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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. Also, the Boston Braves changed its name to Boston Redskins and Staten Island Stapletons resigned.
The season ended when the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants in the first ever NFL Championship Game.

Contents

Major rule changes

Final standings

NFL Championship Game

References

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 or inbounds lines are added to the field 10 yards in from each sideline. All plays would start with the ball on or between the hashmarks.

★ 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 touchback when a punt hits the opponent's goal posts before being touched by a player of either team.

★ 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''
''Note: Teams current name is included within the () if name/location has been changed''

'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 Redskins (Washington Redskins)	5	5	2	.500	103	97
Philadelphia Eagles	3	5	1	.375	77	158
Pittsburgh Pirates (Pittsburgh Steelers)	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 (Detroit Lions)	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 (Arizona 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

References

★ ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)

★ NFL History 1931-1940 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)

★ 1933 season in details

★ ''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)