All NFL game summaries for 11/25/1976:
Danny White threw a pass to Benny Barnes on a fake punt, setting up Roger Staubach's four-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the first half to break a 7-7 tie, and the Cowboys stayed in front for the win, widening their lead to two games in the NFC East. Thomas Henderson blocked a fourth quarter punt out of the end zone for a 19-12 advantage over the Cardinals. Jim Hart brought St. Louis back to within five points on a 19-yard pass to Mel Gray with 1:55 left in the game, but a last-second scoring drive died when Hart's fourth down pass to J.V. Cain fell incomplete in the end zone with eight seconds left.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 160.5 (8) | 210.7 (2) | 371.3 (2) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 142.3 (16) | 154.5 (13) | 296.8 (14) | 29 | |
 | OFFENSE | 155.6 (12) | 209.9 (4) | 365.5 (3) | 21 |
| DEFENSE | 125.0 (7) | 131.2 (6) | 256.2 (4) | 22 |
Line: Cowboys by 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals (8-4-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Dallas Cowboys (10-2-0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 19 |
( 0- 7) DAL Scott Laidlaw 2 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
( 7- 7) STL Steve Jones 5 yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
( 7-14) DAL Roger Staubach 4 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
( 7-17) DAL Efren Herrera 42 yard field goal
( 7-19) DAL Safety, Thomas Henderson blocked punt out of end zone
(14-19) STL Mel Gray 19 yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
STL DAL
First Downs: 24 16
Rushes-yards: 31-128 41-169
Yards/rush: 4.1 4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 20-46-259-2 11-22-126-2
Sacked-yards: 1-10 0-0
Net pass yards: 249 126
Net yards/pass: 5.3 5.7
Total net yards: 377 295
Total plays: 78 (39% run) 63 (65% run)
Yards/play: 4.8 4.7
Fumbles-lost: 3-0 1-1
Turnovers: 2 3
Penalties-yards: 5-59 9-56
Attendance: 62,498
Passing:
STL: Jim Hart, 20 of 46 for 259 yards and 1 TD (2 int) DAL: Roger Staubach, 10 of 21 for 83 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Danny White, 1 of 1 for 43 yards
Rushing:
STL: Steve Jones, 8 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Jim Otis, 8 for 24 yards; Wayne Morris, 7 for 35 yards; Terry Metcalf, 6 for 22 yards; Roger Wehrli, 1 for 8 yards; Terry Joyce, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Preston Pearson, 15 for 48 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 10 for 39 yards; Roger Staubach, 7 for 54 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 5 for 18 yards; Doug Dennison, 3 for 9 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
STL: Ike Harris, 6 for 113 yards; Mel Gray, 6 for 89 yards and 1 TD; Pat Tilley, 2 for 19 yards; Steve Jones, 2 for 11 yards; Terry Metcalf, 2 for 10 yards; J.V. Cain, 1 for 12 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 5 yards DAL: Billy Joe DuPree, 3 for 46 yards; Drew Pearson, 3 for 28 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 3 for 4 yards and 1 TD; Benny Barnes, 1 for 43 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 48 yards; Jackie Smith, 1 for 20 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 19 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 3 for 87 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 1 for 26 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 2 for 20 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Roger Wehrli, 2 for 31 yards DAL: Benny Barnes, 1 for 23 yards; Harvey Martin, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
STL: Terry Joyce, 4 for 163 yards DAL: Danny White, 5 for 183 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 1/2
STL: Jim Hart, 20 of 46 for 259 yards and 1 TD (2 int) DAL: Roger Staubach, 10 of 21 for 83 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Danny White, 1 of 1 for 43 yards
Rushing:
STL: Steve Jones, 8 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Jim Otis, 8 for 24 yards; Wayne Morris, 7 for 35 yards; Terry Metcalf, 6 for 22 yards; Roger Wehrli, 1 for 8 yards; Terry Joyce, 1 for 0 yards DAL: Preston Pearson, 15 for 48 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 10 for 39 yards; Roger Staubach, 7 for 54 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 5 for 18 yards; Doug Dennison, 3 for 9 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
STL: Ike Harris, 6 for 113 yards; Mel Gray, 6 for 89 yards and 1 TD; Pat Tilley, 2 for 19 yards; Steve Jones, 2 for 11 yards; Terry Metcalf, 2 for 10 yards; J.V. Cain, 1 for 12 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 5 yards DAL: Billy Joe DuPree, 3 for 46 yards; Drew Pearson, 3 for 28 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 3 for 4 yards and 1 TD; Benny Barnes, 1 for 43 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 2 for 48 yards; Jackie Smith, 1 for 20 yards; Wayne Morris, 1 for 19 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 3 for 87 yards
Punt returns:
STL: Terry Metcalf, 1 for 26 yards DAL: Butch Johnson, 2 for 20 yards
Interceptions:
STL: Roger Wehrli, 2 for 31 yards DAL: Benny Barnes, 1 for 23 yards; Harvey Martin, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
STL: Terry Joyce, 4 for 163 yards DAL: Danny White, 5 for 183 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 1/2
Greg Landry and David Hill combined for two touchdowns as the Lions picked up their initial victory over the Bills, even though O.J. Simpson set an NFL single game rushing mark of 273 yards on 29 carries. Landry connected with Hill before and after a pair of Benny Ricardo field goals, giving Detroit a 20-0 lead with 10:34 gone in the third quarter. Dexter Bussey added the final Lions' touchdown and had his first 100-yard game (137) in the NFL. Simpson rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, the second score coming four plays after he broke his own NFL game record of 250 yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 156.3 (11) | 144.0 (16) | 300.3 (15) | 33 |
| DEFENSE | 174.6 (24) | 153.1 (12) | 327.7 (21) | 36 | |
 | OFFENSE | 165.3 (6) | 158.5 (11) | 323.8 (12) | 22 |
| DEFENSE | 116.5 (4) | 122.9 (4) | 239.4 (1) | 31 |
Line: Lions by 9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (2-10-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Detroit Lions (6-6-0) | 0 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
( 0- 7) DET David Hill 21 yard pass from Greg Landry (Benny Ricardo kick)
( 0-10) DET Benny Ricardo 22 yard field goal
( 0-13) DET Benny Ricardo 35 yard field goal
( 0-20) DET David Hill 24 yard pass from Greg Landry (Benny Ricardo kick)
( 7-20) BUF O.J. Simpson 48 yard rush (George Jakowenko kick)
( 7-27) DET Dexter Bussey 4 yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick)
(14-27) BUF O.J. Simpson 12 yard rush (George Jakowenko kick)
BUF DET
First Downs: 19 17
Rushes-yards: 41-307 41-193
Yards/rush: 7.5 4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 4-21-29-1 8-20-143-1
Sacked-yards: 2-14 4-32
Net pass yards: 15 111
Net yards/pass: 0.7 4.6
Total net yards: 322 304
Total plays: 64 (64% run) 65 (63% run)
Yards/play: 5.0 4.7
Fumbles-lost: 4-2 3-2
Turnovers: 3 3
Penalties-yards: 8-75 6-48
Attendance: 66,569
Passing:
BUF: Gary Marangi, 4 of 21 for 29 yards (1 int) DET: Greg Landry, 8 of 20 for 143 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
BUF: O.J. Simpson, 29 for 273 yards and 2 TDs; Jeff Kinney, 9 for 21 yards; Gary Marangi, 3 for 13 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 27 for 137 yards and 1 TD; Lawrence Gaines, 12 for 24 yards; Greg Landry, 2 for 32 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Bob Chandler, 3 for 22 yards; Jeff Kinney, 1 for 7 yards DET: David Hill, 4 for 74 yards and 2 TDs; Charlie Sanders, 4 for 69 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Keith Moody, 5 for 111 yards; Darnell Powell, 1 for 24 yards DET: Leonard Thompson, 1 for 32 yards; Bobby Thompson, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
BUF: Roland Hooks, 1 for 9 yards; John Holland, 1 for 8 yards; Keith Moody, 1 for 0 yards DET: Lem Barney, 3 for 56 yards
Interceptions:
BUF: Keith Moody, 1 for 19 yards DET: James Hunter, 1 for 18 yards
Punting:
BUF: Marv Bateman, 6 for 279 yards DET: Herman Weaver, 5 for 227 yards
Field Goals:
BUF: George Jakowenko, 0/2 DET: Benny Ricardo, 2/2
BUF: Gary Marangi, 4 of 21 for 29 yards (1 int) DET: Greg Landry, 8 of 20 for 143 yards and 2 TDs (1 int)
Rushing:
BUF: O.J. Simpson, 29 for 273 yards and 2 TDs; Jeff Kinney, 9 for 21 yards; Gary Marangi, 3 for 13 yards DET: Dexter Bussey, 27 for 137 yards and 1 TD; Lawrence Gaines, 12 for 24 yards; Greg Landry, 2 for 32 yards
Receiving:
BUF: Bob Chandler, 3 for 22 yards; Jeff Kinney, 1 for 7 yards DET: David Hill, 4 for 74 yards and 2 TDs; Charlie Sanders, 4 for 69 yards
Kick returns:
BUF: Keith Moody, 5 for 111 yards; Darnell Powell, 1 for 24 yards DET: Leonard Thompson, 1 for 32 yards; Bobby Thompson, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
BUF: Roland Hooks, 1 for 9 yards; John Holland, 1 for 8 yards; Keith Moody, 1 for 0 yards DET: Lem Barney, 3 for 56 yards
Interceptions:
BUF: Keith Moody, 1 for 19 yards DET: James Hunter, 1 for 18 yards
Punting:
BUF: Marv Bateman, 6 for 279 yards DET: Herman Weaver, 5 for 227 yards
Field Goals:
BUF: George Jakowenko, 0/2 DET: Benny Ricardo, 2/2