Jared Goff called it "four quarters of craziness." He's not at all wrong.
We knew heading into Monday night that the Chiefs and Rams would put on a dazzling display. But we had no idea they'd submit one of the most explosive offensive outings in NFL history. On Monday night, the Chiefs and Rams made history with one of the highest-scoring games ever. The Rams eventually hung on for an epic 54-51 win, but they were hardly the only winners on Monday night. The fans won. Pundits forever advocating for aggressive, forward-thinking kind of football won. The NFL won. Football won.
There's a ton of data to sort through. One statistic can't entirely encapsulate the experience of watching the Chiefs and Rams exchange blows for more than three hours. But in an attempt to make sense of the magic we just witnessed, let's run through the masterpiece one statistic at a time.
Total points
On Monday night, 105 points were scored, which makes it the third-highest scoring game in NFL history. The record? 113, which was set way back in 1966 by the Giants and Redskins. Second place belongs to the 2004 game between the Bengals and Browns, which resulted in 106 total points.
Two 50-burgers
It's the first time in NFL history two teams have scored at least 50 points in the same game, which means it's also the first time in NFL history a team has lost a game despite scoring 50-plus points.
This is the first game in NFL history in which each team scored 50 points.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 20, 2018
This game has seen more combined points than any Big 12 matchup this season.
Teams to score 50 points in NFL history were 216-0 entering tonight.
So at the very least, the Chiefs made some history.
Defenses get in on the action
Of those 105 points, the defenses scored three total touchdowns. Rams outside linebacker Samson Ebukam scored twice while Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey scored a touchdown of his own. The defenses generated seven turnovers -- with the Rams responsible for five of those takeaways.
There were how many yards?
The Chiefs racked up 546 yards on 69 plays (7.9 average). The Rams checked in with 455 yards on 75 plays (6.1 average). That brings the grand total to 1,001 yards on 144 total plays (6.95 average). The Patriots and Eagles combined for 1,151 yards in last season's Super Bowl, which still stands as the NFL record for the most yards in a game (regular season and postseason).
Listen to Brady Quinn and Will Brinson break down the Chiefs-Rams insanity on the Pick Six Podcast.
Lead changes
As our Jared Dubin wrote in his recap of the game, the game featured six lead changes, four of which occurred in the fourth quarter.
That speaks for itself.
Penalties galore
It was peak offensive football, but it was also sloppy football at times. The two teams combined for 21 penalties, which resulted in 195 penalty yards. The Chiefs were the main culprits, getting flagged 13 times for 135 yards.
Hard-luck Chiefs
According to ESPN Stats & Info and Elias Sports Bureau, only this year's Chiefs and the 1966 Giants have lost two games when they scored 40-plus points. ESPN Stats & Info also noted that the Chiefs are averaging 34.8 points per win, but 45.5 points per loss. The Chiefs' only other loss this season came in a 43-40 thriller against the Patriots.
Two incredible QB performances
Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes combined to throw for 891 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you factor in their contributions on the ground, they combined for 925 yards and 11 touchdowns. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Mahomes' six touchdown passes are the most in "Monday Night Football" history.
What about Gurley?
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the game is that the two teams combined for 1,001 yards and 105 points, and Rams running back Todd Gurley didn't contribute much to either of those two totals. He generated only 94 yards on only 15 touches and failed to reach the end zone.
Not much punting
The teams punted only seven times. Rams punter Johnny Hekker made the most of his limited opportunities, averaging 55.5 yards per punt with a long of 68 yards.
That's so Bills
Not to rub it in on Buffalo, which is already having a hard enough time, but ...
There were more touchdowns in that game (14) than the Bills have all season (13).
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 20, 2018
And that's a wrap.