Fact Check: Was Cowboys-Packers 40–40 the NFL’s Highest Scoring Tie?

In case you missed it, the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers Sunday Night Football game was one of the wildest of the season so far. In fact, it was perhaps the craziest primetime game we’ve seen in many years. It had a bit of an anti-climactic ending, though, with a 40-40 tie. When it was all over, the fans wanted more.

But they didn’t get more because ties are a thing in the NFL. They may not be common (the last one occurred in 2022), yet if two teams can’t settle things after 70 minutes of play, it goes down as a stalemate and half a win.

That said, after the 40-40 tie on Sunday night, it was claimed that the Cowboys and Packers had played the highest-scoring tie in NFL history.

Source of the Claim: Some media outlets have described the Cowboys and Packers game as the highest-scoring tie, while others say it’s the second-highest. The answer? Both parties are somewhat correct. But one more than the other.

This dispute seems to have arisen because the highest-scoring tie happened in 1964. The game in question ended 43-43 between the Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots. Eight combined touchdowns were thrown by both teams’ quarterbacks, which was unheard of at the time. 

Verdict: No, the Cowboys and Packers 40-40 tie is not the highest scoring draw in NFL history. But it is the highest-scoring tie in the Super Bowl era. It’s also the first tie we’ve seen on primetime since the Packers and the Commanders played a 20-20 draw in 2022.

Want even more facts? Well, perhaps the most important thing we didn’t touch on is that we saw scorigami on Sunday Night! That’s right, 40-40 is a unique scoreline that we’ve never seen in the NFL before. It’s the second scorigami we’ve gotten this season, the first coming on SNF when the Buffalo Bills beat the Baltimore Ravens 41-40. 

Last year, we got seven total scorigamis. Funny enough, the Cowboys have been included in five of them since 2022. So, while the tie wasn’t enough to make NFL history, it will always be remembered as the first-ever 40-40 game in league history.