Topic summary
1953 NFL Championship Game
Detroit, Michigan
The 1953 NFL Championship Game was the 21st annual championship game, held on December 27 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.
The defending NFL championDetroit Lions (10–2) of the Western Conference were led by quarterback Bobby Layne and running back Doak Walker, and the Cleveland Browns (11–1) of the Eastern Conference were led by head coach Paul Brown and quarterback Otto Graham. The game was a rematch of the previous year, which was won by the Lions, 17–7. This was the Browns' fourth consecutive NFL championship game appearance since joining the league in 1950, and they were favored by three points.
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), and the fourth franchise in NFL history to repeat as champions.
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.
Ticket prices ranged from three to seven dollars.