NFL game summary for 12/12/1976:
Bert Jones threw three touchdown passes while the Baltimore defense set up 34 points -- converting five Buffalo turnovers -- as the Colts clinched the AFC Eastern championship with their highest-scoring game ever. Following Jones' third TD pass, a 36-yarder to Raymond Chester, Fred Cook picked up a Buffalo fumble at the Bills' 26 yard line and carried it five yards before lateraling to Derrel Luce, who went the final 21 yards to up the score to 41-6. Lydell Mitchell set a club rushing record, totaling 1,200 yards for the season. Roger Carr's 114 yards in receptions helped him surpass the 1,000 yard mark. O.J. Simpson rushed for 171 yards on 28 carries, including a 44-yard third quarter touchdown run, to capture the NFL rushing title with a 1,503 yard total.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Buffalo Bills | OFFENSE | 176.5 (4) | 134.9 (17) | 311.5 (14) | 38 |
| DEFENSE | 179.4 (24) | 154.0 (15) | 333.4 (23) | 40 | |
 Baltimore Colts | OFFENSE | 166.9 (7) | 205.4 (5) | 372.3 (1) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 121.0 (4) | 173.8 (22) | 294.8 (13) | 31 |
Line: Colts by 16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (2-12-0) | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Baltimore Colts (11-3-0) | 7 | 13 | 28 | 10 | 58 |
( 0- 7) BAL Lydell Mitchell 5 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick) ( 3- 7) BUF George Jakowenko 28 yard field goal ( 3-10) BAL Toni Linhart 24 yard field goal ( 3-17) BAL Glenn Doughty 7 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick) ( 6-17) BUF George Jakowenko 34 yard field goal ( 6-20) BAL Toni Linhart 22 yard field goal ( 6-27) BAL Roger Carr 36 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick) ( 6-34) BAL Raymond Chester 26 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick) ( 6-41) BAL Derrel Luce 21 yard fumble return (Toni Linhart kick) (13-41) BUF O.J. Simpson 44 yard rush (George Jakowenko kick) (13-48) BAL Howard Stevens 3 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick) (13-55) BAL Roosevelt Leaks 1 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick) (13-58) BAL Toni Linhart 36 yard field goal (20-58) BUF Bob Chandler 14 yard pass from Gary Marangi (George Jakowenko kick)
BUF BAL
First Downs: 21 25
Rushes-yards: 46-271 38-133
Yards/rush: 5.9 3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-24-120-1 15-23-267-2
Sacked-yards: 4-36 1-4
Net pass yards: 84 263
Net yards/pass: 3.0 11.0
Total net yards: 355 396
Total plays: 74 (62% run) 62 (61% run)
Yards/play: 4.8 6.4
Fumbles-lost: 5-4 0-0
Turnovers: 5 2
Penalties-yards: 9-94 5-26
Attendance: 50,451
Passing:BUF: Gary Marangi, 11 of 24 for 120 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
BAL: Bert Jones, 13 of 20 for 248 yards and 3 TDs (1 int); Bill Troup, 2 of 3 for 19 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
BUF: O.J. Simpson, 28 for 171 yards and 1 TD; Jeff Kinney, 12 for 37 yards; Gary Marangi, 4 for 39 yards; Roland Hooks, 1 for 24 yards; Bob Chandler, 1 for 0 yards
BAL: Ron Lee, 18 for 83 yards; Lydell Mitchell, 11 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Roosevelt Leaks, 5 for 15 yards and 1 TD; Bert Jones, 2 for 4 yards; Howard Stevens, 1 for 3 yards and 1 TD; Bill Troup, 1 for -6 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Bob Chandler, 5 for 67 yards and 1 TD; Paul Seymour, 3 for 20 yards; O.J. Simpson, 1 for 18 yards; Reuben Gant, 1 for 13 yards; Jeff Kinney, 1 for 2 yards
BAL: Roger Carr, 4 for 114 yards and 1 TD; Glenn Doughty, 4 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Lydell Mitchell, 3 for 29 yards; Raymond Chester, 2 for 51 yards and 1 TD; Roosevelt Leaks, 1 for 8 yards; Ron Lee, 1 for -9 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Roland Hooks, 6 for 146 yards; John Holland, 4 for 62 yards
BAL: Howard Stevens, 2 for 49 yards; Jimmie Kennedy, 2 for 34 yards; Freddie Scott, 1 for 20 yards
Punt returns:
BUF: Roland Hooks, 1 for 9 yards
BAL: Howard Stevens, 1 for 17 yards; Ron Lee, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
BUF: Doug Jones, 2 for 5 yards
BAL: Stan White, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
BUF: Marv Bateman, 4 for 157 yards
BAL: David Lee, 2 for 90 yards
Field Goals:
BUF: George Jakowenko, 2/2
BAL: Toni Linhart, 3/3