NFL game summary for 10/12/1975:
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):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 109.7 (20) | 152.3 (14) | 262.0 (17) | 12 |
| DEFENSE | 166.3 (18) | 102.3 (2) | 268.7 (11) | 6 | |
 | OFFENSE | 101.7 (22) | 210.0 (4) | 311.7 (10) | 6 |
| DEFENSE | 85.0 (1) | 113.3 (5) | 198.3 (1) | 8 |
Line: Bengals by 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots (0-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (4-0-0) | 0 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 27 |
( 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
Passing:
NE: Jim Plunkett, 6 of 20 for 59 yards (1 int) CIN: Ken Anderson, 16 of 31 for 265 yards and 1 TD; Stan Fritts, 1 of 1 for 16 yards; John Reaves, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 16 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Mack Herron, 13 for 119 yards; Randy Vataha, 1 for 4 yards; Andy Johnson, 1 for 2 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 11 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Boobie Clark, 11 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Stan Fritts, 10 for 54 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 6 for 39 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 14 yards; Ed Williams, 2 for 2 yards
Receiving:
NE: Russ Francis, 3 for 30 yards; Randy Vataha, 2 for 29 yards; Sam Cunningham, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Chip Myers, 6 for 67 yards; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Bruce Coslet, 3 for 37 yards; Isaac Curtis, 2 for 87 yards; Jack Novak, 1 for 19 yards; Boobie Clark, 1 for 4 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for -2 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Allen Carter, 3 for 87 yards; Leon McQuay, 2 for 34 yards; Andy Johnson, 1 for 23 yards CIN: Bernard Jackson, 2 for 42 yards; John McDaniel, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Mack Herron, 2 for 5 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 3 for 7 yards; Lyle Blackwood, 1 for 1 yard
Interceptions:
CIN: Ken Riley, 1 for 24 yards
Punting:
NE: Mike Patrick, 7 for 291 yards CIN: Dave Green, 7 for 261 yards
Field Goals:
NE: John Smith, 1/1 CIN: Dave Green, 2/2
NE: Jim Plunkett, 6 of 20 for 59 yards (1 int) CIN: Ken Anderson, 16 of 31 for 265 yards and 1 TD; Stan Fritts, 1 of 1 for 16 yards; John Reaves, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 16 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Mack Herron, 13 for 119 yards; Randy Vataha, 1 for 4 yards; Andy Johnson, 1 for 2 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 11 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Boobie Clark, 11 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Stan Fritts, 10 for 54 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 6 for 39 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 14 yards; Ed Williams, 2 for 2 yards
Receiving:
NE: Russ Francis, 3 for 30 yards; Randy Vataha, 2 for 29 yards; Sam Cunningham, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Chip Myers, 6 for 67 yards; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Bruce Coslet, 3 for 37 yards; Isaac Curtis, 2 for 87 yards; Jack Novak, 1 for 19 yards; Boobie Clark, 1 for 4 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for -2 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Allen Carter, 3 for 87 yards; Leon McQuay, 2 for 34 yards; Andy Johnson, 1 for 23 yards CIN: Bernard Jackson, 2 for 42 yards; John McDaniel, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Mack Herron, 2 for 5 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 3 for 7 yards; Lyle Blackwood, 1 for 1 yard
Interceptions:
CIN: Ken Riley, 1 for 24 yards
Punting:
NE: Mike Patrick, 7 for 291 yards CIN: Dave Green, 7 for 261 yards
Field Goals:
NE: John Smith, 1/1 CIN: Dave Green, 2/2