Highest Score in NFL History: Washington’s 72–41 Win
Washington and New York combined for a record 113 points in 1966. Learn how that differs from the Bears’ 73-point team record and Miami’s 70.
Washington beat the New York Giants 72–41 on November 27, 1966, at D.C. Stadium. Their 113 combined points remain the highest total in an NFL game. Washington also set the regular-season record for points by one team—but not the record when postseason games are included. Both 1966 records are recognized in Washington’s official history.
For the highest single-team score, the answer is 73 points: the Chicago Bears defeated Washington 73–0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The distinction is whether you are adding both teams’ scores or counting only one team’s points.
| Record | Points | Game | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest combined score | 113 | Washington 72, New York Giants 41 | November 27, 1966 |
| Highest score by one team, including postseason | 73 | Chicago Bears 73, Washington 0 | December 8, 1940 |
| Highest regular-season score by one team | 72 | Washington 72, New York Giants 41 | November 27, 1966 |
The single-team distinction is confirmed by the Dolphins’ official historical scoring table, which places Chicago’s championship performance above Washington’s regular-season mark.
How Washington and New York reached 113 points
The 1966 game produced 16 touchdowns: ten for Washington and six for New York. Nine of those touchdowns came on plays covering at least 30 yards, according to CBS Sports’ historical account.
Washington’s scoring came from more than its offense. Brig Owens returned a fumble 62 yards for a touchdown and an interception 60 yards for another. Rickie Harris added a 52-yard punt-return touchdown. A.D. Whitfield scored three times, while Charley Taylor caught touchdown passes of 32 and 74 yards from Sonny Jurgensen. Those plays appear in the game’s scoring summary.
The scoring arithmetic was:
- Washington: ten touchdowns, nine extra points and one field goal = 72.
- New York: six touchdowns and five extra points = 41.
Charlie Gogolak’s late 29-yard field goal supplied the final three points. Washington already led 69–41 before the kick; the combined total was 110 even without it, as the scoring sequence shows.
All that scoring created an unusual problem for equipment manager Tommy McVean. With no nets behind the goalposts, footballs kept disappearing into the stands. Washington’s official retrospective records 14 lost footballs—13 on extra-point attempts and one as part of an Owens touchdown. Team retrospective
Why the Bears’ 73 points are a different record
Chicago’s 73–0 victory came on December 8, 1940, in the NFL Championship Game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame chronology credits George Halas’s Bears and notes that the result helped popularize their T-formation with a man in motion.
Chicago scored one more point than Washington would in 1966, but the two teams combined for only 73. A record team score does not necessarily produce a record game total. Winning margin is another measure, covered separately in our history of the biggest blowout in NFL history.
Where Miami’s 70-point game fits
The Dolphins’ 70–20 win over Denver on September 24, 2023, tied the Los Angeles Rams’ 70-point performance against Baltimore on October 22, 1950. Miami’s official postgame notes placed those performances behind Chicago’s 73 and Washington’s 72.
Miami had a late opportunity to attempt a field goal, but coach Mike McDaniel chose to run out the clock rather than chase the record, as the Associated Press reported. A successful three-point kick would have surpassed Washington’s regular-season mark and tied Chicago’s overall team record. Miami and Denver’s actual combined total was 90 points, well short of the 113 scored in 1966.