NFL game summary for 12/09/1979:
Ottis Anderson picked up 140 yards on 29 carries and scored twice as St. Louis downed the Giants. Anderson, who broke the NFL rookie rushing record held by Earl Campbell (1,450 yards), scored on runs of six and nine yards. New York rookie quarterback Phil Simms (18 of 30 for 195 yards) had three scoring passes to running back Billy Taylor.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 112.2 (23) | 125.1 (27) | 237.3 (28) | 30 |
| DEFENSE | 143.5 (19) | 184.0 (16) | 327.5 (18) | 34 | |
 | OFFENSE | 161.4 (3) | 171.8 (14) | 333.2 (9) | 41 |
| DEFENSE | 136.9 (14) | 174.8 (15) | 311.7 (13) | 30 |
Line: Cardinals by 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants (6-9-0) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 20 |
| St. Louis Cardinals (5-10-0) | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 29 |
( 0- 6) STL Ottis Anderson 9 yard rush (kick failed)
( 0- 9) STL Steve Little 30 yard field goal
( 0-12) STL Steve Little 25 yard field goal
( 0-19) STL Pat Tilley 7 yard pass from Steve Pisarkiewicz (Steve Little kick)
( 6-19) NYG Billy Taylor 18 yard pass from Phil Simms (kick failed)
( 6-26) STL Ottis Anderson 6 yard rush (Steve Little kick)
(13-26) NYG Billy Taylor 23 yard pass from Phil Simms (Joe Danelo kick)
(13-29) STL Steve Little 42 yard field goal
(20-29) NYG Billy Taylor 23 yard pass from Phil Simms (Joe Danelo kick)
NYG STL
First Downs: 15 26
Rushes-yards: 24-86 54-232
Yards/rush: 3.6 4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-30-195-1 15-24-183-0
Sacked-yards: 5-24 1-9
Net pass yards: 171 174
Net yards/pass: 4.9 7.0
Total net yards: 257 406
Total plays: 59 (40% run) 79 (68% run)
Yards/play: 4.4 5.1
Fumbles-lost: 5-4 4-2
Turnovers: 5 2
Penalties-yards: 8-71 8-78
Attendance: 39,802
Passing:
NYG: Phil Simms, 18 of 30 for 195 yards and 3 TDs (1 int) STL: Steve Pisarkiewicz, 15 of 24 for 183 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 16 for 50 yards; Doug Kotar, 6 for 27 yards; Phil Simms, 2 for 9 yards STL: Ottis Anderson, 29 for 140 yards and 2 TDs; Theotis Brown, 13 for 65 yards; Wayne Morris, 7 for 30 yards; Steve Pisarkiewicz, 5 for -3 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 8 for 72 yards and 3 TDs; Gary Shirk, 5 for 63 yards; Dwight Scales, 3 for 64 yards; Doug Kotar, 2 for -4 yards STL: Pat Tilley, 6 for 94 yards and 1 TD; Ottis Anderson, 3 for 28 yards; Dave Stief, 2 for 24 yards; Theotis Brown, 2 for 3 yards; Mel Gray, 1 for 25 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Jim Robinson, 6 for 110 yards; Eddie Hicks, 1 for 17 yards STL: Roy Green, 2 for 79 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Jim Robinson, 1 for 6 yards STL: Roy Green, 3 for 15 yards; Lee Nelson, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Eric Williams, 1 for 25 yards
Punting:
NYG: Dave Jennings, 6 for 267 yards STL: Steve Little, 3 for 129 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Steve Little, 3/5
NYG: Phil Simms, 18 of 30 for 195 yards and 3 TDs (1 int) STL: Steve Pisarkiewicz, 15 of 24 for 183 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 16 for 50 yards; Doug Kotar, 6 for 27 yards; Phil Simms, 2 for 9 yards STL: Ottis Anderson, 29 for 140 yards and 2 TDs; Theotis Brown, 13 for 65 yards; Wayne Morris, 7 for 30 yards; Steve Pisarkiewicz, 5 for -3 yards
Receiving:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 8 for 72 yards and 3 TDs; Gary Shirk, 5 for 63 yards; Dwight Scales, 3 for 64 yards; Doug Kotar, 2 for -4 yards STL: Pat Tilley, 6 for 94 yards and 1 TD; Ottis Anderson, 3 for 28 yards; Dave Stief, 2 for 24 yards; Theotis Brown, 2 for 3 yards; Mel Gray, 1 for 25 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 9 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Jim Robinson, 6 for 110 yards; Eddie Hicks, 1 for 17 yards STL: Roy Green, 2 for 79 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Jim Robinson, 1 for 6 yards STL: Roy Green, 3 for 15 yards; Lee Nelson, 1 for 5 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Eric Williams, 1 for 25 yards
Punting:
NYG: Dave Jennings, 6 for 267 yards STL: Steve Little, 3 for 129 yards
Field Goals:
STL: Steve Little, 3/5