 The Browns and 49ers went into the American Conference along with teams mostly from the NFL's old Eastern Division, while the Colts went into the National Conference with teams from the old Western Division.Under NFL rules at the time, the teams with the best records in each conference after the 12-game regular season were to play each other in the NFL championship to determine the winner of the league.The Browns and the New York Giants jockeyed for first place in the American Conference for most of the regular season.