The season ended on Sunday, December 28, with a "World's Championship Playoff" held in the home city of the Western Conference champions,[1] won 59–14 by the Detroit Lions over the Cleveland Browns.
With the first pick, the Green Bay Packers selected halfback Paul Hornung from the University of Notre Dame.
Baltimore, Detroit, and San Francisco were tied for the lead several times and had identical 7–4 records at the end of the penultimate week.
The NFL did have a provision for this situation: "If all three teams win, tie, or lose, then a two-week playoff series begins next Sunday with Baltimore drawing a bye, San Francisco playing Detroit, and the winner meeting the Colts at Baltimore December 29.
"[3] Detroit and San Francisco both won while starting their backup quarterbacks (Tobin Rote and rookie John Brodie, respectively), but the Colts lost, meaning the additional playoff was not required.