NFL game summary for 11/23/1978:
Horace King's one-yard touchdown run in the fourth period capped an 11-play, 77-yard drive and gave the Lions the interconference win. Both teams scored on their opening possessions. Rick Kane's two-yard touchdown plunge culminated a 90-yard Detroit drive. Craig Morton followed with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Riley Odoms for a 7-7 halftime deadlock. The Lions' defense sacked Morton six times to increase its NFL lead to 48 sacks. Jim Turner's 51-yard attempt at a tying field goal fell short as time expired.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 159.3 (5) | 144.2 (19) | 303.6 (13) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 127.0 (10) | 161.9 (16) | 288.9 (11) | 33 | |
 | OFFENSE | 141.1 (15) | 131.3 (23) | 272.4 (22) | 23 |
| DEFENSE | 139.2 (13) | 141.0 (6) | 280.2 (6) | 29 |
Line: Broncos by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (8-5-0) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Detroit Lions (5-8-0) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
( 0- 7) DET Rick Kane 2 yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick)
( 7- 7) DEN Riley Odoms 10 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
( 7-10) DET Benny Ricardo 19 yard field goal
(14-10) DEN Larry Canada 2 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(14-17) DET Horace King 1 yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick)
DEN DET
First Downs: 16 15
Rushes-yards: 31-128 37-139
Yards/rush: 4.1 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-22-146-0 10-18-112-1
Sacked-yards: 6-41 1-7
Net pass yards: 105 105
Net yards/pass: 3.8 5.5
Total net yards: 233 244
Total plays: 59 (52% run) 56 (66% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 1-0
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 9-74 3-15
Attendance: 71,785
Passing:
DEN: Craig Morton, 11 of 22 for 146 yards and 1 TD DET: Gary Danielson, 10 of 18 for 112 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Rob Lytle, 10 for 39 yards; Otis Armstrong, 7 for 40 yards; Jon Keyworth, 5 for 17 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 4 for 21 yards; Dave Preston, 2 for 4 yards; Larry Canada, 2 for 3 yards and 1 TD; Craig Morton, 1 for 4 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 16 for 56 yards; Horace King, 11 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Rick Kane, 5 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Lawrence Gaines, 4 for 20 yards; Gary Danielson, 1 for 17 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Riley Odoms, 4 for 60 yards and 1 TD; Jon Keyworth, 2 for 26 yards; Haven Moses, 2 for 24 yards; Vince Kinney, 1 for 23 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 8 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for 5 yards DET: David Hill, 4 for 56 yards; Horace King, 3 for -2 yards; Luther Blue, 2 for 44 yards; Dexter Bussey, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Lonnie Perrin, 3 for 49 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 20 yards DET: Rick Kane, 1 for 23 yards; Ken Callicutt, 1 for 2 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 5 for 84 yards DET: James Hunter, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Bernard Jackson, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 6 for 237 yards DET: Tom Skladany, 6 for 252 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 0/1 DET: Benny Ricardo, 1/1
DEN: Craig Morton, 11 of 22 for 146 yards and 1 TD DET: Gary Danielson, 10 of 18 for 112 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Rob Lytle, 10 for 39 yards; Otis Armstrong, 7 for 40 yards; Jon Keyworth, 5 for 17 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 4 for 21 yards; Dave Preston, 2 for 4 yards; Larry Canada, 2 for 3 yards and 1 TD; Craig Morton, 1 for 4 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 16 for 56 yards; Horace King, 11 for 30 yards and 1 TD; Rick Kane, 5 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Lawrence Gaines, 4 for 20 yards; Gary Danielson, 1 for 17 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Riley Odoms, 4 for 60 yards and 1 TD; Jon Keyworth, 2 for 26 yards; Haven Moses, 2 for 24 yards; Vince Kinney, 1 for 23 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 8 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for 5 yards DET: David Hill, 4 for 56 yards; Horace King, 3 for -2 yards; Luther Blue, 2 for 44 yards; Dexter Bussey, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Lonnie Perrin, 3 for 49 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 20 yards DET: Rick Kane, 1 for 23 yards; Ken Callicutt, 1 for 2 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 5 for 84 yards DET: James Hunter, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Bernard Jackson, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
DEN: Bucky Dilts, 6 for 237 yards DET: Tom Skladany, 6 for 252 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 0/1 DET: Benny Ricardo, 1/1