One third of the way through the season and some trends are developing. As with last year we see Tampa, Philadelphia, Birmingham and Michigan as the strongest franchises. We also see a large group of teams who are up and down, including several of the expansion franchises. The one positive trend, from the league standpoint, is that the Pacific division does not appear to be the weak sister of the league anymore, with several Pacific squads earning wins against other divisions in recent weeks. With 8 playoff spots this year, more teams should be in the mix late in the season, which benefits everyone.
SCORES
BOS 17 BIR 20 Despite holding Cribbs to only 39 yards, Boston could not garner a win.
WSH 24 JAX 21 The Bulls lose their 4th straight as James runs for 126.
NJ 7 MEM 15 The Memphis D harasses Brian Sipe and limits Walker for a big win.
PIT 12 MGN 21 John Williams returns from injury to power the Panthers.
CHI 10 ARZ 12 Rick Neuheisel when Landry goes down and scores the W.
HOU 40 DEN 27 The Run & Shoot comes alive as Kelly throws for 375 and 3 scores.
LA 26 OAK 3 When Young goes down, the LA D and QB Mike Rae take up the torch.
BYES: none
GAME OF THE WEEK: Philadelphia Stars 17 Tampa Bay Bandits 23
For the second week in a row a marquee matchup ends in overtime. In front of their biggest crowd in 2 seasons (61,508) homestanding Tampa and visiting Philly looked like two heavyweight prize fighters slugging it out with body blow after body blow in this matchup. Fusina found both Fitzkee and Donovan for scores, while Reaves relied on Eric Truvillion for two first half scores. Both defenses found ways to pressure, but not rattle the star QB’s of their opponents. Philly scored 3 sacks while Tampa notched 4 against Fusina. But, while the Stars defense kept the Bandits from connecting on their trademark long ball game for 4 quarters, it only takes 1 missed assignment for Tampa to strike, and that is exactly what they did in overtime. On a 2nd and 7 the Philly DB’s missed an assignment, leaving Tampa slot receiver Danny Buggs alone on an out & up route. The wide open Buggs was an easy target for Reaves, and 57 yards later the game was over on a textbook Bandit Ball strike. It was a heavyweight match that ended with a haymaker. Now we all must hope that there is a rematch of this pairing in the playoffs.
NEWS & NOTES: Whether by injury or coaching decision, the USFL may be seeing some of its rookie talent take the field soon. Rick Neuheisel came in when Landry went down for Arizona, and his performance may make for tough decisions for George Allen. Meanwhile, Boston’s Johnnie Walton continues to struggle, which is creating pressure to see what Tony Eason can do. In LA, Kevin Mack shared carries with Tony Boddie, and looked strong, so we can expect to see more of him. While in Pittsburgh, another weak performance by Glen Carano has many calling to see what Todd Blackledge can do.
INJURIES: While several players were knocked out of action during this week’s games, few of the injuries seem to be significant. Arizona’s veteran signal caller, Greg Landry, will likely miss 4-6 weeks with broken ribs. Michigan CB Keith Bostic had an ugly fracture to his eye socket, but is expected to only miss a few weeks, as he will be able to play with a protective visor on his helmet. Philly is hoping that Johnnie Hector and Kelvin Bryant are able to return to action in Week 7, as they are down to one RB on their active roster. Steve Young, had a pinched nerve in his throwing arm, his ability to play next week will likely be a game time decision.
LOOKING AHEAD: Week 7 again features all 16 teams in action. Arizona-Denver is one of only two divisional games as most of the league is in inter-divisional play. Boston and Jacksonville both desperately need a win in their matchup. Philly will try to bounce back against a tough Memphis defense. Michigan, still unbeaten, heads to Pittsburgh. Chicago visits LA and Houston, hot off their best offensive performance, visits an Oakland squad devastated by two key injuries.