NFL playoffs, 1974-75

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The NFL playoffs following the 1974 NFL season led up to Super Bowl IX. This was the last season in which the sites for the playoff games annually alternated by division.

Contents

[edit] Divisional playoffs

[edit] December 21, 1974

[edit] AFC: Oakland Raiders 28, Miami Dolphins 26

1 2 3 4 Total
Dolphins 7 3 6 10 26
Raiders 0 7 7 14 28

at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California

In a play that became known as the Sea of Hands, the Raiders' Clarence Davis somehow catches the winning touchdown pass with 24 seconds left in the game among "the sea of hands" of three Dolphins defenders. The game began when Nat Moore returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a Miami touchdown. Oakland responded with 2 touchdown passes from quarterback Ken Stabler, while the Dolphins counter with Bob Griese's touchdown pass to Paul Warfield and two field goals. However, Cliff Branch's 76-yard reception gave the Raiders a 21-19 lead in the fourth quarter. With 2:08 left to play, the Dolphins took a 26-21 lead with a 68-yard, 4-play drive that ended with Benny Malone's 23-yard touchdown. But the Raiders converted two third downs en route to the winning touchdown.

  • Scoring
    • MIA - N. Moore 89 kickoff return (Yepremian kick)
    • OAK - C. Smith 31 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)
    • MIA - FG Yepremian 33
    • OAK - Biletnikoff 13 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)
    • MIA - Warfield 16 pass from Griese (kick failed)
    • MIA - FG Yepremian 46
    • OAK - Branch 76 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)
    • MIA - Malone 23 run (Yepremian kick)
    • OAK - Davis 8 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)

[edit] NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, St. Louis Cardinals 14

1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 0 7 0 7 14
Vikings 0 7 16 7 30

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Aided by the Cardinals' turnovers, the Vikings scored 16 points in less than 7 minutes in the third quarter. After a scoreless first quarter, St. Louis got onto the scoreboard first with quarterback Jim Hart's 13-yard touchdown pass, but Minnesota counter when quarterback Fran Tarkenton completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to John Gilliam. Then, Jeff Wright's interception on the opening drive of the second half led to Fred Cox's 37-yard field goal to give the Vikings the lead, 10-7. On the Cardinals' ensuing drive, Terry Metcalf fumbled and Nate Wright picked up the loose ball and returned it 20-yards to the end zone. Tarkenton later threw his second touchdown pass to Gilliam, and Chuck Foreman recorded a 4-yard touchdown run to give Minnesota a 30-7 lead. By the time Metcalf rushed for an 11-yard fourth quarter touchdown, the game was already out of reach for the Cardinals.

  • Scoring
    • STL - Thomas 13 pass from Hart (Bakken kick)
    • MIN - Gilliam 16 pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick)
    • MIN - FG Cox 37
    • MIN - Wright 20 fumble return (Cox kick)
    • MIN - Gilliam 38 pass from Tarkenton (kick failed)
    • MIN - Foreman 4 run (Cox kick)
    • STL - Metcalf 11 run (Bakken kick)

[edit] December 22, 1974

[edit] AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 32, Buffalo Bills 14

1 2 3 4 Total
Bills 7 0 7 0 14
Steelers 3 26 0 3 32

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Running back Franco Harris led the Steelers to the victory by scoring 3 touchdowns in the second quarter. Pittsburgh scored on their first possession with Roy Gerela's 21-yard field goal, but the Bills responded with tight end Paul Seymour's 27-yard touchdown reception. The Steelers then scored 26 unanswered points in the second quarter, starting with quarterback Terry Bradshaw's 27-yard pass to running back Rocky Bleier. Harris then scored his first touchdown of the game on a 67-yard Pittsburgh drive. A Buffalo fumble led to Harris' second touchdown, and his third score came with 16 seconds left in the first half. The Steelers recorded 438 yards of total offense, while limiting Bills running back O.J. Simpson to 49 rushing yards.

  • Scoring
    • PIT - FG Gerela 21
    • BUF - Seymour 22 pass from Ferguson (Leypoldt kick)
    • PIT - Bleier 27 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked)
    • PIT - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)
    • PIT - Harris 4 run (kick blocked)
    • PIT - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)
    • BUF - Simpson 3 pass from Ferguson (Leypoldt kick)
    • PIT - FG Gerela 22

[edit] NFC: Los Angeles Rams 19, Washington Redskins 10

1 2 3 4 Total
Redskins 3 7 0 0 10
Rams 7 0 3 9 19

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

Linebacker Isiah Robertson returned an interception 59 yards in the fourth quarter to give the Rams the victory. Los Angeles scored on the opening drive of the game with quarterback James Harris' 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bob Klein. However, the Redskins scored 10 unanswered points before halftime. First Mike Bragg kicked a 35-yard field goal, then Pat Fischer's interception set up Moses Denson's 1-yard rushing touchdown. Two Washington turnovers in the second half set up two field goals by Rams kicker David Ray. With the Redskins driving for the possible tying field goal, defensive tackle Merlin Olsen pressured quarterback Sonny Jurgensen into throwing the game winning interception to Robertson.

  • Scoring
    • LA - Klein 10 pass from Harris (Ray kick)
    • WAS - FG Bragg 35
    • WAS - Denson 1 run (Bragg kick)
    • LA - FG Ray 37
    • LA - FG Ray 26
    • LA - Robertson 59 interception return (kick failed)

[edit] Conference Championships

[edit] December 29, 1974

[edit] AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Oakland Raiders 13

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0 3 0 21 24
Raiders 3 0 7 3 13

at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California

After trailing 10-3 at the end of the third quarter, the Steelers scored three touchdowns in the final period. The first half was controlled by both defenses, leading to a 3-3 score at halftime. However, the Raiders took the lead in the third quarter with Ken Stabler's 38-yard touchdown pass Cliff Branch. But Pittsburgh tied the game again six seconds into the fourth quarter with Franco Harris' 6-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw. Then linebacker Jack Ham intercepted a pass, and Bradshaw threw a 6-yard touchdown to Lynn Swann. Faced with third down at the Pittsburgh 12-yard line, Stabler was forced to throw an incomplete pass, and the Raiders had to settle for a field goal to cut the Steelers' lead, 17-13. But Harris then scored on a 21-yard rushing touchdown to put the game away.

  • Scoring
    • OAK - FG Blanda 40
    • PIT - FG Gerela 23
    • OAK - Branch 38 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)
    • PIT - Harris 8 run (Gerela kick)
    • PIT - Swann 6 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
    • OAK - FG Blanda 24
    • PIT - Harris 21 run (Gerela kick)

[edit] NFC: Minnesota Vikings 14, Los Angeles Rams 10

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 3 0 7 10
Vikings 0 7 0 7 14

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

The Vikings were able to hold onto the ball for the final 5:37 of the game to preserve a 14-10 victory. After a scoreless first quarter, Minnesota quarterback Fran Tarkenton threw a 29-yard touchdown to Jim Lash. Rams kicker David Ray later added a 27-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 before halftime. In the third quarter, Los Angeles advanced the ball from their own 1-yard line to the Minnesota 1-yard line. The big play on the drive was a 73-yard pass play to Harold Jackson, who was finally pushed out of bounds at the Vikings 2 by safety Jeff Wright. An illegal procedure penalty on Rams guard Tom Mack pushed the ball back to the 6-yard line, and two plays later Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg intercepted the ball in the end zone for a touchback. Minnesota then went on a 15-play drive that took almost eight minutes off the clock to score on Dave Osborn's 4-yard touchdown run to take the lead. With 7:15 left to play in the game, the Rams then cut the deficit to 14-10 with Harold Jackson's 44-yard touchdown reception. Then after forcing the Vikings to punt, Los Angeles drove to the Minnesota 45-yard line. But a third down sack forced the Rams to punt again and the Vikings kept the ball to run out the clock.

  • Scoring
    • MIN - Lash 29 pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick)
    • LA - FG Ray 27
    • MIN - Osborn 4 run (Cox kick)
    • LA - Jackson 44 pass from Harris (Ray kick)

[edit] Super Bowl

Further information: Super Bowl IX

Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) 16, Minnesota Vikings (NFC) 6, at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana

[edit] Bracket

  Divisional Playoffs Conf. Championships Super Bowl XI
                           
  WC  Bills 14  
C  Steelers 32  
  C  Steelers 24  
AFC
  W  Raiders 13  
E  Dolphins 26
  W  Raiders 28  
    A  Steelers 16
  N  Vikings 6
  WC  Redskins 10  
W  Rams 19  
  W  Rams 10
NFC
  C  Vikings 14  
E  Cardinals 14
  C  Vikings 30  

[edit] References

Preceded by
NFL playoffs, 1973-74		 NFL playoffs
1974-75		 Succeeded by
NFL playoffs, 1975-76
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