All NFL game summaries for 12/27/1975:
Lawrence McCutcheon set an NFC postseason rushing record with 202 yards on 37 carries, and the Rams' defense harnessed the Cardinals' explosive attack to reach the NFC championship round for the second straight year. The Rams broke away fast with a 79-yard scoring march, a 47-yard interception touchdown by Jack Youngblood, and a 65-yard interception touchdown by Bill Simpson, and led 21-0 only 14 seconds into the second quarter.
Ron Jaworski, who got the starting quarterback call three minutes before game time over James Harris, who had a sore shoulder, threw a 66-yard bomb to Harold Jackson in the second quarter after scoring the first touchdown. Ron Jessie's two-yard run after recovering McCutcheon's fumble completed the Rams' scoring. The Los Angeles defense allowed only 95 yards rushing, intercepted Jim Hart three times, and never let the Cardinals get closer than 12 points.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 171.6 (6) | 182.4 (6) | 353.9 (4) | 39 |
| DEFENSE | 137.5 (10) | 190.7 (24) | 328.2 (18) | 37 | |
 | OFFENSE | 169.4 (7) | 156.8 (15) | 326.1 (9) | 25 |
| DEFENSE | 109.5 (2) | 127.8 (3) | 237.3 (2) | 40 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals (11-4-0) | 0 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
| Los Angeles Rams (13-2-0) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
( 0- 7) LA Ron Jaworski 5 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 0-14) LA Jack Youngblood 47 yard interception return (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 0-21) LA Bill Simpson 65 yard interception return (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 6-21) STL Jim Otis 2 yard rush (kick failed)
( 6-28) LA Harold Jackson 66 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 9-28) STL Jim Bakken 29 yard field goal
(16-28) STL Mel Gray 11 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(16-35) LA Ron Jessie 2 yard fumble return (Tom Dempsey kick)
(23-35) STL Steve Jones 3 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
STL LA
First Downs: 22 26
Rushes-yards: 27-95 52-237
Yards/rush: 3.5 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 22-41-291-3 12-23-203-0
Sacked-yards: 2-23 0-0
Net pass yards: 268 203
Net yards/pass: 6.2 8.8
Total net yards: 363 440
Total plays: 70 (38% run) 75 (69% run)
Yards/play: 5.2 5.9
Fumbles-lost: 3-2 5-3
Turnovers: 5 3
Penalties-yards: 6-70 5-38
Attendance: 73,459
Passing:
STL: Jim Hart, 22 of 41 for 291 yards and 1 TD (3 int) LA: Ron Jaworski, 12 of 23 for 203 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
STL: Jim Otis, 12 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Terry Metcalf, 8 for 27 yards; Steve Jones, 6 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Jerry Latin, 1 for 2 yards LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 37 for 202 yards; Ron Jaworski, 6 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Rob Scribner, 4 for 16 yards; Cullen Bryant, 3 for 12 yards
Receiving:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 6 for 94 yards; Jim Otis, 4 for 52 yards; Mel Gray, 3 for 52 yards and 1 TD; Ike Harris, 2 for 33 yards; Jerry Latin, 2 for 23 yards; Steve Jones, 2 for 19 yards; J.V. Cain, 2 for 17 yards; Jackie Smith, 1 for 1 yard LA: Ron Jessie, 4 for 52 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 3 for 8 yards; Harold Jackson, 2 for 84 yards and 1 TD; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 26 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 33 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 102 yards; Gary Hammond, 2 for 36 yards; Dwayne Crump, 1 for 28 yards; Jerry Latin, 1 for 22 yards LA: Cullen Bryant, 3 for 61 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 6 yards LA: Dave Elmendorf, 2 for 12 yards; Rob Scribner, 1 for 7 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Bill Simpson, 2 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Jack Youngblood, 1 for 47 yards and 1 TD
Punting:
STL: Jeff West, 6 for 256 yards LA: Duane Carrell, 5 for 158 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Jim Bakken, 1/1 LA: Tom Dempsey, 0/1
STL: Jim Hart, 22 of 41 for 291 yards and 1 TD (3 int) LA: Ron Jaworski, 12 of 23 for 203 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
STL: Jim Otis, 12 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Terry Metcalf, 8 for 27 yards; Steve Jones, 6 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Jerry Latin, 1 for 2 yards LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 37 for 202 yards; Ron Jaworski, 6 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Rob Scribner, 4 for 16 yards; Cullen Bryant, 3 for 12 yards
Receiving:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 6 for 94 yards; Jim Otis, 4 for 52 yards; Mel Gray, 3 for 52 yards and 1 TD; Ike Harris, 2 for 33 yards; Jerry Latin, 2 for 23 yards; Steve Jones, 2 for 19 yards; J.V. Cain, 2 for 17 yards; Jackie Smith, 1 for 1 yard LA: Ron Jessie, 4 for 52 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 3 for 8 yards; Harold Jackson, 2 for 84 yards and 1 TD; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 26 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 33 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 102 yards; Gary Hammond, 2 for 36 yards; Dwayne Crump, 1 for 28 yards; Jerry Latin, 1 for 22 yards LA: Cullen Bryant, 3 for 61 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 6 yards LA: Dave Elmendorf, 2 for 12 yards; Rob Scribner, 1 for 7 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Bill Simpson, 2 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Jack Youngblood, 1 for 47 yards and 1 TD
Punting:
STL: Jeff West, 6 for 256 yards LA: Duane Carrell, 5 for 158 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Jim Bakken, 1/1 LA: Tom Dempsey, 0/1
Franco Harris set an AFC divisional playoff record by rushing for 153 yards and linebacker Andy Russell set an NFL postseason mark by running 93 yards for a touchdown after recovering a fumble as Pittsburgh advanced to its second straight AFC title game. Bert Jones, who led the Colts to the Eastern Division championship with nine straight victories, suffered an arm injury on the seventh play and did not return until the final quarter. Mel Blount and Jack Ham made key interceptions of Marty Domres' passes and Ham also jarred the ball loose from Jones to make possible Russell's long run.
Terry Bradshaw came back after a knee injury in the second quarter and scored the final touchdown. Harris' eight-yard touchdown run put the Steelers out front in the first quarter but a Marty Domres to Glenn Doughty 5-yard pass tied the score in the second period. Toni Linhart's 21-yard field goal gave the Colts a 10-7 lead in the third quarter before Bradshaw, Harris and the Steelers' defense took over. The Colts were held to 154 yards, 82 rushing and 72 passing, and the Steelers sacked their passer five times.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 158.4 (8) | 162.9 (13) | 321.3 (12) | 18 |
| DEFENSE | 130.1 (8) | 168.0 (13) | 298.1 (12) | 41 | |
 | OFFENSE | 188.1 (2) | 161.0 (14) | 349.1 (6) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 129.6 (7) | 131.1 (4) | 260.8 (4) | 37 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts (10-5-0) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (13-2-0) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
( 0- 7) PIT Franco Harris 8 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 7- 7) BAL Glenn Doughty 5 yard pass from Marty Domres (Toni Linhart kick)
(10- 7) BAL Toni Linhart 21 yard field goal
(10-14) PIT Rocky Bleier 7 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
(10-21) PIT Terry Bradshaw 2 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
(10-28) PIT Andy Russell 93 yard fumble return (Roy Gerela kick)
BAL PIT
First Downs: 10 16
Rushes-yards: 41-82 43-211
Yards/rush: 2.0 4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 8-22-100-2 8-13-103-2
Sacked-yards: 5-28 3-27
Net pass yards: 72 76
Net yards/pass: 2.7 4.8
Total net yards: 154 287
Total plays: 68 (60% run) 59 (72% run)
Yards/play: 2.3 4.9
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 3-3
Turnovers: 3 5
Penalties-yards: 6-53 5-45
Attendance: 49,557
Passing:
BAL: Bert Jones, 6 of 11 for 91 yards; Marty Domres, 2 of 11 for 9 yards and 1 TD (2 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 8 of 13 for 103 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 26 for 63 yards; Bill Olds, 5 for 6 yards; Marty Domres, 4 for 17 yards; Don McCauley, 3 for 3 yards; Bert Jones, 2 for 6 yards; Roger Carr, 1 for -13 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 27 for 153 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 12 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 22 yards and 1 TD; Mike Collier, 1 for 8 yards
Receiving:
BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 4 for 20 yards; Glenn Doughty, 2 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Don McCauley, 1 for 9 yards; Jimmie Kennedy, 1 for 8 yards PIT: Frank Lewis, 3 for 65 yards; Lynn Swann, 2 for 15 yards; Rocky Bleier, 2 for 14 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
BAL: Bruce Laird, 4 for 86 yards; Don McCauley, 1 for 17 yards PIT: Dave Brown, 2 for 53 yards; Reggie Harrison, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
BAL: Howard Stevens, 3 for 30 yards PIT: Glen Edwards, 2 for 22 yards; Mike Collier, 1 for 17 yards; Dave Brown, 1 for 7 yards
Interceptions:
BAL: Lloyd Mumphord, 2 for 67 yards PIT: Mel Blount, 1 for 20 yards; Jack Ham, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
BAL: David Lee, 9 for 361 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 159 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Toni Linhart, 1/1
BAL: Bert Jones, 6 of 11 for 91 yards; Marty Domres, 2 of 11 for 9 yards and 1 TD (2 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 8 of 13 for 103 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 26 for 63 yards; Bill Olds, 5 for 6 yards; Marty Domres, 4 for 17 yards; Don McCauley, 3 for 3 yards; Bert Jones, 2 for 6 yards; Roger Carr, 1 for -13 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 27 for 153 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 12 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 22 yards and 1 TD; Mike Collier, 1 for 8 yards
Receiving:
BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 4 for 20 yards; Glenn Doughty, 2 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Don McCauley, 1 for 9 yards; Jimmie Kennedy, 1 for 8 yards PIT: Frank Lewis, 3 for 65 yards; Lynn Swann, 2 for 15 yards; Rocky Bleier, 2 for 14 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
BAL: Bruce Laird, 4 for 86 yards; Don McCauley, 1 for 17 yards PIT: Dave Brown, 2 for 53 yards; Reggie Harrison, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
BAL: Howard Stevens, 3 for 30 yards PIT: Glen Edwards, 2 for 22 yards; Mike Collier, 1 for 17 yards; Dave Brown, 1 for 7 yards
Interceptions:
BAL: Lloyd Mumphord, 2 for 67 yards PIT: Mel Blount, 1 for 20 yards; Jack Ham, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
BAL: David Lee, 9 for 361 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 4 for 159 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Toni Linhart, 1/1