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The NFL has become the biggest sport in the United States of America, and it continues to grow. Even though we have all this fast-paced gameplay with today’s offenses, the game has slowed down.
There are a plethora of stoppages and reviews in the games nowadays for first downs, touchdowns and a variety of penalties. All those changes have made games last an average of three hours and 12 minutes.
In this article, however, we have decided to look on the other side of the spectrum, and we will be breaking down the 5 shortest NFL games of all time. Now sit back, relax and enjoy taking a trip down memory lane.
The first two games on our list clocked in at exactly the same time of 2 hours and 35 minutes. The first of these may have been short, but it wasn’t exactly a thriller, with the Steelers grinding out a 3 to zero victory over the visiting Dolphins.
The low scoring was due to the fact that this November match-up was heavily impacted by the weather, as driving rain had turned the field into a marsh. The only score of the game was a 24-yard field goal by Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed with just 17 seconds left on the clock.
The fourth-shortest NFL game was two hours and 35 minutes on September 11th, 2005, between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As with the previous entry on the list, the Steelers would come out on top at Heinz Field in this one, albeit by a greater margin.
The Steelers defense was outstanding in this one, forcing Titans quarterback Steve McNair into four turnovers on the day. Steelers running back Willie Parker had a huge day, rushing for 161 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown en route to a 34-7 Steelers victory.
The first half of the 2000s games were played fast in the NFL, as our first three games on this list took place before 2010. In 2007, the Atlanta Falcons traveled down to Raymond James Stadium to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an NFC South Divisional matchup.
The Bucs dominated from the opening kickoff on the back of an awesome performance from their defense, winning 37-3. In the first quarter, Rondae Barber intercepted Falcons Quarterback Chris Redmon and ran it 29 yards for a touchdown. Redmon finished the day just 4-13 for 34 yards and two interceptions.
With the Falcons not being able to muster much on offense, this game only lasted two hours and 34 minutes, making it third for the shortest NFL games in history.
Just one year after that Falcons-Bucs game that finished in just over two and a half hours, another matchup finished one minute faster.
In a late December game, the Vince Young-led Tennessee Titans traveled to Indianapolis to take on Peyton Manning and the Colts. This game saw five quarterbacks play, including some fun names like Jim Sorgi, Chris Simms and Kerry Collins.
The Colts dominated throughout this and won 23-0 on the back of a 55-yard receiving touchdown from Joseph Addai in this one. Vince Young struggled in that matchup, going 5-13 and losing a fumble, causing the Titans offense to not get anything going.
This Titans-Colts matchup came in with a time of two hours and 33 minutes, making it the second on the list of shortest NFL games in history.
The fastest NFL game was on November 3rd, 1996, between the San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts, which took just 2 hours 29 minutes from start to finish. This is also the highest-scoring game of the shortest NFL games ever, finishing with a score of 26-19 and a Chargers win.
That day, the Chargers were led by Sean Salisbury, who threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the football, Chargers Hall of Famer Junior Seau recorded two of the Chargers six sacks on Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh.
The Colts offense scored 19 points but still struggled that day. Jim Harbaugh struggled that day, going 18-44 and throwing four interceptions. They also could not get the running game going, with Marshall Faulk averaging just 2.6 yards per carry.
When people complain about football games taking too long these days, they can use this fast-paced romp as a shining example of how to do it!
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.