NFL team season
The 1974 Dallas Cowboys season was their 15th in the league , all under head coach Tom Landry . The Cowboys failed to improve on their previous output of 10–4, winning only eight games.[ 1] They missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years , the only time in eighteen seasons (1966 –1983 ) that the Cowboys did not advance to the postseason.
The Cowboys began with a 1–4 start and although they went 7–2 afterwards, it was not enough to overcome the slow start.
The 1974 season featured one of the most memorable Thanksgiving games in Cowboys history. Trailing 16–3 in the second half (and having already lost quarterback Roger Staubach to injury), little used backup Clint Longley threw two touchdown passes to lead the team to a 24–23 victory over the Redskins at Texas Stadium .
This was also a season of transition; as it was the final season of Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bob Lilly . Also finishing their careers were fullback Walt Garrison and center Dave Manders . Also, it was the final season in Dallas for wide receiver Bob Hayes (who finished his career with the San Francisco 49ers the following year ), running back Calvin Hill (who departed for the Hawaiians of the World Football League ), defensive end Pat Toomay (who left for the Buffalo Bills ), guard John Niland (who left the following year for the Philadelphia Eagles ), and quarterback Craig Morton (traded early in the season to the New York Giants ).
[ 2]
Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 15 at Atlanta Falcons W 24–0 1–0 Atlanta Stadium 52,332 Recap 2 at Philadelphia Eagles L 10–13 1–1 Veterans Stadium 64,089 Recap 3 September 29 New York Giants L 6–14 1–2 Texas Stadium 45,841 Recap 4 October 6 Minnesota Vikings L 21–23 1–3 Texas Stadium 57,847 Recap 5 October 13 at St. Louis Cardinals L 28–31 1–4 Busch Memorial Stadium 49,885 Recap 6 October 20 Philadelphia Eagles W 31–24 2–4 Texas Stadium 43,586 Recap 7 October 27 at New York Giants W 21–7 3–4 Yale Bowl 57,381 Recap 8 November 3 St. Louis Cardinals W 17–14 4–4 Texas Stadium 64,146 Recap 9 November 10 San Francisco 49ers W 20–14 5–4 Texas Stadium 50,018 Recap 10 November 17 at Washington Redskins L 21–28 5–5 RFK Stadium 54,395 Recap 11 November 24 at Houston Oilers W 10–0 6–5 Houston Astrodome 49,775 Recap 12 November 28 Washington Redskins W 24–23 7–5 Texas Stadium 63,243 Recap 13 Cleveland Browns W 41–17 8–5 Texas Stadium 48,754 Recap 14 at Oakland Raiders L 23–27 8–6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 45,840 Recap
Division opponents are in bold text [ 1]
New York Giants (1–1) at Dallas Cowboys (1–1)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 14 0 0 14 Cowboys 0 0 0 6 6
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
Date : September 29Game time : 2:00 p.m.Game weather : 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)Game attendance : 45,841Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles (4–1) at Dallas Cowboys (1–4)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 17 7 0 24 Cowboys 0 14 10 7 31
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
Date : October 20Game time : 1:00 p.m.Game weather : 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)Game attendance : 43,586Pro-Football-Reference.com
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PHI DAL 2 Cowboys Calvin Hill 5-yard touchdown run, Efrén Herrera kick good 0 7 2 Eagles Harold Carmichael 14-yard touchdown reception from Roman Gabriel , Tom Dempsey kick good 7 7 2 Cowboys Calvin Hill 17-yard touchdown run, Efrén Herrera kick good 7 14 2 Eagles Po James 1-yard touchdown run, Tom Dempsey kick good 14 14 2 Eagles 39-yard field goal by Tom Dempsey 17 14 3 Cowboys 29-yard field goal by Efrén Herrera 17 17 3 Eagles Don Zimmerman 64-yard touchdown reception from Roman Gabriel, Tom Dempsey kick good 24 17 3 Cowboys Calvin Hill 2-yard touchdown run, Efrén Herrera kick good 24 24 4 Cowboys Roger Staubach 1-yard touchdown run, Efrén Herrera kick good 24 31 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 24 31
Week 12 vs Redskins [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
WSH – Mark Moseley 34-yard field goal. Redskins 6–3. Drive: WSH – Mark Moseley 39-yard field goal. Redskins 9–3. Drive: Third quarter
Fourth quarter
WSH – Duane Thomas 19-yard run (Mark Moseley kick). Redskins 23–17. Drive: DAL – Drew Pearson 50-yard pass from Clint Longley (Efrén Herrera kick), 0:28. Cowboys 24–23. Drive: Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Thanksgiving Day
Roger Staubach was knocked out of the game.
Dallas Cowboys 1974 roster Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen Defensive linemen
Linebackers Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists Currently vacant
Rookies in italics 46 active, 0 inactive
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (25) Conference championships (10) League championships (5) Media Current league affiliations