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There have been 73 games in NFL history that have finished with a 0-0 tie, although the last time that happened was in 1943. Since the NFL and AFL merger in 1970, there have been a total of seven games that finished with a score of 3-0, and we are going to look into each of these.
Ready for some low scoring slogs? Let’s dive into them!
On a day when the Minnesota Vikings offense managed a grand total of 87 yards (21 passing), they were more than pleased to somehow claim an unlikely victory over their divisional rivals.
Vikings kicker Fred Cox went into the match on a 120-game scoring streak, and in the season to date the team had scored more field goals than touchdowns.
During this game the Packers – powered by running back John Brockington – made it into their opponent’s 20-yard line on numerous occasions, but were thwarted each time by the sturdy Vikings D. In the end it was left to Cox to settle things from the 25-yard line.
The Falcons made a decent start to the 1977 season, getting off to a 3 and 1 record when they traveled to Rich Stadium to take on the Bills. This defeat at the hands of Buffalo would puncture any dreams of a successful season, one which ended with Atlanta on an overall record of 7 wins and 7 losses.
This game was decided by Bills’ kicker Neil O’Donoghue, who knocked a 30-yard field goal between the sticks in the second quarter. Falcons QB Scott Hunter had a day to forget and that lone kick was enough to seal the deal.
In 1979 the NFL season kicked off with a monsoon game in Week 1. There was a crazy storm that surrounded the stadium that day but the league refused to cancel or suspend the game.
As you can imagine the game was sloppy, but that is putting it lightly. In total, there were five turnovers and seven total fumbles. The game ended 3-0 with a game-winning field goal by the Bucs kicker Neil O’Donoghue from 19 yards out.
The winning quarterback that day was Doug Williams who went 5-13 for 51 yards and two interceptions. The quarterback for Kansas City was Steve Fuller who went 7-13 for 46 yards and one interception.
The second game on this list also has a nickname like the one above it. It is referred to as the ‘snow plow game’. It was during the Wild Card playoff matchup between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.
The game was played on a snow-covered Schaefer Stadium on December 12, 1982, in frigid temperatures. As the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, snow plow operator Mark Henderson drove the snow plow onto the field to clear a spot on the field for a game-winning 33-yard field goal attempt by John Smith.
Smith kicked the ball through the uprights and the rest is history. The winning quarterback on the day for the Patriots was Steve Grogan. He attempted just five passes completing two of them for 13 yards. The Dolphins were much more brave throwing the ball 18 times in the awful weather with David Woodley. He went 9-18 for 76 yards but threw two interceptions.
There is not a cool name for this New York Jets vs Washington Redskins game in 1993. It was just a good old-fashioned low-scoring football game. The first and only score during the game was a 45-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard in the first quarter of the game.
The winning quarterback on the day was Boomer Esiason who finiehd the day 12-22 for 105 yards. It was the Jets running back Johnny Johnson who had the monster game for the Jets and was a big reason why they won the game. Johnson rushed for 155 yards on 32 carries.
The Redskins went through three quarterbacks that day in the loss. Rich Gannon, Brian Mitchell and Mark Rypien all saw time under center for them and combined for 111 passing yards.
The Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Miami Dolphins 3-0 was wild, to say the least. The weather was awful and Heinz Fields condition was worse at the time.
The game nearly went scoreless all the way until the end of regulation. However, Steelers kicker Jeff Reed saved the day. Reed was able to send the Steelers faithful home happy after kicking the ball through the uprights from 24 yards out with 20 seconds left on the clock.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was the winning quarterback for the Steelers that day. He did not have a bad day from a stat perspective going 18-21 for 165 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times that day however, which derailed the Steelers offense that day.
The Dolphins were led by John Beck that day who threw for 132 yards. The Dolphins offense struggled all day long totalling just 150 of total offense that day and fell to 0-11 on the season.
The last game on this list is a game that just happened a short while ago. The Minnesota Vikings were trying to figure out how they were going to get by without their quarterback Kirk Cousins who was out with a torn achilles.
They went through two quarterbacks in this game with Joshua Dobbs starting but Nick Mullens finishing the game and ultimately leading the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Greg Joseph lined up for a 36-yard field with 1:57 left on the clock and kicked it through to get the win.
The Raiders offense just could not get going that day led by quarterback Aidan O’Connell who threw for just 171 yards and an interception. The Raiders even had solid playmakers on the field including Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs. That game is one of the weirder outcomes in recent NFL history.
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.