All NFL game summaries for 12/08/1979:
Robert Newhouse scored on a 17-yard run and Butch Johnson caught his first touchdown pass of the year to help Dallas clinch its thirteenth playoff berth in 14 years. Newhouse's tally broke a 10-10 tie and Johnson's 17-yard scoring reception of a deflected pass gave the Cowboys a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia running back Wilbert Montgomery, who earlier caught a 14-yard touchdown pass, scored from one yard out with 5:51 left to bring the Eagles within seven points.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 143.8 (13) | 226.1 (3) | 369.9 (2) | 33 |
| DEFENSE | 131.5 (11) | 153.7 (4) | 285.1 (7) | 23 | |
 | OFFENSE | 155.2 (4) | 157.7 (21) | 312.9 (16) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 132.2 (12) | 162.6 (9) | 294.8 (9) | 29 |
Line: Cowboys by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (10-5-0) | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (10-5-0) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
( 7- 0) DAL Scott Laidlaw 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
( 7- 3) PHI Tony Franklin 27 yard field goal
(10- 3) DAL Rafael Septien 40 yard field goal
(10-10) PHI Wilbert Montgomery 14 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick)
(17-10) DAL Robert Newhouse 17 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
(24-10) DAL Butch Johnson 17 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick)
(24-17) PHI Wilbert Montgomery 1 yard rush (Tony Franklin kick)
DAL PHI
First Downs: 19 18
Rushes-yards: 41-185 28-80
Yards/rush: 4.5 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-21-105-0 13-36-216-1
Sacked-yards: 2-11 1-12
Net pass yards: 94 204
Net yards/pass: 4.1 5.5
Total net yards: 279 284
Total plays: 64 (64% run) 65 (43% run)
Yards/play: 4.4 4.4
Fumbles-lost: 3-1 1-0
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 7-46 2-6
Attendance: 71,434
Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 11 of 21 for 105 yards and 1 TD PHI: Ron Jaworski, 13 of 36 for 216 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Robert Newhouse, 12 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Ron Springs, 12 for 62 yards; Tony Dorsett, 9 for 36 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 10 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 2 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Preston Pearson, 2 for -2 yards; Larry Brinson, 1 for 1 yard PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 23 for 65 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Harris, 5 for 15 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Tony Hill, 3 for 33 yards; Preston Pearson, 3 for 27 yards; Robert Newhouse, 2 for 1 yard; Butch Johnson, 1 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Ron Springs, 1 for 16 yards; Tony Dorsett, 1 for 11 yards PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 4 for 93 yards and 1 TD; Keith Krepfle, 3 for 31 yards; Scott Fitzkee, 2 for 24 yards; Billy Campfield, 2 for 23 yards; Harold Carmichael, 1 for 34 yards; Leroy Harris, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Wade Manning, 2 for 30 yards; Ron Springs, 1 for 18 yards PHI: Wally Henry, 3 for 59 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Wade Manning, 1 for 17 yards PHI: Wally Henry, 2 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Randy Hughes, 1 for 23 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 4 for 165 yards PHI: Max Runager, 5 for 203 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/1 PHI: Tony Franklin, 1/1
DAL: Roger Staubach, 11 of 21 for 105 yards and 1 TD PHI: Ron Jaworski, 13 of 36 for 216 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Robert Newhouse, 12 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Ron Springs, 12 for 62 yards; Tony Dorsett, 9 for 36 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 10 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 2 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Preston Pearson, 2 for -2 yards; Larry Brinson, 1 for 1 yard PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 23 for 65 yards and 1 TD; Leroy Harris, 5 for 15 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Tony Hill, 3 for 33 yards; Preston Pearson, 3 for 27 yards; Robert Newhouse, 2 for 1 yard; Butch Johnson, 1 for 17 yards and 1 TD; Ron Springs, 1 for 16 yards; Tony Dorsett, 1 for 11 yards PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 4 for 93 yards and 1 TD; Keith Krepfle, 3 for 31 yards; Scott Fitzkee, 2 for 24 yards; Billy Campfield, 2 for 23 yards; Harold Carmichael, 1 for 34 yards; Leroy Harris, 1 for 11 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Wade Manning, 2 for 30 yards; Ron Springs, 1 for 18 yards PHI: Wally Henry, 3 for 59 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Wade Manning, 1 for 17 yards PHI: Wally Henry, 2 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Randy Hughes, 1 for 23 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 4 for 165 yards PHI: Max Runager, 5 for 203 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 1/1 PHI: Tony Franklin, 1/1
Jim Zorn completed 22 of 39 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns to lead Seattle to its first-ever victory over Denver. Zorn fired a 43-yard scoring toss to Steve Largent with 1:40 left in the final period to erase a two-point Broncos' lead. The Seattle defense had two interceptions and recorded four sacks.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 127.4 (19) | 190.0 (13) | 317.4 (14) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 108.7 (3) | 187.2 (18) | 295.9 (10) | 31 | |
 | OFFENSE | 128.5 (18) | 212.0 (6) | 340.5 (8) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 153.7 (23) | 207.2 (25) | 360.9 (24) | 27 |
Line: Broncos by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (10-5-0) | 0 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| Seattle Seahawks (8-7-0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
( 0- 7) SEA Sherman Smith 17 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
( 0-14) SEA Sherman Smith 1 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
( 7-14) DEN Craig Morton 2 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(13-14) DEN Haven Moses 7 yard pass from Craig Morton (kick failed)
(20-14) DEN Jim Jensen 2 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(20-21) SEA Steve Largent 35 yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick)
(23-21) DEN Jim Turner 29 yard field goal
(23-28) SEA Steve Largent 43 yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick)
DEN SEA
First Downs: 27 21
Rushes-yards: 38-141 26-74
Yards/rush: 3.7 2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 22-41-245-2 22-39-308-2
Sacked-yards: 4-23 0-0
Net pass yards: 222 308
Net yards/pass: 4.9 7.9
Total net yards: 363 382
Total plays: 83 (45% run) 65 (40% run)
Yards/play: 4.4 5.9
Fumbles-lost: 3-1 2-0
Turnovers: 3 2
Penalties-yards: 13-128 9-145
Attendance: 60,038
Passing:
DEN: Craig Morton, 22 of 40 for 245 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Rick Upchurch, 0 of 1 for 0 yards SEA: Jim Zorn, 22 of 39 for 308 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 13 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 8 for 37 yards; Jon Keyworth, 7 for 24 yards; Rob Lytle, 6 for 31 yards; Craig Morton, 3 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Dave Preston, 1 for 3 yards SEA: Sherman Smith, 14 for 57 yards and 2 TDs; Dan Doornink, 7 for 12 yards; Jim Zorn, 3 for 3 yards; Al Hunter, 2 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 7 for 91 yards; Haven Moses, 6 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Dave Preston, 5 for 37 yards; Jon Keyworth, 2 for 12 yards; Ron Egloff, 1 for 19 yards; Rob Lytle, 1 for 9 yards SEA: Dan Doornink, 6 for 35 yards; Sam McCullum, 5 for 102 yards; Sherman Smith, 4 for 60 yards; Steve Largent, 3 for 78 yards and 2 TDs; Brian Peets, 2 for 25 yards; Al Hunter, 1 for 6 yards; Jeff Moore, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 3 for 79 yards; John Grant, 1 for 25 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 17 yards SEA: Jeff Moore, 4 for 86 yards; Tony Green, 1 for 11 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 4 for 49 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 10 yards SEA: John Harris, 5 for 35 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Steve Foley, 2 for 7 yards SEA: John Harris, 1 for 5 yards; Kerry Justin, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 230 yards SEA: Herman Weaver, 7 for 303 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/2
DEN: Craig Morton, 22 of 40 for 245 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Rick Upchurch, 0 of 1 for 0 yards SEA: Jim Zorn, 22 of 39 for 308 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 13 for 37 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 8 for 37 yards; Jon Keyworth, 7 for 24 yards; Rob Lytle, 6 for 31 yards; Craig Morton, 3 for 9 yards and 1 TD; Dave Preston, 1 for 3 yards SEA: Sherman Smith, 14 for 57 yards and 2 TDs; Dan Doornink, 7 for 12 yards; Jim Zorn, 3 for 3 yards; Al Hunter, 2 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 7 for 91 yards; Haven Moses, 6 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Dave Preston, 5 for 37 yards; Jon Keyworth, 2 for 12 yards; Ron Egloff, 1 for 19 yards; Rob Lytle, 1 for 9 yards SEA: Dan Doornink, 6 for 35 yards; Sam McCullum, 5 for 102 yards; Sherman Smith, 4 for 60 yards; Steve Largent, 3 for 78 yards and 2 TDs; Brian Peets, 2 for 25 yards; Al Hunter, 1 for 6 yards; Jeff Moore, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 3 for 79 yards; John Grant, 1 for 25 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 17 yards SEA: Jeff Moore, 4 for 86 yards; Tony Green, 1 for 11 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 4 for 49 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 10 yards SEA: John Harris, 5 for 35 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Steve Foley, 2 for 7 yards SEA: John Harris, 1 for 5 yards; Kerry Justin, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 230 yards SEA: Herman Weaver, 7 for 303 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/2