All NFL game summaries for 11/16/1975:

The Rams needed three field goals by Tom Dempsey and a fourth-period touchdown pass from James Harris to Ron Jessie that covered 13 yards to defeat the punchless Falcons. Jessie caught 10 passes for 151 yards. The victory sustained Los Angeles' three-game lead in the NFC West.

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

Line: Rams by 14

( 3- 0) LA  Tom Dempsey 33 yard field goal
( 6- 0) LA  Tom Dempsey 42 yard field goal
( 9- 0) LA  Tom Dempsey 17 yard field goal
(16- 0) LA  Ron Jessie 13 yard pass from James Harris (Tom Dempsey kick)
(16- 7) ATL Jim Mitchell 9 yard pass from Pat Sullivan (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)

                     LA              ATL
First Downs:         18              15
Rushes-yards:        38-96           28-99
Yards/rush:          2.5             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     19-37-242-2     13-28-136-1
Sacked-yards:        1-7             4-30
Net pass yards:      235             106
Net yards/pass:      6.2             3.3
Total net yards:     331             205
Total plays:         76 (50% run)    60 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             3.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             3-1
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     6-64            8-60

Attendance: 44,595

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Bert Jones passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns while the Colts smothered Joe Namath to win their fourth straight after losing four of their first five. The Colts had scored 160 points in their last four games and Jones had thrown 16 TD passes, nine during the win streak. Lydell Mitchell's 62 yards gave him 605 for the season and his seven pass catches gave him a conference-leading 44. Jones left the game with a rib injury in the third quarter.

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

Line: Colts by 6

( 3- 0) NYJ Pat Leahy 45 yard field goal
( 3- 7) BAL Lydell Mitchell 17 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
( 3-14) BAL Don McCauley 1 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
( 3-21) BAL Roger Carr 90 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
( 6-21) NYJ Pat Leahy 36 yard field goal
( 6-28) BAL Don McCauley 4 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
( 6-31) BAL Toni Linhart 36 yard field goal
( 6-38) BAL Glenn Doughty 20 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
(13-38) NYJ John Riggins 2 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)
(13-45) BAL Marty Domres 20 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(19-45) NYJ Eddie Bell 12 yard pass from J.J. Jones (kick failed)
(19-52) BAL Fred Cook 49 yard fumble return (Toni Linhart kick)

                     NYJ             BAL
First Downs:         19              26
Rushes-yards:        26-82           42-225
Yards/rush:          3.2             5.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-41-280-3     16-22-277-1
Sacked-yards:        5-43            0-0
Net pass yards:      237             277
Net yards/pass:      5.2             12.6
Total net yards:     319             502
Total plays:         72 (36% run)    64 (65% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             7.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             3-2
Turnovers:           4               3
Penalties-yards:     4-22            4-50

Attendance: 52,097

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Errol Mann's 23-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining provided the Lions with their third straight victory under Joe Reed's quarterback direction and kept them alive in the NFC playoff picture. A 48-yard pass from Reed to Ray Jarvis put the ball on Green Bay's seven-yard line and set up Mann's decisive three-pointer.

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

Line: Lions by 7

( 0- 7) DET Charlie Sanders 9 yard pass from Joe Reed (Errol Mann kick)
( 3- 7) GB  Joe Danelo 28 yard field goal
( 3-10) DET Errol Mann 28 yard field goal
(10-10) GB  Steve Odom 24 yard pass from Willard Harrell (Joe Danelo kick)
(10-13) DET Errol Mann 23 yard field goal

                     GB              DET
First Downs:         20              17
Rushes-yards:        35-127          48-166
Yards/rush:          3.6             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-30-182-2     8-21-104-2
Sacked-yards:        3-32            0-0
Net pass yards:      150             104
Net yards/pass:      4.5             5.0
Total net yards:     277             270
Total plays:         68 (51% run)    69 (69% run)  
Yards/play:          4.1             3.9
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             3-1
Turnovers:           2               3
Penalties-yards:     7-65            3-15

Attendance: 76,356

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Bubba Smith blocked two extra point attempts before Ronnie Coleman broke four tackles on a game-winning seven-yard touchdown run that kept the Oilers in the thick of the AFC Central race and snapped a Dolphins' seven-game winning streak. Billy Johnson's third punt return touchdown of the season, an 83-yard run which was the longest punt return in 1975 in the NFL, had given the Oilers a third-quarter lead, but two Dolphins' scores gave Miami control until Coleman capped an 89-yard drive. Bob Griese completed 21 of 29 for 257 yards and the Dolphins gained 350 yards to Houston's 239 but Smith's two blocked extra points proved the difference.

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

Line: Dolphins by 4

( 0- 3) HOU Skip Butler 43 yard field goal
( 0- 6) HOU Skip Butler 25 yard field goal
( 6- 6) MIA Jim Mandich 26 yard pass from Bob Griese (kick failed)
( 6-13) HOU Billy Johnson 83 yard punt return (Skip Butler kick)
(13-13) MIA Benny Malone 2 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(19-13) MIA Don Nottingham 3 yard rush (kick failed)
(19-20) HOU Ronnie Coleman 7 yard rush (Skip Butler kick)

                     MIA             HOU
First Downs:         23              15
Rushes-yards:        38-114          31-169
Yards/rush:          3.0             5.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     21-29-257-2     11-22-111-0
Sacked-yards:        3-21            4-41
Net pass yards:      236             70
Net yards/pass:      7.4             2.7
Total net yards:     350             239
Total plays:         70 (54% run)    57 (54% run)  
Yards/play:          5.0             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             1-0
Turnovers:           2               0
Penalties-yards:     5-35            10-90

Attendance: 48,892

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Roger Staubach kept the Cowboys one game behind the Cardinals in the NFC East with three touchdown passes, two to Drew Pearson and one to Golden Richards. Jim Plunkett returned after missing two games with a shoulder separation and also threw three TD passes and scored once. Plunkett hit Darryl Stingley with two scoring passes in the final five minutes but the rally fell short. Two 15-yard scrambles by Staubach led to the go-ahead score after the Patriots evened the score at 10-10 in the second quarter.

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

Line: Cowboys by 6

( 3- 0) DAL Toni Fritsch 43 yard field goal
(10- 0) DAL Drew Pearson 33 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
(10- 3) NE  John Smith 29 yard field goal
(10-10) NE  Jim Plunkett 1 yard rush (John Smith kick)
(17-10) DAL Drew Pearson 31 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
(24-10) DAL Doug Dennison 6 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
(24-17) NE  Russ Francis 37 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (John Smith kick)
(31-17) DAL Golden Richards 41 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Toni Fritsch kick)
(34-17) DAL Toni Fritsch 26 yard field goal
(34-24) NE  Darryl Stingley 13 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (John Smith kick)
(34-31) NE  Darryl Stingley 5 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (John Smith kick)

                     DAL             NE
First Downs:         16              20
Rushes-yards:        41-171          29-99
Yards/rush:          4.2             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-20-198-0     12-30-264-2
Sacked-yards:        5-33            6-39
Net pass yards:      165             225
Net yards/pass:      6.6             6.2
Total net yards:     336             324
Total plays:         66 (62% run)    65 (44% run)  
Yards/play:          5.1             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             4-2
Turnovers:           2               4
Penalties-yards:     10-60           5-35

Attendance: 60,905

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Fran Tarkenton threw three touchdown passes -- two to John Gilliam and another to Ed Marinaro -- as the Vikings rolled to their ninth straight victory of the season and twelfth in a row since 1974 to tie the club record for consecutive wins. Tarkenton completed 25 passes to lift his career total to 2,817, 13 short of John Unitas' NFL record 2,830. Chuck Foreman rushed for 117 yards (his fourth 100 game of season) and took over the NFC rushing lead with 693 yards.

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

Line: Vikings by 17

( 7- 0) MIN Ed Marinaro 4 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
(13- 0) MIN John Gilliam 13 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (kick failed)
(13- 7) NO  Paul Seal 25 yard pass from Archie Manning (Rich Szaro kick)
(20- 7) MIN John Gilliam 33 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)

                     MIN             NO
First Downs:         23              6
Rushes-yards:        40-160          27-67
Yards/rush:          4.0             2.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     25-39-310-2     5-18-62-0
Sacked-yards:        0-0             8-69
Net pass yards:      310             -7
Net yards/pass:      7.9             -0.3
Total net yards:     470             60
Total plays:         79 (50% run)    53 (50% run)  
Yards/play:          5.9             1.1
Fumbles-lost:        6-3             1-0
Turnovers:           5               0
Penalties-yards:     6-50            4-25

Attendance: 52,765

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Horst Muhlmann kicked a 30-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to give the Eagles their second victory. Three times earlier in the season, Philadelphia was defeated on field goals in the final seconds -- twice on the final play.

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

Line: Giants by 4

( 0- 3) NYG George Hunt 34 yard field goal
( 7- 3) PHI Charlie Smith 15 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(10- 3) PHI Horst Muhlmann 22 yard field goal
(10-10) NYG Doug Kotar 3 yard rush (George Hunt kick)
(13-10) PHI Horst Muhlmann 30 yard field goal

                     PHI             NYG
First Downs:         14              15
Rushes-yards:        38-184          38-129
Yards/rush:          4.8             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-25-112-0     9-23-92-1
Sacked-yards:        1-2             2-11
Net pass yards:      110             81
Net yards/pass:      4.2             3.2
Total net yards:     294             210
Total plays:         64 (59% run)    63 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          4.6             3.3
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             3-2
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     6-63            7-58

Attendance: 53,434

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Ken Stabler's four touchdown passes enabled the Raiders to fight off the winless but stubborn Browns and open up a three-game lead in the AFC West with five games to play. After the Browns had bounced back to a 17-17 tie in the third quarter, Stabler hit Fred Biletnikoff and Clarence Davis with scoring passes and Davis added a final touchdown on a 26-yard run. Davis had his best day as a Raider, gaining 120 yards on 17 carries.

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

Line: Raiders by 21

( 0- 7) OAK Cliff Branch 22 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)
( 7- 7) CLE Greg Pruitt 10 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
( 7-14) OAK Cliff Branch 21 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)
(10-14) CLE Don Cockroft 25 yard field goal
(10-17) OAK George Blanda 28 yard field goal
(17-17) CLE Cleo Miller 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(17-24) OAK Fred Biletnikoff 15 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)
(17-31) OAK Clarence Davis 31 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)
(17-38) OAK Clarence Davis 26 yard rush (George Blanda kick)

                     CLE             OAK
First Downs:         16              22
Rushes-yards:        30-135          46-217
Yards/rush:          4.5             4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-30-116-3     16-25-220-1
Sacked-yards:        2-21            1-10
Net pass yards:      95              210
Net yards/pass:      3.0             8.1
Total net yards:     230             427
Total plays:         62 (48% run)    72 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             5.9
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             0-0
Turnovers:           4               1
Penalties-yards:     4-40            7-69

Attendance: 50,461

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Franco Harris had his second 100-yard game of the season and 15th of his career by rushing for 119 yards on 17 carries in the Steelers' seventh straight win. Terry Bradshaw's two touchdown passes to Lynn Swann, his seventh of the year, and John Stallworth boosted his season total to 12 and Mel Blount intercepted two passes, his sixth and seventh of the season. It was the fourth time the Steelers have held the opposition without a touchdown as they sacked the Chiefs' quarterbacks six times.

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

Line: Steelers by 11

( 3- 0) KC  Jan Stenerud 32 yard field goal
( 3- 7) PIT Lynn Swann 42 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 3-14) PIT Reggie Harrison 10 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 3-21) PIT John Stallworth 16 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 3-28) PIT Mike Collier 21 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)

                     KC              PIT
First Downs:         12              23
Rushes-yards:        25-78           39-239
Yards/rush:          3.1             6.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-28-167-2     16-24-204-1
Sacked-yards:        6-44            2-23
Net pass yards:      123             181
Net yards/pass:      3.6             7.0
Total net yards:     201             420
Total plays:         59 (42% run)    65 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          3.4             6.5
Fumbles-lost:        2-0             3-1
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     3-25            4-74

Attendance: 48,803

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The Broncos stopped the Chargers on their one with the score tied at 17-17 and marched 99 yards for the winning touchdown by Jon Keyworth. Steve Ramsey helped send the Chargers down to their ninth straight defeat by completing 24 of 36 passes for 225 yards and two TDs to Haven Moses and Riley Odoms. Dan Fouts passed for 211 yards before leaving the game with a bruised shoulder, and rookie Rickey Young led the rushers with 52 yards and a TD and caught four passes. Floyd Little's 44 yards moved him into eighth place on the all-time rushing list with 6,125 yards.

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

Line: Broncos by 7

( 7- 0) DEN Haven Moses 7 yard pass from Steve Ramsey (Jim Turner kick)
( 7- 3) SD  Ray Wersching 22 yard field goal
(10- 3) DEN Jim Turner 22 yard field goal
(17- 3) DEN Riley Odoms 3 yard pass from Steve Ramsey (Jim Turner kick)
(17-10) SD  Bo Matthews 2 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
(17-17) SD  Rickey Young 9 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
(24-17) DEN Jon Keyworth 1 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(27-17) DEN Jim Turner 46 yard field goal

                     DEN             SD
First Downs:         22              17
Rushes-yards:        33-112          29-105
Yards/rush:          3.4             3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     24-36-225-2     14-25-215-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             2-13
Net pass yards:      225             202
Net yards/pass:      6.2             7.5
Total net yards:     337             307
Total plays:         69 (47% run)    56 (51% run)  
Yards/play:          4.9             5.5
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             3-1
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     8-58            2-24

Attendance: 26,048

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Steve Spurrier's 18-yard touchdown pass to Gene Washington snapped a 3-3 second-period tie and the 49ers exploded for 21 points in the final quarter to put together consecutive victories for the first time this season. Delvin Williams sparked the offense, rushing for 106 yards on only 12 carries.

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

Line: 49ers by 10

( 0- 3) SF  Steve Mike-Mayer 23 yard field goal
( 3- 3) CHI Bob Thomas 33 yard field goal
( 3-10) SF  Gene Washington 18 yard pass from Steve Spurrier (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 3-17) SF  Larry Schreiber 3 yard rush (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 3-24) SF  Tommy Hart 10 yard fumble return (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 3-31) SF  Sammy Johnson 1 yard rush (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)

                     CHI             SF
First Downs:         11              21
Rushes-yards:        37-156          42-233
Yards/rush:          4.2             5.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-20-73-0      11-22-124-2
Sacked-yards:        2-29            3-22
Net pass yards:      44              102
Net yards/pass:      2.0             4.1
Total net yards:     200             335
Total plays:         59 (62% run)    67 (62% run)  
Yards/play:          3.4             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        3-2             1-1
Turnovers:           2               3
Penalties-yards:     6-53            5-33

Attendance: 41,728

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Jim Bakken's 37-yard field goal seven minutes into the extra period of the season's fourth overtime game provided the Cardinals with a victory which left them in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, one game ahead of the Redskins and Cowboys. St. Louis won the coin toss after regulation ended 17-17 and moved from its own 25 yard line to Washington's 20 to set up Bakken's winning three-pointer. The Cardinals tied the game at 17-17 on Jim Hart's six-yard touchdown pass to Mel Gray and Bakken's extra point with 20 seconds remaining. Jim Otis, who gained 34 yards in the winning field goal drive, had 109 yards.

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

Line: Cardinals by 4

( 0- 3) STL Jim Bakken 20 yard field goal
( 7- 3) WAS Charley Taylor 36 yard pass from Randy Johnson (Mark Moseley kick)
(14- 3) WAS Mike Thomas 9 yard pass from Randy Johnson (Mark Moseley kick)
(14-10) STL J.V. Cain 8 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(17-10) WAS Mark Moseley 42 yard field goal
(17-17) STL Mel Gray 6 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(17-20) STL Jim Bakken 37 yard field goal

                     WAS             STL
First Downs:         16              31
Rushes-yards:        38-145          47-230
Yards/rush:          3.8             4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-27-252-3     19-37-215-2
Sacked-yards:        0-0             2-18
Net pass yards:      252             197
Net yards/pass:      9.3             5.1
Total net yards:     397             427
Total plays:         65 (58% run)    86 (54% run)  
Yards/play:          6.1             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        4-2             4-2
Turnovers:           5               4
Penalties-yards:     8-97            3-31

Attendance: 49,919

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