NFL game summary for 10/07/1979:
Pittsburgh, behind a club-record 361 rushing yards, gained sole possession of first place in the AFC Central. Franco Harris (19 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns), Sidney Thornton (18 for 98 and one touchdown), and Rocky Bleier (4 for 81 and one touchdown) combined to help Pittsburgh record its highest point total in 10 years. Cleveland quarterback Brian Sipe completed 22 of 41 passes for a career-high 351 yards and a club-record tying five touchdowns. The two teams produced 980 offensive yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 132.0 (17) | 200.6 (6) | 332.6 (9) | 16 |
| DEFENSE | 120.4 (8) | 109.2 (1) | 229.6 (3) | 13 | |
 | OFFENSE | 121.8 (23) | 231.4 (4) | 353.2 (4) | 13 |
| DEFENSE | 149.0 (21) | 168.0 (15) | 317.0 (16) | 8 |
Line: Steelers by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1-0) | 21 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 51 |
| Cleveland Browns (4-2-0) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
( 7- 0) PIT Bennie Cunningham 7 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick) (14- 0) PIT Sidney Thornton 10 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick) (21- 0) PIT Franco Harris 71 yard rush (Matt Bahr kick) (27- 0) PIT Jim Smith 14 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick failed) (27- 7) CLE Reggie Rucker 32 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick) (27-14) CLE Ozzie Newsome 18 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick) (30-14) PIT Matt Bahr 42 yard field goal (37-14) PIT Franco Harris 25 yard rush (Matt Bahr kick) (37-21) CLE Calvin Hill 14 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick) (44-21) PIT Rocky Bleier 70 yard rush (Matt Bahr kick) (44-28) CLE Dave Logan 30 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick) (44-35) CLE Dave Logan 13 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick) (51-35) PIT Sidney Thornton 1 yard rush (Matt Bahr kick)
PIT CLE
First Downs: 21 24
Rushes-yards: 45-361 24-93
Yards/rush: 8.0 3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-21-161-0 23-42-365-3
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 161 365
Net yards/pass: 7.7 8.7
Total net yards: 522 458
Total plays: 66 (68% run) 66 (36% run)
Yards/play: 7.9 6.9
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 4-2
Turnovers: 1 5
Penalties-yards: 9-84 1-3
Attendance: 81,250
Passing:
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 12 of 21 for 161 yards and 3 TDs CLE: Brian Sipe, 22 of 41 for 351 yards and 5 TDs (3 int); Johnny Evans, 1 of 1 for 14 yards
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 19 for 153 yards and 2 TDs; Sidney Thornton, 18 for 98 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 4 for 81 yards and 1 TD; Greg Hawthorne, 4 for 29 yards CLE: Mike Pruitt, 15 for 73 yards; Calvin Hill, 5 for 8 yards; Brian Sipe, 2 for 4 yards; Dino Hall, 1 for 7 yards; Cleo Miller, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
PIT: John Stallworth, 4 for 96 yards; Bennie Cunningham, 4 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Jim Smith, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Sidney Thornton, 1 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 1 for 9 yards CLE: Ozzie Newsome, 6 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Dave Logan, 5 for 91 yards and 2 TDs; Calvin Hill, 4 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Mike Pruitt, 4 for 33 yards; Reggie Rucker, 2 for 56 yards and 1 TD; Ricky Feacher, 1 for 14 yards; Willis Adams, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Larry Anderson, 3 for 65 yards; Greg Hawthorne, 1 for 23 yards CLE: Dino Hall, 9 for 172 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 1 for 0 yards CLE: Dino Hall, 2 for 58 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Mike Wagner, 2 for 12 yards; Donnie Shell, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
PIT: Craig Colquitt, 5 for 180 yards CLE: Johnny Evans, 2 for 65 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Matt Bahr, 1/1 CLE: Don Cockroft, 0/1
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 12 of 21 for 161 yards and 3 TDs CLE: Brian Sipe, 22 of 41 for 351 yards and 5 TDs (3 int); Johnny Evans, 1 of 1 for 14 yards
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 19 for 153 yards and 2 TDs; Sidney Thornton, 18 for 98 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 4 for 81 yards and 1 TD; Greg Hawthorne, 4 for 29 yards CLE: Mike Pruitt, 15 for 73 yards; Calvin Hill, 5 for 8 yards; Brian Sipe, 2 for 4 yards; Dino Hall, 1 for 7 yards; Cleo Miller, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
PIT: John Stallworth, 4 for 96 yards; Bennie Cunningham, 4 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Jim Smith, 2 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Sidney Thornton, 1 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 1 for 9 yards CLE: Ozzie Newsome, 6 for 97 yards and 1 TD; Dave Logan, 5 for 91 yards and 2 TDs; Calvin Hill, 4 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Mike Pruitt, 4 for 33 yards; Reggie Rucker, 2 for 56 yards and 1 TD; Ricky Feacher, 1 for 14 yards; Willis Adams, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Larry Anderson, 3 for 65 yards; Greg Hawthorne, 1 for 23 yards CLE: Dino Hall, 9 for 172 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 1 for 0 yards CLE: Dino Hall, 2 for 58 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Mike Wagner, 2 for 12 yards; Donnie Shell, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
PIT: Craig Colquitt, 5 for 180 yards CLE: Johnny Evans, 2 for 65 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Matt Bahr, 1/1 CLE: Don Cockroft, 0/1