Whether you’re a new fan wanting to learn more about the history of the NFL or an experienced viewer who wants to relive some classics, check out some of the most memorable games that have ever been played.
No offense to punters out there, but nobody is tuning in to NFL games to see fourth-down changes of possession. The fans demand scoring and ball movement, and there’s nothing quite like the entertainment value of an NFL game in which teams can seemingly do no wrong on offense.
The back-and-forth nature keeps viewers and fans — and especially fantasy managers — engaged throughout, and in the cases where the teams in those games remain within a possession or two of each other, it builds the drama toward a thrilling conclusion.
Some games in NFL history stand out above the others in that regard. Buckle up for an exciting trip down memory lane with the highest-scoring games of all time.
10 Highest-Scoring Games in the NFL Regular Season
Washington Redskins 72, New York Giants 41 - 1966
The 113 combined points in this 1966 showdown are the most ever scored, and Washington’s 72 remains a single-game high for any team (Miami is the most recent team to threaten that mark, doing so in a 70-20 win over Denver in 2023).
The game was a respectable 13-0 after the first quarter before things got nuts. The teams combined for 16 touchdowns — and one gratuitous last-second field goal by Washington — and the tally would’ve been slightly higher had each not missed an extra point.
Cincinnati Bengals 58, Cleveland Browns 48 - 2004
This all-Ohio battle in 2004 was absolutely wild. Browns QB Kelly Holcomb threw for over 400 yards and five touchdowns — and was on the losing end! Instead it was Carson Palmer’s four passing touchdowns and Rudi Johnson’s 202 rushing yards and two touchdowns that won the day.
Ironically, the win was sealed with defense, as Deltha O’Neal’s pick-six put the game out of reach and capped this 106-point extravaganza.
Los Angeles Rams 54, Kansas City Chiefs 51 - 2018
On a Monday night at the L.A. Coliseum in 2018, the Jared Goff-led Rams outlasted the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs in one of the most memorable regular-season games in recent years and the highest-scoring Monday Night Football game ever. How unique was this game between two 9-1 teams? The Chiefs are the only team to ever top 50 points and lose.
It didn’t wind up being the Super Bowl preview that many expected it to be, but it was a showstopper nonetheless. Mahomes threw for 478 yards and six TDs (but three interceptions as well), while Goff threw for 413 yards and four TDs. Even a linebacker scored twice, with the Rams’ Samson Ebukam returning a recovered fumble and an interception as part of the 105-point chaos.
New Orleans Saints 52, New York Giants 49 - 2015
Drew Brees outdueled Eli Manning in a stat-stuffing, 101-point bonanza. The Saints QB became the eighth (and still most recent) player to throw for a single-game-record seven touchdowns, making Manning’s six-TD showing but a footnote in a November 2015 classic at the Superdome.
The Saints blew a 14-point lead and actually needed a fourth-quarter comeback to pull off the W, which it did on Kai Forbath’s 50-yard field goal as time expired.
Oakland Raiders 52, Houston Oilers 49 - 1963
Some 52 years earlier (it happened in the old AFL, but when the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, AFL stats were incorporated into the NFL’s history), the Raiders and Oilers played one of the most entertaining games ever. Oakland out-scored Houston 10-0 in the fourth quarter to steal the win in a game when the teams combined for six ties and five lead changes.
Art Powell caught four of Tom Flores’s six TD passes for the victors, while George Blanda threw for five of his own (and kicked the PATs throughout) against a team he would go on to join and star for at the end of his career.
Denver Broncos 51, Dallas Cowboys 48 - 2013
Denver blew a 15-point lead but scored the last 10 of a 99-point thriller, as Peyton Manning (414 yards, four TD) got the best of Tony Romo (506 yards, five TD) as part of the former’s record-setting 2013 campaign. Matt Prater’s 28-yard field goal as time expired gave the Broncos the win, but this was the story of two prolific QBs going toe-to-toe.
A silver lining in defeat: Romo’s performance marked the first time a Dallas QB eclipsed the 500-yard plateau in a single game.
Seattle Seahawks 51, Kansas City Chiefs 48 (OT) - 1983
The only overtime game on this list, it was decided by a pair of Norm Johnson 42-yard field goals — one to send it to OT and then one to cap the sudden-death win at the Seattle Kingdome in 1983.
But the kicker isn’t going to be the star of the show when 99 total points are scored. That title belongs to Seattle running back Curt Warner, who rushed for 207 yards and three TDs. The hosts needed all of that to counter Chiefs QB Bill Kenney’s four passing TDs and two rushing scores.
San Diego Chargers 54, Pittsburgh Steelers 44 - 1985
The Steelers endured a season full of gut-wrenching defeats in 1985, and this December day was no different. San Diego QB Dan Fouts threw for three TDs, and the Chargers overcame blowing a 17-point lead, with Jeffery Dale’s interception return for a score sealing the win and throwing a significant wrench into Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.
Chicago Cardinals 63, New York Giants 35 - 1948
If you weren’t alive for this doozy, and considering it happened in 1948 there’s a good chance you weren’t, then you missed out.
The Cardinals (yes, the same franchise that would go on to become the St. Louis, then Phoenix and then Arizona Cardinals) stormed the Polo Grounds and emerged as 28-point victors, thanks in large part to Mal Kutner’s six catches, 128 yards and three touchdowns. QB Ray Mallouf had a perfect, 158.3 QB rating as well, on an efficient overall day (14-18, 256 yards, four TDs).
Los Angeles Rams 70, Baltimore Colts 27 - 1950
Another old-time classic rounds out this list, with this showdown at the L.A. Coliseum showcasing the likes of Norm Van Brocklin and Y.A. Tittle but ultimately featuring the versatility of Bob Waterfield. The Rams “other” QB threw for two scores, ran for one and handled nine of the extra points as well. A 95-yard kickoff return from Vitamin Smith gave the Rams a 14-7 edge in the first quarter, and that was as close as the Colts would be the rest of the way.
This rout was no aberration for the Rams, as that 1950 squad was one highest-scoring team of all time in terms of points per game (38.8) over the course of a single season. The following week, against Detroit, L.A. dropped 65.
3 Highest-Scoring Games in the NFL Playoffs
Arizona Cardinals 51, Green Bay Packers 45 (OT) - 2010
Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers engaged in a playoff duel for the ages in January 2010, but it was the first defensive score of the game that sent Arizona to the next round in an overtime thriller.
Warner threw for 379 yards and five TDs, while Rodgers dealt for 423 yards and four scores, but it was his fumble that Karlos Dansby returned 17 yards on the third play of overtime to seal the win.
Oddly, the Cardinals would go on to concede 45 points in the next round, too, in a humbling defeat to the eventual Super Bowl-champion New Orleans Saints.
Philadelphia Eagles 58, Detroit Lions 37 - 1995
At one point, Philly scored 44 straight points to turn a 7-7 game into a 51-7 laugher of a wild card matchup (before the Lions clawed back to make things semi-respectable) in December 1995.
Two of the Eagles’ seven touchdowns came on pick-sixes, while QB Rodney Peete threw for three of his own and Ricky Watters ran for a score and caught another. But the good mojo stopped in the divisional round, where rival (and mid-dynasty) Dallas sent Philly packing.
Indianapolis Colts 45, Kansas City Chiefs 44 - 2014
Andrew Luck brought the Colts back from a 28-point deficit in this wild wild card game in January 2014 — the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. Luck threw for 443 yards and four TDs, with 64 of those yards and one of those TDs coming on a game-winning pass to T.Y. Hilton with 4:29 remaining.
The Chiefs led 38-10 less than two minutes into the third quarter, but they managed just two field goals after that, choking away a chance to advance to the divisional round.
Highest-Scoring Fantasy Football Performances
When it comes to fantasy football, there have been some jaw-dropping individual performances over the years. It’s likely that none was more impactful than Alvin Kamara’s six-touchdown performance for the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day in 2020, which came during most leagues’ championship weeks (Week 16) and cemented his place in fantasy football (and holiday season) lore.
In 2003, Denver’s Clinton Portis lit up the Chiefs and fantasy scoreboards everywhere, also during what was likely a playoff week in most leagues (Week 14), with 218 rushing yards, five touchdowns and another 36 yards in the air. He set the standard when it comes to standard scoring with his 55.4 points.
Another stud running back put up a crooked number in 2002, when Seattle’s Shaun Alexander accounted for five touchdowns (all in the first half!) and over 200 total yards in a Week 4 rout of Minnesota that saw him tally 53.1 points in standard scoring.
As for a top WR performance, it’s natural that it belongs to Jerry Rice. In 1990, the Hall of Famer torched the Atlanta Falcons for 255 yards and five touchdowns on 10 catches, for a standard-point total of 52.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the highest-scoring Super Bowl ever?
That distinction belongs to the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers, with the former routing the latter 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX in Miami, in January 1995. Rice and Watters each scored three touchdowns, while QB Steve Young won MVP honors after throwing for a Super Bowl-record six scores.
What NFL player scored the most points for a single player in one game?
Three players have accounted for 36 points in a single game by scoring six touchdowns, but only one in the modern era: Alvin Kamara. He shares the record with Gale Sayers (1965, for the Chicago Bears) and Dub Jones (1951, for the Cleveland Browns).
What is the biggest rout in an NFL game ever?
Since the AFL-NFL merger, two games have resulted in 59-point victories, marking the largest scoring discrepancy between two teams.
The most recent instance was the New England Patriots’ 59-0 shellacking of the Tennessee Titans in the snow in 2009. That matched the standard set by the 1976 Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Atlanta Falcons by the same score.
Light Up the Fantasy Football Scoreboard With Sleeper
Go for your own record-setting output by taking advantage of all of the unique features that come with playing fantasy football with Sleeper. You can join either by signing up on the website or downloading the app to start taking part in mock drafts and free season-long leagues of all sizes and formats. The customization and user experience are second-to none, and you’ll particularly enjoy the interface and ad-free experience.
If daily fantasy sports (DFS) is more up your alley, then try your hand at Sleeper Picks, where you can maximize your winnings up to 100x by simply choosing whether you think players will exceed or fall short of their projected stats.
