NFL game summary for 10/23/1977:
Craig Penrose replaced the injured Craig Morton in the second half and engineered a time-consuming, 63-yard drive that produced a touchdown and gave the unbeaten Broncos their final winning margin with 2:21 remaining in the game. Penrose keyed the clinching drive with a 17-yard run and a 22-yard pass completion to rookie Rob Lytle.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 143.6 (10) | 135.6 (20) | 279.2 (15) | 10 |
| DEFENSE | 77.8 (1) | 155.4 (19) | 233.2 (4) | 21 | |
 | OFFENSE | 131.4 (13) | 175.0 (4) | 306.4 (12) | 15 |
| DEFENSE | 133.0 (12) | 153.4 (17) | 286.4 (17) | 13 |
Line: Broncos by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (6-0-0) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (2-4-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
( 0- 7) CIN Pete Johnson 1 yard rush (Chris Bahr kick)
( 7- 7) DEN Jon Keyworth 9 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
( 7-10) CIN Chris Bahr 19 yard field goal
(10-10) DEN Jim Turner 41 yard field goal
(17-10) DEN Jack Dolbin 81 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
(17-13) CIN Chris Bahr 24 yard field goal
(24-13) DEN Jim Jensen 1 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
DEN CIN
First Downs: 16 14
Rushes-yards: 42-180 31-177
Yards/rush: 4.3 5.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-15-155-0 15-28-159-1
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 155 159
Net yards/pass: 10.3 5.7
Total net yards: 335 336
Total plays: 57 (73% run) 59 (52% run)
Yards/play: 5.9 5.7
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 4-2
Turnovers: 0 3
Penalties-yards: 6-38 3-20
Attendance: 54,395
Passing:
DEN: Craig Morton, 5 of 10 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Craig Penrose, 4 of 5 for 47 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 9 of 17 for 67 yards (1 int); John Reaves, 6 of 11 for 92 yards
Rushing:
DEN: Jon Keyworth, 12 for 58 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 11 for 38 yards; Jim Jensen, 8 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Rob Lytle, 7 for 30 yards; Craig Penrose, 4 for 24 yards CIN: Pete Johnson, 16 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Archie Griffin, 11 for 36 yards; Tony Davis, 3 for 13 yards; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 20 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jack Dolbin, 2 for 91 yards and 1 TD; Rob Lytle, 2 for 29 yards; Otis Armstrong, 2 for 15 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 18 yards; Riley Odoms, 1 for 7 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for -5 yards CIN: Tony Davis, 6 for 42 yards; Archie Griffin, 4 for 39 yards; Billy Brooks, 3 for 57 yards; Bob Trumpy, 1 for 16 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 3 for 63 yards; John Schultz, 1 for 33 yards CIN: Willie Shelby, 3 for 57 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 23 yards; Tony Davis, 1 for 12 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 1 for 20 yards CIN: Tony Davis, 2 for 14 yards; Willie Shelby, 2 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Larry Evans, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 7 for 243 yards CIN: Pat McInally, 5 for 184 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1 CIN: Chris Bahr, 2/3
DEN: Craig Morton, 5 of 10 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Craig Penrose, 4 of 5 for 47 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 9 of 17 for 67 yards (1 int); John Reaves, 6 of 11 for 92 yards
Rushing:
DEN: Jon Keyworth, 12 for 58 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 11 for 38 yards; Jim Jensen, 8 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Rob Lytle, 7 for 30 yards; Craig Penrose, 4 for 24 yards CIN: Pete Johnson, 16 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Archie Griffin, 11 for 36 yards; Tony Davis, 3 for 13 yards; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 20 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jack Dolbin, 2 for 91 yards and 1 TD; Rob Lytle, 2 for 29 yards; Otis Armstrong, 2 for 15 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 18 yards; Riley Odoms, 1 for 7 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for -5 yards CIN: Tony Davis, 6 for 42 yards; Archie Griffin, 4 for 39 yards; Billy Brooks, 3 for 57 yards; Bob Trumpy, 1 for 16 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 3 for 63 yards; John Schultz, 1 for 33 yards CIN: Willie Shelby, 3 for 57 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 23 yards; Tony Davis, 1 for 12 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 1 for 20 yards CIN: Tony Davis, 2 for 14 yards; Willie Shelby, 2 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Larry Evans, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 7 for 243 yards CIN: Pat McInally, 5 for 184 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1 CIN: Chris Bahr, 2/3