A forward pass that strikes the goal posts is automatically ruled incomplete.
This is sometimes known as the "Baugh/Marshall Rule" after Washington RedskinsquarterbackSammy Baugh and team owner George Preston Marshall: in the previous year's Championship Game, the Rams scored a safety when Baugh, attempting a pass from his own end zone, hit the goal posts.[1] The two points provided the margin of victory, as the Rams won the game and the Championship 15–14, while Marshall was so outraged at the outcome that he was a major force in passing this rule change.
The free substitution rule was repealed, and substitutions were limited to no more than three players at a time.
The receiving team is permitted to return punts and missed field goal attempts from behind their own goal line.
The penalty for an invalid fair catch signal is 5 yards from the spot of the signal.
A fair catch signal is valid when it is made while the ball is in flight.
Division races
In the Eastern Division, the Giants, Eagles, and Steelers all had 4-2 records in Week Seven of an 11-week season, while in the Western Division, the Bears' 10–7 win over the Packers on November 3 put them a game ahead of the Rams.
In Week Eight, the Giants beat the Eagles 45–17, the Steelers lost to Detroit 17–7, and the Bears beat the Rams 27–21 to widen their lead.
Week Nine saw Giants tie with Boston, 28–28, putting them at 5–2–1, while the Steelers beat the Eagles 10–7 to be a half-game behind at 5–3–1.
The teams met in New York in Week Ten, and the Giants' 7–0 win put them in front again.
The final week of the season had the 6–3–1 Giants hosting the 5–4–1 Redskins: a Washington win would have given them both 6–4–1 records and forced a playoff.
That became a moot point with New York's 31–0 win in front of 60,337 at the Polo Grounds: more than the 58,346 that went there for the Championship Game a week later.