1998 Miami Dolphins season

1998 Miami Dolphins season
Owner	Wayne Huizenga
General manager	Eddie Jones
Head coach	Jimmy Johnson
Home field	Pro Player Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Bills) 24–17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Broncos) 3–38
Pro Bowlers	DT Tim Bowens LB Zach Thomas DB Sam Madison

The 1998 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 33rd overall and 29th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). 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 round, but lost to the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos 38–3 in the Divisional Playoff Game.

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]

This season marked the last time the Dolphins finished with the #1 Defense in the NFL.

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 roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 14 Dan Gonzalez 11 Damon Huard 13 Dan Marino Running backs (RB) 33 Karim Abdul-Jabbar 20 John Avery KR 34 Ronald Moore 30 Bernie Parmalee 36 Stanley Pritchett FB Wide receivers (WR) 17 Todd Doxzon PR 86 Oronde Gadsden 19 Nate Jacquet 81 O. J. McDuffie 85 Lamar Thomas 80 Iheanyi Uwaezuoke Tight ends (TE) 84 Troy Drayton 83 Henry Lusk 89 Ed Perry LS

Offensive linemen (OL) 60 John Bock C/G 76 James Brown T 65 Kevin Donnalley G 61 Tim Ruddy C 68 Mike Sheldon G/T 74 Brent Smith T 67 Barry Stokes T 78 Richmond Webb T Defensive linemen (DL) 93 Trace Armstrong DE 95 Tim Bowens DT 91 Lorenzo Bromell DE 75 Shane Burton DE/DT 92 Daryl Gardener DT 79 Kenny Mixon DE 96 Danny Stubbs DE 72 Barron Tanner DT 99 Jason Taylor DE

Linebackers (LB) 57 O. J. Brigance MLB 51 Anthony Harris OLB 50 Dwight Hollier OLB 53 Larry Izzo OLB 52 Robert Jones OLB 59 Derrick Rodgers OLB 54 Zach Thomas MLB Defensive backs (DB) 27 Terrell Buckley 28 Ray Hill CB 38 Calvin Jackson SS 29 Sam Madison CB 31 Brock Marion FS 21 Rayna Stewart FS 23 Patrick Surtain CB 45 Brian Walker SS 24 Jerry Wilson CB/S Special teams 10 Olindo Mare K 82 Frank Wainright LS  8 Klaus Wilmsmeyer P

Practice squad -- Alan Barnett T 26 Emmanuel McDaniel CB -- Denis Montana WR 43 Jamie Reader FB -- Matt Reem T Reserve 77 Jeff Buckey G (IR) 56 Mike Crawford LB (PUP) 63 Mark Dixon G (IR)  7 Craig Erickson QB (IR) 87 Yatil Green WR (IR) 88 Charles Jordan WR (IR) -- Larry Shannon WR (IR)  9 Derrick Steagall WR (IR) 64 Randy Wheeler G (NF-Inj.) 22 Shawn Wooden S (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 10 reserve, 5 practice squad

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 6	at Indianapolis Colts	W 24–15	1–0	RCA Dome	60,587
2	September 13	Buffalo Bills	W 13–7	2–0	Pro Player Stadium	73,097
3	September 20	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 21–0	3–0	Pro Player Stadium	73,948
4	Bye
5	October 4	at New York Jets	L 9–20	3–1	Giants Stadium	75,257
6	October 12	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 21–28	3–2	Alltel Stadium	74,051
7	October 18	St. Louis Rams	W 14–0	4–2	Pro Player Stadium	65,418
8	October 25	New England Patriots	W 12–9 OT	5–2	Pro Player Stadium	73,973
9	November 1	at Buffalo Bills	L 24–30	5–3	Ralph Wilson Stadium	79,011
10	November 8	Indianapolis Colts	W 27–14	6–3	Pro Player Stadium	73,400
11	November 15	at Carolina Panthers	W 13–9	7–3	Ericcson Stadium	67,887
12	November 23	at New England Patriots	L 23–26	7–4	Foxboro Stadium	58,729
13	November 29	New Orleans Saints	W 30–10	8–4	Pro Player Stadium	73,216
14	December 6	at Oakland Raiders	W 27–17	9–4	Network Associates Coliseum	61,254
15	December 13	New York Jets	L 16–21	9–5	Pro Player Stadium	74,369
16	December 21	Denver Broncos	W 31–21	10–5	Pro Player Stadium	74,363
17	December 27	at Atlanta Falcons	L 16–38	10–6	Georgia Dome	69,754

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Wild Card	January 2	Buffalo Bills	W 24–17	1–0	Pro Player Stadium	72,698
Division	January 9	at Denver Broncos	L 3–38	1–1	Mile High Stadium	75,729

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	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