NFL game summary for 09/18/1977:
Otis Armstrong's 10-yard touchdown run at 4:02 of the third quarter provided Red Miller a win in his debut as head coach. The Broncos' scoring opportunity came after St. Louis punter Terry Joyce's fumble. Denver then drove 34 yards in four plays for Armstrong's TD. Jim Hart completed 18 of 35 passes for 221 yards. His Denver counterpart, Craig Morton, who was starting his first game as a Bronco, hit on 12 of 20 for 144 yards. Denver dealt the Cardinals their first shutout since 1974.
Line: Broncos by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 St. Louis Cardinals (0-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Denver Broncos (1-0-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
( 0- 7) DEN Otis Armstrong 10 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
STL DEN
First Downs: 12 15
Rushes-yards: 30-69 40-136
Yards/rush: 2.3 3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-36-222-1 12-20-144-1
Sacked-yards: 2-18 2-22
Net pass yards: 204 122
Net yards/pass: 5.4 5.5
Total net yards: 273 258
Total plays: 68 (44% run) 62 (64% run)
Yards/play: 4.0 4.2
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 4-3
Turnovers: 1 4
Penalties-yards: 7-57 8-74
Attendance: 75,002
Passing:
STL: Jim Hart, 18 of 35 for 221 yards (1 int); Terry Joyce, 1 of 1 for 1 yards DEN: Craig Morton, 12 of 20 for 144 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
STL: Jim Otis, 12 for 34 yards; Jerry Latin, 10 for 23 yards; Steve Jones, 4 for 3 yards; Terry Metcalf, 3 for 9 yards; Jim Hart, 1 for 0 yards DEN: Otis Armstrong, 17 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Rob Lytle, 6 for 41 yards; Craig Morton, 6 for 15 yards; Jon Keyworth, 6 for 2 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 4 for 9 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 14 yards
Receiving:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 6 for 35 yards; Pat Tilley, 3 for 49 yards; J.V. Cain, 3 for 26 yards; Steve Jones, 3 for 16 yards; Mel Gray, 2 for 55 yards; Ken Stone, 1 for 40 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 1 yard DEN: Rick Upchurch, 3 for 71 yards; Rob Lytle, 3 for 21 yards; Jack Dolbin, 2 for 17 yards; Riley Odoms, 2 for 17 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 12 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Lee Nelson, 1 for 31 yards; Steve Jones, 1 for 8 yards DEN: Jon Keyworth, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Pat Tilley, 4 for 17 yards DEN: Rick Upchurch, 4 for 18 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Lee Nelson, 1 for 26 yards DEN: Bill Thompson, 1 for 29 yards
Punting:
STL: Terry Joyce, 6 for 255 yards DEN: Bucky Dilts, 7 for 280 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Jim Bakken, 0/4 DEN: Jim Turner, 0/1
STL: Jim Hart, 18 of 35 for 221 yards (1 int); Terry Joyce, 1 of 1 for 1 yards DEN: Craig Morton, 12 of 20 for 144 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
STL: Jim Otis, 12 for 34 yards; Jerry Latin, 10 for 23 yards; Steve Jones, 4 for 3 yards; Terry Metcalf, 3 for 9 yards; Jim Hart, 1 for 0 yards DEN: Otis Armstrong, 17 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Rob Lytle, 6 for 41 yards; Craig Morton, 6 for 15 yards; Jon Keyworth, 6 for 2 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 4 for 9 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 14 yards
Receiving:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 6 for 35 yards; Pat Tilley, 3 for 49 yards; J.V. Cain, 3 for 26 yards; Steve Jones, 3 for 16 yards; Mel Gray, 2 for 55 yards; Ken Stone, 1 for 40 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 1 yard DEN: Rick Upchurch, 3 for 71 yards; Rob Lytle, 3 for 21 yards; Jack Dolbin, 2 for 17 yards; Riley Odoms, 2 for 17 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 12 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Lee Nelson, 1 for 31 yards; Steve Jones, 1 for 8 yards DEN: Jon Keyworth, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Pat Tilley, 4 for 17 yards DEN: Rick Upchurch, 4 for 18 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Lee Nelson, 1 for 26 yards DEN: Bill Thompson, 1 for 29 yards
Punting:
STL: Terry Joyce, 6 for 255 yards DEN: Bucky Dilts, 7 for 280 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Jim Bakken, 0/4 DEN: Jim Turner, 0/1