'48 & '49 NFL Championship Games

74_75_78_79_ · Post by **74_75_78_79_** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 4:48 pm

Two title games with the same MVP...Mother Nature. Which of these two was actually the better game hence weather not having as much impact as the other? Is it widely considered that the Eagles were the better team anyway in either case? The defending-Champ Cards did beat Philly opening day en route to an 11-1 finish in '48, and Eagles squashed the Rams during regular season the following year en route to 11-1 themselves. Any chance that either one or both games are available for viewing in its entirety?

Andrew McKillop · Post by **Andrew McKillop** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 5:09 pm

Funny, in '49 the NFL Championship Game was headed to a warm climate for the first time and it was to be played in the league's biggest stadium. I'm sure the $$ were in the owners' eyes. What happens? One of L.A.'s worst-ever rainstorms and 80,000 seats were left empty.

BD Sullivan · Post by **BD Sullivan** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 5:12 pm

The 1949 game was better, if only because the Eagles scored TD's in both the second and third quarters, as opposed to just scoring in the fourth against the Cardinals.

The 1948 game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGK6Qng9MPE

The 1949 game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJRs9MWgMag

Rupert Patrick · Post by **Rupert Patrick** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 5:45 pm

According to accounts I've read of the 1948 game, they were offering free admission to people who showed up with shovels who offered to help shovel the snow off the field. Even though they removed the tarp just before play began, by the time the game ended there was about five inches of snow on the field.

James · Post by **James** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:34 pm

In the 1949 NFL Championship Game, Steve Van Buren rushed for 196 yards, a record that stood for quite a while. Timmy Smith I believe broke it in Super Bowl XX II when he rushed for 204 yards.

MIKEBENNIDICT · Post by **MIKEBENNIDICT** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 9:15 pm

Andrew McKillop wrote:Funny, in '49 the NFL Championship Game was headed to a warm climate for the first time and it was to be played in the league's biggest stadium. I'm sure the $$ were in the owners' eyes. What happens? One of L.A.'s worst-ever rainstorms and 80,000 seats were left empty.

Wonder how they would of dealt with snow?

There's a film on Youtube showing a snowstorm that occurred in San Diego in Dec.1967.

Though it was on a Tuesday I wonder what would of happened if it happened on a Sunday and how it would of affected a Chargers game?

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 12:59 pm

74_75_78_79_ wrote:The defending-Champ Cards did beat Philly opening day en route to an 11-1 finish in '48, and Eagles squashed the Rams during regular season the following year en route to 11-1 themselves.

I think the 1948 game had the greater weather impact. The Eagles and Cards of that time were very evenly matched. I love those late 40's-early 50's Rams teams, but for whatever reason it seemed like the Eagles always had their number. It was probably likely that the Eagles triumphed in the 1949 title game over the Rams, regardless of weather.

BD Sullivan · Post by **BD Sullivan** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 3:23 pm

Bryan wrote:
74_75_78_79_ wrote:The defending-Champ Cards did beat Philly opening day en route to an 11-1 finish in '48, and Eagles squashed the Rams during regular season the following year en route to 11-1 themselves.
I love those late 40's-early 50's Rams teams, but for whatever reason it seemed like the Eagles always had their number. It was probably likely that the Eagles triumphed in the 1949 title game over the Rams, regardless of weather.

From 1946-50, the Rams and Eagles faced each other six times, including the 1949 title game. The Eagles were 5-0-1 in those games, the tie coming early in the 1948 season. After 1950, the two teams didn't face each other for five years, when the Rams won the first of three straight meetings.

Professional Football Researchers Association Forum