| 1998 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| President | Pat Bowlen |
| Head Coach | Mike Shanahan |
| General Manager | John Beake and Mike Shanahan |
| Offensive Coordinator | Gary Kubiak |
| Defensive Coordinator | Greg Robinson |
| Home Field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 14–2 |
| Place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff Finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 38–3 Won AFC Championship (vs. Jets) 23–10 Won Super Bowl XXXIII (vs. Falcons) 34–19 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB John Elway RB Terrell Davis WR Ed McCaffrey TE Shannon Sharpe T Tony Jones C Tom Nalen LB Bill Romanowski G Mark Schlereth FS Steve Atwater K Jason Elam |
| AP All-Pros | RB Terrell Davis (1st team) TE Shannon Sharpe (1st team) WR Ed McCaffrey (2nd team) K Jason Elam (2nd team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1997 | 1999 |
The 1998 season was the Denver Broncos' 29th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 39th overall. The Broncos entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions and looked to become only the fifth team in league history to win consecutive Super Bowls.
Finishing with a record of 12–4 the previous year, the Broncos improved on that mark by two wins and tied the Atlanta Falcons for second best record at 14–2. They won their first thirteen games, the best start since the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins.
After 16 seasons, John Elway retired following the Super Bowl. He finished his Broncos career with 51,475 yards passing and 300 touchdowns. Until Peyton Manning won in Super Bowl 50, Elway stood as the only Broncos quarterback to win a Super Bowl. However, Elway even played a large role in that victory as the general manager and president of football operations for the Broncos.
Running back Terrell Davis set a team single season rushing mark. His final total was 2,008 yards, making him only the fourth player to rush for over 2,000 yards in single season.
A multi-year investigation from 2001 to 2005 revealed that between 1996 and 1998, the team had cheated the salary cap by deferring other money to Elway and Davis outside of the team’s salary. At the time of the incidents, Denver believed it gave them no competitive advantage. The team was fined nearly two million dollars and were forced to give up two third-round picks in the 2002 and 2005 drafts.
In 2007, the 1998 Broncos were ranked as the 12th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions. They ranked #14 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
The Broncos drafted Tennessee Wide Receiver Marcus Nash with the 30th overall pick and Michigan Quarterback Brian Griese in the 3rd round, 91st pick overall.
Personnel[]
Staff[]
| 1998 Denver Broncos staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | TV Time | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7, 1998 | ABC 7:00 pm MT | New England Patriots | W 27–21 | Mile High Stadium (ABC) | 1–0 | |
| 2 | September 13, 1998 | FOX 2:00 pm MT | Dallas Cowboys | W 42–23 | Mile High Stadium (FOX) | 2–0 | |
| 3 | September 20, 1998 | CBS 2:00 pm MT | at Oakland Raiders | W 34–17 | Oakland Coliseum (CBS) | 3–0 | |
| 4 | September 27, 1998 | CBS 11:00 am MT | at Washington Redskins | W 38–16 | FedEx Field (CBS) | 4–0 | |
| 5 | October 4, 1998 | FOX 2:00 pm MT | Philadelphia Eagles | W 41–16 | Mile High Stadium (FOX) | 5–0 | |
| 6 | October 11, 1998 | CBS 2:00 pm MT | at Seattle Seahawks | W 21–16 | Kingdome (CBS) | 6–0 | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | October 25, 1998 | CBS 2:00 pm MT | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 37–24 | Mile High Stadium (CBS) | 7–0 | |
| 9 | November 1, 1998 | CBS 11:00 am MT | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 33–26 | Cinergy Field (CBS) | 8–0 | |
| 10 | November 8, 1998 | CBS 2:00 pm MT | San Diego Chargers | W 27–10 | Mile High Stadium (CBS) | 9–0 | |
| 11 | November 16, 1998 | ABC 7:00 pm MT | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 30–7 | Arrowhead Stadium (ABC) | 10–0 | |
| 12 | November 22, 1998 | CBS 2:00 pm MT | Oakland Raiders | W 40–14 | Mile High Stadium (CBS) | 11–0 | |
| 13 | November 29, 1998 | ESPN 6:15 pm MT | at San Diego Chargers | W 31–16 | Qualcomm Stadium (ESPN) | 12–0 | |
| 14 | December 6, 1998 | CBS 2:00 pm MT | Kansas City Chiefs | W 35–31 | Mile High Stadium (CBS) | 13–0 | |
| 15 | December 13, 1998 | CBS 11:00 am MT | at New York Giants | L 20–16 | Giants Stadium (CBS) | 13–1 | |
| 16 | December 21, 1998 | ABC 7:00 pm MT | at Miami Dolphins | L 31–21 | Pro Player Stadium (ABC) | 13–2 | |
| 17 | December 27, 1998 | CBS 2:15 pm MT | Seattle Seahawks | W 28–21 | Mile High Stadium (CBS) | 14–2 | |
Standings[]
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 501 | 309 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 288 | 356 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 372 | 310 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 327 | 363 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 241 | 342 |
Playoffs[]
| Round | Date | TV Time | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional Playoffs | January 9, 1999 | CBS 2:15 pm MT | Miami Dolphins | W 38–3 | Mile High Stadium | |
| AFC Championship | January 17, 1999 | CBS 2:15 pm MT | New York Jets | W 23–10 | Mile High Stadium | |
| Super Bowl XXXIII | January 31, 1999 | FOX 4:25 pm MT | Atlanta Falcons | W 34–19 | Pro Player Stadium |
Season summary[]
The Broncos won their first 13 games of the season. There was much speculation that they might go undefeated and thus were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. However, they were upset by the New York Giants in week 15 by a score of 20–16. They finished the regular season 14–2.
They finished first in the AFC West and won their divisional playoff game against the Miami Dolphins 38–3. They then won the AFC Championship over the Bill Parcells coached New York Jets 23–10. Many had expected Denver to play the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl, the team with the number one record that year at 15–1, but the Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.
The Broncos defeated the Falcons 34–19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway was the Super Bowl MVP and Davis rushed for over 100 yards. It was Elway's last game, and the last time Denver made its way to the Super Bowl.
Statistics[]
Team stats[]
The Broncos had 3,808 yards passing, sixth in the league. They had 2,468 yards rushing, second in the league and 26 rushing touchdowns, first in the league. They had 6,276 total yards, third best.
They gave up 3,983 passing yards, a low 28 out of 30 in the NFL, but were third in rushing yards given up with 1,287. They gave up 5,270 yards, 12th in the NFL. They scored 501 points, second in the league and gave up 309, eighth in the league.
The team's 14–2 record is currently their best 16-game record in franchise history.
Player stats[]
Elway threw for 2,806 yards for the season, 22 touchdowns and ten interceptions. Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. Rod Smith had 86 receptions for 1,222 yards and six touchdowns. Ed McCaffrey had 64 receptions for 1,053 yards. Shannon Sharpe had 64 receptions for 768 yards. Jason Elam kicked 23 out of 27 field goals and 58 out of 58 extra points including a 63-yard field goal to tie Tom Dempsey with the longest field goal in NFL history. Steve Atwater, Davis, Elway, Tony Jones, Mark Schlereth, McCaffrey, Tom Nalen, Bill Romanowski, and Sharpe made the Pro Bowl.
Awards and records[]
- Terrell Davis, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Season, 2,008 Yards [3]
- Terrell Davis, Franchise Record, Most Touchdowns in One Season, 23 Touchdowns [3]
- John Elway, Super Bowl MVP
- Jason Elam, tied longest field goal (63 yards)
Milestones[]
- Terrell Davis, 1st 2000 yard rushing season, 2,008 Yards
- Scott the Woz
References[]
- ↑ 2009 Denver Broncos Media Guide,2009 Denver Broncos Media Guide pp. 597–600. Retrieved on 2009-11-22. ISBN .
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 290
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 44
Pro Football Reference.com 1998 Denver Broncos Accessed 15 November 2005