SCORES
PIT 20 BLT 3
Baltimore’s Vince Evans looked very shaky against the oft-maligned Pittsburgh defense, while both Alan Risher and Mike Rozier had solid performances as Pittsburgh upset the Blitz, all but crushing any playoff hopes the squad held. In a game where Evans threw 3 interceptions and completed only 44% of his passes, the heavily scrutinized Alan Risher fare much better, completing 73% of his throws and tossing 2 scores.
ORL 14 BIR 16
Birmingham built up a 16-3 lead in this game, and withstood a late surge by the Renegades to hold on for their 8th win of the year. Joe Cribbs had a solid day, though he was pinned behind the line for a safety on a rough series for the Stallions. Cribbs’s 117 yards included a 12 yard TD run in the 2nd quarter which helped Birimingham take a sizable lead in the game. In the 4th quarter, Reggie Collier found Curtis Bledsoe for a score, but then had to settle for a field goal, which pulled them within 2, but it was a lead they would never overcome.
TBY 41 JAX 24
In a game that was highly competitive after 3 quarters, Tampa pulled away in the 4th, turning a 27-21 lead into an eventual 41-24 victory. Tampa scored every way imaginable, with 3 TD passes (2 from Reaves, 1 from Oliver Luck), a fumble return TD by Fred Stokes, a pick 6 TD from Mauricio Eggleston, and a Gary Anderson 78 yard run.
DEN 24 ARZ 14
In a game that would cost Arizona QB Robbie Bosco the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, Denver locked up a winning season and a playoff berth by handling the Wranglers and backup QB, rookie Kelly Stouffer. Stouffer played just over 3 quarters after the Bosco injury, and while his play was solid, he was unable to match the more experienced Denver defense.
OKL 7 OAK 37
Another rough game from Doug Williams and the Outlaws provided Oakland with a win to reach 8-5 and lock in at least a Wild Card spot in the playoffs this year. Brian Sipe threw for 4 scores but passed for only 137 on the day, allowing Arthur Whittington to lead the offense with 160 yards rushing against the tired and unmotivated Outlaw defense.
HOU 28 CHI 7
Houston scored 21 in the first 20 minutes of action and then took their foot off the peddle against an overmatched Chicago squad. Jim Kelly would finish the day with 4 TD passes and 360 yards, while the combination of Houston rushers gained 108 as they slowed the game down in the second half. Chicago Head Coach Joe Bugel, after the game, stated that he may look at the third QB of the year for Chicago, Notre Dame rookie Steve Beurlein, after another forgettable performance by Todd Blackledge.
SAN 14 NOR 40
Despite solid play from Tony Eason over the past few weeks, Coach Coury of New Orleans stuck to his word and gave Matt Robinson the start. The result was a 24-7 New Orleans lead, but also yet another injury to Robinson. This one may end his year. Tony Eason came in for the second half and helped New Orleans pad their lead against the Gunslingers. San Antonio QB Damon Allen continued to struggle, throwing another 3 picks in the game.
PHI 16 LA 3
In another game where neither offense felt like they had a rhythm, the Stars did enough to win by 13, holding LA to 249 yards of total offense, while relying on Kelvin Bryant’s 104 yards on the ground to play keepaway from Steve Young. LA, which started the massive Christian Okoye at halfback, did not fare well, with Okoye averaging only 1.9 yards per carry against the stalwart Stars line.
MEM 14 MGN 27
In the battle of the Williamses, Michigan’s John outrushed Memphis’s Richard 100 – 67 as the Panthers defense helped Michigan get a much needed win over the Showboats. It was the first loss of Memphis QB Mike Kelley’s season, though he did play well, throwing for 287 and 2 scores. It was not enough though as Memphis committed 10 penalties for 116 yards, costing them field position and several key third downs in the 13 point loss.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Washington Federals 30 New Jersey Generals 24
The Federals got another key divisional win in this, their best season to date, as they were prepared for the Ferragamo and Keith Byars combo which had surprised the Philadelphia Stars a week before. With both Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker pulled as game-time decisions, the Generals attempted to once again rely on their fullback and their backup QB, former Ram Vince Ferragamo, but the Federals were prepared for both.
Ferragamo fared relatively well, throwing for all 3 General TD’s, but Keith Byars had a much harder day against Washington than against Philly last week, rushing for only 21 yards and receiving for another 28. For Washington the run game was equally ineffective as they were forced to sit Craig James and start rookie Alfred Jenkins. Once again the burden for the offense was placed on former St. Louis Cardinal Neil Lomax, and once again Lomax, the league’s second rated QB behind only Jim Kelly of Houston, came through. Lomax completed 20 of 27 passing, hitting on deep balls to Joey Walters and Webster Slaughter, or a total of 356 in the air. His longest pass of the day was actually one of his shortest.
The first score of the game was a simple out route by TE Mark Bavaro, but when Bavaro delivered a decleating straight arm on the New Jersey safety, the sideline was his, and 71 yards later he carried another defender into the end zone to give Washington the 7-0 lead. New Jersey answered when Ferragamo hit Lam Jones for a score to start the 2nd. IT went back and forth with 2 more scoring tosses in the half, a 17-17 battle. In the second half, Lomax found Joey Walters for a 30 yard score, and then on two subsequent drives, Ray Wersching field goals built up a 30-17 lead for the Feds. Ferragamo would hit Brent Jones for a score with only 1:31 left in the game, but when the onside kick was covered by the Feds, the game was over and the Federals earned their 3rd division win of the year. They now trail New Jersey by only 1 game for the top wildcard seed, with both trailing 11-2 Philadelphia in the division.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Two players outshone the others this week, one we almost have come to expect, Jim Kelly, who led Houston to an easy victory with 360 yards passing and 4 scores. The other is a less anticipated performer, Tampa Bay DE Fred Stokes, who wins the award largely for one amazing play. Stokes surprised Jacksonville QB Chris Miller with a stunt that left him unguarded. Rather than go for the body, he went for the ball, getting the sack, but also forcing the fumble, which he picked up himself, and rolled his way into the endzone for a game-shifting defensive score. Stokes’s play not only put Tampa Bay up by 13, it shifted the emotional tenor of the game for the Bandits. When the two teams came out at halftime, Tampa’s defense was “stoked” (sorry for the pun) and a close game became a comfortable Bandit win.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
This was a big week for clinching around the league. The 5 spots in the East are all settled as losses by all four 5-7 teams dropped them out of contention and locked in spots for the 8-5 Federals and Stallions. Washington and New Jersey have now clinched their first playoff berths in team history, while Philly, Tampa and Birmingham return to the dance once again. Over the next 3 weeks the fight will be to see which two teams play in the Wild Card play-in game. Right now it would be Birmingham and Washington, but a lot will depend on the next 3 weeks.
In the West, it is not as cut and dry, though Houston, Michigan, Denver and Oakland are all in. The fifth spot will be a battle between New Orleans (6-7) and the two Pacific 5-8 teams (LA and Arizona). Arizona will have to go at this without their starting QB, Robbie Bosco, while New Orleans will have to rely on Tony Eason the rest of the way. Michigan and Houston are largely locked in, though the Panthers would like to avoid the play-in game if they can stay up on Oakland for the top WildCard spot. Oakland still has Denver in its sights, as the two clubs are both 5-1 in division and will face off in Week 15, likely for the division title.
NEWS & NOTES
At this time of year, playoff positioning is not the only competition we follow closely. There are a lot of players hoping to finish the year with a flourish and take home some incentive money and some awards. When we explore the individual player stats, we see that this year there are some close races and some blow outs as we head into the final weeks.
PASSING: Jim Kelly’s almost certain MVP season has blown the competition out of the water. Not only is Kelly the QBR leader, but he leads Robbie Bosco (now out for the year) and John Reaves by over 600 yards for the yardage lead, and only Reaves is within 5 TD’s of Kelly’s lead. He should take home all 3 crowns.
RUSHING: This has been a rotating lead all year. This week it is Oakland’s Whittington who has the lead with 1295 yards, but Joe Cribbs (1255) and Kelvin Bryant (1194) are also within striking distance for the rushing title. Bryant leads Whittington by 2 TD’s for the scoring lead among RB’s, but he would also like to regain the rushing title after finishing a disappointing 5th last year.
RECEIVING: No one is going to catch Memphis’s Mel Gray for the receptions title. His 118 catch mark after 13 weeks is amazing considering the issues in Memphis. The next closest is Orlando’s Frank Lockett with 88. But, when it comes to yardage, the race is as close as any. Houston’s Ricky Sanders overtook Tampa’s Eric Truvillion by only 23 yards this week, after trailing much of the season. The two are the clear #1’s on the two top offenses this season. Sanders may actually be at a disadvantage as Houston has wrapped up the #1 seed in the Western Conference and Coach Pardee may opt to rest some folks in the final weeks of the year, while Tampa has to worry about Birmingham on one side, and Philly on the other, so it is unlikely that Steve Spurrier will take his foot off the gas pedal.
DEFENSE: Oklahoma has not had much to cheer this year, but rookie Brian Bosworth’s 122 tackles is one accolade that is likely going to be celebrated. Bosworth leads Chicago’s Clay Matthews by 17 tackles, and Bosworth is almost certainly going to wrap up the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. In other defensive categories things are a lot tighter. Jacksonville’s Doug Greene broke a 5 way tie in interceptions with his 6th this week, but now there are 8 players one INT behind him, including LA’s Raphel Cherry, Washington’s Lester Lyles, and New Jersey’s Cliff Hicks. The sack leadership, won by former Blitz DE Junior Ah You all 4 seasons before this one, was seen as Reggie White’s to lose, and White is right in the hunt with 15 sacks, but he still trails Michigan’s Ronnie Paggett by 3 sacks with only 3 weeks to go. Knowing White’s motor, I would not want to be a QB facing the Showboats over these final 3 weeks.
KICKING: Other than the QB competition, no statistical category has been as dominated wire to wire by one player than the kicking title. Philadelphia’s David Trout has been the points leader since the early weeks of the season and his 131 places him 17 points ahead of the closest competitor, Birmingham’s Scott Norwood. With Philly likely holding off New Jersey for the final weeks of the season, expect Trout to keep pace and possibly reach 150 points for the year.
INJURY REPORT
You already know the big stories of the week. Arizona loses Robbie Bosco for the rest of the year and will have to rely on rookie Kelly Stouffer down the stretch. New Orleans also loses Matt Robinson to a torn bicep muscle and will lean on Tony Eason to snag the final playoff position. Of immediate, but not long term concern, are injuries to John Reaves in Tampa (questionable this week) and Doug Flutie in New Jersey (again questionable). Craig James remains doubtful for the Feds this week and Arizona’s Trumaine Johnson will be questionable as well.
LOOKING AHEAD
Back to inter-division games for Week 13, as the 5 Eastern clubs head to the Southern Division while the 5 Central squads travel to face Pacific Division teams. This does not mean that there are not big games that will help to decide playoff positioning. The best game of the week is almost certainly going to be Philadelphia at Tampa, in a battle of titans with the #1 seed on the table. Oakland also cannot let up as they face a very tough Houston squad in NoCal while Denver has a much easier matchup against the Gunslingers at Mile High. New Orleans and Arizona clash in the desert, with one playoff spot still to be claimed. LA hopes to gain ground with a game at home against the Chicago Machine. Washington has to avoid a trap game against Jacksonville after their big win this week. In other games, Pittsburgh heads to Birmingham, New Jersey is in Orlando and Michigan heads to Oklahoma.
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