NFL game summary for 09/24/1972:
Third-year quarterback Mike Phipps, making his second start for Cleveland, threw a 22-yard touchdown toss to Frank Pitts and scored on a four-yard run as the Browns built a 27-3 lead and scored their first victory following an opening day loss and six straight preseason setbacks.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 62.0 (23) | 126.0 (18) | 188.0 (24) | 4 |
| DEFENSE | 145.0 (15) | 145.0 (13) | 290.0 (12) | 1 | |
 | OFFENSE | 70.0 (21) | 245.0 (3) | 315.0 (11) | 4 |
| DEFENSE | 154.0 (17) | 235.0 (22) | 389.0 (23) | 3 |
Line: Browns by 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (1-1-0) | 3 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-0) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
( 3- 0) CLE Don Cockroft 10 yard field goal
( 3- 3) PHI Tom Dempsey 18 yard field goal
( 6- 3) CLE Don Cockroft 44 yard field goal
(13- 3) CLE Bo Scott 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(20- 3) CLE Frank Pitts 22 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Don Cockroft kick)
(27- 3) CLE Mike Phipps 4 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(27-10) PHI Harold Jackson 20 yard pass from John Reaves (Tom Dempsey kick)
(27-17) PHI John Reaves 1 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
CLE PHI
First Downs: 15 20
Rushes-yards: 36-155 24-66
Yards/rush: 4.3 2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-20-152-1 22-39-294-2
Sacked-yards: 1-10 5-46
Net pass yards: 142 248
Net yards/pass: 6.8 5.6
Total net yards: 297 314
Total plays: 57 (63% run) 68 (35% run)
Yards/play: 5.2 4.6
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 3-1
Turnovers: 1 3
Penalties-yards: 2-20 7-69
Attendance: 65,720
Passing:
CLE: Mike Phipps, 9 of 20 for 152 yards and 1 TD (1 int) PHI: Pete Liske, 14 of 25 for 186 yards (2 int); John Reaves, 8 of 14 for 108 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 17 for 66 yards; Bo Scott, 10 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Mike Phipps, 5 for 12 yards and 1 TD; Ken Brown, 4 for 3 yards PHI: Tony Baker, 9 for 22 yards; John Reaves, 6 for 23 yards and 1 TD; Po James, 4 for 15 yards; Larry Watkins, 4 for 12 yards; Tom Sullivan, 1 for -6 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Frank Pitts, 3 for 58 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Kelly, 2 for 50 yards; Milt Morin, 2 for 42 yards; Fair Hooker, 1 for 7 yards; Bo Scott, 1 for -5 yards PHI: Harold Jackson, 7 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Tony Baker, 7 for 62 yards; Gary Ballman, 3 for 46 yards; Ben Hawkins, 3 for 45 yards; Tom Sullivan, 1 for 7 yards; Po James, 1 for 3 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Ken Brown, 2 for 45 yards; Reece Morrison, 1 for 16 yards PHI: Al Nelson, 2 for 70 yards; Pat Gibbs, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Thom Darden, 3 for 11 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 2 for 69 yards; Pat Gibbs, 1 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Bob Briggs, 1 for 16 yards; John Garlington, 1 for 10 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 1 for 21 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 4 for 192 yards PHI: Tom McNeill, 3 for 114 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 2/2 PHI: Tom Dempsey, 1/3
CLE: Mike Phipps, 9 of 20 for 152 yards and 1 TD (1 int) PHI: Pete Liske, 14 of 25 for 186 yards (2 int); John Reaves, 8 of 14 for 108 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 17 for 66 yards; Bo Scott, 10 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Mike Phipps, 5 for 12 yards and 1 TD; Ken Brown, 4 for 3 yards PHI: Tony Baker, 9 for 22 yards; John Reaves, 6 for 23 yards and 1 TD; Po James, 4 for 15 yards; Larry Watkins, 4 for 12 yards; Tom Sullivan, 1 for -6 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Frank Pitts, 3 for 58 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Kelly, 2 for 50 yards; Milt Morin, 2 for 42 yards; Fair Hooker, 1 for 7 yards; Bo Scott, 1 for -5 yards PHI: Harold Jackson, 7 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Tony Baker, 7 for 62 yards; Gary Ballman, 3 for 46 yards; Ben Hawkins, 3 for 45 yards; Tom Sullivan, 1 for 7 yards; Po James, 1 for 3 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Ken Brown, 2 for 45 yards; Reece Morrison, 1 for 16 yards PHI: Al Nelson, 2 for 70 yards; Pat Gibbs, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Thom Darden, 3 for 11 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 2 for 69 yards; Pat Gibbs, 1 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Bob Briggs, 1 for 16 yards; John Garlington, 1 for 10 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 1 for 21 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 4 for 192 yards PHI: Tom McNeill, 3 for 114 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 2/2 PHI: Tom Dempsey, 1/3