NFL game summary for 09/23/1973:
After Bob Gresham returned the opening kickoff 103 yards for a TD, longest in the NFL in 1973, Houston was able to produce only a FG while the Bengals' Essex Johnson set a new personal high with 131 yards and one TD on 15 carries. Johnson also caught five passes for 49 yards. The Bengals broke a 10-10 tie with two TDs in the fourth quarter, a 35-yard pass from Ken Anderson to Bob Trumpy and a three-yard run by Boobie Clark.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 96.0 (23) | 59.0 (22) | 155.0 (24) | 4 |
| DEFENSE | 218.0 (22) | 154.0 (15) | 372.0 (22) | 3 | |
 | OFFENSE | 133.0 (15) | 211.0 (3) | 344.0 (8) | 1 |
| DEFENSE | 153.0 (15) | 190.0 (19) | 343.0 (18) | 1 |
Line: Bengals by 11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers (0-2-0) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (1-1-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
( 7- 0) HOU Bob Gresham 103 yard kickoff return (Skip Butler kick)
( 7- 7) CIN Essex Johnson 11 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
( 7-10) CIN Horst Muhlmann 27 yard field goal
(10-10) HOU Skip Butler 38 yard field goal
(10-17) CIN Boobie Clark 3 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(10-24) CIN Bob Trumpy 35 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
HOU CIN
First Downs: 10 23
Rushes-yards: 29-157 40-218
Yards/rush: 5.4 5.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-23-105-2 15-26-155-0
Sacked-yards: 3-48 1-1
Net pass yards: 57 154
Net yards/pass: 2.2 5.7
Total net yards: 214 372
Total plays: 55 (52% run) 67 (59% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 5.6
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 1-0
Turnovers: 2 0
Penalties-yards: 11-97 11-103
Attendance: 51,823
Passing:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 11 of 23 for 105 yards (2 int) CIN: Ken Anderson, 15 of 26 for 155 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
HOU: Fred Willis, 16 for 55 yards; Bob Gresham, 11 for 79 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 23 yards CIN: Boobie Clark, 20 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Essex Johnson, 15 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Joe Wilson, 2 for 7 yards; Dave Lewis, 2 for 4 yards; Ken Anderson, 1 for -4 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Eddie Hinton, 4 for 52 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for 19 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 21 yards; Billy Parks, 1 for 6 yards; Mack Alston, 1 for 4 yards; Bob Gresham, 1 for 3 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 5 for 49 yards; Boobie Clark, 5 for 26 yards; Bob Trumpy, 2 for 43 yards and 1 TD; Chip Myers, 1 for 18 yards; Bruce Coslet, 1 for 11 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Bob Gresham, 3 for 150 yards and 1 TD; Lewis Jolley, 1 for 20 yards CIN: Bernard Jackson, 2 for 59 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Jeff Severson, 4 for 2 yards CIN: Tommy Casanova, 3 for 2 yards; Lemar Parrish, 2 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 10 yards; Al Beauchamp, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 205 yards; Skip Butler, 2 for 81 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 8 for 335 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Skip Butler, 1/3 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 1/3
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 11 of 23 for 105 yards (2 int) CIN: Ken Anderson, 15 of 26 for 155 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
HOU: Fred Willis, 16 for 55 yards; Bob Gresham, 11 for 79 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 23 yards CIN: Boobie Clark, 20 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Essex Johnson, 15 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Joe Wilson, 2 for 7 yards; Dave Lewis, 2 for 4 yards; Ken Anderson, 1 for -4 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Eddie Hinton, 4 for 52 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for 19 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 21 yards; Billy Parks, 1 for 6 yards; Mack Alston, 1 for 4 yards; Bob Gresham, 1 for 3 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 5 for 49 yards; Boobie Clark, 5 for 26 yards; Bob Trumpy, 2 for 43 yards and 1 TD; Chip Myers, 1 for 18 yards; Bruce Coslet, 1 for 11 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Bob Gresham, 3 for 150 yards and 1 TD; Lewis Jolley, 1 for 20 yards CIN: Bernard Jackson, 2 for 59 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Jeff Severson, 4 for 2 yards CIN: Tommy Casanova, 3 for 2 yards; Lemar Parrish, 2 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 10 yards; Al Beauchamp, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 205 yards; Skip Butler, 2 for 81 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 8 for 335 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Skip Butler, 1/3 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 1/3