NFL game summary for 12/17/1978:
Archie Manning completed 25 of 36 passes for 250 yards and the game-winning touchdown as the Saints posted their seventh win of the season, the most in club history. Manning, who finished the season with 291 completions in 471 attempts for 3,416 yards, flipped a one-yard scoring pass to Henry Childs with 10:56 left to ensure the victory. Childs caught six passes to tie with Detroit's David Hill for the top spot among NFC tight ends (53 receptions). Tony Galbreath added five catches to finish the season with 74, breaking Danny Abramowicz's club record of 73.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 111.6 (26) | 193.4 (4) | 305.0 (11) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 154.5 (22) | 159.3 (16) | 313.8 (20) | 41 | |
 | OFFENSE | 133.1 (18) | 108.5 (28) | 241.6 (28) | 38 |
| DEFENSE | 125.2 (7) | 135.3 (4) | 260.5 (3) | 40 |
Line: Saints by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints (7-9-0) | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11-0) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
( 3- 0) NO Steve Mike-Mayer 32 yard field goal ( 3- 3) TB Neil O'Donoghue 47 yard field goal (10- 3) NO Chuck Muncie 21 yard rush (Steve Mike-Mayer kick) (10-10) TB Jimmie Giles 2 yard pass from Doug Williams (Neil O'Donoghue kick) (17-10) NO Henry Childs 1 yard pass from Archie Manning (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)
NO TB
First Downs: 24 10
Rushes-yards: 38-171 22-102
Yards/rush: 4.5 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 25-36-250-2 7-23-96-0
Sacked-yards: 0-0 2-21
Net pass yards: 250 75
Net yards/pass: 6.9 3.0
Total net yards: 421 177
Total plays: 74 (51% run) 47 (46% run)
Yards/play: 5.7 3.8
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 1-0
Turnovers: 3 0
Penalties-yards: 5-49 5-30
Attendance: 51,207
Passing:
NO: Archie Manning, 25 of 36 for 250 yards and 1 TD (2 int) TB: Doug Williams, 7 of 22 for 96 yards and 1 TD; Louis Carter, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
NO: Chuck Muncie, 11 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Tony Galbreath, 11 for 60 yards; Mike Strachan, 8 for 25 yards; Kim Jones, 5 for 17 yards; Archie Manning, 3 for 1 yard TB: Johnny Davis, 9 for 44 yards; Louis Carter, 7 for 31 yards; George Ragsdale, 5 for 27 yards; Doug Williams, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
NO: Henry Childs, 6 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Wes Chandler, 6 for 56 yards; Tony Galbreath, 5 for 35 yards; Larry Hardy, 2 for 44 yards; Rich Mauti, 2 for 9 yards; Chuck Muncie, 2 for 1 yard; Ike Harris, 1 for 19 yards; Kim Jones, 1 for 6 yards TB: Larry Mucker, 2 for 56 yards; Jimmie Giles, 2 for 19 yards and 1 TD; George Ragsdale, 2 for 10 yards; Louis Carter, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
NO: Rich Mauti, 1 for 39 yards; Wes Chandler, 1 for 33 yards; Don Schwartz, 1 for 19 yards TB: Jimmie Giles, 2 for 24 yards; Danny Reece, 1 for 24 yards
Punt returns:
NO: Wes Chandler, 5 for 36 yards TB: Danny Reece, 3 for 37 yards
Interceptions:
TB: Mike Washington, 1 for 24 yards; Dave Lewis, 1 for 7 yards
Punting:
NO: Tom Blanchard, 4 for 168 yards TB: Dave Green, 9 for 361 yards
Field Goals:
NO: Steve Mike-Mayer, 1/2 TB: Neil O'Donoghue, 1/1
NO: Archie Manning, 25 of 36 for 250 yards and 1 TD (2 int) TB: Doug Williams, 7 of 22 for 96 yards and 1 TD; Louis Carter, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
NO: Chuck Muncie, 11 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Tony Galbreath, 11 for 60 yards; Mike Strachan, 8 for 25 yards; Kim Jones, 5 for 17 yards; Archie Manning, 3 for 1 yard TB: Johnny Davis, 9 for 44 yards; Louis Carter, 7 for 31 yards; George Ragsdale, 5 for 27 yards; Doug Williams, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
NO: Henry Childs, 6 for 80 yards and 1 TD; Wes Chandler, 6 for 56 yards; Tony Galbreath, 5 for 35 yards; Larry Hardy, 2 for 44 yards; Rich Mauti, 2 for 9 yards; Chuck Muncie, 2 for 1 yard; Ike Harris, 1 for 19 yards; Kim Jones, 1 for 6 yards TB: Larry Mucker, 2 for 56 yards; Jimmie Giles, 2 for 19 yards and 1 TD; George Ragsdale, 2 for 10 yards; Louis Carter, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
NO: Rich Mauti, 1 for 39 yards; Wes Chandler, 1 for 33 yards; Don Schwartz, 1 for 19 yards TB: Jimmie Giles, 2 for 24 yards; Danny Reece, 1 for 24 yards
Punt returns:
NO: Wes Chandler, 5 for 36 yards TB: Danny Reece, 3 for 37 yards
Interceptions:
TB: Mike Washington, 1 for 24 yards; Dave Lewis, 1 for 7 yards
Punting:
NO: Tom Blanchard, 4 for 168 yards TB: Dave Green, 9 for 361 yards
Field Goals:
NO: Steve Mike-Mayer, 1/2 TB: Neil O'Donoghue, 1/1