| Team: | Green Bay Packers |
| Year: | 1998 |
| Record: | 11–5 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC Central |
| Owner: | Green Bay Packers, Inc. |
| President: | Bob Harlan |
| Coach: | Mike Holmgren |
| General Manager: | Ron Wolf |
| Stadium: | Lambeau Field |
| Playoffs: | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at 49ers) 27–30 |
| Pro Bowlers: | WR Antonio Freeman WR Roell Preston TE Mark Chmura SS LeRoy Butler |
| Shortnavlink: | Packers seasons |
The 1998 season was the Green Bay Packers' 78th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 80th overall. The Packers entered the 1998 campaign as the two-time defending NFC champions, losing the Super Bowl the year before. The season began with the team attempting to improve on their 13–3 record from 1997, three-peat as National Football Conference (NFC) champions, and win their second Super Bowl in three years.
With an 11–5 record on the season, during which the Minnesota Vikings brought an end to the Packers' 25-game home winning streak in Week 5, Green Bay finished second in the NFC Central, the first time in four years that they had not won the division. They qualified for the playoffs as the NFC's fifth seed, but they were beaten 30–27 by the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round, with Steve Young throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens with three seconds left.[1] This was the final season that the Packers would qualify for the postseason during the 1990s; they would not return to the playoffs until 2001. It was also the last season with the team for both head coach Mike Holmgren and Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White.[2] [3]
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| P Sean Landeta (Buccaneers) | FS Eugene Robinson (Falcons) | |
| LB Antonio London (Lions) | RB Edgar Bennett (Bears) | |
| S Pat Terrell (Panthers) | CB Doug Evans (Panthers) | |
| T Matt Willig (Falcons) | DE Gabe Wilkins (49ers) | |
| T Bruce Wilkerson (Raiders) | ||
| WR Terry Mickens (Raiders) | ||
| G Aaron Taylor (Chargers) | ||
| QB Steve Bono (Rams) | ||
| WR Don Beebe (retirement) | ||
| P Craig Hentrich (Oilers) |
Notably, the Packers drafted future all-pro quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the 6th round (187th overall).[4]
| Magic Benton | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | |
| Mike Bowman | Wide receiver | Valdosta State | |
| Keaton Cromartie | Linebacker | Tulane | |
| Jason Davis | Punter | Oklahoma State | |
| Terrell Farley | Cornerback | Nebraska | |
| David Hoelscher | Defensive end | Eastern Kentucky | |
| Chris McCoy | Running back | Navy | |
| Jude Waddy | Linebacker | William & Mary |
In the 1998 NFL Preseason, the Packers traveled to Japan to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Tokyo Dome. It was the ninth American Bowl game to be staged at the 48,000 capacity stadium.[6]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 27–24 | 1–0 | Tokyo Dome | 42,018 | |
| 2 | August 8 | New Orleans Saints | W 31–7 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | 60,080 | |
| 3 | August 16 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–27 | 2–1 | Lambeau Field | 60,078 | |
| 4 | August 24 | at Denver Broncos | L 31–34 | 2–2 | Mile High Stadium | 73,183 | |
| 5 | August 28 | at Miami Dolphins | L 7–21 | 2–3 | Pro Player Stadium | 61,915 |
The Packers finished the 1998 regular with an 11–5 record in 2nd place in the NFC Central (qualifying for an NFC Wild Card playoff game), behind the Randall Cunningham-led 15–1 Vikings.[7]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | Detroit Lions | W 38–19 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 60,102 | |
| 2 | September 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–15 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | 60,124 | |
| 3 | September 20 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 13–6 | 3–0 | Cinergy Field | 56,346 | |
| 4 | September 27 | at Carolina Panthers | W 37–30 | 4–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 69,723 | |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings | L 24–37 | 4–1 | Lambeau Field | 59,849 | ||
| 6 | Bye | ||||||
| 7 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–27 | 4–2 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,932 | ||
| 8 | October 25 | Baltimore Ravens | W 28–10 | 5–2 | Lambeau Field | 59,860 | |
| 9 | November 1 | San Francisco 49ers | W 36–22 | 6–2 | Lambeau Field | 59,794 | |
| 10 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–27 | 6–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | 60,507 | ||
| 11 | November 15 | at New York Giants | W 37–3 | 7–3 | Giants Stadium | 76,272 | |
| 12 | November 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 14–28 | 7–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,471 | |
| 13 | November 29 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–16 | 8–4 | Lambeau Field | 59,862 | |
| 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 22–24 | 8–5 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,497 | ||
| 15 | December 13 | Chicago Bears | W 26–20 | 9–5 | Lambeau Field | 59,813 | |
| 16 | December 20 | Tennessee Oilers | W 30–22 | 10–5 | Lambeau Field | 59,888 | |
| 17 | December 27 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–13 | 11–5 | Soldier Field | 58,393 | |
See main article: 1998-99 NFL playoffs.
See also: 1998 Detroit Lions season and Lions–Packers rivalry.
The 49ers defeated the Packers, who had eliminated them from the playoffs in each of the past 3 seasons, in one of the wildest back-and-forth games in league playoff history. After a Brett Favre touchdown to Antonio Freeman with 1:55 to go, Steve Young began driving the Niners down field; Jerry Rice had just one catch for six yards all game, coming on this drive and when he fumbled the ball, but was ruled down by contact, but instant replay was not available at the time. The next play, Young's pass fell incomplete and was initially ruled intercepted. With eight seconds to go, Young from the Packers 25 dropped back, momentarily stumbled, then launched the ball where it was caught in the end zone by Terrell Owens, who had dropped several catches during the game.