All NFL game summaries for 11/25/1971:
Duane Thomas' five-yard touchdown dash around left end was the only score in the final period, breaking the third tie of the game and boosting the Cowboys' winning streak to four. It was Dallas' fifth victory in its six Thanksgiving Day games that also include a tie.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 156.7 (5) | 137.7 (22) | 294.4 (12) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 122.2 (10) | 162.2 (16) | 284.4 (14) | 25 | |
 | OFFENSE | 151.5 (7) | 203.9 (2) | 355.4 (2) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 77.6 (1) | 176.8 (24) | 254.4 (5) | 35 |
Line: Cowboys by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (6-4-1) | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Dallas Cowboys (8-3-0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
( 0- 7) DAL Ike Thomas 89 yard kickoff return (Mike Clark kick) ( 7- 7) LA Larry Smith 1 yard rush (David Ray kick) (14- 7) LA Bob Klein 33 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (David Ray kick) (14-14) DAL Bob Hayes 51 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick) (14-21) DAL Lance Alworth 21 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick) (21-21) LA Pat Curran 2 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (David Ray kick) (21-28) DAL Duane Thomas 5 yard rush (Mike Clark kick)
LA DAL
First Downs: 21 15
Rushes-yards: 33-86 33-114
Yards/rush: 2.6 3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 20-36-234-1 8-14-176-0
Sacked-yards: 1-7 1-10
Net pass yards: 227 166
Net yards/pass: 6.1 11.1
Total net yards: 313 280
Total plays: 70 (47% run) 48 (68% run)
Yards/play: 4.5 5.8
Fumbles-lost: 5-2 1-0
Turnovers: 3 0
Penalties-yards: 3-35 4-25
Attendance: 66,595
Passing:
LA: Roman Gabriel, 20 of 35 for 234 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Jerry Rhome, 0 of 1 for 0 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 8 of 14 for 176 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
LA: Willie Ellison, 13 for 30 yards; Larry Smith, 7 for 25 yards and 1 TD; Les Josephson, 7 for 16 yards; Roman Gabriel, 4 for 16 yards; Lance Rentzel, 2 for -1 yards DAL: Duane Thomas, 14 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Walt Garrison, 13 for 30 yards; Roger Staubach, 6 for 35 yards
Receiving:
LA: Jack Snow, 5 for 77 yards; Les Josephson, 5 for 35 yards; Larry Smith, 4 for 32 yards; Bob Klein, 3 for 50 yards and 1 TD; Lance Rentzel, 1 for 41 yards; Pat Curran, 1 for 2 yards and 1 TD; Willie Ellison, 1 for -3 yards DAL: Walt Garrison, 3 for 71 yards; Lance Alworth, 2 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Duane Thomas, 2 for 20 yards; Bob Hayes, 1 for 51 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
LA: Travis Williams, 5 for 141 yards DAL: Ike Thomas, 3 for 131 yards and 1 TD
Punt returns:
LA: Lance Rentzel, 3 for 7 yards; Kermit Alexander, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Chuck Howley, 1 for 12 yards
Punting:
LA: Pat Studstill, 4 for 204 yards DAL: Ron Widby, 6 for 241 yards
Field Goals:
LA: David Ray, 0/1
LA: Roman Gabriel, 20 of 35 for 234 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Jerry Rhome, 0 of 1 for 0 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 8 of 14 for 176 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
LA: Willie Ellison, 13 for 30 yards; Larry Smith, 7 for 25 yards and 1 TD; Les Josephson, 7 for 16 yards; Roman Gabriel, 4 for 16 yards; Lance Rentzel, 2 for -1 yards DAL: Duane Thomas, 14 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Walt Garrison, 13 for 30 yards; Roger Staubach, 6 for 35 yards
Receiving:
LA: Jack Snow, 5 for 77 yards; Les Josephson, 5 for 35 yards; Larry Smith, 4 for 32 yards; Bob Klein, 3 for 50 yards and 1 TD; Lance Rentzel, 1 for 41 yards; Pat Curran, 1 for 2 yards and 1 TD; Willie Ellison, 1 for -3 yards DAL: Walt Garrison, 3 for 71 yards; Lance Alworth, 2 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Duane Thomas, 2 for 20 yards; Bob Hayes, 1 for 51 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
LA: Travis Williams, 5 for 141 yards DAL: Ike Thomas, 3 for 131 yards and 1 TD
Punt returns:
LA: Lance Rentzel, 3 for 7 yards; Kermit Alexander, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Chuck Howley, 1 for 12 yards
Punting:
LA: Pat Studstill, 4 for 204 yards DAL: Ron Widby, 6 for 241 yards
Field Goals:
LA: David Ray, 0/1
A 63-yard touchdown drive from the second half kickoff, a blocked punt resulting in a safety and a field goal by Detroit in the third period eased the Lions toward their seventh straight victory without a loss against AFC teams. Greg Landry completed 15 of 22 passes for 225 yards and two TDs in Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day game.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 130.5 (12) | 164.1 (9) | 294.6 (11) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 83.5 (3) | 175.4 (23) | 258.9 (7) | 25 | |
 | OFFENSE | 185.2 (2) | 144.8 (15) | 330.0 (4) | 23 |
| DEFENSE | 129.4 (13) | 145.7 (9) | 275.1 (11) | 27 |
Line: Chiefs by 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs (7-3-1) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Detroit Lions (7-3-1) | 0 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 32 |
( 0- 3) DET Errol Mann 27 yard field goal ( 0-10) DET Steve Owens 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick) ( 7-10) KC Ed Podolak 2 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick) ( 7-17) DET Charlie Sanders 5 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick) ( 7-24) DET Earl McCullouch 17 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick) ( 7-26) DET Safety, Ron Jessie blocked punt out of end zone ( 7-29) DET Errol Mann 28 yard field goal (14-29) KC Ed Podolak 5 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick) (14-32) DET Errol Mann 21 yard field goal (21-32) KC Ed Podolak 6 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
KC DET
First Downs: 19 22
Rushes-yards: 25-119 35-158
Yards/rush: 4.8 4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-23-162-1 15-22-225-2
Sacked-yards: 2-23 1-2
Net pass yards: 139 223
Net yards/pass: 5.6 9.7
Total net yards: 258 381
Total plays: 50 (50% run) 58 (60% run)
Yards/play: 5.2 6.6
Fumbles-lost: 3-1 0-0
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 5-50 3-54
Attendance: 54,418
Passing:
KC: Len Dawson, 13 of 22 for 139 yards (1 int); Ed Podolak, 1 of 1 for 23 yards DET: Greg Landry, 15 of 22 for 225 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
KC: Ed Podolak, 15 for 51 yards and 3 TDs; Wendell Hayes, 10 for 68 yards DET: Steve Owens, 22 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 7 for 34 yards; Greg Landry, 6 for 45 yards
Receiving:
KC: Ed Podolak, 5 for 61 yards; Wendell Hayes, 4 for 40 yards; Otis Taylor, 2 for 28 yards; Morris Stroud, 1 for 23 yards; Elmo Wright, 1 for 7 yards; Jim Otis, 1 for 3 yards DET: Charlie Sanders, 5 for 90 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 3 for 14 yards; Larry Walton, 2 for 37 yards; Earl McCullouch, 2 for 33 yards and 1 TD; Steve Owens, 2 for 12 yards; Mel Farr, 1 for 39 yards
Kick returns:
KC: Kerry Reardon, 4 for 91 yards; Mike Adamle, 2 for 37 yards; Warren McVea, 1 for 37 yards DET: Al Clark, 1 for 32 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 20 yards; Bill Triplett, 1 for 19 yards; Ray Parson, 1 for 11 yards; Ed Mooney, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
Interceptions:
KC: Wilbur Young, 1 for 3 yards; Johnny Robinson, 1 for 0 yards DET: Wayne Rasmussen, 1 for 19 yards
Punting:
KC: Jerrel Wilson, 2 for 50 yards
Field Goals:
KC: Jan Stenerud, 0/1 DET: Errol Mann, 3/3
KC: Len Dawson, 13 of 22 for 139 yards (1 int); Ed Podolak, 1 of 1 for 23 yards DET: Greg Landry, 15 of 22 for 225 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
KC: Ed Podolak, 15 for 51 yards and 3 TDs; Wendell Hayes, 10 for 68 yards DET: Steve Owens, 22 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 7 for 34 yards; Greg Landry, 6 for 45 yards
Receiving:
KC: Ed Podolak, 5 for 61 yards; Wendell Hayes, 4 for 40 yards; Otis Taylor, 2 for 28 yards; Morris Stroud, 1 for 23 yards; Elmo Wright, 1 for 7 yards; Jim Otis, 1 for 3 yards DET: Charlie Sanders, 5 for 90 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 3 for 14 yards; Larry Walton, 2 for 37 yards; Earl McCullouch, 2 for 33 yards and 1 TD; Steve Owens, 2 for 12 yards; Mel Farr, 1 for 39 yards
Kick returns:
KC: Kerry Reardon, 4 for 91 yards; Mike Adamle, 2 for 37 yards; Warren McVea, 1 for 37 yards DET: Al Clark, 1 for 32 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 20 yards; Bill Triplett, 1 for 19 yards; Ray Parson, 1 for 11 yards; Ed Mooney, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
Interceptions:
KC: Wilbur Young, 1 for 3 yards; Johnny Robinson, 1 for 0 yards DET: Wayne Rasmussen, 1 for 19 yards
Punting:
KC: Jerrel Wilson, 2 for 50 yards
Field Goals:
KC: Jan Stenerud, 0/1 DET: Errol Mann, 3/3