All NFL game summaries for 12/16/1978:
Terry Bradshaw's two touchdown passes and a goal line stand by the defense on the final play of the game helped Pittsburgh to its fifth straight win. The Steelers built a 21-0 halftime lead on Bradshaw's scoring passes of 25 yards to John Stallworth and 10 yards to Jim Smith, plus a one-yard touchdown run by Franco Harris. Norris Weese directed Denver's comeback in the second half, throwing two touchdown passes. Pittsburgh's Jack Lambert and Joe Greene combined to stop Denver's Lonnie Perrin on the game's final play to preserve the victory.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 145.4 (14) | 170.3 (11) | 315.7 (7) | 37 |
| DEFENSE | 113.3 (2) | 144.5 (8) | 257.9 (2) | 46 | |
 | OFFENSE | 158.5 (4) | 143.5 (18) | 301.9 (14) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 124.2 (6) | 155.1 (13) | 279.3 (7) | 42 |
Line: Broncos by 1½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2-0) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Denver Broncos (10-6-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
( 7- 0) PIT Franco Harris 1 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick) (14- 0) PIT John Stallworth 25 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) (21- 0) PIT Jim Smith 10 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) (21- 7) DEN Haven Moses 25 yard pass from Norris Weese (Jim Turner kick) (21-10) DEN Jim Turner 45 yard field goal (21-17) DEN Riley Odoms 30 yard pass from Norris Weese (Jim Turner kick)
PIT DEN
First Downs: 14 19
Rushes-yards: 38-116 26-74
Yards/rush: 3.1 2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-19-160-2 15-26-274-1
Sacked-yards: 2-16 6-48
Net pass yards: 144 226
Net yards/pass: 6.9 7.1
Total net yards: 260 300
Total plays: 59 (64% run) 58 (44% run)
Yards/play: 4.4 5.2
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 2-1
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 6-82 10-72
Attendance: 74,104
Passing:
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 10 of 14 for 131 yards and 2 TDs; Mike Kruczek, 3 of 5 for 29 yards (2 int) DEN: Norris Weese, 12 of 17 for 228 yards and 2 TDs; Craig Morton, 3 of 9 for 46 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 12 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Rick Moser, 10 for 34 yards; Rocky Bleier, 6 for 11 yards; Sidney Thornton, 5 for 32 yards; Mike Kruczek, 3 for 12 yards; Jack Deloplaine, 2 for 6 yards DEN: Jon Keyworth, 7 for 14 yards; Dave Preston, 5 for 36 yards; Rob Lytle, 5 for 2 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 3 for 9 yards; Norris Weese, 2 for 7 yards; Otis Armstrong, 2 for 6 yards; Larry Canada, 2 for 0 yards
Receiving:
PIT: John Stallworth, 4 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Jim Smith, 2 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 2 for 9 yards; Randy Grossman, 1 for 21 yards; Sidney Thornton, 1 for 9 yards; Franco Harris, 1 for 7 yards; Lynn Swann, 1 for 5 yards; Rick Moser, 1 for -1 yards DEN: Haven Moses, 5 for 116 yards and 1 TD; Riley Odoms, 4 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Dave Preston, 3 for 40 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 16 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 10 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Larry Anderson, 2 for 48 yards DEN: Dave Preston, 1 for 32 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 29 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for 26 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 11 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 5 for 21 yards DEN: Dave Preston, 2 for -11 yards; Charlie West, 1 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Tony Dungy, 1 for 0 yards DEN: Louis Wright, 1 for 2 yards; Tom Jackson, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
PIT: Craig Colquitt, 6 for 278 yards DEN: Bucky Dilts, 6 for 254 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 0/1 DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 10 of 14 for 131 yards and 2 TDs; Mike Kruczek, 3 of 5 for 29 yards (2 int) DEN: Norris Weese, 12 of 17 for 228 yards and 2 TDs; Craig Morton, 3 of 9 for 46 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 12 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Rick Moser, 10 for 34 yards; Rocky Bleier, 6 for 11 yards; Sidney Thornton, 5 for 32 yards; Mike Kruczek, 3 for 12 yards; Jack Deloplaine, 2 for 6 yards DEN: Jon Keyworth, 7 for 14 yards; Dave Preston, 5 for 36 yards; Rob Lytle, 5 for 2 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 3 for 9 yards; Norris Weese, 2 for 7 yards; Otis Armstrong, 2 for 6 yards; Larry Canada, 2 for 0 yards
Receiving:
PIT: John Stallworth, 4 for 79 yards and 1 TD; Jim Smith, 2 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 2 for 9 yards; Randy Grossman, 1 for 21 yards; Sidney Thornton, 1 for 9 yards; Franco Harris, 1 for 7 yards; Lynn Swann, 1 for 5 yards; Rick Moser, 1 for -1 yards DEN: Haven Moses, 5 for 116 yards and 1 TD; Riley Odoms, 4 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Dave Preston, 3 for 40 yards; Jack Dolbin, 1 for 16 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 10 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Larry Anderson, 2 for 48 yards DEN: Dave Preston, 1 for 32 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 29 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for 26 yards; Jon Keyworth, 1 for 11 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 5 for 21 yards DEN: Dave Preston, 2 for -11 yards; Charlie West, 1 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Tony Dungy, 1 for 0 yards DEN: Louis Wright, 1 for 2 yards; Tom Jackson, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
PIT: Craig Colquitt, 6 for 278 yards DEN: Bucky Dilts, 6 for 254 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 0/1 DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1
Steve Schubert returned a punt 73 yards for the deciding score as the Bears eliminated Washington from the playoffs. Walter Payton rushed 16 times for 90 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown, to capture the NFC rushing crown (1,395 yards on 333 carries and 11 touchdowns). Washington's John Riggins finished the season with a career-high 1,014 yards rushing and became only the third Redskins' back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. (Larry Brown and Mike Thomas were the others).
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 157.1 (6) | 125.9 (25) | 283.0 (21) | 33 |
| DEFENSE | 136.6 (13) | 155.0 (12) | 291.6 (11) | 30 | |
 | OFFENSE | 130.5 (19) | 158.9 (14) | 289.5 (20) | 34 |
| DEFENSE | 157.7 (24) | 155.6 (15) | 313.3 (19) | 29 |
Line: Redskins by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears (7-9-0) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Washington Redskins (8-8-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
( 7- 0) CHI Walter Payton 44 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick) ( 7- 3) WAS Mark Moseley 33 yard field goal (14- 3) CHI Steve Schubert 73 yard punt return (Bob Thomas kick) (14-10) WAS Jean Fugett 17 yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Mark Moseley kick)
CHI WAS
First Downs: 10 16
Rushes-yards: 40-170 31-124
Yards/rush: 4.2 4.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 6-10-44-3 21-31-198-2
Sacked-yards: 0-0 2-17
Net pass yards: 44 181
Net yards/pass: 4.4 5.5
Total net yards: 214 305
Total plays: 50 (80% run) 64 (48% run)
Yards/play: 4.3 4.8
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 1-1
Turnovers: 3 3
Penalties-yards: 6-45 5-45
Attendance: 49,774
Passing:
CHI: Mike Phipps, 6 of 10 for 44 yards (3 int) WAS: Joe Theismann, 13 of 21 for 107 yards (1 int); Billy Kilmer, 8 of 10 for 91 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Roland Harper, 22 for 74 yards; Walter Payton, 16 for 90 yards and 1 TD; Mike Phipps, 2 for 6 yards WAS: Mike Thomas, 16 for 65 yards; John Riggins, 10 for 44 yards; Benny Malone, 4 for 2 yards; Joe Theismann, 1 for 13 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Roland Harper, 3 for 21 yards; James Scott, 2 for 16 yards; Walter Payton, 1 for 7 yards WAS: Danny Buggs, 5 for 68 yards; Mike Thomas, 5 for 44 yards; Jean Fugett, 4 for 41 yards and 1 TD; John Riggins, 3 for 14 yards; John McDaniel, 2 for 20 yards; Clarence Harmon, 1 for 11 yards; Ricky Thompson, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 21 yards WAS: Tony Green, 2 for 58 yards; Ike Forte, 1 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Steve Schubert, 2 for 89 yards and 1 TD WAS: Tony Green, 3 for 12 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Gary Fencik, 1 for 59 yards; Don Rives, 1 for 0 yards WAS: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 23 yards; Dave Butz, 1 for 3 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 6 for 204 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 7 for 268 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1 WAS: Mark Moseley, 1/1
CHI: Mike Phipps, 6 of 10 for 44 yards (3 int) WAS: Joe Theismann, 13 of 21 for 107 yards (1 int); Billy Kilmer, 8 of 10 for 91 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Roland Harper, 22 for 74 yards; Walter Payton, 16 for 90 yards and 1 TD; Mike Phipps, 2 for 6 yards WAS: Mike Thomas, 16 for 65 yards; John Riggins, 10 for 44 yards; Benny Malone, 4 for 2 yards; Joe Theismann, 1 for 13 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Roland Harper, 3 for 21 yards; James Scott, 2 for 16 yards; Walter Payton, 1 for 7 yards WAS: Danny Buggs, 5 for 68 yards; Mike Thomas, 5 for 44 yards; Jean Fugett, 4 for 41 yards and 1 TD; John Riggins, 3 for 14 yards; John McDaniel, 2 for 20 yards; Clarence Harmon, 1 for 11 yards; Ricky Thompson, 1 for 0 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 21 yards WAS: Tony Green, 2 for 58 yards; Ike Forte, 1 for 29 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Steve Schubert, 2 for 89 yards and 1 TD WAS: Tony Green, 3 for 12 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Gary Fencik, 1 for 59 yards; Don Rives, 1 for 0 yards WAS: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 23 yards; Dave Butz, 1 for 3 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 6 for 204 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 7 for 268 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/1 WAS: Mark Moseley, 1/1