During Week 5 of the 2013 NFL season, football fans were treated to an impressive display of offense when the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys managed to put up a combined 99 points with Denver winning the game 51-48.
This high scoring game between the Broncos and Cowboys saw Peyton Manning throw for 414 passing yards and 4 touchdowns while Tony Romo had 5 passing touchdowns on 506 yards passing, which was just the 15th time in NFL history a QB threw for more than 500 yards - the two teams combined for a total of 1,039 net yards.
But how has this game stacked up against other high scoring games? This got us interested in looking back through the record books to find the highest scoring games of all-time as well as some related facts and statistics.
What was the highest scoring game in NFL history?
The highest scoring game in NFL occurred on November 27, 1966 between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins when the teams combined for a record setting 113 points.
Box score:
| Nov. 27, 1966 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| New York Giants | 0 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 41 |
| Washington Redskins | 13 | 21 | 14 | 24 | 72 |
During the game the two teams combined for 7 rushing touchdowns, 6 passing touchdowns, a punt return touchdown and a defensive interception touchdowns. At no point during the game did the Giants lead even though they produced more offensive yards at 389 yards vs. 341.
Interestingly, the following week, the New York Giants ended up losing to the Cleveland Browns 49 to 40 (a total of 89 points) - for the season, the 1966 Giants went 1-12-1 and gave up a total of 501 points or 35.8 points per game.
What was the highest scoring game in NFL playoff history?
The highest scoring game in NFL playoff history occured during a 2009-10 NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals when the teams combined for a record setting 96 points.
Box score:
| Jan. 10, 2010 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | Final |
| Green Bay Packers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 45 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 17 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 51 |
During the game the two teams combined for 3 rushing touchdowns and 9 passing touchdowns and a fumble return touchdown on the last game of the play in overtime when Aaron Rodgers was sacked fumbling the ball which was recovered by Karlos Dansby for a 17-yard TD to send the Cardinals to NFC Divisional. Interestingly, just before the end of regulation, Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers missed a 34-yard field goal that would've won the game in regulation.
Other Highest Scoring NFL Games
Here is a look at the other highest scoring games:
| Date | Visitor | Home | Total | ||
| Nov. 27, 1966 | New York Giants | 41 | Washington Redskins | 72 | 113 |
| Nov. 28, 2004 | Cleveland Browns | 48 | Cincinnati Bengals | 58 | 106 |
| Nov. 21, 1948 | San Francisco 49ers | 63 | Brooklyn Dodgers | 40 | 103 |
| Dec. 22, 1963 | Houston Oilers | 49 | Oakland Raiders | 52 | 101 |
| Nov. 27, 1983 | Kansas City Chiefs | 48 | Seattle Seahawks | 51 | 99 |
| Oct. 6, 2013 | Denver Broncos | 51 | Dallas Cowboys | 48 | 99 |
| Dec. 8, 1985 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 44 | San Diego Chargers | 54 | 98 |
| Jan. 10, 2010 | Green Bay Packers | 45 | Arizona Cardinals | 51 | 96 |
| Sep. 16, 2007 | Cincinnati Bengals | 45 | Cleveland Browns | 51 | 96 |
| Sep. 21, 1986 | Miami Dolphins | 45 | New York Jets | 51 | 96 |