NFL game summary for 10/01/1978:
San Francisco's defense led the way, intercepting five passes, four of those off Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, who was making his first start after a preseason hand injury. The 49ers (1-4) built a 21-0 halftime lead on two Steve DeBerg touchdown passes and a 30-yard interception return by Anthony Leonard. Paul Hofer's 28-yard touchdown run in the final quarter sealed rookie head coach Pete McCulley's first NFL victory.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 103.5 (25) | 132.5 (19) | 236.0 (24) | 7 |
| DEFENSE | 180.5 (23) | 180.5 (23) | 361.0 (26) | 9 | |
 | OFFENSE | 122.8 (18) | 171.0 (12) | 293.8 (16) | 18 |
| DEFENSE | 182.8 (25) | 146.5 (12) | 329.2 (22) | 9 |
Line: Bengals by 2½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (0-5-0) | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 12 |
| San Francisco 49ers (1-4-0) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
( 0- 7) SF Elmo Boyd 24 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick)
( 0-14) SF O.J. Simpson 9 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick)
( 0-21) SF Tony Leonard 30 yard interception return (Ray Wersching kick)
( 2-21) CIN Safety, Steve DeBerg tackled in end zone by Gary Burley
( 9-21) CIN Billy Brooks 9 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick)
(12-21) CIN Chris Bahr 46 yard field goal
(12-28) SF Paul Hofer 28 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
CIN SF
First Downs: 18 11
Rushes-yards: 32-103 42-113
Yards/rush: 3.2 2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 17-35-235-5 8-17-66-2
Sacked-yards: 2-16 0-0
Net pass yards: 219 66
Net yards/pass: 5.9 3.9
Total net yards: 322 179
Total plays: 69 (46% run) 59 (71% run)
Yards/play: 4.7 3.0
Fumbles-lost: 5-3 2-0
Turnovers: 8 2
Penalties-yards: 13-133 8-62
Attendance: 41,107
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 13 of 26 for 183 yards and 1 TD (4 int); John Reaves, 4 of 9 for 52 yards (1 int) SF: Steve DeBerg, 8 of 17 for 66 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 9 for 44 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 8 for 23 yards; Pete Johnson, 8 for 22 yards; Ken Anderson, 4 for 8 yards; Archie Griffin, 3 for 6 yards SF: Greg Boykin, 16 for 32 yards; O.J. Simpson, 10 for 35 yards; Paul Hofer, 7 for 36 yards and 1 TD; Dave Williams, 5 for -4 yards; Freddie Solomon, 2 for 25 yards; Bob Ferrell, 1 for -2 yards; Larry Jones, 1 for -9 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Isaac Curtis, 4 for 46 yards; Billy Brooks, 4 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Jim Corbett, 3 for 77 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 30 yards; Pat McInally, 2 for 30 yards; Pete Johnson, 2 for 13 yards SF: Ken MacAfee, 3 for 25 yards; Elmo Boyd, 2 for 23 yards and 1 TD; O.J. Simpson, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Greg Boykin, 1 for 5 yards; Dave Williams, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Don Bass, 3 for 69 yards; Deacon Turner, 1 for 24 yards SF: Dave Williams, 2 for 42 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Louis Breeden, 5 for -12 yards SF: Larry Jones, 4 for 69 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Melvin Morgan, 1 for 64 yards; Tom Dinkel, 1 for 1 yard SF: Tony Leonard, 3 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Eddie Lewis, 2 for 6 yards
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 6 for 287 yards SF: Mike Connell, 9 for 415 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Chris Bahr, 1/1
CIN: Ken Anderson, 13 of 26 for 183 yards and 1 TD (4 int); John Reaves, 4 of 9 for 52 yards (1 int) SF: Steve DeBerg, 8 of 17 for 66 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 9 for 44 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 8 for 23 yards; Pete Johnson, 8 for 22 yards; Ken Anderson, 4 for 8 yards; Archie Griffin, 3 for 6 yards SF: Greg Boykin, 16 for 32 yards; O.J. Simpson, 10 for 35 yards; Paul Hofer, 7 for 36 yards and 1 TD; Dave Williams, 5 for -4 yards; Freddie Solomon, 2 for 25 yards; Bob Ferrell, 1 for -2 yards; Larry Jones, 1 for -9 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Isaac Curtis, 4 for 46 yards; Billy Brooks, 4 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Jim Corbett, 3 for 77 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 30 yards; Pat McInally, 2 for 30 yards; Pete Johnson, 2 for 13 yards SF: Ken MacAfee, 3 for 25 yards; Elmo Boyd, 2 for 23 yards and 1 TD; O.J. Simpson, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Greg Boykin, 1 for 5 yards; Dave Williams, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Don Bass, 3 for 69 yards; Deacon Turner, 1 for 24 yards SF: Dave Williams, 2 for 42 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Louis Breeden, 5 for -12 yards SF: Larry Jones, 4 for 69 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Melvin Morgan, 1 for 64 yards; Tom Dinkel, 1 for 1 yard SF: Tony Leonard, 3 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Eddie Lewis, 2 for 6 yards
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 6 for 287 yards SF: Mike Connell, 9 for 415 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Chris Bahr, 1/1