All NFL game summaries for 12/15/1979:
The Packers got four field goals from Tom Birney and a one-yard touchdown from Eric Torkelson in an 18-13 victory. Birney kicked field goals of 25, 27, 41 and 47 yards -- one more than he had in six previous games with the Packers.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 111.1 (22) | 172.6 (14) | 283.7 (24) | 44 |
| DEFENSE | 181.9 (28) | 179.3 (16) | 361.3 (25) | 29 | |
 | OFFENSE | 98.5 (27) | 155.4 (23) | 253.9 (27) | 40 |
| DEFENSE | 149.4 (25) | 160.4 (5) | 309.7 (14) | 25 |
Line: Lions by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers (5-11-0) | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 18 |
| Detroit Lions (2-14-0) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
( 3- 0) GB Tom Birney 27 yard field goal ( 3- 7) DET Jeff Komlo 9 yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick) ( 6- 7) GB Tom Birney 25 yard field goal ( 9- 7) GB Tom Birney 47 yard field goal (15- 7) GB Eric Torkelson 1 yard rush (pass failed) (18- 7) GB Tom Birney 41 yard field goal (18-13) DET Dexter Bussey 4 yard rush (kick failed)
GB DET
First Downs: 20 18
Rushes-yards: 44-195 28-156
Yards/rush: 4.4 5.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 11-24-131-0 13-29-142-1
Sacked-yards: 5-39 7-70
Net pass yards: 92 72
Net yards/pass: 3.2 2.0
Total net yards: 287 228
Total plays: 73 (60% run) 64 (43% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 3.6
Fumbles-lost: 3-0 2-2
Turnovers: 0 3
Penalties-yards: 5-44 1-10
Attendance: 57,376
Passing:
GB: Lynn Dickey, 11 of 24 for 131 yards DET: Scott Hunter, 8 of 16 for 84 yards; Jeff Komlo, 5 of 13 for 58 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
GB: Ricky Patton, 19 for 99 yards; Eric Torkelson, 13 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Walter Landers, 6 for 24 yards; Terdell Middleton, 4 for 6 yards; Steve Wagner, 1 for 16 yards; Lynn Dickey, 1 for -3 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 10 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Bo Robinson, 10 for 45 yards; Rick Kane, 6 for 28 yards; Jeff Komlo, 2 for 19 yards and 1 TD
Receiving:
GB: James Lofton, 3 for 48 yards; Paul Coffman, 2 for 26 yards; Ron Cassidy, 1 for 23 yards; Aundra Thompson, 1 for 19 yards; Ricky Patton, 1 for 6 yards; Walter Landers, 1 for 5 yards; Terdell Middleton, 1 for 5 yards; Eric Torkelson, 1 for -1 yards DET: Freddie Scott, 5 for 80 yards; Bo Robinson, 2 for 18 yards; David Hill, 2 for 10 yards; Gene Washington, 1 for 13 yards; Rick Kane, 1 for 8 yards; Horace King, 1 for 8 yards; Dexter Bussey, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
GB: Mike McCoy, 2 for 33 yards DET: John Arnold, 5 for 160 yards; Ken Callicutt, 1 for 20 yards
Punt returns:
GB: Johnnie Gray, 2 for 4 yards DET: John Arnold, 4 for 37 yards
Interceptions:
GB: Johnnie Gray, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
GB: David Beverly, 4 for 190 yards DET: Tom Skladany, 4 for 165 yards
Field Goals:
GB: Tom Birney, 4/5
GB: Lynn Dickey, 11 of 24 for 131 yards DET: Scott Hunter, 8 of 16 for 84 yards; Jeff Komlo, 5 of 13 for 58 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
GB: Ricky Patton, 19 for 99 yards; Eric Torkelson, 13 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Walter Landers, 6 for 24 yards; Terdell Middleton, 4 for 6 yards; Steve Wagner, 1 for 16 yards; Lynn Dickey, 1 for -3 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 10 for 64 yards and 1 TD; Bo Robinson, 10 for 45 yards; Rick Kane, 6 for 28 yards; Jeff Komlo, 2 for 19 yards and 1 TD
Receiving:
GB: James Lofton, 3 for 48 yards; Paul Coffman, 2 for 26 yards; Ron Cassidy, 1 for 23 yards; Aundra Thompson, 1 for 19 yards; Ricky Patton, 1 for 6 yards; Walter Landers, 1 for 5 yards; Terdell Middleton, 1 for 5 yards; Eric Torkelson, 1 for -1 yards DET: Freddie Scott, 5 for 80 yards; Bo Robinson, 2 for 18 yards; David Hill, 2 for 10 yards; Gene Washington, 1 for 13 yards; Rick Kane, 1 for 8 yards; Horace King, 1 for 8 yards; Dexter Bussey, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
GB: Mike McCoy, 2 for 33 yards DET: John Arnold, 5 for 160 yards; Ken Callicutt, 1 for 20 yards
Punt returns:
GB: Johnnie Gray, 2 for 4 yards DET: John Arnold, 4 for 37 yards
Interceptions:
GB: Johnnie Gray, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
GB: David Beverly, 4 for 190 yards DET: Tom Skladany, 4 for 165 yards
Field Goals:
GB: Tom Birney, 4/5
Richard Todd hit Mickey Shuler with a four-yard touchdown pass with 12:25 left in the game as the Jets defeated the AFC East champion Dolphins. Steve Towle's interception at the Miami 39 gave the Dolphins a final chance to win the game. However, Burgess Owens recovered Don Strock's fumble to preserve the win for the Jets. The victory was the Jets' fourth in a row over Miami. Nat Moore led Miami with five receptions for 102 yards, while the Jets' Bruce Harper had two catches for 89 yards, including one for a 72-yard touchdown.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 170.0 (1) | 158.1 (22) | 328.1 (10) | 34 |
| DEFENSE | 109.6 (6) | 252.9 (28) | 362.5 (26) | 36 | |
 | OFFENSE | 141.7 (15) | 162.7 (19) | 304.4 (18) | 33 |
| DEFENSE | 107.1 (2) | 167.4 (12) | 274.5 (4) | 34 |
Line: Dolphins by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets (8-8-0) | 0 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 27 |
| Miami Dolphins (10-6-0) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
( 0- 7) MIA Tony Nathan 20 yard pass from Don Strock (Uwe von Schamann kick) ( 0-14) MIA Larry Csonka 3 yard rush (Uwe von Schamann kick) ( 6-14) NYJ Woody Bennett 1 yard rush (kick failed) (13-14) NYJ Bruce Harper 72 yard pass from Richard Todd (Dave Jacobs kick) (20-14) NYJ Scott Dierking 1 yard rush (Dave Jacobs kick) (20-17) MIA Uwe von Schamann 25 yard field goal (27-17) NYJ Mickey Shuler 4 yard pass from Richard Todd (Dave Jacobs kick) (27-24) MIA Bob Torrey 1 yard rush (Uwe von Schamann kick)
NYJ MIA
First Downs: 14 22
Rushes-yards: 34-96 25-62
Yards/rush: 2.8 2.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-22-226-3 26-41-322-2
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 226 322
Net yards/pass: 10.3 7.9
Total net yards: 322 384
Total plays: 56 (60% run) 66 (37% run)
Yards/play: 5.8 5.8
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 2-2
Turnovers: 4 4
Penalties-yards: 3-15 3-20
Attendance: 49,915
Passing:
NYJ: Richard Todd, 12 of 22 for 226 yards and 2 TDs (3 int) MIA: Don Strock, 26 of 41 for 322 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
NYJ: Clark Gaines, 13 for 45 yards; Scott Dierking, 11 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Richard Todd, 4 for -4 yards; Bruce Harper, 2 for 18 yards; Tom Newton, 2 for 4 yards; Woody Bennett, 2 for 4 yards and 1 TD MIA: Larry Csonka, 8 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Gary Davis, 7 for 10 yards; Bob Torrey, 5 for 22 yards and 1 TD; Delvin Williams, 4 for 7 yards; Don Strock, 1 for 7 yards
Receiving:
NYJ: Jerome Barkum, 3 for 50 yards; Mickey Shuler, 3 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Bruce Harper, 2 for 89 yards and 1 TD; Bobby Jones, 1 for 51 yards; Scott Dierking, 1 for 14 yards; Clark Gaines, 1 for 6 yards; Derrick Gaffney, 1 for 6 yards MIA: Tony Nathan, 6 for 59 yards and 1 TD; Nat Moore, 5 for 102 yards; Duriel Harris, 4 for 72 yards; Gary Davis, 4 for 33 yards; Delvin Williams, 3 for 48 yards; Bob Torrey, 2 for 3 yards; Bruce Hardy, 1 for 3 yards; Jimmy Cefalo, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
NYJ: Bruce Harper, 5 for 124 yards MIA: Tony Nathan, 5 for 119 yards
Punt returns:
NYJ: Bruce Harper, 1 for 6 yards MIA: Tony Nathan, 1 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
NYJ: Burgess Owens, 1 for 14 yards; Mike McKibben, 1 for 5 yards MIA: Rusty Chambers, 1 for 4 yards; Kim Bokamper, 1 for 3 yards; Steve Towle, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NYJ: Chuck Ramsey, 2 for 92 yards MIA: George Roberts, 2 for 93 yards
Field Goals:
NYJ: Dave Jacobs, 0/1 MIA: Uwe von Schamann, 1/3
NYJ: Richard Todd, 12 of 22 for 226 yards and 2 TDs (3 int) MIA: Don Strock, 26 of 41 for 322 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
NYJ: Clark Gaines, 13 for 45 yards; Scott Dierking, 11 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Richard Todd, 4 for -4 yards; Bruce Harper, 2 for 18 yards; Tom Newton, 2 for 4 yards; Woody Bennett, 2 for 4 yards and 1 TD MIA: Larry Csonka, 8 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Gary Davis, 7 for 10 yards; Bob Torrey, 5 for 22 yards and 1 TD; Delvin Williams, 4 for 7 yards; Don Strock, 1 for 7 yards
Receiving:
NYJ: Jerome Barkum, 3 for 50 yards; Mickey Shuler, 3 for 10 yards and 1 TD; Bruce Harper, 2 for 89 yards and 1 TD; Bobby Jones, 1 for 51 yards; Scott Dierking, 1 for 14 yards; Clark Gaines, 1 for 6 yards; Derrick Gaffney, 1 for 6 yards MIA: Tony Nathan, 6 for 59 yards and 1 TD; Nat Moore, 5 for 102 yards; Duriel Harris, 4 for 72 yards; Gary Davis, 4 for 33 yards; Delvin Williams, 3 for 48 yards; Bob Torrey, 2 for 3 yards; Bruce Hardy, 1 for 3 yards; Jimmy Cefalo, 1 for 2 yards
Kick returns:
NYJ: Bruce Harper, 5 for 124 yards MIA: Tony Nathan, 5 for 119 yards
Punt returns:
NYJ: Bruce Harper, 1 for 6 yards MIA: Tony Nathan, 1 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
NYJ: Burgess Owens, 1 for 14 yards; Mike McKibben, 1 for 5 yards MIA: Rusty Chambers, 1 for 4 yards; Kim Bokamper, 1 for 3 yards; Steve Towle, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NYJ: Chuck Ramsey, 2 for 92 yards MIA: George Roberts, 2 for 93 yards
Field Goals:
NYJ: Dave Jacobs, 0/1 MIA: Uwe von Schamann, 1/3