Top 10 lowest scoring games in NFL history

The National Football League is one of the most entertaining leagues around the world thanks to the elite athletes. Both offense and defense are filled with players that function at the highest level and give their all to win games for their teams. Fans love to watch football because of the intense high-scoring matches that take place on a daily basis in the league.

The modern Super Bowl-era athletes are nothing short of warriors with a frame of 6 feet and above and muscles that will put any Pro bodybuilder to shame. Because of these players’ skills to catch the ball under any circumstances and break tackles and run through defenses, games usually end up with a high score of more than 20 points on each side in prime-time games.

Back in the starting days of American football, there used to be a lot of games that would be low scoring (stories of a single field goal in an entire game still persist) and sometimes even end without a score. Both teams would score zero points tying the match at 0-0. However, since the merger of the AFL-NFL, players have gotten more skilled at their positions and improved a lot. In today’s NFL, you won’t see a single game where less than 10 or 15 points are scored.

As every rule has exceptions, teams have ended up scoring pretty low points in the Super Bowl era, and that too with Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers on the roster. Let’s take a look at the top ten lowest-scoring games in NFL history. The list comprises regular season games as well as postseason games.

Related: Top 10 Players with most Touchdowns in NFL history

Lowest scoring games in NFL history

Even with star players on the offense, teams have come up short while putting numbers on the scoreboard all thanks to the defense. It’s not always the offense that wins games for teams, sometimes the defense has to set up and keep the team alive in the game. The best example of defense stepping up to the plate is the Patriots’ defense in Super Bowl XLIX.

New England was leading the game 28-24 with two minutes left in regulation. The Seahawks covered a lot of ground and made it to the Patriots’ 1-yard line and were just a touchdown away from winning their consecutive Super Bowl. However, the defense stood like Fort Knox and Malcolm Butler made the now iconic interception and won the game for New England.

Here are the top 10 NFL games with lowest scores.

10. Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers (7-3)

Who would’ve thought that the team with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback would be on this list of lowest-scoring NFL games? Another shocking fact about this game is that took place in 2010 when the Packers won the Super Bowl! The 4x NFL MVP suffered a concussion in the first half of the game and had to sit out in the second half ruining any chances of a comeback. The Lions’ quarterback during the game was Drew Stanton so it was no surprise that the offense ended with a low score. The only touchdown in the entire game came from Will Helle. The Lions won the game 7-3.

9. Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos (7-3)

Fear not! This game did not happen with Patrick Mahomes under center. The Chiefs and Broncos face-off in the 2012 season was the lowest-scoring game of that season. The Broncos were favored to win the game since they had an elite quarterback in Tim Tebow. However, nothing of the sort occurred and the Broncos’ offense only managed to score a field goal. The Kansas City Chiefs on the other hand were as miserable as the Broncos but at least running back Dexter McCluster had a 21-yard touchdown. The only notable moment of the game. Kansas City won 7-3.

8. Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles (6-3)

A team that had the greatest quarterbacks in the league play for them for almost three decades, it’s difficult to see them land in the top 10 twice! This time it was Brett Favre under center and not Aaron Rodgers. This 2000-season game was one of the best ones played from the defense perspective. The defenses of both teams managed to put on their best performance and stopped the offense from moving forward. There wasn’t a single touchdown scored in the entire 60 minutes. Green Bay who was favored to win the game did so with a last-minute field goal kicker Ryan Longwell. Packers won 6-3 in this play of conservative football.

7. Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals (6-3)

This game took place in the 2004 season. The Atlanta Falcons‘ defense was top-notch in the match and stopped the Cardinals’ offense under 250 yards. However, Atlanta’s offense wasn’t as productive as the defense. They failed to score a touchdown but at least scored two field goals to win 6-3.

6. Cleveland Browns vs Buffalo Bills (6-3)

Despite being the better offense in this 2004 match, the Bills lost to the Browns 6-3. The Bills put up 288 yards compared to the Browns’ 193 yards. Still, Buffalo’s offense couldn’t score a touchdown and scored just one field goal. The Browns on the other hand scored two game-winning field goals — one in the first quarter and the second in the final minute of the game. The Bills lost despite being favored to win.

5. Cleveland Browns vs Seattle Seahawks (6-3)

The Browns are once again on this list of low-scoring games some might say to no one’s surprise. On the upside, at least they won both games! This Browns and Seahawks game took place in 2011 and wasn’t a fan favorite at all. Seattle’s offense scored just 68 yards in the entire 60 minutes of gameplay thanks to the eight penalties they conceded. The Brown’s offense wasn’t any better and had to settle for two field goals.

4. New York Jets vs Pittsburgh Steelers (6-0)

Another great example of why an elite defense cannot carry a mediocre offense. Both offenses totaled less than 300 yards and the Steelers’ offense was so bad they couldn’t even score a field goal. The Jets cruised through by the final winning score of 6-0, credit to two easy field goal attempts.

3. Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)

Wouldn’t call this a surprise as this game was played in the 2017 season meaning Dak Prescott was the quarterback of the Cowboys. The only thing consistent in Prescott’s career is his inconsistency in consecutive games. Prescott had only one touchdown in the final quarter of the game and kicker Dan Bailey missed the extra PAT. The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense had an embarrassing game with 173 offensive yards and one interception from Nick Foles. Dallas won 6-0 but really had nothing to celebrate.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts (6-0)

The Jaguars have been at the bottom of the pool for decades now and the same was the case in this 2018 game. The Jaguars won the game 6-0 but the way the Colts performed was abysmal. Colts‘ first overall pick, Andrew Luck, couldn’t manage to get the offense going in the entire game and ended the game with zero touchdowns and field goals. Not a good place to end up in the record books for both teams.

Now, for the lowest-scored game played in the modern Super Bowl era —

1. Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins (3-0)

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins have the distinct pleasure of being at the top of the lowest-scoring games ever played in the Super Bowl era. This was the worst match the Steelers played at home on Heinz Field in 2007. Around 57,000 people were in attendance and everyone probably slept throughout the game as both teams went all night long without scoring a single touchdown. Steelers star quarterback and multiple Super Bowls winner Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t himself that night and couldn’t manage to break the threshold of the endzone a single time. At least Pittsburgh’s offense was successful in setting the field goal for the special teams to kick and win this encounter 3-0.

The Miami Dolphins played one of the worst seasons ever in NFL history. The Miami-based team managed only one win the entire season and that too by pure luck. The offense in this record-setting game scored just 195 yards and was nowhere near the endzone and wasn’t successful in kicking a field goal as well. This final score stat still might seem as a counting error to the clueless one. Who could blame someone for being skeptical when told that the combined point total of an NFL game couldn’t exceed four?

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Related: How many teams in the NFL have won without scoring a touchdown?

Related: When was the last time an NFL game had no touchdown scored?

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