1953 NFL Championship

Lore & Background

The Lions were attempting to become the third team in the championship game era (since 1933) to repeat as champions, following the Chicago Bears (1940, 1941) and Philadelphia Eagles (1948, 1949). The home underdog Lions rallied in the fourth quarter with a late touchdown and conversion to win by a single point, 17–16, to repeat as league champions. The two teams met the following year for a third consecutive title match-up, which was won by the Browns.

Reader's Guide

The game proved to be a tight affair, as both teams turned the ball over four times each. The Lions struck first with a Doak Walker touchdown, and both scored field goals in the second quarter and the Lions led at halftime, 10–3. The Browns took the lead on a Chick Jagade run in the third quarter while Lou Groza kicked two field goals as Cleveland took the lead on 13 straight points in the second half. Trailing 16–10 with four minutes and 10 seconds of play remaining, the Lions started from their own 20-yard line and fought their way 80 yards in eight plays, the touchdown coming on a 33-yard pass from Bobby Layne to Jim Doran in the end zone, and Walker's extra point gave the Lions the lead. Trailing 17–16, the Browns had one last chance; Ken Carpenter started the drive with a run to his own 28, but an Otto Graham pass intended for Pete Brewster was deflected by rookie defensive halfback Carl Karilivacz, who intercepted the throw, clinching the Lions their third title. Graham had a miserable game, finishing with a 0.0 passer rating on 2-of-15 passing while Detroit's Bobby Layne went 12-of-25 for 179 yards. The leading rusher of the game was Chick Jagade, who ran for 102 yards on 15 carries for Cleveland.

Did You Know?

• Ticket prices ranged from three to seven dollars.
• The NFL added the fifth official, the back judge, in 1947; the line judge arrived in 1965, and the side judge in 1978.
• The gross receipts for the game, including radio and television rights, were just under $359,000. Each player on the winning Lions team received $2,424, while Browns players made $1,654 each, the highest to date.