All NFL game summaries for 01/15/1978:
If the expression "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" never had been uttered, this game would have forced it into the language. Why?
* No defensive player had been voted the Super Bowl's most valuable since Cowboys' linebacker Chuck Howley in Super Bowl VI. This time, the Cowboys supplied the voters with a two-way tie: defensive end Harvey Martin and defensive tackle Randy White.
* The Cowboys' defense intercepted four passes and recovered three fumbles in the first half alone.
* Denver finished with only 156 total yards, including 35 passing, lowest of any team in Super Bowl history. Under the constant, gap-closing pressure of head coach Tom Landry's "Flex" defense, Bronco starting quarterback Craig Morton and Norris Weese, who relieved Morton early in the second half, completed only eight of 25 pass attempts.
The Cowboys led 20-10 with less than eight minutes to play when Martin recovered Weese's fumble at the Denver 29. Dallas running back Robert Newhouse took a handoff and threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Golden Richards -- the closest thing to a gimmick in the Dallas playbook all day. It had been that way from the start, when the Cowboys' defense set up a first-quarter touchdown with Randy Hughes' interception. Tony Dorsett scored five plays later on a 3-yard run. Two field goals by Efren Herrera made it 13-0 Dallas at the half.
Jim Turner got the Broncos on the board with a 47-yard field goal, but Dallas took a 20-3 lead when Butch Johnson flew parallel to the ground and stretched out to catch a 45-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach. Denver's Rick Upchurch returned the kickoff 67 yards, and the Broncos were within 10 when the quarter ended. But facing the Cowboys' Doomsday Defense, it wasn't even that close.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
OFFENSE | 145.9 (11) | 133.1 (18) | 279.0 (17) | 27 | |
DEFENSE | 109.4 (1) | 160.3 (25) | 269.6 (9) | 39 | |
OFFENSE | 169.2 (4) | 174.5 (4) | 343.7 (1) | 24 | |
DEFENSE | 117.9 (3) | 111.6 (2) | 229.5 (1) | 31 |
Line: Cowboys by 6
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver Broncos (14-3-0) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Dallas Cowboys (15-2-0) | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
DEN DAL First Downs: 11 17 Rushes-yards: 29-121 38-143 Yards/rush: 4.2 3.8 Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 8-25-61-4 19-28-217-0 Sacked-yards: 4-26 5-35 Net pass yards: 35 182 Net yards/pass: 1.2 5.5 Total net yards: 156 325 Total plays: 58 (50% run) 71 (53% run) Yards/play: 2.7 4.6 Fumbles-lost: 4-4 6-2 Turnovers: 8 2 Penalties-yards: 8-60 12-94 Attendance: 75,583
DEN: Craig Morton, 4 of 15 for 39 yards (4 int); Norris Weese, 4 of 10 for 22 yards DAL: Roger Staubach, 17 of 25 for 183 yards and 1 TD; Danny White, 1 of 2 for 5 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 of 1 for 29 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
DEN: Rob Lytle, 10 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 7 for 27 yards; Jon Keyworth, 5 for 9 yards; Norris Weese, 3 for 26 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 3 for 8 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 16 yards DAL: Tony Dorsett, 15 for 66 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 14 for 55 yards; Preston Pearson, 3 for 11 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 6 yards; Danny White, 1 for 13 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 1 yard; Butch Johnson, 1 for -9 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jack Dolbin, 2 for 24 yards; Riley Odoms, 2 for 9 yards; Haven Moses, 1 for 21 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 9 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 5 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for -7 yards DAL: Preston Pearson, 5 for 37 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 4 for 66 yards; Robert Newhouse, 3 for -1 yards; Butch Johnson, 2 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Golden Richards, 2 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Tony Dorsett, 2 for 11 yards; Drew Pearson, 1 for 13 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 3 for 94 yards; John Schultz, 2 for 62 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 17 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 2 for 29 yards; Larry Brinson, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 3 for 22 yards; John Schultz, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Tony Hill, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Mark Washington, 1 for 27 yards; Benny Barnes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 4 for 153 yards DAL: Danny White, 5 for 208 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1 DAL: Efren Herrera, 2/5