Remove ads
NFL team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 to 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 field | Atlanta Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 3–11 |
Division place | 4th NFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 3 |
AP All-Pros | 1
|
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.
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 |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
Reserve
Rookies in italics |
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. |
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
Saints | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Giants | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Yale Bowl, New Haven, Connecticut
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
Steelers | 14 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Dolphins | 0 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 42 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rams | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
49ers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 6 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 30 |
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Vikings | 7 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Falcons | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
NFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.