NFL game summary for 10/10/1977:
Bob Avellini threw three touchdown passes and Walter Payton rushed for 126 yards as the Bears came back from a 16-14 halftime deficit to even their record at 2-2. Los Angeles jumped to a 13-0 lead, scoring the first three times they had the ball, but Avellini, who was 11 of 17 for 219 yards, got Chicago rolling with a 70-yard TD pass to James Scott at 14:08 of the first period. Avellini and Scott again combined on a 72-yard scoring pass on the Bears' first possession of the second quarter. The TD came three plays after a Rams field goal attempt was wide to the right. Bob Thomas kicked a 33-yard field goal to put Chicago ahead 17-16 as the fourth quarter opened. Avellini provided the winning points on the next series with a 29-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 | 143.0 (10) | 113.0 (23) | 256.0 (19) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 78.3 (2) | 124.0 (8) | 202.3 (3) | 6 | |
 | OFFENSE | 186.0 (2) | 147.3 (15) | 333.3 (5) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 149.0 (19) | 192.7 (28) | 341.7 (26) | 5 |
Line: Rams by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (2-2-0) | 13 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
| Chicago Bears (2-2-0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
( 3- 0) LA Rafael Septien 22 yard field goal ( 6- 0) LA Rafael Septien 29 yard field goal (13- 0) LA Lawrence McCutcheon 2 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) (13- 7) CHI James Scott 70 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) (13-14) CHI James Scott 72 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) (16-14) LA Rafael Septien 24 yard field goal (16-17) CHI Bob Thomas 33 yard field goal (16-24) CHI Greg Latta 29 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) (23-24) LA Dwight Scales 26 yard pass from Pat Haden (Rafael Septien kick)
LA CHI
First Downs: 22 14
Rushes-yards: 40-177 46-200
Yards/rush: 4.4 4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-46-258-4 12-18-231-1
Sacked-yards: 2-19 0-0
Net pass yards: 239 231
Net yards/pass: 5.0 12.8
Total net yards: 416 431
Total plays: 88 (45% run) 64 (71% run)
Yards/play: 4.7 6.7
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 3-3
Turnovers: 4 4
Penalties-yards: 8-70 15-144
Attendance: 51,412
Passing:
LA: Joe Namath, 16 of 40 for 203 yards (4 int); Pat Haden, 3 of 6 for 55 yards and 1 TD CHI: Bob Avellini, 11 of 17 for 219 yards and 3 TDs (1 int); Bob Parsons, 1 of 1 for 12 yards
Rushing:
LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 22 for 92 yards and 1 TD; John Cappelletti, 13 for 38 yards; Rod Phillips, 2 for 3 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 30 yards; Pat Haden, 1 for 8 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 6 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 24 for 126 yards; Roland Harper, 16 for 42 yards; Bob Avellini, 6 for 32 yards
Receiving:
LA: Harold Jackson, 6 for 75 yards; John Cappelletti, 6 for 45 yards; Billy Waddy, 5 for 97 yards; Dwight Scales, 2 for 41 yards and 1 TD CHI: Greg Latta, 4 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 4 for 16 yards; James Scott, 2 for 142 yards and 2 TDs; Bo Rather, 1 for 6 yards; Walter Payton, 1 for 1 yard
Kick returns:
LA: Wendell Tyler, 3 for 71 yards; Cullen Bryant, 1 for 9 yards CHI: Art Best, 4 for 104 yards; Johnny Musso, 1 for 10 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Billy Waddy, 2 for 5 yards CHI: Steve Schubert, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Isiah Robertson, 1 for 20 yards CHI: Doug Plank, 2 for 20 yards; Doug Buffone, 1 for 12 yards; Gary Fencik, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
LA: Glen Walker, 4 for 142 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 5 for 194 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Rafael Septien, 3/4 CHI: Bob Thomas, 1/2
LA: Joe Namath, 16 of 40 for 203 yards (4 int); Pat Haden, 3 of 6 for 55 yards and 1 TD CHI: Bob Avellini, 11 of 17 for 219 yards and 3 TDs (1 int); Bob Parsons, 1 of 1 for 12 yards
Rushing:
LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 22 for 92 yards and 1 TD; John Cappelletti, 13 for 38 yards; Rod Phillips, 2 for 3 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 30 yards; Pat Haden, 1 for 8 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 6 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 24 for 126 yards; Roland Harper, 16 for 42 yards; Bob Avellini, 6 for 32 yards
Receiving:
LA: Harold Jackson, 6 for 75 yards; John Cappelletti, 6 for 45 yards; Billy Waddy, 5 for 97 yards; Dwight Scales, 2 for 41 yards and 1 TD CHI: Greg Latta, 4 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 4 for 16 yards; James Scott, 2 for 142 yards and 2 TDs; Bo Rather, 1 for 6 yards; Walter Payton, 1 for 1 yard
Kick returns:
LA: Wendell Tyler, 3 for 71 yards; Cullen Bryant, 1 for 9 yards CHI: Art Best, 4 for 104 yards; Johnny Musso, 1 for 10 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Billy Waddy, 2 for 5 yards CHI: Steve Schubert, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Isiah Robertson, 1 for 20 yards CHI: Doug Plank, 2 for 20 yards; Doug Buffone, 1 for 12 yards; Gary Fencik, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
LA: Glen Walker, 4 for 142 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 5 for 194 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Rafael Septien, 3/4 CHI: Bob Thomas, 1/2