NFL game summary for 10/17/1976:
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):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 124.2 (25) | 166.4 (11) | 290.6 (16) | 13 |
| DEFENSE | 167.8 (20) | 157.2 (12) | 325.0 (19) | 7 | |
 | OFFENSE | 125.2 (24) | 163.8 (12) | 289.0 (19) | 10 |
| DEFENSE | 164.0 (18) | 102.2 (2) | 266.2 (6) | 16 |
Line: Vikings by 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants (0-6-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Minnesota Vikings (5-0-1) | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
( 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
Passing:
NYG: Norm Snead, 15 of 24 for 149 yards (2 int) MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 21 of 30 for 288 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
NYG: Doug Kotar, 13 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Larry Csonka, 12 for 45 yards; Marsh White, 1 for 4 yards; Gordon Bell, 1 for 1 yard; Norm Snead, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 23 for 83 yards; Brent McClanahan, 11 for 33 yards; Willie Spencer, 4 for 2 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 1 yard; Sammy White, 1 for -10 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Ray Rhodes, 5 for 90 yards; Doug Kotar, 5 for 24 yards; Jim Robinson, 3 for 20 yards; Bob Tucker, 1 for 11 yards; Larry Csonka, 1 for 4 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 8 for 118 yards and 1 TD; Stu Voigt, 5 for 51 yards; Sammy White, 3 for 61 yards; Brent McClanahan, 3 for 27 yards and 1 TD; Ahmad Rashad, 2 for 31 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Jim Robinson, 2 for 49 yards; Gary Shirk, 1 for 23 yards; Gordon Bell, 1 for 13 yards; Harry Carson, 1 for 5 yards MIN: Sammy White, 1 for 25 yards; Leonard Willis, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Rondy Colbert, 2 for 22 yards; Jim Robinson, 1 for -3 yards MIN: Leonard Willis, 5 for 16 yards
Interceptions:
NYG: Larry Mallory, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Jeff Wright, 1 for 0 yards; Nate Wright, 1 for -3 yards
Punting:
NYG: Dave Jennings, 5 for 229 yards MIN: Neil Clabo, 3 for 120 yards
Field Goals:
NYG: Joe Danelo, 0/2 MIN: Fred Cox, 1/3
NYG: Norm Snead, 15 of 24 for 149 yards (2 int) MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 21 of 30 for 288 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
NYG: Doug Kotar, 13 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Larry Csonka, 12 for 45 yards; Marsh White, 1 for 4 yards; Gordon Bell, 1 for 1 yard; Norm Snead, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 23 for 83 yards; Brent McClanahan, 11 for 33 yards; Willie Spencer, 4 for 2 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 1 yard; Sammy White, 1 for -10 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Ray Rhodes, 5 for 90 yards; Doug Kotar, 5 for 24 yards; Jim Robinson, 3 for 20 yards; Bob Tucker, 1 for 11 yards; Larry Csonka, 1 for 4 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 8 for 118 yards and 1 TD; Stu Voigt, 5 for 51 yards; Sammy White, 3 for 61 yards; Brent McClanahan, 3 for 27 yards and 1 TD; Ahmad Rashad, 2 for 31 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Jim Robinson, 2 for 49 yards; Gary Shirk, 1 for 23 yards; Gordon Bell, 1 for 13 yards; Harry Carson, 1 for 5 yards MIN: Sammy White, 1 for 25 yards; Leonard Willis, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Rondy Colbert, 2 for 22 yards; Jim Robinson, 1 for -3 yards MIN: Leonard Willis, 5 for 16 yards
Interceptions:
NYG: Larry Mallory, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Jeff Wright, 1 for 0 yards; Nate Wright, 1 for -3 yards
Punting:
NYG: Dave Jennings, 5 for 229 yards MIN: Neil Clabo, 3 for 120 yards
Field Goals:
NYG: Joe Danelo, 0/2 MIN: Fred Cox, 1/3