1975 NFL season
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| 1975 National Football League season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||
| Duration | September 21, 1975 - December 21, 1975 | ||
| Playoffs | |||
| Start date | December 27, 1975 | ||
| AFC Champions | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| NFC Champions | Dallas Cowboys | ||
| Super Bowl X | |||
| Date | January 18, 1976 | ||
| Site | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida | ||
| Champions | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Pro Bowl | |||
| Date | January 26, 1976 | ||
National Football League seasons
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The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:
- The surviving clubs with the best regular season records were made the home teams for each playoff round. Previously, game sites rotated by division.
- The league pioneered the use of equipping American football referees with wireless microphones to announce penalties and clarify complex and/or unusual rulings to both fans and the media.
Instead of a traditional Thanksgiving Day game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys, the league scheduled a Buffalo Bills at St. Louis Cardinals contest. This would be the first season since 1966 that the Cowboys did not play on that holiday.
The season ended with Super Bowl X when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys.
Contents |
[edit] Major rule changes
- After a fourth down incomplete pass goes in or through the end zone, the other team will take possession at the previous line of scrimmage. Previously, it resulted in a touchback.
- The penalty for pass interference on the offensive team is reduced from 15 yards to 10.
- If there are fouls by both teams on the same play but one results in a player ejection, the penalties will still offset but the player will still be ejected.
[edit] Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 395 | 269 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 357 | 222 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 420 | 355 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 258 | 433 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 258 | 358 |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 373 | 162 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 340 | 246 |
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 293 | 226 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 218 | 372 |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Oakland Raiders | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 375 | 255 |
| Denver Broncos | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 254 | 307 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 282 | 341 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 189 | 345 |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 356 | 276 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 350 | 268 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 325 | 276 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 216 | 306 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 225 | 302 |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Minnesota Vikings | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 377 | 180 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 245 | 262 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 191 | 379 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 226 | 285 |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 312 | 135 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 255 | 286 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 240 | 289 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 165 | 360 |
[edit] Tiebreakers
- Baltimore finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
- N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
- Los Angeles was the top NFC playoff seed based on better strength of schedule than Minnesota (.383 to Vikings' .332).
- Chicago finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on better division record (2-4 to Packers' 1-5).
[edit] Playoffs
| Divisional Playoffs | Conference Championship Games | Super Bowl X | ||||||||
| December 28 - Metropolitan Stadium | ||||||||||
| 4) Dallas Cowboys | 17 | |||||||||
| January 4 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum | ||||||||||
| 1) Minnesota Vikings | 14 | |||||||||
| 4) Dallas Cowboys | 37 | |||||||||
| December 27 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum | ||||||||||
| 2) Los Angeles Rams | 7 | |||||||||
| 3) St. Louis Cardinals | 23 | |||||||||
| January 18 - Miami Orange Bowl | ||||||||||
| 2) Los Angeles Rams | 35 | |||||||||
| N4) Dallas Cowboys | 17 | |||||||||
| December 28 - Oakland Coliseum | ||||||||||
| A1) Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 | |||||||||
| 4) Cincinnati Bengals | 28 | |||||||||
| January 4 - Three Rivers Stadium | ||||||||||
| 2)* Oakland Raiders | 31 | |||||||||
| 2) Oakland Raiders | 10 | |||||||||
| December 27 - Three Rivers Stadium | ||||||||||
| 1) Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | |||||||||
| 3) Baltimore Colts | 10 | |||||||||
| 1)* Pittsburgh Steelers | 28 | |||||||||
*Pittsburgh (the AFC 1 seed) did not play Cincinnati (the 4 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
[edit] References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- 1975 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
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1975 NFL season
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | East | Central | West | NFC | East | Central | West |
| Baltimore | Cincinnati | Denver | Dallas | Chicago | Atlanta | ||
| Buffalo | Cleveland | Kansas City | NY Giants | Detroit | Los Angeles | ||
| Miami | Houston | Oakland | Philadelphia | Green Bay | New Orleans | ||
| New England | Pittsburgh | San Diego | St. Louis | Minnesota | San Francisco | ||
| NY Jets | Washington | ||||||
| 1975 NFL Draft • NFL Playoffs • Pro Bowl • Super Bowl X | |||||||
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