How many points were scored in the NFL Playoffs last year? A full breakdown

The 2025-26 NFL Playoffs are a bit different than what we're used to. Namely, there is no Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow this year. Mahomes' Chiefs struggled early and could never really recover, their season unofficially ending when the star quarterback suffered a debilitating Achilles injury.

While this postseason may be lacking some of that same firepower we've grown accustomed to, the Playoffs still feature the best of the best, meaning there will be plenty of points scored. Whether it's a shootout between the Bills and Jaguars, or Drake Maye flashing some of his MVP promise in Foxborough.

How many points were scored in the NFL Playoffs last season?

Last season's NFL Playoffs featured some of the highest-scoring games in recent memory, including the Commanders 45-31 victory over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round, and the Philadelphia Eagles subsequent trouncing of Jayden Daniels and Co., 55-23, in the following round.

Overall, 651 points were scored in the 2024-25 NFL Postseason, which is an average of just over 50 total points per game. For those in favor of a wager, consider that a number to aim for as an over/under bet.

NFL Wild Card round

The NFL Wild Card Round featured some marquee matchups last season, including an upset victory by the Commanders over Baker Mayfield's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That being said, it was the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers which had the highest-scoring affair. The Texans dominated that game from start to finish, especially defensively, as they intercepted Justin Herbert on four different occasions. Overall, 235 points were scored in the Wild Card round last year, which is an average of 39 total points per game.

NFL Divisional Round

Let's just say the scoring picked up in the Divisional Round. Elite offenses like the Chiefs, Lions, Bills and Ravens took centerstage, leading to higher average point totals this round than the Wild Card round. The Lions and Commanders took part in a back-and-forth affair, as Jayden Daniels' coming out party overshadowed Detroit's attempt to reach back-to-back NFC Championship Game. In Buffalo, the Ravens and Bills had the second-highest scoring game of the weekend, which is fitting given Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson finished first and second respectively in MVP voting.

215 total points were scored in the Divisional Round, which is an average of nearly 54 points per game.

NFL Conference Championships

The NFC Championship was ultimately a blowout, as Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley ran all over the Washington Commanders defense. By that point, Washington had already made their imprint on the playoffs. The Eagles, playing at home in front of a packed Lincoln Financial Field, had legacies on the line.

As for the Chiefs and Bills, that Sunday should still haunt Buffalo and even the most staunch Josh Allen defenders. Buffalo held a one-point lead after three quarters, but as the Chiefs did so many times last season, they looked unbeatable in the fourth and in the final drives thanks to Mahomes.

139 total points were scored in the conference championship games. That'll be a tough mark to beat in 2026.

Super Bowl LIX

Super Bowl LIX was the beginning of the end for this version of the Chiefs dynasty. The Eagles gashed the Chiefs in the running game and made Mahomes look remarkably human. It was a preview of what was to come, and a blueprint many NFL teams have since followed when trying to contain Kansas City. The key was so simple this entire time – just win at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles spent several drafts building up their depth in the trenches, and it paid off in a Super Bowl victory.

Yet, for all that talk about defense, 62 points were still scored in this game. Much of that was in garbage time by Kansas City, which had an insurmountable deficit to make up even at halftime.

NFL Playoffs predictions: How many points should we expect in 2026?

Scoring is, generally, up this season as compared to last, but very few pundits saw last postseason's offensive explosion coming. Of the teams involved in this postseason field, all five of Seattle, Denver, Houston, New England and Philadelphia rank in the top-5 in fewest points per game allowed. 11 teams in the field rank in the top-13 of DVOA. So, as you can see, these teams are in theory built to stop one another.

The average over/under in an NFL game tends to hover around the 44-point mark. If we're going based on the full 2024-25 NFL Postseason, the average over/under was around 50 total points per game. It's a high number that, despite the offensive firepower at play in the NFL, is likely to regress to the mean.

If history is any indication, this over/under will end up somewhere between the 635-660 range. The problem when trying to gamble on such an outcome is that Vegas has done the math on this, too. I'd lean a bit toward the lower end of the spectrum, as this is the first postseason in quite some time that won't feature Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and a since-retired Tom Brady.

The offenses remain elite, but look no further than the current head coaching carousel to notice some of the impressive defensive minds at play in this postseason.

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