1974 Atlanta Falcons season

NFL team season

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
3
  • C Jeff Van Note
  • T George Kunz
  • DE Claude Humphrey
AP All-Pros
1
  • DE Claude Humphrey (2nd team)

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]

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

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

Head coaches

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

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches



Roster

1974 Atlanta Falcons final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


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

Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 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

First quarter

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

Top passers

  • DAL – Roger Staubach – 13/27, 252 yards, TD
  • ATL – Pat Sullivan – 4/6, 44 yards, INT

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • DAL – Drew Pearson – 5 receptions, 95 yards
  • ATL – Jim Mitchell – 1 reception, 15 yards

Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

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

First quarter

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

Top receivers

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

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

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

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 4: at New York Giants

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

First quarter

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

Top receivers

  • ATL – Jim Mitchell – 3 receptions, 55 yards, TD
  • NYG – Bob Grim – 2 receptions, 24 yards

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 5: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 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

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

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

Top receivers

  • CHI – Bo Rather – 6 receptions, 114 yards, TD
  • ATL – Ken Burrow – 4 receptions, 76 yards

Week 6: vs. New Orleans Saints

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

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

Top receivers

  • NO – Paul Seal – 1 reception, 36 yards, TD
  • ATL – Jim Mitchell – 4 receptions, 45 yards

Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

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

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
Game information

First quarter

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

Top receivers

  • ATL – Jim Mitchell – 2 receptions, 62 yards
  • PIT – Franco Harris – 2 receptions, 37 yards

Week 8: at Miami Dolphins

Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 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

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

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

Top receivers

Week 9: at Los Angeles Rams

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

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 10: vs. Baltimore Colts

Week 10: Baltimore Colts at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 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

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

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

Top receivers

  • BAL – Raymond Chester – 1 reception, 41 yards
  • ATL – Jim Mitchell – 2 receptions, 45 yards

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

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

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

Top receivers

  • ATL – Dave Hampton – 4 receptions, 37 yards
  • SF – Gene Washington – 2 receptions, 58 yards, 2 TD

Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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

First quarter

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

Top receivers

  • LAR – Jack Snow – 2 receptions, 85 yards, TD
  • ATL – Jim Mitchell – 7 receptions, 109 yards

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 13: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 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

First quarter

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 14: vs. Green Bay Packers

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

First quarter

Second quarter

  • ATL – Nick Mike-Mayer 47-yard field goal. Falcons 10–0.

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Standings

NFC West
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 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

  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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Atlanta Falcons
  • Founded in 1966
  • Based in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Headquartered in Flowery Branch, Georgia
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