NFL game summary for 10/22/1972:
Mike Phipps directed the Browns to victory over Houston after Dan Pastorini had scored twice on long TD passes to Charlie Joiner (51 yards) and Ken Burrough (80 yards). Phipps tallied on a one-yard plunge in the final four minutes climaxing an 80-yard drive on a dozen plays in which his 43-yard pass to Fair Hooker played a key role.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 92.0 (23) | 137.2 (17) | 229.2 (23) | 14 |
| DEFENSE | 163.2 (22) | 142.4 (12) | 305.6 (17) | 10 | |
 | OFFENSE | 93.0 (22) | 101.4 (25) | 194.4 (25) | 12 |
| DEFENSE | 204.6 (25) | 177.0 (21) | 381.6 (26) | 16 |
Line: Browns by 2½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (3-3-0) | 0 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| Houston Oilers (1-5-0) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
( 0- 7) HOU Charlie Joiner 51 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
( 3- 7) CLE Don Cockroft 33 yard field goal
( 6- 7) CLE Don Cockroft 33 yard field goal
(13- 7) CLE Frank Pitts 27 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Don Cockroft kick)
(13-14) HOU Ken Burrough 80 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
(16-14) CLE Don Cockroft 26 yard field goal
(16-17) HOU Skip Butler 46 yard field goal
(23-17) CLE Mike Phipps 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
CLE HOU
First Downs: 13 17
Rushes-yards: 39-135 36-143
Yards/rush: 3.5 4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-19-127-0 17-27-239-0
Sacked-yards: 2-8 3-18
Net pass yards: 119 221
Net yards/pass: 5.7 7.4
Total net yards: 254 364
Total plays: 60 (65% run) 66 (54% run)
Yards/play: 4.2 5.5
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 5-2
Turnovers: 0 2
Penalties-yards: 7-45 9-95
Attendance: 38,113
Passing:
CLE: Mike Phipps, 9 of 19 for 127 yards and 1 TD HOU: Dan Pastorini, 17 of 27 for 239 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 22 for 69 yards; Bo Scott, 11 for 37 yards; Mike Phipps, 5 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Ken Brown, 1 for 1 yard HOU: Robert Holmes, 13 for 23 yards; Hoyle Granger, 8 for 37 yards; Willie Rodgers, 8 for 31 yards; Dan Pastorini, 4 for 33 yards; Ward Walsh, 2 for 16 yards; Charlie Joiner, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Fair Hooker, 3 for 56 yards; Frank Pitts, 2 for 33 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Kelly, 2 for 1 yard; Bo Scott, 1 for 21 yards; Milt Morin, 1 for 16 yards HOU: Charlie Joiner, 4 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Alvin Reed, 4 for 35 yards; Hoyle Granger, 4 for 18 yards; Robert Holmes, 2 for 22 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Willie Rodgers, 1 for 9 yards; Ward Walsh, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Bobby Majors, 2 for 58 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Zeke Moore, 1 for 22 yards; Willie Rodgers, 1 for 21 yards; Benny Johnson, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Thom Darden, 2 for 7 yards; Bobby Majors, 1 for 16 yards HOU: Zeke Moore, 4 for 19 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 6 for 273 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 6 for 243 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 3/4 HOU: Skip Butler, 1/1
CLE: Mike Phipps, 9 of 19 for 127 yards and 1 TD HOU: Dan Pastorini, 17 of 27 for 239 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 22 for 69 yards; Bo Scott, 11 for 37 yards; Mike Phipps, 5 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Ken Brown, 1 for 1 yard HOU: Robert Holmes, 13 for 23 yards; Hoyle Granger, 8 for 37 yards; Willie Rodgers, 8 for 31 yards; Dan Pastorini, 4 for 33 yards; Ward Walsh, 2 for 16 yards; Charlie Joiner, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Fair Hooker, 3 for 56 yards; Frank Pitts, 2 for 33 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Kelly, 2 for 1 yard; Bo Scott, 1 for 21 yards; Milt Morin, 1 for 16 yards HOU: Charlie Joiner, 4 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Alvin Reed, 4 for 35 yards; Hoyle Granger, 4 for 18 yards; Robert Holmes, 2 for 22 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Willie Rodgers, 1 for 9 yards; Ward Walsh, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Bobby Majors, 2 for 58 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Zeke Moore, 1 for 22 yards; Willie Rodgers, 1 for 21 yards; Benny Johnson, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Thom Darden, 2 for 7 yards; Bobby Majors, 1 for 16 yards HOU: Zeke Moore, 4 for 19 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 6 for 273 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 6 for 243 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 3/4 HOU: Skip Butler, 1/1