NFL Countdown: Giants steamroll Bears in championship game to claim top prize in 1956

New York battles Chicago in the 1956 NFL Championship game. Photo via giants.com
New York battles Chicago in the 1956 NFL Championship game. Photo via giants.com

The New York Giants have been starved of success since Eli Manning defeated Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.

Since then, the franchise has been a laughing stock at times, whether that be through off-the-field situations or on-field performances. The Giants have been neither here nor there for the best part of a decade.

With that being said, we thought it would be a good idea to turn back time to what was perhaps the franchise's best ever performance in a championship game. The Giants' 1956 triumph. This will likely be too long ago for the majority of NFL fans, but it is still one of the most dominating wins in the franchise's history.

The 1956 NFL season

New York finished the regular season with an 8-3-1 record and topped the East division. Out of the entire league, only three teams allowed more points than the Giants as they were a seriously tough outfit defensively.

On the other side of the ball, led by Charlie Conerly, New York was in the top five for points scored, so they were a very well-rounded football team.

As for the Bears, they were the highest scoring team in the league, and by some distance. Chicago scored 63 more points for the season than the next best franchise, which was Detriot, who scored 300 points for the season.

Chicago boasted a 9-2-1 record as they met in the championship game in what many thought was going to be a tight contest. It was anything but.

Giants obliterate the Bears in 1956 title game

The Giants, wearing their now famous sneakers due to the ice on the ground, raced out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter. They then added another 21 points in the second as the Bears finally got on the board thanks to a Rick Casares rushing touchdown. But that was it for the Bears.

New York led 34-7 at halftime with the game essentially over. The second half was more about coasting through the remainder of the game and not making any mistakes, which they didn't.

The G-Men piled on 13 more points without reply to claim the NFL championship in dominating fashion. The final score was 47-7.

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Charlie Conerly was extremely efficient, completing seven of his ten passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Mel Triplett was solid in the run game, finishing with 71 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Alex Webster was also a good contributor, rushing for two touchdowns and 27 yards on his 12 carries.

Frank Gifford stole the show, though, as his versatility shone through. He caught four passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 30 yards on five carries as New York overwhelmed the Bears in a brutal display at Yankee Stadium.

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