Christmas Day, 1971: The 1971 AFC Divisional Playoff Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins didn’t end until halfway through a second overtime period. The marathon game lasted an NFL-record 82 minutes and 40 seconds and is considered one of the most exciting games ever played.
The game featured a matchup of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Kansas City's Len Dawson and Miami's Bob Griese, and a total of 13 future Hall of Famers suited up. The game was also deadlocked at halftime, 10-10.
It looked like the Chiefs were going to win in regulation after the Dolphins tied the game with just over a minute left. A long kickoff return left legendary kicker Jan Stenerud a chip shot to win it for Kansas City in regulation. But the kicker missed and the game went to overtime tied 24-24.
In the first overtime, both teams missed scoring opportunities as Stenerud had a 42-yard field goal attempt blocked and the Dolphins’ placekicker Garo Yepremian missed a 52-yarder. But halfway through the sixth quarter, Yepremian made good on another chance as his 37-yard attempt sailed through the uprights and the Dolphins won, 27-24.
What gets overlooked in the annals of history surrounding this game was the performance by Chiefs’ running back Ed Podolak, who had one of the greatest post-season performances ever. Podolak finished the game with 350 total yards: 17 carries for 85 yards, eight receptions for 110 yards, returned three kickoffs for 153 yards, and ran back 2 punts for 2 yards.
Here's to the longest game ever in NFL history and other of the most epic NFL playoff games ever played:
