NFL game summary for 12/31/1978:
Los Angeles quarterback Pat Haden threw two touchdown passes and running back Cullen Bryant rushed for 100 yards on 27 carries to lead the Rams to a divisional playoff win over Minnesota on a sunny 66-degree afternoon. The Los Angeles win broke a four-game losing streak in postseason play against the Vikings. The victory retained the Rams' home-field advantage for the NFC championship game in Los Angeles' quest for its first Super Bowl berth. In recent years, the Rams have lost two NFC title games to Minnesota (14-10 in 1974 and 24-13 in 1976) and one to Dallas (37-7 in 1975).
Haden sparked the Rams from a 10-10 halftime score to 24 second half points, while Los Angeles' defense held Minnesota to only 58 second half yards. On the day, Haden completed 15 of 29 for 209 yards, including touchdown tosses of 9 yards to wide receiver Willie Miller and 27 yards to Ron Jessie, who caught six passes for 108 yards.
Bryant gave the Rams a 17-10 lead 7:38 into the third quarter on a three-yard run. Rookie Frank Corral added field goals of 43 and 28 yards. Reserve running back Jim Jodat scored the Rams' final touchdown with 1:52 to go on a three-yard run. In the first quarter, safety Bill Simpson halted two Minnesota drives with interceptions at the Rams' 13 yard line and in the Los Angeles end zone. The Rams' balanced offense generated 409 yards (200 rushing, 209 passing). Los Angeles held a decisive 25-12 margin in first downs. However, the first half was evenly played with the Vikings gaining 196 yards to the Rams' 175. The Rams had excellent field position most of the game, with the scoring drives covering 59, 55, 44, 60, 43 and 78 yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 96.0 (28) | 202.7 (2) | 298.7 (17) | 51 |
| DEFENSE | 132.2 (10) | 168.1 (19) | 300.4 (14) | 43 | |
 | OFFENSE | 144.2 (12) | 179.6 (7) | 323.9 (6) | 44 |
| DEFENSE | 115.3 (3) | 128.0 (2) | 243.3 (1) | 43 |
Line: Rams by 7½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings (8-8-1) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Los Angeles Rams (13-4-0) | 0 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
( 3- 0) MIN Rick Danmeier 42 yard field goal ( 3- 7) LA Willie Miller 9 yard pass from Pat Haden (Frank Corral kick) ( 3-10) LA Frank Corral 43 yard field goal (10-10) MIN Ahmad Rashad 1 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Rick Danmeier kick) (10-17) LA Cullen Bryant 3 yard rush (Frank Corral kick) (10-24) LA Ron Jessie 27 yard pass from Pat Haden (Frank Corral kick) (10-27) LA Frank Corral 28 yard field goal (10-34) LA Jim Jodat 3 yard rush (Frank Corral kick)
MIN LA
First Downs: 12 25
Rushes-yards: 16-36 48-200
Yards/rush: 2.2 4.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-37-219-2 15-29-209-1
Sacked-yards: 1-11 0-0
Net pass yards: 208 209
Net yards/pass: 5.5 7.2
Total net yards: 244 409
Total plays: 54 (29% run) 77 (62% run)
Yards/play: 4.5 5.3
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 1-0
Turnovers: 2 1
Penalties-yards: 2-12 4-35
Attendance: 69,631
MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 18 of 37 for 219 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Chuck Foreman, 0 of 1 for 0 yards LA: Pat Haden, 15 of 29 for 209 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 13 for 31 yards; Mark Kellar, 2 for 7 yards; Fran Tarkenton, 1 for -2 yards LA: Cullen Bryant, 27 for 100 yards and 1 TD; John Cappelletti, 10 for 44 yards; Anthony Davis, 4 for 17 yards; Pat Haden, 2 for 15 yards; Rod Phillips, 2 for 10 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 9 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 3 yards and 1 TD; Terry Nelson, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
MIN: Ahmad Rashad, 7 for 84 yards and 1 TD; Rickey Young, 4 for 49 yards; Bob Tucker, 4 for 48 yards; Chuck Foreman, 3 for 38 yards LA: Ron Jessie, 6 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Charle Young, 2 for 30 yards; Willie Miller, 2 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 13 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 13 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 10 yards; John Cappelletti, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
MIN: Robert Miller, 4 for 92 yards; Brent McClanahan, 1 for 18 yards; Harry Washington, 1 for 16 yards LA: Jim Jodat, 3 for 58 yards
Punt returns:
MIN: Kevin Miller, 2 for -1 yards LA: Jackie Wallace, 5 for 71 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
MIN: Bobby Bryant, 1 for 0 yards LA: Bill Simpson, 2 for 17 yards
Punting:
MIN: Greg Coleman, 6 for 248 yards LA: Glen Walker, 3 for 124 yards
Field Goals:
MIN: Rick Danmeier, 1/1 LA: Frank Corral, 2/2