View source for 1988 NFL season

{{Short description|1988 National Football League season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox NFL
| year           = 1988
| NFLchampion    = [[San Francisco 49ers]]
| regular_season = September 4&nbsp;– December 19, 1988
| playoffs_start = December 24, 1988
| AFCchampion    = [[1988 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]]
| NFCchampion    = [[1988 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]]
| sb_name        = XXIII
| sb_date        = January 22, 1989
| sb_site        = [[Joe Robbie Stadium]], [[Miami]]
| pb_date        = January 29, 1989
}}
{{NFL Team Maps 1988–91}}

[[File:Warren Moon and Mike Rozier 1987.jpg|thumb|310px|Quarterback [[Warren Moon]] (''left'') and running back [[Mike Rozier]] (''right'') of the [[Houston Oilers]] were among the league's top passers and rushers, respectively.]]
The '''1988 NFL season''' was the 69th [[regular season (NFL)|regular season]] of the [[National Football League]]. The [[Arizona Cardinals|Cardinals]] relocated from [[St. Louis, Missouri]], to the [[Phoenix, Arizona]], area becoming the [[Phoenix Cardinals]] but remained in the NFC East division. The playoff races came down to the regular season's final week, with the [[Seattle Seahawks]] winning the AFC West by one game, and the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] and [[San Francisco 49ers]] winning their respective divisions in a five-way tie, with the [[New Orleans Saints]] and [[New York Giants]] losing the NFC Wild Card berth to the [[Los Angeles Rams]] on tiebreakers.

1988 marked the final seasons for legendary head coaches [[Tom Landry]] of [[Dallas Cowboys|Dallas]] and [[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]] of [[San Francisco 49ers|San Francisco]] as well as the final full year for commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]].

The season ended with [[Super Bowl XXIII]] when the [[1988 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] defeated the [[1988 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] 20–16 at the [[Joe Robbie Stadium]] in Florida.

==Transactions==
===Retirements===
*January 19, 1988: The Pittsburgh Steelers announce that [[Donnie Shell]] and [[John Stallworth]] have retired from professional football.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/19/sports/sports-people-2-steelers-retire.html |title= Sports People; 2 Steelers Retire|work= New York Times|date= January 19, 1988|access-date=2020-12-03|language=en}}</ref>
===Draft===
The [[1988 NFL draft]] was held from April 24 to 25, 1988 at [[New York City]]'s [[New York Marriott Marquis|Marriott Marquis]]. With the first pick, the [[Atlanta Falcons]] selected linebacker [[Aundray Bruce]] from the [[Auburn University]].

==Officiating changes==
[[Johnny Grier]] became the first African-American in NFL history to be promoted to referee.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballhof.com/news/african-american-pioneers/ | title=African-Americans in Pro Football | publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] | access-date=March 28, 2019}}</ref> Grier replaced long time referee Bob Frederic, who retired in the offseason. Grier was the field judge in the previous season's [[Super Bowl XXII]], which was the same game that [[Doug Williams (quarterback)|Doug Williams]] of the Washington Redskins became the first African-American [[quarterback]] to win the [[Super Bowl]].

==Major rule changes==
*A standard system of two time intervals between plays are established (and would be timed using the play clock): For normal plays, the offensive team has 45 seconds to snap the ball after the previous play is signaled dead. After time outs and other administrative stoppages, the time limit is 30 seconds beginning after the Referee signals that the ball is ready to resume play.
*If a fumble occurs during an [[extra point]] attempt, only the fumbling player can recover and/or advance the ball. This change closes a loophole in the "Stabler Fumble Rule" that was enacted during the [[1979 NFL season]] in reaction to the [[Holy Roller (football)|Holy Roller Game]].
*The penalty for running into the kicker was changed from five yards and an automatic first down to just five yards.

==1988 deaths==
*[[Alan Ameche]]: Having played for the Baltimore Colts in the 1950s, he died of a heart attack on August 8, 1988, at age 55 at [[Houston Methodist Hospital|Methodist Hospital]] in [[Houston]], [[Texas]], a few days after undergoing another heart bypass surgery.<ref name=aad>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4yIiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=unQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4764%2C1446330 |newspaper=The Hour |location=(Norwalk, Connecticut) |agency=Associated Press |title=Alan Ameche dies |date=August 9, 1988 |page=38}}</ref><ref name=redag>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qbIxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vuQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6239%2C143959 |work=Reading Eagle |location=(Pennsylvania) |agency=news services |title=Alan Ameche dies of heart problems |date=August 9, 1988 |page=13}}</ref> 
*[[Steve Chomyszak]]
*[[David Croudip]]: The Atlanta Falcons cornerback died on October 10 after a cocaine overdose.<ref>{{cite news |title=Falcon David Croudip Dies; Cocaine Cocktail Suspected |date=October 10, 1988 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15622942/falcon_david_croudip_dies_cocaine/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
*[[Hall Haynes]]
*[[Clarke Hinkle]]
*[[Joe Don Looney]]
*[[Nick Pietrosante]]
*[[Art Rooney]]: The Pittsburgh Steelers founding owner died on August 25 following complications from a stroke.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/26/obituaries/art-rooney-87-founder-nfl-s-steelers-dies.html?pagewanted=2 1988 NY Times obituary for Art Rooney]</ref>
*[[Joey Sternaman]]

==Preseason==
===American Bowl===
A series of [[National Football League]] [[National Football League exhibition season|pre-season exhibition games]] that were held at sites outside the United States, the only American Bowl game in 1988 was held at London's Wembley Stadium.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Date !! Winning Team !! Score!! Losing Team !! Score !! Stadium !! City
|-
| July 31, 1988 || [[Miami Dolphins]] || 27 || [[San Francisco 49ers]] || 21 || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] || {{flagicon|GBR}} London
|}

==Regular season==
===Scheduling formula===
{| border=0 style="margin: 0 0 0 1.5;"
|-valign="top"
|
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Inter-conference'''<br/>
[[AFC East]] vs [[NFC Central]]<br/>
[[AFC Central]] vs [[NFC East]]<br/>
[[AFC West]] vs [[NFC West]]<br/>
| style="padding-left:40px;" |
|}

Highlights of the 1988 season included:
*'''[[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|Thanksgiving]]''': Two games were played on Thursday, November 24, featuring Minnesota at [[1988 Detroit Lions season|Detroit]] and Houston at [[1988 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas]], with Minnesota and Houston winning.

===Final standings===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{1988 AFC East standings}}
{{1988 AFC Central standings}}
{{1988 AFC West standings}}
{{col-2}}
{{1988 NFC East standings}}
{{1988 NFC Central standings}}
{{1988 NFC West standings}}
{{col-end}}

===Tiebreakers===
*Cincinnati was the top AFC playoff seed ahead of Buffalo based on head-to-head victory (1–0).
*Indianapolis finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on better record against common opponents (7–5 to Patriots' 6–6).
*Cleveland finished ahead of Houston in the AFC Central based on better division record (4–2 to Oilers' 3–3).
*San Francisco was the second NFC playoff seed ahead of Philadelphia on better record against common opponents (5–3 to Eagles' 5–4).
*Philadelphia finished first in the NFC East based on head-to-head sweep of the N.Y. Giants (2–0).
*Washington finished third in the NFC East based on better division record (4–4) than Phoenix (3–5).
*Detroit finished fourth in the NFC Central based on head-to-head sweep of Green Bay (2–0).
*San Francisco finished first in the NFC West based on better head-to-head record (3–1) against the L.A. Rams (2–2) and New Orleans (1–3).
*The L.A. Rams finished second in the NFC West based on better division record (4–2) than New Orleans (3–3).
*Rams earned the #2 NFC Wild Card based on better conference record (8–4, .667) than the N.Y. Giants (9–5, .642) and New Orleans (6–6, .500).

==Playoffs==
[[File:1989 AFC Championship Game - Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals 1989-01-08 (ticket).jpg|thumb|125px|A ticket for the AFC Championship Game between the Bengals and the Bills.]]
{{main article|1988–89 NFL playoffs}}
{{1988–89 NFL playoffs}}

==Statistical leaders==

===Team===
{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"
|'''Points scored'''||Cincinnati Bengals (448)
|-
|'''Total yards gained'''||Cincinnati Bengals (6,057)
|-
|'''Yards rushing'''||Cincinnati Bengals (2,710)
|-
|'''Yards passing'''||Miami Dolphins (4,516)
|-
|'''Fewest points allowed'''||Chicago Bears (215)
|-
|'''Fewest total yards allowed'''||Minnesota Vikings (4,091)
|-
|'''Fewest rushing yards allowed'''||Chicago Bears (1,326)
|-
|'''Fewest passing yards allowed'''||Kansas City Chiefs (2,434)
|}

==Awards==
{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"
|-
|'''[[NFL Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]]'''||[[Boomer Esiason]], [[quarterback]], Cincinnati
|-
|'''[[NFL Coach of the Year Award|Coach of the Year]]'''||[[Mike Ditka]], Chicago
|-
|'''[[NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award|Offensive Player of the Year]]'''||[[Roger Craig (American football)|Roger Craig]], [[running back]], San Francisco
|-
|'''[[NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award|Defensive Player of the Year]]'''||[[Mike Singletary]], [[linebacker]], Chicago
|-
|'''[[NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award|Offensive Rookie of the Year]]'''||[[John Stephens (American football)|John Stephens]], [[running back]], New England
|-
|'''[[NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award|Defensive Rookie of the Year]]'''||[[Erik McMillan]], [[Safety (football position)|safety]], NY Jets
|-
|'''[[NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award|NFL Comeback Player of the Year]]'''||[[Greg Bell (running back, born 1962)|Greg Bell]], [[running back]], LA Rams
|-
|'''[[Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award|NFL Man of the Year]]'''||[[Steve Largent]], [[wide receiver]], Seattle
|-
|'''[[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl Most Valuable Player]]'''||[[Jerry Rice]], [[wide receiver]], San Francisco
|}

==Coaching changes==
===Offseason===
*[[Green Bay Packers]]: [[Forrest Gregg]] left to join the [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU Mustangs]]. [[Lindy Infante]] was named as Gregg's replacement.
*[[Los Angeles Raiders]]: [[Tom Flores]] stepped down to move to the team's front office. [[Mike Shanahan]] was named as the team's new head coach. 

===In-season===
*[[Detroit Lions]]: [[Darryl Rogers]] was fired after 11 games and replaced by defensive coordinator [[Wayne Fontes]].

==Stadium changes==
The relocated [[Phoenix Cardinals]] moved from [[Busch Memorial Stadium]] in St. Louis to [[Sun Devil Stadium]] in [[Tempe, Arizona]]

==Uniform changes==
* Referees were outfitted with white hats while all other officials wore black hats, matching the standard practice in college and high school football. From 1979 through 1987, the reverse convention was used, with referees wearing black hats with all other officials wearing white hats.
* The [[Green Bay Packers]] removed the elliptical green circles with the player's number from the hip area of the pants, also removing the gold stripe in the middle, one of the additions made in [[1984 Green Bay Packers season|1984]] by former coach [[Forrest Gregg]]; the team also added a small gold stripe on their socks.
* The [[New England Patriots]] dropped the red road pants they had worn since 1984; the red pants would return in 1990.
* The [[San Diego Chargers]] switched to a darker shade of blue on their jerseys, from gold to blue face masks, and from gold to white lightning bolts. The helmets remained unchanged until a complete redesign in [[2007 San Diego Chargers season|2007]].

==Television==
This was the second year under the league's three-year broadcast contracts with [[NFL on ABC|ABC]], [[NFL on CBS|CBS]], [[NFL on NBC|NBC]], and ESPN<!--Do not link directly to [[NFL on ESPN]], as it currently redirects to [[Monday Night Football]]--> to televise ''[[Monday Night Football]]'', the NFC package, the AFC package, and ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'', respectively. [[Joe Theismann]] took over as lead color commentator in ESPN's booth, replacing [[Roy Firestone]], while the weekly "guest color commentator" spot was discontinued. Meanwhile, [[Dick Butkus]] joined ''[[The NFL Today]]'' as analyst, alongside host [[Brent Musburger]] and [[Irv Cross]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/26-05-1045.pdf|title=A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 3|last=Brulia |first=Tim|website=Pro Football Researchers}}</ref>

A number of NBC's regular NFL commentators were temporarily replaced while they called the network's coverage of the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] in [[Seoul]], South Korea from September 17 to October 2. Among them, [[Len Berman]] returned to [[the NFL on NBC pregame show]] to fill-in for host [[Bob Costas]], while [[Curt Gowdy]], [[Ray Scott (sportscaster)|Ray Scott]], [[Chuck Thompson]], [[Marty Glickman]], [[Merle Harmon]], and [[Al DeRogatis]] filled-in on the network's various broadcast crews.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' ({{ISBN|1-932994-36-X}})
* [http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1981-1990 NFL History 1981–1990] (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
* ''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' ({{ISBN|0-06-270174-6}})

{{1988 NFL season by team}}
{{NFL seasons}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1988 Nfl Season}}
[[Category:National Football League seasons|1988]]
[[Category:1988 in American football|National Football League]]
[[Category:1988 National Football League season| ]]