All NFL game summaries for 10/16/1977:

Neil O'Donoghue's 30-yard field goal with 4:44 left in the first half was enough to snap the Bills' 14-game losing streak and give Jim Ringo his first NFL coaching victory. Buffalo got good field position when John Kimbrough returned an Atlanta punt 18 yards to the Falcons' 35. The Bills then went 22 yards in six plays to position themselves for O'Donoghue's winning field goal. O. J. Simpson rushed for 138 yards and became only the second player in NFL history to gain over 10,000 yards for a career. Buffalo's defense registered its first shutout since blanking Baltimore 6-0 in 1974.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Falcons by 3

( 0- 3) BUF Neil O'Donoghue 30 yard field goal

                     ATL             BUF
First Downs:         15              15
Rushes-yards:        39-114          45-218
Yards/rush:          2.9             4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     9-30-95-2       8-21-96-0
Sacked-yards:        1-9             0-0
Net pass yards:      86              96
Net yards/pass:      2.8             4.6
Total net yards:     200             314
Total plays:         70 (55% run)    66 (68% run)  
Yards/play:          2.9             4.8
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             3-2
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     6-65            6-73

Attendance: 27,348

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Roger Staubach threw for 250 yards and Robert Newhouse scored two touchdowns to give the unbeaten Cowboys their fifth straight victory and a two-game lead in the NFC East. Mark Moseley kicked a career longest 53-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Redskins a brief 16-14 lead. Dallas answered with field goals of 44 and 52 yards by Efren Herrera. Staubach threw two touchdown passes including a 59-yard bomb to Drew Pearson that iced the game in the fourth quarter.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Cowboys by 10

( 3- 0) WAS Mark Moseley 25 yard field goal
( 6- 0) WAS Mark Moseley 40 yard field goal
( 6- 7) DAL Golden Richards 50 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 6-14) DAL Robert Newhouse 7 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
(13-14) WAS Clarence Harmon 1 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)
(16-14) WAS Mark Moseley 53 yard field goal
(16-17) DAL Efren Herrera 44 yard field goal
(16-20) DAL Efren Herrera 52 yard field goal
(16-27) DAL Drew Pearson 59 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
(16-34) DAL Robert Newhouse 6 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)

                     WAS             DAL
First Downs:         12              23
Rushes-yards:        32-115          50-171
Yards/rush:          3.6             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-25-64-1       16-29-284-0
Sacked-yards:        8-63            2-20
Net pass yards:      1               264
Net yards/pass:      0.0             8.5
Total net yards:     116             435
Total plays:         65 (49% run)    81 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          1.8             5.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             4-3
Turnovers:           2               3
Penalties-yards:     5-38            4-25

Attendance: 62,115

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Greg Landry threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Ray Jarvis to give the Lions a 10-6 win and second place in the NFC Central Division. The game's only touchdown came with 11:59 remaining in the final period and climaxed a 72-yard, 10-play drive. The Packers took the lead at 9:39 of the first quarter on Chester Marcol's 21-yard field goal. Marcol also kicked a 32-yard field goal late in the third quarter to give the Packers a 6-3 lead and their first second-half points of the season. Landry completed 18 of 26 passes for 155 yards and Lem Barney had two of the Lions' four interceptions.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Lions by 7

( 3- 0) GB  Chester Marcol 21 yard field goal
( 3- 3) DET Steve Mike-Mayer 23 yard field goal
( 6- 3) GB  Chester Marcol 32 yard field goal
( 6-10) DET Ray Jarvis 9 yard pass from Greg Landry (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)

                     GB              DET
First Downs:         11              17
Rushes-yards:        29-67           38-133
Yards/rush:          2.3             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-25-127-4     18-26-155-0
Sacked-yards:        5-45            3-26
Net pass yards:      82              129
Net yards/pass:      2.7             4.4
Total net yards:     149             262
Total plays:         59 (49% run)    67 (56% run)  
Yards/play:          2.5             3.9
Fumbles-lost:        4-2             2-2
Turnovers:           6               2
Penalties-yards:     6-40            8-55

Attendance: 78,452

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Don Cockroft kicked a 30-yard field goal as time ran out to give the Browns a share of the AFC Central lead. Houston jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first period on the strength of an 87-yard Billy Johnson punt return and a 25-yard field goal by Toni Fritsch. Cleveland capitalized on three straight Houston turnovers to pull ahead 21-10 early in the second quarter. An interception by Tony Peters set up Cleo Miller's six-yard run for the Browns' first score. Two plays later Clarence Scott intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. Mickey Sims picked up a fumble on the Oilers' next possession to set up Brian Sipe's eight-yard scoring pass to Oscar Roan. Houston mounted a 13-point comeback and went ahead 23-21 with 4:28 left in the game but the Browns took the ensuing kickoff and drove 54 yards for Cockroft's winning field goal.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Oilers by 2

( 0- 7) HOU Billy Johnson 87 yard punt return (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 0-10) HOU Toni Fritsch 25 yard field goal
( 7-10) CLE Cleo Miller 6 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(14-10) CLE Clarence Scott 49 yard interception return (Don Cockroft kick)
(21-10) CLE Oscar Roan 8 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick)
(21-13) HOU Toni Fritsch 37 yard field goal
(21-20) HOU John Hadl 6 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
(21-23) HOU Toni Fritsch 36 yard field goal
(24-23) CLE Don Cockroft 30 yard field goal

                     CLE             HOU
First Downs:         11              18
Rushes-yards:        31-109          37-109
Yards/rush:          3.5             2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     9-20-71-1       14-29-148-2
Sacked-yards:        1-10            2-29
Net pass yards:      61              119
Net yards/pass:      2.9             3.8
Total net yards:     170             228
Total plays:         52 (59% run)    68 (54% run)  
Yards/play:          3.3             3.4
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             4-1
Turnovers:           2               3
Penalties-yards:     11-65           7-76

Attendance: 47,888

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Ron Lee and Don McCauley each scored touchdowns late in the first quarter to help the Colts remain undefeated. Lee capped a five-play, 48-yard drive with a one-yard run at 11:12 of the first quarter. After Sanders Shiver recovered a Kansas City fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Baltimore drove 36 yards with McCauley going over from the 2. John Brockington, playing his first game with the Chiefs, scored the only Kansas City points 9:51 into the second quarter on a one-yard run.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Colts by 14

( 7- 0) BAL Ron Lee 1 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(14- 0) BAL Don McCauley 2 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(14- 6) KC  John Brockington 1 yard rush (kick failed)
(17- 6) BAL Toni Linhart 44 yard field goal

                     BAL             KC
First Downs:         16              13
Rushes-yards:        45-161          31-102
Yards/rush:          3.6             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-20-90-0      11-23-146-2
Sacked-yards:        1-10            4-29
Net pass yards:      80              117
Net yards/pass:      3.8             4.3
Total net yards:     241             219
Total plays:         66 (68% run)    58 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             3.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             3-2
Turnovers:           1               4
Penalties-yards:     7-60            3-35

Attendance: 63,076

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Pat Haden hit Terry Nelson with a 46-yard bomb in the third quarter to set up the winning touchdown, a one-yard run by Lawrence McCutcheon. The victory raised the Rams' record to 3-2 and gave them a share of the NFC West lead with Atlanta. McCutcheon rushed for 126 yards and John Cappelletti and Wendell Tyler combined for 121 yards on the ground. Tyler scored the Rams' first touchdown on a 16-yard run in the first quarter. Archie Manning tossed a 17-yard pass to Henry Childs for the Saints' only score.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Rams by 12

( 0- 7) LA  Wendell Tyler 16 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
( 7- 7) NO  Henry Childs 17 yard pass from Archie Manning (Rich Szaro kick)
( 7-14) LA  Lawrence McCutcheon 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)

                     NO              LA
First Downs:         12              24
Rushes-yards:        23-77           61-243
Yards/rush:          3.3             4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-34-155-0     9-16-180-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             3-15
Net pass yards:      155             165
Net yards/pass:      4.6             8.7
Total net yards:     232             408
Total plays:         57 (40% run)    80 (76% run)  
Yards/play:          4.1             5.1
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             3-2
Turnovers:           0               3
Penalties-yards:     5-76            7-55

Attendance: 46,045

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Bob Griese hurled two touchdown passes and Benny Malone scored on a five-yard run to give the Dolphins a commanding 21-3 halftime lead. While Miami's offense sputtered through the last two quarters, the Jets cut the margin to 21-17 on a pair of one-yard touchdown runs by Clark Gaines.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Dolphins by 10

( 0- 7) MIA Benny Malone 5 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-14) MIA Loaird McCreary 1 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-21) MIA Nat Moore 9 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-21) NYJ Pat Leahy 30 yard field goal
(10-21) NYJ Clark Gaines 1 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)
(17-21) NYJ Clark Gaines 1 yard rush (Pat Leahy kick)

                     NYJ             MIA
First Downs:         14              23
Rushes-yards:        25-123          42-212
Yards/rush:          4.9             5.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-26-203-0     17-24-132-0
Sacked-yards:        1-12            1-4
Net pass yards:      191             128
Net yards/pass:      7.1             5.1
Total net yards:     314             340
Total plays:         52 (48% run)    67 (62% run)  
Yards/play:          6.0             5.1
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             2-2
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     7-52            2-20

Attendance: 43,446

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Stu Voigt caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Paul Krause on a fake field goal attempt at 6:45 of overtime to provide the Vikings their fourth straight win. Chuck Foreman, who gained 150 yards on 26 carries, gave Minnesota a 7-0 lead 9:33 into the first period and a pair of Fred Cox field goals boosted the lead to 13-0. The Bears went ahead 16-13 when Bob Avellini tossed a nine-yard scoring pass to Bo Rather 1:04 before the half and threw another touchdown strike to Greg Latta late in the third period. The Vikings tied the game 16-16 on the next series, driving 52 yards in nine plays for Cox's 21-yard field goal. Alan Page and Matt Blair combined to block a Bob Thomas field goal at 1:55 to preserve the tie. Chicago won the toss in overtime but punted after three downs and Minnesota drove 80 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Vikings by 7

( 0- 7) MIN Chuck Foreman 2 yard rush (Fred Cox kick)
( 0-10) MIN Fred Cox 30 yard field goal
( 0-13) MIN Fred Cox 38 yard field goal
( 6-13) CHI Bo Rather 9 yard pass from Bob Avellini (kick failed)
( 9-13) CHI Bob Thomas 38 yard field goal
(16-13) CHI Greg Latta 2 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
(16-16) MIN Fred Cox 21 yard field goal
(16-22) MIN Stu Voigt 11 yard pass from Paul Krause 

                     CHI             MIN
First Downs:         17              22
Rushes-yards:        44-170          41-195
Yards/rush:          3.9             4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-22-155-0     17-31-212-1
Sacked-yards:        3-22            2-11
Net pass yards:      133             201
Net yards/pass:      5.3             6.1
Total net yards:     303             396
Total plays:         69 (63% run)    74 (55% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             5.4
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             1-1
Turnovers:           2               2
Penalties-yards:     5-41            6-60

Attendance: 47,709

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The Giants took advantage of San Francisco mistakes to win their second game of the season and break a three-game losing streak. In the second quarter, Brian Kelley recovered a fumble and Ernie Jones blocked a punt that set up two touchdowns, one a 37-yard pass from Joe Pisarcik to Gary Shirk and the other a one-yard run by Willie Spencer. Joe Danelo also booted a 22-yard field goal to give the Giants a 17-3 halftime lead. Danelo kicked another 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to widen the lead to 20-3, but the winless 49ers came storming back on the strength of Jim Plunkett's arm. Plunkett connected with Ken Harrison on a 46-yard pass to the Giants 3 and Wilbur Jackson scored from the 1 two plays later. Plunkett hit Gene Washington on a 47-yard scoring pass with 5:01 to play.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: 49ers by 1

( 3- 0) SF  Ray Wersching 50 yard field goal
( 3- 3) NYG Joe Danelo 22 yard field goal
( 3-10) NYG Gary Shirk 37 yard pass from Joe Pisarcik (Joe Danelo kick)
( 3-17) NYG Willie Spencer 1 yard rush (Joe Danelo kick)
( 3-20) NYG Joe Danelo 22 yard field goal
(10-20) SF  Wilbur Jackson 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
(17-20) SF  Gene Washington 47 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)

                     SF              NYG
First Downs:         16              9
Rushes-yards:        39-92           41-131
Yards/rush:          2.4             3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-22-224-1     2-6-47-0
Sacked-yards:        4-41            2-24
Net pass yards:      183             23
Net yards/pass:      7.0             2.9
Total net yards:     275             154
Total plays:         65 (60% run)    49 (83% run)  
Yards/play:          4.2             3.1
Fumbles-lost:        4-2             1-1
Turnovers:           3               1
Penalties-yards:     7-67            6-45

Attendance: 70,366

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A team record seven interceptions helped Denver to its seventh straight win, including two from last season, and gave the Broncos sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Oakland took the opening kickoff and marched 70 yards in 10 plays, capped by a nine-yard pass from Ken Stabler to Dave Casper. The first of three interceptions by linebacker Joe Rizzo led to the Broncos' first score, a Craig Morton-to-Riley Odoms pass covering 10 yards. Lonnie Perrin's 16-yard touchdown run and a 25-yard pass from holder Norris Weese to kicker Jim Turner following a fake field goal gave the Broncos a 21-7 halftime lead. Louis Wright picked off a Stabler pass in the third quarter and raced 18 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of Oakland's reach. Stabler completed 20 of 40 passes for 274 yards, but his seven interceptions set club marks for both teams. The loss snapped Oakland's 17-game winning streak, which tied for the second longest ever.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Raiders by 10

( 0- 7) OAK Dave Casper 9 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick)
( 7- 7) DEN Riley Odoms 10 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
(14- 7) DEN Lonnie Perrin 16 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(21- 7) DEN Jim Turner 25 yard pass from Norris Weese (Jim Turner kick)
(27- 7) DEN Louis Wright 18 yard interception return (kick failed)
(30- 7) DEN Jim Turner 32 yard field goal

                     DEN             OAK
First Downs:         8               21
Rushes-yards:        37-102          30-87
Yards/rush:          2.8             2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-17-118-0      22-42-290-7
Sacked-yards:        4-20            5-51
Net pass yards:      98              239
Net yards/pass:      4.7             5.1
Total net yards:     200             326
Total plays:         58 (63% run)    77 (38% run)  
Yards/play:          3.4             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             4-1
Turnovers:           0               8
Penalties-yards:     4-40            3-20

Attendance: 53,616

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Jim Hart completed 17 of 25 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown as the Cardinals ended a two-game losing streak. Hart engineered touchdown drives of 73, 68 and 37 yards to give St. Louis a 21-3 fourth quarter lead, but the Cardinals' defense had to withstand a furious Eagles' rally to secure the victory. Ron Jaworski threw touchdown passes of 36 yards to Herb Lusk and 50 yards to Harold Carmichael to pull the Eagles to within four points with 1:53 left in the game. The Eagles got a final opportunity but Mark Arneson picked off a Jaworski pass with 1:26 remaining.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Cardinals by 5

( 0- 3) PHI Horst Muhlmann 28 yard field goal
( 7- 3) STL Ike Harris 38 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(14- 3) STL Terry Metcalf 10 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(21- 3) STL Jerry Latin 2 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(21-10) PHI Herb Lusk 36 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(21-17) PHI Harold Carmichael 50 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Horst Muhlmann kick)

                     STL             PHI
First Downs:         16              14
Rushes-yards:        41-128          23-96
Yards/rush:          3.1             4.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-25-209-0     17-38-264-3
Sacked-yards:        0-0             1-6
Net pass yards:      209             258
Net yards/pass:      8.4             6.6
Total net yards:     337             354
Total plays:         66 (62% run)    62 (37% run)  
Yards/play:          5.1             5.7
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-1
Turnovers:           1               4
Penalties-yards:     7-57            9-77

Attendance: 65,507

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Steve Grogan passed to Don Hasselbeck for two touchdowns and Sam Cunningham rushed for 141 yards to lead the Patriots to a comeback victory over the Chargers. One-yard runs by Clarence Williams and Rickey Young staked the Chargers to a 13-7 lead until the Patriots rallied late in the third quarter. New England took the lead on a seven-yard touchdown run by Ike Forte, which came at the end of a 64-yard, 12-play drive. The Patriots increased their margin in the fourth quarter to 24-13 on John Smith's 28-yard field goal and a four-yard Grogan-to-Hasselbeck touchdown pass.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Chargers by 1

( 7- 0) NE  Don Hasselbeck 1 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
( 7- 6) SD  Clarence Williams 1 yard rush (kick failed)
( 7-13) SD  Rickey Young 1 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick)
(14-13) NE  Ike Forte 7 yard rush (John Smith kick)
(17-13) NE  John Smith 28 yard field goal
(24-13) NE  Don Hasselbeck 4 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
(24-20) SD  Charlie Joiner 16 yard pass from Bill Munson (Rolf Benirschke kick)

                     NE              SD
First Downs:         22              16
Rushes-yards:        51-256          19-53
Yards/rush:          5.0             2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-22-83-1      18-26-249-1
Sacked-yards:        1-14            2-19
Net pass yards:      69              230
Net yards/pass:      3.0             8.2
Total net yards:     325             283
Total plays:         74 (68% run)    47 (40% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             6.0
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             2-1
Turnovers:           1               2
Penalties-yards:     9-101           6-53

Attendance: 50,327

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Steve Myer threw a team-record four touchdown passes that propelled the Seahawks to their first win of the season and second over Tampa Bay since the two teams joined the league in 1976. Myer hit Steve Largent with touchdown passes of four and eight yards in the first half and threw 45 yards to Duke Fergerson and 44 yards to Sherman Smith in the final period. Tampa Bay, which extended its losing streak to 19 games, narrowed the Seahawks' margin to 24-23 when Gary Huff hit Morris Owens with a 67-yard scoring pass with 10:17 to play. The Buccaneers had two scoring threats wiped out in the final four minutes on interceptions by Autry Beamon and Eddie McMillan.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Seahawks by 3

( 0- 7) SEA Steve Largent 8 yard pass from Steve Myer (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3- 7) TB  Allan Leavitt 40 yard field goal
( 6- 7) TB  Allan Leavitt 37 yard field goal
( 6-14) SEA Steve Largent 4 yard pass from Steve Myer (John Leypoldt kick)
(13-14) TB  Anthony Davis 1 yard rush (Allan Leavitt kick)
(13-17) SEA John Leypoldt 43 yard field goal
(16-17) TB  Allan Leavitt 20 yard field goal
(16-24) SEA Duke Fergerson 45 yard pass from Steve Myer (John Leypoldt kick)
(23-24) TB  Morris Owens 67 yard pass from Gary Huff (Allan Leavitt kick)
(23-30) SEA Sherman Smith 44 yard pass from Steve Myer (kick failed)

                     TB              SEA
First Downs:         22              21
Rushes-yards:        34-167          35-134
Yards/rush:          4.9             3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     18-32-217-4     20-30-252-2
Sacked-yards:        0-0             1-11
Net pass yards:      217             241
Net yards/pass:      6.8             7.8
Total net yards:     384             375
Total plays:         66 (51% run)    66 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          5.8             5.7
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             3-0
Turnovers:           6               2
Penalties-yards:     6-51            4-30

Attendance: 54,783

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