Entering play on Sunday, San Francisco 49ers punter Thomas Morstead hadn’t kicked a ball in a game since Nov. 30. Brock Purdy and the Niners had been rolling, with 85 points and no punts over their last two games going into a showdown with the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

The 39-year-old Morstead’s job had become very, very easy. And it wasn’t all that difficult on Sunday night, either.

San Francisco extended its streak to 23 consecutive drives without a punt after starting the game with two puntless possessions. But the run came to an end with a four-play march midway through the first quarter that ended with Morstead booting a 49-yarder back to the Bears — one of just two punts by the Niners in a 42-38 win.

The Niners ended up falling four drives short of tying the record (27) for puntless drives.

Back to Back! pic.twitter.com/SaFTcBrZWH

— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) December 23, 2025

Where does that 23-drives stretch rank in NFL history? Here’s a look at the longest runs without a punt since 2000, according to TruMedia and including an active streak that rivals the Niners’ run.

Indianapolis Colts: 27 consecutive drives, Oct.-Nov. 2005

Peyton Manning and the Colts had a dominant 2005 season, finishing as the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 14-2 record. The Indianapolis offense was tied for first in yards per play (5.8), second in scoring (27.4 points per game) and third in total yards. Manning threw for 28 touchdowns and led the league with a 104.1 passer rating.

Unfortunately for the Colts, their season ended without a playoff win. The Pittsburgh Steelers upset Indy in the divisional round 21-18. Pittsburgh went on to win the Super Bowl as a No. 6 seed.

New England Patriots: 24 consecutive drives, Sept. 2015

As the defending Super Bowl champions, Tom Brady and the Patriots went 12-4 and won their seventh straight AFC East title. They started the season 10-0. The offense averaged 29.1 points per game, which ranked third in the NFL. Brady led the league with 36 touchdown passes and ranked third with 4,770 passing yards.

After a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, New England couldn’t quite reach another Super Bowl, falling 20-18 in the AFC Championship to Manning and the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos.

SAT STAT: Excluding kneel downs, the #Patriots have had 21 offensive drives since Ryan Allen's last punt. pic.twitter.com/6h2dLVKGmD

— x – New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 10, 2015

Buffalo Bills: 22 consecutive drives, Dec. 2021-Jan. 2022

Josh Allen and the Bills won back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1991. This Buffalo squad ranked third in the NFL in points scored (28.4 per game) and fifth in total offense, winning all four of its games during the run without punts. Sean McDermott’s group also featured the league’s best defense in total yardage.

Heading into the playoffs with 22 consecutive puntless possessions, Buffalo took down the Patriots in the wild-card round. The Bills then fell in heartbreaking fashion to the Chiefs — a 42-36 overtime loss that resulted in a change to the NFL’s overtime rules.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 22 consecutive drives, Dec. 2004

These Steelers were quarterbacked by rookie Ben Roethlisberger, but the stars of the team were an excellent rushing offense and the best defense in the NFL. Pittsburgh finished 15-1, ending the regular season with 14 straight victories. It had the league’s second most yards on the ground (2,464, with Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley each rushing for over 800 yards).

After an overtime win in the divisional round over the New York Jets, Pittsburgh couldn’t get past Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship. Pittsburgh was one of two AFC teams to go 15-1 during the 16-game schedule era of 1978-2020.

Green Bay Packers: 22 consecutive drives, Dec. 2025-present

Green Bay certainly is the strangest team on this list. The Packers have an active stretch of 22 straight drives without a punt. Daniel Whelan hasn’t punted since the third quarter against the Broncos on Dec. 14. However, the Packers have lost three straight games, and 10 of the 22 drives have resulted in turnovers (including on downs).

Green Bay is the only team on this list to lose a game during its puntless stretch, let alone lose three. Matt LaFleur’s squad has clinched a playoff spot at 9-6-1, but will enter the playoffs with a disappointing finish to the season.

Colts: 20 consecutive drives, Sept. 2025

The Colts’ tremendous start this season feels like a distant memory. Indianapolis scored 103 points through its first three games, the most in franchise history since 1967. Daniel Jones and the Colts offense began their season with 20 consecutive drives without a punt, tied for the fifth-longest streak since 1993.

A season that started with an 8-2 record had Indianapolis dreaming big. It traded two first-round picks for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in November, pushing for a Super Bowl run.

Since then, just about everything has gone wrong. The Colts have lost six straight games, watched Jones suffer a season-ending Achilles injury and have been eliminated from playoff contention.