NFL game summary for 12/04/1977:
Steve Grogan rifled a 33-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Morgan with 4:40 remaining to give the 8-4 Patriots a 16-10 win and keep New England's playoff hopes alive. The winning touchdown drive covered 89 yards and the Grogan-to-Morgan passing combination accounted for 70 of those yards. A tough Patriots defense led by Julius Adams sacked Steve Bartkowski eight times for a total of 67 yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 169.4 (5) | 147.9 (13) | 317.3 (7) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 121.9 (3) | 131.1 (9) | 253.0 (7) | 23 | |
 | OFFENSE | 138.5 (15) | 94.7 (26) | 233.2 (25) | 17 |
| DEFENSE | 123.7 (7) | 87.2 (2) | 210.9 (1) | 37 |
Line: Patriots by 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots (8-4-0) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| Atlanta Falcons (6-6-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
( 3- 0) NE John Smith 36 yard field goal
( 6- 0) NE John Smith 32 yard field goal
( 9- 0) NE John Smith 29 yard field goal
( 9- 7) ATL Wallace Francis 15 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Fred Steinfort kick)
( 9-10) ATL Fred Steinfort 25 yard field goal
(16-10) NE Stanley Morgan 33 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
NE ATL
First Downs: 13 9
Rushes-yards: 41-97 28-67
Yards/rush: 2.4 2.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-26-179-3 7-18-124-4
Sacked-yards: 1-9 8-67
Net pass yards: 170 57
Net yards/pass: 6.3 2.2
Total net yards: 267 124
Total plays: 68 (60% run) 54 (51% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 2.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 2-1
Turnovers: 3 5
Penalties-yards: 7-61 4-35
Attendance: 57,911
Passing:
NE: Steve Grogan, 12 of 26 for 179 yards and 1 TD (3 int) ATL: Steve Bartkowski, 7 of 18 for 124 yards and 1 TD (4 int)
Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 15 for 32 yards; Ike Forte, 10 for 27 yards; Don Calhoun, 10 for 22 yards; Steve Grogan, 6 for 16 yards ATL: Woody Thompson, 13 for 25 yards; Haskel Stanback, 12 for 36 yards; Steve Bartkowski, 3 for 6 yards
Receiving:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 5 for 90 yards and 1 TD; Darryl Stingley, 4 for 71 yards; Don Hasselbeck, 1 for 10 yards; Al Chandler, 1 for 5 yards; Don Calhoun, 1 for 3 yards ATL: Wallace Francis, 3 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Alfred Jenkins, 3 for 54 yards; Woody Thompson, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Raymond Clayborn, 2 for 106 yards; Jess Phillips, 1 for 8 yards ATL: Tom Moriarty, 3 for 50 yards; Karl Farmer, 2 for 43 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 2 for 18 yards ATL: Rolland Lawrence, 1 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
NE: Mike Haynes, 2 for 22 yards; Prentice McCray, 1 for 48 yards; Tim Fox, 1 for 5 yards ATL: Rick Byas, 1 for 17 yards; Ray Brown, 1 for 12 yards; Rolland Lawrence, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
NE: Mike Patrick, 3 for 111 yards ATL: John James, 7 for 284 yards
Field Goals:
NE: John Smith, 3/5 ATL: Fred Steinfort, 1/1
NE: Steve Grogan, 12 of 26 for 179 yards and 1 TD (3 int) ATL: Steve Bartkowski, 7 of 18 for 124 yards and 1 TD (4 int)
Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 15 for 32 yards; Ike Forte, 10 for 27 yards; Don Calhoun, 10 for 22 yards; Steve Grogan, 6 for 16 yards ATL: Woody Thompson, 13 for 25 yards; Haskel Stanback, 12 for 36 yards; Steve Bartkowski, 3 for 6 yards
Receiving:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 5 for 90 yards and 1 TD; Darryl Stingley, 4 for 71 yards; Don Hasselbeck, 1 for 10 yards; Al Chandler, 1 for 5 yards; Don Calhoun, 1 for 3 yards ATL: Wallace Francis, 3 for 63 yards and 1 TD; Alfred Jenkins, 3 for 54 yards; Woody Thompson, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Raymond Clayborn, 2 for 106 yards; Jess Phillips, 1 for 8 yards ATL: Tom Moriarty, 3 for 50 yards; Karl Farmer, 2 for 43 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 2 for 18 yards ATL: Rolland Lawrence, 1 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
NE: Mike Haynes, 2 for 22 yards; Prentice McCray, 1 for 48 yards; Tim Fox, 1 for 5 yards ATL: Rick Byas, 1 for 17 yards; Ray Brown, 1 for 12 yards; Rolland Lawrence, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
NE: Mike Patrick, 3 for 111 yards ATL: John James, 7 for 284 yards
Field Goals:
NE: John Smith, 3/5 ATL: Fred Steinfort, 1/1