# 1974 New Orleans Saints season

The 1974 New Orleans Saints season was the team’s eighth as a member of the National Football League (NFL). This was their final season at Tulane Stadium as the Louisiana Superdome opened the following season. They matched their previous season's output of 5–9. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
Despite another losing record, the Saints defeated two of the NFC's four playoff entries, ousting the Los Angeles Rams 20–7 in week 10 and the St. Louis Cardinals 14–0 in week 13, both at home. The win over the Cardinals was the Saints’ final game at Tulane Stadium.
The Saints ended an 18-game winless streak on the road when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons in week six. However, they would not win again away from New Orleans until 1976 when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. From 1972 through 1975, the Saints were 1–26–1 on the road.
The win at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium allowed New Orleans to complete its first season sweep of Atlanta since the Saints and Falcons became division rivals in 1970. The Saints entered 1974 with a nine-game losing streak to their archrival, including a humiliating 62–7 rout at home in the previous season's opener. New Orleans did not sweep Atlanta again until 1983.
In a rare fluke the 1974 New Orleans Saints wore white jerseys in every game of the 1974 season. They donned white uniforms at home, and when on the road, each of their opponents opted to wear their colored uniforms.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1974 New Orleans Saints draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 13 | Rick Middleton | Linebacker | Ohio State |
| 2 | 36 | Paul Seal | Tight end | Michigan |
| 4 | 88 | Rod McNeill | Running back | USC |
| 5 | 113 | Joel Parker | Wide receiver | Ohio State |
| 5 | 121 | Terry Schmidt | Cornerback | Ball State |
| 8 | 201 | Alvin Maxson | Running back | Southern Methodist |
| 9 | 217 | Phil LaPorta | Offensive tackle | Penn State |
| 10 | 235 | Frosty Anderson | Wide receiver | Nebraska |
| 10 | 242 | Tommy Thibodeaux | Guard | Tulane |
| 11 | 270 | Kent Merritt | Wide receiver | Virginia |
| 12 | 295 | Jim Buckmon | Defensive end | Pittsburgh |
| 13 | 320 | Mike Truax | Linebacker | Tulane |
| 14 | 348 | Kent Marshall | Defensive back | Texas Christian |
| 15 | 373 | Larry Cipa | Quarterback | Michigan |
| 15 | 391 | Jim Polak | Center | Purdue |
| 16 | 398 | Don Coleman | Linebacker | Michigan |
| 17 | 426 | Marvin Williams | Wide receiver | Western Illinois |
| Made roster ||||||

## Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 15 | San Francisco 49ers | L 13–17 | 0–1 | Tulane Stadium | 65,071 | Recap |
| 2 | September 22 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 0–24 | 0–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 64,178 | Recap |
| 3 | September 29 | Atlanta Falcons | W 14–13 | 1–2 | Tulane Stadium | 62,273 | Recap |
| 4 | October 6 | at Chicago Bears | L 10–24 | 1–3 | Soldier Field | 45,818 | Recap |
| 5 | October 13 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–33 | 1–4 | Mile High Stadium | 50,881 | Recap |
| 6 | October 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 13–3 | 2–4 | Atlanta Stadium | 47,217 | Recap |
| 7 | October 27 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 14–10 | 3–4 | Tulane Stadium | 64,257 | Recap |
| 8 | November 3 | at Detroit Lions | L 14–19 | 3–5 | Tiger Stadium | 43,256 | Recap |
| 9 | November 10 | Miami Dolphins | L 0–21 | 3–6 | Tulane Stadium | 74,289 | Recap |
| 10 | November 17 | Los Angeles Rams | W 20–7 | 4–6 | Tulane Stadium | 57,287 | Recap |
| 11 | November 25 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–28 | 4–7 | Tulane Stadium | 71,907 | Recap |
| 12 | December 1 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 9–29 | 4–8 | Metropolitan Stadium | 44,202 | Recap |
| 13 | December 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 14–0 | 5–8 | Tulane Stadium | 57,152 | Recap |
| 14 | December 15 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 21–35 | 5–9 | Candlestick Park | 40,418 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

## Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–1 | 7–3 | 263 | 181 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 226 | 236 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3–3 | 5–6 | 166 | 263 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0–6 | 3–8 | 111 | 271 | W1 |