SCORES
BOS 23 PHI 20 Philly comes out flat and Eason hits Charlie Smith for 2 scores.
WSH 31 NJ 17 Washington dominates despite 120 from Hershel Walker.
BIR 35 JAX 24 Bulls get caught in a trap game and fall to Cribbs & Co.
TBY 30 MEM 16 Damon Allen looks good for Memphis, but Tampa prevails.
CHI 31 MGN 13 The Blitz fire on all cylinders to hand Panthers 2nd loss in a row.
HOU 22 PIT 28 Pittsburgh edges Houston with 2 late field goals for 5th win.
OAK 28 DEN 42 Oakland falls out of playoff hunt with complete collapse at Denver.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Arizona Wranglers 25 Los Angeles Express 27
In the most important game of his career, Steve Young comes up big to edge the Wranglers and pull even in the Pacific. Combined with a strong performance by the LA defense, Young had just enough to upend the Wranglers and put the Express in a “control your own destiny” situation next week. Young was 21 of 33 for 308 yards and 3 scores as he used his legs not to run for yardage but to avoid defenders, keep plays alive, and find open receivers.
The other half of the puzzle was the LA Defense, which limited Arizona to only 49 yards rushing, and despite giving up 323 yards passing to Rick Neuheisel, kept the Wranglers out of the endzone on 4 occasions. Had Arizona been able to swap even one of those 4 field goals for a touchdown they would have won this game, but red zone woes kept them at bay and gave LA the room needed to eke out a win. Now, Arizona has to hope that the Express bif it against the Invaders in Oakland next week in order to take the division. LA holds the tiebreaker with a 4-1 division record to Arizona’s 2-3 mark.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
We are going to give this week’s POTW to a passing-receiving combo that has not had the best year, but came out in force this week. Bob Gagliano has struggled to find Vic James all season. The usually prolific combo has just not connected often enough for Denver’s offense to scare anyone. But that was not the case this week. Denver’s Craig Morton, perhaps in a bid to save his job, finally opened up the playbook and Gagliano responded with 335 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. Of that total 129 of those yards, and 3 of the 4 TD’s went to Vic James. In the first half alone the combo hit for 88 yards and 2 scores, helping Denver build a 28-14 lead that they would never relinquish. At 6-9 Denver is not exactly tearing up the lead, and coach Morton may still have some concerns about job security, but if this game taught him anything, it is that he has the talent on this team to run a more dynamic offense, something fans in Denver wish he had known weeks ago.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Here is what we know: With Oakland’s loss at Denver, all 8 playoff spots are set. It will be the Stars, Bandits, Bulls, Breakers, Panthers, Blitz, Wranglers and Express. Philly will host Boston in the Divisional round. Tampa will play Jacksonville, with the week 17 game determining if it is Bandits @ Bulls or the reverse. Michigan and LA also control their destiny. If they win, they are division champs, if they lose, Chicago and Arizona could jump over them. We also know that the Central Division winner will host the Pacific Division Wild Card, and vice versa. So, week 17 is all about home field advantage and division titles in three of 4 divisions. You cannot ask for much more than that in a season’s final week.
NEWS & NOTES
This is going to be an awkward week for the Breakers and Blitz. Both teams have somewhat meaningful games (more vital for Chicago) at home, but they are homes that both clubs will be abandoning next season. Just how many Chicagoans will show up to watch a lame duck team try to win their division, and will they show up for the playoff game if they do? In Boston, the goal of reaching 8-8 is a fine one within the team, but not exactly the kind of game that will draw jaded Breaker fans for the team’s final home game before packing up for the Big Easy. Expect small crowds, perhaps record small for the USFL at both games. That is bad optics for television audiences, but that is what you have to expect when you announce relocation mid-season.
INJURIES
Looking only at the 6 teams vying for division titles, here are the players who may miss the big Week 17 games:
Jacksonville: DT D, Gagne (concussion), DE J. Lockette (Back), OT P. Johnson (knee)
Tampa Bay: OG J. Martel (Wrist), OT M. Behning (turf toe), LB P. Plurowski (back)
Michigan: LB J. Corker (quad), WR A. Carter (core), CB C. Chapman (neck),
Chicago: LB E. Brady (concussion)
Arizona: HB M. Pruitt (hip), TE T. Orr (migraines), CB V. Livers (concussion)
Los Angeles: LB L. Horn (shoulder), SS A. Burleson (ankle)
LOOKING AHEAD
Week 17, and still some games of impact. The biggest, of course, is the matchup between Tampa Bay and Jacksonville. Despite their loss this week the Bulls can still snag the Southern Division title with a win at Tampa next week. The winner of that game will win the division and get a home playoff game the following week. Problem is, we already know that the Divisional Round matchup will be Tampa v. Jacksonville, so do you show your best stuff to get the home playoff game, or do you hold back and save something special for the playoffs?
In other games of note, LA will win the Pacific with a victory against Oakland or a Wrangler loss. Arizona needs to beat Denver at home and then hope LA loses to jump ahead of them for the division title. Unlike in the Southern Division, it looks like the Division winner will host either Chicago or Michigan, while the loser will travel to either Chicago or Michigan. Much better to play at home in either case. Michigan will win the Central if they can get past Jim Kelly and the Gamblers in Houston. Chicago leapfrogs Michigan if the Panthers stumble and the Blitz take care of business at home. In other games, without playoff implications, Memphis travels to Birmingham, Boston hopes to reach 8-8 by beating New Jersey in their last game in Beantown before relocating to New Orleans, and Philly hopes to rest some starters but still get a W at Washington.
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