Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Defending-Champ Miami and 12-2 Oakland ought to be in the top-2. Not knowing what the 'Burgh would end up doing come playoff time, they and the other playoff teams should be even with Buffalo very likely getting the 8-spot. Or does regular contender up through last year, Dallas (with their 7-2 finish), box them out? Denver, the only other above-500 non-playoff team, doesn't seem to be a threat nor do the handful of 7-7 yet respectable teams; six altogether! Perhaps there should be PRs amongst just Broncos and they!

Another tough one with all the playoff teams almost evenly matched. I wanted to squeeze the Bills in somehow but that 2-4 finish can't be ignored. Orenthal did have an off year. (for him) sandwiched between his amazing 73 and 75 seasons.

1. Raiders
2. Redskins... surprised? Yes, they did get swept by the Cards but they were both early in the year. Finished 6-1 and scored 23 or more in the last 6 games. That's saying something for the early 70s!
3. Vikings
4. Dolphins
5. Steelers
6. Cowboys... yes, that 7-2 finish puts them here. Would have been one of the stronger NFC playoff teams had they gotten in.
7. Cardinals... 3-4 finish
8. Rams

I think record-wise Super Bowl IX might have been the 'worst' matchup...Steelers at 10-3-1 and the Vikings at 10-4.

Bryan wrote:I think record-wise Super Bowl IX might have been the 'worst' matchup...Steelers at 10-3-1 and the Vikings at 10-4.

If you add up the winning percentages of both teams, Super Bowl IX had the Steelers at .750 (10-3-1) against the Vikings at .714 (10-4), for a total of 1.464.

Super Bowl XIV was lower, with the Steelers at .750 (12-4) and the Rams at .563 (9-7), for a total of 1.313. Super Bowl XLIII featured the 12-4 Steelers who faced the 9-7 Cardinals, which was also at 1.313. These were the lowest.

Super Bowl XXII was also lower than Super Bowl IX. The Broncos were at .700 (10-4-1) while the Redskins were at .733 (11-4) for a total of 1.433.

Edit - I also missed Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 between the .625 (10-6) Ravens and the .719 (11-4-1) 49ers. This is the only non-strike season since 1971 (1974 excepted) that at least one Super Bowl participant did not have at least 12 regular season wins.

There are a few SBs matchups that, record-wise, are worse than Steelers/Vikings (1.464); not just XIV & XLIII (and XXII). Raiders/Eagles & Raiders/Bucs, the only two 11-5 vs 12-4s, are at a combined 1.4375. Even lesser are both 12-4 vs 10-6 matchups - Cincy/SF '88 and Steelers/GB - and the 2nd Giants/Pats installment (9-7 vs 13-3); all three each at 1.375. And even lesser than those...(but still not as low as XIV & XLIII)...is 10-6 Ravens vs 11-4-1 Forty Niners at 1.358. It's quite ironic how those bottom, record-wise three SBs turned out to be three of the better ones while 14-2 Miami vs 15-1 Forty Niners (and also 'battle of 14-2s', Den/Atl) turned out to be...


Anyways, here's my '74 PRs.

1) Dolphins - two-time-defending-Champs!
2) Raiders, 12-2!
"the 'real' Super Bowl"

3) Redskins
4) Rams
5) Vikings
6) Steelers
7) Cardinals
8) Cowboys

Having now entered into their 3rd-straight post-season, Steelers still had to seem like a "good" (okay, maybe a little bit better than that) team. Losing at home Week #12 to an average though respectable/scrappy Houston team as the Dolphins the following (Mon) night played like true-blue-Champs against a Bengals team who also beat Steelers a few weeks prior. Mean Joe almost quit the team right there and then ("now why can't WE play like that??") until cooler heads prevailed. Even in winning their final two, you had to question - with a clear mind - if they were ever going to turn that final corner yet alone do so the very next week starting with Buffalo.

Though not placing them as high as #2, I follow your example, Chris, in placing Allen's Redskins quite high. Not holding their sweep to Cards against them is a bit like not holding SF getting swept by Atl against them in '91. Yes, quite a high-scoring team for '74 standards and that win vs Miami a nice feather in cap. Not sure if win at LA penultimate week is worth mentioning for, let's face it, Rams had super-weak division already wrapped up.

If only because of they both having even more years of being a regular contender to their credit, I'd have to give Rams & Vikings the nod if however slightly over the 'Burgh; recent SB-appearances for Vikes to boot. And with Rams coming off a 12-2 season the year before and they actually beating the Vikes in the '74 regular season gives them #4. Yes, Cards stumble down stretch but, to me, did enough early on to maybe not get ahead of Wash (nor the two other NFC playoff-participants, losing at home to Vikes), but at least to keep them above Dallas who they at least split with. Bills beat Oakland at home (MNF) in the opener but that's really it. Get swept (again) by Miami and as Chris says, not OJ's beat year.

Not too sure I want to roll up my sleeves, get dirty, and try ranking the seven gritty 7-win teams amongst each other.

The home loss to Houston by the Steelers came on a miserable weather day all across the East and Midwest, not to mention the fact that the Oilers were starting to gain some footing within the division. They had lost 10-0 to Dallas the week before, but had won the previous four games.

The Pittsburgh loss to Cincinnati was famous for two things: Ken Anderson's near-perfect day and the fact that Glen Edwards got flagged for clotheslining Anderson as he was going out of bounds. In the 2016 version of NFL, Edwards would have likely gotten at least a one-game suspension and perhaps two games.

According to my Postseason Prediction System (probability of winning the conference and Super Bowl in parenthesis). Teams are ranked in order of how well they performed in round robin competition against all other 1974 playoff teams, with home field advantage taken into consideration for conference games. Each team on the list would defeat every team on the list beneath them:

1 - Oakland (42,26)
2 - Pittsburgh (36,20)
3 - Washington (29,13)
4 - Minnesota (44,20)
5 - Miami (18,9)
6 - Los Angeles (19,8)
7 - St. Louis (8,3)
8 - Buffalo (4,1)

The difference between Oakland and Buffalo on a neutral field was only about eight points.

First and second half records:

Oakland: 6-1, 6-1
Miami: 5-2, 6-1
Pittsburgh: 5-1-1, 5-2
Buffalo: 6-1, 3-4

Minnesota: 5-2, 5-2
LA Rams: 5-2, 5-2
St. Louis: 7-0, 3-4
Washington: 4-3, 6-1

The Pats and Jets finished two games behind the Bills, but had diametrically different seasons: The Pats started off 6-12 before going 1-6 the rest of the year; the Jets started out 1-7, then won their last six games. They had two costly home losses: 35-20 to the Colts, who were 0-5 at the time, and 27-22 to the Oilers, who were 2-5 at the time. However, even with those wins, they would have lost to the Bills on a tiebreaker in divisional play.

Remember, this was the era of the 14-game schedule.

If you added 2 more games, 12-4 vs. 12-3-1 looks a lot better.

Bryan wrote:I think record-wise Super Bowl IX might have been the 'worst' matchup...Steelers at 10-3-1 and the Vikings at 10-4.

Remember, this was the era of the 14-game schedule.

If you added 2 more games, 12-4 vs. 12-3-1 looks a lot better.