The 1977 St. Louis Cardinals season was the franchise’s 56th year with the National Football League and the 18th season in St. Louis. The Cardinals posted a 7-7 record in the final season in St Louis for head coach Don Coryell who began coaching the San Diego Chargers the following year. The Cardinals, with a 7-3 record, hosted the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving, replacing the Dallas Cowboys, and were blown out 55-14 to begin a four-game losing streak that ended the season.
Coryell's final game with the Cardinals was an embarrassing 17–7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won for the first time at Tampa Stadium following 13 consecutive home defeats. It was the Bucs' second consecutive victory following an NFL-record 26-game losing streak; Tampa Bay won 33–14 at New Orleans the previous week.
Offseason
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents + 1977 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJeff BlancRunning backBYUDavid BurkeRunning backKearney StateWayne CarmodyDefensive backSouthern IllinoisRob FitzgeraldDefensive backMissouriGil FousheeWide receiverDukeDavid HeadstreamLinebackerSMUDoug JacksonPunterSouth Dakota State
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season On November 24, 1977, Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese would throw for six touchdown passes in a Thanksgiving Day match versus the Cardinals.100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.44 The Dolphins would set a franchise record for most points scored in one game with 55.100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.176 Of note, the Dolphins would score eight touchdowns and accumulate 34 first downs. This would end the experiment of the Cardinals playing on Thanksgiving, and the following season the Dallas Cowboys would go back in that holiday slot.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 18 at Denver Broncos L 0–7 0–1 Mile High Stadium 75,002 2 September 25 Chicago Bears W 16–13 1–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 49,878 3 October 2 at Washington Redskins L 14–24 1–2 RFK Stadium 55,031 4 October 9 Dallas Cowboys L 24–30 1–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,129 5 October 16 at Philadelphia Eagles W 21–17 2–3 Veterans Stadium 60,535 6 October 23 New Orleans Saints W 49–31 3–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 48,417 7 New York Giants W 28–0 4–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,323 8 November 6 at Minnesota Vikings W 27–7 5–3 Metropolitan Stadium 47,066 9 at Dallas Cowboys W 24–17 6–3 Texas Stadium 64,038 10 November 20 Philadelphia Eagles W 21–16 7–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 48,768 11 November 24 Miami Dolphins L 14–55 7–4 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,269 12 December 4 at New York Giants L 7–27 7–5 Giants Stadium 71,826 13 Washington Redskins L 20–26 7–6 Busch Memorial Stadium 36,067 14 December 18 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 7–17 7–7 Tampa Stadium 56,922 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 2
Week 5 Place: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Television: CBS Announcers: Gary Bender, Tom Matte Jim Hart, questionable all week with an injury, passed 38 yards to Ike Harris for a TD. Terry Metcalf and Jerry Latin both scored on runs of 10 and two yards to lift the Cardinals to a much-needed win over the Eagles.
Week 6 Place: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri Television: CBS Announcers: Gary Bender, Tom Matte Mel Gray caught passes from quarterback Jim Hart and running back Terry Metcalf for touchdowns and Wayne Morris scored four times on short distance runs in St. Louis' wide-open victory to get back in the running for a playoff spot. Bobby Scott passed for two touchdowns for the Saints, who wiped out a 21-0 lead, then fell back again. The Saints totaled 440 yards on offense while the victorious Cardinals gained 494 yards.
Week 8 Place: Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota Television: CBS Announcers: Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier "I think we were fortunate to catch them a little flat and we were at the top of our game" Don Coryell said after his Cardinals beat the front running Central Division leaders Vikings. The Cardinals rolled up 316 yards on the ground and Jim Hart completed 10 of 14 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The short scoring passes to Wayne Morris and Terry Metcalf came in the first half. The two running backs each scored twice as the Cardinals piled up a 27-0 lead before Minnesota scored late in the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Fran Tarkenton to Sammy White. Vikings coach Bud Grant said "The Cardinals offense is outstanding. We didn't think we could stop them but we did think we could outscore them. Had we scored a couple times when we were down there, it might have been a different game."
Standings
References
Cardinals on Pro Football Reference Cardinals on jt-sw.com