Has There Ever Been a NFL Game with No Score?
Contents
No matter how well matched two NFL teams may be on paper, there’s always the potential for a low-scoring game. In fact, there have been several NFL games in which neither team was able to score a single point. Here’s a look at some of the most infamous scoreless games in NFL history.
Introduction
No, there has never been an NFL game with no score. There have been several games in which one team did not score, but there has always been at least one team that did score.
History of the NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world, the wealthiest professional sport league by revenue, and the sport league with the most valuable teams. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.
The league was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself as the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL considered itself unofficial until after World War II. In 1969, it merger with its rival major league, the American Football League (AFL). After 55 years as a separate legal entity, this AFL–NFL merger completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has no true minor league feeder system; players are drafted into professional football directly out of college.
The NFL’s headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. George Halas was selected as its first president back in 1920; he owned
The First NFL Game
The first NFL game was played on October 3, 1920, between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles. The final score of that game was 14-0 in favor of the Triangles.
The First Scoreless NFL Game
On November 12, 1939, the Eagles and the Lions met for the first scoreless tie in NFL history. At the time, it was only the sixth regular season game in NFL history to end in a tie. Eagles quarterback Davey O’Brien and Lions quarterback Gus Dorais led their respective teams to 10 first downs each, but neither team could find the end zone. The game was so uneventful that sports writers couldn’t even agree on who deserved credit for the shutout. “There were no outstanding players on either team,” wrote one reporter.
The lack of scoring wasn’t due to a lack of effort. The Eagles had two touchdowns negated by penalties and the Lions had a touchdown called back because of an illegal forward pass. In the end, neither team could muster enough offense to break the deadlock, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.
Despite the lack of excitement on the field, the game was a significant moment in NFL history. It was the first time that two NFL teams had played to a scoreless tie and it would be nearly 30 years before it happened again.
The Most Recent Scoreless NFL Game
The most recent scoreless NFL game happened on November 16, 2019, when the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks played to a 0-0 tie. This was only the seventh scoreless tie in NFL history and the first since 2008. Interestingly, all seven of these scoreless games have happened since 1970.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible for a NFL game to end with no score. This would occur if neither team was able to score any points during the game. While this has never happened before, it is certainly possible. If you are a fan of NFL football, you may want to keep an eye out for a game where neither team is able to score any points.
