NFL game summary for 12/19/1971:
New England's victory, sparked by a pair of TD passes from Jim Plunkett to Randy Vataha, dropped Baltimore into a second-place finish in the AFC's Eastern Division and moved the Colts into the playoffs as the No. 4 team. Plunkett finished with 19 TD passes, second-best rookie total in history, topped only by Charley Conerly's 22 for the New York Giants in 1948.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 121.4 (15) | 133.5 (22) | 254.8 (20) | 30 |
| DEFENSE | 139.8 (16) | 154.5 (15) | 294.3 (16) | 27 | |
 | OFFENSE | 157.6 (6) | 136.6 (21) | 294.2 (10) | 34 |
| DEFENSE | 78.6 (1) | 122.1 (2) | 200.7 (1) | 39 |
Line: Colts by 13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots (6-8-0) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Baltimore Colts (10-4-0) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
( 7- 0) NE Randy Vataha 1 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Charlie Gogolak kick)
( 7- 3) BAL Jim O'Brien 12 yard field goal
(14- 3) NE John Outlaw 60 yard interception return (Charlie Gogolak kick)
(14-10) BAL Eddie Hinton 31 yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Jim O'Brien kick)
(21-10) NE Randy Vataha 88 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Charlie Gogolak kick)
(21-17) BAL Eddie Hinton 13 yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Jim O'Brien kick)
NE BAL
First Downs: 11 17
Rushes-yards: 34-91 34-100
Yards/rush: 2.7 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-17-170-0 16-32-165-2
Sacked-yards: 2-18 2-19
Net pass yards: 152 146
Net yards/pass: 8.0 4.3
Total net yards: 243 246
Total plays: 53 (64% run) 68 (50% run)
Yards/play: 4.6 3.6
Fumbles-lost: 3-2 0-0
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 4-35 2-7
Attendance: 57,942
Passing:
NE: Jim Plunkett, 10 of 17 for 170 yards and 2 TDs BAL: Johnny Unitas, 16 of 32 for 165 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
NE: Carl Garrett, 18 for 44 yards; Jim Nance, 14 for 47 yards; Jim Plunkett, 2 for 0 yards BAL: Don Nottingham, 18 for 43 yards; Tom Matte, 14 for 47 yards; Eddie Hinton, 1 for 8 yards; Ray Perkins, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
NE: Randy Vataha, 4 for 100 yards and 2 TDs; Hubie Bryant, 2 for 22 yards; Jim Nance, 2 for 20 yards; Tom Beer, 1 for 20 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 8 yards BAL: Tom Matte, 6 for 43 yards; Eddie Hinton, 4 for 74 yards and 2 TDs; Tom Mitchell, 2 for 32 yards; Ray Perkins, 2 for 13 yards; Don Nottingham, 2 for 3 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Hubie Bryant, 2 for 25 yards; Jack Maitland, 1 for 19 yards; Don Webb, 1 for 0 yards BAL: Don McCauley, 4 for 92 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Hubie Bryant, 3 for -7 yards; Rickie Harris, 1 for 9 yards; Bob Gladieux, 1 for 0 yards BAL: Rick Volk, 3 for 10 yards; Tom Curtis, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
NE: John Outlaw, 1 for 60 yards and 1 TD; Steve Kiner, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NE: Tom Janik, 7 for 267 yards BAL: David Lee, 6 for 241 yards
Field Goals:
NE: Charlie Gogolak, 0/1 BAL: Jim O'Brien, 1/2
NE: Jim Plunkett, 10 of 17 for 170 yards and 2 TDs BAL: Johnny Unitas, 16 of 32 for 165 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
NE: Carl Garrett, 18 for 44 yards; Jim Nance, 14 for 47 yards; Jim Plunkett, 2 for 0 yards BAL: Don Nottingham, 18 for 43 yards; Tom Matte, 14 for 47 yards; Eddie Hinton, 1 for 8 yards; Ray Perkins, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
NE: Randy Vataha, 4 for 100 yards and 2 TDs; Hubie Bryant, 2 for 22 yards; Jim Nance, 2 for 20 yards; Tom Beer, 1 for 20 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 8 yards BAL: Tom Matte, 6 for 43 yards; Eddie Hinton, 4 for 74 yards and 2 TDs; Tom Mitchell, 2 for 32 yards; Ray Perkins, 2 for 13 yards; Don Nottingham, 2 for 3 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Hubie Bryant, 2 for 25 yards; Jack Maitland, 1 for 19 yards; Don Webb, 1 for 0 yards BAL: Don McCauley, 4 for 92 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Hubie Bryant, 3 for -7 yards; Rickie Harris, 1 for 9 yards; Bob Gladieux, 1 for 0 yards BAL: Rick Volk, 3 for 10 yards; Tom Curtis, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
NE: John Outlaw, 1 for 60 yards and 1 TD; Steve Kiner, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NE: Tom Janik, 7 for 267 yards BAL: David Lee, 6 for 241 yards
Field Goals:
NE: Charlie Gogolak, 0/1 BAL: Jim O'Brien, 1/2