NFL game summary for 10/02/1977:
Bert Jones capped a 10-play drive following a midfield fumble recovery with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Don McCauley for the winning points in Baltimore's fourth straight win over the Bills. Joe Ferguson, who completed 19 of 38 passes for 234 yards, hit Bob Chandler with a 15-yard pass 12:56 into the second period for the Buffalo offense's first score of the season. Toni Linhart gave the Colts a 10-7 halftime lead on a 45-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 96.5 (24) | 130.0 (15) | 226.5 (21) | 7 |
| DEFENSE | 149.5 (19) | 72.5 (3) | 222.0 (7) | 2 | |
 | OFFENSE | 179.0 (4) | 141.0 (12) | 320.0 (7) | 2 |
| DEFENSE | 92.0 (3) | 141.5 (17) | 233.5 (12) | 6 |
Line: Colts by 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (0-3-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Baltimore Colts (3-0-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
( 0- 7) BAL Ron Lee 9 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
( 7- 7) BUF Bob Chandler 15 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Neil O'Donoghue kick)
( 7-10) BAL Toni Linhart 45 yard field goal
( 7-17) BAL Don McCauley 15 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
(14-17) BUF Curtis Brown 12 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Neil O'Donoghue kick)
BUF BAL
First Downs: 18 22
Rushes-yards: 23-77 41-155
Yards/rush: 3.3 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-39-234-2 20-30-175-0
Sacked-yards: 2-9 2-21
Net pass yards: 225 154
Net yards/pass: 5.5 4.8
Total net yards: 302 309
Total plays: 64 (35% run) 73 (56% run)
Yards/play: 4.7 4.2
Fumbles-lost: 4-3 4-1
Turnovers: 5 1
Penalties-yards: 5-40 7-55
Attendance: 47,717
Passing:
BUF: Joe Ferguson, 19 of 38 for 234 yards and 2 TDs (2 int); O.J. Simpson, 0 of 1 for 0 yards BAL: Bert Jones, 20 of 30 for 175 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
BUF: O.J. Simpson, 16 for 52 yards; Jim Braxton, 3 for 13 yards; Joe Ferguson, 3 for 12 yards; Mike Franckowiak, 1 for 0 yards BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 23 for 90 yards; Ron Lee, 13 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Don McCauley, 3 for 5 yards; Bert Jones, 2 for -4 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Bob Chandler, 7 for 78 yards and 1 TD; John Holland, 3 for 39 yards; Reuben Gant, 2 for 49 yards; O.J. Simpson, 2 for 19 yards; Curtis Brown, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; John Kimbrough, 1 for 18 yards; Paul Seymour, 1 for 10 yards; Lou Piccone, 1 for 4 yards BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 7 for 32 yards; Freddie Scott, 4 for 64 yards; Don McCauley, 4 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Raymond Chester, 3 for 24 yards; Ricky Thompson, 1 for 15 yards; Ron Lee, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Lou Piccone, 2 for 49 yards; John Kimbrough, 1 for 24 yards BAL: Howard Stevens, 1 for 37 yards; Bruce Laird, 1 for 23 yards; Don McCauley, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
BUF: John Kimbrough, 3 for 17 yards BAL: Howard Stevens, 2 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
BAL: Bruce Laird, 1 for 17 yards; Nelson Munsey, 1 for 14 yards
Punting:
BUF: Marv Bateman, 6 for 274 yards BAL: David Lee, 9 for 307 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Toni Linhart, 1/2
BUF: Joe Ferguson, 19 of 38 for 234 yards and 2 TDs (2 int); O.J. Simpson, 0 of 1 for 0 yards BAL: Bert Jones, 20 of 30 for 175 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
BUF: O.J. Simpson, 16 for 52 yards; Jim Braxton, 3 for 13 yards; Joe Ferguson, 3 for 12 yards; Mike Franckowiak, 1 for 0 yards BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 23 for 90 yards; Ron Lee, 13 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Don McCauley, 3 for 5 yards; Bert Jones, 2 for -4 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Bob Chandler, 7 for 78 yards and 1 TD; John Holland, 3 for 39 yards; Reuben Gant, 2 for 49 yards; O.J. Simpson, 2 for 19 yards; Curtis Brown, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; John Kimbrough, 1 for 18 yards; Paul Seymour, 1 for 10 yards; Lou Piccone, 1 for 4 yards BAL: Lydell Mitchell, 7 for 32 yards; Freddie Scott, 4 for 64 yards; Don McCauley, 4 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Raymond Chester, 3 for 24 yards; Ricky Thompson, 1 for 15 yards; Ron Lee, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Lou Piccone, 2 for 49 yards; John Kimbrough, 1 for 24 yards BAL: Howard Stevens, 1 for 37 yards; Bruce Laird, 1 for 23 yards; Don McCauley, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
BUF: John Kimbrough, 3 for 17 yards BAL: Howard Stevens, 2 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
BAL: Bruce Laird, 1 for 17 yards; Nelson Munsey, 1 for 14 yards
Punting:
BUF: Marv Bateman, 6 for 274 yards BAL: David Lee, 9 for 307 yards
Field Goals:
BAL: Toni Linhart, 1/2