NFL scorigami, explained: What to know about meaning, history of unique scores and why fans love it

JUMP TO: 

• What is scorigami in NFL?
• Who created scorigami?
• When was the last scorigami?
• How many different scores have there been in NFL history?
• Scorigami trackers
• Why fans love NFL scorigami
• Scorigami odds
• NFL scorigami 2025

The NFL has a ridged scoring system. Touchdowns are worth six points whether they are scored offensively or defensively, then teams can try for one or two extra points on top of that (or the defense can turn the ball over and score one or two points instead). A safety is two points, and field goals are worth three, and that rounds out the way that teams can earn points in a contest. 

Given this metric, there are a finite number of ways for points to occur and for final scores to be tallied. The fact that there are a variety of ways to accumulate points generates a high range of possible scoring outcomes. Jon Bois fell in love with this fact and developed scorigami. It essentially is a historical record surrounding final scores.

A scorigami occurs when the final score of an NFL game has never happened before in the history of the sport. While it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, fans have really become attached to it since it technically is a historical event every time one occurs, and it is something else to root for even if you don't have a dog in the fight of the matchup. 

Here is more on the meaning, history and appeal of scorigami in the NFL.

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What is scorigami in NFL?

A scorigami occurs when the final score of an NFL game has never occurred in the history of the league. The league has played north of 23,000 games in its history, so a game ending in a score that has never happened, does feel historical. 

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Who created scorigami?

Scorigami was created by Jon Bois. He is an executive producer of Secret Base, and is an American sports writer. He was an editor for SB Nation and became known for writing things that were unusual and improbable, but could happen. For example, he wrote the "Tim Tebow CFL Chronicles" which was a sports story based on what would have happened if Tebow had gone to the CFL instead of the NFL.

Bois first coined and introduced the term Scorigami on a podcast episode in December 2016. It was called Every NFL Score Ever (linked below), and he used the term to describe a never-before-seen final result of a game. 

When was the last scorigami?

Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season started with a bang. The first "Sunday Night Football" matchup of the season featured the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Buffalo Bills in a matchup of two perennial MVP candidates. When the dust finally settled on the game, the Bills emerged victorious in a 41-40 game, marking the first scorigami of the season. 

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How many different scores have there been in NFL history?

There have been 1,087 unique final scores in NFL history. Even the impromptu score of 0-0 has happened 73 different times in league history. 

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Scorigami trackers

There are two main ways to track the possibility of scorigami happening in a game. The first is through the website. Bois gives an overview in his video explaining the chart he made, and it is more something that once you understand the graph, you can check it and see if a game you are watching could end in scorigami.

The other is from the X/Twitter Scorigami account. During games and game windows, the account will send out probabilities of a game ending in scorigami. Also, when a scorigami doesn't occur, the account tells you how many times it has in history and often points out the most recent occurence. 

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Why fans love NFL scorigami

Scorigami is another storyline that fans can follow along with during games. There is a chance that they will see something happen for the first time in NFL history. It also gives them something to root for even if the game is lopsided. While blowouts or super low-scoring games can be boring, there is a chance that they can still end up in a score that has never happened. 

Scorigami Twitter

The easiest way to check whether a game has a chance to end in a scorigami is by checking out the verified account on X/Twitter @NFL_Scorigami. Scorigami spin-offs exist for the NBA and some soccer leagues, so make sure you follow the correct account. 

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Scorigami odds

There isn't a dedicated formula that can help predict scorigami, but researchers at Bucknell attempted to predict the rate of scorigami as of the 2023-2024 season. They found that in any given game, there is a 5.5% chance of a scorigami, or a 1-in-18 chance. 

Throughout NFL games, though, the scorigami X/Twitter account will send out current scores and give a predictor of how likely it is that the game ends in scorigami. Information about how Bois comes up with these probabilities is not readily available, but likely includes the projected final score at the time and if that would be a scorigami or not. 

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Which NFL scores are most common?

The most common final score in the NFL is 20-17. Other very common scores include 27-24, 23-20, 17-14, 24-17 and 13-10. 

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Which NFL scores are most uncommon?

Data for this is not readily available. You would be looking for scorigamis that have only happened once in NFL history. The Bills and Ravens have the most recent scorigami at 41-40, so that would be tied for the least common score in NFL history since it happened for the first time in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season and hasn't happened since. 

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NFL scorigami 2025