NFL game summary for 12/03/1972:
The Falcons intercepted five passes, including two by Ray Brown, and Dave Hampton and Art Malone again powered the attack with 88 and 62 rushing yards, respectively. Hampton scored twice. This victory, coupled with San Francisco's loss the following night, advanced Atlanta into first place in the NFC West.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 111.5 (21) | 115.3 (23) | 226.7 (25) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 195.2 (25) | 156.6 (14) | 351.8 (25) | 20 | |
 | OFFENSE | 154.3 (8) | 133.6 (20) | 287.9 (17) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 143.9 (18) | 134.2 (5) | 278.1 (10) | 26 |
Line: Falcons by 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers (1-11-0) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Atlanta Falcons (7-5-0) | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
( 0- 7) ATL Dave Hampton 3 yard rush (Bill Bell kick)
( 0-10) ATL Bill Bell 27 yard field goal
( 0-13) ATL Bill Bell 16 yard field goal
( 3-13) HOU Skip Butler 37 yard field goal
( 3-20) ATL Dave Hampton 4 yard rush (Bill Bell kick)
(10-20) HOU Dan Pastorini 9 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
HOU ATL
First Downs: 13 17
Rushes-yards: 30-88 42-161
Yards/rush: 2.9 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-30-189-5 13-24-183-1
Sacked-yards: 3-35 3-16
Net pass yards: 154 167
Net yards/pass: 4.7 6.2
Total net yards: 242 328
Total plays: 63 (47% run) 69 (60% run)
Yards/play: 3.8 4.8
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 3-2
Turnovers: 6 3
Penalties-yards: 4-36 9-85
Attendance: 58,850
Passing:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 12 of 21 for 182 yards (1 int); Kent Nix, 2 of 8 for 7 yards (3 int); Fred Willis, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int) ATL: Bob Berry, 13 of 24 for 183 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
HOU: Paul Robinson, 10 for 41 yards; Fred Willis, 10 for 8 yards; Willie Rodgers, 8 for 23 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Al Johnson, 1 for 7 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 25 for 88 yards and 2 TDs; Art Malone, 14 for 62 yards; Bob Berry, 2 for 9 yards; Joe Profit, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Ken Burrough, 4 for 106 yards; Paul Robinson, 4 for 50 yards; Dave Smith, 3 for 40 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for -7 yards ATL: Art Malone, 4 for 80 yards; Dave Hampton, 4 for 26 yards; Jim Mitchell, 2 for 35 yards; Wes Chesson, 2 for 27 yards; Ken Burrow, 1 for 15 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Lewis Jolley, 2 for 62 yards; Willie Rodgers, 2 for 29 yards ATL: Willie Belton, 1 for 24 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Ken Houston, 1 for -3 yards ATL: Ray Brown, 1 for 29 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Bob Atkins, 1 for 34 yards ATL: Ray Brown, 2 for 46 yards; Tommy Nobis, 1 for 37 yards; Don Hansen, 1 for 0 yards; Tom Hayes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 205 yards ATL: John James, 5 for 230 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Skip Butler, 1/1 ATL: Bill Bell, 2/3
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 12 of 21 for 182 yards (1 int); Kent Nix, 2 of 8 for 7 yards (3 int); Fred Willis, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int) ATL: Bob Berry, 13 of 24 for 183 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
HOU: Paul Robinson, 10 for 41 yards; Fred Willis, 10 for 8 yards; Willie Rodgers, 8 for 23 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Al Johnson, 1 for 7 yards ATL: Dave Hampton, 25 for 88 yards and 2 TDs; Art Malone, 14 for 62 yards; Bob Berry, 2 for 9 yards; Joe Profit, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Ken Burrough, 4 for 106 yards; Paul Robinson, 4 for 50 yards; Dave Smith, 3 for 40 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for -7 yards ATL: Art Malone, 4 for 80 yards; Dave Hampton, 4 for 26 yards; Jim Mitchell, 2 for 35 yards; Wes Chesson, 2 for 27 yards; Ken Burrow, 1 for 15 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Lewis Jolley, 2 for 62 yards; Willie Rodgers, 2 for 29 yards ATL: Willie Belton, 1 for 24 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Ken Houston, 1 for -3 yards ATL: Ray Brown, 1 for 29 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Bob Atkins, 1 for 34 yards ATL: Ray Brown, 2 for 46 yards; Tommy Nobis, 1 for 37 yards; Don Hansen, 1 for 0 yards; Tom Hayes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 205 yards ATL: John James, 5 for 230 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Skip Butler, 1/1 ATL: Bill Bell, 2/3