NFL game summary for 09/16/1979:
Earl Campbell ran for one touchdown and quarterback Gifford Nielsen, making his first NFL start, passed for another as the Oilers improved their record to 2-1. Houston built a 17-6 halftime advantage on Nielsen's 24-yard scoring strike to Tim Wilson and Campbell's four-yard run. Kansas City rookie quarterback Steve Fuller suffered four interceptions and was sacked six times.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 133.5 (17) | 96.0 (26) | 229.5 (26) | 2 |
| DEFENSE | 123.5 (12) | 231.5 (25) | 355.0 (21) | 4 | |
 | OFFENSE | 150.5 (10) | 94.0 (27) | 244.5 (25) | 9 |
| DEFENSE | 112.0 (9) | 139.0 (8) | 251.0 (7) | 5 |
Line: Oilers by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs (1-2-0) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Houston Oilers (2-1-0) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
( 0- 7) HOU Earl Campbell 4 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 6- 7) KC J.T. Smith 55 yard punt return (kick failed)
( 6-14) HOU Tim Wilson 24 yard pass from Gifford Nielsen (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 6-17) HOU Toni Fritsch 28 yard field goal
( 6-20) HOU Toni Fritsch 23 yard field goal
KC HOU
First Downs: 16 16
Rushes-yards: 34-183 44-172
Yards/rush: 5.4 3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-27-138-4 12-18-173-0
Sacked-yards: 6-41 0-0
Net pass yards: 97 173
Net yards/pass: 2.9 9.6
Total net yards: 280 345
Total plays: 67 (50% run) 62 (70% run)
Yards/play: 4.2 5.6
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 2-1
Turnovers: 5 1
Penalties-yards: 5-45 13-119
Attendance: 45,684
Passing:
KC: Steve Fuller, 11 of 27 for 138 yards (4 int) HOU: Gifford Nielsen, 12 of 18 for 173 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
KC: Tony Reed, 11 for 50 yards; Steve Fuller, 7 for 37 yards; Arnold Morgado, 6 for 34 yards; Ted McKnight, 4 for 49 yards; Horace Belton, 4 for 1 yard; Earl Gant, 2 for 12 yards HOU: Earl Campbell, 32 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 5 for 14 yards; Rob Carpenter, 4 for 17 yards; Gifford Nielsen, 3 for 10 yards
Receiving:
KC: Tony Reed, 3 for 37 yards; Henry Marshall, 2 for 18 yards; Walter White, 2 for 14 yards; Tony Samuels, 1 for 30 yards; Mike Williams, 1 for 19 yards; Ted McKnight, 1 for 10 yards; J.T. Smith, 1 for 10 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 4 for 62 yards; Mike Barber, 3 for 66 yards; Tim Wilson, 2 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Rob Carpenter, 2 for 2 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 22 yards
Kick returns:
KC: Steve Gaunty, 4 for 65 yards; Horace Belton, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 16 yards; Carter Hartwig, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
KC: J.T. Smith, 6 for 91 yards and 1 TD HOU: Guido Merkens, 1 for 6 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -5 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: J.C. Wilson, 2 for 32 yards; Mike Reinfeldt, 2 for 3 yards
Punting:
KC: Bob Grupp, 5 for 204 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 8 for 336 yards
Field Goals:
KC: Jan Stenerud, 0/1 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/2
KC: Steve Fuller, 11 of 27 for 138 yards (4 int) HOU: Gifford Nielsen, 12 of 18 for 173 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
KC: Tony Reed, 11 for 50 yards; Steve Fuller, 7 for 37 yards; Arnold Morgado, 6 for 34 yards; Ted McKnight, 4 for 49 yards; Horace Belton, 4 for 1 yard; Earl Gant, 2 for 12 yards HOU: Earl Campbell, 32 for 131 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 5 for 14 yards; Rob Carpenter, 4 for 17 yards; Gifford Nielsen, 3 for 10 yards
Receiving:
KC: Tony Reed, 3 for 37 yards; Henry Marshall, 2 for 18 yards; Walter White, 2 for 14 yards; Tony Samuels, 1 for 30 yards; Mike Williams, 1 for 19 yards; Ted McKnight, 1 for 10 yards; J.T. Smith, 1 for 10 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 4 for 62 yards; Mike Barber, 3 for 66 yards; Tim Wilson, 2 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Rob Carpenter, 2 for 2 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 22 yards
Kick returns:
KC: Steve Gaunty, 4 for 65 yards; Horace Belton, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 16 yards; Carter Hartwig, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
KC: J.T. Smith, 6 for 91 yards and 1 TD HOU: Guido Merkens, 1 for 6 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -5 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: J.C. Wilson, 2 for 32 yards; Mike Reinfeldt, 2 for 3 yards
Punting:
KC: Bob Grupp, 5 for 204 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 8 for 336 yards
Field Goals:
KC: Jan Stenerud, 0/1 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/2