Detroit had won the regular season game 20–7 three weeks earlier on December 8, also at Briggs Stadium, but lost quarterback Bobby Layne with a broken right ankle late in the first half.

The Browns, idle the previous week, were favored by three points,[10][11][12] but the home underdog Lions scored two touchdowns in each quarter and won in a rout, 59–14.

[13] Hall of Fame‡ Of those listed above, Lions' QB Bobby Layne was injured earlier in the month and did not play, and future Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Henry Jordan was a rookie for the Browns.

[8][9][10] Backup quarterback Tobin Rote filled in admirably following Layne's injury, winning every game, including a 24-point rally in the tiebreaker playoff over the 49ers the previous week.

They would advance to the NFC Championship game again 32 years later in 2024, where they would fall to the San Francisco 49ers 34–31 after leading by as many as 17 points, which is the closest the Lions have ever gotten to a Super Bowl to date.