye
Week 5 vs San Francisco 49ers
Week 6 at Indianapolis Colts
Week 7 vs Jacksonville Jaguars
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
First meeting of the two teams in Cincinnati since the 1988AFC Championship Game.
Starting QBs: Buffalo:Doug Flutie
Cincinnati:Neil O'Donnell
Vegas Line:Buffalo Bills -4.5
Over/Under:43.0 (over)
On the first play from scrimmage,Eric Moulds became the 20th Player in Bills History With 50+ Receptions In A Season, as he caught a 55 yard reception fromDoug Flutie.[8]
|
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | Passing | Doug Flutie | 18/30, 319 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Antowain Smith | 18 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Eric Moulds | 9 receptions, 196 yards, 2 TD | |
| Bengals | Passing | Neil O'Donnell | 19/31, 168 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Corey Dillon | 11 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Carl Pickens | 8 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD |
| Statistics | Bills | Bengals |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 64-448 | 53-234 |
| Rushes–yards | 34-139 | 17-58 |
| Passing yards | 309 | 176 |
| Passing:comp–att–int | 18-30-3 | 22-36-1 |
| Time of possession | 34:23 | 25:37 |
Wade Wilson gets his 2nd start at QB since 1993 by head coachJohn Gruden. Buffalo clinches playoff berth with the win.Wade Phillips also gets his first head coaching win vs the Raiders.
|
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Dolphins | 3 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 24 |
atPro Player Stadium,Miami, Florida
| |
| Franchise | |
| Stadiums |
|
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (15) | |
| Conference championships (4) | |
| League championships (2) | |
| Wall of Fame | |
| Media |
|
| Owners | |
| Current league affiliations |
|
| Former league affiliation |
|
