All NFL game summaries for 12/11/1977:

Leonard Thompson blocked a punt with nine seconds remaining and picked up the loose ball and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown to give the Detroit Lions a 13-10 win over the Colts. The loss left both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots still in contention with Baltimore for the AFC East title.

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

Line: Colts by 14

( 3- 0) DET Steve Mike-Mayer 25 yard field goal
( 3- 3) BAL Toni Linhart 31 yard field goal
( 6- 3) DET Steve Mike-Mayer 37 yard field goal
( 6-10) BAL Lydell Mitchell 34 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick)
(13-10) DET Leonard Thompson 2 yard return of blocked punt (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)

                     DET             BAL
First Downs:         12              20
Rushes-yards:        27-83           35-148
Yards/rush:          3.1             4.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-33-129-1     21-38-221-2
Sacked-yards:        2-7             2-20
Net pass yards:      122             201
Net yards/pass:      3.5             5.0
Total net yards:     205             349
Total plays:         62 (43% run)    75 (46% run)  
Yards/play:          3.3             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             3-2
Turnovers:           1               4
Penalties-yards:     5-40            8-79

Attendance: 45,124

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Walter Payton rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears to a 21-10 win that kept them in contention for a playoff berth. Payton's fifth consecutive game -- and 10th of the season -- of more than 100 yards rushing left him 199 yards short of breaking O. J. Simpson's NFL single-season rushing record of 2,003 yards. James Scott had seven pass receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown to complement Payton's running.

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

Line: Bears by 10

( 0- 7) CHI James Scott 11 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
( 3- 7) GB  Chester Marcol 19 yard field goal
( 3-14) CHI Walter Payton 1 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
(10-14) GB  Barty Smith 1 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick)
(10-21) CHI Walter Payton 7 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)

                     GB              CHI
First Downs:         16              25
Rushes-yards:        35-161          49-234
Yards/rush:          4.6             4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-24-122-0     12-20-128-2
Sacked-yards:        1-7             1-14
Net pass yards:      115             114
Net yards/pass:      4.6             5.4
Total net yards:     276             348
Total plays:         60 (58% run)    70 (70% run)  
Yards/play:          4.6             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             5-1
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     9-80            5-54

Attendance: 33,557

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Billy Johnson returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown and Ronnie Coleman scored twice on short runs to lead the Oilers to a 19-15 victory over the error-prone Browns, who yielded the ball four times on fumbles and four times on interceptions.

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

Line: Oilers by 4

( 7- 0) HOU Ronnie Coleman 3 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 7- 3) CLE Don Cockroft 26 yard field goal
(13- 3) HOU Ronnie Coleman 2 yard rush (kick failed)
(13- 6) CLE Don Cockroft 40 yard field goal
(19- 6) HOU Billy Johnson 72 yard punt return (kick failed)
(19- 8) CLE Safety, Rob Carpenter tackled in end zone by Jerry Sherk
(19-15) CLE Gary Parris 3 yard pass from Terry Luck (Don Cockroft kick)

                     HOU             CLE
First Downs:         10              22
Rushes-yards:        36-111          41-178
Yards/rush:          3.1             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     7-12-74-1       19-35-222-4
Sacked-yards:        2-18            0-0
Net pass yards:      56              222
Net yards/pass:      4.0             6.3
Total net yards:     167             400
Total plays:         50 (72% run)    76 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          3.3             5.3
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             6-4
Turnovers:           2               8
Penalties-yards:     5-37            5-50

Attendance: 30,898

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Jim Turner kicked a 36-yard field goal and Rick Upchurch ran 19 yards for an insurance touchdown to give the playoff-bound Broncos a 17-9 win. Craig Morton hit Riley Odoms on passes of 17 and 19 yards to maneuver the Broncos into position for Turner's field goal, which came with 6:39 left in the game. Minutes later, Norris Weese took a snap on a fake punt and ran 21 yards to the Chargers' 20. That was followed by Upchurch's touchdown run. Rolf Benirschke's three field goals set a club record of 11 straight three-pointers.

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

Line: Broncos by 7

( 0- 7) DEN Lonnie Perrin 41 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
( 3- 7) SD  Rolf Benirschke 46 yard field goal
( 6- 7) SD  Rolf Benirschke 32 yard field goal
( 9- 7) SD  Rolf Benirschke 27 yard field goal
( 9-10) DEN Jim Turner 36 yard field goal
( 9-17) DEN Rick Upchurch 19 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)

                     SD              DEN
First Downs:         17              20
Rushes-yards:        23-64           32-156
Yards/rush:          2.8             4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     24-41-276-2     15-27-182-3
Sacked-yards:        2-16            4-40
Net pass yards:      260             142
Net yards/pass:      6.0             4.6
Total net yards:     324             298
Total plays:         66 (34% run)    63 (50% run)  
Yards/play:          4.9             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             2-0
Turnovers:           3               3
Penalties-yards:     7-40            8-66

Attendance: 74,905

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The Seahawks scored five touchdowns in the first half and held on for a 34-31 victory, lifting their record to 4-9 and making them the first expansion team to win four games in the second year of existence. Gary Barbaro tied an NFL record with a 102-yard interception return.

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

Line: Chiefs by 5

( 0- 7) KC  Walter White 30 yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick)
( 7- 7) SEA David Sims 1 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
( 7-14) KC  Gary Barbaro 102 yard interception return (Jan Stenerud kick)
(14-14) SEA David Sims 5 yard rush (John Leypoldt kick)
(14-21) KC  Ed Podolak 1 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)
(20-21) SEA Don Testerman 1 yard rush (kick failed)
(27-21) SEA Sherman Smith 35 yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick)
(34-21) SEA Dave Brown 27 yard interception return (John Leypoldt kick)
(34-24) KC  Jan Stenerud 23 yard field goal
(34-31) KC  Mark Bailey 1 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick)

                     SEA             KC
First Downs:         21              21
Rushes-yards:        47-209          39-145
Yards/rush:          4.4             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-14-133-2      15-26-227-3
Sacked-yards:        0-0             5-38
Net pass yards:      133             189
Net yards/pass:      9.5             6.1
Total net yards:     342             334
Total plays:         61 (77% run)    70 (55% run)  
Yards/play:          5.6             4.8
Fumbles-lost:        4-3             2-2
Turnovers:           5               5
Penalties-yards:     3-13            5-40

Attendance: 22,262

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Lawrence McCutcheon set team records for career and single-season rushing as the Rams clinched a home-field site for the opening round of the playoffs. McCutcheon gained 152 yards in 17 carries to boost his career total to 5,491, surpassing the 5,417-yard record by Dick Bass. McCutcheon also ran his season yardage to 1,206, bettering his previous club mark of 1,168 in 1976.

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

Line: Rams by 11

( 0- 6) LA  John Cappelletti 25 yard pass from Pat Haden (kick failed)
( 0- 9) LA  Rafael Septien 36 yard field goal
( 0-16) LA  Pat Haden 13 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
( 0-23) LA  Rod Phillips 2 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
( 7-23) ATL Alfred Jenkins 73 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Fred Steinfort kick)

                     ATL             LA
First Downs:         10              20
Rushes-yards:        23-64           46-265
Yards/rush:          2.8             5.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-28-230-1     15-25-152-1
Sacked-yards:        7-81            2-31
Net pass yards:      149             121
Net yards/pass:      4.3             4.5
Total net yards:     213             386
Total plays:         58 (39% run)    73 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             5.3
Fumbles-lost:        5-1             4-2
Turnovers:           2               3
Penalties-yards:     5-35            3-30

Attendance: 52,574

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New England scored on its first two possessions of the game and a stubborn Patriots defense held off the Dolphins the rest of the way. The Patriots received the opening kickoff and marched 71 yards in 11 plays, capped by Ike Forte's one-yard touchdown run. On the next series, the Patriots drove 51 yards in 11 plays with Sam Cunningham scoring from the 1. Miami's Bob Baumhower recovered a fumble on the Patriots' 27 with just under five minutes to play, but the Dolphins couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.

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

Line: Patriots by 4

( 0- 7) NE  Ike Forte 1 yard rush (John Smith kick)
( 0-14) NE  Sam Cunningham 1 yard rush (John Smith kick)
( 3-14) MIA Garo Yepremian 28 yard field goal
(10-14) MIA Nat Moore 23 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)

                     MIA             NE
First Downs:         18              16
Rushes-yards:        19-25           51-177
Yards/rush:          1.3             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     22-38-260-1     6-10-120-0
Sacked-yards:        6-37            2-14
Net pass yards:      223             106
Net yards/pass:      5.1             8.8
Total net yards:     248             283
Total plays:         63 (30% run)    63 (80% run)  
Yards/play:          3.9             4.5
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             4-3
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     2-10            5-45

Attendance: 61,064

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The Buccaneers registered their first NFL victory ever as Mike Washington, Richard Wood and Greg Johnson scored touchdowns on pass interceptions. The victory snapped Tampa Bay's 26-game losing streak, an NFL record. The 33 points scored by the Buccaneers were the highest output in the team's two-year history.

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

Line: Saints by 11

( 3- 0) TB  Dave Green 40 yard field goal
( 6- 0) TB  Dave Green 25 yard field goal
(13- 0) TB  Morris Owens 5 yard pass from Gary Huff (Dave Green kick)
(20- 0) TB  Mike Washington 45 yard interception return (Dave Green kick)
(26- 0) TB  Richard Wood 10 yard interception return (kick failed)
(26- 7) NO  Archie Manning 2 yard rush (Rich Szaro kick)
(33- 7) TB  Greg Johnson 0 yard interception return (Dave Green kick)
(33-14) NO  John Gilliam 11 yard pass from Archie Manning (Rich Szaro kick)

                     TB              NO
First Downs:         14              17
Rushes-yards:        48-135          28-96
Yards/rush:          2.8             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-10-110-0      17-33-190-6
Sacked-yards:        1-7             5-36
Net pass yards:      103             154
Net yards/pass:      9.4             4.1
Total net yards:     238             250
Total plays:         59 (81% run)    66 (42% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             3.8
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             1-1
Turnovers:           1               7
Penalties-yards:     11-100          7-57

Attendance: 40,124

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Joe Ferguson completed 17 of 32 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns including an 11-yarder to Bob Chandler with 40 seconds remaining to give the Bills a 14-10 victory. Ferguson directed the Bills 92 yards in nine plays for the winning score after the Jets moved ahead 10-7 with 1:57 to play on a nine-yard pass from Richard Todd to Wesley Walker.

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

Line: Jets by 8

( 0- 3) NYJ Pat Leahy 25 yard field goal
( 7- 3) BUF Bob Chandler 5 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Carson Long kick)
( 7-10) NYJ Wesley Walker 9 yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick)
(14-10) BUF Bob Chandler 11 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Carson Long kick)

                     BUF             NYJ
First Downs:         26              10
Rushes-yards:        53-174          22-57
Yards/rush:          3.3             2.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     17-32-238-1     10-27-145-3
Sacked-yards:        3-22            1-5
Net pass yards:      216             140
Net yards/pass:      6.2             5.0
Total net yards:     390             197
Total plays:         88 (60% run)    50 (44% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             3.9
Fumbles-lost:        6-2             1-1
Turnovers:           3               4
Penalties-yards:     7-94            3-25

Attendance: 31,929

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Ken Stabler threw two touchdown passes to Cliff Branch to lead the Raiders to a 35-13 win over Minnesota that clinched a wild card spot in the playoffs. The Vikings trailed 21-0 before the game was eight minutes old. They fumbled three times inside in their own 20. Oakland began the game with a 70-yard touchdown drive, with Mark van Eeghen scoring on a two-yard run. Van Eeghen was the leading rusher in the game with 112 yards on 28 carries while Chuck Foreman was held to 48 on 11 carries.

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

Line: Raiders by 11

( 0- 7) OAK Mark van Eeghen 2 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
( 0-14) OAK Cliff Branch 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick)
( 0-21) OAK Willie Hall 2 yard fumble return (Errol Mann kick)
( 7-21) MIN Nate Wright 27 yard fumble return (Fred Cox kick)
( 7-28) OAK Cliff Branch 32 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick)
( 7-35) OAK Carl Garrett 2 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick)
(13-35) MIN Sammy White 11 yard pass from Tommy Kramer (kick failed)

                     MIN             OAK
First Downs:         11              17
Rushes-yards:        20-67           57-182
Yards/rush:          3.4             3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-34-177-3     10-15-143-0
Sacked-yards:        4-30            2-19
Net pass yards:      147             124
Net yards/pass:      3.9             7.3
Total net yards:     214             306
Total plays:         58 (34% run)    74 (77% run)  
Yards/play:          3.7             4.1
Fumbles-lost:        5-4             3-3
Turnovers:           7               3
Penalties-yards:     4-24            5-50

Attendance: 52,771

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Ron Jaworski scored on a one-yard run with 20 seconds remaining to give the Eagles a 17-14 victory over the Giants. Rookie Wilbert Montgomery, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, gained 37 yards on eight carries on the final 14-play winning drive. The Giants had taken the lead on Larry Csonka's one-yard touchdown with 7:37 to play.

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

Line: Eagles by 6

( 7- 0) NYG Joe Pisarcik 1 yard rush (Joe Danelo kick)
( 7- 3) PHI Nick Mike-Mayer 25 yard field goal
( 7-10) PHI Wilbert Montgomery 99 yard kickoff return (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(14-10) NYG Larry Csonka 1 yard rush (Joe Danelo kick)
(14-17) PHI Ron Jaworski 1 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)

                     NYG             PHI
First Downs:         15              10
Rushes-yards:        48-153          34-121
Yards/rush:          3.2             3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-16-65-2      4-10-33-0
Sacked-yards:        0-0             5-46
Net pass yards:      65              -13
Net yards/pass:      4.1             -0.9
Total net yards:     218             108
Total plays:         64 (75% run)    49 (69% run)  
Yards/play:          3.4             2.2
Fumbles-lost:        1-0             3-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     4-35            5-31

Attendance: 47,731

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