NFL game summary for 10/08/1972:
After Bill Bell's third field goal had given Atlanta a 23-20 lead with 2:52 remaining, Detroit, aided by a pass interference penalty, marched to the Falcons' 3-yard line. With 34 seconds remaining, Steve Owens covered the final yards for the winning touchdown. Earlier, Greg Landry completed the longest pass of his career, an 82-yard TD to Ron Jessie.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 159.3 (6) | 146.3 (17) | 305.7 (12) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 165.0 (21) | 121.0 (6) | 286.0 (15) | 5 | |
 | OFFENSE | 217.3 (1) | 141.3 (18) | 358.7 (4) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 143.0 (16) | 130.0 (9) | 273.0 (11) | 9 |
Line: Falcons by 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions (3-1-0) | 3 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 26 |
| Atlanta Falcons (2-2-0) | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
( 3- 0) DET Errol Mann 39 yard field goal ( 3- 3) ATL Bill Bell 22 yard field goal ( 6- 3) DET Errol Mann 37 yard field goal (13- 3) DET Steve Owens 8 yard rush (Errol Mann kick) (13-10) ATL Art Malone 10 yard rush (Bill Bell kick) (20-10) DET Ron Jessie 82 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick) (20-17) ATL Art Malone 2 yard pass from Bob Berry (Bill Bell kick) (20-20) ATL Bill Bell 32 yard field goal (20-23) ATL Bill Bell 12 yard field goal (26-23) DET Steve Owens 3 yard rush (kick failed)
DET ATL
First Downs: 15 15
Rushes-yards: 37-180 38-199
Yards/rush: 4.9 5.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 5-17-142-3 10-17-105-1
Sacked-yards: 1-8 4-26
Net pass yards: 134 79
Net yards/pass: 7.4 3.8
Total net yards: 314 278
Total plays: 55 (67% run) 59 (64% run)
Yards/play: 5.7 4.7
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 4-0
Turnovers: 4 1
Penalties-yards: 4-40 9-88
Attendance: 58,850
Passing:
DET: Greg Landry, 5 of 17 for 142 yards and 1 TD (3 int) ATL: Bob Berry, 10 of 17 for 105 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DET: Steve Owens, 19 for 77 yards and 2 TDs; Altie Taylor, 13 for 80 yards; Greg Landry, 5 for 23 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 16 for 85 yards; Art Malone, 12 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Joe Profit, 4 for 19 yards; Bob Berry, 3 for 10 yards; Willie Belton, 2 for 7 yards; Jim Mitchell, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
DET: Ron Jessie, 3 for 102 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 2 for 40 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 3 for 26 yards; Art Malone, 3 for 26 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mitchell, 2 for 40 yards; Ken Burrow, 2 for 13 yards
Kick returns:
DET: Mickey Zofko, 2 for 34 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 21 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 3 for 63 yards; Willie Belton, 3 for 55 yards
Punt returns:
DET: Lem Barney, 3 for 24 yards ATL: Willie Belton, 3 for 42 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Paul Naumoff, 1 for 4 yards ATL: Clarence Ellis, 1 for 13 yards; Tommy Nobis, 1 for 8 yards; Tom Hayes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DET: Herman Weaver, 3 for 142 yards ATL: John James, 6 for 238 yards
Field Goals:
DET: Errol Mann, 2/2 ATL: Bill Bell, 3/4
DET: Greg Landry, 5 of 17 for 142 yards and 1 TD (3 int) ATL: Bob Berry, 10 of 17 for 105 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DET: Steve Owens, 19 for 77 yards and 2 TDs; Altie Taylor, 13 for 80 yards; Greg Landry, 5 for 23 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 16 for 85 yards; Art Malone, 12 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Joe Profit, 4 for 19 yards; Bob Berry, 3 for 10 yards; Willie Belton, 2 for 7 yards; Jim Mitchell, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
DET: Ron Jessie, 3 for 102 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 2 for 40 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 3 for 26 yards; Art Malone, 3 for 26 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mitchell, 2 for 40 yards; Ken Burrow, 2 for 13 yards
Kick returns:
DET: Mickey Zofko, 2 for 34 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 21 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 3 for 63 yards; Willie Belton, 3 for 55 yards
Punt returns:
DET: Lem Barney, 3 for 24 yards ATL: Willie Belton, 3 for 42 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Paul Naumoff, 1 for 4 yards ATL: Clarence Ellis, 1 for 13 yards; Tommy Nobis, 1 for 8 yards; Tom Hayes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DET: Herman Weaver, 3 for 142 yards ATL: John James, 6 for 238 yards
Field Goals:
DET: Errol Mann, 2/2 ATL: Bill Bell, 3/4