NFL game summary for 09/17/1978:
Toni Fritsch kicked a 19-yard field goal with 1:14 remaining to give the Oilers a 20-19 victory. Fritsch's kick capped a 79-yard drive and erased an outstanding second half passing performance by San Francisco's Steve DeBerg, who threw two touchdown passes, including an eight-yarder to Paul Seal that gave the 49ers a 19-17 lead with 7:51 to play.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 163.0 (8) | 138.0 (17) | 301.0 (14) | 10 |
| DEFENSE | 162.0 (21) | 140.5 (9) | 302.5 (16) | 4 | |
 | OFFENSE | 167.5 (7) | 76.0 (23) | 243.5 (20) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 180.5 (24) | 52.5 (3) | 233.0 (5) | 3 |
Line: Oilers by 9½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers (0-3-0) | 0 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
| Houston Oilers (2-1-0) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
( 0- 7) HOU Earl Campbell 4 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 0-10) HOU Toni Fritsch 38 yard field goal
( 3-10) SF Ray Wersching 26 yard field goal
( 6-10) SF Ray Wersching 19 yard field goal
( 6-17) HOU Ken Burrough 13 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick)
(12-17) SF Freddie Solomon 58 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (kick failed)
(19-17) SF Paul Seal 8 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick)
(19-20) HOU Toni Fritsch 19 yard field goal
SF HOU
First Downs: 18 23
Rushes-yards: 26-61 50-151
Yards/rush: 2.3 3.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 20-32-321-1 15-24-179-1
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 321 179
Net yards/pass: 10.0 7.5
Total net yards: 382 330
Total plays: 58 (44% run) 74 (67% run)
Yards/play: 6.6 4.5
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 1-1
Turnovers: 3 2
Penalties-yards: 7-58 9-66
Attendance: 46,161
Passing:
SF: Steve DeBerg, 20 of 32 for 321 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 15 of 24 for 179 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
SF: Greg Boykin, 12 for 44 yards; O.J. Simpson, 7 for 7 yards; Dave Williams, 6 for 9 yards; Steve DeBerg, 1 for 1 yard HOU: Earl Campbell, 25 for 78 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 12 for 30 yards; Rob Carpenter, 9 for 36 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 6 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 3 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SF: Dave Williams, 4 for 32 yards; Freddie Solomon, 3 for 110 yards and 1 TD; Greg Boykin, 3 for 35 yards; O.J. Simpson, 3 for 28 yards; Terry LeCount, 2 for 50 yards; Paul Seal, 2 for 23 yards and 1 TD; Ken MacAfee, 2 for 22 yards; Larry Jones, 1 for 21 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 7 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Mike Barber, 5 for 56 yards; Mike Renfro, 2 for 26 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
SF: Dave Williams, 2 for 48 yards; Paul Hofer, 2 for 38 yards; Terry LeCount, 1 for 19 yards HOU: Robert Turner, 2 for 35 yards; Johnnie Dirden, 1 for 15 yards; Tim Wilson, 1 for 13 yards
Punt returns:
SF: Freddie Solomon, 2 for 7 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 2 for 12 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Dan Bunz, 1 for 13 yards HOU: Willie Alexander, 1 for 29 yards
Punting:
SF: Mike Connell, 4 for 153 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 4 for 157 yards
Field Goals:
SF: Ray Wersching, 2/3 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/3
SF: Steve DeBerg, 20 of 32 for 321 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 15 of 24 for 179 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
SF: Greg Boykin, 12 for 44 yards; O.J. Simpson, 7 for 7 yards; Dave Williams, 6 for 9 yards; Steve DeBerg, 1 for 1 yard HOU: Earl Campbell, 25 for 78 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 12 for 30 yards; Rob Carpenter, 9 for 36 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 6 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 3 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SF: Dave Williams, 4 for 32 yards; Freddie Solomon, 3 for 110 yards and 1 TD; Greg Boykin, 3 for 35 yards; O.J. Simpson, 3 for 28 yards; Terry LeCount, 2 for 50 yards; Paul Seal, 2 for 23 yards and 1 TD; Ken MacAfee, 2 for 22 yards; Larry Jones, 1 for 21 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 7 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Mike Barber, 5 for 56 yards; Mike Renfro, 2 for 26 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
SF: Dave Williams, 2 for 48 yards; Paul Hofer, 2 for 38 yards; Terry LeCount, 1 for 19 yards HOU: Robert Turner, 2 for 35 yards; Johnnie Dirden, 1 for 15 yards; Tim Wilson, 1 for 13 yards
Punt returns:
SF: Freddie Solomon, 2 for 7 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 2 for 12 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Dan Bunz, 1 for 13 yards HOU: Willie Alexander, 1 for 29 yards
Punting:
SF: Mike Connell, 4 for 153 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 4 for 157 yards
Field Goals:
SF: Ray Wersching, 2/3 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/3