1973 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
| 1973 St. Louis Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Coryell |
| Owner | Bill Bidwill |
| Home field | Busch Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–9–1 |
| Division place | 4th NFC East |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 1973 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 54th season the team was in the league. The team matched their previous output of 4–9–1, finishing with that record for the third straight season.[1] They failed to reach the playoffs for the twenty-fifth straight season (not counting an appearance in the Playoff Bowl following the 1964 season).
The game vs. the Oakland Raiders was the first between the teams, and the last until 1983, by which time the Raiders have moved to Los Angeles. It would be the last time the Raiders played at the Cardinals until 1998 in Tempe, Arizona, and the Raiders' last game in St. Louis until 2002 when they played the Rams.
Their tied game, their first NFL game against the Denver Broncos,[2] was the nearest they would come to beating that franchise until 2010, and the only time the Broncos would play at Busch Memorial Stadium[2] (they would play at Edward Jones Dome in 2000[3]).
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 16, 1973 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 34–23 | |
| 2 | September 23, 1973 | Washington Redskins | W 34–27 | |
| 3 | September 30, 1973 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–45 | |
| 4 | October 7, 1973 | Oakland Raiders | L 10–17 | |
| 5 | October 14, 1973 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–27 | |
| 6 | October 21, 1973 | at Washington Redskins | L 13–31 | |
| 7 | October 28, 1973 | New York Giants | W 35–27 | |
| 8 | November 4, 1973 | Denver Broncos | T 17–17 | |
| 9 | November 11, 1973 | at Green Bay Packers | L 21–25 | |
| 10 | November 18, 1973 | at New York Giants | L 13–24 | |
| 11 | November 25, 1973 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–42 | |
| 12 | December 2, 1973 | Detroit Lions | L 16–20 | |
| 13 | December 9, 1973 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 32–10 | |
| 14 | December 16, 1973 | Dallas Cowboys | L 3–30 | |
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 382 | 203 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 325 | 198 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 8 | 1 | .393 | 3–4–1 | 3–7–1 | 310 | 393 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 3–5 | 4–7 | 286 | 365 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 1–6–1 | 1–9–1 | 226 | 362 | L4 |