1998 Minnesota Vikings season

Infobox NFL_season
team = Minnesota Vikings
year = 1998
record = 15-1
division_place = 1st NFC Central
coach = Dennis Green
stadium = Metrodome
playoffs = W NFC Divisional Playoff
L NFC Championship 1998 was the 38th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 79th regular season of the National Football League.

The 1998 Minnesota Vikings became only the third team in NFL history to win 15 games during the regular season. That year, the Vikings high powered offense scored 556 points and broke the record for most points scored in the regular season. This record was broken by the 2007 New England Patriots who finished the season with 589 points. The team cruised to the NFC Central title and held home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional round, but were defeated in overtime by the 14-2 Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.

eason

Prior to the start of the 1998 season. The Vikings were sold to Red McCombs. The NFL had not been happy with the Vikings' ownership arrangement of ten owners with none owning 30%. The ownership decided to sell the club. At first it appeared that Tom Clancy would become the new owner. However, his attempt to buy the team fell through. So in July 1998, the team was sold to McCombs who was from San Antonio, Texas.

1998 was a year to remember for the Minnesota Vikings. With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham, who had his best NFL season ever, running back Robert Smith, veteran wide receiver Cris Carter, and explosive rookie Randy Moss, the Vikings set a then-NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points, never scoring fewer than 24 in a game. The Vikings finished the season 15-1, their only loss by 3 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week nine. Twelve of their fifteen wins came by a margin of at least 10 points.

In the playoffs, the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41-21, and came into the Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons, who had finished 14-2. Leading 20-7 just before halftime, some would argue that the Vikings got greedy with their playcalling, as they called a deep pass play on 3rd down, which led to a Cunningham fumble deep in Minnesota territory. Shortly thereafter, the Falcons scored to cut the lead to 20-14. The Vikings were again leading 27-20 with two minutes left in the 4th quarter and had a chance to potentially put the game out of reach with a field goal. However, kicker Gary Anderson, who had gone 35 for 35 in the regular season, missed a 38-yard attempt. That allowed the Falcons to tie the game. The Vikings had an opportunity to score at the end of regulation, but Head Coach Dennis Green opted to down the ball and go to overtime (even though the Vikings had arguably the most potent offense in NFL history). Minnesota won the toss and went 3 and out. Atlanta then drove the field and was 30-27 in overtime on Morten Andersen's field goal, which was, coincidentally, also a 38-yarder. The Vikings became the first 15-1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl.

Reasons for success

Several factors contributed to their success that year.
*Head Coach Dennis Green developed a high-powered West-Coast style offense and had been building the offense through free agency and the draft for almost 8 years.
*Offensive Coordinator Brian Billick was considered to be the mastermind behind the offense. One of the innovative techniques Billick used to develop such an effective offense was the use of a computer to generate play calling schemes and game plans. Billick was promptly hired to be the Baltimore Ravens head coach after the 1998 season and he won Super Bowl XXXV as the Ravens head coach just two years later.
*Randy Moss was drafted in 1998 and while most wide receivers usually take a year or two to develop, Moss made an impact right away. He scored 2 touchdowns in week one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and posted 95 yards on 4 catches. Moss had another particularly memorable game on Thanksgiving in front of a national TV audience against the Dallas Cowboys. Moss had 3 catches for 163 yards, all for touchdowns. He went on to set the single season record for most touchdown receptions by a rookie with 17.
*The 6' 4" 197 lb. Moss teamed up with 6' 3" 217 lb. Jake Reed and 6' 3" 215 lb. Cris Carter to make a very dangerous trio of big Wide Receivers.
*Kicker Gary Anderson was perfect during the regular season hitting 35 of 35 field goals, he also set a record for most points scored in a season, no touchdowns. He scored 164 points.
*Randall Cunningham made an impressive comeback after being out of the league in 1996. He joined the Vikings in 1997 and played 6 games that year. In 1998, starting QB Brad Johnson was hurt early in the year and Cunningham took over. He threw for 3704 yards and 34 TDs.
*The Vikings defense, led by defensive tackle John Randle and linebacker Ed McDaniel, both Pro Bowlers, had a good year. They only allowed 296 points during the regular season.
*Injury prone Running Back Robert Smith was healthy most of the year and played in 14 games. He had 1187 rushing yards and scored 8 TDs (6 rushing and 2 receiving).
*The Vikings offensive line featured 3 Pro Bowlers that year: Jeff Christy, Todd Steussie, and Randall McDaniel.

1998 Draft Results

Best Performances

* Randall Cunningham, 442 passing yards vs. Green Bay, (October 5) NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 440 ]

Rosters

Position Roster

Numeric Roster

Awards and Records

* The Vikings became just the third team to post a 15-1 win-loss record since the implementation of the 16-game schedule in 1978. They joined the 1984 San Francisco 49ers and the 1985 Chicago Bears, but became the first of those teams to fail to win the Super Bowl.

* The Vikings' high-powered offense set a record, which stood until the 2007 season, for most points scored in a season with 556. They eclipsed the 1983 Washington Redskins, who scored 541. The 2007 New England Patriots beat the record by scoring 589 points, mostly by running up the score when games were essentially over. The 2007 Patriots also passed the Vikings as the best team not to win a Super Bowl.

* Randy Moss, Led Rookies in Receiving Yards, (1,313 yards) Moss also set the record for most receiving touchdowns for a rookie, 17, a record that still stands today. [ [http://www.nfl.com/players/randymoss/profile?id=MOS699912 Randy Moss ] ]

Uniform combinations

References

* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/min1998.htm Pro Football Reference]
* [http://members.tripod.com/~cstitcher/mnroster.html Roster]
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/1998/playoffs/news/1999/01/17/falcons_first/index.html NFC Championship]