Football is often called a game of inches, but because inches are no fun, we will be looking at yards; and a lot of them.

Explosive, long-yardage plays are the most fun plays in football. There is nothing like watching a running back break free of tackle attempts on his way to a race to the end zone, or a kickoff returner maneuvering around the kicking team to bolt in for a touchdown.

Some records can be broken, but many of these records can only be tied. Here are the longest NFL touchdowns in league history.

Longest Passing Touchdown (99 Yards) – 13x

Frank Filchock to Andy Farkas, 1939

George Izo to Bobby Mitchell, 1963

Karl Sweetan to Pat Studstill, 1966

Sonny Jurgensen to Jerry Allen, 1968

Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch, 1983

Ron Jaworski to Mike Quick, 1985

Stan Humphries to Tony Martin, 1994

Brett Favre to Robert Brooks, 1995

Trent Green to Marc Boerigter, 2002

Jeff Garcia to Andre Davis, 2004

Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian 2008

Tom Brady to Wes Welker, 2011

Eli Manning to Victor Cruz, 2011

Recent 99-yard touchdown passes

The easiest way to score a long touchdown is via the pass, yet a touchdown pass going the length of the field is still very rare and has only happened 13 times. The play is so rare because, firstly, you have to find yourself backed up to the one-yard line, and secondly, teams are often hesitant to pass the ball in that situation due to the high likelihood of a safety or pick-six.

The most recent 99-yard passing touchdown was in 2011. 2011 was a legendary season for the New York Giants, so it makes sense that they had a legendary play such as this one. On Christmas Eve, Eli Manning was backed up on the one-yard line against the New York Jets. The color commentator famously pointed out that the Giants just needed to gain some positive yards so they could snap the ball for a punt from a manageable distance. But the Giants did much more than that as Manning threw a 10-yard out route to Victor Cruz. The receiver split two defenders and then won a foot race to the end zone. The play is often credited with sparking the Giants to a Super Bowl run.

Tom Brady and Wes Welker also connected on a 99-yard pass in 2011. The duo made the play in week one. Coincidentally, these two teams, which were the last to have a 99-yard touchdown pass, also met in the Super Bowl of that year. Manning threw his only touchdown pass of the Super Bowl to Victor Cruz as the Giants won 21-17.

Famous 99-yard touchdown passes

The Washington Commanders are the only franchise to accomplish the feat multiple times, having thrown three 99-yarders in history, including the first one ever in 1939.

Mike Quick is not only a very fitting name for a guy who scored a 99-yarder, but he was also the recipient of perhaps the most iconic 99-yard touchdown pass. In 1985, Quick and the Eagles were pinned down on the one-yard line in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles had already given up a sizeable lead when Ron Jaworski threw the pass to Quick at the 20-yard line. Quick outran the Falcons and won in walk-off fashion.

Longest Rushing Touchdown (99 Yards) – 2x

Tony Dorsett, 1982: During a Monday night game in the last week of 1982, the Dallas Cowboys were already guaranteed a playoff spot. That didn't stop the team from opening up a massive hole for Tony Dorsett to run through. The running back evaded some arm tackles and used blazing speed to run all the way to the opposite 20-yard line. There he had only one man to beat, and he used a stiff arm to shed the final Viking defender.

Derrick Henry, 2018: Derrick Henry is known for being impossible to tackle and having a deadly stiff arm. Those traits were on full display when he ran the length of the field in 2018. After breaking free of the line of scrimmage, three Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to tackle Henry, and Henry used his incredible strength to stiff arm them all out of the way

Longest Punt Return Touchdown (103 Yards)

Robert Bailey, 1994: The most bizarre touchdown on this list happened in week 8 of 1994. Saints punter Tommy Barnhardt wanted to pin the Los Angeles Rams close to their own end zone. His punt went long, and everyone assumed it was a touchback or at least almost everyone. Rams return man Robert Bailey noticed that the play wasn't dead. He scooped the ball up out of the end zone and ran it the distance. With no Saints realizing what was going on, Bailey had an easy and uninterrupted trot into the end zone for one of the easiest and longest NFL touchdowns ever.

Longest Fumble Return Touchdown (104 Yards) – 2x

Jack Tatum, 1972: Both 104-yard fumble recovery scores to occur in NFL history were very impactful to the outcome of the game. The first came in 1972. On a pitch play to Green Bay Packers running back MacArthur Lane, the runner lost possession of the football and fumbled it forward. Jack Tatum of the Oakland Raiders scooped up the ball and ran the distance. The Raiders won the game by less than one score, 20-14.

Aeneas Williams, 2000: What is special about a fumble recovery going the length of the field is not only did the team recovering the fumble end up with a touchdown, but they also prevented what was surely to be a score on themselves. In 2000, future Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams scooped up a fumble in his end zone and had to run through a referee before using his blazing speed to tie Tatum's record of 104 yards on a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Williams' Arizona Cardinals ended up winning the game by one point, 16-15, over the Washington Redskins.

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Longest Interception Return Touchdown (107 Yards)

Ed Reed, 2008: Ed Reed knows how to return an interception into a touchdown. In 2004 the Baltimore Ravens safety returned an interception an NFL record 106 yards for a touchdown. A few years later, he broke his own record, going 107 yards off an interception in Week 12 of the 2008 season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Reed had another interception return of 43 yards in the same game.

Longest Missed Field Goal Return Touchdown (109 Yards) – 2x

Antonio Cromartie, 2007: The first of three times a player ran 109 yards to score a touchdown was in 2007. Antonio Cromartie was lined up to return a potential missed field goal by the Minnesota Vikings' Ryan Longwell. The kick was just short, and Cromartie had to toe the back of the end zone to avoid stepping out. After gathering his feet, no one was going to stop Cromartie, and with a full head of steam, he bolted down the field. After outrunning the Vikings, he celebrated before running in for one of the longest NFL touchdowns.

Jamal Agnew, 2021: In 2021, the Arizona Cardinals inexplicable attempted a 68-yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars sent Jamal Agnew into return position in case of a miss. The kick predictably was way too short, and Agnew ran as far as statistically possible to end the half with a touchdown. Both 109-yard missed field goal returns occurred as the clock expired in the second quarter of a 7-7 ballgame.

Longest Kickoff Return Touchdown (109 Yards) 

Cordarrelle Patterson, 2013: Cordarrelle Patterson has an argument as the greatest return man in NFL history, so it makes sense that he has the record for the longest kickoff return touchdown. During week 8 of the 2013 season, the Minnesota Vikings lined up to take the opening kickoff return from the kicking Green Bay Packers. The rookie Patterson took the return from nine yards deep in the end zone, something you should never do unless you are Cordarrelle Patterson. The rookie returner evaded seven potential tacklers before taking it the distance for one of the longest NFL touchdowns.

Bonus: Longest Non-Scoring Play (104 Yards) – 3x

Percy Harvin, 2011 – Ameer Abdullah, 2015 – Marcus Maye, 2018: These three players ran a long way before running out of gas. In 2011, Percy Harvin took a kickoff from deep inside the end zone. He ran 104 yards before being tackled inside the five-yard line on the other side. Ameer Abdullah also took a kickoff return for 104 yards. The return man was so close to scoring and extended his arm before getting tackled. Even with the extra effort, he was a yard short of the goal line. Marcus Maye's 104-yard return in 2018 came in the form of an interception on the last play in a dominant win over the Denver Broncos. The New York Jets defensive back was so fatigued that he couldn't make it another yard before being tackled at the one-yard line.