1974 Detroit Lions season
The 1974 Detroit Lions season was the 45th season in franchise history. It was the Lions' final season playing at Tiger Stadium; the team moved to the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium[1] the following season and played home games there until the end of their 2001 season. Prior to the start of training camp, tragedy would strike the Lions, as head coach Don McCafferty died of a heart attack at age 53. He was replaced by Lions assistant Rick Forzano, who guided the Lions to a 7–7 record in their final season at Tiger Stadium. This would also be the last season until 2011 when Monday Night Football aired in the city of Detroit as a result of the Lions playing in Pontiac from 1975 to 2001, followed by subpar seasons while playing home games at Ford Field during its first eight years.
1974 Detroit Lions season | |
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Head coach | Rick Forzano |
Owner | William Clay Ford, Sr. |
Home field | Tiger Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7–7 |
Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
1 | 8 | Ed O'Neil | Linebacker | Penn State |
Roster
Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
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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
Rookies in italics | |||
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–9 | |
2 | September 22 | Minnesota Vikings | L 7–6 | |
3 | September 29 | at Green Bay Packers | L 21–19 | |
4 | October 6 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 16–13 | |
5 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–13 | |
6 | October 20 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 20–16 | |
7 | October 27 | Green Bay Packers | W 19–17 | |
8 | November 3 | New Orleans Saints | W 19–14 | |
9 | November 10 | at Oakland Raiders | L 35–13 | |
10 | November 17 | New York Giants | W 20–19 | |
11 | November 24 | Chicago Bears | W 34–17 | |
12 | November 28 | Denver Broncos | L 31–27 | |
13 | December 8 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 23–19 | |
14 | December 15 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 28–17 |
Game summaries
Week 7
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Week 8
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Standings
NFC Central | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 4–2 | 8–3 | 310 | 195 | W3 |
Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 6–5 | 256 | 270 | L1 |
Green Bay Packers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–3 | 4–7 | 210 | 206 | L3 |
Chicago Bears | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 152 | 279 | L2 |