Weirdest box score in NFL history?

[Todd Pence]

September 17, 1950. Opening Day at Pittsburgh, Giants defeating the Steelers by a score of 18-7.

The Giants' first two scores came on safeties, which means that at one point they had the score of 4 on the board. Their two touchdowns both came on fumble recoveries. The first of these plays actually featured three turnovers on one play - the Giants intercepted a pass, fumbled it back to the Steelers, and the Steeler lineman who got the ball wound up fumbling to future HOF Cowboy coach Tom Landry who took it back all the way to paydirt.

As strange as that scoring summary is, it pales in comparison to the Steelers' individual and team statistics. Pittsburgh ran the ball 32 times and yet gained a grand total of just 34 yards. That aggregate total includes three players with negative rushing yardage: Bob Gage's 3 for -5, Jerry Shipkey's 4 for -9 and Jerry Nuzum's mind-numbing line of EIGHT for MINUS EIGHTEEN.

But the Steelers topped that with their individual passing stats: No less than six players on the offense are credited with pass attempts on the afternoon, with five of those registering completions! Has anything like that ever happened in the NFL otherwise ever? The Steelers were still the only team running the single-wing in 1950 and thus did not really have a designated quarterback. But they never in any other game had close to that many different players throwing the ball.

[Jay Z]

The Packers had a game in 1962 against the Eagles where 5 players attempted passes and four completed them. In a game they won 49-0 and had 37 first downs to the Eagles' 3. Six option passes by halfbacks. Paul Hornung had one carry from scrimmage and two completed passes. Packers gained 628 yards to the Eagles' 54. Don't know if that is a record for yardage differential.

Max McGee had a 36 yard "fake punt" carry when the Packers were way ahead. The highlight is amusing, McGee hesitates several times, says "you're really gonna give me this, huh" and starts running. The Eagles were a beaten cur by that point.

Season ending games can make for goofy stats. The Broncos played the Bears in the last game of the 1976 season. Walter Payton was competing for the NFL rushing lead. Payton had a 21 yard TD in the first half, and the Bears led 14-0. But he wound up with only 49 yards overall. The Broncos had 356 yards rushing. Otis Armstrong 116, Norris Weese (who didn't start the game, Craig Penrose did) 120. Rick Upchurch and Riley Odoms both scored TDs on end arounds. Not sure how many other games had two ends score rushing TDs.

[rhickok1109]

The Packers had a game in 1962 against the Eagles where 5 players attempted passes and four completed them. In a game they won 49-0 and had 37 first downs to the Eagles' 3. Six option passes by halfbacks. Paul Hornung had one carry from scrimmage and two completed passes. Packers gained 628 yards to the Eagles' 54. Don't know if that is a record for yardage differential.

Max McGee had a 36 yard "fake punt" carry when the Packers were way ahead. The highlight is amusing, McGee hesitates several times, says "you're really gonna give me this, huh" and starts running. The Eagles were a beaten cur by that point.

I know a lot of people think Lombardi ran up the score, supposedly in revenge for losing the 1960 championship game, but he used all the backups he had for the entire 4th quarter.

[ChrisBabcock]

The Bills' score by quarter in their 12-10 loss to the Texans on 11/16/03 was a bizarre 2 3 3 2