| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 24 – December 11, 1955 |
| East Champions | Cleveland Browns |
| West Champions | Los Angeles Rams |
| Championship Game | |
| Champions | Cleveland Browns |
The1955 NFL season was the 36thregular season of theNational Football League.NBC paid $100,000 to replaceDuMont as the national television network for theNFL Championship Game. The season ended when theCleveland Browns defeated theLos Angeles Rams38–14 in the title game.
The1955 NFL draft was held from January 27–28, 1955 atPhiladelphia'sWarwick Hotel. With the first pick, theBaltimore Colts selected running backGeorge Shaw from theUniversity of Oregon.
The defending champion Browns dropped their opener, at home, to the Redskins 27–17, but a six-game win streak put them back in front to win the Eastern race. The Western race was crowded a few times, as the Rams had to share the lead. InWeek Eight, the Bears beat Los Angeles 24–3, to give both teams 5–3 records, The next week (November 20), the Bears took the lead with a 24–14 at Detroit while the Rams got a 17–17 tie at Baltimore. As had happened many times before in the annual battle of Chicago, the Bears were upset by the Cardinals inWeek Ten (November 27), 53–14; the Rams eked out a 23–21 in Philadelphia onLes Richter's field goal with 0:07 left in the game.[1] InWeek Eleven (December 4), the Rams won 20–14 over Baltimore, and the Bears kept their hopes alive with a difficult 21–20 win over Detroit. In the latter game, the Lions'Doak Walker missed an extra point, lost a fumble late in the game on the Detroit 28, and was wide on a 35-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds. The Bears won their last game (December 11), 17–10 over Philadelphia, to finish 8–4, and hoped for the 7–3–1 Rams would lose their game in Los Angeles against Green Bay. The Rams did not lose, clinching a spot in the title game, with a 31–17 win.
| Week | Western | Eastern | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 teams (Bal, GB, LA) | 1–0–0 | 3 teams (Phi, Pit, Was) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | 3 teams (Bal, GB, LA) | 2–0–0 | Washington Redskins | 2–0–0 |
| 3 | Tie (Bal, LA) | 3–0–0 | 4 teams (Cards, Cle, Pit, Was) | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | 3 teams (Bal, GB, LA) | 3–1–0 | Tie (Cle, Pit) | 3–1–0 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Rams | 4–1–0 | Tie (Cle, Pit) | 4–1–0 |
| 6 | Tie (Bal, LA) | 4–2–0 | Cleveland Browns | 5–1–0 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Rams | 5–2–0 | Cleveland Browns | 6–1–0 |
| 8 | Tie (Bears, LA) | 5–3–0 | Cleveland Browns | 6–2–0 |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | 6–3–0 | Cleveland Browns | 7–2–0 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Rams | 6–3–1 | Cleveland Browns | 7–2–1 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Rams | 7–3–1 | Cleveland Browns | 8–2–1 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Rams | 8–3–1 | Cleveland Browns | 9–2–1 |
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The Cleveland Brownsdefeated the Los Angeles Rams 38-14 at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Monday, December 26, 1955.
| Statistic | Name | Team | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Jim Finks | Pittsburgh | 2270 |
| Rushing | Alan Ameche | Baltimore | 961 |
| Receiving | Pete Pihos | Philadelphia | 864 |
