NFL game summary for 12/01/1974:
John Leypoldt kicked field goals of 20 and 31 yards for all the scoring in a defensive struggle which guaranteed the Bills a playoff berth. O. J. Simpson passed the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight year with 67 yards for a season total of 1,004. It was the first regular season shutout for Buffalo since Oct. 5, 1963 and its first since the 1965 AFL championship game. Buffalo sacked Bert Jones eight times but he still brought the Colts to the 2-yard line in a last quarter threat.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 142.5 (12) | 128.1 (22) | 270.5 (17) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 137.7 (14) | 161.4 (16) | 299.1 (15) | 21 | |
 | OFFENSE | 156.5 (6) | 113.0 (25) | 269.5 (18) | 22 |
| DEFENSE | 141.8 (16) | 112.5 (2) | 254.4 (5) | 28 |
Line: Bills by 13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts (2-10-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills (9-3-0) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
( 0- 3) BUF John Leypoldt 20 yard field goal
( 0- 6) BUF John Leypoldt 31 yard field goal
BAL BUF
First Downs: 10 9
Rushes-yards: 21-46 46-138
Yards/rush: 2.2 3.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-27-170-1 5-13-46-0
Sacked-yards: 8-72 0-0
Net pass yards: 98 46
Net yards/pass: 2.8 3.5
Total net yards: 144 184
Total plays: 56 (37% run) 59 (77% run)
Yards/play: 2.6 3.1
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 1-1
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 1-15 3-30
Attendance: 75,325
Passing:
BAL: Bert Jones, 11 of 27 for 170 yards (1 int) BUF: Joe Ferguson, 5 of 13 for 46 yards
Rushing:
BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 11 for 30 yards; Bill Olds, 8 for 12 yards; Freddie Scott, 1 for 3 yards; Bert Jones, 1 for 1 yard BUF: O.J. Simpson, 24 for 67 yards; Larry Watkins, 16 for 64 yards; Joe Ferguson, 6 for 7 yards
Receiving:
BAL: Freddie Scott, 3 for 55 yards; Lydell Mitchell, 3 for 20 yards; Raymond Chester, 2 for 57 yards; Roger Carr, 2 for 33 yards; Bill Olds, 1 for 5 yards BUF: Ahmad Rashad, 2 for 18 yards; Paul Seymour, 1 for 12 yards; J.D. Hill, 1 for 10 yards; O.J. Simpson, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
BAL: Cotton Speyrer, 1 for 29 yards; Bruce Laird, 1 for 18 yards BUF: Wallace Francis, 1 for 24 yards
Punt returns:
BAL: Cotton Speyrer, 3 for 14 yards; Tony Bertuca, 1 for 0 yards BUF: Donnie Walker, 4 for 11 yards; Rex Kern, 1 for 1 yard; Bill Cahill, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
BUF: Dave Washington, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
BAL: David Lee, 10 for 338 yards BUF: Marv Bateman, 9 for 338 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Toni Linhart, 0/1 BUF: John Leypoldt, 2/2
BAL: Bert Jones, 11 of 27 for 170 yards (1 int) BUF: Joe Ferguson, 5 of 13 for 46 yards
Rushing:
BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 11 for 30 yards; Bill Olds, 8 for 12 yards; Freddie Scott, 1 for 3 yards; Bert Jones, 1 for 1 yard BUF: O.J. Simpson, 24 for 67 yards; Larry Watkins, 16 for 64 yards; Joe Ferguson, 6 for 7 yards
Receiving:
BAL: Freddie Scott, 3 for 55 yards; Lydell Mitchell, 3 for 20 yards; Raymond Chester, 2 for 57 yards; Roger Carr, 2 for 33 yards; Bill Olds, 1 for 5 yards BUF: Ahmad Rashad, 2 for 18 yards; Paul Seymour, 1 for 12 yards; J.D. Hill, 1 for 10 yards; O.J. Simpson, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
BAL: Cotton Speyrer, 1 for 29 yards; Bruce Laird, 1 for 18 yards BUF: Wallace Francis, 1 for 24 yards
Punt returns:
BAL: Cotton Speyrer, 3 for 14 yards; Tony Bertuca, 1 for 0 yards BUF: Donnie Walker, 4 for 11 yards; Rex Kern, 1 for 1 yard; Bill Cahill, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
BUF: Dave Washington, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
BAL: David Lee, 10 for 338 yards BUF: Marv Bateman, 9 for 338 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Toni Linhart, 0/1 BUF: John Leypoldt, 2/2