NFL game summary for 12/16/1979:
Mike Strachan scored from 1 and 10 yards out as the Saints took advantage of six turnovers to defeat the Rams, who had clinched the NFC West title the previous week. The Saints finished the season with an 8-8 record for the first non-losing season in their 13-year history. Strachan led Saints rushers with 93 yards and Chuck Muncie added 91. Wendell Tyler had a game-high 141 yards on 18 carries for the Rams.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 146.7 (10) | 200.3 (9) | 347.0 (5) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 152.9 (23) | 196.8 (21) | 349.7 (22) | 36 | |
 | OFFENSE | 152.3 (6) | 170.6 (18) | 322.9 (11) | 43 |
| DEFENSE | 114.7 (7) | 160.7 (8) | 275.4 (5) | 37 |
Line: Rams by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints (8-8-0) | 0 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 29 |
| Los Angeles Rams (9-7-0) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
( 0- 7) LA Wendell Tyler 1 yard rush (Frank Corral kick)
( 7- 7) NO Tinker Owens 8 yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick)
(14- 7) NO Mike Strachan 10 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(17- 7) NO Garo Yepremian 35 yard field goal
(20- 7) NO Garo Yepremian 24 yard field goal
(27- 7) NO Mike Strachan 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(27-14) LA Eddie Hill 1 yard rush (Frank Corral kick)
(29-14) NO Safety, Vince Ferragamo tackled in end zone by Elois Grooms
NO LA
First Downs: 23 16
Rushes-yards: 54-276 28-176
Yards/rush: 5.1 6.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-15-162-3 14-26-159-2
Sacked-yards: 2-16 4-45
Net pass yards: 146 114
Net yards/pass: 8.6 3.8
Total net yards: 422 290
Total plays: 71 (76% run) 58 (48% run)
Yards/play: 5.9 5.0
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 7-4
Turnovers: 4 6
Penalties-yards: 5-82 2-15
Attendance: 53,879
Passing:
NO: Archie Manning, 10 of 15 for 162 yards and 1 TD (3 int) LA: Vince Ferragamo, 14 of 26 for 159 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
NO: Chuck Muncie, 20 for 91 yards; Mike Strachan, 18 for 93 yards and 2 TDs; Jack Holmes, 12 for 54 yards; Archie Manning, 3 for 32 yards; Wayne Wilson, 1 for 6 yards LA: Wendell Tyler, 18 for 141 yards and 1 TD; Cullen Bryant, 6 for 29 yards; Eddie Hill, 2 for 3 yards and 1 TD; Jim Jodat, 2 for 3 yards
Receiving:
NO: Tinker Owens, 3 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Henry Childs, 2 for 62 yards; Chuck Muncie, 2 for 29 yards; Wes Chandler, 2 for 20 yards; Jack Holmes, 1 for 13 yards LA: Preston Dennard, 4 for 64 yards; Wendell Tyler, 3 for 25 yards; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 19 yards; Billy Waddy, 2 for 19 yards; Ron Smith, 1 for 15 yards; Eddie Hill, 1 for 9 yards; Charle Young, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
NO: Rich Mauti, 3 for 53 yards LA: Eddie Hill, 4 for 70 yards; Eddie Brown, 1 for 20 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
NO: Rich Mauti, 3 for 21 yards LA: Eddie Brown, 2 for 19 yards; Drew Hill, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
NO: Tom Myers, 1 for 20 yards; Ralph McGill, 1 for 6 yards LA: Nolan Cromwell, 1 for 14 yards; Jim Youngblood, 1 for 9 yards; Dwayne O'Steen, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NO: Rick Partridge, 4 for 182 yards LA: Ken Clark, 4 for 169 yards
Field Goals:
NO: Garo Yepremian, 2/3
NO: Archie Manning, 10 of 15 for 162 yards and 1 TD (3 int) LA: Vince Ferragamo, 14 of 26 for 159 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
NO: Chuck Muncie, 20 for 91 yards; Mike Strachan, 18 for 93 yards and 2 TDs; Jack Holmes, 12 for 54 yards; Archie Manning, 3 for 32 yards; Wayne Wilson, 1 for 6 yards LA: Wendell Tyler, 18 for 141 yards and 1 TD; Cullen Bryant, 6 for 29 yards; Eddie Hill, 2 for 3 yards and 1 TD; Jim Jodat, 2 for 3 yards
Receiving:
NO: Tinker Owens, 3 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Henry Childs, 2 for 62 yards; Chuck Muncie, 2 for 29 yards; Wes Chandler, 2 for 20 yards; Jack Holmes, 1 for 13 yards LA: Preston Dennard, 4 for 64 yards; Wendell Tyler, 3 for 25 yards; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 19 yards; Billy Waddy, 2 for 19 yards; Ron Smith, 1 for 15 yards; Eddie Hill, 1 for 9 yards; Charle Young, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
NO: Rich Mauti, 3 for 53 yards LA: Eddie Hill, 4 for 70 yards; Eddie Brown, 1 for 20 yards; Jim Jodat, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
NO: Rich Mauti, 3 for 21 yards LA: Eddie Brown, 2 for 19 yards; Drew Hill, 1 for 0 yards
Interceptions:
NO: Tom Myers, 1 for 20 yards; Ralph McGill, 1 for 6 yards LA: Nolan Cromwell, 1 for 14 yards; Jim Youngblood, 1 for 9 yards; Dwayne O'Steen, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
NO: Rick Partridge, 4 for 182 yards LA: Ken Clark, 4 for 169 yards
Field Goals:
NO: Garo Yepremian, 2/3