9 NFL Playoff Records That Will (Probably) Never Be Broken

It’s been close to a century since the NFL hosted its first-ever championship game a little over a decade after the league came into existence while officially ushering in its Playoff Era. Plenty of records have been set and broken since then, but there are more than a few that may never be topped.

These are the most unbreakable NFL playoff records

You’re tempting fate whenever you describe a sports record as “unbreakable,” but every league boasts some achievements that are impressive to the point where it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone will be able to surpass them.

That’s the case with the NFL, and these are the postseason marks that seem poised to stand the test of time.

Biggest Comeback: 32 Points

A number of teams have staged some incredibly dramatic comebacks after finding themselves seemingly down and out in a playoff game.

For example, the Jaguars stunned the Chargers in a wild card showdown at the beginning of January 2023, as Jacksonville was facing a 27-0 deficit toward the end of the first half before surging back to advance with a 31-30 victory. That was the second biggest comeback in the postseason and one point shy of the 28-point hole the Colts overcame against the Chiefs in 2014.

However, there’s only one team that’s won a playoff game after going down by more than 30: the Bills, who found themselves trailing the Oilers 35-3 in the third quarter of their wild card game on January 3, 1993. Buffalo erased the 32-point deficit to force overtime before kicking a field goal to win (and going on to lose the third of what ended up being four consecutive defeats in the Super Bowl).

It was also the biggest comeback in any NFL game before the Vikings came back after going down by 33 against the Colts in 2022.

Fewest Team Rushing Yards: -4

A number of NFL teams have fallen victim to some dismal rushing performances that ended up costing them in the playoffs. However, there is only one that has ended up with a negative number of yards on the ground when everything was said and done.

The Lions became the first (and, to date, last) team to check that box when they faced off against the Packers in the wild-card round in 1994. Green Bay managed to hold Barry Sanders to -1 yards on 13 rushing attempts in a game where Brett Perriman lost four on his only carry, and the single yard Dave Krieg was able to salvage on the ground meant they finished with -4 in the 16-12 loss.

Fewest Team Rushing Yards In A Win: 14

The Patriots had an uncanny (and, if you were a fan of the team they were playing against, infuriating) ability to figure out ways to win when Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were running the show, and they did exactly that against the Ravens in the divisional round on January 10, 2015.

The Patriots are the only team that’s currently in the Top 25 when it comes to the fewest rushing yards in a playoff game that managed to walk away with a win.

The four players who were credited with a carry against Baltimore were only able to collectively gain 14 yards, but Brady finished with 367 in the air while throwing three touchdowns and scrambling for another to lead New England to the 35-31 victory.

Most Career Wins: 38

Speak of the devil…

I’m going to limit myself to a single record when it comes to Tom Brady, who also has some laughable margins over the rest of the pack when it comes to overall postseason passing yards (13,400 to Peyton Manning’s 7,339) and touchdowns (88 to Patrick Mahomes’ 46).

However, nothing sums up just how dominant he was than the number of wins he had as a starting QB in the playoffs. Brady racked up 38 victories between his time with the Patriots and the Buccaneers, and as things currently stand, Mahomes sits in second place with 17.

Fewest Overall Points: 5

In theory, an NFL game can end with a score of 2-0, but the most recent of the five times that’s happened came in 1938. There have been seven 3-0 contests since the start of the Super Bowl Era in 1967 (the most recent of which came when the Vikings beat the Raiders in 2023), but none of them have occurred in the postseason.

It’s been more than 55 years since we were treated to the lowest-scoring playoff game in NFL history courtesy of the Lions and the Cowboys, who faced off in the divisional round on December 26, 1970.

Mike Clark opened up the scoring with a field goal that gave Dallas a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, and while that would have been enough to win, the Cowboys added a little insurance in the fourth after Greg Landry was sacked in the end zone to make it 5-0.

The second-lowest combined score is currently the 9-0 win the Rams got over the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship in 1979. A lower result is in the realm of possibility, but it remains pretty elusive.

Biggest Margin Of Victory: 73 Points

There are a bunch of NFL playoff records that will probably never be broken that were set when the Bears and the team now known as the Commanders faced off in the NFL Championship on December 8, 1940.

It was a laughably lopsided affair that saw Chicago score 11 touchdowns, intercept eight passes, and gain 382 yards on the ground while scoring 73 points and winning by the same margins—all of which are postseason records that still stand more than 85 years later.

Most Punts By A Single Team: 14

This may not be the most exciting record on this list, but I feel like I need to include it based on just how absurd it is.

On January 3, 1987, the Jets headed to Cleveland to face off against the Browns in the divisional round. The two teams needed double overtime to decide things, and by the time the home team walked away with a 23-20 win, Jets punter Dave Jennings had been called upon 14 times while recording a total of 520 yards with his kicks (the longest of which went 55).

Most Seasons Without A Playoff Win: 50

The Dolphins currently boast the longest active drought when it comes to their most recent playoff victory, as Miami has not won in the postseason since beating the Colts in the wild card round on December 30, 2000.

However, they’re only halfway to surpassing the all-time mark that was set by the Cardinals, who were still playing in Chicago when they won the NFL Championship in 1947. They wouldn’t get another win in the playoffs for another 50 seasons, as they surpassed the 39-year mark the Steelers had previously set before snapping the dubious streak with a victory over the Cowboys in 1998.

Most Career Receiving Yards: 2,245

I’m putting this one toward the end because there is still a chance it could be broken by the man who currently sits in second place; Travis Kelce has 2,078 receiving yards in the postseason, which puts him just 167 behind the legendary Jerry Rice.

However, the tight end is firmly in the twilight of his career, and if he doesn’t break the record, we’re going to be waiting a while for another contender to emerge when you consider Tyreek Hill currently leads all other active players with 1,212.