The league dropped to 10 teams after both the Cleveland Bulldogs and the Duluth Eskimos folded before the season. The Buffalo Bisons also had a year out from the league, and the Rochester Jeffersons, after missing two seasons of play, finally folded. The 1928 Detroit Wolverines season was their first and only season in the league, after relocating from Cleveland in the offseason. The team went 7–2–1, finishing third in the league. Despite the strong on-field performance, the team was forced to merge into the New York Giants after the 1928 season. After four weeks, the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Wolverines were both unbeaten. On November 3, near Philadelphia, the Frankford Yellow Jackets (4–1–0) hosted Detroit (3–0–0), and beat them 25–7. The next day, Detroit (3–1–0) lost 7–0 at Providence (4–1–0), and the Yellow Jackets and the Steamrollers were tied for the lead at the end of Week Seven. Frankford played a two-game series against Pottsville in Week Eight, winning 19–0 at home, and 24–0 on the road, for a 7–1–1 record that put it in first place ahead of Providence. In Week Nine, on November 18, the Providence Steam Roller (5–1–1) hosted the Frankford Yellow Jackets (7–1–2) in Rhode Island, in a regular season game that ultimately would determine which team would win the NFL championship. Providence's 6–0 win put the Steam Roller in first place, and it didn't lose any
of its last three games, finishing at 8–1–2, while Frankford finished second at 11–3–2. Had the Yellow Jackets beaten the Steamrollers, their records at season's end would have been 12–2–2 and 7–2–2, respectively. Since the NFL had not yet instituted a playoff system, Providence was formally awarded the championship at the post-season meeting of the NFL owners.