NFL game summary for 12/26/1976:
The blocked kick, a maneuver the Vikings performed 13 times during the regular season, twice shocked the Rams to produce a 10-0 lead as the Central Division champions went on to defeat Los Angeles and capture their fourth NFC title in nine years. After Los Angeles had moved 53 yards on 13 plays to the Minnesota 1 in the first period, the Rams' Tom Dempsey had his 17-yard field goal attempt blocked by Nate Allen and Bobby Bryant picked up the ball and ran 90 yards for a Vikings touchdown. Two minutes into the second period Minnesota linebacker Matt Blair smothered a punt by the Rams' Rusty Jackson, and the Vikings took possession on the Los Angeles eight. Four plays later, Fred Cox kicked a 25-yard field goal and Minnesota was ahead to stay. A 62-yard run by Chuck Foreman set up a one-yard touchdown by the Minnesota All-Pro back as the Vikings' lead mounted to 17-0 2:09 after intermission.
The Rams came back to 17-13 before the third period ended. Monte Jackson intercepted a Fran Tarkenton pass in the end zone and the Rams marched 80 yards with Lawrence McCutcheon scoring from the one. But Dempsey missed the conversion attempt. Then Fred Dryer sacked Tarkenton, jarred the ball loose, and Jack Youngblood carried the recovery to the Minnesota eight. Three plays later, Pat Haden lofted a five-yard touchdown pass to Harold Jackson. Los Angeles made one final bid to score, moving from its 37 to the Minnesota 39, but three passes fell incomplete. On fourth down Haden threw for Ron Jessie, but the pass was intercepted by Bryant (his second of the game) at the Vikings' eight and returned to the 25. On third down from his 31, Tarkenton found Foreman open moving across the middle and connected with Chuck, who then completed a 57-yard gain to the Los Angeles 12. On third down, Sammy Johnson scored from the 12 to clinch the victory on a bright, sunny day when the temperature was 12 degrees at kickoff and remained in the low teens.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 180.6 (4) | 167.2 (9) | 347.8 (5) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 111.7 (2) | 149.4 (14) | 261.1 (4) | 48 | |
 | OFFENSE | 143.1 (18) | 203.9 (4) | 347.0 (6) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 149.7 (17) | 112.5 (1) | 262.2 (6) | 32 |
Line: Vikings by 4½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (11-4-1) | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Minnesota Vikings (13-2-1) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
LA MIN
First Downs: 21 13
Rushes-yards: 46-193 29-158
Yards/rush: 4.2 5.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-22-161-2 12-27-143-1
Sacked-yards: 3-18 4-34
Net pass yards: 143 109
Net yards/pass: 5.7 3.5
Total net yards: 336 267
Total plays: 71 (64% run) 60 (48% run)
Yards/play: 4.7 4.5
Fumbles-lost: 4-2 1-1
Turnovers: 4 2
Penalties-yards: 3-33 4-32
Attendance: 47,191
LA: Pat Haden, 9 of 22 for 161 yards and 1 TD (2 int) MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 12 of 27 for 143 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 26 for 128 yards and 1 TD; John Cappelletti, 16 for 59 yards; Pat Haden, 3 for 3 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 3 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 15 for 118 yards and 1 TD; Robert Miller, 10 for 28 yards; Sammy Johnson, 2 for 12 yards and 1 TD; Brent McClanahan, 1 for 2 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
LA: Harold Jackson, 4 for 70 yards and 1 TD; Ron Jessie, 2 for 60 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 2 for 18 yards; John Cappelletti, 1 for 13 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 5 for 81 yards; Ahmad Rashad, 3 for 28 yards; Robert Miller, 3 for 24 yards; Bob Grim, 1 for 10 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Tom Geredine, 3 for 50 yards; Cullen Bryant, 1 for 21 yards; Rob Scribner, 1 for 8 yards MIN: Leonard Willis, 3 for 69 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Cullen Bryant, 4 for 31 yards; Jim Bertelsen, 3 for 19 yards MIN: Leonard Willis, 3 for 20 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Monte Jackson, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Bobby Bryant, 2 for 17 yards
Punting:
LA: Rusty Jackson, 6 for 206 yards MIN: Neil Clabo, 8 for 281 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Tom Dempsey, 0/1 MIN: Fred Cox, 1/1