1998 Detroit Lions season
OwnerWilliam Clay Ford, Sr.
General managerChuck Schmidt
Head coachBobby Ross
Home fieldPontiac Silverdome
Results
Record5–11
Division place4th NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
3
AP All-Pros
1
Uniform

The 1998 Detroit Lions season was their 69th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 9–7 and did not make a repeat playoff appearance, instead posting their third 5–11 mark in seven seasons.[1] This was the last season Barry Sanders would play in the NFL.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1998 NFL Draft
1998 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 20 Terry Fair  Defensive back Tennessee
2 50 Germane Crowell  Wide receiver Virginia
2 60 Charlie Batch  Quarterback Eastern Michigan
6 185 Jamaal Alexander  Defensive back Southern Miss
7 207 Chris Liwienski  Tackle Indiana
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted Free Agents

1998 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Lamar Campbell Cornerback Wisconsin
Kywin Supernaw Defensive back Indiana
Corey Thomas Wide Receiver Duke

Personnel

Staff

1998 Detroit Lions staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Sylvester Croom
  • Quarterbacks – Jim Zorn
  • Running backs – Frank Falks
  • Wide receivers – Jerry Sullivan
  • Tight ends – Bob Palcic
  • Offensive line – Jack Henry
  • Offensive assistant – Stan Kwan
  • Quality control/offense – John Misciagna
  

Defensive coaches

  • Defensive coordinator – Larry Peccatiello
  • Defensive line – Brian Baker
  • Linebackers – Gary Moeller
  • Defensive backs – Richard Selcer
  • Defensive assistant – Don Clemons
  • Quality control/defense – Dennis Murphy

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Chuck Priefer
  • Special teams assistant – Stan Kwan

Strength and conditioning

[2]

Roster

1998 Detroit Lions final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad

53 active, 11 inactive, 3 practice squad
Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 6 at Green Bay Packers L 19–38 0–1 Lambeau Field 60,102
2 September 13 Cincinnati Bengals L 28–34 (OT) 0–2 Pontiac Silverdome 66,354
3 September 20 at Minnesota Vikings L 6–29 0–3 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,107
4 September 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–6 1–3 Pontiac Silverdome 74,724
5 October 4 at Chicago Bears L 27–31 1–4 Soldier Field 66,944
6 Bye
7 October 15 Green Bay Packers W 27–20 2–4 Pontiac Silverdome 77,932
8 October 25 Minnesota Vikings L 13–34 2–5 Pontiac Silverdome 77,885
9 November 1 Arizona Cardinals L 15–17 2–6 Pontiac Silverdome 66,087
10 November 8 at Philadelphia Eagles L 9–10 2–7 Veterans Stadium 66,785
11 November 15 Chicago Bears W 26–3 3–7 Pontiac Silverdome 63,152
12 November 22 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 28–25 4–7 Raymond James Stadium 64,265
13 November 26 Pittsburgh Steelers W 19–16 (OT) 5–7 Pontiac Silverdome 78,139
14 December 6 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 22–37 5–8 Alltel Stadium 70,717
15 December 14 at San Francisco 49ers L 13–35 5–9 3Com Park 68,585
16 December 20 Atlanta Falcons L 17–24 5–10 Pontiac Silverdome 67,143
17 December 27 at Baltimore Ravens L 10–19 5–11 Raven Stadium 68,045
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) Minnesota Vikings 15 1 0 .938 556 296 W8
(5) 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

Season summary

Week 1

See also: 1998 Green Bay Packers season and Lions–Packers rivalry
Week One: Detroit Lions (0–0) at Green Bay Packers (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 3 3 13019
Packers 10 7 71438

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 13 (Thanksgiving)

See also: 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Week Thirteen: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) at Detroit Lions (4–7)
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Steelers 0 6 73016
Lions 0 3 310319

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

  • DET – Herman Moore 21-yd pass from Charlie Batch (Jason Hanson kick)
  • DET – Jason Hanson 35-yd FG
  • PIT – Norm Johnson 25-yd FG

Overtime

  • DET – Jason Hanson 42-yd FG

Awards and Records

Barry Sanders retired as the second leading rusher in NFL history.

References

  1. ^ 1998 Detroit Lions
  2. ^ "All-Time Coaches". DetroitLions.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
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