NFL game summary for 12/16/1979:
The Bears earned a wild card berth in the playoffs with a 42-6 victory over the Cardinals. Combined with Washington's 35-34 loss to Dallas, the Bears and Redskins finished the season with the same record (10-6). Chicago got the playoff berth over Washington because it finished with +57 net points to the Redskins' +53. The Bears' win was fueled by Walter Payton's 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He finished with 1,610 yards to win the NFC rushing title.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 166.1 (1) | 171.9 (15) | 338.1 (9) | 43 |
| DEFENSE | 133.5 (12) | 174.5 (15) | 308.1 (12) | 35 | |
 | OFFENSE | 152.3 (5) | 126.4 (27) | 278.7 (25) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 125.9 (10) | 167.0 (11) | 292.9 (8) | 41 |
Line: Bears by 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals (5-11-0) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Chicago Bears (10-6-0) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
( 0- 7) CHI Walter Payton 1 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 0-14) CHI Dave Williams 11 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Bob Thomas kick)
( 0-21) CHI Walter Payton 5 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 6-21) STL Pat Tilley 13 yard pass from Jim Hart (kick failed)
( 6-28) CHI Rickey Watts 83 yard kickoff return (Bob Thomas kick)
( 6-35) CHI Walter Payton 4 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 6-42) CHI Rickey Watts 35 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Bob Thomas kick)
STL CHI
First Downs: 11 27
Rushes-yards: 26-90 45-201
Yards/rush: 3.5 4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 7-32-77-2 19-35-255-2
Sacked-yards: 9-54 0-0
Net pass yards: 23 255
Net yards/pass: 0.6 7.3
Total net yards: 113 456
Total plays: 67 (38% run) 80 (56% run)
Yards/play: 1.7 5.7
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 1-0
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 5-55 3-30
Attendance: 42,810
Passing:
STL: Steve Pisarkiewicz, 5 of 28 for 65 yards (2 int); Jim Hart, 2 of 4 for 12 yards and 1 TD CHI: Mike Phipps, 18 of 33 for 233 yards and 2 TDs (2 int); Bob Parsons, 1 of 2 for 22 yards
Rushing:
STL: Ottis Anderson, 14 for 39 yards; Theotis Brown, 6 for 34 yards; Wayne Morris, 5 for 8 yards; Steve Pisarkiewicz, 1 for 9 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 33 for 157 yards and 3 TDs; Dave Williams, 8 for 43 yards; Robin Earl, 2 for 2 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for 1 yard; Willie McClendon, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
STL: Pat Tilley, 3 for 52 yards and 1 TD; Theotis Brown, 1 for 11 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 11 yards; Richard Osborne, 1 for 4 yards; Mel Gray, 1 for -1 yards CHI: Rickey Watts, 6 for 103 yards and 1 TD; Dave Williams, 4 for 18 yards and 1 TD; Walter Payton, 3 for 43 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 3 for 36 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for 27 yards; Doug Buffone, 1 for 22 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Roy Green, 7 for 109 yards CHI: Rickey Watts, 1 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Len Walterscheid, 1 for 33 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Lee Nelson, 3 for 83 yards CHI: Len Walterscheid, 3 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Carl Allen, 1 for 78 yards; Ken Greene, 1 for 21 yards CHI: Wentford Gaines, 1 for 38 yards; Allan Ellis, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
STL: Steve Little, 8 for 243 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 4 for 144 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/2
STL: Steve Pisarkiewicz, 5 of 28 for 65 yards (2 int); Jim Hart, 2 of 4 for 12 yards and 1 TD CHI: Mike Phipps, 18 of 33 for 233 yards and 2 TDs (2 int); Bob Parsons, 1 of 2 for 22 yards
Rushing:
STL: Ottis Anderson, 14 for 39 yards; Theotis Brown, 6 for 34 yards; Wayne Morris, 5 for 8 yards; Steve Pisarkiewicz, 1 for 9 yards CHI: Walter Payton, 33 for 157 yards and 3 TDs; Dave Williams, 8 for 43 yards; Robin Earl, 2 for 2 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for 1 yard; Willie McClendon, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
STL: Pat Tilley, 3 for 52 yards and 1 TD; Theotis Brown, 1 for 11 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 11 yards; Richard Osborne, 1 for 4 yards; Mel Gray, 1 for -1 yards CHI: Rickey Watts, 6 for 103 yards and 1 TD; Dave Williams, 4 for 18 yards and 1 TD; Walter Payton, 3 for 43 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 3 for 36 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 1 for 27 yards; Doug Buffone, 1 for 22 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Roy Green, 7 for 109 yards CHI: Rickey Watts, 1 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Len Walterscheid, 1 for 33 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Lee Nelson, 3 for 83 yards CHI: Len Walterscheid, 3 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Carl Allen, 1 for 78 yards; Ken Greene, 1 for 21 yards CHI: Wentford Gaines, 1 for 38 yards; Allan Ellis, 1 for 22 yards
Punting:
STL: Steve Little, 8 for 243 yards CHI: Bob Parsons, 4 for 144 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 0/2