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The league also honored its 75th season by having each team wear [[throwback uniform]]s during selected games. The designs varied widely in their accuracy; many of them were not completely accurate for a number of reasons:
The league also honored its 75th season by having each team wear [[throwback uniform]]s during selected games. The designs varied widely in their accuracy; many of them were not completely accurate for a number of reasons:
*While no attempt was made to simulate obsolete [[leather]] helmets (which were phased out in the 1950s), teams simulating uniforms from the era of leather headgear (Bears, Cardinals, Lions, Packers, Redskins, Steelers) simply removed all decals and striping from their regular hard-shell helmets.
*While no attempt was made to simulate obsolete [[leather]] helmets (which were phased out in the 1950s), teams simulating uniforms from the era of leather headgear (Bears, Cardinals, Lions, Packers, Redskins, Steelers) simply removed all decals and striping from their regular hard-shell helmets.
*All jerseys displayed the players' last names on the back, though this practice did not become standard until 1970.<ref>[http://www.packers.com/history/fast_facts/uniform_history/]</ref>
*All jerseys displayed the players' last names on the back, though this practice did not become standard until 1970.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.packers.com/history/fast_facts/uniform_history/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2008-10-01 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421111307/http://www.packers.com/history/fast_facts/uniform_history/ |archivedate=April 21, 2010 |df= }}</ref>
*The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets' otherwise accurate throwbacks used different colored helmets than their historic uniforms used, being red and green, respectively, instead of white. The Dallas Cowboys wore their then-current helmets with their throwbacks. The Cowboys and the Bills would later adopt a more accurate representation of their 1960s throwbacks as their alternate uniform, while the Jets would move to a style similar to their throwbacks but with a darker shade of green and green facemasks full-time in [[1998 NFL season|1998]].
*The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets' otherwise accurate throwbacks used different colored helmets than their historic uniforms used, being red and green, respectively, instead of white. The Dallas Cowboys wore their then-current helmets with their throwbacks. The Cowboys and the Bills would later adopt a more accurate representation of their 1960s throwbacks as their alternate uniform, while the Jets would move to a style similar to their throwbacks but with a darker shade of green and green facemasks full-time in [[1998 NFL season|1998]].
* In some instances the fonts and typestyles used were only approximate matches at best. The [[San Diego Chargers]] and [[Houston Oilers]]' throwbacks averted this, being completely accurate replications, including typefaces, of their first uniforms in 1960. The Chargers and the Oilers' successors, the [[Tennessee Titans]], wore these throwbacks again for the American Football League's 50th anniversary celebration during the [[2009 NFL season|2009 season]].
* In some instances the fonts and typestyles used were only approximate matches at best. The [[San Diego Chargers]] and [[Houston Oilers]]' throwbacks averted this, being completely accurate replications, including typefaces, of their first uniforms in 1960. The Chargers and the Oilers' successors, the [[Tennessee Titans]], wore these throwbacks again for the American Football League's 50th anniversary celebration during the [[2009 NFL season|2009 season]].

Revision as of 10:28, 16 June 2017

1994 NFL season
File:NFL75th.png
NFL 75th season anniversary logo
Regular season
DurationSeptember 4, 1994 – December 26, 1994
Playoffs
Start dateDecember 31, 1994
AFC ChampionsSan Diego Chargers
NFC ChampionsSan Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl XXIX
DateJanuary 29, 1995
SiteJoe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
ChampionsSan Francisco 49ers
Pro Bowl
DateFebruary 5, 1995
SiteAloha Stadium

The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season. Also, a selection committee of media and league personnel named a special NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, honoring the best NFL players from the first 75 seasons.

The Phoenix Cardinals changed their name to Arizona Cardinals in an attempt to widen their appeal to the entire state of Arizona instead of just the Phoenix area. The name was initially resisted by Bill Bidwill.

The Seattle Seahawks played their first three regular season home games at Husky Stadium because the Kingdome, the Seahawks' regular home field, was undergoing repairs for damaged tiles on its roof. The Seahawks returned for the 2000 and 2001 seasons while their new stadium was under construction.

The 1994 season marked the last one until 2016 that the city of Los Angeles had an NFL team and the last one until 2017 that the city had two. Both the Rams and the Raiders left the city following the season. The Rams moved east to St. Louis, Missouri, after being in Los Angeles for 49 years, while the Raiders left Los Angeles after 12 years to return to their previous home in Oakland, California. The Rams eventually returned to Los Angeles in 2016 after failing to reach an agreement with St. Louis on a new stadium.

This was also the first season that the then-fledgling Fox televised NFL games. Fox took over the National Football Conference package from CBS, who would return to televising the NFL in 1998. The league also signed an exclusivity agreement with the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service DirecTV to launch NFL Sunday Ticket, a satellite television subscription service that offers every regular season NFL game. Today the package remains exclusive to DirecTV.

The season ended with Super Bowl XXIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 49–26 at Joe Robbie Stadium. Both teams had met that regular season, the second straight season that had happened, and ninth time overall.

Even though the 1994 World Series was canceled, the NFL ultimately decided not to reschedule its Thursday night contests in October for Sunday, even though they wouldn't have competed with baseball those nights.

This was also the first year of the current practice of whenever Christmas Day falls on a Sunday that most of that weekend's games were played on the Saturday afternoon of Christmas Eve. Every NFL season afterwards with Christmas Day on a Sunday has followed this same scheduling format.

Major rule changes

A package of changes were adopted to increase offensive production and scoring:

  • The two-point conversion after touchdowns is adopted.
  • The spot of the kickoff is moved from the 35-yard line to the 30-yard line. This would remain intact through the 2010 season.
  • The "Neutral zone infraction" foul is adopted. A play is automatically dead before the snap when a defensive player enters the neutral zone and causes an offensive player to react.
  • After a field goal is missed, the defensive team takes possession of the ball at the spot of the kick (instead of at the line of scrimmage) or the 30-yard line, whichever is farther from the goal line.
  • During field goal attempts and extra point tries, players on the receiving team cannot block below the waist.

Throwback jerseys

The league also honored its 75th season by having each team wear throwback uniforms during selected games. The designs varied widely in their accuracy; many of them were not completely accurate for a number of reasons:

  • While no attempt was made to simulate obsolete leather helmets (which were phased out in the 1950s), teams simulating uniforms from the era of leather headgear (Bears, Cardinals, Lions, Packers, Redskins, Steelers) simply removed all decals and striping from their regular hard-shell helmets.
  • All jerseys displayed the players' last names on the back, though this practice did not become standard until 1970.[1]
  • The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets' otherwise accurate throwbacks used different colored helmets than their historic uniforms used, being red and green, respectively, instead of white. The Dallas Cowboys wore their then-current helmets with their throwbacks. The Cowboys and the Bills would later adopt a more accurate representation of their 1960s throwbacks as their alternate uniform, while the Jets would move to a style similar to their throwbacks but with a darker shade of green and green facemasks full-time in 1998.
  • In some instances the fonts and typestyles used were only approximate matches at best. The San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers' throwbacks averted this, being completely accurate replications, including typefaces, of their first uniforms in 1960. The Chargers and the Oilers' successors, the Tennessee Titans, wore these throwbacks again for the American Football League's 50th anniversary celebration during the 2009 season.

Some teams occasionally wore their throwbacks in additional games during the season, and the San Francisco 49ers wore them through the Super Bowl. They proved to be so popular that the New York Giants followed the lead of the Jets and eventually returned to wearing them full-time, with very slight modifications, in 2000. After the NFL modified its rules to allow teams to wear alternate jerseys in 2002, the San Diego Chargers selected their throwbacks as their third uniforms.

Final regular season standings

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

Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green. No ties occurred this season.

AFC East
Team W L PCT PF PA
(3) Miami Dolphins 10 6 .625 389 327
(5) New England Patriots 10 6 .625 351 312
Indianapolis Colts 8 8 .500 307 320
Buffalo Bills 7 9 .438 340 356
New York Jets 6 10 .375 264 320
AFC Central
Team W L PCT PF PA
(1) Pittsburgh Steelers 12 4 .750 316 234
(4) Cleveland Browns 11 5 .688 340 204
Cincinnati Bengals 3 13 .188 276 406
Houston Oilers 2 14 .125 226 352
AFC West
Team W L PCT PF PA
(2) San Diego Chargers 11 5 .688 381 306
(6) Kansas City Chiefs 9 7 .563 319 298
Los Angeles Raiders 9 7 .563 303 327
Denver Broncos 7 9 .438 347 396
Seattle Seahawks 6 10 .375 287 323
NFC East
Team W L PCT PF PA
(2) Dallas Cowboys 12 4 .750 414 248
New York Giants 9 7 .563 279 305
Arizona Cardinals 8 8 .500 235 267
Philadelphia Eagles 7 9 .438 308 308
Washington Redskins 3 13 .188 320 412
NFC Central
Team W L PCT PF PA
(3) Minnesota Vikings 10 6 .625 356 314
(4) Green Bay Packers 9 7 .563 382 287
(5) Detroit Lions 9 7 .563 357 342
(6) Chicago Bears 9 7 .563 271 307
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 10 .375 251 351
NFC West
Team W L PCT PF PA
(1) San Francisco 49ers 13 3 .813 505 296
New Orleans Saints 7 9 .438 348 407
Atlanta Falcons 7 9 .438 317 385
Los Angeles Rams 4 12 .250 286 365

Tiebreakers

  • Miami finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
  • Kansas City finished ahead of L.A. Raiders in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
  • Green Bay was the first NFC Wild Card based on best head-to-head record (3–1) vs. Detroit (2–2) and Chicago (1–3) and better conference record (8–4) than N.Y. Giants (6–6).
  • Detroit was the second NFC Wild Card based on better division record (4–4) than Chicago (3–5) and head-to-head victory over N.Y. Giants (1–0).
  • Chicago was the third NFC Wild Card based on better record against common opponents (4–4) than N.Y. Giants (3–5).
  • New Orleans finished ahead of Atlanta in the NFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).

Playoffs

Main article: 1994–95 NFL playoffs
Dec 31 – Joe Robbie Stadium Jan 8 – Jack Murphy Stadium
6 Kansas City 17
3 Miami 21
3 Miami 27 Jan 15 – Three Rivers Stadium
2 San Diego 22
AFC
Jan 1 – Cleveland Stadium 2 San Diego 17
Jan 7 – Three Rivers Stadium
1 Pittsburgh 13
5 New England 13 AFC Championship
4 Cleveland 9
4 Cleveland 20 Jan 29 – Joe Robbie Stadium
1 Pittsburgh 29
Wild Card playoffs
Divisional playoffs
Dec 31 – Lambeau Field A2 San Diego 26
Jan 8 – Texas Stadium
N1 San Francisco 49
5 Detroit 12 Super Bowl XXIX
4 Green Bay 9
4 Green Bay 16 Jan 15 – Candlestick Park
2 Dallas 35
NFC
Jan 1 – Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 2 Dallas 28
Jan 7 – Candlestick Park
1 San Francisco 38
6 Chicago 35 NFC Championship
6 Chicago 15
3 Minnesota 18
1 San Francisco 44
This box:

Statistical leaders

Team

Points scored San Francisco 49ers (505)
Total yards gained Miami Dolphins (6,078)
Yards rushing Pittsburgh Steelers (2,180)
Yards passing New England Patriots (4,444)
Fewest points allowed Cleveland Browns (204)
Fewest total yards allowed Dallas Cowboys (4,313)
Fewest rushing yards allowed Minnesota Vikings (1,090)
Fewest passing yards allowed Dallas Cowboys (2,752)

Individual

Scoring John Carney, San Diego Chargers (135 points)
Touchdowns Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys (22 TDs)
Most field goals made John Carney, San Diego Chargers, and Fuad Reveiz, Minnesota Vikings (34 FGs)
Rushing Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions (1,883 yards)
Passing Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers (112.8 rating)
Passing touchdowns Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers (35 TDs)
Pass receiving Cris Carter, Minnesota Vikings (122 catches)
Pass receiving yards Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers (1,499)
Punt returns Brian Mitchell, Washington Redskins (14.1 average yards)
Kickoff returns Mel Gray, Detroit Lions (28.4 average yards)
Interceptions Eric Turner, Cleveland Browns, and Aeneas Williams, Arizona Cardinals (9)
Punting Sean Landeta, Los Angeles Rams (44.8 average yards)
Sacks Kevin Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers (14)

Awards

Most Valuable Player Steve Young, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
Coach of the Year Bill Parcells, New England Patriots
Offensive Player of the Year Barry Sanders, Running back, Detroit Lions
Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sanders, Cornerback, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive Rookie of the Year Marshall Faulk, Running back, Indianapolis Colts
Defensive Rookie of the Year Tim Bowens, Defensive tackle, Miami Dolphins
Comeback Player of the Year Dan Marino, Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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