# 1998 Miami Dolphins season

The 1998 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 33rd overall and 29th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins improved upon their previous season's output of 9–7, winning ten games. The team qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year. The Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills 24–17 in the Wild Card round, but lost to the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos 38–3 in the Divisional Playoff Game.
The 2012 Football Outsiders Almanac states that the 1998 Dolphins had the single biggest defensive improvement (from the previous season) from 1991 to 2011.
As with the 1985 Bears, the Dolphins defeated a team (the Broncos) widely tipped a few weeks earlier to beat their unbeaten 1972 season, although this time the Dolphins were not defending their status as the only unbeaten team since the Giants had already beaten the Broncos. Because, before the admission of the Texans in 2002, scheduling for NFL games outside a team's division was subject to much greater influence from table position during the previous season, that game was the first time the Dolphins had opposed the Broncos since that same 1985 season.
This season marked the last time the Dolphins finished with the #1 Defense in the NFL.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1998 Miami Dolphins draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 29 | John Avery | Running back | Ole Miss |
| 2 | 44 | Patrick Surtain * | Cornerback | Southern Miss |
| 2 | 49 | Kenny Mixon | Defensive end | LSU |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 6 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 24–15 | 1–0 | RCA Dome | 60,587 |
| 2 | September 13 | Buffalo Bills | W 13–7 | 2–0 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,097 |
| 3 | September 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 21–0 | 3–0 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,948 |
| 4 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 5 | October 4 | at New York Jets | L 9–20 | 3–1 | Giants Stadium | 75,257 |
| 6 | October 12 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 21–28 | 3–2 | Alltel Stadium | 74,051 |
| 7 | October 18 | St. Louis Rams | W 14–0 | 4–2 | Pro Player Stadium | 65,418 |
| 8 | October 25 | New England Patriots | W 12–9 OT | 5–2 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,973 |
| 9 | November 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 24–30 | 5–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 79,011 |
| 10 | November 8 | Indianapolis Colts | W 27–14 | 6–3 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,400 |
| 11 | November 15 | at Carolina Panthers | W 13–9 | 7–3 | Ericcson Stadium | 67,887 |
| 12 | November 23 | at New England Patriots | L 23–26 | 7–4 | Foxboro Stadium | 58,729 |
| 13 | November 29 | New Orleans Saints | W 30–10 | 8–4 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,216 |
| 14 | December 6 | at Oakland Raiders | W 27–17 | 9–4 | Network Associates Coliseum | 61,254 |
| 15 | December 13 | New York Jets | L 16–21 | 9–5 | Pro Player Stadium | 74,369 |
| 16 | December 21 | Denver Broncos | W 31–21 | 10–5 | Pro Player Stadium | 74,363 |
| 17 | December 27 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 16–38 | 10–6 | Georgia Dome | 69,754 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Playoffs

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| Wild Card | January 2 | Buffalo Bills | W 24–17 | 1–0 | Pro Player Stadium | 72,698 |
| Division | January 9 | at Denver Broncos | L 3–38 | 1–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,729 |

## Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ New York Jets | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 416 | 266 | W6 |
| $^{(4)}$ Miami Dolphins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 321 | 265 | L1 |
| $^{(5)}$ Buffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 400 | 333 | W1 |
| $^{(6)}$ New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 337 | 329 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 310 | 444 | L2 |