H 20 BAL 18
Hand it to the Baltimore Blitz, playing out the string, nothing but pride on the line, they gave the playoff bound Federals all they could handle. Washington struggled to overcome a solid Baltimore defense on the day, and although the Blitz only reached the endzone once (they had 3 FG and a safety as well), they put a scare into the feds, who won the game on a Ray Wersching field goal for their first ever 10-win season.
TBY 24 BIR 27
Despite a strong day from Oliver Luck (285 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int), the Bandits could not defeat the spoiler-minded Stallions. Joe Cribbs had another dominant day himself, rushing 23 times for 151 yards and 1 TD as Birmingham edged their record to 7-8 and are still mathematically alive for the final Wild Card spot. Luck, who rebounded from a bad Week 14, found Kelly, Perriman and Neal for scores, but a consistent Stallions offense, paired with a 57-yard punt return TD from Stallion Tyrone Shavers, was enough to turn the tide for Birmingham.
MEM 27 JAX 24 OVERTIME
Playing perhaps to save Coach Hall’s job, the Bulls nearly upended the Memphis Rebels, but fell short in overtime. Chris Miller threw three touchdowns for the Bulls, and Pete Stoyanovich kicked the game-tying FG with only 2 seconds left to go to an extra period, but in overtime the combo of Greg Boone and a now-healthy Buford Jordan helped set up Ali Haji-Sheikh for the game winning 23 yard field goal.
MGN 26 CHI 14
The Panthers locked up a Wild Card and assured Chicago of a losing season with a road win at Soldier Field on Saturday. Jack Trudeau found plenty of open receivers on his way to a 336-yard day, hitting Derek Holloway and TE Mario Perry for scores. The Michigan defense also played well, sacking Chuck Long 3 times and holding the Chicago run game to a season low of only 36 yards rushing.
TEX 3 HOU 28
There is no quit in these Gamblers, who kept slim playoff hopes alive with the win. For Texas, the first game with Glen Carano under center did not bode well for their playoff hopes. Carano was sacked 3 times and while he completed 76% of his passes, he was unable to get the Outlaws into the endzone. Thurman Thomas outgained Reggie Cobb 112 to 109, and his 2-touchdown day helped Houston get one step closer to an improbable playoff berth.
LA 20 ARZ 23
Walter Lewis had a solid game, helping LA to a 20-20 tie late in the 4th, but the Wranglers, hoping to lock up their first 10-win season ever, got the last laugh as Robbie Bosco led Arizona into range for Mick Luckhurst. Luckhurst nailed the game-winning field goal as time ran out to send LA to an 11th loss on the year. Once again the combo of Clack and James was very effective, combining for 116 yards and 2 Clack TD’s.
POR 24 DEN 21
Bob Gagliano’s return has not proven to be a magic bullet for the Gold, as Portland edges them thanks to a strong performance by both David Archer (284 yards and a73% completion rate0 and the redzone defense of the Thunder. While Timmy Smith and Barry Foster combined for 108 yards on the day, the Thunder held when they needed to and earned their team’s best record in their 3-year existence.
OAK 3 PIT 45
Utter domination by a Maulers team that is simply not ready to give up on the season. Oakland had a shot to secure their playoff life, but were simply crushed by the homestanding Maulers. Jeff Kemp, in for a dinged up Gale Gilbert, threw three picks and Richard Williams was held to only 67 yards rushing as Pittsburgh dominated all three phases of the game. Most of the damage was done by Mike Rozier, who scored twice on his 117-yard day. Backup Pat Chaffey even added another 55 yards and a late score.
NOR 27 ORL 24
The Breakers edged the Renegades on a late Robinson to Fontenot touchdown toss, to move Orlando dangerously close to dropping out of the playoffs at 8-7. Dalton Hilliard took the mantle of the run game and pounded the Orlando D for 107 yards and a 5.9 yard average. Orlando gained the lead late in the 4th on a Curtis Bledsoe run, but left too much time on the clock, giving Robinson and Co. time to march down the field and score the game winner in dramatic fashion.
Philadelphia Stars 27 New Jersey Generals 24 OT
In an overtime thriller between two bitter rivals the Stars edged the Generals, quite possibly removing them from Wild Card contention at the same time. Philadelphia looked the better team throughout, but New Jersey just would not go away, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to even the score and bring the game in overtime. Doug Flutie would again account for most of the Generals’ offense, as he busted off yet another long run (a 75 yard TD) and scored on a second, a 9-yard bootleg to the corner of the endzone. However, the even hand and cool nerves of Chuck Fusina eventually got the Stars the win as he guided Philadelphia deep into Generals’ territory on the first drive of overtime, setting up a very makeable 35-yard kick for veteran David Trout.
With New Jersey bottling up Kelvin Bryant all day it was Fusina who drove the Philly offense. The league’s oldest player hit on 39 of 49 attempts for 335 yards, finding longtime teammates Gerald Phelan and Tom Donovan for scores. Mike Quick, though he did not reach the endzone, led all receivers with 133 yards on 9 receptions, and Bryant, though stymied in the run game, was able to add 5 receptions to contribute as well.
For New Jersey, it was a similar story, with the Stars corralling Herschel Walker (who still does not look 100% after going out for 2 games earlier this season) and forcing Flutie to contribute both in the air and on the ground. The former Heisman winner was only able to complete 53% of his passes, but made his mark on the ground through his ability to scramble out of danger and make the most of his 8 scripted run plays. He would also find Lam Jones for a few big plays, giving the receiver 108 yards on only 6 receptions.
But in the end, despite the New Jersey comeback to tie the game at the end of regulation, it was the Stars who took command when called upon and never gave New Jersey the chance to touch the ball in overtime. Fusina guided the Stars on a 7-play drive to open the extra period, and the Stars chose to position the ball with a run on 3rd and 6 from the New Jersey 18 yard line, rather than go for the 1st down, bringing out Trout for the game winner. The win gives Philadelphia 10 on the season, setting up a huge game next week vs. Washington for the division title. For New Jersey, the loss means that they miss the opportunity to even their record with Orlando’s for the 5th and final playoff spot.
We gave the POTW last week to Joe Cribbs, and he outshone last week’s performance with another huge game this week, but we are not of a mind to issue two consecutive POTW to the All-USFL back. So, we give the award this week to the back who comes to play every single week, Mike Rozier. Playing his entire career on a Pittsburgh team that has rarely been as good as he is, Rozier is the type of lunchpail, blue collar player that the fans in the Steel City adore.
This week he added another 117 yards to his league leading total, and for the 7th straight season he will easily top the 1,000-yard mark, this year already with 1,196. Rozier now stands at 9,660 career rushing yards, behind only Walker, Bryant and Cribbs. His career average of 4.5 yards per carry is the best among the league’s Top 10 all-time backs, and, unlike Birmingham’s Cribbs, New Jersey’s Walker, and Philadelphia’s Kelvin Bryant, Rozier has done this on teams that have barely made a dent in the win column over the years, making the playoffs only once in his 7 seasons with the team. The Maulers have had 10-loss seasons every year but one, the 1988 8-8 campaign that saw them edge into the playoffs for the only time in team history, and yet Rozier remains one of the most feared and respected backs in pro football. And it is not as if he did not have other options. In his last contract year there was serious interest from the NFL’s Houston Oilers, but Rozier opted to stay with the Maulers. When the Jacksonville Bulls approached Pittsburgh hoping to trade for Rozier last offseason, Rozier himself came out publicly saying he had no desire to leave the Steel City and put an end to speculation that he would take the chance to start over in Jacksonville. The Maulers may have a shot at 8-8 again this year, but even if they slip to 7-9, they still have Mike Rozier to hold up as one of the league’s best.
Going into the final week, things are pretty clear for 9 of the 10 spots, with just the final Western Wild Card and a lot of positioning in play. Here is the scoop.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
New Orleans has the #1 seed wrapped up and likely will rest starters against Chicago in the season finale. Arizona too has their division and the #2 seed in hand, so they too may rest some players as they face the Oakland Invaders. That move could be bad news for Houston, who need an Oakland loss and their own win at Michigan to edge the Invaders for the final playoff spot, having defeated Oakland in Week 4.
Michigan, at 9-6, may opt to rest some starters, as they would retain the #3 seed even with a loss and a Texas win due to better divisional record. Texas needs to win to avoid being leapfrogged by either Houston or Oakland. For Oakland and Texas it is pretty simple, win this week. For Houston, the easiest path to the playoffs is to win and have Oakland lose. The permutations if they, Oakland and Texas all end up at 8-8 are complex but do not appear to favor the Gamblers. Chicago, Portland, LA and Denver are out.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
We know the 5 teams that are in the playoffs. The last piece of the puzzle was the 5th Wild Card, but Orlando, by virtue of having defeated both Pittsburgh and New Jersey earlier this year, will win the final spot even if they lose their 3rd straight and end up tied with the winner of the Generals-Maulers matchup this week. Philly, Washington, Memphis, and Tampa are fighting for their respective division crowns. The fun, of course is that we have 2 head-to-head matchups, a rarity in Week 16, between these 4 teams, with Philly at Washington and Memphis in Tampa. The winners of each game are the division champions and will get a bye. It is just that simple. It is all about positioning and getting those bye week games at this point in the East.
Let’s focus on the two big matches in the Eastern Conference with this week’s report. Going into these huge games to determine division titles, Philadelphia looks to be in good shape, with their only two injury reports being “probables” for WR Quinn Early and CB Gary Wilkerson. For their opponent, the Federals, there are a few more concerns. Both Jerome Brown and Richard Geary at DT are listed as probable, which is good as they will be called upon to shut down Kelvin Bryant, but FS Mark Kelso is still out with a back strain, and SS Louis Oliver is now on IR with a torn knee ligament in his left knee. This leaves the secondary for the Federals potentially vulnerable, so expect Philadelphia to use a lot of 3-WR sets to take advantage of this potential weakness.
In the Tampa-Memphis game, we all know that the biggest loss for Tampa remains QB Troy Aikman. He is listed as questionable, up from doubtful this week, but will almost certainly sit out as Tampa is still guaranteed a playoff spot and they want to assure that Troy can go in the postseason. Their other concerns include the loss of DE Skip McClendon to a groin pull, tackle Matt Behning to a stress fracture, and wondering just how healthy backs Lars Tate and Todd Bell are, as both are listed as probably but are not 100%. For Memphis things look good. Their only injury report is DT Tony Savage, who is out for at least 3 weeks with a hip injury. Memphis’s D-line can certainly compensate for that and it should not negatively impact DE Reggie White’s quest to set a pro football single season sack record. He is at 20 currently and needs only 2 to set the record.
You already know the big games. It is all about the division crown when Philadelphia travels down the road to RFK Stadium to face the Federals. The same is true in Tampa where the Showboats and Bandits face off. Houston-Michigan will be another key matchup and Arizona-Oakland could be good even if the Wranglers rest some starters. For most of the rest of the week we have playoff teams vs. non-playoff teams, but with pride always on the line, and with many players looking either for personal bests for the season or looking to make a good last impression before contract season begins, don’t be surprised to see some teams put in maximum effort. The remaining games are New Jersey @ Pittsburgh, Jacksonville @ Orlando, Chicago & New Orleans, Denver @ LA, Baltimore @ Texas, and Birmingham @ Portland.
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