| 1974 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Head coach | Lou Saban |
| Home field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–5 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (atSteelers) 14–32 |
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The 1974 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League, and the 15th overall. Buffalo made the NFL playoffs for the first time and reached the postseason for the first time in eight seasons. In the playoffs, they lost to the eventual champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32-14 in Pittsburgh.
This was O. J. Simpson's only playoff game of his career, as the Bills did not have another playoff team with him on the team. Simpson would be traded to the 49ers in 1978, but the 49ers did not make the playoffs that season nor the 1979 season, Simpson's final season in the NFL. In the game, Simpson would only rush for 49 yards on 11 carries and did not score a touchdown. He did, however, catch a touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Ferguson late in the 3rd quarter.
Buffalo debuted their new uniforms and helmets in 1974, replacing the red "standing buffalo" with the "streaking bison."[1] This updated look was first displayed before a national audience on the first Monday Night Football game of the season, in a dramatic 21–20 victory over Oakland.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
The 1974 Bills have the odd distinction of being the last team to go a full game without completing a pass,[5] 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.[6][7]
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.
| 1974 Buffalo Bills draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Offensive 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 | 278 | 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 State | |
| 15 | 382 | Ken Williams | Linebacker | Southwestern Louisiana | |
| 16 | 406 | Sanford Qvale | Offensive tackle | North Dakota State | |
| 17 | 434 | Sal Casola | Placekicker | Cincinnati | |
| Made roster | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches |
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 16 | Oakland Raiders | W 21–20 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 22 | Miami Dolphins | L 16–24 | 1–1 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 29 | New York Jets | W 16 –12 | 2–1 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 6 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 27– 7 | 3–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
| 5 | October 13 | atBaltimore Colts | W 27–14 | 4–1 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 20 | New England Patriots | W 30–28 | 5–1 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 27 | Chicago Bears | W 16–6 | 6–1 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | November 3 | atNew England Patriots | W 29–28 | 7–1 | Schaefer Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 10 | Houston Oilers | L 9–21 | 7–2 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 17 | atMiami Dolphins | L 28–35 | 7–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 11 | November 24 | atCleveland Browns | W 15–10 | 8–3 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | December 1 | Baltimore Colts | W 6–0 | 9–3 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 8 | atNew York Jets | L 10–20 | 9–4 | Shea Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 15 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 14–19 | 9–5 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
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| AFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Miami Dolphins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 6–2 | 9–2 | 327 | 216 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 264 | 244 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 5–6 | 279 | 300 | W6 |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 4–7 | 348 | 289 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–7 | 1–10 | 190 | 329 | L4 |
AFC Divisional Playoff: Buffalo Bills (9–5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10–3–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Steelers | 3 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 32 |
atThree Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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| Division championships (14) |
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| Conference championships (4) |
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| League championships (2) |
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| Wall of Fame |
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Bold indicates AFL ChampionshiporSuper Bowl victory |
