NFL game summary for 12/17/1978:
The Chargers, behind Dan Fouts' 369 yards passing and four touchdowns, defeated the Oilers to finish 9-7 for the season (8-4 under Don Coryell). John Jefferson caught six passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns and became the first rookie wide receiver since Philadelphia's Harold Jackson (1969) to surpass 1,000 yards in a season. Jefferson had 56 catches for 1,001 yards. Another rookie, Houston's Earl Campbell, captured the NFL rushing title with 1,450 yards on 302 carries. The last rookie to win the rushing crown was Cleveland's Jim Brown in 1957.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 129.8 (21) | 200.5 (2) | 330.3 (5) | 48 |
| DEFENSE | 139.4 (14) | 146.5 (8) | 285.9 (8) | 35 | |
 | OFFENSE | 157.3 (5) | 145.7 (18) | 302.9 (13) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 128.2 (9) | 164.9 (19) | 293.1 (12) | 31 |
Line: Oilers by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers (9-7-0) | 0 | 21 | 10 | 14 | 45 |
| Houston Oilers (10-6-0) | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
( 7- 0) SD John Jefferson 33 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) ( 7- 7) HOU Robert Woods 21 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick) ( 7-10) HOU Toni Fritsch 43 yard field goal (14-10) SD Dwight McDonald 37 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) (21-10) SD Don Woods 3 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick) (21-17) HOU Ronnie Coleman 7 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick) (24-17) SD Rolf Benirschke 19 yard field goal (31-17) SD Bob Klein 10 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) (31-24) HOU Tim Wilson 2 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick) (38-24) SD Don Woods 18 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick) (45-24) SD John Jefferson 36 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick)
SD HOU
First Downs: 24 14
Rushes-yards: 39-149 27-117
Yards/rush: 3.8 4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 21-41-369-2 16-33-165-2
Sacked-yards: 1-1 2-12
Net pass yards: 368 153
Net yards/pass: 8.8 4.4
Total net yards: 517 270
Total plays: 81 (48% run) 62 (43% run)
Yards/play: 6.4 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 3-1
Turnovers: 3 3
Penalties-yards: 11-90 6-35
Attendance: 49,554
Passing:
SD: Dan Fouts, 21 of 40 for 369 yards and 4 TDs (2 int); James Harris, 0 of 1 for 0 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 14 of 29 for 165 yards and 3 TDs (2 int); Gifford Nielsen, 2 of 4 for 0 yards
Rushing:
SD: Don Woods, 16 for 53 yards and 2 TDs; Lydell Mitchell, 8 for 35 yards; Clarence Williams, 8 for 18 yards; Hank Bauer, 5 for 21 yards; Dan Fouts, 2 for 22 yards HOU: Earl Campbell, 14 for 77 yards; Tim Wilson, 7 for 27 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 15 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for -1 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 0 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for -1 yards
Receiving:
SD: John Jefferson, 6 for 149 yards and 2 TDs; Bob Klein, 5 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 62 yards; Lydell Mitchell, 3 for 15 yards; Dwight McDonald, 2 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Don Woods, 2 for 20 yards HOU: Tim Wilson, 4 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 3 for 67 yards; Mike Barber, 2 for 28 yards; Robert Woods, 2 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Brian Duncan, 2 for 0 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Guido Merkens, 1 for 6 yards; Earl Campbell, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
SD: Clarence Williams, 2 for 56 yards; Mike Fuller, 2 for 49 yards HOU: Johnnie Dirden, 7 for 158 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
SD: Mike Fuller, 7 for 92 yards HOU: Robert Woods, 2 for 15 yards
Interceptions:
SD: Jerome Dove, 1 for 4 yards; Pete Shaw, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Greg Stemrick, 1 for 38 yards; J.C. Wilson, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
SD: Jeff West, 4 for 148 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 8 for 307 yards
Field Goals:
SD: Rolf Benirschke, 1/1 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 1/1
SD: Dan Fouts, 21 of 40 for 369 yards and 4 TDs (2 int); James Harris, 0 of 1 for 0 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 14 of 29 for 165 yards and 3 TDs (2 int); Gifford Nielsen, 2 of 4 for 0 yards
Rushing:
SD: Don Woods, 16 for 53 yards and 2 TDs; Lydell Mitchell, 8 for 35 yards; Clarence Williams, 8 for 18 yards; Hank Bauer, 5 for 21 yards; Dan Fouts, 2 for 22 yards HOU: Earl Campbell, 14 for 77 yards; Tim Wilson, 7 for 27 yards; Dan Pastorini, 2 for 15 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for -1 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 0 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for -1 yards
Receiving:
SD: John Jefferson, 6 for 149 yards and 2 TDs; Bob Klein, 5 for 55 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 62 yards; Lydell Mitchell, 3 for 15 yards; Dwight McDonald, 2 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Don Woods, 2 for 20 yards HOU: Tim Wilson, 4 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Ken Burrough, 3 for 67 yards; Mike Barber, 2 for 28 yards; Robert Woods, 2 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Brian Duncan, 2 for 0 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Guido Merkens, 1 for 6 yards; Earl Campbell, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
SD: Clarence Williams, 2 for 56 yards; Mike Fuller, 2 for 49 yards HOU: Johnnie Dirden, 7 for 158 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
SD: Mike Fuller, 7 for 92 yards HOU: Robert Woods, 2 for 15 yards
Interceptions:
SD: Jerome Dove, 1 for 4 yards; Pete Shaw, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Greg Stemrick, 1 for 38 yards; J.C. Wilson, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
SD: Jeff West, 4 for 148 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 8 for 307 yards
Field Goals:
SD: Rolf Benirschke, 1/1 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 1/1