The teams had met in the regular season five weeks earlier on November 25 at Yankee Stadium and played to a 17–17 tie; the Bears entered the championship game in late December as slight favorites.

Both teams had been absent from the league title game for a decade, when the Bears won the championship over the Giants at the Polo Grounds in 1946.

The 1956 Giants featured a number of Hall of Fame players, including safety Emlen Tunnell, running back Frank Gifford, offensive tackle Roosevelt Brown, linebacker Sam Huff, and defensive end Andy Robustelli.

[4] To adjust to the slick conditions, the Giants opted to wear sneakers instead of traditional football cleats.

The Giants opened with a 53-yard kick return from rookie halfback Gene Filipski and scored a touchdown 3 plays later.

On the Bears next drive, Brown was intercepted by Jim Patton, and Agajanian kicked another field goal, giving the Giants a 13–0 lead.