Who is the highest-scoring NFL team of all time?
In a day and age where fans would rather see games end in final scores of 40-37 instead of 13-10, scoring points is what almost everyone talks about. There have been many prolific offenses in NFL history, but statistically, the most accomplished one was the 2013 Denver Broncos’ well oiled machine. They posted an astonishing 606 total points in that regular season campaign, and are the only squad to go over the 600 point threshold.
At age 37, legendary signal caller Peyton Manning had arguably one of the best seasons of his career. He tossed a career high with NFL-record 55 touchdown passes and threw for a mind-blowing 5,477 yards. He was in complete control from the moment he stepped on the field, which was no sure thing considering the serious neck injury that forced him to miss the 2011 campaign. Unsurprisingly, Manning won the final MVP award of his career that year, which was the fifth in his Hall of Fame resume.
Obviously, if Manning had that many scoring passes, there would have been several beneficiaries of those throws on the receiving end. Basically, anyone who had a Broncos receiver on their fantasy team that season was going to thrive. Demaryius Thomas was the most talented pass catcher in the bunch, and caught 14 touchdowns, which paced the team.
Not far behind him in scoring catches were Eric Decker and Wes Welker. Decker finished with 11 touchdowns in 2013, while Welker had 10 to his name. There wasn’t any way for teams to match up with such a versatile offense in the regular season.
The wide receivers, however, weren’t the only players to thrive that year. Tight end Julius Thomas, who before 2013 was an afterthought in Denver’s offense, also shined. Thomas hauled in 12 touchdown catches that year, after not catching one during his first two NFL seasons. He also had a career high in yards per catch, yards receiving and catches that season. Thomas would catch another 12 passes for scores the following season as well, his last with the Broncos.
Even though Denver’s aerial attack was among the best in NFL history, their ground game was nothing to scoff at either. With defenses afraid of getting burned by the pass, Broncos running backs feasted on formations that didn’t leave safeties in the box. Knowshon Moreno had the best season of his career in 2013, rushing for 1,038 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns on the ground. For good measure, he also brought in 2 touchdowns through the air as well. Reserve rusher Montee Ball also had a solid season for the team, putting up 559 yards rushing at 4.7 yards per tote.
Denver's closest challengers came from the 2007 New England Patriots and the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots put up a gaudy 589 points of their own in a 2007 campaign that almost saw them go undefeated. The Chiefs registered 565 points in 2018, which was Patrick Mahomes’ first season as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Ironically, not one of the three highest scoring teams in league history ended up winning the Super Bowl in their offensive onslaught regular season. The Broncos were surprisingly blown out by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 in the big game. The Patriots were stunningly upset by the New York Giants 17-14 on their way to the second perfect season in NFL history. The Chiefs didn’t even make the Super Bowl, as they bowed out to the Patriots in the AFC championship game with a final score of 37-31.
Also Read: Peyton Manning’s Net Worth