Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals Combined for 96 Points in 2010

Published on December 20th, 2024 9:59 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


On January 10th, 2010, the 11-5-0 Green Bay Packers travelled to take on the 10-6-0 Arizona Cardinals in a Wild Card game.

Little did the fans at University of Phoenix Stadium know that they were about to witness history that day, as the Packers and Cardinals were about to set the record for most points scored in a NFL playoff game.

The 2009 Green Bay Packers had one of the top offenses in the NFL in 2009, led by Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 4,434 yards and 30 passing touchdowns during the season. Some of Rodgers' top targets included Ryan Grant and Greg Jennings, to name a few.

The Cardinals had a middle of the road offense, though they had weapons that included the likes of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. They could sling the football if they had to.

The conditions were perfect on that fateful Sunday. The Cardinals jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead, as Tim Hightower and Early Doucet both found the endzone in the first quarter.

After Aaron Rodgers made it 17-7 with a QB sneak early in the second quarter, the Cardinals responded as Early Doucet found the end zone once again to make it 24-7 for the Cardinals. The Packers kicked a late field goal to make it 24-10 heading into the second half.

At the start of the second half, disaster struck for the Packers, as Larry Fitzgerald caught a 33-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-10 for the Cardinals. Done deal? The Packers had something to say about that.

The Packers would score two touchdowns in just over three minutes to make the score 31-24 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Rodgers would find Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson for touchdown passes.

The Cardinals wasted no time in responding, as Larry Fitzgerald scored another touchdown to make it 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Packers scored early in the fourth quarter to tie the game, and the teams would each exchange another touchdown to make it 45-45. We were heading to overtime.

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In the final play of the game, Karlos Dansby would return a 17 yard fumble to the house to give the Cardinals the victory, as they won by a score of 51-45.

The combined 96 points was the highest combined point output in the history of the NFL, and the record still stands to this day.

The Cardinals would be crushed by the New Orleans Saints the following week, though you have to think that they were happy with how their season had played out, as they made the playoffs and scored a thrilling playoff victory.