1947 NFL Championship

Lore & Background

This was the Cardinals' last playoff win as a franchise until January 2, 1999; at 51 years and five days, it was the longest post-season win drought in NFL history. As of 2026, this is the Cardinals’ last championship, and they now hold the longest title drought in North American sports. The team moved to St. Louis as the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960 and Arizona as the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988 (changing to Arizona Cardinals in 1994).

In Their Own Story

The December air bit through heavy wool coats as fans packed into Griffith Stadium. Inside, the gridiron glowed under floodlights, highlighting the white stripes on the helmets and the gleam of shoulder pads. Sammy Baugh called the play, eyes scanning the defensive line, knowing this moment defined their legacy. The crowd roared as the final whistle blew, sealing a perfect shutout.

Reader's Guide

The game featured the Western Division champion Chicago Cardinals (9–3) and the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Eagles (8–4). A week earlier, the Eagles defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21–0 in a tiebreaker playoff to determine the Eastern winner. Both the Eagles and Cardinals were making their first appearances in the championship game. The Cardinals had won the regular season meeting in Philadelphia three weeks earlier by 24 points and after a week off, were 12-point favorites to win the title game at home. This was the second NFL title game played after Christmas Day, and the latest to date. Scheduled for December 21, it was pushed back a week due to the Eastern division playoff. The temperature at kickoff was 29 °F (−2 °C). On a frozen field, the Cardinals elected to wear sneakers. The decision paid off handsomely, as Chicago outgained Philadelphia on the ground 280 yards to just 60 for the day. The Cardinals built a 14–0 lead in the second quarter, then the teams traded touchdowns. The Eagles closed the gap to 28–21 with five minutes to go, but the Cardinals controlled the ball the rest of the game on an extended drive to win the title. This was the only NFL title game played at Comiskey Park and is one of two Cardinals NFL Championship victories. The two teams returned for a rematch in 1948 in Philadelphia, but the Eagles won in a snowstorm. The Cardinals have not won a league championship since this one, over seven decades ago, the longest drought in the NFL. They made it to Super Bowl XLIII in the 2008 season representing Arizona, but they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals' win kept the NFL title within the city of Chicago; the North Side's Bears had won the previous season. The team did not receive championship rings until the 50th anniversary of their win in 1997.

Did You Know?

• The player compensation pool was set at 70% of net revenue. Total receipts were just under $160,000 and expenses nearly $40,000, for a net receipts pool of about $120,000. This generated a team pool of about $45,300 for
• A pool of about $8,400 for each of the divisional second place clubs — the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers — was also established.
• The following five officials were used in the game: Referee Thomas Dowd, Umpire Harry Robb, Head linesman Dan Tehan, Back judge Carl Rebele, Field judge Henry Haines, and Alternate Carl Brubaker.