N.F.L. teams played 12 games in the 1935 season. In the Eastern Division, the key game took place on Thanksgiving Day at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, as the 5-4 Dodgers hosted the 6-3 Giants. A Brooklyn win would have tied the teams at 6-4, but New York won, 21-0, eventually finishing at 9-3. The same Thanksgiving Day saw the Lions and Cardinals both win, giving them records of 6-3-2 and 6-3-1 respectively, and ties didn't count. Three days later on December 1st, the Lions beat Brooklyn 28-0; the Cardinals were losing to the Bears before tying them 7-7, but Detroit finished its season at 7-3-2 while the Cards were at 6-3-2. The Chicago Cardinals needed a win in order to have a chance for a playoff, and faced the Bears again on December 8. This time, the Bears won 13-0, and the Lions were the division champs.
In the league championship, the Detroit Lions beat the N.Y. Giants 26-7 at the University of Detroit Stadium on December 15, 1935.