With the division title on the line and two teams that play a very hard-nosed defensive style, we had a feeling that the matchup between the Arizona Wranglers and Denver Gold would be a real cage match, and we were not disappointed. Denver, with a win, would not only catch up to Arizona in the standings, but would win the tiebreaker for the division crown, while Arizona, with a win, would clinch the division outright with one week left to play. So, the stage was set for two teams to reach playoff intensity in this Mile High showdown.
The game plan was simple for the Wranglers, shut down Natrone Means and make the Gold one-dimensional, relying on a passing game that had been erratic all year. For Denver, it was al about rattling and confusing Arizona QB Scott Mitchell in his 4th start as a pro. Arizona fully succeeded in their plans. Means was absolutely stymied, limited to only 9 carries on the day, and although he did score a Denver TD (a 1 yard dive), he was simply not a factor. As for Mitchell, Denver kept the big arm in check, keeping Mitchell from the endzone, but by dinking and dunking (30 of 42) Mitchell was able to move the ball close enough to scoring range for Mick Luckhurst to connect on 4 field goals and for Darryl Clack to get his own TD plunge in the 2nd quarter.
Arizona would get the early lead on a Luckhurst kick, fall behind after Krieg found Mark Carrier for a score, and then move ahead on a 2nd field goal and the Clack score, to go into the half up 13-7. They boosted their lead with Luckhurst’s third kick, but Denver fought back, first with the Means TD, and then, with 2:35 left in the game, with Jason Elam’s 40-yarder to take a slim lead at 17-16. With just over 2 minutes to go and the Wranglers only needing a field goal, Arizona came out in 3-wide but ran the ball on 4 of 6 plays, surprising Denver, who had to play the pass first, and once again moving the ball within Mick Luckhurst’s range. When the drive stalled at the 29 yard line, Luckhurst came out and connected on a 46-yarder for the win. Arizona would be the Pacific Division Champion and get the coveted bye week. Denver, despite the loss, still qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card thanks to a combination of other results over the weekend and a solid 6-1 division record which would prove a valuable tie-breaker against teams in the division who could catch them on Week 16.
BAL 20 PHI 28
The Stars got exactly what they wanted out of the weekend, a solid win over a divisional foe and a New Jersey loss. The combo leapfrogs them over the Generals and puts them in a “win and you are in” scenario next week. Kelvin Bryant was the star of the day, rushing for 91 yards and 2 Philadelphia scores.
WSH 41 NJ 28
Both New Jersey and Washington wanted a win this week to better secure their playoff features, only one could get it. Don Majkowski made sure that team would be the Federals, throwing for 392 yards and 3 scores as the Feds put together two scoring streaks, the first a 21-point flurry in the first half, the second a 17-point 3rd quarter. Barry Word contributed 2 scores as well, and even a 4-TD day from Doug Flutie could not overcome Washington’s offensive production.
BIR 38 MEM 14
Birmingham made it official, the once 6-2 Memphis Showboats were eliminated from playoff contention after losing their 7th in a row. Brett Favre threw for 4 scores and the Stallion D snagged 4 picks of Memphis QB Shawn Moore, three by new league leader Chris Dishman, as the Stallions rolled.
TBY 13 JAX 44
Tampa’s hopes for a third straight win for interim coach Ron Zook were dashed as the Bulls sprinted to a 21-3 first quarter advantage, and easily dispatched the Bandits. Tony Eason threw for 4 scores, as he reconnected with wideout Brian Blades (97 yards and 2 scores). The win locked up the #4 seed and a home Wild Card game for the Bulls.
HOU 34 CHI 28
In a battle between two clubs already headed to the postseason, Houston edged Chicago, thanks to two scores from an unlikely target, backup TE Ron Heller. Heller and fellow TE Keith McKeller combined for 7 receptions and 109 yards receiving as Chicago focused on slowing down Houston’s outside receivers. Thurman Thomas added 115 on the ground to provide Houston with the win.
NOR 27 MGN 24
Timm Rosenbach threw for 3 scores and helped put the Breakers in a position to win on their final drive, but it was the powerful leg of Tim Mazzetti that gave New Orleans the win. With time winding down, Mazzetti barely got the ball over the crossbar from 58 yards out to break a 24-24 tie and avoid overtime. Michigan, who had tied the game on a late Holloway TD reception fell to 4-11 with the loss, while New Orleans got their 5th win of the year.
POR 17 OAK 24
In a game that could determine who advances to the Wild Card round, Portland tied the score on a fantastic catch & run from Robert Drummond, covering 81 yards with only 3:57 to play. But, that was too much time left on the clock. Bobby Hebert led the Invaders down for a final score, a Mark Duper TD catch to get the win and move Oakland into potential Wild Card position.
TEX 20 PIT 23
Texas needed to win to stay in the Wild Card hunt, after losing 4 straight, but Pittsburgh is still hoping to catch Washington and earn the division crown. The Maulers got two scores from Mike Rozier, and a late Louis Lipps TD put them up by 10 at 23-13. A desperation finish from Texas proved just too late and the Maulers held for the 3-point win, sending Texas to their 5th straight loss and all but eliminating them from the playoff hunt.
STL 17 ORL 46
Reggie Collier returned after missing a week of action and helped guide Orlando to its best offensive game of the year. Collier threw for 2 scores and both Hilliard and Fowler scored twice on the ground as the Renegades routed the Knights in Orlando. Hilliard and Fowler had their best outing as a duo, combining for 154 yards. John Jefferson caught 10 balls for 130 and 2 scores in his best performance of they year as well.
As tempting as it is to give our award to Chris Dishman’s 3-interception day in Memphis, we have to acknowledge that Birmingham’s offense forced Memphis to play catch-up and struggling QB Shawn Moore was hardly a tough target. Dishman’s performance was solid, but those balls were not difficult to steal from the Showboats.
So, we go to the Federals/Generals game for our MVP. While his numbers were not the flashiest this week (28 of 38 for 392 and 3 scores), Washington’s Don Majkowski led his team to a convincing win against a very good New Jersey team (one that had recently beaten Birmingham), and against a rough New Jersey crowd. Early TD’s to both Joey Walters and Herman Moore set the tone for the game, and despite facing pressure from Phil Hansen and LB Dino Hacket all game (2 sacks between them), the Majik Man came through and helped Washington to a big win.
Majkowski has been flirting with the Top 5 in QBR all year, flickering in and out of the rankings throughout the season. But, while his QBR has been somewhat erratic, his results have not been. The Federals have won 10 of 11 games after a rough 1-3 start to the season, and Majik’s 4,195 passing yards and 29 TD passes have been a big reason for it. The run game has had its moments, but it has been Majkowski to Walters, Moore and TE Travis McNeal which has powered the Washington Offense, currently ranked 4th in PPG and in Yards Per Game. His individual numbers are not gaudy, but the results have been exactly what Washington wanted, wins.
This week’s games added 2 more teams to the “clinched category” leaving only a few questions in doubt. Both conferences have 4 of 5 playoff positions booked, with only the #5 seed left to qualify, but several positions are still in doubt as we head into the final week. Looking ahead to the season’s final week, here is what we know:
Birmingham and Houston have clinched their divisions and the #1 seeds.
Arizona is the Pacific Division Champion and #2 seed in the West.
A win in Week 16 will give the Atlantic crown to the Federals.
A loss by Washington and a Maulers win flips the crown to Pittsburgh.
Chicago and Denver are both Wild Cards, A Chicago win = a bye.
Philadelphia clinches a Wild Card with a win this week against Pittsburgh.
New Jersey can get the Wild Card only with a win vs. Baltimore and a Philly loss.
Oakland is the last playoff team if they can win at home against Denver.
If Oakland falters, Portland can slide in to the final slot at 8-89 with a win over St. Louis
With playoff position at play in many games this week, the number of teams likely to rest players is pretty short. We do expect both Birmingham and Houston to rest several of their starters, and Arizona may do the same as well. Some of the also-ran clubs are also going to protect stars by resting them for the final week. So far, these are the players we already know are out this week:
BIRMINGHAM: Favre, Givens, Kevin Greene, Richmond Webb, and George Little
HOUSTON: Kelly, Howard Ballard, and Kiki DeAyala
ARIZONA: Trumaine Johnson and Broderick Thomas
ORLANDO: Reggie Collier, John Jefferson, and Winston Moss
ST. LOUIS: Jerry Ball and Chip Banks
TAMPA BAY: William Perry, Eric Truvillion, and Fred Stokes
TEXAS: Stouffer, Cobb, and Metcalf
Ordinarily, we would expect Thurman Thomas to sit, but he is likely to play as he tries to reach the 2,000 yards from scrimmage mark. Expect him to take a seat on the bench if and when he hits that mark. Also, in addition to resting starters, expect to see some rookies finally get playing time. We expect to see Gino Torretta start in Memphis and Alex Van Pelt may get the start for Kelly Stouffer in Texas. As for the teams playing their full rosters, look to the injury report to see who may not be available this week.
We focus on the playoff contenders who have big games this week, rather than those teams who are running out the string. Looking at the big games, here is what we see:
NJ v. BLT: For New Jersey-G Juan Castaneda (Out), SS E. McMillian (Out), CB K. Jackson (Probable)
PHI v. PIT: For Philadelphia-DT Leon Lett (Out). For Pittsburgh-QB Alan Risher (Questionable), C David Houle (Questionable)
DEN v. OAK: For Denver-DE Vince Rafferty (Out), FS Charles Mincy (Probable). For Oakland-CB C. Holmes (Out), LB R. Rivera (Out), G James Richards (Probable)
POR v. STL: For Portland-WR H. Dykes (Out), WR C. Carter (Questionable), FB M. Cade (Probable)
CHI v. WSH: For Chicago-DE E. Dorsey (Out), HB R. Watters (Out), T L. Pressley (Out). For Washington-
For some teams this is a week to rest, for others it is a week to make or break the season. You already know the stakes, so which games are can’t miss TV and which can you skip. Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh has major playoff implications for both teams and if Alan Risher cannot play, the Stars may just be able to punch their ticket to a Wild Card. New Jersey is in Baltimore and need a win (and help) to keep their playoff hopes alive. Denver @ Oakland will be big as well. The Gold can clinch a home playoff game with a win, but Oakland needs to win to get into the dance. Portland is in St. Louis and need a win, and an Oakland loss to get in. The only interconference game with any playoff implications is Chicago at Washington. Both teams improve their status, and will get a bye week if they can win this game. In other games, the ones that maybe you don’t make a day of, we have Arizona at Tampa, Texas at New Orleans, Michigan @ Houston, Memphis @ Orlando, and Jacksonville against largely the second squad in Birmingham.
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