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 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
OwnerRankin M. Smith Sr.
General managerNorm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6)
Head coachNorm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6; 2–6 record)
Marion Campbell (interim; 1–5 record)
Home fieldAtlanta Stadium
Results
Record3–11
Division place4th NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
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.

Offseason

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NFL Draft

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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

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Staff

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1974 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Norm Van Brocklin (games 1-8)
    Marion Campbell (games 9-14)

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches




Roster

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1974 Atlanta Falcons roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve

Rookies in italics

Regular season

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Schedule

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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

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Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

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Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 10 0724
Falcons 0 0 000

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
Game information

Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

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Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 13 0 0316
Falcons 7 0 0310

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
Game information

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

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Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 3313
Saints 0 7 0714

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
Game information

Week 4: at New York Giants

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Week 4: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 7014
Giants 7 0 007

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
Game information

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

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Week 5: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 01010
Falcons 0 7 3313

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
Game information

Week 6: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Week 6: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 10 3013
Falcons 0 3 003

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
Game information

Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 14 0317
Steelers 14 0 3724

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 8: at Miami Dolphins

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Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 007
Dolphins 0 14 21742

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
Game information

Week 9: at Los Angeles Rams

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Week 9: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 000
Rams 7 0 7721

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
Game information

Week 10: vs. Baltimore Colts

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Week 10: Baltimore Colts at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 10 0717
Falcons 0 7 007

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
Game information

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

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Week 11: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 000
49ers 7 7 01327

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
Game information

Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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Week 12: Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 6 7 17030
Falcons 0 7 007

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
Game information

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week 13: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 0310
Vikings 7 3 6723

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
Game information

Week 14: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week 14: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 0 303
Falcons 7 3 0010

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
Game information

Standings

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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

References

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  1. ^ “Falcons deny trading Reaves Connected with Players’ Strike”; in Ellensburg Daily Record; July 20, 1974; p. 4
  2. ^ “Falcons blast Eagles, 23–7”; in St. Petersburg Times; August 5, 1974; p. 9C
  3. ^ “Harold Hart, Stabler Leader Raiders’ Win Over Falcons”; in The Tuscaloosa News; August 11, 1974; p. 2C
  4. ^ “Falcon Tackle out for Season”; in Bangor Daily News; August 22, 1974; p. 18
  5. ^ “Hampton out with Bum Knee”; in Rome News-Tribune; August 27, 1974; p. 6
  6. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1961 to 1978, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points For and Requiring Points For less than 200
  7. ^ “Falcons Dump the Dutchman”; in The Pittsburgh Press, November 5, 1974; p. 69
  8. ^ “Steelers Take on Falcons”; in St. Petersburg Times; October 28, 1974; p. 3C
  9. ^ "1974 Atlanta Falcons draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
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