NFL game summary for 12/17/1978:
Ken Anderson threw two touchdown passes and Pete Johnson rushed for a team record 160 yards as the Bengals erupted for their biggest point total of the season. Cincinnati converted two second quarter fumble recoveries into a 23-yard field goal by Chris Bahr and a 40-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to Don Bass. Greg Pruitt led a mild Cleveland rally with a 70-yard touchdown run on the way to a career high 182-yard day. The Bengals put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter by scoring 24 points. Cincinnati's Pat McInally won his first NFL punting title (43.1) and Cleveland's Thom Darden posted an NFL-high 10 interceptions for the season.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 151.1 (7) | 183.5 (7) | 334.6 (4) | 44 |
| DEFENSE | 126.9 (8) | 196.9 (27) | 323.9 (23) | 42 | |
 | OFFENSE | 125.7 (23) | 166.1 (13) | 291.9 (18) | 46 |
| DEFENSE | 144.9 (16) | 142.0 (6) | 286.9 (9) | 31 |
Line: Bengals by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (8-8-0) | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (4-12-0) | 0 | 17 | 7 | 24 | 48 |
( 6- 0) CLE Mark Miller 5 yard rush (kick failed)
( 6- 3) CIN Chris Bahr 23 yard field goal
( 6-10) CIN Don Bass 40 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick)
( 6-17) CIN Archie Griffin 6 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick)
( 6-24) CIN Rick Walker 3 yard pass from Archie Griffin (Chris Bahr kick)
(13-24) CLE Greg Pruitt 70 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(16-24) CLE Don Cockroft 19 yard field goal
(16-31) CIN Ken Anderson 3 yard rush (Chris Bahr kick)
(16-34) CIN Chris Bahr 49 yard field goal
(16-41) CIN Pete Johnson 12 yard rush (Chris Bahr kick)
(16-48) CIN Scott Perry 16 yard interception return (Chris Bahr kick)
CLE CIN
First Downs: 17 27
Rushes-yards: 37-222 48-245
Yards/rush: 6.0 5.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 6-23-129-2 16-24-261-1
Sacked-yards: 3-23 2-12
Net pass yards: 106 249
Net yards/pass: 4.1 9.6
Total net yards: 328 494
Total plays: 63 (58% run) 74 (64% run)
Yards/play: 5.2 6.7
Fumbles-lost: 5-4 4-2
Turnovers: 6 3
Penalties-yards: 2-15 7-37
Attendance: 46,985
Passing:
CLE: Mark Miller, 6 of 21 for 129 yards (2 int); Brian Sipe, 0 of 2 for 0 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 14 of 22 for 256 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Archie Griffin, 1 of 1 for 3 yards and 1 TD; John Reaves, 1 of 1 for 2 yards
Rushing:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 22 for 182 yards and 1 TD; Calvin Hill, 5 for 8 yards; Cleo Miller, 4 for 12 yards; Mike Pruitt, 3 for 11 yards; Mark Miller, 2 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Ozzie Newsome, 1 for 4 yards CIN: Pete Johnson, 27 for 160 yards and 1 TD; Archie Griffin, 17 for 65 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 18 yards and 1 TD; Tony Davis, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Dave Logan, 3 for 86 yards; Ozzie Newsome, 1 for 19 yards; Calvin Hill, 1 for 17 yards; Greg Pruitt, 1 for 7 yards CIN: Isaac Curtis, 7 for 138 yards; Don Bass, 2 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Pete Johnson, 2 for 25 yards; Archie Griffin, 2 for 8 yards and 1 TD; Billy Brooks, 1 for 20 yards; Jim Corbett, 1 for 5 yards; Rick Walker, 1 for 3 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
CLE: Keith Wright, 5 for 94 yards; Larry Collins, 3 for 64 yards CIN: Ray Griffin, 3 for 69 yards; Jim Corbett, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Keith Wright, 1 for 11 yards CIN: Tony Davis, 3 for 20 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Clay Matthews, 1 for 5 yards CIN: Ron Shumon, 1 for 48 yards; Scott Perry, 1 for 16 yards and 1 TD
Punting:
CLE: Johnny Evans, 4 for 173 yards CIN: Pat McInally, 3 for 111 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/1 CIN: Chris Bahr, 2/2
CLE: Mark Miller, 6 of 21 for 129 yards (2 int); Brian Sipe, 0 of 2 for 0 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 14 of 22 for 256 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Archie Griffin, 1 of 1 for 3 yards and 1 TD; John Reaves, 1 of 1 for 2 yards
Rushing:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 22 for 182 yards and 1 TD; Calvin Hill, 5 for 8 yards; Cleo Miller, 4 for 12 yards; Mike Pruitt, 3 for 11 yards; Mark Miller, 2 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Ozzie Newsome, 1 for 4 yards CIN: Pete Johnson, 27 for 160 yards and 1 TD; Archie Griffin, 17 for 65 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 18 yards and 1 TD; Tony Davis, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Dave Logan, 3 for 86 yards; Ozzie Newsome, 1 for 19 yards; Calvin Hill, 1 for 17 yards; Greg Pruitt, 1 for 7 yards CIN: Isaac Curtis, 7 for 138 yards; Don Bass, 2 for 62 yards and 1 TD; Pete Johnson, 2 for 25 yards; Archie Griffin, 2 for 8 yards and 1 TD; Billy Brooks, 1 for 20 yards; Jim Corbett, 1 for 5 yards; Rick Walker, 1 for 3 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
CLE: Keith Wright, 5 for 94 yards; Larry Collins, 3 for 64 yards CIN: Ray Griffin, 3 for 69 yards; Jim Corbett, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Keith Wright, 1 for 11 yards CIN: Tony Davis, 3 for 20 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Clay Matthews, 1 for 5 yards CIN: Ron Shumon, 1 for 48 yards; Scott Perry, 1 for 16 yards and 1 TD
Punting:
CLE: Johnny Evans, 4 for 173 yards CIN: Pat McInally, 3 for 111 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/1 CIN: Chris Bahr, 2/2