As an NFL fan, there’s nothing better than a shootout between two high-scoring offenses. However, there’s also something beautiful about a defensive struggle where neither team can get anything going because the defensive coordinators have game-planned perfectly. Today, let’s break down the highest-scoring games in NFL history, the lowest-scoring games of all time, and NFL scores that we’ve yet to see.
Top 5 Highest-Scoring Games in NFL History
Including pre-merger contests, there have been six 100-point games in NFL history.
1. Washington vs. New York Giants, 113 Combined Points
The highest-scoring game in NFL history actually came in the first post-merger season in 1966. The game was played in Week 12 of that campaign between Washington and the New York Giants.
Entering the contest, Washington was 6-5 while the Giants were 1-8-1. A total of 113 points were scored as Washington came away with a 72-41 victory over their NFC East rivals.
There were 16 touchdowns in the contest, with just a single field goal by either team. Included in those 16 touchdowns were a fumble return, an interception return, and a punt return (all by Washington).
Offensively, Washington’s Sonny Jurgensen threw three passing touchdowns, two to Charley Taylor. A.D. Whitfield added two touchdowns on the ground and caught the third passing touchdown from Jurgensen. The Giants also threw for three touchdowns, with two from Gary Wood and one from Tom Kennedy.
2. Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns, 106 Combined Points
In an NFC North divisional game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, the Bengals won 58-48. The Bengals clinched the win with a 31-yard interception return from Deltha O’Neal.
The game saw Browns QB Kelly Holcomb throw for 413 yards with five touchdowns. Antonio Bryant had 131 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Steve Heiden had three touchdowns on seven receptions.
For the Bengals, Carson Palmer threw four touchdowns, including two to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Additionally, running back Rudi Johnson had two touchdowns and 202 yards on 26 carries.
3. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams, 105 Combined Points
The most recent game to see over 100 points scored was between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. A total of 105 points were scored, and the Rams won thanks to a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to tight end Gerald Everett. Goff threw four touchdowns and rushed for another.
Nov 19, 2018: Rams 54, Chiefs 51
Patrick Mahomes: 33/46, 478 passing yards, 6 TD, 3 INT
Jared Goff: 31/49, 413 passing yards, 4 TD
Rams went to 10-1. Chiefs dropped to 9-2.
Mahomes and Goff haven’t met since. Until tonight. pic.twitter.com/P4GV5W42pP
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) September 7, 2023
Simultaneously, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw a total of six touchdowns. However, he did have a fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown by the Rams, which proved to be costly.
4. San Francisco 49ers vs. Brooklyn Dodgers, 103 Combined Points
This was the first-ever 100-point game in league history, as it occurred prior to the NFL/AFL merger in 1948.
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers 63-40. In that game, 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert threw four touchdowns and rushed for a score.
Dodgers QB Bob Chappuis, meanwhile, threw for three touchdowns.
5T. New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants, 101 Combined Points
In 2015, the New Orleans Saints defeated the Giants 52-49. Eli Manning threw six touchdowns, including three to Odell Beckham Jr.
Meanwhile, Drew Brees threw seven touchdowns as the Saints secured a last-second victory thanks to a 50-yard field goal from Kai Forbath.
5T. Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Oilers, 101 Combined Points
This was a 52-49 contest between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers. After the two teams traded punches all game, the Raiders scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win. Mike Mercer kicked the game-winning field goal with the score tied 49-49, taking the game over 100 total points.
Oakland QB Tom Flores threw six touchdowns, including four to Art Powell, who also had 247 receiving yards. For Houston, George Blanda threw five touchdowns, including two to Willard Dewveall.
Highest-Scoring NFL Game in 2024 Season
In Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals combined for 79 points. Baltimore defeated Cincinnati, 41-38.
Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson both delivered terrific performances, as Burrow was 30-of-39 for 392 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception, while Jackson finished 26-of-42 for 348 yards and four touchdowns (while also adding 55 rushing yards).
Ja’Marr Chase (10 receptions, 193 yards, and two touchdowns) and Tee Higgins (nine receptions, 83 yards, and two touchdowns) both had huge games for the Bengals.
Meanwhile, Derrick Henry contributed 92 rushing yards and a touchdown for Baltimore.
The teams kept trading scores, but the Ravens ultimately won thanks to a pair of field goals by Justin Tucker — a 56-yarder to force overtime and then a 24-yard game-winner.
Lowest-Scoring Game in NFL History
Throughout the entire course of NFL history, 73 games have ended 0-0. However, that has not happened since the Giants and Detroit Lions did so in 1943. Similarly, five NFL games in history have finished with a score of 2-0. Again, this has not happened post-merger, with the last such game coming in 1938 between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
The lowest NFL score in the post-merger history is 3-0. In the Super Bowl era, it has happened just six times. The first one came in 1971 when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Packers with a fourth-quarter field goal by Fred Cox.
In 2023, we saw the first 3-0 game since 2007. The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders played out a scoreless game for 58 minutes until Greg Joseph opened the scoring with a field goal. Minnesota put the game away with an interception. The previous 3-0 game had been between the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins during a torrential downpour. In that game, Jeff Reed kicked a 24-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining.
What Are the Most Common Scores in the NFL?
The most common score in NFL history is 20-17, which has happened a total of 291 times. The first occurrence of that result came in 1944, whereas the most recent came in Week 2 of the 2023 season.
A 20-17 score occurred eight times in the 2021 season and has happened an average of 5.33 times per season over the last three years. The most recent 20-17 game was in Week 1 of this season, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The next most common score in NFL history is 27-24, which has happened 234 times. The Kansas City Chiefs’ postseason win over the Buffalo Bills in the Division Round is the most recent occurrence.
In the last three years, there has been an average of over six games a year that have finished 27-24. This scoreline first occurred in 1939 between the Cleveland Rams and the Packers.
The third most common score in the NFL is 17-14. That scoreline has occurred on 200 occasions, with the first coming in 1933 and the most recent on December 18, 2022, between the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans.
What NFL Scores Have Never Happened?
A number of scores have never occurred in NFL history. No team has ever scored just a single point. This is because the only way to do so is for a defense to register a safety on an extra point.
The lowest possible score in which a team scores just one point is 6-1. That is because, for a one-point conversion to happen, at least one touchdown needs to be scored.
In terms of more likely scores that could occur, the lowest score to have never happened is 14-8. There are several ways that this scoreline could occur. For instance, the winning team could score two touchdowns, or one touchdown, a two-point conversion, and two field goals.
On the other hand, the losing team could either score a touchdown with a two-point conversion or score two field goals and register a safety.
A full list of all scores to have never happened can be found on nflscorigami.com.
How Could Teams Score Four Points in a Game?
There are two ways in which an NFL team could score four points. Neither option is common, and four points have been scored just once in NFL history. This occurred in 1923 when the Chicago Cardinals scored four points against the Racine Legion.
The Cardinals did so by scoring a pair of safties. The only other option to score four points would be a field goal and to add a one-point safety by returning an extra point to the opposing end zone.