NFL game summary for 11/26/1978:
Walter Payton and Roland Harper became only the second set of Bears' running backs to each gain more than 100 yards in the same game, and Chicago's defense held the Buccaneers to 92 yards total offense. Payton and Harper duplicated the feat of Bobby Watkins and Rick Casares, which was set on November 6, 1955. Payton had 105 yards on 27 carries and Harper added 144 yards on 25 attempts -- his initial 100-yard performance as a pro. The Chicago defense held Tampa Bay to minus seven yards passing and sacked Mike Rae eight times.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 133.9 (19) | 117.3 (28) | 251.2 (26) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 122.7 (6) | 143.5 (7) | 266.2 (4) | 32 | |
 | OFFENSE | 154.2 (7) | 140.7 (20) | 294.9 (16) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 143.5 (14) | 159.8 (14) | 303.3 (15) | 23 |
Line: Bears by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Chicago Bears (5-8-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
( 3- 0) TB Neil O'Donoghue 44 yard field goal
( 3- 7) CHI Walter Payton 3 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 3-14) CHI Bob Avellini 3 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
TB CHI
First Downs: 6 17
Rushes-yards: 22-99 60-251
Yards/rush: 4.5 4.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 5-13-54-0 4-7-62-1
Sacked-yards: 8-61 1-12
Net pass yards: -7 50
Net yards/pass: -0.3 6.2
Total net yards: 92 301
Total plays: 43 (51% run) 68 (88% run)
Yards/play: 2.1 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 0-0
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 2-20 6-60
Attendance: 42,373
Passing:
TB: Mike Rae, 4 of 12 for 54 yards; Dave Green, 1 of 1 for 0 yards CHI: Bob Avellini, 4 of 6 for 62 yards (1 int); Vince Evans, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
TB: Louis Carter, 12 for 56 yards; Johnny Davis, 5 for 10 yards; Mike Rae, 3 for 23 yards; George Ragsdale, 2 for 10 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 27 for 105 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 25 for 144 yards; Bob Avellini, 6 for -1 yards and 1 TD; Vince Evans, 2 for 3 yards
Receiving:
TB: Johnny Davis, 2 for 0 yards; Frank Grant, 1 for 19 yards; Jim Obradovich, 1 for 18 yards; John McKay, 1 for 17 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 2 for 26 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 20 yards; James Scott, 1 for 16 yards
Kick returns:
TB: Danny Reece, 1 for 22 yards; George Ragsdale, 1 for 16 yards; Louis Carter, 1 for 15 yards CHI: Brian Baschnagel, 2 for 50 yards
Punt returns:
TB: Danny Reece, 3 for 24 yards CHI: Virgil Livers, 3 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
TB: Cedric Brown, 1 for 27 yards
Punting:
TB: Dave Green, 7 for 301 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 7 for 244 yards
Field Goals:
TB: Neil O'Donoghue, 1/1
TB: Mike Rae, 4 of 12 for 54 yards; Dave Green, 1 of 1 for 0 yards CHI: Bob Avellini, 4 of 6 for 62 yards (1 int); Vince Evans, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
TB: Louis Carter, 12 for 56 yards; Johnny Davis, 5 for 10 yards; Mike Rae, 3 for 23 yards; George Ragsdale, 2 for 10 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 27 for 105 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 25 for 144 yards; Bob Avellini, 6 for -1 yards and 1 TD; Vince Evans, 2 for 3 yards
Receiving:
TB: Johnny Davis, 2 for 0 yards; Frank Grant, 1 for 19 yards; Jim Obradovich, 1 for 18 yards; John McKay, 1 for 17 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 2 for 26 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 20 yards; James Scott, 1 for 16 yards
Kick returns:
TB: Danny Reece, 1 for 22 yards; George Ragsdale, 1 for 16 yards; Louis Carter, 1 for 15 yards CHI: Brian Baschnagel, 2 for 50 yards
Punt returns:
TB: Danny Reece, 3 for 24 yards CHI: Virgil Livers, 3 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
TB: Cedric Brown, 1 for 27 yards
Punting:
TB: Dave Green, 7 for 301 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 7 for 244 yards
Field Goals:
TB: Neil O'Donoghue, 1/1