NFL game summary for 12/04/1977:
Dan Fouts completed 14 of 20 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns and Rolf Benirschke added three field goals as the Chargers assured themselves of a .500 season, the best in coach Tommy Prothro's four-year tenure. The Browns' record dropped to 6-6 and the loss virtually eliminated them from the AFC Central Division playoff race.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 150.2 (10) | 149.5 (11) | 299.6 (9) | 39 |
| DEFENSE | 148.1 (18) | 142.8 (14) | 290.9 (20) | 35 | |
 | OFFENSE | 132.9 (19) | 147.2 (14) | 280.1 (17) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 142.8 (17) | 107.5 (4) | 250.4 (5) | 25 |
Line: Chargers by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (6-6-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| San Diego Chargers (7-5-0) | 14 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 37 |
( 0- 7) SD Don Woods 29 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick) ( 0-14) SD Hank Bauer 15 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) ( 0-17) SD Rolf Benirschke 35 yard field goal ( 0-24) SD Charlie Joiner 30 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) ( 0-27) SD Rolf Benirschke 36 yard field goal ( 0-30) SD Rolf Benirschke 24 yard field goal ( 7-30) CLE Reggie Rucker 16 yard pass from Dave Mays (Don Cockroft kick) ( 7-37) SD Larry Dorsey 67 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) (14-37) CLE Cleo Miller 6 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
CLE SD
First Downs: 17 23
Rushes-yards: 27-111 37-167
Yards/rush: 4.1 4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-31-228-1 16-23-262-0
Sacked-yards: 2-20 1-4
Net pass yards: 208 258
Net yards/pass: 6.3 10.8
Total net yards: 319 425
Total plays: 60 (45% run) 61 (60% run)
Yards/play: 5.3 7.0
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 2-0
Turnovers: 1 0
Penalties-yards: 8-89 7-62
Attendance: 37,312
Passing:
CLE: Dave Mays, 19 of 30 for 228 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Dave Logan, 0 of 1 for 0 yards SD: Dan Fouts, 14 of 20 for 237 yards and 3 TDs; Cliff Olander, 2 of 3 for 25 yards
Rushing:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 16 for 67 yards; Cleo Miller, 10 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Dave Mays, 1 for -1 yards SD: Don Woods, 11 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Bo Matthews, 11 for 59 yards; Larry Barnes, 8 for 17 yards; Clarence Williams, 3 for 9 yards; Rickey Young, 2 for 9 yards; Dan Fouts, 1 for 11 yards; Hank Bauer, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 6 for 98 yards; Cleo Miller, 5 for 48 yards; Gary Parris, 3 for 18 yards; Reggie Rucker, 2 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Dave Logan, 2 for 21 yards; Paul Warfield, 1 for 11 yards SD: Larry Dorsey, 4 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Rickey Young, 3 for 23 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Don Woods, 2 for 26 yards; Johnny Rodgers, 1 for 24 yards; Hank Bauer, 1 for 15 yards and 1 TD; Larry Barnes, 1 for 10 yards; Bo Matthews, 1 for 6 yards; Pat Curran, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Lawrence Williams, 3 for 73 yards; Ricky Feacher, 1 for 25 yards; Mike Pruitt, 1 for 16 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 15 yards; Bob Babich, 1 for 14 yards SD: Artie Owens, 1 for 19 yards; Clarence Williams, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
SD: Mike Fuller, 1 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
SD: Hal Stringert, 1 for 26 yards
Punting:
CLE: Greg Coleman, 2 for 54 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 0/1 SD: Rolf Benirschke, 3/3
CLE: Dave Mays, 19 of 30 for 228 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Dave Logan, 0 of 1 for 0 yards SD: Dan Fouts, 14 of 20 for 237 yards and 3 TDs; Cliff Olander, 2 of 3 for 25 yards
Rushing:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 16 for 67 yards; Cleo Miller, 10 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Dave Mays, 1 for -1 yards SD: Don Woods, 11 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Bo Matthews, 11 for 59 yards; Larry Barnes, 8 for 17 yards; Clarence Williams, 3 for 9 yards; Rickey Young, 2 for 9 yards; Dan Fouts, 1 for 11 yards; Hank Bauer, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 6 for 98 yards; Cleo Miller, 5 for 48 yards; Gary Parris, 3 for 18 yards; Reggie Rucker, 2 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Dave Logan, 2 for 21 yards; Paul Warfield, 1 for 11 yards SD: Larry Dorsey, 4 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Rickey Young, 3 for 23 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Don Woods, 2 for 26 yards; Johnny Rodgers, 1 for 24 yards; Hank Bauer, 1 for 15 yards and 1 TD; Larry Barnes, 1 for 10 yards; Bo Matthews, 1 for 6 yards; Pat Curran, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Lawrence Williams, 3 for 73 yards; Ricky Feacher, 1 for 25 yards; Mike Pruitt, 1 for 16 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 15 yards; Bob Babich, 1 for 14 yards SD: Artie Owens, 1 for 19 yards; Clarence Williams, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
SD: Mike Fuller, 1 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
SD: Hal Stringert, 1 for 26 yards
Punting:
CLE: Greg Coleman, 2 for 54 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 0/1 SD: Rolf Benirschke, 3/3