All NFL game summaries for 11/17/1974:

The Colts kept their perfect record versus the Falcons intact, defeating Atlanta for the eighth straight time, with Lydell Mitchell rushing 33 times for 151 yards as Baltimore snapped a three-game losing streak. The loss was Atlanta's fifth in a row.

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

Line: Falcons by 7

( 3- 0) BAL Toni Linhart 37 yard field goal
( 3- 7) ATL Haskel Stanback 23 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(10- 7) BAL Marty Domres 12 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(17- 7) BAL Bill Olds 1 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)

                     BAL             ATL
First Downs:         18              15
Rushes-yards:        58-252          31-124
Yards/rush:          4.3             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     4-11-74-1       12-22-142-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             3-30
Net pass yards:      74              112
Net yards/pass:      6.7             4.5
Total net yards:     326             236
Total plays:         69 (84% run)    56 (55% run)  
Yards/play:          4.7             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             2-2
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     1-9             8-89

Attendance: 41,278

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Rookie quarterback Tom Owen completed 15 of 26 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns -- 68 yards to Terry Beasley and 20 to Ted Kwalick -- as the 49ers snapped a seven-game losing streak which was the longest in the team's history. Chicago's failure to score lengthened to 19 the string of periods in which the Bears did not score a touchdown.

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

Line: 49ers by 2

( 6- 0) SF  Tom Owen 1 yard rush (kick failed)
(13- 0) SF  Terry Beasley 68 yard pass from Tom Owen (Bruce Gossett kick)
(20- 0) SF  Ted Kwalick 20 yard pass from Tom Owen (Bruce Gossett kick)
(27- 0) SF  Sammy Johnson 1 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)
(34- 0) SF  Delvin Williams 6 yard rush (Bruce Gossett kick)

                     SF              CHI
First Downs:         22              8
Rushes-yards:        36-114          27-99
Yards/rush:          3.2             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-26-316-3     14-28-100-2
Sacked-yards:        2-17            3-29
Net pass yards:      299             71
Net yards/pass:      10.7            2.3
Total net yards:     413             170
Total plays:         64 (56% run)    58 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          6.5             2.9
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             4-1
Turnovers:           4               3
Penalties-yards:     5-30            7-58

Attendance: 42,686

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Franco Harris gained 156 yards on 23 carries and Roy Gerela booted four field goals to help the Steelers widen their AFC Central lead to 1½ games with a victory over the Browns. There were 13 turnovers including a touchdown by J. T. Thomas on a lateral from Joe Greene who recovered a Billy Lefear fumble. Terry Hanratty started his first game of the season as the Pittsburgh quarterback. Gerela's 14 points put him on top in the AFC scoring race.

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

Line: Steelers by 7

( 0- 3) CLE Don Cockroft 44 yard field goal
( 7- 3) PIT Ron Shanklin 28 yard pass from Terry Hanratty (Roy Gerela kick)
(10- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 32 yard field goal
(10- 6) CLE Don Cockroft 35 yard field goal
(13- 6) PIT Roy Gerela 32 yard field goal
(13-13) CLE Van Green 36 yard interception return (Don Cockroft kick)
(13-16) CLE Don Cockroft 18 yard field goal
(16-16) PIT Roy Gerela 23 yard field goal
(23-16) PIT J.T. Thomas 14 yard fumble return (Roy Gerela kick)
(26-16) PIT Roy Gerela 22 yard field goal

                     PIT             CLE
First Downs:         10              13
Rushes-yards:        41-233          31-80
Yards/rush:          5.7             2.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     3-19-81-3       15-35-162-3
Sacked-yards:        0-0             4-24
Net pass yards:      81              138
Net yards/pass:      4.3             3.5
Total net yards:     314             218
Total plays:         60 (68% run)    70 (44% run)  
Yards/play:          5.2             3.1
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             6-4
Turnovers:           6               7
Penalties-yards:     9-111           2-20

Attendance: 77,195

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Errol Mann kicked a 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining at the end of a Detroit drive which began on the Lions' 20-yard line with 1:58 remaining. A pair of Bill Munson passes of 15 and 9 yards to Charlie Sanders were key gains in the final march.

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

Line: Lions by 7

( 0- 7) DET Bill Munson 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
( 3- 7) NYG Pete Gogolak 42 yard field goal
( 3-10) DET Errol Mann 35 yard field goal
( 6-10) NYG Pete Gogolak 33 yard field goal
(13-10) NYG Bob Grim 5 yard pass from Craig Morton (Pete Gogolak kick)
(16-10) NYG Pete Gogolak 34 yard field goal
(19-10) NYG Pete Gogolak 40 yard field goal
(19-17) DET Bob Pickard 7 yard pass from Bill Munson (Errol Mann kick)
(19-20) DET Errol Mann 37 yard field goal

                     NYG             DET
First Downs:         15              21
Rushes-yards:        35-159          31-100
Yards/rush:          4.5             3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-25-133-0     19-29-200-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             1-6
Net pass yards:      133             194
Net yards/pass:      5.3             6.5
Total net yards:     292             294
Total plays:         60 (58% run)    61 (50% run)  
Yards/play:          4.9             4.8
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             3-2
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     5-28            6-39

Attendance: 40,431

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Houston ran its winning streak to four with a 20-3 win over the Bengals, who also were the first victims in the string on October 27. Willie Rodgers scored two touchdowns and the Oilers sacked Ken Anderson six times for 55 yards and intercepted two passes. It was the longest win streak for Houston since 1962. Cincinnati fell 1½ games behind Pittsburgh in the AFC Central.

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

Line: Bengals by 7

( 3- 0) CIN Horst Muhlmann 28 yard field goal
( 3- 7) HOU Willie Rodgers 1 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
( 3-14) HOU Willie Rodgers 1 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)
( 3-20) HOU Ken Burrough 22 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (run failed)

                     CIN             HOU
First Downs:         16              14
Rushes-yards:        23-89           36-124
Yards/rush:          3.9             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     21-36-204-2     11-13-101-1
Sacked-yards:        6-55            1-11
Net pass yards:      149             90
Net yards/pass:      3.5             6.4
Total net yards:     238             214
Total plays:         65 (35% run)    50 (72% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             4.3
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             0-0
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     6-55            6-65

Attendance: 44,054

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Bob Griese took the Dolphins 81 yards in 37 seconds to beat the Bills 35-28 with Don Nottingham scoring on a 23-yard draw play with 19 seconds to go. The victory gave Miami undisputed possession of the lead in the AFC East and a season sweep over Buffalo, which twice had rallied to tie behind rookie quarterback Gary Marangi after Joe Ferguson was hurt. Nottingham scored the final two touchdowns for Miami after he replaced the injured Larry Csonka.

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

Line: Dolphins by 12

( 0- 7) MIA Larry Csonka 2 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-14) MIA Paul Warfield 49 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 7-14) BUF Joe Ferguson 1 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
( 7-21) MIA Larry Csonka 6 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(14-21) BUF Dave Washington 42 yard fumble return (John Leypoldt kick)
(21-21) BUF J.D. Hill 44 yard pass from Gary Marangi (John Leypoldt kick)
(21-28) MIA Don Nottingham 11 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(28-28) BUF Bob Chandler 5 yard pass from Gary Marangi (John Leypoldt kick)
(28-35) MIA Don Nottingham 23 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)

                     BUF             MIA
First Downs:         16              21
Rushes-yards:        31-132          39-160
Yards/rush:          4.3             4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-23-181-1     11-18-237-0
Sacked-yards:        5-42            2-15
Net pass yards:      139             222
Net yards/pass:      5.0             11.1
Total net yards:     271             382
Total plays:         59 (52% run)    59 (66% run)  
Yards/play:          4.6             6.5
Fumbles-lost:        5-1             4-2
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     5-49            4-36

Attendance: 68,313

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After Chester Marcol kicked four field goals to provide the Packers with a 12-0 lead, Viking Fran Tarkenton completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Chuck Foreman to threaten the Green Bay lead midway through the final period. Then, with 3:29 remaining, John Hadl and MacArthur Lane combined on a 68-yard touchdown pass which protected the victory and saved the Packers from being eliminated from the NFC Central Division race. Hadl's 199 passing yards made him the fifth NFL passer to throw for 30,000 yards, finishing the game with 30,043. Tarkenton's 222 yards boosted his career total to 35,177, second to John Unitas.

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

Line: Vikings by 11

( 3- 0) GB  Chester Marcol 28 yard field goal
( 6- 0) GB  Chester Marcol 31 yard field goal
( 9- 0) GB  Chester Marcol 19 yard field goal
(12- 0) GB  Chester Marcol 18 yard field goal
(12- 7) MIN Chuck Foreman 24 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
(19- 7) GB  MacArthur Lane 68 yard pass from John Hadl (Chester Marcol kick)

                     GB              MIN
First Downs:         20              14
Rushes-yards:        52-202          20-74
Yards/rush:          3.9             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-19-199-0     15-31-222-1
Sacked-yards:        2-8             2-12
Net pass yards:      191             210
Net yards/pass:      9.1             6.4
Total net yards:     393             284
Total plays:         73 (71% run)    53 (37% run)  
Yards/play:          5.4             5.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-1
Turnovers:           1               2
Penalties-yards:     3-33            5-59

Attendance: 47,924

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Joe Namath threw two touchdown passes and the Jets were saved on an interception by rookie Roscoe Word in the final minutes as the Patriots suffered their third straight defeat. In winning their second in a row, the Jets picked off four passes by Jim Plunkett. Emerson Boozer ran for 90 yards for New York and Sam Cunningham rushed for 113 for the Patriots before suffering a broken leg.

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

Line: Patriots by 11

( 7- 0) NYJ Robert Burns 11 yard pass from Joe Namath (Pat Leahy kick)
( 7- 3) NE  John Smith 32 yard field goal
(14- 3) NYJ Emerson Boozer 4 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)
(14-10) NE  Mack Herron 5 yard rush (John Smith kick)
(14-13) NE  John Smith 44 yard field goal
(21-13) NYJ David Knight 34 yard pass from Joe Namath (Pat Leahy kick)
(21-16) NE  John Smith 35 yard field goal

                     NYJ             NE
First Downs:         15              18
Rushes-yards:        34-123          37-163
Yards/rush:          3.6             4.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-20-112-2      11-32-121-4
Sacked-yards:        1-13            1-1
Net pass yards:      99              120
Net yards/pass:      4.7             3.6
Total net yards:     222             283
Total plays:         55 (61% run)    70 (52% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             4.0
Fumbles-lost:        2-0             0-0
Turnovers:           2               4
Penalties-yards:     8-78            9-85

Attendance: 57,115

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The Saints provided Archie Manning with perfect protection against the NFC's top defensive unit, and the New Orleans quarterback fired a pair of touchdown passes -- 79 yards to Bob Newland and 17 to Joel Parker. New Orleans' defense also forced Los Angeles to fumble six times and recovered three of them on a field soaked by several hours of rain before kickoff. The NFL's leading rusher, Lawrence McCutcheon of the Rams, was held to 28 yards on the ground. Tom Blanchard recorded the longest punt of the season with a 71-yard boot for the Saints.

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

Line: Rams by 11

( 0- 3) NO  Bill McClard 28 yard field goal
( 0-10) NO  Bob Newland 79 yard pass from Archie Manning (Bill McClard kick)
( 0-13) NO  Bill McClard 51 yard field goal
( 0-20) NO  Joel Parker 17 yard pass from Archie Manning (Bill McClard kick)
( 7-20) LA  Bob Klein 15 yard pass from James Harris (David Ray kick)

                     LA              NO
First Downs:         18              13
Rushes-yards:        23-61           36-146
Yards/rush:          2.7             4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     21-38-230-1     11-23-175-1
Sacked-yards:        4-30            0-0
Net pass yards:      200             175
Net yards/pass:      4.8             7.6
Total net yards:     261             321
Total plays:         65 (35% run)    59 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             5.4
Fumbles-lost:        7-3             2-0
Turnovers:           4               1
Penalties-yards:     3-25            7-61

Attendance: 35,727

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Oakland set the stage for clinching its third straight AFC West title by downing the Chargers 17-10. Denver made the clinching official when it bowed to Kansas City in the Monday night game. Ken Stabler threw his 18th touchdown pass, a 60-yard bomb to Cliff Branch, but his streak of 155 passes without an interception was broken on his last toss of the day. Branch's seven receptions for 125 yards moved him back on top among AFC receivers. Rookie Don Woods had his fifth 100-yard-plus game for the Chargers, 117 yards on 27 carries.

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

Line: Raiders by 15

( 0- 7) OAK Cliff Branch 60 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)
( 3- 7) SD  Ray Wersching 42 yard field goal
( 3-14) OAK Pete Banaszak 1 yard rush (George Blanda kick)
( 3-17) OAK George Blanda 28 yard field goal
(10-17) SD  Don Woods 1 yard rush (Dennis Partee kick)

                     SD              OAK
First Downs:         17              21
Rushes-yards:        37-164          42-132
Yards/rush:          4.4             3.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     9-21-159-0      16-32-240-1
Sacked-yards:        2-15            0-0
Net pass yards:      144             240
Net yards/pass:      6.3             7.5
Total net yards:     308             372
Total plays:         60 (61% run)    74 (56% run)  
Yards/play:          5.1             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             1-1
Turnovers:           0               2
Penalties-yards:     1-11            6-66

Attendance: 50,178

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The Cardinals halted a two-game losing slide and retained their one-game lead in the NFC East as Jim Hart scored from the one at the end of a 67-yard first-period drive and Jim Bakken kicked a pair of field goals. The St. Louis defense, which held Philadelphia without a touchdown for the second time in the Cardinals' season series sweep, sacked Eagles' passer Roman Gabriel nine times -- eight in the second half.

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

Line: Cardinals by 6

( 7- 0) STL Jim Hart 1 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
( 7- 3) PHI Tom Dempsey 48 yard field goal
(10- 3) STL Jim Bakken 28 yard field goal
(13- 3) STL Jim Bakken 30 yard field goal

                     STL             PHI
First Downs:         16              13
Rushes-yards:        40-188          23-71
Yards/rush:          4.7             3.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-23-108-1     19-32-191-2
Sacked-yards:        1-8             9-57
Net pass yards:      100             134
Net yards/pass:      4.2             3.3
Total net yards:     288             205
Total plays:         64 (62% run)    64 (35% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             3.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-1
Turnovers:           2               3
Penalties-yards:     8-68            9-93

Attendance: 61,982

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The Redskins galloped to a 28-0 halftime lead -- scoring touchdowns at the end of 77 -and 75-yard drives, on a 58-yard punt return by Ken Houston and a 31-yard pass from Billy Kilmer to Roy Jefferson -- then had to hang on for their third straight victory which snapped a four-game Cowboys' winning streak. Cornerback Mike Bass intercepted a Dallas pass at the 3-yard line to halt one late threat, and the Redskins halted two rushes and two passes from their 7-yard line in the final minutes to preserve the victory.

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

Line: Redskins by 2

( 0- 7) WAS Joe Theismann 3 yard rush (Mark Moseley kick)
( 0-14) WAS Charlie Evans 6 yard rush (Mark Moseley kick)
( 0-21) WAS Ken Houston 58 yard punt return (Mark Moseley kick)
( 0-28) WAS Roy Jefferson 31 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick)
( 7-28) DAL Billy Joe DuPree 10 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
(14-28) DAL Robert Newhouse 3 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
(21-28) DAL Billy Joe DuPree 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)

                     DAL             WAS
First Downs:         18              13
Rushes-yards:        31-152          37-100
Yards/rush:          4.9             2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-38-174-1     11-19-161-0
Sacked-yards:        5-30            1-9
Net pass yards:      144             152
Net yards/pass:      3.3             7.6
Total net yards:     296             252
Total plays:         74 (41% run)    57 (64% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             4.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             2-1
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     7-55            4-20

Attendance: 54,395

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