NFL game summary for 12/10/1978:
Walter Payton's one-yard touchdown run climaxed an 11-play, 83-yard drive with 15 seconds left in the first half to break a scoreless tie. Chicago increased its lead to 14-0 in the third quarter when Mike Phipps hit James Scott with a 35-yard scoring pass after Len Walterscheid recovered a Green Bay fumble. Despite the loss the Packers remained in a first-place tie with Minnesota in the NFC Central Division.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 133.6 (19) | 131.1 (24) | 264.6 (24) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 149.1 (18) | 163.1 (19) | 312.2 (18) | 45 | |
 | OFFENSE | 155.9 (6) | 126.4 (25) | 282.3 (23) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 140.8 (14) | 160.1 (16) | 300.9 (16) | 27 |
Line: Packers by 1½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers (8-6-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears (6-9-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
( 0- 7) CHI Walter Payton 1 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 0-14) CHI James Scott 35 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Bob Thomas kick)
GB CHI
First Downs: 11 17
Rushes-yards: 27-78 47-174
Yards/rush: 2.9 3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 8-25-126-1 9-19-131-1
Sacked-yards: 4-43 1-12
Net pass yards: 83 119
Net yards/pass: 2.9 6.0
Total net yards: 161 293
Total plays: 56 (48% run) 67 (70% run)
Yards/play: 2.9 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 1-0
Turnovers: 3 1
Penalties-yards: 4-28 8-87
Attendance: 34,306
Passing:
GB: David Whitehurst, 7 of 20 for 96 yards (1 int); Bobby Douglass, 1 of 5 for 30 yards CHI: Mike Phipps, 9 of 19 for 131 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
GB: Terdell Middleton, 14 for 35 yards; Barty Smith, 10 for 33 yards; Bobby Douglass, 3 for 10 yards CHI: Roland Harper, 25 for 80 yards; Walter Payton, 18 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Mike Phipps, 4 for -3 yards
Receiving:
GB: James Lofton, 4 for 96 yards; Aundra Thompson, 2 for 17 yards; Barty Smith, 1 for 7 yards; Terdell Middleton, 1 for 6 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 3 for 13 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 40 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 2 for 29 yards; James Scott, 1 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
GB: Estus Hood, 1 for 26 yards; Steve Wagner, 1 for 14 yards; Aundra Thompson, 1 for 7 yards CHI: Len Walterscheid, 1 for 31 yards
Punt returns:
GB: Johnnie Gray, 3 for 17 yards CHI: Steve Schubert, 3 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
GB: Steve Luke, 1 for 28 yards CHI: Virgil Livers, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
GB: David Beverly, 10 for 307 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 9 for 297 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1
GB: David Whitehurst, 7 of 20 for 96 yards (1 int); Bobby Douglass, 1 of 5 for 30 yards CHI: Mike Phipps, 9 of 19 for 131 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
GB: Terdell Middleton, 14 for 35 yards; Barty Smith, 10 for 33 yards; Bobby Douglass, 3 for 10 yards CHI: Roland Harper, 25 for 80 yards; Walter Payton, 18 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Mike Phipps, 4 for -3 yards
Receiving:
GB: James Lofton, 4 for 96 yards; Aundra Thompson, 2 for 17 yards; Barty Smith, 1 for 7 yards; Terdell Middleton, 1 for 6 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 3 for 13 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 40 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 2 for 29 yards; James Scott, 1 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Roland Harper, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
GB: Estus Hood, 1 for 26 yards; Steve Wagner, 1 for 14 yards; Aundra Thompson, 1 for 7 yards CHI: Len Walterscheid, 1 for 31 yards
Punt returns:
GB: Johnnie Gray, 3 for 17 yards CHI: Steve Schubert, 3 for 8 yards
Interceptions:
GB: Steve Luke, 1 for 28 yards CHI: Virgil Livers, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
GB: David Beverly, 10 for 307 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 9 for 297 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1