NFL Championship Game , 1933 The 1933 National Football League Championship game was held on December 17 , 1933 at Wrigley Field in Chicago . The attendance was estimated at 26 , 000 . This was the first scheduled championship game since the NFL ' s founding in 1920 . The game pitted the champions of the NFL ' s two divisions against each other : The champions of the Western Division , the Chicago Bears ( 10 – 2 – 1 ) ; and the champions of the Eastern Division , the New York Giants ( 11 – 3 ) . The Bears scored the winning touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter , capping a 23 – 21 victory . It was the Bears ' second consecutive championship and third overall NFL title under George Halas . Background . Before the 1933 season new Boston Redskins owner George Preston Marshall suggested to the NFL ' s owners that the league make some rule changes to increase the excitement of the game , including allowing passing from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage , and returning the goal posts to the goal line . Marshall then made another proposal a couple of months later ; splitting the ten - team league into two divisions of five teams each , and having the winners of each division play each other in a championship game . Although the owners were hesitant at first that this brash new owner thought their game needed overhauling , the logic of his arguments won out , and they were implemented before the season . Before the season the Giants acquired University of Michigan All - American quarterback Harry Newman , and versatile free agent halfback Ken Strong . The Giants finished the regular season 11 – 3 , first in the new " Eastern Division " , and Newman , center Mel Hein , and Red Badgro were named first team All - NFL . Newman led the NFL in passes completed ( 53 ) , passing yards ( 973 ) , touchdown passes ( 11 ) , and longest pass completion ( 78 yards ) , with his passing yards total setting an NFL record . The Bears went 10 – 2 – 1 and won the NFL ' s new " Western Division " , they were led by running backs Red Grange and Bronco Nagurski , and quarterbacked by Keith Molesworth . Nagurski and Grange combined for 810 yards rushing , and the game was the teams third meeting of the seaon , with the Bears winning the teams first regular season matchup 14 – 10 , and the Giants their second 3 – 0 . Attendance for the game was 26 , 000 , and before kickoff Newman informed officials he would be running several new trick plays in the game so they would not be confused when they saw them . Game summary . The Giants called their first trick play , which was similar to another that was invented much later , early in the first quarter . A shift allowed Mel Hein , the team ' s center , to be an eligible receiver , but instead of passing the ball to him , after the snap , Newman handed it back to him and , pretending he still had it , dropped back as though he was going to pass . Hein , with the ball hidden under his jersey , ran from the Bears 45 - yard line to their 15 . Hein may have been able to gain more yards , but when he saw the open field in front of him he sprinted toward the goal line instead of waiting for his blockers like he was supposed to . The Giants were unable to score on this drive , as Chicago ' s defense tightened and they missed a field goal . Jack Manders kicked a field goal late in the first quarter , and another in the middle of the second quarter to give the Bears a 6 – 0 lead . New York responded with a drive in which a 30 yard run by Kink Richards got them into Chicago territory , and which culminated in the first touchdown in NFL championship game history via a 29 - yard pass from Newman to Badgro . Manders kicked his third field goal of the game early in the third quarter to Give Chicago a 9 – 7 lead , then New York scored a touchdown on a 61 - yard drive when Max Krause ran the ball in from the Chicago one yard line . The Bears responded by scoring on a 92 - yard drive behind the running of Nagurski , and a Nagurski jump pass for a touchdown to end Bill Karr , that made the score 16 – 14 Chicago going into the fourth quarter . In the final quarter , the Giants drove 61 yards to the Chicago eight yard line . They scored when Strong improvised on a reverse and lateraled the ball to Newman who then passed it back to Strong for a touchdown . Strong kicked the extra point making the game 21 – 16 Giants . Chicago drove to the New York 36 - yard line on the ensuing drive , and Nagurski again attempted a jump pass . This time the Giants were ready for the play but were fooled when the receiver , Bill Hewitt , who they were prepared to tackle , lateraled the ball to Karr , who ran 25 yards for the touchdown with under two minutes remaining . Their successful extra point attempt gave them a 23 – 21 lead . The Giants drove to their own 40 - yard line on the game ' s final drive , but running back Dale Burnett missed a wide open Hein on another trick play . Burnett threw a wobbly pass to Hein who was standing uncovered on the Bears 30 - yard line . On the game ' s final play Grange tackled Badgro before he could complete the lateral portion of the hook and ladder play New York was attempting . Grange diagnosed the play correctly , and wrapped up Badgro ' s arms rather than his legs so he could not pitch the ball to Burnett . The Bears repeated as champions with the victory , and the win marked their second of three titles under head coach George Halas . Legacy . In a story the following day , the Associated Press described it as " probably the most spectacular game of the year " and " a brilliant display of offensive power " . Scoring summary . Sources :