NFL game summary for 10/16/1978:
Craig Morton came off the bench to direct a pair of fourth quarter touchdown drives and lead the Broncos to a 16-7 comeback victory. Denver trailed 7-3 when Morton engineered a 73-yard drive that ended on Jon Keyworth's four-yard touchdown run. Holder Steve Foley kept the march alive by running 14 yards on a fake field goal. Morton came back later in the period to lead the Broncos on a 60-yard drive. His nine-yard touchdown pass to Otis Armstrong ensured Denver's first interconference win of the year and protected its share of the AFC West lead.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 147.2 (14) | 135.2 (18) | 282.3 (19) | 13 |
| DEFENSE | 140.7 (14) | 134.7 (6) | 275.3 (9) | 12 | |
 | OFFENSE | 148.5 (13) | 115.3 (25) | 263.8 (22) | 16 |
| DEFENSE | 115.7 (7) | 168.3 (21) | 284.0 (11) | 17 |
Line: Broncos by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears (3-4-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Denver Broncos (5-2-0) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
( 0- 3) DEN Jim Turner 45 yard field goal ( 7- 3) CHI Roland Harper 33 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) ( 7-10) DEN Jon Keyworth 4 yard rush (Jim Turner kick) ( 7-16) DEN Otis Armstrong 9 yard pass from Craig Morton (kick failed)
CHI DEN
First Downs: 15 18
Rushes-yards: 40-210 36-135
Yards/rush: 5.2 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 15-26-170-2 15-24-183-1
Sacked-yards: 3-33 1-10
Net pass yards: 137 173
Net yards/pass: 4.7 6.9
Total net yards: 347 308
Total plays: 69 (57% run) 61 (59% run)
Yards/play: 5.0 5.0
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 3-2
Turnovers: 3 3
Penalties-yards: 16-147 8-85
Attendance: 75,008
Passing:
CHI: Bob Avellini, 15 of 25 for 170 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Roland Harper, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int) DEN: Craig Morton, 8 of 13 for 109 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Craig Penrose, 7 of 11 for 74 yards
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 22 for 157 yards; Roland Harper, 13 for 31 yards; Bob Avellini, 3 for 11 yards; Art Best, 2 for 11 yards DEN: Rob Lytle, 11 for 41 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 7 for 22 yards; Jon Keyworth, 6 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 5 for 18 yards; Larry Canada, 4 for 14 yards; Steve Foley, 1 for 14 yards; Craig Morton, 1 for 5 yards; Craig Penrose, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Walter Payton, 6 for 37 yards; Roland Harper, 4 for 54 yards and 1 TD; James Scott, 2 for 45 yards; Steve Schubert, 1 for 19 yards; Golden Richards, 1 for 14 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 1 yard DEN: Rick Upchurch, 4 for 60 yards; Riley Odoms, 4 for 52 yards; Otis Armstrong, 3 for 18 yards and 1 TD; Jack Dolbin, 2 for 30 yards; Haven Moses, 2 for 23 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Len Walterscheid, 2 for 50 yards; Wentford Gaines, 2 for 39 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Steve Schubert, 1 for 3 yards DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 14 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Wentford Gaines, 1 for 0 yards DEN: Steve Foley, 2 for 0 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 5 for 206 yards DEN: Bucky Dilts, 5 for 173 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1
CHI: Bob Avellini, 15 of 25 for 170 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Roland Harper, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int) DEN: Craig Morton, 8 of 13 for 109 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Craig Penrose, 7 of 11 for 74 yards
Rushing:
CHI: Walter Payton, 22 for 157 yards; Roland Harper, 13 for 31 yards; Bob Avellini, 3 for 11 yards; Art Best, 2 for 11 yards DEN: Rob Lytle, 11 for 41 yards; Lonnie Perrin, 7 for 22 yards; Jon Keyworth, 6 for 21 yards and 1 TD; Otis Armstrong, 5 for 18 yards; Larry Canada, 4 for 14 yards; Steve Foley, 1 for 14 yards; Craig Morton, 1 for 5 yards; Craig Penrose, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
CHI: Walter Payton, 6 for 37 yards; Roland Harper, 4 for 54 yards and 1 TD; James Scott, 2 for 45 yards; Steve Schubert, 1 for 19 yards; Golden Richards, 1 for 14 yards; Greg Latta, 1 for 1 yard DEN: Rick Upchurch, 4 for 60 yards; Riley Odoms, 4 for 52 yards; Otis Armstrong, 3 for 18 yards and 1 TD; Jack Dolbin, 2 for 30 yards; Haven Moses, 2 for 23 yards
Kick returns:
CHI: Len Walterscheid, 2 for 50 yards; Wentford Gaines, 2 for 39 yards
Punt returns:
CHI: Steve Schubert, 1 for 3 yards DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 14 yards
Interceptions:
CHI: Wentford Gaines, 1 for 0 yards DEN: Steve Foley, 2 for 0 yards
Punting:
CHI: Bob Parsons, 5 for 206 yards DEN: Bucky Dilts, 5 for 173 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 1/1