NFL game summary for 10/15/1972:
Fran Tarkenton's 31-yard pass to Gene Washington with 17 seconds left gave the Vikings a victory after the Broncos had apparently clinched it 36 seconds previously. Floyd Little scored three TDs for Denver and carried for 100 yards, his 12th 100-or-more career effort.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 155.5 (8) | 144.5 (16) | 300.0 (14) | 8 |
| DEFENSE | 116.0 (8) | 117.0 (5) | 233.0 (3) | 8 | |
 | OFFENSE | 153.0 (10) | 169.5 (7) | 322.5 (7) | 13 |
| DEFENSE | 104.0 (3) | 150.2 (12) | 254.2 (6) | 6 |
Line: Vikings by 10½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings (2-3-0) | 3 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 23 |
| Denver Broncos (1-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
( 3- 0) MIN Fred Cox 40 yard field goal
( 6- 0) MIN Fred Cox 9 yard field goal
( 6- 7) DEN Floyd Little 36 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick)
( 9- 7) MIN Fred Cox 30 yard field goal
(16- 7) MIN Bill Brown 1 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)
(16-14) DEN Floyd Little 27 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(16-20) DEN Floyd Little 2 yard rush (run failed)
(23-20) MIN Gene Washington 31 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
MIN DEN
First Downs: 21 15
Rushes-yards: 31-128 33-161
Yards/rush: 4.1 4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-30-182-0 15-27-175-2
Sacked-yards: 1-5 0-0
Net pass yards: 177 175
Net yards/pass: 5.7 6.5
Total net yards: 305 336
Total plays: 62 (50% run) 60 (55% run)
Yards/play: 4.9 5.6
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 2-0
Turnovers: 1 2
Penalties-yards: 4-30 5-73
Attendance: 51,656
Passing:
MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 19 of 30 for 182 yards and 1 TD DEN: Charley Johnson, 12 of 22 for 164 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Steve Ramsey, 3 of 5 for 11 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
MIN: Oscar Reed, 12 for 53 yards; Dave Osborn, 10 for 42 yards; Bill Brown, 5 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Fran Tarkenton, 2 for 21 yards; Clint Jones, 2 for 7 yards DEN: Floyd Little, 18 for 100 yards and 2 TDs; Bobby Anderson, 14 for 58 yards; Steve Ramsey, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
MIN: Oscar Reed, 5 for 24 yards; Gene Washington, 4 for 56 yards and 1 TD; Dave Osborn, 4 for 24 yards; John Gilliam, 2 for 21 yards; John Beasley, 2 for 19 yards; Bill Brown, 1 for 22 yards; Ed Marinaro, 1 for 16 yards DEN: Rod Sherman, 5 for 93 yards; Bobby Anderson, 4 for 18 yards; Jerry Simmons, 3 for 13 yards; Floyd Little, 2 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Riley Odoms, 1 for 12 yards
Kick returns:
MIN: Clint Jones, 2 for 66 yards; Charlie West, 1 for 29 yards DEN: Joe Dawkins, 2 for 51 yards; Randy Montgomery, 2 for 38 yards; Floyd Little, 1 for 8 yards
Punt returns:
MIN: Bobby Bryant, 2 for 13 yards DEN: Mike Simone, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
MIN: Paul Krause, 2 for 52 yards
Punting:
MIN: Mike Eischeid, 4 for 196 yards DEN: Billy Van Heusen, 5 for 253 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Fred Cox, 3/4 DEN: Jim Turner, 0/2
MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 19 of 30 for 182 yards and 1 TD DEN: Charley Johnson, 12 of 22 for 164 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Steve Ramsey, 3 of 5 for 11 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
MIN: Oscar Reed, 12 for 53 yards; Dave Osborn, 10 for 42 yards; Bill Brown, 5 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Fran Tarkenton, 2 for 21 yards; Clint Jones, 2 for 7 yards DEN: Floyd Little, 18 for 100 yards and 2 TDs; Bobby Anderson, 14 for 58 yards; Steve Ramsey, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
MIN: Oscar Reed, 5 for 24 yards; Gene Washington, 4 for 56 yards and 1 TD; Dave Osborn, 4 for 24 yards; John Gilliam, 2 for 21 yards; John Beasley, 2 for 19 yards; Bill Brown, 1 for 22 yards; Ed Marinaro, 1 for 16 yards DEN: Rod Sherman, 5 for 93 yards; Bobby Anderson, 4 for 18 yards; Jerry Simmons, 3 for 13 yards; Floyd Little, 2 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Riley Odoms, 1 for 12 yards
Kick returns:
MIN: Clint Jones, 2 for 66 yards; Charlie West, 1 for 29 yards DEN: Joe Dawkins, 2 for 51 yards; Randy Montgomery, 2 for 38 yards; Floyd Little, 1 for 8 yards
Punt returns:
MIN: Bobby Bryant, 2 for 13 yards DEN: Mike Simone, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
MIN: Paul Krause, 2 for 52 yards
Punting:
MIN: Mike Eischeid, 4 for 196 yards DEN: Billy Van Heusen, 5 for 253 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Fred Cox, 3/4 DEN: Jim Turner, 0/2