All NFL game summaries for 10/17/1976:

Greg Pruitt rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns as the Browns dealt Falcons' coach Pat Peppler a defeat in his NFL debut. Pruitt scored Cleveland's first TD on a one-yard run and his 64-yard dash in the second quarter set up Willie Miller's touchdown for a 14-0 Browns lead. Kim McQuilken tied the game 14-14 with 23 seconds left in the half on an 18-yard touchdown pass to John Gilliam and the Falcons went ahead 17-14 on a third quarter field goal. Pruitt scored the winning TD on the final play of the third quarter.

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

Line: Browns by 4

( 7- 0) CLE Greg Pruitt 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(14- 0) CLE Cleo Miller 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(14- 7) ATL Bubba Bean 23 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(14-14) ATL John Gilliam 18 yard pass from Kim McQuilken (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(14-17) ATL Nick Mike-Mayer 33 yard field goal
(20-17) CLE Greg Pruitt 2 yard rush (run failed)

                     CLE             ATL
First Downs:         23              13
Rushes-yards:        57-321          26-89
Yards/rush:          5.6             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-18-134-2     15-28-180-1
Sacked-yards:        2-23            1-11
Net pass yards:      111             169
Net yards/pass:      5.5             5.8
Total net yards:     432             258
Total plays:         77 (74% run)    55 (47% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        4-1             0-0
Turnovers:           3               1
Penalties-yards:     6-59            4-22

Attendance: 32,837

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Bert Jones' two fourth quarter touchdown passes broke open a 17-13 game, spoiling Jim Ringo's NFL coaching debut and keeping the Colts in the lead in the AFC East. Buffalo's only TD, a 33-yard pass from Joe Ferguson to O. J. Simpson, kept the Bills close through a scoreless third quarter before Jones put the game out of reach with a nine-yard scoring pass to Glenn Doughty.

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

Line: Colts by 7

( 0- 3) BUF George Jakowenko 32 yard field goal
( 3- 3) BAL Toni Linhart 21 yard field goal
(10- 3) BAL Don McCauley 2 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(10- 6) BUF George Jakowenko 44 yard field goal
(10-13) BUF O.J. Simpson 33 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (George Jakowenko kick)
(17-13) BAL Lydell Mitchell 6 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(24-13) BAL Glenn Doughty 9 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
(31-13) BAL Don McCauley 3 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)

                     BAL             BUF
First Downs:         24              17
Rushes-yards:        40-213          32-145
Yards/rush:          5.3             4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-22-207-0     13-28-239-0
Sacked-yards:        1-5             5-40
Net pass yards:      202             199
Net yards/pass:      8.8             6.0
Total net yards:     415             344
Total plays:         63 (63% run)    65 (49% run)  
Yards/play:          6.6             5.3
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             3-2
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     5-50            14-106

Attendance: 71,009

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Ken Stabler led the Raiders to touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half to overcome a 10-3 Denver lead and maintain Oakland's one-game lead in the AFC West. The Broncos took a 10-0 lead on an 11-yard Steve Ramsey to Haven Moses TD pass and Jim Turner's 21-yard field goal. Stabler tied the game with a 46-yard scoring pass to Cliff Branch and Pete Banaszak clinched it on the next series with a one-yard touchdown run.

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

Line: Raiders by 3

( 0- 3) DEN Jim Turner 21 yard field goal
( 0-10) DEN Haven Moses 11 yard pass from Steve Ramsey (Jim Turner kick)
( 3-10) OAK Fred Steinfort 34 yard field goal
(10-10) OAK Cliff Branch 46 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Fred Steinfort kick)
(17-10) OAK Pete Banaszak 1 yard rush (Fred Steinfort kick)

                     OAK             DEN
First Downs:         20              16
Rushes-yards:        43-131          27-88
Yards/rush:          3.0             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-20-175-1     15-29-186-0
Sacked-yards:        2-17            3-13
Net pass yards:      158             173
Net yards/pass:      7.2             5.4
Total net yards:     289             261
Total plays:         65 (66% run)    59 (45% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             4.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             0-0
Turnovers:           1               0
Penalties-yards:     11-111          14-132

Attendance: 63,241

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Lynn Dickey threw touchdown passes of 44 and 69 yards and Barty Smith scored twice on one-yard runs as the Packers won their third straight. Horst Muhlmann booted a 26-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead before Dickey put Green Bay ahead to stay with his 44-yard scoring pass to Ken Payne. Smith scored both of his touchdowns late in the second quarter, the first capping an 88-yard drive and the second with 1:23 left for a 21-6 Packers' lead. Willard Harrell caught Dickey's other touchdown pass.

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

Line: Packers by 2

( 3- 0) PHI Horst Muhlmann 26 yard field goal
( 3- 7) GB  Ken Payne 44 yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Chester Marcol kick)
( 6- 7) PHI Horst Muhlmann 26 yard field goal
( 6-14) GB  Barty Smith 1 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick)
( 6-21) GB  Barty Smith 1 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick)
(13-21) PHI Mike Boryla 1 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(13-28) GB  Willard Harrell 69 yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Chester Marcol kick)

                     PHI             GB
First Downs:         16              17
Rushes-yards:        33-96           40-130
Yards/rush:          2.9             3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     19-32-172-0     12-20-226-1
Sacked-yards:        4-29            0-0
Net pass yards:      143             226
Net yards/pass:      4.0             11.3
Total net yards:     239             356
Total plays:         69 (47% run)    60 (66% run)  
Yards/play:          3.5             5.9
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-1
Turnovers:           1               2
Penalties-yards:     4-40            4-20

Attendance: 55,115

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Ron Jaworski, pressed into service after Pat Haden was knocked woozy in the second quarter, guided the Rams on an eight-play, 72-yard drive in the fourth quarter to overcome a 12-point Chicago surge. Los Angeles took a 10-0 first quarter lead on a Haden to Lawrence McCutcheon touchdown pass, but saw the lead wiped out by a field goal, safety, and 17-yard TD run by Walter Payton. McCutcheon was outgained 145 to 96 yards by Payton but the Rams' running back scored more points, running 18 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, his second of the game. Rams' cornerback Monte Jackson had three interceptions.

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

Line: Rams by 7

( 0- 3) LA  Tom Dempsey 44 yard field goal
( 0-10) LA  Lawrence McCutcheon 7 yard pass from Pat Haden (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 3-10) CHI Bob Thomas 42 yard field goal
( 5-10) CHI Safety, Johnny Musso blocked punt in end zone
(12-10) CHI Walter Payton 17 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
(12-17) LA  Lawrence McCutcheon 18 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
(12-20) LA  Tom Dempsey 37 yard field goal

                     CHI             LA
First Downs:         14              17
Rushes-yards:        41-173          46-185
Yards/rush:          4.2             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-31-152-3     8-22-127-2
Sacked-yards:        0-0             3-33
Net pass yards:      152             94
Net yards/pass:      4.9             3.8
Total net yards:     325             279
Total plays:         72 (56% run)    71 (64% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             3.9
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             2-2
Turnovers:           4               4
Penalties-yards:     13-98           5-34

Attendance: 71,751

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Jan Stenerud's 34-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in overtime gave the Chiefs their second straight win and first over Miami since 1969. Garo Yepremian tied the game with nine seconds left in regulation on a 27-yard field goal after Henry Marshall gave Kansas City a 17-14 lead on a 59-yard end-around TD run with 1:45 left. Tim Collier recovered a Norm Bulaich fumble in the end zone to stop a possible Dolphins' scoring drive in the overtime.

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

Line: Dolphins by 12

( 7- 0) KC  Tommy Reamon 1 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(10- 0) KC  Jan Stenerud 29 yard field goal
(10- 7) MIA Norm Bulaich 2 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10-14) MIA Howard Twilley 4 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
(17-14) KC  Henry Marshall 59 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(17-17) MIA Garo Yepremian 27 yard field goal
(20-17) KC  Jan Stenerud 34 yard field goal

                     KC              MIA
First Downs:         21              27
Rushes-yards:        39-186          37-179
Yards/rush:          4.8             4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     20-33-267-1     25-35-306-2
Sacked-yards:        0-0             4-44
Net pass yards:      267             262
Net yards/pass:      8.1             6.7
Total net yards:     453             441
Total plays:         72 (54% run)    76 (48% run)  
Yards/play:          6.3             5.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             3-3
Turnovers:           2               5
Penalties-yards:     10-85           7-50

Attendance: 43,325

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Fran Tarkenton set an NFL record with his 3,000th pass completion while passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns in handing the Giants their sixth straight defeat and boosting the Vikings' NFC Central lead to 2½ games. Following an opening field goal, Nate Allen returned a blocked punt 28 yards for a touchdown. Tarkenton hit Chuck Foreman on a 41-yard TD pass before the first half ended and sealed the victory in the fourth quarter with a scoring pass to Brent McClanahan.

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

Line: Vikings by 10

( 0- 3) MIN Fred Cox 23 yard field goal
( 0-10) MIN Nate Allen 28 yard return of blocked punt (Fred Cox kick)
( 7-10) NYG Doug Kotar 3 yard rush (Joe Danelo kick)
( 7-17) MIN Chuck Foreman 41 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
( 7-24) MIN Brent McClanahan 3 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)

                     NYG             MIN
First Downs:         12              23
Rushes-yards:        28-87           40-109
Yards/rush:          3.1             2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-24-149-2     21-30-288-1
Sacked-yards:        4-27            3-36
Net pass yards:      122             252
Net yards/pass:      4.4             7.6
Total net yards:     209             361
Total plays:         56 (50% run)    73 (54% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             4.9
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             4-2
Turnovers:           3               3
Penalties-yards:     3-35            7-37

Attendance: 47,156

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Jack Lambert's second quarter interception and fumble recovery regrouped the Steelers' defense while Franco Harris' two touchdown, record-breaking rushing performance led Pittsburgh to its first win following three straight defeats. Harris's 41 rushes set an NFL record and his 143 yards made him the all-time Steelers rushing leader.

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

Line: Bengals by 4

( 3- 0) CIN Chris Bahr 22 yard field goal
( 3- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 42 yard field goal
( 3-10) PIT Franco Harris 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 3-13) PIT Roy Gerela 40 yard field goal
( 6-13) CIN Chris Bahr 19 yard field goal
( 6-20) PIT Franco Harris 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 6-23) PIT Roy Gerela 30 yard field goal

                     CIN             PIT
First Downs:         11              16
Rushes-yards:        24-75           55-201
Yards/rush:          3.1             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-31-129-2     5-12-58-1
Sacked-yards:        5-33            1-6
Net pass yards:      96              52
Net yards/pass:      2.7             4.0
Total net yards:     171             253
Total plays:         60 (40% run)    68 (80% run)  
Yards/play:          2.9             3.7
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             1-1
Turnovers:           3               2
Penalties-yards:     6-40            9-45

Attendance: 48,311

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Bo Matthews and Charlie Joiner combined for 21 second half points to lead San Diego past Houston despite a three-touchdown, 329-yard passing performance by Oiler quarterback Dan Pastorini. Matthews broke loose for a 42-yard touchdown in the third period but Pastorini matched that score on a 54-yard pass to Ken Burrough. Dan Fouts, 19 of 24 for 279 yards, teamed with Joiner on an 81-yard scoring play but Pastorini countered with another touchdown pass to Burrough and then put the Oilers ahead 27-24 with his third TD pass, a 32-yarder to Billy Johnson. Matthews scored again on a one-yard run through the middle of the Houston defense with 1:58 left in the game, giving the Chargers the win.

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

Line: Oilers by 3½

( 3- 0) HOU Skip Butler 31 yard field goal
( 3- 7) SD  Dwight McDonald 13 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Ray Wersching kick)
( 6- 7) HOU Skip Butler 36 yard field goal
( 6-10) SD  Ray Wersching 30 yard field goal
( 6-17) SD  Bo Matthews 42 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
(13-17) HOU Ken Burrough 54 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
(13-24) SD  Charlie Joiner 81 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Ray Wersching kick)
(20-24) HOU Ken Burrough 67 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
(27-24) HOU Billy Johnson 32 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
(27-30) SD  Bo Matthews 1 yard rush (kick failed)

                     HOU             SD
First Downs:         16              24
Rushes-yards:        23-51           41-223
Yards/rush:          2.2             5.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     25-39-329-1     19-24-279-0
Sacked-yards:        0-0             8-34
Net pass yards:      329             245
Net yards/pass:      8.4             7.7
Total net yards:     380             468
Total plays:         62 (37% run)    73 (56% run)  
Yards/play:          6.1             6.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             5-2
Turnovers:           1               2
Penalties-yards:     9-80            6-55

Attendance: 31,950

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The 49ers' defense allowed only 95 yards and zero yards net passing, while the offense scored 30 first-half points, including Gene Washington's record-setting touchdown catch. Washington boosted his career reception yardage to 5,817 on a 55-yard touchdown pass play, breaking the old 49ers' career reception of 5,802 yards.

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

Line: 49ers by 7½

( 0- 7) SF  Sammy Johnson 1 yard rush (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 0-14) SF  Gene Washington 55 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 0-21) SF  Tony Leonard 60 yard punt return (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 0-24) SF  Steve Mike-Mayer 19 yard field goal
( 0-30) SF  Wilbur Jackson 17 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (kick failed)
( 3-30) NO  Rich Szaro 46 yard field goal
( 3-33) SF  Steve Mike-Mayer 31 yard field goal

                     NO              SF
First Downs:         9               18
Rushes-yards:        25-95           45-133
Yards/rush:          3.8             3.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-19-51-1       11-17-208-0
Sacked-yards:        7-51            3-32
Net pass yards:      0               176
Net yards/pass:      0.0             8.8
Total net yards:     95              309
Total plays:         51 (49% run)    65 (69% run)  
Yards/play:          1.9             4.8
Fumbles-lost:        3-2             3-2
Turnovers:           3               2
Penalties-yards:     10-80           9-66

Attendance: 43,160

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Jim Hart's three-touchdown, 22 of 33 for 346 yard passing performance, knocked Dallas from the unbeaten list and gave the Cardinals a share of the NFC East lead with the Cowboys. Hart put St. Louis in the lead 14-10 in the second quarter with a four-yard TD pass to Terry Metcalf, then combined with Mel Gray in the third quarter for his second score, putting the game out of reach for Dallas.

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

Line: Cowboys by 4

( 7- 0) DAL Billy Joe DuPree 34 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 7- 7) STL Mel Gray 54 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(10- 7) DAL Efren Herrera 35 yard field goal
(10-14) STL Terry Metcalf 4 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(10-21) STL Mel Gray 17 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(17-21) DAL Drew Pearson 11 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)

                     DAL             STL
First Downs:         23              26
Rushes-yards:        30-151          40-90
Yards/rush:          5.0             2.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     21-42-250-1     22-34-346-2
Sacked-yards:        4-21            0-0
Net pass yards:      229             346
Net yards/pass:      5.0             10.2
Total net yards:     380             436
Total plays:         76 (39% run)    74 (54% run)  
Yards/play:          5.0             5.9
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             4-2
Turnovers:           1               4
Penalties-yards:     9-60            2-15

Attendance: 50,317

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Jim Zorn's 15-yard touchdown pass to Sam McCullum put the Seahawks ahead and John Leypoldt added two field goals before the half as Seattle picked up its first NFL regular season victory. Mike Curtis blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt with 42 seconds left in the game after the Buccaneers had pulled within three points on an option pass from running back Louis Carter to Morris Owens.

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

Line: Buccaneers by 1

( 0- 3) TB  Dave Green 38 yard field goal
( 7- 3) SEA Sam McCullum 15 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
(10- 3) SEA John Leypoldt 25 yard field goal
(13- 3) SEA John Leypoldt 39 yard field goal
(13-10) TB  Morris Owens 1 yard pass from Louis Carter (Dave Green kick)

                     SEA             TB
First Downs:         14              18
Rushes-yards:        29-90           33-145
Yards/rush:          3.1             4.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-29-173-1     19-31-171-0
Sacked-yards:        1-10            4-31
Net pass yards:      163             140
Net yards/pass:      5.4             4.0
Total net yards:     253             285
Total plays:         59 (49% run)    68 (48% run)  
Yards/play:          4.3             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             2-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     15-120          20-190

Attendance: 41,112

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Pat Fischer intercepted a Greg Landry pass, setting up Mark Moseley's 42-yard third quarter field goal to break a scoreless tie and Joe Lavender picked off another Landry pass, two plays after a Joe Theismann to Frank Grant touchdown pass, setting up Mike Thomas' three-yard TD run. Washington's defense, forcing three Detroit turnovers and getting five sacks, shut out the Lions until 51 seconds left in the game when Joe Reed and Ray Jarvis combined for a 56-yard touchdown pass.

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

Line: Redskins by 3½

( 0- 3) WAS Mark Moseley 42 yard field goal
( 0-10) WAS Frank Grant 8 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)
( 0-17) WAS Mike Thomas 3 yard rush (Mark Moseley kick)
( 0-20) WAS Mark Moseley 45 yard field goal
( 7-20) DET Ray Jarvis 56 yard pass from Joe Reed (Errol Mann kick)

                     DET             WAS
First Downs:         13              14
Rushes-yards:        34-103          40-109
Yards/rush:          3.0             2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-28-201-2     9-20-129-1
Sacked-yards:        5-57            3-31
Net pass yards:      144             98
Net yards/pass:      4.4             4.3
Total net yards:     247             207
Total plays:         67 (50% run)    63 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             3.3
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             2-1
Turnovers:           3               2
Penalties-yards:     10-105          5-41

Attendance: 45,908

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