NFL game summary for 12/11/1977:
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):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 100.0 (27) | 117.8 (22) | 217.8 (27) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 163.6 (22) | 117.5 (6) | 281.1 (13) | 18 | |
 | OFFENSE | 205.4 (1) | 129.8 (20) | 335.2 (4) | 30 |
| DEFENSE | 145.3 (18) | 157.9 (22) | 303.2 (22) | 27 |
Line: Bears by 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers (3-10-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Chicago Bears (8-5-0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
( 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
Passing:
GB: David Whitehurst, 9 of 22 for 89 yards; Willard Harrell, 1 of 1 for 33 yards; Brian Dowling, 0 of 1 for 0 yards CHI: Bob Avellini, 12 of 20 for 128 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
GB: Barty Smith, 16 for 86 yards and 1 TD; Nate Simpson, 14 for 66 yards; Willard Harrell, 2 for 8 yards; David Whitehurst, 2 for 1 yard; David Beverly, 1 for 0 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 32 for 163 yards and 2 TDs; Roland Harper, 9 for 55 yards; Bob Avellini, 4 for 11 yards; Johnny Musso, 2 for 7 yards; Vince Evans, 1 for 0 yards; Bo Rather, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
GB: Nate Simpson, 3 for 22 yards; Ollie Smith, 2 for 36 yards; Steve Odom, 2 for 32 yards; Willard Harrell, 2 for 27 yards; Barty Smith, 1 for 5 yards CHI: James Scott, 7 for 94 yards and 1 TD; Steve Schubert, 2 for 22 yards; Roland Harper, 2 for 10 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
GB: Steve Odom, 2 for 25 yards; Terdell Middleton, 1 for 25 yards; Aundra Thompson, 1 for 7 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 2 for 95 yards; Len Walterscheid, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
GB: Willard Harrell, 3 for 33 yards CHI: Len Walterscheid, 2 for 18 yards; Steve Schubert, 2 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
GB: Tom Toner, 1 for 10 yards; Mike McCoy, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
GB: David Beverly, 9 for 332 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 4 for 148 yards
Field Goals:
GB: Chester Marcol, 1/1 CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1
GB: David Whitehurst, 9 of 22 for 89 yards; Willard Harrell, 1 of 1 for 33 yards; Brian Dowling, 0 of 1 for 0 yards CHI: Bob Avellini, 12 of 20 for 128 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
GB: Barty Smith, 16 for 86 yards and 1 TD; Nate Simpson, 14 for 66 yards; Willard Harrell, 2 for 8 yards; David Whitehurst, 2 for 1 yard; David Beverly, 1 for 0 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 32 for 163 yards and 2 TDs; Roland Harper, 9 for 55 yards; Bob Avellini, 4 for 11 yards; Johnny Musso, 2 for 7 yards; Vince Evans, 1 for 0 yards; Bo Rather, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
GB: Nate Simpson, 3 for 22 yards; Ollie Smith, 2 for 36 yards; Steve Odom, 2 for 32 yards; Willard Harrell, 2 for 27 yards; Barty Smith, 1 for 5 yards CHI: James Scott, 7 for 94 yards and 1 TD; Steve Schubert, 2 for 22 yards; Roland Harper, 2 for 10 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
GB: Steve Odom, 2 for 25 yards; Terdell Middleton, 1 for 25 yards; Aundra Thompson, 1 for 7 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 2 for 95 yards; Len Walterscheid, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
GB: Willard Harrell, 3 for 33 yards CHI: Len Walterscheid, 2 for 18 yards; Steve Schubert, 2 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
GB: Tom Toner, 1 for 10 yards; Mike McCoy, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
GB: David Beverly, 9 for 332 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 4 for 148 yards
Field Goals:
GB: Chester Marcol, 1/1 CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1