The 1957 NFL season was the 38th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Detroit Lions crushed the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game, 59–14.
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Major rule changes
- During sudden-death overtime, rules for time outs are the same as in a regular game, including the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters.
Conference races
Cleveland won its opener, 6–3 over the Giants, and led the Eastern Conference from wire to wire. A 17–7 loss to the Eagles in Week Four forced the Browns to share the lead with New York, but the Giants lost the following week, and spent the rest of the season trying to catch Cleveland.
The Western Conference race was more protracted. Baltimore, Detroit and San Francisco were tied for the lead several times, and had identical 7–4 records at the end of the penultimate week. When two teams tied for first place, they would meet in a one-game playoff. The NFL did have a provision for that: "If all three teams win, tie, or lose, then a two-week playoff series begins next Sunday with Baltimore drawing a bye, San Francisco playing Detroit, and the winner meeting the Colts at Baltimore Dec. 29." [1]. Detroit and San Francisco both won, but the Colts lost, so the additional playoff never took place.
| Week | WESTERN | EASTERN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 teams (Bal, GB, LA) | 1-0-0 | 3 teams (Cards, Cle, Pit) | 1-0-0 |
| 2 | BALTIMORE COLTS | 2-0-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 2-0-0 |
| 3 | BALTIMORE COLTS | 3-0-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 3-0-0 |
| 4 | Tie (Bal, Det, SF) | 3-1-0 | Tie (Cle, NYG) | 3-1-0 |
| 5 | SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | 4-1-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 4-1-0 |
| 6 | SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | 5-1-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 5-1-0 |
| 7 | SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | 5-2-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 6-1-0 |
| 8 | Tie (Bal, Det, SF) | 5-3-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 6-1-1 |
| 9 | BALTIMORE COLTS | 6-3-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 7-1-1 |
| 10 | BALTIMORE COLTS | 7-3-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 8-1-1 |
| 11 | Tie (Bal, Det, SF) | 7-4-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 8-2-1 |
| 12 | Tie (Det, SF) | 8-4-0 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 9-2-1 |
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Note: The NFL did not officially count tie games in the standings until 1972
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 269 | 172 |
| New York Giants | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 254 | 211 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 161 | 178 |
| Washington Redskins | 5 | 6 | 1 | .455 | 251 | 230 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 173 | 230 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 200 | 299 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 251 | 231 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 260 | 264 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 303 | 235 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 307 | 278 |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 203 | 211 |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 218 | 311 |
Playoffs
- Home team in capitals
Western Conference Playoff Game
- Detroit 31, SAN FRANCISCO 27
NFL Championship Game
- DETROIT 59, Cleveland 14
References
- ^ "Western NFL Championship At Stake Today," The Post-Standard (Syracuse), Dec. 15, 1957, p34
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1951-1960 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- 1957 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
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1957 NFL Season
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|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| Chicago Cardinals | Baltimore |
| Cleveland | Chicago Bears |
| New York | Detroit |
| Philadelphia | Green Bay |
| Pittsburgh | Los Angeles |
| Washington | San Francisco |
| 1957 NFL Draft • NFL Championship • Pro Bowl | |
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