| 1974 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lamar Hunt |
| General manager | Jack Steadman |
| Head coach | Hank Stram |
| Home stadium | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–9 |
| Division place | 3rdAFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | CJack Rudnay LBWillie Lanier CBEmmitt Thomas |
The1974 Kansas City Chiefs season was thefranchise's fifth season in theNational Football League, the twelfth season inKansas City Chiefs, and the fifteenth overall, it ended with a 5–9 record and the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the third straight season consecutive and third-place finish in theAFC West,Hank Stram was fired after the season and was replaced byPaul Wiggin in 1975.
While the club's new facility at Arrowhead Stadium was drawing rave reviews, the Chiefs roster was beginning to show its age.[1] The result was the team's first losing season in eleven years as the club was unable to string together consecutive victories during the year, a first in franchise history.[1] Many of the club's key players were entering the twilight of their careers:Len Dawson was 39,Jim Tyrer was 35,Bobby Bell,Buck Buchanan, andEd Budde were 34,Dave Hill was 33 andOtis Taylor was 32.[1]
One of the year's few bright spots in the 5–9 season was cornerbackEmmitt Thomas, who led the league with a franchise-record 12 interceptions. The final game of the 1974 campaign marked the final time all seven of Kansas City'sPro Football Hall of Fame players from the club's AFL champion era took the field together with coach Hank Stram.[1] Including ownerLamar Hunt and seven futureMinnesota Vikings Hall of Famers, an amazing total of 16 Hall of Fame inductees were involved in that 1974 season finale game. That 35–15 loss against Minnesota provided an anticlimactic conclusion to Hank Stram's illustrious coaching career in Kansas City. Three days later, Stram, the only head coach in franchise history was relieved of his duties on December 27 after compiling a 124–76–10 regular season record with the club.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Woody Green | Running back | Arizona State |
| 2 | 41 | Charlie Getty | Tackle | Penn State |
| 3 | 66 | David Jaynes | Quarterback | Kansas |
| 4 | 94 | Matt Herkenhoff | Tackle | Penn State |
| 6 | 131 | Jim Washington | Running back | Clemson |
| 7 | 172 | Leroy Hegge | Defensive end | South Dakota–Springfield |
| 9 | 222 | Jim Jennings | Running back | Rutgers |
| 10 | 134 | Tom Condon | Guard | Boston College |
| 11 | 275 | Bob Thornbladh | Running back | Michigan |
| 12 | 300 | Carl Brown | Wide receiver | West Texas A&M |
| 13 | 328 | Norm Romagnoli | Linebacker | Kentucky State |
| 14 | 353 | Frank Pomarico | Guard | Notre Dame |
| 15 | 378 | Lem Burnham | Linebacker | U. S. International |
| 16 | 405 | Barry Beers | Guard | William & Mary |
| 17 | 431 | David Langner | Defensive back | Auburn |
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB) Special teams(ST) | Reserve
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 5 | Detroit Lions | W 20–12 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 35,521 | Recap |
| 2 | August 12 | Buffalo Bills | L 21–35 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 39,248 | Recap |
| 3 | August 17 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 16–58 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 48,848 | Recap |
| 4 | August 24 | San Francisco 49ers | W 26–7 | 2–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 46,548 | Recap |
| 5 | August 31 | atDallas Cowboys | L 16–25 | 2–3 | Texas Stadium | 43,492 | Recap |
| 6 | September 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 31–16 | 3–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 46,067 | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | New York Jets | W 24–16 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,854 | Recap |
| 2 | September 22 | atOakland Raiders | L 7–27 | 1–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 48,108 | Recap |
| 3 | September 29 | atHouston Oilers | W 17–7 | 2–1 | Houston Astrodome | 28,538 | Recap |
| 4 | October 6 | Denver Broncos | L 14–17 | 2–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 67,298 | Recap |
| 5 | October 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–34 | 2–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 65,517 | Recap |
| 6 | October 20 | atMiami Dolphins | L 3–9 | 2–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 67,779 | Recap |
| 7 | October 27 | atSan Diego Chargers | W 24–14 | 3–4 | San Diego Stadium | 34,371 | Recap |
| 8 | November 3 | New York Giants | L 27–33 | 3–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 61,437 | Recap |
| 9 | November 10 | San Diego Chargers | L 7–14 | 3–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 48,551 | Recap |
| 10 | November 18 | atDenver Broncos | W 42–34 | 4–6 | Mile High Stadium | 50,236 | Recap |
| 11 | November 24 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 6–33 | 4–7 | Riverfront Stadium | 49,777 | Recap |
| 12 | December 1 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 17–13 | 5–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 41,863 | Recap |
| 13 | December 8 | Oakland Raiders | L 6–7 | 5–8 | Arrowhead Stadium | 60,577 | Recap |
| 14 | December 14 | Minnesota Vikings | L 15–35 | 5–9 | Arrowhead Stadium | 35,480 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
atArrowhead Stadium,Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Raiders | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
atOakland–Alameda County Coliseum,Oakland, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| Oilers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
atHouston Astrodome,Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Chiefs record their first home loss to the Broncos after winning the previous 14 consecutive home meetings.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 34 |
| Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
atMiami Orange Bowl,Miami, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atSan Diego Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 33 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 19 | 6 | 42 |
| Broncos | 7 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 34 |
atMile High Stadium,Denver, Colorado
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Bengals | 7 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 33 |
atRiverfront Stadium,Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
atBusch Stadium,St. Louis, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Chiefs | 3 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| 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 |