SCORES
MEM 20 PHI 19 Lewis hits Gault for a 4th Q game-winning 69 yard TD to stun the Stars
NJ 27 JAX 13 24 unanswered 3rd Q points overwhelmes the Bulls.
BOS 22 TBY 38 Tampa builds a 28-13 halftime lead and holds on for win #8.
HOU 20 PIT 35 Ball control and 3 Rozier TD’s douse the Run & Shoot.
DEN 27 LA 7 Denver sweeps the series as Gagliano continues to impress.
ARZ 37 OAK 26 Neuheisel hurt again, Koegel steps up big for the Wranglers.
MGN 34 WSH 12 The Panthers roll on as Hebert looks to lock up MVP honors.
BYES: None
GAME OF THE WEEK: Birmingham Stallions 16 Chicago Blitz 17
The Stallions came into this game a clear favorite against the 3-win Blitz, but no one apparently told Chicago. Birmingham seemed to have the upper hand most of the game, outgaining the Blitz 314-285 by the conclusion, but they could not punch it in, and that came back to haunt them. Chicago played a bend-but-do-not-break defense most of the day, allowing underneath passes to Cliff Stoudt, and playing the edges to keep league leading rusher Joe Cribbs inside. The strategy paid off as Cribbs was held to only 72 yards rushing and Birmingham only found the endzone once.
On offense, Blair Kiel played conservatively, working on high percentage routes, and handing off to the combination of Steve Howell (6 for 20) and Calvin Murphy (18 for 45). It was not exciting ball to watch, but for those who love good ol’ slobberknockers, it was a callback to old time football. Chicago LB’s Sam Norris and Ben Apuna combined for 18 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss, and in the end it was unheralded Chicago kicker Stephen Paulson who gave Chicago a much-needed win, hitting from 49 yards out to put them on top for good. The loss knocks Birmingham a game behind Tampa Bay, and moves Chicago within range of the cluster of 5 and 4 win teams vying for a wildcard.
NEWS & NOTES: The grind of the year is beginning to impact teams. Practically every team is missing important players from their starting lineups, while others have all but lost their core. We all know about Arizona’s QB woes or Jacksonville’s rotating RB spot (now finally getting healthy), but when you look at teams like Memphis (6 players out this week), Michigan (7 out, including all 3 TE’s), but the hardest hit has been New Jersey, who have been without Brian Sipe for 2 weeks now, have lost Gary Barbaro and Jim LeClair for the year, and have a total of 11 players on this week’s injury report. And, yes, we here to folks in Oakland moaning over the loss of Arthur Whittington and Gary Plummer, which certainly has hurt the team, but with only 1 additional player on the injury list after their bye week, they should perhaps point the finger elsewhere for their woeful record.
INJURIES: The big injury this week was that of Arizona rookie QB Rick Neuheisel, now expected to miss 4-6 weeks. With Greg Landry expected to be another 1-2 weeks away from being cleared with his broken ribs, the Wranglers will need to rely on Tim Koegel. Koegel performed well this week against Oakland, but the Invaders are hardly the best the league has to offer. Michigan also suffered a blow as they are now looking at all 3 of their season-starting TE’s being out for at least a week, maybe longer. The most severe of the 3 is Roosevelt Dixon, who is out for the year. The other two, Cobb and Marchand, could be back as soon as this week if all goes well, but the Panthers will need to sign at least one TE as insurance.
LOOKING AHEAD: Week 12 is chock full of divisional games with significant playoff impact. First we have the Atlantic division facing off, with New Jersey at Boston and the Federals headed to Philadelphia in a battle for first place. The Southern Division also faces off as Jacksonville heads down I-95 (and the 4) to Tampa while the Stallions visit Memphis in need of a win. The undefeated Panthers are in Chicago to take on the Blitz, while 2nd place Houston is out West to face the Wranglers. Pittsburgh takes the flight out to Denver, and in the final divisional match of the week Oakland will try to find answers this week as they host the LA Express.