Week 14 provided some clarity for the American Conference as all four divisions have been decided but there are still 5 teams fighting for 2 wildcard spots. In the National Conference, the New York (NY) Stars had a big win over Tampa Bay as they look to hold off New Jersey in the East. MFN has declared the Baltimore Stars as a playoff participant, though I have my doubts. I have not run the scenarios yet, I'll wait until after Week 15 to break everything down.
Gamblers 28 Showboats 25
Memphis jumped out to a 16-7 lead early and the Showboats had a balanced offensive attack all game. Defensively they shut down the Houston running game and intercepted Tony Dean twice. The Gamblers fought back in the first half to make it 22-21 Memphis after 30 minutes. Memphis got a 3rd qtr FG and held Houston scoreless for most of the second half. With 1:12 left in the game, Tony Dean connected with Anthony Fulks for the game winning TD. That was the pair's second TD hookup of the day.
The win gives Houston the Southwest Division title while Memphis is still alive in the wildcard hunt.
Sun 34 Express 20
The Los Angeles Express had the yardage advantage, 423-290 but 3 interceptions and a Sun kickoff return for a TD helped Southern California win the game and the Pacific Division. This is just the second time the Sun have made the playoffs, but the last time was 1986 so ...the Sun are on the rise.
Gold 40 Wranglers 0
Denver made a statement in this game as they rolled the Wranglers. Gold QB Andrew Brewer passed for 550 yards and 2 TDs with Richard Funkhouser accounting for 373 of those yards. Arizona also had trouble moving the ball on offense, failing to crack 200 yards.
The win gives the Denver Gold the West Division title. The good news for Arizona is that they are still alive, the bad news is they play Denver again in Week 16.
Thunderbolts 42 Hawaiians 19
This was a de facto playoff game as the winner stayed alive while the loser was eliminated. Things did not start well for Honolulu as the opening kickoff was returned 94 yards for a TD. The Hawaiians had exactly 100 more offensive yards than Cleveland and just 1 turnover for the game. That turnover was costly though, as the interception was returned 33 yards for a TD. Cleveland also scored TDs all 3 times they cracked the red zone.
(NY) Stars 26 Bandits 23
Holy turnovers Batman! Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers brought back an old habit...throwing interceptions. Driggers threw 5 on the day, 2 on the opening 2 drives and 2 on the final 2 drives. These 2 teams seem playoff bound, in fact the Bandits had a spot entering this game. Neither one has won their divisions yet and they combined for 30 points in the 4th qtr.
It was 16-3 New York after 3, and they extended it to 19-3 before 2 Bandits TDs cut it to 19-17. It wasn't all bad for Driggers as he kept firing despite many poor throws. His 3rd TD pass of the 4th qtr gave Tampa Bay a 23-19 lead with 2:48 left in the game. Following Driggers first TD pass of the 4th, the Bandits elected to onside kick...and recovered. Driggers threw his 2nd TD pass on that drive and the Bandits onside kicked again...and recovered again. The 3rd TD pass for Driggers came soon after and with the lead, finally, the Bandits kicked away.
Finally getting the ball back, the Stars drove down the field for the eventual game winning TD. Tampa Bay would throw an INT on their next drive, and again on their final drive following a 3 and out for New York.
Tampa Bay is still playoff bound, though Orlando is hot on their heels. The New York Stars took a huge step toward winning the East though they could also miss the playoffs entirely.
Renegades 24 Bulls 20
Both teams are fighting to qualify for the playoffs and it showed in this back and forth game. Jacksonville held a 10-7 lead and the Bulls extended it to 13-7 in the 3rd. Orlando scored a TD mid 3rd qtr to take a 14-13 lead heading to the final 15 minutes. The Renegades extended that lead to 17-13 with just under 6 minutes left. The score would remain 17-13 Orlando until the final minute.
Jacksonville went on a 12 play, 65 yard TD drive that started with 3:06 left and they took the clock all the way down to 0:28. Following a touchback and a false start, Orlando QB Elwood Savage found Dexter Elmer who took it 80 yards to the house for the game winning TD.
Orlando improves to 10-4, 1 game behind Tampa and in control of a wildcard spot. Jacksonville falls to 8-6 with games against Tampa and New Jersey to close out the regular season.
VooDoo 25 Stars 17
Baltimore outgained New Orleans 479-285 but QB Jon Snow completed 5 passes to the wrong team and no completed passes ended in the proper end zone. The only TD Snow threw was a Pick 6 for the VooDoo.
New Orleans is heading to the playoffs as South Division champs and have clinched a coveted BYE. MFN claims Baltimore is in the playoffs despite this loss, though I'm not so sure.
I have to go to work soon, but these were the 7 most important games of Week 14. Sorry if I didn't get to your game.
