The 113-Point Anomaly
Honestly, the 1966 game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants shouldn't have happened. It was November 27. It was cold. Both teams were basically struggling through their season, but for 60 minutes, defense simply ceased to exist.
Washington walked away with a 72-41 victory. 72 points! That is still the record for the most points scored by a single team in a regular-season game. When people talk about highest scoring games in nfl history, this is the undisputed king. It was a statistical fever dream that featured 16 touchdowns. There was a 62-yard fumble return, a 62-yard interception return, and a 52-yard punt return.
Even weirder? The game ended on a field goal. Washington's head coach, the legendary Otto Graham, ordered a 23-yard field goal with seven seconds left while up 69-41. Why? He claimed he wanted "practice" for his kicker, Charlie Gogolak. The Giants, understandably, were fuming. But that spiteful kick is the reason the total hit 113 instead of 110.
More Than Just a Shootout
Back then, they didn't have nets behind the goalposts. Every time a team kicked an extra point or field goal, the ball sailed into the stands.
Thirteen footballs were lost to the crowd that day. One more was chucked into the bleachers by Brig Owens after his fumble recovery score. At $22.50 a ball, the team spent $315 on "replacement costs." It sounds like pocket change now, but in 1966, that was a hefty bill for an afternoon of bad defense.
The Night the Modern NFL Exploded
Fast forward to November 19, 2018. If you were watching Monday Night Football, you remember where you were when the Los Angeles Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs 54-51.
This game was different. It wasn't a blowout like the 1966 game; it was a heavyweight title fight. Both teams scored over 50 points, which is still the only time that’s happened in league history. Patrick Mahomes threw six touchdowns but also turned the ball over five times.
It was absolute chaos. Jared Goff was trading haymakers with Mahomes until the very last whistle. They combined for 1,001 total yards. It felt like the future of football had arrived in a single night. Usually, high scores come from one team embarrassing another, but this was two titans refusing to blink.
Why 2004 Was a Weird Year for Ohio
The second-highest scoring game ever actually happened in Cincinnati. On November 28, 2004, the Bengals and Browns decided to ignore their rivalry and just trade scores for three hours.
Final score: 58-48.
Carson Palmer wasn't even the "star" of the stats—Rudi Johnson ran for over 200 yards. The Browns' Kelly Holcomb threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns, and somehow still lost by double digits. It’s a perfect example of how a game can get out of hand when neither secondary can cover a slant route.
Top 5 Scoring Totals (Regular Season)
- 113 Points: Washington Redskins 72, New York Giants 41 (1966)
- 106 Points: Cincinnati Bengals 58, Cleveland Browns 48 (2004)
- 105 Points: Los Angeles Rams 54, Kansas City Chiefs 51 (2018)
- 101 Points: New Orleans Saints 52, New York Giants 49 (2015)
- 101 Points: Oakland Raiders 52, Houston Oilers 49 (1963)
The "Defense is Optional" Playoff Era
The regular season gets the most 100-point games, but playoff pressure usually tightens things up. Usually.
Except for 2010. The Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals met in a Wild Card game that basically broke the scoreboard. Kurt Warner was nearly perfect, throwing more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4). The game ended 51-45 in overtime on a walk-off fumble return.
Imagine scoring 45 points in a playoff game and losing. Aaron Rodgers did. That 96-point total remains the benchmark for postseason scoring.
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The Super Bowl Ceiling
You’d think the biggest game of the year would produce the most points, but it rarely does. Coaches get conservative. Players get tight.
The record belongs to Super Bowl XXIX, where the 49ers demolished the Chargers 49-26. Steve Young finally got the monkey off his back by throwing six touchdowns. 75 total points.
We came close recently in Super Bowl LVII (Chiefs vs. Eagles, 2023) with 73 points. It was a 38-35 nail-biter that proved modern offenses are closing the gap on those old-school blowouts.
Do These Records Ever Break?
The 113-point record from 1966 is kida the "unbreakable" record of the NFL. To beat it, you need two things: a massive talent gap and a winning coach who refuses to take his foot off the gas.
Most modern coaches "class it up" and run the ball to end the game when they hit 50 points. Sean Payton didn't do that in 2023 when the Dolphins dropped 70 on Denver, but even that game "only" totaled 90 points because the Broncos couldn't move the ball.
True high-scoring history requires both teams to be dangerous. You need a perfect storm of elite quarterbacks, terrible secondaries, and maybe a few defensive scores to pad the stats.
Actionable Insights for Stat Fans
If you want to track which modern games might challenge the highest scoring games in nfl history, keep an eye on these three indicators:
- Over/Under Totals: Look for games where the Vegas line is 54 or higher. These are the prime candidates for a shootout.
- Turf vs. Grass: Fast tracks (domes or artificial turf) consistently produce higher scores than muddy, late-season grass games.
- Defensive Rankings: Specifically, look for teams with a Top 5 offense and a Bottom 10 defense. That is the magic formula for a 100-point total.
To stay ahead of the next record-breaking game, monitor weekly "Points Per Drive" metrics on sites like Pro Football Reference. This stat is a much better indicator of offensive explosiveness than simple "Yards Per Game."