NFL game summary for 12/16/1973:
Quarterback Ken Anderson took Cincinnati to the AFC Central championship with three touchdown passes, including bombs of 77 and 67 yards to rookie Isaac Curtis. Houston led 10-3 in the second quarter and rallied in the closing moments to narrow the Bengals' lead to three points with 3:34 to play. Cincinnati, tied with Pittsburgh at 10-4, won the division on a superior record in conference competition. Essex Johnson wound up with 997 yards rushing and Boobie Clark 988. Ex-Bengal Fred Willis scored twice for Houston and won the AFC pass receiving title with 57 for the year.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 164.2 (6) | 153.5 (10) | 317.7 (6) | 25 |
| DEFENSE | 124.4 (6) | 131.3 (11) | 255.7 (5) | 33 | |
 | OFFENSE | 92.2 (26) | 132.9 (17) | 225.1 (25) | 51 |
| DEFENSE | 177.6 (25) | 150.5 (17) | 328.1 (21) | 26 |
Line: Bengals by 19
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-0) | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
| Houston Oilers (1-13-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
( 3- 0) CIN Horst Muhlmann 11 yard field goal
( 3- 7) HOU Fred Willis 5 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
( 3-10) HOU Skip Butler 18 yard field goal
(10-10) CIN Isaac Curtis 77 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(13-10) CIN Horst Muhlmann 40 yard field goal
(20-10) CIN Bob Trumpy 10 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(27-10) CIN Isaac Curtis 67 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(27-17) HOU Fred Willis 1 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
(27-24) HOU Paul Robinson 1 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
CIN HOU
First Downs: 14 25
Rushes-yards: 26-101 39-190
Yards/rush: 3.9 4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 15-23-293-0 17-26-201-0
Sacked-yards: 1-12 2-10
Net pass yards: 281 191
Net yards/pass: 11.7 6.8
Total net yards: 382 381
Total plays: 50 (52% run) 67 (58% run)
Yards/play: 7.6 5.7
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 1-1
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 10-89 6-40
Attendance: 21,955
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 15 of 23 for 293 yards and 3 TDs HOU: Dan Pastorini, 17 of 26 for 201 yards
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 12 for 57 yards; Essex Johnson, 11 for 32 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 12 yards HOU: Paul Robinson, 20 for 100 yards and 1 TD; Fred Willis, 14 for 85 yards and 2 TDs; Dan Pastorini, 5 for 5 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Bob Trumpy, 4 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Boobie Clark, 4 for 25 yards; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 47 yards; Isaac Curtis, 2 for 144 yards and 2 TDs; Essex Johnson, 2 for 14 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 6 for 86 yards; Billy Parks, 5 for 70 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for 31 yards; Paul Robinson, 2 for 1 yard; Mack Alston, 1 for 13 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Bernard Jackson, 4 for 103 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 14 yards HOU: Larry Eaglin, 1 for 16 yards; Eddie Hinton, 1 for 10 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Jeff Severson, 3 for 17 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 189 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 3 for 101 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/2 HOU: Skip Butler, 1/2
CIN: Ken Anderson, 15 of 23 for 293 yards and 3 TDs HOU: Dan Pastorini, 17 of 26 for 201 yards
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 12 for 57 yards; Essex Johnson, 11 for 32 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 12 yards HOU: Paul Robinson, 20 for 100 yards and 1 TD; Fred Willis, 14 for 85 yards and 2 TDs; Dan Pastorini, 5 for 5 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Bob Trumpy, 4 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Boobie Clark, 4 for 25 yards; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 47 yards; Isaac Curtis, 2 for 144 yards and 2 TDs; Essex Johnson, 2 for 14 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 6 for 86 yards; Billy Parks, 5 for 70 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for 31 yards; Paul Robinson, 2 for 1 yard; Mack Alston, 1 for 13 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Bernard Jackson, 4 for 103 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 14 yards HOU: Larry Eaglin, 1 for 16 yards; Eddie Hinton, 1 for 10 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Jeff Severson, 3 for 17 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 189 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 3 for 101 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/2 HOU: Skip Butler, 1/2