The 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 66th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). This season marked the first time since the 1991 season that the Steelers failed to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh finished 7–9 after starting the season 5–2, losing their last five games to lose a spot in the playoffs. It was Bill Cowher's first losing record as head coach of the Steelers. The season was marked by a controversial ending to the team's Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions, where Jerome Bettis claimed he called the coin toss in overtime as "tails" although referee Phil Luckett heard "heads." The Lions won 19–16 and started the Steelers' losing streak to finish the season. The inept plays of Kordell Stewart was cited as another conflict, as the fans slowly began to turn on him. After their 11–5 1997 season, Pittsburgh lost two key offensive components: Chan Gailey, the offensive coordinator who went on to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and their leading receiver, Yancey Thigpen, a Pro Bowler for Pittsburgh in 1997, who joined the Tennessee Oilers.

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

Notable additions include Hines Ward, Alan Faneca and Deshea Townsend.

Roster

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 6, 1998): at Baltimore Ravens

at Ravens Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Scoring drives:

Week 2 (Sunday September 13, 1998): vs. Chicago Bears

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 3 (Sunday September 20, 1998): at Miami Dolphins

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida Scoring drives:

Week 4 (Sunday September 27, 1998): vs. Seattle Seahawks

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 5 (Sunday October 4, 1998): Bye Week

Week 6 (Sunday October 11, 1998): at Cincinnati Bengals

at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati Scoring drives:

Week 7 (Sunday October 18, 1998): vs. Baltimore Ravens

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 8 (Monday October 26, 1998): at Kansas City Chiefs

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri Scoring drives:

Week 9 (Sunday November 1, 1998): vs. Tennessee Oilers

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 10 (Monday November 9, 1998): vs. Green Bay Packers

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 11 (Sunday November 15, 1998): at Tennessee Oilers

at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee Scoring drives:

Week 12 (Sunday November 22, 1998): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 13 (Thursday November 26, 1998): at Detroit Lions

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan Scoring drives:

Week 14 (Sunday December 6, 1998): vs. New England Patriots

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 15 (Sunday December 13, 1998): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida Scoring drives:

Week 16 (Sunday December 20, 1998): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 17 (Monday December 28, 1998): at Jacksonville Jaguars

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida Scoring drives

Standings