The 1958 NFL Championship, the greatest game ever played
In 1958, the National Football League did not yet have what we now refer to as the superbowl. This is because the National Football League had not yet merged with the American Footbal League. In 1958, the championship game was simply known as the NFL championship game.
The 1958 NFL championship game was played between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. The game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City, giving the Giants home field advantage.
Both teams were very evenly matched going into the championship game. Both teams finished the 1958 season with 9 wins and 3 losses. They even played eachother in week 7 of that year. It was a very close game, with the Giants prevailing over the Colts by a score of 24 to 21.
The championship game proved to be an even closer game than the week 7 game. At the end of an incredible back and forth game, the two teams were tied at 17 a piece. This led to the first ever overtime scenario in an NFL playoff game. It would be sudden death, the first team to score a point of any kind would be deemed the winer. The Colts were the first team to score, via a touchdown. The Colts defeated the Giants by a score of 24-17 and were the new NFL champions.
