NFL game summary for 12/18/1978:
The win assured the Dolphins of the home field advantage in their AFC wild card game against the Oilers. Bob Griese completed 12 of 13 passes for 171 yards and touchdowns to Nat Moore and Duriel Harris. Miami's defense stopped the Patriots three times inside the Dolphin's 5. New England became the first team in NFL history to have four rushers over 500 yards in a season (Sam Cunningham, 768, Horace Ivory, 693, Andy Johnson, 675, and Steve Grogan, 539) and set an NFL rushing record of 3,165 yards. Miami's Delvin Williams finished the season with a club record 1,258 yards rushing.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 205.9 (1) | 172.1 (9) | 377.9 (1) | 42 |
| DEFENSE | 115.9 (4) | 172.8 (21) | 288.7 (9) | 42 | |
 | OFFENSE | 150.1 (9) | 153.2 (15) | 303.3 (13) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 145.6 (16) | 179.3 (25) | 324.9 (24) | 49 |
Line: Dolphins by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots (11-5-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Miami Dolphins (11-5-0) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
( 0- 7) MIA Nat Moore 6 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 0-13) MIA Duriel Harris 17 yard pass from Bob Griese (kick failed)
( 0-20) MIA Gary Davis 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-20) NE David Posey 35 yard field goal
( 3-23) MIA Garo Yepremian 30 yard field goal
NE MIA
First Downs: 16 12
Rushes-yards: 27-77 36-114
Yards/rush: 2.9 3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-34-240-3 12-13-171-0
Sacked-yards: 3-21 0-0
Net pass yards: 219 171
Net yards/pass: 5.9 13.2
Total net yards: 296 285
Total plays: 64 (42% run) 49 (73% run)
Yards/play: 4.6 5.8
Fumbles-lost: 3-1 1-1
Turnovers: 4 1
Penalties-yards: 7-50 2-15
Attendance: 72,071
Passing:
NE: Tom Owen, 14 of 24 for 167 yards (2 int); Steve Grogan, 5 of 10 for 73 yards (1 int) MIA: Bob Griese, 12 of 13 for 171 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 10 for 33 yards; Horace Ivory, 9 for 27 yards; James McAlister, 4 for 12 yards; Don Calhoun, 3 for 4 yards; Steve Grogan, 1 for 1 yard MIA: Gary Davis, 13 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Harris, 12 for 43 yards; Delvin Williams, 5 for 6 yards; Norm Bulaich, 3 for 12 yards; Jim Braxton, 2 for 4 yards; Bob Griese, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
NE: Horace Ivory, 5 for 55 yards; Sam Cunningham, 5 for 51 yards; Russ Francis, 4 for 48 yards; Harold Jackson, 2 for 40 yards; Don Hasselbeck, 1 for 17 yards; Stanley Morgan, 1 for 17 yards; James McAlister, 1 for 12 yards MIA: Duriel Harris, 3 for 95 yards and 1 TD; Nat Moore, 2 for 43 yards and 1 TD; Norm Bulaich, 2 for 9 yards; Gary Davis, 2 for 6 yards; Leroy Harris, 2 for 1 yard; Andre Tillman, 1 for 17 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Horace Ivory, 2 for 43 yards; Dick Conn, 1 for 26 yards; James McAlister, 1 for 22 yards; Mosi Tatupu, 1 for 17 yards MIA: Duriel Harris, 2 for 46 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 2 for 17 yards; Mike Haynes, 2 for 15 yards MIA: Jimmy Cefalo, 2 for 19 yards; Gary Davis, 1 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Gerald Small, 1 for 40 yards; Norris Thomas, 1 for 10 yards; Tim Foley, 1 for 8 yards
Punting:
NE: Jerrel Wilson, 3 for 101 yards MIA: George Roberts, 5 for 200 yards
Field Goals:
NE: David Posey, 1/1 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 1/1
NE: Tom Owen, 14 of 24 for 167 yards (2 int); Steve Grogan, 5 of 10 for 73 yards (1 int) MIA: Bob Griese, 12 of 13 for 171 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 10 for 33 yards; Horace Ivory, 9 for 27 yards; James McAlister, 4 for 12 yards; Don Calhoun, 3 for 4 yards; Steve Grogan, 1 for 1 yard MIA: Gary Davis, 13 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Harris, 12 for 43 yards; Delvin Williams, 5 for 6 yards; Norm Bulaich, 3 for 12 yards; Jim Braxton, 2 for 4 yards; Bob Griese, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
NE: Horace Ivory, 5 for 55 yards; Sam Cunningham, 5 for 51 yards; Russ Francis, 4 for 48 yards; Harold Jackson, 2 for 40 yards; Don Hasselbeck, 1 for 17 yards; Stanley Morgan, 1 for 17 yards; James McAlister, 1 for 12 yards MIA: Duriel Harris, 3 for 95 yards and 1 TD; Nat Moore, 2 for 43 yards and 1 TD; Norm Bulaich, 2 for 9 yards; Gary Davis, 2 for 6 yards; Leroy Harris, 2 for 1 yard; Andre Tillman, 1 for 17 yards
Kick returns:
NE: Horace Ivory, 2 for 43 yards; Dick Conn, 1 for 26 yards; James McAlister, 1 for 22 yards; Mosi Tatupu, 1 for 17 yards MIA: Duriel Harris, 2 for 46 yards
Punt returns:
NE: Stanley Morgan, 2 for 17 yards; Mike Haynes, 2 for 15 yards MIA: Jimmy Cefalo, 2 for 19 yards; Gary Davis, 1 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Gerald Small, 1 for 40 yards; Norris Thomas, 1 for 10 yards; Tim Foley, 1 for 8 yards
Punting:
NE: Jerrel Wilson, 3 for 101 yards MIA: George Roberts, 5 for 200 yards
Field Goals:
NE: David Posey, 1/1 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 1/1