All NFL game summaries for 12/31/1972:
Miami gained its second straight AFC crown in a second-half victory over the Steelers, extending its winning streak to 16 games. The Dolphins evened a 7-0 deficit with a nine-yard TD pass from Earl Morrall to Larry Csonka, set up by a 37-yard run from punt formation by Larry Seiple. Jim Kiick tallied twice on short runs. Pittsburgh QB Terry Bradshaw was injured in the first half on a running play in which he fumbled into the end zone where Gerry Mullins fell on the ball for the opening score.
Bradshaw came back in the fourth quarter and directed the Steelers to their other TD on four successive passes, climaxed by a sensational catch by Al Young. Roy Gerela kicked a 14-yard FG but had another blocked. Miami intercepted twice in the fourth quarter. Nick Buoniconti had one and Mike Kolen's ended the Steelers' hope in the final minute. Morrall directed the Miami attack in the first half, Bob Griese in the second.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 211.4 (1) | 148.3 (17) | 359.7 (1) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 110.6 (3) | 124.9 (4) | 235.5 (1) | 47 | |
 | OFFENSE | 180.0 (2) | 122.2 (22) | 302.2 (13) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 122.5 (6) | 146.9 (10) | 269.4 (7) | 48 |
Line: Dolphins by 2½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins (16-0-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4-0) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
( 0- 7) PIT Gerry Mullins 0 yard fumble return (Roy Gerela kick)
( 7- 7) MIA Larry Csonka 9 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 7-10) PIT Roy Gerela 14 yard field goal
(14-10) MIA Jim Kiick 2 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(21-10) MIA Jim Kiick 3 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(21-17) PIT Al Young 12 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
MIA PIT
First Downs: 19 13
Rushes-yards: 49-193 26-128
Yards/rush: 3.9 4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-16-121-1 10-20-137-2
Sacked-yards: 0-0 2-15
Net pass yards: 121 122
Net yards/pass: 7.6 5.5
Total net yards: 314 250
Total plays: 65 (75% run) 48 (54% run)
Yards/play: 4.8 5.2
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 2-0
Turnovers: 1 2
Penalties-yards: 2-19 4-30
Attendance: 50,350
Passing:
MIA: Earl Morrall, 7 of 11 for 51 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Bob Griese, 3 of 5 for 70 yards PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 5 of 10 for 80 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Terry Hanratty, 5 of 10 for 57 yards
Rushing:
MIA: Larry Csonka, 24 for 68 yards; Mercury Morris, 16 for 76 yards; Jim Kiick, 8 for 12 yards and 2 TDs; Larry Seiple, 1 for 37 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 16 for 76 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 8 for 47 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 2 for 5 yards
Receiving:
MIA: Marv Fleming, 5 for 50 yards; Paul Warfield, 2 for 63 yards; Larry Csonka, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mandich, 1 for 5 yards; Mercury Morris, 1 for -6 yards PIT: Al Young, 4 for 54 yards and 1 TD; Ron Shanklin, 2 for 49 yards; Franco Harris, 2 for 3 yards; John McMakin, 1 for 22 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
MIA: Mercury Morris, 1 for 23 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 2 for 63 yards; Steve Davis, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Nick Buoniconti, 1 for 6 yards; Mike Kolen, 1 for 5 yards PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 28 yards
Punting:
MIA: Larry Seiple, 4 for 142 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 205 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/2
MIA: Earl Morrall, 7 of 11 for 51 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Bob Griese, 3 of 5 for 70 yards PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 5 of 10 for 80 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Terry Hanratty, 5 of 10 for 57 yards
Rushing:
MIA: Larry Csonka, 24 for 68 yards; Mercury Morris, 16 for 76 yards; Jim Kiick, 8 for 12 yards and 2 TDs; Larry Seiple, 1 for 37 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 16 for 76 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 8 for 47 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 2 for 5 yards
Receiving:
MIA: Marv Fleming, 5 for 50 yards; Paul Warfield, 2 for 63 yards; Larry Csonka, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mandich, 1 for 5 yards; Mercury Morris, 1 for -6 yards PIT: Al Young, 4 for 54 yards and 1 TD; Ron Shanklin, 2 for 49 yards; Franco Harris, 2 for 3 yards; John McMakin, 1 for 22 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
MIA: Mercury Morris, 1 for 23 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 2 for 63 yards; Steve Davis, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Nick Buoniconti, 1 for 6 yards; Mike Kolen, 1 for 5 yards PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 28 yards
Punting:
MIA: Larry Seiple, 4 for 142 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 205 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/2
Washington used the passing combination of Billy Kilmer and Charley Taylor, the kicking of Curt Knight and a smothering defense to control Dallas and give the Redskins the NFC championship -- their first in 30 years. After Knight had produced a 3-0 lead with the first of his four field goals 5:15 into the second quarter, Washington scored the decisive touchdown on a pair of Kilmer-to-Taylor strikes on the next possession.
The first completion covered 51 yards on third-and-10 from Washington's 28 to put the ball on the Dallas 21. Two plays later, Kilmer hit Taylor on a post pattern for a 15-yard score. Two plays into the final quarter, Kilmer and Taylor struck for a 45-yard touchdown. Knight completed the scoring with three fourth-quarter field goals. Kilmer completed 14 of 18 passes for 194 yards and a championship game record percentage of .778. Taylor caught seven passes for 146 yards. The Redskins' defense permitted Dallas RBs Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison just 37 yards and sacked QB Roger Staubach three times.
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 | 148.7 (10) | 163.8 (11) | 312.5 (7) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 123.8 (7) | 133.0 (6) | 256.8 (4) | 32 |
Line: Redskins by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (11-5-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Washington Redskins (13-3-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 26 |
( 0- 3) WAS Curt Knight 18 yard field goal
( 0-10) WAS Charley Taylor 15 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick)
( 3-10) DAL Toni Fritsch 35 yard field goal
( 3-17) WAS Charley Taylor 45 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Curt Knight kick)
( 3-20) WAS Curt Knight 39 yard field goal
( 3-23) WAS Curt Knight 46 yard field goal
( 3-26) WAS Curt Knight 45 yard field goal
DAL WAS
First Downs: 8 16
Rushes-yards: 21-96 44-122
Yards/rush: 4.6 2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-21-98-0 14-18-194-0
Sacked-yards: 3-25 0-0
Net pass yards: 73 194
Net yards/pass: 3.0 10.8
Total net yards: 169 316
Total plays: 45 (46% run) 62 (70% run)
Yards/play: 3.8 5.1
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 2-1
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 4-30 4-38
Attendance: 53,129
Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 9 of 20 for 98 yards; Calvin Hill, 0 of 1 for 0 yards WAS: Billy Kilmer, 14 of 18 for 194 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
DAL: Calvin Hill, 9 for 22 yards; Walt Garrison, 7 for 15 yards; Roger Staubach, 5 for 59 yards WAS: Larry Brown, 30 for 88 yards; Charlie Harraway, 11 for 19 yards; Billy Kilmer, 3 for 15 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Ron Sellers, 2 for 29 yards; Walt Garrison, 2 for 18 yards; Calvin Hill, 2 for 11 yards; Billy Parks, 1 for 21 yards; Lance Alworth, 1 for 15 yards; Mike Ditka, 1 for 4 yards WAS: Charley Taylor, 7 for 146 yards and 2 TDs; Charlie Harraway, 3 for 13 yards; Roy Jefferson, 2 for 19 yards; Larry Brown, 2 for 16 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 2 for 29 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 3 for -5 yards WAS: Alvin Haymond, 4 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
DAL: Marv Bateman, 7 for 302 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 4 for 144 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Toni Fritsch, 1/2 WAS: Curt Knight, 4/4
DAL: Roger Staubach, 9 of 20 for 98 yards; Calvin Hill, 0 of 1 for 0 yards WAS: Billy Kilmer, 14 of 18 for 194 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
DAL: Calvin Hill, 9 for 22 yards; Walt Garrison, 7 for 15 yards; Roger Staubach, 5 for 59 yards WAS: Larry Brown, 30 for 88 yards; Charlie Harraway, 11 for 19 yards; Billy Kilmer, 3 for 15 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Ron Sellers, 2 for 29 yards; Walt Garrison, 2 for 18 yards; Calvin Hill, 2 for 11 yards; Billy Parks, 1 for 21 yards; Lance Alworth, 1 for 15 yards; Mike Ditka, 1 for 4 yards WAS: Charley Taylor, 7 for 146 yards and 2 TDs; Charlie Harraway, 3 for 13 yards; Roy Jefferson, 2 for 19 yards; Larry Brown, 2 for 16 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 2 for 29 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 3 for -5 yards WAS: Alvin Haymond, 4 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
DAL: Marv Bateman, 7 for 302 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 4 for 144 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Toni Fritsch, 1/2 WAS: Curt Knight, 4/4