NFL game summary for 12/09/1979:
John Riggins ran for two touchdowns and Joe Theismann passed for two scores as Washington earned a share of first place in the NFC East with Dallas and Philadelphia. Riggins' first touchdown (a seven-yard run) tied the score at 7-7 and Theismann's second scoring pass (23 yards to Clarence Harmon) gave the Redskins a 21-14 halftime lead. Theismann completed a career-high 23 of 34 passes for 296 yards. Washington defensive end Coy Bacon registered four sacks against his former teammates.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 147.9 (11) | 144.9 (24) | 292.7 (23) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 141.3 (18) | 225.9 (27) | 367.2 (27) | 38 | |
 | OFFENSE | 142.6 (14) | 151.0 (23) | 293.6 (22) | 22 |
| DEFENSE | 137.6 (16) | 174.2 (14) | 311.9 (14) | 44 |
Line: Redskins by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (3-12-0) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Washington Redskins (10-5-0) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
( 7- 0) CIN Archie Griffin 52 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick) ( 7- 7) WAS John Riggins 7 yard rush (Mark Moseley kick) (14- 7) CIN Pete Johnson 1 yard rush (Chris Bahr kick) (14-14) WAS Clarence Harmon 7 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) (14-21) WAS Clarence Harmon 23 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) (14-28) WAS John Riggins 2 yard rush (Mark Moseley kick)
CIN WAS
First Downs: 22 23
Rushes-yards: 29-113 32-125
Yards/rush: 3.9 3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 20-36-278-0 23-34-296-2
Sacked-yards: 6-46 1-1
Net pass yards: 232 295
Net yards/pass: 5.5 8.4
Total net yards: 345 420
Total plays: 71 (40% run) 67 (47% run)
Yards/play: 4.9 6.3
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 0-0
Turnovers: 0 2
Penalties-yards: 2-10 6-47
Attendance: 52,882
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 20 of 36 for 278 yards and 1 TD WAS: Joe Theismann, 23 of 34 for 296 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Pete Johnson, 16 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Archie Griffin, 10 for 68 yards; Charles Alexander, 2 for 1 yard; Tom Dinkel, 1 for 5 yards WAS: John Riggins, 19 for 95 yards and 2 TDs; Clarence Harmon, 5 for 1 yard; Ike Forte, 4 for 16 yards; Benny Malone, 4 for 13 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Dan Ross, 5 for 54 yards; Don Bass, 5 for 54 yards; Isaac Curtis, 4 for 62 yards; Archie Griffin, 3 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Pete Johnson, 2 for 16 yards; Pat McInally, 1 for 24 yards WAS: Danny Buggs, 5 for 82 yards; Ike Forte, 4 for 52 yards; Don Warren, 4 for 46 yards; John Riggins, 4 for 27 yards; John McDaniel, 3 for 56 yards; Clarence Harmon, 3 for 33 yards and 2 TDs
Kick returns:
CIN: Deacon Turner, 4 for 60 yards WAS: Bobby Hammond, 2 for 38 yards; Ike Forte, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Vaughn Lusby, 2 for 13 yards WAS: Bobby Hammond, 2 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Scott Perry, 1 for 11 yards; Jim LeClair, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 4 for 156 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 4 for 159 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 20 of 36 for 278 yards and 1 TD WAS: Joe Theismann, 23 of 34 for 296 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Pete Johnson, 16 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Archie Griffin, 10 for 68 yards; Charles Alexander, 2 for 1 yard; Tom Dinkel, 1 for 5 yards WAS: John Riggins, 19 for 95 yards and 2 TDs; Clarence Harmon, 5 for 1 yard; Ike Forte, 4 for 16 yards; Benny Malone, 4 for 13 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Dan Ross, 5 for 54 yards; Don Bass, 5 for 54 yards; Isaac Curtis, 4 for 62 yards; Archie Griffin, 3 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Pete Johnson, 2 for 16 yards; Pat McInally, 1 for 24 yards WAS: Danny Buggs, 5 for 82 yards; Ike Forte, 4 for 52 yards; Don Warren, 4 for 46 yards; John Riggins, 4 for 27 yards; John McDaniel, 3 for 56 yards; Clarence Harmon, 3 for 33 yards and 2 TDs
Kick returns:
CIN: Deacon Turner, 4 for 60 yards WAS: Bobby Hammond, 2 for 38 yards; Ike Forte, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Vaughn Lusby, 2 for 13 yards WAS: Bobby Hammond, 2 for 11 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Scott Perry, 1 for 11 yards; Jim LeClair, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 4 for 156 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 4 for 159 yards
Field Goals: