NFL game summary for 11/26/1972:
Making his first start of the season, quarterback Virgil Carter, who was traded to Cincinnati by Chicago three seasons ago, passed 26 yards to Essex Johnson for the Bengals' touchdown and directed drives that set up a pair of field goals by Horst Muhlmann.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 138.6 (12) | 166.6 (10) | 305.2 (10) | 20 |
| DEFENSE | 130.9 (11) | 120.5 (2) | 251.4 (2) | 16 | |
 | OFFENSE | 178.4 (3) | 93.2 (26) | 271.6 (19) | 25 |
| DEFENSE | 123.9 (6) | 148.3 (10) | 272.2 (9) | 22 |
Line: Bengals by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (6-5-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Chicago Bears (3-7-1) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
( 7- 0) CIN Essex Johnson 26 yard pass from Virgil Carter (Horst Muhlmann kick) (10- 0) CIN Horst Muhlmann 14 yard field goal (10- 3) CHI Mac Percival 9 yard field goal (13- 3) CIN Horst Muhlmann 39 yard field goal
CIN CHI
First Downs: 13 9
Rushes-yards: 44-158 24-110
Yards/rush: 3.6 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-20-120-2 8-25-115-2
Sacked-yards: 1-7 1-9
Net pass yards: 113 106
Net yards/pass: 5.4 4.1
Total net yards: 271 216
Total plays: 65 (67% run) 50 (48% run)
Yards/play: 4.2 4.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 1-0
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 7-69 5-28
Attendance: 55,701
Passing:
CIN: Virgil Carter, 12 of 20 for 120 yards and 1 TD (2 int) CHI: Bobby Douglass, 6 of 20 for 101 yards (2 int); John Huarte, 2 of 5 for 14 yards
Rushing:
CIN: Essex Johnson, 20 for 77 yards; Doug Dressler, 15 for 40 yards; Jess Phillips, 6 for 23 yards; Virgil Carter, 3 for 18 yards CHI: Don Shy, 17 for 56 yards; Bobby Douglass, 5 for 40 yards; Jim Harrison, 2 for 14 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Chip Myers, 4 for 44 yards; Doug Dressler, 4 for 17 yards; Bob Trumpy, 3 for 33 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 26 yards and 1 TD CHI: Roger Lawson, 3 for 71 yards; Earl Thomas, 2 for 34 yards; Jim Harrison, 2 for -1 yards; Jim Seymour, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 27 yards; Dave Lewis, 1 for 15 yards CHI: Ron Smith, 1 for 23 yards; Cecil Turner, 1 for 22 yards; Dick Butkus, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 4 yards; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 17 yards CHI: Ron Smith, 4 for 16 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 25 yards; Ken Riley, 1 for 0 yards CHI: Dick Butkus, 1 for 5 yards; Charlie Ford, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 6 for 306 yards CHI: Bobby Joe Green, 8 for 307 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/3 CHI: Mac Percival, 1/1
CIN: Virgil Carter, 12 of 20 for 120 yards and 1 TD (2 int) CHI: Bobby Douglass, 6 of 20 for 101 yards (2 int); John Huarte, 2 of 5 for 14 yards
Rushing:
CIN: Essex Johnson, 20 for 77 yards; Doug Dressler, 15 for 40 yards; Jess Phillips, 6 for 23 yards; Virgil Carter, 3 for 18 yards CHI: Don Shy, 17 for 56 yards; Bobby Douglass, 5 for 40 yards; Jim Harrison, 2 for 14 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Chip Myers, 4 for 44 yards; Doug Dressler, 4 for 17 yards; Bob Trumpy, 3 for 33 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 26 yards and 1 TD CHI: Roger Lawson, 3 for 71 yards; Earl Thomas, 2 for 34 yards; Jim Harrison, 2 for -1 yards; Jim Seymour, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 27 yards; Dave Lewis, 1 for 15 yards CHI: Ron Smith, 1 for 23 yards; Cecil Turner, 1 for 22 yards; Dick Butkus, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 4 yards; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 17 yards CHI: Ron Smith, 4 for 16 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 25 yards; Ken Riley, 1 for 0 yards CHI: Dick Butkus, 1 for 5 yards; Charlie Ford, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 6 for 306 yards CHI: Bobby Joe Green, 8 for 307 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/3 CHI: Mac Percival, 1/1