What Is The Longest NFL Game?

The longest NFL game in history took place in 1971 between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game lasted a total of 82 minutes and 40 seconds, and was played in extremely hot and humid conditions.

The NFL’s Longest Game

The NFL’s longest game lasted 7 hours and 8 minutes, and was played between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets on October 23, 2016. In this game, there were a total of 204 plays run, and the final score was 22-19 in favor of the Dolphins. This contest also set the record for the most lead changes in an NFL game, with 13.

The NFL’s Longest Game by Position

The longest NFL game ever played was a preseason game between the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs in 1971 that lasted for 82 minutes and 40 seconds. The game went into double overtime, with each team scoring a touchdown in the first overtime period. In the second overtime period, the Bears scored a field goal to win the game.

While this is the longest NFL game by time, it is not the longest by number of plays. That honor goes to a regular season game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets in 2000, which featured 1,036 total plays. That game lasted for nearly four hours (3:49:48), but it was only able to fit seven minutes and 40 seconds of actual playing time into its regulation 60 minutes.

Here is a breakdown of the longest NFL games by position:

Quarterback: 82 minutes and 40 seconds (Preseason: Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1971)
Running back: 78 minutes and 33 seconds (Regular season: Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins, 1974)
Wide receiver: 77 minutes and 30 seconds (Regular season: Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers, 1983)
Tight end: 76 minutes and 56 seconds (Regular season: Houston Oilers vs. New York Jets, 1987)
Offensive lineman: 75 minutes and 26 seconds (Preseason: Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1971)
Defensive lineman: 74 minutes and 58 seconds (Preseason: Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1976)
Linebacker: 74 minutes and 47 seconds (Preseason: Miami Dolphins vs Atlanta Falcons, 1971)
Defensive back: 74 minutes and 36 seconds (Regular season: Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 1995)

The NFL’s Longest Game by Conference

In recent NFL history, games have been getting shorter. In 2008, the average time of an NFL game was 3 hours and 8 minutes. Today, that number is down to about 2 hours and 55 minutes. The trend is being driven by a variety of factors, including more precise clock management and fewer commercial breaks.

Still, there are always outliers. Here are the NFL’s longest games by conference:

AFC:
– Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins (2007), 4 hours and 7 minutes
– New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos (2011), 4 hours and 3 minutes
– San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs (2013), 4 hours and 2 minutes

NFC:
– Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants (2009), 4 hours and 5 minutes
– Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (2013), 4 hours and 2 minutes

The NFL’s Longest Game by Year

The NFL’s longest game ever by time elapsed was 82 minutes and 54 seconds, which occurred when Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian hit a 37-yard field goal in overtime to give his team a 27-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas day in 1971. The game featured 11 lead changes, four of which came in the final quarter.

There have been several games that have come close to matching this feat, but none have surpassed it. In 2008, an NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks went into overtime at 77 minutes and 50 seconds. In 2013, an NFL game between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers went into overtime at 77 minutes and 31 seconds.