Week 1, Baltimore Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
With 4:44 left to play and with the game tied 14-14, the crowd at Three Rivers Stadium erupted when 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene sacked 1974 Baltimore Colts quarterback Bert Jones for a 9-yard loss to force a fumble that Greene also recovered. Six plays later Pittsburgh placekicker Roy Gerela kicked a field goal to put the Steelers ahead 17-14. With 2:06 remaining, Pittsburgh held Baltimore within their own territory and forced a turnover on downs to win the game. In this replay, Jones completed 23 of 47 passes for 271 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, and Cotton Speyrer led the Colts with 78 yards receiving. The Colts held Joe Gilliam to 153 yards, but both Pittsburgh touchdowns were on passes. Both defenses shut down their opponent's running games as the Steelers' Franco Harris led all rushers with 10 carries for 29 yards. Harris also led Steelers receivers with 34 yards. With a 13% third-down efficiency and a 0% fourth-down efficiency, the Steelers looked terrible in this contest, while the Colts led in time of possession and managed 18 first downs with a third-down efficiency of 26% and fourth-down efficiency of 40%. In the original game played Sunday, Sept. 15, 1974, the Steelers destroyed the Colts 30-0.
Week 1, Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Jim Lash, the third-round pick and second-year split end out of Northwestern, tallied 105 yards on 7 catches for the 1974 Minnesota Vikings, which amounted to nearly one-third of Fran Tarkenton's 336 yards passing, but the Vikings could not get things together as fans in Lambeau field stood to watch Steve Odom return a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown and cheered linebacker Ted Hendricks' 81-yard pick-six. Green Bay quarterback John Hadl managed only 136 yards in the air and the Vikings defense kept the Packers to 63 yards rushing, but the game ended Green Bay 27, Minnesota 17. Packers fullback John Brockington tallied 57 yards in this game, and Vikings flanker John Gilliam suffered an injury and won't be available for two more weeks. In the original game played Sunday, September 15, 1974, the Vikings beat the Packers 32-17.
Week 2, Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
1974 Detroit Lions quarterback Bill Munson passed for 386 yards and 4 touchdowns but the 1974 Minnesota Vikings defensive stand, which included a spectacular sack, fumble recovery, and 33-yard scoop-and-score by defensive end Carl Eller, held off the Lions for a 34-30 Minnesota victory. The Lions' Altie Taylor led all rushers with 54 yards on the ground. For the Lions, Ron Jessie tallied 146 yards and 3 touchdowns receiving followed by Charlie Sanders with 96 yards through the air. For the Vikings, Chuck Foremen led the receiving corps with 110 yards and 1 touchdown through the air followed by Jim Lash with 94 yards receiving. Foreman also scored 2 rushing touchdowns in the game. In the original matchup played Sunday, September 22, 1974, the Vikings beat the Lions 7-6.
Week 2, Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Down 29-24 in the 4th quarter, the Denver Broncos drove 61 yards to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 19 yard line only to have linebacker Jack Ham intercept a pass intended for tight end Riley Odoms. Then with 1:37 left to play in the game, the Broncos held on and used all three time outs to get the ball back at their own 48-yard line with 1:00 left on the clock, but Pittsburgh thwarted Denver's passing attempts to win the game. Broncos quarterback Charley Johnson threw for 394 yards and 2 touchdowns in this game, but the Steelers' defense and special teams were just too much for Denver as they accounted for two of the touchdowns, including an 80-yard kickoff return by Lynn Swann. Charley Johnson gave Pittsburgh a rare 2-point safety on an intentional grounding penalty. In the original game played played Sunday, September 22, 1974, the Steelers and Broncos played to a 35-35 tie in overtime.
Week 3, Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
1974 Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton threw for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns with just 1 interception in a 36-14 blowout of the 1974 Chicago Bears. The Vikings controlled this game throughout and played second-string position players late in the game. Both teams posted a modest amount of yards on the ground (Chicago 68, Minnesota 62) and both quarterbacks did a good job of spreading the ball around. Vikings tight end Stu Voigt led all receivers in yards with 97, while fullback Chuck Foreman tallied 93 yards and 2 touchdowns receiving. Chicago's Charlie Wade and Wayne Wheeler walked away with 55 and 56 yards respectively and a touchdown apiece. Minnesota's Fred Cox scored the game's only field goal late in the contest. The original game played Sunday, September 29, 1974, saw the Vikings win 11-7 over the Bears.
Week 3, Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers
1974 Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler completed a miserable 20 of 52 pass attempts for 204 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions against an impenetrable 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers defense that also tallied 7 sacks for a 33-3 victory. Oakland held Pittsburgh running back Franco Harris to 56 yards rushing and no other Steelers running back gained more than 7 yards on the day. The two Steelers receivers to score touchdowns, Larry A. Brown and Frank Lewis, tallied only 58 and 39 yards receiving respectively. Overall, the Steelers won the field position game through interceptions and four field goals on top of three touchdowns. The leading receiver in the game was Oakland's Charlie H. Smith with 81 yards. Cliff Branch was held to two receptions. In the original game played Sunday, September 29, 1974, the visiting Raiders won 17-0.
Week 4, Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys
It was a frustrating day for fans of the 1974 Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium as Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach completed only 9 of 28 pass attempts for 90 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, while Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton completed 22 of 48 pass attempts for 209 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. The Vikings' single touchdown was a 7-yard pass from Tarkenton to Jim Lash. The Minnesota backfield of Chuck Foreman and Dave Osborn led all receivers with 54 and 40 yards respectively. Minnesota's defense forced Dallas to run the ball, and while the Cowboys gained 186 yards on 36 carries with Robert Newhouse, Walt Garrison, and Calvin Hill, Dallas failed to use its ground game for a scoring drive. Staubach lost two fumbles in this game and his primary receivers, Drew Pearson and Billy Joe Dupree, faced double-teams all day long and charted only two catches apiece for 25 and 19 yards respectively. Dallas' Mike Eischeid and Minnesota's Duane Carrell combined for 17 punts. Alan Page tallied 4 of the Vikings' 7 sacks while the Cowboys failed to find their way into the Minnesota backfield. In the original game played Sunday, October 6, 1974, the Vikings beat the Cowboys 23-21.
Week 4, Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers
Dan Pastorini completed 31 of 56 pass attempts for 371 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions to bring the 1974 Houston Oilers to a 34-19 victory over the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers scored only 1 touchdown in a game that saw the Oilers shut down the Pittsburgh running game. Steeler Rocky Bleier led all rushers with 6 attempts for 31 yards, followed by Franco Harris with 16 attempts for 25 yards and 1 touchdown. For the Oilers, the backfield combined for a total 13 yards rushing in the game, while running back George Amundson (photo) caught 13 passes for 122 yards. Oiler receiver Ken Burrough led all pass catchers with 5 receptions for 143 yards. In the original game played Sunday, October 6, 1974, the Steelers beat the Oilers 13-7.
Week 5, Houston Oilers at Minnesota Vikings
Fran Tarkenton completed 22 of 45 pass attempts for 382 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception to lead the 1974 Minnesota Vikings 35-3 over the 1974 Houston Oilers. The Vikings defense held Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini to 10 pass completions for 79 yards while allowing 101 yards on the ground. The biggest ground-gainer in this matchup was Minnesota's Chuck Foreman with 73 yards, and Foreman also caught 10 passes for 101 yards and 4 touchdowns. Running back Dave Osborn marked a fifth touchdown in the ground game. Minnesota receivers Jim Lash and John Gilliam tallied 5 receptions apiece for 136 and 128 yards respectively. The Purple People Eaters tallied 4 sacks and recovered 1 fumble. In the original game played Sunday, October 13, 1974, the Vikings beat the Oilers 51-10.
Week 5, Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
The 1974 Kansas City Chiefs held 1974 Pittsburgh Steeler Franco Harris to 63 yards, but Steeler quarterback Joe Gilliam had a good day in the pocket as he completed 17 of 34 passes for 311 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception to bring the Steelers to a 20-10 victory over the Chiefs. With Kansas City wide receiver Otis Taylor out for the game with an injury, the Steelers held Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson to 212 yards passing and 1 touchdown, with running back Woody Green leading all Kansas City receivers with 59 yards. Dawson was also the lead rusher for the Chiefs in this game with 18 yards on the ground. For the Steelers, a quadrumvirate of receivers, including Ron Shanklin, John Stallworth, Frank Lewis, and Larry A. Brown all had more than 70 yards in receptions. Len Dawson fumbled three times, losing one, and the Steel Curtain tallied 4 sacks, led by "Mean" Joe Greene with 2. In the original game played Sunday, October 13, the Steelers beat the Chiefs 34-24.
Week 6, Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
1974 Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Joe Gilliam repeatedly aired it out to complete 13 of 31 pass attempts for 201 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, to beat the 1974 Cleveland Browns 23-13. Steeler Frank Lewis led all receivers with 5 catches for 109 yards and 1 touchdown while John Stallworth tallied 3 catches for 62 yards. For Cleveland, quarterback Mike Phipps completed 13 of 35 pass attempts for 116 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Gloster Richardson led the Browns in receiving with 6 catches for 53 yards. Cleveland pounded the ground to gain twice as many yards as Pittsburgh, 126 to 59, but 3 interceptions and 2 sacks by the Steelers were the difference in the game. In the original game played Sunday, October 20, 1974, the Steelers beat the Browns 20-16.
Week 6, Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
The 1974 Minnesota Vikings outran and out-passed the 1974 Detroit Lions almost 2:1, and the Vikings won the time of possession game and even won the turnover ratio, but the Lions led nearly 3:1 in punt and kickoff return yardage, and in the end, the Lions beat the Vikings 24-22. Lions quarterback Bill Munson completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 183 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, with Ron Jessie the lead Lions receiver with 6 catches for 53 yards, while Detroit running back Altie Taylor covered 51 yards rushing. By contrast, Fran Tarkenton completed 28 of 49 pass attempts for 356 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, with tight end Doug Kingsriter (#89 in photo) catching 8 passes for 139 yards followed by Sam McCullum with 5 catches for 87 yards, while running back Chuck Foreman covered 73 yards on the ground and 45 yards through the air. Once again, John Gilliam suffered a multi-game injury and will be out of next week's game, as well. In the original game played Sunday, October 20, 1974, Detroit beat Minnesota 20-16. After six weeks, Tarkenton leads the league in passing attempts, completions, and yards, and is second in touchdowns. Foreman is the league's leading receiver in receptions and touchdowns.
Week 7, Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
With 1 second remaining in the game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers placekicker Roy Gerela kicked a 38-yard field goal to snag a 10-9 come-from-behind victory for the Steelers over the 1974 Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta led this game 9-0 on a touchdown and a safety until 5:07 remaining in the 4th quarter when Lynn Swan returned a punt 48 yards for a touchdown. Atlanta dominated this game in time of possession with 36 minutes over the Steelers' 24 minutes, and the Falcons dominated the ground game with running backs Dave Hampton and Art Malone covering 108 and 80 yards respectively. Both quarterbacks were kept to less than 100 yards passing, but Atlanta's Bob Lee threw 4 interceptions compared to Joe Gilliam's 1 interception. Hampton lost one fumble and Gilliam lost two fumbles in this game. Falcons receiver Ken Burrow led all pass-catchers with 7 receptions for 71 yards. Both defensive squads tallied 2 sacks apiece. In the original game played Monday, October 28, 1974, the Steelers beat the Falcons 24-17.
Week 7, New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings
The 1974 Minnesota Vikings tromped the 1974 New England Patriots 40-6 in a game that included 6 turnovers by the Patriots and for Vikings receiver/returner Sam McCullum, two touchdowns, the first on a 90-yard kickoff return and the second on a 50-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Fran Tarkenton. New England running back Sam "Bam" Cunningham was held to 19 yards on 11 attempts while quarterback Jim Plunkett had only 12 completions on 29 attempts for 159 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. For the Vikings, running back Chuck Foreman tallied 83 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries while tight end Stu Voigt pulled in 100 yards on 3 receptions. In the original game played Sunday, October 27, 1974, the Patriots beat the Vikings 17-14 on a last-second touchdown catch by New England tight end Bob Windsor who suffered a season-ending injury on the play.
Week 8, Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback Roman Gabriel scored the only offensive touchdown for the 1974 Philadelphia Eagles on a 2-yard touchdown run as the Eagles beat the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers 17-6 in Pittsburgh. The Eagles' second touchdown came on an 86-yard pick-six by free safety Bill Bradley. Philadelphia struck first in this game and controlled the game throughout by holding the Steelers to 21 yards rushing. Pittsburgh quarterback Joe Gilliam completed only 15 of 41 pass attempts for 169 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. In the original game played Sunday, November 3, 1974, the Steelers beat the Eagles 27-0.
Week 8, Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Running back Oscar Reed scored two rushing touchdowns and running back Chuck Foreman scored two receiving touchdowns for the 1974 Minnesota Vikings in a 36-16 victory over the 1974 Chicago Bears. Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton completed 26 of 36 pass attempts for 341 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception with Foreman leading all receivers with 106 yards on 7 catches. Foreman also led all rushers with 60 yards on 13 carries. The Vikings held the Bears to 1 touchdown and 3 field goals. Bears running back Ken Grandberry was the most productive for Chicago with 12 carries for 58 yards and 6 catches for 32 yards. The Vikings sacked Bears quarterback Gary Huff 7 times with Carl Eller and Jim Marshall each tallying two sacks on the day. In the original game played Sunday, November 3, 1974, the Vikings beat the Bears 17-0.
Week 9, Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Cardinals
Turnovers were the difference in the game for the 1974 Minnesota Vikings as 1974 St. Louis Cardinals left linebacker Larry Stallings intercepted Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton once and Cardinals right defensive end Ron Yankowski also intercepted Tarkenton for a pick-six in a game that saw the St. Louis beat Minnesota 35-27. Tarkenton and Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart threw for 3 touchdowns apiece in this contest. Vikings fullback Chuck Foreman led all rushers with 20 carries for 74 yards while picking up 4 catches for 24 yards. Cardinals split end Earl Thomas covered 149 yards and scored two touchdowns through the air on only catches while Vikings tight end Doug Kingsriter raced for 145 yards on 10 catches, with Stu Voigt out with an injury. On defense, with Minnesota's right defensive tackle Alan Page already out with a multi-game injury, and with Vikings left defensive end Carl Eller leaving this game on a multi-game injury, the remaining Purple People Eaters failed to create a single sack in this contest, while the Cardinals sacked Tarkenton 3 times, twice by Stallings, with Minnesota's center, Mick Tingelhoff, out with a multi-game injury. In the original game played Monday, November 11, 1974, the Vikings beat the Cardinals 28-24 in St. Louis.
Week 9, Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
On the 1974 Cincinnati Bengals' second possession, with 9:45 remaining in the 1st quarter, Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson went down with an injury that would last the remainder of the half. With Anderson out, and with backup quarterback Wayne Clark under center, the Bengals chose not to pass and instead put together a rushing drive that ended with Clark picking up a fumble near the goal line and running it in for a touchdown. That would be the end of Cincinnati's lead over the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, however. When Anderson returned to the field in the second half with the Bengals down 21-10, Anderson managed to 21 points while the Bengals defense held the Steelers to 13 more points, but in the end the Steelers won out 34-31. The Bengals finished the game with only 2 more total yards than the Steelers, and the difference in the game was 6 sacks and 1 interception by the Steelers defense. The Bengals' Charlie Joiner and Isaac Curtis led all receivers in this contest with 113 and 100 yards respectively. In the original game played Sunday, November 10, 1974, the Bengals beat the Steelers 17-10.
Week 10, Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
Flanker John Stallworth caught 5 passes for 164 yards for the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers in a 40-14 win over quarterback Brian Sipe and the 1974 Cleveland Browns. Sipe threw 3 interceptions in a game where Steelers quarterback Joe Gilliam stepped up the passing game with both receivers Frank Lewis and Ron Shanklin out injured. Steelers running back Franco Harris led all rushers with 13 carries for 69 yards while the Browns' Hugh McKinnis covered 53 yards on 10 carries. Tight end Jim Thaxton led the Cleveland receiving corps with 9 catches for 82 yards. In the original game played Sunday, November 17, 1974, the Steelers beat the Browns 26-16.
Week 10, Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
With both Carl Eller and Alan Page out with injuries, the 1974 Minnesota Vikings could not contain the 1974 Green Bay Packers as Packers quarterback John Hadl completed 15 of 30 passes for 210 yards and 1 touchdown and Packers receiver Ken Payne caught 3 passes for 101 yards in a contest that saw Green Bay beat Minnesota 17-9. Packers running back John Brockington led all rushers with 19 carries for 48 yards while Dave Osborn led the Vikings in rushing with 12 carries for 55 yards. The Packers intercepted Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton twice in this game. In the original game played Sunday, November 17, 1974, the Packers beat the Vikings 19-7.
Week 11, Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints
With 4:03 seconds left to play in sudden death overtime, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris charged 1 yard into the end zone to break a 10-10 tie with the 1974 New Orleans Saints to win the game 16-10. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw had a terrible game, completing only 4 of 17 pass attempts for 50 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. New Orleans quarterback Bobby Scott, meanwhile, completed 12 of 28 passes for 124 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, with Saints tight end Paul Seal leading all receivers with 8 catches for 79 yards. Harris rushed 24 times for 81 yards for the Steelers while running back Alvin Maxson strode for 82 yards on the same number of carries. The Steelers managed a total of 216 yards on the ground in this game, however, which was the difference in the game, along with 2 sacks by Steeler Andy Russell and a lost fumble by Saints running back Rod McNeill. In the original game played Monday, November 25, 1974, the Steelers beat the Saints 28-7.
Week 11, Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
With free safety Paul Krause and right defensive tackle Alan Page injured for the game, the 1974 Minnesota Vikings had their hands full containing 1974 Los Angeles Rams running back Lawrence McCutcheon, but great special teams and defensive play led Minnesota to a 21-16 win over Los Angeles at the L.A. Coliseum. Within the first six minutes of play, Vikings running back Oscar Reed scored two touchdowns after punt returns of 56 yards and 68 yards by Jackie Wallace and Sam McCullum. The Vikings' third touchdown of the game came in the third quarter on a 24-yard pick-six by defensive back Terry Brown. Minnesota quarterback Fran Tarkenton completed only 4 of 19 pass attempts for 49 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, while the Vikings backfield of Dave Osborn, Chuck Foreman, and Oscar Reed combined for a total of 83 yards rushing. For the Rams, quarterback James Harris completed 15 of 33 pass attempts for 203 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception with L.A. flanker Harold Jackson leading all receivers with 4 catches for 77 yards. The Vikings held McCutcheon to 48 yards on 22 rushing attempts but allowed running back Jim Bertelsen (photo) 89 yards on 15 attempts. In the original game played Sunday, November 24, 1974, the Rams beat the Vikings 20-17.
Week 12, Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Turnovers were the difference in a game that saw the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers beat the 1974 Houston Oilers 35-31. Houston quarterback Dan Pastorini completed 32 of 54 pass attempts for 357 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, and the Steelers recovered 2 Oilers fumbles to win the turnover ratio 5:1. Houston running back George Amundson led all receivers with 11 catches for 99 yards followed by running back Fred Willis with 8 catches for 75 yards. It was a West Coast offense kind of day with running back Franco Harris leading in receiving for the Steelers with 6 catches for 76 yards. Pittsburgh running back Rocky Bleier led in rushing with 4 carries for 95 yards while Franco Harris scored 2 and Preston Pearson scored 1 rushing touchdown for the Steelers and running back Willie Rodgers scored 2 rushing touchowns for the Oilers. The Steelers sacked Pastorini 3 times in this contest. In the original game played Sunday, December 1, 1974, the Oilers beat the Steelers 13-10.
Week 12, New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
1974 Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton and Bob Berry (photo) combined for 45 completions on 67 attempts for 5 touchdowns and 1 interception to lead the Vikings to a 48-3 win over the 1974 New Orleans Saints. Minnesota held Saints quarterbacks Bobby Scott, Larry Cipa, and Archie Manning to a combined 9 completions on 26 attempts for 87 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception while allowing the Saints backfield to run the ball 33 times for 96 yards, led by running back Rod McNeill with 10 rushes for 46 yards. Out of the backfield, Vikings running back Chuck Foreman led all receivers with 14 catches for 179 yards followed by running back Ed Marinaro with 8 catches for 87 yards and running back Dave Osborn with 3 catches for 76 yards. From the split end position, Viking Jim Lash pulled in 5 catches for 92 yards while Viking flanker John Gilliam caught 5 passes for 69 yards. Minnesota only attempted to run the ball 9 times in this contest and gained 1 net yard on the ground. Both Oscar Reed and Foreman scored a rushing touchdown. In the original game played Sunday, December 1, 1974, the Vikings beat the Saints 29-9. This is the same Saints team that nearly beat the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime in Pittsburgh in this season replay.
Week 13, Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
With 22 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter, and with the 1974 New England Patriots down 22-20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with New England backed up to their own 2-yard line, on 4th and 35, Patriots quarterback Jim Plunkett launched and connected on a 74-yard pass to flanker Randy Vataha, who was tackled at the Pittsburgh 24-yard line by Steelers cornerback J.T. Thomas. Then with 15 seconds on the clock, Patriots placekicker John Smith nailed a 41-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 23-22. After the ensuing kickoff, and with 1 second left on the clock, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw tried twice (the second time because of a defensive penalty) to connect on a long pass, first with flanker Frank Lewis and second with wide receiver John Stallworth, but Bradshaw failed to connect and the Patriots walked away victorious 23-22. Plunkett completed 21 of 45 pass attempts for 331 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions while Bradshaw was held to 9 completions on 23 attempts for 97 yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Patriots running back Mack Herron led all receivers with 14 catches for 162 yards. Steelers running back Franco Harris led all rushers with 18 carries for 88 yards. Pittsburgh sacked Plunkett 5 times, but the Patriots stood their ground at home. In the original game played Sunday, December 8, 1974, the Steelers beat the Patriots 21-17.
Week 13, Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
1974 Atlanta Falcons running backs Dave Hampton and Art Malone combined for 106 yards against the 1974 Minnesota Vikings, but the Purple People Eaters held Atlanta quarterback Kim McQuilken to 11 completions on 27 attempts for 113 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions in a game that saw the Vikings beat the Falcons 26-13 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Falcons held Vikings fullback Chuck Foreman to 53 yards on 16 attempts, but quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton and Bob Berry managed to spread the ball around through the air with flanker John Gilliam catching 5 passes for 76 yards and with tight end Doug Kingsriter, Foreman, and tight end Stu Voigt moving the ball 49, 48, and 49 yards respectively in receiving. Vikings left defensive tackle Doug Sutherland tallied 3 of the Vikings 6 sacks in this contest. In the original game played Saturday, December 7, 1974, the Vikings beat the Falcons 23-10.
Week 14, Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
1974 Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Wayne Clark couldn't gain ground in the passing game against the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers as Pittsburgh held him to 6 completions on 20 attempts for 42 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, for a 38-3 Steelers victory. The Cincinnati backfield of Charlie Davis, Doug Dressler, Lenvil Elliott, Ed L. Williams, and Boobie Clark combined for 205 yards on the ground. The Steelers had 10 sacks in this game. In the original game played Saturday, December 14, 1974, the Steelers beat the Bengals 27-3.
Week 14, Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs
The 1974 Minnesota Vikings scored 12 points in the 4th quarter, but the Vikings were facing a 5:0 turnover ratio in a race against the clock and in the end the 1974 Kansas City Chiefs beat the Vikings 27-19. Minnesota quarterbacks Bob Berry and Fran Tarkenton combined for 35 completions on 57 attempts for 406 yards and 3 interceptions and Vikings running backs Chuck Foreman and Bill Brown each lost a fumble in this contest, which allowed Chiefs quarterbacks Len Dawson and Mike Livingston to combine for 17 completions on 25 attempts for 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while Chiefs running backs secured the ball and did not fumble. Kansas City running back Ed Podolak led all rushers with 13 carries for 59 yards. In the original game played Sunday, December 14, 1974, the Vikings beat the Chiefs 35-15.
| 1974 Replay Final Standings | ||||||||||||||||||||
| AFC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| AFC EAST | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak | ||||||||
| Miami | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 269 | 121 | 7-0 | 4-3 | 9-2 | 2-1 | 6-2 | Won 1 | ||||||||
| New England | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 284 | 252 | 7-0 | 3-4 | 8-3 | 2-1 | 6-2 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| New York AFC | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 267 | 256 | 4-3 | 3-4 | 6-5 | 1-2 | 3-5 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| Baltimore | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 194 | 245 | 5-2 | 1-6 | 6-5 | 0-3 | 4-4 | Won 3 | ||||||||
| Buffalo | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 137 | 250 | 3-4 | 1-6 | 3-8 | 1-2 | 1-7 | Lost 3 | ||||||||
| AFC CENTRAL | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak | ||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 342 | 236 | 6-1 | 5-2 | 9-2 | 2-1 | 5-1 | Won 1 | ||||||||
| Cincinnati | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 294 | 309 | 4-3 | 2-5 | 5-6 | 1-2 | 3-3 | Lost 3 | ||||||||
| Cleveland | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 269 | 339 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 4-7 | 0-3 | 2-4 | Lost 6 | ||||||||
| Houston | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 216 | 335 | 2-5 | 1-6 | 3-8 | 0-3 | 2-4 | Won 1 | ||||||||
| AFC WEST | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak | ||||||||
| Oakland | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 315 | 275 | 4-3 | 3-4 | 5-6 | 2-1 | 2-4 | Won 4 | ||||||||
| Kansas City | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 288 | 316 | 4-3 | 3-4 | 5-6 | 2-1 | 4-2 | Won 1 | ||||||||
| Denver | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 267 | 270 | 4-3 | 2-5 | 5-5 | 1-3 | 4-2 | Won 3 | ||||||||
| San Diego | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 236 | 377 | 1-6 | 2-5 | 3-8 | 0-3 | 2-4 | Lost 4 | ||||||||
| NFC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NFC EAST | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak | ||||||||
| Washington | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 292 | 140 | 6-1 | 5-2 | 2-1 | 9-2 | 6-2 | Won 2 | ||||||||
| St. Louis | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 318 | 236 | 6-1 | 5-2 | 3-0 | 8-3 | 6-2 | Won 7 | ||||||||
| Dallas | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 257 | 242 | 4-3 | 4-3 | 2-1 | 6-5 | 5-3 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| Philadelphia | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 212 | 215 | 2-5 | 5-2 | 3-0 | 4-7 | 3-5 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| New York NFC | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 189 | 334 | 1-6 | 1-6 | 0-3 | 2-9 | 0-8 | Lost 2 | ||||||||
| NFC CENTRAL | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak | ||||||||
| Green Bay | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 247 | 157 | 5-2 | 6-1 | 3-0 | 8-3 | 5-1 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| Minnesota | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 377 | 231 | 5-2 | 4-3 | 2-1 | 7-4 | 3-3 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| Detroit | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 280 | 244 | 3-4 | 6-1 | 2-1 | 7-4 | 4-2 | Won 2 | ||||||||
| Chicago | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 176 | 298 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-1 | 2-9 | 0-6 | Lost 1 | ||||||||
| NFC WEST | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Road | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak | ||||||||
| San Francisco | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 252 | 263 | 4-3 | 5-2 | 2-1 | 7-4 | 3-3 | Won 1 | ||||||||
| Los Angeles | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 269 | 171 | 3-4 | 5-2 | 3-1 | 5-5 | 4-2 | Won 1 | ||||||||
| New Orleans | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 168 | 243 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 3-8 | 3-3 | Lost 9 | ||||||||
| Atlanta | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 190 | 250 | 4-3 | 0-7 | 1-2 | 3-8 | 2-4 | Won 1 | ||||||||
== DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONS AND WILD CARD WINNERS ==
Miami Dolphins (11-3) AFC East Division Champion
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) AFC Central Division Champion
Oakland Raiders (7-7) AFC West Division Champion
New England Patriots (10-4) AFC Wild Card
Washington Redskins (11-3) NFC East Division Champion
Green Bay Packers (11-3) NFC Central Division Champion
San Francisco 49ers (9-5) NFC West Division Champion
St. Louis Cardinals (11-3) NFC Wild Card
== DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS ==
= AFC =
New England (10-4) at Pittsburgh (11-3)
Miami (11-3) at Oakland (7-7)
= NFC =
Washington (11-3) at San Francisco (9-5)
St. Louis (11-3) at Green Bay (11-3)
| All Pro Report | |||||||||||||||||
| Quarterback | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| Ken Anderson | Cincinnati | ||||||||||||||||
| Running Back | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Wilbur Jackson | San Francisco | ||||||||||||||||
| Larry Brown | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Lydell Mitchell | Baltimore | ||||||||||||||||
| Clarence Davis | Oakland | ||||||||||||||||
| Full Back | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Chuck Foreman | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| Lawrence McCutcheon | Los Angeles | ||||||||||||||||
| Wide Reciever | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Ron Jessie | Detroit | ||||||||||||||||
| Cliff Branch | Oakland | ||||||||||||||||
| Drew Pearson | Dallas | ||||||||||||||||
| Mel D. Gray | St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||
| Harold Carmichael | Philadelphia | ||||||||||||||||
| Jim Lash | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| Tight End | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Doug Kingsriter | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| Charle Young | Philadelphia | ||||||||||||||||
| Offensive Tackle | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Dan Dierdorf | St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||
| Jon Kolb | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Leon Gray | New England | ||||||||||||||||
| Ron Yary | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| Guard | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Gale Gillingham | Green Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Sam Davis | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Conrad Dobler | St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||
| John Hannah | New England | ||||||||||||||||
| Center | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Len Hauss | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Ray Mansfield | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Place Kicker | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Roy Gerela | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Chester Marcol | Green Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick Returner | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Greg Pruitt | Cleveland | ||||||||||||||||
| Herb Mul-Key | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Defensive End | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Dwight White | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Claude Humphrey | Atlanta | ||||||||||||||||
| L.C. Greenwood | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Carl Eller | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| Defensive Tackle | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Ernie Holmes | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Alan Page | Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
| "Mean" Joe Greene | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Diron Talbert | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Outside Linebacker | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Andy Russell | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Ted Hendricks | Green Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Larry Stallings | St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||
| Jack Ham | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Inside Linebacker | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Jack Lambert | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Frank Nunley | San Francisco | ||||||||||||||||
| Bill Bergey | Philadelphia | ||||||||||||||||
| Sam Hunt | New England | ||||||||||||||||
| Cornerback | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Ken Ellis | Green Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Willie Buchanon | Green Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Mike Bass | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Roger Wehrli | St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||
| Safety | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Ken Houston | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Jim Hill | Green Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Bill Simpson | Los Angeles | ||||||||||||||||
| Brig Owens | Washington | ||||||||||||||||
| Punter | Team Name | ||||||||||||||||
| Tom Blanchard | New Orleans | ||||||||||||||||
| Bobby Walden | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||
| League Leaders Report | |||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Passing Attempts | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | 554 | |||||||||||||||
| Roman Gabriel | Philadelphia | 438 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Munson | Detroit | 422 | |||||||||||||||
| Dan Pastorini | Houston | 412 | |||||||||||||||
| Charley Johnson | Denver | 402 | |||||||||||||||
| Gary Huff | Chicago | 396 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Namath | New York AFC | 378 | |||||||||||||||
| Bert Jones | Baltimore | 377 | |||||||||||||||
| John Hadl | Green Bay | 365 | |||||||||||||||
| Roger Staubach | Dallas | 364 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Passing Completions | |||||||||||||||
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | 320 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Munson | Detroit | 250 | |||||||||||||||
| Roman Gabriel | Philadelphia | 247 | |||||||||||||||
| Dan Pastorini | Houston | 244 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Anderson | Cincinnati | 224 | |||||||||||||||
| Craig Morton | New York NFC | 213 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Namath | New York AFC | 211 | |||||||||||||||
| Billy Kilmer | Washington | 202 | |||||||||||||||
| Gary Huff | Chicago | 202 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Hart | St. Louis | 195 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Passing QB Rating | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Anderson | Cincinnati | 102.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Hart | St. Louis | 88.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Munson | Detroit | 87.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Billy Kilmer | Washington | 81.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | 80.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Bob Griese | Miami | 78.9 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Namath | New York AFC | 76.7 | |||||||||||||||
| James Harris | Los Angeles | 74.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Roger Staubach | Dallas | 74.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Len Dawson | Kansas City | 71.9 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Passing TDs | |||||||||||||||
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | 28 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Hart | St. Louis | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Anderson | Cincinnati | 23 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Munson | Detroit | 22 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Namath | New York AFC | 21 | |||||||||||||||
| Bob Griese | Miami | 18 | |||||||||||||||
| Roger Staubach | Dallas | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken "Snake" Stabler | Oakland | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Len Dawson | Kansas City | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| James Harris | Los Angeles | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Passing Yards | |||||||||||||||
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | 4040 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Munson | Detroit | 3049 | |||||||||||||||
| Dan Pastorini | Houston | 2786 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Namath | New York AFC | 2772 | |||||||||||||||
| Roman Gabriel | Philadelphia | 2754 | |||||||||||||||
| Roger Staubach | Dallas | 2609 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Anderson | Cincinnati | 2584 | |||||||||||||||
| Craig Morton | New York NFC | 2507 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Hart | St. Louis | 2486 | |||||||||||||||
| Billy Kilmer | Washington | 2428 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Passing Yards Per Pass | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Anderson | Cincinnati | 7.9 | |||||||||||||||
| Billy Kilmer | Washington | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Namath | New York AFC | 7.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota | 7.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Hart | St. Louis | 7.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Bob Griese | Miami | 7.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Munson | Detroit | 7.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Roger Staubach | Dallas | 7.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken "Snake" Stabler | Oakland | 7.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Craig Morton | New York NFC | 7.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Receiving Average | |||||||||||||||
| Rich Caster | New York AFC | 17.8 | |||||||||||||||
| Drew Pearson | Dallas | 17.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Cliff Branch | Oakland | 16.5 | |||||||||||||||
| Ron Jessie | Detroit | 13.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Charlie Sanders | Detroit | 13.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Stu Voigt | Minnesota | 12.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Harold Carmichael | Philadelphia | 12.5 | |||||||||||||||
| Doug Kingsriter | Minnesota | 11.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Chuck Foreman | Minnesota | 11.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Mack Herron | New England | 11.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Receiving Receptions | |||||||||||||||
| Chuck Foreman | Minnesota | 85 | |||||||||||||||
| Doug Kingsriter | Minnesota | 64 | |||||||||||||||
| Ron Jessie | Detroit | 63 | |||||||||||||||
| Charle Young | Philadelphia | 60 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Dawkins | New York NFC | 59 | |||||||||||||||
| Harold Carmichael | Philadelphia | 56 | |||||||||||||||
| Cliff Branch | Oakland | 53 | |||||||||||||||
| Drew Pearson | Dallas | 52 | |||||||||||||||
| Mack Herron | New England | 50 | |||||||||||||||
| Bob Tucker | New York NFC | 48 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Receiving TDs | |||||||||||||||
| Chuck Foreman | Minnesota | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Ron Jessie | Detroit | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Cliff Branch | Oakland | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| David Knight | New York AFC | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| Mel D. Gray | St. Louis | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Whiteshoes Johnson | Houston | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Gary Garrison | San Diego | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Gene A. Washington | San Francisco | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Drew Pearson | Dallas | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Otis Taylor | Kansas City | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Receiving Yards | |||||||||||||||
| Chuck Foreman | Minnesota | 953 | |||||||||||||||
| Drew Pearson | Dallas | 917 | |||||||||||||||
| Cliff Branch | Oakland | 874 | |||||||||||||||
| Ron Jessie | Detroit | 859 | |||||||||||||||
| Rich Caster | New York AFC | 819 | |||||||||||||||
| Mel D. Gray | St. Louis | 779 | |||||||||||||||
| Gary Garrison | San Diego | 769 | |||||||||||||||
| Doug Kingsriter | Minnesota | 720 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Lash | Minnesota | 701 | |||||||||||||||
| Harold Carmichael | Philadelphia | 698 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Rushing Attempts | |||||||||||||||
| John Brockington | Green Bay | 282 | |||||||||||||||
| Otis Armstrong | Denver | 262 | |||||||||||||||
| O.J. Simpson | Buffalo | 240 | |||||||||||||||
| Tom Sullivan | Philadelphia | 229 | |||||||||||||||
| Lawrence McCutcheon | Los Angeles | 227 | |||||||||||||||
| Lydell Mitchell | Baltimore | 212 | |||||||||||||||
| Don Woods | San Diego | 212 | |||||||||||||||
| John Riggins | New York AFC | 201 | |||||||||||||||
| Franco Harris | Pittsburgh | 200 | |||||||||||||||
| Wilbur Jackson | San Francisco | 193 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Rushing Average | |||||||||||||||
| Otis Armstrong | Denver | 5.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Dave Hampton | Atlanta | 5.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Wilbur Jackson | San Francisco | 5.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Marv Hubbard | Oakland | 4.8 | |||||||||||||||
| Lawrence McCutcheon | Los Angeles | 4.8 | |||||||||||||||
| Greg Pruitt | Cleveland | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Sam "Bam" Cunningham | New England | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Woody Green | Kansas City | 4.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Don Woods | San Diego | 4.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Calvin Hill | Dallas | 4.5 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Rushing TDs | |||||||||||||||
| Otis Armstrong | Denver | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| John Riggins | New York AFC | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| Oscar Reed | Minnesota | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| Duane Thomas | Washington | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| John Brockington | Green Bay | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Jon Keyworth | Denver | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Wilbur Jackson | San Francisco | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Bertelsen | Los Angeles | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Chuck Foreman | Minnesota | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Lydell Mitchell | Baltimore | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Rushing Yards | |||||||||||||||
| Otis Armstrong | Denver | 1483 | |||||||||||||||
| Lawrence McCutcheon | Los Angeles | 1086 | |||||||||||||||
| John Brockington | Green Bay | 977 | |||||||||||||||
| Wilbur Jackson | San Francisco | 969 | |||||||||||||||
| Don Woods | San Diego | 966 | |||||||||||||||
| O.J. Simpson | Buffalo | 898 | |||||||||||||||
| Calvin Hill | Dallas | 813 | |||||||||||||||
| Marv Hubbard | Oakland | 807 | |||||||||||||||
| Lydell Mitchell | Baltimore | 771 | |||||||||||||||
| Emerson Boozer | New York AFC | 768 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Interceptions | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Simpson | Los Angeles | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| Willie Buchanon | Green Bay | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Houston | Washington | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Mike Bass | Washington | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Van Green | Cleveland | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Ken Ellis | Green Bay | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| J.T. Thomas | Pittsburgh | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Glen Edwards | Pittsburgh | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Joe Taylor | Chicago | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Hill | Green Bay | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Kicker Points Scored | |||||||||||||||
| Roy Gerela | Pittsburgh | 116 | |||||||||||||||
| John Smith | New England | 104 | |||||||||||||||
| George Blanda | Oakland | 99 | |||||||||||||||
| Don Cockroft | Cleveland | 93 | |||||||||||||||
| Chester Marcol | Green Bay | 91 | |||||||||||||||
| Errol Mann | Detroit | 88 | |||||||||||||||
| Jan Stenerud | Kansas City | 88 | |||||||||||||||
| Garo Yepremian | Miami | 87 | |||||||||||||||
| Horst Muhlmann | Cincinnati | 78 | |||||||||||||||
| Fred Cox | Minnesota | 77 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Kickoff Return Average | |||||||||||||||
| Leon McQuay | New York NFC | 27.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Terry Metcalf | St. Louis | 27.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Whiteshoes Johnson | Houston | 27.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Greg Pruitt | Cleveland | 27.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Larry Jones | Washington | 26.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Jimmie Jones | Detroit | 25.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Nat Moore | Miami | 25.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Brent McClanahan | Minnesota | 25.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Cotton Speyrer | Baltimore | 24.8 | |||||||||||||||
| Otis Armstrong | Denver | 24.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Punt Return Average | |||||||||||||||
| Dick Jauron | Detroit | 20.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Dennis Morgan | Dallas | 17.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Gerald Tinker | Atlanta | 16.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Herb Mul-Key | Washington | 15.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Thompson | Denver | 13.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Whiteshoes Johnson | Houston | 12.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Mack Herron | New England | 12.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Lynn Swann | Pittsburgh | 12.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Nat Moore | Miami | 12.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Al Dodd | Atlanta | 12.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Punting Average | |||||||||||||||
| Jerrel Wilson | Kansas City | 42.9 | |||||||||||||||
| Dave Green | Cincinnati | 42.5 | |||||||||||||||
| Tom Blanchard | New Orleans | 42.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Tom Wittum | San Francisco | 42.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Dennis Partee | San Diego | 41.8 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Van Heusen | Denver | 41.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Ray Guy | Oakland | 41.3 | |||||||||||||||
| John James | Atlanta | 41.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Dave Jennings | New York NFC | 41.2 | |||||||||||||||
| Don Cockroft | Cleveland | 40.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Sacks | |||||||||||||||
| Ernie Holmes | Pittsburgh | 21 | |||||||||||||||
| Andy Russell | Pittsburgh | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Claude Humphrey | Atlanta | 14 | |||||||||||||||
| Ron N. Carpenter | Cincinnati | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Bob Pollard | New Orleans | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Manny Fernandez | Miami | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Dwight White | Pittsburgh | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Alan Page | Minnesota | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Carl Eller | Minnesota | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Steve Okoniewski | Green Bay | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Team Name | Special - Tackles | |||||||||||||||
| Bob Babich | Cleveland | 138 | |||||||||||||||
| Jeff Siemon | Minnesota | 130 | |||||||||||||||
| Bill Bergey | Philadelphia | 126 | |||||||||||||||
| Ray May | Denver | 119 | |||||||||||||||
| Mike Curtis | Baltimore | 116 | |||||||||||||||
| Carl Gersbach | San Diego | 115 | |||||||||||||||
| Gregg Bingham | Houston | 115 | |||||||||||||||
| Jim Cheyunski | Buffalo | 115 | |||||||||||||||
| Willie Lanier | Kansas City | 114 | |||||||||||||||
| Tom Macleod | Baltimore | 109 | |||||||||||||||
Minnesota Team Statistics
|
||
| 1974 Minnesota | Opponent | |
| First Downs by Rush-Pass-Pen-Total | 80-234-19-333 | 74-139-10-223 |
| Third Down Efficiency | 82-198-41% | 69-199-35% |
| Fourth Down Efficiency | 18-33-55% | 2-15-13% |
| Red Zone Efficiency (pts-poss-pct) | 310-455-68% | 136-210-65% |
| Total Offense-Plays-Avg Yards Per Play | 5436-992-5.5 | 3691-876-4.2 |
| Total Net Yards Rushing | 1170 | 1456 |
| Total Rushes | 372 | 435 |
| Average Per Rush | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| Passes Completed/Attempted | 350/600 (58.3%) | 201/402 (50.0%) |
| Net Yards Passing | 4266 | 2235 |
| Avg Yards Per Pass | 7.3 | 6.2 |
| Sacked/Yards Lost | 20/133 | 39/273 |
| Punts/Average | 54/35.4 | 77/38.3 |
| Punts Received/Return Yardage | 41/367 | 32/330 |
| Kickoffs/Returns | 50/1202 | 60/1095 |
| Interceptions/Returns | 19/148 | 24/349 |
| Penalties/Yards | 55/397 | 74/516 |
| Total Fumbles/Fumbles Lost | 18/12 | 21/13 |
| Time of Possession | 440 mins 48 secs | 399 mins 12 secs |
| Average Drive Start | MNN 32 | OPP 32 |
Passing Stats
|
||||||||||||
| Att | Comp | Yds | Comp % | Yds/Att | TD | TD % | INT | INT % | Long | Sack | Rating | |
| Fran Tarkenton | 554 | 320 | 4040 | 57.8 | 7.3 | 28 | 5.1 | 23 | 4.2 | 87 | 20/133 | 80.2 |
| Bob Berry | 46 | 30 | 359 | 65.2 | 7.8 | 2 | 4.3 | 1 | 2.2 | 57 | 0/0 | 94.4 |
Rushing Stats
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | 2 Pt Conv | Fumbles/Lost | |||||
| Chuck Foreman | 171 | 613 | 3.6 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 5/4 | ||||
| Dave Osborn | 98 | 316 | 3.2 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Oscar Reed | 76 | 216 | 2.8 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Fran Tarkenton | 9 | -2 | -0.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | ||||
| Bill Brown | 8 | 16 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | ||||
| Bob Berry | 5 | -1 | -0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | ||||
| Ed Marinaro | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | ||||
Receiving Stats
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | 2 Pt Conv | ||||||
| Chuck Foreman | 85 | 953 | 11.2 | 47 | 15 | 0 | |||||
| Doug Kingsriter | 64 | 720 | 11.3 | 87 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Stu Voigt | 47 | 591 | 12.6 | 73 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Jim Lash | 40 | 701 | 17.5 | 72 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| John Gilliam | 35 | 534 | 15.3 | 60 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Ed Marinaro | 30 | 283 | 9.4 | 30 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Dave Osborn | 16 | 162 | 10.1 | 64 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Sam McCullum | 15 | 292 | 19.5 | 69 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| John Holland | 9 | 90 | 10.0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Oscar Reed | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 16 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Bill Brown | 4 | 26 | 6.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Field Goals
|
|||||||||||
| 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | Totals | % Made | |||||
| Fred Cox | 0/0 | 9/9 | 3/9 | 2/4 | 0/0 | 14/22 | 63.6 | ||||
Punting
|
|||||||||||
| No | Avg | Net | Tb | Inside 20 | Long | Blocked | |||||
| Mike Eischeid | 51 | 37.5 | 30.2 | 2 | 17 | 50 | 3 | ||||
Kickoff Returns
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||||||
| Brent McClanahan | 28 | 704 | 25.1 | 83 | 0 | ||||||
| Sam McCullum | 22 | 498 | 22.6 | 90 | 1 | ||||||
Punt Returns
|
|||||||||||
| Ret | FC | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | ||||||
| Jackie Wallace | 26 | 5 | 256 | 9.8 | 56 | 0 | |||||
| Sam McCullum | 15 | 3 | 111 | 7.4 | 68 | 0 | |||||
Individual Defense
|
|||||||||||
| Tackles | Sacks | Fum Rec | |||||||||
| Jeff Siemon | 130 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||
| Carl Eller | 63 | 9 | 2 | ||||||||
| Wally Hilgenberg | 59 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| Roy Winston | 58 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||
| Jeff Wright | 53 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Alan Page | 47 | 10 | 0 | ||||||||
| Jackie Wallace | 44 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||
| Doug Sutherland | 35 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||
| Nate Wright | 35 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Jim Marshall | 34 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| Paul Krause | 27 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| Joe Blahak | 24 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Matt Blair | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Terry Brown | 12 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Gary Larsen | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Randy Poltl | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Bob Lurtsema | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Ron Yary | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Mick Tingelhoff | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Fran Tarkenton | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Sam McCullum | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
Interceptions
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||||||
| Terry Brown | 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 24 | 1 | ||||||
| Nate Wright | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 10 | 0 | ||||||
| Paul Krause | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Jackie Wallace | 2 | 32 | 16.0 | 22 | 0 | ||||||
| Jeff Wright | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | ||||||
| Joe Blahak | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Doug Sutherland | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Gary Larsen | 1 | 27 | 27.0 | 27 | 0 | ||||||
Pittsburgh Team Statistics
|
||
| 1974 Pittsburgh | Opponent | |
| First Downs by Rush-Pass-Pen-Total | 78-124-14-216 | 78-165-27-270 |
| Third Down Efficiency | 57-206-28% | 65-238-27% |
| Fourth Down Efficiency | 2-7-29% | 24-52-46% |
| Red Zone Efficiency (pts-poss-pct) | 260-392-66% | 187-336-56% |
| Total Offense-Plays-Avg Yards Per Play | 3754-893-4.2 | 4081-1081-3.8 |
| Total Net Yards Rushing | 1501 | 1387 |
| Total Rushes | 490 | 413 |
| Average Per Rush | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Passes Completed/Attempted | 172/391 (44.0%) | 287/601 (47.8%) |
| Net Yards Passing | 2253 | 2694 |
| Avg Yards Per Pass | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Sacked/Yards Lost | 12/101 | 67/491 |
| Punts/Average | 100/38.9 | 77/38.3 |
| Punts Received/Return Yardage | 49/478 | 63/618 |
| Kickoffs/Returns | 46/1017 | 67/1566 |
| Interceptions/Returns | 37/529 | 13/246 |
| Penalties/Yards | 114/890 | 76/627 |
| Total Fumbles/Fumbles Lost | 26/10 | 40/16 |
| Time of Possession | 392 mins 23 secs | 458 mins 34 secs |
| Average Drive Start | PIA 37 | OPP 32 |
Passing Stats
|
||||||||||||
| Att | Comp | Yds | Comp % | Yds/Att | TD | TD % | INT | INT % | Long | Sack | Rating | |
| Joe Gilliam | 318 | 145 | 2021 | 45.6 | 6.4 | 13 | 4.1 | 10 | 3.1 | 69 | 9/77 | 67.1 |
| Terry Bradshaw | 73 | 27 | 333 | 37.0 | 4.6 | 3 | 4.1 | 3 | 4.1 | 30 | 3/24 | 48.5 |
Rushing Stats
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | 2 Pt Conv | Fumbles/Lost | |||||
| Franco Harris | 200 | 627 | 3.1 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 3/0 | ||||
| Rocky Bleier | 80 | 275 | 3.4 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1/0 | ||||
| Preston Pearson | 71 | 199 | 2.8 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Steve Davis | 57 | 199 | 3.5 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 1/1 | ||||
| Frenchy Fuqua | 44 | 106 | 2.4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Joe Gilliam | 24 | 27 | 1.1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11/7 | ||||
| Terry Bradshaw | 14 | 68 | 4.9 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | ||||
Receiving Stats
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | 2 Pt Conv | ||||||
| Frank Lewis | 33 | 483 | 14.6 | 34 | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Franco Harris | 24 | 273 | 11.4 | 23 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Larry A. Brown | 24 | 309 | 12.9 | 53 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| John Stallworth | 20 | 385 | 19.3 | 69 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Ron Shanklin | 17 | 302 | 17.8 | 35 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Steve Davis | 14 | 182 | 13.0 | 37 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Lynn Swann | 11 | 162 | 14.7 | 32 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Randy Grossman | 11 | 123 | 11.2 | 23 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Preston Pearson | 10 | 84 | 8.4 | 16 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Rocky Bleier | 6 | 37 | 6.2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Frenchy Fuqua | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Field Goals
|
|||||||||||
| 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | Totals | % Made | |||||
| Roy Gerela | 2/2 | 5/7 | 11/14 | 9/13 | 0/0 | 27/36 | 75.0 | ||||
Punting
|
|||||||||||
| No | Avg | Net | Tb | Inside 20 | Long | Blocked | |||||
| Bobby Walden | 100 | 38.9 | 32.5 | 1 | 39 | 65 | 0 | ||||
Kickoff Returns
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||||||
| Steve Davis | 26 | 629 | 24.2 | 34 | 0 | ||||||
| Preston Pearson | 18 | 356 | 19.8 | 60 | 0 | ||||||
| Lynn Swann | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | ||||||
| Glen Edwards | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18 | 0 | ||||||
Punt Returns
|
|||||||||||
| Ret | FC | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | ||||||
| Lynn Swann | 34 | 2 | 409 | 12.0 | 80 | 2 | |||||
| Glen Edwards | 15 | 1 | 69 | 4.6 | 14 | 0 | |||||
Individual Defense
|
|||||||||||
| Tackles | Sacks | Fum Rec | |||||||||
| Jack Lambert | 103 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| Mike Wagner | 82 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| Jack Ham | 80 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||
| Andy Russell | 76 | 15 | 4 | ||||||||
| Mel Blount | 64 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| Ernie Holmes | 60 | 21 | 1 | ||||||||
| Glen Edwards | 59 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| J.T. Thomas | 55 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| L.C. Greenwood | 44 | 7 | 0 | ||||||||
| "Mean" Joe Greene | 42 | 7 | 2 | ||||||||
| Dwight White | 31 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||
| Jimmy Allen | 14 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Charlie M. Davis | 11 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| James Wolf | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Marv Kellum | 7 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Dick Conn | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Frenchy Fuqua | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Ray Mansfield | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| Joe Gilliam | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Jon Kolb | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Sam Davis | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| Larry A. Brown | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Steve Davis | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| Lynn Swann | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
Interceptions
|
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||||||
| Glen Edwards | 6 | 42 | 7.0 | 15 | 0 | ||||||
| J.T. Thomas | 6 | 92 | 15.3 | 47 | 1 | ||||||
| Jack Ham | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 13 | 0 | ||||||
| Jack Lambert | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 15 | 0 | ||||||
| Andy Russell | 4 | 88 | 22.0 | 74 | 1 | ||||||
| Jimmy Allen | 4 | 167 | 41.8 | 85 | 1 | ||||||
| Mike Wagner | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 13 | 0 | ||||||
| L.C. Greenwood | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | ||||||
| Mel Blount | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Ernie Holmes | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| Dwight White | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| Marv Kellum | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
NFC Divisional Round
1974 St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart was held to 8 completions on 25 attempts for 76 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception in Green Bay as 1974 Packers quarterback John Hadl led his team to a 20-7 victory over the Cardinals with 17 completions on 35 attempts for 210 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Cardinals running back Jim Otis led all rushers with 10 carries for 67 yards while Packers running back John Brockington was held to 54 yards on 20 carries, but Brockington moved the ball 61 yards on 5 receptions and cohort running back MacArthur Lane caught 5 passes for 48 yards on top of 37 yards rushing on 9 carries. Packers split end Jon Staggers also tallied 66 yards on 5 carries. Cardinals running back Terry Metcalf was held to 47 yards on 8 carries and 31 yards on 3 receptions. The Packers will now host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. In an autoplay game, the 49ers beat the Washington Redskins 27-13 in the divisional round.
AFC Divisional Round
Two long passes in the fourth quarter thrilled the crowd in Pittsburgh as the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers and 1974 New England Patriots traded touchdown scores, but in the end Patriots placekicker John Smith fell short twice on field goal attempts late in the game and the Steelers walked away victorious 27-24. The last two scoring plays in this game were an 80-yard pass from Patriots quarterback Jim Plunkett to split end Reggie Rucker and a 67-yard pass from Steelers quarterback Tom Bradshaw to split end John Stallworth. Bradshaw was the better quarterback in this game with 12 completions on 19 attempts for 231 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions with Plunkett close behind with 21 completions on 33 attempts for 252 yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Patriots running back Sam "Bam" Cunningham led all rushers with 126 yards on 21 attempts followed by Steelers running back Franco Harris with 99 yards on 20 attempts. Pittsburgh's Stallworth led all receivers with 4 catches for 131 yards while New England's Rucker gained 121 yards on 3 receptions and Patriot running back Mark Herron caught 17 balls for 119 yards. Once again the Steelers defense was the difference in this game with Ernie Holmes tallying 3 of Pittsburgh's 4 sacks on the day. New England had a chance with 2 interceptions compred to 0 for Pittsburgh. There were no fumbles in this game. The Steelers will now host the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. In an autoplay game, the Dolphins beat the Oakland Raiders 28-14 in the divisional round.
NFC Conference Championship
1974 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Tom Owen completed only 6 of 14 pass attempts for 78 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception, but the San Francisco backfield of Larry Schreiber, Wilbur Jackson, Delvin Williams, and Sammy Johnson rushed for a combined 197 yards, which was enough to beat the 1974 Green Bay Packers 16-3 in a game that sends the 49ers to Super Bowl IX to face the AFC Conference Champion, the Steelers or the Dolphins, yet to be determined. In this game, San Francisco held Green Bay to a single field goal. The leading receiver in the game was Packers running back John Brockington with 8 catches for 70 yards, but Brockington was held to 32 yards rushing on 15 carries and his cohort, MacArthur Lane, was held to 18 yards rushing on 8 carries.
AFC Conference Championship
With 1:00 remaining in the AFC Championship game and with the scored tied, the 1974 Miami Dolphins, facing a 4th and 3 situation on the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers 49-yard line, chose to punt, and Miami's Larry Seiple sent the ball to the Pittsburgh 11-yard line where punt returner Lynn Swann muffed the catch and Miami fullback Don Nottingham recovered the ball. Two plays later and with 1 second remaining in the game, Miami's trustworthy placekicker Garo Yepremian snapped a 22-yard field goal, and the Dolphins won the game 16-13 and will face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl IX. The Dolphins defense held Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw to 6 completions on 15 attempts for 71 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception, and held the Pittsburgh backfield to 60 yards rushing, led by Franco Harris with 10 carries for 37 yards. For the Dolphins, quarterback Bob Griese completed 11 of 21 pass attempts for 117 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, while Miami backfield of Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, Don Nottingham, Benny Malone, and Mercury Morris covered 184 yards on the ground. The game's leading receiver was Miami split end Paul Warfield with 7 catches for 86 yards. The stalwart Miami offensive line only allowed the Steelers 1 sack by Jack Ham.
FINS WIN IN TRIPLE OT!
When 1974 Miam Dolphins placekicker Garo Yepremian kicked a 30-yard field goal with 1:00 remaining in the 4th quarter to tie the game 17-17 with the 1974 San Francisco 49ers, nobody was prepared for what came next: Forty minutes of extended play in triple, sudden-death overtime that ended on a 5-yard pass from Dolphins quarterback Brian Griese to split end Paul Warfield to win the game 23-17. Yepremian missed 6 out of 7 field goal attempts in this game, and San Francisco intercepted Miami twice, in a contest that saw the Dolphins dominate in the passing game while the 49ers controlled the ground game on both offense and defense. Griese completed 25 of 40 pass attempts for 459 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions while 49ers quarterback Tom Owen was limited to 23 completions on 40 attempts for 196 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The Miami backfield averaged only 1.9 yard per carry on 68 rushing attempts while the 49ers averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 60 attempts, led by Wilbur Jackson with 108 yards on 20 carries. Through the air, Dolphins flanker Nat Moore did the heavy lifting with 10 catches for 185 yards. The 49ers sacked Griese 4 times. Both teams lost 1 fumble in this game. Miami held the ball for 58:31 compared to San Francisco with 46:29.BOX SCORE
MIA 07 00 07 03 | 00 00 06 | 23
SF 07 00 03 07 | 00 00 00 | 17
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
OT |
Total |
|
| 1974 Miami | 7 |
0 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
23 |
| 1974 San Francisco | 7 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
17 |
| Scoring Plays | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qtr | Clock | Team | Scoring Description(Extra Point) | Score | ||
| 1 | 10:45 | 1974 Miami | J.Mandich 3 yd. pass from B.Griese (G.Yepremian kick) | 7-0 MIA | ||
| 1 | 6:55 | 1974 San Francisco | G.Washington 9 yd. pass from T.Owen (B.Gossett kick) | 7-7 SFN | ||
| 3 | 9:22 | 1974 San Francisco | B.Gossett 21 yd. field goal | 10-7 SFN | ||
| 3 | 5:13 | 1974 Miami | J.Kiick 12 yd. pass from B.Griese (G.Yepremian kick) | 14-10 MIA | ||
| 4 | 14:43 | 1974 San Francisco | G.Washington 4 yd. pass from T.Owen (B.Gossett kick) | 17-14 SFN | ||
| 4 | 1:00 | 1974 Miami | G.Yepremian 30 yd. field goal | 17-17 SFN | ||
| 7 | 5:54 | 1974 Miami | P.Warfield 5 yd. pass from B.Griese | 23-17 MIA | ||
Team Statistics |
||
| 1974 Miami | 1974 San Francisco | |
| First Downs by Rush-Pass-Pen-Total | 9-19-1-29 | 11-12-4-27 |
| Third Down Efficiency | 13-28-46% | 6-23-26% |
| Fourth Down Efficiency | 1-1-100% | 2-4-50% |
| Red Zone Efficiency (pts-poss-pct) | 24-28-86% | 17-35-49% |
| Total Offense-Plays-Avg Yards Per Play | 568-112-5.1 | 470-101-4.7 |
| Total Net Yards Rushing | 132 | 281 |
| Total Rushes | 68 | 60 |
| Average Per Rush | 1.9 | 4.7 |
| Passes Completed/Attempted | 25/40 (62.5%) | 23/40 (57.5%) |
| Net Yards Passing | 436 | 189 |
| Avg Yards Per Pass | 11.5 | 4.9 |
| Sacked/Yards Lost | 4/23 | 1/7 |
| Punts/Average | 6/40.5 | 10/44.0 |
| Punts Received/Return Yardage | 4/45 | 3/-1 |
| Kickoffs/Returns | 4/98 | 4/100 |
| Interceptions/Returns | 0/0 | 2/24 |
| Penalties/Yards | 12/90 | 10/77 |
| Total Fumbles/Fumbles Lost | 5/1 | 3/2 |
| Time of Possession | 58 mins 31 secs | 46 mins 29 secs |
| Average Drive Start | MIA 29 | SFN 32 |
Passing Stats |
||||||||||||
| Att | Comp | Yds | Comp % | Yds/Att | TD | TD % | INT | INT % | Long | Sack | Rating | |
| Bob Griese | 40 | 25 | 459 | 62.5 | 11.5 | 3 | 7.5 | 2 | 5.0 | 81 | 4/23 | 106.1 |
| Tom Owen | 40 | 23 | 196 | 57.5 | 4.9 | 2 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1/7 | 87.1 |
Rushing Stats |
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | 2 Pt Conv | Fumbles/Lost | |||||
| Larry Csonka | 16 | 37 | 2.3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Mercury Morris | 16 | -14 | -0.9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2/0 | ||||
| Jim Kiick | 13 | 46 | 3.5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Benny Malone | 13 | 27 | 2.1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | ||||
| Don Nottingham | 10 | 36 | 3.6 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Wilbur Jackson | 20 | 108 | 5.4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | ||||
| Larry Schreiber | 20 | 79 | 4.0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Sammy Johnson | 12 | 55 | 4.6 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | ||||
| Delvin Williams | 8 | 39 | 4.9 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | ||||
Receiving Stats |
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | 2 Pt Conv | ||||||
| Nat Moore | 10 | 185 | 18.5 | 40 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Jim Mandich | 5 | 90 | 18.0 | 51 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Jim Kiick | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Paul Warfield | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 19 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Larry Csonka | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 23 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Marlin Briscoe | 2 | 89 | 44.5 | 81 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Tom Mitchell | 12 | 85 | 7.1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Gene A. Washington | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 20 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Wilbur Jackson | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Ted Kwalick | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Dan Abramowicz | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Field Goals |
|||||||||||
| 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | Totals | % Made | |||||
| Garo Yepremian | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/6 | 0/0 | 1/7 | 14.3 | ||||
| Bruce Gossett | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 33.3 | ||||
Punting |
|||||||||||
| No | Avg | Net | Tb | Inside 20 | Long | Blocked | |||||
| Larry Seiple | 6 | 40.5 | 37.3 | 1 | 3 | 56 | 0 | ||||
| Tom Wittum | 10 | 44.0 | 35.5 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 0 | ||||
Kickoff Returns |
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||||||
| Nat Moore | 4 | 98 | 24.5 | 27 | 0 | ||||||
| Mike Holmes | 3 | 83 | 27.7 | 33 | 0 | ||||||
| Manfred Moore | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 17 | 0 | ||||||
Punt Returns |
|||||||||||
| Ret | FC | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | ||||||
| Nat Moore | 2 | 0 | 16 | 8.0 | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Jake E. Scott | 2 | 0 | 29 | 14.5 | 15 | 0 | |||||
| Ralph McGill | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Bruce Taylor | 1 | 0 | -5 | -5.0 | -5 | 0 | |||||
Individual Defense |
|||||||||||
| Tackles | Sacks | Fum Rec | |||||||||
| Nick Buoniconti | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Dick Anderson | 12 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Vern Den Herder | 10 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Tim Foley | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Doug Swift | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Jake E. Scott | 6 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Manny Fernandez | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Mike Kolen | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Don Reese | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Lloyd Mumphord | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Curtis Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Bill Stanfill | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Bob Matheson | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Charlie Babb | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Bob Kuechenberg | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Larry Little | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Howard Twilley | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Tommy Hart | 18 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Dave Wilcox | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Frank Nunley | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Cedrick Hardman | 7 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Willie Harper | 7 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Bob Hoskins | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Jim Johnson | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Bruce Taylor | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Stan Hindman | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Mike Holmes | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Hugo Hollas | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Windlan Hall | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Ralph McGill | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Tom Owen | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
Interceptions |
|||||||||||
| No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||||||
| Windlan Hall | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 | ||||||
| Jim Johnson | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
Game Story | |||||
| Bob Griese had a game to remember as the visitors from Miami defeated San Francisco by the score of 23 to 17. Griese led an arial attack against the San Francisco defense for 459 yards and 3 touchdowns. Miami won the air battle out-passing San Francisco 459 to 196 yards. They had the advantage in time of possession, having the ball for 58:31. The biggest play of the game was a pass to Marlin Briscoe that gained 81 yards with 7:25 into OT. The game was tied at the half, 7 to 7. Miami led after three quarters 14 to 10. Wilbur Jackson carried the ball 20 times gaining 108 yards for San Francisco . | |||||