The 1974 New Orleans Saints season was the team's eighth as a member of the National Football League (NFL). This was their final season at Tulane Stadium as the Louisiana Superdome opened the following season (at the end of the 1973 season, the Saints were scheduled to move into the Superdome in August 1974, but continued construction delays pushed the timeline back one year). They matched their previous season's output of 5–9.1974 New Orleans Saints The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
Despite another losing record, the Saints defeated two of the NFC's four playoff entries, ousting the Los Angeles Rams 20–7 in week 10 and the St. Louis Cardinals 14–0 in week 13, both at home. The win over the Cardinals was the Saints’ final game at Tulane Stadium.
In between the wins vs. the Rams and Cardinals, New Orleans lost to the teams which faced off in Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. The 28-7 setback vs. the Steelers at home was New Orleans' last appearance on Monday Night Football until 1979.
The Saints ended an 18-game winless streak on the road when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons in week six. However, they would not win again away from New Orleans until 1976 when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. From 1972 through 1975, the Saints were 1–26–1 on the road.
The win at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium allowed New Orleans to complete its first season sweep of Atlanta since the Saints and Falcons became division rivals in 1970. The Saints entered 1974 with a nine-game losing streak to their archrival, including a humiliating 62–7 rout at home in the previous season's opener. New Orleans did not sweep Atlanta again until 1983.
In a rare fluke, the Saints did not wear their black jerseys for any game in the 1974 season. They donned white uniforms at home, and when on the road, each of their opponents opted to wear their colored uniforms.
Offseason NFL draft
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 15 San Francisco 49ers L 13–17 0–1 Tulane Stadium 65,071 Recap 2 September 22 at Los Angeles Rams L 0–24 0–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 64,178 Recap 3 September 29 Atlanta Falcons W 14–13 1–2 Tulane Stadium 62,273 Recap 4 October 6 at Chicago Bears L 10–24 1–3 Soldier Field 45,818 Recap 5 October 13 at Denver Broncos L 17–33 1–4 Mile High Stadium 50,881 Recap 6 October 20 at Atlanta Falcons W 13–3 2–4 Atlanta Stadium 47,217 Recap 7 October 27 Philadelphia Eagles W 14–10 3–4 Tulane Stadium 64,257 Recap 8 November 3 at Detroit Lions L 14–19 3–5 Tiger Stadium 43,256 Recap 9 November 10 Miami Dolphins L 0–21 3–6 Tulane Stadium 74,289 Recap 10 November 17 Los Angeles Rams W 20–7 4–6 Tulane Stadium 57,287 Recap 11 Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–28 4–7 Tulane Stadium 71,907 Recap 12 December 1 at Minnesota Vikings L 9–29 4–8 Metropolitan Stadium 44,202 Recap 13 December 8 St. Louis Cardinals W 14–0 5–8 Tulane Stadium 57,152 Recap 14 December 15 at San Francisco 49ers L 21–35 5–9 Candlestick Park 40,418 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
References
External links 1974 New Orleans Saints at Pro-Football-Reference.com