All NFL game summaries for 10/07/1973:

A 54-yard punt return by Ralph McGill set up a 7-yard TD by Vic Washington and Bruce Gossett contributed two FGs in a San Francisco victory, the fourth straight for the 49ers over the Falcons. Three FGs by Nick Mike-Mayer were the only Atlanta scores.

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

Line: 49ers by 3

( 3- 0) SF  Bruce Gossett 10 yard field goal
(10- 0) SF  Vic Washington 7 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
(10- 3) ATL Nick Mike-Mayer 42 yard field goal
(10- 6) ATL Nick Mike-Mayer 46 yard field goal
(13- 6) SF  Bruce Gossett 36 yard field goal
(13- 9) ATL Nick Mike-Mayer 37 yard field goal

                     SF              ATL
First Downs:         16              15
Rushes-yards:        37-151          26-133
Yards/rush:          4.1             5.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-24-168-0     17-38-164-1
Sacked-yards:        4-29            3-26
Net pass yards:      139             138
Net yards/pass:      5.0             3.4
Total net yards:     290             271
Total plays:         65 (56% run)    67 (38% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             4.0
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             0-0
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     7-95            5-61

Attendance: 51,107

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O. J. Simpson rushed for 171 yards on 27 carries, his sixth straight 100-plus effort over a two-year period. The Bills went ahead on a 47-yard FG by John Leypoldt with 3:51 to go and then sweated out a FG attempt by Tom Dempsey, who missed from the 26 at the final gun. Dempsey made four of six FGs. Rookie Wallace Francis of the Bills raced 101 yards and scored with a kickoff return. The winless Eagles had two 100-yard runners, Tom Sullivan with 155 and Norm Bulaich with 104, and Roman Gabriel threw two TD passes.

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

Line: Bills by 6

( 3- 0) PHI Tom Dempsey 51 yard field goal
( 3- 3) BUF John Leypoldt 12 yard field goal
( 6- 3) PHI Tom Dempsey 22 yard field goal
( 6-10) BUF Wallace Francis 101 yard kickoff return (John Leypoldt kick)
( 6-17) BUF Joe Ferguson 1 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(13-17) PHI Norm Bulaich 7 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (Tom Dempsey kick)
(13-24) BUF O.J. Simpson 2 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(16-24) PHI Tom Dempsey 14 yard field goal
(23-24) PHI Charle Young 9 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (Tom Dempsey kick)
(26-24) PHI Tom Dempsey 19 yard field goal
(26-27) BUF John Leypoldt 47 yard field goal

                     PHI             BUF
First Downs:         28              16
Rushes-yards:        44-275          36-229
Yards/rush:          6.2             6.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-29-182-0     6-9-63-0
Sacked-yards:        1-6             2-16
Net pass yards:      176             47
Net yards/pass:      5.9             4.3
Total net yards:     451             276
Total plays:         74 (59% run)    47 (76% run)  
Yards/play:          6.1             5.9
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             1-1
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     3-25            5-52

Attendance: 72,364

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Leroy Kelly ran for his first two touchdowns of the season to climax drives that started when cornerback Ben Davis recovered Cincinnati fumbles. The victory was the Browns' sixth in seven games with the Bengals. Ken Brown gained 93 yards on 26 carries and Kelly 73 on 21 in a 216-yard Cleveland ground attack. Charlie Joiner of the Bengals suffered a broken collarbone in the first quarter. The game had been shifted to Cleveland because of the baseball playoffs.

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

Line: Browns by 2

( 3- 0) CIN Horst Muhlmann 38 yard field goal
( 3- 7) CLE Leroy Kelly 3 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
( 3-14) CLE Leroy Kelly 7 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(10-14) CIN Isaac Curtis 60 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(10-17) CLE Don Cockroft 24 yard field goal

                     CIN             CLE
First Downs:         11              21
Rushes-yards:        24-96           52-216
Yards/rush:          4.0             4.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-23-177-1     9-18-77-0
Sacked-yards:        2-10            1-5
Net pass yards:      167             72
Net yards/pass:      6.7             3.8
Total net yards:     263             288
Total plays:         49 (48% run)    71 (73% run)  
Yards/play:          5.4             4.1
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             0-0
Turnovers:           3               0
Penalties-yards:     6-68            3-20

Attendance: 70,805

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Ed Marinaro caught two short TD passes from Fran Tarkenton in the first quarter after a fumble and bad center snap by Detroit, and Fred Cox added three FGs. Chuck Foreman went over the 100-yard rushing mark again with 114 yards on 16 carries while Tarkenton completed 17 of 24. It was the 11th straight victory for the Vikings over the Lions, whose only scores were three Errol Mann FGs.

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

Line: Vikings by 4

( 7- 0) MIN Ed Marinaro 12 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
(14- 0) MIN Ed Marinaro 8 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
(14- 3) DET Errol Mann 37 yard field goal
(14- 6) DET Errol Mann 15 yard field goal
(17- 6) MIN Fred Cox 38 yard field goal
(20- 6) MIN Fred Cox 37 yard field goal
(20- 9) DET Errol Mann 33 yard field goal
(23- 9) MIN Fred Cox 27 yard field goal

                     MIN             DET
First Downs:         17              15
Rushes-yards:        31-147          30-154
Yards/rush:          4.7             5.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-24-199-2     18-31-131-3
Sacked-yards:        3-20            5-40
Net pass yards:      179             91
Net yards/pass:      6.6             2.5
Total net yards:     326             245
Total plays:         58 (53% run)    66 (45% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             3.7
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             3-1
Turnovers:           3               4
Penalties-yards:     5-42            2-18

Attendance: 49,544

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John Hadl passed for three touchdowns, two to Harold Jackson and one to Jack Snow, and Tony Baker capped an 80-yard L.A. drive with a 5-yard run. The Oilers, who led early on the first of four Skip Butler FGs, pulled to within five points of the unbeaten Rams on two last quarter scores, a 4-yard run by Bob Gresham and a 14-yard run by Larry Eaglin after recovering a punt blocked by Guy Roberts.

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

Line: Rams by 15

( 0- 3) HOU Skip Butler 8 yard field goal
( 7- 3) LA  Jack Snow 38 yard pass from John Hadl (David Ray kick)
( 7- 6) HOU Skip Butler 35 yard field goal
(14- 6) LA  Tony Baker 5 yard rush (David Ray kick)
(14- 9) HOU Skip Butler 37 yard field goal
(21- 9) LA  Harold Jackson 15 yard pass from John Hadl (David Ray kick)
(21-12) HOU Skip Butler 36 yard field goal
(28-12) LA  Harold Jackson 69 yard pass from John Hadl (David Ray kick)
(31-12) LA  David Ray 17 yard field goal
(31-19) HOU Bob Gresham 4 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
(31-26) HOU Larry Eaglin 14 yard return of blocked punt (Skip Butler kick)

                     LA              HOU
First Downs:         21              16
Rushes-yards:        46-169          23-76
Yards/rush:          3.7             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-16-179-0     25-38-245-2
Sacked-yards:        0-0             4-41
Net pass yards:      179             204
Net yards/pass:      11.2            4.9
Total net yards:     348             280
Total plays:         62 (74% run)    65 (35% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             4.3
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             3-2
Turnovers:           1               4
Penalties-yards:     3-14            6-78

Attendance: 34,875

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Jan Stenerud's third FG, a 39-yard kick with 6:36 to play, was the winning margin after Joe Dawkins' 72-yard run had given Denver a 14-13 lead in the final quarter. Ed Podolak caught 12 passes from Len Dawson for 84 yards and led the Chiefs' rushers with 72 yards. Floyd Little was the Denver workhorse, carrying 18 times for 65 yards and catching 3 passes, including a short toss he converted into a 50-yard touchdown play.

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

Line: Chiefs by 6

( 0- 3) KC  Jan Stenerud 38 yard field goal
( 7- 3) DEN Floyd Little 50 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick)
( 7- 6) KC  Jan Stenerud 40 yard field goal
( 7-13) KC  Otis Taylor 20 yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick)
(14-13) DEN Joe Dawkins 72 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(14-16) KC  Jan Stenerud 39 yard field goal

                     DEN             KC
First Downs:         10              19
Rushes-yards:        27-158          41-179
Yards/rush:          5.9             4.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-19-120-1     18-29-170-0
Sacked-yards:        2-8             0-0
Net pass yards:      112             170
Net yards/pass:      5.3             5.9
Total net yards:     270             349
Total plays:         48 (56% run)    70 (58% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             1-1
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     3-30            8-70

Attendance: 71,414

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Bob Griese threw three touchdown passes, two to Paul Warfield, while the Dolphins rolled up a 24-0 halftime lead and defeated the Jets. QB Al Woodall suffered an injury to his left knee in the third quarter and was replaced by Bill Demory, a Jets' free agent making his first NFL appearance. The Jets avoided a shutout on a Bobby Howfield 38-yard FG with 6:26 left to play.

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

Line: Dolphins by 13

( 0- 7) MIA Mercury Morris 3 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-14) MIA Marlin Briscoe 12 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-17) MIA Garo Yepremian 19 yard field goal
( 0-24) MIA Paul Warfield 3 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-31) MIA Paul Warfield 40 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-31) NYJ Bobby Howfield 38 yard field goal

                     NYJ             MIA
First Downs:         12              18
Rushes-yards:        39-156          32-151
Yards/rush:          4.0             4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     6-20-59-4       12-21-219-1
Sacked-yards:        5-17            0-0
Net pass yards:      42              219
Net yards/pass:      1.7             10.4
Total net yards:     198             370
Total plays:         64 (60% run)    53 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          3.1             7.0
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-1
Turnovers:           5               2
Penalties-yards:     5-52            1-15

Attendance: 63,850

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Randy Vataha sped 46 yards for a clinching touchdown after recovering a teammate's fumble and John Tarver scored on two short runs to give Patriots' coach Chuck Fairbanks his first NFL win. Rookie Bert Jones rallied the Colts with a 22-yard TD pass to Cotton Speyrer and had the ball on the Patriots' 36 when New England held on downs with five seconds left. George Hunt booted three FGs for the Colts.

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

Line: Even

( 0- 3) NE  Jeff White 40 yard field goal
( 3- 3) BAL George Hunt 38 yard field goal
( 3-10) NE  John Tarver 1 yard rush (Jeff White kick)
( 6-10) BAL George Hunt 27 yard field goal
( 6-17) NE  John Tarver 3 yard rush (Jeff White kick)
( 9-17) BAL George Hunt 38 yard field goal
( 9-24) NE  Randy Vataha 46 yard fumble return (Jeff White kick)
(16-24) BAL Cotton Speyrer 22 yard pass from Bert Jones (George Hunt kick)

                     BAL             NE
First Downs:         11              19
Rushes-yards:        36-111          43-146
Yards/rush:          3.1             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-19-109-0      6-13-73-0
Sacked-yards:        3-28            3-28
Net pass yards:      81              45
Net yards/pass:      3.7             2.8
Total net yards:     192             191
Total plays:         58 (62% run)    59 (72% run)  
Yards/play:          3.3             3.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             8-3
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     3-32            4-46

Attendance: 57,044

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Archie Manning ran four yards for a touchdown in the final minutes to give coach John North his first victory with the Saints. An unusual play in which Saints RB Henry Matthews picked a teammate's fumble out of the air and ran 55 yards to the Chicago 9 plus a penalty against the Bears for tripping preceded Manning's winning score. In a duel of running quarterbacks, Manning scored twice and Bobby Douglass gained 48 yards on 8 carries. Mirro Roder of the Bears kicked FGs of 17, 40 and 28 yards.

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

Line: Bears by 11

( 0- 7) NO  Archie Manning 4 yard rush (Happy Feller kick)
( 3- 7) CHI Mirro Roder 17 yard field goal
( 3-14) NO  Howard Stevens 2 yard rush (Happy Feller kick)
( 6-14) CHI Mirro Roder 40 yard field goal
( 9-14) CHI Mirro Roder 28 yard field goal
( 9-21) NO  Archie Manning 4 yard rush (Happy Feller kick)
(16-21) CHI Jim Harrison 13 yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Mirro Roder kick)

                     CHI             NO
First Downs:         13              19
Rushes-yards:        30-74           41-163
Yards/rush:          2.5             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-30-192-1     10-18-132-0
Sacked-yards:        2-13            1-13
Net pass yards:      179             119
Net yards/pass:      5.6             6.3
Total net yards:     253             282
Total plays:         62 (48% run)    60 (68% run)  
Yards/play:          4.1             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             4-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     7-97            5-41

Attendance: 56,561

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Chester Marcol's third FG, a 32-yard kick with one second to play, won for Green Bay and spoiled the first regular season game for the New York Giants at the Yale Bowl. Scott Hunter, a second half replacement for starter Jim Del Gaizo, passed the Packers into position for the winning FG. The Giants had taken a 14-13 lead early in the final quarter on a pass to Bob Grim from Norm Snead, who completed 21 of 28 passes.

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

Line: Packers by 4

( 0- 7) NYG Don Herrmann 17 yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick)
( 7- 7) GB  Jon Staggers 20 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick)
(10- 7) GB  Chester Marcol 20 yard field goal
(13- 7) GB  Chester Marcol 11 yard field goal
(13-14) NYG Bob Grim 10 yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick)
(16-14) GB  Chester Marcol 32 yard field goal

                     GB              NYG
First Downs:         11              13
Rushes-yards:        37-125          25-57
Yards/rush:          3.4             2.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-11-82-2       21-28-181-2
Sacked-yards:        2-7             1-7
Net pass yards:      75              174
Net yards/pass:      5.8             6.0
Total net yards:     200             231
Total plays:         50 (74% run)    54 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             4.3
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             5-2
Turnovers:           2               4
Penalties-yards:     4-40            3-20

Attendance: 70,050

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Undefeated Pittsburgh rolled to its fourth straight victory and its tenth in a row at home, opening up a 38-0 halftime lead. The Chargers scored their three touchdowns in the final quarter with rookie Dan Fouts at quarterback. Ron Shanklin caught two TD passes, one each from Steeler QBs Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty. San Diego's Cid Edwards led all rushers with 94 yards on 13 carries.

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

Line: Steelers by 17

( 0- 7) PIT Ron Shanklin 12 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-14) PIT Terry Bradshaw 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-17) PIT Roy Gerela 38 yard field goal
( 0-24) PIT Steve Davis 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-31) PIT Mike Wagner 0 yard fumble return (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-38) PIT Ron Shanklin 37 yard pass from Terry Hanratty (Roy Gerela kick)
( 7-38) SD  Jerry LeVias 13 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Ray Wersching kick)
(14-38) SD  Clint Jones 3 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
(21-38) SD  Robert Holmes 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)

                     SD              PIT
First Downs:         20              15
Rushes-yards:        36-167          38-154
Yards/rush:          4.6             4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-35-193-4     9-23-145-2
Sacked-yards:        2-12            1-13
Net pass yards:      181             132
Net yards/pass:      4.9             5.5
Total net yards:     348             286
Total plays:         73 (49% run)    62 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          4.8             4.6
Fumbles-lost:        3-2             3-3
Turnovers:           6               5
Penalties-yards:     13-90           6-39

Attendance: 48,795

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Ken Stabler, who took over as quarterback after Oakland failed to score an offensive TD in its first three games, led two scoring drives in the second half comeback victory over the Cardinals. Charlie Smith, Marv Hubbard, and Clarence Davis picked up 188 of the 247 yards rushing for the Raiders and Stabler completed 19 of 31 for 207 yards. A Jim Hart-to-Jackie Smith pass gave St. Louis its TD.

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

Line: Raiders by 10

( 0- 7) STL Jackie Smith 16 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
( 3- 7) OAK George Blanda 17 yard field goal
(10- 7) OAK Charlie Smith 2 yard rush (George Blanda kick)
(10-10) STL Jim Bakken 12 yard field goal
(17-10) OAK Marv Hubbard 1 yard rush (George Blanda kick)

                     OAK             STL
First Downs:         32              17
Rushes-yards:        43-247          28-120
Yards/rush:          5.7             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     19-31-207-1     12-27-129-0
Sacked-yards:        1-8             5-41
Net pass yards:      199             88
Net yards/pass:      6.2             2.8
Total net yards:     446             208
Total plays:         75 (57% run)    60 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          5.9             3.5
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             4-0
Turnovers:           2               0
Penalties-yards:     8-60            3-48

Attendance: 49,051

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