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| Antonio Wilson, QB, Memphis |
Detroit had won the last two World Bowls. The only defending champion still alive among the eight remaining teams is the Oakland Invaders. Memphis won its first-ever postseason game—a game in which neither side scored a touchdown.
Ewing redeemed himself in OT after having missed a 44-yard attempt on the final play of regulation time. Detroit's Jose Fouche had earlier kicked a 49-yarder with 1:07 to play to tie the score.
The Wheels went into the game minus star QB Mario Valencia. His replacement, Henry Prieto, was sacked five times and intercepted once. Running the ball didn't work for Detroit, either, as Memphis outrushed the Wheels, 148-45. Showboats DT John Biggs recorded four sacks and QB Antonio Wilson was 23-for-34 passing. FS Robbie Hammock had 10 tackles for Detroit.
In other wild-card games:
- Cleveland 17, Oklahoma 12: The Thunderbolts won despite managing only five first downs. Chester Dougherty threw a pair of TD passes and the Cleveland defense manhandled Outlaws QB Dale Brown—six sacks, three interceptions, zero TDs. DT Kevin Hudson had three of those sacks.
- Pittsburgh 38, Shreveport 13: Cliff Thomas ran for 150 yards and a TD and Michael White was 21-for-25 passing as the Maulers advanced to the second round. After Shreveport opened the scoring with a field goal, Pittsburgh ran off the next 28 points.
- Orlando 24, Birmingham 10: After Birmingham opened the scoring, Orlando scored the next 24 points. Orlando's first three possessions all resulted in long drives for TDs—8 plays, 75 yards; 11 plays, 87 yards; and 13 plays, 88 yards. David Albrecht caught 11 passes for 48 yards for the Stallions.
Divisional Round Preview
Memphis at Los Angeles: Can Memphis keep the momentum after knocking off Detroit? The Express leads the series 2-0, including a 32-26 win in Week 6 this season. In that game, Los Angeles WR Robert Herrera caught TD passes of 68 and 63 yards from Gene Nowlin.Cleveland at Oakland: Oakland leads the series 2-1, including a 24-17 win in Week 12 this season. In that game, the Thunderbolts failed three times to get 1 yard and keep their final drive alive.
Orlando at New Jersey: Orlando leads the series 3-1. The teams met in the final game of the regular season, New Jersey prevailing, 21-10. The Renegades threw five interceptions and lost a fumble in that game. The Generals have won 11 in a row since losing to Oakland in Week 5. The loss to New Jersey snapped Orlando's eight-game win streak.
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay: The Bandits lead the series, 2-1. including a 38-10 drubbing of the Maulers in Week 6, a game in which they sacked Pittsburgh QB Michael White eight times and led 35-0 late in the third quarter. Tampa Bay also won the 1977 regular-season meeting, 48-7.
