1974 Denver Broncos season

The 1974 Denver Broncos season was the team's 15th year in professional football and its fifth with the National Football League (NFL). Led by third-year head coach and general manager John Ralston, the Broncos had a winning record for the second straight season with seven wins, six losses, and one tie, which was fifth-best in the conference.

1974 Denver Broncos season
OwnerGerald Phipps
Head coachJohn Ralston
General managerJohn Ralston
Home fieldMile High Stadium
Results
Record7–6–1
Division place2nd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Denver finished second in the AFC West, but 4½ games behind the Oakland Raiders, who clinched in mid-November,[1] and 1½ games behind the wild card Buffalo Bills. In their fifteen years of existence, the Broncos had yet to reach the postseason.

The team played at Detroit on Thanksgiving and won in the final NFL game at Tiger Stadium;[2] the Lions moved north to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975.

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 1974 NFL Draft
1974 Denver Broncos draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 14 Randy Gradishar *  LB Ohio State
2 42 Carl Wafer  DT Tennessee State
3 68 Claudie Minor  T San Diego State
4 92 Ozell Collie  DB Colorado
6 145 John Winesberry  WR Stanford
10 248 Charlie Johnson  DB Southern
11 276 Steve Buchanan  RB Holy Cross
12 301 Larry Cameron  LB Alcorn A&M
13 326 John Clerkley  DT Fort Valley State
14 354 Rich Marks  DB Northern Illinois
15 379 Peil Pennington  QB Massachusetts
16 404 Darrell Austin  T South Carolina
17 432 Boyd Brown  TE Alcorn A&M
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff
1974 Denver Broncos staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches
Source:[3]

Roster
1974 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Source:

Regular season
Main article: 1974 NFL season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 15 Los Angeles Rams L 10–17 0–1 Mile High Stadium 51,121 Recap
2 September 22 Pittsburgh Steelers T 35–35 (OT) 0–1–1 Mile High Stadium 51,068 Recap
3 September 30 at Washington Redskins L 3–30 0–2–1 RFK Stadium 54,395 Recap
4 October 6 at Kansas City Chiefs W 17–14 1–2–1 Arrowhead Stadium 67,298 Recap
5 October 13 New Orleans Saints W 33–17 2–2–1 Mile High Stadium 50,881 Recap
6 October 20 San Diego Chargers W 27–7 3–2–1 Mile High Stadium 50,928 Recap
7 October 27 at Cleveland Browns L 21–23 3–3–1 Cleveland Stadium 60,478 Recap
8 November 3 Oakland Raiders L 17–28 3–4–1 Mile High Stadium 45,946 Recap
9 November 10 at Baltimore Colts W 17–6 4–4–1 Memorial Stadium 33,244 Recap
10 November 18 Kansas City Chiefs L 34–42 4–5–1 Mile High Stadium 50,236 Recap
11 November 24 at Oakland Raiders W 20–17 5–5–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,224 Recap
12 November 28 at Detroit Lions W 31–27 6–5–1 Tiger Stadium 51,157 Recap
13 December 8 Houston Oilers W 37–14 7–5–1 Mile High Stadium 46,942 Recap
14 December 15 at San Diego Chargers L 0–17 7–6–1 San Diego Stadium 36,571 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings
AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Oakland Raiders 12 2 0 .857 5–1 9–2 355 228 W3
Denver Broncos 7 6 1 .536 3–3 5–4–1 302 294 L1
Kansas City Chiefs 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–7 233 293 L2
San Diego Chargers 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–7 212 285 W2

References
  1. "Third-period blitz spurs Chiefs, 42-34". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 19, 1974. p. 3C.
  2. "Broncs boot Lions with onside kick". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. November 29, 1974. p. 20.
  3. 1974 Denver Broncos Media Guide. p. 4. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  4. "'The Redskins are back' – Allen". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 1, 1974. p. 1B.
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