The NFL Championship game on December 27, 1953 featured a rematch of the previous year’s participants, the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. The Lions won that contest and were looking to repeat as champions against the Cleveland team that was now appearing in its eighth straight title game (four in the All-America Football Conference, four in the NFL).
Detroit, coached by Buddy Parker, still featured fiery QB
Bobby Layne (pictured above) surrounded by a capable group on offense and a rugged defense, and
had added outstanding rookies that included tackles Charlie Ane and Ollie
Spencer plus G Harley Sewell on offense and LB Joe Schmidt on defense. The
Lions went 10-2 in winning the Western Conference, including victories in their
last six contests.
The Browns, under the guidance of the innovative Paul
Brown, had new ownership but continued to win with an almost machine-like
consistency. QB Otto Graham remained the key to the offense, and while star end
Mac Speedie defected to Canada, end Dante Lavelli was still available and two
second-year players, end Pete Brewster and HB Ray Renfro, picked up the slack.
FB Harry "Chick" Jagade was the successor to the fading Marion Motley and the defense
gave up the fewest points in the league (162). Star MG Bill Willis was back in
action, having missed the previous month due to injury. Cleveland topped the
Eastern Conference with an 11-1 record, not losing until the season finale when
they had already wrapped up first place. Despite losing to the Lions the
previous year, the Browns were the favorites coming into the rematch.
There were 54,577 fans in attendance at Briggs Stadium,
where the field was slippery in some spots. In the first play from scrimmage,
the Browns were penalized back to their 19 yard line. Following a carry by
Chick Jagade, LB LaVern Torgeson forced Otto Graham to fumble and MG Les
Bingaman recovered for the Lions at the Cleveland 12. Detroit kept the ball on
the ground, with Bobby Layne converting a fourth-and-one situation via a
quarterback sneak and, after HB Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer gained nothing, HB
Doak Walker dove for a touchdown from one yard out and then kicked the extra
point.
With the help of a penalty, the Browns had good field
position near midfield to start their next series. However, Graham overthrew an
open receiver on a third down play and Cleveland had to punt. The Lions lost
star end Leon Hart with a knee injury and Jim Doran (pictured below), who normally played on
defense and had caught only six passes all year, took his place. Doran made his
presence known by making a catch for a gain of 27 yards, but after reaching the
Cleveland 46, Detroit had to punt, as did Cleveland again in turn.
The Browns got a break on defense late in the opening
period when DE Len Ford recovered a fumble by Hoernschemeyer at the Detroit
six. The Lions didn’t let down on defense, but in the first play of the second
quarter, the Browns came close to a TD when Dante Lavelli dropped a pass in the
end zone. Lou Groza kicked a 13-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.
The Lions punted again following their next series but
got the ball back when HB Dub Jones fumbled and DE Sherwin Gandee recovered at
the Cleveland 25. Detroit couldn’t take advantage of the turnover, as Layne was
sacked for a loss of 12 yards on third down and Walker was wide to the left on
a 45-yard field goal attempt.
The teams exchanged punts and then interceptions. DHB Jim
David picked off a Graham pass and returned it to the Cleveland 20, which set
up the next Detroit score. The Lions came close to a touchdown on a trick play when
Layne threw a lateral to Walker, who ran to his right, drawing the defense, and
then passed it back to Layne for an apparent TD. However, the play was
nullified by a 15-yard penalty and Walker ended up kicking a field goal from 23
yards.
With 1:15 left in the first half, QB George Ratterman
came in for Graham after Jagade returned the kickoff 29 yards to the Cleveland
49. Ratterman was sacked for a 13-yard loss but also completed a screen pass to
Jagade for 19 yards to the Detroit 44. As the seconds ticked away, Groza
attempted a 51-yard field goal, but it missed and the score remained 10-3 in
favor of the Lions at halftime.
On Cleveland’s first possession of the third quarter
following an interception by safety Ken Gorgal, the Browns advanced 51 yards in
eight plays. Jagade ran nine yards off tackle for a TD and Groza’s conversion
tied the score at 10-10.
Such remained the situation until, in a series that
extended into the fourth quarter, the Browns moved the ball effectively and
Groza booted another field goal, this time from 15 yards, to put the visitors
in front by 13-10.
Detroit followed up with a 14-play possession that
reached the Cleveland 26. Layne completed passes to ends Dorne Dibble and
Cloyce Box and ran the ball three times himself, but the Lions came up empty
when Walker missed a field goal try from 33 yards. With Jagade running well,
the Browns advanced from their 20 to the Detroit 33. Groza kicked a 43-yard
field goal and the visitors were further ahead by 16-10.
The situation was looking dire for the Lions as they got
the ball with four minutes remaining to play and down by six points. But Layne
directed the home team on an 80-yard drive in which he completed three passes
to Doran. The first came on the initial play of the series and picked up 17
yards, the second converted a third-and-10 situation with an 18-yard gain, and
the last was on a perfect pass from Layne after the receiver had sprinted past DHB
Warren Lahr into the end zone, making the catch for a 33-yard touchdown. Walker (pictured below) added the all-important extra point to put Detroit in the lead with the clock
now down to 2:08. On the ensuing series, rookie DB Carl Karilivacz intercepted
a hurried Graham toss to seal the 17-16 win for the Lions. Several fights broke
out in the remaining time and Detroit’s Dibble was ejected.
The Lions led in total yards (293 to 191), almost
completely grounding Cleveland’s vaunted passing attack (nine net yards), and
had the edge in first downs also (18 to 11). Each team turned the ball over
four times.
Bobby Layne completed 12 of 25 passes for 179 yards and a
touchdown while being intercepted twice. He also rushed for 44 yards on 9
carries. Jim Doran had an outstanding performance as he caught four passes for
95 yards and scored the game-deciding TD (he had none during the regular season).
Cloyce Box also had four catches, for 54 yards. Bob Hoernschemeyer rushed for
51 yards on 17 carries.
Otto Graham had an uncharacteristically dreadful
performance in which he was successful on just two of 15 throws for 20 yards
with no TDs while giving up two interceptions. George Ratterman completed his
only pass for 18 yards. Chick Jagade gained 102 yards on 15 rushing attempts
that included a score and also had one pass reception for 18 yards, which made
him Cleveland’s most productive receiver as well as top rusher. Lou Groza was
successful on three of four field goal attempts, tying the then-NFL
championship game record.
Detroit’s Coach Parker praised the “terrific team effort”
and singled out Jim Doran, saying “Sure, we had to have the touchdown. But that
pass he leaped for and got on Cleveland’s 45 made it all possible. It was third
down and gave us enough yardage for a first down to keep the ball.”
“Nobody will lose a tougher one,” said Paul Brown in the
quiet Cleveland locker room. “We worked five months and lost it all in two
minutes.”
As strong as the Browns were, the once-invincible team
had now become the first in NFL history to lose three consecutive title games. The
clubs met for a third time in the 1954 Championship game, and this time
Cleveland thrashed the Lions, gaining a measure of revenge and ending Detroit’s
hopes of topping the NFL for a third straight year.
