NFL game summary for 12/21/1975:
Jim Otis of the Cardinals rushed 69 yards in the first half and rested the remainder of the game with the NFC rushing title in his grasp on a total of 1,076 yards. Otis' backfield mate, Terry Metcalf, added 127 total yards to boost his overall yardage to 2,462 yards for an NFL record. Another Cardinals' running back, Jerry Latin, had the longest run from scrimmage in the NFL in 1975, a 57-yard TD scamper. The victory tied the Cardinals' all- time one-season record of 11 wins, and marked a high in their 16-year St. Louis history.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 163.8 (7) | 190.8 (5) | 354.6 (4) | 38 |
| DEFENSE | 140.3 (13) | 190.1 (24) | 330.4 (17) | 35 | |
 | OFFENSE | 157.4 (9) | 132.2 (22) | 289.5 (18) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 127.5 (7) | 153.7 (9) | 281.2 (7) | 36 |
Line: Cardinals by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals (11-3-0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| Detroit Lions (7-7-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
( 7- 0) STL Terry Metcalf 14 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(14- 0) STL Dwayne Crump 64 yard return of blocked field goal (Jim Bakken kick)
(14- 7) DET Dexter Bussey 32 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
(21- 7) STL Jerry Latin 57 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(24- 7) STL Jim Bakken 24 yard field goal
(24-13) DET Marlin Briscoe 23 yard pass from Joe Reed (kick failed)
STL DET
First Downs: 20 16
Rushes-yards: 51-272 21-101
Yards/rush: 5.3 4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 6-12-73-1 14-30-199-1
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 73 199
Net yards/pass: 6.1 6.6
Total net yards: 345 300
Total plays: 63 (80% run) 51 (41% run)
Yards/play: 5.5 5.9
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 1-1
Turnovers: 1 2
Penalties-yards: 5-47 4-24
Attendance: 64,272
Passing:
STL: Jim Hart, 5 of 9 for 57 yards; Dennis Shaw, 1 of 3 for 16 yards (1 int) DET: Joe Reed, 14 of 29 for 199 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Herman Weaver, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
STL: Jerry Latin, 15 for 112 yards and 1 TD; Jim Otis, 14 for 69 yards; Josh Ashton, 9 for 41 yards; Terry Metcalf, 9 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Steve Jones, 3 for 15 yards; Dennis Shaw, 1 for -3 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 10 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 6 for 12 yards; Horace King, 2 for 14 yards; Joe Reed, 1 for 6 yards; Bobby Thompson, 1 for 6 yards; Leonard Thompson, 1 for -12 yards
Receiving:
STL: Jackie Smith, 2 for 26 yards; Terry Metcalf, 2 for 16 yards; Jerry Latin, 1 for 16 yards; Mel Gray, 1 for 15 yards DET: Charlie Sanders, 4 for 45 yards; Dexter Bussey, 3 for 44 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 2 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Bobby Thompson, 2 for 22 yards; Horace King, 2 for 21 yards; Ray Jarvis, 1 for 29 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 44 yards DET: Bobby Thompson, 3 for 66 yards; Horace King, 2 for 42 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Gary Hammond, 1 for 30 yards; Terry Metcalf, 1 for 29 yards DET: Charlie West, 2 for 47 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Ken Reaves, 1 for -2 yards DET: Levi Johnson, 1 for 26 yards
Punting:
STL: Jeff West, 4 for 126 yards DET: Herman Weaver, 4 for 199 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Jim Bakken, 1/2 DET: Errol Mann, 0/1
STL: Jim Hart, 5 of 9 for 57 yards; Dennis Shaw, 1 of 3 for 16 yards (1 int) DET: Joe Reed, 14 of 29 for 199 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Herman Weaver, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
STL: Jerry Latin, 15 for 112 yards and 1 TD; Jim Otis, 14 for 69 yards; Josh Ashton, 9 for 41 yards; Terry Metcalf, 9 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Steve Jones, 3 for 15 yards; Dennis Shaw, 1 for -3 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 10 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Altie Taylor, 6 for 12 yards; Horace King, 2 for 14 yards; Joe Reed, 1 for 6 yards; Bobby Thompson, 1 for 6 yards; Leonard Thompson, 1 for -12 yards
Receiving:
STL: Jackie Smith, 2 for 26 yards; Terry Metcalf, 2 for 16 yards; Jerry Latin, 1 for 16 yards; Mel Gray, 1 for 15 yards DET: Charlie Sanders, 4 for 45 yards; Dexter Bussey, 3 for 44 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 2 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Bobby Thompson, 2 for 22 yards; Horace King, 2 for 21 yards; Ray Jarvis, 1 for 29 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 44 yards DET: Bobby Thompson, 3 for 66 yards; Horace King, 2 for 42 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Gary Hammond, 1 for 30 yards; Terry Metcalf, 1 for 29 yards DET: Charlie West, 2 for 47 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Ken Reaves, 1 for -2 yards DET: Levi Johnson, 1 for 26 yards
Punting:
STL: Jeff West, 4 for 126 yards DET: Herman Weaver, 4 for 199 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Jim Bakken, 1/2 DET: Errol Mann, 0/1