Are You an NFL History Expert?

SPORTS

By: Kale Havervold

6 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons

About This Quiz

The NFL is among the most popular sports leagues in the world. It has millions of viewers around the world and recently celebrated its 100th season in 2019-20. Throughout those 100 years, a lot has happened in the NFL. Players have put up unthinkable stats and many teams have had truly breathtaking performances en route to winning the Super Bowl.

However, just how much of this history of the NFL are you able to recall? For example, do you know which NFL franchise has won the most Super Bowls? How about who holds the record for the most receptions in an NFL game?  Or which coach has the most career regular-season wins? If questions like those are child's play to you, or you are simply interested in learning more about the National Football League and its history, this quiz is for you.

We will look at stunning statistics, terrific teams, exciting events and phenomenal players who have wowed football fans throughout the history of the league. Without any further ado, put your pads and helmet on and get ready to collide with our NFL history quiz. Will you cross the goal line or be stopped at the 1-yard line?

Which team is responsible for completing the only perfect season in the history of the NFL?

Many teams have flirted with a completely undefeated season, but only one was actually able to do it. Back in 1972, the Dolphins (led by coach Don Shula and QB Bob Griese, had a fully undefeated season.

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In 2007, the Patriots were closing in on a perfect season. However, which team ruined it when they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl?

Perfect seasons are incredibly rare in the NFL, but the Patriots almost did it in 2007. They were 18-0 and heading into a Super Bowl that almost everyone thought they would win. However, a great effort by the New York Giants stopped the perfect season from occurring.

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Where was the "Ice Bowl" played?

There have been many cold games during the history of the NFL, but none were colder than the 1967 NFL Championship game in Green Bay. The game, dubbed the "Ice Bowl," had wind chill temperatures reach almost -50 degrees.

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"The Catch" was a famous play orchestrated by which team?

"The Catch" is often called one of the most famous plays ever and it was orchestrated by Joe Montana and Dwight Clark, who were both members of the San Francisco 49ers at the time. It helped the team win a Super Bowl.

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Of the following teams, which is often referred to as "America's Team"?

The Dallas Cowboys are known as "America's Team" and are among the most popular teams in the NFL. The nickname stems from a highlight from way back in 1978 when the narrator calls them "America's Team".

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This QB has won more playoff games than any other QB in history, who is it?

No QB has won more games in the playoffs than Tom Brady. The New England Patriots QB has a playoff record of 30-10, and his 30 wins are almost twice as much as the next closest QB. With him still playing, he could end up adding to that number.

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Which team famously lost four Super Bowls in a row during the 1990s?

While making it to four Super Bowls in a row is impressive, the Buffalo Bills were unable to win any of them. Not only did they record losses in every game, but they also lost by an average margin of 35-18 in those games.

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Of the following players, who has scored the most points in an NFL career?

No player in the history of the NFL has scored more points than kicker Adam Vinatieri. He has nearly 2,700 points, and has played in three separate decades and if he plays in 2020, he will have played in four.

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Which man has been the coach of the New England Patriots throughout their dominance in the 21st century?

Part of the reason why the Patriots have been so dominant for so long comes down to their head coach, Bill Belichick. He, along with Tom Brady, has helped the team to make and win numerous Super Bowls in the last 20 years.

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Who made the world-famous guarantee ahead of Super Bowl III?

Ahead of Super Bowl III between the Colts and the Jets, Jets QB Joe Namath made a guarantee that his team would win, in response to rowdy Colts fans. He backed up his words as the team did go on to win.

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Which team did the legendary Barry Sanders play his entire career for?

Barry Sanders spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions. He was without a doubt one of the most impressive players in NFL history, and likely would have broken many records if he didn't retire early.

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Which year did "Monday Night Football" first air?

"Monday Night Football" has been a staple for decades, but officially began back in 1970. While most NFL games take place on a Sunday, the league decided to add a game on Monday night. Currently, there is also a weekly Thursday night game, as well.

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Which player has won the most Super Bowls during their career?

The player who has won the most Super Bowls in their career is none other than Tom Brady. He has currently won six Super Bowls, and he is still playing, so he might not even be done yet.

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Which player made the catch on the legendary "Immaculate Reception" play?

Franco Harris was the recipient of the "Immaculate Reception." The play occurred when the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a first down in the last minute of an AFC divisional playoff game, and the ball bounced off the receiver's hands or defender's helmet before Harris was able scoop it up. It is one of the most legendary plays in league history.

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The all-time record for career rushing yards is currently 18,355. Who holds this record?

There have been many outstanding running backs in NFL history, but none have put up the stats that Emmitt Smith did. Not only does he have the most rushing yards ever, but also the most rushing touchdowns.

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Many players have had long NFL careers, but which player has had the longest?

No player has ever played more NFL seasons than George Blanda. Blanda played for 26 seasons and played until the age of 48. He started in 1949, and his final season didn't come until 1976.

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Of the following players, which is the all-time leader in career receiving yards?

No one will likely ever touch the all-time receiving yards record of Jerry Rice. During his career, he recorded an incredible 22,895 yards, which is around 6,000 more yards than anyone else.

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Which QB has thrown more interceptions than anyone else in his NFL career?

While he was a great QB, Brett Favre threw his fair share of interceptions in his career. In his career, he threw a total of 336, which is around 60 more than the next closest person on the list.

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Which NFL team is the newest?

The Houston Texans are the youngest NFL team, as their first season in the NFL was 2002. Despite most expansion teams struggling early, the Texans actually won their first-ever game against the Cowboys.

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Which NFL team painfully came up one yard short of winning Super Bowl XXXIV?

This Super Bowl came right down to the wire. On the final play of the game, Kevin Dyson of the Tennessee Titans was tackled one yard short of the goal line, thus losing the game. They wound up losing 23-16 to the Rams.

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Of the following QBs, which led his team on "The Drive"?

"The Drive" refers to when John Elway drove the Denver Broncos down the field 98 yards in the 1986-87 AFC Championship game before tying the game with under a minute left. The Broncos would go on to win the game and go to the Super Bowl.

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Who holds the record for the most career rushing yards by a QB?

While Lamar Jackson is turning a lot of heads and could end up breaking the record, the leader is currently Michael Vick. He has over 5,000 rushing yards and has even rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season, which is essentially unheard of for QBs.

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The NFL record for rushing yards in a game is 296. Who holds this record?

Adrian Peterson set an NFL record when he ran for 296 yards in 2007. Considering a good season for an NFL running back is 1000 yards, getting almost a third of that in a single game is pretty incredible.

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Which famous athlete was actually the first commissioner (then called the president) of the NFL?

Jim Thorpe was the very first commissioner/president of the NFL. In addition to that, he was an Olympic gold medalist, and played nearly every sport under the sun including football, basketball and baseball, many at the professional level.

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Of everyone to be a head coach in the NFL, which coach has the most wins?

No coach in the history of the NFL has won more games than Don Shula as a coach. He won 328 regular season games during his coaching career, and that number rises to 347 if you count the playoffs.

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How many NFL teams have won three Super Bowls in a row?

That's right, during the many decades of the NFL, no team has won three Super Bowls in a row. Several teams have gone back to back, but none have been able to make it three in a row yet.

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Who is the quarterback who currently holds the record for the most pass attempts in an NFL game?

No player has ever thrown more passes in a single game than Drew Bledsoe. He threw 70 passes during a game in 1994, against the Minnesota Vikings. He also is tied for the record for most completions in a game, with 45.

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Who is the all-time leader in NFL career passing yards?

Drew Brees is the official record-holder for the most passing yards in the history of the NFL for QBs. He has thrown for over 75,000 yards (and counting) throughout his illustrious career.

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Which defensive back has the most career interceptions?

While all of the mentioned defensive backs had incredible careers, Paul Krause had the most interceptions of them all. He accumulated 81 during his career that lasted from 1964 to 1979.

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What is the longest field goal in NFL history?

The NFL record for the longest field goal is 64 yards. Matt Prater kicked the record breaker back in 2013. The record before that was set at 63 yards, which has been hit by a couple of different kickers over the years.

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The record for most regular-season MVP's by a player is five. Who was the individual who won it five times?

Winning one MVP is incredibly impressive, but winning five is incredible. The only person to ever win five MVP awards is Peyton Manning. Manning won four with the Colts and one with the Broncos.

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Which NFL franchise has won the most NFL Championships?

While the Patriots and Steelers both hold the record for Super Bowl wins with 6, the Packers have more overall NFL Championships than any other team with 13 (4 Super Bowls and 9 NFL titles).

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The all-time career record for sacks by a player is 200. Who holds the record?

Bruce Smith holds the record for sacks in an NFL career with 200. However, this is an interesting stat as sacks only started getting recorded in 1982. So theoretically, someone could have more, but they were never counted.

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Which player has the most receptions in an NFL game?

Brandon Marshall holds the NFL record for the most receptions in a single game with 21. He set this record back in 2009, and his catches were good for 200 yards and two touchdowns as well.

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Of all the franchises in the NFL, which is the oldest?

Believe it or not, but the Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in the NFL. The history of the franchise dates back to 1898, well before the NFL was even around. The team was originally called Morgan Athletic Club.

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