They always say that you can throw away the records when two rivals play each other, and that was certainly the case when the Renegades faced off against the Bulls this week. Orlando came in at 2-9 and already dreaming of next season, while the Bulls, at 6-5 are right in the thick of a crowded playoff battle. So what else do we expect except a back and forth game that ends up in overtime?
Orlando’s Reggie Collier is certainly not running out the clock this year, despite the team’s failures. On this day he did all he could to help the Renegades to a victory, throwing for 330 yards and 3 scores, including a TD toss to John Jefferson with 8 seconds left in the game to send the affair into overtime. The catch was Jefferson’s second TD grab of the day, two of 11 catches for 112 yards as he too is giving the game his all.
Orlando needed to come back because Jacksonville had turned a 14-10 halftime deficit into a 21-14 lead thanks largely to an Eason to Robb Thomas TD and a successful 2 point Pat. Eason had also had a big game, finishing with 313 yards and 2 scores. With the Jefferson TD, Eason was assured of more opportunity to give Jacksonville the win they needed to hang on in the highly competitive Southern Division.
In overtime, both teams struggled to put the game away. Orlando had a chance, but when Hollis missed a 47-yard kick, the air went out of the Renegades. With just over 3 minutes left in the extra period, Jacksonville needed only 3, but they played as if down by 7, going for it on 4th and 1 from their own 48, then completing a 3rd and 13 pass to move down to the 22 yard line. On the ensuing 1st down, instead of using inside runs to get Stoyanovich into range, they faked the handoff, and Eason found Vince Workman swinging out to the right. He had a TE and Jefferson in front of him as blockers, and Workman rumbled the final 22 yards and into the endzone to give the Bulls what had been elusive all day. The win evened their record at 6-6 and made Orlando the first 10-loss team of the season. And once again a rivalry game lived up to the hype and kept 44,000 fans on the edges of their seats.
WSH 34 BAL 30
Baltimore played the Federals tough all day, but in the end there was just too much from Majkowski for the Blitz to handle. The Federal QB finished the game with 3 scores, finding Walters, Moore, and Gunn each for a score as Washington moved their record to 7-5.
PIT 17 NJ 14
The Generals played without Doug Flutie, but managed to take a 14-0 lead into the half only to watch Pittsburgh battle their way back. Momentum turned on an Oliver Luck pass intercepted by Quintin Jones, and Alan Risher hit on his only TD of the day with 1:05 left to give the Maulers a huge divisional road win.
TBY 10 BIR 37
Birmingham asserted their dominance, breaking open a 3-3 game with 34 unanswered points as Brett Favre completed 21 of 31 for 322 yards and 3 scores. The Stallion D also held Rhett to only 46 yards rushing and Tampa to only 1 of 10 on third down in the key divisional game.
CHI 13 MGN 37
Chicago simply could not generate enough offense against an improving Michigan defense, and Marcus Allen contributed 2 scores for the Panthers as they rolled over the Machine. Michigan’s Joe Montana was at his best, completing nearly 79% of his passes and guiding the Panthers on 7 different scoring drives over the course of the game.
TEX 17 HOU 27
Houston again bested their in-state rival as Kelly connected with Clarence Verdin twice and hit Thurman Thomas for a 70-yard score to ice the game. Thomas would finish the game with 83 yards rushing on 18 carries and 74 yards receiving (70 on the one key play). The win puts Houston 3 games over .500 and keeps them atop the Western Conference.
ARZ 0 OAK 23
Arizona came out flat, and Robbie Bosco made two many mistakes as the Oakland defense scored the shutout at home. Hebert, despite being sacked 5 times by the aggressive Wrangler pass rush, completed 23 of 37and threw 2 TDs to lead the Invaders. Henry Ellard also came up big, with 102 yards receiving and the game’s first score.
DEN 6 STL 17
After coming close but failing so many times, the Knights finally put all the pieces together as they upended the Denver Gold to earn their 3rd win of the year. David Archer went 28 of 35 for 274 yards and 2 scores and the Knights defense held Denver to only 58 yards rushing. Denver, having lost 3 of 4, has to be considering if Krieg or Brunell gives them a better chance down the stretch.
NO 13 PHI 34
That Philadelphia defense once again proved to be too powerful for their opposition, forcing 4 Breaker turnovers, and knocking Brent Pease out of the game. 3rd stringer Gus Frerotte struggled in relief, throwing three picks, and the Philly offense capitalized, as Chuck Long threw 3 scores to 3 different receivers and Kelvin Bryant rushed for 115 in the home win.
POR 17 MEM 48
Memphis used home cooking, a big day from Greg Boone, and 4 Portland turnovers to blow past the Thunder and earn their 7th win. Boone finished with 116 yards and 2 scores, and Mike Kelley threw for 4 more in one of his best performances of the year.
Mike Kelley started the season on thin ice. Memphis had invested a significant amount to sign Heath Shuler from Tennessee, and it seemed clear that the thought was to replace Kelley as soon as Shuler was comfortable within the system. That has not happened, and the main reason has been the strong play of Kelley. This game was just the latest of several games where Kelley seemed to make a statement about his worth to the team. His hold on the starting job seems secure and now the Showboats will have to decide if they will protect both Kelley and Shuler in the expansion draft, but if Kelley continues to play the way he did this week (28 of 42, 275 yards and 4 TDs), it would be unthinkable that Memphis would let him go.
Kelley dissected the Portland defense for 60 minutes as the Showboats dominated the game from start to finish. Sitting at 7-5 they find themselves within range of Birmingham and well within the Wild Card race as well. A playoff berth this year is likely to be seen as Kelley’s work almost more than that of the team as a whole. And, what of Heath Shuler, who has played the dutiful backup all season? Will Memphis retain him as a backup for a 2nd season, or will he prove valuable in the offseason market as teams try to retain as much talent as they can during the expansion and free agency process.
Looking at the current playoff standings, we are still well in the middle of a muddle of teams, however, recent streaks can help shed some light on the situation. Birmingham and Philadelphia have both won 4 in a row and now lead their divisions by a game. Washington and Memphis are coming on strong, with 3 wins in a row, while the Generals, Maulers, Bandits, and Blitz need to start building streaks of their own. Out West, Oakland has gained a slight advantage over the field in the Pacific, while Houston now holds a 1.5 game lead in the Central. Denver, Texas and Portland now find themselves 2 games under .500 and need to play catchup if they hope to catch those above them. Divisional games will be vital down the stretch to see if we will have teams break away or will retain a middling group around the .500 mark, all hoping the tie breakers are in their favor.
As we head down the home stretch, there is hardly a team that is not dealing with significant injuries, and hardly a player who is not dinged up in some way. Doug Flutie is expected back after a week away, but in Texas it is believed that Kelly Stouffer could be at least another week away before he can return. In New Orleans, both Pease and Rosenbach are listed as Probable, so we expect to see the Breakers bringing Rosenbach back in. Meanwhile, in Denver, Dave Krieg is expected to be able to play, but may give way to Mark Brunell anyway. Philadelphia’s defense continues to roll but will be without LB Frank Stams at least a month, and perhaps for the remainder of the year. Oakland will miss starting RT Randy Dixon for the rest of the regular season as well.
Week 13 pits each conference’s two divisions against each other, with the Southern teams traveling north to the Atlantic Division and the Pacific teams headed east to play the Central Division. While perhaps not as high stakes as divisional games, conference record is almost surely going to be a factor in playoff calculations. The best game of the week is likely to be Birmingham at New Jersey, with both teams well in the playoff mix. 7-5 Pittsburgh hosting 7-5 Memphis should also be a good game.
Don’t sleep on Oakland at New Orleans, Arizona at Houston, or Jacksonville at Philadelphia either. For some teams, such as the 5-7 clubs, the games this week are essential. Expect tight play as Denver visits Michigan and when Portland clashes with Texas. Chicago has to hope they can get back on track as they host St. Louis, and Washington is hoping to keep their win streak alive against Orlando. Finally, we have 6-6 Tampa Bay visiting 6-6 Baltimore in a battle between two clubs no one expected to be at .500 this late in the season.