NFL game summary for 10/01/1978:
Los Angeles converted two turnovers into touchdowns and then held on to defeat New Orleans. Dwight Scales blocked a punt and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to give Los Angeles a 6-0 lead. Pat Haden threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Willie Miller, and 20 seconds later Rod Perry returned an interception 28 yards to give the Rams a 20-0 lead. Three touchdown passes by Archie Manning cut the Los Angeles lead to three points late in the fourth quarter, but Frank Corral's 39-yard field goal secured the victory.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 129.5 (16) | 191.2 (5) | 320.8 (9) | 10 |
| DEFENSE | 101.5 (4) | 106.5 (3) | 208.0 (1) | 12 | |
 | OFFENSE | 100.0 (28) | 219.5 (2) | 319.5 (10) | 8 |
| DEFENSE | 187.0 (26) | 177.0 (21) | 364.0 (27) | 12 |
Line: Rams by 9½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (5-0-0) | 6 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 26 |
| New Orleans Saints (2-3-0) | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
( 6- 0) LA Dwight Scales 30 yard return of blocked punt (kick failed) (13- 0) LA Willie Miller 20 yard pass from Pat Haden (Frank Corral kick) (20- 0) LA Rod Perry 28 yard interception return (Frank Corral kick) (20- 7) NO Ike Harris 6 yard pass from Archie Manning (John Leypoldt kick) (20-13) NO Ike Harris 8 yard pass from Archie Manning (kick failed) (23-13) LA Frank Corral 34 yard field goal (23-20) NO Tony Galbreath 33 yard pass from Archie Manning (John Leypoldt kick) (26-20) LA Frank Corral 39 yard field goal
LA NO
First Downs: 15 19
Rushes-yards: 33-124 31-143
Yards/rush: 3.8 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-21-167-1 17-28-208-1
Sacked-yards: 1-10 4-36
Net pass yards: 157 172
Net yards/pass: 7.1 5.4
Total net yards: 281 315
Total plays: 55 (60% run) 63 (49% run)
Yards/play: 5.1 5.0
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 2-0
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 9-74 6-50
Attendance: 61,654
Passing:
LA: Pat Haden, 10 of 21 for 167 yards and 1 TD (1 int) NO: Archie Manning, 17 of 27 for 208 yards and 3 TDs (1 int); Mike Strachan, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
LA: Cullen Bryant, 19 for 79 yards; John Cappelletti, 12 for 23 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 14 yards; Jerry Latin, 1 for 8 yards NO: Mike Strachan, 16 for 62 yards; Tony Galbreath, 8 for 23 yards; Archie Manning, 5 for 48 yards; Wes Chandler, 2 for 10 yards
Receiving:
LA: Willie Miller, 4 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Ron Jessie, 2 for 36 yards; John Cappelletti, 2 for 12 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 50 yards; Charle Young, 1 for 5 yards NO: Tony Galbreath, 6 for 61 yards and 1 TD; Henry Childs, 4 for 67 yards; Ike Harris, 4 for 51 yards and 2 TDs; Wes Chandler, 2 for 19 yards; Mike Strachan, 1 for 10 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Jerry Latin, 3 for 60 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 19 yards NO: Wes Chandler, 1 for 23 yards; Clarence Chapman, 1 for 18 yards; Larry Hardy, 1 for 3 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Jackie Wallace, 4 for 72 yards NO: Wes Chandler, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Rod Perry, 1 for 28 yards and 1 TD NO: Clarence Chapman, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
LA: Glen Walker, 2 for 80 yards NO: Tom Blanchard, 4 for 201 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Frank Corral, 2/4 NO: John Leypoldt, 0/1
LA: Pat Haden, 10 of 21 for 167 yards and 1 TD (1 int) NO: Archie Manning, 17 of 27 for 208 yards and 3 TDs (1 int); Mike Strachan, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
LA: Cullen Bryant, 19 for 79 yards; John Cappelletti, 12 for 23 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 14 yards; Jerry Latin, 1 for 8 yards NO: Mike Strachan, 16 for 62 yards; Tony Galbreath, 8 for 23 yards; Archie Manning, 5 for 48 yards; Wes Chandler, 2 for 10 yards
Receiving:
LA: Willie Miller, 4 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Ron Jessie, 2 for 36 yards; John Cappelletti, 2 for 12 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 50 yards; Charle Young, 1 for 5 yards NO: Tony Galbreath, 6 for 61 yards and 1 TD; Henry Childs, 4 for 67 yards; Ike Harris, 4 for 51 yards and 2 TDs; Wes Chandler, 2 for 19 yards; Mike Strachan, 1 for 10 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Jerry Latin, 3 for 60 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 19 yards NO: Wes Chandler, 1 for 23 yards; Clarence Chapman, 1 for 18 yards; Larry Hardy, 1 for 3 yards
Punt returns:
LA: Jackie Wallace, 4 for 72 yards NO: Wes Chandler, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
LA: Rod Perry, 1 for 28 yards and 1 TD NO: Clarence Chapman, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
LA: Glen Walker, 2 for 80 yards NO: Tom Blanchard, 4 for 201 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Frank Corral, 2/4 NO: John Leypoldt, 0/1