1998 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
---|---|
Owner | Malcolm Glazer |
General manager | Rich McKay |
Head coach | Tony Dungy |
Home field | Raymond James Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 8β8 |
Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 5 |
AP All-Pros | 3
|
Team MVP | LB Derrick Brooks |
The 1998 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the: franchise's 23rd season in theββNational Football League (NFL) and their first season in Raymond James Stadium.
Following their breakthrough 1997 season, the Buccaneers finished 8β8 and missed the postseason; nonetheless they were the only teamββto beat the 15β1 Minnesota Vikings during the "regular season." In Week 17, they recorded the biggest road win in franchise history with a 35β0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, a record that stood until the 2020 team defeated the Detroit Lions 47β7 in Detroit.
Offseasonβ»
NFL draftβ»
1998 Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 34 | Jacquez Green | Wide receiver | Florida | |
2 | 45 | Brian Kelly | Cornerback | USC | |
3 | 84 | Jamie Duncan | Linebacker | Vanderbilt | |
4 | 104 | Todd Washington | Center | Virginia Tech | |
6 | 175 | James Cannida | Defensive tackle | Nevada | |
6 | 184 | Shevin Smith | Safety | Florida State | |
7 | 212 | Chance McCarty | Defensive end | TCU | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnelβ»
Staffβ»
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Rosterβ»
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Preseasonβ»
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HOF | August 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30β6 | 1β0 | Fawcett Stadium |
1 | August 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 13β17 | 1β1 | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium |
2 | August 13 | at Miami Dolphins | L 13β14 | 1β2 | Pro Player Stadium |
3 | August 24 | at Oakland Raiders | W 41β7 | 2β2 | Network Associates Coliseum |
4 | August 28 | at New Orleans Saints | L 6β10 | 2β3 | Louisiana Superdome |
Regular seasonβ»
Scheduleβ»
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 6 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 7β31 | 0β1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 62,538 | Recap |
2 | September 13 | at Green Bay Packers | L 15β23 | 0β2 | Lambeau Field | 60,124 | Recap |
3 | September 20 | Chicago Bears | W 27β15 | 1β2 | Raymond James Stadium | 64,328 | Recap |
4 | September 28 | at Detroit Lions | L 6β27 | 1β3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 74,724 | Recap |
5 | October 4 | New York Giants | W 20β3 | 2β3 | Raymond James Stadium | 64,989 | Recap |
6 | Bye | ||||||
7 | October 18 | Carolina Panthers | W 16β13 | 3β3 | Raymond James Stadium | 63,600 | Recap |
8 | October 25 | at New Orleans Saints | L 3β9 | 3β4 | Louisiana Superdome | 52,695 | Recap |
9 | November 1 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27β24 | 4β4 | Raymond James Stadium | 64,979 | Recap |
10 | November 8 | Tennessee Oilers | L 22β31 | 4β5 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,054 | Recap |
11 | November 15 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 24β29 | 4β6 | Alltel Stadium | 72,974 | Recap |
12 | November 22 | Detroit Lions | L 25β28 | 4β7 | Raymond James Stadium | 64,265 | Recap |
13 | November 29 | at Chicago Bears | W 31β17 | 5β7 | Soldier Field | 51,938 | Recap |
14 | December 7 | Green Bay Packers | W 24β22 | 6β7 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,497 | Recap |
15 | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 16β3 | 7β7 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,335 | Recap |
16 | December 19 | at Washington Redskins | L 16β20 | 7β8 | Jack Kent Cooke Stadium | 66,309 | Recap |
17 | December 27 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 35β0 | 8β8 | Riverfront Stadium | 49,826 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summariesβ»
Preseasonβ»
The Buccaneers moved out of aging Houlihan's Stadium after the 1997 season. With construction crews still putting the finishing touches on brand new Raymond James Stadium, the Buccaneers were forcedββto play all of their preseason games on the road. The team opened with a win against Pittsburgh in the Hall of Fame Game, then faced Kansas City in Oklahoma, an ordeal which saw the team sit at the airport nearly all night.
After another road trip to Miami, "the travel started taking toll on the team." A cross-country trip to Oakland was followed four days later by, a game at New Orleans.
Week 1: at Minnesota Vikingsβ»
Coming off their playoff season from 1997, the Buccaneers opened 1998 with high expectations. Still on the road, their first game in the new stadium would have to wait until week 3. Receiver Bert Emanuel went out with a sprained ankle. And Tampa Bay lost 31β7.
Week 2: at Green Bay Packersβ»
Jacques Green returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown (only his second-career return attempt) to set a franchise record for longest punt return. However, Green Bay won 23β15.
Week 3: Chicago Bearsβ»
After five games on the road during the preseason, and the first two regular season games played away, the Buccaneers finally were ready for a home game. The highly anticipated first game at brand new Raymond James Stadium saw the Buccaneers host the Bears. After falling behind 15β0 at halftime, Tampa Bay scored 27 unanswered points to win 27β15. Dave Moore caught a one-handed pass for a 44-yard touchdown in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Warrick Dunn ran for a 44-yard touchdown. Raymond James Stadium was opened with a victory, and the Buccaneers improved to 1β2.
Week 4: at Detroit Lionsβ»
On Monday Night Football, Tampa Bay faced Detroit at the Silverdome. Despite clinging to a 6β3 deficit at halftime, Tampa Bay's sputtering offense. And defensive miscues cost any chance at victory. Barry Sanders rushed for 131 yards, Bryant Westbrook returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown, and Terry Fair returned a Lions record 105-yard kickoff return touchdown. Two apparent touchdown passes by Trent Dilfer were called back for penalty, and Tampa Bay fell 27β6.
Week 5: New York Giantsβ»
Only a minute and "a half into the game," Charles Mincy intercepted Kanell for a 22-yard touchdown return. Tampa Bay would never trail in the game. The Buccaneer defense held the Giants to only 135 total yards, and picked off Kanell three times in the 20β3 victory.
Week 7: Carolina Panthersβ»
Tampa Bay evened their record to 3β3 with a win over Carolina. The Panthers led 13β3 in the fourth quarter. But Trent Dilfer led the Buccaneers for a rally in the final 5 minutes. On a roll out, Dilfer ran in for a 1-yard touchdown, then on the next possession, scored the go-ahead touchdown. Karl Williams caught a 29-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone with 1:39 to go to seal the victory 16β13.
The Buccaneers improved to 3β0 at Raymond James Stadium.
Week 8: at New Orleans Saintsβ»
The Tampa Bay offense dropped seven passes, Patrick Hape lost a fumble at the Saints 3-yard line, and Trent Dilfer threw an interception, as offensive futility again plagued the Buccaneers, resulting in a 9β3 loss at New Orleans. Three times the Buccaneers had the ball inside the Saints 25-yard line, but came up with zero points. At one point, Bert Emanuel caught a touchdown pass, but the officials ruled it incomplete, saying he "trapped" the ball against the turf.
Week 9: Minnesota Vikingsβ»
The Vikings entered week 9 at Tampa Bay undefeated at 7β0. Derrick Brooks intercepted Randall Cunningham, setting up Warrick Dunn's first touchdown run. A back and forth game saw the score tied 17β17 at halftime. Minnesota took a 24β17 lead in the third quarter, but Tampa Bay came back in the fourth. A field goal followed by a Mike Alstott touchdown run with just under six minutes remaining gave the Bucs a 27β24 lead. The Buccaneers had two rushers over 100 yards: Alstott (128) and Dunn (115), with Alstott sealing the game late with a rush of 38 yards.
Tampa Bay defeated Minnesota 27β24, the Vikingsβ first loss and only one during the regular season. The Bucs remained at 0.500, improving to 4β4, and were now 4β0 at Raymond James Stadium.
Week 10: Tennessee Oilersβ»
Tampa Bay held a 16β3 halftime lead, but trailing 24β22 at the two-minute warning, Tennessee was facing 3rd down & 8 at their own 29-yard line. A defensive stop by Tampa Bay would have given them the ball back, and an opportunity to drive for a game-winning field goal. However, quarterback Steve McNair broke out for a game-icing 71-yard touchdown run, and the Tennessee Oilers won 31β22.
Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguarsβ»
Tampa Bay was leading 24β23 with three minutes remaining. Fred Taylor broke out for a 70-yard touchdown run with 2:40 left, and Jacksonville won 29β24.
Week 12: Detroit Lionsβ»
Tampa Bay trailed 21β7, but rallied late. With just over two minutes remaining, Trent Dilfer drove the Buccaneers to the Detroit 11-yard line. He was intercepted in the endzone, and Detroit held on to win 28β25. It was Tampa Bay's third straight loss.
Week 13: at Chicago Bearsβ»
Tampa Bay got back to their winning ways, winning their first road game of the season at Chicago. Late in the second quarter, the Buccaneers blocked a Bears punt, and Ronde Barber scooped it up. He returned the ball 21 yards for a touchdown. As time expired in the first half, Trent Dilfer threw up a Hail Mary touchdown, which was caught by Brice Hunter, his first career NFL touchdown. The Bucs took a 21β14 lead into halftime, and won the game 31β17.
Tampa Bay's record was now 5β7, still alive for the wild card hunt.
Week 14: Green Bay Packersβ»
Tampa Bay hosted Green Bay in their first Monday Night Football home game since 1982. The Buccaneers forced 8 fumbles, and sacked Brett Favre 8 times. Late in the first quarter, Trent Dilfer connected to Jacquez Green for a 64-yard touchdown pass. Minutes later, at the beginning of the second quarter, Dilfer passed to Bert Emanuel in a nearly identical 62-yard touchdown pass. Leading 17β15 in the fourth quarter, Dilfer scrambled through the middle of the Packers defensive line to score a 6-yard touchdown, and a 24β15 lead. Green bay would trim the deficit to 24β22, but the Buccaneers held on to win.
Tampa Bay improved to 6β7 on the season.
Week 15: Pittsburgh Steelersβ»
Tampa Bay won their third game in a row, shutting down the Steelers to just 168 yard of offense. The Tampa Bay defense intercepted Kordell Stewart three times, and Mike Tomczak once. Mike Alstott ran for 78 yards on a wet and rainy day. The Steelers only points came early in the fourth quarter. After four tries, this was Tampa Bay's first win over Pittsburgh in team history.
Tampa Bay won 16β3 and evened their record at 7β7. They were now back in the hunt for the wild card.
Week 16: at Washington Redskinsβ»
Tampa Bay's playoff chances were dealt a big blow in the Week 16 loss at Washington. Tampa Bay led the Redskins 16β7 early in the fourth quarter, but blew the lead at the end. Leading 16β13 with six minutes to go, Jacquez Green fumbled a kickoff, turning the ball over. On the next play, Stephen Alexander caught the game-winning touchdown for Washington. Tampa Bay had two last chances to come back, but both times, Trent Dilfer threw interceptions.
The Buccaneers fell to 7β8 on the season, and would need to win in week 17 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Week 17: at Cincinnati Bengalsβ»
Tampa Bay clobbered Cincinnati 35β0, a franchise best for a road shutout until 2020. Mike Alstott scored three rushing touchdowns, and the Bucs defense intercepted the Bengals twice (including a 56-yard return by Ronde Barber)
Tampa Bay finished 8β8 on the season, winning four out of their last five games. At the conclusion of the game, they were still alive for an NFC wild card spot. Tampa Bay needed the Giants to beat the Eagles and the Chargers to beat the Cardinals. The Giants won, helping Tampa Bay, but the Cardinals beat the Chargers 16β13 with a 52-yard field goal as time expired. By the time the Buccaneers' plane had landed back in Tampa, they were ousted from the playoffs.
Standingsβ»
NFC Central | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
Minnesota Vikings | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 556 | 296 | W8 |
Green Bay Packers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 408 | 319 | W3 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 314 | 295 | W1 |
Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 306 | 378 | L4 |
Chicago Bears | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 276 | 368 | L1 |
Referencesβ»
- ^ 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Media Guide. pp. 44β46. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
- ^ "1998 NFL Preseason Schedule". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2021.