All NFL game summaries for 11/23/1972:
Trailing 7-0, with Dallas again threatening at its 7 yard line, San Francisco evened the score when linebacker Dave Wilcox's tackle jarred the ball loose from Craig Morton and 49er Skip Vanderbundt picked up the fumble and dashed 73 yards for a touchdown. On Dallas' next series, 49ers' cornerback Bruce Taylor intercepted a Morton pass to set up San Francisco's go-ahead touchdown. Vanderbundt also scored S. F.'s final TD, returning an interception 21 yards in the fourth period. The victory lifted the 49ers into first place in the NFC Western Division.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 107.1 (23) | 203.7 (1) | 310.8 (8) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 127.6 (10) | 159.1 (15) | 286.7 (14) | 26 | |
 | OFFENSE | 151.5 (7) | 185.5 (3) | 337.0 (3) | 23 |
| DEFENSE | 102.3 (1) | 165.0 (19) | 267.3 (4) | 22 |
Line: Cowboys by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers (6-4-1) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Dallas Cowboys (8-3-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
( 0- 7) DAL Walt Garrison 7 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick) ( 7- 7) SF Skip Vanderbundt 73 yard fumble return (Bruce Gossett kick) (14- 7) SF Ken Willard 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick) (14-10) DAL Toni Fritsch 23 yard field goal (21-10) SF Ted Kwalick 12 yard pass from Steve Spurrier (Bruce Gossett kick) (24-10) SF Bruce Gossett 18 yard field goal (31-10) SF Skip Vanderbundt 21 yard interception return (Bruce Gossett kick)
SF DAL
First Downs: 17 19
Rushes-yards: 34-123 26-107
Yards/rush: 3.6 4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 16-24-177-0 19-39-267-2
Sacked-yards: 2-20 9-66
Net pass yards: 157 201
Net yards/pass: 6.0 4.2
Total net yards: 280 308
Total plays: 60 (56% run) 74 (35% run)
Yards/play: 4.7 4.2
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 3-2
Turnovers: 1 4
Penalties-yards: 2-14 3-30
Attendance: 65,124
Passing:
SF: Steve Spurrier, 16 of 24 for 177 yards and 1 TD DAL: Craig Morton, 18 of 34 for 255 yards (2 int); Roger Staubach, 1 of 5 for 12 yards
Rushing:
SF: Vic Washington, 16 for 77 yards; Larry Schreiber, 9 for 26 yards; Ken Willard, 5 for 0 yards and 1 TD; Joe Reed, 3 for 22 yards; Jimmy Thomas, 1 for -2 yards DAL: Walt Garrison, 12 for 57 yards and 1 TD; Calvin Hill, 12 for 29 yards; Roger Staubach, 2 for 21 yards
Receiving:
SF: Vic Washington, 6 for 31 yards; Ted Kwalick, 4 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Gene Washington, 2 for 49 yards; Jimmy Thomas, 2 for 17 yards; Ken Willard, 1 for 11 yards; Larry Schreiber, 1 for 1 yard DAL: Walt Garrison, 6 for 64 yards; Ron Sellers, 4 for 84 yards; Billy Parks, 4 for 70 yards; Mike Ditka, 3 for 24 yards; Jean Fugett, 1 for 13 yards; Lance Alworth, 1 for 12 yards
Kick returns:
SF: Ralph McGill, 1 for 22 yards; Vic Washington, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Robert Newhouse, 3 for 73 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 2 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Skip Vanderbundt, 1 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Bruce Taylor, 1 for 2 yards
Punting:
SF: Jim McCann, 7 for 283 yards DAL: Marv Bateman, 6 for 241 yards
Field Goals:
SF: Bruce Gossett, 1/1 DAL: Toni Fritsch, 1/1
SF: Steve Spurrier, 16 of 24 for 177 yards and 1 TD DAL: Craig Morton, 18 of 34 for 255 yards (2 int); Roger Staubach, 1 of 5 for 12 yards
Rushing:
SF: Vic Washington, 16 for 77 yards; Larry Schreiber, 9 for 26 yards; Ken Willard, 5 for 0 yards and 1 TD; Joe Reed, 3 for 22 yards; Jimmy Thomas, 1 for -2 yards DAL: Walt Garrison, 12 for 57 yards and 1 TD; Calvin Hill, 12 for 29 yards; Roger Staubach, 2 for 21 yards
Receiving:
SF: Vic Washington, 6 for 31 yards; Ted Kwalick, 4 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Gene Washington, 2 for 49 yards; Jimmy Thomas, 2 for 17 yards; Ken Willard, 1 for 11 yards; Larry Schreiber, 1 for 1 yard DAL: Walt Garrison, 6 for 64 yards; Ron Sellers, 4 for 84 yards; Billy Parks, 4 for 70 yards; Mike Ditka, 3 for 24 yards; Jean Fugett, 1 for 13 yards; Lance Alworth, 1 for 12 yards
Kick returns:
SF: Ralph McGill, 1 for 22 yards; Vic Washington, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Robert Newhouse, 3 for 73 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 2 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Skip Vanderbundt, 1 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Bruce Taylor, 1 for 2 yards
Punting:
SF: Jim McCann, 7 for 283 yards DAL: Marv Bateman, 6 for 241 yards
Field Goals:
SF: Bruce Gossett, 1/1 DAL: Toni Fritsch, 1/1
Errol Mann's third field goal, a 37-yard success, broke a 20-20 tie early in the final period and the Lions went on to score two more touchdowns in winning their ninth straight game against AFC teams. Detroit's Altie Taylor rushed for 123 yards and New York's Cliff McClain 121 and John Riggins 105, marking the second time in NFL history that three players rushed for more than 100 yards in a single game.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 149.9 (10) | 196.4 (2) | 346.3 (1) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 131.1 (12) | 197.2 (26) | 328.3 (22) | 24 | |
 | OFFENSE | 146.1 (11) | 149.0 (16) | 295.1 (16) | 18 |
| DEFENSE | 143.6 (17) | 131.8 (4) | 275.4 (11) | 20 |
Line: Lions by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets (6-5-0) | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Detroit Lions (7-4-0) | 3 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 37 |
( 0- 3) DET Errol Mann 15 yard field goal ( 7- 3) NYJ John Riggins 1 yard rush (Bobby Howfield kick) ( 7-10) DET Larry Walton 34 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick) ( 7-17) DET Greg Landry 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick) (10-17) NYJ Bobby Howfield 13 yard field goal (10-20) DET Errol Mann 21 yard field goal (13-20) NYJ Bobby Howfield 20 yard field goal (20-20) NYJ Rich Caster 33 yard pass from Joe Namath (Bobby Howfield kick) (20-23) DET Errol Mann 37 yard field goal (20-30) DET Greg Landry 6 yard rush (Errol Mann kick) (20-37) DET Altie Taylor 38 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
NYJ DET
First Downs: 19 19
Rushes-yards: 36-229 41-260
Yards/rush: 6.4 6.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-23-165-1 6-18-125-0
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 165 125
Net yards/pass: 7.2 6.9
Total net yards: 394 385
Total plays: 59 (61% run) 59 (69% run)
Yards/play: 6.7 6.5
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 0-0
Turnovers: 1 0
Penalties-yards: 6-56 3-34
Attendance: 54,418
Passing:
NYJ: Joe Namath, 9 of 22 for 165 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Cliff McClain, 0 of 1 for 0 yards DET: Greg Landry, 6 of 18 for 125 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
NYJ: John Riggins, 24 for 105 yards and 1 TD; Cliff McClain, 10 for 121 yards; Hank Bjorklund, 1 for 2 yards; Joe Namath, 1 for 1 yard DET: Altie Taylor, 15 for 123 yards and 1 TD; Mel Farr, 9 for 67 yards; Greg Landry, 9 for 41 yards and 2 TDs; Steve Owens, 8 for 29 yards
Receiving:
NYJ: Eddie Bell, 3 for 19 yards; Rich Caster, 2 for 52 yards and 1 TD; Don Maynard, 2 for 38 yards; Cliff McClain, 1 for 44 yards; John Riggins, 1 for 12 yards DET: Larry Walton, 3 for 72 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Sanders, 2 for 52 yards; Steve Owens, 1 for 1 yard
Kick returns:
NYJ: Phil Wise, 4 for 84 yards; Hank Bjorklund, 3 for 55 yards; Roy Kirksey, 1 for 16 yards DET: Mickey Zofko, 2 for 60 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
NYJ: Rocky Turner, 3 for 30 yards; W.K. Hicks, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Charlie Weaver, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NYJ: Steve O'Neal, 3 for 106 yards DET: Herman Weaver, 4 for 164 yards
Field Goals:
NYJ: Bobby Howfield, 2/5 DET: Errol Mann, 3/3
NYJ: Joe Namath, 9 of 22 for 165 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Cliff McClain, 0 of 1 for 0 yards DET: Greg Landry, 6 of 18 for 125 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
NYJ: John Riggins, 24 for 105 yards and 1 TD; Cliff McClain, 10 for 121 yards; Hank Bjorklund, 1 for 2 yards; Joe Namath, 1 for 1 yard DET: Altie Taylor, 15 for 123 yards and 1 TD; Mel Farr, 9 for 67 yards; Greg Landry, 9 for 41 yards and 2 TDs; Steve Owens, 8 for 29 yards
Receiving:
NYJ: Eddie Bell, 3 for 19 yards; Rich Caster, 2 for 52 yards and 1 TD; Don Maynard, 2 for 38 yards; Cliff McClain, 1 for 44 yards; John Riggins, 1 for 12 yards DET: Larry Walton, 3 for 72 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Sanders, 2 for 52 yards; Steve Owens, 1 for 1 yard
Kick returns:
NYJ: Phil Wise, 4 for 84 yards; Hank Bjorklund, 3 for 55 yards; Roy Kirksey, 1 for 16 yards DET: Mickey Zofko, 2 for 60 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
NYJ: Rocky Turner, 3 for 30 yards; W.K. Hicks, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Charlie Weaver, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NYJ: Steve O'Neal, 3 for 106 yards DET: Herman Weaver, 4 for 164 yards
Field Goals:
NYJ: Bobby Howfield, 2/5 DET: Errol Mann, 3/3