All NFL game summaries for 12/25/1971:
Pro football's longest game ended after 82 minutes and 40 seconds when Garo Yepremian, a left-footed Cypriot, kicked a 37-yard field goal in 7:40 of the second sudden death overtime period for a 27-24 Miami victory over Kansas City. Yepremian's winning kick, sending Miami into the AFC final round, was set up by Larry Csonka's 29-yard run.
Jan Stenerud missed a 31-yard field goal attempt with 31 seconds to go in regulation time and had a 42-yard try blocked by Nick Buoniconti in the first overtime period. Bob Griese, who completed 20 of 35 passes, brought Miami from behind three times, tying the score late in the fourth quarter on a five-yard pass to Marv Fleming.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 173.5 (1) | 141.6 (19) | 315.1 (5) | 23 |
| DEFENSE | 118.6 (8) | 142.9 (6) | 261.5 (5) | 30 | |
 | OFFENSE | 131.6 (12) | 167.6 (7) | 299.3 (9) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 92.9 (3) | 176.3 (24) | 269.1 (7) | 34 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2 OT | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins (11-3-1) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Kansas City Chiefs (10-4-1) | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
( 0- 3) KC Jan Stenerud 24 yard field goal
( 0-10) KC Ed Podolak 7 yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 7-10) MIA Larry Csonka 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10-10) MIA Garo Yepremian 14 yard field goal
(10-17) KC Jim Otis 1 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(17-17) MIA Jim Kiick 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(17-24) KC Ed Podolak 3 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(24-24) MIA Marv Fleming 5 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
(27-24) MIA Garo Yepremian 37 yard field goal
MIA KC
First Downs: 22 23
Rushes-yards: 43-144 44-213
Yards/rush: 3.3 4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 20-35-263-2 18-27-246-2
Sacked-yards: 0-0 1-8
Net pass yards: 263 238
Net yards/pass: 7.5 8.5
Total net yards: 407 451
Total plays: 78 (55% run) 72 (61% run)
Yards/play: 5.2 6.3
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 2-2
Turnovers: 2 4
Penalties-yards: 5-26 6-44
Attendance: 45,822
Passing:
MIA: Bob Griese, 20 of 35 for 263 yards and 1 TD (2 int) KC: Len Dawson, 18 of 26 for 246 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
MIA: Larry Csonka, 24 for 86 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 15 for 56 yards and 1 TD; Bob Griese, 2 for 9 yards; Paul Warfield, 2 for -7 yards KC: Wendell Hayes, 22 for 100 yards; Ed Podolak, 17 for 85 yards and 1 TD; Jim Otis, 3 for 13 yards and 1 TD; Elmo Wright, 2 for 15 yards
Receiving:
MIA: Paul Warfield, 7 for 140 yards; Howard Twilley, 5 for 58 yards; Marv Fleming, 4 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 3 for 24 yards; Jim Mandich, 1 for 4 yards KC: Ed Podolak, 8 for 110 yards and 1 TD; Elmo Wright, 3 for 104 yards; Otis Taylor, 3 for 12 yards; Wendell Hayes, 3 for 6 yards; Willie Frazier, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
MIA: Mercury Morris, 2 for 61 yards KC: Ed Podolak, 3 for 154 yards; Buck Buchanan, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 18 yards KC: Ed Podolak, 2 for 1 yard
Interceptions:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 13 yards; Curtis Johnson, 1 for 0 yards KC: Willie Lanier, 1 for 17 yards; Jim Lynch, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
MIA: Larry Seiple, 6 for 240 yards KC: Jerrel Wilson, 2 for 102 yards
Field Goals:
MIA: Garo Yepremian, 2/3 KC: Jan Stenerud, 1/4
MIA: Bob Griese, 20 of 35 for 263 yards and 1 TD (2 int) KC: Len Dawson, 18 of 26 for 246 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
MIA: Larry Csonka, 24 for 86 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 15 for 56 yards and 1 TD; Bob Griese, 2 for 9 yards; Paul Warfield, 2 for -7 yards KC: Wendell Hayes, 22 for 100 yards; Ed Podolak, 17 for 85 yards and 1 TD; Jim Otis, 3 for 13 yards and 1 TD; Elmo Wright, 2 for 15 yards
Receiving:
MIA: Paul Warfield, 7 for 140 yards; Howard Twilley, 5 for 58 yards; Marv Fleming, 4 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 3 for 24 yards; Jim Mandich, 1 for 4 yards KC: Ed Podolak, 8 for 110 yards and 1 TD; Elmo Wright, 3 for 104 yards; Otis Taylor, 3 for 12 yards; Wendell Hayes, 3 for 6 yards; Willie Frazier, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
MIA: Mercury Morris, 2 for 61 yards KC: Ed Podolak, 3 for 154 yards; Buck Buchanan, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 18 yards KC: Ed Podolak, 2 for 1 yard
Interceptions:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 13 yards; Curtis Johnson, 1 for 0 yards KC: Willie Lanier, 1 for 17 yards; Jim Lynch, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
MIA: Larry Seiple, 6 for 240 yards KC: Jerrel Wilson, 2 for 102 yards
Field Goals:
MIA: Garo Yepremian, 2/3 KC: Jan Stenerud, 1/4
Four interceptions and a recovered fumble gave the Dallas Cowboys a 20-12 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in a game completed in fog on a snow-fringed field. The Cowboys moved into the NFC finals on an eight-game winning streak with an alert defense that capitalized on Minnesota's errors.
Jethro Pugh set up the first Dallas field goal by recovering a fumble and Chuck Howley's interception led to a second kick and a 6-3 halftime edge. Cliff Harris picked off a Bob Lee pass that resulted in a Duane Thomas touchdown in the third period and Lee Roy Jordan stole a Gary Cuozzo pass, ending a Viking threat early in the final quarter. Roger Staubach completed 10 of 14, including a nine-yard scoring pass to Bob Hayes.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 160.6 (3) | 199.0 (2) | 359.6 (1) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 81.7 (2) | 166.0 (19) | 247.7 (3) | 51 | |
 | OFFENSE | 121.1 (17) | 118.2 (25) | 239.3 (23) | 30 |
| DEFENSE | 114.3 (6) | 129.0 (3) | 243.3 (2) | 49 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (12-3-0) | 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| Minnesota Vikings (11-4-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
( 3- 0) DAL Mike Clark 26 yard field goal
( 3- 3) MIN Fred Cox 27 yard field goal
( 6- 3) DAL Mike Clark 44 yard field goal
(13- 3) DAL Duane Thomas 13 yard rush (Mike Clark kick)
(20- 3) DAL Bob Hayes 9 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick)
(20- 5) MIN Safety, Roger Staubach tackled in end zone by Alan Page
(20-12) MIN Stu Voigt 6 yard pass from Gary Cuozzo (Fred Cox kick)
DAL MIN
First Downs: 10 17
Rushes-yards: 39-98 26-101
Yards/rush: 2.5 3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-14-99-0 19-38-210-4
Sacked-yards: 2-14 0-0
Net pass yards: 85 210
Net yards/pass: 5.3 5.5
Total net yards: 183 311
Total plays: 55 (70% run) 64 (40% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 4.9
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 1-1
Turnovers: 0 5
Penalties-yards: 2-10 2-18
Attendance: 47,307
Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 10 of 14 for 99 yards and 1 TD MIN: Gary Cuozzo, 12 of 22 for 124 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Bob Lee, 7 of 16 for 86 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Duane Thomas, 21 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Calvin Hill, 14 for 28 yards; Roger Staubach, 2 for 2 yards; Walt Garrison, 2 for 2 yards MIN: Clint Jones, 15 for 52 yards; Dave Osborn, 6 for 13 yards; Bob Lee, 3 for 28 yards; Jim Lindsey, 1 for 6 yards; Bob Grim, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Bob Hayes, 3 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Lance Alworth, 2 for 33 yards; Mike Ditka, 2 for 18 yards; Calvin Hill, 2 for 14 yards; Duane Thomas, 1 for 3 yards MIN: Gene Washington, 5 for 70 yards; Bob Grim, 4 for 74 yards; Stu Voigt, 4 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Oscar Reed, 4 for -3 yards; Jim Lindsey, 1 for 25 yards; Ed White, 1 for -2 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Ike Thomas, 2 for 31 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 21 yards MIN: Clint Jones, 2 for 75 yards; Charlie West, 2 for 74 yards; Bobby Bryant, 1 for 22 yards; Bill Brown, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 2 for 37 yards MIN: Charlie West, 2 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 30 yards; Chuck Howley, 1 for 26 yards; Herb Adderley, 1 for 8 yards; Lee Roy Jordan, 1 for 5 yards
Punting:
DAL: Ron Widby, 7 for 259 yards MIN: Bob Lee, 4 for 174 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Mike Clark, 2/2 MIN: Fred Cox, 1/3
DAL: Roger Staubach, 10 of 14 for 99 yards and 1 TD MIN: Gary Cuozzo, 12 of 22 for 124 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Bob Lee, 7 of 16 for 86 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Duane Thomas, 21 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Calvin Hill, 14 for 28 yards; Roger Staubach, 2 for 2 yards; Walt Garrison, 2 for 2 yards MIN: Clint Jones, 15 for 52 yards; Dave Osborn, 6 for 13 yards; Bob Lee, 3 for 28 yards; Jim Lindsey, 1 for 6 yards; Bob Grim, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Bob Hayes, 3 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Lance Alworth, 2 for 33 yards; Mike Ditka, 2 for 18 yards; Calvin Hill, 2 for 14 yards; Duane Thomas, 1 for 3 yards MIN: Gene Washington, 5 for 70 yards; Bob Grim, 4 for 74 yards; Stu Voigt, 4 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Oscar Reed, 4 for -3 yards; Jim Lindsey, 1 for 25 yards; Ed White, 1 for -2 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Ike Thomas, 2 for 31 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 21 yards MIN: Clint Jones, 2 for 75 yards; Charlie West, 2 for 74 yards; Bobby Bryant, 1 for 22 yards; Bill Brown, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 2 for 37 yards MIN: Charlie West, 2 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 30 yards; Chuck Howley, 1 for 26 yards; Herb Adderley, 1 for 8 yards; Lee Roy Jordan, 1 for 5 yards
Punting:
DAL: Ron Widby, 7 for 259 yards MIN: Bob Lee, 4 for 174 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Mike Clark, 2/2 MIN: Fred Cox, 1/3