In 1938, both divisions were tightly contested for most of the season. In Week Seven, the Bears lost at home to the Rams, 23–21, while the Packers beat the Pirates (the future Steelers) 20–0, giving Green Bay the lead for the first time. The Packers won their next three games to clinch the Western Division. In the Eastern Division, the Redskins led until Week Ten, when they fell to the Bears, 31–7; the Giants' 28–0 win over the Rams gave New York the division lead on November 13. The division title still came down to the last day of the regular season, December 4, when 57,461 turned out at the Polo Grounds in New York to watch the 7–2–1 Giants host the 6–2–2 Redskins. A Washington win would have made them 7–2–2 and New York 7–3–1, with the Skins as division champs. New York needed only to win or tie, and would go on to score five touchdowns en route to a 36–0 victory. Four neutral-site games were held during the 1938 season: two at Civic Stadium in Buffalo, New York, one in Erie, Pennsylvania and one in Charleston, West Virginia. The Buffalo games marked the league's first return to Buffalo since the folding of the Bisons in 1929. In a smash-mouth championship game that saw players limp off the field in twos and threes, the Giants overcame a Green Bay comeback to win 23-17 before a record championship game crowd of 48,120 at the Polo Grounds. The Packers won the statistical battle by a near-two-to-one margin-including 378 yards to 212-but New York took scoreboard honors. By far the most serious injury loss for Green Bay was that of Don Hutson who went out in the second quarter after re-injuring his knee. He returned late in the final period for a last-ditch Packers effort that fell short. Arnie Herber appeared to have a drive going when he completed a pass to Milt Gantenbein at the New York 40, but Gantenbein was ruled to be an ineligible receiver. New York end Jim Lee Howell blocked Clarke Hinkle's punt on the games second possession to set up the game's first score, a 14-yard field goal by Ward Cuff. Almost immediately the Giants blocked another punt that eventually resulted in a six-yard scoring run by Tuffy Leemans. Before the first quarter ended, the Packers came back to cut the score with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Mulleneaux from Herber. New York widened its lead again in the second quarter, when Ed Danowski threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to rookie Hap Barnard. Green Bay responded with a touch-down on Hinkle's one-yard run. At the half, New York had the home crowd smiling with a 16-14 lead. The big question in New Yorkers minds as the halftime ended was whether Hutson would return to spark the visitors offense. He was on the bench as the second half began. Nevertheless, Green Bay marched down the field to take the lead. Tiny Engebretsens 15-yard field goal put Green Bay in front by a point 17-16. Halfback Hank Soar led the Giants right back downfield. He carried the ball five times and caught one pass before making a leaping grab from Danowski at the goal line, and dragging Hinkle over for a touchdown, and a 23-17 victory, thus laying claim to the 1938 NFL Championship. With their win, the Giants became the first team to win two championship games since the league split into two divisions in 1933.