Top 20 Craziest NFL Fights

San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons (1994)


It’s not often that football players go at it like boxers, but let us turn your attention to Deion Sanders and Andre Rison. Sanders had played five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before leaving for San Francisco. But on October 16, 1994, he returned to his former home, the Georgia Dome, for the first time as a non-Falcon. And what an event it was. Sanders got into it with his former teammate, Andre Rison, with each trading punches and slaps like they were going fifteen rounds. The crowd loved it, the commentators loved it - classic football.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints (2022)


Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore have had a long feud, and it boiled over in the second week of the 2022 season. The Bucs were playing the Saints, and Lattimore traded words with Tom Brady after a play. Running back Leonard Fournette defended his quarterback - and that’s when Evans got involved. Coming out of nowhere, Evans plows into Lattimore and sends him flying, resulting in an enormous bench-clearing brawl involving both teams. It was messy. Evans was nailed with a variety of penalties, including unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness, and suspended for one game without pay.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals (2017)


The NFL has done everything it can to protect quarterbacks, and hitting one too hard or unjustly comes with big penalties. That’s why a huge brawl erupted when Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea slammed into 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard. Beathard slid after running the ball, which is basically the quarterback conceding defeat and ending the play before he can get hit. But Bethea wasn’t having it, and he jumped onto Beathard’s sliding head. The infraction resulted in a huge brawl between both teams, and yellow flags started flying like confetti. In the end, three players were ejected, and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan claimed that he was proud of his team for defending Beathard.

Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers (2011)


Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was an excellent player, but he was often criticized for being too aggressive on the field. Case in point - stomping on Evan Dietrich-Smith. The Lions were playing the Packers on Thanksgiving Day when Suh took Dietrich-Smith to the ground. He then repeatedly slammed his head into the grass, and when the referee and other players interjected, he stomped on the Packers’ arm. Even the Lions thought this was unsportsmanlike, calling Suh’s behavior “unacceptable,” and he was suspended for two games, losing $165,000 in wages. The following year he was voted the NFL’s “Least-Liked Player” in a Nielsen report.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins (2016)


It’s considered incredibly dirty to hit a defenseless player, which often occurs on punt returns. That’s exactly what happened to Eagles player Darren Sproles during a game with the Washington Redskins. Sproles was watching the ball come down and was completely defenseless when Washington safety Deshazor Everett slammed into him. It was helmet-to-helmet contact, the sound reverberating through the stadium, and Sproles was hurt. Both teams then scuffled around the injured Sproles, with the Eagles wanting payback for the dirty hit. Everett later admitted that “[he] did not make the right decision,” but he was still fined $24,000.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders (2010)


There are a few things that can get players instantly ejected, and punching a quarterback in the face is certainly one of them. The Steelers were obliterating the Raiders, up 20-3 in the second quarter. After throwing a touchdown pass, Ben Roethlisberger celebrated with his team and got in the face of Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour. Suffice to say, Seymour was not in the mood for the taunting. Without saying a word, he turned and punched Roethlisberger straight in the jaw. Roethlisberger went down, and the crowd went crazy. Seymour was instantly ejected from the game and fined $25,000.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Redskins (2009)


It’s not often that coaches get involved, but when they do - oh boy, look out. The Falcons were playing Washington when quarterback Matt Ryan was hit by safety LaRon Landry. Falcons coach Mike Smith did not like this, as his quarterback was clearly running out of bounds and therefore should not have been hit. A giant scuffle ensued, and Smith shared many nasty words with Washington player DeAngelo Hall - and maybe even threw a punch. A flurry of penalties followed - Landry was fined $7,500 for the dirty hit, and Smith was fined $15,000 for instigating a fight with Hall.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys (2000)


The beautiful thing about sports is that it’s not scripted - it’s up to the players to deliver the entertainment. And it doesn’t get more entertaining than this snarky scuffle between Terrell Owens and the Cowboys. It begins when Owens celebrates a touchdown by running to the Cowboys logo and spreading his arms. Emmitt Smith responds after scoring his own touchdown, symbolically reclaiming the star and giving it to Owens by spiking the football. And wouldn’t you know it, Owens reclaims it yet again after scoring another touchdown, this time doing exactly what Smith did. It’s all too much for George Teague, who levels Owens just as he spikes the football. You gotta love this kind of pettiness.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins (1990)


The Eagles had it out for Washington on the night of November 12, 1990 - a night commonly referred to as “The Body Bag Game.” Eagles coach Buddy Ryan promised reporters that the game would be a bloodbath, telling them, “They’ll have to be carted off in body bags.” And the team made good on that promise - not literally, of course. Nine Washington players were injured throughout the course of the game, including both quarterbacks Jeff Rutledge and his backup, Stan Humphries. Running back Brian Mitchell was forced to finish the game, as he played quarterback in college. This night is notable both for the Eagles’ vicious playstyle and for instituting the “third quarterback rule,” which was put into place the following season.

New York Jets vs. Los Angeles Rams (1983)


We’re going back to 1983 for this brawl, which has to be one of the nastiest and most action-packed fights in football history. It all started when Mark Gastineau sacked quarterback Vince Ferragamo. Gastineau celebrated with his famous “Sack Dance” and was shoved in retaliation by Jackie Slater. What followed was some no-holds-barred fisticuffs, with players throwing, punching, and tackling each other in an uncontrolled frenzy. A total of sixteen Jets and twenty-one Rams were penalized for the scuffle, resulting in nearly $16,000 in fines. But more notable was the NFL’s reaction to the dance - after review, they deemed the Sack Dance to be unsportsmanlike and banned it from all future games. The end of an era, stemming from one massive fight.

Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (2011)


Steve Smith is just something else. After making an amazing grab during a game against the New Orleans Saints, the wide receiver easily ran for the touchdown but was hit late by safety Roman Harper. As a scuffle ensued shortly afterwards between players from both teams, you would think that Smith would go after the player who actually hit him. But he was so fired up he just went for the first opposing player that he could find. And that unfortunate soul was safety Malcolm Jenkins. Smith absolutely manhandles him and throws him to the ground. Smith’s demeanor as he sticks up for himself, along with the fact that he made sure to celebrate before he got involved, makes this skirmish all the more memorable.

Washington Football Team vs. New York Giants (2009)

Sometimes blocking can turn into face-clocking. On one play during a game between these two division rival teams, wide receiver Santana Moss blocked cornerback Corey Webster, and everything fell apart very quickly. The two immediately started fighting, and things escalated even further when Webster knocked off Moss’ helmet. Moss punched Webster, and the cornerback pulled Moss to the ground as their teammates surrounded the fighting football players. The dirty debacle resulted in personal foul calls on both players. Surprisingly, neither Moss nor Webster was ejected for this scrap. However, the league did hand out $5,000 fines for the fight after the game was over.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns (2004)

These two didn’t even make it to kickoff before throwing punches. About an hour before the game started, Joey Porter and William Green exchanged some less than friendly words. Of course, these not so nice words quickly escalated to intense blows. The scuffle resulted in a bloody lip for Green and $10,000 fines for both players. They were ejected from the game before it even began. While this fight is already pretty bad, the fact that spitting was also involved takes the disrespect of this brawl to an entirely different level.

Houston Oilers vs...Themselves? (1994)

Not all football brawls happen on the field or even between opposing players. Throughout the entire 1993-94 season, Houston’s defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride were at odds with each other. Their disagreements came to a head during the last game of the regular season against the New York Jets. At the end of the first half, Ryan and Gilbride started yelling at each other despite the fact that the Oilers were up 14 to 0. Once they were close enough, Ryan punched his fellow coach. Gilbride stumbled as he tried to return the favor, and players quickly separated their coaches. Despite the fight, the Oilers would go on to win the game.

New York Giants vs. St. Louis Rams (2014)

During a play in this matchup between the Giants and Rams, inside linebacker Alec Ogletree dragged wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. out of bounds in a rather aggressive fashion. Odell being Odell, wasn’t having it and retaliated. It only took a matter of seconds for things to get out of control and everything, and everyone, went from 0 to 100 real quick. 3 players were ejected and almost $60,000 dollars in fines were given. However, this wouldn’t be the last time Odell would have an intense altercation with an opposing player on defense. More on that later!

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals (2017)

With the clock winding down to halftime, after a light push from wide receiver A.J. Green, cornerback Jalen Ramsey shoved him to the ground. It quickly escalated, with Green putting Ramsey into a headlock, pulling him to the ground and repeatedly punching him. Both teams rushed to the scuffle, resulting in a pile of players. Green and Ramey were both ejected for the altercation. After the game, both players gave their side of the story. While Ramsey claimed he got inside Green’s head with his trash talk, Green claimed he was defending himself and apologized for his uncharacteristically extreme reaction. The only thing more surprising than the brawl itself was that no suspensions were given, although Green did receive a $42K fine.

New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers (2015)

A top wide receiver vs a top cornerback? You love to see it. The media was hyping this matchup all throughout the week, but no one expected it to play out like this. Throughout this regular season showdown between the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants back in 2015, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman got into several exchanges. As the game went on, the tension between both players grew. Beckham, who had been having a rough game, took out his anger on Norman by rushing into him head-first. Norman naturally retaliated, putting a knee to Beckham’s head. A ref put a stop to the fight before it got too out of hand, and they remained in the game. How neither player got ejected is completely beyond us. Afterwards, they were each fined, Beckham was suspended for a game and their rivalry continued but with much less intensity.

Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders (2017)

This altercation was a year in the making. During a scuffle that took place a year earlier, defensive back Aqib Talib had ripped off wide receiver Michael Crabtree‘s chain, and the two parted ways with bad blood. To kick off round 2, Crabtree blocked Talib all the way out of bounds. Both players went to the ground and a brawl began. Their teammates ran to the scuffle, and somehow Crabtree and Aqib escaped the group and got into a full on fist fight. Talib, once again, made sure to rip off Crabtree’s chain. Talib and Crabtree were both ejected from the game for the fight, and they were initially handed two-game suspensions that were reduced to one apiece. This scrap is definitely one for the books.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns (2019)

Helmets are really meant for protecting heads, not bashing them. Near the end of this game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett got tangled up. Rudolph grabbed Garrett’s face mask and Garrett retaliated by grabbing Rudolph’s helmet, ripping it off and hitting the quarterback in the head with his own protective equipment. Steelers center Maukice Pouncey stepped in to punch and kick Garrett, and Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi shoved a player. Garrett was suspended indefinitely before eventually getting reinstated, and players from both teams involved in the scrap were fined a total of more than half a million dollars.

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans (2010)

At the time, Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a reputation around the league and among fans for being a dirty player. Throughout this game, he was getting awfully chirpy with Texans receiver Andre Johnson, who at the time was one the league’s best at the position. During the last quarter of the game, Finnegan made the mistake of aggressively pushing his hands into Johnson’s face. Fed up with Finnegan’s behavior, Johnson ripped off the cornerback’s helmet. Finnegan retaliated, resulting in a bizarre fight between two helmetless players on the field. Both teams rushed to break up the fight, and Finnegan and Johnson were ejected. The fight cost both players $25,000, but neither was suspended. We hope Finnegan learned his lesson; don’t mess with Andre.




Do you remember seeing these fights live? Let us know in the comments below!