What was the highest-scoring Super Bowl ever? Record has stood for 31 years
Jacob CamenkerNFL fans are no strangers to higher-scoring Super Bowls, and a couple of the highest-scoring in league history have occurred over the last decade.
In Super Bowl 52, the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots combined for 74 points in a shootout where Nick Foles outdueled Tom Brady. Super Bowl 57 saw the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs combine for 73 points, a figure reached when Harrison Butker hit a field goal at the end of regulation to give Kansas City a 38-35 win.
Still, neither shootout was enough to surpass the record set in Super Bowl 29, which is celebrating its 31st anniversary as the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks square off in Super Bowl 60.
Here's what to know about the highest-scoring Super Bowls in NFL history, including the record-holder, ahead of Super Bowl 60.
What was the highest-scoring Super Bowl ever?
The San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers battle in Super Bowl 29 remains the highest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history. The 49ers and Chargers combined for 75 points in a 49-26 San Francisco victory.
49ers quarterback Steve Young was responsible for a bulk of the scoring in Super Bowl 29. He threw a Super Bowl record six touchdown passes, three of which went to Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Running back Ricky Watters also had three total touchdowns – one on the ground and two through the air – while fullback William Floyd accounted for one on a 5-yard pass from Young.
The Chargers added three touchdowns to the overall total – a rushing touchdown for Natrone Means, a receiving touchdown for Tony Martin from Stan Humphries and a 98-yard kick return touchdown by Andre Coleman – to bring the game's total touchdown tally to 10, which remains a Super Bowl record.
The 49ers' victory helped rookie head coach George Seifert join Don McCafferty as the only coaches to win a Super Bowl in their first season running a team. Since then, Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak have also achieved the feat while Mike Vrabel will look to join the fraternity during Super Bowl 60.
Highest-scoring Super Bowls
The 49ers vs. Chargers Super Bowl scoring record has stood for 31 years, but a couple of recent Super Bowls have come close to breaking it. The Eagles' 41-33 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 came up a point shy of tying the record.
Below is a look at the five highest-scoring Super Bowls in NFL history.
- Super Bowl 29: San Francisco 49ers 49, Los Angeles Chargers 26 (75 total points)
- Super Bowl 52: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33 (74 total points)
- Super Bowl 57: Kansas City Chiefs 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35 (73 total points)
- Super Bowl 37: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21 (69 total points)
- Super Bowl 27: Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17 (69 total points)
The 49ers also own the Super Bowl record for the most points scored by an individual team. They earned that when they dropped 55 points on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 24.