1975 NFL season

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The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:

1. The surviving clubs with the best regular season records were made the home teams for each playoff round. Previously, game sites rotated by division.
2. The league pioneered the use of equipping American football referees with wireless microphones to announce penalties and clarify complex and/or unusual rulings to both fans and the media.

Instead of a traditional Thanksgiving Day game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys, the league scheduled a Buffalo Bills at St. Louis Cardinals contest. This would be the first season since 1966 that the Cowboys did not play on that holiday.

The season ended with Super Bowl X when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys.

Contents 1 Major rule changes 2 Final standings 2.1 Tiebreakers 3 Playoffs 4 References

[edit] Major rule changes

• After a fourth down incomplete pass goes in or through the end zone, the other team will take possession at the previous line of scrimmage. Previously, it resulted in a touchback.
• The penalty for pass interference on the offensive team is reduced from 15 yards to 10.
• If there are fouls by both teams on the same play but one results in a player ejection, the penalties will still offset but the player will still be ejected.

[edit] Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Qualified for playoffs

[edit] Tiebreakers

• Baltimore finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
• N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
• Los Angeles was the top NFC playoff seed based on better strength of schedule than Minnesota (.383 to Vikings' .332).
• Chicago finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on better division record (2-4 to Packers' 1-5).

[edit] Playoffs

Main article: NFL playoffs, 1975-76

	Divisional Playoffs				Conf. Championship Games				Super Bowl X
	December 28 - Metropolitan Stadium
	4) Dallas Cowboys	17
					January 4 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum
	1) Minnesota Vikings	14
					4) Dallas Cowboys	37
	December 27 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum
					2) Los Angeles Rams	7
	3) St. Louis Cardinals	23
									January 18 - Miami Orange Bowl
	2) Los Angeles Rams	35
									N4) Dallas Cowboys	17
	December 28 - Oakland Coliseum
									A1) Pittsburgh Steelers	21
	4) Cincinnati Bengals	28
					January 4 - Three Rivers Stadium
	2)* Oakland Raiders	31
					2) Oakland Raiders	10
	December 27 - Three Rivers Stadium
					1) Pittsburgh Steelers	16
	3) Baltimore Colts	10
	1)* Pittsburgh Steelers	28

*Pittsburgh (the AFC 1 seed) did not play Cincinnati (the 4 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.

[edit] References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• 1975 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)