Quarter 1
Ken Carpenter returns
Woodley Lewis's kickoff to the 23 for the
Browns. Determined to improve their rushing defense after giving up 293y on the ground in the regular season loss to
Cleveland,
LA deploys a seven man front as both linebackers are standing up on the line of scrimmage between the down linemen. After
Dub Jones gains one on a pitchout,
Otto Graham connects with
Mac Speedie for 12y and a first down.
Otto throws again, this time to his other end,
Lavelli, to the
Cleveland 49.
Motley slams up the middle to the 45.
Graham goes back to pass but rolls away from the rush to the 35.
Jones fumbles the handoff but recovers immediately at the line of scrimmage.
Graham fires over the middle to
Lavelli who catches on his knees at the 19. LB
Don Paul hits
Jones after a 1y advance.
Graham fades back, but 240lb LE
Larry Brink hits him as he throws, the ball falling far short of
Lavelli.
Motley smashes up the middle to the 17. On 4th-and-seven,
Groza tries a 23y field goal that sails wide left.
From the 20,
"Tank" Younger gains one before
Dan Towler swings around right end to the 30. First down. DE
Len Ford stops
Younger for just 1y again. QB
Bob Waterfield pitches out to
Towler around the left side for another yard.
Waterfield, back to pass, instead runs for six as
Tony Adamle brings him down.
Waterfield punts to
Cliff Lewis who returns 13y to the 34.
Graham connects with
Lavelli for 17 to the
LA 49. But two incompletions and a short run force
Horace Gillom to come in and launch a towering punt that is fair caught on the 12.
After giving to
Towler for four,
Waterfield throws for
Tom Keane, but
Tommy James almost intercepts.
Towler slashes up the middle for 7y and a first down on the 23.
Younger slams off left tackle for 14 and another first down. After an incompetion,
Waterfield, under pressure, hits
Hirsch for 20 to the
Cleveland 43.
Towler is thrown for a loss, but the
Browns are guilty of holding. After an incompletion,
Bob arches the pigskin to
Elroy Hirsch too long inside the 10. The
Browns are doing an excellent job of covering
LA's two outstanding receivers,
Hirsch and
Fears.
Waterfield takes the next snap and evades the rush for two. Then he punts into the end zone.
With the
Rams massed in the middle,
Graham decides to get the ball to
Motley with a screen pass in the left flat for 7y, but the gain is nullified by backfield in motion.
Carpenter picks up four around right end. But DE
Andy Robustelli throws
Otto for 3y loss. A pitchout to
Jones to the left gains only one as
Paul makes another tackle. So
Gillom punts to
Vitamin T. Smith, who fair catches on the
LA 45 as the quarter ends.
Rams 0
Browns 0
Quarter 2
The
Rams finally mount a scoring drive although it starts shakily.
Younger fumbles, but
Keane recovers for a 4y gain.
Towler is held to no gain by
Adamle.
Waterfield flips to
Smith over the middle for 18 to the
Browns 33. Then
Smith swings wide around left end, but
James nails him for a 5y loss.
Waterfield tosses a middle screen to FB
Dick Hoerner to the 24. On third-and-one,
Smith cuts back for seven and a first down on the 17. Then the same play nets three more. After overthrowing
Fears in the end zone,
Waterfield throwns an incompletion to
Smith, but interference is called on
Adamle to place the ball at the 12. The
Rams then run the ball four straight times:
Hoerner for four,
Smith for two, and
Towler around right end to the one, where he is driven out of bounds. On 4th-and-goal,
Hoerner pushes over up the middle to draw first blood.
Waterfield boots the PAT.
Rams 7
Browns 0

Towler runs to the one to set up touchdown as Lahr eludes Hirsch's block.
Carpenter comes out of the end zone and down the sideline with the kickoff to the 20, where he fumbles but recovers back at the 14.
Graham to
Speedie across the middle for 17.
Graham-
Speedie again out of bounds six inches short of the first down at the 41.
Carpenter plunges to the 43 to move the chains. A screen pass to
Ken picks up 17 to the
LA 40. Then
Graham throws long to
Jones, but
Marvin Johnson breaks it up on the five.
Otto retreats to pass again but is sacked by
Robustelli for a 6y loss. The next play produces the same result, but this time the other big end,
Brink, is responsible for a 9y loss.
Gillom punts,
Smith fair catching at the 18.
Waterfield tries to get the ball to
Hirsch in vain. Then
Bob throws down the middle. DB
Warren Lahr leaps and steals the ball from
Crazy Legs on the
Cleveland 45.
Graham throws to
Speedie for 10. Then
Johnson. a thorn in the
Browns' side all day, breaks up a pass to
Jones. So
Otto goes to
Carpenter who drops the ball.
Graham tries
Ken again, but he loses control while being tackled. So
Groza lines up for a 52y field goal that soars easily through the uprights to eclipse the championship game record by 10y.
Rams 7
Browns 3
After a touchback on the kickoff,
Hoerner pile drives up the middle for two.
Waterfield throws two incompletions to force a punt out of bounds at the
Cleveland 46.
Energized by the field goal, the
Browns score in three plays.
Graham hits
Speedie for 14 to
LA 40. Then a left screen to
Motley, who rolls out of bounds on the 17. Taking the next snap,
Graham rolls right and throws to
Jones who takes the ball on the run at the three and ambles into the end zone.
Groza's PAT succeeds.
Browns 10
Rams 7 with 2:30 on the clock.
If any team can score with so little time on the clock, it's the
Rams.
From the 20 after a touchdback,
Waterfield throws long for
Hirsch, but the ball sails out of bounds. After
Towler drops a screen pass,
Davis takes a flare pass for 11 and a first down.
Bob hits
Hirsch to the 46. A pass down the left sideline to
Davis flies too long. Following a loss of two by
Smith around left end, the
Waterfield-
Hirsch combo puts the ball on the
Cleveland 39.
Bob fires to
Fears for 18 with 58 seconds left.
Adamle tackles
Davis for a loss of two on a flat pass.
Waterfield throws under heavy pressure to
Fears, but
James intercepts on the one as the half ends.
Browns 10
Rams 7
Quarter 3
Jerry Williams takes
Groza's kickoff on the five and returns to the 26.
Waterfield spins and hands to
Davis up the middle for four. On the next snap,
Bob does a double spin, faking to
Glenn and handing to
Towler who runs around right end for three.
Towler totes again for five and a fresh set of downs at the 38. After
Smith is smacked down by
Hal Herring for a loss of three,
Davis trudges over right tackle to the 40.
Waterfield throws to
Hirsch streaking over the middle for 14.
But the march ends abruptly when
Thompson crashes head-on into
Towler,
Deacon Dan fumbling and
Herring recovering on his 41.
But after an incompletion,
Brink breaks through and horse-collars
Graham who was back to pass, knocking the ball loose. Rookie RE
Andy Robustelli scoops up the pigskin on the 30, juggles it as he heads toward pay dirt, drops the ball, picks it up on the run, and continues until
Motley tackles him on the two.
Robustelli on his fumble return: I never got a really good grip on the ball because I just grabbed it off-balance and began to run. I stumbled as soon as I started, and it seemed I kept stumbling all the way down the field, trying the keep the ball in my grasp.
It takes three tries, but
Towler finally rams over right tackle into the end zone with nine minutes remaining.
Rams 14
Browns 10

Towler scores the Rams' second touchdown.
Lewis kicks to
Carpenter 5y in the end zone.
Ken returns nicely to the 27.
Motley fights and twists up the center of the 7-4 defense for four hard-earned yards.
Graham tosses short over the middle to
Jones running free for a 26y gain.
Motley hits the middle for one measly yard.
Carpenter then drops another pass.
Graham lofts a long one to
Lavelli that is deflected into the hands of
Williams, who returns from his 23 to the 33.
But the
Rams go three-and-out,
Waterfield booting to
Carpenter who careens forward 6y to the 23 only to have a clipping penalty put the ball back on the nine.
Graham pitches out to
Jones, who fumbles, picks it up on the first bounce, and salvages a 2y gain around right end. After an incompletion and an offside penalty,
Otto throws down-and-out to
Lavelli to the 30 for a first down. Taking the next snap,
Graham arches one a little too long to
Carpenter behind the defense. Then the pride of
Northwestern flips a flat pass that is almost intercepted by a diving
Herb Rich.
Speedie catches the next pass on the ground at the 40.
Motley jumps over the line and rambles for 11, his longest gain of the day, to the enemy 49.
Graham throws to
Speedie wide open at the 23, and
Mac waltzes into the end zone. However, a holding penalty,
Groza on
Robustelli, moves the pigskin to the 25. The
Browns continue backwards as
Andy corrals
Graham for a loss of 11.
Otto passes to
Lavelli, but
Williams knocks it away. Perhaps because his arm is tired,
Graham gives to
Jones around left end, but
Bob Boyd tackles
Dub after just a 1y gain. So the
Rams take over after a fair catch on the
Cleveland 49.
Stydahar inserts a fresh pitcher, young
Norm Van Brocklin replacing the tiring
Waterfield. The change immediately pays off when, after an incompletion to
Hirsch,
Norm fires a pass to
Fears on the run at the 20.
Tom is tackled at the 10 but gets up and fights his way to the one. But the defense, with
Motley in at linebacker, bows its back. The white suits stop
Hoerner cold, then toss
Towler for successive one and 2y losses.
Because of a penalty, the
Rams find themselves facing 4th down back at the 16 as the period ends.
Rams 14
Browns 10
Quarter 4
Davis kneels to take the field goal snap but tries to run with the ball. The
Browns aren't fooled and stop him at the 18. As the jubilant defenders leave the field, little do they know that they will be forced to make another stand in a few plays.
Graham flips to
Jones for a 5y gain. Then, under the heavy rush he experienced all afternoon,
Otto throws the ball away over
Lavelli's head. The next pass goes right into the hands of
Johnson on the 36.
Marvin runs untouched down the sideline until
Jones knocks him out of bounds at the one.
Van Brocklin hands to
Hoerner, who gains a half yard at left tackle. The same play gains even less on second down.
Van takes the snap as soon as he steps under center, but his sneak meets a stone wall. A flag for backfield in motion puts the pigskin back to the six.
Norm throws in the flat to
Davis for -1. Ready to settle for the field goal this time, the
Rams take a 5y penalty for too much time in the huddle to give
Waterfield a better angle.
Bob splits the uprights.
Rams 17
Browns 10

Waterfield's field goal goes through the uprights.
Lewis's kick flies between those same uprights to
Carpenter 5y deep.
Ken snakes his way to the 30. Expecting the
Browns to pass,
Stydahar pulls his linebackers and goes with seven defensive backs. Eschewing the run anyway,
Graham throws to
Speedie, who steps out of bounds at his 48. Following two incompletions to
Jones.
Otto rolls right but, not finding an open receiver, turns back to his left and, helped by timely blocks, rambles 32y down the sideline to the 18.
The momentum continues as
Carpenter gains five, and
Graham takes the snap, pauses a moment, and sneaks to the 11. Then the dependable
Jones finds a hole through left guard for 1st-and-goal at the five.
Dub carries a pitch around right end to the one.
Graham tries the delayed sneak again, but no hole opens, and DT
Jim Winkler stops him for a yard loss. On third down,
Carpenter fights into the end zone at right tackle.
Groza kicks the tying point with 7:50 left.
Rams 17
Browns 17
After a touchback,
Davis swings around right end for two but offside on
Cleveland changes the gain to five and saves the down. Then comes the Play of the Game, indeed the Play of the Year.
The LA coaching staff had discovered a weakness in the Cleveland pass defense that they could exploit. The Browns safeties were taught to key on the fullback and shift toward the side he lined up on.
When the ball is snapped, LE
Fears, lined up on the side opposite the fullback, starts downfield covered by
Cliff Lewis, who was right with him.
Van Brocklin arches a beautiful pass that
Fears catches in stride at midfield just out of the reach of
Lewis and the other safety,
James, who had shifted a bit to the other side of the field. To make matters worse, the two safeties knock each other offstrideas they go for the ball.
Tom easily outraces
James to the end zone.
Rams 24
Browns 17
Fears said of the touchdown: That was the best thrown pass I ever caught in my life. He laid it right in there when I was going full stride.
Afterward Lewis felt he had cost his team the game on the touchdown, but Lahr came to his defense. He missed by an eyelash [of knocking the ball down]. It was that close.
James, the other safety, also took some of the blame. I should have played Fears and made the tackle. But I thought I had a good chance to get it [the ball].
With eight minutes remaining, the visitors have plenty of time to strike back as they did to pull out the '50 title game. But on the first play after
Carpenter's 26y return to the 28,
Graham, visibly weary with no backup the caliber of
Van Brocklin and under a heavy rush, throws a pass directly into
Don Paul's hands on the 40. The linebacker bulls his way to the 14.
But the
Cleveland defense rises to the occasion again. Two runs for -2 and a
Van Brocklin incompletion force another short field goal attempt that can put the game away. But G
Bill Willis blocks
Waterfield's boot from the 23, the pigskin rolling out of bounds at the 38.
With plenty of time - five minutes - to move the ball downfield with short passes as they had all game,
Graham overshoots
Lavelli on a long pass. Then
Otto connects with
Carpenter for 12 and a first down at midfield. Forced to flee the pocket,
Graham loses three. After an incomplete pass stops the clock, he throws to
Carpenter over the middle to the
LA 43. Facing 4th and one and not gaining much through the center of the defense all day,
Graham tosses to
Jones circling left, but rookie DB
Norb Hecker from
Baldwin-Wallace College in suburban Cleveland throws
Dub for a 2y loss.
Keep possession for 2 1/2 minutes and the title is yours,
Rams. After three short runs and an intentional delay of game penalty,
Waterfield punts into the end zone with 15 seconds left.
Needing a miracle,
Graham tries the hook-and-ladder play. He throws quickly to
Speedie, who pitches to
Carpenter, who runs out of bounds at the 38. Six seconds left.
Graham pegs laterally to
Ken, who throws downfield to
Lavelli, who is double covered. The
Rams bat it down and start celebrating.
The city of Cleveland's six-year streak of having a championship pro football team comes to an end.
The
Rams on the sidelines hoist Coach
Stydahar, all 275lbs of him, and carry him off the field. The rest of the NFL owners who didn't start in the AAFC exult as well.