All NFL game summaries for 12/23/1973:
Dallas moved into the NFC title game for the fourth straight year as Roger Staubach hit Drew Pearson with two scoring passes to assure the Cowboys of a 27-16 victory over Los Angeles. Dallas opened up a 17-0 lead with the help of Lee Roy Jordan's interception on the first play of the game and Mel Renfro's recovery of a fumble. Los Angeles narrowed the gap to 17-16 with 3 field goals by David Ray and a touchdown by Tony Baker. Staubach's 83-yard touchdown pass to Pearson put Dallas back in command in the fourth quarter and Toni Fritsch added his second field goal. Calvin Hill carried 25 times for 97 yards before he suffered a dislocated elbow in the fourth quarter.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 208.9 (2) | 141.5 (13) | 350.4 (1) | 20 |
| DEFENSE | 90.7 (1) | 120.1 (7) | 210.8 (1) | 38 | |
 | OFFENSE | 172.7 (5) | 166.6 (7) | 339.4 (4) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 105.1 (3) | 142.5 (16) | 247.6 (5) | 41 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (12-3-0) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Dallas Cowboys (11-4-0) | 14 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
( 0- 7) DAL Calvin Hill 3 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 0-14) DAL Drew Pearson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 0-17) DAL Toni Fritsch 39 yard field goal
( 3-17) LA David Ray 33 yard field goal
( 6-17) LA David Ray 37 yard field goal
( 9-17) LA David Ray 40 yard field goal
(16-17) LA Tony Baker 5 yard rush (David Ray kick)
(16-24) DAL Drew Pearson 83 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
(16-27) DAL Toni Fritsch 12 yard field goal
LA DAL
First Downs: 11 15
Rushes-yards: 30-93 45-162
Yards/rush: 3.1 3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 7-24-133-1 8-16-180-2
Sacked-yards: 5-34 7-44
Net pass yards: 99 136
Net yards/pass: 3.4 5.9
Total net yards: 192 298
Total plays: 59 (50% run) 68 (66% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 2-2
Turnovers: 3 4
Penalties-yards: 2-20 5-44
Attendance: 62,081
Passing:
LA: John Hadl, 7 of 23 for 133 yards (1 int); Lawrence McCutcheon, 0 of 1 for 0 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 8 of 16 for 180 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 13 for 48 yards; Jim Bertelsen, 12 for 37 yards; John Hadl, 2 for 10 yards; Larry Smith, 2 for -7 yards; Tony Baker, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD DAL: Calvin Hill, 25 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Walt Garrison, 10 for 30 yards; Robert Newhouse, 6 for 5 yards; Roger Staubach, 4 for 30 yards
Receiving:
LA: Jack Snow, 3 for 77 yards; Larry Smith, 2 for 13 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 40 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 1 for 3 yards DAL: Drew Pearson, 2 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Calvin Hill, 2 for 21 yards; Jean Fugett, 1 for 38 yards; Bob Hayes, 1 for 29 yards; Walt Garrison, 1 for 3 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Rob Scribner, 4 for 106 yards; Al Clark, 2 for 49 yards DAL: Charlie Waters, 1 for 23 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Jim Bertelsen, 4 for 52 yards; Dave Elmendorf, 1 for 1 yard DAL: Golden Richards, 2 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Jack Reynolds, 1 for 4 yards; Dave Elmendorf, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Lee Roy Jordan, 1 for 2 yards
Punting:
LA: Dave Chapple, 5 for 218 yards DAL: Marv Bateman, 7 for 327 yards
Field Goals:
LA: David Ray, 3/6 DAL: Toni Fritsch, 2/2
LA: John Hadl, 7 of 23 for 133 yards (1 int); Lawrence McCutcheon, 0 of 1 for 0 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 8 of 16 for 180 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 13 for 48 yards; Jim Bertelsen, 12 for 37 yards; John Hadl, 2 for 10 yards; Larry Smith, 2 for -7 yards; Tony Baker, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD DAL: Calvin Hill, 25 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Walt Garrison, 10 for 30 yards; Robert Newhouse, 6 for 5 yards; Roger Staubach, 4 for 30 yards
Receiving:
LA: Jack Snow, 3 for 77 yards; Larry Smith, 2 for 13 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 40 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 1 for 3 yards DAL: Drew Pearson, 2 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Calvin Hill, 2 for 21 yards; Jean Fugett, 1 for 38 yards; Bob Hayes, 1 for 29 yards; Walt Garrison, 1 for 3 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Rob Scribner, 4 for 106 yards; Al Clark, 2 for 49 yards DAL: Charlie Waters, 1 for 23 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Jim Bertelsen, 4 for 52 yards; Dave Elmendorf, 1 for 1 yard DAL: Golden Richards, 2 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Jack Reynolds, 1 for 4 yards; Dave Elmendorf, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Lee Roy Jordan, 1 for 2 yards
Punting:
LA: Dave Chapple, 5 for 218 yards DAL: Marv Bateman, 7 for 327 yards
Field Goals:
LA: David Ray, 3/6 DAL: Toni Fritsch, 2/2
The Dolphins reached the AFC title game for the third straight year with a victory over Cincinnati's Central Division champions in a game in which the Bengals spotted the Eastern titleholder a 21-3 lead and fought back to within five points at the half. Bob Griese threw touchdown passes to Paul Warfield and Jim Mandich while Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris scored on runs and Garo Yepremian came through with two long field goals. Morris had 106 yards on 20 carries and Csonka 71 yards on 20 carries. The only Bengals' scores came on a 45-yard interception return by Neal Craig and 3 field goals by Horst Muhlmann.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 159.7 (7) | 162.6 (8) | 322.3 (5) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 129.1 (8) | 135.6 (13) | 264.6 (8) | 34 | |
 | OFFENSE | 180.1 (3) | 113.0 (21) | 293.1 (10) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 142.2 (12) | 92.1 (1) | 234.4 (3) | 29 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-0) | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Miami Dolphins (13-2-0) | 14 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
( 0- 7) MIA Paul Warfield 13 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3- 7) CIN Horst Muhlmann 24 yard field goal
( 3-14) MIA Larry Csonka 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-21) MIA Mercury Morris 4 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10-21) CIN Neal Craig 45 yard interception return (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(13-21) CIN Horst Muhlmann 46 yard field goal
(16-21) CIN Horst Muhlmann 12 yard field goal
(16-28) MIA Jim Mandich 7 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
(16-31) MIA Garo Yepremian 50 yard field goal
(16-34) MIA Garo Yepremian 46 yard field goal
CIN MIA
First Downs: 11 27
Rushes-yards: 20-97 52-241
Yards/rush: 4.8 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-27-113-1 11-19-159-2
Sacked-yards: 3-16 0-0
Net pass yards: 97 159
Net yards/pass: 3.2 8.4
Total net yards: 194 400
Total plays: 50 (40% run) 71 (73% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 5.6
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 2-1
Turnovers: 1 3
Penalties-yards: 2-19 1-5
Attendance: 74,651
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 14 of 27 for 113 yards (1 int) MIA: Bob Griese, 11 of 18 for 159 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Marlin Briscoe, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 7 for 40 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 7 for 15 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 26 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for 17 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for -1 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 20 for 106 yards and 1 TD; Larry Csonka, 20 for 71 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 10 for 51 yards; Charlie Leigh, 1 for 8 yards; Don Nottingham, 1 for 5 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Lenvil Elliott, 9 for 53 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 33 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 18 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 9 yards MIA: Paul Warfield, 4 for 95 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mandich, 3 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 3 for 19 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 1 for 17 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 25 yards; Bernard Jackson, 1 for 17 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 14 yards; Mercury Morris, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 15 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 11 yards MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 4 yards; Dick Anderson, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Neal Craig, 1 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 0 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 19 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 7 for 254 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 2 for 98 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 3/3 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 2/2
CIN: Ken Anderson, 14 of 27 for 113 yards (1 int) MIA: Bob Griese, 11 of 18 for 159 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Marlin Briscoe, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 7 for 40 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 7 for 15 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 26 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for 17 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for -1 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 20 for 106 yards and 1 TD; Larry Csonka, 20 for 71 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 10 for 51 yards; Charlie Leigh, 1 for 8 yards; Don Nottingham, 1 for 5 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Lenvil Elliott, 9 for 53 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 33 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 18 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 9 yards MIA: Paul Warfield, 4 for 95 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mandich, 3 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 3 for 19 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 1 for 17 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 25 yards; Bernard Jackson, 1 for 17 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 14 yards; Mercury Morris, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 15 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 11 yards MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 4 yards; Dick Anderson, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Neal Craig, 1 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 0 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 19 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 7 for 254 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 2 for 98 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 3/3 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 2/2