1974 Atlanta Falcons season

The 1974 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's ninth year in the National Football League (NFL). After coming close to their maiden postseason appearance the previous season and finishing with a best-to-date 9–5 record despite an upset loss to the Cardinals, the Falcons traded star cornerback Ken Reaves to the archrival New Orleans Saints to obtain in-demand guard Royce Smith, a former Georgia Bulldogs All-American,^[1] in a widely criticized move (Reaves played only five games for New Orleans before he was cut; he signed with St. Louis, where he remained through his retirement in 1978). During the strike-affected pre-season, they beat the Eagles 23–7 in a rain-soaked match,^[2] before losing to the Raiders, 28–16.^[3] Soon afterwards the Falcons lost key offensive tackle Bill Sandeman for the entire season with a slipped disc in his back.^[4]

1974 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner	Rankin M. Smith Sr.
General manager	Norm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6)
Head coach	Norm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6; 2–6 record) Marion Campbell (interim; 1–5 record)
Home stadium	Atlanta Stadium
Results
Record	3–11
Division place	4th NFC West
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	3 C Jeff Van Note T George Kunz DE Claude Humphrey
All-Pros	1 DE Claude Humphrey (2nd team)
← 1973 Falcons seasons 1975 →

Along with a form lapse from quarterback Bob Lee and an injury to running back Dave Hampton,^[5] this destroyed the Falcons’ offense. The 1974 Falcons scored 111 points with a mere twelve touchdowns, the lowest total in franchise history, and the second lowest by any team in a fourteen-game NFL season^[6] after the infamous “Zero Gang” offense of the 1977 Buccaneers who were shut out six times in fourteen games. Their failure to score more than seventeen points in any game has been equalled since only by the infamous offense of the 1992 Seahawks.

The Falcons sacked long-serving head coach Norman van Brocklin after being thrashed by the Miami Dolphins and having heard demands from fans to make that move. Three of his successors have suffered the same humiliation in the middle of a season: Marion Campbell (1976 and 1989), Dan Reeves (2003) and Dan Quinn (2020), and Bobby Petrino quit with three games remaining in 2007.^[7][8]

The 1974 Falcons suffered through the humiliation of being the first Falcons team to be swept by the Saints since the teams became division rivals with the AFL-NFL merger. The Saints entered the season 1–9 all-time vs. the Falcons, with that win coming in the teams' first meeting in 1967. New Orleans did not sweep Atlanta again until 1983.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1974 NFL draft

1974 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2	44	Gerald Tinker	Wide receiver	Kent State	Selected two spots ahead of Kent State teammate Jack Lambert.
3	69	Kim McQuilken	Quarterback	Lehigh
4	96	Vince Kendrick	Running back	Florida
5	128	Monroe Eley	Running back	Arizona State	Would join the Falcons in 1975 after having played in the CFL for the British Columbia Lions between 1972 and 1974.
6	147	Doyle Orange	Running back	Southern Mississippi
7	173	Jim Coode	Offensive tackle	Michigan	Played in the CFL for the Ottawa Rough Riders up to 1980.
9	225	Larry Bailey	Defensive tackle	Pacific
10	252	Paul Ryczek	Center	Virginia
11	277	Eddie Wilson	Wide receiver	Albany State
12	304	Vic Kögel	Linebacker	Ohio State
13	329	Ralph Powell	Running back	Nebraska
14	356	John Givens	Guard	Villanova
15	381	Willie Jones	Wide receiver	Iowa State
16	408	Sylvester McGee	Running back	Rhode Island
17	433	Al Davis	Guard	Boise State
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[9]

Personnel

Staff

1974 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office Chairman of the board – Rankin M. Smith Sr. President – Frank E. Wall General manager – Norm Van Brocklin Head coaches Head coach – Norm Van Brocklin (games 1-8) Marion Campbell (games 9-14) Offensive coaches Offensive backfield – Billy Ray Barnes Receivers – Harry Gilmer Offensive line – Duane Putnam

Defensive coaches Head defensive – Marion Campbell Defensive line – Bob Griffin Linebackers – Marv Matuszak Defensive backfield – Fred Bruney

Roster

1974 Atlanta Falcons roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 19 Bob Lee 11 Kim McQuilken 7 Pat Sullivan Running backs (RB) 43 Dave Hampton 20 Vince Kendrick 25 Art Malone 31 Molly McGee 44 Eddie Ray Wide receivers (WR) 82 Ken Burrow 41 Al Dodd 84 Tom Geredine 80 Louis Neal 81 Gerald Tinker Tight ends (TE) 83 Larry Mialik 86 Jim Mitchell

Offensive linemen (OL) 63 Nick Bebout T 68 Ted Fritsch C 65 Len Gotshalk T 56 Dennis Havig G 75 George Kunz T 55 Jim Miller G 53 Paul Ryczek C 66 Royce Smith G 57 Jeff Van Note C Defensive linemen (DL) 87 Claude Humphrey DE 69 Mike Lewis DT 77 Rosie Manning DT 74 Mike Tilleman DT 79 Chuck Walker DT 71 John Zook DE

Linebackers (LB) 50 Greg Brezina 58 Don Hansen 52 Ken Mitchell 60 Tommy Nobis 51 Dick Palmer 59 Lonnie Warwick Defensive backs (DB) 34 Ray Brown S 32 Ray Easterling FS 29 Clarence Ellis FS 27 Tom Hayes CB 22 Rolland Lawrence CB 38 Rick Byas CB Special teams (ST) 6 John James P 12 Nick Mike-Mayer K

Reserve 61 Bill Sandeman T (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 15	Dallas Cowboys	L 0–24	0–1	Atlanta Stadium	52,322	Recap
2	September 22	San Francisco 49ers	L 10–16	0–2	Atlanta Stadium	47,686	Recap
3	September 29	at New Orleans Saints	L 13–14	0–3	Tulane Stadium	62,273	Recap
4	October 6	at New York Giants	W 14–7	1–3	Yale Bowl	42,379	Recap
5	October 13	Chicago Bears	W 13–10	2–3	Atlanta Stadium	47,835	Recap
6	October 20	New Orleans Saints	L 3–13	2–4	Atlanta Stadium	47,217	Recap
7	October 28	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 17–24	2–5	Three Rivers Stadium	48,094	Recap
8	November 3	at Miami Dolphins	L 7–42	2–6	Miami Orange Bowl	64,399	Recap
9	November 10	at Los Angeles Rams	L 0–21	2–7	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	70,056	Recap
10	November 17	Baltimore Colts	L 7–17	2–8	Atlanta Stadium	41,278	Recap
11	November 24	at San Francisco 49ers	L 0–27	2–9	Candlestick Park	45,435	Recap
12	December 1	Los Angeles Rams	L 7–30	2–10	Atlanta Stadium	18,648	Recap
13	December 7	at Minnesota Vikings	L 10–23	2–11	Metropolitan Stadium	47,105	Recap
14	December 15	Green Bay Packers	W 10–3	3–11	Atlanta Stadium	10,020	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	10	0	7	24
Falcons	0	0	0	0	0

Game information

First quarter DAL – Roger Staubach 9-yard run (Mac Percival kick). Cowboys 7–0. Second quarter DAL – Mac Percival 33-yard field goal. Cowboys 10–0. DAL – Golden Richards 52-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mac Percival kick). Cowboys 17–0. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter DAL – Robert Newhouse 1-yard run (Mac Percival kick). Cowboys 24–0. Top passers DAL – Roger Staubach – 13/27, 252 yards, TD ATL – Pat Sullivan – 4/6, 44 yards, INT Top rushers DAL – Calvin Hill – 11 rushes, 58 yards ATL – Eddie Ray – 12 rushes, 36 yards Top receivers DAL – Drew Pearson – 5 receptions, 95 yards ATL – Jim Mitchell – 1 reception, 15 yards

Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 15
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 71 °F (22 °C)
• Game attendance: 52,322
• Box score

Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	13	0	0	3	16
Falcons	7	0	0	3	10

Game information

First quarter SF – Danny Abramowicz 13-yard pass from Joe Reed (kick failed). 49ers 6–0. SF – Larry Schreiber 1-yard run (Bruce Gossett kick). 49ers 13–0. ATL – Art Malone 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). 49ers 13–7. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 32-yard field goal. 49ers 13–10. SF – Bruce Gossett 25-yard field goal. 49ers 16–10. Top passers SF – Joe Reed – 7/22, 101 yards, TD, INT ATL – Bob Lee – 10/23, 99 yards, 3 INT Top rushers SF – Larry Schreiber – 18 rushes, 70 yards, TD ATL – Eddie Ray – 17 rushes, 58 yards Top receivers SF – Wilbur Jackson – 2 receptions, 45 yards ATL – Ken Burrow – 4 receptions, 57 yards

Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 22
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,686
• Box score

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	7	3	3	13
Saints	0	7	0	7	14

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter NO – Joel Parker 13-yard pass from Archie Manning (Bill McClard kick). Saints 7–0. ATL – Gerald Tinker 72-yard punt return (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Tied 7–7. Third quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 21-yard field goal. Falcons 10–7. Fourth quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 27-yard field goal. Falcons 13–7. NO – Jess Phillips 8-yard run (Bill McClard kick). Saints 14–13. Top passers ATL – Pat Sullivan – 7/20, 74 yards, INT NO – Archie Manning – 6/14, 47 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Haskel Stanback – 18 rushes, 73 yards NO – Jess Phillips – 16 rushes, 63 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Jim Mitchell – 2 receptions, 40 yards NO – John Beasley – 1 reception, 30 yards

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: September 29
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 62,273
• Box score

Week 4: at New York Giants

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	7	7	0	14
Giants	7	0	0	0	7

Game information

First quarter NYG – Doug Kotar 53-yard run (Pete Gogolak kick). Giants 7–0. Second quarter ATL – Jim Mitchell 15-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Tied 7–7. Third quarter ATL – Ray Brown 59-yard interception return (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 14–7. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers ATL – Bob Lee – 10/17, 142 yards, TD, 3 INT NYG – Norm Snead – 10/20, 85 yards, 2 INT Top rushers ATL – Haskel Stanback – 15 rushes, 64 yards NYG – Doug Kotar – 15 rushes, 119 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Jim Mitchell – 3 receptions, 55 yards, TD NYG – Bob Grim – 2 receptions, 24 yards

Week 4: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary

at Yale Bowl, New Haven, Connecticut

• Date: October 6
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
• Game attendance: 42,379
• Box score

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	10	10
Falcons	0	7	3	3	13

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter ATL – Bob Lee 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 7–0. Third quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 35-yard field goal. Falcons 10–0. Fourth quarter CHI – Bo Rather 59-yard pass from Gary Huff (Mirro Roder kick). Falcons 10–7. CHI – Mirro Roder 37-yard field goal. Tied 10–10. ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 31-yard field goal. Falcons 13–10. Top passers CHI – Gary Huff – 14/25, 177 yards, TD, 2 INT ATL – Bob Lee – 10/18, 121 yards, 2 INT Top rushers CHI – Carl Garrett – 14 rushes, 50 yards ATL – Haskel Stanback – 19 rushes, 77 yards Top receivers CHI – Bo Rather – 6 receptions, 114 yards, TD ATL – Ken Burrow – 4 receptions, 76 yards

Week 5: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: October 13
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,835
• Box score

Week 6: vs. New Orleans Saints

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	10	3	0	13
Falcons	0	3	0	0	3

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 47-yard field goal. Falcons 3–0. NO – Paul Seal 36-yard pass from Bobby Scott (Bill McClard kick). Saints 7–3. NO – Bill McClard 41-yard field goal. Saints 10–3. Third quarter NO – Bill McClard 31-yard field goal. Saints 13–3. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers NO – Bobby Scott – 6/16, 78 yards, TD, INT ATL – Pat Sullivan – 12/24, 122 yards, INT Top rushers NO – Alvin Maxson – 25 rushes, 91 yards ATL – Dave Hampton – 12 rushes, 37 yards Top receivers NO – Paul Seal – 1 reception, 36 yards, TD ATL – Jim Mitchell – 4 receptions, 45 yards

Week 6: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: October 20
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 52 °F (11 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,217
• Box score

Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	14	0	3	17
Steelers	14	0	3	7	24

Game information

First quarter PIT – Rocky Bleier 10-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0. PIT – Terry Bradshaw 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 14–0. Second quarter ATL – Al Dodd 9-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Steelers 14–7. ATL – Ken Burrow 24-yard pass from Bob Lee (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Tied 14–14. Third quarter PIT – Roy Gerela 33-yard field goal. Steelers 17–14. Fourth quarter PIT – Franco Harris 7-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 24–14. ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 32-yard field goal. Steelers 24–17. Top passers ATL – Bob Lee – 8/20, 122 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 9/21, 130 yards, 2 INT Top rushers ATL – Dave Hampton – 17 rushes, 55 yards PIT – Franco Harris – 28 rushes, 141 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Jim Mitchell – 2 receptions, 62 yards PIT – Franco Harris – 2 receptions, 37 yards

Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: October 28
• Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Clear, 51 °F (11 °C)
• Game attendance: 48,094
• TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell
• Box score

Week 8: at Miami Dolphins

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	7	0	0	7
Dolphins	0	14	21	7	42

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter MIA – Benny Malone 4-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 7–0. MIA – Paul Warfield 4-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 14–0. ATL – Dave Hampton 2-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Dolphins 14–7. Third quarter MIA – Don Nottingham 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 21–7. MIA – Jim Mandich 18-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 28–7. MIA – Don Nottingham 2-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 35–7. Fourth quarter MIA – Don Nottingham 1-yard (Garo Yepremian kick). Dolphins 42–7. Top passers ATL – Bob Lee – 8/15, 65 yards, INT MIA – Bob Griese – 10/15, 158 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Dave Hampton – 14 rushes, 71 yards, TD MIA – Benny Malone – 24 rushes, 108 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Ken Burrow – 3 receptions, 47 yards MIA – Paul Warfield – 4 receptions, 71 yards, TD

Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

• Date: November 3
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C)
• Game attendance: 64,399
• Box score

Week 9: at Los Angeles Rams

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	0	0	0
Rams	7	0	7	7	21

Game information

First quarter LAR – Harold Jackson 40-yard pass from James Harris (David Ray kick). Rams 7–0. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter LAR – Tony Baker 1-yard run (David Ray kick). Rams 14–0. Fourth quarter LAR – Harold Jackson 25-yard pass from James Harris (David Ray kick). Rams 21–0. Top passers ATL – Bob Lee – 10/21, 89 yards LAR – James Harris – 5/13, 130 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Art Malone – 13 rushes, 49 yards LAR – Lawrence McCutcheon – 22 rushes, 140 yards Top receivers ATL – Art Malone – 6 receptions, 33 yards LAR – Harold Jackson – 3 receptions, 79 yards, 2 TD

Week 9: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

• Date: November 10
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
• Game attendance: 70,056
• Box score

Week 10: vs. Baltimore Colts

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	10	0	7	17
Falcons	0	7	0	0	7

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter BAL – Toni Linhart 37-yard field goal. Colts 3–0. ATL – Haskel Stanback 23-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 7–3. BAL – Marty Domres 12-yard run (Toni Linhart kick). Colts 10–7. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter BAL – Bill Olds 1-yard run (Toni Linhart kick). Colts 17–7. Top passers BAL – Marty Domres – 4/11, 74 yards, INT ATL – Bob Lee – 12/22, 142 yards, INT Top rushers BAL – Lydell Mitchell – 33 rushes, 151 yards ATL – Dave Hampton – 16 rushes, 62 yards Top receivers BAL – Raymond Chester – 1 reception, 41 yards ATL – Jim Mitchell – 2 receptions, 45 yards

Week 10: Baltimore Colts at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 17
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
• Game attendance: 41,278
• Box score

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	0	0	0
49ers	7	7	0	13	27

Game information

First quarter SF – Gene Washington 5-yard pass from Tom Owen (Bruce Gossett kick). 49ers 7–0. Second quarter SF – Gene Washington 53-yard pass from Tom Owen (Bruce Gossett kick). 49ers 14–0. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter SF – Manfred Moore 88-yard punt return (Bruce Gossett kick). 49ers 21–0. SF – Bruce Gossett 20-yard field goal. 49ers 24–0. SF – Bruce Gossett 42-yard field goal. 49ers 27–0. Top passers ATL – Pat Sullivan – 13/30, 148 yards, 2 INT SF – Tom Owen – 7/16, 127 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Dave Hampton – 10 rushes, 43 yards SF – Larry Schreiber – 20 rushes, 106 yards Top receivers ATL – Dave Hampton – 4 receptions, 37 yards SF – Gene Washington – 2 receptions, 58 yards, 2 TD

Week 11: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

• Date: November 24
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 50 °F (10 °C)
• Game attendance: 45,435
• Box score

Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	6	7	17	0	30
Falcons	0	7	0	0	7

Game information

First quarter LAR – Jim Bertelsen 6-yard run (kick failed). Rams 6–0. Second quarter LAR – Jack Snow 44-yard pass from James Harris (David Ray). Rams 13–0. ATL – Vince Kendrick 2-yard pass from Pat Sullivan (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Rams 13–7. Third quarter LAR – Dave Elmendorf 57-yard interception return (David Ray kick). Rams 20–7. LAR – Jim Bertelsen 4-yard run (David Ray kick). Rams 27–7. LAR – David Ray 23-yard field goal. Rams 30–7. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers LAR – James Harris – 9/17, 174 yards, TD ATL – Kim McQuilken – 13/27, 160 yards, 3 INT Top rushers LAR – Lawrence McCutcheon – 16 rushes, 53 yards ATL – Art Malone – 4 rushes, 9 yards Top receivers LAR – Jack Snow – 2 receptions, 85 yards, TD ATL – Jim Mitchell – 7 receptions, 109 yards

Week 12: Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: December 1
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Rain, 36 °F (2 °C)
• Game attendance: 18,648
• Box score

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	7	0	3	10
Vikings	7	3	6	7	23

Game information

First quarter MIN – Dave Osborn 10-yard run (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–0. Second quarter ATL – Art Malone 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Tied 7–7. MIN – Fred Cox 21-yard field goal. Vikings 10–7. Third quarter MIN – Dave Osborn 5-yard run (kick failed). Vikings 16–7. Fourth quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 36-yard field goal. Vikings 16–10. MIN – Stu Voigt 10-yard pass from Bob Berry (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 23–10. Top passers ATL – Kim McQuilken – 11/25, 125 yards, 2 INT MIN – Bob Berry – 14/22, 114 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Art Malone – 10 rushes, 54 yards, TD MIN – Dave Osborn – 24 rushes, 96 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ATL – Ken Burrow – 3 receptions, 50 yards MIN – Dave Osborn – 6 receptions, 39 yards

Week 13: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

• Date: December 7
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Cloudy with flurries, 28 °F (−2 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,105
• Box score

Week 14: vs. Green Bay Packers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	0	3	0	3
Falcons	7	3	0	0	10

Game information

First quarter ATL – Dave Hampton 5-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Falcons 7–0. Second quarter ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 47-yard field goal. Falcons 10–0. Third quarter GB – Chester Marcol 43-yard field goal. Falcons 10–3. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers GB – John Hadl – 15/38, 138 yards, 2 INT ATL – Kim McQuilken – 7/20, 68 yards, 3 INT Top rushers GB – John Brockington – 20 rushes, 65 yards ATL – Dave Hampton – 23 rushes, 94 yards, TD Top receivers GB – Rich McGeorge – 2 receptions, 38 yards ATL – Tom Geredine – 2 receptions, 27 yards

Week 14: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: December 15
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)
• Game attendance: 10,020
• Box score

Standings

NFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Los Angeles Rams	10	4	0	.714	5–1	7–3	263	181	W1
San Francisco 49ers	6	8	0	.429	4–2	6–5	226	236	W2
New Orleans Saints	5	9	0	.357	3–3	5–6	166	263	L1
Atlanta Falcons	3	11	0	.214	0–6	3–8	111	271	W1