The saying “defense wins championships” is especially applicable in the NFL. More often than not, a championship team needs a stout defense in order to win a Super Bowl.
However, that doesn’t mean the NFL playoffs haven’t been full of offensive explosions throughout its history.
Offenses in the league have been evolving more and more. Not only are quarterbacks becoming more mobile than ever, but the rule changes recently put in place greatly favor the offensive side of the ball. As a result, there have been a number of high-scoring affairs to take place when the stakes are at the highest.
What is the most points scored by a team in a single NFL playoff game? Here are the highest-scoring playoff games in NFL history.
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Most points in NFL playoff game
The Eagles became just the 15th team to ever score 50 or more points in an NFL playoff game when Philadelphia dropped 55 on Washington in the 2025 NFC Championship game. However, the all-time record in a postseason contest belongs to the Bears,
Chicago put up a jaw-dropping 73 points in a shutout over the Redskins in a playoff contest in 1940. The Bears are the only team to score at least 70 points in a playoff game, and their 73-point margin of victory likely will never be touched.
The Bears are one of two teams to score at least 60 points in a playoff game, with the Jaguars being the other. Jacksonville put up 62 points against the Dolphins in a 2000 postseason contest.
| Rank | Points | Game Result | Winning Team | Losing Team | Date |
| 1 | 73 | 73-0 | Chicago Bears | Washington Redskins | Dec. 8, 1940 |
| 2 | 62 | 62-7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Miami Dolphins | Jan. 15, 2000 |
| 3 | 59 | 59-14 | Detroit Lions | Cleveland Browns | Dec. 29, 1957 |
| 4 | 58 | 58-37 | Philadelphia Eagles | Detroit Lions | Dec. 30, 1995 |
| 5 | 56 | 56-7 | Cleveland Browns | Detroit Lions | Dec. 26, 1954 |
| 56 | 56-10 | Oakland Raiders | Houston Oilers | Dec. 21, 1969 | |
| 7 | 55 | 55-23 | Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Commanders | Jan. 26, 2025 |
| 55 | 55-10 | San Francisco 49ers | Denver Broncos | Jan. 28, 1990 | |
| 9 | 52 | 52-17 | Dallas Cowboys | Buffalo Bills | Jan. 31, 1993 |
| 52 | 52-14 | Dallas Cowboys | Cleveland Browns | Dec. 24, 1967 |
Most combined points scored in an NFL playoff game
There have been a number of high-scoring affairs in NFL playoff history — but none have been able to match the 2010 battle between the Cardinals and Packers. Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner dueled in a postseason contest for the ages during the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs that season, with Arizona coming out on top 51-45. Warner threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns in the winning effort.
This list is littered with games from the last 15 years, including the Packers' upset of the Cowboys during the 2024 playoffs.
| Rank | Total points | Game result | Winning team | Losing team | Date |
| 1 | 96 | 51-45 | Arizona Cardinals | Green Bay Packers | Jan. 10, 2010 |
| 2 | 95 | 58-37 | Philadelphia Eagles | Detroit Lions | Dec. 30, 1995 |
| 3 | 89 | 45-44 | Indianapolis Colts | Kansas City Chiefs | Jan. 4, 2014 |
| 4 | 87 | 45-42 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jan. 14, 2018 |
| 5 | 86 | 49-37 | Saint Louis Rams | Minnesota Vikings | Jan. 16, 2000 |
| 6 | 85 | 48-37 | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jan. 10, 2021 |
| 7 | 82 | 51-31 | Kansas City Chiefs | Houston Texans | Jan. 12, 2020 |
| 8 | 80 | 48-32 | Green Bay Packers | Dallas Cowboys | Jan. 14, 2024 |
| 9 | 79 | 41-38 | Buffalo Bills | Houston Oilers | Jan. 3, 1993 |
| 79 | 41-38 | San Diego Chargers | Miami Dolphins | Jan. 2, 1982 |