1947 NFL Quarterfinal-Chicago Bears-21, Philadelphia Eagles-17

December 20, 1947

Weather-20 degrees, 4 mph SW, snow

The Bears and Eagles battled in snowy Wrigley Field, with Chicago finally winning their first postseason game in franchise history, 21-17. Both offenses were able to find success. The Eagles were led by perennial All-Pro and future Hall of Famer RB Steve Van Buren, who finished with 112 yards rushing and 2 TD. Chicago was able to throw with consistency, as Sid Luckman finished 20 of 33 for 243 yards and 2 TD. Luckman led the Bears on an 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter to take the lead, hitting Ken Kavanaugh with a 13-yard TD with 1:35 to play. Luckman's performance established new single-season standards for passing attempts and yards passing.

Chicago advances to the NFL Semifinals next Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles.(8-5)-7-3-0-7-17
Chicago Bears.......(9-4)-7-7-0-7-21

Phi-Van Buren 15 run (Patton Kick)
Chi-McAfee 13 pass from Luckman (McLean Kick)
Chi-McAfee 5 run (McLean Kick)
Phi-Patton 18 FG
Phi-Van Buren 1 run (Patton Kick)
Chi-Kavanaugh 13 pass from Luckman (McLean Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Phi-Van Buren-20-112-2 (237-1,120-15), Pritchard-10-59-0 (79-353-1), Thompson-1-2-0 (24-54-2), Steele-2-1-0 (28-139-1)
Chi-Osmanski-9-56-0 (73-384-1), McAfee-11-49-1 (74-258-4), Fenimore-9-36-0 (62-225-1), Holovak-1-1-0 (53-282-1)

Passing
Phi-Thompson-27-12-231-0-2 (228-118-1,911-16-17), MacKrides-6-1-10-0-0 (23-9-68-2-3)
Chi-Luckman-33-20-243-2-1 (356-196-2,955-26-32)

Receiving
Phi-Pihos-3-71-0 (26-453-7), Ferrante-3-58-0 (21-399-4), Armstrong-3-30-0 (20-227-2), Pritchard-2-64-0 (18-379-3), Van Buren-2-18-0 (11-97-0)
Chi-Keane-6-53-0 (70-963-10), Kavanaugh-5-108-1 (37-926-14), McAfee-3-28-1 (35-520-2), Matheson-2-26-0 (3-34-0), Fenimore-2-15-0 (17-234-2), Osmanski-1-9-0 (8-143-0), Sprinkle-1-4-0 (5-47-0)

1947 NFL Quarterfinal-New York Yankees-31, Buffalo Bills-28

December 20, 1947

Weather-12 degrees, 29 mph NW

In frigid Yankee Stadium, Buddy Young ran past the Buffalo Bills for 211 yards and 2 TD, leading the Yankees to an exciting 31-28 victory and a spot in the NFL Semifinals. New York's ground attack kept Buffalo's defense on the field all afternoon long, finishing with 388 yards on 46 carries. Buffalo managed to hold a 24-20 lead entering the fourth quarter by hitting big plays in the passing game. Bills QB George Ratterman would finish with 200 yards passing.

New York was able to score touchdowns on back-to-back possessions beginning the fourth quarter to take control of the game, 31-20. Buddy Young took the ball straight up the middle for the 50-yard TD that gave the Yankees the lead.

The Yankees will host one of the NFL Semifinal games played next weekend.

Buffalo Bills......(8-5-2)-14-3-3-8-28
New York Yankees.(12-2-1)-14-3-0-14-31

NYY-Young 58 run (Johnson Kick)
Buf-Mutryn 5 run (Juzwik Kick)
Buf-Rykovich 7 run (Juzwik Kick)
NYY-Sanders 63 run (Johnson Kick)
Buf-Juzwik 18 FG
NYY-Johnson 27 FG
Buf-Juzwik 25 FG
NYY-Young 50 run (Johnson Kick)
NYY-Kennedy 4 run (Johnson Kick)
Buf-Tomasetti 1 run (Tomasetti Run)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Buf-Mutryn-16-79-1 (156-947-10), Rykovich-11-32-1 (103-446-5), Tomasetti-9-27-1 (101-353-3), Ratterman-2-2-0 (19-(-47)-1)
NYY-Young-13-211-2 (129-923-5), Sanders-12-76-1 (243-1,508-19), Prokop-10-38-0 (86-362-4), Kennedy-7-37-1 (51-295-2), Sweiger-4-26-0 (13-70-0)

Passing
Buf-Ratterman-22-8-200-0-0 (266-132-2,040-22-20)
NYY-Sanders-6-3-36-0-0 (177-96-1,478-14-17)

Receiving
Buf-Baldwin-3-62-0 (28-530-7), King-2-52-0 (28-434-6), Coppage-2-29-0 (22-255-2), Comer-1-57-0 (3-132-1)
NYY-Burrus-1-15-0 (9-207-2), Russell-1-11-0 (21-379-2), Alford-1-10-0 (21-308-5)

The 1947 Season

Here are the playoff seeds for 1947.

#8 seed-Pittsburgh Steelers (8-4)
Last Playoff Appearance...1942, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...0-1
All-Pro-LG Red Moore

The Steelers are back in the playoffs for the first time in 5 seasons. Pittsburgh managed to win 6 straight games in midseason, using the NFL's 2nd-ranked defense to finish the season 8-4. The Steelers finished with a negative point differential and get the "reward" of facing the defending champion Cleveland Browns in the quarterfinals.

#7 seed-Buffalo Bills (8-4-2)
Last Playoff Appearance...first appearance in franchise history
All-Pro-RB Chet Mutryn

Before there was the current Buffalo Bills, there was the AAFC incarnation. The Bills were average both defensively and offensively, but managed to win enough close games to qualify for the postseason.

#6 seed-San Francisco 49ers (8-4-2)
Last Playoff Appearance...1946, lost NFL Quarterfinal
Playoff Record...0-1
All-Pro-RG Bruno Banducci

San Francisco won their first 3 games, then were inconsistent for the rest of the season. The 49ers have the AAFC's 2nd best offense, with a running game that averages almost 200 yards per game.

#5 seed-Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
Last Playoff Appearance...1945, NFL Champion
Playoff Record...4-0, 2-time NFL Champions (1944, 1945)
All-Pro-RB Steve Van Buren, RT Al Wistert

Philadelphia is back in the postseason after a one year hiatus. The Eagles have never lost a postseason game. The 1947 Eagles had the second highest scoring offense in the league. Steve Van Buren went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season and scored 14 TD.

#4 seed-Chicago Bears (8-4)
Last Playoff Appearance...1946, lost NFL Quarterfinal
Playoff Record...0-5
All-Pro-QB Sid Luckman, E Ken Kavanaugh, LT Fred Davis

Chicago hasn't been very lucky in the postseason thus far, but they're back in 1947 for another crack at it. The Bears had the best offense in the NFL in 1947, scoring 40 or more points 4 times. Sid Luckman threw for 2,712 yards and 24 TD for Chicago. The Bears won 8 games consecutively in midseason, but are heading to the playoffs with 2 straight losses.

#3 seed-Chicago Cardinals (9-3)
Last Playoff Appearance...1946, lost NFL Quarterfinal
Playoff Record...0-1
All-Pro-C Vince Banonis, E Mal Kutner, RB Pat Harder

The Cardinals are back in the postseason for a second consecutive year after finishing with the best record in the NFL in 1947. Chicago won 7 of their first 8 games, and their offense was most of the reason; the Cardinals finished third in the NFL in both yards and points.

#2 seed-New York Yankees (11-2-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1946, lost NFL Championship
Playoff Record...2-1
All-Pro-QB Spec Sanders

The Yankees went unbeaten in their last 8 games and enter the postseason with a full head of steam, looking to avenge last season's championship disappointment. Spec Sanders had an unbelievable season for New York, running and passing for over 2,800 yards and scoring 32 TD.

#1 seed-Cleveland Browns (12-1-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1946, NFL Champions
Playoff Record...3-0, 1946 NFL Champions
All-Pro-QB Otto Graham, E Mac Speedie, RG Bill Willis, RT Lou Rymkus, E Dante Lavelli, RB Marion Motley

Cleveland once again dominated the AAFC, and they excelled in all facets of the game. Otto Graham threw for 2,753 yards and 25 TD, including 1,146 to Mac Speedie. Marion Motley pounded the ball for over 800 yards on the ground, and the Browns defense allowed the fewest points in the league. Cleveland is trying to be the third franchise in THPF to repeat as an NFL Champion.

1947 Playoffs

December 20, 1947

Buffalo Bills at New York Yankees, 4:30 pm
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears, 8 pm

December 21, 1947

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 1 pm
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Cardinals, 4:30 pm

December 28, 1947

NFL Semifinals, 3 pm and 6:30 pm

January 4, 1948

NFL Championship, 6:30 pm

1946 NFL Championship-Cleveland Browns-14, New York Yankees-0

January 5, 1947

Weather-55 degrees, 12 mph S, rain

Cleveland's defense limited the Yankees to 108 yards of offense in winning their first NFL title, 14-0. The final score does not indicate how one-sided this game was. The game was played in a steady rain, and the Browns running game controlled the clock and generated a number of scoring opportunities. In the first 3 quarters, Cleveland K Lou Groza missed 4 field goals, and QB Otto Graham threw a red zone interception to end another drive.

The Browns were able to get on the board early in the fourth quarter on a corner route to Dante Lavelli, his 10th TD of the season. On Cleveland's next possession, Marion Motley swept the left end for a 55-yard TD and the competitive part of the game was over. Cleveland would finish with 377 yards, including 241 yards on the ground.

New York Yankees.(12-4-1)-0-0-0-0-0
Cleveland Browns.(15-2)-0-0-0-14-14

Cle-Lavelli 13 pass from Graham (Groza Kick)
Cle-Motley 55 run (Groza Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
NYY-Sanders-13-25-0 (174-766-6), Kennedy-8-22-0 (83-224-2), Prokop-12-20-0 (97-356-1), Manders-6-8-0 (68-293-4), Burrus-1-6-0 (4-17-0), Parker-2-2-0 (77-186-3)
Cle-Motley-12-100-1 (108-739-7), Smith-8-57-0 (86-381-5), Jones-9-53-0 (107-661-5), Greenwood-10-22-0 (103-349-6), Lavelli-1-8-0 (3-26-0), Graham-2-1-0 (40-(-127)-1)

Passing
NYY-Sanders-12-3-32-0-0 (113-48-591-5-9), Parker-3-1-16-0-0 (118-63-779-8-3)
Cle-Graham-18-7-140-1-1 (221-114-2,176-20-6)

Receiving
NYY-Alford-1-19-0 (16-222-0), Burrus-1-16-0 (14-321-1), Schwartz-1-15-0 (6-97-0), Russell-1-(-2)-0 (29-271-4)
Cle-Lavelli-4-94-1 (51-1,086-10), Speedie-3-46-0 (30-661-8)

1946 NFL Semifinal-Cleveland Browns-24, Los Angeles Dons-7

December 29, 1946

Weather-37 degrees, 18 mph ESE, rain

Cliff Lewis returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown that gave the Browns a 14-7 lead that they would never lose on their way to a 24-7 victory. Cleveland took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to a 7-0 lead, with Mac Speedie scoring on a 31-yard pass from Otto Graham. The Dons quickly answered with a touchdown of their own to tie the game.

Once Lewis gave the Browns the lead, Cleveland's defense was able to enforce their will on the L.A. offense. The Dons would only manage 93 second half yards and wouldn't score again after John Kimbrough's first quarter TD. Cleveland will host the New York Yankees next Sunday for the NFL Championship.

Los Angeles Dons..(8-6-2)-7-0-0-0-7
Cleveland Browns.(14-2)-7-7-0-10-24

Cle-Speedie 31 pass from Graham (Groza Kick)
LAD-Kimbrough 4 run (Aguirre Kick)
Cle-Lewis 30 interception return (Groza Kick)
Cle-Jones 4 run (Groza Kick)
Cle-Groza 15 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
LAD-Fenenbock-8-85-0 (66-678-5), Clarke-8-28-0 (78-312-0), Seymour-6-28-0 (49-206-0), Kimbrough-13-24-1 (151-537-7), O'Rourke-5-19-0 (55-88-1)
Cle-Smith-9-53-0 (78-324-5), Jones-12-39-1 (98-608-5), Greenwood-11-30-0 (93-327-6), Motley-11-11-0 (96-639-6), Lavelli-1-4-0 (2-18-0), Graham-5-0-0 (38-(-128)-1)

Passing
LAD-O'Rourke-17-5-53-0-1 (217-118-1,416-12-16)
Cle-Graham-12-6-117-1-0 (203-107-2,036-19-5)

Receiving
LAD-Aguirre-2-10-0 (17-271-2), Kerr-1-31-0 (9-174-0), Gentry-1-8-0 (25-349-3), Seymour-1-4-0 (19-194-3)
Cle-Lavelli-3-68-0 (47-992-9), Speedie-1-31-1 (27-615-8), Motley-1-10-0 (11-198-1), Greenwood-1-8-0 (5-8-0)

1946 NFL Semifinal-New York Yankees-10, New York Giants-3

December 29, 1946

Weather-41 degrees, 10 mph NE, light rain

The Giants and Yankees met in a light but steady rain in Yankee Stadium for supremacy in New York City football and a spot in the NFL Championship Game. The Giants defense was brilliant all game long, limiting the upstart Yanks to only 123 yards offense for the entire game. The Giants had more success, but squandered multiple opportunities to score. The game was a 3-3 tie, until Yankees QB/DB/KR Spec Sanders gathered a short punt at the Giants 48-yard line and took off up the left sideline for a touchdown and a 10-3 New York Yankees victory.

The Yankees will either host the Los Angeles Dons or visit the Cleveland Browns for the championship next Sunday.

New York Giants....(8-4-1)-0-0-3-0-3
New York Yankees.(12-3-1)-3-0-0-7-10

NYY-Johnson 38 FG
NYG-Strong 10 FG
NYY-Sanders 48 punt return (Johnson Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
NYG-Reagan-12-38-0 (81-307-2), Paschal-17-36-0 (147-418-4), Filchock-15-31-0 (120-426-2), Franck-7-16-0 (56-314-0), Hapes-1-1-0 (57-162-5)
NYY-Manders-6-53-0 (62-285-4), Prokop-8-18-0 (85-336-1), Kennedy-7-14-0 (75-202-2), Sanders-8-7-0 (161-741-6), Wagner-3-7-0 (21-63-0), Burrus-1-1-0 (3-11-0)

Passing
NYG-Filchock-21-12-169-0-1 (202-103-1,577-13-29)
NYY-Sanders-9-3-40-0-0 (101-45-559-5-9)

Receiving
NYG-Liebel-4-58-0 (26-454-4), Weiss-2-33-0 (6-103-1), Paschal-2-25-0 (11-103-2), Poole-2-23-0 (27-407-4), Franck-1-24-0 (8-194-1), Mead-1-6-0 (4-42-0)
NYY-Russell-2-18-0 (28-273-4), Burrus-1-22-0 (13-305-1)

1946 NFL Quarterfinal-Cleveland Browns-14, Chicago Cardinals-6

December 22, 1946

Weather-27 degrees, 10 mph SSW, light snow

Cleveland steamrolled the AAFC in 1946, but they struggled all afternoon against the Cardinals, making just enough plays to hold on for a 14-6 victory and a berth in the NFL semifinals. The Browns used an early Elmer Angsman fumble to drive a short field for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Otto Graham finished the drive with a 14-yard TD pass to Dante Lavelli. Lavelli finished with 4 catches for 81 yards, including 2 big receptions on the Browns fourth quarter drive that put the game away, finishing with a Marion Motley 5-yard plunge.

Cleveland will host the Los Angeles Dons next Sunday for a shot at the NFL Championship.

Chicago Cardinals..(6-6)-0-6-0-0-6
Cleveland Browns.(13-2)-7-0-0-7-14

Cle-Lavelli 14 pass from Graham (Groza Kick)
Chc-Cuff 26 FG
Chc-Cuff 15 FG
Cle-Motley 5 run (Groza Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Chc-Harder-16-119-0 (122-664-4), Goldberg-7-44-0 (50-254-3), Angsman-9-33-0 (57-361-2), Christman-4-17-0 (32-(-44)-3), Seno-9-6-0 (71-197-0)
Cle-Smith-7-31-0 (69-271-5), Jones-9-30-0 (86-569-4), Motley-12-27-1 (85-628-6), Greenwood-5-23-0 (82-297-6), Schwenk-1-0-0 (7-(-1)-1), Graham-3-(-3)-0 (33-(-128)-1)

Passing
Chc-Christman-18-7-98-0-0 (247-107-1754-13-18)
Cle-Graham-17-6-85-1-0 (191-101-1919-18-5), Schwenk-6-3-44-0-0 (29-18-320-4-0)

Receiving
Chc-Dewell-3-51-0 (30-694-7), Seno-2-24-0 (14-148-1), Kutner-2-23-0 (29-657-5)
Cle-Lavelli-4-81-1 (44-924-9), Speedie-2-20-0 (26-584-7), Harrington-2-13-0 (10-149-0), Yonaker-1-15-0 (8-113-2)

1946 NFL Quarterfinal-New York Yankees-14, Los Angeles Rams-7

December 22, 1946

Weather-28 degrees, 24 mph WNW

The Yankees marched 76 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Spec Sanders to Pug Manders, then held on for a 14-7 victory over the NFL runners-up from 1945, the Rams (this time from Los Angeles instead of Cleveland). Manders would score both TDs for New York, the first one coming on a 28-yard sweep of the right end that gave New York a 7-0 lead. Before halftime, the Rams would even the score on a TD pass from Bob Waterfield to Jim Benton.

But, the Rams offense would bog down in the second half, and the Benton touchdown was the last score for the Rams in 1946. Los Angeles would be held to 80 yards in the second half. The New York Yankees will host an NFL Semifinal next week, either against the Los Angeles Dons or the Chicago Cardinals.

Los Angeles Rams...(6-5-1)-0-7-0-0-7
New York Yankees.(11-3-1)-0-7-0-7-14

NYY-Manders 28 run (Johnson Kick)
LAR-Benton 2 pass from Waterfield (Waterfield Kick)
NYY-Manders 5 pass from Sanders (Johnson Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
LAR-Harmon-7-47-0 (54-283-2), Gehrke-13-24-0 (84-395-3), West-5-12-0 (45-238-1), Banta-8-11-0 (52-220-0), Waterfield-1-0-0 (17-(-60)-1)
NYY-Prokop-12-82-0 (77-318-1), Manders-7-64-1 (56-232-4), Wagner-3-27-0 (18-56-0), Sanders-13-25-0 (153-734-6), Kennedy-10-9-0 (68-188-2), Burrus-1-7-0 (2-10-0)

Passing
LAR-Waterfield-26-12-123-1-1 (277-139-1,870-18-18)
NYY-Sanders-13-9-108-1-0 (92-42-519-5-9)

Receiving
LAR-Benton-6-74-1 (69-1,055-7), Pritko-2-20-0 (20-205-2), Hickey-1-9-0 (9-222-3), Hamilton-1-9-0 (9-101-0), Gehrke-1-8-0 (12-91-2), Harmon-1-3-0 (11-202-2)
NYY-Russell-3-32-0 (26-255-4), Burrus-2-32-0 (12-283-1), Alford-2-30-0 (15-203-0), Masterson-1-9-0 (11-128-0), Manders-1-5-1 (4-54-1)

1946 NFL Quarterfinal-Los Angeles Dons-24, Chicago Bears-0

December 21, 1946

Weather-24 degrees, 8 mph SSW

Chuck Fenenbock ran for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns, and the Los Angeles defense shutout the Bears and added to their continuing playoff woes, 24-0. The Dons ran for 281 yards as a team, and their grinding attack wore out Chicago. At the same time, Chicago struggled to maintain any kind of sustained ground attack against Los Angeles. The Bears would finish with 127 yards on the ground, but most of those came after the outcome had already been decided.

The victory over Chicago advances the L.A. Dons to the NFL Semifinals.

Los Angeles Dons.(8-5-2)-7-17-0-0-24
Chicago Bears......(8-3-1)-0-0-0-0-0

LAD-Fenenbock 65 run (Aguirre Kick)
LAD-Nowaskey 2 run (Aguirre Kick)
LAD-Fenenbock 12 run (Aguirre Kick)
LAD-Aguirre 13 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
LAD-Fenenbock-8-173-2 (58-593-5), Kimbrough-16-40-0 (138-513-6), Clarke-8-34-0 (70-284-0), O'Rourke-3-19-0 (50-69-1), Seymour-6-13-0 (43-178-0), Nowaskey-1-2-1 (4-16-1)
Chi-J.Osmanski-4-61-0 (59-262-2), Magnani-14-30-0 (82-307-0), B.Osmanski-12-22-0 (90-365-5), McLean-4-14-0 (20-43-1), Luckman-2-0-0 (27-(-76)-0)

Passing
LAD-O'Rourke-18-8-113-0-1 (200-113-1,363-12-15)
Chi-Luckman-28-11-150-0-1 (257-121-1,976-17-17)

Receiving
LAD-Krueger-2-17-0 (21-230-1), Fenenbock-2-10-0 (13-77-0), Kimbrough-1-48-0 (10-210-1), Kerr-1-21-0 (8-143-0), Aguirre-1-15-0 (15-261-2), Seymour-1-2-0 (18-190-3)
Chi-Keane-3-56-0 (17-387-3), Kavanaugh-3-38-0 (21-375-5), McLean-2-14-0 (19-362-2), Sprinkle-1-20-0 (8-144-2), Magnani-1-11-0 (15-167-1), Berry-1-11-0 (5-69-0)

1946 NFL Quarterfinal-New York Giants-9, San Francisco 49ers-7

December 21, 1946

Weather-25 degrees, 32 mph WNW, light snow

The Giants and 49ers battled the elements for 60 minutes in a tightly played defensive battle that came down to the last play. The 49ers took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field for a touchdown, with Alyn Beals catching his 11th TD of the season. San Francisco would win the yardage battle 314-235, but they would not score for the remainder of the game.

The Giants struggled during the first half, gaining only 52 yards and suffering through a pair of Frank Filchock interceptions. Filchock would hit Jim Poole for a 77-yard TD to give the Giants a 9-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. San Francisco would have a final chance at victory when they took over from their own 17 with 1:51 to play. But, after driving the ball 83 yards to the Giants 10-yard line, kicker Joe Vetrano had to battle tremendous winds to try to win the game. Vetrano missed a 17-yard field goal wide to the left as time expired, and the 49ers were eliminated.

San Francisco 49ers.(9-6)-7-0-0-0-7
New York Giants...(7-3-1)-0-0-3-6-9

SF-Beals 3 pass from Albert (Vetrano Kick)
NYG-Strong 17 FG
NYG-Poole 77 pass from Filchock (Kick Blocked)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
SF-Standlee-17-86-0 (151-737-2), Eshmont-13-27-0 (86-367-6), Strzykalski-10-21-0 (89-367-2), Albert-6-4-0 (75-(-6)-4)
NYG-Franck-6-28-0 (49-298-0), Filchock-7-24-0 (105-395-2), Reagan-7-23-0 (69-269-2), Paschal-13-20-0 (130-382-4)

Passing
SF-Albert-23-13-176-1-2 (220-117-1,580-15-16)
NYG-Filchock-12-4-146-1-3 (181-91-1,408-13-28)

Receiving
SF-Beals-5-56-1 (45-642-11), Titchenal-2-55-0 (9-215-2), Eshmont-2-24-0 (19-311-2), Susoeff-1-14-0 (6-112-0), Fisk-1-10-0 (20-196-1), Standlee-1-10-0 (3-5-0), Strzykalski-1-7-0 (10-87-0)
NYG-Liebel-2-36-0 (22-396-4), Poole-1-77-1 (25-384-4), Franck-1-33-0 (7-170-1)

The 1946 Season

With the birth of the AAFC, there are 8 new pro football teams available for the postseason, so there are 4 new seeds for the playoffs. Instead of 4 teams playing 3 games, we will have 8 teams playing 7 playoff games to reach a champion. Playoff seeds for 1946...

#8 seed-Chicago Cardinals (6-5)
Last Playoff Appearance...first appearance in franchise history
All-Pro-None

The Cardinals won their last 2 games in order to qualify for the postseason, finishing tied with the Packers and the 2-time defending champion Eagles at 6-5, but winning the tiebreaker by finishing with the best point differential of the three teams. Chicago finished without any first-team All-Pros, but managed to have the third best offense in the NFL.

#7 seed-Los Angeles Dons (7-5-2)
Last Playoff Appearance...first appearance in franchise history
All-Pro-C Robert Nelson

The Dons survived a three game losing streak in midseason to get to the playoffs. Los Angeles had the second best offense in the AAFC, but after 9 games they were 4-4-1. The Dons would win their next 3 games, which was just enough to qualify as a #7 seed.

#6 seed-Los Angeles Rams (6-4-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1946, lost NFL Championship
Playoff Record...1-1
All-Pro-QB Bob Waterfield, RG Riley Matheson, LE Jim Benton

The Rams decided to go west for 1946, where they would remain until 1994. The Rams were hoping to use the NFL's most prolific passing attack to return for another chance at a championship in 1946. The combination of Waterfield to Benton lit up NFL defenses for nearly 1,000 yards.

#5 seed-San Francisco 49ers (9-5)
Last Playoff Appearance...first appearance in franchise history
All-Pro-LE Alyn Beals, RG Bruno Banducci

San Francisco was a solid team in 1946, finishing with the second best point differential of any team in pro football. The 49ers finished with the best running attack in the AAFC, with 4 different running backs gaining at least 300 yards behind a solid offensive line led by guard Bruno Balducci.

#4 seed-New York Giants (7-3-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1944, lost NFL Championship
Playoff Record...2-3
All-Pro-TB Frank Filchock, RT Jim White

The Giants won 4 of their first 5 games, then struggled throughout the second half of the season. The Giants were outgained in 1946, but still managed to outscore their opponents by a +74 for the season. Their strong start ensured a home game for the 1946 playoffs.

#3 seed-New York Yankees (10-3-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...first appearance in franchise history
All-Pro-TB Spec Sanders, LT Bruiser Kinard

The Yankees were the best defensive team in the AAFC, winning 7 of their last 8 games and steamrolling into the playoffs. Spec Sanders was all over the field for the offense, running for 6 touchdowns, throwing for 4 touchdowns, catching 3 touchdowns, and returning both a kick and a punt for a touchdown, all in the same season.

#2 seed-Chicago Bears (8-2-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1944, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...0-4
All-Pro-LE Ken Kavanaugh, C Bulldog Turner

Chicago was back in the postseason after a 1-year absence in 1945. They were hoping to reverse a history of postseason disappointment dating back to the start of THPF in 1941. The Bears used a dominating run defense to win 5 of their last 6 games and finish with the best record in the NFL. Hall of Famer Bulldog Turner was a standout on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

#1 seed-Cleveland Browns (12-2)
Last Playoff Appearance...first appearance in franchise history
All-Pro-QB Otto Graham, FB Marion Motley, RG Bill Willis, RE Dante Lavelli

The 1940s and 50s era Browns teams led by Hall of Fame Head Coach Paul Brown were some of the best in the history of Pro Football, and this was the first. The 1946 Browns featured the best offense and the best defense in the AAFC, throwing for almost 10 yards per attempt. Cleveland started the season with 7 straight victories, then lost 2 before closing with 5 straight victories to end the season.

1946 Playoffs

December 21, 1946

San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants, 4:30 pm
Los Angeles Dons at Chicago Bears, 8 pm

December 22, 1946

Los Angeles Rams at New York Yankees, 1 pm
Chicago Cardinals at Cleveland Browns, 4:30 pm

December 29, 1946

NFL Semifinals, 3pm and 6:30 pm

January 5, 1947

NFL Championship Game, 6:29 pm

1945 NFL Championship-Philadelphia Eagles-37, Cleveland Rams-7

December 23, 1945

Weather-18 degrees, 17 mph SW, light snow

Philadelphia used a punishing ground attack and a stifling defense to smother the Rams, winning their second consecutive NFL championship, 37-7. Ernie Steele took the first handoff of the game, swept the left side, and took it 70 yards to the house for a 7-0 Eagles lead. Philadelphia would finish with 217 yards rushing as a team, led by 99 yards from Steve Van Buren.

Van Buren would run for 2 scores in the third quarter, taking a tight 13-7 game at halftime and turning it into a 27-7 rout. Eagles QB Roy Zimmerman battled the elements to finish 10 of 16 for 149 yards and a TD. Philadelphia limited Cleveland to just 182 yards for the game.

Philadelphia Eagles.(9-3)-7-6-14-10-37
Cleveland Rams........(10-2)-0-7-0-0-7

Phi-Steele 70 run (Zimmerman Kick)
Phi-Lindskog 49 interception return (Kick Missed)
Cle-Benton 41 pass from Waterfield (Waterfield Kick)
Phi-Van Buren 5 run (Zimmerman Kick)
Phi-Van Buren 8 run (Zimmerman Kick)
Phi-McDonald 9 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman Kick)
Phi-Zimmerman 22 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Phi-Van Buren-19-99-2 (182-1,034-19), Steele-6-94-1 (32-323-3), Karnofsky-8-27-0 (58-167-2), Zimmerman-5-(-1)-0 (35-(-10)-1), Bleeker-9-(-2)-0 (69-189-2)
Cle-Greenwood-12-46-0 (130-477-6), Gehrke-9-24-0 (96-587-7), Gillette-7-16-0 (81-444-1), Colella-1-1-0 (55-257-3)

Passing
Phi-Zimmerman-16-10-149-1-0 (160-85-1,210-12-8)
Cle-Waterfield-24-6-112-1-1 (207-103-1,855-16-21)

Receiving
Phi-Ferrante-3-56-0 (26-539-8), Karnofsky-2-50-0 (8-164-1), Cabrelli-1-16-0 (17-167-0), Bleeker-1-14-0 (4-46-0), McDonald-1-9-1 (9-84-2), Humbert-1-5-0 (8-61-0), Meyer-1-(-1)-0 (14-158-1)
Cle-Benton-4-82-1 (53-1,203-10), Hamilton-1-17-0 (6-82-0), Pritko-1-13-0 (23-333-4)