NFL Punt Return Yards Single Game Leaders (since 1941)
All-Time Punt Return Yards Leaders
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Single game leaders only reflect years for which we have mostly complete boxscore data (1933 onward).
+ Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses
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Leaders Table
Rank |
Player |
Yds |
Tm |
Boxscore |
1 | LeRoy Irvin | 207 | RAM | Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons, October 11, 1981 |
2 | George Atkinson | 205 | OAK | Oakland Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills, September 15, 1968 |
3 | Eddie Drummond | 199 | DET | Detroit Lions vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, November 14, 2004 |
4 | Nyheim Hines | 195 | IND | Indianapolis Colts vs. Carolina Panthers, December 22, 2019 |
5 | Jermaine Lewis | 184 | BAL | Baltimore Ravens vs. Seattle Seahawks, December 7, 1997 |
| Tom Watkins | 184 | DET | Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers, October 6, 1963 |
7 | Travis Benjamin | 179 | CLE | Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills, October 3, 2013 |
8 | Dexter McCluster | 177 | KAN | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Redskins, December 8, 2013 |
9 | Reggie Bush | 176 | NOR | New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings, October 6, 2008 |
10 | Jack Christiansen+ | 175 | DET | Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers, November 22, 1951 |
11 | Jermaine Lewis | 173 | BAL | Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Jets, December 24, 2000 |
12 | Darrien Gordon | 168 | DEN | Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers, November 9, 1997 |
| Eric Metcalf | 168 | SDG | San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, November 2, 1997 |
14 | Desmond Howard | 167 | GNB | Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions, December 15, 1996 |
| Rick Upchurch | 167 | DEN | Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, November 6, 1977 |
16 | Eric Metcalf | 166 | CLE | Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, October 24, 1993 |
17 | Pete Athas | 161 | NOR | New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Oilers, October 3, 1976 |
18 | Darius Reynaud | 160 | TEN | Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, December 30, 2012 |
19 | De'Anthony Thomas | 156 | KAN | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders, December 14, 2014 |
| Mike Haynes+ | 156 | NWE | New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills, November 7, 1976 |
21 | Travis Benjamin | 154 | CLE | Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans, September 20, 2015 |
22 | Steve Smith Sr. | 153 | CAR | Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, December 8, 2002 |
23 | Devin Hester+ | 152 | CHI | Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals, October 16, 2006 |
| Cleo Montgomery | 152 | RAI | Los Angeles Raiders vs. Detroit Lions, December 10, 1984 |
25 | Carl Taseff | 148 | BAL | Baltimore Colts vs. Green Bay Packers, October 14, 1956 |
| Tom Casey | 148 | NYY | New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers, August 27, 1948 |
27 | Az-Zahir Hakim | 147 | STL | St. Louis Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals, October 3, 1999 |
| Emlen Tunnell+ | 147 | NYG | New York Giants vs. Chicago Cardinals, October 14, 1951 |
29 | Rickie Harris | 146 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, November 21, 1965 |
30 | Gunner Olszewski | 145 | NWE | New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers, December 6, 2020 |
| Tavon Austin | 145 | STL | St. Louis Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts, November 10, 2013 |
| Vai Sikahema | 145 | STL | St. Louis Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, December 21, 1986 |
33 | Kevin Clark | 144 | DEN | Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers, December 27, 1987 |
34 | Tavon Austin | 143 | STL | St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins, December 7, 2014 |
| Devin Hester+ | 143 | CHI | Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs, September 16, 2007 |
| Leon Bright | 143 | NYG | New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles, December 11, 1982 |
| Chuck Latourette | 143 | STL | St. Louis Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints, September 29, 1968 |
| Rodger Bird | 143 | OAK | Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos, September 10, 1967 |
39 | Ted Wilson | 142 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants, October 11, 1987 |
| Johnny Roland | 142 | STL | St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles, October 2, 1966 |
41 | Ray Buchanan | 141 | IND | Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers, November 3, 1996 |
| J.T. Smith | 141 | KAN | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders, September 23, 1979 |
| Tony Leonard | 141 | SFO | San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints, October 17, 1976 |
44 | Robbie Martin | 140 | DET | Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, November 24, 1983 |
| Alvin Haymond | 140 | PHI | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins, October 6, 1968 |
46 | Tyler Lockett | 139 | SEA | Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, January 3, 2016 |
| Michael Lewis | 139 | NOR | New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers, December 29, 2002 |
| Darrien Gordon | 139 | ATL | Atlanta Falcons vs. Dallas Cowboys, November 11, 2001 |
| Tamarick Vanover | 139 | KAN | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, December 5, 1999 |
50 | Andre Roberts | 137 | NYJ | New York Jets vs. Detroit Lions, September 10, 2018 |
| Dick Christy | 137 | NYT | New York Titans vs. Denver Broncos, September 24, 1961 |
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