Game summaries 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: sunday, september 15
game weather: 72°f (partly cloudy)
game attendance: 48,890
referee: gordon mccarter

in week 1, steelers started #17 joe gilliam completed 17 of 31 passes 257 yards, 2 td s, , interception. gilliam became first african-american quarterback in league history play in game designated opening day starter. defense held baltimore 166 total yards , forced 4 turnovers in shutout win. (1-0)

week 2: @ denver broncos

at mile high stadium, denver, colorado

date: sunday, september 22
game attendance: 50,858
referee: tommy bell

in week 2, steelers carried 35-35 ot tie #32 franco harris running game , #17 joe gilliam s 348 passing yards. first regular season overtime game in nfl history. denver coach john ralston said of gilliam possibly finest performance have ever seen quarterback. (1-0-1)

week 3: vs. oakland raiders

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: sunday, september 29
game weather: 66°f (light rain)
game attendance: 48,304
referee: pat haggerty

in week 3, after 2 brilliant games #17 joe gilliam, raiders came pittsburgh rematch of 1973 divisional round playoff game in oakland won. however, fluttering gilliam completed 10 of 31 passes , laid first defeat on pittsburgh. make things worse, #32 franco harris injured , miss next 2 games. damp , dark weather hung on stadium , terry bradshaw s relief of gilliam little under 2 minutes left in game drew cheers remaining fans. (1-1-1)

week 4: @ houston oilers

at houston astrodome, houston, texas

date: sunday, october 6
game attendance: 30,049
referee: bob frederic

in week 4, steelers recovered loss @ home beating houston. #17 joe gilliam didn t recover completely, threw 202 yards , 2 interceptions. however, on game s lone touchdown drive, gilliam completed 4 consecutive passes. without #32 franco harris, offense continuously fall apart. (2-1-1)

week 5: @ kansas city chiefs

at arrowhead stadium, kansas city, missouri

date: sunday, october 13
game attendance: 65,517
referee: bernie ulman

in week 5, steelers came away kansas city 10-point deficit win 34-24 behind #27 glen edward s 49 yard interception return. chiefs used combined 3 quarterbacks throw 7 interceptions. still, #17 joe gilliam s play still deteriorating. after horrible performance in next week s game benched. (3-1-1)

week 6: vs. cleveland browns

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: sunday, october 20
game weather: 42°f (cloudy)
game attendance: 48,100
referee: ben dreith

in week 6, steelers offense continued flutter #17 joe gilliam s 5 out of 18 , 78 yards performance (despite return of #32 franco harris). in 3 games after loss oakland, defense forced 15 turnovers , how steelers managed win 3 games. front 4 of #78 dwight white, #63 ernie holmes, #75 joe greene, , #68 l. c. greenwood had become dominant. together, became known steel curtain. after 6 games, steelers 4-1-1, however, offense going need if become contender. in week 7, steelers found help. (4-1-1)

week 7: vs. atlanta falcons

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: monday, october 28
game weather: 55°f (clear)
game attendance: 48,094
referee: jim tunney

in week 7, #12 terry bradshaw replaced failing #17 joe gilliam. 1974, 5-year veteran known unpredictable , inconsistent quarterback of pittsburgh steelers. overlooked fans , coaches making mistakes. @ time bradshaw going through emotional problems. had lost starting job , fans , players continuously doubted , mocked him. failing relationship head coach continued decline. in seclusion @ home well. yet, team did miss him after watching first 6 games sidelines. however, on monday night against atlanta, bradshaw returned. backfield start 4 of next 6 super bowls in place. runningbacks #32 franco harris , #20 rocky bleier combined on 200 yards rushing steelers rolled 24-17 win. (5-1-1)

week 8: vs. philadelphia eagles

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: sunday, november 3
game weather: 71°f (light rain)
game attendance: 47,996
referee: tommy bell

in week 8, steelers won behind shutout defense included 52-yard interception return #47 mel blount. 1 of 2 career interceptions returned touchdowns hall of famer. #12 terry bradshaw still colt had not yet been broken. , chuck noll s patience him continued disappear. (5-1-1)

week 9: @ cincinnati bengals

at riverfront stadium, cincinnati, ohio

date: sunday, november 10
game attendance: 57,532
referee: norm schachter

in week 9: steelers lost division rival cincinnati, 17-10. offense hurting again. #12 terry bradshaw benched again, in favor of 5-year veteran #5 terry hanratty. (5-2-1)

week 10: @ cleveland browns

at cleveland municipal stadium, cleveland, ohio

date: sunday, november 17
game attendance: 77,195
referee: fred silva

in week 10 matchup, steelers defeated hosting browns team first time in cleveland since 1964. however, #5 terry hanratty completed 2 of passes , threw 3 interceptions. relieved gilliam, quarterback controversy had become real problem pittsburgh. however, rest of team playing @ championship level after madcap game. turning point came on miscue in browns backfield. cleveland quarterback brian sipe collided billy lefear on handoff , ball squirted loose. #74 joe greene barged in, grabbed ball , looked left j.t. thomas coming fast. greene flipped him ball , thomas ran in 14 yards out. earlier in game, greene intercepted sipe , rumbled down 14, setting roy gerela field goal. #32 franco harris ran 156 yards , defense forced 6 turnovers (overcoming 7 of own) steelers rallied defeat browns , remain in first place in afc central. (7-2-1)

week 11: @ new orleans saints

at tulane stadium, new orleans, louisiana

date: monday, november 25
game attendance: 69,010
referee: ben dreith

in week 11, #12 terry bradshaw welcomed lineup after performance #5 terry hanratty. however, in 28-7 win on saints, bradshaw ran more yards passed. in less 2 months, super bowl ix going played on same field. (8-2-1)

week 12: vs. houston oilers

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: sunday, december 1
game weather: 38°f (light rain)
game attendance: 41,195
referee: dick jorgensen

in week 12, #75 joe greene allowed use new technique called stunt 4-3 . jump in gap between guard , center, , blow through gap. teams forced commit many blockers greene, teammates went unblocked. however, still couldn t stop lowly oilers beating them 13-10. (8-3-1)

week 13: @ new england patriots

at schaefer stadium, foxboro, massachusetts

date: sunday, december 8
game attendance: 52,107
referee: jim tunney
pro-football-reference.com

in week 13, #75 joe greene became frustrated , threatened quit steelers after losing oilers previous week. however, returned important game of season in new england. win, steelers win division. victory against patriots, steelers clinch playoff spot third straight year. players nervous , tense. however, steelers made quick work of patriots, 21-17. offense clicking. (9-3-1)

week 14: vs. cincinnati bengals

at 3 rivers stadium, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

date: saturday, december 14
game weather: 37°f (drizzle)
game attendance: 42,878
referee: bernie ulman

in week 14, steelers beat bengals in meaningless game offense rolling, , defense dominating. (10-3-1)

standings