NFL game summary for 11/21/1971:
Cincinnati reversed an earlier loss, beating the Oilers on a pair of rushing TDs by rookie Fred Willis while Virgil Carter got off two TD passes. Charley Johnson relieved Dan Pastorini and connected with a 56-yard pass to Charley Joiner for the Oilers TD.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 68.4 (25) | 171.6 (7) | 240.0 (22) | 38 |
| DEFENSE | 133.0 (16) | 151.7 (14) | 284.7 (14) | 21 | |
 | OFFENSE | 150.3 (8) | 139.1 (22) | 289.4 (14) | 12 |
| DEFENSE | 127.0 (12) | 148.9 (12) | 275.9 (12) | 23 |
Line: Bengals by 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers (1-8-1) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-0) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
( 0- 7) CIN Fred Willis 1 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick) ( 0-14) CIN Bruce Coslet 6 yard pass from Virgil Carter (Horst Muhlmann kick) ( 3-14) HOU Mark Moseley 37 yard field goal ( 3-21) CIN Fred Willis 5 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick) ( 6-21) HOU Mark Moseley 26 yard field goal ( 6-28) CIN Bob Trumpy 31 yard pass from Virgil Carter (Horst Muhlmann kick) (13-28) HOU Charlie Joiner 56 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Mark Moseley kick)
HOU CIN
First Downs: 13 19
Rushes-yards: 19-70 44-120
Yards/rush: 3.7 2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-27-215-1 13-16-151-0
Sacked-yards: 5-44 1-8
Net pass yards: 171 143
Net yards/pass: 5.3 8.4
Total net yards: 241 263
Total plays: 51 (37% run) 61 (72% run)
Yards/play: 4.7 4.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 2-2
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 4-32 2-15
Attendance: 59,390
Passing:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 6 of 17 for 71 yards (1 int); Charley Johnson, 6 of 10 for 144 yards and 1 TD CIN: Virgil Carter, 12 of 15 for 143 yards and 2 TDs; Fred Willis, 1 of 1 for 8 yards
Rushing:
HOU: Robert Holmes, 9 for 28 yards; Dickie Post, 4 for 13 yards; Woody Campbell, 3 for 12 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 10 yards; Ward Walsh, 1 for 7 yards; Charley Johnson, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Fred Willis, 26 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Doug Dressler, 8 for 25 yards; Paul Robinson, 3 for -1 yards; Jess Phillips, 2 for 14 yards; Ron Lamb, 2 for 4 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for -10 yards; Virgil Carter, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
HOU: Alvin Reed, 5 for 91 yards; Jim Beirne, 3 for 43 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Woody Campbell, 1 for 7 yards; Robert Holmes, 1 for -1 yards CIN: Bob Trumpy, 5 for 87 yards and 1 TD; Chip Myers, 5 for 54 yards; Doug Dressler, 1 for 8 yards; Bruce Coslet, 1 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Jess Phillips, 1 for -4 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Zeke Moore, 2 for 44 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 34 yards CIN: Fred Willis, 1 for 32 yards; Paul Robinson, 1 for 21 yards; Mike Kelly, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Linzy Cole, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 1 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Sandy Durko, 1 for 13 yards
Punting:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 168 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 154 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Mark Moseley, 2/2
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 6 of 17 for 71 yards (1 int); Charley Johnson, 6 of 10 for 144 yards and 1 TD CIN: Virgil Carter, 12 of 15 for 143 yards and 2 TDs; Fred Willis, 1 of 1 for 8 yards
Rushing:
HOU: Robert Holmes, 9 for 28 yards; Dickie Post, 4 for 13 yards; Woody Campbell, 3 for 12 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 10 yards; Ward Walsh, 1 for 7 yards; Charley Johnson, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Fred Willis, 26 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Doug Dressler, 8 for 25 yards; Paul Robinson, 3 for -1 yards; Jess Phillips, 2 for 14 yards; Ron Lamb, 2 for 4 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for -10 yards; Virgil Carter, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
HOU: Alvin Reed, 5 for 91 yards; Jim Beirne, 3 for 43 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Woody Campbell, 1 for 7 yards; Robert Holmes, 1 for -1 yards CIN: Bob Trumpy, 5 for 87 yards and 1 TD; Chip Myers, 5 for 54 yards; Doug Dressler, 1 for 8 yards; Bruce Coslet, 1 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Jess Phillips, 1 for -4 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Zeke Moore, 2 for 44 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 34 yards CIN: Fred Willis, 1 for 32 yards; Paul Robinson, 1 for 21 yards; Mike Kelly, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Linzy Cole, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 1 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Sandy Durko, 1 for 13 yards
Punting:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 168 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 154 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Mark Moseley, 2/2