Divisional games start to unravel the cluster of teams hanging around the .500 mark as home teams have a distinct advantage this week. We got an unexpected thriller in Portland, an old-school war of attrition in Philadelphia, an upset in Michigan, and a shocking blowout in Baltimore. All reasons why the USFL has captured the hearts of so many football fans.
Portland hosting St. Louis did not look like a potential GOTW going into this Sunday, and, in fact, only a small number of households got the game on ABC because it was expected to be a dud, but the Knights and Thunder played a true shootout as both teams were unable to contain their opponents. Webster Slaughter returned from injury to catch 7 balls and 2 TDs for the Thunder, while Rocket Ismail racked up 107 through the air and Darrell Thompson rushed for 118 for the Knights.
Up early 14-6 on the strength of a Robert Drummond TD run and an Adrian Cooper TD reception, it looked like Portland was ready to break the game open as the 2nd quarter began, but when Roman Lewis stepped in front of a pass intended for Clint Didier and ran it all the way back, the momentum shifted, and St. Louis was in this game for good. They would get TD runs from both Flagler and Thompson, and late in the 4th it looked like the game would go to overtime as Archer hit Greg Scales for a game-tying TD with only 1:33 left to play.
But, the St. Louis defense had struggled to contain Jack Trudeau and the Thunder passing game all day, and with their 1:33, Portland moved the ball effectively down to the St. Louis 21 yard line, setting up Al Del Greco for the game winner. His kick sailed right down the middle and once again St. Louis would taste defeat. Portland moved to 5-5 and among the pack in the Pacific, while St. Louis boarded the plane for the long flight back and yet another disappointing result.
NJ 13 PHI 14
This is exactly the type of game we all wanted to see between these two Atlantic Division rivals. Defenses hitting hard, big performances from big players, a close game down to the end, and a fantastic finish. NJ got 134 on the ground from Walker, but Philly picked off Flutie 3 times and was down only 13-8 after 3. Two final quarter field goals gave them the win, the last one coming with 1:20 left in the game.
PIT 16 WSH 38
Don Majkowski’s 4 TD day won him POTW honors, but it could have easily gone to the Federals defense as well. They limited Mike Rozier to 47 yards rushing and despite giving up 375 in the air to Alan Risher, the Maulers were stymied time and again in the red zone. Rookie LB Michael Barrow was huge, with 9 tackles and a sack, fumble & recovery to kill one redzone drive.
JAX 14 MEM 22
Memphis showed some grit, despite a poor offensive performance that saw them gain only 248 all day. Jacksonville outgained them but costly mistakes and missed opportunities kept Memphis in the game. Down 14-13 the Showboats got a 2-yard Agie run to take the lead, and then added a late field goal to pull their record back to .500.
ORL 17 TBY 26
Orlando played hard and kept it close, but in the end there just was not enough there to steal a win in Tampa. Troy Aikman tossed 2 TDs and Eric Truvillion again topped 100 yards as the Bandits moved to 5-5 amid the Southern Division cluster.
HOU 23 MGN 26
Michigan came out blazing in this game, and the defense helped keep Jim Kelly in check with 5 sacks of the Houston signal caller as the Panthers got a key home win to move to .500. Joe Montana threw for 2 scores and Marcus Allen gained 96 yards on the day as the Panthers controlled the clock for 35 minutes and kept the ball out of the hands of Thurman Thomas to get the win.
NOR 31 TEX 21
The Breaker are beginning to find their way as TDs from DuPree and Reuben Mayes helped them pull away from the Outlaws. Brett Pease was conservative but effective, throwing for 295 yards on the day. The Breaker D picked off Kelly Stouffer 3 times, including a Gene Atkins pick-six, which boosted him to among the league leaders with 6 on the season.
OAK 16 DEN 18
Denver pulled out a gritty win at home over their division rival as Natrone Means grinded out 70 yards on 11 carries and Dave Krieg found TE Demetrius Davis for a key score late. Bobby Hebert was chased all game by the Denver D and Siran Stacy simply could not find running room as Denver crowded the line of scrimmage against the Invaders.
ARZ 6 BAL 39
The Baltmore Blitz shocked the world with a huge offensive performance against the #1 defense in the league as Arizona seemed absolutely flat on Sunday. Chris Miller threw 3 TDs and the combo of Barry Foster and Reggie Brooks combined for 135 yards on the ground as the Blitz simply overpowered the Wranglers on their way to 6-4.
CHI 17 BIR 37
Scott Zolak has done yoeman’s work these past few weeks, but asking him to keep pace with Brett Favre was simply too much. Favre threw for 3 scores and James Joseph ran one in as Birmingham turned a 17-14 lead at the half into a route by game’s end. The win puts them at 6-4 after their rough start and they now sit atop the Southern Division.
Don Majkowski had a rough first week back against Jacksonville, but this week, at home against the Maulers he proved he was ready to make a playoff push with the Federals. In a game that saw both QB’s go over 300 yards, Majkowski’s production was more impactful than that of Pittsburgh’s Alan Risher, and that helped the Federals get the decisive 22-point win. Majkowski found 7 different receivers, hitting three of them for scores, including a pair of TD’s to reliable Joey Walters. Completing 73.5% of his throws, Majkowski’s best traits shone through as he made big plays when big plays were needed. It was a controlled game, with a lot of dinking and dunking, but every once in a while Majkowski would find Walters, Moore or Gunn in man coverage and he exploited those opportunities. Washington is now 5-5, and a game behind the rest of the division, but with so many division games left, they could easily recover and find themselves deep in the thick of a playoff run. For fans who struggled as the Feds struggled under Mike Hohensee and Walter Lewis, the return of the Majik Man was a sight for sore eyes.
Let’s do this the easy way. Orlando and St. Louis appear to be out of the running. Other than that it is just a huge cluster of 6-4 and 5-5 teams. Someone needs to break off a 3 or 4 game winning streak, because this level of parity will drive the NY office crazy with tiebreakers. With several divisional games over the next 6 weeks, expect this to sort out a bit, but as we look at the current “if the season ended today” we have some weirdness in place. Just the fact that Baltimore would be the #1 seed in the East is enough to make us all question whether there is order in the universe.
Fans in Atlanta finally got their chance to check out their newest pro sports franchise as the Atlanta Fire revealed their uniforms and formally introduced their head coach to the Atlanta fanbase. Dan Reeves was on hand to reveal the new navy, orange, and gold uniforms. Atlanta will don "fire orange" jerseys with blue sleeves to go with their blue flame-licked helmets. The jerseys feature the team's "stand alone" logo, the letter A set ablaze with orange and gold flames as well. The team will have both white and blue pant sets to go with the home and away jerseys. With the orange home jerseys, Atlanta becomes the only team in the league with an orange primary look, perhaps fitting of a state known for its peaches.
Chicago was hit hard this week, with both HB Johnny Johnson and WR Wendell Davis out for the year. That is not what they want as they head to Houston for a big divisional game. New Jersey will have to win down the stretch without their starting LT, William Israel, who is also done for the year. Philly CB James Hasty is likely to miss at least a month with a ruptured disc in his back, and Oakland Center Mike Devlin could also be out that long with a broken wrist (not good for a center, you can imagine.)
Jacksonville has to face the Stallions without their top receiver as Brian Blades will miss 1-2 weeks with a stress fracture in his foo, while New Orleans HB Erric Pegram could be out that long due to a deep thigh bruise. QB Timm Rosenbach is also listed as doubtful this week after injuring his throwing hand last week. Arzona lists Trumaine Johnson as “questionable” but many in Tempe believe he will play. Expected back this week we have Texas DE John Bosa and T Eugene Chung, Portland WR Webster Slaughter, Arizona G Jim Wahler, and Chicago FS George Teague.
Another good divisional week ahead, with so many playoff implications since everyone is bunched up at 6-4 or 5-5. We start in the Pacific, where 5-5’s battle in both games. It is Denver going south to Tempe to face the Wranglers, while Oakland heads north to Portland to face the Thunder. Two teams will end up tied atop the division after these two games. In the Central, the only Western team with 6 wins, Houston, will try to put some distance between themselves and Chicago as they face the Machine in the AstroDome.
Meanwhile in New Orleans, the Breakers are an unlikely 5-5, and face another upstart in Michigan, both with a chance to grab a piece of 1st place if Chicago can upset Houston. In the South it is Memphis with the chance to gain ground as they face the 2-8 Renegades in the Liberty Bowl. In the other matchup, it is 6-4 Birmingham hoping to go up 2 games on Jacksonville with a win at the Gator Bowl against the 5-5 Bulls. And in the East, where everyone seems to be 6-4, we have the Maulers headed to Philly to face the Stars in the traditional Keystone Clash, while Baltimore is in New Jersey hoping their Cinderella season can continue. That leaves 4 teams in non-division games. 2-8 St. Louis heads to Tampa Bay and it is a battle of 5-5 squads as Texas heads to RFK to face the Federals.