SCORES
DEN 31 OAK 24 Denver scores 21 in 2nd quarter to stun the Invaders.
MEM 23 TBY 40 Reaves to Truvillion proves deadly to the scrambling Mauler D.
JAX 30 BIR 13 Doug Williams throws 4 TD to power Jacksonville past Stallions.
BOS 10 HOU 13 Neither team can find an offensie rhythm in this one.
NJ 19 MGN 34 Hebert & Holloway show shaky NJ defense no mercy.
PHI 28 PIT 16 Stars move one game closer to clinching Atlantic with win.
WSH 16 CHI 28 Kiel wins his 2nd in relief, finding Flowers twice for scores.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Los Angeles Express 20 Arizona Wranglers 30
We spotlit this game ahead of the week’s action and it did not disappoint. LA could have pulled even with Arizona with a win, but they just could not slow down the Wrangler’s newfound offense or keep pace with it.
It was another strong day for MVP candidate Rick Neuheisel, as he threw for 409 yards and 3 scores against an LA defense that lacked any form of pass rush. With only 49 total yards rushing, the Wranglers needed to depend on Neuheisel, and he came through. Steve Young had a good game for LA (250 yards and 3 scores) but it just was not enough to keep pace. Neuheisel connected with 8 different receivers, including 9 to Trumaine Johnson, another 9 to the league’s leading receiving TE, Terry Orr, and 6 to Wamon Buggs.
The win solidly places Arizona atop the Pacific Division, 2 games above LA at 8-2.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
We had some good ones this week from the usual suspects: Neuheisel, Hebert, Cribbs, Reaves and Bryant, but we decided that since there are so many contenders, that it was time to celebrate a season of excellence. Derek Holloway, originally considered the WR 2 behind Anthony Carter, has taken on a lead receiver role for the Panthers. He leads the league in yardage with over 1,200 total in only 10 games, and his 14 TD’s (including 2 this week) are also top of the league. Yes, a lot of credit goes to Hebert, but let’s not ignore the amazing run of play from Holloway. He has been a huge reason that Michigan is once again flirting with the best record in the league.
NEWS & NOTES
Our Standings and Stats page gives us league leaders each week, but what about team performance. Thought we would use a slow news week to provide you with the league leaders (and worst team) in several key team rankings.
TOTAL YARDS: 1. TBY 3930 2. ARZ 3862 3. JAX 3804 16. BOS 2695
RUSH YARDS: 1. PHI 1351 2. BIR 1158 3. PIT 1066 16. LA 665
PASS YARDS: 1. ARZ 3165 2. MGN 3028 3. JAX 3024 16. BOS 1796
SCORING: 1. TBY 307 2. ARZ 303 3. MGN 270 16. BOS 176
YARDS ALLOWED: 1. MGN 2622 2. PHI 2830 3. LA 2996 16. MEM 3943
RUSH ALLOWED: 1. PHI 526 2. MGN 677 3. CHI 743 16. JAX 1312
PASS ALLOWED: 1. MGN 1945 2. LA 2139 3. JAX 2205 16. MEM 2922
SCORING ALLOWED: 1. PHI 144 2. MGN 154 3. CHI 179 16. MEM 309
TURNOVER DIFF. 1. ARZ +14 2. PHI +11 3. MEM +8 16. HOU -4
INJURIES
Defense is ordinarilly at a disadvantage to offense in the high-flying USFL, but now, with more than 60% of the players listed as Doubtful or Out being defenders, we may see some real offensive shoot outs. Looking down the list of walking wounded, or just plain inactives, reads like the USFL defensive all-star team: John Corker (MGN), Dave Duerson (PIT), Richard Byrd (BOS), Mark Kelso (WSH), Junior Ah You (CHI—dislocated shoulder), Doug Prichett (TBY), Ben Needham (BOS) and Gary Barbaro top a long list. So, if you are a betting man, bet the over this week.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
I realize it sounds weird to be discussing the playoff picture with 6 more weeks of play to go, but Philadelphia is very likely about to clinch the first spot of the year. They have a 5 game lead over 2nd place Boston, and with only 6 games to go, a win this week would lock them up for the Division Title. They may only be another week away from locking up the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference as well. It is stunning that 11 weeks into the season and Philadelphia is the only team in the conference with a winning record. The real battle will be for the 2 wild cards and the Southern title. After 10 games each, Jacksonville and Tampa are 5-5, but teams like Boston (4-6), Washington (3-7), and Birmingham (3-7) which normally would be written off by now still have a legitimate playoff chance in this year of parity (parody?).
LOOKING AHEAD
Week 12 will bring us some fascinating inter-division play, headlined by Chicago playing in Tampa. With so many teams clustered at or near 5-5, a lot of these games have playoff implications. Oakland and Boston is an intriguing match up of offense v. defense. Pittsburgh plays at Jacksonville in an important game for both clubs. Houston and Birmingham might be in a virtual elimination game this week. Meanwhile some of the stronger teams are drawn up against much weaker foes: LA at New Jersey, Philadelphia v. Denver, Michigan @ Memphis and Arizona @ Washington.
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