NFL Championship Game 1940

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The NFL Championship Game 1940 was the eighth edition of the National Football League final . On December 8, 1940 , the Chicago Bears , champions of the Western Division, defeated the Washington Redskins , champions of the Eastern Division, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC in front of 36,034 spectators with a record score of 73-0.

prehistory

The NFL final was the second final game during World War II .

The Washington Redskins had won the Eastern Division with 9-2 wins. With 245 points they were the best attack in the league, stars were the two pro bowlers Sammy Baugh ( quarterback , who would become one of the first members of the Hall of Fame ) and Dick Todd ( running back ). The only 142 counterpoints spoke for a strong defense (3rd place in the league).

The Chicago Bears had won the Western Division with 8-3 wins. The team around quarterback Sid Luckman , running back / corner back George McAfee and the promising rookie linebacker Bulldog Turner scored a points ratio of 238-152, which put them in NFL places 2 (offensive) and 4 (defensive).

Three weeks earlier, the Redskins had defeated the Bears 7-3. In the run-up to the game, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall ridiculed the Bears team as " front-runners, quitters and crybabies ", which Bears coach Halas used as motivation.

game

The Bears celebrated a record win against the Redskins. The most important weapon was the then new T-formation , with whose dynamics the Washington team could hardly cope. Already in the second play Bears running back Bill Osmanski ran from 68 yards to the touchdown , and after a successful extra point from running back / kicker Jack Manders it was 7-0. The Redskins had a chance to equalize on the following drive, but End Charley Malone dropped a safe touchdown throw while standing free. In the first quarter Luckman increased with a 1-yard run (extra point Bob Snyder successful) to 14-0, immediately afterwards Joe Maniaci ran from 42 yards back into the end zone (extra point Phil Martinovich successful) to 21-0. In the second quarter, End Ken Kavanaugh caught a Luckman throw for touchdown (extra point Snyder successful), so that the Bears were leading 35-0 at halftime.

In the second half it was just as one-sided. Bears-Defensive End Hampton Pool caught an interception and carried it to the defensive touchdown in the end zone (extra point Dick Plasman successful). so it was 42-0. Soon after, Bears-Back Ray Nolting ran from 28 yards for the touchdown, after an unsuccessful extra point it was 48-0. After two interceptions in quick succession, the Bears scored two more defensive touchdowns (by George McAfee and Bulldog Turner), so that after a failed and a successful extra point ( Joe Stydahar ) it was 54-0. In the fourth quarter Harry Clarke managed a 44-yard touchdown run (extra point kick failed, 60-0), and Chicago closed the record game with two more touchdowns by Gary Famiglietti and Clarke, respectively. In this case, after consultation with the referees, the Bears waived an extra point kick, because so many footballs had flown into the stands that the referees slowly ran out of balls. Instead, an extra point throw (a forerunner of the modern two-point conversion ) was tried, which succeeded once (maniaci) and failed once.

Audience revenue of $ 102,280 was a record for an NFL game at the time. The Bears won $ 32,737 and the Redskins $ 21,825. In the end, Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh was asked if the game would have been any different if Charley Malone had caught the 7-7 touchdown. Baugh replied, "Sure, it would have turned out 73-7."

The final score of 73-0 is an NFL record to date:

  • Most points scored in an NFL game or final (73)
  • Most points scored in an NFL game or final with no opposing points (73)
  • Largest point difference in an NFL game or final (73)

Oddities

The Pro Bowl game took place on December 29th . While the Eastern Division was represented by a selection of the best Eastern players, as is customary today, the Western Division was represented by the Bears as NFL champions. The game “Bears vs. Eastern All-Stars "won Chicago 28-14. It was not until 1950 that the winning division was also represented by a selection team.

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