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| Les Lynch, Baltimore Stars (54) |
The Stars, 2-14 last season, will host the New Jersey Generals in the National Conference championship game. Baltimore DT Les Lynch picked up Philadelphia QB Roy Rhyne's fumble and ran the ball into the end zone with 6:24 to play, giving his team a 12-7 win over the Bell in the divisional round.
The Generals avenged last year's playoff loss to Shreveport when Dustin Henry kicked a 52-yard field goal on the final play of the game to beat the Steamer, 9-6. One play earlier, TE Johnny Fever had taken a pass from Doug Fluty, wriggled away from a defender, and scampered 52 yards to set up Henry's game-winner.
Baltimore is 0-4 all-time against New Jersey. The last meeting came in the final game of the 1980 regular season, a 44-27 triumph by the Generals. New Jersey will be looking for its second championship game appearance, having fallen to the Memphis Showboats in World Bowl VI. MFN makes the Generals a 3-point favorite.
The Chicago Blitz will host the Detroit Wheels in the American Conference title game. Detroit swept the regular-season series between these Midwest Division foes, winning 34-6 in Week 1 and 20-13 in Week 5.
Detroit got here via a 44-31 defeat of the top-seeded Oklahoma Outlaws. Mario Valencia passed for 392 yards and four TDs for the Wheels, who led, 37-9, entering the fourth quarter. Chicago knocked off the Honolulu Hawaiians, 28-6, behind a defense that limited Hawaiians QB David McBroom to 175 yards passing and intercepted him three times.
The Wheels lead the regular-season series, 13-3, and are a 3-point favorite according to MFN. Detroit won, 13-10, in the 1975 playoffs. The Blitz last played for a title in World Bowl I, falling to the Florida Blazers. Detroit won back-to-back World Bowls III and IV.
