NFL Championship Game, 1945
The Rams try to stay warm on the sideline at Cleveland Stadium during the 1945 NFL Championship Game.
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| Date | December 16, 1945 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ronald Gibbs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 32,178 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Blue | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Harry Wismer | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1945 National Football League Championship Game was the 13th NFL championship game. The Cleveland Rams defeated the Washington Redskins, 15–14, at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 16.
This was the last game before the Rams moved west to Los Angeles, California. One play which provided the Rams' margin of victory led to a significant rule change in professional football. Additionally, It was the coldest NFL championship game up to that time, with a temperature of −8 °F (−22 °C).
In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into the end zone, quarterback Sammy Baugh threw, but the ball hit the goal post (which at the time were on the goal line instead of at the back of the end zone) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as a safety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead.
In the second quarter, Baugh suffered bruised ribs and was replaced by Frank Filchock. Filchock threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Steve Bagarus to give the Redskins a 7–2 lead. But the Rams scored just before halftime when rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jim Benton. Waterfield's ensuing extra point was partially blocked, with the ball teetering on the crossbar, but it dropped over to give Cleveland a 9–7 lead.
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