All NFL game summaries for 10/30/1977:

Bob Tucker, acquired earlier in the week from the New York Giants, scored the winning touchdown on a six-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton. The score came three plays after Chuck Foreman's 51-yard run. The win put the Vikings in command of the NFC Central Division with a 5-2 mark and left the Falcons with a 4-3 record. The game was played before a record Atlanta crowd. The Falcons defense set up several scoring opportunities with three pass interceptions and two fumble recoveries, but only capitalized once.

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

Line: Vikings by 4

( 0- 7) ATL Greg McCrary 49 yard pass from Scott Hunter (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
( 7- 7) MIN Sammy White 54 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
(14- 7) MIN Bob Tucker 6 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)

                     MIN             ATL
First Downs:         17              10
Rushes-yards:        41-145          34-134
Yards/rush:          3.5             3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-26-235-3     8-21-82-2
Sacked-yards:        2-23            1-4
Net pass yards:      212             78
Net yards/pass:      7.6             3.5
Total net yards:     357             212
Total plays:         69 (59% run)    56 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          5.2             3.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             0-0
Turnovers:           5               2
Penalties-yards:     6-36            6-44

Attendance: 59,257

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Bert Jones rifled two touchdown passes and ran for another to give the 6-1 Colts a one-game lead in the AFC East. The loss dropped the 4-3 Steelers one game behind Cleveland in the AFC Central. Baltimore led 31-7, forcing six turnovers including three interceptions that set up touchdowns, before the Steelers scored two touchdowns in the final 1:43. Lydell Mitchell was the game's leading rusher with 99 yards on 26 carries. He was followed by ex-Penn State teammate Franco Harris, who had 85 yards. Jones connected on his first seven passes of the game and wound up completing 10 out of 20.

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

Line: Colts by 2

( 0- 3) BAL Toni Linhart 24 yard field goal
( 0-10) BAL Roosevelt Leaks 26 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
( 0-17) BAL Lydell Mitchell 13 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
( 0-24) BAL Ron Lee 25 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
( 7-24) PIT Lynn Swann 32 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
( 7-31) BAL Bert Jones 6 yard rush (Toni Linhart kick)
(14-31) PIT Franco Harris 11 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
(21-31) PIT Franco Harris 3 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)

                     PIT             BAL
First Downs:         18              22
Rushes-yards:        33-164          48-160
Yards/rush:          5.0             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-26-234-5     10-20-170-0
Sacked-yards:        2-15            1-12
Net pass yards:      219             158
Net yards/pass:      7.8             7.5
Total net yards:     383             318
Total plays:         61 (54% run)    69 (69% run)  
Yards/play:          6.3             4.6
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             0-0
Turnovers:           6               0
Penalties-yards:     17-122          3-20

Attendance: 60,225

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Chris Bahr booted a 22-yard field goal 5:51 into overtime to give the Bengals a 13-10 win. His field goal came at the end of a 58-yard drive engineered by Ken Anderson, who relieved John Reaves in the second half and completed 12 of 16 passes for 107 yards. Anderson did not start due to a knee injury. The Oilers rallied on the passing of Dan Pastorini to wipe out a 10-0 fourth quarter deficit, tying the game on Ronnie Coleman's three-yard touchdown catch.

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

Line: Bengals by 6

( 0- 7) CIN Willie Shelby 0 yard fumble return (Chris Bahr kick)
( 0-10) CIN Chris Bahr 23 yard field goal
( 3-10) HOU Toni Fritsch 22 yard field goal
(10-10) HOU Ronnie Coleman 3 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick)
(10-13) CIN Chris Bahr 22 yard field goal

                     HOU             CIN
First Downs:         15              15
Rushes-yards:        38-107          38-89
Yards/rush:          2.8             2.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-26-97-1      17-29-176-2
Sacked-yards:        2-18            1-3
Net pass yards:      79              173
Net yards/pass:      2.8             5.8
Total net yards:     186             262
Total plays:         66 (57% run)    68 (55% run)  
Yards/play:          2.8             3.9
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             2-1
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     6-30            4-67

Attendance: 53,194

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Greg Pruitt rushed for 153 yards and one touchdown, Brian Sipe threw for 200 yards, and Don Cockroft added three field goals to defeat the Chiefs and gain sole possession of first place in the AFC Central. Pruitt's 78-yard touchdown run was the longest of his career and boosted him over the 500-yard mark for the season. The Browns racked up 526 total yards and set a team record for most first downs in a game with 34.

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

Line: Browns by 9

( 0- 7) CLE Gary Parris 7 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick)
( 0-10) CLE Don Cockroft 29 yard field goal
( 0-13) CLE Don Cockroft 34 yard field goal
( 0-16) CLE Don Cockroft 27 yard field goal
( 0-23) CLE Thom Darden 18 yard interception return (Don Cockroft kick)
( 0-30) CLE Mike Pruitt 1 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
( 0-37) CLE Greg Pruitt 78 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
( 0-44) CLE Gary Parris 2 yard pass from Dave Mays (Don Cockroft kick)
( 7-44) KC  John Brockington 22 yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick)

                     KC              CLE
First Downs:         16              34
Rushes-yards:        26-137          53-322
Yards/rush:          5.3             6.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-32-152-3     16-31-228-2
Sacked-yards:        4-33            3-24
Net pass yards:      119             204
Net yards/pass:      3.3             6.0
Total net yards:     256             526
Total plays:         62 (41% run)    87 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          4.1             6.0
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             2-1
Turnovers:           6               3
Penalties-yards:     10-75           12-103

Attendance: 60,381

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Roger Staubach threw three touchdown passes and Efren Herrera kicked three field goals as the unbeaten Cowboys crushed the Lions 37-0. Dallas, off to its best start in the 18-year history of the franchise, dominated all aspects of the game. The Cowboys had 344 yards total offense and did not allow the Lions to penetrate beyond their own 46 yard line for the first three quarters.

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

Line: Cowboys by 13½

( 0- 3) DAL Efren Herrera 21 yard field goal
( 0- 6) DAL Efren Herrera 45 yard field goal
( 0-13) DAL Billy Joe DuPree 14 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 0-20) DAL Scott Laidlaw 18 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 0-23) DAL Efren Herrera 30 yard field goal
( 0-30) DAL Jay Saldi 1 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 0-37) DAL Larry Brinson 20 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)

                     DET             DAL
First Downs:         7               20
Rushes-yards:        18-74           47-176
Yards/rush:          4.1             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-30-78-2      16-27-179-1
Sacked-yards:        6-32            1-11
Net pass yards:      46              168
Net yards/pass:      1.3             6.0
Total net yards:     120             344
Total plays:         54 (33% run)    75 (62% run)  
Yards/play:          2.2             4.6
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             0-0
Turnovers:           3               1
Penalties-yards:     4-20            5-30

Attendance: 63,160

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Clarence Davis and Mark van Eeghen led a bruising ground attack as the Raiders avenged a 30-7 loss to the Broncos two weeks previous. The win boosted the Raiders record to 6-1, tying Denver for first place in the AFC West. Oakland ran for 200 yards against the NFL's leading rushing defense with Davis getting 105 and van Eeghen 82. Oakland stifled Denver for the first three quarters, allowing the Broncos to cross midfield only once. The Raiders ran twice as many plays as the Broncos and got excellent punting from Ray Guy, who averaged 49 yards on eight kicks. Pat Toomay led a ferocious Raiders' rush, which sacked Morton eight times.

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

Line: Raiders by 4

( 7- 0) OAK Cliff Branch 21 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick)
(10- 0) OAK Errol Mann 42 yard field goal
(17- 0) OAK Clarence Davis 8 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
(24- 0) OAK Mark van Eeghen 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
(24- 7) DEN Jack Dolbin 11 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
(24-14) DEN Otis Armstrong 7 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)

                     OAK             DEN
First Downs:         17              19
Rushes-yards:        57-200          23-98
Yards/rush:          3.5             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-14-70-0       19-32-242-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             8-62
Net pass yards:      70              180
Net yards/pass:      5.0             4.5
Total net yards:     270             278
Total plays:         71 (80% run)    63 (36% run)  
Yards/play:          3.8             4.4
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             4-2
Turnovers:           0               3
Penalties-yards:     9-50            5-28

Attendance: 75,007

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Walter Payton rushed for 205 yards, tying a club record, and scored two touchdowns to lead Chicago to a 26-0 victory over Green Bay. Payton, the NFL's rushing leader, scored on six and one-yard runs as he moved into fourth place on Chicago's all-time rushing list with 2,927 yards. Bob Thomas kicked a 47-yard field goal just two seconds before halftime to give the Bears a 16-0 lead. The Bears' defense enjoyed one of their best games as they sacked the Packers' quarterbacks four times. Thomas added a 20-yard field goal with less than five minutes remaining to round out the scoring.

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

Line: Bears by 4

( 6- 0) CHI Johnny Musso 3 yard rush (run failed)
(13- 0) CHI Walter Payton 6 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
(16- 0) CHI Bob Thomas 47 yard field goal
(23- 0) CHI Walter Payton 1 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
(26- 0) CHI Bob Thomas 20 yard field goal

                     CHI             GB
First Downs:         21              17
Rushes-yards:        54-375          31-101
Yards/rush:          6.9             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     4-10-54-1       12-30-142-1
Sacked-yards:        1-10            4-46
Net pass yards:      44              96
Net yards/pass:      4.0             2.8
Total net yards:     419             197
Total plays:         65 (83% run)    65 (47% run)  
Yards/play:          6.4             3.0
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             2-0
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     10-75           4-42

Attendance: 56,002

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Quarterback James Harris bulled five yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game to lift San Diego past Miami. Rolf Benirschke's PAT gave the Chargers the winning margin. Garo Yepremian's two field goals gave the Dolphins a 6-0 first-quarter lead. In the second quarter, Clarence Duren's first of three interceptions resulted in a Harris-to-Bob Klein TD pass and a 7-6 Chargers lead. The score stood until Norm Bulaich scored from three yards out with just 9:43 remaining. With the Dolphins ahead 13-7, Gary Johnson recovered a fumble at the Miami 33 and Harris led the Chargers in for the score.

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

Line: Dolphins by 5

( 0- 3) MIA Garo Yepremian 52 yard field goal
( 0- 6) MIA Garo Yepremian 45 yard field goal
( 7- 6) SD  Bob Klein 2 yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick)
( 7-13) MIA Norm Bulaich 3 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(14-13) SD  James Harris 5 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick)

                     SD              MIA
First Downs:         14              15
Rushes-yards:        35-90           37-178
Yards/rush:          2.6             4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-31-131-3     9-16-82-3
Sacked-yards:        1-9             3-19
Net pass yards:      122             63
Net yards/pass:      3.8             3.3
Total net yards:     212             241
Total plays:         67 (52% run)    56 (66% run)  
Yards/play:          3.2             4.3
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             2-2
Turnovers:           3               5
Penalties-yards:     6-29            7-49

Attendance: 40,670

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Steve Grogan passed for three touchdowns as the Patriots defeated the Jets 24-13. The Jets scored first on a 36-yard field goal by Pat Leahy, but a 30-yard field goal by John Smith and a Grogan-to-Darryl Stingley TD pass put the Patriots ahead 10-3. Richard Todd passed 30 yards to Jerome Barkum for a touchdown, enabling the Jets to tie the game at 10-10. In the third quarter, Grogan found rookie Stanley Morgan on a 52-yard scoring bomb, and on the next possession threw a four-yarder to Don Hasselbeck to put the Patriots in front to stay.

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

Line: Patriots by 13

( 3- 0) NYJ Pat Leahy 36 yard field goal
( 3- 3) NE  John Smith 30 yard field goal
( 3-10) NE  Darryl Stingley 11 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
(10-10) NYJ Jerome Barkum 30 yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick)
(10-17) NE  Stanley Morgan 52 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
(10-24) NE  Don Hasselbeck 4 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
(13-24) NYJ Pat Leahy 21 yard field goal

                     NYJ             NE
First Downs:         15              19
Rushes-yards:        35-134          40-147
Yards/rush:          3.8             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-32-183-0     16-23-228-1
Sacked-yards:        3-25            0-0
Net pass yards:      158             228
Net yards/pass:      4.5             9.9
Total net yards:     292             375
Total plays:         70 (50% run)    63 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          4.2             6.0
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             1-1
Turnovers:           0               2
Penalties-yards:     4-40            8-51

Attendance: 61,042

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Rich Szaro kicked a 31-yard field goal that bounced off the crossbar and through the uprights with just over three minutes remaining to give the Saints a 27-26 win. Szaro's boot capped a drive in which Bobby Scott, subbing for Archie Manning, hit two clutch passes. Pat Haden's two touchdown passes and Rafael Septien's two field goals gave the Rams a 20-17 halftime lead. Tony Galbreath's one-yard run and Lawrence McCutcheon's two-yard run were the only touchdowns scored in the second half. McCutcheon gained 107 yards on the ground and Galbreath 100 to lead the game's rushers. The game also marked the most points yielded by Los Angeles this season.

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

Line: Rams by 8

( 0- 3) NO  Rich Szaro 23 yard field goal
( 7- 3) LA  Harold Jackson 18 yard pass from Pat Haden (Rafael Septien kick)
( 7-10) NO  Tony Galbreath 1 yard rush (Rich Szaro kick)
(10-10) LA  Rafael Septien 36 yard field goal
(10-17) NO  Elois Grooms 3 yard pass from Tom Blanchard (Rich Szaro kick)
(17-17) LA  Harold Jackson 9 yard pass from Pat Haden (Rafael Septien kick)
(20-17) LA  Rafael Septien 27 yard field goal
(20-24) NO  Tony Galbreath 1 yard rush (Rich Szaro kick)
(26-24) LA  Lawrence McCutcheon 2 yard rush (pass failed)
(26-27) NO  Rich Szaro 31 yard field goal

                     LA              NO
First Downs:         19              19
Rushes-yards:        34-134          50-253
Yards/rush:          3.9             5.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-26-261-0     9-19-100-0
Sacked-yards:        3-19            1-10
Net pass yards:      242             90
Net yards/pass:      8.3             4.5
Total net yards:     376             343
Total plays:         63 (53% run)    70 (71% run)  
Yards/play:          6.0             4.9
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             3-2
Turnovers:           3               2
Penalties-yards:     7-85            3-36

Attendance: 59,023

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Jim Zorn threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score as Seattle rolled to a 56-17 victory over Buffalo. Carson Long's 25-yard field goal put the Bills ahead at the outset, but the Seahawks answered with six touchdowns to lead 42-3 at the half. Joe Ferguson, who threw three interceptions in the first half, threw for a third-period TD and rushed for a score in the fourth quarter. Seattle countered with touchdown runs by David Sims and Al Hunter, both rookies.

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

Line: Bills by 3½

( 3- 0) BUF Carson Long 25 yard field goal
( 3- 7) SEA Steve Largent 31 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3-14) SEA Duke Fergerson 37 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3-21) SEA Steve Largent 48 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3-28) SEA Jim Zorn 4 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3-35) SEA Sherman Smith 13 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3-42) SEA Don Testerman 10 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
( 3-49) SEA David Sims 17 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(10-49) BUF Jim Kimbrough 38 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Carson Long kick)
(10-56) SEA Al Hunter 1 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(17-56) BUF Joe Ferguson 4 yard rush (Carson Long kick)

                     BUF             SEA
First Downs:         17              30
Rushes-yards:        28-115          39-226
Yards/rush:          4.1             5.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-37-227-3     15-29-333-3
Sacked-yards:        1-6             0-0
Net pass yards:      221             333
Net yards/pass:      5.8             11.5
Total net yards:     336             559
Total plays:         66 (42% run)    68 (57% run)  
Yards/play:          5.1             8.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             0-0
Turnovers:           3               3
Penalties-yards:     4-29            4-30

Attendance: 61,180

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Powered by the running of Delvin Williams and Wilbur Jackson, San Francisco handed Tampa Bay its 21st consecutive defeat. Williams and Jackson rushed for a total of 179 yards and two touchdowns and Ray Wersching added field goals of 31 and 43 yards. Tampa Bay got a third-period field goal from Allan Leavitt and a five-yard touchdown run by Louis Carter in the fourth quarter.

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

Line: 49ers by 16

( 0- 7) SF  Wilbur Jackson 2 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
( 0-14) SF  Delvin Williams 35 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
( 3-14) TB  Allan Leavitt 29 yard field goal
( 3-17) SF  Ray Wersching 31 yard field goal
( 3-20) SF  Ray Wersching 43 yard field goal
(10-20) TB  Louis Carter 5 yard rush (Allan Leavitt kick)

                     TB              SF
First Downs:         18              20
Rushes-yards:        36-104          43-205
Yards/rush:          2.9             4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-31-190-1     12-20-114-1
Sacked-yards:        5-44            2-13
Net pass yards:      146             101
Net yards/pass:      4.1             4.6
Total net yards:     250             306
Total plays:         72 (50% run)    65 (66% run)  
Yards/play:          3.5             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        3-2             1-0
Turnovers:           3               1
Penalties-yards:     5-25            6-44

Attendance: 34,700

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Joe Theismann threw two early touchdown passes to Jean Fugett, but it was Mark Moseley's three field goals -- 46, 30 and 51 yards -- that proved to be the winning margin. James Betterson scored from 16 yards out to cap a 79-yard scoring drive, and Horst Muhlmann kicked a 44-yard field goal to keep the Eagles in the game. Ron Jaworski connected with Harold Carmichael on a 48-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter, but two subsequent drives were stopped short of the end zone.

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

Line: Redskins by 5

( 0- 7) WAS Jean Fugett 15 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)
( 0-14) WAS Jean Fugett 15 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)
( 7-14) PHI James Betterson 16 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(10-14) PHI Horst Muhlmann 44 yard field goal
(10-17) WAS Mark Moseley 46 yard field goal
(10-20) WAS Mark Moseley 30 yard field goal
(10-23) WAS Mark Moseley 51 yard field goal
(17-23) PHI Harold Carmichael 48 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Horst Muhlmann kick)

                     PHI             WAS
First Downs:         16              19
Rushes-yards:        29-131          34-118
Yards/rush:          4.5             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     9-27-190-3      16-34-218-1
Sacked-yards:        6-40            5-24
Net pass yards:      150             194
Net yards/pass:      4.5             5.0
Total net yards:     281             312
Total plays:         62 (46% run)    73 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             4.3
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             0-0
Turnovers:           4               1
Penalties-yards:     11-65           4-35

Attendance: 55,031

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