All NFL game summaries for 12/12/1976:

Randy Johnson engineered consecutive fourth quarter scoring drives as the Packers erased a 20-10 Atlanta lead. Johnson led Green Bay on a 16-play, 68-yard winning drive, handing off to Eric Torkelson for a 1-yard TD with 2:20 left in the game.

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

Line: Falcons by 2

                     GB              ATL
First Downs:         24              16
Rushes-yards:        43-196          27-145
Yards/rush:          4.6             5.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     16-26-165-1     10-24-119-1
Sacked-yards:        1-11            1-11
Net pass yards:      154             108
Net yards/pass:      5.7             4.3
Total net yards:     350             253
Total plays:         70 (61% run)    52 (51% run)  
Yards/play:          5.0             4.9
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             2-0
Turnovers:           1               1
Penalties-yards:     2-30            7-69

Attendance: 23,116

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Bert Jones threw three touchdown passes while the Baltimore defense set up 34 points -- converting five Buffalo turnovers -- as the Colts clinched the AFC Eastern championship with their highest-scoring game ever. Following Jones' third TD pass, a 36-yarder to Raymond Chester, Fred Cook picked up a Buffalo fumble at the Bills' 26 yard line and carried it five yards before lateraling to Derrel Luce, who went the final 21 yards to up the score to 41-6. Lydell Mitchell set a club rushing record, totaling 1,200 yards for the season. Roger Carr's 114 yards in receptions helped him surpass the 1,000 yard mark. O.J. Simpson rushed for 171 yards on 28 carries, including a 44-yard third quarter touchdown run, to capture the NFL rushing title with a 1,503 yard total.

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

Line: Colts by 16

                     BUF             BAL
First Downs:         21              25
Rushes-yards:        46-271          38-133
Yards/rush:          5.9             3.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-24-120-1     15-23-267-2
Sacked-yards:        4-36            1-4
Net pass yards:      84              263
Net yards/pass:      3.0             11.0
Total net yards:     355             396
Total plays:         74 (62% run)    62 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          4.8             6.4
Fumbles-lost:        5-4             0-0
Turnovers:           5               2
Penalties-yards:     9-94            5-26

Attendance: 50,451

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Norris Weese engineered four Denver touchdowns in the second half and the Broncos rushed for a club record 356 yards to climax a 9-5 season, the club's best in its 17-year history. Trailing 14-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, Rick Upchurch tied the score on the fourth play of the period. Then with 3:17 left in the game Otis Armstrong put Denver in the lead with an 11-yard TD run that also marked his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Armstrong lifted his season total to 1,008 yards on the Broncos' next series that was capped by Riley Odoms' 12-yard end-around touchdown.

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

Line: Bears by 6

                     DEN             CHI
First Downs:         26              5
Rushes-yards:        59-356          31-116
Yards/rush:          6.0             3.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     8-25-107-5      2-17-64-2
Sacked-yards:        2-10            1-8
Net pass yards:      97              56
Net yards/pass:      3.6             3.1
Total net yards:     453             172
Total plays:         86 (68% run)    49 (63% run)  
Yards/play:          5.3             3.5
Fumbles-lost:        2-1             4-2
Turnovers:           6               4
Penalties-yards:     6-35            5-47

Attendance: 44,459

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Calvin Hill's 15-yard touchdown run gave the Redskins a 20-14 lead and his block freed John Riggins for an insurance TD as Washington clinched the NFC wild card spot and its fifth playoff berth in the last six years. Billy Kilmer put the Redskins on top at the half, 10-7, with a six-yard pass to Jean Fugett, but the Cowboys came back for their second lead of the game on a 43-yard TD pass from Roger Staubach to Butch Johnson. Washington pulled to within one point on a Mark Moseley field goal before Kilmer engineered a 50-yard drive for Hill's winning score.

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

Line: Cowboys by 5

                     WAS             DAL
First Downs:         24              10
Rushes-yards:        47-184          36-149
Yards/rush:          3.9             4.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-30-199-2     5-22-91-2
Sacked-yards:        3-24            5-37
Net pass yards:      175             54
Net yards/pass:      5.3             2.0
Total net yards:     359             203
Total plays:         80 (58% run)    63 (57% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             3.2
Fumbles-lost:        2-2             2-2
Turnovers:           4               4
Penalties-yards:     7-64            4-25

Attendance: 59,916

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Ed Podolak rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns and broke the Kansas City career rushing record in the Chiefs' first home win of the season. Podolak broke Abner Haynes' career total of 3,837 yards and finished with 3,901 yards. Tony Adams replaced Mike Livingston following a second-quarter sack and guided Kansas City to its highest 1976 point production while the Chiefs' defense surrendered the fewest points of the season.

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

Line: Browns by 4

                     CLE             KC
First Downs:         16              26
Rushes-yards:        29-157          44-198
Yards/rush:          5.4             4.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-25-125-3     18-35-237-1
Sacked-yards:        2-11            4-49
Net pass yards:      114             188
Net yards/pass:      4.2             4.8
Total net yards:     271             386
Total plays:         56 (51% run)    83 (53% run)  
Yards/play:          4.8             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        6-3             3-2
Turnovers:           6               3
Penalties-yards:     8-104           11-90

Attendance: 34,340

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Monte Clark ended his first season a winner as the 49ers broke a 7-7 halftime tie with 20 second-half points, finishing the season with an 8-6 record. Scott Bull drove San Francisco to scores on their first two possessions of the second half then marched the 49ers 62 yards on their final series. San Francisco's defense trapped Saints passers five times, winning the season's sack honors with 61.

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

Line: Saints by 2

                     SF              NO
First Downs:         22              11
Rushes-yards:        42-212          20-54
Yards/rush:          5.0             2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     14-28-154-1     18-33-281-0
Sacked-yards:        1-6             5-36
Net pass yards:      148             245
Net yards/pass:      5.1             6.4
Total net yards:     360             299
Total plays:         71 (59% run)    58 (34% run)  
Yards/play:          5.1             5.2
Fumbles-lost:        3-1             2-1
Turnovers:           2               1
Penalties-yards:     10-88           10-107

Attendance: 42,536

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Jim Otis provided the yards and Steve Jones the points as St. Louis drove 63 yards midway through the fourth quarter for a go-ahead touchdown and sixth straight win over the Giants. Jones tied the score 7-7 with his first touchdown and Jim Bakken gave the Cardinals the lead in the third quarter, but the Giants took Bakken's kickoff and drove 57 yards to reclaim the lead 2:44 into the fourth period. New York twice had the ball in St. Louis territory following Jones' second score but were turned back by the Cardinals' defense.

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

Line: Cardinals by 7

                     STL             NYG
First Downs:         23              16
Rushes-yards:        53-230          39-183
Yards/rush:          4.3             4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     9-14-82-1       8-22-87-2
Sacked-yards:        1-12            2-20
Net pass yards:      70              67
Net yards/pass:      4.7             2.8
Total net yards:     300             250
Total plays:         68 (77% run)    63 (61% run)  
Yards/play:          4.4             4.0
Fumbles-lost:        3-2             0-0
Turnovers:           3               2
Penalties-yards:     4-20            8-66

Attendance: 60,553

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Ken Riley picked off three Jets' passes to take the AFC interception title while Ken Anderson took advantage of seven New York turnovers to guide the Bengals to their largest margin of victory since 1972 and third season in the last four with at least 10 victories. Anderson started a 21-point second period connecting with Isaac Curtis on an 85-yard TD pass, then drove Cincinnati 68 and 39 yards to touchdowns set up by Bengal interceptions. Chris Bahr booted his fourth field goal, then Coy Bacon and Gary Burley trapped Richard Todd in the end zone for a safety and the final Cincinnati points.

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

Line: Bengals by 14

                     CIN             NYJ
First Downs:         14              6
Rushes-yards:        40-144          32-64
Yards/rush:          3.6             2.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     11-25-200-0     7-28-43-6
Sacked-yards:        0-0             4-35
Net pass yards:      200             8
Net yards/pass:      8.0             0.2
Total net yards:     344             72
Total plays:         65 (61% run)    64 (50% run)  
Yards/play:          5.3             1.1
Fumbles-lost:        5-2             6-1
Turnovers:           2               7
Penalties-yards:     7-55            8-75

Attendance: 31,067

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Mike Rae, directing the Raiders while Ken Stabler rested for the playoffs, threw three touchdown passes while the defense recorded its first shutout of the season. Rae opened the Raiders' scoring with a five-yard pass to Cliff Branch in the first quarter, and in the next period mounted an 89-yard drive that ended with Dave Casper's tenth TD reception of the year. Morris Bradshaw caught the final Rae scoring strike in the game that saw Mark van Eeghen become the third Oakland runner ever to eclipse 1,000 yards for the season and the Raiders tie their own mark for most victories in a season, 13.

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

Line: Raiders by 10

                     SD              OAK
First Downs:         11              25
Rushes-yards:        27-125          45-193
Yards/rush:          4.6             4.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     10-25-82-2      16-27-184-0
Sacked-yards:        0-0             2-26
Net pass yards:      82              158
Net yards/pass:      3.3             5.4
Total net yards:     207             351
Total plays:         52 (51% run)    74 (60% run)  
Yards/play:          4.0             4.7
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             0-0
Turnovers:           2               0
Penalties-yards:     6-61            7-55

Attendance: 50,102

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Tom Sullivan rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns while running mate Mike Hogan added 104 yards as the Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak. Sullivan's pair of TDs finished drives of 82 and 61 yards to give Philadelphia a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Seattle's rookie quarterback Jim Zorn set a first-year passing record of 2,571 yards, erasing the record of 2,507 yards set by Dennis Shaw in 1970.

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

Line: Eagles by 7

                     SEA             PHI
First Downs:         20              25
Rushes-yards:        21-71           54-270
Yards/rush:          3.4             5.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     24-49-237-1     12-20-142-0
Sacked-yards:        1-11            0-0
Net pass yards:      226             142
Net yards/pass:      4.5             7.1
Total net yards:     297             412
Total plays:         71 (29% run)    74 (72% run)  
Yards/play:          4.2             5.6
Fumbles-lost:        4-2             1-0
Turnovers:           3               0
Penalties-yards:     5-30            6-60

Attendance: 37,949

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Sam Hunt took a Steve Spurrier interception 68 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull the Patriots past the Buccaneers and clinch the AFC wild card spot for New England's first postseason play in 13 seasons. Andy Johnson twice tied the score for New England after Tampa Bay took 7-0 and 14-7 leads in the second quarter. Johnson scored on runs of 69 and 9 yards as part of a 127-yard rushing effort. Steve Grogan set an NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, 12, when he scored on a one-yard run with four seconds left in the game.

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

Line: Patriots by 20

                     NE              TB
First Downs:         13              14
Rushes-yards:        39-260          45-135
Yards/rush:          6.7             3.0
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     4-14-40-1       12-18-145-1
Sacked-yards:        0-0             1-12
Net pass yards:      40              133
Net yards/pass:      2.9             7.0
Total net yards:     300             268
Total plays:         53 (73% run)    64 (70% run)  
Yards/play:          5.7             4.2
Fumbles-lost:        0-0             2-2
Turnovers:           1               3
Penalties-yards:     8-69            3-20

Attendance: 39,606

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