1933 NFL season
The 1933 NFL season was the 14th regular season of the National Football League. Due to the success of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game, the league divided its teams into two divisions for the first time, with the winners of each division playing in a championship game to determine the NFL champion. Three new teams also joined the league: the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cincinnati Reds.
The season ended when the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants in the first ever NFL Championship Game.
Major rule changes
Also due to the success of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game, the league stopped using the rules of College football and started to develop its own revisions:
- The forward pass is legal anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. Previously, the passer had to be at least five yards back from the scrimmage line. This change is referred to as the Bronko Nagurski Rule after his controversial touchdown in the 1932 NFL Playoff Game.
- Hashmarks are added to the field 10 yards in from each sideline. All plays would start with the ball on or between the hash marks.
- To increase the number of field goals and decrease the number of tie games, the goal posts are moved from the end lines at the back of the end zones to the goal lines.
- It is a safety if a ball that is kicked behind the goal line hits the goal posts, and rolls back out of the end zone or is recovered by the kicking team.
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 244 | 101 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 93 | 54 |
| Boston Braves | 5 | 5 | 2 | .500 | 103 | 97 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 5 | 1 | .375 | 77 | 158 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 67 | 208 |
| Western Division | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 10 | 2 | 1 | .833 | 133 | 82 |
| Portsmouth Spartans | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 128 | 87 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 7 | 1 | .417 | 170 | 107 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 3 | 6 | 1 | .333 | 38 | 110 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 1 | 9 | 1 | .100 | 52 | 101 |
NFL Championship Game
Chi. Bears 23, N.Y. Giants 21 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois, December 17, 1933