NFL game summary for 10/02/1972:
New York's Ron Johnson became the first player in the Giants' 47-year history to score four touchdowns in one game, running over from the 5 and catching TD passes of 16, 9 and 15 yards from Norm Snead. In rushing 36 times for 124 yards and catching five passes for 60 more, Johnson set an NFL record for most offensive plays, 41, in a game. Philadelphia rookie quarterback John Reaves started his first game and completed 14 of 26 for 241 yards and one TD. Harold Jackson caught nine passes for 138 yards, marking his third straight game over 100 yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 98.0 (20) | 202.0 (5) | 300.0 (14) | 4 |
| DEFENSE | 165.5 (22) | 179.0 (15) | 344.5 (22) | 0 | |
 | OFFENSE | 68.0 (24) | 246.5 (3) | 314.5 (9) | 7 |
| DEFENSE | 154.5 (18) | 188.5 (20) | 343.0 (21) | 4 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants (1-2-0) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (0-3-0) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
( 7- 0) NYG Ron Johnson 16 yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick)
( 7- 3) PHI Tom Dempsey 27 yard field goal
(14- 3) NYG Ron Johnson 5 yard rush (Pete Gogolak kick)
(14- 6) PHI Tom Dempsey 15 yard field goal
(21- 6) NYG Ron Johnson 9 yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick)
(21-12) PHI Po James 5 yard pass from John Reaves (kick failed)
(27-12) NYG Ron Johnson 15 yard pass from Norm Snead (kick failed)
NYG PHI
First Downs: 21 21
Rushes-yards: 46-157 29-182
Yards/rush: 3.4 6.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-19-164-2 14-26-241-2
Sacked-yards: 0-0 5-29
Net pass yards: 164 212
Net yards/pass: 8.6 6.8
Total net yards: 321 394
Total plays: 65 (70% run) 60 (48% run)
Yards/play: 4.9 6.6
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 3-2
Turnovers: 2 4
Penalties-yards: 5-75 5-61
Attendance: 65,720
Passing:
NYG: Norm Snead, 12 of 19 for 164 yards and 3 TDs (2 int) PHI: John Reaves, 14 of 26 for 241 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
NYG: Ron Johnson, 36 for 124 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Evans, 10 for 33 yards PHI: Po James, 15 for 85 yards; Tony Baker, 7 for 25 yards; John Reaves, 3 for 27 yards; Larry Watkins, 3 for 11 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 34 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Ron Johnson, 5 for 60 yards and 3 TDs; Rich Houston, 2 for 47 yards; Bob Tucker, 2 for 31 yards; Don Herrmann, 2 for 18 yards; Charlie Evans, 1 for 8 yards PHI: Harold Jackson, 9 for 138 yards; Gary Ballman, 2 for 83 yards; Ben Hawkins, 1 for 14 yards; Po James, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Tony Baker, 1 for 1 yard
Kick returns:
NYG: Rocky Thompson, 3 for 79 yards PHI: Tom Sullivan, 2 for 59 yards; Al Nelson, 2 for 48 yards
Punt returns:
PHI: Bill Bradley, 2 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
NYG: Spider Lockhart, 1 for 15 yards; Jim Files, 1 for 9 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 1 for 14 yards; Ron Porter, 1 for 3 yards
Punting:
NYG: Tom Blanchard, 3 for 141 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 2 for 84 yards
Field Goals:
PHI: Tom Dempsey, 2/3
NYG: Norm Snead, 12 of 19 for 164 yards and 3 TDs (2 int) PHI: John Reaves, 14 of 26 for 241 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
NYG: Ron Johnson, 36 for 124 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Evans, 10 for 33 yards PHI: Po James, 15 for 85 yards; Tony Baker, 7 for 25 yards; John Reaves, 3 for 27 yards; Larry Watkins, 3 for 11 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 34 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Ron Johnson, 5 for 60 yards and 3 TDs; Rich Houston, 2 for 47 yards; Bob Tucker, 2 for 31 yards; Don Herrmann, 2 for 18 yards; Charlie Evans, 1 for 8 yards PHI: Harold Jackson, 9 for 138 yards; Gary Ballman, 2 for 83 yards; Ben Hawkins, 1 for 14 yards; Po James, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Tony Baker, 1 for 1 yard
Kick returns:
NYG: Rocky Thompson, 3 for 79 yards PHI: Tom Sullivan, 2 for 59 yards; Al Nelson, 2 for 48 yards
Punt returns:
PHI: Bill Bradley, 2 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
NYG: Spider Lockhart, 1 for 15 yards; Jim Files, 1 for 9 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 1 for 14 yards; Ron Porter, 1 for 3 yards
Punting:
NYG: Tom Blanchard, 3 for 141 yards PHI: Bill Bradley, 2 for 84 yards
Field Goals:
PHI: Tom Dempsey, 2/3