NFL game summary for 09/25/1977:
Jim Hart completed a club-record 12 straight passes -- including a 17-yard TD pass to J.V. Cain -- as the Cardinals won their fifth straight home opener. Hart passed for 171 yards in the 12-completions streak that broke Charley Johnson's record of nine straight. He finished the day with 215 yards on 16 of 24. Mel Gray (95 yards) and Cain (55) each had five receptions. Jim Bakken, who missed all four of his field goal attempts in St. Louis' opener at Denver, converted three of three against Chicago (49, 36 and 41 yards). Bob Avellini completed 18 of 37 passes for 177 yards and pulled the Bears within three points late in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard pass to Greg Latta.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 260.0 (1) | 40.0 (26) | 300.0 (10) | 0 |
| DEFENSE | 168.0 (22) | 195.0 (25) | 363.0 (26) | 1 | |
 | OFFENSE | 69.0 (26) | 204.0 (2) | 273.0 (15) | 1 |
| DEFENSE | 136.0 (17) | 122.0 (11) | 258.0 (12) | 4 |
Line: Cardinals by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears (1-1-0) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| St. Louis Cardinals (1-1-0) | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
( 0- 3) STL Jim Bakken 49 yard field goal ( 3- 3) CHI Bob Thomas 23 yard field goal ( 3- 6) STL Jim Bakken 36 yard field goal ( 3-13) STL J.V. Cain 17 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick) ( 3-16) STL Jim Bakken 41 yard field goal ( 6-16) CHI Bob Thomas 29 yard field goal (13-16) CHI Greg Latta 10 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
CHI STL
First Downs: 18 17
Rushes-yards: 25-101 40-133
Yards/rush: 4.0 3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-39-184-2 16-24-215-2
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 184 215
Net yards/pass: 4.7 9.0
Total net yards: 285 348
Total plays: 64 (39% run) 64 (62% run)
Yards/play: 4.5 5.4
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 3-2
Turnovers: 2 4
Penalties-yards: 7-47 5-55
Attendance: 49,878
Passing:
CHI: Bob Avellini, 18 of 37 for 177 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Roland Harper, 0 of 1 for 0 yards; Bob Parsons, 1 of 1 for 7 yards STL: Jim Hart, 16 of 24 for 215 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Roland Harper, 14 for 65 yards; Walter Payton, 11 for 36 yards STL: Jim Otis, 20 for 64 yards; Jerry Latin, 11 for 29 yards; Terry Metcalf, 6 for 31 yards; Jim Hart, 3 for 9 yards
Receiving:
CHI: James Scott, 5 for 64 yards; Greg Latta, 5 for 57 yards and 1 TD; Walter Payton, 4 for 20 yards; Roland Harper, 3 for 20 yards; Bo Rather, 2 for 23 yards STL: Mel Gray, 5 for 95 yards; J.V. Cain, 5 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Ike Harris, 3 for 42 yards; Terry Metcalf, 3 for 23 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Vince Evans, 4 for 79 yards; Roland Harper, 1 for 22 yards STL: Terry Metcalf, 3 for 69 yards; Lee Nelson, 1 for 36 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Steve Schubert, 1 for 0 yards STL: Pat Tilley, 2 for 17 yards; Terry Metcalf, 1 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Allan Ellis, 2 for 4 yards STL: Ken Reaves, 1 for 7 yards; Roger Wehrli, 1 for -15 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 5 for 234 yards STL: Terry Joyce, 3 for 110 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 2/2 STL: Jim Bakken, 3/3
CHI: Bob Avellini, 18 of 37 for 177 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Roland Harper, 0 of 1 for 0 yards; Bob Parsons, 1 of 1 for 7 yards STL: Jim Hart, 16 of 24 for 215 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Roland Harper, 14 for 65 yards; Walter Payton, 11 for 36 yards STL: Jim Otis, 20 for 64 yards; Jerry Latin, 11 for 29 yards; Terry Metcalf, 6 for 31 yards; Jim Hart, 3 for 9 yards
Receiving:
CHI: James Scott, 5 for 64 yards; Greg Latta, 5 for 57 yards and 1 TD; Walter Payton, 4 for 20 yards; Roland Harper, 3 for 20 yards; Bo Rather, 2 for 23 yards STL: Mel Gray, 5 for 95 yards; J.V. Cain, 5 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Ike Harris, 3 for 42 yards; Terry Metcalf, 3 for 23 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Vince Evans, 4 for 79 yards; Roland Harper, 1 for 22 yards STL: Terry Metcalf, 3 for 69 yards; Lee Nelson, 1 for 36 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Steve Schubert, 1 for 0 yards STL: Pat Tilley, 2 for 17 yards; Terry Metcalf, 1 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Allan Ellis, 2 for 4 yards STL: Ken Reaves, 1 for 7 yards; Roger Wehrli, 1 for -15 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 5 for 234 yards STL: Terry Joyce, 3 for 110 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 2/2 STL: Jim Bakken, 3/3