NFL game summary for 10/17/1971:
The Lions rushed for 230 yards and a pair of TDs by Steve Owens for a victory over the Oilers. Altie Taylor, who accounted for 122 yards receiving and 63 rushing, tallied on a pass from Greg Landry and Lem Barney went 28 yards for a TD on his 33rd lifetime interception. Rookie Dan Pastorini made his first start for Houston at QB and connected with Charlie Joiner on a 58-yard TD.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 181.2 (4) | 161.8 (12) | 343.0 (3) | 8 |
| DEFENSE | 90.2 (5) | 191.2 (21) | 281.5 (11) | 14 | |
 | OFFENSE | 53.5 (25) | 170.5 (10) | 224.0 (24) | 17 |
| DEFENSE | 121.5 (13) | 172.8 (18) | 294.2 (15) | 8 |
Line: Lions by 9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions (4-1-0) | 0 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
| Houston Oilers (0-4-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
( 7- 0) DET Lem Barney 28 yard interception return (Errol Mann kick)
(14- 0) DET Steve Owens 10 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
(14- 7) HOU Charlie Joiner 58 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Mark Moseley kick)
(17- 7) DET Errol Mann 13 yard field goal
(24- 7) DET Altie Taylor 35 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick)
(31- 7) DET Steve Owens 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
DET HOU
First Downs: 20 13
Rushes-yards: 43-230 24-86
Yards/rush: 5.3 3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-16-197-1 15-40-209-4
Sacked-yards: 4-42 0-0
Net pass yards: 155 209
Net yards/pass: 7.8 5.2
Total net yards: 385 295
Total plays: 63 (68% run) 64 (37% run)
Yards/play: 6.1 4.6
Fumbles-lost: 4-2 3-1
Turnovers: 3 5
Penalties-yards: 6-98 14-144
Attendance: 45,885
Passing:
DET: Greg Landry, 9 of 16 for 197 yards and 1 TD (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 15 of 40 for 209 yards and 1 TD (4 int)
Rushing:
DET: Steve Owens, 22 for 93 yards and 2 TDs; Altie Taylor, 16 for 63 yards; Greg Landry, 5 for 74 yards HOU: Leroy Sledge, 13 for 36 yards; Ward Walsh, 7 for 18 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 31 yards; Joe Dawkins, 1 for 1 yard; Mike Richardson, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
DET: Altie Taylor, 4 for 122 yards and 1 TD; Larry Walton, 3 for 42 yards; Charlie Sanders, 2 for 33 yards HOU: Jim Beirne, 4 for 47 yards; Leroy Sledge, 3 for 7 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Alvin Reed, 2 for 35 yards; Willie Frazier, 2 for 31 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 23 yards
Kick returns:
DET: Ron Jessie, 2 for 46 yards HOU: Linzy Cole, 5 for 119 yards
Punt returns:
DET: Lem Barney, 2 for 23 yards; Dave Thompson, 1 for 4 yards HOU: Ken Houston, 1 for 6 yards; Floyd Rice, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Lem Barney, 1 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Wayne Rasmussen, 1 for 10 yards; Wayne Walker, 1 for 8 yards; Mike Lucci, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Ken Houston, 1 for 32 yards
Punting:
DET: Herman Weaver, 5 for 232 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 7 for 235 yards
Field Goals:
DET: Errol Mann, 1/2 HOU: Mark Moseley, 0/1
DET: Greg Landry, 9 of 16 for 197 yards and 1 TD (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 15 of 40 for 209 yards and 1 TD (4 int)
Rushing:
DET: Steve Owens, 22 for 93 yards and 2 TDs; Altie Taylor, 16 for 63 yards; Greg Landry, 5 for 74 yards HOU: Leroy Sledge, 13 for 36 yards; Ward Walsh, 7 for 18 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 31 yards; Joe Dawkins, 1 for 1 yard; Mike Richardson, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
DET: Altie Taylor, 4 for 122 yards and 1 TD; Larry Walton, 3 for 42 yards; Charlie Sanders, 2 for 33 yards HOU: Jim Beirne, 4 for 47 yards; Leroy Sledge, 3 for 7 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Alvin Reed, 2 for 35 yards; Willie Frazier, 2 for 31 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 23 yards
Kick returns:
DET: Ron Jessie, 2 for 46 yards HOU: Linzy Cole, 5 for 119 yards
Punt returns:
DET: Lem Barney, 2 for 23 yards; Dave Thompson, 1 for 4 yards HOU: Ken Houston, 1 for 6 yards; Floyd Rice, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Lem Barney, 1 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Wayne Rasmussen, 1 for 10 yards; Wayne Walker, 1 for 8 yards; Mike Lucci, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Ken Houston, 1 for 32 yards
Punting:
DET: Herman Weaver, 5 for 232 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 7 for 235 yards
Field Goals:
DET: Errol Mann, 1/2 HOU: Mark Moseley, 0/1