The rematch went the other way.

The Giants had beaten Green Bay for the 1938 championship. A year later, they had lost just once in the regular season and were back for another title game against the same opponent.

That is a good team. Nine wins, one loss, one tie. A championship already in the room. The whole season deserves to be remembered alongside that hard ending.

The game was in Milwaukee, at State Fair Park. Even the location is a reminder to read these old stories carefully rather than imagine every Packers home game in the stadium we know now.

Seven points at halftime. Green Bay took over.

Green Bay led 7–0 at the break. The Giants were still a touchdown away. Then the Packers scored twenty unanswered points in the second half.

Joe Laws helped Green Bay with punt returns and a 31-yard touchdown catch. Green Bay held New York scoreless. The 27–0 result was the first shutout in an NFL championship game.

We love a shutout when our defense produces it. It hurts to be on the other end, watching your offense run out of chances while the other team keeps finding another score.

The previous championship still belonged to the Giants. This one belonged to Green Bay. A rivalry gets its weight from both afternoons.

When we put 1938 on the shelf, we ought to know what happened to that team when it came back to defend the title. They earned the return trip. Green Bay finished it.