NFL fans have been treated to high-scoring affairs throughout the league’s history. The modern push toward the affinity for offense is well-documented, much to the chagrin of “four yards and a cloud of dust” enthusiasts everywhere.
But what if I told you we would have to travel back almost 60 years to see the highest NFL score by one team? We examine the NFL record for the most points scored by a single team in a game and the Herculean performance it required.
Most Points in a Single Game: Record Set in 1966
The Washington Commanders went under a different name in the ’60s, but they hold the record for the highest NFL score by one team. Washington put up an otherworldly 72 points against the New York Giants on Nov. 27, 1966, winning 72-41.
That mark beat the previous best of 70 set by the Los Angeles Rams in 1950 when they torched the Baltimore Colts 70-27. In fact, the 1950 Rams team put up an absolutely diabolical 135 points in two consecutive weeks — they scored 70 and then 65 the following week.
Who Played in the 1966 Contest?
Some legendary players were on the field in that 1966 contest that saw a combined 113 points.
Washington was led by NFL Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen. The quarterback threw for three touchdowns while also setting up four rushing scores. A.D. Whitfield scored the first two scores of the game.
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The Giants, meanwhile, miraculously had no one score multiple times, as the G-Men had their own deep group of scoring options that day. Allen Jacobs, Gary Wood, Joe Morrison, Homer Jones, Aaron Thomas, and Dan Lewis all scored for New York.
Wood, though, ended up throwing two touchdowns while Tom Kennedy added another.
As for who else scored on Washington, that list featured Brig Owens on a 62-yard fumble return, Jon Don Looney on a nine-yard rushing touchdown, receiver Charley Taylor scoring twice in the air on passes of 32 and 74 yards, and Rickie Harris scoring on a 52-yard punt return.
Who Threatened the Mark in 2023?
The Miami Dolphins lit up the scoreboard against the Denver Broncos in Week 3 of the 2023 season. Miami scored 70 points in its home contest against a winless Denver team. However, they had the chance to break the record, but head coach Mike McDaniel opted to take a knee rather than kick the field goal.
At Denver’s 27, it was 4th-and-14 for the Dolphins, and it would have been a 44-yard field goal for Jason Sanders. Instead, Dolphins backup quarterback Mike White kneeled down to give the ball back to the Broncos with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
MORE: NFL Scores History: Highest/Lowest Scoring Games
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, while rookie RB De’Von Achane added 203 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. WR Tyreek Hill had 157 yards receiving and one touchdown. RB Raheem Mostert added three touchdowns on the ground while picking up 82 rushing yards.
Miami gained 726 total offensive yards, which was just shy of the record held by a single team. However, the Dolphins did gain the most all-purpose yards by a team in a game, according to StatMuse.
Flash forward to Week 15 of the 2023 season, the Las Vegas Raiders welcomed the Los Angeles Chargers for an AFC West battle. It got out of hand faster than a UFC press conference. The Raiders were dominant, racing out to a 42-0 halftime lead.
The score ballooned to 56-7 at the end of the third quarter, and the Raiders were two touchdowns away from tying the record. Considering the interdivisional animosity, you might not see the Raiders pump the brakes in the same situation the Dolphins found themselves in earlier in the season.
However, Las Vegas got another TD in the fourth but capped the scoring at 63, winning with a final score of 63-21. Aidan O’Connell and Jakobi Meyers teamed up for five touchdown passes, the Raiders’ defense scored two touchdowns, and Las Vegas put up 63 points on the heels of getting shutout the previous week (a 3-0 final score vs. the Vikings in Week 14).
