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| Jerry Montalvo, QB, Arizona Wranglers |
Week 5 in the 1983 USFL/WFL season proved to be the Week of the Cellar Dwellers.
- The Michigan Panthers, who had been tied for last place (actually a three-way tie for last place) (and a three-way tie for second place) in the Midwest Division, knocked off the previously undefeated Detroit Wheels, 22-13.
- The Pittsburgh Maulers, mired in last place in the Atlantic Division, outscored the division-leading Baltimore Stars, 8-7.
- The Arizona Wranglers, who had been tied for last place in the West Division, rose up to stun the defending division champion Portland Storm, 30-21.
- The Southern California Sun, tied for last in the Pacific Division, surprised the previously unbeaten San Jose SaberCats, 17-0.
Detroit's loss leaves the Denver Gold, Jacksonville Bulls, and New Jersey Generals as the only remaining undefeated teams in the USFL/WFL.Conversely, only two of the league's 32 teams sit at 0-5.
The Michigan-Detroit battle featured a wild fourth quarter that included a 29-yard interception return for a TD by Michigan MLB Mark Owens. That pass was thrown by Detroit backup QB Steve Voll, whose 2-for-10 performance served as further proof of the 0.4.5 version's curse on backup QBs entering the game "cold." The Wheels pulled within 15-13, but missed on a 2-point conversion pass with 1:58 to play. Panthers WLB Paul Declue then returned a Detroit fumble 28 yards for the TD that put the game out of reach.
Pittsburgh scored on a second-quarter safety and fourth-quarter TD pass to take its 8-7 lead over Baltimore. An interception gave the ball to the Stars at the Pittsburgh 23. Four plays later, from the 19, Stars fans gasped and covered their eyes as their team passed up the potential game-winning field goal to "go for it" on fourth-and-5 and were stopped inches short of the first down. The Maulers got the ball back with 1:52 remaining and ran out the clock.
The Wranglers actually led Portland, 30-7, early in the fourth quarter as the Storm punted on 10 of its first 11 drives. Wranglers QB Jerry Montalvo fired three TD passes in the second quarter.
The only TD for SoCal vs. San Jose came on WLB Roderick VanBrunt's 35-yard interception return for a TD with 98 seconds to play. The SaberCats had drives of 80 and 72 yards during this game that netted them zero points.
In other Week 5 games:
- The Jacksonville Bulls won the battle of Southeast Division unbeaten teams, topping the Florida Blazers, 16-10. MLB Phillip Williamson's pickoff late in the third quarter set up the game-winning TD and Florida never moved beyond its 46 in the fourth quarter.
- The Philadelphia Bell led, 16-2, with 5:27 to play, but Oklahoma scored twice late in the game to force a 16-16 tie. Shane Falco, the only QB on the Outlaws' roster, completed 50 of 75 passes for 498 yards and two TDs. Philadelphia was only yards away from the potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation time, but QB Roy Rhyne's pass was picked off by Outlaws CB Basil Sholes. Philadelphia FS Joseph Natoli was credited with 13 tackles, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass.
- LAX MLB Troy Erwin intercepted four passes during his team's 37-3 demolition of the Honolulu Hawaiians.
