All NFL game summaries for 01/07/1979:
Dallas used a hard-nosed defense and an opportunistic offense to down Los Angeles for the Cowboys' second straight NFC Championship on an overcast 66-degree day. The first half was a balanced game with the Cowboys and Rams having scoring opportunities that produced no points. In the second half, the Cowboys took control of the game when free safety Charlie Waters set up two touchdowns with interceptions. The first came when Waters returned an interception to the Rams' 10. Five plays later running back Tony Dorsett, who led all rushers with 101 yards on 17 carries, raced around right end for the game's first touchdown. With 1:52 to go in the third quarter, Waters again picked off a Pat Haden pass and returned it 29 yards to the Rams' 20. Quarterback Roger Staubach, who completed 13 of 25 for 126 yards, hit Laidlaw for a four-yard touchdown 58 seconds into the final period to put the Cowboys ahead 14-0.
Los Angeles had a good chance to get back into the game between Waters' two interceptions. The Rams had excellent field position via a 23-yard punt return by Jackie Wallace to the Cowboys' 23. But on a fourth-and-one at the Dallas 14, the Cowboys' defense stiffened and stopped the Rams for no gain. Backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo replaced the injured Haden (broken thumb) and the Rams had to play catchup football in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys' defense again halted a Los Angeles threat at the Dallas 10 when defensive end Harvey Martin recovered another Rams' fumble. Seven plays later, Staubach found tight end Billy Joe DuPree in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. The Cowboys' final tally came with only 1:19 remaining when linebacker Thomas Henderson returned an interception 68 yards for a score.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 173.9 (3) | 198.5 (3) | 372.4 (2) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 107.6 (1) | 143.0 (5) | 250.6 (2) | 36 | |
 | OFFENSE | 144.2 (12) | 179.6 (7) | 323.9 (6) | 44 |
| DEFENSE | 115.3 (3) | 128.0 (2) | 243.3 (1) | 43 |
Line: Even
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (14-4-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Los Angeles Rams (13-5-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
DAL LA
First Downs: 16 15
Rushes-yards: 33-126 31-81
Yards/rush: 3.8 2.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-25-126-2 14-35-206-5
Sacked-yards: 3-17 3-10
Net pass yards: 109 196
Net yards/pass: 3.9 5.2
Total net yards: 235 277
Total plays: 61 (54% run) 69 (44% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 4.0
Fumbles-lost: 2-1 3-2
Turnovers: 3 7
Penalties-yards: 10-85 5-40
Attendance: 67,470
DAL: Roger Staubach, 13 of 25 for 126 yards and 2 TDs (2 int) LA: Pat Haden, 7 of 19 for 76 yards (3 int); Vince Ferragamo, 7 of 16 for 130 yards (2 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Tony Dorsett, 17 for 101 yards and 1 TD; Scott Laidlaw, 10 for 20 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 7 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 4 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 1 for 3 yards; Jackie Smith, 1 for -9 yards LA: Cullen Bryant, 20 for 52 yards; John Cappelletti, 3 for 19 yards; Rod Phillips, 3 for 2 yards; Pat Haden, 2 for 20 yards; Jim Jodat, 2 for -5 yards; Billy Waddy, 1 for -7 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Billy Joe DuPree, 3 for 48 yards and 1 TD; Drew Pearson, 2 for 19 yards; Butch Johnson, 2 for 19 yards; Tony Dorsett, 2 for 15 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 12 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 9 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 4 yards and 1 TD LA: Ron Jessie, 4 for 42 yards; Willie Miller, 3 for 96 yards; Billy Waddy, 2 for 23 yards; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 2 yards; Dwight Scales, 1 for 18 yards; John Cappelletti, 1 for 15 yards; Terry Nelson, 1 for 10 yards
Kick returns:
LA: Jim Jodat, 3 for 59 yards; Larry Marshall, 2 for 47 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 4 for 40 yards LA: Jackie Wallace, 2 for 22 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Charlie Waters, 2 for 49 yards; Thomas Henderson, 1 for 68 yards and 1 TD; Cliff Harris, 1 for 5 yards; Randy Hughes, 1 for 1 yard LA: Nolan Cromwell, 1 for 0 yards; Pat Thomas, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 8 for 280 yards LA: Glen Walker, 5 for 195 yards
Field Goals:
LA: Frank Corral, 0/2
The Steelers, striking through a cold, steady rain for 31 first half points, won their third AFC championship in five years behind their usual solid defense and spectacular performances by Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann. Seventeen of the points, breaking open the game, came during a 48-second span in the last minute of the half as Pittsburgh capitalized on two fumbles by Ronnie Coleman and one by Johnnie Dirden.
Despite the playing conditions that contributed to a postseason record 12 fumbles, Bradshaw completed 11 of 19 passes for 200 yards and touchdowns to John Stallworth and Swann, who caught four for 98 yards. Both touchdown passes and one of Roy Gerela's two field goals made up the 17-point burst between 14:08 and 14:56 of the second quarter after Pittsburgh had built a 14-3 lead on scoring runs by Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. The Steelers' defense -- combined with the elements -- limited Houston's offense to 142 yards and intercepted Dan Pastorini five times. Rookie Earl Campbell gained only 26 yards in 15 first half carries and finished with 62 yards on 22 carries.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 154.8 (6) | 146.1 (18) | 300.9 (16) | 38 |
| DEFENSE | 129.5 (9) | 177.6 (24) | 307.1 (17) | 34 | |
 | OFFENSE | 143.6 (14) | 168.7 (12) | 312.2 (8) | 39 |
| DEFENSE | 110.9 (2) | 149.6 (12) | 260.5 (3) | 48 |
Line: Steelers by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers (12-7-0) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (16-2-0) | 14 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
HOU PIT
First Downs: 10 21
Rushes-yards: 26-72 47-179
Yards/rush: 2.8 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-26-96-5 11-19-200-2
Sacked-yards: 4-26 0-0
Net pass yards: 70 200
Net yards/pass: 2.3 10.5
Total net yards: 142 379
Total plays: 56 (46% run) 66 (71% run)
Yards/play: 2.5 5.7
Fumbles-lost: 6-4 6-3
Turnovers: 9 5
Penalties-yards: 5-48 4-32
Attendance: 49,417
HOU: Dan Pastorini, 12 of 26 for 96 yards (5 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 11 of 19 for 200 yards and 2 TDs (2 int)
Rushing:
HOU: Earl Campbell, 22 for 62 yards; Tim Wilson, 2 for 6 yards; Robert Woods, 1 for 9 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for -5 yards PIT: Franco Harris, 20 for 51 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 10 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Terry Bradshaw, 7 for 29 yards; Jack Deloplaine, 3 for 28 yards; Sidney Thornton, 3 for 22 yards; Rick Moser, 3 for 7 yards; Mike Kruczek, 1 for -3 yards
Receiving:
HOU: Rich Caster, 5 for 44 yards; Tim Wilson, 5 for 33 yards; Ronnie Coleman, 1 for 15 yards; Earl Campbell, 1 for 4 yards PIT: Lynn Swann, 4 for 98 yards and 1 TD; Rocky Bleier, 4 for 42 yards; Randy Grossman, 2 for 43 yards; John Stallworth, 1 for 17 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
HOU: Johnnie Dirden, 3 for 72 yards; Guido Merkens, 2 for 57 yards; Robert Woods, 2 for 33 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 17 yards PIT: Jack Deloplaine, 1 for 21 yards; Larry Anderson, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 6 for 91 yards
Interceptions:
HOU: Willie Alexander, 1 for 0 yards; Greg Stemrick, 1 for 0 yards PIT: Loren Toews, 1 for 35 yards; Ron Johnson, 1 for 34 yards; Mel Blount, 1 for 16 yards; Donnie Shell, 1 for 5 yards; Jack Ham, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
HOU: Cliff Parsley, 6 for 237 yards PIT: Craig Colquitt, 1 for 53 yards
Field Goals:
HOU: Toni Fritsch, 1/1 PIT: Roy Gerela, 2/4