| 1998 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| General manager | John Butler |
| Head coach | Wade Phillips |
| Home field | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Dolphins) 17–24 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Doug Flutie FB Sam Gash WR Eric Moulds G Ruben Brown DE Bruce Smith DT Ted Washington |
The 1998 Buffalo Bills season was the team's 39th season, and 29th in the National Football League (NFL).[1] The season marked an important development in the Bills’ history as a quarterback controversy would consume the whole season between Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie. It would also mark the beginning of the Wade Phillips era. The Bills improved on the previous season's output of 6–10, and finished second in the AFC East with a 10–6 record,[2] and would qualify for the playoffs only to lose in the wild card round to the Miami Dolphins.
The Bills lost their first three games of the season, all by six points or less, and looked to be headed for a losing season. After a bye in Week Four, quarterback Rob Johnson finally won his first game with Buffalo, holding on for a 26–21 win over San Francisco in Week Five. Flutie started the next eleven games, winning nine of them. The Bills had a playoff spot locked up by the final game of the season, which Johnson started and won.
The Bills played the Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the 1998 AFC Playoffs, where wide receiver Eric Moulds would set the NFL playoff record for receiving yards, with 240. The Bills would end up losing the game 24–17, as Dolphins lineman Trace Armstrong sacked Flutie on Buffalo's last drive, forcing him to fumble, and icing the game for Miami.