All NFL game summaries for 12/05/1976:

Brian Sipe's second quarter touchdown pass to Paul Warfield plus two field goals resulting from Houston turnovers gave the Browns a season sweep over the Oilers. Don Cockroft gave Cleveland its winning points in the fourth period, 12 plays after Thom Darden intercepted a Houston pass in the end zone. Dan Pastorini closed the gap to three points with 4:10 remaining but the Browns ran out the clock following Charlie Hall's interception.

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

Line: Browns by 6

( 0- 7) CLE Paul Warfield 37 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick)
( 0-10) CLE Don Cockroft 29 yard field goal
( 3-10) HOU Skip Butler 31 yard field goal
( 3-13) CLE Don Cockroft 46 yard field goal
(10-13) HOU Ken Burrough 54 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)

                     HOU             CLE
First Downs:         9               15
Rushes-yards:        23-58           44-176
Yards/rush:          2.5             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-29-152-3     9-22-114-2
Sacked-yards:        3-35            4-25
Net pass yards:      117             89
Net yards/pass:      3.7             3.4
Total net yards:     175             265
Total plays:         55 (41% run)    70 (62% run)  
Yards/play:          3.2             3.8
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             5-3
Turnovers:           4               5
Penalties-yards:     5-53            9-89

Attendance: 56,025

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Quarterback Craig Penrose, making his first NFL start, guided the Broncos to their eighth win of the season and a first-ever season series sweep over the Chiefs. Penrose threw touchdown passes to Haven Moses and Riley Odoms, giving the Broncos a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter. Mike Livingston put the Chiefs on top 16-14 five seconds before the half on a one-yard run, but Jack Dolbin blocked the PAT attempt. Denver picked up the winning three points with 6:53 gone in the final period, then took advantage of three Kansas City turnovers in the last four minutes to preserve the lead.

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

Line: Broncos by 6

( 0- 7) DEN Haven Moses 8 yard pass from Craig Penrose (Jim Turner kick)
( 3- 7) KC  Jan Stenerud 31 yard field goal
(10- 7) KC  Walter White 3 yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick)
(10-14) DEN Riley Odoms 29 yard pass from Craig Penrose (Jim Turner kick)
(16-14) KC  Mike Livingston 1 yard rush (kick failed)
(16-17) DEN Jim Turner 20 yard field goal

                     KC              DEN
First Downs:         13              13
Rushes-yards:        30-59           37-82
Yards/rush:          2.0             2.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-29-177-1     12-28-187-2
Sacked-yards:        5-48            0-0
Net pass yards:      129             187
Net yards/pass:      3.8             6.7
Total net yards:     188             269
Total plays:         64 (46% run)    65 (56% run)  
Yards/play:          2.9             4.1
Fumbles-lost:        3-2             1-1
Turnovers:           3               3
Penalties-yards:     6-44            3-37

Attendance: 57,995

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Freddie Solomon scored touchdowns three different ways, amassing 252 combined yards to counteract O.J. Simpson's 203 yards rushing and a 424-yard Buffalo offense. Solomon got his first score on a 79-yard punt return to break a 10-10 tie and put the Dolphins in the lead for good. Don Strock then found Solomon with a 53-yard scoring pass early in the third quarter, and the second year wide receiver finished his scoring with a 59-yard end-around run. Simpson broke the 200-yard barrier for the second game in a row and sixth time in his career on an eight-yard run in the final minutes of the game.

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

Line: Dolphins by 8

( 3- 0) BUF George Jakowenko 28 yard field goal
( 3- 3) MIA Garo Yepremian 53 yard field goal
(10- 3) BUF O.J. Simpson 75 yard rush (George Jakowenko kick)
(10-10) MIA Duriel Harris 37 yard pass from Don Strock (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10-17) MIA Freddie Solomon 79 yard punt return (Garo Yepremian kick)
(13-17) BUF George Jakowenko 49 yard field goal
(13-24) MIA Freddie Solomon 53 yard pass from Don Strock (Garo Yepremian kick)
(13-31) MIA Don Strock 2 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(20-31) BUF Reuben Gant 11 yard pass from Gary Marangi (George Jakowenko kick)
(20-38) MIA Freddie Solomon 59 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(27-38) BUF Bob Chandler 15 yard pass from Gary Marangi (George Jakowenko kick)
(27-45) MIA Don Nottingham 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)

                     BUF             MIA
First Downs:         23              19
Rushes-yards:        42-269          29-218
Yards/rush:          6.4             7.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     13-29-155-2     11-22-219-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             1-12
Net pass yards:      155             207
Net yards/pass:      5.3             9.0
Total net yards:     424             425
Total plays:         71 (59% run)    52 (55% run)  
Yards/play:          6.0             8.2
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             0-0
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     7-38            6-50

Attendance: 43,475

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Chuck Foreman ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to break a 6-6 tie and give the Vikings their fourth straight win over the Packers. Carlos Brown threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ollie Smith in the first quarter for a Packers' lead that stood up through a snowstorm until Fred Cox knotted the score with a 30-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. Foreman put Minnesota in the lead with a one-yard run that capped a 72-yard drive, and he scored his 14th TD of the season with 2:11 left in the game.

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

Line: Vikings by 12

( 6- 0) GB  Ollie Smith 12 yard pass from Carlos Brown (kick failed)
( 6- 3) MIN Fred Cox 34 yard field goal
( 6- 6) MIN Fred Cox 30 yard field goal
( 6-13) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)
( 9-13) GB  Chester Marcol 24 yard field goal
( 9-20) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)

                     GB              MIN
First Downs:         8               29
Rushes-yards:        21-59           48-218
Yards/rush:          2.8             4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-26-113-0      23-32-195-1
Sacked-yards:        4-28            0-0
Net pass yards:      85              195
Net yards/pass:      2.8             6.1
Total net yards:     144             413
Total plays:         51 (41% run)    80 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          2.8             5.2
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             3-2
Turnovers:           0               3
Penalties-yards:     3-30            7-56

Attendance: 43,700

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Steve Grogan passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more while Don Calhoun racked up his fourth straight 100-yard performance, rushing for 113, as the Patriots clinched their first spot in the playoffs in 13 years. Grogan gave New England a 13-0 lead in the second quarter on a 12-yard scoring pass to Al Chandler and his 11-yard run into the end zone, but a pair of Rich Szaro field goals brought the Saints within seven in the fourth quarter. Grogan revived the Patriots' offense with his 11th TD run of the season before hitting Ike Forte with a six-yard pass for the final score.

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

Line: Patriots by 14

( 0- 6) NE  Al Chandler 12 yard pass from Steve Grogan (kick failed)
( 0-13) NE  Steve Grogan 11 yard rush (John Smith kick)
( 3-13) NO  Rich Szaro 50 yard field goal
( 6-13) NO  Rich Szaro 29 yard field goal
( 6-20) NE  Steve Grogan 10 yard rush (John Smith kick)
( 6-27) NE  Ike Forte 6 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)

                     NO              NE
First Downs:         14              21
Rushes-yards:        30-118          42-220
Yards/rush:          3.9             5.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     18-31-136-0     9-24-108-0
Sacked-yards:        3-18            0-0
Net pass yards:      118             108
Net yards/pass:      3.5             4.5
Total net yards:     236             328
Total plays:         64 (46% run)    66 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             0-0
Turnovers:           1               0
Penalties-yards:     6-55            10-85

Attendance: 53,592

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Craig Morton and Ed Marshall combined for second and third quarter touchdowns while the New York defense came up with five Detroit turnovers and six sacks as the Giants evened their record under coach John McVay at 3-3. Morton and Marshall connected for their first score with 1:42 gone in the second period, and New York turned a fumble and a blocked punt into 10 more points for a 17-7 lead. Marshall then shook loose in the Lions' end zone with 5:06 left in the third period to grab Morton's 35-yard pass for the final score of the game.

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

Line: Lions by 14

( 0- 7) NYG Ed Marshall 11 yard pass from Craig Morton (Joe Danelo kick)
( 0-10) NYG Joe Danelo 35 yard field goal
( 7-10) DET Lawrence Gaines 1 yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick)
( 7-17) NYG Doug Kotar 3 yard rush (Joe Danelo kick)
(10-17) DET Benny Ricardo 43 yard field goal
(10-24) NYG Ed Marshall 35 yard pass from Craig Morton (Joe Danelo kick)

                     DET             NYG
First Downs:         16              17
Rushes-yards:        24-111          43-196
Yards/rush:          4.6             4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-31-209-2     12-24-195-2
Sacked-yards:        6-46            1-8
Net pass yards:      163             187
Net yards/pass:      4.4             7.5
Total net yards:     274             383
Total plays:         61 (39% run)    68 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             5.6
Fumbles-lost:        5-3             1-1
Turnovers:           5               3
Penalties-yards:     5-48            7-65

Attendance: 66,069

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Billy Kilmer threw three touchdown passes and former Jet John Riggins rushed for his first 100-yard game (104) as a Redskin and scored twice as Washington kept pace with the Cardinals in the race for the NFC wild card. Kilmer led the Redskins to a 17-0 first quarter advantage with TD passes to Jean Fugett and Roy Jefferson. Riggins picked up the next two Washington touchdowns on a one-yard run and a two-yard pass from Kilmer for a 31-3 lead early in the third quarter, Clark Gaines rushed for 109 yards to set a Jets' record with his fourth 100-yard game of the season.

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

Line: Redskins by 11

( 7- 0) WAS Jean Fugett 16 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick)
(14- 0) WAS Roy Jefferson 14 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick)
(17- 0) WAS Mark Moseley 18 yard field goal
(17- 3) NYJ Pat Leahy 47 yard field goal
(24- 3) WAS John Riggins 1 yard rush (Mark Moseley kick)
(31- 3) WAS John Riggins 2 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick)
(31- 9) NYJ Clark Gaines 6 yard rush (kick failed)
(34- 9) WAS Mark Moseley 23 yard field goal
(34-16) NYJ Louie Giammona 1 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)
(37-16) WAS Mark Moseley 32 yard field goal

                     WAS             NYJ
First Downs:         29              12
Rushes-yards:        49-238          32-232
Yards/rush:          4.9             7.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-25-191-0     5-15-90-2
Sacked-yards:        1-3             6-38
Net pass yards:      188             52
Net yards/pass:      7.2             2.5
Total net yards:     426             284
Total plays:         75 (65% run)    53 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          5.7             5.4
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             2-2
Turnovers:           3               4
Penalties-yards:     8-87            9-89

Attendance: 46,638

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Roger Staubach passed for 259 yards and a third-quarter touchdown to Butch Johnson as the Cowboys took their fifth straight game from the Eagles. Roman Gabriel hit Charlie Smith with a 20-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dallas lead to two points with just over five minutes left in the second quarter, but Efren Herrera gave the Cowboys a 12-7 halftime lead with a 21-yard field goal as time ran out in the half. Aaron Kyle got Dallas's second blocked punt safety in two weeks when he blocked a second quarter Spike Jones punt and it rolled out of the end zone.

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

Line: Cowboys by 11

( 7- 0) DAL Doug Dennison 2 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
( 9- 0) DAL Safety, Aaron Kyle blocked punt out of end zone
( 9- 7) PHI Charlie Smith 20 yard pass from Roman Gabriel (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(12- 7) DAL Efren Herrera 21 yard field goal
(19- 7) DAL Butch Johnson 7 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
(26- 7) DAL Robert Newhouse 10 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)

                     DAL             PHI
First Downs:         22              13
Rushes-yards:        35-117          31-134
Yards/rush:          3.3             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     23-40-259-0     12-28-80-0
Sacked-yards:        1-11            5-38
Net pass yards:      248             42
Net yards/pass:      6.0             1.3
Total net yards:     365             176
Total plays:         76 (46% run)    64 (48% run)  
Yards/play:          4.8             2.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             1-0
Turnovers:           1               0
Penalties-yards:     9-105           7-58

Attendance: 55,072

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Rocky Bleier ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns and Terry Bradshaw accounted for the Steelers last two scores with TD passes to Lynn Swann as the Pittsburgh defense picked up its fourth shutout of the season. Bleier's three touchdown runs of seven, one and three yards paved the way to a 28-0 halftime lead and Bradshaw finished off the scoring with third quarter TD passes of 35 and 23 yards to Swann for the receiver's first touchdowns of the season. Franco Harris rushed for 55 yards to break the 1,000-yard barrier and became the fourth NFL player to rush for 5,000 yards in his first five seasons.

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

Line: Steelers by 25

( 0- 7) PIT Rocky Bleier 7 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-14) PIT Rocky Bleier 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-21) PIT Mike Kruczek 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-28) PIT Rocky Bleier 3 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-35) PIT Lynn Swann 35 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 0-42) PIT Lynn Swann 23 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)

                     TB              PIT
First Downs:         8               26
Rushes-yards:        30-94           58-222
Yards/rush:          3.1             3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     5-14-57-2       12-15-163-0
Sacked-yards:        5-46            0-0
Net pass yards:      11              163
Net yards/pass:      0.6             10.9
Total net yards:     105             385
Total plays:         49 (61% run)    73 (79% run)  
Yards/play:          2.1             5.3
Fumbles-lost:        4-2             3-1
Turnovers:           4               1
Penalties-yards:     4-30            5-35

Attendance: 43,385

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Mercury Morris swept 13 yards around left end at 5:12 of the overtime period for the Chargers win. The victory also guaranteed the AFC its fourth interconference winning margin over the NFC in the last five years. Both teams battled without a score until 5:02 remaining in the game when Bo Matthews' two-yard run capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive to put San Diego in the lead. San Francisco tied the game with 1:19 left on a Scott Bull to Paul Hofer touchdown pass that climaxed a 64-yard drive.

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

Line: 49ers by 3

( 0- 7) SD  Bo Matthews 2 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
( 7- 7) SF  Paul Hofer 13 yard pass from Scott Bull (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
( 7-13) SD  Mercury Morris 13 yard rush 

                     SF              SD
First Downs:         18              19
Rushes-yards:        45-185          39-170
Yards/rush:          4.1             4.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-22-123-1     12-21-129-0
Sacked-yards:        3-27            4-32
Net pass yards:      96              97
Net yards/pass:      3.8             3.9
Total net yards:     281             267
Total plays:         70 (64% run)    64 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             2-0
Turnovers:           1               0
Penalties-yards:     7-59            6-42

Attendance: 33,539

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Bob Avellini tossed three third-quarter touchdown passes and Walter Payton broke a Chicago season rushing record as the Bears picked up their seventh win, the most since 1968. Seattle carried a 7-6 lead in to the second half but Avellini, completing seven of 10 passes for 152 yards in the third period, threw a pair of scoring passes to James Scott and another to Roland Harper within a three-minute period. Payton set a personal high of 183 yards rushing and eclipsed Gale Sayers's season rushing record of 1,231 yards set in 1966.

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

Line: Bears by 10

( 6- 0) CHI Johnny Musso 2 yard rush (kick failed)
( 6- 7) SEA John McMakin 14 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
(13- 7) CHI James Scott 63 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
(20- 7) CHI James Scott 30 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
(27- 7) CHI Roland Harper 39 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
(34- 7) CHI Randy Burks 55 yard pass from Virgil Carter (Bob Thomas kick)

                     CHI             SEA
First Downs:         23              16
Rushes-yards:        48-259          23-105
Yards/rush:          5.4             4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-28-270-1     15-34-188-3
Sacked-yards:        2-20            1-7
Net pass yards:      250             181
Net yards/pass:      8.3             5.2
Total net yards:     509             286
Total plays:         78 (61% run)    58 (39% run)  
Yards/play:          6.5             4.9
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             4-2
Turnovers:           1               5
Penalties-yards:     8-79            8-58

Attendance: 60,510

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