NFL game summary for 11/05/1978:
Fran Tarkenton returned after suffering a cut mouth in the second period to direct two second half drives and lead Minnesota to the win. Fumble recoveries by Matt Blair and Fred McNeill set up the Vikings' second half touchdowns. Tarkenton threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Sammy White in the third quarter and Chuck Foreman scored from one yard in the fourth period. Foreman caught two passes in the game to set a Vikings' career pass reception record of 286, eclipsing Bill Brown's previous mark of 284.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 143.6 (16) | 118.9 (26) | 262.4 (25) | 13 |
| DEFENSE | 141.3 (15) | 144.0 (9) | 285.3 (9) | 23 | |
 | OFFENSE | 106.2 (28) | 182.2 (7) | 288.4 (18) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 121.6 (5) | 167.2 (22) | 288.8 (11) | 25 |
Line: Vikings by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions (3-7-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Minnesota Vikings (6-4-0) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
( 0- 3) MIN Rick Danmeier 32 yard field goal
( 7- 3) DET Luther Blue 9 yard pass from Gary Danielson (Benny Ricardo kick)
( 7-10) MIN Sammy White 21 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Rick Danmeier kick)
( 7-17) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush (Rick Danmeier kick)
DET MIN
First Downs: 11 22
Rushes-yards: 18-70 48-124
Yards/rush: 3.9 2.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-30-127-0 18-29-211-4
Sacked-yards: 2-22 3-23
Net pass yards: 105 188
Net yards/pass: 3.3 5.9
Total net yards: 175 312
Total plays: 50 (36% run) 80 (60% run)
Yards/play: 3.5 3.9
Fumbles-lost: 3-3 4-1
Turnovers: 3 5
Penalties-yards: 4-45 9-55
Attendance: 46,008
Passing:
DET: Gary Danielson, 18 of 30 for 127 yards and 1 TD MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 18 of 27 for 211 yards and 1 TD (3 int); Bob Lee, 0 of 2 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DET: Dexter Bussey, 7 for 28 yards; Horace King, 6 for 19 yards; Lawrence Gaines, 4 for 10 yards; David Hill, 1 for 13 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 20 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Rickey Young, 17 for 75 yards; Sammy Johnson, 5 for 18 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 3 for -6 yards; Robert Miller, 2 for 0 yards; Brent McClanahan, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DET: Horace King, 7 for 41 yards; David Hill, 3 for 33 yards; Freddie Scott, 3 for 26 yards; Dexter Bussey, 3 for 11 yards; Luther Blue, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Jesse Thompson, 1 for 7 yards MIN: Rickey Young, 6 for 59 yards; Sammy White, 4 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Ahmad Rashad, 3 for 45 yards; Bob Tucker, 3 for 45 yards; Chuck Foreman, 2 for -2 yards
Kick returns:
DET: Nat Terry, 4 for 81 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 1 for 22 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 10 yards
Punt returns:
DET: Jesse Thompson, 1 for 3 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 4 for 66 yards; Sammy White, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Jimmy Allen, 1 for 4 yards; Ed O'Neil, 1 for 2 yards; Luther Bradley, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Burns, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DET: Tom Skladany, 7 for 291 yards MIN: Greg Coleman, 2 for 86 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Rick Danmeier, 1/1
DET: Gary Danielson, 18 of 30 for 127 yards and 1 TD MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 18 of 27 for 211 yards and 1 TD (3 int); Bob Lee, 0 of 2 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DET: Dexter Bussey, 7 for 28 yards; Horace King, 6 for 19 yards; Lawrence Gaines, 4 for 10 yards; David Hill, 1 for 13 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 20 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Rickey Young, 17 for 75 yards; Sammy Johnson, 5 for 18 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 3 for -6 yards; Robert Miller, 2 for 0 yards; Brent McClanahan, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DET: Horace King, 7 for 41 yards; David Hill, 3 for 33 yards; Freddie Scott, 3 for 26 yards; Dexter Bussey, 3 for 11 yards; Luther Blue, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Jesse Thompson, 1 for 7 yards MIN: Rickey Young, 6 for 59 yards; Sammy White, 4 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Ahmad Rashad, 3 for 45 yards; Bob Tucker, 3 for 45 yards; Chuck Foreman, 2 for -2 yards
Kick returns:
DET: Nat Terry, 4 for 81 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 1 for 22 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 10 yards
Punt returns:
DET: Jesse Thompson, 1 for 3 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 4 for 66 yards; Sammy White, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
DET: Jimmy Allen, 1 for 4 yards; Ed O'Neil, 1 for 2 yards; Luther Bradley, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Burns, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DET: Tom Skladany, 7 for 291 yards MIN: Greg Coleman, 2 for 86 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Rick Danmeier, 1/1