NFL game summary for 11/12/1978:
Fran Tarkenton completed 24 of 37 passes for 245 yards to lead the Vikings to their fourth straight victory, which improved their record to 7-4. Tarkenton's accurate passing set up Chuck Foreman's two short touchdown runs and Rick Danmeier's 25-yard field goal. The Bears' Walter Payton went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark with 127 yards on 23 carries.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 155.4 (7) | 156.9 (12) | 312.3 (10) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 148.3 (17) | 150.0 (10) | 298.3 (16) | 18 | |
 | OFFENSE | 108.0 (26) | 182.8 (7) | 290.8 (18) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 116.4 (4) | 161.0 (19) | 277.4 (5) | 28 |
Line: Vikings by 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears (3-8-0) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Minnesota Vikings (7-4-0) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
( 7- 0) CHI Walter Payton 2 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 7- 7) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush (Rick Danmeier kick)
( 7-14) MIN Chuck Foreman 1 yard rush (Rick Danmeier kick)
( 7-17) MIN Rick Danmeier 25 yard field goal
(14-17) CHI Walter Payton 19 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
CHI MIN
First Downs: 15 18
Rushes-yards: 42-186 33-90
Yards/rush: 4.4 2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 8-18-66-3 24-37-245-1
Sacked-yards: 3-19 2-22
Net pass yards: 47 223
Net yards/pass: 2.2 5.7
Total net yards: 233 313
Total plays: 63 (66% run) 72 (45% run)
Yards/play: 3.7 4.3
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 4-2
Turnovers: 4 3
Penalties-yards: 4-40 5-35
Attendance: 43,286
Passing:
CHI: Mike Phipps, 8 of 18 for 66 yards (3 int) MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 24 of 37 for 245 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 23 for 127 yards and 2 TDs; Roland Harper, 17 for 49 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for 10 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 18 for 54 yards and 2 TDs; Rickey Young, 7 for 17 yards; Robert Miller, 4 for 25 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 4 for -6 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Roland Harper, 3 for 13 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 24 yards; Walter Payton, 2 for 11 yards; James Scott, 1 for 18 yards MIN: Rickey Young, 9 for 84 yards; Chuck Foreman, 5 for 34 yards; Sammy White, 4 for 46 yards; Ahmad Rashad, 3 for 32 yards; Bob Tucker, 2 for 41 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Wentford Gaines, 2 for 55 yards; Robin Earl, 1 for 20 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 14 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 1 for 21 yards; Harry Washington, 1 for 18 yards; Mark Kellar, 1 for 13 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Virgil Livers, 2 for 13 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 2 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 2 for 9 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Don Rives, 1 for 8 yards MIN: Fred McNeill, 1 for 1 yard; Bobby Bryant, 1 for 0 yards; Nate Wright, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 4 for 154 yards MIN: Greg Coleman, 5 for 178 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1 MIN: Rick Danmeier, 1/1
CHI: Mike Phipps, 8 of 18 for 66 yards (3 int) MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 24 of 37 for 245 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 23 for 127 yards and 2 TDs; Roland Harper, 17 for 49 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for 10 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 0 yards MIN: Chuck Foreman, 18 for 54 yards and 2 TDs; Rickey Young, 7 for 17 yards; Robert Miller, 4 for 25 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 4 for -6 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Roland Harper, 3 for 13 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 24 yards; Walter Payton, 2 for 11 yards; James Scott, 1 for 18 yards MIN: Rickey Young, 9 for 84 yards; Chuck Foreman, 5 for 34 yards; Sammy White, 4 for 46 yards; Ahmad Rashad, 3 for 32 yards; Bob Tucker, 2 for 41 yards; Robert Miller, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Wentford Gaines, 2 for 55 yards; Robin Earl, 1 for 20 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 14 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 1 for 21 yards; Harry Washington, 1 for 18 yards; Mark Kellar, 1 for 13 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Virgil Livers, 2 for 13 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 2 yards MIN: Kevin Miller, 2 for 9 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Don Rives, 1 for 8 yards MIN: Fred McNeill, 1 for 1 yard; Bobby Bryant, 1 for 0 yards; Nate Wright, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 4 for 154 yards MIN: Greg Coleman, 5 for 178 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1 MIN: Rick Danmeier, 1/1