NFL game summary for 12/26/1971:
Don Nottingham, playing for the injured Norm Bulaich, scored two touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards, while Baltimore's strong defense dominated play in a 20-3 Colt victory over the Cleveland Browns that sent Baltimore into the AFC finals. Jim O'Brien added two field goals for the Colts and Don Cockroft, who had two kicks blocked by Bubba Smith, produced the Browns' only points. Rick Volk intercepted two of Bill Nelsen's passes and Charlie Stukes picked off a third. John Unitas went all the way, blending the strong running of Nottingham with passes to his favorite target, tight end Tom Mitchell.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 153.5 (5) | 137.3 (21) | 290.8 (12) | 36 |
| DEFENSE | 79.5 (1) | 124.2 (2) | 203.7 (1) | 41 | |
 | OFFENSE | 111.3 (20) | 164.2 (9) | 275.5 (18) | 45 |
| DEFENSE | 159.1 (23) | 140.5 (4) | 299.6 (17) | 40 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts (11-4-0) | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| Cleveland Browns (9-6-0) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
( 7- 0) BAL Don Nottingham 1 yard rush (Jim O'Brien kick)
(14- 0) BAL Don Nottingham 7 yard rush (Jim O'Brien kick)
(14- 3) CLE Don Cockroft 14 yard field goal
(17- 3) BAL Jim O'Brien 42 yard field goal
(20- 3) BAL Jim O'Brien 15 yard field goal
BAL CLE
First Downs: 16 11
Rushes-yards: 43-128 24-69
Yards/rush: 3.0 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-21-143-1 12-27-131-3
Sacked-yards: 0-0 5-35
Net pass yards: 143 96
Net yards/pass: 6.8 3.0
Total net yards: 271 165
Total plays: 64 (67% run) 56 (42% run)
Yards/play: 4.2 2.9
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 6-2
Turnovers: 3 5
Penalties-yards: 5-43 3-16
Attendance: 70,734
Passing:
BAL: Johnny Unitas, 13 of 21 for 143 yards (1 int) CLE: Bill Nelsen, 9 of 21 for 104 yards (3 int); Mike Phipps, 3 of 6 for 27 yards
Rushing:
BAL: Don Nottingham, 23 for 92 yards and 2 TDs; Tom Matte, 16 for 26 yards; Don McCauley, 3 for 9 yards; Tom Nowatzke, 1 for 1 yard CLE: Leroy Kelly, 14 for 49 yards; Bo Scott, 8 for 25 yards; Bill Nelsen, 2 for -5 yards
Receiving:
BAL: Tom Mitchell, 5 for 73 yards; Tom Matte, 3 for 22 yards; Eddie Hinton, 2 for 30 yards; Ray Perkins, 1 for 10 yards; Don Nottingham, 1 for 5 yards; Sam Havrilak, 1 for 3 yards CLE: Bo Scott, 5 for 41 yards; Leroy Kelly, 4 for 24 yards; Fair Hooker, 1 for 39 yards; Milt Morin, 1 for 16 yards; Chip Glass, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
BAL: Charlie Pittman, 1 for 25 yards CLE: Stan Brown, 2 for 34 yards; Bo Scott, 1 for 30 yards; Reece Morrison, 1 for 19 yards; Doug Dieken, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
BAL: Rick Volk, 4 for 27 yards CLE: Leroy Kelly, 3 for 71 yards; Dave Jones, 1 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
BAL: Rick Volk, 2 for 56 yards; Charlie Stukes, 1 for 23 yards CLE: Ron Snidow, 1 for 1 yard
Punting:
BAL: David Lee, 6 for 223 yards CLE: Don Cockroft, 5 for 204 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Jim O'Brien, 2/2 CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/3
BAL: Johnny Unitas, 13 of 21 for 143 yards (1 int) CLE: Bill Nelsen, 9 of 21 for 104 yards (3 int); Mike Phipps, 3 of 6 for 27 yards
Rushing:
BAL: Don Nottingham, 23 for 92 yards and 2 TDs; Tom Matte, 16 for 26 yards; Don McCauley, 3 for 9 yards; Tom Nowatzke, 1 for 1 yard CLE: Leroy Kelly, 14 for 49 yards; Bo Scott, 8 for 25 yards; Bill Nelsen, 2 for -5 yards
Receiving:
BAL: Tom Mitchell, 5 for 73 yards; Tom Matte, 3 for 22 yards; Eddie Hinton, 2 for 30 yards; Ray Perkins, 1 for 10 yards; Don Nottingham, 1 for 5 yards; Sam Havrilak, 1 for 3 yards CLE: Bo Scott, 5 for 41 yards; Leroy Kelly, 4 for 24 yards; Fair Hooker, 1 for 39 yards; Milt Morin, 1 for 16 yards; Chip Glass, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
BAL: Charlie Pittman, 1 for 25 yards CLE: Stan Brown, 2 for 34 yards; Bo Scott, 1 for 30 yards; Reece Morrison, 1 for 19 yards; Doug Dieken, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
BAL: Rick Volk, 4 for 27 yards CLE: Leroy Kelly, 3 for 71 yards; Dave Jones, 1 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
BAL: Rick Volk, 2 for 56 yards; Charlie Stukes, 1 for 23 yards CLE: Ron Snidow, 1 for 1 yard
Punting:
BAL: David Lee, 6 for 223 yards CLE: Don Cockroft, 5 for 204 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Jim O'Brien, 2/2 CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/3