NFL game summary for 12/10/1972:
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):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 189.6 (2) | 126.4 (22) | 316.0 (7) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 132.2 (12) | 154.4 (12) | 286.7 (13) | 40 | |
 | OFFENSE | 109.5 (21) | 118.5 (23) | 228.0 (25) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 192.3 (25) | 157.5 (15) | 349.8 (25) | 23 |
Line: Steelers by 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3-0) | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Houston Oilers (1-12-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
( 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
Passing:
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 4 of 11 for 37 yards; Joe Gilliam, 6 of 8 for 43 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 19 for 83 yards; Kent Nix, 3 of 5 for 33 yards
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 21 for 61 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 12 for 50 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 19 yards; Joe Gilliam, 2 for 0 yards HOU: Willie Rodgers, 8 for 24 yards; Paul Robinson, 8 for 20 yards; Fred Willis, 8 for 6 yards; Dan Pastorini, 5 for 27 yards; Al Johnson, 1 for -5 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Frank Lewis, 4 for 22 yards; Franco Harris, 3 for 33 yards; John McMakin, 2 for 22 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 1 for 3 yards HOU: Fred Willis, 4 for 21 yards; Alvin Reed, 3 for 27 yards; Dave Smith, 2 for 23 yards; Rhett Dawson, 1 for 15 yards; Willie Rodgers, 1 for 12 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 9 yards; Al Johnson, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Preston Pearson, 2 for 38 yards HOU: Lewis Jolley, 1 for 23 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 5 yards HOU: Ken Houston, 3 for 12 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 279 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 222 yards; Skip Butler, 1 for 24 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 3/3 HOU: Skip Butler, 1/3
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 4 of 11 for 37 yards; Joe Gilliam, 6 of 8 for 43 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 19 for 83 yards; Kent Nix, 3 of 5 for 33 yards
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 21 for 61 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 12 for 50 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 19 yards; Joe Gilliam, 2 for 0 yards HOU: Willie Rodgers, 8 for 24 yards; Paul Robinson, 8 for 20 yards; Fred Willis, 8 for 6 yards; Dan Pastorini, 5 for 27 yards; Al Johnson, 1 for -5 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Frank Lewis, 4 for 22 yards; Franco Harris, 3 for 33 yards; John McMakin, 2 for 22 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 1 for 3 yards HOU: Fred Willis, 4 for 21 yards; Alvin Reed, 3 for 27 yards; Dave Smith, 2 for 23 yards; Rhett Dawson, 1 for 15 yards; Willie Rodgers, 1 for 12 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 9 yards; Al Johnson, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Preston Pearson, 2 for 38 yards HOU: Lewis Jolley, 1 for 23 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 5 yards HOU: Ken Houston, 3 for 12 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 279 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 222 yards; Skip Butler, 1 for 24 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 3/3 HOU: Skip Butler, 1/3