Is there a list of the longest plays that didn't result a touchdown?
Elias probably has a list (they verified that Percy Harvin's 104-yard kickoff return was the longest non-scoring play in NFL history), but I've never seen one published.
Both scrimmage (runs and passes) and non-scrimmage (returns) plays are included in the lists below of plays of 80 yards and longer that didn't result in touchdowns.
Notes:
The lists below should be complete for 1983-2015; nearly-complete for 1960-1982 or for anything that would be a record play in franchise history; mostly-complete for 1941-1959; and spotty for anything before 1941.
Everything that appears on the lists below has been confirmed via the actual play-by-play or contemporary articles with the exception of a few pre-1960 plays.
Longest non-scoring runs in NFL history:
Rusher | Date | Length | Team | Opponent | From | To | Notes |
Hap Moran | 11/23/1930 | 91* | NYG | GB | NYG8 | GB1 | *disputed;
Giants accept this as 91-yard run
but other sources have it as 84.
NY Times on 11/24/30 details a play
starting from NYG15 with Moran
receiving snap in punt formation. |
Johnny Johnson | 9/25/1994 | 90 | NYJ | CHI | NYJ3 | CHI7 | |
Bo Jackson | 12/16/1990 | 88 | L.A.
Raiders | CIN | LA11 | CIN1 |
|
Barry Sanders | 10/2/1994 | 85 | DET | TB | DET10 | TB5 | |
Barry Sanders | 10/23/1994 | 84 | DET | CHI | DET3 | CHI13 | |
Doug Martin | 11/22/2015 | 84 | TB | PHI | TB15 | PHI1 | |
Jess Phillips | 11/2/1969 | 83 | CIN | OAK | CIN7 | OAK10 | |
Billy Sims | 9/30/1984 | 81 | DET | SD | DET18 | SD1 | |
Le'Veon Bell | 9/21/2014 | 81 | PIT | CAR | PIT8 | CAR11 | |
Wilbur Jackson | 11/27/1977 | 80 | SF | NO | SF1 | NO19 | |
Leroy Harris | 11/25/1979 | 80 | PHI | GB | PHI1 | GB19 | |
Larry Moriarty | 9/11/1983 | 80 | Houston
Oilers | L.A.
Raiders | HOU7 | LA13 | |
Jessie Clark | 9/29/1985 | 80 | GB | St. Louis
Cardinals | GB10 | STL10 | |
Troy Hambrick | 9/30/2001 | 80 | DAL | PHI | DAL5 | PHI15 | |
Jamaal Charles | 12/19/2010 | 80 | KC | STL | KC18 | STL2 | |
Longest non-scoring passes in NFL history:
Receiver | Passer | Date | Length | Team | Opponent | From | To | Notes |
Bobby Moore
(Ahmad Rashad) | Jim Hart | 12/10/1972 | 98 | St. Louis
Cardinals | L.A. Rams | STL1 | LA1 | |
Walter Roberts | Billy Kilmer | 11/19/1967 | 96 | NO | PHI | NO2 | PHI2 | |
Vincent Jackson | Josh Freeman | 10/21/2012 | 95 | TB | NO | TB4 | NO1 | |
Herschel Walker | Randall Cunningham | 9/4/1994 | 93 | PHI | NYG | PHI6 | NYG1 | |
Marcus Allen | Marc Wilson | 10/7/1984 | 92 | L.A.
Raiders | SEA | LA3 | SEA5 | |
Derrick Alexander | Eric Zeier | 12/7/1997 | 92 | BAL | SEA | BAL7 | SEA1 | |
Richard Caster | Joe Namath | 10/26/1975 | 91 | NYJ | Baltimore
Colts | NYJ8 | BAL1 | |
Dwight Stone | Bubby Brister | 10/14/1990 | 90 | PIT | DEN | PIT6 | DEN4 | |
Alvin Harper | Troy Aikman | 11/13/1994 | 90 | DAL | SF | DAL6 | SF4 | |
Byron Chamberlain | Brian Griese | 10/17/1999 | 88 | DEN | GB | DEN10 | GB2 | |
Milt Morin | Bill Nelsen | 11/24/1968 | 87 | CLE | PHI | CLE10 | PHI3 | |
Calvin Johnson | Matthew Stafford | 10/27/2013 | 87 | DET | DAL | DET10 | DAL3 | Johnson finished the game
with 329 receiving yards. |
Steve Watson | Craig Morton | 12/6/1981 | 86 | DEN | KC | DEN9 | KC5 | |
Vance Johnson | John Elway | 9/26/1988 | 86 | DEN | L.A.
Raiders | DEN13 | LA1 | |
Emmitt Smith | Bernie Kosar | 11/14/1993 | 86 | DAL | Phoenix
Cardinals | DAL12 | PHX2 | |
Marcus Pollard | Joey Harrington | 10/16/2005 | 86 | DET | CAR | DET9 | CAR5 |
|
Wes Chandler | Archie Manning | 9/23/1979 | 85 | NO | SF | NO13 | SF2 | |
Emery Moorehead | Mike Tomczak | 11/16/1986 | 85 | CHI | ATL | CHI14 | ATL1 | |
Homer Jones | Fran Tarkenton | 9/15/1968 | 84 | NYG | PIT | NYG12 | PIT4 | |
Ken Burrow | Bob Berry | 12/19/1971 | 84 | ATL | NO | ATL13 | NO3 | not to be confused with
fellow 70's WR Ken Burrough |
Alvin Garrett | Joe Theismann | 10/23/1983 | 84 | WAS | DET | WAS5 | DET11 |
|
Eric Martin | Bobby Hebert | 9/14/1986 | 84 | NO | GB | NO9 | GB7 | Martin's second catch of the game;
the first went for 72 and a TD. |
Malcolm Kelly | Jason Campbell | 1/3/2010 | 84 | WAS | SD | WAS12 | SD4 | |
Jerome Simpson | Andy Dalton | 9/18/2011 | 84 | CIN | DEN | CIN7 | DEN9 | |
Sammy Watkins | Kyle Orton | 10/26/2014 | 84 | BUF | NYJ | BUF11 | NYJ5 | Watkins started
celebrating at the 15. |
Koren Robinson | Trent Dilfer | 10/20/2002 | 83 | SEA | STL | SEA15 | STL2 | |
Kevin Johnson | Kelly Holcomb | 1/5/2003 | 83 | CLE | PIT | CLE16 | PIT1 | AFC Wild Card game. |
Santonio Holmes | Ben Roethlisberger | 12/20/2007 | 83 | PIT | STL | PIT4 | STL13 | |
Ed Marshall | Joe Pisarcik | 10/23/1977 | 82 | NYG | WAS | NYG3 | WAS15 | |
Leonard Thompson | Scott Hunter | 10/7/1979 | 82 | DET | NE | DET9 | NE9 | |
Terry Kirby | Steve Young | 10/19/1997 | 82 | SF | ATL | SF17 | ATL1 | |
Armanti Edwards | Cam Newton | 11/4/2012 | 82 | CAR | WAS | CAR9 | WAS9 | |
Jackie Smith | Gary Hammond | 10/13/1974 | 81 | St. Louis
Cardinals | DAL | STL13 | DAL6 | pass thrown by wide receiver |
Jessie Hester | Jack Trudeau | 11/22/1992 | 81 | IND | PIT | IND18 | PIT1 | |
Pat Coleman | Cody Carlson | 9/25/1994 | 81 | Houston
Oilers | CIN | HOU14 | CIN5 | |
Terence Mathis | Jeff George | 12/4/1994 | 81 | ATL | SF | ATL10 | SF9 | |
Corey Bradford | David Carr | 10/13/2002 | 81 | HOU | BUF | HOU10 | BUF9 | |
Devery Henderson | Drew Brees | 9/28/2008 | 81 | NO | SF | NO17 | SF2 |
|
Johnny Knox | Caleb Hanie | 11/27/2011 | 81 | CHI | OAK | CHI10 | OAK9 | |
Johnny Perkins | Phil Simms | 10/25/1981 | 80 | NYG | ATL | NYG18 | ATL2 | |
Jimmie Giles | Jack Thompson | 10/9/1983 | 80 | TB | DAL | TB11 | DAL9 | |
Todd Pinkston | Donovan McNabb | 12/12/2004 | 80 | PHI | WAS | PHI16 | WAS4 | |
Reggie Wayne | Andrew Luck | 12/28/2004 | 80 | IND | TEN | IND19 | TEN1 |
|
Longest non-scoring kickoff returns in NFL history:
Returner | Date | Length | Team | Opponent | From | To | Notes |
Percy Harvin | 11/27/2011 | 104 | MIN | ATL | MIN-7 | ATL3 | |
Ameer Abdullah | 11/15/2015 | 104 | DET | GB | DET-5 | GB1 | |
Benny Cunningham | 12/17/2015 | 102 | STL | TB | STL-5 | TB3 | |
Jalen Saunders | 12/21/2014 | 99 | NO | ATL | NO0 | ATL1 | |
Adam Jones | 10/12/2014 | 97 | CIN | CAR | CIN0 | CAR3 | |
Joe Arenas | 12/16/1956 | 96 | SF | BAL | SF2 | BAL2 | |
Maurice Jones-Drew | 1/5/2008 | 96 | JAX | PIT | JAX3 | PIT1 | AFC Wild Card Game |
Art Powell | 10/4/1959 | 95 | PHI | NYG | PHI4 | NYG1 | |
Bob Neff | 9/14/1968 | 95 | MIA | Houston
Oilers | MIA0 | HOIL5 | |
Ken Jenkins | 11/24/1985 | 95 | WAS | PIT | WAS2 | PIT3 | |
Tim Brown | 11/28/1988 | 95 | L.A.
Raiders | SEA | LA2 | SEA3 |
|
Kevin Faulk | 11/15/1999 | 95 | NE | NYJ | NE-3 | NYJ8 | |
Eddie Royal | 11/2/2008 | 95 | DEN | MIA | DEN0 | MIA5 | |
Leon Washington | 12/8/2013 | 95 | TEN | DEN | TEN2 | DEN3 | |
Tom Watkins | 11/21/1965 | 94 | DET | CHI | ? | ? | |
Dick Gordon | 9/16/1966 | 94 | CHI | L.A. Rams | ? | ? | |
Doug Cunningham | 10/22/1967 | 94 | SF | NO | ? | ? | |
Tim McGee | 11/23/1986 | 94 | CIN | MIN | CIN1 | MIN5 | |
Tab Perry | 12/4/2005 | 94 | CIN | PIT | CIN3 | PIT3 | |
Leon Washington | 9/22/2008 | 94 | NYJ | SD | NYJ1 | SD5 | |
Kyle Williams | 9/23/2012 | 94 | SF | MIN | SF-8 | MIN14 | |
Danieal Manning | 1/13/2013 | 80 | HOU | NE | HOU-6 | NE12 | AFC Divisional Round |
Gary Ballman | 11/3/1963 | 93 | PIT | GB | PIT5 | GB2 | |
Glyn Milburn | 9/26/1999 | 93 | CHI | OAK | CHI-2 | OAK9 | |
Brock Marion | 10/4/1999 | 93 | MIA | BUF | MIA3 | BUF4 | |
Tom Farmer | ?/?/1946 | 92 | L.A. Rams | ? | ? | ? | unverified |
Dave Osborn | 10/4/1965 | 92 | MIN | L.A. Rams | ? | ? | |
Billy Lefear | 11/23/1975 | 92 | CLE | CIN | CLE6 | CIN2 | Lefear broke his leg when tackled;
Lefear's last play in NFL |
Leeland McElroy | 10/27/1996 | 92 | ARI | NYJ | ARI0 | NYJ8 | |
Jerious Norwood | 12/28/2008 | 92 | ATL | STL | ATL0 | STL8 | |
Darren Sproles | 12/26/2011 | 92 | NO | ATL | NO-6 | ATL14 | |
Lynn Chandnois | 9/30/1956 | 91 | PIT | WAS | PIT-5 | WAS14 | |
Mel Blount | 10/3/1970 | 91 | PIT | CLE | PIT4 | CLE5 | |
Reggie Barlow | 10/25/1998 | 91 | JAX | DEN | JAX5 | DEN4 | |
Terry Fair | 9/19/1999 | 91 | DET | GB | DET1 | GB8 | |
Desmond Howard | 10/28/2001 | 91 | DET | CIN | DET0 | CIN9 | |
Eddie Drummond | 12/15/2002 | 91 | DET | TB | DET4 | TB5 | |
Antonio Cromartie | 11/26/2006 | 91 | SD | OAK | SD-3 | OAK12 | |
Bryan McCann | 12/24/2011 | 91 | OAK | KC | OAK-5 | KC14 | |
Bob Neff | 11/13/1966 | 90 | MIA | KC | MIA0 | KC10 | The Dolphins were intercepted
shortly after each of Neff's long returns. |
Don Shy | 11/17/1968 | 90 | PIT | CLE | ? | ? | |
Kendall Williams | 10/2/1983 | 90 | Baltimore
Colts | CIN | BAL1 | CIN9 | |
James Dixon | 10/8/1989 | 90 | DAL | GB | DAL4 | GB6 | |
Donnie Elder | 12/30/1990 | 90 | SD | L.A.
Raiders | SD3 | LA7 | |
Jason Tucker | 10/15/2000 | 90 | DAL | NYG | DAL8 | NYG2 | |
Allen Rossum | 11/6/2000 | 90 | GB | MIN | GB8 | MIN2 | |
Brad Pyatt | 10/6/2003 | 90 | IND | TB | IND-2 | TB12 | first play of Colts comeback
from down 21 with 5:09 left |
Reggie Swinton | 11/20/2005 | 90 | ARI | STL | ARI5 | STL5 | |
Josh Cribbs | 11/11/2007 | 90 | CLE | PIT | CLE7 | PIT3 | |
Dwayne Harris | 10/13/2013 | 90 | DAL | WAS | DAL-5 | WAS15 | |
Floyd Little | 11/10/1968 | 89 | DEN | OAK | DEN-2 | OAK13 | |
Ike Thomas | 11/12/1972 | 89 | GB | CHI | GB0 | CHI11 | |
Larry Brunson | 10/14/1979 | 89 | OAK | ATL | OAK5 | ATL6 | |
Rod Hill | 1/16/1983 | 89 | DAL | GB | DAL2 | GB9 | NFC Divisional game |
Ron Brown | 11/10/1985 | 89 | L.A. Rams | NYG | LA0 | NYG11 | |
Mel Gray | 10/25/1992 | 89 | DET | TB | DET7 | TB4 | |
Herschel Walker | 10/20/1996 | 89 | DAL | ATL | DAL0 | ATL11 | |
Veryl Switzer | 10/30/1954 | 88 | GB | PHI | GB2 | PHI10 | |
Walter Roberts | 11/7/1965 | 88 | CLE | PHI | CLE2 | PHI10 | |
Clarence Childs | 12/8/1968 | 88 | CHI | L.A. Rams | CHI10 | LA2 | |
Randy Montgomery | 10/22/1972 | 88 | DEN | OAK | DEN-4 | OAK16 | |
Steve Odom | 10/3/1976 | 88 | GB | DET | GB10 | DET2 | |
Jimmy Rogers | 11/24/1980 | 88 | NO | L.A. Rams | NO-3 | LA15 | |
Carl Roaches | 9/13/1981 | 88 | Houston
Oilers | CLE | HOU1 | CLE11 | |
Buster Rhymes | 12/22/1985 | 88 | MIN | PHI | MIN4 | PHI8 | broke rookie record for KR yards
in a season on this return;
not that Busta Rhymes
|
Mel Gray | 10/6/1996 | 88 | Houston
Oilers | CIN | HOU2 | CIN10 | |
Anthony Marshall
(lateral from Bobby Engram) | 11/24/1996 | 88 | CHI | DET | CHI-3 | DET15 | Engram returned the kickoff 13 yards
then lateraled to Marshall for next 75 |
Eddie Drummond | 12/22/2002 | 88 | DET | ATL | DET-3 | ATL15 | |
Terrence McGee | 11/12/2006 | 88 | BUF | IND | BUF0 | IND12 | |
Pierre Thomas | 12/7/2008 | 88 | NO | ATL | NO4 | ATL8 | |
Rod McNeill | 12/21/1975 | 88 | NO | CHI | ? | ? | |
Joe McKnight | 10/9/2011 | 88 | NYJ | NE | NYJ-8 | NE20 | |
Willie West | 10/16/1960 | 87 | St. Louis
Cardinals | PIT | STL-7 | PIT20 | tripped over teammate |
Earl Christy | 9/29/1968 | 87 | NYJ | BUF | NYJ6 | BUF7 | |
Jerry LeVias | 11/9/1969 | 87 | Houston
Oilers | CIN | ? | ? | |
Don Bessillieu | 9/21/1980 | 87 | MIA | ATL | MIA-5 | ATL18 | |
Jamie Holland | 11/11/1990 | 87 | L.A.
Raiders | GB | LA11 | GB2 | |
Kevin Williams | 11/24/1994 | 87 | DAL | GB | DAL8 | GB5 | |
B.J. Sams | 12/11/2005 | 87 | BAL | DEN | BAL3 | DEN10 | |
Jerome Mathis | 12/3/2006 | 87 | HOU | OAK | HOU10 | OAK3 | |
Rock Cartwright | 12/14/2008 | 87 | WAS | CIN | WAS0 | CIN13 | |
Aaron Brown | 9/13/2009 | 87 | DET | NO | DET1 | NO12 | |
Courtney Roby | 10/25/2009 | 87 | NO | MIA | NO-3 | MIA16 | |
Chris Owusu | 12/28/2014 | 87 | NYJ | MIA | NYJ1 | MIA12 | |
Fred Morrison | ?/?/1951 | 86 | CHI | ? | ? | ? | unverified |
Joe Geri | 10/1/1951 | 86 | PIT | NYG | PIT13 | NYG1 | |
Emlen Tunnell | 11/1/1953 | 86 | NYG | Chicago
Cardinals | NYG2 | CHI12 | |
Gene Howard | 11/2/1969 | 86 | NO | St. Louis
Cardinals | ? | ? | |
Keith Wright | 10/22/1978 | 86 | CLE | KC | CLE-4 | KC18 | |
Brian Mitchell | 9/11/1994 | 86 | WAS | NO | WAS-1 | NO15 | |
Glyn Milburn | 11/19/1995 | 86 | DEN | SD | DEN1 | SD13 | |
Steve Broussard | 9/15/1996 | 86 | SEA | KC | SEA3 | KC11 | |
Herschel Walker | 11/3/1996 | 86 | DAL | PHI | DAL8 | PHI6 | Walker's third appearance on these lists. |
Allen Rossum | 11/14/1999 | 86 | PHI | WAS | PHI0 | WAS14 | |
Aaron Stecker | 12/23/2001 | 86 | TB | NO | TB0 | NO14 | TB wouldn't score the first kick return TD
in franchise history for another 6 years. |
Brad Smith | 10/11/2010 | 86 | NYJ | MIN | NYJ-5 | MIN19 | |
Travis Benjamin | 10/20/2013 | 86 | CLE | GB | CLE-6 | GB20 | |
Tommy Wilson | 12/6/1959 | 85 | L.A. Rams | GB | LARM4 | GB11 | unverified |
Jug Girard | 11/1/1953 | 85 | DET | L.A. Rams | ? | ? | |
Barry Redden | 12/18/1982 | 85 | L.A. Rams | L.A.
Raiders | LARM-2 | LARD17 | |
Don Beebe | 11/5/1989 | 85 | BUF | ATL | BUF7 | ATL8 | |
David Dunn | 11/23/1997 | 85 | CIN | JAX | CIN12 | JAX3 | |
Adam Jones | 11/20/2005 | 85 | TEN | JAX | TEN4 | JAX11 | |
Josh Cribbs | 9/16/2007 | 85 | CLE | CIN | CLE4 | CIN11 | |
Jerious Norwood | 10/12/2008 | 85 | ATL | CHI | ATL-2 | CHI17 | |
Leodis McKelvin | 11/9/2008 | 85 | BUF | NE | BUF1 | NE14 | |
Andy Farkas | 10/25/1943 | 84 | WAS | Chicago
Cardinals | WAS0 | CHI16 | fumbled OOB |
Tom Moore | 12/4/1960 | 84 | GB | CHI | ? | ? | |
Ozzie Clay | 10/4/1964 | 84 | WAS | St. Louis
Cardinals | ? | ? | |
Ken Ellis | 11/4/1973 | 84 | GB | CHI | ? | ? | |
James Hunter | 12/11/1976 | 84 | DET | L.A. Rams | DET12 | LARM4 | |
Mike Nelms | 11/1/1981 | 84 | WAS | St. Louis
Cardinals | WAS4 | STL12 | |
Dennis Gentry | 11/3/1986 | 84 | CHI | L.A. Rams | CHI11 | LA5 | |
Herman Fontenot | 10/30/1988 | 84 | CLE | CIN | CLE7 | CIN9 | |
Thomas Lewis | 8/31/1997 | 84 | NYG | PHI | NYG8 | PHI8 | |
Dante Hall | 9/9/2007 | 84 | STL | CAR | STL-1 | CAR17 | |
David Reed | 11/21/2010 | 84 | BAL | CAR | BAL-2 | CAR18 | |
Danny Amendola | 12/26/2010 | 84 | STL | SF | STL4 | SF12 | |
Alex Erickson | 11/14/2016 | 84 | CIN | NYG | CIN3 | NYG13 | |
Jerry Davis | ?/?/1948 | 83 | Chicago
Cardinals | ? | ? | ? | unverified |
Howard Stevens | 12/4/1976 | 83 | Baltimore
Colts | St. Louis
Cardinals | BAL7 | STL10 |
|
Jimmy Edwards | 11/25/1979 | 83 | MIN | TB | MIN-3 | TB20 | |
Tyrone Hughes | 11/26/1995 | 83 | NO | CAR | NO4 | CAR13 | |
Adrian Madise | 12/28/2003 | 83 | DEN | GB | DEN5 | GB12 | |
Domenik Hixon | 11/23/2008 | 83 | NYG | ARI | NYG0 | ARI17 | |
Clifton Smith | 11/8/2009 | 83 | TB | GB | TB0 | GB17 | |
Stefan Logan | 12/6/2009 | 83 | PIT | OAK | PIT-2 | OAK19 | |
Leon Washington | 9/9/2012 | 83 | SEA | ARI | SEA-7 | ARI24 | |
LeGarrette Blount | 12/29/2013 | 83 | NE | BUF | NE-3 | BUF20 | |
Billy Baggett | 11/16/1952 | 82 | Dallas
Texans
(NFL) | DET | DAL5 | DET13 | |
Joe Arenas | 9/27/1953 | 82 | SF | PHI | SF2 | PHI16 | |
Abner Haynes | 11/6/1960 | 82 | Dallas
Texans
(AFL) | BUF | DTX5 | BUF13 | |
Charlie West | 12/8/1968 | 82 | MIN | SF | MIN7 | SF11 | |
Jim Butler | 11/22/1971 | 82 | ATL | GB | ATL-1 | GB19 | |
Steve Davis | 10/29/1972 | 82 | PIT | BUF | PIT0 | BUF18 | |
Mark Logan | 12/6/1992 | 82 | SF | MIA | SF10 | MIA8 | |
Steve Smith | 12/2/2001 | 82 | CAR | NO | CAR6 | NO12 | |
Brandon Bennett | 11/17/2002 | 82 | CIN | CLE | CIN11 | CLE7 | |
Terrence McGee | 10/2/2005 | 82 | BUF | NO | BUF15 | NO3 | last play of 2Q |
Travaris Cadet | 11/17/2013 | 82 | NO | SF | NO-3 | SF21 | |
Charlie Sumner | ?/?/1955 | 81 | CHI | ? | ? | ? | unverified |
Clancy Williams | 11/6/1966 | 81 | L.A. Rams | SF | LA1 | SF18 | |
Len Walterscheid | 10/1/1978 | 81 | CHI | OAK | CHI3 | OAK16 | |
Steve Brown | 11/27/1983 | 81 | Houston
Oilers | TB | HOU10 | TB9 | |
Herman Fontenot | 12/15/1985 | 81 | CLE | Houston
Oilers | CLE3 | HOU16 | |
Kevin L. Williams | 9/26/1999 | 81 | NYJ | WAS | NYJ3 | WAS16 | fumbled OOB |
Charlie Rogers | 10/15/2000 | 81 | SEA | IND | SEA-2 | IND21 | |
Troy Edwards | 11/25/2001 | 81 | PIT | TEN | PIT2 | TEN17 | |
Ellis Hobbs | 9/21/2008 | 81 | NE | MIA | NE-4 | MIA23 | |
Danny Amendola | 11/23/2014 | 81 | NE | DET | NE-3 | DET22 | |
Dave Grayson | 10/11/1964 | 80 | KC | DEN | KC2 | DEN18 | KC's drive after the return:
1-10-DEN18: holding for -15;
1-25-DEN33: sack for -14;
2-39-DEN48: run for -5;
3-44-KC47: run for 19;
4-25-DEN33: pass for 33 and TD |
Gary Ballman | 11/8/1964 | 80 | PIT | St. Louis
Cardinals | ? | ? | |
Ron Smith | 11/27/1966 | 80 | ATL | CHI | ATL14 | CHI6 | |
Ellis Hobbs | 1/21/2007 | 80 | NE | IND | NE-1 | IND21 | AFC Championship Game |
Rock Cartwright | 10/21/2007 | 80 | WAS | ARI | WAS-1 | ARI21 | |
Devin Hester | 9/15/2013 | 80 | CHI | MIN | CHI-3 | MIN23 | |
Pacman Jones | 12/22/2014 | 80 | CIN | DEN | CIN-7 | DEN27 | |
Longest non-scoring punt returns in NFL history:
Returner | Date | Length | Team | Opponent | From | To | Notes |
Brady Keys | 9/20/1964 | 90 | PIT | NYG | PIT9 | NYG1 | |
Skeets Quinlan | ?/?/1952 | 88 | L.A. Rams | ? | ? | ? | unverified |
T.J. Houshmandzadeh | 11/25/2001 | 86 | CIN | CLE | CIN9 | CLE5 | |
Leon Washington | 12/5/2010 | 84 | SEA | CAR | SEA14 | CAR2 | |
Eddie Dove | 9/29/1963 | 83 | NYG | PHI | NYG14 | PHI3 | |
Brady Keys | 9/22/1963 | 82 | PIT | NYG | PIT17 | NYG1 | |
Ray Buchanan | 11/3/1996 | 82 | IND | SD | IND9 | SD9 | |
Danny Amendola | 11/15/2015 | 82 | NE | NYG | NE11 | NYG7 | tripped by teammate |
Bob Grim | 11/5/1967 | 81 | MIN | NYG | MIN17 | NYG2 | |
Dennis Northcutt | 11/5/2006 | 81 | CLE | SD | CLE9 | SD10 | |
Mel Gray | 12/6/1987 | 80 | NO | TB | NO16 | TB4 | |
Desmond Howard | 10/29/2000 | 80 | DET | IND | DET18 | IND2 | |
Longest non-scoring interception returns in NFL history:
Returner | Date | Length | Team | Opponent | From | To | Notes |
Champ Bailey | 1/14/2006 | 100 | DEN | NE | DEN-1 | NE1 | AFC Divisional game;
fumbled OOB just before reaching end zone |
Brandon McDonald | 12/15/2008 | 98 | CLE | PHI | CLE-5 | PHI7 | last play of half |
Julius Peppers | 10/10/2004 | 97 | CAR | DEN | CAR0 | DEN3 | lost fumble into end zone,
but overturned on replay |
Jimmy Conzelman | 11/2/1924 | 96 | Chicago
Cardinals | Milwaukee
Badgers | CRD0 | MIL4 | |
Dennis Thurman | 9/6/1981 | 96 | DAL | WAS | DAL0 | WAS4 | |
Charles Tillman | 12/4/2005 | 95 | CHI | GB | CHI-2 | GB7 | next-to-last play of 2Q |
Nolan Cromwell | 12/14/1981 | 94 | STL | ATL | STL3 | ATL3 | |
LeRoy Irvin | 12/26/1983 | 94 | STL | DAL | STL3 | DAL3 | NFC Wild Card game |
Chad Williams | 10/24/2004 | 94 | BAL | BUF | BAL0 | BUF6 | |
Andy Studebaker | 11/22/2009 | 94 | KC | PIT | KC-2 | PIT8 | |
Ross Fichtner
(lateral from Erich Barnes) | 10/1/1967 | 93 | CLE | NO | CLE5 | NO2 | Barnes returned the interception 5 yards
then lateraled to Fitchner for next 88 |
Jack Hinkle | 10/9/1943 | 91 | PHI/PIT
Steagles | NYG | ? | ? | NY Times on 10/10/43
credits interception to Ernie Steele |
Booker Edgerson | 11/1/1964 | 91 | BUF | Houston
Oilers | ? | ? | |
Leslie Duncan | 12/6/1964 | 91 | SD | NYJ | SD5 | NYJ4 | |
Ryan Mundy | 9/8/2013 | 91 | NYG | DAL | NYG8 | DAL1 | |
Bob Smith | 11/9/1952 | 90 | DET | PIT | DET0 | PIT10 |
|
Rick Volk | 10/13/1968 | 90 | Baltimore
Colts | SF | BAL3 | SF7 | |
Mike Richardson | 9/29/1985 | 90 | CHI | WAS | CHI9 | WAS1 | |
Bruce Maher | 11/10/1968 | 89 | NYG | DAL | NYG5 | DAL6 |
|
Charlie West | 12/19/1971 | 89 | MIN | CHI | MIN6 | CHI5 | |
Lawrence Timmons | 11/30/2008 | 89 | PIT | NE | PIT10 | NE1 | tackle made by Ben Watson,
who also tackled Bailey on the non-TD above |
Dave Robinson | 12/12/1965 | 87 | GB | Baltimore
Colts | GB3 | BAL10 | |
Ron Hall | 9/18/1966 | 87 | NE | DEN | NE6 | DEN7 | |
Joe Blahak | 12/9/1973 | 87 | HOIL | PIT | HOIL8 | PIT5 | |
Victor Green | 12/13/1998 | 87 | NYJ | MIA | NYJ4 | MIA9 | |
Mike Gaechter | 11/3/1963 | 86 | DAL | WAS | DAL1 | WAS13 | |
Dick Anderson | 12/20/1970 | 86 | MIA | BUF | MIA-3 | BUF17 | |
Brice McCain | 10/8/2012 | 86 | HOU | NYJ | HOU5 | NYJ9 | |
Raymond Clayborn | 10/7/1984 | 85 | NE | CLE | NE8 | CLE7 | next-to-last play of 4Q;
CLE trailed 17-16 and was in FG territory |
Aaron Beasley | 9/12/2004 | 85 | ATL | SF | ATL1 | SF14 | |
Al Harris | 12/19/1999 | 84 | PHI | NE | PHI5 | NE11 | fumbled, recovered by PHI |
Joey Porter | 9/15/2002 | 84 | PIT | OAK | PIT1 | OAK15 | illegally lateraled forward for TD
reversed on replay |
Sabby Piscitelli | 12/28/2008 | 84 | TB | OAK | TB5 | OAK11 | |
Kemal Ishmael | 12/20/2015 | 84 | ATL | JAX | ATL0 | JAX16 | |
Fred Marion | 11/17/1985 | 83 | NE | SEA | NE2 | SEA15 | |
Lloyd Burruss | 10/28/1991 | 83 | KC | L.A.
Raiders | KC2 | LA15 | |
Carlton Williamson | 11/25/1985 | 82 | SF | SEA | SF12 | SEA6 | |
Rolland Lawrence | 10/21/1973 | 81 | ATL | SD | ? | ? | |
Paul Krause | 11/23/1975 | 81 | MIN | SD | ? | ? | |
Leroy Irvin | 11/16/1980 | 80 | STL | NE | STL11 | NE9 | last play of half |
John Holt | 11/30/1986 | 80 | IND | SD | IND7 | SD13 | |
Cortland Finnegan | 9/10/2009 | 80 | TEN | PIT | TEN0 | PIT20 | last play of half |
Ralph Brown | 1/3/2010 | 80 | ARI | GB | ARI13 | GB7 |
|
Antoine Cason | 10/12/2014 | 80 | CAR | CIN | CAR10 | CIN10 |
|
Other 80+ yard non-scoring plays (non-comprehensive):
Player | Date | Length | Team | Opponent | From | To | Notes |
Dale Dodrill | 12/14/1952 | 83 | PIT | L.A. Rams | PIT8 | LA9 | blocked FG return |
Andre Waters | 11/30/1986 | 81 | PHI | L.A.
Raiders | PHI15 | LA4 | fumble return;
overtime |
Labels: football, longest non-scoring plays, NFL |
Comments on "Reader Mail: Longest Non-Scoring Plays in NFL History (updated 11/14/2016)"
For the Walter Roberts 96-yard catch, he was pushed out of bounds at the Eagles' 2. So the line of scrimmage was the New Orleans' 2. I found the info on this page: http://sportsnola.com/this-week-in-saints-history-november-13-19/
For the Larry Brunson 89-yard kickoff return, he returned it to the ATL-6 so he received it at the OAK-5. Found it here: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19791015&id=qNsvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DPsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4473,5291426
Thanks. Updated above.
Abdullah 104 yards vs GB
Went looking for this data, and cannot believe it's already updated with the Abdullah play. Awesome.
Found 6 more Kickoff Returns not listed above:
Rock Cartwright, 80 yards, WAS v. ARI, 10/21/2007, WAS-1 to ARI 21,
Opening kickoff of 2nd half
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200710210was.htm
Leon Washington, 83 yards, SEA v. ARI, 9/9/2012, SEA-7 to ARI 24,
9:59 left in 3rd Quarter
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201209090crd.htm
Josh Cribbs, 90 yards, CLE v. PIT, 11/11/2007, CLE 7 to PIT 3,
~1:14 left in 1st Quarter
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200711110pit.htm
Playoffs:
Ellis Hobbs, 80 yards, NE v. IND, 1/21/2007, NE-1 to IND 21,
~3:49 left in 3rd Quarter
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200701210clt.htm
Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC v. PIT, 1/5/2008, JAC 3 to PIT 1
~9:47 left in 1st Quarter
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200801050pit.htm
Danieal Manning, HOU v. NE, 1/13/2013, HOU-6 to NE 12
Opening kickoff of 1st half
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201301130nwe.htm
Also, I feel that starting the Bo Jackson 88-yard run video at 1:41 provides a better view of the same run. It's more of a broadcast style
https://youtu.be/dgYYaL--1qc?t=1m41s
Thanks for the fixes. Updated.
Bo Jackson's 88-yard run is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. The DB who tackled him was so gassed that he couldn't get up. Those who watched Bo Jackson play will forever wonder how in the world could he be caught after running 88 yards.
This video has a lot of the plays mentioned above if you want to link them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjZeF7NxyYQ