NFL game summary for 12/17/1979:
Dan Fouts ran for one touchdown and passed for another as the Chargers won their first AFC West title. Fouts passed for 230 yards to bring his season total to 4,082, breaking Joe Namath's NFL mark of 4,007, which was set in 1967. Denver, dethroned after a two-year reign as AFC West champs, still won a wild card playoff berth despite the loss to the Chargers.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 128.3 (18) | 192.1 (13) | 320.5 (13) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 106.4 (2) | 195.3 (23) | 301.7 (10) | 33 | |
 | OFFENSE | 104.7 (26) | 246.2 (1) | 350.9 (5) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 119.7 (8) | 155.0 (4) | 274.7 (4) | 41 |
Line: Chargers by 6½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (10-6-0) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| San Diego Chargers (12-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
( 7- 0) DEN Otis Armstrong 3 yard rush (Jim Turner kick) ( 7- 7) SD Dan Fouts 4 yard rush (Mike Wood kick) ( 7-14) SD Charlie Joiner 32 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Mike Wood kick) ( 7-17) SD Mike Wood 24 yard field goal
DEN SD
First Downs: 20 17
Rushes-yards: 30-111 33-97
Yards/rush: 3.7 2.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 27-41-236-4 17-29-230-3
Sacked-yards: 2-12 0-0
Net pass yards: 224 230
Net yards/pass: 5.2 7.9
Total net yards: 335 327
Total plays: 73 (41% run) 62 (53% run)
Yards/play: 4.6 5.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 2-1
Turnovers: 5 4
Penalties-yards: 8-61 6-33
Attendance: 51,906
Passing:
DEN: Craig Morton, 27 of 41 for 236 yards (4 int) SD: Dan Fouts, 17 of 29 for 230 yards and 1 TD (3 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Otis Armstrong, 13 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Jim Jensen, 7 for 18 yards; Dave Preston, 6 for 30 yards; Jon Keyworth, 3 for 14 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 4 yards SD: Clarence Williams, 16 for 50 yards; Mike Thomas, 10 for 40 yards; Dan Fouts, 5 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Hank Bauer, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Fuller, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 8 for 65 yards; Haven Moses, 5 for 60 yards; Dave Preston, 5 for 21 yards; Jon Keyworth, 4 for 37 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 14 yards; Riley Odoms, 1 for 14 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 10 yards; Otis Armstrong, 1 for 8 yards; Steve Watson, 1 for 7 yards SD: Clarence Williams, 5 for 36 yards; Bob Klein, 4 for 69 yards; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 58 yards and 1 TD; John Floyd, 3 for 37 yards; Larry Burton, 2 for 30 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 2 for 69 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 19 yards SD: Artie Owens, 1 for 29 yards; Hank Bauer, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 1 for 5 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 2 yards SD: Mike Fuller, 2 for 34 yards; Pete Shaw, 1 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Steve Foley, 2 for 0 yards; Bill Thompson, 1 for 16 yards SD: Mike Fuller, 1 for 16 yards; Pete Shaw, 1 for 9 yards; Don Goode, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Williams, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 229 yards SD: Jeff West, 4 for 162 yards
Field Goals:
SD: Mike Wood, 1/2
DEN: Craig Morton, 27 of 41 for 236 yards (4 int) SD: Dan Fouts, 17 of 29 for 230 yards and 1 TD (3 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Otis Armstrong, 13 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Jim Jensen, 7 for 18 yards; Dave Preston, 6 for 30 yards; Jon Keyworth, 3 for 14 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 4 yards SD: Clarence Williams, 16 for 50 yards; Mike Thomas, 10 for 40 yards; Dan Fouts, 5 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Hank Bauer, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Fuller, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 8 for 65 yards; Haven Moses, 5 for 60 yards; Dave Preston, 5 for 21 yards; Jon Keyworth, 4 for 37 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 14 yards; Riley Odoms, 1 for 14 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 10 yards; Otis Armstrong, 1 for 8 yards; Steve Watson, 1 for 7 yards SD: Clarence Williams, 5 for 36 yards; Bob Klein, 4 for 69 yards; Charlie Joiner, 3 for 58 yards and 1 TD; John Floyd, 3 for 37 yards; Larry Burton, 2 for 30 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 2 for 69 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 19 yards SD: Artie Owens, 1 for 29 yards; Hank Bauer, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 1 for 5 yards; Chris Pane, 1 for 2 yards SD: Mike Fuller, 2 for 34 yards; Pete Shaw, 1 for 10 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Steve Foley, 2 for 0 yards; Bill Thompson, 1 for 16 yards SD: Mike Fuller, 1 for 16 yards; Pete Shaw, 1 for 9 yards; Don Goode, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Williams, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 229 yards SD: Jeff West, 4 for 162 yards
Field Goals:
SD: Mike Wood, 1/2