All NFL game summaries for 12/20/1975:
Fran Tarkenton broke John Unitas' record with his 291st touchdown pass and O. J. Simpson scored his 23rd touchdown of the season, topping Gale Sayers' NFL mark of 22 set in 1965 as Minnesota beat Buffalo 35-13 in a snowstorm. Chuck Foreman scored four times, twice on passes from Tarkenton, running his season total to 22, matching Sayers' old mark and tying Simpson and Lydell Mitchell for the most points scored in a single game in the NFL in 1975. Foreman came close to scoring again but fumbled near the goal line and a teammate recovered for a score. Simpson finished the season with 1,817 yards and Foreman's 85 yards rushing gave him 1,070 for the season. The record-breaking score by Simpson came on a pass from Gary Marangi, the backup quarterback, on a 64-yard play.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Minnesota Vikings | OFFENSE | 148.2 (11) | 203.2 (3) | 351.4 (6) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 108.6 (2) | 110.2 (1) | 218.8 (1) | 37 | |
 Buffalo Bills | OFFENSE | 219.5 (1) | 177.2 (9) | 396.8 (1) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 140.4 (14) | 220.1 (26) | 360.5 (24) | 43 |
Line: Vikings by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings (12-2-0) | 14 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 35 |
| Buffalo Bills (8-6-0) | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
( 7- 0) MIN Chuck Foreman 4 yard rush (Fred Cox kick) (14- 0) MIN Jim Lash 0 yard fumble return (Fred Cox kick) (21- 0) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush (Fred Cox kick) (21- 7) BUF O.J. Simpson 24 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick) (28- 7) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) (35- 7) MIN Chuck Foreman 6 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) (35-13) BUF O.J. Simpson 64 yard pass from Gary Marangi (kick failed)
MIN BUF
First Downs: 28 20
Rushes-yards: 41-168 26-120
Yards/rush: 4.1 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 27-43-242-1 16-37-212-4
Sacked-yards: 2-23 3-23
Net pass yards: 219 189
Net yards/pass: 4.9 4.7
Total net yards: 387 309
Total plays: 86 (47% run) 66 (39% run)
Yards/play: 4.5 4.7
Fumbles-lost: 5-1 1-1
Turnovers: 2 5
Penalties-yards: 8-44 5-35
Attendance: 54,993
Passing:MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 25 of 36 for 216 yards and 2 TDs; Bob Lee, 2 of 7 for 26 yards (1 int)
BUF: Gary Marangi, 10 of 21 for 161 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Joe Ferguson, 6 of 16 for 51 yards (3 int)
Rushing:
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 19 for 85 yards and 2 TDs; Brent McClanahan, 12 for 47 yards; Dave Osborn, 6 for 20 yards; Ed Marinaro, 3 for 16 yards; Bob Lee, 1 for 0 yards
BUF: O.J. Simpson, 12 for 57 yards and 1 TD; Jim Braxton, 7 for 26 yards; Gary Marangi, 3 for 25 yards; Vic Washington, 2 for 3 yards; Joe Ferguson, 1 for 6 yards; Gary Hayman, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 10 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Jim Lash, 4 for 61 yards; John Gilliam, 4 for 35 yards; Stu Voigt, 3 for 36 yards; Ed Marinaro, 3 for 15 yards; Brent McClanahan, 3 for 8 yards
BUF: Bob Chandler, 4 for 33 yards; O.J. Simpson, 3 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Reuben Gant, 3 for 33 yards; Vic Washington, 2 for 21 yards; Jim Braxton, 2 for 15 yards; J.D. Hill, 1 for 26 yards; Paul Seymour, 1 for 18 yards
Kick returns:
MIN: Brent McClanahan, 2 for 61 yards
BUF: Vic Washington, 3 for 81 yards; Steven Schnarr, 3 for 62 yards
Punt returns:
MIN: Sam McCullum, 1 for 3 yards
BUF: Gary Hayman, 3 for 11 yards; John Holland, 2 for 25 yards
Interceptions:
MIN: Bobby Bryant, 2 for 59 yards; Terry Brown, 1 for 18 yards; Pete Athas, 1 for 0 yards
BUF: Ed Jones, 1 for 13 yards
Punting:
MIN: Neil Clabo, 5 for 204 yards
BUF: Marv Bateman, 3 for 119 yards
Field Goals:
BUF: John Leypoldt, 0/1
Rams' backup quarterback Ron Jaworski, replacing regular James Harris, who had a bruised right shoulder, scored on a five-yard quarterback draw 5:18 into the final period to give NFC Western champion Los Angeles its sixth straight win and snap AFC Central champion Pittsburgh's 11-game win streak in a final-game meeting of NFL playoff teams. Steeler Franco Harris rushed for 126 yards to lift his season total to a club-record 1,246 yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pittsburgh Steelers | OFFENSE | 188.9 (2) | 170.3 (12) | 359.2 (3) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 126.5 (6) | 136.5 (5) | 262.9 (4) | 36 | |
 Los Angeles Rams | OFFENSE | 169.2 (5) | 164.1 (14) | 333.3 (9) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 104.3 (1) | 134.5 (4) | 238.8 (2) | 36 |
Line: Steelers by 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (12-2-0) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Los Angeles Rams (12-2-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
( 3- 0) PIT Roy Gerela 20 yard field goal ( 3- 3) LA Tom Dempsey 26 yard field goal ( 3-10) LA Ron Jaworski 5 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
PIT LA
First Downs: 14 14
Rushes-yards: 34-177 48-171
Yards/rush: 5.2 3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 5-21-57-3 6-13-79-1
Sacked-yards: 2-17 2-17
Net pass yards: 40 62
Net yards/pass: 1.7 4.1
Total net yards: 217 233
Total plays: 57 (59% run) 63 (76% run)
Yards/play: 3.8 3.7
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 1-0
Turnovers: 4 1
Penalties-yards: 3-20 3-36
Attendance: 69,389
Passing:PIT: Joe Gilliam, 2 of 11 for 29 yards (2 int); Terry Bradshaw, 3 of 10 for 28 yards (1 int)
LA: Ron Jaworski, 6 of 13 for 79 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 21 for 126 yards; Rocky Bleier, 7 for 31 yards; Reggie Harrison, 3 for 8 yards; Mike Collier, 1 for 8 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 1 for 2 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 1 for 2 yards
LA: Rob Scribner, 19 for 67 yards; Cullen Bryant, 15 for 50 yards; Rod Phillips, 11 for 51 yards; Ron Jaworski, 3 for 3 yards and 1 TD
Receiving:
PIT: Randy Grossman, 3 for 49 yards; Franco Harris, 1 for 4 yards; Lynn Swann, 1 for 4 yards
LA: Harold Jackson, 2 for 38 yards; Rod Phillips, 2 for 10 yards; Willie McGee, 1 for 17 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Mike Collier, 2 for 37 yards; Dave Brown, 1 for 20 yards
LA: Willie McGee, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Dave Brown, 2 for 34 yards; Glen Edwards, 2 for 15 yards
LA: Rob Scribner, 3 for 23 yards; Dave Elmendorf, 1 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Glen Edwards, 1 for 21 yards
LA: Eddie McMillan, 1 for 25 yards; Ken Geddes, 1 for 4 yards; Monte Jackson, 1 for 3 yards
Punting:
PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 206 yards
LA: Duane Carrell, 7 for 263 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/1
LA: Tom Dempsey, 1/2
Earl Morrall came off the bench despite an injured knee, and kept alive the Dolphins' faint playoff hopes for another 24 hours by leading Miami past Denver 14-13. The Saturday victory kept the Dolphins' hopes up but Baltimore's win the following day eliminated them. Denver led 10-0 at halftime and had a chance to win it in the final second until rookie Barry Hill blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Jim Turner. Morrall moved the Dolphins 80 yards in 11 plays on the winning drive for a score by Norm Bulaich with 1:14 to go after throwing a touchdown pass to Howard Twilley.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Denver Broncos | OFFENSE | 142.1 (13) | 179.6 (8) | 321.7 (12) | 48 |
| DEFENSE | 143.2 (15) | 149.4 (7) | 292.5 (10) | 32 | |
 Miami Dolphins | OFFENSE | 183.6 (3) | 147.6 (18) | 331.2 (10) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 124.8 (5) | 139.6 (6) | 264.4 (5) | 30 |
Line: Dolphins by 13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (6-8-0) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Miami Dolphins (10-4-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
( 3- 0) DEN Jim Turner 39 yard field goal (10- 0) DEN Riley Odoms 0 yard fumble return (Jim Turner kick) (10- 7) MIA Howard Twilley 10 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Garo Yepremian kick) (13- 7) DEN Jim Turner 39 yard field goal (13-14) MIA Norm Bulaich 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
DEN MIA
First Downs: 21 16
Rushes-yards: 34-146 32-113
Yards/rush: 4.3 3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-27-235-0 10-17-108-0
Sacked-yards: 4-29 2-18
Net pass yards: 206 90
Net yards/pass: 6.6 4.7
Total net yards: 352 203
Total plays: 65 (52% run) 51 (62% run)
Yards/play: 5.4 4.0
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 0-0
Turnovers: 0 0
Penalties-yards: 4-35 1-4
Attendance: 43,064
Passing:DEN: Steve Ramsey, 19 of 27 for 235 yards
MIA: Earl Morrall, 6 of 11 for 88 yards and 1 TD; Don Strock, 4 of 6 for 20 yards
Rushing:
DEN: Jon Keyworth, 15 for 71 yards; Floyd Little, 8 for 20 yards; Fran Lynch, 6 for 27 yards; Oliver Ross, 4 for 29 yards; Riley Odoms, 1 for -1 yards
MIA: Mercury Morris, 14 for 48 yards; Norm Bulaich, 7 for 26 yards and 1 TD; Don Nottingham, 5 for 19 yards; Benny Malone, 4 for 5 yards; Freddie Solomon, 1 for 12 yards; Hubert Ginn, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Riley Odoms, 4 for 56 yards; Jon Keyworth, 4 for 38 yards; Oliver Ross, 3 for 31 yards; Haven Moses, 2 for 40 yards; Fran Lynch, 2 for 35 yards; Billy Van Heusen, 1 for 12 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 11 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 7 yards; Floyd Little, 1 for 5 yards
MIA: Jim Mandich, 4 for 28 yards; Freddie Solomon, 2 for 45 yards; Nat Moore, 1 for 20 yards; Howard Twilley, 1 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Don Nottingham, 1 for 3 yards; Norm Bulaich, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 51 yards; Jeff Severson, 1 for 20 yards
MIA: Nat Moore, 2 for 49 yards; Benny Malone, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 1 for 8 yards; Fran Lynch, 1 for 0 yards
MIA: Nat Moore, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
DEN: Billy Van Heusen, 3 for 124 yards
MIA: Larry Seiple, 6 for 236 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 2/3