1975 NFL season

1975 National Football League season

Regular season
Duration	September 21 – 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
Site	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans

The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:

1. The surviving clubs with the best regular season records were made the home teams for each playoff round. Previously, game sites rotated by division.
2. 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 repeated as champions by defeating the Dallas Cowboys.

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.

Stadium changes

Detroit moved into the Pontiac Silverdome. New Orleans moved into the Louisiana Superdome. The New York Giants played their home games at Shea Stadium, which they shared for 1975 with the New York Jets.

Division races

Starting in 1970, through 2001, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. The winners of each division, and a fourth "wild card" team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents' records, and conference play.

National Football Conference

Week	Eastern		Central		Western		Wild Card
1	4 teams	1–0–0	Detroit, Minnesota	1–0–0	4 teams	0–1–0	4 teams	1–0–0
2	Dallas, Washington	2–0–0	Detroit, Minnesota	2–0–0	Los Angeles	1–1–0	2 teams	2–0–0
3	Dallas	3–0–0	Minnesota	3–0–0	Los Angeles	2–1–0	3 teams	2–1–0
4	Dallas	4–0–0	Minnesota	4–0–0	Los Angeles	3–1–0	Washington, Detroit	2–1–0
5	Dallas	4–1–0	Minnesota	5–0–0	Los Angeles	4–1–0	St. Louis, Detroit	2–1–0
6	Dallas	5–1–0	Minnesota	6–0–0	Los Angeles	5–1–0	Washington*	4–2–0
7	Dallas*	5–2–0	Minnesota	7–0–0	Los Angeles	6–1–0	Washington*	5–2–0
8	Washington*	6–2–0	Minnesota	8–0–0	Los Angeles	6–2–0	St. Louis	6–2–0
9	St. Louis	7–2–0	Minnesota	9–0–0	Los Angeles	7–2–0	Dallas, Detroit, Washington	6–3–0
10	St. Louis	8–2–0	Minnesota	10–0–0	Los Angeles	8–2–0	Dallas	7–3–0
11	Dallas*	8–3–0	Minnesota	10–1–0	Los Angeles	9–2–0	St. Louis	8–3–0
12	St. Louis	9–3–0	Minnesota	11–1–0	Los Angeles	10–2–0	Dallas	8–4–0
13	St. Louis	10–3–0	Minnesota	11–2–0	Los Angeles	11–2–0	Dallas	9–4–0
14	St. Louis	11–3–0	Minnesota	12–2–0	Los Angeles	12–2–0	Dallas	10–4–0

American Football Conference

Week	Eastern		Central		Western		Wild Card
1	Baltimore, Buffalo	1–0–0	3 teams	1–0–0	Denver, Oakland	1–0–0	4 teams	1–0–0
2	Buffalo	2–0–0	Cincinnati, Houston	2–0–0	Denver, Oakland	2–0–0	2 teams	2–0–0
3	Buffalo	3–0–0	Cincinnati	3–0–0	Oakland	3–0–0	5 teams	2–1–0
4	Buffalo	4–0–0	Cincinnati	4–0–0	Oakland	3–1–0	Pittsburgh*	3–1–0
5	Buffalo*	4–1–0	Cincinnati	5–0–0	Denver*	3–2–0	Pittsburgh*	4–1–0
6	Miami	5–1–0	Cincinnati	6–0–0	Oakland	4–2–0	Houston	5–1–0
7	Miami	6–1–0	Pittsburgh*	6–1–0	Oakland	5–2–0	Cincinnati*	6–1–0
8	Miami	7–1–0	Pittsburgh*	7–1–0	Oakland	5–2–0	Cincinnati*	7–1–0
9	Miami	7–2–0	Pittsburgh*	8–1–0	Oakland	7–2–0	Cincinnati*	8–1–0
10	Miami	7–3–0	Pittsburgh	9–1–0	Oakland	8–2–0	Cincinnati	8–2–0
11	Miami	8–3–0	Pittsburgh	10–1–0	Oakland	9–2–0	Cincinnati	9–2–0
12	Miami	9–3–0	Pittsburgh	11–1–0	Oakland	10–2–0	Cincinnati	10–2–0
13	Baltimore*	9–4–0	Pittsburgh	12–1–0	Oakland	10–3–0	Cincinnati	10–3–0
14	Baltimore	10–4–0	Pittsburgh	12–2–0	Oakland	11–3–0	Cincinnati	11–3–0

Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

 x  – clinched wild card berth,  y  – clinched division title

AFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-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
y-Pittsburgh Steelers	12	2	0	.857	373	162
x-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
y-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
y-St. Louis Cardinals	11	3	0	.786	356	276
x-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
y-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
y-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

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).
• Minnesota was the top NFC playoff seed based on point rating system (Vikings were 1st in NFC in points scored and 2nd in NFC in points allowed for a combined rating of 3 while Rams were 5th in NFC in points scored and 1st in NFC in points allowed for a combined rating of 6).
• Chicago finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on better division record (2–4 to Packers' 1–5).

Playoffs

Main article: 1975–76 NFL 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.

Awards

Most Valuable Player	Fran Tarkenton, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
Coach of the Year	Ted Marchibroda, Baltimore Colts
Offensive Player of the Year	Fran Tarkenton, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
Defensive Player of the Year	Mel Blount, Cornerback, Pittsburgh Steelers
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Mike Thomas, Running Back, Washington Redskins
Defensive Rookie of the Year	Robert Brazile, Linebacker, Houston Oilers

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1971–1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)