NFL game summary for 12/10/1979:
Dan Pastorini's 25-yard touchdown pass and Rob Carpenter's four-yard scoring run helped Houston down Pittsburgh and earn a share of first place in the AFC Central. An interception by linebacker Robert Brazile preceded Pastorini's scoring pass to Ken Burrough. Carpenter's touchdown with 2:10 left in regulation gave the Oilers a 20-10 advantage. Houston's Earl Campbell (33 carries for 109 yards) recorded his sixth straight 100-yard game and his first against the Steelers.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 162.1 (3) | 231.1 (2) | 393.2 (1) | 46 |
| DEFENSE | 102.9 (1) | 165.9 (10) | 268.9 (3) | 39 | |
 | OFFENSE | 153.3 (4) | 142.3 (25) | 295.6 (23) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 138.4 (16) | 167.8 (13) | 306.1 (11) | 47 |
Line: Steelers by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4-0) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| Houston Oilers (11-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
( 0- 7) HOU Ken Burrough 25 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 3- 7) PIT Matt Bahr 37 yard field goal
( 3-10) HOU Toni Fritsch 24 yard field goal
( 3-13) HOU Toni Fritsch 34 yard field goal
(10-13) PIT Lynn Swann 9 yard rush (Matt Bahr kick)
(10-20) HOU Rob Carpenter 4 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
(17-20) PIT John Stallworth 34 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)
PIT HOU
First Downs: 15 20
Rushes-yards: 22-120 54-190
Yards/rush: 5.5 3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-29-237-2 10-17-170-0
Sacked-yards: 3-19 1-10
Net pass yards: 218 160
Net yards/pass: 6.8 8.9
Total net yards: 338 350
Total plays: 54 (40% run) 72 (75% run)
Yards/play: 6.3 4.9
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 1-0
Turnovers: 2 0
Penalties-yards: 10-79 4-28
Attendance: 55,293
Passing:
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 14 of 29 for 237 yards and 1 TD (2 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 16 for 170 yards and 1 TD; Gifford Nielsen, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 12 for 59 yards; Rocky Bleier, 8 for 32 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 1 for 20 yards; Lynn Swann, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD HOU: Earl Campbell, 33 for 109 yards; Tim Wilson, 10 for 47 yards; Rob Carpenter, 7 for 25 yards and 1 TD; Mike Barber, 1 for 6 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 5 yards; Boobie Clark, 1 for 0 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Lynn Swann, 4 for 50 yards; John Stallworth, 3 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Franco Harris, 3 for 32 yards; Bennie Cunningham, 2 for 67 yards; Randy Grossman, 1 for 18 yards; Rocky Bleier, 1 for 6 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 3 for 48 yards and 1 TD; Earl Campbell, 2 for 22 yards; Mike Renfro, 1 for 25 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 24 yards; Mike Barber, 1 for 22 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 17 yards; Rob Carpenter, 1 for 12 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Larry Anderson, 3 for 72 yards; Greg Hawthorne, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 37 yards; Carter Hartwig, 1 for 23 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 3 for 19 yards HOU: Rich Ellender, 2 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Robert Brazile, 1 for 26 yards; Art Stringer, 1 for 21 yards
Punting:
PIT: Craig Colquitt, 4 for 184 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 5 for 174 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Matt Bahr, 1/2 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/3
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 14 of 29 for 237 yards and 1 TD (2 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 10 of 16 for 170 yards and 1 TD; Gifford Nielsen, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 12 for 59 yards; Rocky Bleier, 8 for 32 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 1 for 20 yards; Lynn Swann, 1 for 9 yards and 1 TD HOU: Earl Campbell, 33 for 109 yards; Tim Wilson, 10 for 47 yards; Rob Carpenter, 7 for 25 yards and 1 TD; Mike Barber, 1 for 6 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 5 yards; Boobie Clark, 1 for 0 yards; Dan Pastorini, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Lynn Swann, 4 for 50 yards; John Stallworth, 3 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Franco Harris, 3 for 32 yards; Bennie Cunningham, 2 for 67 yards; Randy Grossman, 1 for 18 yards; Rocky Bleier, 1 for 6 yards HOU: Ken Burrough, 3 for 48 yards and 1 TD; Earl Campbell, 2 for 22 yards; Mike Renfro, 1 for 25 yards; Rich Caster, 1 for 24 yards; Mike Barber, 1 for 22 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 17 yards; Rob Carpenter, 1 for 12 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Larry Anderson, 3 for 72 yards; Greg Hawthorne, 1 for 23 yards HOU: Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 37 yards; Carter Hartwig, 1 for 23 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 3 for 19 yards HOU: Rich Ellender, 2 for 6 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Robert Brazile, 1 for 26 yards; Art Stringer, 1 for 21 yards
Punting:
PIT: Craig Colquitt, 4 for 184 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 5 for 174 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Matt Bahr, 1/2 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/3