1954 NFL Woedld Championship Ticket Stub Plus bonus

Description

Background
The
Detroit Lions
(9–2–1) of the Western Conference met the
Cleveland Browns
(9–3) of the Eastern Conference in the NFL title game for the third consecutive year. The Lions won the previous two: 17–7 at Cleveland in
1952
and 17–16 at home in
Briggs Stadium
in
1953
. They were attempting to become the first team to win three consecutive league titles in the championship game era (since
1933
).
[1]
The Browns, who entered the league only in 1950 with the demise of the
All-America Football Conference
, faced a particularly daunting task in taking on the Lions, having lost all eight of the franchise's previous matches against the Detroit club.
[2]
The Lions were led by quarterback
Bobby Layne
, running back
Doak Walker
, and head coach
Buddy Parker
. The Browns were led by head coach
Paul Brown
and quarterback
Otto Graham
. The Lions had won the regular season meeting 14–10 the week before on December 19, also at Cleveland, with a late touchdown. The game had been postponed from early October, due to the
World Series
, and both teams had already clinched their berths in the title game.
[3]
Detroit was a slight favorite (2½ to 3 points) to
three-peat
as champions.
[4]
[5]
The underdog Browns won the title at home in a rout, 56–10; placekicker
Lou Groza
made eight extra points, a new title gqme
Plus used reg season game stub as bonus.