| 1974 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Sid Gillman |
| Head coach | Sid Gillman |
| Home field | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1974 Houston Oilers season was the 15th season overall and fifth with the National Football League. The team improved upon their previous season's 1–13 record, winning seven games.[1] Despite the improvement, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
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Main article: 1974 NFL draft |
| 1974 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 79 | Steve Manstedt | Linebacker | Nebraska | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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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Due to a player's strike affecting the 1974 preseason, the Oilers, like the rest of the NFL, played the preseason using an all-rookie roster. The strike was resolved prior to the start of the regular season.
On July 16, the Oilers played a preseason game vs the minor league San Antonio Toros, marking the last time an NFL team would play a game against a minor league team.[3] (In 1969, the Atlanta Falcons rookies would play the minor league Alabama Hawks and in 1972 the New York Jets rookies would play the minor league Long Island Chiefs)[4]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | San Diego Chargers | W 21–14 | 1–0 | Astrodome | 25,317 | Recap |
| 2 | September 22 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–20 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 55,242 | Recap |
| 3 | September 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–17 | 1–2 | Astrodome | 28,538 | Recap |
| 4 | October 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–13 | 1–3 | Astrodome | 30,049 | Recap |
| 5 | October 13 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 10–51 | 1–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 48,006 | Recap |
| 6 | October 20 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 27–31 | 1–5 | Astrodome | 26,371 | Recap |
| 7 | October 27 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–21 | 2–5 | Riverfront Stadium | 55,434 | Recap |
| 8 | November 3 | at New York Jets | W 27–22 | 3–5 | Shea Stadium | 47,218 | Recap |
| 9 | November 10 | at Buffalo Bills | W 21–9 | 4–5 | Rich Stadium | 79,144 | Recap |
| 10 | November 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–3 | 5–5 | Astrodome | 44,054 | Recap |
| 11 | November 24 | Dallas Cowboys | L 0–10 | 5–6 | Astrodome | 49,775 | Recap |
| 12 | December 1 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 13–10 | 6–6 | Three Rivers Stadium | 41,195 | Recap |
| 13 | December 8 | at Denver Broncos | L 37–14 | 6–7 | Mile High Stadium | 46,942 | Recap |
| 14 | December 15 | Cleveland Browns | W 28–24 | 7–7 | Astrodome | 33,299 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 4–2 | 7–3–1 | 305 | 189 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 7–4 | 236 | 282 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–6 | 283 | 259 | L3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–5 | 3–8 | 251 | 344 | L2 |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Oilers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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