NFL game summary for 11/28/1976:
John Hadl's third quarter 40-yard touchdown pass to Billy Johnson plus a fourth quarter defensive stand by the Oilers gave them their first win over the Falcons and snapped a six-game losing streak. The Falcons started a 74-yard drive with 9:07 left in the game, but Houston stopped them on downs at the Oilers' four-yard line with 1:18 left and ran out the clock for the win.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 124.3 (24) | 101.7 (27) | 226.0 (27) | 33 |
| DEFENSE | 182.9 (25) | 117.1 (3) | 300.0 (15) | 34 | |
 | OFFENSE | 108.0 (26) | 153.6 (14) | 261.6 (23) | 25 |
| DEFENSE | 138.2 (12) | 144.1 (9) | 282.3 (10) | 19 |
Line: Oilers by 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons (4-8-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Houston Oilers (5-7-0) | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
( 0- 3) HOU Skip Butler 22 yard field goal
( 7- 3) ATL John Gilliam 49 yard pass from Bubba Bean (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
( 7-10) HOU Ken Burrough 16 yard pass from John Hadl (Skip Butler kick)
(14-10) ATL Alfred Jenkins 27 yard pass from Scott Hunter (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(14-17) HOU Billy Johnson 40 yard pass from John Hadl (Skip Butler kick)
(14-20) HOU Skip Butler 32 yard field goal
ATL HOU
First Downs: 15 17
Rushes-yards: 36-118 40-159
Yards/rush: 3.3 4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-19-181-2 18-26-212-1
Sacked-yards: 2-16 3-12
Net pass yards: 165 200
Net yards/pass: 7.9 6.9
Total net yards: 283 359
Total plays: 57 (63% run) 69 (57% run)
Yards/play: 5.0 5.2
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 1-1
Turnovers: 3 2
Penalties-yards: 7-53 8-94
Attendance: 25,838
Passing:
ATL: Scott Hunter, 6 of 12 for 87 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Kim McQuilken, 3 of 5 for 45 yards; Alfred Jenkins, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int); Bubba Bean, 1 of 1 for 49 yards and 1 TD HOU: John Hadl, 18 of 26 for 212 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
ATL: Mike Esposito, 13 for 81 yards; Bubba Bean, 11 for 11 yards; Haskel Stanback, 8 for 12 yards; Sonny Collins, 3 for 8 yards; Scott Hunter, 1 for 6 yards HOU: Ronnie Coleman, 19 for 73 yards; Fred Willis, 13 for 66 yards; Joe Dawkins, 2 for 8 yards; John Hadl, 2 for 0 yards; Altie Taylor, 2 for -3 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 10 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 5 yards
Receiving:
ATL: Alfred Jenkins, 5 for 102 yards and 1 TD; John Gilliam, 2 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Mike Esposito, 2 for 15 yards; Billy Pritchett, 1 for 1 yard HOU: Billy Johnson, 5 for 104 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 4 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Fred Willis, 3 for 36 yards; Mack Alston, 3 for 17 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 5 yards; Earl Thomas, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
ATL: Ron Mabra, 2 for 48 yards; Rolland Lawrence, 2 for 42 yards HOU: Al Johnson, 2 for 42 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
ATL: Bob Jones, 1 for -1 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 4 for 32 yards
Interceptions:
ATL: Ray Brown, 1 for 20 yards HOU: C.L. Whittington, 1 for 33 yards; Gregg Bingham, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
ATL: John James, 5 for 207 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 180 yards
Field Goals:
ATL: Nick Mike-Mayer, 0/1 HOU: Skip Butler, 2/3
ATL: Scott Hunter, 6 of 12 for 87 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Kim McQuilken, 3 of 5 for 45 yards; Alfred Jenkins, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int); Bubba Bean, 1 of 1 for 49 yards and 1 TD HOU: John Hadl, 18 of 26 for 212 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
ATL: Mike Esposito, 13 for 81 yards; Bubba Bean, 11 for 11 yards; Haskel Stanback, 8 for 12 yards; Sonny Collins, 3 for 8 yards; Scott Hunter, 1 for 6 yards HOU: Ronnie Coleman, 19 for 73 yards; Fred Willis, 13 for 66 yards; Joe Dawkins, 2 for 8 yards; John Hadl, 2 for 0 yards; Altie Taylor, 2 for -3 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 10 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 5 yards
Receiving:
ATL: Alfred Jenkins, 5 for 102 yards and 1 TD; John Gilliam, 2 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Mike Esposito, 2 for 15 yards; Billy Pritchett, 1 for 1 yard HOU: Billy Johnson, 5 for 104 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 4 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Fred Willis, 3 for 36 yards; Mack Alston, 3 for 17 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 5 yards; Earl Thomas, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
ATL: Ron Mabra, 2 for 48 yards; Rolland Lawrence, 2 for 42 yards HOU: Al Johnson, 2 for 42 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
ATL: Bob Jones, 1 for -1 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 4 for 32 yards
Interceptions:
ATL: Ray Brown, 1 for 20 yards HOU: C.L. Whittington, 1 for 33 yards; Gregg Bingham, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
ATL: John James, 5 for 207 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 5 for 180 yards
Field Goals:
ATL: Nick Mike-Mayer, 0/1 HOU: Skip Butler, 2/3