All NFL game summaries for 12/23/1972:
In one of the wildest, most exciting endings in playoff history, Pittsburgh beat Oakland 13-7 when a desperation pass from Terry Bradshaw bounced off defender Jack Tatum into the hands of Franco Harris who ran 42 yards for the winning score with five seconds to play. After a scoreless first half, the Steelers went out in front on two field goals by Roy Gerela. Ken Stabler, who replaced Daryle Lamonica as Oakland's quarterback in the fourth quarter, ran 30 yards for a touchdown with 1:13 to play for a 7-6 Oakland lead before Harris electrified the sellout crowd by grabbing the deflected pass and running for the decisive touchdown.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 169.7 (3) | 169.2 (7) | 338.9 (3) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 126.0 (10) | 160.9 (19) | 286.9 (13) | 37 | |
 | OFFENSE | 180.0 (2) | 122.2 (22) | 302.2 (13) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 122.5 (6) | 146.9 (10) | 269.4 (7) | 48 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders (10-4-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3-0) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 |
( 0- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 18 yard field goal
( 0- 6) PIT Roy Gerela 29 yard field goal
( 7- 6) OAK Ken Stabler 30 yard rush (George Blanda kick)
( 7-13) PIT Franco Harris 60 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
OAK PIT
First Downs: 13 13
Rushes-yards: 31-138 36-108
Yards/rush: 4.5 3.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-30-102-2 11-25-175-1
Sacked-yards: 4-24 3-31
Net pass yards: 78 144
Net yards/pass: 2.3 5.1
Total net yards: 216 252
Total plays: 65 (47% run) 64 (56% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 3.9
Fumbles-lost: 3-2 0-0
Turnovers: 4 1
Penalties-yards: 2-15 1-5
Attendance: 50,350
Passing:
OAK: Daryle Lamonica, 6 of 18 for 45 yards (2 int); Ken Stabler, 6 of 12 for 57 yards PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 11 of 25 for 175 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
OAK: Charlie Smith, 14 for 57 yards; Marv Hubbard, 14 for 44 yards; Clarence Davis, 2 for 7 yards; Ken Stabler, 1 for 30 yards and 1 TD PIT: Franco Harris, 18 for 64 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 16 for 25 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 2 for 19 yards
Receiving:
OAK: Raymond Chester, 3 for 40 yards; Fred Biletnikoff, 3 for 28 yards; Charlie Smith, 2 for 8 yards; Pete Banaszak, 1 for 12 yards; Mike Siani, 1 for 7 yards; Jim Otto, 1 for 5 yards; Marv Hubbard, 1 for 2 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 5 for 96 yards and 1 TD; Ron Shanklin, 3 for 55 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 1 for 11 yards; John McMakin, 1 for 9 yards; Al Young, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
OAK: Clarence Davis, 1 for 26 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
OAK: George Atkinson, 1 for 37 yards PIT: Glen Edwards, 3 for 39 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Nemiah Wilson, 1 for 7 yards PIT: Jack Ham, 1 for 0 yards; Andy Russell, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
OAK: Jerry DePoyster, 7 for 316 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 289 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 2/3
OAK: Daryle Lamonica, 6 of 18 for 45 yards (2 int); Ken Stabler, 6 of 12 for 57 yards PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 11 of 25 for 175 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
OAK: Charlie Smith, 14 for 57 yards; Marv Hubbard, 14 for 44 yards; Clarence Davis, 2 for 7 yards; Ken Stabler, 1 for 30 yards and 1 TD PIT: Franco Harris, 18 for 64 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 16 for 25 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 2 for 19 yards
Receiving:
OAK: Raymond Chester, 3 for 40 yards; Fred Biletnikoff, 3 for 28 yards; Charlie Smith, 2 for 8 yards; Pete Banaszak, 1 for 12 yards; Mike Siani, 1 for 7 yards; Jim Otto, 1 for 5 yards; Marv Hubbard, 1 for 2 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 5 for 96 yards and 1 TD; Ron Shanklin, 3 for 55 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 1 for 11 yards; John McMakin, 1 for 9 yards; Al Young, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
OAK: Clarence Davis, 1 for 26 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
OAK: George Atkinson, 1 for 37 yards PIT: Glen Edwards, 3 for 39 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Nemiah Wilson, 1 for 7 yards PIT: Jack Ham, 1 for 0 yards; Andy Russell, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
OAK: Jerry DePoyster, 7 for 316 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 289 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 2/3
Roger Staubach came off the bench and led Dallas in a 17-point fourth quarter rally for a 30-28 victory over San Francisco. The 49ers took advantage of five turnovers for a 28-13 edge going into the final period. Vic Washington had returned the opening kickoff 97 yards and Larry Schreiber scored three touchdowns on one-yard plunges to build the lead. The Cowboys had two field goals by Toni Fritsch and one touchdown pass by Craig Morton to Lance Alworth before they started their big comeback.
Staubach brought his team within range for Fritsch's third field goal and passed 20 yards for a TD to Billy Parks. Shortly after the onside kick bounced off Preston Riley and was recovered by Mel Renfro on the 50, Staubach passed 10 yards to Ron Sellers for the winning score with 52 seconds to play. A final San Francisco threat was blunted by Charlie Waters' interception.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 151.7 (8) | 167.3 (8) | 319.0 (6) | 37 |
| DEFENSE | 108.2 (1) | 160.0 (18) | 268.2 (6) | 33 | |
 | OFFENSE | 115.4 (21) | 195.4 (2) | 310.8 (9) | 37 |
| DEFENSE | 131.9 (13) | 155.6 (14) | 287.6 (14) | 36 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (11-4-0) | 3 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
| San Francisco 49ers (8-6-1) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
( 0- 7) SF Vic Washington 97 yard kickoff return (Bruce Gossett kick)
( 3- 7) DAL Toni Fritsch 37 yard field goal
( 3-14) SF Larry Schreiber 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
( 3-21) SF Larry Schreiber 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
( 6-21) DAL Toni Fritsch 45 yard field goal
(13-21) DAL Lance Alworth 28 yard pass from Craig Morton (Toni Fritsch kick)
(13-28) SF Larry Schreiber 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
(16-28) DAL Toni Fritsch 27 yard field goal
(23-28) DAL Billy Parks 20 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
(30-28) DAL Ron Sellers 10 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
DAL SF
First Downs: 22 13
Rushes-yards: 31-165 37-111
Yards/rush: 5.3 3.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 20-41-270-2 12-22-150-2
Sacked-yards: 5-33 0-0
Net pass yards: 237 150
Net yards/pass: 5.2 6.8
Total net yards: 402 261
Total plays: 77 (40% run) 59 (62% run)
Yards/play: 5.2 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 4-3 5-1
Turnovers: 5 3
Penalties-yards: 3-35 7-56
Attendance: 61,214
Passing:
DAL: Craig Morton, 8 of 21 for 96 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Roger Staubach, 12 of 20 for 174 yards and 2 TDs SF: John Brodie, 12 of 22 for 150 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Calvin Hill, 18 for 125 yards; Walt Garrison, 9 for 15 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 23 yards; Craig Morton, 1 for 2 yards SF: Larry Schreiber, 26 for 52 yards and 3 TDs; Vic Washington, 10 for 56 yards; Jimmy Thomas, 1 for -3 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Billy Parks, 7 for 136 yards and 1 TD; Walt Garrison, 3 for 24 yards; Lance Alworth, 2 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Ron Sellers, 2 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Mike Montgomery, 2 for 19 yards; Bob Hayes, 1 for 13 yards; Mike Ditka, 1 for 9 yards; Calvin Hill, 1 for 6 yards; Billy Truax, 1 for 2 yards SF: Preston Riley, 4 for 41 yards; Gene Washington, 3 for 76 yards; Larry Schreiber, 3 for 20 yards; Vic Washington, 1 for 8 yards; Ted Kwalick, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 3 for 83 yards SF: Vic Washington, 3 for 136 yards and 1 TD; Ed Beard, 1 for 5 yards; Ralph McGill, 1 for 5 yards; Preston Riley, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 1 for 2 yards SF: Bruce Taylor, 1 for -5 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 2 for 12 yards SF: Skip Vanderbundt, 2 for 4 yards
Punting:
DAL: Marv Bateman, 5 for 213 yards SF: Jim McCann, 6 for 224 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Toni Fritsch, 3/3 SF: Bruce Gossett, 0/2
DAL: Craig Morton, 8 of 21 for 96 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Roger Staubach, 12 of 20 for 174 yards and 2 TDs SF: John Brodie, 12 of 22 for 150 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Calvin Hill, 18 for 125 yards; Walt Garrison, 9 for 15 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 23 yards; Craig Morton, 1 for 2 yards SF: Larry Schreiber, 26 for 52 yards and 3 TDs; Vic Washington, 10 for 56 yards; Jimmy Thomas, 1 for -3 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Billy Parks, 7 for 136 yards and 1 TD; Walt Garrison, 3 for 24 yards; Lance Alworth, 2 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Ron Sellers, 2 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Mike Montgomery, 2 for 19 yards; Bob Hayes, 1 for 13 yards; Mike Ditka, 1 for 9 yards; Calvin Hill, 1 for 6 yards; Billy Truax, 1 for 2 yards SF: Preston Riley, 4 for 41 yards; Gene Washington, 3 for 76 yards; Larry Schreiber, 3 for 20 yards; Vic Washington, 1 for 8 yards; Ted Kwalick, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 3 for 83 yards SF: Vic Washington, 3 for 136 yards and 1 TD; Ed Beard, 1 for 5 yards; Ralph McGill, 1 for 5 yards; Preston Riley, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 1 for 2 yards SF: Bruce Taylor, 1 for -5 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 2 for 12 yards SF: Skip Vanderbundt, 2 for 4 yards
Punting:
DAL: Marv Bateman, 5 for 213 yards SF: Jim McCann, 6 for 224 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Toni Fritsch, 3/3 SF: Bruce Gossett, 0/2