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1943 National Football League season
Regular season
Duration
East Champions Washington Redskins
West Champions Chicago Bears
Championship Game
Champions Chicago Bears
National Football League seasons
 < 1942 1944 > 

The 1943 NFL season was the 24th regular season of the National Football League. As more players left to serve in World War II, three teams were affected by the depleted rosters. The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to suspend operations for this season. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers merged for this one season. The combined team, known as Phil-Pitt (and called the "Steagles" by fans), played four home games in Philadelphia and two in Pittsburgh.

The season ended when the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins, 41–21, in the NFL Championship Game played the day after Christmas (the first time in NFL history that a playoff game was played so late in the year). Chicago had finished its regular season on November 28, winning the Western Division with an 8–1–1 record. However, the Bears had to wait for three straight weekends while the Eastern Division teams settled on a champion. Washington and the New York Giants ended the regular season by playing against each other on two consecutive Sundays, December 5 and December 12 (the December 12th game being a makeup from the postponed game of October 3rd), with the Giants winning both games to force a first-place tie at 6–3–1 each. The Redskins, however, won the playoff game to advance to play the Bears.

Major rule changes[]

  • The free substitution rule is adopted. Enacted in response to the depleted rosters of the World War II period, any or all of the players may be replaced by substitutes after any play.
  • The wearing of helmets becomes mandatory for all players.

Division Races[]

The NFL played a shortened schedule of ten games. In the Eastern Division, the Phil-Pitt team won its first two games and led at Week Four, with 1–0–0 Washington close behind, while in the Western Division, the Bears and Packers tied 21–21 in their first game and were 2–0–1 after four weeks.

In Week Five, the division leaders played each other on October 17, with the Bears beating the Steagles 48–21 and the Redskins defeating the Packers 33–7, leaving the two winners in first place.

The Redskins (5–0–1) and Bears (7–0–1) were still unbeaten going into Week Eleven, and met in Washington on November 21, with the Redskins winning 21–7. The Redskins had their first loss in Week Twelve when they lost to Phil-Pitt, 27–14, on November 28. The Bears clinched the Western Division the same day with a 35–24 win over the Cardinals for an 8–1–1 finish. In Week Thirteen, Phil-Pitt lost its very last game, falling to Green Bay 38–28, and was out of contention at 5–4–1. Meanwhile, the Giants beat the Redskins, 14–10, in New York. The next week, the Giants (5-3-1) defeated the Redskins (6–2–1) in Washington, 31–7, creating a tie in the Eastern Division. For the third straight weekend, New York and Washington faced each other, this time in a playoff, which the Redskins won 28–0.

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 Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA
Washington Redskins 6 3 1 .667 229 137
New York Giants 6 3 1 .667 197 170
Phil-Pitt "Steagles" 5 4 1 .556 225 230
Brooklyn Dodgers 2 8 0 .200 65 234
Western Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA
Chicago Bears 8 1 1 .889 303 157
Green Bay Packers 7 2 1 .778 264 172
Detroit Lions 3 6 1 .333 178 218
Chicago Cardinals 0 10 0 .000 95 238


Playoffs[]

See: 1943 NFL playoffs

Home team in capitals

Eastern Division Playoff Game (December 19, 1943)

  • Washington 28, N.Y. GIANTS 0

NFL Championship Game (December 26, 1943)

  • CHI. BEARS 41, Washington 21

Awards[]

Joe F. Carr Trophy (Most Valuable Player)   Sid Luckman, Quarterback, Chi. Bears

References[]

1943 NFL Seasonv · d · e
Eastern Division Western Division
Brooklyn Chicago Bears
New York Chicago Cardinals
Phil-Pitt Detroit
Washington Green Bay
1943 NFL DraftNFL Championship
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