NFL game summary for 12/10/1978:
Dan Pastorini tossed an 80-yard touchdown bomb to rookie Robert Woods to clinch an AFC wild card berth for Houston. The Oilers built a 10-0 halftime lead on Earl Campbell's two-yard scoring run and a 22-yard field goal by Toni Fritsch. New Orleans pulled to within three in the third quarter when Archie Manning hit Tinker Owens with a six-yard touchdown pass. Manning, who completed 25 of 37 passes for 251 yards, went over 3,000 yards passing for the first time in his career.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 159.6 (4) | 147.6 (17) | 307.1 (11) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 133.4 (12) | 159.5 (15) | 292.9 (13) | 30 | |
 | OFFENSE | 115.6 (26) | 190.0 (5) | 305.6 (14) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 156.6 (23) | 162.1 (18) | 318.8 (21) | 41 |
Line: Oilers by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers (10-5-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| New Orleans Saints (6-9-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
( 7- 0) HOU Earl Campbell 2 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick) (10- 0) HOU Toni Fritsch 22 yard field goal (10- 7) NO Tinker Owens 6 yard pass from Archie Manning (Steve Mike-Mayer kick) (17- 7) HOU Robert Woods 80 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick) (17- 9) NO Safety, Earl Campbell ran out of end zone (17-12) NO Steve Mike-Mayer 21 yard field goal
HOU NO
First Downs: 16 18
Rushes-yards: 43-125 19-56
Yards/rush: 2.9 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-18-137-0 25-37-251-1
Sacked-yards: 2-18 2-10
Net pass yards: 119 241
Net yards/pass: 6.0 6.2
Total net yards: 244 297
Total plays: 63 (68% run) 58 (32% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 5.1
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 1-0
Turnovers: 0 1
Penalties-yards: 4-44 8-90
Attendance: 63,169
Passing:
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 12 of 18 for 137 yards and 1 TD NO: Archie Manning, 25 of 37 for 251 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
HOU: Earl Campbell, 25 for 67 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 15 for 62 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for 5 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 0 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -9 yards NO: Chuck Muncie, 8 for 19 yards; Tony Galbreath, 7 for 22 yards; Mike Strachan, 2 for 7 yards; Archie Manning, 1 for 9 yards; Henry Childs, 1 for -1 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Ken Burrough, 5 for 29 yards; Robert Woods, 4 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 2 for 18 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 15 yards NO: Tony Galbreath, 7 for 18 yards; Henry Childs, 5 for 80 yards; Chuck Muncie, 4 for 46 yards; Ike Harris, 3 for 42 yards; Tinker Owens, 3 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Mike Strachan, 1 for 12 yards; Larry Hardy, 1 for 11 yards; Wes Chandler, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Robert Woods, 1 for 20 yards NO: Rich Mauti, 2 for 55 yards; Wes Chandler, 2 for 54 yards; Jack Holmes, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Robert Woods, 4 for 39 yards NO: Wes Chandler, 3 for 28 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Greg Stemrick, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Cliff Parsley, 7 for 288 yards NO: Tom Blanchard, 6 for 269 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Toni Fritsch, 1/1 NO: Steve Mike-Mayer, 1/2
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 12 of 18 for 137 yards and 1 TD NO: Archie Manning, 25 of 37 for 251 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
HOU: Earl Campbell, 25 for 67 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 15 for 62 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for 5 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for 0 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -9 yards NO: Chuck Muncie, 8 for 19 yards; Tony Galbreath, 7 for 22 yards; Mike Strachan, 2 for 7 yards; Archie Manning, 1 for 9 yards; Henry Childs, 1 for -1 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Ken Burrough, 5 for 29 yards; Robert Woods, 4 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 2 for 18 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 15 yards NO: Tony Galbreath, 7 for 18 yards; Henry Childs, 5 for 80 yards; Chuck Muncie, 4 for 46 yards; Ike Harris, 3 for 42 yards; Tinker Owens, 3 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Mike Strachan, 1 for 12 yards; Larry Hardy, 1 for 11 yards; Wes Chandler, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
HOU: Robert Woods, 1 for 20 yards NO: Rich Mauti, 2 for 55 yards; Wes Chandler, 2 for 54 yards; Jack Holmes, 1 for 18 yards
Punt returns:
HOU: Robert Woods, 4 for 39 yards NO: Wes Chandler, 3 for 28 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Greg Stemrick, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Cliff Parsley, 7 for 288 yards NO: Tom Blanchard, 6 for 269 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Toni Fritsch, 1/1 NO: Steve Mike-Mayer, 1/2