All NFL game summaries for 12/23/1979:
The Oilers, playing a postseason game at home for the first time in 17 years, advanced to the divisional playoffs by shutting out the Broncos over the last three quarters. Denver marched 80 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead on its first possession, but Earl Campbell's three yard scoring run gave Houston a 10-7 halftime margin. Campbell and Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini both missed second-half action with groin injuries but Rob Carpenter and second year quarterback Gifford Nielsen played well in relief during their initial NFL playoff competition. Linebacker Gregg Bingham's 15-yard interception return set up Toni Fritsch's second field goal -- a 20-yarder -- with 4:18 remaining to give Houston a 13-7 edge. The Oilers' defense, which recorded six sacks overall, held the Broncos on the final two series with Curley Culp's third-down sack and Vernon Perry's fourth-down pass deflection the key plays.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 127.2 (18) | 194.1 (13) | 321.4 (12) | 40 |
| DEFENSE | 105.8 (1) | 197.4 (23) | 303.2 (10) | 37 | |
 | OFFENSE | 160.7 (4) | 141.0 (25) | 301.7 (22) | 32 |
| DEFENSE | 139.1 (17) | 172.8 (14) | 311.9 (13) | 50 |
Line: Oilers by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (10-7-0) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Houston Oilers (12-5-0) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
( 0- 3) HOU Toni Fritsch 31 yard field goal
( 7- 3) DEN Dave Preston 7 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick)
( 7-10) HOU Earl Campbell 3 yard rush (Toni Fritsch kick)
( 7-13) HOU Toni Fritsch 20 yard field goal
DEN HOU
First Downs: 17 15
Rushes-yards: 32-112 42-135
Yards/rush: 3.5 3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-27-144-1 10-22-158-2
Sacked-yards: 6-40 1-11
Net pass yards: 104 147
Net yards/pass: 3.2 6.4
Total net yards: 216 282
Total plays: 65 (49% run) 65 (64% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 4.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 0-0
Turnovers: 1 2
Penalties-yards: 7-70 2-19
Attendance: 48,776
Passing:
DEN: Craig Morton, 14 of 27 for 144 yards and 1 TD (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 8 of 18 for 149 yards (1 int); Gifford Nielsen, 2 of 4 for 9 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Otis Armstrong, 12 for 51 yards; Dave Preston, 9 for 24 yards; Larry Canada, 4 for 29 yards; Jim Jensen, 4 for 5 yards; Craig Morton, 2 for 0 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 3 yards HOU: Rob Carpenter, 16 for 59 yards; Earl Campbell, 16 for 50 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 8 for 21 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 5 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Dave Preston, 4 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Haven Moses, 3 for 47 yards; Otis Armstrong, 2 for 22 yards; Riley Odoms, 2 for 3 yards; Ron Egloff, 1 for 17 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 11 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 4 yards HOU: Tim Wilson, 4 for 53 yards; Rob Carpenter, 3 for 26 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 41 yards; Mike Barber, 1 for 31 yards; Earl Campbell, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 3 for 56 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 27 yards HOU: Carter Hartwig, 1 for 26 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 25 yards HOU: Rich Ellender, 5 for 42 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Bill Thompson, 1 for 12 yards; Bob Swenson, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Gregg Bingham, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 266 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 5 for 216 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Fred Steinfort, 0/1 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/2
DEN: Craig Morton, 14 of 27 for 144 yards and 1 TD (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 8 of 18 for 149 yards (1 int); Gifford Nielsen, 2 of 4 for 9 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Otis Armstrong, 12 for 51 yards; Dave Preston, 9 for 24 yards; Larry Canada, 4 for 29 yards; Jim Jensen, 4 for 5 yards; Craig Morton, 2 for 0 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 3 yards HOU: Rob Carpenter, 16 for 59 yards; Earl Campbell, 16 for 50 yards and 1 TD; Tim Wilson, 8 for 21 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 2 for 5 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Dave Preston, 4 for 40 yards and 1 TD; Haven Moses, 3 for 47 yards; Otis Armstrong, 2 for 22 yards; Riley Odoms, 2 for 3 yards; Ron Egloff, 1 for 17 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 11 yards; Larry Canada, 1 for 4 yards HOU: Tim Wilson, 4 for 53 yards; Rob Carpenter, 3 for 26 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 41 yards; Mike Barber, 1 for 31 yards; Earl Campbell, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 3 for 56 yards; Rick Upchurch, 1 for 27 yards HOU: Carter Hartwig, 1 for 26 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 25 yards HOU: Rich Ellender, 5 for 42 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Bill Thompson, 1 for 12 yards; Bob Swenson, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Gregg Bingham, 1 for 15 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 266 yards HOU: Cliff Parsley, 5 for 216 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Fred Steinfort, 0/1 HOU: Toni Fritsch, 2/2
Ron Jaworski completed 12 of 23 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns, including two in a second half comeback, to give the Eagles their most important victory of the season. Trailing 17-10 in the third quarter, the Eagles marched 69 yards in six plays, capped by a 29-yard scoring strike from Jaworski to Harold Carmichael. With the Bears threatening, Bobby Howard intercepted Mike Phipps' pass in the end zone to set up the Eagles' clinching score. After Howard's interception, Jaworski took the Eagles 80 yards in six plays, with the game-winner coming on a 63-yard swing pass to Billy Campfield.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 155.4 (5) | 134.4 (26) | 289.8 (24) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 123.6 (9) | 158.0 (5) | 281.6 (6) | 43 | |
 | OFFENSE | 151.3 (9) | 163.1 (19) | 314.4 (15) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 141.9 (18) | 154.6 (3) | 296.6 (9) | 33 |
Line: Eagles by 6½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears (10-7-0) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (12-5-0) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
( 0- 7) PHI Harold Carmichael 17 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick)
( 7- 7) CHI Walter Payton 2 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
( 7-10) PHI Tony Franklin 29 yard field goal
(14-10) CHI Walter Payton 1 yard rush (Bob Thomas kick)
(17-10) CHI Bob Thomas 30 yard field goal
(17-17) PHI Harold Carmichael 29 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick)
(17-24) PHI Billy Campfield 63 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick)
(17-27) PHI Tony Franklin 34 yard field goal
CHI PHI
First Downs: 15 18
Rushes-yards: 29-99 37-139
Yards/rush: 3.4 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-30-142-2 12-23-204-1
Sacked-yards: 1-0 3-28
Net pass yards: 142 176
Net yards/pass: 4.6 6.8
Total net yards: 241 315
Total plays: 60 (48% run) 63 (58% run)
Yards/play: 4.0 5.0
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 4-2
Turnovers: 3 3
Penalties-yards: 4-35 4-46
Attendance: 69,397
Passing:
CHI: Mike Phipps, 13 of 30 for 142 yards (2 int) PHI: Ron Jaworski, 12 of 23 for 204 yards and 3 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 16 for 67 yards and 2 TDs; Dave Williams, 10 for 23 yards; Willie McClendon, 2 for 6 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for 3 yards PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 26 for 87 yards; Leroy Harris, 8 for 33 yards; Ron Jaworski, 3 for 20 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Walter Payton, 3 for 52 yards; Rickey Watts, 3 for 42 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 3 for 38 yards; Greg Latta, 2 for 6 yards; Dave Williams, 2 for 4 yards PHI: Harold Carmichael, 6 for 111 yards and 2 TDs; Billy Campfield, 2 for 70 yards and 1 TD; Wilbert Montgomery, 2 for 0 yards; Leroy Harris, 1 for 15 yards; Charlie Smith, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Len Walterscheid, 3 for 66 yards; Rickey Watts, 2 for 31 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 27 yards PHI: Wally Henry, 3 for 76 yards
Punt returns:
PHI: Wally Henry, 4 for 51 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Allan Ellis, 1 for 25 yards PHI: Herman Edwards, 1 for 5 yards; Bob Howard, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 6 for 234 yards PHI: Max Runager, 4 for 162 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 1/2 PHI: Tony Franklin, 2/2
CHI: Mike Phipps, 13 of 30 for 142 yards (2 int) PHI: Ron Jaworski, 12 of 23 for 204 yards and 3 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 16 for 67 yards and 2 TDs; Dave Williams, 10 for 23 yards; Willie McClendon, 2 for 6 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for 3 yards PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 26 for 87 yards; Leroy Harris, 8 for 33 yards; Ron Jaworski, 3 for 20 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Walter Payton, 3 for 52 yards; Rickey Watts, 3 for 42 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 3 for 38 yards; Greg Latta, 2 for 6 yards; Dave Williams, 2 for 4 yards PHI: Harold Carmichael, 6 for 111 yards and 2 TDs; Billy Campfield, 2 for 70 yards and 1 TD; Wilbert Montgomery, 2 for 0 yards; Leroy Harris, 1 for 15 yards; Charlie Smith, 1 for 8 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Len Walterscheid, 3 for 66 yards; Rickey Watts, 2 for 31 yards; Brian Baschnagel, 1 for 27 yards PHI: Wally Henry, 3 for 76 yards
Punt returns:
PHI: Wally Henry, 4 for 51 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Allan Ellis, 1 for 25 yards PHI: Herman Edwards, 1 for 5 yards; Bob Howard, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 6 for 234 yards PHI: Max Runager, 4 for 162 yards
Field Goals:
CHI: Bob Thomas, 1/2 PHI: Tony Franklin, 2/2