Sport: NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

EASTERN DIVISION

Won Lost Tied

Philadelphia 5 0 2

Washington 5 1 1

New York 5 1 1

Boston 2 6 0

Brooklyn 0 8 0

WESTERN DIVISION

Green Bay 7 2 0

Chicago Bears 4 3 1

Detroit 4 3 1

Cleveland 4 4 0

Card-Pitts 0 8 0

The Green Bay Packers backed into the Western division championship last week; Philadelphia’s Eagles, the long-suffering pushover of the pros, at last seemed headed for the Eastern title—after standing off Washington’s air-minded Redskins and New York’s down-to-earth Giants. These were the four pro teams of the year.

Eagles and Redskins. Four fine backs, spinning and spiraling from a streamlined T, have sparked the Eagle offensive, which has averaged 28 points a game. The indispensable man is Roy Zimmerman, who runs the show from his ball-handling quarterback spot, also passes and kicks. The sub-stars in the cast are tackle-smashing Halfbacks Ernie Steele and Jack Hinkle, and slippery-hipped Breakaway-Runner Steve Van Buren.

Last week the Philadelphians met and passed their big test. They went through, around and over Ex-champion Washington’s spongy line for a lopsided 37-to-7 victory. In Frank Filchock, who pitches a sidearm looping ball with deadly accuracy, the Redskins had the league’s best passer with a .593 average. But the Washington line caved in. Their prize passer was hard rushed, spent most of the afternoon sitting down.

Packers and Giants. Although they were more concerned about the forthcoming home-and-home, do-or-die series with Washington, the New York Giants took time out last week to spill the high-riding Packers, 24-to-0. From mediocre material, stout (270 Ib.) Steve Owen, the Giants coach, has produced a first-rate defensive club—which leads the league in pass interceptions with 26. For the Green Bay game, he gave Halfback-Rookie Howie Livingston the unenviable job of minding Don Hutson, the alltime greatest pass receiver. The rookie did a job on Hutson, intercepted two passes, allowed Hutson to snare only four, all for small gains.

Even though humiliated in New York, Green Bay salvaged some satisfaction from Sunday’s scores—the Chicago Bears bowed to Detroit, 41-1-0-21, giving the Packers their first western title in four years.