1998 Buffalo Bills season

The 1998 Buffalo Bills season was the team's 39th season, and 29th in the National Football League (NFL).^[1] The season marked an important development in the Bills’ history as a quarterback controversy would consume the whole season between Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie. It would also mark the beginning of the Wade Phillips era. The Bills improved on the previous 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 the Miami Dolphins.

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	3rd AFC East
Playoffs	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Dolphins) 17–24
Pro Bowlers	QB Doug Flutie FB Sam Gash WR Eric Moulds G Ruben Brown DE Bruce Smith DT Ted Washington
← 1997 Bills seasons 1999 →

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 over San 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 played the Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the 1998 AFC Playoffs, where wide receiver Eric Moulds would set the NFL playoff record for receiving yards, with 240. The Bills would end up losing the game 24–17, as Dolphins lineman Trace Armstrong sacked Flutie on Buffalo's last drive, forcing him to fumble, and icing the game for Miami.

Offseason

The Bills, looking to upgrade the quarterback position, signed Rob Johnson, who had played for Jacksonville in 1997, and improved his stock with a win in relief of Jaguars quarterback Mark 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-time CFL quarterback Doug Flutie to back up Johnson; Flutie would end the 1998 season with the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Additions	Subtractions
QB Rob Johnson (Jaguars)	WR Steve Tasker (retirement)
QB Doug Flutie (CFL)	QB Todd Collins (Chiefs)
G Joe Panos (Eagles)	LB Bryce Paup (Jaguars)
	G Corbin Lacina (Panthers)

NFL draft

Main article: 1998 NFL draft

= Pro Bowler [note 1]

1998 Buffalo Bills Draft

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

Undrafted free agents

1998 undrafted free agents of note

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

Personnel

Staff

1998 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office President – Ralph Wilson Executive vice-president/general manager – John Butler Vice-president of football operations – Wade Phillips Director of pro personnel – A. J. Smith Director of player personnel – Dwight Adams Head coaches Head coach – Wade Phillips Assistant to the Head Coach – Max Bowman Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Joe Pendry Quarterbacks – Turk Schonert Running backs – Bishop Harris Receivers – Charlie Joiner Tight ends – Max Bowman Offensive line – Carl Mauck Offensive quality control – Chris Dickson

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Ted Cottrell Defensive line – John Levra Linebackers – Chuck Lester Defensive backs – Bill Bradley Special teams coaches Special teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning Coordinator – Rusty Jones

^[3]

Roster

1998 Buffalo Bills roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  7 Doug Flutie 11 Rob Johnson 10 Alex Van Pelt Running backs (RB) 33 Sam Gash FB 35 Jonathan Linton FB 23 Antowain Smith 34 Thurman Thomas 39 Pooh Bear Williams FB Wide receivers (WR) 88 Quinn Early 89 Kamil Loud 80 Eric Moulds 83 Andre Reed 82 Kevin Williams Tight ends (TE) 84 Lonnie Johnson 85 Jay Riemersma

Offensive linemen (OL) 66 Victor Allotey G 79 Ruben Brown G 63 Bill Conaty C 70 John Fina T 77 Robert Hicks T 74 Jamie Nails G 60 Jerry Ostroski T 72 Joe Panos G 70 Marcus Spriggs T 61 Dusty Zeigler C Defensive linemen (DL) 90 Phil Hansen DE 94 Mark Pike DE 91 Shawn Price DE 78 Bruce Smith DE 92 Ted Washington NT 75 Marcellus Wiley DE 93 Pat Williams NT

Linebackers (LB) 96 Dan Brandenburg OLB 51 Joe Cummings ILB 56 Sam Cowart ILB 52 John Holecek ILB 98 Sean Moran ILB 99 Gabe Northern OLB 58 Marlo Perry ILB 59 Sam Rogers OLB 55 Wayne Simmons OLB Defensive backs (DB) 25 Donovan Greer CB 27 Ken Irvin CB 31 Raymond Jackson CB 20 Henry Jones SS 21 Manny Martin FS 22 Daryl Porter CB 24 Kurt Schulz FS 40 Eric Smedley SS 28 Thomas Smith CB Special teams (ST) 76 Ethan Albright LS  2 Steve Christie K  9 Chris Mohr P

Practice squad 81 Fred Coleman WR 71 Dave Mudge T 86 Jerry Ross TE 14 Undre Williams WR 53 active, 3 inactive, 4 practice squad Reserve 13 Jim Ballard QB (IR) 46 Marlon Kerner CB (IR) 73 Mike Rockwood T (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

The opening game for 1998 constituted the first time since 1985 that the Bills played the San Diego Chargers.^[4] The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team's division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season.^[5]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 6	at San Diego Chargers	L 14–16	0–1	Qualcomm Stadium	64,037
2	September 13	at Miami 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	at Indianapolis 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	at Carolina 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	at New 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	at New England Patriots	L 21–25	7–5	Foxboro Stadium	58,304
14	December 6	at Cincinnati 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	at New Orleans Saints	W 45–33	10–6	Louisiana Superdome	39,707

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Week 1

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)

Buffalo Bills (0-0) at San Diego Chargers (0-0)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	0	7	7	14
• Chargers	3	0	10	3	16

• Date: Sep 6, 1998
• Location: QUALCOMM Stadium, San Diego, California
• Game start: 4:15pm EST
• Game attendance: 64,037
• Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) • 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
• Referee: Ron Blum
• TV announcers (NFL on CBS): Gus Johnson (sportscaster) and Steve Tasker

^[6]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BUF SD 1 1:06 9 45 5:19 Chargers 48-yard field goal by John Carney (American football) 0 3 3 13:16 3 72 1:44 Chargers Bryan Still 6-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Leaf, John Carney (American football) kick good 0 10 3 8:50 1 66 0:12 Bills Andre Reed 43-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Steve Christie kick good 7 10 3 3:00 12 61 5:50 Chargers 47-yard field goal by John Carney (American football) 7 13 4 9:05 8 31 4:52 Bills Andre Reed 5-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Steve Christie kick good 14 13 4 4:30 9 28 4:35 Chargers 54-yard field goal by John Carney (American football) 14 16 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 16

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

^[6]

Week 2

Week 2 at Miami Dolphins

• Score: L 13-7
• Date: September 13, 1998
• Stadium: Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL
• Start Time: 1PM ET/10AM PT
• Attendance: 73,097
• Weather: 82 °F (28 °C), 10% chance of rain
• TV: CBS
• Announcers: Ian Eagle and Mark May

Week 3 vs St Louis Rams

• Score: L 33-34
• Date: September 20, 1998
• Stadium: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
• Start Time: 1PM ET/10AM PT
• Attendance: 65,199
• Weather: 72 °F (22 °C), sunny, wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
• TV: Fox
• Announcers: Kenny Albert and Tim Green

Week 4 Bye

Week 5 vs San Francisco 49ers

• Score: W 26-21
• Date: October 4, 1998
• Stadium: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
• Start Time: 1PM ET/10AM PT
• Attendance: 76,615
• Weather: 50 °F (10 °C), cloudy
• TV: Fox
• Announcers: Ray Bentley and Ron Pitts

Week 6 at Indianapolis Colts

• Score: W 31-24
• Date: October 11, 1998
• Stadium: RCA Dome, Indianapolis IN
• Start Time: 1PM ET/10AM PT
• Attendance: 52,938
• Weather: Dome
• TV: CBS
• Announcers: Bill Macatee and John Dockery

Week 7 vs Jacksonville Jaguars

• Score: W 17-16
• Date: October 18, 1998
• Stadium: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
• Start Time: 1PM ET/10AM PT
• Attendance: 77,635
• Weather: 68 °F (20 °C), sunny
• TV: CBS
• Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms

Week 8

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bills	10	7	10	3	30
Panthers	0	7	0	7	14

• Date: October 25
• Location: Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Game start: 8:20 p.m.
• Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), wind 2 mph (3.2 km/h)
• Referee: Gerry Austin
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Solomon Wilcots

Scoring summary

1		BUF	Eric Moulds 20 yard pass from Doug Flutie (Steve Christie kick)	Bills 7–0
1		BUF	Steve Christie 42 yard field goal	Bills 10–0
2		CAR	William Floyd 1 yard run (John Kasay kick)	Bills 10–7
2		BUF	Eric Moulds 82 yard pass from Doug Flutie (Steve Christie kick)	Bills 17–7
3		BUF	Steve Christie 47 yard field goal	Bills 20–7
3		BUF	Thurman Thomas 17 yard run (Steve Christie kick)	Bills 27–7
4		BUF	Steve Christie 44 yard field goal	Bills 30–7
4		CAR	Mark Carrier 8 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (John Kasay kick)	Bills 30–14

^[7]

Week 10

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	3	6	3	0	12
• Jets	7	6	7	14	34

• Date: Nov 8, 1998
• Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Game start: 4:15 PM EST
• Game attendance: 75,403
• Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C) • 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
• Referee: Bernie Kukar
• TV announcers (NFL on CBS): Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms

Week 14

First meeting of the two teams in Cincinnati since the 1988 AFC 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 from Doug Flutie. ^[8]

Buffalo Bills (7-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-10)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bills	10	10	6	7	33
Bengals	0	13	0	7	20

• Date: Sunday Dec 6, 1998
• Location: Cinergy Field Cincinnati
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 54,359
• Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C) • 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
• Referee: Ron Blum
• TV announcers (NFL on CBS): Gus Johnson (sportscaster) and Steve Tasker

^[9]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BUF CIN 1 12:44 4 66 2:16 Bills Antowain Smith 1-yard touchdown run, Steve Christie kick good 7 0 1 6:12 9 69 1:52 Bills 20-yard field goal by Steve Christie 10 0 2 14:10 1 3 0:06 Bengals Darnay Scott 8-yard touchdown reception from Neil O'Donnell, kick no good (snap fumbled) 10 6 2 9:13 5 57 2:26 Bengals Carl Pickens 3-yard touchdown reception from Neil O'Donnell, Doug Pelfrey kick good 10 13 2 1:41 1 65 0:13 Bills Eric Moulds 70-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Steve Christie kick good 17 13 2 0:04 6 22 0:45 Bills 52-yard field goal by Steve Christie 20 13 3 10:38 8 38 3:13 Buffalo 46-yard field goal by Steve Christie 23 13 3 3:22 10 39 4:25 Bills 34-yard field goal by Steve Christie 26 13 4 12:12 4 59 2:00 Bills Eric Moulds 30-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Steve Christie kick good 33 13 4 1:42 6 24 1:41 Bengals Corey Dillon 3-yard touchdown run, Doug Pelfrey kick good 33 20 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 33 20

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

^[9]

Week 15

Wade Wilson gets his 2nd start at QB since 1993 by head coach John Gruden. Buffalo clinches playoff berth with the win. Wade Phillips also gets his first head coaching win vs the Raiders.

Raiders (7-6) at Bills (8-5)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	7	7	7	21
• Bills	3	17	17	7	44

• Date: December 13
• Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 62,002
• Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C) • 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
• Referee: Bill Carollo
• TV announcers (NFL on CBS): Ian Eagle and Mark May

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

Playoffs

AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	7	7	3	17
Dolphins	3	3	8	10	24

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 72,698
• Referee: Mike Carey
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels (play-by-play), Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason (color commentators), and Lesley Visser (sideline reporter)

Awards and honors

• Doug Flutie, AFC Pro Bowl Selection
• Doug Flutie, NFL Comeback Player of the Year

Notes

1. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
2. Elected to Pro Bowl in 2000