NFL game summary for 10/15/1978:
Rafael Septien kicked a 47-yard field goal 3:28 into overtime to give the Cowboys the win and move them to within one game of Washington in the NFC East. Dallas built a 21-14 lead in the third quarter on Roger Staubach's second and third touchdown passes of the day, both to Tony Hill. St. Louis tied the score early in the fourth quarter on Jim Hart's one-yard scoring toss to running back Wayne Morris. Septien and St. Louis kicker Jim Bakken both missed field goals in the closing minutes of regulation play. Bakken hit the left upright from 33 yards with 2:54 left and Septien's 49-yarder with two seconds remaining was blocked.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 174.2 (4) | 218.8 (1) | 393.0 (1) | 16 |
| DEFENSE | 106.8 (2) | 150.5 (13) | 257.3 (4) | 12 | |
 | OFFENSE | 114.7 (25) | 178.8 (10) | 293.5 (17) | 10 |
| DEFENSE | 202.2 (27) | 108.5 (1) | 310.7 (18) | 9 |
Line: Cowboys by 13½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (5-2-0) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| St. Louis Cardinals (0-7-0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
( 0- 7) STL Jim Otis 2 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
( 7- 7) DAL Robert Newhouse 6 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick)
( 7-14) STL Jim Otis 1 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
(14-14) DAL Tony Hill 37 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick)
(21-14) DAL Tony Hill 6 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick)
(21-21) STL Wayne Morris 1 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
(24-21) DAL Rafael Septien 47 yard field goal
DAL STL
First Downs: 24 21
Rushes-yards: 32-131 47-136
Yards/rush: 4.1 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 23-41-289-2 17-29-264-2
Sacked-yards: 1-2 3-28
Net pass yards: 287 236
Net yards/pass: 6.8 7.4
Total net yards: 418 372
Total plays: 74 (43% run) 79 (59% run)
Yards/play: 5.6 4.7
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 2-1
Turnovers: 4 3
Penalties-yards: 12-109 4-46
Attendance: 48,991
Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 23 of 40 for 289 yards and 3 TDs (2 int); Danny White, 0 of 1 for 0 yards STL: Jim Hart, 17 of 28 for 264 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Steve Pisarkiewicz, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Robert Newhouse, 12 for 47 yards; Tony Dorsett, 12 for 24 yards; Roger Staubach, 5 for 26 yards; Drew Pearson, 2 for 34 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 0 yards STL: Jim Otis, 28 for 88 yards and 2 TDs; Wayne Morris, 13 for 30 yards; Steve Jones, 4 for 13 yards; Eason Ramson, 1 for 5 yards; Steve Little, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Drew Pearson, 7 for 101 yards; Preston Pearson, 4 for 57 yards; Tony Dorsett, 4 for 21 yards; Tony Hill, 3 for 60 yards and 2 TDs; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 32 yards; Robert Newhouse, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Butch Johnson, 1 for 1 yard STL: Mel Gray, 4 for 89 yards; Eason Ramson, 4 for 56 yards; Wayne Morris, 4 for 26 yards and 1 TD; Pat Tilley, 3 for 60 yards; Steve Jones, 2 for 33 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 4 for 63 yards; Larry Brinson, 1 for 0 yards STL: Willard Harrell, 2 for 35 yards; Jimmy Childs, 1 for 24 yards; Ken Stone, 1 for 3 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 5 for 75 yards STL: Willard Harrell, 4 for 13 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Bob Breunig, 1 for 2 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 0 yards STL: Ken Stone, 1 for 0 yards; Roger Wehrli, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 6 for 249 yards STL: Steve Little, 7 for 272 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/2 STL: Jim Bakken, 0/1
DAL: Roger Staubach, 23 of 40 for 289 yards and 3 TDs (2 int); Danny White, 0 of 1 for 0 yards STL: Jim Hart, 17 of 28 for 264 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Steve Pisarkiewicz, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Robert Newhouse, 12 for 47 yards; Tony Dorsett, 12 for 24 yards; Roger Staubach, 5 for 26 yards; Drew Pearson, 2 for 34 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 0 yards STL: Jim Otis, 28 for 88 yards and 2 TDs; Wayne Morris, 13 for 30 yards; Steve Jones, 4 for 13 yards; Eason Ramson, 1 for 5 yards; Steve Little, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Drew Pearson, 7 for 101 yards; Preston Pearson, 4 for 57 yards; Tony Dorsett, 4 for 21 yards; Tony Hill, 3 for 60 yards and 2 TDs; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 32 yards; Robert Newhouse, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Butch Johnson, 1 for 1 yard STL: Mel Gray, 4 for 89 yards; Eason Ramson, 4 for 56 yards; Wayne Morris, 4 for 26 yards and 1 TD; Pat Tilley, 3 for 60 yards; Steve Jones, 2 for 33 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 4 for 63 yards; Larry Brinson, 1 for 0 yards STL: Willard Harrell, 2 for 35 yards; Jimmy Childs, 1 for 24 yards; Ken Stone, 1 for 3 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 5 for 75 yards STL: Willard Harrell, 4 for 13 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Bob Breunig, 1 for 2 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 0 yards STL: Ken Stone, 1 for 0 yards; Roger Wehrli, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 6 for 249 yards STL: Steve Little, 7 for 272 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/2 STL: Jim Bakken, 0/1