1952 NFL Quarterfinal-New York Giants-13, San Francisco 49ers-10 in OT

A Giants press guide from 1952

December 21, 1952

Weather-53 degrees, 5 mph E

The Giants and 49ers battled for nearly 5 quarters before Charlie Conerly and Eddie Price were able to piece together a drive, gaining 56 yards in 8 plays on their way to a game-winning field goal and a 13-10 overtime win. Neither team's passing game was able to generate a consistent attack, but the Giants were able to avoid the turnovers that wound up killing the Niners. The Giants turned a pair of interceptions (one each from Emlen Tunnell and Tom Landry) into 10 points. New York RB Eddie Price ran for 101 yards and caught a 57-yard pass from backup QB Fred Benners that tied the game in the fourth quarter.

The Giants will travel to Tiger Stadium next Sunday to face the Detroit Lions, the top seed in the 1952 NFL Playoffs.

New York Giants......(8-5)-0-3-0-7-3-13
San Francisco 49ers.(7-6)-0-10-0-0-0-10

NY-Poole 18 FG
SF-McElhenny 36 run (Soltau Kick)
SF-Soltau 30 FG
NY-Price 57 pass from Benners (Poole Kick)
NY-Poole 17 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
NY-Price-25-101-0 (208-849-5), Rote-12-43-0 (115-464-2), Conerly-3-3-0 (30-118-0), Scott-1-0-0 (39-107-3)
SF-McElhenny-16-84-1 (114-768-7), Perry-18-46-0 (176-771-8), Boone-2-3-0 (26-75-0), Tittle-1-(-3)-0 (12-(-14)-0)

Passing
NY-Conerly-29-12-134-0-0 (198-94-1,224-13-10), Benners-9-4-84-1-0 (67-29-404-1-5)
SF-Tittle-31-11-115-0-1 (239-117-1,522-11-13), Albert-6-3-53-0-1 (135-74-1,017-8-11)

Receiving
NY-Stribling-5-58-0 (31-457-5), McChesney-4-53-0 (25-483-6), Rote-3-35-0 (24-275-2), Price-2-55-1 (13-91-1), Hudson-1-19-0 (5-59-0), Mote-1-(-2)-0 (5-43-0)
SF-Soltau-5-61-0 (60-835-7), Wilson-3-38-0 (26-342-3), Perry-3-29-0 (18-110-0), McElhenny-2-31-0 (28-398-3), Boone-1-9-0 (26-470-1)

1952 NFL Quarterfinal-Cleveland Browns-21, Philadelphia Eagles-14

Mac Speedie, Browns WR

December 21, 1952

Weather-39 degrees, 4 mph WSW

The Browns battled back from a 14-point deficit to score 21 second half points and knock off the Eagles, 21-14. The Browns were led by Otto Graham, who threw for 255 yards and 3 TD. Mac Speedie did most of the damage, catching 6 passes for 123 yards and 2 TD. Dante Lavelli added 5 catches for 81 yards, including an 18-yard TD catch with a little over 2 minutes remaining to give Cleveland the victory. Marion Motley added 96 yards on the ground for the Browns.

Philadelphia was led by QB Bobby Thomason, who completed 14 of 21 for 191 yards, but Thomason threw 2 second-half interceptions that were key to the Browns comeback. Cleveland will move on to face the Los Angeles Rams at the Coliseum next Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles.(7-6)-7-7-0-0-14
Cleveland Browns...(9-4)-0-0-6-15-21

Phi-Huzvar 49 pass from Thomason (Walston Kick)
Phi-Stevens 3 run (Walston Kick)
Cle-Speedie 7 pass from Graham (Kick Blocked)
Cle-Speedie 43 pass from Graham (Graham to Lavelli)
Cle-Lavelli 18 pass from Graham (Groza Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Phi-Huzvar-15-52-0 (120-401-2), Ziegler-11-27-0 (78-199-2), Stevens-5-20-1 (38-115-1), Pollard-2-14-0 (57-200-1), Thomason-1-0-0 (18-88-0)
Cle-Motley-14-96-0 (118-540-1), Jones-10-39-0 (75-309-2), Jagade-5-32-0 (62-405-2), Graham-6-1-0 (48-131-4)

Passing
Phi-Thomason-21-14-191-1-2 (233-109-1,525-9-11)
Cle-Graham-30-16-255-3-1 (394-197-3,071-23-25)

Receiving
Phi-Grant-5-76-0 (61-1,073-7), Walston-3-22-0 (29-491-3), Huzvar-2-61-1 (15-98-1), Pihos-2-24-0 (14-243-1), Stevens-2-8-0 (15-182-0)
Cle-Speedie-6-123-2 (68-1,034-7), Lavelli-5-81-1 (26-417-5), Jones-4-39-0 (47-690-4), Jagade-1-12-0 (10-215-1)

The 1952 Season

The playoff seeds for 1952...

#6 seed-Philadelphia Eagles (7-5)
Last Playoff Appearance...1950, lost NFL Championship
Playoff Record...8-4, 2 NFL Championships (1944, 1945)
Pro Bowl-DT Bucko Kilroy, RE Pete Pihos, LB Chuck Bednarik, DB Russ Craft

The Eagles defense was just good enough to earn a spot in the postseason. Philadelphia finished 2nd in the NFL in defense in 1952. Winning 3 straight games in November was all it took to sneak in as the lowest seed.

#5 seed-New York Giants (7-5)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, won NFL Championship
Playoff Record...7-4, 2 NFL Championships (1950, 1951)
Pro Bowl-FB Eddie Price, DT Arnie Weinmeister, DT Jon Baker, LB John Cannady, KR Emlen Tunnell, T Tex Coulter

The Giants started the season with 3 straight wins, then held on for a playoff berth. New York is seeking to become the first team in NFL history to win a third consecutive NFL Championship. The Giants struggled on both sides of the ball, although their run defense would finish second in the NFL.

#4 seed-San Francisco 49ers (7-5)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, lost NFL Quarterfinal
Playoff Record...4-5
Pro Bowl-FB Joe Perry, C Bill Johnson, RT Leo Nomellini, DE Ed Henke, LB Hardy Brown, KR Hugh McElhenny, K Gordie Soltau

San Francisco got off to a quick start, winning 5 straight and looking like they would finish with the top seed in the postseason. Losing 5 of 7 to end the season sunk the Niners to the #4 seed. Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny combined to give San Francisco the most prolific ground game in the NFL in 1952.

#3 seed-Cleveland Browns (8-4)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, lost NFL Championship
Playoff Record...9-4, 2 NFL Championships (1946, 1948)
Pro Bowl-QB Otto Graham, RH Dub Jones, LE Mac Speedie, LG Abe Gibron, DT Bill Willis, RE Len Ford, P Horace Gillom, K Lou Groza

The Browns have been a great team since first entering pro football, consistently competing for championships, season after season. 1952 was no different, as the Browns finished first in the NFL both offensively and defensively.

#2 seed-Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...5-6
Pro Bowl-QB Norm Van Brocklin, FB Dan Towler, RE Elroy Hirsch, DT Jim Winkler, DT Stan West, LB Tank Younger, LB Don Paul

The Rams were still the highest scoring team in the NFL, even if they didn't light it up the way they once had. Los Angeles lost 3 of their first 4, and they looked like they would miss the playoffs. Instead, the Rams ripped off 8 straight wins to end the season and earn the bye week into the semifinals.

#1 seed-Detroit Lions (9-3)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...1-2
Pro Bowl-QB Bobby Layne, RB Bob Hoernschemeyer, LE Cloyce Box, LT Lou Creekmur, LS Don Doll, P Bob Smith, K Pat Harder

The Lions led the NFL in run defense and scoring defense, and they have home-field advantage throughout the 1952 playoffs. The Lions have won 8 of their last 9, scoring at least 40 points in 5 of those 8 victories. Cloyce Box caught 15 of the Lions 24 passing TD in 1952.

1952 Playoffs

December 21, 1952
Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns, 3 pm
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers, 6:30 pm

December 28, 1952
lowest seed at Detroit Lions, 3 pm
highest seed at Los Angeles Rams, 6:30 pm

January 4, 1953
NFL Championship, 6:30 pm

1951 NFL Championship-New York Giants-6, Cleveland Browns-0

Steve Owen, Head Coach of the Giants

January 6, 1952

Weather-29 degrees, 9 mph NW, snow

The New York Giants won their second consecutive NFL Championship by shutting out the Cleveland Browns in snowy Municipal Stadium, 6-0. New York's defense hasn't allowed a point in either of the last 2 championship games. The Giants were able to control the clock throughout, finishing with 70 plays on offense to just 52 for Cleveland. A pair of Charley Conerly interceptions snuffed out 2 solid scoring chances for the Giants and led to a scoreless first half. In the second half, Giants RB Eddie Price and Joe Scott continued to hammer away the the Cleveland front until New York was able to cash in on 2 fourth quarter field goals from Ray Poole.

The Giants defense sealed the game on a fourth down sack of Otto Graham with 13 seconds remaining. Cleveland finished with only 189 yards offense for the game.

New York Giants.(11-2-1)-0-0-0-6-6
Cleveland Browns..(12-2)-0-0-0-0-0

NY-Poole 10 FG
NY-Poole 27 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
NY-Price-28-95-0 (326-1,164-7), Scott-13-63-0 (117-514-3), Conerly-3-1-0 (22-83-1)
Cle-Carpenter-9-55-0 (104-485-4), Jones-11-24-0 (128-575-8), Motley-7-17-0 (75-316-1), Graham-4-8-0 (42-34-3), Cole-1-3-0 (47-255-1)

Passing
NY-Conerly-24-9-126-0-2 (233-112-1,515-10-26)
Cle-Graham-17-7-101-0-0 (298-165-2,476-19-16)

Receiving
NY-Mote-2-32-0 (14-229-4), McChesney-2-30-0 (18-282-2), Wilkinson-2-29-0 (14-228-1), Scott-2-22-0 (26-388-2), Stribling-1-13-0 (23-278-2)
Cle-Speedie-5-88-0 (43-769-4), Jones-1-11-0 (34-548-6), Lavelli-1-2-0 (45-602-6)

1951 NFL Semifinal-Cleveland Browns-27, Detroit Lions-7

Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns

December 30, 1951

Weather-36 degrees, 5 mph NE

When the Cleveland Browns are playing their best football, QB Otto Graham seems to have a myriad of weapons to use on opposing defenses. One of his most effective weapons is Dub Jones, an all-purpose back in his sixth season from Tulane who accounted for 12 TD and over 1,000 yards from scrimmage so far this season. Jones added 2 more touchdowns on Sunday; a 32-yard run off tackle and a 4-yard swing pass that broke open a 7-7 game in a 10-minute stretch of the second and third quarters.

Bobby Layne threw for 169 yards in a losing effort for the Lions. Graham completed 11 of 16 for Cleveland, throwing for 170 yards and 2 TD. Cleveland is hosting the New York Giants next Sunday for the NFL Championship. For the Giants, it's a chance to repeat as champs; for Cleveland, it's a chance to become the first team to win a third championship.

Detroit Lions.....(8-5-1)-7-0-0-0-7
Cleveland Browns.(12-1)-0-14-7-6-27

Det-Hoernschemeyer 10 pass from Layne (Walker Kick)
Cle-Speedie 51 pass from Graham (Groza Kick)
Cle-Jones 32 run (Groza Kick)
Cle-Jones 4 pass from Graham (Groza Kick)
Cle-Groza 28 FG
Cle-Groza 9 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Det-Hoernschemeyer-17-55-0 (166-781-3), Walker-9-41-0 (98-486-2), Harder-6-13-0 (112-411-6), Layne-3-2-0 (72-318-1), Hart-1-1-0 (5-(-5)-0)
Cle-Jones-13-59-1 (117-551-8), Carpenter-10-28-0 (95-430-4), Motley-7-26-0 (68-299-1), Graham-3-(-3)-0 (38-26-3)

Passing
Det-Layne-35-14-169-1-0 (387-180-2,758-28-24)
Cle-Graham-16-11-170-2-0 (281-158-2,375-19-16)

Receiving
Det-Dibble-3-70-0 (37-735-6), Hart-3-25-0 (42-622-13), Hoernschemeyer-3-18-1 (28-303-4), Walker-2-26-0 (25-457-4), Harder-2-16-0 (19-209-2), Swiacki-1-14-0 (19-206-0)
Cle-Speedie-4-92-1 (38-681-4), Jones-3-17-1 (33-587-6), Gillom-1-30-0 (12-194-0), Lavelli-1-14-0 (44-600-6), Oristaglio-1-10-0 (2-30-1), Carpenter-1-7-0 (13-190-2)

1951 NFL Semifinal-New York Giants-20, Los Angeles Rams-9

Emlen Tunnell, Giants Hall of Famer

December 30, 1951

Weather-46 degrees, 5 mph NE, rain

The New York Giants earned a return trip to the NFL Championship Game by beating the Rams, 20-9. The Giants ground game was effective against the Los Angeles front, gaining 201 yards and generating 2 long touchdown drives, the only TD drives of the game. The Giants defense bent but didn't break all afternoon, as the Rams steamrolled down the field, only to have to settle for 3 instead of 7. Elroy Hirsch managed 142 yards on receptions, but Los Angeles had to settle for 3 field goals and no trips to the end zone.

The Giants were led by touchdown runs of 22 and 3 yards from Joe Scott. Workhorse RB Eddie Price had 27 carries for the Giants, grinding out 98 yards in the mud of the Polo Grounds.

Los Angeles Rams......(9-5)-0-3-6-0-9
New York Giants.(10-2-1)-0-10-0-10-20

NY-Scott 22 run (Poole Kick)
NY-Poole 39 FG
LA-Waterfield 15 FG
LA-Waterfield 25 FG
LA-Waterfield 31 FG
NY-Poole 24 FG
NY-Scott 3 run (Poole Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
LA-Towler-15-60-0 (153-1,052-6), Smith-7-44-0 (63-208-1), Hoerner-12-12-0 (117-636-7), Younger-1-1-0 (37-224-1), Van Brocklin-1-0-0 (11-(-4)-2)
NY-Price-27-98-0 (298-1,069-7), Scott-10-84-2 (104-451-3), Conerly-2-17-0 (19-82-1), Rote-2-2-0 (23-116-1)

Passing
LA-Van Brocklin-24-10-195-0-0 (238-120-2,074-16-11), Waterfield-1-1-13-0-0 (178-90-1,582-13-10)
NY-Conerly-20-10-112-0-2 (209-103-1,389-10-24)

Receiving
LA-Hirsch-7-142-0 (77-1,710-19), Fears-3-51-0 (39-626-4), Boyd-1-15-0 (11-147-1)
NY-Stribling-4-39-0 (22-265-2), McChesney-2-22-0 (16-252-2), Wilkinson-1-17-0 (12-199-1), Price-1-14-0 (6-33-0), Mote-1-10-0 (12-197-4), Scott-1-10-0 (24-366-2)

1951 NFL Quarterfinal-Los Angeles Rams-31, Chicago Bears-14



Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch

December 23, 1951

Weather-60 degrees, 5 mph S

Los Angeles got off to a quick start against the Bears and Chicago could never recover, losing 31-14. The Rams scored on three of their first four possessions, with Norm Van Brocklin firing 3 touchdowns in the first 20 minutes. Elroy Hirsch caught TD of 24 and 14 yards, with the second one breaking the record for TD catches in a season with 19. The Bears were able to move the ball on the Los Angeles defense, but the Rams pass rush was able to come up large on third down, finishing with 5 sacks, including 2 each by Don Paul and Larry Brink. John Dottley led the Chicago ground game with 101 yards on 18 carries.

The Rams will travel to the Polo Grounds to face the Giants at 3 pm next Sunday for a berth in the NFL Title Game.

Chicago Bears.....(7-6)-0-0-7-7-14
Los Angeles Rams.(9-4)-14-7-7-3-31

LA-Hirsch 24 pass from Van Brocklin (Waterfield Kick)
LA-Fears 7 pass from Van Brocklin (Waterfield Kick)
LA-Hirsch 14 pass from Van Brocklin (Waterfield Kick)
Chi-Gulyanics 6 run (Blanda Kick)
LA-Hoerner 9 run (Waterfield Kick)
Chi-Wightkin 15 pass from Lujack (Blanda Kick)
LA-Waterfield 36 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Chi-Dottley-18-101-0 (145-771-3), Gulyanics-14-73-1 (119-476-5), Rykovich-8-7-0 (91-406-4), Lujack-4-4-0 (51-175-7), Stone-1-3-0 (31-126-1)
LA-Towler-12-138-0 (138-992-6), Hoerner-11-55-1 (105-624-7), Smith-4-21-0 (56-164-1), Hirsch-1-(-3)-0 (2-0-0), Van Brocklin-3-(-6)-0 (10-(-4)-2)

Passing
Chi-Lujack-29-15-208-1-0 (205-100-1,503-9-8)
LA-Van Brocklin-20-10-154-3-0 (214-110-1,879-16-11), Waterfield-1-1-3-0-0 (177-89-1,569-13-10)

Receiving
Chi-Hoffman-4-52-0 (32-446-2), Schroeder-3-70-0 (27-531-3), Keane-3-33-0 (18-280-1), Dottley-2-18-0 (16-243-1), Wightkin-1-15-1 (2-62-1), Boone-1-12-0 (7-129-0), Gulyanics-1-8-0 (14-154-0)
LA-Hirsch-4-73-2 (70-1,568-19), Fears-4-47-1 (36-575-4), Keane-1-18-0 (13-151-0), Towler-1-15-0 (17-272-0), Boyd-1-4-0 (10-132-1)

1951 NFL Quarterfinal-Detroit Lions-14, San Francisco 49ers-0

Bobby Layne, Lions QB

December 23, 1951

Weather-33 degrees, 13 mph W

Detroit's defense went unheralded during the 1951 season, but they showed up on Sunday and shutout the 49ers, 14-0. The Lions defense held San Francisco to 192 yards, and the 49ers never crossed the Detroit 30-yard line. All-Pro DL Les Bingaman led the Lions with 6 solo tackles and 2 sacks of Frankie Albert. Bobby Layne was able to move the ball on the Niners defense all day long, expertly mixing the run and pass to keep San Francisco off the field. Layne completed 14 of 20 for 186 yards, including a 13-yard score to Leon Hart to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.

The Lions must await the outcome of the late game to see whether they will be headed to New York or Cleveland for the semifinals.

San Francisco 49ers.(7-5-1)-0-0-0-0-0
Detroit Lions......(8-4-1)-0-7-0-7-14

Det-Hoernschemeyer 12 run (Walker Kick)
Det-Hart 13 pass from Layne (Walker Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
SF-Perry-14-24-0 (150-701-3), Albert-2-22-0 (37-168-3), Lillywhite-7-16-0 (73-413-1), Schabarum-7-11-0 (83-322-2), Strzykalski-1-1-0 (82-297-3)
Det-Walker-10-89-0 (89-445-2), Hoernschemeyer-17-48-1 (149-726-3), Layne-8-26-0 (69-316-1), Harder-5-18-0 (106-398-6)

Passing
SF-Albert-17-10-140-0-0 (183-100-1,256-5-10)
Det-Layne-20-14-186-1-1 (352-166-2,589-27-24)

Receiving
SF-Soltau-3-50-0 (62-876-7), Wilson-2-24-0 (20-292-3), Perry-2-20-0 (20-187-1), Schabarum-1-24-0 (11-186-0), Jessup-1-13-0 (8-112-1), Lillywhite-1-9-0 (12-134-1)
Det-Hart-4-53-1 (39-597-13), Dibble-4-52-0 (34-665-6), Hoernschemeyer-2-22-0 (25-285-3), Swiacki-2-4-0 (18-192-0), Doran-1-45-0 (11-270-2), Walker-1-10-0 (23-431-4)

The 1951 Season

Here are the playoff seeds for 1951.

#6 seed-Chicago Bears (7-5)
Last Playoff Appearance...1950, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...2-9
Pro Bowl-QB Johnny Lujack, LT George Connor, LG Dick Barwegan, C Bulldog Turner, RDT Ray Bray, RDE Ed Sprinkle, FB John Dottley

The Bears got off to a quick 5-1 start, then held on over the second half of the season to sneak into the playoffs. The 1951 Chicago Bears were unlike any other Chicago playoff team before it. The Bears struggled on defense, with opposing offenses having little or no problem holding on to the ball and producing touchdowns. Offensively, the Bears had the top ranked rushing attack in the NFL.

#5 seed-San Francisco 49ers (7-4-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1949, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...4-4
Pro Bowl-S Jim Cason, RT Leo Nomellini, LE Gordie Soltau, LT Ray Collins

The 49ers struggled through 9 weeks, but won their last 3 games to head to the postseason. San Francisco was not exceptional on either side of the ball, but the ground attack was second only to the Bears. Joe Perry led that ground attack, averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

#4 seed-Detroit Lions (7-4-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1945, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...0-1
Pro Bowl-QB Bobby Layne, RH Bob Hoernschemeyer, LG Lou Creekmur, RE Leon Hart, MG Les Bingaman, LDH Don Doll, LH Doak Walker

The Lions used a perfect November to get to their first postseason appearance in 6 years. Detroit excelled in the passing game and finished second in the NFL in points. Bobby Layne threw 26 TD, 12 of them to Leon Hart.

#3 seed-Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
Last Playoff Appearance...1950, lost NFL Quarterfinal
Playoff Record...4-5
Pro Bowl-RE Elroy Hirsch, LDE Larry Brink, MG Stan West, LLB Don Paul, RLB Tank Younger, FB Dan Towler, QB Bob Waterfield, QB Norm Van Brocklin

The 1951 Rams featured one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the NFL. Los Angeles averaged 451 yards and 33 points, while leading the NFL in passing yardage and first downs. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch set a new NFL standard for receiving yards in a season, breaking Mac Speedie's 4-year old record. Hirsch averaged nearly 23 yards per catch and has scored 17 touchdowns so far this year.

#2 seed-New York Giants (9-2-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, won NFL Championship
Playoff Record...5-4, 1951 NFL Champions
Pro Bowl-FB Eddie Price, LT Tex Coulter, LDT Arnie Weinmeister, RDT Al DeRogatis, RS Otto Schnellbacher, LDH Emlen Tunnell, MG Jon Baker

The defending champions are back to go for a repeat performance. While the Giants struggled mightily on offense, finishing dead last in yards, the defense led the NFL in yards allowed, giving up just 76 yards per game on the ground. New York heads to the postseason having won 6 of their last 7 games, having given up just 24 points total in their previous 4, all victories.

#1 seed-Cleveland Browns (11-1)
Last Playoff Appearance...1951, lost NFL Semifinal
Playoff Record...8-3, 2 NFL Championships (1946, 1948)
Pro Bowl-QB Otto Graham, RH Dub Jones, RE Dante Lavelli, MG Bill Willis, RDE Len Ford, LLB Tony Adamle, K Lou Groza, LH Ken Carpenter

Cleveland allowed the fewest points in the league. The defense pitched 4 shutouts, limiting the opposition to 13 points per game. The offense was balanced and efficient. Otto Graham was a 1st team All-Pro, and he had a variety of weapons to deploy. The Browns lost the opener in San Francisco before winning 11 straight to close the season.

1951 Playoffs

December 23, 1951
San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions, 3 pm
Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams, 6:30 pm

December 30, 1951
highest seed at New York Giants, 3 pm
lowest seed at Cleveland Browns, 6:30 pm

January 6, 1952
NFL Championship, 6:30 pm

1950 NFL Championship-New York Giants-13, Philadelphia Eagles-0

Pro Football at the Polo Grounds

December 31, 1950

Weather-36 degrees, 15 mph NNW

The New York Giants used a stifling defense to shutout the Philadelphia Eagles and win the first NFL Championship in franchise history, 13-0. The Giants were concerned with the Philadelphia running game prior to kickoff, but the Eagles were never able to get anything going, managing only 51 yards on their 30 carries. The Giants scored the only touchdown of the game on a wheel route from RB Joe Scott. Scott gathered in a Charlie Conerly pass and motored 77 yards for a 7-0 lead.

After the initial touchdown, both defenses settled in and forced many three and outs. Philadelphia had only 66 yards of offense in the second half, and the Eagles never crossed the 50-yard line after halftime.

Philadelphia Eagles.(8-7)-0-0-0-0-0
New York Giants..(12-2)-0-10-0-3-13

NYG-Scott 77 pass from Conerly (Poole Kick)
NYG-Poole 28 FG
NYG-Poole 9 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Phi-Ziegler-18-30-0 (222-909-3), Van Buren-12-21-0 (234-798-4)
NYG-Price-16-74-0 (158-945-4), Roberts-13-63-0 (142-612-6), Scott-5-17-0 (84-378-4), Conerly-3-1-0 (29-24-1)

Passing
Phi-Thompson-31-12-156-0-0 (316-145-2,115-13-22), MacKrides-6-3-26-0-1 (52-17-254-4-7)
NYG-Conerly-18-4-85-1-1 (164-67-1,195-9-8), Tidwell-1-0-0-0-0 (56-25-338-4-3)

Receiving
Phi-Ferrante-5-68-0 (48-766-3), Pihos-5-64-0 (51-646-8), Armstrong-2-11-0 (14-185-1), Ziegler-1-16-0 (19-280-2), Van Buren-1-13-0 (3-47-0), Green-1-10-0 (1-10-0)
NYG-McChesney-2-9-0 (23-411-6), Scott-1-77-1 (10-317-2), Clay-1-(-1)-0 (8-68-0)

1950 NFL Semifinal-Philadelphia Eagles-3, Cleveland Browns-0

Marion Motley

December 24, 1950

Weather-24 degrees, 21 mph WNW, snow

The Eagles and Browns battled the elements as much as each other for a shot at the NFL Title, with Philadelphia winning the battle of attrition, 3-0. Game day in Cleveland brought a steady snowfall and winds gusting to 25 mph, but Eagles QB Tommy Thompson managed to control the ball with short, safe passes, completing 14 of 21 for 162 yards. The Browns managed 104 yards on the ground from Marion Motley, but were unable to get any points out of 3 separate trips to the red zone. Steve Van Buren led the Eagles ground attack with 71 yards. The only score of the game came after the Browns were pinned deep after the second half kickoff following a penalty. Cleveland couldn't manage a first down and had to punt to Cleveland, and the Browns took over from the Eagles 33. The Eagles could only manage one first down on the ensuing drive, but Cliff Patton banged home a 34-yard FG, and the score held up.

Philadelphia will travel to the Polo Grounds to battle the New York Giants for an NFL Championship on New Year's Eve.

Philadelphia Eagles.(8-6)-0-0-3-0-3
Cleveland Browns...(10-3)-0-0-0-0-0

Phi-Patton 34 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Phi-Van Buren-14-71-0 (222-777-4), Ziegler-18-54-0 (204-879-3), Ledbetter-2-4-0 (70-324-1), Thompson-3-3-0 (21-34-0)
Cle-Motley-14-104-0 (154-914-3), Jones-9-40-0 (92-424-6), Bumgardner-9-31-0 (76-262-2), Graham-5-3-0 (60-148-6), Carpenter-1-0-0 (36-181-1)

Passing
Phi-Thompson-21-14-162-0-0 (285-133-1,959-13-22)
Cle-Graham-16-10-83-0-1 (269-147-2,026-14-21)

Receiving
Phi-Ferrante-4-58-0 (43-698-3), Pihos-4-39-0 (46-582-8), Ziegler-3-32-0 (18-264-2), Armstrong-2-25-0 (12-174-1), Hix-1-8-0 (3-33-0)
Cle-Lavelli-4-44-0 (41-609-5), Speedie-3-10-0 (45-558-1), Bumgardner-2-17-0 (11-129-1), Motley-1-12-0 (12-163-1)