1998 New England Patriots season

Infobox NFL_season
team = New England Patriots
teamcolor = New England Patriots93thru99
year = 1998
record = 9-7
division_place = 4th AFC East
coach = Pete Carroll
stadium = Foxboro Stadium
playoffs = Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Jaguars) 25-10
pro bowlers = 3
uniform =

The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1998 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.

1998 NFL Draft

Notable games

*September 13 vs. Indianapolis Colts:The Peyton Manning/New England Patriots rivalry kicked off with a 29-6 rout of Manning's Colts. Ty Law ran back a first-quarter interception 59 yards for the game's first touchdown, while Terry Glenn's three-yard catch and Robert Edwards' one-yard run went with three field goals by future Colt Adam Vinatieri for the Pats. Torrance Small caught a touchdown from Manning in the final five minutes for the only score by the Colts. Manning ended the day with three picks returned for 71 yards.

*September 20 vs. Tennessee Oilers:In their final year under the name Oilers, the future Tennessee Titans put on a hard challenge for the Patriots, as Eddie George rushed for 100 yards and caught a 22-yard touchdown from Steve McNair. Al Del Greco and Adam Vinatieri exchanged field goals in the first half and the game lead tied or changed seven times before Lawyer Milloy picked off McNair for a 30-yard fourth-quarter touchdown sealing a 27-16 Patriots win.

*October 4 @ New Orleans Saints:Two seasons since losing Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans the Patriots made their first trip to the Louisiana Superdome; ironically, the coach they were facing was the one who'd crushed them in Super Bowl XX - Mike Ditka. Drew Bledsoe overcame three interceptions and led the Patriots to a 27-24 lead in the game's final four minutes. On a Patriots punt Tebucky Jones of the Patriots tried to down the ball before it went into the endzone; Earl Little of the Saints grabbed it in the endzone but as he went to his knees his teammate Andre Hastings yanked it out of his hands and returned the kick 76 yards, setting up the tying field goal with 1:29 left in regulation. Bledsoe then led the Patriots downfield and Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal with three seconds left in a 30-27 Patriots win.

*November 23 vs. Miami Dolphins: Several days before this Monday Night Football matchup came word that team owner Robert Kraft had secured a stadium deal in Hartford, Connecticut for 2001 (a deal subsequently aborted). Though the fanbase was displeased, their support for the team didn't waver even as the Patriots fell behind 23-19 with 3:22 left in the fourth after a Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushing touchdown. On the ensuing Patriots possession, Bledsoe completed a first-down pass on fourth and ten, but later broke the index finger on his throwing hand after striking Todd Rucci's helmet; on another fourth-and-ten on the Dolphins 35-yard-line coach Pete Carroll tried to call timeout, but the Patriots didnt see him and Bledsoe completed the first-down throw to Ben Coates. He then found Shawn Jefferson for the game-winning touchdown with 29 seconds remaining, in a 26-23 Patriots final score.

*November 29 vs. Buffalo Bills:Local hero Doug Flutie made his first visit to Foxboro Stadium since his days as Patriots quarterback, where he'd won all five starts there. Directing the Bills he threw for 339 yards and rushed for 30 more, leading the Bills to a 21-17 lead in the game's final minute. From there, and despite still nursing a broken finger on his throwing hand, Drew Bledsoe led the Patriots downfield and completed a fourth-down throw to the Bills 26 to Shawn Jefferson with six seconds remaining. Bledsoe threw for the endzone on the next play but the ball fell incomplete; the Bills were flagged for pass interference, extending the game by one untimed down, and from the one-yard line Bledsoe lofted a play-action pass to Ben Coates for the winning touchdown. The disgusted Bills (who felt Jefferson was out of bounds on the catch at the 26) went to the locker room even though the extra point still had to be kicked; Adam Vinatieri thus ran in an unopposed two-point conversion for a 25-21 Patriots win, the first career loss in Foxboro for Flutie.

Notes and references