Many were assuming that the biggest offensive dud of Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season would be the Steelers vs. Patriots "Thursday Night Football" game.
Instead, the Vikings and Raiders were the ones who set a modern NFL record for offensive futility.
Both Minnesota and Las Vegas struggled immensely offensively on Sunday. The Raiders put a goose egg on the board after losing its best scoring chance of the game thanks to a Hunter Renfrow fumble.
Meanwhile, the Vikings didn't do much better. They were hamstrung early by quarterback Josh Dobbs, who completed just 10 of 23 passes for 63 yards while being sacked five times before he was benched in favor of Nick Mullens.
Mullens eventually led the Vikings on their only scoring drive of the game, which culminated in a 36-yard Greg Joseph field goal. That kick alone was enough to beat the Raiders.
POINTS!!!!!
— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2023
📺: #MINvsLV on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8S30C pic.twitter.com/Z5apdYVHRZ
The 3-0 Vikings win marked just the seventh time since the NFL merger that a game has ended with that scoreline. It was not, however, good for the fewest combined points in a game in NFL history.
MORE: Full list of the lowest-scoring games in NFL history
Has an NFL game ever ended 0-0?
Yes, there have been 73 games in NFL history that ended as 0-0 ties. All occurred in the early days of the NFL, and the most recent one occurred in 1943.
Since the NFL merger in 1970, however, the fewest combined points scored in a game is three. So, the Vikings and Raiders did make modern NFL history with their 3-0 scoreline in Week 14; they just didn't quite tie the NFL's low-water scoring mark.
Last 0-0 tie in NFL
The most recent scoreless tie in NFL history came on Nov. 7, 1943 in a game between the Lions and Giants. It was played at Briggs Stadium in Detroit and featured Steve Owen as New York's head coach and Gus Dorais as Detroit's.
The Giants and Lions combined to generate just 214 yards during the contest. The Giants threw the ball just four times and completed one pass for three yards. Tuffy Leemans (1 for 3, 3 yards) was their primary passer while Ward Cuff led the team with 53 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Lions relied on the talents of Harry Hopp, who completed 4 of 5 passes for a game-high 24 passing yards. He also logged 10 carries for 30 yards during the contest. However, Frankie Sinkwich led the Lions in rushing yards with 46 on 16 carries.
Despite those solid rushing performances, neither team could score during the contest. They ended regulation in a tie that pushed the Giants to 2-2-1 on the season and the Lions to 3-4-1.
