As the USFL/WFL winds down another season, several games ended up being "almost playoff" games this week. It's hard to pin down the exact playoff scenarios because MFN does not strictly follow the NFL tiebreaker rules but diverges at some unknown point. The standings glitch has come into play again too. The Southeast and Atlantic divisions are separated by 1 game with 1 to go, and MFN says Tampa Bay and Baltimore are division winners, though if MFN is to be believed, then why is Orlando not marked as in the playoffs? Ten teams in the National Conference have a little "e" next to them, meaning eliminated. That would mean the 6 remaining teams are in, but Orlando is blank, so what gives?
Bottom line is nobody but JDB knows the exact MFN tiebreaker list, though I do know for a fact MFN does not exactly follow the NFL. If they did, I would not have made the playoffs with my Russia team in the World League a couple seasons ago. I lost strength of schedule but got in on net points according to JDB.
If you're within 1 game of a playoff spot, I would assume you're still alive and play to win.
Wranglers 31 Storm 24
Arizona and Portland met with the winner staying alive and the loser likely eliminated. Arizona scored the first TD of the game on an 18 yard pass from Joseph Jones to Desmond Kirkland. Portland tied the game at 7 thanks to a short TD pass from Oscar Willis to Timothy Roquemore. Arizona got the lead back 2 plays later, as Desmond Kirkland ripped a 60 yard run followed by a 15 yard TD pass to Eric Duncan. Portland would tie the game at 14 early in the 2nd quarter on an Alfred Gale 5 yard run. With just over a minute left in the first half, the Wranglers again broke the tie thanks to Desmond Kirkland. This 78 yard run featured several broken tackles near the line of scrimmage before Kirkland broke free and found nothing but green grass between him and the end zone.
Portland tied the game at 21 in the 3rd quarter thanks to this 5 yard Oscar Willis pass to Stephen Hicks. Arizona would take the lead for good thanks to that man Kirkland again. His 18 yard TD run was his 3rd TD of the game, and he finished 165 rushing yards on just 12 carries and chipping in 2 catches for 19 yards.
The teams traded FGs after that for our final score of 31-24 Arizona. The Wranglers are still alive for the playoffs while Portland is eliminated.
Federals 26 Generals 9
New Jersey traveled to Washington DC to face the Federals in an elimination game for both. The Generals have won the East division 10 straight seasons, but after this game, they find themselves home in January. New Jersey did manage to dent the scoreboard first, kicking a FG for a 3-0 lead. There were 7 total FGs in this game, the second of which tied the score at 3. Just before halftime, Washington got the first of 2 Scott Bieber to Robert Sullivan TD passes. This gave the Federals a 10-3 halftime lead.
The 3rd qtr saw two more Washington FGs to make the score 16-3. New Jersey, who had struggled to move the ball all day, kicked a FG early in the 4th to cut the deficit to 16-6. Two plays later, Washington dealt the death blow on the 2nd Bieber to Sullivan hook up. Sullivan caught 11 passes for 170 yards and 2 TDs as the Generals couldn't cover him.
Washington qualifies for the playoffs with this win and it's possible the Federals can tie Baltimore for the Atlantic division, but I believe the Stars have the tiebreaker. We'll see how that shakes out. New Jersey's division winning streak comes to an end and they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1976.
Showboats 32 Outlaws 16
Memphis WR Willie Howland was known for big plays before this season began, but an ownership change put him on ice in 1988. What also got put on ice was the Showboats dominance, as they lost 4 games before yet another ownership change brought back Infinity on Trial. The first thing IOT wanted to do was re-establish Willie Howland, and today that happened. Howland caught 5 passes, 2 for TDs with 107 yards as Memphis jumped out to a 22-7 halftime lead and never looked back.
The Outlaws defense did force 4 Memphis turnovers but the Oklahoma offense was offensive as they could only muster 152 total yards. The win keeps Memphis alive and all they have to do is win in Week 16 to defend their 2 championships. The loss eliminates Oklahoma from playoff consideration.
(NY) Stars 28 Renegades 21
New York scored 28 the hard way, with 4 FGs, 2 TDs and a safety as they dominated the first 50 minutes of the game before holding off a late Orlando rally. The Renegades threw 5 INTs which helped New York to keep scoring. There were no 100 yard rushers or receivers, nor a 300 yard passer.
The victory plus the New Jersey loss gives New York it's 3rd East Division championship, first since winning it back to back in 1976-77. The Stars last post season appearance was as a wildcard in 1981. Orlando is still "in the hunt" after the loss and I believe they're actually in but I could be wrong.
VooDoo 25 Gold 6
New Orleans won the battle of teams fighting for home field in their respective conferences and the road to the World Bowl will go through New Orleans. The VooDoo forced 4 Denver turnovers and turned on the offense in the second half en route to a comfortable win. It took Smirt a couple of seasons to get New Orleans to this lofty level but now they're here, don't be surprised if they are in the World Bowl.
Denver will still be in the playoffs, but as the #3 seed which means no BYE week.
Gamblers 42 Gunslingers 23
Houston jumped out to leads of 28-0 and 42-3 before a late San Antonio rally made the final score look better. Tony Dean threw 6 TD passes and 446 yards and the Gamblers added 149 rushing yards as they overwhelmed the Gunslingers defense. Dean's 6 TD passes went to 6 different receivers.
The win plus a Denver loss gives Houston at least the #2 seed and a BYE.
Panthers 27 Blitz 3
Michigan WR Peter Lewis caught 6 passes for 151 yards and 2 TDs as Michigan blitzed Chicago, cementing a BYE week in the process. The Panthers dominated from the outset and look ready for a deep playoff run.
Bulls 27 Bandits 10
Tampa Bay has qualified for the playoffs but have now lost 2 games in a row, and Bandits fans are worried about QB Melvin Driggers. Driggers was having a great season before his recent rough stretch, and Tampa Bay needs him to turn the tide quickly if they're to make a deep playoff run.
Jacksonville is shown as eliminated, but it's possible it's just a standings glitch. Bulls WR/RB Timothy Richardson ran for 63 yards and added 201 receiving, though he did not dent the end zone.
Thunderbolts 49 Wheels 10
Samuel Draper ran for 127 yards and a TD, adding a 23 yard TD reception and Jose Beamon caught 3 for 128 yards and a TD as Cleveland dominated Detroit. Cleveland is in the driver's seat for a wildcard, only needing to win in Week 16.
Breakers 23 Bell 9
Maulers 20 Force 17
Blazers 17 Hornets 12
Sun 27 Hawaiians 24 (OT)
Express 23 SaberCats 6
Invaders 16 Steamer 6
Stars 31 Stallions 12
