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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 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.
This was also the first season that the then-fledging FOX Network televised NFL games. FOX took over the National Football Conference package from CBS. 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.
The season ended with Super Bowl XXIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers.
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.
- 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 beyond the 20-yard line, the defensive team takes possession of the ball at the spot of the kick instead of the previous line of scrimmage.
- During field goal attempts and extra point tries, players on the receiving team cannot block below the waist.
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 6 | .625 | 389 | 327 | |
| 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 | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12 | 4 | .750 | 316 | 234 | |
| 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 | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| San Diego Chargers | 11 | 5 | .688 | 381 | 306 | |
| 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 | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 6 | .625 | 356 | 314 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 9 | 7 | .563 | 382 | 287 | |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | .563 | 357 | 342 | |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 7 | .563 | 271 | 307 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | .375 | 251 | 351 | |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| 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
- Home team in capitals
AFC
- Wild-Card playoffs: MIAMI 27, Kansas City 17; CLEVELAND 20, New England 13
- Divisional playoffs: PITTSBURGH 29, Cleveland 9; SAN DIEGO 22, Miami 21
- AFC Championship: San Diego 17, PITTSBURGH 13
NFC
- Wild-Card playoffs: GREEN BAY 16, Detroit 12; Chicago 35, MINNESOTA 18
- Divisional playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 44, Chicago 15; DALLAS 35, Green Bay 9
- NFC Championship: SAN FRANCISCO 38, Dallas 28
Super Bowl XXIX
- San Francisco (NFC) 49, San Diego (AFC) 26, at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
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 (135 points) |
| Touchdowns | Emmitt Smith, Dallas (22 TDs) |
| Most field goals made | John Carney, San Diego and Fuad Reveiz, Minnesota (34 FGs) |
| Rushing | Barry Sanders, Detroit (1,883 yards) |
| Passing | Steve Young, San Francisco (112.8 rating) |
| Passing touchdowns | Steve Young, San Francisco (35 TDs) |
| Pass receiving | Cris Carter, Minnesota (122 catches) |
| Pass receiving yards | Jerry Rice, San Francisco (1,499) |
| Punt returns | Brian Mitchell, Washington (14.1 average yards) |
| Kickoff returns | Mel Gray, Detroit (28.4 average yards) |
| Interceptions | Eric Turner, Cleveland and Aeneas Williams, Arizona (9) |
| Punting | Sean Landeta, L.A. Rams (44.8 average yards) |
| Sacks | Kevin Greene, Pittsburgh (14) |
Awards
| Most Valuable Player | Steve Young, Quarterback, San Francisco |
| Coach of the Year | Bill Parcells, New England |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Barry Sanders, Running Back, Detroit |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Deion Sanders, Cornerback, San Francisco |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Marshall Faulk, Running Back, Indianapolis |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Tim Bowens, Defensive Tackle, Miami |
References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 193299436X)
- NFL History 1991-2000 (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
- 1994 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0062701746)
"1994 NFL season"