NFL game summary for 12/18/1977:
Billy Johnson accounted for 263 all-purpose yards and the Oilers' defense stopped four drives inside their 10 yard line to eliminate the Bengals from the NFL playoff race. Johnson caught six passes for 138 yards and returned four kickoffs for 81. Both teams ended the season with 8-6 records.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 134.8 (16) | 169.3 (4) | 304.1 (13) | 30 |
| DEFENSE | 134.4 (12) | 157.3 (22) | 291.7 (19) | 36 | |
 | OFFENSE | 141.5 (14) | 130.2 (20) | 271.7 (18) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 131.2 (10) | 154.6 (19) | 285.8 (16) | 52 |
Line: Bengals by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (8-6-0) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Houston Oilers (8-6-0) | 0 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 21 |
( 3- 0) CIN Chris Bahr 28 yard field goal ( 6- 0) CIN Chris Bahr 27 yard field goal ( 6- 7) HOU Ronnie Coleman 1 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick) ( 6-13) HOU Billy Johnson 17 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (kick failed) ( 6-15) HOU Safety, Ken Anderson tackled in end zone by ? (13-15) CIN Pat McInally 11 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick) (13-18) HOU Tom Dempsey 27 yard field goal (13-21) HOU Tom Dempsey 26 yard field goal (16-21) CIN Chris Bahr 24 yard field goal
CIN HOU
First Downs: 17 21
Rushes-yards: 28-109 49-150
Yards/rush: 3.9 3.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-29-169-0 10-21-190-0
Sacked-yards: 5-37 1-8
Net pass yards: 132 182
Net yards/pass: 3.9 8.3
Total net yards: 241 332
Total plays: 62 (45% run) 71 (69% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 4.7
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 4-3
Turnovers: 2 3
Penalties-yards: 11-105 11-103
Attendance: 46,212
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 8 of 23 for 97 yards and 1 TD; John Reaves, 3 of 6 for 72 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 21 for 190 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
CIN: Pete Johnson, 11 for 39 yards; Archie Griffin, 10 for 47 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 4 for 13 yards; Ken Anderson, 2 for 12 yards; Boobie Clark, 1 for -2 yards HOU: Rob Carpenter, 22 for 76 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 15 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Don Hardeman, 5 for 23 yards; Dan Pastorini, 3 for 6 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 31 yards; Mike Voight, 1 for 3 yards; Tim Wilson, 1 for 2 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for -31 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Pat McInally, 4 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Bob Trumpy, 3 for 31 yards; John McDaniel, 2 for 42 yards; Billy Brooks, 1 for 19 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 8 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 6 for 138 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 2 for 58 yards; Rob Carpenter, 1 for -1 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -5 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Archie Griffin, 4 for 88 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 4 for 81 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tony Davis, 1 for 8 yards; Willie Shelby, 1 for 5 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 2 for 13 yards; Greg Stemrick, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 5 for 238 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 4 for 158 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Chris Bahr, 3/3 HOU: Tom Dempsey, 2/2
CIN: Ken Anderson, 8 of 23 for 97 yards and 1 TD; John Reaves, 3 of 6 for 72 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 21 for 190 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
CIN: Pete Johnson, 11 for 39 yards; Archie Griffin, 10 for 47 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 4 for 13 yards; Ken Anderson, 2 for 12 yards; Boobie Clark, 1 for -2 yards HOU: Rob Carpenter, 22 for 76 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 15 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Don Hardeman, 5 for 23 yards; Dan Pastorini, 3 for 6 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 31 yards; Mike Voight, 1 for 3 yards; Tim Wilson, 1 for 2 yards; Ken Burrough, 1 for -31 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Pat McInally, 4 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Bob Trumpy, 3 for 31 yards; John McDaniel, 2 for 42 yards; Billy Brooks, 1 for 19 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 8 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 6 for 138 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 2 for 58 yards; Rob Carpenter, 1 for -1 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -5 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Archie Griffin, 4 for 88 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 4 for 81 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tony Davis, 1 for 8 yards; Willie Shelby, 1 for 5 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 2 for 13 yards; Greg Stemrick, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 5 for 238 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 4 for 158 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Chris Bahr, 3/3 HOU: Tom Dempsey, 2/2