Firsts in the NFL and in NFL Broadcast History



Friday, September 18, 1931 - 8:15PM
(0-2) Cleveland Indians  0  vs
(1-0) Chicago Bears  21
at Loyola University Stadium, Chicago, IL
First NFL night game in Chicago.
Head To Head for:
Cleveland vs Chicago
Friday, October 2, 1931 - 8:30PM
(1-3) Brooklyn Dodgers  20  vs
(0-1) Frankford Yellow Jackets  0
at Frankford Stadium, Philadelphia, PA
First NFL night game in Philadelphia.
Head To Head for:
Brooklyn vs Frankford
Sunday, December 18, 1932 - 9:15PM
(6-2-4) Portsmouth Spartans  0  vs
(7-1-6) Chicago Bears  9
at Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL
Game moved to Chicago Stadium due to blizzard.
First indoor NFL game.
Field shortened to 80 yards in length and played under modified rules.
Head To Head for:
Portsmouth vs Chicago
Sunday, October 8, 1933 - 2:30PM
(2-2) New York Giants  20  vs
(2-1-1) Boston Redskins  21
at Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Bos Cliff Battles becomes first NFL player to run for over 200 yards in a game finishing with 215 yards.
Head To Head for:
New York vs Boston
Sunday, December 23, 1951 - 4:00PM
NFL Championship Game
(11-1) Cleveland Browns  17  vs
(8-4) Los Angeles Rams  24
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
DuMont
First NFL Championship Game to be televised live from coast to coast
Head To Head for:
Cleveland vs Los Angeles
Sunday, August 28, 1955 - 11:00PM
(0-0) New York Giants  17  vs
(0-0) Los Angeles Rams  23  OT
at Multnomah Stadium, Portland, OR
First NFL game to feature sudden-death overtime.
The field yard lines were marked from zero to 100 instead of the traditional goal lines to the 50.
Preseason Head To Head for:
New York vs Los Angeles
Sunday, September 17, 1961 - 2:35PM
(0-1) Chicago Bears  13  vs
(1-0) Minnesota Vikings  37
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, MN
First game for expansion franchise Minnesota
First game for Minnesota head coach Norm Van Brocklin
Head To Head for:
Chicago vs Minnesota
Friday, August 24, 1962 - 9:00PM
(0-0) Denver Broncos  27  vs
(0-0) Dallas Texans  24  OT
at Farrington Field, Fort Worth, TX
First AFL game to feature sudden-death overtime.
Preseason Head To Head for:
Denver vs Dallas
Sunday, January 2, 1966 - 2:05PM
NFL Championship Game
(11-3) Cleveland Browns  12  vs
(10-3-1) Green Bay Packers  23
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
CBS
First NFL Championship Game broadcast in color.
Head To Head for:
Cleveland vs Green Bay
Sunday, November 6, 1966 - 1:30PM
(5-2-1) Dallas Cowboys  23  vs
(5-4) Philadelphia Eagles  24
at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA
PHIL Timmy Brown becomes the first player in NFL history to return 2 kickoffs for TDs in the same game (93,90).
Head To Head for:
Dallas vs Philadelphia
Sunday, November 16, 1969 - 1:15PM
(8-1) Dallas Cowboys  41  vs
(4-3-2) Washington Redskins  28
at RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
President Nixon became the first sitting US President to attend an NFL game.
Head To Head for:
Dallas vs Washington
Saturday, December 26, 1970 - 3:30PM
NFC Divisional Playoffs
(10-4) Detroit Lions  0  vs
(10-4) Dallas Cowboys  5
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
CBS - Frank Glieber, Frank Gifford,
Dick Stockton
First Postseason game played on artificial turf.
Head To Head for:
Detroit vs Dallas
Saturday, December 25, 1971 - 1:00PM
NFC Divisional Playoffs
(11-3) Dallas Cowboys  20  vs
(11-3) Minnesota Vikings  12
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, MN
CBS - Jack Whitaker, Irv Cross,
Dick Stockton
First NFL game played on Christmas
Head To Head for:
Dallas vs Minnesota
Sunday, September 22, 1974 - 4:00PM
(1-0-1) Pittsburgh Steelers  35  vs
(0-1-1) Denver Broncos  35  OT
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO
NBC - Jay Randolph, Paul Maguire
First regular season overtime game in NFL history. Game still ended in a tie.
Head To Head for:
Pittsburgh vs Denver
Sunday, September 12, 1976 - 1:00PM
(0-1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  0  vs
(1-0) Houston Oilers  20
at Houston Astrodome, Houston, TX
NBC - Ross Porter, Mike Haffner
First game for expansion franchise Tampa Bay
First game for Tampa Bay head coach John McKay
Head To Head for:
Tampa Bay vs Houston
Sunday, September 12, 1976 - 4:00PM
(1-0) St. Louis Cardinals  30  vs
(0-1) Seattle Seahawks  24
at The Kingdome, Seattle, WA
CBS - Jim Thacker, Alex Hawkins
First game for expansion franchise Seattle
First game for Seattle head coach Jack Patera
Head To Head for:
St. Louis vs Seattle
Sunday, September 19, 1976 - 4:00PM
(1-0-1) Los Angeles Rams  10  vs
(1-0-1) Minnesota Vikings  10  OT
at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, MN
CBS - Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier
Minnesota first overtime regular season game
Head To Head for:
Los Angeles vs Minnesota
Sunday, December 11, 1977 - 1:00PM
(1-12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  33  vs
(3-10) New Orleans Saints  14
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
CBS - Frank Glieber, Emerson Boozer
First win for Tampa Bay franchise after 0-26 start
Head To Head for:
Tampa Bay vs New Orleans
Thursday, October 26, 1978 - 8:30PM
(5-4) Minnesota Vikings  21  vs
(6-3) Dallas Cowboys  10
at Texas Stadium, Irving, TX
ABC - Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, Howard Cosell
First Thursday Night Football game on ABC
Head To Head for:
Minnesota vs Dallas
Sunday, December 14, 1980 - 1:00PM
(6-9) San Francisco 49ers  10  vs
(12-3) Atlanta Falcons  35
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, GA
CBS - Gary Bender, John Madden
ATL clinches first Division title in team history (NFC West).
Head To Head for:
San Francisco vs Atlanta
Saturday, August 6, 1983 - 12:30PM
(0-0) Minnesota Vikings  28  vs
(0-0) St. Louis Cardinals  10
at Wembley Stadium, London, England
The Global Cup
The first NFL game to be played in the UK.
Preseason Head To Head for:
Minnesota vs St. Louis
Saturday, December 31, 1988 - 12:30PM
NFC Divisional Playoffs
(10-6) Philadelphia Eagles  12  vs
(12-4) Chicago Bears  20
at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
CBS - Verne Lundquist, Terry Bradshaw,
Irv Cross, Will McDonough
PHIL QB Randall Cunningham becomes the first player in NFL playoff history with 400-or-more passing yards (407) and no touchdowns in a playoff game.
Game nicknamed The Fog Bowl after advection fog rolled in off of Lake Michigan during the 2nd Quarter and remained for the rest of the game.
Head To Head for:
Philadelphia vs Chicago
Sunday, September 10, 1989 - 1:00PM
(1-0) Los Angeles Rams  31  vs
(0-1) Atlanta Falcons  21
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, GA
CBS - Steve Zabriskie, Terry Bradshaw
Rookie ATL DB Deion Sanders returns a punt 68yds for a TD in his first game.
Head To Head for:
Los Angeles vs Atlanta
Sunday, November 5, 1989 - 1:00PM
(5-4) Los Angeles Rams  21  vs
(6-3) Minnesota Vikings  23  OT
at Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN
CBS - Pat Summerall, John Madden
Minn kicker Rich Karlis kicked 7 field goals in regulation and the Vikings scored the first ever safety in overtime
MINN sets record for the most points scored by a team without a touchdown (23).
Head To Head for:
Los Angeles vs Minnesota
Monday, December 25, 1989 - 9:00PM
Christmas Day Game
(8-8) Cincinnati Bengals  21  vs
(10-6) Minnesota Vikings  29
at Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN
ABC - Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
First NFL regular season game played on Christmas
Head To Head for:
Cincinnati vs Minnesota
Sunday, September 3, 1995 - 1:00PM
(0-1) Carolina Panthers  20  vs
(1-0) Atlanta Falcons  23  OT
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
FOX - Thom Brennaman, Ron Pitts
First game for Carolina head coach Dom Capers
First game for expansion franchise Carolina
Head To Head for:
Carolina vs Atlanta
Sunday, September 3, 1995 - 1:00PM
(1-0) Houston Oilers  10  vs
(0-1) Jacksonville Jaguars  3
at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
NBC - Don Criqui, Beasley Reece
First game for expansion franchise Jacksonville
First game for Jacksonville head coach Tom Coughlin
Head To Head for:
Houston vs Jacksonville
Sunday, October 12, 1997 - 4:00PM
(2-4) Carolina Panthers  14  vs
(5-2) Minnesota Vikings  21
at Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN
FOX - Paul Kennedy, Bill Maas
MN QB Brad Johnson became the first player to complete a pass to himself for a touchdown in NFL history.
Head To Head for:
Carolina vs Minnesota
Sunday, September 27, 1998 - 8:20PM
(1-3) Cincinnati Bengals  24  vs
(2-2) Baltimore Ravens  31
at Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
ESPN - Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann,
Solomon Wilcots
First game to introduce digital yellow first down stripe.
Head To Head for:
Cincinnati vs Baltimore
Monday, August 9, 1999 - 8:00PM
Hall of Fame Game
(0-0) Cleveland Browns  20  vs
(0-0) Dallas Cowboys  17  OT
at Fawcett Stadium, Canton, OH
ABC
First Hall of Fame Game to go to overtime.
Preseason Head To Head for:
Cleveland vs Dallas
Sunday, October 31, 1999 - 1:02PM
(1-7) Cleveland Browns  21  vs
(1-6) New Orleans Saints  16
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
CBS - Don Criqui, Steve Tasker
First win for expansion Cleveland Browns since returning to NFL in 1999
Head To Head for:
Cleveland vs New Orleans
Sunday, January 30, 2000 - 6:25PM
Super Bowl XXXIV
(13-3) St. Louis Rams  23  vs
(13-3) Tennessee Titans  16
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
ABC - Al Michaels, Boomer Esiason,
Lynn Swann, Lesley Visser
Last game for St. Louis head coach Dick Vermeil
MVP Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis
First Super Bowl broadcast in high definition.
Head To Head for:
St. Louis vs Tennessee
Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 1:02PM
(9-7) Miami Dolphins  28  vs
(10-6) New England Patriots  26
at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
CBS - Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross
NE QB Doug Flutie converts XP with first successful drop-kick in 64 years.
Head To Head for:
Miami vs New England
Sunday, September 24, 2006 - 1:03PM
(1-2) Washington Redskins  31  vs
(0-3) Houston Texans  15
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
FOX - Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan,
Chris Myers
WAS QB Mark Brunell sets new record for consecutive completions in a single game by completing his first 22 attempts.
Head To Head for:
Washington vs Houston
Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 1:03PM
(3-11) Atlanta Falcons  3  vs
(9-5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  37
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
FOX - Matt Vasgersian, JC Pearson,
Krista Voda
Michael Spurlock has first Kickoff Return Touchdown in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history (32 years)
Head To Head for:
Atlanta vs Tampa Bay
Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 4:15PM
(4-2) Dallas Cowboys  24  vs
(4-2) Arizona Cardinals  30  OT
at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
FOX - Dick Stockton, Troy Aikman,
Pam Oliver
The first NFL game to end with a blocked punt returned for TD (Monty Beisel, Arizona Cardinals)
Head To Head for:
Dallas vs Arizona
Monday, November 24, 2008 - 8:40PM
Monday Night Football
(5-6) Green Bay Packers  29  vs
(6-5) New Orleans Saints  51
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser,
Suzy Kolber
NFL record set for most passing yards, first ten games of season
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, 3,254 yards
Previous record: Dan Fouts, 1982 San Diego, 3,164 yards
Head To Head for:
Green Bay vs New Orleans
Sunday, December 28, 2008 - 1:02PM
(0-16) Detroit Lions  21  vs
(6-10) Green Bay Packers  31
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
FOX - Chris Rose, John Lynch
NFL record set for most regular season losses
Detroit Lions, 16 losses
Previous Record, 15 losses, done eight times
The first team to complete a NFL regular season with a 0-16 record.
(Detroit Lions)
Head To Head for:
Detroit vs Green Bay
Sunday, December 4, 2011 - 1:05PM
(7-5) Denver Broncos  35  vs
(2-10) Minnesota Vikings  32
at Mall of America Field, Minneapolis, MN
FOX - Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick,
Laura Okmin
Game was switched from CBS to FOX, the first game to be crossflexed.
Head To Head for:
Denver vs Minnesota
Thursday, August 9, 2012 - 8:00PM
(0-0) Green Bay Packers  13  vs
(0-0) San Diego Chargers  21
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
ESPN - Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden,
Lisa Salters
Shannon Eastin becomes the first woman to officiate a NFL game.
Preseason Head To Head for:
Green Bay vs San Diego
Sunday, September 9, 2012 - 1:03PM
(0-1) St. Louis Rams  23  vs
(1-0) Detroit Lions  27
at Ford Field, Detroit, MI
FOX - Chris Myers, Tim Ryan,
Jaime Maggio
First game for St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher
Shannon Eastin becomes the first woman to officiate a NFL regular season game.
Head To Head for:
St. Louis vs Detroit
Saturday, January 3, 2015 - 4:20PM
NFC Wild Card Playoffs
(11-5) Arizona Cardinals  16  vs
(7-8-1) Carolina Panthers  27
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
ESPN - Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden,
Lisa Salters
This was the first NFL playoff game to be broadcast primarily on a cable network.
Head To Head for:
Arizona vs Carolina
Sunday, October 25, 2015 - 8:35AM
International Series
(3-4) Buffalo Bills  31  vs
(2-5) Jacksonville Jaguars  34
at Wembley Stadium, London, England
CBS/Yahoo! - Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon,
Jamie Erdahl
This game was the first NFL broadcast done primarily by webstream.
Head To Head for:
Buffalo vs Jacksonville
Sunday, December 6, 2015 - 4:25PM
(12-0) Carolina Panthers  41  vs
(4-8) New Orleans Saints  38
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
FOX - Joe Buck, Troy Aikman,
Erin Andrews
Game originally scheduled for 1:00 PM
NO Stephone Anthony became the first NFL player to score a defensive two-point conversion, returning a blocked extra-point kick from Graham Gano.
Head To Head for:
Carolina vs New Orleans
Thursday, September 8, 2016 - 8:40PM
NFL Kickoff Special
(0-1) Carolina Panthers  20  vs
(1-0) Denver Broncos  21
at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
NBC - Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth,
Michele Tafoya
First NFL start for Broncos QB Trevor Siemian
The first quarterback to start the opening game for a defending Super Bowl Champion having zero career pass attempts (Trevor Siemian, Denver Broncos)
Head To Head for:
Carolina vs Denver
Sunday, September 11, 2016 - 8:30PM
Sunday Night Football
(1-0) New England Patriots  23  vs
(0-1) Arizona Cardinals  21
at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
NBC - Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth,
Michele Tafoya
First NFL start for Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo
First game of four game suspension for Patriots QB Tom Brady for his role in Deflategate
Head To Head for:
New England vs Arizona
Sunday, September 18, 2016 - 4:08PM
(1-1) Seattle Seahawks  3  vs
(1-1) Los Angeles Rams  9
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
FOX - Joe Buck, Troy Aikman,
Erin Andrews
This is the first NFL regular season game in Los Angeles since 1994
Head To Head for:
Seattle vs Los Angeles
Sunday, October 2, 2016 - 1:04PM
(1-3) Carolina Panthers  33  vs
(3-1) Atlanta Falcons  48
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
FOX - Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman,
Kristina Pink
First team in NFL history to have a 500-yard passer and a 300-yard receiver in same game. (Matt Ryan & Julio Jones, Atlanta)
Head To Head for:
Carolina vs Atlanta
Sunday, October 23, 2016 - 8:30PM
Sunday Night Football
(4-1-1) Seattle Seahawks  6  vs
(3-3-1) Arizona Cardinals  6  OT
at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
NBC - Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth,
Michele Tafoya
This game was the first NFL tie in which both teams scored in overtime
Head To Head for:
Seattle vs Arizona
Saturday, December 24, 2016 - 1:00PM
(10-5) Atlanta Falcons  33  vs
(6-9) Carolina Panthers  16
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
FOX - Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman,
Peter Schrager
Panthers TE Greg Olsen became first TE in NFL History with three consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons
Falcons QB Matt Ryan became first QB in NFL History with TD passes to 13 different receivers in one season
Head To Head for:
Atlanta vs Carolina
Saturday, December 24, 2016 - 1:00PM
(10-5) Atlanta Falcons  33  vs
(6-9) Carolina Panthers  16
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
FOX - Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman,
Peter Schrager
Panthers TE Greg Olsen became first TE in NFL History with three consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons
Falcons QB Matt Ryan became first QB in NFL History with TD passes to 13 different receivers in one season
Head To Head for:
Atlanta vs Carolina
Saturday, January 7, 2017 - 4:35PM
AFC Wild Card Playoffs
(12-4) Oakland Raiders  14  vs
(9-7) Houston Texans  27
at NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
ESPN/ABC - Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden,
Lisa Salters, Adam Schefter
First NFL start for Raiders QB Connor Cook
The first quarterback to start a postseason game in his first NFL start (Connor Cook, Oakland Raiders)
Head To Head for:
Oakland vs Houston
Saturday, January 14, 2017 - 8:15PM
AFC Divisional Playoffs
(9-7) Houston Texans  16  vs
(14-2) New England Patriots  34
at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
CBS - Jim Nantz, Phil Simms,
Tracy Wolfson, Jay Feely
The first player to score a Rush TD, Rec TD and Kick Return TD in a playoff game (Dion Lewis, New England Patriots)
Head To Head for:
Houston vs New England
Sunday, February 5, 2017 - 6:30PM
Super Bowl LI
(14-2) New England Patriots  34  vs
(11-5) Atlanta Falcons  28  OT
at NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
FOX - Joe Buck, Troy Aikman,
Chris Myers, Erin Andrews
First Super Bowl game to go into overtime
Largest comeback in Super Bowl history (New England Patriots down 28-3)
MVP Tom Brady, QB, New England
Head To Head for:
New England vs Atlanta
Sunday, September 17, 2017 - 1:00PM
(1-1) New England Patriots  36  vs
(0-2) New Orleans Saints  20
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
CBS - Jim Nantz, Tony Romo,
Tracy Wolfson
This was first NFL game with 2 QBs that have each thrown 400 TD passes. (Tom Brady, Drew Brees)
Head To Head for:
New England vs New Orleans
Sunday, October 22, 2017 - 1:00PM
(4-3) Carolina Panthers  3  vs
(3-4) Chicago Bears  17
at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
CBS - Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts,
Evan Washburn
Chicago defender Eddie Jackson is the first defensive player to have two return touchdowns exceeding 75 yards in a single game (75-yard fumble return in 1st quarter, 76-yard interception return in 2nd quarter)
Head To Head for:
Carolina vs Chicago
Sunday, February 4, 2018 - 6:30PM
Super Bowl LII
(13-3) Philadelphia Eagles  41  vs
(13-3) New England Patriots  33
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
NBC - Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth,
Michele Tafoya
Most total combined yards in a game in NFL history, regular or postseason (1,151 yards)
Most passing yards by a quarterback in postseason history (Tom Brady, 505 yards)
Most combined passing yards in Super Bowl history (878 yards)
First quarterback to catch a touchdown pass in Super Bowl history (Nick Foles)
MVP Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia
Head To Head for:
Philadelphia vs New England

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