NFL Championship: Washington Redskins travel to face Cleveland Rams at Cleveland Municipal Stadium for the league title. Winner is the NFL champion for the season. Loser's year ends.
Washington Redskins at Cleveland Rams for the 1945 league title. The NFL Championship is the season's final game in this era, the one that decides which franchise's name goes on the championship ledger. For Cleveland Rams, the home field at Cleveland Municipal Stadium is asked to be a player; for Washington Redskins, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Washington Redskins and Cleveland Rams have outlasted everyone else in the league this 1945 season. One walks out of Cleveland Municipal Stadium with the title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Pre-Super Bowl era: the NFL Championship is the title game itself. There is no next round.
Washington Redskins versus Cleveland Rams in the NFL Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Washington Redskins-Cleveland Rams cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 07141414 |
| Cleveland Rams | 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 29151515 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Safety, Baughs pass hit goal post | 0-2 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | Steve Bagarus 38 yard pass from Frank Filchock ( Joe Aguirre kick) | 7-2 |
| Rams | Jim Benton 37 yard pass from Bob Waterfield ( Bob Waterfield kick) | 7-9 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jim Gillette 44 yard pass from Bob Waterfield | 7-15 |
| Redskins | Bob Seymour 8 yard pass from Frank Filchock ( Joe Aguirre kick) | 14-15 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Redskins | Rams | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 8 | 14 |
| Total Yards | 214 | 372 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 9/20 | 14/27 |
| Pass yards | 179 | 192 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 2 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 34 | 44 |
| Rush yards | 35 | 180 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 4 | 6 |
| Penalty yards | 29 | 60 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | |||||
| Frank Filchock | 8/14 | 172 | 2 | 2 | |
| Sammy Baugh | 1/6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| RAM | |||||
| Bob Waterfield | 14/27 | 192 | 2 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | ||||
| Merl Condit | 9 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Sal Rosato | 6 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Akins | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob DeFruiter | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Cece Hare | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Dick Todd | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Billy deCorrevont | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Steve Bagarus | 5 | -4 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Filchock | 3 | -32 | 0 | 0 |
| RAM | ||||
| Jim Gillette | 17 | 101 | 0 | 19 |
| Fred Gehrke | 7 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Greenwood | 9 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat West | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Albie Reisz | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| George Koch | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Waterfield | 3 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | ||||
| Steve Bagarus | 3 | 95 | 1 | 50 |
| Les Dye | 1 | 44 | 0 | 44 |
| Cece Hare | 2 | 20 | 0 | 13 |
| Doug Turley | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Bob Seymour | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Merl Condit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| RAM | ||||
| Jim Benton | 9 | 125 | 1 | 37 |
| Jim Gillette | 2 | 45 | 1 | 44 |
| Steve Pritko | 2 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| Pat West | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Cleveland Rams defeated Washington Redskins 15-14 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the NFL Championship. The final scoring play was Redskins: Bob Seymour 8 yard pass from Frank Filchock ( Joe Aguirre kick). The result came down to the final possession; Cleveland Rams won by 1. Top line of the day: Bob Waterfield: 192 pass yards on 14-of-27, 2 TD, 2 INT. Cleveland Rams are crowned NFL champions for 1945.
Cleveland Rams walked out of Cleveland Municipal Stadium as the team that survived an NFL Championship Washington Redskins will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 15-14. The game stayed within 1 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Redskins: Bob Seymour 8 yard pass from Frank Filchock ( Joe Aguirre kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Cleveland Rams are league champions.
Cleveland Rams 15, Washington Redskins 14. Round: NFL Championship. Attendance: 32178. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Bob Waterfield: 192 pass yards on 14-of-27, 2 TD, 2 INT - Jim Gillette: 101 rush yards on 17 carries - Jim Benton: 9 catches for 125 yards
NFL Championship, played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Final: Washington Redskins 14, Cleveland Rams 15, with Cleveland Rams taking the result by 1. **First quarter**
- Rams: Safety, Baughs pass hit goal post
**Second quarter**
- Redskins: Steve Bagarus 38 yard pass from Frank Filchock ( Joe Aguirre kick) - Rams: Jim Benton 37 yard pass from Bob Waterfield ( Bob Waterfield kick)
**Third quarter**
- Rams: Jim Gillette 44 yard pass from Bob Waterfield - Redskins: Bob Seymour 8 yard pass from Frank Filchock ( Joe Aguirre kick)
**Top performers**
- Bob Waterfield: 192 pass yards on 14-of-27, 2 TD, 2 INT - Jim Gillette: 101 rush yards on 17 carries - Jim Benton: 9 catches for 125 yards
A 1-point margin in NFL Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.