| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 15 – December 15, 1974 |
| Playoffs | |
| Start date | December 21, 1974 |
| AFC Champions | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| NFC Champions | Minnesota Vikings |
| Super Bowl IX | |
| Date | January 12, 1975 |
| Site | Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Champions | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Pro Bowl | |
| Date | January 20, 1975 |
| Site | Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida |
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Players held a strike from July 1 until August 10,[1] prior to the regular season beginning;[2] only one preseason game (that year's College All-Star Game) was canceled, and the preseason contests were held with all-rookie rosters.
The 1974 season was the first played under a major rules reform intended to promote offensive football, including a reduction of the penalty for offensive holding from 15 yards to 10, elimination of unlimited "chucking" of pass receivers and banning low blocks against them, moving the goalposts to the end line to incentivize more aggressive play-calling, and implementing sudden death overtime to reduce tie games.
- ^ Seppy, Tom (August 12, 1974). "Players halt strike - for 2 weeks". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. p. 1C.
- ^ "'Critical stage' for strike talks". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. AP, UPI wires. July 31, 1974. p. 1C.