Get ready for some gridiron grudge matches! We're counting down the most intense and unforgettable brawls in NFL history. From helmet-swinging madness to bench-clearing chaos, these fights left fans and players stunned. Which clash do you think takes the top spot? Prepare for hard hits, flying fists, and football feuds that went way beyond the whistle!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most famous and chaotic
00:14fights in NFL history.
00:21Number 20.
00:22Deion Sanders Vs. Andre Risen – San Francisco 49ers Vs. Atlanta Falcons
00:36It's not often that football players go at it like boxers, but let us turn your attention
00:41to Deion Sanders and Andre Risen.
00:43Sanders had played five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before leaving for San Francisco,
00:49but on October 16, 1994, he returned to his former home, the Georgia Dome, for the first
00:54time as a non-Falcon.
00:57And what an event it was.
00:59Sanders got into it with his former teammate, Andre Risen, with each trading punches and
01:04slaps like they were going 15 rounds.
01:06The crowd loved it, the commentators loved it, classic football.
01:16Number 19.
01:18Mike Evans Vs. Marshawn Lattimore – Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. New Orleans Saints
01:32Mike Evans and Marshawn Lattimore have had a long feud, and it boiled over in the second
01:37week of the 2022 season.
01:39The Bucs were playing the Saints, and Lattimore traded words with Tom Brady after a play.
01:44Running back Leonard Fournette defended his quarterback, and that's when Evans got involved.
01:49Coming out of nowhere, Evans plows into Lattimore and sends him flying, resulting in an enormous
01:55bench-clearing brawl involving both teams.
01:58It was messy.
02:00Evans was nailed with a variety of penalties, including unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary
02:05roughness and suspended for one game without pay.
02:17Number 18.
02:18A huge brawl – San Francisco 49ers Vs. Arizona Cardinals
02:26The NFL has done everything it can to protect quarterbacks, and hitting one too hard or
02:31unjustly comes with big penalties.
02:34That's why a huge brawl erupted when Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea slammed into 49ers quarterback
02:40C.J. Bethard.
02:42Bethard slid after running the ball, which is basically the quarterback conceding defeat
02:46and ending the play before he can get hit.
02:49But Bethea wasn't having it, and he jumped onto Bethard's sliding head.
02:53The infraction resulted in a huge brawl between both teams, and yellow flags started flying
02:58like confetti.
02:59In the end, three players were ejected, and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan claimed he was proud
03:04of his team for defending Bethard.
03:13Number 17.
03:14The Sioux Stomp – Detroit Lions Vs. Green Bay Packers
03:26Sioux was an excellent player, but he was often criticized for being too aggressive
03:31on the field.
03:32Case in point, stomping on Evan Dietrich Smith.
03:35The Lions were playing the Packers on Thanksgiving Day when Sioux took Dietrich Smith to the
03:40ground.
03:41He then repeatedly slammed his head into the grass, and when the referee and other players
03:45interjected, he stomped on the Packers arm.
03:48Even the Lions thought this was unsportsmanlike, calling Sioux's behavior unacceptable, and
03:53he was suspended for two games, losing $165,000 in wages.
03:59The following year, he was voted the NFL's least-liked player in a Nielsen report.
04:11Number 16.
04:12The Sproles Hit – Philadelphia Eagles Vs. Washington Redskins
04:17It's considered incredibly dirty to hit a defenseless player, which often occurs on
04:27punt returns.
04:28That's exactly what happened to Eagles player Darren Sproles during a game with the Washington
04:34Redskins.
04:35Sproles was watching the ball come down and was completely defenseless when Washington
04:40safety DeShazor Everett slammed into him.
04:43It was helmet-to-helmet contact, the sound reverberating through the stadium, and Sproles
04:47was hurt.
04:48Both teams then scuffled around the injured Sproles with the Eagles wanting payback for
04:53the dirty hit.
04:54Everett later admitted that he did not make the right decision, but he was still fined
04:58$24,000.
05:01Number 15.
05:02Richard Seymour Vs. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. Oakland Raiders
05:15There are few things that can get players instantly ejected, and punching a quarterback
05:19in the face is certainly one of them.
05:22The Steelers were obliterating the Raiders up 20-3 in the second quarter.
05:26After throwing a touchdown pass, Ben Roethlisberger celebrated with his team and got in the face
05:31of Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour.
05:33Suffice to say, Seymour was not in the mood for the taunting.
05:37Without saying a word, he turned and punched Roethlisberger straight in the jaw.
05:42Roethlisberger went down and the crowd went crazy.
05:45Seymour was instantly ejected from the game and fined $25,000.
05:58Number 14.
05:59Mike Smith Vs. D'Angelo Hall – Atlanta Falcons Vs. Washington Redskins
06:08It's not often that coaches get involved, but when they do, oh boy, look out.
06:13The Falcons were playing Washington when quarterback Matt Ryan was hit by safety La'Ron Landry.
06:18Falcons coach Mike Smith did not like this, as his quarterback was clearly running out
06:23of bounds and therefore should not have been hit.
06:25A giant scuffle ensued and Smith shared many nasty words with Washington player D'Angelo
06:30Hall and maybe even threw a punch.
06:33A flurry of penalties followed, Landry was fined $7,500 for the dirty hit and Smith was
06:39fined $15,000 for instigating a fight with Hall.
06:53Number 13.
06:54Terrell Owens Vs. The Cowboys – San Francisco 49ers Vs. Dallas Cowboys
07:06The beautiful thing about sports is that it's not scripted.
07:10It's up to the players to deliver the entertainment, and it doesn't get more entertaining than
07:14this snarky scuffle between Terrell Owens and the Cowboys.
07:18It begins when Owens celebrates a touchdown by running to the Cowboys logo and spreading
07:23his arms.
07:24Emmitt Smith responds after scoring his own touchdown, symbolically reclaiming the star
07:29and giving it to Owens by spiking the football.
07:32And wouldn't you know it, Owens reclaims it yet again after scoring another touchdown,
07:37this time doing exactly what Smith did.
07:40It's all too much for George Teague who levels Owens just as he spikes the football.
07:45You gotta love this kind of pettiness.
07:57Number 12.
07:59The Body Bag Game – Philadelphia Eagles Vs. Washington Redskins
08:04The Eagles headed out for Washington on the night of November 12, 1990, a night commonly
08:10referred to as the Body Bag Game.
08:13Eagles coach Buddy Ryan promised reporters that the game would be a bloodbath, telling
08:17them they'll have to be carted off in body bags.
08:20And the team made good on that promise.
08:23Not literally, of course.
08:24Nine Washington players were injured throughout the course of the game, including both quarterbacks
08:28Jeff Rutledge and his backup, Stan Humphreys.
08:32Running back Brian Mitchell was forced to finish the game as he played quarterback in
08:36college.
08:37This night is notable both for the Eagles' vicious play style and for instituting the
08:41third quarterback rule, which was put in place the following season.
08:46Number 11.
08:47The Jets-Rams Brawl – New York Jets Vs. Los Angeles Rams
08:57We're going back to 1983 for this brawl, which has to be one of the nastiest and most
09:02action-packed fights in football history.
09:05It started when Mark Gastineau sacked quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
09:09Gastineau celebrated with his famous sack dance and was shoved in retaliation by Jackie
09:14Slater.
09:15What followed was some no-holds-barred fisticuffs, with players throwing, punching, and tackling
09:20each other in an uncontrolled frenzy.
09:22A total of 16 Jets and 21 Rams were penalized for the scuffle, resulting in nearly $16,000
09:29in fines.
09:30But more notable was the NFL's reaction to the dance.
09:34After review, they deemed the sack dance to be unsportsmanlike and banned it from all
09:39future games.
09:40The end of an era stemming from one massive fight.
09:48Number 10.
09:49Steve Smith Vs. Malcolm Jenkins – The Carolina Panthers Vs. The New Orleans Saints
09:55Steve Smith is just something else.
09:59After making an amazing grab during a game against the New Orleans Saints, the wide receiver
10:03easily ran for the touchdown but was hit late by safety Roman Harper.
10:08As a scuffle ensued shortly afterwards between players from both teams, you would think that
10:13Smith would go after the player who actually hit him.
10:16But he was so fired up, he just went for the first opposing player he could find.
10:31And that unfortunate soul was safety Malcolm Jenkins.
10:34Smith absolutely manhandles him and throws him to the ground.
10:38Smith's demeanor as he sticks up for himself, along with the fact that he made sure to celebrate
10:43before he got involved, makes this skirmish all the more memorable.
10:47Number 9.
10:48Santana Moss Vs. Corey Webster – The Washington Football Team Vs. The New York Jets
10:55Sometimes blocking can turn into face clocking.
10:59In one play during a game between these two division rival teams, wide receiver Santana
11:03Moss blocked cornerback Corey Webster and everything fell apart quickly.
11:08The two immediately started fighting and things escalated even further when Webster knocked
11:13off Moss' helmet.
11:15Moss punched Webster and the cornerback pulled Moss to the ground as their teammates surrounded
11:19the fighting football players.
11:33The dirty debacle resulted in personal foul calls on both players.
11:37Surprisingly, neither Moss nor Webster was ejected for this scrap.
11:41However, the league did hand out $5,000 fines for the fight after the game was over.
11:47Number 8.
11:48Joey Porter Vs. William Green – The Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. The Cleveland Browns
11:54These two didn't even make it to the kickoff before throwing punches.
11:58About an hour before the game started, Joey Porter and William Green exchanged some less
12:03than friendly words.
12:05Of course, these not-so-nice words quickly escalated to intense blows.
12:18The scuffle resulted in a bloody lip for Green and $10,000 fines for both players.
12:24They were ejected from the game before it even began.
12:27While this fight is already pretty bad, the fact that spitting was also involved takes
12:32the disrespect of this brawl to an entirely different level.
12:37Number 7.
12:38Buddy Ryan Vs. Kevin Gilbride – The Houston Oilers Vs. Themselves?
12:45Not all football brawls happen on the field or even between opposing players.
12:49Throughout the entire 1993-94 season, Houston's defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and offensive
12:56coordinator Kevin Gilbride were at odds with each other.
12:59Their disagreements came to a head during the last game of the regular season against
13:02the New York Jets.
13:11At the end of the first half, Ryan and Gilbride started yelling at each other despite the
13:15fact that the Oilers were up 14-0.
13:18Once they were close enough, Ryan punched his fellow coach.
13:22Gilbride stumbled as he tried to return the favor, and players quickly separated their
13:26coaches.
13:28Despite the fight, the Oilers would go on to win the game.
13:31Number 6.
13:32Odell Beckham Jr. Vs. Alec Ogletree – The New York Giants Vs. The St. Louis Rams?
13:49During a play in this matchup between the Giants and the Rams, inside linebacker Alec
13:53Ogletree dragged wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. out of bounds in a rather aggressive fashion.
13:59Odell, being Odell, wasn't having it and retaliated.
14:04It only took a matter of seconds for things to get out of control and everything and everyone
14:09went from 0 to 100 real quick.
14:12Three players were ejected and almost $60,000 in fines were given.
14:16However, this wouldn't be the last time Odell would have an intense altercation with
14:20an opposing player on defense.
14:23More on that later.
14:25Number 5.
14:26Jalen Ramsey Vs. AJ Green – The Jacksonville Jaguars Vs. The Cincinnati Bengals?
14:37With the clock winding down to halftime, after a light push from wide receiver AJ Green,
14:42quarterback Jalen Ramsey shoved him to the ground.
14:45It quickly escalated with Green putting Ramsey into a headlock, pulling into the ground and
14:49repeatedly punching him.
14:51Both teams rushed to the scuffle, resulting in a pile of players.
14:56Green and Ramsey were both ejected for the altercation.
14:59After the game, both players gave their side of the story.
15:11While Ramsey claimed he got inside Green's head with his trash talk, Green claimed he
15:16was defending himself and apologized for his uncharacteristically extreme reaction.
15:22The only thing more surprising than the brawl itself was that no suspensions were given.
15:26Although Green did receive a $42,000 fine.
15:29Number 4.
15:31Odell Beckham Jr. Vs. Josh Norman – The New York Giants Vs. The Carolina Panthers?
15:40A top wide receiver vs. a top cornerback?
15:42You'd love to see it.
15:44The media was hyping this matchup all throughout the week, but no one expected it to play out
15:48like this.
15:59Throughout this regular season showdown between the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants
16:03back in 2015, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman got
16:10into several exchanges.
16:14As the game went on, the tension between both players grew.
16:30Beckham, who had been having a rough game, took out his anger on Norman by rushing into
16:35him head first.
16:36Norman naturally retaliated, putting a knee to Beckham's head.
16:40A ref put a stop to the fight before it got too out of hand, and they remained in the
16:44game.
16:45How neither player got ejected is completely beyond us.
16:49Afterwards, they were each fined.
16:51Beckham was suspended for a game, and their rivalry continued, but with much less intensity.
17:05Number 3.
17:06Aqib Tlaib vs. Michael Crabtree, The Denver Broncos vs. The Oakland Raiders.
17:12This altercation was a year in the making.
17:17During a scuffle that took place a year earlier, defensive back Aqib Tlaib had ripped off wide
17:22receiver Michael Crabtree's chain, and the two parted ways with bad blood.
17:27To kick off round two, Crabtree blocked Tlaib all the way out of bounds.
17:32Both players went to the ground, and a brawl began.
17:36Their teammates ran to the scuffle, and somehow Crabtree and Aqib escaped the group and got
17:40into a full-on fist fight.
17:52Tlaib, once again, made sure to rip off Crabtree's chain.
17:56Tlaib and Crabtree were both ejected from the game for the fight, and they were initially
18:00handed two game suspensions that were reduced to one apiece.
18:04This scrap is definitely one for the books.
18:11Number 2.
18:12Miles Garrett vs. Mason Rudolph, The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. The Cleveland Browns.
18:25Helmets are really meant for protecting heads, not bashing them.
18:29Near the end of this game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Steelers quarterback Mason
18:34Rudolph and Browns defensive end Miles Garrett got tangled up.
18:38Rudolph grabbed Garrett's face mask, and Garrett retaliated by grabbing Rudolph's helmet, ripping
18:42it off, and hitting the quarterback in the head with his own protective equipment.
18:47Steelers center Makise Pouncey stepped in to punch and kick Garrett, and Browns defensive
18:52tackle Larry Okunjobe shoved a player.
19:00suspended indefinitely before eventually getting reinstated, and players from both teams involved
19:04in the scrap were fined a total of more than half a million dollars.
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19:25Number 1.
19:26Andre Johnson vs. Cortland Finnegan.
19:29The Houston Texans vs. The Tennessee Titans.
19:38At the time, Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a reputation around the league
19:42and among fans as being a dirty player.
19:45Throughout this game, he was getting awfully chirpy with Texans receiver Andre Johnson,
19:50who at the time was one of the league's best at the position.
19:54During the last quarter of the game, Finnegan made the mistake of aggressively pushing his
19:57hands into Johnson's face.
20:00Fed up with Finnegan's behavior, Johnson ripped off the cornerback's helmet.
20:04Finnegan retaliated, resulting in a bizarre fight between two helmetless players on the
20:08field.
20:09Both teams rushed to break up the fight, and Finnegan and Johnson were ejected.
20:15The fight cost both players $25,000, but neither was suspended.
20:20We hope Finnegan learned his lesson, don't mess with Andre.
20:23Do you remember seeing these fights live?
20:28Let us know in the comments below.