NFL game summary for 12/04/1977:
Craig Morton completed 22 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns to lead Denver to a 24-14 win and assure the 11-1 Broncos of a spot in the playoffs. Morton, who missed the third quarter with a strained shoulder, hit both Riley Odoms and Rick Upchurch with 13-yard touchdown passes, giving the Broncos a 14-7 halftime lead. Jim Turner kicked a 42-yard field goal but Dan Pastorini found Ken Burrough with a 29-yard touchdown toss to cut the lead to 17-14. Morton returned to action in the final period and hit Odoms with a 33-yard pass to set up the clinching score.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 147.3 (12) | 134.4 (19) | 281.6 (16) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 113.0 (1) | 154.1 (20) | 267.1 (9) | 33 | |
 | OFFENSE | 146.9 (13) | 136.2 (17) | 283.1 (15) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 123.5 (6) | 147.7 (17) | 271.3 (11) | 42 |
Line: Broncos by 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (11-1-0) | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Houston Oilers (6-6-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
( 0- 7) HOU Ronnie Coleman 2 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 7- 7) DEN Riley Odoms 13 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
(14- 7) DEN Rick Upchurch 13 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
(17- 7) DEN Jim Turner 42 yard field goal
(17-14) HOU Ken Burrough 29 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick)
(24-14) DEN Norris Weese 5 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
DEN HOU
First Downs: 23 11
Rushes-yards: 45-169 30-112
Yards/rush: 3.8 3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 15-26-213-1 10-20-152-0
Sacked-yards: 6-50 1-13
Net pass yards: 163 139
Net yards/pass: 5.1 6.6
Total net yards: 332 251
Total plays: 77 (58% run) 51 (58% run)
Yards/play: 4.3 4.9
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 1-1
Turnovers: 2 1
Penalties-yards: 6-35 9-57
Attendance: 46,875
Passing:
DEN: Craig Morton, 13 of 22 for 187 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Craig Penrose, 2 of 4 for 26 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 19 for 152 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 14 for 40 yards; Rob Lytle, 11 for 39 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 10 for 38 yards; Jon Keyworth, 6 for 22 yards; Craig Morton, 2 for 17 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 8 yards; Norris Weese, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD HOU: Rob Carpenter, 20 for 64 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 4 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 3 for 15 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 15 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Riley Odoms, 6 for 86 yards and 1 TD; Haven Moses, 4 for 77 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 14 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 13 yards and 1 TD; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 12 yards; Rob Lytle, 1 for 6 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 5 yards HOU: Rob Carpenter, 3 for 4 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 34 yards; Mike Barber, 2 for 28 yards; Jimmie Giles, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 29 yards; John Schultz, 1 for 16 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 3 for 83 yards; Mike Voight, 2 for 32 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 6 for 73 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 1 for -9 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Zeke Moore, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 4 for 200 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 8 for 318 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/2
DEN: Craig Morton, 13 of 22 for 187 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Craig Penrose, 2 of 4 for 26 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 19 for 152 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 14 for 40 yards; Rob Lytle, 11 for 39 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 10 for 38 yards; Jon Keyworth, 6 for 22 yards; Craig Morton, 2 for 17 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 8 yards; Norris Weese, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD HOU: Rob Carpenter, 20 for 64 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 4 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 3 for 15 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 15 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Riley Odoms, 6 for 86 yards and 1 TD; Haven Moses, 4 for 77 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 14 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 13 yards and 1 TD; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 12 yards; Rob Lytle, 1 for 6 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 5 yards HOU: Rob Carpenter, 3 for 4 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 34 yards; Mike Barber, 2 for 28 yards; Jimmie Giles, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 29 yards; John Schultz, 1 for 16 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 3 for 83 yards; Mike Voight, 2 for 32 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 6 for 73 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 1 for -9 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Zeke Moore, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 4 for 200 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 8 for 318 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/2