The season ended when the Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship Game - the last major sports championship for any Cleveland team to date.
The Western Conference race started with Baltimore losing its opener at Minnesota, 34-24. After that, the Colts went on an 11-game winning streak, taking the lead on October 4 with their 35-20 win over the Rams, and clinching a spot in the title game on November 22.
In the Eastern Conference, the Browns and the Cardinals played to a 33-33 tie on September 20, and were both 4-1-1 after six games. In Week Seven, Cleveland beat New York 42-20, while St. Louis fell to Dallas, 31-13. When the Cardinals beat the Browns 28-19 in Week Thirteen, they were only a game behind and needed a win and a Cleveland loss to have a chance for a playoff. St. Louis won, 36-34 in Philadelphia, but Cleveland also won, 52-20 over the Giants.
Week
WESTERN
EASTERN
1
4 teams (Det,GB,LA,Min)
1-0-0
3 teams (Cle, Phi, StL)
1-0-0
2
Tie (Det, LA)
1-0-1
Tie (Cle, StL)
1-0-1
3
LOS ANGELES RAMS
2-0-1
Tie (Cle, StL)
2-0-1
4
BALTIMORE COLTS
3-1-0
Tie (Cle, StL)
3-0-1
5
BALTIMORE COLTS
4-1-0
Tie (Cle, StL)
3-1-1
6
BALTIMORE COLTS
5-1-0
Tie (Cle, StL)
4-1-1
7
BALTIMORE COLTS
6-1-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
5-1-1
8
BALTIMORE COLTS
7-1-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
6-1-1
9
BALTIMORE COLTS
8-1-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
7-1-1
10
BALTIMORE COLTS
9-1-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
8-1-1
11
BALTIMORE COLTS
10-1-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
8-2-1
12
BALTIMORE COLTS
11-1-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
9-2-1
13
BALTIMORE COLTS
11-2-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
9-3-1
14
BALTIMORE COLTS
12-2-0
CLEVELAND BROWNS
10-3-1
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Note: Prior to 1972, the NFL did not include tie games when calculating a team's winning percentage in the official standings
