All NFL game summaries for 12/10/1972:

O. J. Simpson carried 27 times for 116 yards, bringing his total to 1,150 and breaking Cookie Gilchrist's 10-year-old club record of 1,096 in Buffalo's farewell appearance in War Memorial Stadium. J. D. Hill caught eight passes from Dennis Shaw for 129 yards. For Detroit, eliminated from playoff contention by the tie, Greg Landry threw three TD passes.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Lions by 12½

( 7- 0) DET Earl McCullouch 9 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick)
( 7- 7) BUF J.D. Hill 58 yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick)
( 7-14) BUF Bob Chandler 39 yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick)
(14-14) DET Nick Eddy 36 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick)
(14-21) BUF Jan White 2 yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick)
(21-21) DET Ron Jessie 37 yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick)

                     DET             BUF
First Downs:         14              23
Rushes-yards:        31-116          43-187
Yards/rush:          3.7             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-25-150-0      18-32-239-0
Sacked-yards:        2-6             1-8
Net pass yards:      144             231
Net yards/pass:      5.3             7.0
Total net yards:     260             418
Total plays:         58 (53% run)    76 (56% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             5.5
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             5-3
Turnovers:           0               3
Penalties-yards:     2-20            5-61

Attendance: 41,583

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The Broncos ended a three-game losing streak with their highest point total of the season. Floyd Little, playing only one half because of a knee injury, rushed nine times for 33 yards and scored a TD, bringing his season figure to 11. Rookie WR Jim Krieg's end-around for 63 yards led the Bronco rushing. For San Diego Bryant Salter made his seventh interception, tying him for the AFC lead.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Chargers by 3½

( 0- 7) DEN Floyd Little 2 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
( 3- 7) SD  Bill McClard 26 yard field goal
( 3-14) DEN Joe Dawkins 4 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
( 3-21) DEN Charlie Greer 65 yard punt return (Jim Turner kick)
( 6-21) SD  Bill McClard 48 yard field goal
( 6-24) DEN Jim Turner 12 yard field goal
( 6-31) DEN Haven Moses 11 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick)
( 6-38) DEN Haven Moses 7 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick)
(13-38) SD  Gary Garrison 23 yard pass from John Hadl (Bill McClard kick)

                     SD              DEN
First Downs:         20              15
Rushes-yards:        28-99           32-172
Yards/rush:          3.5             5.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     22-44-288-2     6-12-85-2
Sacked-yards:        6-52            0-0
Net pass yards:      236             85
Net yards/pass:      4.7             7.1
Total net yards:     335             257
Total plays:         78 (35% run)    44 (72% run)  
Yards/play:          4.3             5.8
Fumbles-lost:        5-3             4-1
Turnovers:           5               3
Penalties-yards:     7-88            3-25

Attendance: 51,478

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Pittsburgh moved into the playoffs for the first time via the talented toe of Roy Gerela whose three FGs provided all of Pittsburgh's points in moving to victory No. 10, a club record. QB Terry Bradshaw suffered a dislocated finger on his throwing hand in the second quarter and rookie Joe Gilliam directed the Steelers the rest of the way. Joe Greene had four sacks for the Steelers, blocked a FG attempt, recovered a fumble and had six unassisted tackles. Franco Harris' 100-yard-per-game streak ended at six when he carried 21 times for 61 yards.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Steelers by 14

( 3- 0) PIT Roy Gerela 24 yard field goal
( 3- 3) HOU Skip Butler 34 yard field goal
( 6- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 39 yard field goal
( 9- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 13 yard field goal

                     PIT             HOU
First Downs:         12              11
Rushes-yards:        38-130          30-72
Yards/rush:          3.4             2.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-19-80-0      13-24-116-0
Sacked-yards:        3-17            4-29
Net pass yards:      63              87
Net yards/pass:      2.9             3.1
Total net yards:     193             159
Total plays:         60 (63% run)    58 (51% run)  
Yards/play:          3.2             2.7
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             5-1
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     3-25            6-30

Attendance: 36,528

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Wendell Hayes rushed for 104 yards, the first time he topped 100 as a Chief, and safety Mike Sensibaugh made his seventh interception in Kansas City's victory which put the Chiefs over the .500 mark. Baltimore's loss ended a three-game winning streak.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Chiefs by 2

( 0- 3) KC  Jan Stenerud 31 yard field goal
( 3- 3) BAL Jim O'Brien 22 yard field goal
(10- 3) BAL Tom Mitchell 5 yard pass from Marty Domres (Jim O'Brien kick)
(10-10) KC  Wendell Hayes 13 yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick)
(10-17) KC  Otis Taylor 25 yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick)
(10-24) KC  Ed Podolak 5 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)

                     BAL             KC
First Downs:         14              21
Rushes-yards:        29-106          40-185
Yards/rush:          3.7             4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-24-148-2     15-21-137-0
Sacked-yards:        0-0             0-0
Net pass yards:      148             137
Net yards/pass:      6.2             6.5
Total net yards:     254             322
Total plays:         53 (54% run)    61 (65% run)  
Yards/play:          4.8             5.3
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             0-0
Turnovers:           3               0
Penalties-yards:     2-27            7-55

Attendance: 44,175

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Trailing 7-0 at halftime, the Packers took the second-half kickoff and marched for the first of three Chester Marcol field goals. The next four times Minnesota had the ball, Green Bay forced turnovers ? a fumble recovery by Fred Carr, two interceptions by Willie Buchanon and another pass steal by Ken Ellis ? and produced a pair of touchdowns and two more Marcol field goals. Green Bay scored on all five of its second half productions to clinch the NFC Central Division title and assure its first playoff berth since 1967's Super Bowl II champions. John Brockington rushed for 114 yards and thus became the first man in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Vikings by 4

( 0- 7) MIN Stu Voigt 1 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)
( 3- 7) GB  Chester Marcol 36 yard field goal
(10- 7) GB  Scott Hunter 1 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick)
(17- 7) GB  MacArthur Lane 3 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick)
(20- 7) GB  Chester Marcol 42 yard field goal
(23- 7) GB  Chester Marcol 10 yard field goal

                     GB              MIN
First Downs:         18              9
Rushes-yards:        45-214          21-54
Yards/rush:          4.8             2.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-14-74-1       11-21-118-3
Sacked-yards:        3-18            4-28
Net pass yards:      56              90
Net yards/pass:      3.3             3.6
Total net yards:     270             144
Total plays:         62 (72% run)    46 (45% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             3.1
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             4-1
Turnovers:           2               4
Penalties-yards:     4-74            4-30

Attendance: 49,784

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Jim Plunkett threw a pair of touchdown passes to Reggie Rucker in the closing minutes of the first half and the Patriots went on to snap a nine-game losing streak. New England's third victory of the season also marked its third win over an NFC opponent, since the Patriots earlier defeated Washington and Atlanta.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Saints by 10

( 0- 3) NO  Happy Feller 30 yard field goal
( 7- 3) NE  Reggie Rucker 31 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Mike Walker kick)
(14- 3) NE  Reggie Rucker 25 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Mike Walker kick)
(14-10) NO  Danny Abramowicz 26 yard pass from Archie Manning (Happy Feller kick)
(17-10) NE  Mike Walker 36 yard field goal

                     NE              NO
First Downs:         18              20
Rushes-yards:        36-109          20-94
Yards/rush:          3.0             4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-24-209-1     24-52-254-3
Sacked-yards:        3-29            2-11
Net pass yards:      180             243
Net yards/pass:      6.7             4.5
Total net yards:     289             337
Total plays:         63 (57% run)    74 (27% run)  
Yards/play:          4.6             4.6
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             2-1
Turnovers:           2               4
Penalties-yards:     5-62            3-40

Attendance: 64,889

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The Dolphins, moving toward the first all-winning season in the NFL since the 1942 Chicago Bears posted an 11-0 record, parlayed Paul Warfield's pass-catching, an opportunistic defense and three Garo Yepremian field goals into their 13th straight victory of the season. New York took a 6-0 lead, but four lost fumbles and two interceptions enabled Miami to overcome this deficit.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Dolphins by 4½

( 0- 6) NYG Ron Johnson 1 yard rush (kick failed)
( 7- 6) MIA Mercury Morris 12 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10- 6) MIA Garo Yepremian 37 yard field goal
(17- 6) MIA Paul Warfield 34 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Garo Yepremian kick)
(17-13) NYG Ron Johnson 1 yard rush (Pete Gogolak kick)
(20-13) MIA Garo Yepremian 31 yard field goal
(23-13) MIA Garo Yepremian 16 yard field goal

                     MIA             NYG
First Downs:         16              21
Rushes-yards:        41-204          35-121
Yards/rush:          5.0             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     9-17-171-1      15-26-231-2
Sacked-yards:        1-8             1-9
Net pass yards:      163             222
Net yards/pass:      9.1             8.2
Total net yards:     367             343
Total plays:         59 (69% run)    62 (56% run)  
Yards/play:          6.2             5.5
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             4-4
Turnovers:           1               6
Penalties-yards:     2-27            4-40

Attendance: 62,728

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Bears' quarterback Bobby Douglass ran 19 and 32 yards for touchdowns and his only completion for 44 yards in nine attempts set up Chicago's third TD. Douglass' 15 rushing attempts produced 75 yards and boosted his season ground total to 841 yards.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Bears by 5

( 7- 0) CHI Bobby Douglass 19 yard rush (Mac Percival kick)
( 7- 7) PHI Kent Kramer 16 yard pass from John Reaves (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 7-10) PHI Tom Dempsey 33 yard field goal
( 7-12) PHI Safety, Bobby Joe Green tackled in end zone by Al Coleman
(14-12) CHI Roger Lawson 1 yard rush (Mac Percival kick)
(21-12) CHI Bobby Douglass 32 yard rush (Dick Butkus pass from Bobby Douglass)

                     CHI             PHI
First Downs:         13              18
Rushes-yards:        47-214          25-83
Yards/rush:          4.6             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     1-9-44-1        16-40-189-3
Sacked-yards:        1-8             6-42
Net pass yards:      36              147
Net yards/pass:      3.6             3.2
Total net yards:     250             230
Total plays:         57 (82% run)    71 (35% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             3.2
Fumbles-lost:        6-3             2-1
Turnovers:           4               4
Penalties-yards:     7-81            6-67

Attendance: 65,720

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The Falcons, knowing that a victory would assure them of their first title and a place in the NFC Divisional Playoffs as Western champion, were stifled by the 49ers defense, which had an interception and three fumble recoveries. San Francisco's runners, meanwhile, rushed for 210 yards, including a pair of one-yard touchdown bursts by Ken Willard. The victory enabled the 49ers to regain first place in the West, a half-game ahead of Atlanta and one game up on Los Angeles.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: 49ers by 6

( 0- 3) SF  Bruce Gossett 41 yard field goal
( 0- 6) SF  Bruce Gossett 19 yard field goal
( 0-13) SF  Ken Willard 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
( 0-20) SF  Ken Willard 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)

                     ATL             SF
First Downs:         14              19
Rushes-yards:        22-149          47-210
Yards/rush:          6.8             4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-25-145-1     9-18-79-0
Sacked-yards:        4-29            2-13
Net pass yards:      116             66
Net yards/pass:      4.0             3.3
Total net yards:     265             276
Total plays:         51 (43% run)    67 (70% run)  
Yards/play:          5.2             4.1
Fumbles-lost:        5-3             1-0
Turnovers:           4               0
Penalties-yards:     1-20            5-54

Attendance: 61,214

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Quarterback Jim Hart returned to the Cardinals starting lineup and passed for 201 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Walker Gillette and a 98-yard non-scoring completion to Bobby Moore which set up another TD. The St. Louis defense stopped Los Angeles' drives at the 1, 2 and 3-yard lines. Despite its loss, Los Angeles remained in the three-way battle for the NFC West title.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Rams by 10½

( 0- 3) STL Jim Bakken 41 yard field goal
( 0-10) STL Donny Anderson 1 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
( 0-17) STL Norm Thompson 58 yard fumble return (Jim Bakken kick)
( 7-17) LA  Les Josephson 11 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (David Ray kick)
(14-17) LA  Jim Bertelsen 12 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (David Ray kick)
(14-24) STL Walker Gillette 30 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)

                     LA              STL
First Downs:         29              11
Rushes-yards:        40-151          23-77
Yards/rush:          3.8             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     24-39-260-1     7-18-201-0
Sacked-yards:        2-20            1-9
Net pass yards:      240             192
Net yards/pass:      5.9             10.1
Total net yards:     391             269
Total plays:         81 (49% run)    42 (54% run)  
Yards/play:          4.8             6.4
Fumbles-lost:        4-2             3-1
Turnovers:           3               1
Penalties-yards:     2-20            5-35

Attendance: 36,873

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