# 1998 Atlanta Falcons season

The 1998 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 33rd in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons qualified for the Super Bowl for the first time under the guidance of head coach Dan Reeves in his second year with the team, becoming the first dome team to play in a Super Bowl. The Falcons won their final nine regular season games to earn the #2 seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) for the postseason and the first-week bye. They also clinched their first NFC West title since 1980. They beat the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and the #1-seed Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game before losing to Reeves’ old team, the Denver Broncos, 34–19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. They were a perfect 8–0 at home.
Head coach Dan Reeves almost didn't make it to the end of the season. After Week 15, he was diagnosed with multiple blockages to his coronary arteries, necessitating quadruple bypass surgery. Reeves admitted he ignored the warning signs in hopes of finishing the season, but ultimately felt he needed to be checked out. Doctors stated by the time he went for treatment, he may have been “within hours of a catastrophic heart attack.” Defensive coordinator Rich Brooks substituted for him as head coach during Weeks 16 and 17. Reeves returned for the playoffs and finished the season.
The Falcons ranked fourth in the league in points scored (442 points) and surrendered the fourth-fewest points (289) in 1998; the Falcons also led the league in turnover differential at +20. The Falcons set a still-standing team record for point differential, with +153. Four of the Falcons' wins were by at least 22 points.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1998 Atlanta Falcons draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 12 | Keith Brooking * | Linebacker | Georgia Tech |
| 2 | 53 | Bob Hallen | Center | Kent State |
| 3 | 74 | Jammi German | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
| 4 | 103 | Omar Brown | Defensive back | North Carolina |
| 4 | 114 | Tim Dwight | Wide receiver | Iowa |
| 6 | 166 | Elijah Williams | Defensive back | Florida |
| 7 | 199 | Ephraim Salaam | Offensive tackle | San Diego State |
| 7 | 201 | Ken Oxendine | Running back | Virginia Tech |
| 7 | 203 | Henry Slay | Defensive tackle | West Virginia |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

1998 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Brian Brennan | Quarterback | Idaho |

## Regular season
### Schedule

This was the first occasion when the Falcons played the New York Giants since 1988, and their first visit to Giants Stadium since 1982. This is due to old NFL scheduling formulas in place prior to 2002, whereby teams had no rotating schedule opposing members of other divisions within their own conference, but instead played interdivisional conference games according to position within a season's table.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 6 | at Carolina Panthers | W 19–14 | 1–0 | Ericsson Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–12 | 2–0 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 3 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 4 | September 27 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–31 | 2–1 | Candlestick Park | Recap |
| 5 | October 4 | Carolina Panthers | W 51–23 | 3–1 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 6 | October 11 | at New York Giants | W 34–20 | 4–1 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 18 | New Orleans Saints | W 31–23 | 5–1 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 8 | October 25 | at New York Jets | L 3–28 | 5–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 1 | St. Louis Rams | W 38–15 | 6–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 10 | November 8 | at New England Patriots | W 41–10 | 7–2 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 15 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–19 | 8–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 12 | November 22 | Chicago Bears | W 20–13 | 9–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 13 | November 29 | at St. Louis Rams | W 21–10 | 10–2 | Trans World Dome | Recap |
| 14 | December 6 | Indianapolis Colts | W 28–21 | 11–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 15 | December 13 | at New Orleans Saints | W 27–17 | 12–2 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| 16 | December 20 | at Detroit Lions | W 24–17 | 13–2 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
| 17 | December 27 | Miami Dolphins | W 38–16 | 14–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ Atlanta Falcons | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 442 | 289 | W9 |
| $^{(4)}$ San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 479 | 328 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 305 | 359 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 336 | 413 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 285 | 378 | L2 |

### Notable games

* October 4 vs. Carolina Panthers:
The Falcons' most decisive win of the season came in a 51–23 rout in the Georgia Dome. Jamal Anderson rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown while Chris Chandler threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns with two picks. From Tim Dwight’s 93-yard opening kickoff return touchdown, the Falcons never let Carolina have a sniff of contention, leading 38–3 by the third quarter before cruising home with the win.
* November 8 at New England Patriots:
Atlanta’s offense rolled up 41 points while the defense limited New England to just ten points at Foxboro Stadium in a game where New England never got closer than a 14–3 score after one quarter and trailed 28–3 at the half. Jamal Anderson ran in two scores, Chris Chandler threw two more, and Chuck Smith grabbed a fumble at his 29 and ran it back for a touchdown. Chandler completed 15 of 22 throws for 240 yards and Anderson rushed for 104 yards. About the only thing that went wrong for the Falcons were two meaningless picks by the Patriots' Ty Law.
* November 15 vs. San Francisco 49ers:
The Falcons avenged one of the only two losses they would suffer in the regular season by besting the Niners 31–19 in the Georgia Dome. Steve Young threw for 342 yards and touchdowns to Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice, but Jamal Anderson’s 100-rushing yards and two scores helped the Falcons put away the Niners in a wild fourth quarter in which the two teams combined for 34 points (21 by the Falcons).

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| Divisional | January 9, 1999 | San Francisco 49ers (4) | W 20–18 | 1–0 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| NFC Championship | January 17, 1999 | at Minnesota Vikings (1) | W 30–27 (OT) | 2–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Recap |
| Super Bowl | January 31, 1999 | Denver Broncos (A1) | L 19–34 | 2–1 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |

### NFC Divisional Playoff: vs. San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: January 9, 1999
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 70,262
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, and Pam Oliver
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Jamal Anderson 2-yard run (Morten Anderson kick), 7:35. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 3:07.
Second quarter
ATL – Jamal Anderson 34-yard run (Morten Anderson kick), 4:30. Falcons 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 4:23.
SF – Jerry Rice 17-yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick), 1:16. 'Falcons 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:02.
SF – Wade Richey 36-yard field goal, 0:01. Falcons 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 0:38.
Third quarter
ATL – Morten Anderson 29-yard field goal, 2:15. Falcons 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 9 yards, 3:28.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Morten Anderson 32-yard field goal, 11:30. Falcons 20–10. Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards, 3:50.
SF – Steve Young 8-yard run (Greg Clark pass from Ty Detmer), 4:28. Falcons 20–18. Drive: 13 plays, 87 yards, 7:36.
Top passers
SF – Steve Young – 23/37, 289 yards, TD, 3 INT
ATL – Chris Chandler – 13/19, 169 yards, INT
Top rushers
SF – Terry Kirby – 9 rushes, 22 yards
ATL – Jamal Anderson – 29 rushes, 113 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
SF – J. J. Stokes – 5 receptions, 76 yards
ATL – Terance Mathis – 5 receptions, 71 yards :
The rubber match of Atlanta and San Francisco's 1998 season came in the Georgia Dome a week after the Niners' spectacular last-minute comeback over the Green Bay Packers. The Falcons, though, would not be denied as Jamal Anderson once again hauled the mail with 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Steve Young threw a touchdown to Jerry Rice and ran in a late fourth-quarter score; Ty Detmer threw the ensuing two-point conversion to Greg Clark to put the score at 20–18, but the Falcons never let the Niners any closer for their first playoff win since 1991. The Falcons are in the NFC Championship game to the Vikings and win in overtime 30-27, but they lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII 34-19.

### NFC Championship: at Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
| Vikings | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: January 17, 1999
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 64,060
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, John Madden, Ron Pitts, and Bill Maas
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Jamal Anderson 5-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Morten Anderson kick), 8:21. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 6:39.
MIN – Randy Moss 31-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Gary Anderson kick), 5:33. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:48.
Second quarter
MIN – Gary Anderson 29-yard field goal, 9:52. Vikings 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 48 yards, 6:16.
MIN – Randall Cunningham 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 5:53. Vikings 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 3:41.
MIN – Gary Anderson 35-yard field goal, 2:45. Vikings 20–7. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 1:28.
ATL – Terance Mathis 14-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Morten Anderson kick), 0:56. Vikings 20–14. Drive: 1 play, 14 yards, 0:03.
Third quarter
ATL – Morten Anderson 27-yard field goal, 5:36. Vikings 20–17. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 6:03.
Fourth quarter
MIN – Matthew Hatchette 6-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Gary Anderson kick), 13:41. Vikings 27–17. Drive: 15 plays, 82 yards, 6:55.
ATL – Morten Anderson 24-yard field goal, 11:02. Vikings 27–20. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:39.
ATL – Terance Mathis 16-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Morten Anderson kick), 0:49. Tied 27–27. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 1:18.
Overtime
ATL – Morten Anderson 38-yard field goal, 3:08. Falcons 30–27. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 5:20.
Top passers
ATL – Chris Chandler – 27/43, 340 yards, 3 TD
MIN – Randall Cunningham – 29/48, 266 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
ATL – Jamal Anderson – 23 rushes, 67 yards
MIN – Robert Smith – 21 rushes, 71 yards
Top receivers
ATL – Tony Martin – 5 receptions, 129 yards
MIN – Randy Moss – 6 receptions, 75 yards, TD :
The 16–1 Vikings, boasting the league's highest-scoring post-merger offense, were heavy favorites at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and raced to a 20–7 lead in the second quarter off two Randall Cunningham touchdowns (one rushing and a throw to Randy Moss), but at the end of the first half Chris Chandler found Terance Mathis for a 14-yard score following a Cunningham fumble (forced by Chuck Smith near the end of the half). After a Morten Andersen field goal made it 20–17 in the third, the Vikings surged to a 27–17 lead on another Cunningham TD throw (this one to Matthew Hatchette). In the frantic final ten minutes of regulation, the Falcons, trailing 27-20, appeared poised to tie the game after Shane Dronett recovered a botched snap deep in Vikings territory, but they turned the ball over on downs after foregoing a field goal on fourth-and-four, when a Chandler pass to Mathis fell incomplete. In the final four minutes, Gary Anderson, who hadn't missed a field goal all season, sent a 38-yarder narrowly wide left. With just over two minutes remaining, Chandler then drove the Falcons downfield and connected with Mathis in the endzone with 49 seconds remaining. Both teams punted in overtime (the Vikings, who had the ball first and had nearly won when Eugene Robinson dove to defend a deep pass to an otherwise uncovered Moss). On their second drive of the extra period, Chandler connected with OJ Santiago for two big gains before Andersen nailed a 38-yard field goal; the 30–27 final sent the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII. Falcons go to Super Bowl XXXIII to the Broncos but lost 34-19.

### Super Bowl XXXIII: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Falcons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 19 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
* Date: January 31, 1999
* Game time: 6:25 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 74,803
* Referee: Bernie Kukar
* TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, John Madden, Ron Pitts, and Bill Maas
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Morten Anderson 32-yard field goal, 9:35. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 5:25.
DEN – Howard Griffith 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 3:55. Broncos 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:40.
Second quarter
DEN – Jason Elam 26-yard field goal, 9:17. Broncos 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:58.
DEN – Rod Smith 80-yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick), 4:54. Broncos 17–3. Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:13.
ATL – Morten Anderson 28-yard field goal, 2:25. Broncos 17–6. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 2:29.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
DEN – Howard Griffith 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 14:56. Broncos 24–6. Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 1:50.
DEN – John Elway 3-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 11:20. Broncos 31–6. Drive: 3 plays, 48 yards, 1:17.
ATL – Tim Dwight 94-yard kickoff return (Morten Anderson kick), 11:01. Broncos 31–13.
DEN – Jason Elam 37-yard field goal, 7:08. Broncos 34–13. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:53.
ATL – Terance Mathis 3-yard pass from Chris Chandler (pass failed), 2:04. Broncos 34–19. Drive: 16 plays, 76 yards, 5:04.
Top passers
DEN – John Elway – 18/29, 336 yards, TD, INT
ATL – Chris Chandler – 19/35, 219 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
DEN – Terrell Davis – 25 rushes, 102 yards
ATL – Jamal Anderson – 18 rushes, 96 yards
Top receivers
DEN – Rod Smith – 5 receptions, 152 yards, TD
ATL – Terance Mathis – 7 receptions, 85 yards, TD :
Falcons are not going to the Super Bowl until 2016. And in 1999 they missed the playoffs 5-11.