All NFL game summaries for 10/31/1971:

Earl Morrall passed for 286 yards and three touchdowns in little more than a half for a Colt victory, different from previous ones earlier in the season in that they achieved it largely through the air. Morrall threw TD passes to Willie Richardson (2) and Ray Perkins. Terry Bradshaw scored twice for the Steelers and threw a TD pass to Ron Shanklin. He ran three yards following a fumble recovery by L. C. Greenwood and also scored in the last two minutes after linebacker Chuck Allen made an interception.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Colts by 10

( 0- 7) BAL Norm Bulaich 1 yard rush (Jim O'Brien kick)
( 0-10) BAL Jim O'Brien 20 yard field goal
( 0-13) BAL Jim O'Brien 9 yard field goal
( 7-13) PIT Terry Bradshaw 3 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 7-20) BAL Willie Richardson 19 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Jim O'Brien kick)
( 7-27) BAL Willie Richardson 49 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Jim O'Brien kick)
( 7-34) BAL Ray Perkins 60 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Jim O'Brien kick)
(14-34) PIT Ron Shanklin 31 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
(21-34) PIT Terry Bradshaw 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)

                     PIT             BAL
First Downs:         14              19
Rushes-yards:        16-26           32-71
Yards/rush:          1.6             2.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     20-35-187-1     18-34-318-1
Sacked-yards:        3-32            1-6
Net pass yards:      155             312
Net yards/pass:      4.1             8.9
Total net yards:     181             383
Total plays:         54 (29% run)    67 (47% run)  
Yards/play:          3.4             5.7
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             3-1
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     6-40            7-51

Attendance: 60,238

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Jim Hart threw for two touchdown passes as did the Bills' Dennis Shaw. MacArthur Lane and Cid Edwards also registered for the Cards on one-yard runs and Alvin Wyatt tallied the final TD for Buffalo on a 61-yard punt return.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Cardinals by 10

( 7- 0) STL MacArthur Lane 1 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(14- 0) STL Cid Edwards 1 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(14- 2) BUF Safety, Cid Edwards tackled in end zone by Edgar Chandler
(14- 9) BUF Ted Koy 20 yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick)
(21- 9) STL Jackie Smith 10 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(21-16) BUF Greg Jones 7 yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick)
(28-16) STL Jim McFarland 5 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(28-23) BUF Alvin Wyatt 61 yard punt return (John Leypoldt kick)

                     STL             BUF
First Downs:         24              19
Rushes-yards:        41-142          23-62
Yards/rush:          3.5             2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-27-171-0     18-34-269-2
Sacked-yards:        1-8             4-22
Net pass yards:      163             247
Net yards/pass:      5.8             6.5
Total net yards:     305             309
Total plays:         69 (59% run)    61 (37% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             5.1
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             1-1
Turnovers:           0               3
Penalties-yards:     8-78            10-75

Attendance: 40,040

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Dallas alternated quarterbacks Craig Morton and Roger Staubach on almost every play and the Cowboys rolled up 481 yards, but lost the ball four times on interceptions and three times on fumbles. Chicago scored the decisive touchdown on consecutive Bobby Douglass-to-Dick Gordon pass completions of 26 and 28 yards in the fourth period.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Cowboys by 6

( 7- 0) DAL Duane Thomas 3 yard rush (Mike Clark kick)
( 7- 7) CHI Bobby Douglass 9 yard rush (Mac Percival kick)
( 7-10) CHI Mac Percival 44 yard field goal
( 7-13) CHI Mac Percival 38 yard field goal
( 9-13) DAL Safety, Bobby Joe Green tackled in end zone by Claxton Welch
( 9-16) CHI Mac Percival 35 yard field goal
(12-16) DAL Mike Clark 10 yard field goal
(12-23) CHI Dick Gordon 28 yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Bobby Douglass run)
(19-23) DAL Gloster Richardson 45 yard pass from Craig Morton (Mike Clark kick)

                     DAL             CHI
First Downs:         26              7
Rushes-yards:        34-139          31-82
Yards/rush:          4.1             2.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     27-47-344-4     7-19-140-1
Sacked-yards:        1-2             4-28
Net pass yards:      342             112
Net yards/pass:      7.1             4.9
Total net yards:     481             194
Total plays:         82 (41% run)    54 (57% run)  
Yards/play:          5.9             3.6
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             2-1
Turnovers:           7               2
Penalties-yards:     7-80            2-10

Attendance: 55,049

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Atlanta's reserve quarterback, Dick Shiner, completed two of his first four passes for touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a victory over the Browns. The Falcons had a 28-0 edge before Bo Scott scored on a 12-yard reception in the third period. Atlanta intercepted four times with Don Hansen's going for a 40-yard touchdown.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Browns by 4

( 7- 0) ATL Ken Burrow 39 yard pass from Dick Shiner (Bill Bell kick)
(14- 0) ATL Don Hansen 40 yard interception return (Bill Bell kick)
(21- 0) ATL Jim Mitchell 23 yard pass from Dick Shiner (Bill Bell kick)
(28- 0) ATL Cannonball Butler 1 yard rush (Bill Bell kick)
(28- 7) CLE Bo Scott 12 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(31- 7) ATL Bill Bell 27 yard field goal
(31-14) CLE Gary Collins 24 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick)

                     ATL             CLE
First Downs:         17              10
Rushes-yards:        54-175          20-65
Yards/rush:          3.2             3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-10-142-0      9-19-108-4
Sacked-yards:        0-0             2-20
Net pass yards:      142             88
Net yards/pass:      14.2            4.2
Total net yards:     317             153
Total plays:         64 (84% run)    41 (48% run)  
Yards/play:          5.0             3.7
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             0-0
Turnovers:           0               4
Penalties-yards:     5-45            4-51

Attendance: 76,825

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The Oilers got their first victory of the season on an interception TD by Ken Houston and a 42-yard field goal by Mark Moseley. Houston's TD interception was his sixth lifetime. Cincinnati intercepted Dan Pastorini four times but was able to capitalize only once for a field goal.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Even

( 0- 3) HOU Mark Moseley 42 yard field goal
( 3- 3) CIN Horst Muhlmann 46 yard field goal
( 3-10) HOU Ken Houston 48 yard interception return (Mark Moseley kick)
( 6-10) CIN Horst Muhlmann 45 yard field goal

                     CIN             HOU
First Downs:         9               9
Rushes-yards:        31-135          34-94
Yards/rush:          4.4             2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     6-20-16-1       7-20-93-4
Sacked-yards:        9-68            1-10
Net pass yards:      -52             83
Net yards/pass:      -1.8            4.0
Total net yards:     83              177
Total plays:         60 (51% run)    55 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          1.4             3.2
Fumbles-lost:        3-0             2-1
Turnovers:           1               5
Penalties-yards:     6-57            5-44

Attendance: 37,947

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Miami quarterback Bob Griese scrambled out of trouble and combined with Paul Warfield on a 74-yard touchdown on the third play of the game to spark the Dolphins into a 17-0 lead before Los Angeles pushed across two touchdowns in the final period. Warfield had three receptions for 108 yards. The Rams' Jack Snow caught five for 107.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Rams by 4

( 7- 0) MIA Paul Warfield 74 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
(14- 0) MIA Howard Twilley 11 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
(17- 0) MIA Garo Yepremian 20 yard field goal
(17- 7) LA  Larry Smith 1 yard rush (David Ray kick)
(17-14) LA  Jack Snow 45 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (David Ray kick)
(20-14) MIA Garo Yepremian 40 yard field goal

                     MIA             LA
First Downs:         13              22
Rushes-yards:        29-127          30-114
Yards/rush:          4.4             3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-19-209-0     23-35-277-0
Sacked-yards:        3-24            4-32
Net pass yards:      185             245
Net yards/pass:      8.4             6.3
Total net yards:     312             359
Total plays:         51 (56% run)    69 (43% run)  
Yards/play:          6.1             5.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             5-2
Turnovers:           0               2
Penalties-yards:     7-66            5-35

Attendance: 72,903

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Norm Snead, substituting in the fourth period for injured Gary Cuozzo, lifted Minnesota from a 10-10 tie with three consecutive pass completions climaxed by a 55-yard touchdown toss to Bob Grim with 1:04 remaining in the game. Making his first appearance of the season, New York running back Ron Johnson rushed for 89 yards.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Vikings by 14

( 0- 3) NYG Pete Gogolak 37 yard field goal
( 7- 3) MIN Dave Osborn 2 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)
( 7-10) NYG Charlie Evans 3 yard rush (Pete Gogolak kick)
(10-10) MIN Fred Cox 37 yard field goal
(17-10) MIN Bob Grim 55 yard pass from Norm Snead (Fred Cox kick)

                     MIN             NYG
First Downs:         13              13
Rushes-yards:        25-117          37-125
Yards/rush:          4.7             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-33-180-1     20-30-144-0
Sacked-yards:        2-19            2-17
Net pass yards:      161             127
Net yards/pass:      4.6             4.0
Total net yards:     278             252
Total plays:         60 (41% run)    69 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          4.6             3.7
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             2-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     3-35            3-15

Attendance: 62,829

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George Blanda, a fourth period replacement at quarterback, led Oakland to a 20-20 tie after the Raiders had trailed 20-10 on two runs by Ed Podolak and two field goals by Jan Stenerud. Blanda, who achieved the distinction of becoming the highest scorer in pro football history with 1,609 points, kicked the tying field goal from the 8-yard line with 2½ minutes left. He also threw a 24-yard TD pass to Fred Biletnikoff.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Even

( 7- 0) KC  Ed Podolak 1 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 7- 3) OAK George Blanda 17 yard field goal
( 7-10) OAK Marv Hubbard 1 yard rush (George Blanda kick)
(14-10) KC  Ed Podolak 2 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(17-10) KC  Jan Stenerud 12 yard field goal
(20-10) KC  Jan Stenerud 37 yard field goal
(20-17) OAK Fred Biletnikoff 24 yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick)
(20-20) OAK George Blanda 8 yard field goal

                     KC              OAK
First Downs:         18              19
Rushes-yards:        37-161          28-111
Yards/rush:          4.4             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-13-133-1      12-25-183-2
Sacked-yards:        5-46            4-42
Net pass yards:      87              141
Net yards/pass:      4.8             4.9
Total net yards:     248             252
Total plays:         55 (67% run)    57 (49% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             4.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-0
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     5-66            3-31

Attendance: 54,715

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The Eagles recovered a fumbled punt to set up an 18-yard scoring pass from Rick Arrington to Ben Hawkins and linebacker Bill Hobbs blocked a Denver punt and carried it into the end zone for another touchdown in the second period. Two fourth period interceptions by Philadelphia protected the one-point victory.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Broncos by 4

( 0- 3) PHI Happy Feller 27 yard field goal
( 0-10) PHI Ben Hawkins 18 yard pass from Rick Arrington (Happy Feller kick)
( 7-10) DEN Floyd Little 1 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
( 7-17) PHI Bill Hobbs 6 yard return of blocked punt (Happy Feller kick)
(10-17) DEN Jim Turner 37 yard field goal
(13-17) DEN Jim Turner 42 yard field goal
(16-17) DEN Jim Turner 42 yard field goal

                     DEN             PHI
First Downs:         19              9
Rushes-yards:        39-170          26-46
Yards/rush:          4.4             1.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-28-127-2     7-17-129-1
Sacked-yards:        3-25            6-52
Net pass yards:      102             77
Net yards/pass:      3.3             3.3
Total net yards:     272             123
Total plays:         70 (55% run)    49 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          3.9             2.5
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             0-0
Turnovers:           5               1
Penalties-yards:     4-20            7-73

Attendance: 65,358

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John Hadl, passing for 300 or more yards for the 14th time in his career, led the Chargers to an impressive victory over the Jets in which he threw tour TD passes and ran for another. He finished with 19 of 27 for 358 yards. John Riggins carried 10 times for New York for 63 yards.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Chargers by 8

( 7- 0) NYJ Rich Caster 23 yard pass from Bob Davis (Bobby Howfield kick)
( 7- 7) SD  John Hadl 2 yard rush (Dennis Partee kick)
(14- 7) NYJ John Riggins 31 yard pass from Bob Davis (Bobby Howfield kick)
(14-14) SD  Mike Montgomery 37 yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick)
(14-21) SD  Billy Parks 17 yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick)
(21-21) NYJ Emerson Boozer 6 yard rush (Ralph Baker pass from Bob Davis)
(21-28) SD  Gary Garrison 49 yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick)
(21-35) SD  Mike Montgomery 13 yard rush (Dennis Partee kick)
(21-42) SD  Pettis Norman 21 yard pass from John Hadl (Dennis Partee kick)
(21-49) SD  Chris Fletcher 36 yard interception return (Dennis Partee kick)

                     NYJ             SD
First Downs:         19              20
Rushes-yards:        30-169          31-165
Yards/rush:          5.6             5.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-23-118-3     19-28-358-1
Sacked-yards:        3-24            0-0
Net pass yards:      94              358
Net yards/pass:      3.6             12.8
Total net yards:     263             523
Total plays:         56 (53% run)    59 (52% run)  
Yards/play:          4.7             8.9
Fumbles-lost:        4-1             3-1
Turnovers:           4               2
Penalties-yards:     6-56            10-100

Attendance: 44,786

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After the Patriots pulled to within three points in the final period, the 49ers erupted for two touchdowns on a 71-yard pass from John Brodie to Gene Washington and center Forrest Blue's 25-yard dash with a recovered fumble of a punt. The victory lifted San Francisco into first place in the NFC West.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: 49ers by 21

( 0- 7) SF  Ken Willard 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
( 0-10) SF  Bruce Gossett 35 yard field goal
( 0-13) SF  Bruce Gossett 41 yard field goal
( 7-13) NE  Randy Vataha 23 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Charlie Gogolak kick)
(10-13) NE  Charlie Gogolak 32 yard field goal
(10-20) SF  Gene Washington 71 yard pass from John Brodie (Bruce Gossett kick)
(10-27) SF  Forrest Blue 25 yard fumble return (Bruce Gossett kick)

                     NE              SF
First Downs:         11              13
Rushes-yards:        31-177          36-71
Yards/rush:          5.7             2.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-20-102-0      10-21-200-3
Sacked-yards:        4-33            2-24
Net pass yards:      69              176
Net yards/pass:      2.9             7.7
Total net yards:     246             247
Total plays:         55 (56% run)    59 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        3-3             2-2
Turnovers:           3               5
Penalties-yards:     5-40            6-60

Attendance: 45,092

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Facing his former team, Washington quarterback Billy Kilmer scored from the one-yard line and threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Larry Brown in the second period as the Redskins rebounded from their initial defeat to Kansas City the previous week. Kilmer's 13 completions gained 204 yards, and Brown rushed for 113.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Redskins by 14

( 0- 7) WAS Billy Kilmer 1 yard rush (Curt Knight kick)
( 0-14) WAS Larry Brown 36 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick)
( 0-17) WAS Curt Knight 47 yard field goal
( 7-17) NO  James Ford 3 yard rush (Charlie Durkee kick)
( 7-24) WAS Pat Fischer 53 yard interception return (Curt Knight kick)
(14-24) NO  Bob Gresham 1 yard rush (Charlie Durkee kick)

                     NO              WAS
First Downs:         16              21
Rushes-yards:        31-106          37-173
Yards/rush:          3.4             4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-27-163-1     13-22-204-2
Sacked-yards:        6-57            0-0
Net pass yards:      106             204
Net yards/pass:      3.2             9.3
Total net yards:     212             377
Total plays:         64 (48% run)    59 (62% run)  
Yards/play:          3.3             6.4
Fumbles-lost:        2-0             4-4
Turnovers:           1               6
Penalties-yards:     13-123          6-61

Attendance: 53,041

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