1998 Arizona Cardinals season
| 1998 Arizona Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Vince Tobin |
| Owner | Bill Bidwill |
| Home field | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Cowboys) 20–7 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Vikings) 21–41 |
| Uniform | |
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|
The 1998 Arizona Cardinals season was the franchise's 78th in the National Football League. It was the Cardinals' 11th season in Arizona. The club posted its first winning record since 1984, appeared in the postseason for the first time since 1982, its first postseason appearance in a non-strike season since 1975, and won its first postseason game since 1947. It was the Cardinals' first playoff appearance in its tenure in Arizona. Arizona ended up losing to the Minnesota Vikings, who won 15 games, 41-21 in the Divisional round. Over the next 10 years, the Cardinals fell out of contention. They returned to the playoffs following the 2008 season, including a Super Bowl appearance despite a mediocre 9-7 record.
Statistics site Football Outsiders calls the 1998 Cardinals "one of the greatest fluke teams of all time who went 9–7 despite getting outscored by their opponents 378–325. They ranked 25th statistically below three different 4–12 teams. They were a colossal fluke, despite the fact that they managed to win a playoff game in a huge upset over Dallas, The Cardinals went 6–3 over their final nine games, but all six wins came against teams that were 6–10 or worse, and all six wins came by either two or three points. The next year, they were back to 6–10"
Football Outsiders states that the 1998 Arizona Cardinals are the third-worst team behind the 2004 Rams and 2010 Seahawks to qualify for the NFL playoffs since they began calculating ratings.
Quarterback Jake Plummer passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Cardinals to their first playoff victory since 1947.
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