The Chicago Cardinals season was the 29th season in franchise history. The Cardinals won the Western division on the final weekend at Wrigley Field over the cross-town Bears, and appeared in the NFL championship game for the second consecutive year. The defending champions lost 7–0 to the Eagles in a snowstorm in Philadelphia. It was their final postseason appearance as a Chicago team; they relocated southwest to St. Louis in . It would also mark the franchise's last appearance in a league championship game for 60 years until the 2008 Arizona Cardinals advanced to Super Bowl XLIII, which they ultimately lost to another Pennsylvania-based team, this time the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Cardinals scored 395 points (32.9 per game) in 1948, the most in the ten-team NFL, and the second most all-time in a 12-game season.Second only to the 1950 Rams, Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1947 to 1960, in the NFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points For. They also led the league in offensive yards, yards per play, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1948 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics The team's plus-169 point-differential remains the best in franchise history.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2012, playing for the Ari (StL/Chi) Cardinals, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points Differential.
Background
The 1948 NFL season produced more points-per-game per team than any other season, and according to Cold Hard Football Facts: "Jimmy Conzelman's Chicago Cardinals were the best of the bunch. They led the NFL in scoring that year (32.9 [points-per-game]) and they produced what was probably the greatest four-week stretch of offense in pro football history. From October 17 to November 7, the 1948 Cardinals beat the Giants 63–35; the Boston Yanks, 49–27; the L.A. Rams 27–22; and the Lions, 56–20. That's a four-week average of 48.8 [points-per-game] for those of you keeping score at home.
"Yes, turnovers were common in 1948, so maybe that fact made life easier for offense. The Cardinals, for example, picked off 23 passes in 12 games. But they scored just two defensive touchdowns all year, while adding four on special teams. Mostly, they ripped off touchdowns, a remarkable 47 on offense. They kicked a mere eight field goals.
"Mostly, the offense was virtually unstoppable and it didn't settle often for the cheap, soccer-style field goals that pad offensive team totals today."Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Spirit of '48
The Cardinals had three players in the top six in rushing in 1948: halfbacks Charley Trippi (690 yards), and Elmer Angsman (638), and fullback/linebacker/placekicker Pat Harder (554).Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1948 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards Harder led the league in scoring in 1948, with 110 points (6 rushing touchdowns, 7 field goals, and 53 extra points).Pro-Football-Reference.com: Pat Harder He was named the league's MVP by United Press International.
This was the Cardinals' last playoff game until 1974, although they did win the third place Playoff Bowl in Miami over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers in January 1965. The Cardinals' next appearance in an NFL championship game was sixty years later in Super Bowl XLIII in January 2009.
Offseason
NFL draft
Regular season
Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 24 Philadelphia Eagles W 21–14 1–0 Comiskey Park 25,875 Recap 2 October 4 Chicago Bears L 17–28 1–1 Comiskey Park 52,765 Recap 3 October 10 at Green Bay Packers W 17–7 2–1 State Fair Park 34,369 Recap 4 October 17 at New York Giants W 63–35 3–1 Polo Grounds 35,584 Recap 5 October 24 Boston Yanks W 49–27 4–1 Comiskey Park 23,423 Recap 6 October 31 at Los Angeles Rams W 27–22 5–1 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 32,149 Recap 7 November 7 Detroit Lions W 56–20 6–1 Comiskey Park 24,051 Recap 8 November 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–7 7–1 Forbes Field 33,364 Recap 9 November 21 Los Angeles Rams W 27–24 8–1 Comiskey Park 29,031 Recap 10 November 25 at Detroit Lions W 28–14 9–1 Briggs Stadium 22,957 Recap 11 December 5 Green Bay Packers W 42–7 10–1 Comiskey Park 26,072 Recap 12 December 12 at Chicago Bears W 24–21 11–1 Wrigley Field 51,283 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Thanksgiving Day: November 25
Standings
Postseason NFL Championship Game
The 1948 NFL championship game was the sixteenth NFL title game and a rematch of the previous year's game between the Chicago Cardinals of the Western Division and the Eastern Division's Philadelphia Eagles. It was played at Philadelphia's Shibe Park on December 19 and the host Eagles won 7–0 in the snow. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Championship December 19 at Philadelphia Eagles L 0–7 0–1 Shibe Park 36,309 (paid), 28,864 (actual)
Personnel
Staff / Coaches 1948 Chicago Cardinals staff Front Office Principal / Majority Owner – Violet Bidwill Wolfner General Manager – Ray Bennigsen
Coaching staff Head Coach – Jimmy Conzelman Assistant Coaches: Assistant Coach - Buddy Parker Assistant Coach - Dick Plasman Assistant / Line Coach - Phil Handler Special Teams Coaches: None - N/A
Roster 1948 Chicago Cardinals final roster Quarterbacks Paul Christman Ray Mallouf P Charley Eikenberg
Running backs Elmer Angsman Babe Dimancheff Pat Harder K Vic Schwall Charley Trippi P/S Vinnie Yablonski K
Receivers Billy Dewell Malcolm Kutner CB Bob Ravensberg DE Linemen/Linebackers Plato Andros MG/G Ray Apolskis G/MG Loyd Arms G/MG John Badaczewski G/MG Vince Banonis LB/C Bill Blackburn LB/C Chet Bulger T/DT Bill Campbell C/LB Corwin Clatt LB/FB Jake Colhouer G Joe Coomer DT/T Jack Doolan DE Bob Dove DE Sam Goldman DE Dick Loepfe T/DT Hamilton Nichols G Buster Ramsey G/LB Walt Szot T/DT Bob Zimny T/DT Defensive backs Red Cochran S/P Jerry Davis CB/RB Marshall Goldberg CB Bob Hanlon CB/RB
rookies in italics
Awards and records Led NFL, Points Scored, 395 NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 456 Led NFL, Total Yards Gained, 4,705 Led NFL, Rushing Yards, 2,560 Pat Harder, NFL Scoring Leader, 110 points NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 474
References
Cardinals on Pro Football Reference Cardinals on jt-sw.com