The 1954 National Football League championship game was the 22nd annual championship game….which was held on December 26 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio….when the Detroit Lions (9–2–1) of the Western Conference met the Cleveland Browns (9–3) of the Eastern Conference in the NFL title game for the third consecutive year….after the Lions had won the previous two….17–7 at Cleveland in 1952….and 17–16 at home in Briggs Stadium in 1953. They were attempting to become the first team to win three consecutive league titles in the championship game era since 1933….when the Green Bay Packers won three consecutive (1929, 1930, 1931) when the title was determined by the regular season final standings.
The Lions were led by quarterback Bobby Layne….running back Doak Walker….and head coach Buddy Parker….while the Browns were led by head coach Paul Brown….quarterback Otto Graham….and running back Marion Motley. The Lions had won the regular season meeting 14–10 the week before on December 19, also at Cleveland, with a late touchdown….so, Detroit was a slight favorite (2½ to 3 points) to three-peat as champions. The underdog Browns won the title at home in a rout, 56–10….as placekicker Lou “The Toe” Groza made eight extra points, a new title game record, among many.
