NFL game summary for 10/17/1971:
The Saints jumped into a 17-0 lead but were not assured of the victory until Dave Kopay recovered a fumbled punt on the Cowboys' three-yard line with less than two minutes remaining and Archie Manning scored three plays later. Delles Howell intercepted two of the three Dallas passes stolen by the Saints, who also recovered three Dallas fumbles.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 153.5 (8) | 198.5 (3) | 352.0 (2) | 12 |
| DEFENSE | 91.2 (6) | 205.8 (23) | 297.0 (16) | 20 | |
 | OFFENSE | 117.8 (16) | 148.5 (15) | 266.2 (18) | 9 |
| DEFENSE | 155.2 (20) | 162.5 (15) | 317.8 (20) | 9 |
Line: Cowboys by 13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (3-2-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| New Orleans Saints (2-2-1) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
( 0- 7) NO Tony Baker 29 yard pass from Archie Manning (Charlie Durkee kick)
( 0-10) NO Charlie Durkee 36 yard field goal
( 0-17) NO Archie Manning 13 yard rush (Charlie Durkee kick)
( 7-17) DAL Gloster Richardson 41 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick)
(14-17) DAL Bob Hayes 16 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick)
(14-24) NO Archie Manning 2 yard rush (Charlie Durkee kick)
DAL NO
First Downs: 20 10
Rushes-yards: 31-96 31-108
Yards/rush: 3.1 3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 17-34-230-3 6-15-83-1
Sacked-yards: 5-26 4-34
Net pass yards: 204 49
Net yards/pass: 5.2 2.6
Total net yards: 300 157
Total plays: 70 (44% run) 50 (62% run)
Yards/play: 4.3 3.1
Fumbles-lost: 3-3 1-1
Turnovers: 6 2
Penalties-yards: 5-58 7-63
Attendance: 83,088
Passing:
DAL: Craig Morton, 10 of 24 for 113 yards (2 int); Roger Staubach, 7 of 10 for 117 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) NO: Archie Manning, 6 of 15 for 83 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Duane Thomas, 16 for 58 yards; Walt Garrison, 11 for 19 yards; Roger Staubach, 2 for 12 yards; Dan Reeves, 1 for 4 yards; Claxton Welch, 1 for 3 yards NO: Tony Baker, 12 for 35 yards; James Ford, 10 for 19 yards; Archie Manning, 7 for 52 yards and 2 TDs; Hoyle Granger, 2 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Lance Alworth, 5 for 46 yards; Walt Garrison, 3 for 54 yards; Bob Hayes, 3 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Billy Truax, 2 for 38 yards; Mike Ditka, 2 for 23 yards; Gloster Richardson, 1 for 41 yards and 1 TD; Duane Thomas, 1 for -2 yards NO: Al Dodd, 2 for 28 yards; Danny Abramowicz, 2 for 26 yards; Tony Baker, 1 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Hoyle Granger, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 3 for 70 yards; Duane Thomas, 2 for 64 yards NO: Jim Strong, 2 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 3 for 9 yards; Cliff Harris, 2 for 5 yards NO: Al Dodd, 3 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Mel Renfro, 1 for 4 yards NO: Delles Howell, 2 for 98 yards; Hugo Hollas, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
DAL: Ron Widby, 5 for 246 yards NO: Julian Fagan, 7 for 291 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Mike Clark, 0/1 NO: Charlie Durkee, 1/1
DAL: Craig Morton, 10 of 24 for 113 yards (2 int); Roger Staubach, 7 of 10 for 117 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) NO: Archie Manning, 6 of 15 for 83 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Duane Thomas, 16 for 58 yards; Walt Garrison, 11 for 19 yards; Roger Staubach, 2 for 12 yards; Dan Reeves, 1 for 4 yards; Claxton Welch, 1 for 3 yards NO: Tony Baker, 12 for 35 yards; James Ford, 10 for 19 yards; Archie Manning, 7 for 52 yards and 2 TDs; Hoyle Granger, 2 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Lance Alworth, 5 for 46 yards; Walt Garrison, 3 for 54 yards; Bob Hayes, 3 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Billy Truax, 2 for 38 yards; Mike Ditka, 2 for 23 yards; Gloster Richardson, 1 for 41 yards and 1 TD; Duane Thomas, 1 for -2 yards NO: Al Dodd, 2 for 28 yards; Danny Abramowicz, 2 for 26 yards; Tony Baker, 1 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Hoyle Granger, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 3 for 70 yards; Duane Thomas, 2 for 64 yards NO: Jim Strong, 2 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 3 for 9 yards; Cliff Harris, 2 for 5 yards NO: Al Dodd, 3 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Mel Renfro, 1 for 4 yards NO: Delles Howell, 2 for 98 yards; Hugo Hollas, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
DAL: Ron Widby, 5 for 246 yards NO: Julian Fagan, 7 for 291 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Mike Clark, 0/1 NO: Charlie Durkee, 1/1