1998 San Francisco 49ers season

American football team season August 2023 March 2026 San Francisco 49ers 1998 12–4 2nd NFC West Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. Steve Mariucci John McVay and Dwight Clark 3Com Park Won Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Packers) 30–27Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Falcons) 18–20 G Kevin GoganQB Steve YoungWR Jerry RiceRB Garrison HearstMLB Winfred Tubbs File:49ers98_06.png 49ers seasons The 1998 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 53rd overall. The 49ers were heavily favored to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XXXIII. The season saw the return of Jerry Rice, who missed most of 1997 with a major knee injury. After defeating the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs, thanks to young Terrell Owens's game-winning catch, referred to by fans as "The Catch II", San Francisco's season ended with a loss to the Atlanta Falcons the following week in the divisional round. The Falcons went on to defeat the 15–1 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game but lost to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. 1998 would prove to be the final full season of Steve Young's career. In Week 3 of the following season, Young suffered a concussion on a violent sack by Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams which ultimately ended his 15-year NFL career. Also in the divisional-round game, 49ers running back Garrison Hearst broke his foot, keeping him out of football for the next two seasons. Hearst was the first NFL player to be on the cover of Madden NFL, and his injury marked the beginning of the Madden curse. Offseason Additions SubtractionsQB Ty Detmer (Eagles) DE Kevin Greene (Panthers)P Reggie Roby (Oilers) CB Rod Woodson (Ravens)CB Antonio Langham (Ravens) K Gary Anderson (Vikings) C Jesse Sapolu (Retried) LB Jim Schwantz (Bears) TE Brent Jones (Retried) NFL draft 1998 NFL draft 1998 San Francisco 49ers 1 28 R. W. McQuarters Cornerback Oklahoma State yes 2 58 Jeremy Newberry Center California yes yes 3 89 Chris Ruhman Tackle Texas A&M yes 4 119 Lance Schulters Safety Hofstra yes yes 5 151 Phil Ostrowski Guard Penn State yes 6 180 Fred Beasley Fullback Auburn yes yes 7 215 Ryan Thelwell Wide receiver Minnesota no Undrafted free agents + 1998 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeTony BlevinsCornerbackKansasThad BusbyQuarterbackFlorida StateAndy CliftonLinebackerRiceDan FinnGuardNorthern ArizonaJim NelsonLinebackerPenn StateBrock OlivoFullbackMissouriPepe PearsonRunning backOhio State Personnel Staff 1998 San Francisco 49ers Owner – Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. President – Carmen Policy Vice-president/Director of Football Operations – Dwight Clark Director of player personnel – Vinny Cerrato Head coach – Steve Mariucci Assistant head coach – Bill McPherson Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Marty Mornhinweg Assistant quarterbacks – Greg Knapp Running backs – Tom Rathman Wide receivers – Larry Kirksey Tight ends/assistant offensive line – Patrick Morris Offensive line – Bobb McKittrick Offensive quality control – Andy Sugarman Defensive coordinator – John Marshall Defensive line – Dwaine Board Linebackers – Richard Smith Defensive backs – Jim Mora Defensive secondary/strength development coordinator – Michael Barnes Defensive quality control – Jaime Hill Special teams Coordinator – George Stewart Physical development coordinator – Jerry Attaway Roster 1998 San Francisco 49ers 11 Ty Detmer 14 Jim Druckenmiller  8 Steve Young American football 40 Fred Beasley y FB 44 Marc Edwards American football FB 20 Garrison Hearst 41 Terry Kirby 32 Chuck Levy 88 Mark Harris American football 81 Terrell Owens 80 Jerry Rice 83 J. J. Stokes 85 Greg Clark tight end 86 Chad Fann 82 Irv Smith Sr. 72 Jamie Brown American football T 65 Ray Brown offensive lineman G 67 Chris Dalman C 63 Derrick Deese T 74 Dave Fiore T 66 Kevin Gogan G 64 Steve Gordon American football C 77 Tim Hanshaw G 62 Jeremy Newberry C 69 Phil Ostrowski y G 71 Chris Ruhman y T 76 Kirk Scrafford T 92 Roy Barker American football DE 78 Shane Bonham DT 90 Junior Bryant DT 99 Brentson Buckner DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 96 Jeff Posey DE 94 David Richie DT 98 Gabe Wilkins DT 59 Reggie Givens OLB 51 Ken Norton Jr. OLB 50 Tony Peterson OLB 55 Winfred Tubbs MLB 53 James Williams linebacker, born 1968 MLB 54 Lee Woodall OLB 31 Zack Bronson FS 36 Merton Hanks FS 43 Antonio Langham CB 45 Tyrone Legette CB 46 Tim McDonald American football SS 21 R. W. McQuarters CB y 23 Marquez Pope CB 30 Lance Schulters y SS 38 Darnell Walker CB 57 Randy Kirk LS  7 Wade Richey y K  4 Reggie Roby P 79 Harris Barton T IR 75 Frank Pollack American football T PUP 97 Bryant Young DT IR 53 active, 3 inactive, 3 practice squad 93 Brandon Noble DT 91 Angel Rubio y American football DT 58 Vernon Strickland no LB Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 August 2 New England Patriots W 14–13 1–0 3Com Park 2 August 8 at San Diego Chargers L 21–27 1–1 Qualcomm Stadium 3 August 15 vs. Seattle Seahawks W 24–21 2–1 B.C. Place Stadium 4 August 23 Miami Dolphins L 20–21 2–2 3Com Park 5 August 28 at Seattle Seahawks L 20–21 2–3 Kingdomehttps://www.profootballarchives.com/1998nflsf.html#gsc.tab=0 1998 San Francisco 49ers (NFL) Scores, Roster, Stats, Coaches, Draft Pro Football Archives June 6, 2026 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 New York Jets W 36–30 (OT) 1–0 3Com Park 64,419 2 September 14, 1998 at Washington Redskins W 45–10 2–0 Jack Kent Cooke Stadium 76,798 3Bye 4 September 27 Atlanta Falcons W 31–20 3–0 3Com Park 62,296 5 October 4 at Buffalo Bills L 21–26 3–1 Ralph Wilson Stadium 76,615 6 October 11 at New Orleans Saints W 31–0 4–1 Louisiana Superdome 62,811 7 October 18 Indianapolis Colts W 34–31 5–1 3Com Park 68,486 8 October 25 at St. Louis Rams W 28–10 6–1 Trans World Dome 58,563 9 November 1 at Green Bay Packers L 22–36 6–2 Lambeau Field 59,794 10 November 8 Carolina Panthers W 25–23 7–2 3Com Park 68,572 11 November 15 at Atlanta Falcons L 19–31 7–3 Georgia Dome 69,828 12 November 22 New Orleans Saints W 31–20 8–3 3Com Park 68,429 13 November 30, 1998 New York Giants W 31–7 9–3 3Com Park 68,212 14 December 6 at Carolina Panthers W 31–28 (OT) 10–3 Ericcson Stadium 63,332 15 December 14, 1998 Detroit Lions W 35–13 11–3 3Com Park 68,585 16 December 20 at New England Patriots L 21–24 11–4 Foxboro Stadium 59,153 17 December 27 St. Louis Rams W 38–19 12–4 3Com Park 68,386 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 vs. Jets 1998 New York Jets season San Francisco 49ers 1998 2;text-align:center; collapsed Week One: New York Jets (0–0) at San Francisco 49ers (0–0) September 6, 1998 4:15 p.m. EST Jets 3 14 7 6 0 49ers 7 7 9 7 6 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 64,419 Sunny • 71 F C • Wind 14 mph km/h knots Bernie Kukar CBS Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian FootballDB.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter NYJ – John Hall 34-yard field goal, 11:34. Jets 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 1:49. SF – Garrison Hearst 5-yard run (Wade Richey kick), 3:31. 49ers 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:52. Second quarter NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 41-yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick), 10:11. Jets 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:34. SF – J.J. Stokes 6 yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick), 2:11. 49ers 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:05. NYJ – Wayne Chrebet 6-yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick), 0:33. Jets 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:38. Third quarter SF – Wade Richey 22-yard field goal, 9:05. Tie 17–17. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 2:51. NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 21-yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick), 7:15. Jets 24–17. Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 1:50. SF – Jerry Rice 14-yard pass from Steve Young (kick blocked), 3:03. Jets 24–23. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 4:12. Fourth quarter NYJ – John Hall 32-yard field goal, 3:28. Jets 27–23. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:34. SF – J.J. Stokes 31-yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick), 1:26. 49ers 30–27. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:12. NYJ – John Hall 31-yard field goal, 0:00. Tie 30–30. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 1:26. Overtime SF – Garrison Hearst 96-yard run, 10:52. 49ers 36–30. Drive: 1 play, 96 yards, 0:17. Top passers NYJ – Glenn Foley – 30/58, 415 yards, 3 TD, INT SF – Steve Young – 26/46, 363 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers NYJ – Curtis Martin – 22 rushes, 58 yards SF – Garrison Hearst – 20 rushes, 187 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson – 9 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD SF – J.J. Stokes – 7 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD The game lead tied or changed eight times in regulation as the Jets under Bill Parcells came to Candlestick Park. Jets quarterback Glenn Foley matched Steve Young's three touchdowns and one pick with three scores and one pick of his own; Foley put up 415 yards to Young's 363 yards. The two teams traded punts in overtime; the Niners had to start at their four-yard line and coach Steve Mariucci called "90 O", a run play intended to get away from their endzone. Garrison Hearst burst through a hole and raced 96 yards straddling the sideline, getting key blocks from Dave Fiore despite an injured leg, and from Terrell Owens for the touchdown and a 36–30 Niners win. Week 2: at Washington Redskins The Niners defeated the Redskins 45–10 with 504 yards of offense and three touchdowns by Steve Young. The Redskins coughed up the ball three times in the loss. Week 3: Bye Bye week Week 4: vs. Atlanta Falcons Hosting the 2–1 Falcons, the Niners picked off Chris Chandler three times and won 31–20 behind 387 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and three touchdowns from Steve Young. |Weather= 62 °F °C 1 or (Light Rain) Week 5: at Buffalo Bills The Niners traveled to Rich Stadium to face the Bills and crashed hard 26–21 despite 21 fourth-quarter points. The Niners committed 22 penalties eating up 178 yards (compared to Buffalo's 12 fouls for 106), while the two teams' punters Chris Mohr and Reggie Roby combined for 323 punting yards. Week 6: at New Orleans Saints Still smarting from their poor performance at Buffalo, the Niners traveled to the Superdome and crushed Mike Ditka's Saints 31–0. The game was another penalty-laden affair with a combined 24 fouls eating up 240 yards. The Niners shut down Danny Wuerffel and Billy Joe Tolliver, limiting them to 15 completions for 174 yards and a pick. While quarterback Steve Young got a win on his 37th birthday. Week 7: vs Indianapolis Colts The Niners hosted the Colts and their new quarterback Peyton Manning. The Colts immediately served notice for the future as they raced to a 21–0 lead behind two Manning scores to Marvin Harrison and a 65-yard score from future Ram Marshall Faulk; Manning would add another touchdown to Harrison in the third quarter and the Colts added a field goal following a Garrison Hearst fumble and subsequent personal foul penalty. The Niners clawed back as Steve Young threw three touchdowns and ran in a fourth; a botched PAT by Ty Detmer and resultant smothered two-point attempt led on the Niners' next possession to a Jerry Rice two-point conversion catch from Young to tie the game. Mike Vanderjagt missed from 53 yards out on the Colts' next possession with 1:10 to go, then after a crushing pass interference penalty on Tyrone Poole against J.J. Stokes with 43 seconds to go (this following two Young interceptions erased on Indianapolis holding penalties in the first half) Wade Richey's 24-yard field goal won it 34–31 for the Niners.Colts at Forty-Niners box score from Pro Football Reference The game became notable in league history for the showdown between veteran Young (331 passing yards, 60 rushing yards nearly matching Garrison Hearst at 65, and four total touchdowns) and rookie phenomenon Manning (231 passing yards and three scores); the game featured eight Hall of Famers in Young, Manning, Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Bryant Young, Marshall Faulk, Terrell Owens, and Chris Doleman. |Weather=68 °F °C or (Sunny) Week 8: at St. Louis Rams Hitting the TWA Dome, the Niners cruised to a 28–10 win over the Rams as Steve Young overcame two picks with three touchdowns and budding superstar Terrell Owens ran in a 21-yard score. The Niners picked off Tony Banks three times. Week 9: at Green Bay Packers For the fifth straight time the Niners fell to the Green Bay Packers, this time 36–22 at Lambeau Field. The Niners overcame a botched punt snap for safety and erased a 16–0 Packer lead to take the lead 22–19 in the third quarter. From there, despite three Brett Favre interceptions, it all fell apart for the Niners as the Packers unleashed 17 unanswered points. Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers Ty Detmer took over for Steve Young against the 1–7 Panthers, throwing for 276 yards and three touchdowns (to J.J. Stokes and Terrell Owens), but three interceptions kept the Panthers in the game and they took a 23–22 lead before Wade Richey's 46-yard field goal capped a 25–23 Niners win. |Weather=57 °F °C 1 or (Cloudy) Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons The battle for the NFC West became a true battle as the 7–2 Falcons hosted the 7–2 Niners and things got ugly for San Francisco. Steve Young managed 342 passing yards but only 21 completions; the Falcons grabbed a fumble at the Niners goal line for a Jessie Tuggle touchdown and when Young connected on long-range scores to Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice, Chris Chandler put the game away on his 78-yard strike to Terance Mathis. The 31–19 Falcons win marked the end of the Niners' hold on the division crown that season. Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints Steve Young outdueled ex-Panther Kerry Collins despite a Collins rushing score that put the 5–6 Saints up 10–0 in the first quarter. The Niners outscored the Saints 31–10 in the second and third quarters on four Young touchdown throws. Collins was picked twice and failed on fourth and goal at the Niners' 1-yard line in the fourth quarter; an Aaron Craver rushing score in the final two minutes put the Saints within eleven points at the end. Week 13: vs. New York Giants A Gary Brown rushing score in the opening six minutes of the first quarter was the only time the Giants were in contention as Steve Young answered with a 79-yard touchdown to Terrell Owens. Young scored again at the end of the second quarter and Terry Kirby and Garrison Hearst ran in the ball for additional scores and 31–7 Niners win. Week 16: at New England Patriots Following four straight wins the Niners traveled to Foxboro Stadium to face a struggling Patriots squad. Regular starter Drew Bledsoe was out for the year with a broken throwing hand so backup Scott Zolak took over. Despite a blocked field goal attempt the Niners scored 21 second-quarter points (including a touchdown from backup Ty Detmer on a fake field goal attempt), but the Patriots battled back and tied the game on a Robert Edwards four-yard score, then won it on a drive in the final 1:48 on four straight Edwards rushes and then on Adam Vinatieri's 35-yard field goal with eighteen seconds left. Terrell Owens was held to three catches for 61 yards; in the second quarter the two teams exchanged interceptions as a pass for Owens was intercepted by Ty Law but three plays later a Zolak pass to Ben Coates was intercepted by Tim McDonald. Week 17 vs. St. Louis Rams Former Niner Steve Bono put the Rams, winless against the Niners since 1990, up 7–0 on a touchdown to Ricky Proehl. Proehl would catch another touchdown but by then the game was out of reach on two Steve Young touchdowns and scores from R. W. McQuarters and three Wade Richey field goals. Notably, this was the first game in which former Arena Football quarterback, Kurt Warner, saw playing time in the NFL, completing four of eleven passes for 39 yards. This would be the last time the 49ers would sweep the rams in the regular season until 2005. Standings Postseason 1998–99 NFL playoffs Schedule Playoff Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Game Site Wild Card January 3, 1999 Green Bay Packers (5) W 30–27 1–0 3Com Park Divisional January 9, 1999 at Atlanta Falcons (2) L 18–20 1–1 Georgia Dome NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Green Bay Packers San Francisco 49ers 1998 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Wild Card: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary January 3, 1999 3Com Park, San Francisco 1:25 p.m. PDT Packers 61 °F °C 1 or (Cloudy) 3 14 0 10 49ers 7 3 10 10 First quarter GB – FG Ryan Longwell 23-yard field goal. Packers 3–0 SF – TD Greg Clark 1-yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey). 49ers 7–3 Second quarter GB – TD Antonio Freeman 2-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick). Packers 10–7 SF – FG Wade Richey 34-yard field goal. Tie 10–10 GB – TD Dorsey Levens 2-yard rush (Ryan Longwell) kick. Packers 17–10 Third quarter SF – TD Greg Clark 8-yard pass from Steve Young. (Wade Richey kick). Tie 17–17 SF – FG Wade Richey 48-yard field goal. 49ers 20–17 Fourth quarter GB – FG Ryan Longwell 37-yard field goal. Tie 20–20 SF – FG Wade Richey 40-yard field goal. 49ers 23–20 GB – TD Antonio Freeman 15-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick). Packers 27–23 SF – TD Terrell Owens 25-yard pass from Steve Young. 49ers 30–27 For the first time in the Brett Favre era, the 49ers pulled off a victory over the Packers. After a late Packers touchdown, the Niners trailed 27–23 and a continuing issue during the game was dropped passes by the receiver Terrell Owens. In the final ten seconds, Steve Young dropped back in the Packers' RedZone, stumbled but stayed on his feet, then heaved the ball to the endzone where Owens caught it and landed in the endzone with four seconds left, holding on to the ball despite hits by two Packers defensive backs. The Niners had pulled out one of the most dramatic wins in their history. This play is often referred to by 49ers fans as "the Catch II", a reference to "The Catch" touchdown from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in the final minute against the Cowboys in the 1981 playoffs. The victory over the Packers turned out to be Young's final playoff win. NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Atlanta Falcons San Francisco 49ers 1998 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Divisional Round: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary January 9, 1999 Georgia Dome, Atlanta 12:30 p.m. EST 49ers 0 10 0 8 Falcons 7 7 3 3 The game started poorly for the 13–4 49ers, who lost 1,500-yard rusher Garrison Hearst to a broken bone in his left leg on the first play of the game. Backup Terry Kirby was only able to rush for 46 yards. With their running game hobbled, the 49ers trailed 14–0 in the first half, and 20–10 going into the fourth quarter. With 2:57 remaining, Young scored on an 8-yard run and the team converted a two-point conversion after a botched snap, to bring the score to 20–18. The 49ers had one more chance to win with the ball deep in their territory but Young threw a desperation pass that was picked off by the Falcons' William White.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/1998/playoffs/news/1999/01/09/falcons_first/ Dirty Birds Soar To Victory Sports Illustrated January 10, 1999 March 31, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20010626172702/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/1998/playoffs/news/1999/01/09/falcons_first/ June 26, 2001 Awards and records Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Game, 328 Rushing Yards (vs. Detroit Lions on December 14, 1998)NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 248 Led NFL, Total Yards, 6,800 Total Yards NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 456 Garrison Hearst, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Season, 1,570 Rushing YardsNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 142 Steve Young, Franchise Record, Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 36 Touchdown Passes Steve Young, Led NFL, Touchdown Passes, 36 PassesNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 450 References External links 1998 49ers on Pro Football Reference 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com San Francisco 49ers Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons Category:1998 in San Francisco San