Forty years ago today, the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs competed in an epic Christmas Day playoff battle, a game that lasted for 1 hour, 22 minutes, and 40 seconds of game play. The game drew viewers all over the country, as the two teams continued to battle at 24-24 into a second overtime.
The game still stands as the longest game in NFL history.
The game featured 11 Hall of Fame players: Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Paul Warfield, Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Jan Stenerud, and Emmitt Thomas. Both head coaches, Miami's Don Shiula and Kansas City's Hank Stram, along with the Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt, also are in the Hall of Fame.
Kansas City opened the game with two first quarter scores, a 24-yard field goal and a 7-yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins responded in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run, followed by a 14-yard field goal. The teams then traded 1-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter, then they both found the end zone again in the fourth.
The Chiefs missed a field goal with 35 seconds left on the clock, leading to overtime.
In the first overtime, both teams missed potential game winning field goals, before Garo Yepremian kicked a 37-yard field goal in the second extra period, giving the Dolphins the 27-24 victory.
The Dolphins would eventually make it to Super Bowl VI, losing to the Dallas Cowboys.
The full box score for the NFL's longest game can be found at the Pro-Football Hall of Fame website.