The Five Highest-Scoring Games in NFL History

By Henry Palattella , Tyler Maher
Editor , Editor

Expert Reviewed

Mo Egger Sports Betting, NFL, College Football
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The Five Highest-Scoring Games in NFL History

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Almost everyone loves points in the NFL. Offensive coordinators love them, fans love them, fantasy football players love them and Over bettors really love them.

In fact, the only people in the world who don’t love points in the NFL are Under bettors and defensive coordinators, and there are probably times when even they enjoy the spectacle of offense.

Betting on the total is one of the most popular NFL betting markets, as it allows bettors to wager on a game without worrying about who wins. That makes it different from betting on the moneyline or spread.

Most of the time, these bets come down to the wire. But every once in a while, a shootout erupts that hits the Over well before the final whistle. For whatever reason, the defenses can’t get stops and every possession seems to end with points.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the five highest-scoring games in NFL history. For reference, we’ve included the pregame total and spread for each contest.

All odds via SportsOddsHistory.com

T-4. Oakland Raiders 52, Houston Oilers 49 (101 Points)

Game Details

  • When: Dec. 22, 1963
  • Where: Frank Youell Field (Oakland, California)
  • Spread: Oilers +6.5 (-110), Raiders -6.5 (-110)

The final week of the 1963 AFL regular season produced one of the greatest football games ever played. While the Raiders didn’t cover the 6.5-point spread at home, they clinched their eighth straight win thanks to a career day from Tom Flores, who threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns.

This game also featured one of the wildest quarters in NFL history, as the two teams combined for 49 points in the second quarter. Flores tossed four touchdown passes in the quarter (two of which were to Art Powell), while George Blanda threw two of his five touchdown passes and Charley Tolar added a one-yard rushing touchdown for the Oilers.

Houston entered the fourth quarter with a 49-42 lead, but Oakland’s defense finally woke up and pitched a shutout during the final frame. That allowed the Raiders to tie the game on Powell’s fourth TD catch of the day before Mike Mercer kicked a go-ahead 39-yard field goal.

Willard Dewveall had 137 receiving yards and two touchdown catches for the Oilers, while Powell led all receivers with a whopping 247 yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches. He had plenty of help from Clem Daniels, who added 158 rushing yards, 76 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.

T-4. New Orleans Saints 52, New York Giants 49 (101 Points)

Game Details

  • When: Nov. 1, 2015
  • Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)
  • Spread: Giants +3 (-110), Saints -3 (-110)
  • Total: Over/Under 49.5 (-110/-110)

There are monster days, and then there’s the day Drew Brees had on Nov. 1, 2015. While Brees was already a future Hall of Famer heading into the game, he burnished his legacy by throwing for 505 yards and a record-tying seven touchdown passes.

Brees was nearly matched by Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who threw for 350 yards and six touchdowns, three of which went to Odell Beckham Jr. The 13 total touchdown passes in this game are an NFL record.

While the Saints led 28-21 at halftime, New York wasted no time tying the game with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Beckham two minutes into the second half. After New Orleans rattled off 14 straight points to retake the lead, the Giants went on a 21-0 run to pull ahead in the fourth quarter, taking the lead on a 63-yard pick-six by Trumaine McBride.

Brees calmly led the Saints down the field, hitting C.J. Spiller for the game-tying touchdown with 36 seconds left. A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to New Orlean with five seconds left, setting up a game-winning 50-yard field goal from Kai Forbath as time expired.

Ben Watson had a game-high 147 receiving yards on nine catches, while Beckham was second with 130 yards on eight receptions.

3. Los Angeles Rams 54, Kansas City Chiefs 51 (105 Points)

Game Details

  • When: Nov. 19, 2018
  • Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, California)
  • Spread: Chiefs +3.5 (-110), Rams -3.5 (-110)
  • Total: Over/Under 63 (-110/-110)

No, your eyes don’t deceive you. The Over/Under for this game was set at 63 (the highest total in NFL betting history at the time), and both teams nearly cleared it by themselves.

While Patrick Mahomes had led the Chiefs to a 9-1 record prior to this game, it became his official coming-out party when he threw for 478 yards with six touchdowns on Monday Night Football. It was his signature performance of the season, helping him win his first MVP award.

Unfortunately for Mahomes, he also threw three picks, giving the Rams extra possessions. That helped Jared Goff outduel Mahomes with 413 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

In total, the game featured 14 touchdowns (three by defensive players), 56 first downs and 105 points. It was the first (and only) time in NFL history where both teams scored 50 points in the same game.

The teams combined for 35 points in a fourth quarter that saw four lead changes. Gerald Everett, Chris Conley and Tyreek Hill all scored two touchdowns on offense, while Los Angeles linebacker Samson Ebukam had the game of his life with two touchdowns.

2. Cincinnati Bengals 58, Cleveland Browns 48 (106 Points)

Game Details

  • When: Nov. 28, 2004
  • Where: Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Spread: Browns +6 (-110), Bengals -6 (-110)
  • Total: Over/Under 37.5 (-110/-110)

Oddsmakers didn’t think this AFC North showdown would be much of a high-scoring affair, as the pregame total of 37.5 meant that one team was the Bengals’ fourth-lowest Over/Under of the season.

Instead, the Over had cashed by halftime. The Browns scored in the game’s first minute and there were already three touchdowns five minutes in.

Cincinnati took a 27-13 lead into the third quarter, which saw both teams combine for 35 points on five touchdowns. Cleveland briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Bengals responded with a seven-yard touchdown run from Rudi Johnson before Deltha O’Neal put the game away with a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Kelly Holcomb ended the day with a career-high 413 passing yards and five touchdowns for the Browns, while Carson Palmer tallied 251 passing yards and four touchdowns for Cincy. The 106 points are the most in a game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

1. Washington Redskins 72, New York Giants 41 (113 Points)

Game Details

  • When: Nov. 27, 1966
  • Where: District of Columbia Stadium (Washington, D.C.)
  • Spread: Giants +17 (-110), Redskins -17 (-110)

While the pregame betting total isn’t known for this game, chances are it wasn’t 113.

The highest-scoring game in NFL history, this slugfest had 16 touchdowns (nine of which were over 30 yards) and saw three players throw for over 100 yards.

The Redskins jumped out to a 20-0 lead and never looked back. They led 34-7 in the second quarter but didn’t let up, adding 38 points in the second half.

Washington scored multiple touchdowns in every quarter, finishing strong with 24 points in the fourth to cross the 70-point plateau.

Surprisingly, this game had “only” 456 total passing yards and six passing touchdowns. Much of the damage was done on the ground (seven rushing touchdowns), plus there were two defensive scores and one from special teams.

This game took place before the NFL installed nets behind the goal posts, which led to 14 footballs ending up in the stands and the Redskins being out $315.

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Henry Palattella
Henry Palattella Editor

Henry Palattella is a writer and editor based in Cleveland, Ohio, where he can usually be found ranting to his cat about how injuries robbed Grady Sizemore of a Hall of Fame career. He also works as a writer for MLB.com along with freelancing for numerous publications in Northeast Ohio. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, he is a graduate of Kent State University, where he graduated the same year that Julian Edelman completed his degree.

Tyler Maher
Tyler Maher Editor

Tyler is the Deputy Editor of Forbes Betting, helping expand the vertical since its launch in 2022. Before joining Forbes, he worked for MLB.com, The Game Day and Minute Media. Originally from the Boston area, he graduated from Tufts University in 2015 and currently lives in Providence, RI.

Mo Egger
Mo Egger Sports Betting, NFL, College Football

Mo Egger has worked in radio since 1997, and he's been an on-air personality on ESPN1530 in Cincinnati sine 2007. In 2009, he started hosting the station's afternoon drive show, a position he holds to this day. He also fills in on sports talk programming on 700WLW, where he contributes to coverage of the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals. Mo is also the pre and post game host for University of Cincinnati football and men's basketball broadcasts, and he's the fill-in play-by-play radio voice for UC basketball on radio. Mo has also been a fill-in host on ESPN Radio, and as a writer he's been published extensively in The Athletic, and his work has also appeared on Cincinnati.com and in Bearcat Journal. He has contributed to Forbes Betting since 2022.