The 1974 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's fifth season in the National Football League, and the 7th overall. Cincinnati traded Bill Bergey to Philadelphia for two first-round draft choices and a third-round pick in 1977. Jim LeClair replaced Bergey at middle linebacker. Ken Anderson won the NFL passing championship and completed a club-record 64.9 percent of his attempts. Cornerback Lemar Parrish led the NFL in punt returns.
Personnel
Staff
1974 Cincinnati Bengals staff
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Front office
- Team Owner - Paul Brown
- President – John Sawyer
- Director of player personnel – Pete Brown
Head coaches
- Head coach/General Manager – Paul Brown
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Regular season
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Record |
Venue |
Attendance |
Recap |
| 1 |
September 15 |
Cleveland Browns |
W 33–7 |
1–0 |
Riverfront Stadium |
53,113 |
Recap |
| 2 |
September 22 |
San Diego Chargers |
L 17–20 |
1–1 |
Riverfront Stadium |
51,178 |
Recap |
| 3 |
September 29 |
at San Francisco 49ers |
W 21–3 |
2–1 |
Candlestick Park |
49,895 |
Recap |
| 4 |
October 6 |
Washington Redskins |
W 28–17 |
3–1 |
Riverfront Stadium |
56,175 |
Recap |
| 5 |
October 13 |
at Cleveland Browns |
W 34–24 |
4–1 |
Cleveland Stadium |
70,897 |
Recap |
| 6 |
October 20 |
at Oakland Raiders |
L 27–30 |
4–2 |
Oakland Coliseum |
51,821 |
Recap |
| 7 |
October 27 |
Houston Oilers |
L 21–34 |
4–3 |
Riverfront Stadium |
55,434 |
Recap |
| 8 |
November 3 |
at Baltimore Colts |
W 24–14 |
5–3 |
Memorial Stadium |
36,110 |
Recap |
| 9 |
November 10 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
W 17–10 |
6–3 |
Riverfront Stadium |
57,532 |
Recap |
| 10 |
November 17 |
at Houston Oilers |
L 3–20 |
6–4 |
Astrodome |
44,054 |
Recap |
| 11 |
November 24 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
W 33–6 |
7–4 |
Riverfront Stadium |
49,777 |
Recap |
| 12 |
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at Miami Dolphins |
L 3–24 |
7–5 |
Miami Orange Bowl |
71,962 |
Recap |
| 13 |
December 8 |
Detroit Lions |
L 19–23 |
7–6 |
Riverfront Stadium |
45,159 |
Recap |
| 14 |
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at Pittsburgh Steelers |
L 3–27 |
7–7 |
Three Rivers Stadium |
42,878 |
Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Team stats
| 1974 Cincinnati Bengals Team Stats |
| TEAM STATS |
Bengals |
Opponents |
| TOTAL FIRST DOWNS |
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| Rushing |
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| Passing |
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| Penalty |
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| TOTAL NET YARDS |
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| Avg Per Game |
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| Total Plays |
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| Avg. Per Play |
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| NET YARDS RUSHING |
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| Avg. Per Game |
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| Total Rushes |
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| NET YARDS PASSING |
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| Avg. Per Game |
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| Sacked Yards Lost |
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| Gross Yards |
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| Att. Completions |
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| Completion Pct. |
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| Intercepted |
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| PUNTS-AVERAGE |
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| PENALTIES-YARDS |
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| FUMBLES-BALL LOST |
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| TOUCHDOWNS |
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| Rushing |
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| Passing |
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| Returns |
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| Score by Periods |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Tot |
| Bengals |
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| Opponents |
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Team leaders
- Passing: Ken Anderson (328 Att, 213 Comp, 2667 Yds, 64.9 Pct, 18 TD, 10 Int, 95.7 Rating)
- Rushing: Charlie Davis (72 Att, 375 Yds, 5.2 Avg, 29 Long, 0 TD)
- Receiving: Isaac Curtis (30 Rec, 633 Yds, 21.1 Avg, 77 Long, 10 TD)
- Scoring: Horst Muhlmann, 65 points (11 FG; 32 PAT)