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NFL players compete in every game to win regardless of their win-loss record. They want to prove their superiority over their fellow gladiators on the gridiron. However, there are games when everything goes well for one side while Murphy’s Law strangles the other.
Football fans witnessed such a beatdown when the Las Vegas Raiders established a 42-0 halftime lead against the Los Angeles Chargers in their 2023 Week 15 Thursday Night Football encounter. The margin was too much for the Chargers to overcome as the Raiders marched to a 63-21 victory.
However, that’s not even the biggest advantage ever established by an NFL team. Here are the best examples of can’t-miss teams after the first two quarters of action.
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5 Largest halftime leads in NFL history
For one game, these teams already landed the knockout blows in the first half. Their opponents tried to put up a fight in the third and fourth quarters, to no avail. While some of them were legitimate contenders, some just had Lady Luck on their side for 30 football minutes.
1) Chicago Bears 41, San Francisco 49ers 0 – October 29, 2006
The San Francisco 49ers shut down the Chicago Bears in the second half. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to steal the victory because the Bears posted 41 first-half points. Lovie Smith’s crew had 24 in the first quarter and 17 in the second.
Coming into the game, the Bears were 6-0 and were returning from their bye week. The 49ers also came from their bye but were at 2-4. The Bears stamped their advantage by completing 24 first downs and forcing five turnovers.
The Bears never looked back after a Robbie Gould field goal, and a Thomas Jones touchdown run gave Chicago a 10-0 lead less than five minutes into the opening quarter. San Francisco avoided a shutout by scoring ten fourth-quarter points.
The Niners finished the 2006 NFL season with a 7-9 record. Meanwhile, the Bears finished at 13-3 and represented the National Football Conference in Super Bowl XLI, which they lost to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
2) Green Bay Packers 49, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 – October 2, 1983
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored an offensive touchdown, courtesy of a two-yard James Owens rushing score. The seven points they scored in the first half were off a 21-yard interception return by Hugh Green.
Conversely, Green Bay Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey threw three touchdown passes while Phil Epps had a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Packers also got a Mike Douglass fumble return and a John Anderson interception return for touchdowns. Jan Stenerud converted all seven point-after tries.
The Bart Starr-coached Packers were 2-2 coming into this game. Meanwhile, John McKay’s Buccaneers were 0-4. Green Bay had 519 total yards and 355 net passing yards in 33 minutes of possession.
But while the Packers looked dominant in this 55-14 victory, both teams missed the playoffs. The Buccaneers finished the 1983 NFL season at 2-14, while the Packers ended at 8-8 after losing their season finale to the Bears.
3) Green Bay Packers 42, Chicago Bears 0 – November 9, 2014
Aaron Rodgers was already an NFL MVP, a First Team All-Pro member, and a Super Bowl champion. Meanwhile, the Bears had an 8-8 record in the previous season.
The Bears were no match as Rodgers tossed six touchdown passes in the first half. Jordy Nelson caught two of those throws, while Randall Cobb, Eddie Lacy, Andrew Quarless, and Brandon Bostick had one each. Mason Crosby extended the lead to 45-0 in the third quarter with a 20-yard field goal.
Chicago outscored Green Bay in the second half, 14-13, but that’s more of the Bears saving face. The Bears finished the 2014 NFL season at 5-11. Conversely, the Packers had a 12-4 regular season mark, and Rodgers won his second Most Valuable Player award.
However, Green Bay ended that season with an overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
4) Las Vegas Raiders 42, Los Angeles Chargers 0 – December 15, 2023
Four days before this game, the Las Vegas Raiders failed to score in a 3-0 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. But in Week 15, they ran up the scoreboard with 42 first-half points. That’s the highest first-half margin in franchise history.
The Raiders offense was on fire with six touchdowns. Zamir White and Brandon Bolden each had a rushing touchdown, while Aidan O’Connell threw touchdown passes to Jakobi Meyers, Michael Meyer, and Tre Tucker (twice).
Las Vegas’ good fortunes kept rolling in the second half when John Jenkins and Jack Jones had defensive touchdowns. Davante Adams also caught a touchdown pass from Meyers. The 63 points Las Vegas scored against their division rivals is also a franchise record.
This victory kept the Raiders’ playoff hopes alive at 6-8. Meanwhile, the Chargers dropped to 5-9 after their first game without Justin Herbert in the 2023 NFL season.
5) New England Patriots 45, Tennessee Titans 0 – October 18, 2009
Tom Brady and the 2009 New England Patriots own the largest first-half margin in NFL history. The Patriots were at 3-2 coming into this game. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans were winless in five games. The Titans hoped to get a victory before their bye week.
Instead, it became a memorable game for the wrong reasons for Tennessee. Being down 10-0 after the first quarter was still manageable for Jeff Fisher’s crew. However, the Patriots had their foot on the gas pedal in the second quarter.
Brady threw five of his six touchdowns in that frame. New England scored 35 points in ten minutes thanks to scoring catches by Kevin Faulk, Wes Welker (two), and Randy Moss (two).
Worst yet, the Titans didn’t score a single point in this game, while the Patriots added 14 in the second half. New England had 32 first downs and 619 total yards in this 59-0 demolition. While Tennessee suffered their sixth straight loss, they somehow ended the season at 8-8.
Meanwhile, the Patriots ended the 2009 NFL regular season at 10-6. Unfortunately, their season ended with a 33-14 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round.
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