1988 Seattle Seahawks season
| 1988 Seattle Seahawks season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ken Behring |
| General manager | Mike McCormack |
| Head coach | Chuck Knox |
| Offensive coordinator | Steve Moore |
| Defensive coordinator | Tom Catlin |
| Home stadium | Kingdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoffs | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Bengals) 13–21 |
| All-Pros | None |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Dave Krieg LB Rufus Porter |
The 1988 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 13th season with the National Football League (NFL). The Seahawks won their first division title in the AFC West. They won the division with only a 9–7 record and finished with only a +10-point differential.
The team never went under .500 during the season and clinched the AFC West in week 16 with a 43–37 shootout win over the Los Angeles Raiders. The Seahawks were the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs; they lost 21–13 on the road in the Divisional round to the top-seeded Cincinnati Bengals on December 31.[1][2][3]
In late August, Ken Behring and partner Ken Hofmann purchased the team from the Nordstrom family for $80 million.[4][5][6]
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1988 Seattle Seahawks draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 49 | Brian Blades * | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | |
| 3 | 75 | Tommy Kane | Wide receiver | Syracuse | |
| 4 | 101 | Kevin Harmon | Running back | Iowa | |
| 6 | 158 | Roy Hart | Nose tackle | South Carolina | |
| 7 | 185 | Ray Jackson | Defensive back | Ohio State | |
| 8 | 215 | Robert Tyler | Tight end | South Carolina State | |
| 9 | 242 | Deatrich Wise | Nose Tackle | Jackson State | |
| 10 | 269 | Derwin Jones | Defensive end | Miami (FL) | |
| 11 | 284 | Rick McLeod | Offensive tackle | Washington | |
| 11 | 299 | Dwayne Harper | Cornerback | South Carolina State | |
| 12 | 326 | Dave DesRochers | Offensive Tackle | San Diego State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Knight | Running back | USC |
| Kevin McLean | Quarterback | USC |
| Pat Pearson | Guard | Southern Miss |
| Garey Waiters | Punter | Jacksonville State |
| Arthur White | Linebacker | Florida |
| Donald Wilson | Safety | Penn |
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Final roster
- (*) Denotes players that were selected for the 1989 Pro Bowl.
Schedule
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 4 | Phoenix Cardinals | W 21–7 | 1–0 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 2 | August 11 | at Detroit Lions | W 16–13 (OT) | 2–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
| 3 | August 19 | Buffalo Bills | W 30–13 | 3–0 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 4 | August 26 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 21–27 | 3–1 | Candlestick Park | Recap |
Regular season
Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC West.
- Bold indicates division opponents.
- Source: 1988 NFL season results[26]
Postseason
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First-round bye | |||||
| Divisional | December 31 | at Cincinnati Bengals (1) | L 13–21 | 0–1 | Riverfront Stadium[27] | Recap |
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Seattle Seahawks(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 339 | 329 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 327 | 352 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 6–2 | 6–6 | 325 | 369 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 231 | 332 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 2–6 | 4–9–1 | 254 | 320 | L2 |
Game summaries
Preseason
Week P1: vs. Phoenix Cardinals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Seahawks | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
- Date: August 4
- Game time: 7:34 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 54,778
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- Gamebook
Week P2: at Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
| Lions | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: August 11
- Game time: 7:30 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 37,993
- Referee: Red Cashion
- Gamebook
Week P3: vs. Buffalo Bills
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 30 |
- Date: August 19
- Game time: 7:34 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 47,000
- Referee: Fred Silva
- Gamebook
Week P4: at San Francisco 49ers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | 27 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: August 26
- Game time: 6:05 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 72 °F (22 °C), wind variable 18 miles per hour (29 km/h)
- Game attendance: 53,357
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- Gamebook
Regular season
Week 1: at Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Broncos | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: September 4
- Game time: 2:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 77 °F (25 °C), 20% humidity, wind N 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
- Game attendance: 75,986
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
- Date: September 11
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,512
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover & Jon Morris
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at San Diego Chargers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Chargers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: September 18
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: hazy, 70 °F (21 °C), 74% humidity, wind WNW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 44,449
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Ray Scott and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
- Date: September 25
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 62,382
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (CBS): Steve Zabriskie & Terry Bradshaw
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: rain, 73 °F (23 °C), 65% humidity, wind SE 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 28,619
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Kevin Slaten & Jerry Kramer
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Cleveland Browns
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Browns | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: October 9
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: overcast, 53 °F (12 °C), 64% humidity, wind SW 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
- Game attendance: 78,605
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Mel Proctor & Joe Namath
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
- Date: October 16
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 63,569
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton & Dan Fouts
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Rams | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
- Date: October 23
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: hazy, 75 °F (24 °C), 83% humidity, wind SW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 57,033
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. San Diego Chargers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
- Date: October 30
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 59,641
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Larry Csonka
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs. Buffalo Bills
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
- Date: November 6
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,074
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (NBC): Mel Proctor & Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: vs. Houston Oilers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
- Date: November 13
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,446
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones & Jimmy Cefalo
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: November 20
- Game time: 12:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 34 °F (1 °C), 61% humidity, wind NW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 33,152
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould & Jimmy Cefalo
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
- Date: November 28
- Game time: 6:08 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 62,641
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at New England Patriots
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Patriots | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
at Sullivan Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: December 4
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 31 °F (−1 °C), 44% humidity, wind W 25 miles per hour (40 km/h)
- Game attendance: 59,086
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
- Date: December 11
- Game time: 5:05 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 62,838
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick & Joe Theismann
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: at Los Angeles Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 14 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 43 |
| Raiders | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 37 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- Date: December 18
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 59 °F (15 °C), 77% humidity, wind W 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
- Game attendance: 61,127
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones & Jimmy Cefalo
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Postseason
Seattle entered the postseason as the #3 seed in the AFC.
AFC Divisional Playoff: at #1 Cincinnati Bengals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Bengals | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: December 31
- Game time: 4:05 pm EST
- Game weather: cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C), 60% humidity, wind SE 7 mph (11 km/h)
- Game attendance: 58,560
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Seahawks lost and in 1989 missed the playoffs 7-9.
References
- ↑ Pierson, Don (January 1, 1989). "Seahawks rushed out early". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (Chicago Tribune). p. C1.
- ↑ Wojciechowski, Gene (January 1, 1989). "It's no act – Seahawks fall to Bengals". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. (Los Angeles Times). p. 6E.
- ↑ "Bengals' defense cages Seahawks". Idahonian. Moscow. Associated Press. January 2, 1989. p. 1B.
- ↑ "'Hawks sale still pending; Young returns to practice". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. wire reports. August 29, 1988. p. C1.
- ↑ "Seahawks owner has a Super goal". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. August 30, 1988. p. B1.
- ↑ Cour, Jim (August 31, 1988). "New owner has partner". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. D5.
- ↑ "Pro Football Statistics and History". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
- ↑ 1988 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ 1989 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos - September 4th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks - September 11th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers - September 18th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks - September 25th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons - October 2nd, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns - October 9th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks - October 16th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams - October 23rd, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks - October 30th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks - November 6th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Houston Oilers at Seattle Seahawks - November 13th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs - November 20th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Raiders at Seattle Seahawks - November 28th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots - December 4th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks - December 11th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Raiders - December 18th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ 1988 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Divisional Round - Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals - December 31st, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
External links
- Official website
- 1988 Seattle Seahawks season at ESPN
- 1988 Seattle Seahawks at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com)
- 1988 Seattle Seahawks Statistics at jt-sw.com
- 1988 Seattle Seahawks Schedule at jt-sw.com