We had 5 games this week with huge playoff implications, and we'll look at those games first. We had some playoff seeds settled, but Week 16 still finds the USFL with 3 divisions undecided, along with some wildcards. Next week, we have Detroit @ Chicago, where the winner is in the playoffs, the loser is out. We have Houston @ Memphis, where the winner will be the #2 seed (unless Portland loses) and the loser #5. San Jose has a spot, but will they win the division or be a wildcard? Honolulu will make the playoffs with a win, but a loss opens the door for Denver to sneak in as the #6. The only drama in the National Conference is for the final wildcard spot. It's Shreveport's with a win, but if the Steamer lose, Tampa Bay can get in with a win. If they both lose, Shreveport is #6.
Storm 41 Showboats 31
These two teams have won 3 of the last 4 World Bowls, and they met today fighting for possible home field advantage in the playoffs. Portland's defense has stymied offenses all season long, as they gave up just 14 points in their lone defeat, but they faced the best scoring offense in the league today. Memphis was able to amass 458 yards and 31 points, but the Storm defense forced 3 David Allen INTs.
The first half was a back and forth game, with Memphis scoring first for a 7-0 lead. Portland would score the next 2 TDs for a 14-7 lead before Memphis tied the game late in the 1st qtr. Portland would go ahead 21-14 before Memphis tied it again, then the Storm scored the next 10 points for a halftime lead of 31-21. Portland would score first in the 3rd qtr for a 38-21 lead before Memphis scored the next 10 to get within 38-31. That's as close as Memphis could get on the scoreboard, and they'll need a better defensive effort against Houston if they want a week of rest.
Lots of stats to talk about from this game. Memphis QB David Allen was 26/36, 286 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. Mark Lambert had 85 rushing yards and a TD, adding 5 catches for 64 yards. Mark Glenn ran for 84 and a TD, adding 3 catches for 29 yards. Portland was led by Oscar Willis, who finished 32/44, 426 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INT. Jeffrey Frost ran for 87 yards and caught a TD pass among 4 catches and 44 yards. Willis also had 3 100 yard receivers today, Chris Goldberg caught 5 for 127 and 2 TDs, Jose Moses caught 6 for 110 yards, and Peter Jessee 11 for 106.
Renegades 34 Bandits 31
Tampa Bay traveled to Orlando with the Southeast Division title on the line and there were 8 lead changes in the game that saw no lead bigger than 4 points at any time. Those facts make it harder for Tampa Bay as they lost the turnover battle 3-0 and have to wonder what could have been if they'd only had better ball security. Bandits QB Melvin Driggers was 22/33, 365 yards with 2 TD and 2 INT. Most of that went to Thomas Whitley, who caught 8 for 284 yards and a TD. Orlando QB Bradley Austin finished 32/47, 307 yards and 4 TD passes. Austin spread the ball around, and the Renegades leading receiver was David King, who caught 5 for 101 yards and 2 TDs.
Tampa Bay tied the game at 31 with 5:40 remaining in the game, but allowed Orlando to drive down for a go ahead FG. The Bandits had just under 2 minutes left to try to tie or win the game, but Driggers threw an INT on the first play and Orlando ran out the clock, securing the Southeast Division in the process.
SaberCats 22 Hawaiians 6
San Jose welcomed back rookie WR Mark Hsu, and while Hsu didn't have a monster game, his presence opened up running lanes for Graham Peterson. Peterson ran for 114 yards and a TD and the SaberCats had 194 as a team. Honolulu tried an aerial attack today, and while they had some yardage, it didn't translate into points. San Jose has qualified for the playoffs and will win the Pacific with a victory in Week 16. Honolulu can still win the division with a win and a San Jose loss, but just need to win to be a wildcard.
Panthers 23 Wheels 0
Michigan rookie RB/WR Walter Simmons had a combined 108 yards and a rushing TD while the Panthers defense shut out Detroit today. The Panthers were eliminated today despite the win, and they wanted to help their in state rivals stay home with them. Michigan held Detroit to just 142 total yards and forced 4 total turnovers, 2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles. If Detroit can bounce back and defeat Chicago in Week 16, they will make the playoffs for the first time since 1984.
Blitz 30 Thunderbolts 6
Chicago got back into 1st place with a victory in Cleveland today. The Blitz forced Cleveland into 3 turnovers and held the Thunderbolts to 248 yards. Chicago had both sides of the ball working in the red zone, scoring 4 TDs and a FG in 5 offensive tries, while defensively, they held the Thunderbolts to just a FG on 2 trips. The Blitz didn't have any statistically huge games, but their offense was efficient, as QB Ronald Brown was 25/32 for 238 yards and a TD, while RB Jay Kinder ran for 73 yards and 2 TDs.
Gold 40 Wranglers 7
Denver kept their playoff hopes alive with a convincing win over Arizona today. WR/RB Richard Huff ran 26 times for 137 yards, adding 5 receptions for 72 yards and a TD, giving him 205 combined yards. WR Jake Peralta caught 3 passes for 121 yards and a TD. Arizona is still plagued by horrible QB play, as Simmon and Palmer combined to finish 10/31, 102 yards and 2 INTs, allowing Denver to hog the ball for 41 minutes.
Gamblers 45 Gunslingers 6
Houston just keeps rolling in preparation for the showdown with the Showboats next week. QB Tony Dean was 23/32, 221 yards and 3 TD passes and the Gamblers rushed for 171 yards while forcing 3 INTs by the San Antonio offense. One of those interceptions was returned 102 yards.
Thomas Hutson was the one who returned that INT, and it might be the longest ever (that's what she said). Ryan Dearing had 3 total TDs, 1 rushing and 2 receiving to lead the Houston offense.
Express 13 Invaders 10
Los Angeles has been eliminated for a few weeks but the Express are liking the role of spoiler. They defeated Charlotte in Week 13 to start the Hornets toward elimination, and gave Baltimore fits for awhile last week. Today, they eliminate Oakland from the post season with the 13-10 victory. Express RB Daniel Franks had 129 combined yards (84 rushing, 45 receiving) and QB Joe Richardson didn't turn the ball over.
Steamer 27 (NY) Stars 9
Shreveport had been winning with defense, and that unit played well against New York, but their offense stole the show today. The Steamer win keeps them in the #6 slot for the playoffs, and they were led by QB Edgar Jones, RB Orville Barker, and WR Richard Wise. Jones tossed 3 TD passes as part of his 24/31, 299 yard day with all 3 TDs going to Richard Wise (5-97-3). Barker ran for 114 yards, adding 44 receiving in a game Shreveport never trailed.
Federals 23 Hornets 7
Washington held Charlotte to 226 offensive yards and QB Scott Bieber threw for 366 and 2 TDs to lead the Federals to victory. James Dunn was Washington's leading receiver with a TD catch to go with 6 catches and 107 yards. The Federals didn't have a lot of success on the ground, but the offense was more than enough today to get the job done. On a side note, this game featured 26 punts, 14 by Charlotte, 12 by Washington.
VooDoo 46 Force 7
Georgia had 309 offensive yards and they scored the first TD of the game, and they led at halftime 7-6, but the Force pass defense were like statues today. New Orleans went to an aerial assault, and QB Bruno Wilson chucked 65 passes today, completing 38 with 6 TDs and 0 INTs and a whopping 713 yards. WR/RB Nicholas Dorey caught 10 passes, 3 for TDs and 303 yards while teammate Leonard Robles caught 3 for 123 and a TD. Dorey also caught a 2 point conversion late in the 4th qtr that started an on field brawl. Just before the 2 minute warning, New Orleans scored a TD, taking a 44-7 lead. For some reason, the VooDoo went for 2, and immediately after the catch, Dorey was blasted by one of the Georgia DBs and a huge scrum ensued. There was no post game handshake by the coaches following the game.
Generals 27 Breakers 6
New Jersey ran for 238 yards as a team, getting 124 and a TD from rookie RB Eric Davis plus 81 and a TD from Greg Ayala. The Generals held Boston to 195 offensive yards and sacked Edward Swafford 3 times.
Stars 28 Sun 16
Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 436 yards with 2 TD and 2 INT and Jeffrey Zimmer caught 6 for 154 and a TD. Baltimore's defense intercepted Wilmer Kimble 3 times and sacked him 4 times, once for a safety. The Stars made 7 trips into the Sun's red zone but only scored 2 TDs, settling for 4 Fred Boyce FGs.
Maulers 26 Bulls 20 (OT)
Pittsburgh fumbled 4 times but lost just one, while the Maulers defense intercepted Jacksonville QB Joseph Serio 4 times. Pittsburgh had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Dominick Cochran missed a 40 yard try wide left, forcing OT. The extra session did not last long, as Pittsburgh's Robert Wheeler returned the kickoff 102 yards for a walk off win.
Bell 30 Stallions 6
Birmingham scored 2 early FGs for a 6-0 lead before the Philadelphia defense settled down and shut down the Stallions offense. The Bell had 398 offensive yards, led by Jamie Epperson's 122 rushing yards. Philadelphia held the Stallions to 160 offensive yards, forcing Stephen Ponder into a bad, 13/33, 140 yard, 2 INT day.
Blazers 9 Outlaws 3
If you like defense, you'll like this kicking contest. Oklahoma rushed for negative 5 yards on 11 carries and just 173 passing yards. Florida did put up 308 offensive yards but the Outlaws intercepted Blazers QB Sidney Maggard 4 times and keeping Florida out of the end zone. In 4 red zone trips, Florida came away with all of 3 points but a win is a win no matter how they come.
