NFL game summary for 12/10/1978:
New England clinched the AFC Eastern Division championship, its first title in 15 years, on David Posey's 21-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining. Posey's winning kick came after Bills punter Rusty Jackson took an intentional safety late in the fourth quarter. Earlier, a Joe Ferguson-to-Frank Lewis scoring pass had given Buffalo a 24-21 advantage. Horace Ivory (16 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown) paced a 249-yard Patriots' running attack.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 143.1 (14) | 148.1 (16) | 291.2 (17) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 202.9 (28) | 126.6 (2) | 329.5 (25) | 25 | |
 | OFFENSE | 202.8 (1) | 173.4 (9) | 376.1 (2) | 39 |
| DEFENSE | 111.0 (2) | 176.4 (25) | 287.4 (9) | 40 |
Line: Patriots by 11½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (4-11-0) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| New England Patriots (11-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 26 |
( 7- 0) BUF Roland Hooks 28 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
( 7- 7) NE Sam Cunningham 4 yard rush (David Posey kick)
(10- 7) BUF Tom Dempsey 26 yard field goal
(17- 7) BUF Terry Miller 32 yard rush (Tom Dempsey kick)
(17-14) NE Steve Grogan 4 yard rush (David Posey kick)
(17-21) NE Horace Ivory 20 yard rush (David Posey kick)
(24-21) BUF Frank Lewis 21 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Tom Dempsey kick)
(24-23) NE Safety, Rusty Jackson forced out of end zone by Tim Fox
(24-26) NE David Posey 21 yard field goal
BUF NE
First Downs: 16 24
Rushes-yards: 35-184 51-249
Yards/rush: 5.3 4.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-24-133-1 13-21-160-0
Sacked-yards: 1-10 1-6
Net pass yards: 123 154
Net yards/pass: 4.9 7.0
Total net yards: 307 403
Total plays: 60 (58% run) 73 (69% run)
Yards/play: 5.1 5.5
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 4-3
Turnovers: 2 3
Penalties-yards: 3-40 2-15
Attendance: 59,598
Passing:
BUF: Joe Ferguson, 9 of 24 for 133 yards and 1 TD (1 int) NE: Steve Grogan, 13 of 21 for 160 yards
Rushing:
BUF: Terry Miller, 14 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Curtis Brown, 9 for 53 yards; Roland Hooks, 7 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Dennis Johnson, 3 for 17 yards; Joe Ferguson, 1 for 4 yards; Rusty Jackson, 1 for -13 yards NE: Sam Cunningham, 19 for 76 yards and 1 TD; Horace Ivory, 16 for 91 yards and 1 TD; Steve Grogan, 8 for 44 yards and 1 TD; Andy Johnson, 8 for 38 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Frank Lewis, 4 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Curtis Brown, 2 for 29 yards; Dennis Johnson, 1 for 28 yards; Reuben Gant, 1 for 25 yards; Bob Chandler, 1 for 11 yards NE: Russ Francis, 3 for 38 yards; Horace Ivory, 3 for 16 yards; Sam Cunningham, 3 for 16 yards; Don Westbrook, 2 for 30 yards; Stanley Morgan, 1 for 52 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Keith Moody, 3 for 66 yards; Mike Franckowiak, 1 for 19 yards; Dennis Johnson, 1 for 6 yards NE: Raymond Clayborn, 2 for 60 yards; Horace Ivory, 2 for 43 yards; Stanley Morgan, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 3 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
NE: Mike Haynes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
BUF: Rusty Jackson, 4 for 129 yards NE: Jerrel Wilson, 2 for 41 yards
Field Goals:
BUF: Tom Dempsey, 1/1 NE: David Posey, 1/2
BUF: Joe Ferguson, 9 of 24 for 133 yards and 1 TD (1 int) NE: Steve Grogan, 13 of 21 for 160 yards
Rushing:
BUF: Terry Miller, 14 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Curtis Brown, 9 for 53 yards; Roland Hooks, 7 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Dennis Johnson, 3 for 17 yards; Joe Ferguson, 1 for 4 yards; Rusty Jackson, 1 for -13 yards NE: Sam Cunningham, 19 for 76 yards and 1 TD; Horace Ivory, 16 for 91 yards and 1 TD; Steve Grogan, 8 for 44 yards and 1 TD; Andy Johnson, 8 for 38 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Frank Lewis, 4 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Curtis Brown, 2 for 29 yards; Dennis Johnson, 1 for 28 yards; Reuben Gant, 1 for 25 yards; Bob Chandler, 1 for 11 yards NE: Russ Francis, 3 for 38 yards; Horace Ivory, 3 for 16 yards; Sam Cunningham, 3 for 16 yards; Don Westbrook, 2 for 30 yards; Stanley Morgan, 1 for 52 yards; Harold Jackson, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Keith Moody, 3 for 66 yards; Mike Franckowiak, 1 for 19 yards; Dennis Johnson, 1 for 6 yards NE: Raymond Clayborn, 2 for 60 yards; Horace Ivory, 2 for 43 yards; Stanley Morgan, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 3 for 23 yards
Interceptions:
NE: Mike Haynes, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
BUF: Rusty Jackson, 4 for 129 yards NE: Jerrel Wilson, 2 for 41 yards
Field Goals:
BUF: Tom Dempsey, 1/1 NE: David Posey, 1/2