1957 Playoffs: Division Semi-Finals

West Division Semifinal: St Louis Stallions @ Detroit Knights
Kaiser Field welcomed fans for postseason football for the first time since before the second World War, and they showed up in droves to watch their Knights finally play for something. It was just above freezing at gametime, with the grounds crew dealing with the remaining snow as the fans poured in. Although some St Louis fans were found in the grandstands, their cheers were quickly drowned out by a raucous Detroit crowd.

Q1
Detroit would get the ball first, and were eager to keep the crowd with a good first outing. Even though QB Mike Major was ready to go back out as the starter, the Knights would continue to ride the hot hand of Mick Casey for their first AFL playoff game. Casey dropped back on the first play of the game, and threw a dart over the middle to WR Pat Kimball, who bounced off two defenders and broke free but got winded and was taken down for a nearly 60 yard reception. The Stallions were clearly rattled by the first play, as the Knights waltzed in two plays later on an 8 yard rush from RB Jesse Brown. St Louis faced an early third and short on their ensuing drive, but the handoff to the outside would get stopped at the line of scrimmage. The Knights would not be able to follow up on their first drive, leaving both teams in a defensive stalemate. St Louis would seem to break through, as RB Spike Roosevelt broke free from his own 20 yard line before getting tripped up at midfield. The Stallions would continue to run the ball, but on the next play RB Kevin Knox had trouble getting the handoff and flung the ball ahead of him. Detroit would come up with the ball in prime territory to go ahead by two scores. They would inch their way down over the next few plays, but two deep shots to the endzone sailed incomplete to force K David McGinnis onto the field. McGinnis was automatic from 24 yards out, and the Knights would put up a very solid lead entering the second.
DET 10, STL 0

Q2
St Louis’ offense began making their way downfield, primarily short passes from QB O.J DeMille to his receivers and relying on Roosevelt to get yardage when it mattered. The Knights defense bended just enough for the Stallions to tire themselves out, but not before getting into opposing territory for the first time all game. St Louis K Kevin Finch hit a pretty easy 20 yard field goal to cut the deficit to a touchdown. Detroit QB Mick Casey would in turn make quick work of the Stallions secondary, as WR’s Pat Kimball and Paul Kent were too much to take down as the Knights easily worked their way to the goal line. Casey made it seem like he would run the ball in himself, but tossed a short pass to TE Dan Shelton for the easy touchdown. The Stallions got a quick start on a big reception from WR Max Ausloos, and it seemed as if they would finally break through after a fairly rough first half. RB Spike Roosevelt was trusted to get the last few yards on third and very short, but Detroit DL Archie Webber acted like his prime self by tripping up Roosevelt and putting the ball just short of the first down. St Louis would send K Kevin Finch out to kick his second field goal from 12 yards out, and hit it through to make their deficit a little less embarrassing. Detroit would beg to differ on the final drive of the half, working the remaining clock to get into scoring range just before the end of the half. They got to the opposing 24 yard line before they nearly ran out of time, and K David McGinnis once again sent it clean down the middle to please the home crowd to end the first half.
DET 20, STL 6

Q3
The second half would start just about as well as it could for St Louis, as they got moving very quickly compared to their previous struggles. RB Spike Roosevelt took a handoff to the outside and maneuvered around LB Jacob Garfield before the secondary caught him for a 26 yard rush that seemed to have briefly brought the spirits of his teammates up. They would again inch their way downfield, but would once again stall out before getting to the endzone. Stallions K Kevin Finch had a slightly more difficult job, and just put the ball around the left upright from 40 yards out to cut the lead to 11. Both teams would have another chance at the ball before punting it back to the other, leaving Detroit with a chance to get the home crowd rowdy once again. On a second and short, RB Jesse Brown took the handoff up the middle and squeezed through two defenders before getting into open field. Both St Louis safeties attempted to take him down, but Brown was just too quick for them as he showboated his way into the endzone for a 59 yard score. The Stallions offense was seemingly rattled by Brown’s run, as just two plays later the blind side of QB O.J. DeMille was left wide open for DL Buford Grant to land a brutal hit onto him. The ball was knocked loose, and the Knights would continue to let their crowd hear it as they came up with possession of the ball. They may have let it go on a little too long, as the offense couldn’t get anything done in prime territory, and the usually automatic McGinnis missed the field goal a bit to the right. Still, with the momentum on their side, the Knights had created a near-insurmountable lead against St Louis and entered the fourth quarter with a massive point cushion.
DET 27, STL 9

Q4
It seemed that the Stallions were already waving the white flag with a quarter remaining, as they went three and out in their first real drive after the lost fumble. Detroit would add salt into the wound on the literal next play. QB Mick Casey threw a bullet to WR Pat Kimball, who lived up to his nickname of “Pinball” by bouncing off the two Stallions defenders for the completion, and then outran the remainder of the Stallions’ secondary for a 57 yard score. Detroit had all but put the game away, St Louis would desperately try to gain some sort of footing with what little time they had. These attempts went about as expected for this game, as they only gained a single first down on two drives and punted the ball away in both of them. Detroit responded in kind by taking away as much time as possible to delay the inevitable, but the Stallions didn’t seem like they were wanting to throw in the towel just yet. QB O.J. DeMille tried to work with his receivers one last time, moving the ball successfully for what seemed like the first time all game. Granted, the game was all but determined at this point and Detroit had begun to rest a majority of their starters, but that didn’t stop the Stallions from trying. DeMille attempted a throw to WR Max Ausloos over the middle, only for the ball to get tipped at the line of scrimmage. Detroit LB Gabriel Rose reacted quick enough to dive for the interception, and all but sealed it for the Knights. After killing the clock for what seemed like forever, Detroit ran one last play and time expired on their first playoff win in over a decade.
DET 34, STL 9

East Division Semifinal: New York Lions @ Boston Dragons
It was a very mild day for Boston for the first playoff game between two expansion teams, and their paths here could not be any different. The home Dragons were expected to be contenders right out of the gate, and besides an injury-laden first year they’ve mostly lived up to that expectation. The Lions are just happy to be here after the rest of the East collapsed in on itself and was the last team remaining. New York lost both of their matchups against Boston this year, but might be able to hang with the Dragons if they match their pace.

Q1
The Dragons decided to let their rivals start on the wrong foot in front of their home crowd. That decision would work well for the home team, as the Lions were quickly stifled by the Dragons’ defense and went three and out. Boston would show New York how it was done. The Dragons would easily get two first downs before Boston QB Sam Eagleburger found a massive gap in the Lions’ secondary to throw to WR Lloyd Lawson, who walked in untouched for a 40 yard touchdown. The Lions managed to move the chains once, but ultimately were forced to punt and handed the ball right back to the Dragons. Boston looked like they would waltz right back into the endzone with how their first drive went, but that would not be the case. On an innocuous second down, Eagleburger threw the ball just over the head of WR Alan Price, and directly into the arms of New York DB Jeff Brother. Brother didn’t get very far, but it gave the Lions their first signs of life. After a few short passes by QB Freddie Hughes got them pretty much nowhere, they decided to utilize the ground game that got them here in the first place. Rookie RB Felix Philipow flashed why he won the Rookie of the Year award, bobbing weaving through defenders before getting close enough for fellow RB Bernard Parks to dive up the middle for a touchdown. Boston got back going after the miscue, though not like they had been before the interception. Still, they were in range for K Dan Rasmussen to make a field goal, and he narrowly put it around the right upright to take the crucial 3 point lead.
BOS 10, NY 7

Q2
The first two-thirds of the second quarter included almost everything except for either team scoring. Both teams had locked into a stalemate, and three punts had gone off before Boston had a chance to increase their lead with another field goal. Rasmussen lined up for a similar field goal, but the kick goal was blocked and recovered by the Lions. That would unfortunately lead nowhere for New York, and continued in the battle of the punters with their expansion rival. That punt pinned the Dragons deep within their own territory, and were unable to dig themselves out of it. Returnman William Beard finally brought some action back to the game, navigating his way to a hole in the Boston defense and just barely had enough gas to make it 93 yards to the endzone for the lead. Boston wanted to strike back after trailing New York for the first time all year, and did so in style. The Dragons maneuvered their way through the Lions defense, and they enacted their revenge on a 37 yard pass from Eagleburger to Lloyd to retake what was rightfully theirs. New York punted the ball back one last time, and Boston just bided their time to take a crucial lead once the second half began.
BOS 17, NY 14

Q3
Boston would not start out the hottest for the second half, but they did make some ground. They focused on the run game with RB Lee Cannon, but made minimal gains and their drive eventually stalled out at the 30 yard line. K Dan Rasmussen was able to hit the field goal, but a touchdown still separated the Dragons and the Lions. For the most part, the rest of the third quarter was back to both teams punting the ball back and forth with one another. New York QB Freddie Hughes would make the exchange more interesting, as he threw a pass directly to S Tom Meltzger for an interception. That ensuing drive for Boston didn’t amount to much and went back to business as usual for this game. The stalemate finally ended at the literal end of the quarter, as Boston needed to convert on a third down else they would have punted for the fourth time across both teams. QB Sam Eagleburger stepped back to pass, but DL Leroy Brockhaus came flying in unblocked and slammed Eagleburger to the ground. The ball popped out, and DL Clifford Dale scooped it up and ran untouched into the endzone. The Lions had retaken the lead, and now the Dragons were starting to get a bit worried about their chances at winning.
BOS 20, NY 21

Q4
While the Lions’ lead was only by a single point, Boston still believed they could close this game out with how both offenses were going. They began to milk the clock, taking away nearly half the time left in the game in the homes of stifling the dead Lions offense to get a pyrrhic victory. The Dragons slowly moved their way down field, and once again faced a third and short for one of their backs to handle. RB Lee Cannon took a handoff towards the outside, but was instantly met by DL Lothair Einhorn for no gain. The Dragons retook the lead on a short field goal, and now just had to shut down the Lions for the win. Boston’s defense did what they had to do, forcing the Lions to punt after wasting some time on what may have been their last drive. The Dragons got the ball back, and just had to run the ball out to win the game. Their run game was stuffed twice at the line, and now faced a third and long to clinch. Eagleburger looked to pass, and could not find anyone open initially. He rolled out a bit to escape the pressure and took a chance on a throw to TE Guy Horne. Eagleburger unfortunately did not see LB Duane Ackerman lurking to the side of Horne, and jumped in front of the ball for a game-changing interception. The Lions had little time to waste, and lucky for them they had only half a field to work with to boot. QB Freddie Hughes managed to outwork the Dragons secondary, only taking the short passes and gained enough ground to trust their ground game. RB Felix Philipow only needed a single carry, taking a handoff to the outside before darting through a hole and scurried his way towards the endzone. He was met by the Dragons secondary, but Philipow used all the strength he could to muscle his way into the endzone. The Lions found themselves ahead with little time to spare, and now Boston was in full panic mode. The Dragons got themselves another first down, but quickly ran out of time to pull off anything significant. The New York Lions, in their first ever playoff appearance, may have pulled off one of the biggest playoff upsets in the AFL’s short history by beating the potential championship contender Boston Dragons at home.
BOS 23, NY 28

West Division Final: (2) Detroit Knights @ (1) Cincinnati Rivermen
1957 H2H: W4 - DET 10-13 CIN, W12 - CIN 15-6 DET
Historic H2H: 10-1 CIN
Playoff H2H: 0-0

The Rivermen are especially glad that the Knights came out on top, as St Louis handed them their only two losses on the year. They’re especially lucky since Detroit has not been able to defeat them since 1950, with 10 straight wins over the Knights and counting against them. Detroit has proven they are able to hang with the top teams this year, so breaking that losing streak in just their first year of relevancy would be a big step in taking down the “old guard” of AFL teams. Their two played games this year were closed but not high scoring, and predictably it will be the same for this pivotal game. Cincinnati is the more complete team overall, and they’ll give this scrappy Detroit team a run for their money as they will head to their third straight title game.
My Pick: Cincinnati

East Division Finals: (3) New York Lions @ (1) Washington Federals
1957 H2H: W2 - NY 9-21 WAS, W4 - WAS 16-20 NY
Historic H2H: 2-2
Playoff H2H: 0-0

New York was able to take care of Boston after the latter made too many mistakes that caused their downfall. The Lions’ offense was still stifled by the Dragons’ defense, but was able to overcome that in the turnover margin. The underdog team now faces an even greater challenge: having to play the defending champions at home. The Federals have been consistently dominant since moving to the nation’s capital, and are looking to defend their title after a dominant championship performance. Their spirits are brighter now that the Dragons got eliminated, but the Lions proved that they are to be taken on a serious challenger instead of a pushover. The Lions did manage to split the series against the Federals this year, but both of their games came early in the year where both teams were still figuring things out. Washington’s talent should prevail over New York, and they’ll be heading to their third straight championship game as a result.
My Pick: Washington