NFL game summary 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):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 134.2 (15) | 174.2 (5) | 308.3 (10) | 16 |
| DEFENSE | 138.0 (16) | 132.7 (10) | 270.7 (11) | 7 | |
 | OFFENSE | 128.0 (16) | 132.0 (19) | 260.0 (20) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 126.3 (10) | 98.2 (4) | 224.5 (3) | 18 |
Line: Vikings by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings (5-2-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Atlanta Falcons (4-3-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
( 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
Passing:
MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 16 of 26 for 235 yards and 2 TDs (3 int) ATL: Scott Hunter, 7 of 18 for 69 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Steve Bartkowski, 1 of 3 for 13 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 23 for 91 yards; Brent McClanahan, 8 for 39 yards; Mark Kellar, 5 for 4 yards; Robert Miller, 4 for 13 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 1 for -2 yards ATL: Haskel Stanback, 12 for 58 yards; Woody Thompson, 9 for 51 yards; Monroe Eley, 9 for 11 yards; Scott Hunter, 4 for 14 yards
Receiving:
MIN: Ahmad Rashad, 7 for 93 yards; Bob Tucker, 3 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Sammy White, 2 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Brent McClanahan, 1 for 18 yards; Chuck Foreman, 1 for 7 yards; Stu Voigt, 1 for 7 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 3 yards ATL: Haskel Stanback, 3 for 9 yards; Greg McCrary, 2 for 48 yards and 1 TD; Alfred Jenkins, 2 for 22 yards; Wallace Francis, 1 for 3 yards
Kick returns:
MIN: Manfred Moore, 2 for 79 yards ATL: Tom Moriarty, 2 for 25 yards; Karl Farmer, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
MIN: Manfred Moore, 4 for 40 yards ATL: Rolland Lawrence, 3 for 17 yards
Interceptions:
MIN: Bobby Bryant, 1 for 41 yards; Fred McNeill, 1 for 0 yards ATL: Rolland Lawrence, 2 for 38 yards; Ray Easterling, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
MIN: Neil Clabo, 4 for 169 yards ATL: John James, 9 for 394 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Fred Cox, 0/2 ATL: Nick Mike-Mayer, 0/2
MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 16 of 26 for 235 yards and 2 TDs (3 int) ATL: Scott Hunter, 7 of 18 for 69 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Steve Bartkowski, 1 of 3 for 13 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 23 for 91 yards; Brent McClanahan, 8 for 39 yards; Mark Kellar, 5 for 4 yards; Robert Miller, 4 for 13 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 1 for -2 yards ATL: Haskel Stanback, 12 for 58 yards; Woody Thompson, 9 for 51 yards; Monroe Eley, 9 for 11 yards; Scott Hunter, 4 for 14 yards
Receiving:
MIN: Ahmad Rashad, 7 for 93 yards; Bob Tucker, 3 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Sammy White, 2 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Brent McClanahan, 1 for 18 yards; Chuck Foreman, 1 for 7 yards; Stu Voigt, 1 for 7 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 3 yards ATL: Haskel Stanback, 3 for 9 yards; Greg McCrary, 2 for 48 yards and 1 TD; Alfred Jenkins, 2 for 22 yards; Wallace Francis, 1 for 3 yards
Kick returns:
MIN: Manfred Moore, 2 for 79 yards ATL: Tom Moriarty, 2 for 25 yards; Karl Farmer, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
MIN: Manfred Moore, 4 for 40 yards ATL: Rolland Lawrence, 3 for 17 yards
Interceptions:
MIN: Bobby Bryant, 1 for 41 yards; Fred McNeill, 1 for 0 yards ATL: Rolland Lawrence, 2 for 38 yards; Ray Easterling, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
MIN: Neil Clabo, 4 for 169 yards ATL: John James, 9 for 394 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Fred Cox, 0/2 ATL: Nick Mike-Mayer, 0/2