The biggest blowouts in NFL history

Although the Broncos have the edge on their rivals in Super Bowl appearances, these teams were headed in opposite directions midway through the AFL's run. En route to Super Bowl I — then known as the AFL-NFL Championship Game — the Chiefs smashed the Broncos at Denver's Bears Stadium. Two weeks after a 37-10 win in Kansas City, the Len Dawson-quarterbacked Chiefs jumped out to a 28-3 lead thanks to three Bert Coan rushing touchdowns. Coan also caught a TD pass. This Chiefs nucleus went on to two Super Bowls over the next four seasons.

Both the Cowboys' biggest blowouts came in the 1960s. This one happened in Dallas' first game after the Ice Bowl. In the 1968 opener at the Cotton Bowl, the Lions inched out to a 6-0 lead. The Cowboys scored the next 38 points. Bob Hayes, Dan Reeves and linebacker Chuck Howley — all members of Dallas' 1971 Super Bowl champion roster — combined to score four TDs in this surge. Don Meredith completed 16 of 19 passes for 228 yards, while the Cowboys intercepted Lions QB Greg Landry four times. This game remains tied for the most points the Cowboys have ever scored.

Two of the most successful rushing fantasy days in NFL history happened in the same game, in the same backfield. Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock combined for the Chiefs' NFL-record eight rushing TDs in this Week 7 game at Arrowhead Stadium, with both the starter and backup scoring four times. While the preseason Super Bowl darlings did not live up to the hype, going 7-9, this was the Chiefs' high-water mark. The 7-9 Chiefs rode their Hall of Famer-laden offensive line to blitz the NFC title game-bound Falcons. Holmes and Blaylock combined for 316 scrimmage yards. 

The 2007 Patriots peaked around midseason; it remains one of the NFL's greatest apexes. Their first of three straight prime-time games turned into a Week 11 whitewash in Orchard Park, N.Y. After Tom Brady found Randy Moss wide open behind Buffalo's defense, the future Hall of Famer located the recent inductee for three more second-quarter touchdowns. Moss caught 10 passes for 128 yards and four TDs, while Brady threw five — his third instance of at least five TDs that year. Brady and Moss set single-season records for TD passes and receptions, respectively, during the Pats' 16-0 season. Moss' 23 have not been seriously threatened. 

In one of the weirder routs on this list, the loser ended up in the playoffs while the winner missed out. But on this November day at the Astrodome, the Bears looked nothing like a wild-card qualifier. Their QBs combined for minus-16 passing yards, as Dan Pastorini hooked up with wideout Ken Burroughs six times for 180 and two TDs — both from beyond 40 yards. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson added a 61-yard score on a perfectly executed reverse. The star return man also ripped off a 75-yard, punt-return TD in the fourth quarter. The Bears, galvanized by MVP Walter Payton, won their next six games.

Before Brett Favre's biceps injury helped key a Jets unraveling, they were 8-3 in November. This was win No. 6. It remains the biggest blowout in the 60-year-old franchise's history. Only one Jets pass catcher, then-rookie tight end Dustin Keller, eclipsed 20 yards; he posted 107. Future "Straight Outta Compton" cast member Thomas Jones bludgeoned the Rams for 149 rushing yards and three TDs. With help from two Kerry Rhodes turnovers and a 55-yard Jay Feely field goal, the Jets led 40-0 at halftime. The Rams went 2-14 in 2008, while the Jets finished 9-7 in Favre's only New York season.

Two years after meeting in the 1965 NFL Championship Game, the Packers and Browns remained top-flight teams. Cleveland made the 1967 playoffs but was no match for Green Bay in Week 9 of Vince Lombardi's final Packers season. Blanton Collier's bunch allowed highly paid running back Donny Anderson to score four touchdowns and surpass 100 receiving yards at Milwaukee County Stadium. Green Bay return man Travis Williams returned the opening kickoff for a score, and the Packers' Hall of Famer-filled defense intercepted Browns QB Frank Ryan four times. Lombardi's team won its fifth title of the '60s two months later.

Another instance of a good Browns team having a very bad day. The '69 Browns also won the NFL's Century Division and ventured to the playoffs, but their Week 8 opponent gave them an indication a Super Bowl IV berth was not to be. Keyed by one of the best defenses in NFL history, the Vikings held Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly to 24 rushing yards and notched four interceptions — three via cornerback Bobby Bryant. Wideout Gene Washington caught three TD passes from Joe Kapp. This game provided a preview of the teams' January Metropolitan Stadium rematch, which ended in a 27-7 Minnesota win.

One of the most forgotten great teams in NFL history notched its final win on a Sunday night in Week 16. This onslaught at Candlestick Park sent the 13-2 49ers into the playoffs with the NFL's No. 1 offense and defense. Steve Young started for a recovering Joe Montana, and the 49ers' usual backup QB found Jerry Rice twice for TDs. Montana entered to get work in against a Rams team playing backup Steve Dils, who passed for 50 yards. Montana and Young combined for five TD passes. Rice's scores were his 21st and 22nd in a 12-game season; this stood as a single-season record for 21 years. Young replaced Montana in the 49ers' playoff loss to the Vikings.

The 2000 Browns tied for the seventh-fewest points in a 16-game season, with 161, and finished 3-13. This was their low point. After a 27-7 Week 1 loss to their then-AFC Central rivals, the Browns fared worse 13 weeks later in Jacksonville. Fred Taylor dominated, amassing 181 yards and three TDs on 30 carries. Making his first career start for an injured Tim Couch, Spergon Wynn threw for just 17 yards. The Jags finished with 28 first downs to the Browns' two and outgained them 449-53. The Jags went 7-9 this year after their 14-2 1999 but notched one of this century's most thorough dismantlings.

Their margin-of-victory peak during their recent eight-year playoff streak, the Packers demolished a struggling Titans team in Week 16 at Lambeau Field. Unlike most games on this list, Green Bay did more damage after halftime, scoring 35 points on a Tennessee squad that wound up 6-10. Aaron Rodgers sliced up the Titans on a chilly day, closing with 342 yards and three touchdowns — to Randall Cobb, Greg Jennings and James Jones in this trio's final season together. The Packers, who went 11-5, sacked Jake Locker seven times.

The biggest blowout in Cowboys history came in the first of the team's NFL-record 20 straight winning seasons. This Week 4 game at the Cotton Bowl featured the Don Meredith-to-Bob Hayes connection in top gear. Meredith enjoyed maybe his finest day as a pro, dissecting the Eagles for 394 passing yards, five TDs and no INTs. The 1964 Olympic 100-meter champ caught three of those, as the Cowboys ran out to a 49-0 lead in the third quarter. Dallas gained a preposterous 652 yards — the most in team history by 69 yards. The Cowboys ended that season in the first of their two NFL title game losses to the Packers.

One of the more entertaining teams in modern NFL history, the 2002 Chiefs were known for scoring (No. 1 in offense) and allowing a lot of points (No. 28 defensively). Kansas City's defense stepped up on this December day. The Chiefs lost some mid-2000s games to Jake Plummer, during his Denver years, but began his final month as a Cardinal by intercepting him three times. Veteran Ray Crockett notched two picks. Willie Roaf, Will Shields and Co. helped All-Pro Priest Holmes to 179 scrimmage yards. Dante Hall scored the first of his seven return TDs, a 90-yard punt return, in a nine-game span.

The worst Packers season in Brett Favre's 16-year tenure occurred in 2005, with Green Bay finishing 4-12. Against a Saints team that ended up 3-13, however, the Pack looked like their usual Favre-era version. Al Harris picked off Aaron Brooks twice, the first for a stroll-in 22-yard pick-six, and linebacker Nick Barnett added a 95-yard INT return in the fourth quarter. Favre threw three TD passes, the first a cross-body rocket to Robert Ferguson from 25 yards out, and backup running back Najeh Davenport rushed for two scores. Davenport suffered a season-ending broken leg in the game, though.

As the Dolphins attempted a radical rebuild in 2019, they presented the Ravens with the best possible Week 1 opponent. Lamar Jackson launched a breakout performance (five TD passes), beginning his surge from one-dimensional QB to unanimous MVP. Baltimore's dual-threat dynamo posted a perfect passer rating and did not play in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins, who did have the soon-to-be traded Minkah Fitzpatrick at this point, allowed the most points in franchise history. While Miami's minus-137 point differential through four games was the NFL's worst since 1940, Brian Flores' team rallied to finish 5-11. The Ravens went a franchise-best 14-2.

The Dolphins' array of sprinters took aim at a Broncos defense off to a poor start. Miami shoved Denver's sluggish start into historic territory. The Dolphins became the first team since 1966 to drop a 70-burger on a team, bewildering the Broncos in a Week 3 matchup. Dolphins rookie De'Von Achane, a 10.1-second 100-meter sprinter at Texas A&M, posted a stunning debut as a backfield regular. The third-round pick zoomed for 233 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns, with Raheem Mostert adding four more TDs. Miami totaled 726 yards, breaking a single-game record that had stood since 1951. Sean Payton's team has rebounded from this, but the history books/sites will remember it well.

Another rough one for the Broncos. Starting a 13-1 season that ended in Super Bowl II, the Raiders began the second year at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with a ruthless dispatching. Oakland held Denver to minus-53 passing yards, with the Raiders outgaining their fledgling rivals 388 to minus-5 overall. AFL MVP Daryle Lamonica and kicker/backup QB George Blanda threw touchdown passes, with running back Hewritt Dixon scoring twice and totaling 133 scrimmage yards. John Rauch's Raider team outscored opponents by 235 points in '67.

The 1989 Steelers completed one of the more remarkable turnarounds in NFL history, making the playoffs after being outscored 92-10 through two games. This was the first of those blowouts. The Browns' Bud Carson era lasted only 23 games, but his first went rather well. The former Steel Curtain defensive coordinator oversaw a Browns effort that ended with eight Pittsburgh turnovers and Bubby Brister being sacked six times. Browns linebacker Clay Matthews started the rout by returning a fumble 3 yards, and linebacker David Grayson scored twice. Both the Steelers and Browns went 9-7 and ended their seasons with playoff losses in Denver.

Earlier in 1972, the Giants traded their quarterback of the previous five years, Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton. In 1973, Big Blue won just two games. But the Giants went 8-6 in '72 and delivered their No. 1 post-merger scoring output on a November day at Yankee Stadium. Tarkenton's replacement, Norm Snead, led an offensive explosion, one that included a 100-plus-yard rushing day from Ron Johnson and 100-plus receiving yards from Bob Tucker. They combined for four touchdowns. Snead's backup, Randy Johnson, threw two second-half TD passes in the most lopsided game in NFC East history.

During their run at the NFL's only perfect season, the '72 Dolphins won 10 games by double digits. One victory stands out. Amid a 3-11 season, the Patriots bottomed out when they traveled to South Florida in Week 9. Years away from his late-career resurgence, Pats first-round QB Jim Plunkett threw two interceptions. Playing for injured Bob Griese, Earl Morrall completed only seven passes. Third-stringer Jim Del Gaizo threw two TD passes, both to ex-QB Marlin Briscoe, on just six attempts. Mercury Morris continued his breakout season with three touchdown runs. Pats coach John Mazur resigned the next day.

Jeff Fisher's 2014 team won six games. This one was the runaway high point of that season (and Tre Mason's NFL career). The Auburn alum scored three touchdowns — one of which an 89-yard run — and totaled 164 scrimmage yards. This game also took place during one of Sam Bradford's injury hiatuses; Shaun Hill started and threw two TD passes. Raiders rookie Derek Carr did not fare as well, tossing two INTs. Carr's backup, veteran Matt Schaub, threw a pick-six to Trumaine Johnson to finish off the romp in St. Louis. This game came a week after the Raiders snapped a 10-game losing skid. The Rams shut out Washington, 24-0, the next week.

The two starting wideouts on the 1979 Patriots, Harold Jackson and Stanley Morgan, combined for nine Pro Bowls in their careers. They helped Steve Grogan to a career day in September of '79 at Schaefer Stadium. The 16-year Patriot QB threw five touchdown passes — three to Jackson, two to Morgan — with each going for at least 28 yards. Both Morgan and Jackson cleared 1,000 yards that season, one of four in which they were teammates. Neither of these teams made that year's playoffs. The Jets did rebound from their Week 2 loss to finish 8-8; the Pats ended at 9-7.

One of the bigger talent mismatches of the Super Bowl era occurred when the expansion Falcons traveled to Milwaukee County Stadium in October 1966. Vince Lombardi's penultimate Packers team mowed down the Falcons, led by ex-Packers DBs coach Norb Hecker. Bart Starr got to 220 yards on just eight completions. Atlanta first-round rookie Randy Johnson and backup Dennis Claridge combined for four interceptions — two of which ended in TDs for former Hecker pupils Herb Adderley and Doug Hart. These Packers went on to win the first Super Bowl three months later.

It did not go as well for Starr 14 years later, when one of the then-coach's Packer teams had a rough day in Chicago. This became perhaps Vince Evans' finest day as a pro, with the Bears quarterback completing 18 of 22 passes for 316 yards and three TDs. As could be expected, Walter Payton played a key role. The Bears icon found the end zone three times in a 130-yard showing. This December day at Soldier Field marks the most points the Bears have scored in a post-merger game. Evans was not long for Chicago's starting QB role but managed to stay an NFL backup until 1995.

The Bengals tied a franchise scoring record on a frigid day at Riverfront Stadium. Bengals coach Sam Wyche and colorful Oilers leader Jerry Glanville were not fans of one another; this day intensified their feud. Boomer Esiason threw four TD passes — two to wideout Eddie Brown — and the Bengals held Warren Moon to just 96 yards. Wyche called for an onside kick and a halfback pass with a seven-touchdown fourth-quarter lead. The 8-8 Bengals, then the defending AFC champions, missed the playoffs, while the 9-7 Oilers made it. Glanville, however, was fired at season's end. 

The Falcons and Saints debuted a year apart from each other, in 1966 and '67, respectively, and neither made the playoffs for many years. New Orleans, though, took longer to get on track. In their 1973 opener, the Saints lost to their top rivals by eight touchdowns. Archie Manning threw five interceptions, one of those becoming a 65-yard Tom Hayes pick-six, and the Saints gave up 45 points between the second and third quarters. While Atlanta went 9-5 this season, it took until 1978 for the franchise to make the playoffs.

The Colts' post-Andrew Luck season went better than their Peyton Manning-Luck gap year. Indianapolis went 2-14 in 2011, bottoming out on a Week 7 Sunday night in New Orleans. With Manning on the sideline two seasons after the Colts-Saints Super Bowl XLIV matchup, Drew Brees launched five TD passes — two apiece to go-to targets Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham — while Colts starter Curtis Painter failed to reach 70 yards. The historic beating came during an 0-13 Colts start. Both Jim Caldwell and GM Bill Polian were fired after the season. The Saints went 13-3 but saw their season end in one of the several Brees-era postseason near-misses. 

As the Seahawks were taking off, they caught a Cardinals team in transition by Week 14. The second of Pete Carroll's nine Seattle playoff teams scored on offense, defense and special teams. Both Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin cleared 100 yards. "Beast Mode" broke loose on multiple shifty scores and powered through multiple Cardinals on a third. John Skelton threw four INTs, one of which turned into an easy Richard Sherman pick-six, and Malcolm Smith added an end zone fumble recovery. The Cards fired Ken Whisenhunt at season's end; the Seahawks came within a last-second field goal of the NFC championship game.

A successful Rams decade included a run of quarterbacks. Three of them saw action on a December 1976 day, but they mostly set up Los Angeles' then-record seven rushing touchdowns. Stalwart running back Lawrence McCutcheon ran for 121 yards and three scores, and both QB1 Pat Haden and QB2 James Harris found the end zone. Both passers were multiyear Rams starters, with the younger Haden taking the reins in '76. Each had no trouble with this Falcons iteration. Even third-stringer Ron Jaworski, before his Eagles days, completed a pass. The Rams, who advanced to the NFC title game, outgained the Falcons 569-81.

Not one of the Bill Belichick era's better editions, this Patriots team's season ended with a first-round home playoff loss to the Ravens. But it is responsible for this century's biggest blowout. In one of the eight original AFL teams' throwback weeks, the Patriots held a Titans team dressed as the Oilers to minus-7 passing yards on a snowy October day in Foxborough. A bit more effective than the Kerry Collins-Vince Young combo, Tom Brady threw six touchdown passes — three to Randy Moss. Both Moss and Wes Welker posted 100-plus yards and scored multiple TDs. Jeff Fisher's then-0-6 Titans did bounce back to finish 8-8.