With so many teams in the American Conference fighting for playoff spots, we're essentially having pre-playoffs now. Heading into Week 16, the standings glitch has appeared as Detroit has not really clinched the Midwest yet. In fact the only division in that conference to be decided is the Pacific and the wildcard scenarios are truly wild. We have 7 playoff type games on the schedule for Week 16 although it appears that Washington @ Baltimore is meaningless other than the Stars run for perfection.
Detroit @ Chicago
San Jose @ Michigan
Houston @ Denver
Memphis @ Florida
Portland @ San Antonio
Philadelphia @ New Jersey *(Only matters for seeding/BYE)
Washington @ Baltimore *(MFN says it doesn't matter and I can't prove otherwise)
That's all next week though, and we had a full slate of Week 15 games that set this chaos up.
SaberCats 30 Hawaiians 10
San Jose finally found a way to get WR Mark Hsu involved in the offense again and the SaberCats win to complete the sweep and win the Pacific. Things started off poorly for Jake Plummer as he was intercepted by John Meyer, who returned it for a TD and a 7-0 Honolulu lead. Plummer bounced back, driving San Jose down the field, tying the game with a 10 yard TD pass to David McEntee. Each team would add a FG for a halftime score of 10-10.
The 3rd quarter saw Plummer find Mark Hsu for a pair of TDs to put the game away. The first one went for 41 yards and broke the 10 all tie while the back breaker covered 73 yards. The SaberCats defense shut down the Hawaiians offense and will host a playoff game.
Gold 26 Thunderbolts 23
In the real life NFL, Denver and John Elway broke Cleveland fans hearts with 2 improbable come from behind playoff wins in the 1980's. The stakes weren't as high today but Denver once again breaks Cleveland's heart with a come from behind win to eliminate the Thunderbolts from the playoffs.
Denver actually had a 13-9 lead entering the 4th and early on, extended it to 16-9 before Tony Romo tied the game with an 18 yard TD pass to Bobby Colley. On the ensuing kickoff, Calvin Hoffman fumbled on a hit by Edgar Blanchard, who also recovered the fumble and Romo didn't waste the gift. Romo found James Bull for a 13 yard TD pass that gave Cleveland a 23-16 lead with 3:24 to play.It only took Andrew Brewer 3 plays to tie the game with a 76 yard catch and run TD pass to Douglas Crowley. The Gold forced Cleveland into a three and out, then Andrew Brewer methodically led Denver down the field, draining the clock. Robert Deacon made a 39 yard FG as time expired to give Denver the win that clinches a playoff spot, eliminating Cleveland at the same time.
Storm 25 Gamblers 6
Portland took an instant 7-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage as Melvin Driggers found Richard Robinson with a 75 yard TD. The defenses for both teams took over from there as we saw nothing but FGs until Timothy Roquemore's clinching 8 yard TD run inside the 2 minute warning. Portland's defense allowed the Gamblers no running room, and being forced to throw, the Storm limited Tony Dean to 178 scoreless yards. Houston's defense slowed down Driggers after the first play but Robinson ended with 6 catches for 168 yards and a TD while the Storm RBBC ran for 220 yards. That running game made the difference in the FG kicking contest that ensued after the initial TD.
MFN says neither team has qualified for the playoffs yet, although both will be in with a win next week. Even with losses most of the tiebreakers seem in their favor, although there is no guarantee I'm right.
Showboats 20 Outlaws 17 (OT)
Memphis dodged a major bullet after blowing a 14-0 lead only to win in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive. Norman Maldonado threw 2 early TD passes as the Showboats jumped out 14-0 but Oklahoma cut the lead in half on a John Crisp TD pass. The first quarter ended 14-7 Memphis, and nobody scored again until the 4th. Maldonado threw 2 INTs in that stretch and Gary Ridgeway also missed 2 FGs for Memphis while Eric Chandler also missed 2 FGs for the Outlaws. Chandler made a chip shot early in the 4th and Ridgeway nailed a 51 yard attempt for a 17-10 lead. John Crisp threw his 2nd TD pass with 1:10 left, a 5 yard pass to Carl Hunt, and the XP tied the game.
Each team punted twice in the extra session before Memphis finally got in FG range and Gary Ridgeway's 33 yard FG with 0:36 left allowed the Showboats to exhale, as they didn't eliminate themselves.
Wheels 33 Tankers 0
Games like this are exactly why the tanking has to end after this season. Detroit matched Arizona turnover for turnover in a mistake and sack filled game. Each team threw 5 INTs and lost a fumble while Arizona QBs were sacked 7 times, Detroit's 4 (both teams played 2 QBs). The difference was Arizona completed just 1 of 57 passes to their own players while Detroit completed 34 for 364 yards and the Wheels ran for 135 yards while the Tankers once again did not run the ball. Detroit wins 33-0 in a game they probably lose to any other opponent in the league.
Blitz 33 Panthers 19
Michigan has the 3rd ranked defense, but Chicago put 420 yards on them, 149 rushing as the Blitz upset the Panthers. John Gates got the yards (91 on 25 carries) and Dale Davis got 2 rushing TDs while Ronald Brown completed 26/37 for 279 yards and a TD as the Blitz played turnover free football. For Michigan, Larry Henderson threw for 406 yards and 2 TDs on 32/62 passing, but he also threw 2 INTs. Michigan was aggressive early in the game, turning the ball over on downs twice in their own territory, handing Chicago 6 free points. Michigan WR Harvey Williams had 155 yards receiving and 2 TDs in the losing effort.
Stars 38 Stallions 13
Jon Snow completed 34/47, 463 yards and 5 TDs as Baltimore runs their record to a quiet 15-0. The Stars have to be loving the American Conference chaos as their run for perfection has flown under the radar. RB Herman Hayes had a combined 183 yards and a receiving TD and John Warkentin had 107 receiving yards and 2 TDs to lead the Baltimore skill players. It will be interesting how Baltimore plays their game against Washington in Week 16. Do they believe MFN that the #1 seed is clinched and rest some injured players?
Federals 55 Hornets 20
Washington seems destined to be a wildcard but they made quite a statement today. Scott Bieber threw for 432 yards and 6 TDs on 17/27 passing, with 5 of the scores going to Ronald Matthews, who caught 7 for 353 yards in all. Robert Trammell ran for 138 yards and a TD, adding 58 receiving yards while fellow RB James Dunn ran for 93. If MFN is to be believed, the Federals next meaningful game will be the wildcard game at Shreveport.
Blazers 14 Breakers 9
Boston hung tough with Southeast champs Florida, winning the turnover battle 2-0 and converting 6/18 on 3rd down while holding the Blazers to 3/11. The Breakers Curtis Zuniga scored 3 times while the Blazers got 2 scores from Robert Romero, but using football math, 2 is better than 3. Zuniga is Boston's kicker, and he made all 3 of his FG attempts, but the Breakers only got 3 points fron a pair of red zone trips. Robert Romero is a RB and he caught a 30 yard TD pass from Sidney Maggard and ran one in from 13 yards out to lead Florida to the narrow win. Romero finished with 120 combined yards as Florida keeps the inside track on the #2 seed.
Generals 24 Invaders 13
New Jersey RB David Koresh had a combined 206 yards, 135 rushing, and his 62 yard TD run on the opening possession gave the Generals an early 7-0 lead. Don Ferguson then threw 2 TD passes as New Jersey took a 21-3 halftime lead. Oakland clawed back, getting within 21-13 late in the 4th, but the onside kick failed, allowing New Jersey to tack on a FG and hold on for the win. The Generals are suddenly huge Memphis fans as a Showboats victory over Florida coupled with a New Jersey win would give the Generals the #2 seed and a BYE. Otherwise, it looks like the Generals and Bell will play back to back weeks in New Jersey.
(NY) Stars 30 Bell 13
Philadelphia got out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a Jamie Epperson 4 yard TD run and a Robert Albertson 24 yard FG before New York came back. William Hall had a 1 yard TD run and Damien Oleary had a 10 yard TD pass to Wayne Ryals. The XP was no good, so the Stars led 13-10. Each team added a FG for a halftime score of 16-13 New York. The Stars defense shut Philadelphia out in the second half and a pair of 4th qtr TDs, including Hall's 2nd rushing score, gave the Stars the win, eliminating any chance Philadelphia had of winning the East. The Bell do have a wildcard spot to fall back on and will travel to either New Jersey or Florida for the post season.
Renegades 27 Steamer 6
Shreveport will win the South and host a playoff game against Washington most likely, and if not them, Baltimore. That prospect must have the Steamer steamed, as they are limping into the post season with their 2nd loss in a row. Orlando put up 366 offensive yards while allowing Shreveport just 145. The Renegades weren't efficient in the red zone, settling for too many FGs, but their defensive performance negated that as Orlando wins handily. The Renegades got 168 receiving yards from David King as the offense scored 6 FGs and a Trey Lyons TD pass to Ben Dehaven with a safety thrown in for good measure.
Gunslingers 17 Sun 9
San Antonio's RBBC ran for 155 yards at 5 yards a pos, while Robert Fanelli was an efficient 16/21, 167 yards as the Gunslingers win to improve to 8-7. This clinches just the 5th non losing season in franchise history and best finish since 1979. The Gunslingers won 8 games total in the first 3 years under current owner Mjlee555, and the 4th year was just 4-11-1. The last 3 seasons have shown steady improvement, from 6-10 in 1992, 7-9 last season to at least 8-8 this year. With continued improvement, perhaps the Southwest will turn into a 3 team race in the near future.
Express 20 Maulers 6
David Tavarez threw 2 TD passes and the Express ran for 120 yards as Los Angeles wins their 3rd game in a row. Mwd65 seems to be settling into his new/old home just fine after a tumultuous time in New Orleans, although he did inherit a team with an unbalanced roster and a weak free agent pool to fix it from. While Los Angeles is building momentum going into 1995, Pittsburgh is hoping for a good draft/free agency so they can be more competitive.
Bulls 30 Bandits 12
Jacksonville overcame 2 first quarter fumbles thanks to Derek Joyce TD passes to Leon Gutierrez. The first one went for 80 yards, the second 31 as the Bulls got out to a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes. The next 5 scores were all FGs, 3 by Jacksonville as the Bandits never got closer than 11 points after the initial Jacksonville flurry. Derek Joyce finished the game 38/52, 398 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs with Gutierrez finishing with 6 catches, 154 yards and 2 TDs.
Force 26 VooDoo 20
Georgia and New Orleans played an entertaining, back and forth game today. We had 4 lead changes and the first half was about the offenses. New Orleans got the ball first and drove 62 yards for a TD, with a Joseph Jones pass to Thomas Thomas giving the VooDoo a 7-0 lead. Georgia answered with a 75 yard TD drive capped off by a Paul Meade 3 yard TD run. New Orleans would get a FG on their second drive, while Thomas Jacobi found Willard Brekke for a 76 yard TD to give Georgia a 14-10 lead. Brekke has come alive late in the season and is currently just outside the top 10 in receiving yards after his 8-186 today. Thomas Thomas had a short TD run to give the lead back to New Orleans before Georgia tied it with a FG just before the half. The second half turned into a FG kicking contest, with Georgia's James May making 3 to Jordan Fuller's 1 for New Orleans to give the Force the win.
