The National Football League continues to have a voracious following. The only years that a large portion of the media and fans don’t talk about the NFL for 365 days a year are when they’re talking about it for 366 days a year (as is the case in 2024).

Whether it’s the state of the game today or the league’s rich history, there’s always time for football talk. While some people laugh at the idea of remembering former players and teams, the evidence is clear when it comes to celebrating the NFL’s 104-year history.

This marks the start of a five-part series that will examine the league in 10-year increments. This particular installment will look at some notable players, games, and teams from the 1974 season. For some fans, this will hopefully be a fun trip down memory lane. For others, it might be a chance to revisit some of the league’s rich history.

A look back at the National Football League in 1974

5. Returns (and more) of the Mack

In 1970, the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the sixth round. But the small offensive player Mack Herron played his first two seasons as a professional football player with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. Although he was quite popular in Canada, the club eventually let him go due to personal matters.

Though his breakthrough season occurred in 1974, he ultimately signed with the New England Patriots in 1973. He finished with 12 touchdowns and an incredible 2,444 total combined yards in 14 games. The former was a new NFL single-season record that stood for just one year before Terry Metcalf of the Cardinals broke it in 1975. Sadly, the 5’5″, 170-pound pro’s personal problems would resurface, and he would play his last season in 1975. For all intents and purposes, Herron turned out to be an NFL one-hit wonder.

4. And working overtime!

What irony, huh? In the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League), a tie could occur in any game between 1920 and 1973. Even after the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants played in sudden death overtime to decide the 1958 NFL Championship, that would not change during the regular season. The Colts won 23–17 thanks to Alan Ameche’s touchdown in the overtime period, which was dubbed “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

In the end, the league decided to start using regular-season overtime in 1974. It would be in the same sudden death format as the ’58 title game. The game would end in a tie if neither team scored in overtime. That is precisely what transpired in Denver during Week 2, as the Steelers and Broncos played to a 35-35 draw.

At the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, later that season, the New York Jets defeated the New York Giants, 26-20, in overtime. The 1974 season featured two overtime games in total.

3. NFC East champion St. Louis Cardinals?

Born in 1898, the Cardinals originally called the Windy City home. In 1960, the team moved to St. Louis and spent 28 seasons in the Gateway City. Following the on-field merger in 1970, the St. Louis Cardinals joined the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins as members of the NFC East.

The team had three head coaches during its first four seasons in the division and finished 20-32-4 overall. Don Coryell led the team to a 4-9-1 finish for the third straight season during that season. However, that would soon change as Big Red would shock the football world with back-to-back NFC East title—start wins.

2. A dynasty ends…

For each of the Miami Dolphins’ first five seasons under head coach Don Shula, the team qualified for the playoffs. The team won four straight AFC East championships after earning a wild card berth in 1970. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3 in Super Bowl VI in 1971, the team advanced to subsequent Super Bowls and won both of them. The 1973 team led by Shula was more dominant, particularly in the postseason, than the 1972 team, which finished 17-0.

The Dolphins were playing for their fourth straight game on Super Sunday, hoping to win an NFL championship for the third time in a row. After winning eight of their final nine games, the 1974 Dolphins finished 11-3 and took first place in the division for the fourth consecutive season. After starting the season at 3-2, the team was not very good.

The Oakland Raiders crushed any chances of a three-peat in the divisional round. In a memorable playoff game, the Silver and Black came back to win 28–26. As it happens, the Dolphins’ final Super Bowl championship team was that squad from 1973.

1. And a dynasty begins

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who were once known as the Pirates, participated in one postseason match between 1933 and 1971. They were defeated 21-0 by the Eagles in the 1947 Eastern Divisional Playoffs. They went through head coaches as quickly as an Oreo bag was gone by the Cookie Monster.

Chuck Noll, the Colts’ backup, was brought on by the team in 1969 as their newest sideline leader. By 1972, the squad had won a division title and had upset the Raiders in the postseason with the “Immaculate Reception,” all thanks to some incredible drafting and development. The Dolphins defeated the Steelers in the AFC championship game one week later.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders would square off in the postseason for the third straight year two years later. A week prior, John Madden’s team had overthrown the defending champion Miami Dolphins and were well-positioned to defeat the Steelers for the second time since 1974. After defeating Oakland 24–13, Noll’s team advanced to Super Bowl IX. At Tulane Stadium, the Pittsburgh defense overwhelmed the Vikings, winning 16–6.

For the Black and Gold, it was the first of four Super Bowl championships in a six-year span. The Steelers won back-to-back titles in 1978 (XIII) and ’79 (XIV) after making a repeat appearance in 1975 (X). From Noll through Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Franco Harris, among others. There seems to be an infinite number of Hall of Famers from their lineups.