1974 Buffalo Bills season
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1974 Buffalo Bills season
| 1974 Buffalo Bills season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Lou Saban | ||||||
| Owner | Ralph Wilson | ||||||
| Home field | Rich Stadium | ||||||
| Results | |||||||
| Record | 9–5 | ||||||
| Division Place | 2nd AFC East | ||||||
| Playoff finish | Lost AFC Divisional Playoff | ||||||
| Timeline | |||||||
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The 1974 Buffalo Bills season was the 15th season for the club in pro football and fifth in the National Football League. Buffalo made the NFL playoffs for the first time, and reached the postseason for the first time in eight seasons.
Star running back O.J. Simpson, coming off consecutive rushing titles, did not lead the league in 1974, but did cross the 1,000-yard barrier despite a sore knee.[1]
Buffalo's defense was far more stout than it had been in previous years, as it gave up 3,489 yards in 1974, fifth-fewest in the NFL. The Bills' 1,611 passing yards allowed were the third-best in the league.[2]
The 1974 Bills have the odd distinction of being the last team to go a full game without completing a pass,[3] in Week Three of the season against the New York Jets. Despite this, they still managed to defeat the Jets, behind 223 combined Buffalo rushing yards -- as well as only 2 completions by Jets quarterback Joe Namath in 18 attempts.[4]
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Contents
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Offseason
NFL Draft
Main article: 1974 NFL Draft
Oklahoma State tight end Reuben Gant played his entire seven-year career with the Bills. Quarterback Gary Marangi was the Bills' backup quarterback for three seasons; in 1976, he started the final seven games of the season when starter Joe Ferguson was injured for the season with a back injury.
| Round | Pick # | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Reuben Gant | Tight end | Oklahoma State |
| 2 | 27 | Doug Allen | Linebacker | Penn State |
| 3 | 70 | Gary Marangi | Quarterback | Boston College |
| 4 | 95 | Carlester Crumpler | Running back | East Carolina |
| 5 | 106 | Gary Hayman | Wide receiver | Penn State |
| 5 | 122 | Tim Guy | Tackle | Oregon |
| 8 | 203 | Greg Hare | Quarterback | Ohio State |
| 9 | 226 | Brian Doherty | Punter | Notre Dame |
| 10 | 241 | Art Cameron | Tight end | Albany State |
| 10 | 249 | Don Calhoun | Running back | Kansas State |
| 11 | 279 | Rod Kirby | Linebacker | Pittsburgh |
| 12 | 303 | Dave Means | Defensive end | Southeast Missouri State |
| 13 | 331 | Ed Gatewood | Linebacker | Tennessee State |
| 14 | 339 | Phil Lamm | Defensive back | North Carolina |
| 14 | 355 | Phil Gurbada | Defensive back | Mayville |
| 15 | 382 | Ken Williams | Linebacker | Southwestern Louisiana |
| 16 | 406 | Sanford Qvale | Tackle | North Dakota State |
| 17 | 434 | Sal Casola | Kicker | Cincinnati |
Hall of Fame Game
- St. Louis Cardinals 21, Buffalo Bills 13 [5]
Regular season
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Bills points | Opponents | Bills first downs | Record | 'Attendance |
| 1 | Sept. 16 | Oakland Raiders | Win | 21 | 20 | 22 | 1–0 |
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| 2 | Sept. 22 | Miami Dolphins | Loss | 16 | 24 | 16 | 1–1 |
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| 3 | Sept. 29 | New York Jets | Win | 16 | 12 | 17 | 2–1 |
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| 4 | Oct. 6 | at Green Bay Packers | Win | 27 | 7 | 22 | 3–1 |
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| 5 | Oct. 13 | at Baltimore Colts | Win | 27 | 14 | 15 | 4–1 |
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| 6 | Oct. 20 | New England Patriots | Win | 30 | 28 | 19 | 5–1 |
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| 7 | Oct. 27 | Chicago Bears | Win | 16 | 6 | 16 | 6–1 |
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| 8 | Nov. 3 | at New England Patriots | Win | 29 | 28 | 22 | 7–1 |
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| 9 | Nov. 10 | Houston Oilers | Loss | 9 | 21 | 16 | 7–2 |
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| 10 | Nov. 17 | at Miami Dolphins | Loss | 28 | 35 | 16 | 7–3 |
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| 11 | Nov. 24 | at Cleveland Browns | Win | 15 | 10 | 10 | 8–3 |
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| 12 | Dec. 1 | Baltimore Colts | Win | 6 | 0 | 9 | 9–3 |
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| 13 | Dec. 8 | at New York Jets | Loss | 10 | 20 | 12 | 9–4 |
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| 14 | Dec. 15 | at Los Angeles Rams | Loss | 14 | 19 | 8 | 9–5 |
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Standings
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 327 | 216 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 264 | 244 |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 348 | 289 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 279 | 300 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 190 | 329 |
Roster
Playoffs
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Awards and honors
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This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
See also
External links
- YouTube: Classic Buffalo Bills: 1974 Highlight Film – Part 1 of 2
- YouTube: Classic Buffalo Bills: 1974 Highlight Film – Part 2 of 2
References
- ^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p. 270 Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1974 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
- ^ as of 2011 regular season
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: New York Jets 12 at Buffalo Bills 16
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 369
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 299
- ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1974.htm
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