All NFL game summaries for 10/12/1975:

Buffalo won its fourth straight on a 159-yard performance by O. J. Simpson and a three-touchdown day by Jim Braxton despite four touchdowns by Baltimore's Lydell Mitchell, which tied a club record and tied him with Simpson and Chuck Foreman of the Vikings for the most points scored in a game in the NFL in 1975. The Colts led 14-0, 21-10, and 28-24 and tied the game at 31-31 early in the final period before the Bills locked it up with a time-consuming drive ending in Braxton's third score. O. J.'s yardage gave him 697 for the season, his fourth 100-yard game in succession. Mitchell gained 107 yards on 19 carries, scoring twice on runs and twice on passes from Bert Jones. Joe Ferguson also threw TD passes to John Holland and Braxton.

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

Line: Bills by 8

( 0- 7) BAL Lydell Mitchell 6 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
( 0-14) BAL Lydell Mitchell 11 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
( 3-14) BUF John Leypoldt 44 yard field goal
(10-14) BUF O.J. Simpson 12 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(10-21) BAL Lydell Mitchell 25 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
(17-21) BUF Jim Braxton 1 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(24-21) BUF John Holland 15 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick)
(24-28) BAL Lydell Mitchell 23 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
(31-28) BUF Jim Braxton 5 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick)
(31-31) BAL Toni Linhart 19 yard field goal
(38-31) BUF Jim Braxton 3 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)

                     BUF             BAL
First Downs:         26              19
Rushes-yards:        43-178          36-196
Yards/rush:          4.1             5.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-26-253-1     11-23-155-1
Sacked-yards:        1-7             1-2
Net pass yards:      246             153
Net yards/pass:      9.1             6.4
Total net yards:     424             349
Total plays:         70 (61% run)    60 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          6.1             5.8
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             0-0
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     5-35            8-62

Attendance: 43,907

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Ken Anderson kept the unbeaten Bengals atop the AFC Central with a perfect 4-0 record by engineering two scoring drives in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Winless New England had tied the score at 10-10 on John Smith's 35-yard field goal before Anderson started to move the Bengals to touchdowns on a 12-yard run by Essex Johnson and a 37-yard pass to Charlie Joiner. Anderson wound up with 16 completions in 31 attempts for 265 yards. Mack Herron had his first 100-yard game, gaining 119 on 13 carries.

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

Line: Bengals by 10

( 0- 7) CIN Boobie Clark 1 yard rush (Dave Green kick)
( 7- 7) NE  Sam Cunningham 2 yard rush (John Smith kick)
( 7-10) CIN Dave Green 29 yard field goal
(10-10) NE  John Smith 35 yard field goal
(10-17) CIN Essex Johnson 12 yard rush (Dave Green kick)
(10-24) CIN Charlie Joiner 37 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick)
(10-27) CIN Dave Green 21 yard field goal

                     NE              CIN
First Downs:         12              26
Rushes-yards:        31-208          43-174
Yards/rush:          6.7             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     6-20-59-1       17-33-281-0
Sacked-yards:        2-17            1-9
Net pass yards:      42              272
Net yards/pass:      1.9             8.0
Total net yards:     250             446
Total plays:         53 (58% run)    77 (55% run)  
Yards/play:          4.7             5.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             1-0
Turnovers:           3               0
Penalties-yards:     9-86            5-22

Attendance: 51,220

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The Oilers remained very much in the AFC Central race with a 3-1 record by rolling over the Browns with the aid of three touchdown passes by Dan Pastorini. All three of Pastorini's scoring passes went to tight end Mack Alston, his first catches of the season. Billy Johnson raced 81 yards for a score with the second-half opening kickoff, his second touchdown on a kick return in two weeks. Skip Butler made good on four of six field goal attempts when drives faltered. Ronnie Coleman had his second 100-yard day with 110 yards on 14 carries while the Oilers' defenders intercepted four of Mike Phipps' passes.

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

Line: Oilers by 7

( 0- 3) CLE Don Cockroft 39 yard field goal
( 3- 3) HOU Skip Butler 46 yard field goal
( 3-10) CLE Hugh McKinnis 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(10-10) HOU Mack Alston 6 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
(17-10) HOU Mack Alston 5 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
(20-10) HOU Skip Butler 33 yard field goal
(27-10) HOU Billy Johnson 81 yard kickoff return (Skip Butler kick)
(30-10) HOU Skip Butler 25 yard field goal
(33-10) HOU Skip Butler 21 yard field goal
(40-10) HOU Mack Alston 11 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)

                     HOU             CLE
First Downs:         20              15
Rushes-yards:        46-250          27-102
Yards/rush:          5.4             3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-21-124-0     17-30-173-4
Sacked-yards:        1-5             3-29
Net pass yards:      119             144
Net yards/pass:      5.4             4.4
Total net yards:     369             246
Total plays:         68 (67% run)    60 (45% run)  
Yards/play:          5.4             4.1
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             2-1
Turnovers:           0               5
Penalties-yards:     7-65            6-59

Attendance: 46,531

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Lions' quarterback Bill Munson, making his first start of the season because Greg Landry had back problems, connected for three touchdown passes while completing 19 of 30 for 178 yards. Jon Staggers, who caught six passes for 82 yards, caught a touchdown pass, as did Ray Jarvis and Charlie Sanders. Detroit's defense kept the Bears outside of its 20-yard line until a late drive resulted in a Chicago score on the final play of the game.

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

Line: Lions by 8

( 0- 7) DET Charlie Sanders 11 yard pass from Bill Munson (Errol Mann kick)
( 0-14) DET Ray Jarvis 14 yard pass from Bill Munson (Errol Mann kick)
( 0-20) DET Jon Staggers 12 yard pass from Bill Munson (kick failed)
( 0-27) DET Horace King 15 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
( 7-27) CHI Bob Grim 7 yard pass from Gary Huff (Bob Thomas kick)

                     CHI             DET
First Downs:         16              21
Rushes-yards:        23-45           33-127
Yards/rush:          2.0             3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     21-37-227-3     20-35-218-0
Sacked-yards:        4-34            3-25
Net pass yards:      193             193
Net yards/pass:      4.7             5.1
Total net yards:     238             320
Total plays:         64 (35% run)    71 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             4.5
Fumbles-lost:        5-2             1-1
Turnovers:           5               1
Penalties-yards:     9-61            9-82

Attendance: 73,477

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Mike Livingston returned to action after missing two games due to injuries and fired three touchdown passes in the Chiefs' surprisingly easy victory over the Raiders. Kansas City intercepted Ken Stabler three times and recovered three fumbles while handing the Raiders their first defeat and giving new coach Paul Wiggin his first victory. Woody Green rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries and Livingston hit Walter White, Ed Podolak and Billy Masters for touchdowns in addition to scoring himself on a fumble recovery. It was the Raiders' worst loss since 1964 when they bowed 42-7, also to the Chiefs at Kansas City.

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

Line: Raiders by 11

( 3- 0) OAK George Blanda 23 yard field goal
( 3- 7) KC  Walter White 48 yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 3-14) KC  Woody Green 5 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 3-21) KC  Mike Livingston 1 yard fumble return (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 3-28) KC  Ed Podolak 7 yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 3-35) KC  Billy Masters 5 yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 3-42) KC  Morris LaGrand 1 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(10-42) OAK Cliff Branch 9 yard pass from David Humm (George Blanda kick)

                     OAK             KC
First Downs:         23              25
Rushes-yards:        27-91           52-224
Yards/rush:          3.4             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     20-42-285-3     10-16-170-1
Sacked-yards:        2-16            3-24
Net pass yards:      269             146
Net yards/pass:      6.1             7.7
Total net yards:     360             370
Total plays:         71 (38% run)    71 (73% run)  
Yards/play:          5.1             5.2
Fumbles-lost:        3-3             1-0
Turnovers:           6               1
Penalties-yards:     4-48            7-51

Attendance: 60,425

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The Dolphins took charge of the ball in the second half, grinding out a victory with Don Nottingham, Norm Bulaich, and Mercury Morris doing the heavy work in a 207-yard ground attack. Bob Griese hit Nat Moore with a 13-yard touchdown pass and Garo Yepremian added his fifth field goal in five attempts this season. The Eagles took an early lead on a Roman Gabriel pass to Charlie Smith and a Horst Muhlmann field goal but didn't score again until the closing minutes with another Gabriel pass. It was the 131st coaching triumph for Miami coach Don Shula, moving him into fifth place in the all-time NFL standings.

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

Line: Dolphins by 10

( 6- 0) PHI Charlie Smith 22 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (kick failed)
( 6- 7) MIA Don Nottingham 3 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 9- 7) PHI Horst Muhlmann 42 yard field goal
( 9-10) MIA Garo Yepremian 40 yard field goal
( 9-17) MIA Nat Moore 13 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 9-24) MIA Norm Bulaich 7 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(16-24) PHI James McAlister 39 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (Horst Muhlmann kick)

                     PHI             MIA
First Downs:         13              18
Rushes-yards:        24-100          45-207
Yards/rush:          4.2             4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     18-26-192-1     15-21-137-0
Sacked-yards:        4-23            1-5
Net pass yards:      169             132
Net yards/pass:      5.6             6.0
Total net yards:     269             339
Total plays:         54 (44% run)    67 (67% run)  
Yards/play:          5.0             5.1
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             3-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     6-48            5-40

Attendance: 60,127

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After falling behind 21-20 as the Jets converted a blocked punt, recovered on the Vikings' 8, into a touchdown, Minnesota retaliated as Joe Blahak blocked a New York punt out of the end zone for a safety and 22-21 lead. On the ensuing possession, the Vikings drove 57 yards in nine plays with Chuck Foreman scoring his third touchdown from the 4, to clinch their fourth straight victory. Foreman rushed 96 yards and caught nine passes for 105. The game marked Minnesota's 200th in the NFL.

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

Line: Vikings by 8

( 0- 3) MIN Fred Cox 40 yard field goal
( 7- 3) NYJ John Riggins 1 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)
( 7- 6) MIN Fred Cox 36 yard field goal
( 7-13) MIN Chuck Foreman 13 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
( 7-20) MIN Chuck Foreman 9 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
(14-20) NYJ John Riggins 11 yard pass from Joe Namath (Pat Leahy kick)
(21-20) NYJ Carl Garrett 2 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)
(21-22) MIN Safety, Joe Blahak blocked punt through end zone
(21-29) MIN Chuck Foreman 4 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)

                     NYJ             MIN
First Downs:         17              25
Rushes-yards:        32-115          42-174
Yards/rush:          3.6             4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-21-195-2     18-28-244-1
Sacked-yards:        1-5             1-11
Net pass yards:      190             233
Net yards/pass:      8.6             8.0
Total net yards:     305             407
Total plays:         54 (59% run)    71 (59% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             5.7
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             2-1
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     9-91            7-73

Attendance: 47,739

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Despite taking a 14-0 lead in the first 1:05 on Steve Odom's 93-yard touchdown return of the opening kickoff and defensive tackle Mike McCoy's fumble recovery and 19-yard run into the end zone, the Packers fell to their fourth straight defeat -- the first time Green Bay has lost its first four games -- as New Orleans, on its own 26-yard line with 1:05 left, drove to the Packers' 3 and rookie Rich Szaro kicked a 20-yard field goal as time elapsed. It was the Saints' first victory.

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

Line: Saints by 2

( 7- 0) GB  Steve Odom 93 yard kickoff return (Joe Danelo kick)
(14- 0) GB  Mike McCoy 19 yard fumble return (Joe Danelo kick)
(16- 0) GB  Safety, Tom Blanchard tackled in end zone by Tom Toner
(16- 7) NO  Mike Strachan 2 yard rush (Rich Szaro kick)
(16-14) NO  Joel Parker 11 yard pass from Archie Manning (Rich Szaro kick)
(16-17) NO  Rich Szaro 36 yard field goal
(19-17) GB  Joe Danelo 45 yard field goal
(19-20) NO  Rich Szaro 20 yard field goal

                     GB              NO
First Downs:         8               26
Rushes-yards:        27-98           45-223
Yards/rush:          3.6             5.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-20-66-0      17-39-189-0
Sacked-yards:        1-3             2-20
Net pass yards:      63              169
Net yards/pass:      3.0             4.1
Total net yards:     161             392
Total plays:         48 (56% run)    86 (52% run)  
Yards/play:          3.4             4.6
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             4-3
Turnovers:           3               3
Penalties-yards:     6-61            9-80

Attendance: 51,371

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The Cowboys, unable to generate any sustained attack, took advantage of three of the Giants' five turnovers to score a pair of Toni Fritsch field goals -- 24 yards after D. D. Lewis recovered a fumble and 22 yards after Bill Gregory fell on another loose ball. Still trailing 7-6 entering the final period, Dallas cornerback Mark Washington intercepted a Craig Morton pass and the Cowboys moved 17 yards in four plays, with Roger Staubach hitting Jean Fugett for the winning touchdown that kept the Cowboys undefeated.

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

Line: Cowboys by 8

( 3- 0) DAL Toni Fritsch 24 yard field goal
( 3- 7) NYG Doug Kotar 5 yard rush (George Hunt kick)
( 6- 7) DAL Toni Fritsch 22 yard field goal
(13- 7) DAL Jean Fugett 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)

                     DAL             NYG
First Downs:         14              10
Rushes-yards:        49-196          29-96
Yards/rush:          4.0             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-22-87-0       8-23-99-3
Sacked-yards:        3-21            3-22
Net pass yards:      66              77
Net yards/pass:      2.6             3.0
Total net yards:     262             173
Total plays:         74 (66% run)    55 (52% run)  
Yards/play:          3.5             3.1
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             4-2
Turnovers:           1               5
Penalties-yards:     6-45            4-45

Attendance: 56,511

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Two acrobatic touchdown catches by a leaping Lynn Swann enabled the Steelers to top the Broncos as Terry Bradshaw completed 16 of 26 for 191 yards. Jim Turner provided the Denver scoring with three field goals as Otis Armstrong left the game with a leg injury after carrying seven times for 28 yards. Franco Harris topped the Steeler runners with 69 yards and Rocky Bleier added 53 in the 327-yard attack. The Steelers intercepted three passes and sacked Broncos' quarterbacks twice.

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

Line: Steelers by 12

( 3- 0) DEN Jim Turner 22 yard field goal
( 3- 7) PIT Lynn Swann 43 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 3-14) PIT Lynn Swann 9 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 3-17) PIT Roy Gerela 39 yard field goal
( 6-17) DEN Jim Turner 39 yard field goal
( 9-17) DEN Jim Turner 36 yard field goal
( 9-20) PIT Roy Gerela 28 yard field goal

                     DEN             PIT
First Downs:         17              14
Rushes-yards:        36-124          39-137
Yards/rush:          3.4             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-36-170-3     16-26-191-0
Sacked-yards:        2-17            1-1
Net pass yards:      153             190
Net yards/pass:      4.0             7.0
Total net yards:     277             327
Total plays:         74 (48% run)    66 (59% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             4-2
Turnovers:           4               2
Penalties-yards:     5-32            13-99

Attendance: 49,164

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The second overtime game of the season was won by Los Angeles on Tom Dempsey's 22-yard field goal after 9:27 of sudden death play with San Diego. The underdog Chargers, suffering their fourth straight defeat, led 10-3 in the third quarter on a seven-yard run by Don Woods, who gained 105 for the day, and a 36-yard field goal by Ray Wersching. The Rams had a last minute chance to win in regulation but failed and then moved 81 yards to set up Dempsey's winning kick. Lawrence McCutcheon gained 112 yards on 20 carries.

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

Line: Rams by 14

( 3- 0) LA  Tom Dempsey 19 yard field goal
( 3- 7) SD  Don Woods 7 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
( 3-10) SD  Ray Wersching 36 yard field goal
(10-10) LA  James Harris 2 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
(13-10) LA  Tom Dempsey 22 yard field goal

                     LA              SD
First Downs:         24              16
Rushes-yards:        46-224          35-128
Yards/rush:          4.9             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-26-226-1     17-26-180-0
Sacked-yards:        4-27            4-36
Net pass yards:      199             144
Net yards/pass:      6.6             4.8
Total net yards:     423             272
Total plays:         76 (60% run)    65 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        4-1             2-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     4-29            5-45

Attendance: 37,382

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Falcons' rookie quarterback Steve Bartkowski had to leave the game in the third period because of a left elbow injury, but before departing he hit tight end Jim Mitchell with a nine-yard touchdown pass and completed five passes in a second scoring drive climaxed by Haskell Stanback's 26-yard run. Atlanta's defense, meanwhile, sacked San Francisco passers six times and cornerback Rolland Lawrence and linebacker Greg Brezina each picked off two interceptions.

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

Line: 49ers by 9

( 7- 0) ATL Jim Mitchell 9 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(14- 0) ATL Haskel Stanback 26 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(14- 3) SF  Steve Mike-Mayer 26 yard field goal
(17- 3) ATL Nick Mike-Mayer 27 yard field goal

                     ATL             SF
First Downs:         14              19
Rushes-yards:        38-140          31-107
Yards/rush:          3.7             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-22-105-0     22-41-262-4
Sacked-yards:        1-10            6-31
Net pass yards:      95              231
Net yards/pass:      4.1             4.9
Total net yards:     235             338
Total plays:         61 (62% run)    78 (39% run)  
Yards/play:          3.9             4.3
Fumbles-lost:        2-0             5-1
Turnovers:           0               5
Penalties-yards:     1-5             5-53

Attendance: 44,043

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