NFL game summary for 10/24/1976:
Danny White replaced Roger Staubach, who suffered a fractured finger in the third quarter, and threw two touchdown passes to Preston Pearson while the Dallas defense limited Chicago to 110 total yards to pick up the win. White staked the Cowboys to a 24-7 lead on his first TD pass before Ross Brupbacher grabbed one of his passes and lateraled to Mike Hartenstine who took the ball for a score. Johnny Musso closed the gap to three points on a two-yard touchdown run before White and Pearson struck again.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 177.5 (6) | 117.7 (25) | 295.2 (15) | 14 |
| DEFENSE | 115.2 (5) | 116.2 (5) | 231.3 (3) | 17 | |
 | OFFENSE | 165.8 (10) | 242.0 (1) | 407.8 (1) | 12 |
| DEFENSE | 120.0 (7) | 182.2 (21) | 302.2 (13) | 13 |
Line: Cowboys by 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears (3-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Dallas Cowboys (6-1-0) | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
( 0- 3) DAL Efren Herrera 22 yard field goal
( 0-10) DAL Roger Staubach 4 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
( 7-10) CHI Walter Payton 1 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 7-17) DAL Drew Pearson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 7-24) DAL Preston Pearson 15 yard pass from Danny White (Efren Herrera kick)
(14-24) CHI Mike Hartenstine 37 yard interception return (Bob Thomas kick)
(21-24) CHI Johnny Musso 2 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
(21-31) DAL Preston Pearson 6 yard pass from Danny White (Efren Herrera kick)
CHI DAL
First Downs: 8 29
Rushes-yards: 28-93 55-241
Yards/rush: 3.3 4.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 6-16-54-0 19-31-307-2
Sacked-yards: 4-37 2-19
Net pass yards: 17 288
Net yards/pass: 0.8 8.7
Total net yards: 110 529
Total plays: 48 (58% run) 88 (62% run)
Yards/play: 2.3 6.0
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 1-1
Turnovers: 0 3
Penalties-yards: 8-83 9-86
Attendance: 60,790
Passing:
CHI: Bob Avellini, 6 of 16 for 54 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 12 of 21 for 162 yards and 1 TD; Danny White, 7 of 10 for 145 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 17 for 41 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 4 for 27 yards; Mike Adamle, 3 for 19 yards; Johnny Musso, 3 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Bob Avellini, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Doug Dennison, 14 for 62 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 12 for 56 yards; Robert Newhouse, 11 for 38 yards; Preston Pearson, 9 for 48 yards; Danny White, 3 for 13 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Charley Young, 2 for 5 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 13 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Johnny Musso, 2 for 11 yards; Walter Payton, 1 for 24 yards; James Scott, 1 for 7 yards; Mike Adamle, 1 for 6 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 6 yards DAL: Preston Pearson, 6 for 90 yards and 2 TDs; Drew Pearson, 6 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Golden Richards, 2 for 78 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 42 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 2 for 24 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Brian Baschnagel, 3 for 87 yards; Mike Adamle, 2 for 46 yards; Roland Harper, 1 for 24 yards DAL: Jim Jensen, 2 for 59 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 26 yards; Jay Saldi, 1 for 9 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Virgil Livers, 2 for 52 yards; Mike Adamle, 1 for 2 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 4 for 17 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Ross Brupbacher, 2 for 25 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 9 for 372 yards DAL: Danny White, 4 for 149 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 1/1
CHI: Bob Avellini, 6 of 16 for 54 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 12 of 21 for 162 yards and 1 TD; Danny White, 7 of 10 for 145 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 17 for 41 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 4 for 27 yards; Mike Adamle, 3 for 19 yards; Johnny Musso, 3 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Bob Avellini, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Doug Dennison, 14 for 62 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 12 for 56 yards; Robert Newhouse, 11 for 38 yards; Preston Pearson, 9 for 48 yards; Danny White, 3 for 13 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 6 yards and 1 TD; Charley Young, 2 for 5 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 13 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Johnny Musso, 2 for 11 yards; Walter Payton, 1 for 24 yards; James Scott, 1 for 7 yards; Mike Adamle, 1 for 6 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 6 yards DAL: Preston Pearson, 6 for 90 yards and 2 TDs; Drew Pearson, 6 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Golden Richards, 2 for 78 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 42 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 2 for 24 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Brian Baschnagel, 3 for 87 yards; Mike Adamle, 2 for 46 yards; Roland Harper, 1 for 24 yards DAL: Jim Jensen, 2 for 59 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 26 yards; Jay Saldi, 1 for 9 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Virgil Livers, 2 for 52 yards; Mike Adamle, 1 for 2 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 4 for 17 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Ross Brupbacher, 2 for 25 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 9 for 372 yards DAL: Danny White, 4 for 149 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 1/1