Evening star., 1951-12-17
Defeat Of Lions
Brings P|ayoff
ToLos Angeles
Browns Going After
Sixth Championship;
Price Tops Rob Goode
BY the Associated Pres,


ance next Sunday Of the 1850
National Football League title
game. but neither team can guar
antee such a thriller as marked
their clash last year.
The Rams yesterday clinched
the right to meet the champion
Browns by downing the Green
Bay Packers, 42-14, for the Ma
tional Conference title as the pen
nant hopes of Detroit's Lions and
the Chicago Bears were dashed In
the final games of the season.
The Browns. champions in each
Of their first five years. including
four in the defunct All-America
Conference, will meet the Rams
for the title in Los Angeles. A
year ago in Cleveland. they staged
a nip-and-tuck battle, with the
Browns winning, 1923, on Lou
Groza's field goal in the last min
ute Of play.
Third Straight Try.
It will be the Rams third
chance in as many years at the
pro prize. and they'll be looking
forward hopefully to a fast
track" They lost to the Eagles
two years ago in the mud here:
last year the Browns nosed them
out in the snow at Cleveland. The
game will be shown on a Nation
wide television hookup. The
showing in Washington will be
over WTTG starting at pm.
While Los Angeles was whipping
the Packers yesterday on five
touchdown passes by Bob Water
field and a 99-yard-touchdown
run by Jerry Williams. the Lions
fell before the San Francisco
Forty Miners. 21-17, and the Bears
bowed to the Chicago Cardinals.
24-14.
The results left Detroit and San
Francisco tied for second place.
a half game back Of Los Angeles.
Cleveland. with the American
Conference title already wrapped
up. finished out the season with q
24-9 victory over the Eagles in
Philadelphia. It was the Browns
18th straight win since they lost
their opener to the Forty Miners.
In other games. the Pittsburgh
Steelers struck for three touch
downs in the final period for a
20-10 triumph over Washington
and in New York the Giants de-
feated the Yanks, 27-17. as Full
back Eddie Price won league
ground-gaining honors and estab-
lished a new league record for
number Of times carrying the ball.
Price accumulated 1872 yards in
81 attempts on a slippery. ice
coated field to extend his season
total to 965 yards In 272 carries.
The old record of 1853 carries was
made by Steve Van Buren of the
Eagles in 1949. The Giants IA
nous umbrella defense" inter-
cepted eight Yank passes to in
crease their season total to Al,
bettering their own mark Of SO
set in 1948.
Loses 70-Yard Run
Prices 965 rushing yards gave
him the lead over Washington's S
Rob Goode, who gained lot yards
in % attempts for a season total
of 951. Price had a 70-yard touch
down run taken away from him
when officials called an offside
against the Giants.
The games in Chicago. Phila-
delphia. New York and Washing
ton were played in bitter cold
weather. ranging from 2 below
in Chicago to 1e above in Wash
ington.
The Rams didn't leave any
doubts for 1858 highly excited
fans as they whipped Green Bay
in Los Angeles while keeping theil
ears tuned to the loud speaker fol
the score in San Francisco. A
Detroit victory over the Forty.
miners would have won the title
for the Lions.
Waterfield pitched three Of hi.
five touchdown passes to Elroy
Hirsch, one of them going for 8;
yards. The air-minded Rams, whit
Il play the game as though it wer,
called "armball," scored twice il
the first period but went scoreles.
in the second and left the field a
the half time tied at 14-14. rher
they went on another SCORING
rampage in the second half
counting twice In each quarter.
A 51-yard punt return by Jo'
Arenas, rookie halfback. carried
the Forty-Niners to victory aftel
trailing. 17-14. going into the fina
quarter. The run put the ball OF
Detroit's 15-yard line. Five play
later Y. A. Title skirted end frcn
a yard out for the winning touch.
down.
Charlie Trippi played the lead