One month after winning the NFL Championship, The team's players and the franchise ownerDan Reeves, who had sustained five years of heavy financial losses (even during the team's championship season) because of poor home crowds, realized he had no prospect of the Rams competing in Cleveland with theAAFC'sBrowns, who were to commence play the next year, and relocated the Rams toLos Angeles.[1] The Rams' move to Los Angeles marked the first of only two occasions that a professional football champion has played the following season in another city.[2]
In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into theend zone,quarterbackSammy Baugh threw, but the ball hit the goal post (which at the time was on the goal line instead of at the back of the end zone) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as asafety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead.
In the second quarter, Baugh suffered bruised ribs and was replaced byFrank Filchock. Filchock threw a 38-yardtouchdown pass toSteve Bagarus to give the Redskins a 7–2 lead. But the Rams scored just before halftime when rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jim Benton. Waterfield's ensuingextra point was partially blocked, with the ball teetering on the crossbar, but it dropped over to give Cleveland a 9–7 lead.
In the third quarter, the Rams increased their lead when Jim Gillette scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception, but this time the extra point was missed. The Redskins then came back to cut their deficit to 15–14 withBob Seymour's 8-yard touchdown catch from Filchock. In the fourth quarter, Washington kickerJoe Aguirre missed two field goals attempts, of 46 and 31 yards, that could have won the game.
^The other occasion was in 1962 with theDallas Texans of theAmerican Football League. Five months after winning the AFL Championship, franchise ownerLamar Hunt, realizing he had no prospect of the Texans competing with the NFL'sCowboys inDallas, relocated the Texans toKansas City and rebranded them as the Chiefs. They bought 5 nuggets with the trophy.
^George Strickler (ed.),The National Football League Record and Rules Manual, 1946. New York: National Football League, 1946; p. 110.
^Cavanaugh, Jack (2008).Giants Among Men. New York: Random House. p. 57.
