A strong week for the Atlantic Division as Boston, Philly and Washington all pick up games. Chicago returns to Soldier Field for only the 2nd time all year, and Michigan proves that they are the team to beat with an emphatic win over the LA Express.
SCORES
JAX 16 BOS 34 Johnnie Walton has his best game of the year with 4 scoring throws.
PHI 31 NJ 28 Kelvin Bryant breaks out with 167 yards to lead the Stars.
WSH 37 MEM 34 Duane Gunn scores twice on 131 receiving yards to eke past Memphis.
OAK 12 CHI 24 Chicago gets their third win against a flailing Oakland squad.
PIT 19 HOU 31 Jim Kelly and the Gamblers make a claim on playoff consideration.
DEN 29 ARZ 10 Denver is digging out of their early season hole with a 3rd win.
MGN 28 LA 17 The Panthers prove too much for the LA defense, win 9th game.
BYES: None
GAME OF THE WEEK: Birmingham Stallions 32 Tampa Bay Bandits 35
In a duel of 6-1 squads with the Southern Division in the balance, Tampa once again edged Birmingham to take over the lead for the division title. Once again it was John Reaves and the passing game that led the way. Reaves hit a rare height, completing over 60% of his passes, and throwing for 378 yards and 4 scores. With Birmingham focused on shutting down Eric Truvillion and Willie Gillespie, it was TE Lewis Gilbert who benefited, with 155 yards on the day and 3 of Reaves’s 4 scoring plays.
Birmingham tried to counter, but with 8 man fronts, Joe Cribbs was slowed enough (just under 100 yards at 98) and the combination of Smith and Anderson at wideout were simply not enough for Birmingham to keep pace. Two late scores by the Stallions made the score closer than the game felt, as Tampa at one point had a healthy 35-17 lead and seemed to ease up in the 4th quarter, but with the Stallions’ final score at just over 1 minute left, and Tampa capturing the onside kick, the game was over with John Reaves running out the clock in the victory formation. The victory gives Tampa the tiebreaker at present over Birmingham and reminds many fans of the eventual rise to the top for the Bandits last year, as Birmingham faded down the stretch. Will 1984 be a repeat in the division? So far signs are good that it just may.
NEWS & NOTES: Let’s have a very early look at the playoff picture. Unlike last year, when there were only 4 playoff spots for 12 teams, this year’s expanded 8 team playoff means that fully ½ of the league will make the postseason, with 4 spots in each conference. In the Eastern Conference Tampa leads the Southern Division and surprising Washington the Atlantic. Birmingham would have a clear advantage for a wildcard slot as they are clear of the 4-win cluster of Philadelphia, Memphis, and Boston. With the Atlantic division so close, it is far too early to tell just who will come out on top, but they must also worry that both Birmingham and Memphis could outpace them for the 2 wildcard spots.
In the Western Conference, Michigan is running away with the Central Division at 9-0, 4 games up on Houston. In the Pacific Division, LA is currently the only team with a winning record at 5-4, but Denver has won 3 of 4 and may get hot and make a run. For the two wildcard slots, Houston is in the driver’s seat, even if a division title is beyond their grasp, and then it just gets muddled, with Chicago, Pittsburgh and Denver all sitting at 3 wins. Plenty of games yet to play, so we shall see if any team can catch fire and put themselves above the fray.
INJURIES: Good fortune does not always come without a cost, and we are seeing that the injury bug is starting to hit some of the league’s leading teams. Michigan will be without a starting CB as Clarence Chapman is now on IR with a ruptured Achilles. Tampa also loses a defensive starter in NT Fred Nordgren, a serious knee ligament tear that will end his season. In New Jersey, LB Jim LeClair will miss at least 8 weeks with a broken wrist, while starting RT Marvin Elam is out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. The Generals are also hoping that QB Brian Sipe won’t miss a second game due to his injury. He is listed as questionable for week 10. On the upside, Arizona believes that Rick Neuheisel will be able to play this week while the season’s starter, Greg Landry may only be a week away from returning to the lineup.
LOOKING AHEAD: Week 10 features some vital inter-divisional play, with Birmingham traveling to New Jersey, Memphis facing fellow expansion squad Jacksonville, Chicago off to Boston, and a intra-state rivalry game as Philadelphia travels to Pittsburgh. But, I think we are all focused on perhaps the best matchup of the year as 7-1 defending champion Tampa Bay visit the Silver Dome to face the undefeated Michigan Panthers (9-0). It’s a battle royale between the two best teams in the league, and perhaps a preview of the 1984 USFL Championship, which will be held at Tampa Stadium this July. It is definitely a game not to be missed.
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