In American football, scoring can be achieved via touchdown (six points), a field goal (three points), a safety (two points), or by conversion try. After a touchdown is scored, a team will attempt a conversion try, often called the point after touchdown (PAT), for either one or two points.[2] The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season.[3] In addition to the NFL scoring leaders, league record books recognize the scoring leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970.[4][5] For statistical purposes, a player is credited with points scored when they kick a field goal, cause a safety, convert a PAT, or score a touchdown.[6]
The single-season scoring record is held by LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers who, in 2006, scored 186 points and broke the 46-year-old record held by Paul Hornung.[7][1] Three players, Gino Cappelletti, Don Hutson, and Stephen Gostkowski, have led the league a record five times each, all having done so in at least four consecutive seasons.[8] Hutson however is the only one to have led in five consecutive seasons.[9]
- ^ a b "NFL Points Scored Single-Season Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- ^ "Scoring Plays". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "NFL's Passer Rating". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- ^ "2012 NFL Record and Fact Book" (PDF). National Football League. pp. 625–626. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- ^ Banks, Don (November 12, 2014). "Forty-five years after last AFL season, rivalry with NFL still resonates". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Football Glossary and Football Statistics Glossary". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "L.T. breaks Hornung's scoring mark". ESPN. Associated Press. December 18, 2006. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Player Spotlight: Stephen Gostkowski". New England Patriots. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
- ^ Kacsmar, Scott (June 12, 2012). "The 10 Most Unbreakable Records in NFL History". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.