All NFL game summaries for 12/29/1979:

The Oilers advanced to their second straight AFC championship game on the strength of an opportunistic defense and a near-flawless performance by the offensive unit. First year strong safety Vernon Perry set up 10 of the Oilers' 17 points with a postseason game record of four interceptions and a 57-yard blocked field goal return. Second year quarterback Gifford Nielsen and third year running back Rob Carpenter started for regulars Dan Pastorini and Earl Campbell, who were sidelined with groin injuries. The Oilers intercepted AFC passing leader Dan Fouts five times, including one by J. C. Wilson that led to the game-winning touchdown. Nielsen, making his first NFL postseason start, completed a 47-yard scoring pass to Mike Renfro with 12:55 elapsed in the third period to provide the winning margin. The loss eliminated the AFC West champion Chargers, who were making their first postseason appearance since 1965.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Chargers by 8

                     HOU             SD
First Downs:         15              25
Rushes-yards:        40-148          19-63
Yards/rush:          3.7             3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-19-111-1     25-47-333-5
Sacked-yards:        0-0             2-16
Net pass yards:      111             317
Net yards/pass:      5.8             6.5
Total net yards:     259             380
Total plays:         59 (67% run)    68 (27% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             5.6
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             0-0
Turnovers:           1               5
Penalties-yards:     5-45            6-30

Attendance: 51,192

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The Buccaneers, making their first-ever playoff appearance, advanced to the NFC championship game on the strength of Ricky Bell's running and a stingy defense that limited the Eagles to 227 yards. Bell scored two touchdowns in the first half as Tampa Bay built a 17-7 lead. His four-yard run capped a game-opening, 18-play drive that consumed nine minutes and 34 seconds. A one-yard run by Bell in the second quarter gave the Buccaneers a 17-0 lead. Philadelphia rallied to trim the deficit to 17-10 in the third quarter but fell behind 24-10 with 7:08 left in the game when Tampa Bay quarterback Doug Williams threw a nine-yard scoring pass to Jimmie Giles. Williams finished the day with seven completions in 15 attempts for 132 yards. Bell gained 142 yards on a divisional playoff record 38 carries. The Buccaneers' defense, led by defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, limited Wilbert Montgomery, the NFL's fourth-leading rusher, to 35 yards on 13 carries. Philadelphia gained only 43 yards in the first half.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Line: Eagles by 4½

                     PHI             TB
First Downs:         15              17
Rushes-yards:        18-48           55-186
Yards/rush:          2.7             3.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     15-38-199-0     7-15-132-1
Sacked-yards:        2-20            0-0
Net pass yards:      179             132
Net yards/pass:      4.5             8.8
Total net yards:     227             318
Total plays:         58 (31% run)    70 (78% run)  
Yards/play:          3.9             4.5
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             0-0
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     8-62            9-105

Attendance: 71,402

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