NFL game summary for 10/15/1972:
Veteran QB Earl Morrall replaced Bob Griese in the first period and directed the Dolphins to their fifth straight victory. Griese suffered a fractured right leg and a dislocated ankle. The 38-year old Morrall had previously thrown only one pass all season. He connected on TD efforts to Paul Warfield and Howard Twilley.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 159.5 (6) | 158.0 (10) | 317.5 (9) | 15 |
| DEFENSE | 111.8 (4) | 164.5 (13) | 276.2 (10) | 12 | |
 | OFFENSE | 191.0 (3) | 153.8 (13) | 344.8 (3) | 9 |
| DEFENSE | 112.8 (6) | 139.5 (10) | 252.2 (5) | 12 |
Line: Dolphins by 9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers (2-2-1) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Miami Dolphins (5-0-0) | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
( 0- 3) MIA Garo Yepremian 37 yard field goal
( 3- 3) SD Dennis Partee 12 yard field goal
( 3-10) MIA Dick Anderson 35 yard fumble return (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-17) MIA Howard Twilley 18 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-24) MIA Paul Warfield 19 yard pass from Earl Morrall (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10-24) SD Cid Edwards 3 yard pass from John Hadl (Bill McClard kick)
SD MIA
First Downs: 15 14
Rushes-yards: 36-133 39-153
Yards/rush: 3.7 3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-22-117-2 9-13-105-0
Sacked-yards: 1-7 3-19
Net pass yards: 110 86
Net yards/pass: 4.8 5.4
Total net yards: 243 239
Total plays: 59 (61% run) 55 (70% run)
Yards/play: 4.1 4.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 2-1
Turnovers: 3 1
Penalties-yards: 4-25 5-33
Attendance: 78,212
Passing:
SD: John Hadl, 12 of 22 for 117 yards and 1 TD (2 int) MIA: Earl Morrall, 8 of 10 for 86 yards and 2 TDs; Bob Griese, 1 of 3 for 19 yards
Rushing:
SD: Mike Garrett, 22 for 68 yards; Cid Edwards, 12 for 55 yards; John Hadl, 1 for 16 yards; Gary Garrison, 1 for -6 yards MIA: Jim Kiick, 14 for 41 yards; Larry Csonka, 13 for 70 yards; Mercury Morris, 8 for 44 yards; Earl Morrall, 3 for -2 yards; Charlie Leigh, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SD: Cid Edwards, 4 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Chuck Dicus, 4 for 36 yards; Mike Garrett, 2 for 30 yards; Pettis Norman, 1 for 8 yards; Gary Garrison, 1 for 4 yards MIA: Howard Twilley, 2 for 41 yards and 1 TD; Paul Warfield, 2 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Mercury Morris, 2 for -1 yards; Jim Mandich, 1 for 13 yards; Jim Kiick, 1 for 10 yards; Marv Fleming, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
SD: Chuck Detwiler, 1 for 24 yards; Jesse Taylor, 1 for 22 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 2 for 56 yards; Hubert Ginn, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
SD: Mike Garrett, 1 for 0 yards MIA: Charlie Leigh, 1 for 22 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 11 yards; Lloyd Mumphord, 1 for 4 yards
Punting:
SD: Dennis Partee, 4 for 156 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 4 for 166 yards
Field Goals:
SD: Dennis Partee, 1/2 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 1/2
SD: John Hadl, 12 of 22 for 117 yards and 1 TD (2 int) MIA: Earl Morrall, 8 of 10 for 86 yards and 2 TDs; Bob Griese, 1 of 3 for 19 yards
Rushing:
SD: Mike Garrett, 22 for 68 yards; Cid Edwards, 12 for 55 yards; John Hadl, 1 for 16 yards; Gary Garrison, 1 for -6 yards MIA: Jim Kiick, 14 for 41 yards; Larry Csonka, 13 for 70 yards; Mercury Morris, 8 for 44 yards; Earl Morrall, 3 for -2 yards; Charlie Leigh, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SD: Cid Edwards, 4 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Chuck Dicus, 4 for 36 yards; Mike Garrett, 2 for 30 yards; Pettis Norman, 1 for 8 yards; Gary Garrison, 1 for 4 yards MIA: Howard Twilley, 2 for 41 yards and 1 TD; Paul Warfield, 2 for 38 yards and 1 TD; Mercury Morris, 2 for -1 yards; Jim Mandich, 1 for 13 yards; Jim Kiick, 1 for 10 yards; Marv Fleming, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
SD: Chuck Detwiler, 1 for 24 yards; Jesse Taylor, 1 for 22 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 2 for 56 yards; Hubert Ginn, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
SD: Mike Garrett, 1 for 0 yards MIA: Charlie Leigh, 1 for 22 yards
Interceptions:
MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 11 yards; Lloyd Mumphord, 1 for 4 yards
Punting:
SD: Dennis Partee, 4 for 156 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 4 for 166 yards
Field Goals:
SD: Dennis Partee, 1/2 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 1/2