1978 Week 12: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. Kickoff time: 4:00pm.
1978 Week 12: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. This is a regular-season game that earned its place on a curated list, which means the matchup itself carried some weight beyond a generic Sunday. Some regular-season games stick in the memory more than the playoff games of the same era. The names attached to Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in 1978, the implications for division standing, or just the moment one play crystallized the season, made this one of those. Watch the early possessions for the read. Coaches treat curated-list games as their best stretches of preparation; the answers come quickly when the stakes are tangible.
1978 Week 12: Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers meet at a midpoint in the season, with the rest of the 1978 field watching to see how the result reshapes the conference standings. Around the league, the scouting departments take careful notes on regular-season games featuring contenders. The film here will be reviewed long after the final whistle by staffs who plan to face one or both of these teams later in the year.
1978 Week 12: Los Angeles Rams versus San Francisco 49ers. Midseason analytics shift around what matters most on any given Sunday: takeaway differential and red-zone conversion lead the indicator list for both contenders and the teams hunting them. The on-screen scoreboard tells one story; the underlying drive efficiency tells the more durable one. Both staffs know which numbers travel through December and which evaporate after a hot start.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 14-2 | W5 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 8-8 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-12 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W3 |
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8-8 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-11 | W1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 9-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-7 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 8-7-1 | L2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7-1 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7-9 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | W6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-7 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | L5 |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 6-10 | W1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 714213131 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 07142828 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Lawrence McCutcheon 5 yard pass from Pat Haden ( Frank Corral kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Paul Hofer 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) | 7-7 |
| Rams | John Cappelletti 1 yard rush ( Frank Corral kick) | 14-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Ron Jessie 47 yard pass from Pat Haden ( Frank Corral kick) | 21-7 |
| 49ers | Paul Hofer 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) | 21-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Bob Brudzinski 31 yard interception return ( Frank Corral kick) | 28-14 |
| 49ers | Dave Williams 89 yard kickoff return ( Ray Wersching kick) | 28-21 |
| 49ers | Paul Hofer 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) | 28-28 |
| Rams | Frank Corral 24 yard field goal | 31-28 |
| Rams | 49ers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 16 |
| Total Yards | 386 | 248 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/25 | 9/15 |
| Pass yards | 267 | 113 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 12 | 30 |
| Net pass yards | 255 | 83 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 37 | 45 |
| Rush yards | 131 | 165 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 3 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 5 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 0 |
| Penalties | 8 | 7 |
| Penalty yards | 49 | 40 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Scott Bull | 9/15 | 113 | 0 | 1 | |
| RAM | |||||
| Pat Haden | 17/25 | 267 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Paul Hofer | 20 | 104 | 3 | 39 |
| Bob Ferrell | 19 | 47 | 0 | 17 |
| Scott Bull | 6 | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| RAM | ||||
| Lawrence McCutcheon | 15 | 55 | 0 | 11 |
| John Cappelletti | 12 | 40 | 1 | 9 |
| Pat Haden | 3 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Rod Phillips | 2 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| Cullen Bryant | 5 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Paul Seal | 3 | 60 | 0 | 38 |
| Ken MacAfee | 3 | 23 | 0 | 13 |
| Paul Hofer | 2 | 21 | 0 | 16 |
| Bob Ferrell | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| RAM | ||||
| Ron Jessie | 6 | 116 | 1 | 47 |
| John Cappelletti | 4 | 68 | 0 | 37 |
| Charle Young | 2 | 32 | 0 | 17 |
| Willie Miller | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Rod Phillips | 2 | 14 | 0 | 7 |
| Lawrence McCutcheon | 2 | 12 | 1 | 7 |
Los Angeles Rams defeated San Francisco 49ers 31-28 at Candlestick Park in Week 12. The final scoring play was Rams: Frank Corral 24 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; Los Angeles Rams won by 3. Top line of the day: Pat Haden: 267 pass yards on 17-of-25, 2 TD, 0 INT.
Los Angeles Rams walked out of Candlestick Park with a 31-28 Week 12 result San Francisco 49ers will replay all the way to the offseason. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Rams: Frank Corral 24 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier.
Los Angeles Rams 31, San Francisco 49ers 28. Game: 1978 Week 12. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 4 scoring plays. Top performers: - Pat Haden: 267 pass yards on 17-of-25, 2 TD, 0 INT - Paul Hofer: 104 rush yards on 20 carries - Ron Jessie: 6 catches for 116 yards
Week 12, played at Candlestick Park. Final: Los Angeles Rams 31, San Francisco 49ers 28, with Los Angeles Rams taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Rams: Lawrence McCutcheon 5 yard pass from Pat Haden ( Frank Corral kick)
**Second quarter**
- 49ers: Paul Hofer 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) - Rams: John Cappelletti 1 yard rush ( Frank Corral kick)
**Third quarter**
- Rams: Ron Jessie 47 yard pass from Pat Haden ( Frank Corral kick) - 49ers: Paul Hofer 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Rams: Bob Brudzinski 31 yard interception return ( Frank Corral kick) - 49ers: Dave Williams 89 yard kickoff return ( Ray Wersching kick) - 49ers: Paul Hofer 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) - Rams: Frank Corral 24 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Pat Haden: 267 pass yards on 17-of-25, 2 TD, 0 INT - Paul Hofer: 104 rush yards on 20 carries - Ron Jessie: 6 catches for 116 yards
A 3-point margin in Week 12 is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.