Atlanta wins its 2nd in a row, Washington loses another in an epic comeback, Pittsburgh roll s and Jacksonville moves one step closer to clinching the Southern Division as we start getting serious about playoff positioning. In a week with no shortage of drama there were games across the board which will have playoff implications, but none bigger than this week’s GOTW.
In a game that would go to overtime after two massive fourth quarter drives, Chicago came back to tie with only 6 seconds on the clock and then held momentum into the extra period to knock off the Washington Federals and stay right in the hunt for the Central Division title. Dan McGwire showed his grit, leading the Machine back in the 4th and then securing the win with an epic opening drive in overtime to put the game away as Chicago once again finds hope in a backup QB.
This game was nip and tuck throughout, as both defenses played well, but so did both quarterbacks. Dan McGwire stuck to the game plan of short, quick passes to minimize the impact of the Washington pass rush. Don Majkowski took the occasional shot, but also found that Chicago’s defensive shell forced him to play small ball throughout the game. Both teams also used a HB rotation to keep possession and slow down momentum for their opponent. Between the two teams we had 206 yards rushing, with Barry Word leading the Federals with a 5.2 YPC average while Ricky Watters struggled to only 2.5 YPC, but got relief from the more elusive Mario Bates (4.6 YPC). But in the end, it was the passing game for Chicago that helped snag the win.
The first half was largely a testing out period, with Chicago getting an early McGwire to Eccles TD and the Feds settling for 2 Doug Pelfrey field goals. Washington would take the lead 14-7 on a Terry Kirby TD run in the 3rd and a successful 2-point try. Chicago would find their equalizer as the 3rd quarter wound down as McGwire found Wendell Davis from 2 yards out on a rub route. In the 4th, Majkowski found his new favorite target, Duane Gunn, for six and the Federals took the 21-14 lead. The lead held through two short possessions by Chicago, but with 2:07 left to play, the Machine got one more chance, and this time they would find their equalizer. Moving the ball down the field with 5 consecutive completions, one aided by a roughing the passer call on Dexter Manley, Chicago moved deep into Washington territory. A draw to Bates got them to the 2, and, after using their final timeout, McGwire found TE Eccles again, with only 6 clicks left on the clock, to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Chicago would win the coin toss, and seemingly found a tired Washington defense waiting for them. It took 9 plays, but once again the Machine soon found themselves inside the 10 yard line of Washington. Knowing that a field goal would only extend the game, Chicago kept pushing towards the end zone, and on a 3rd and 1 from the 1, Mario Bates darted off the right side and plunged into the end zone to give the Machine the win. Chicago, now 8-2, would take a share of first place with the win, thanks to a Houston loss the day before, and Washington, with a loss, dropped to 8-2, with 3 teams in the Atlantic only 1 game behind now as the division tightens up. The loss may have also cost Washington LB Winston Moss for a game or two as he left the field limping after a tough collision with Chicago fullback Kimble Anders.
BAL 37 HOU 17
Houston simply did not have it working on Saturday when they faced the Baltimore Blitz. Despite 106 yards from Thurman Thomas, an early injury to QB Jim Kelly hampered the the Gamblers all game, as they fell behind at the half and never fully recovered. Derrick Fenner led Baltimore with 91 yards rushing and a TD, and a late Leslie Frazier pick-six ended any hopes of a comeback.
NJ 23 MGN 14
Michigan dropped their fourth in a row as New Jersey got the win in Rob Johnson’s first start. Johnson led a conservative attack that relied heavily on Herschel Walker (26 carries for 98 yards) and the New Jersey defense held Michigan to only 49 yards rushing as the Panthers continue to fade.
OHI 27 NOR 13
Jeff Hostetler had his best game since coming over from Pittsburgh, throwing for 3 TD’s as Ohio found holes in the Breaker defense. The Glory also had an answer for the Breakers offense, limiting Jamie Martin to 132 yards passing and only 1 successful third down conversion on the day.
PHI 30 STL 24
It was not easy for the Stars, but 20 consecutive points scored in the 3rd and 4th quarters helped them pull away from a game Knights team. Charlie Garner was held to only 42 yards rushing, but 4 St. Louis turnovers, including 3 interceptions by rookie Todd Collins, helped Philadelphia get the road win.
PIT 34 TEX 3
Pittsburgh remained the hottest team in the league with an absolute mauling of Texas in San Antonio. The Maulers got a combined 134 yards rushing from Rozier and backup Dorsey Levins, and Alan Risher completed an incredible 83% of his passes on the day as Texas simply had no answers. The Pittsburgh D also proved impenetrable, as they limited Reggie Cobb to only 16 yards on 11 carries.
TBY 14 ARZ 27
Arizona got the win they needed to return to .500 as John Fourcade again struggled to move the Tampa Bay offense. Robbie Bosco had his best game of the season, throwing for 3 scores as the Wranglers played error-free football and took advantage of 4 Tampa Bay turnovers for the W.
SEA 3 DEN 23
Seattle continued to struggle with David Klingler at QB as Denver dispatched the Dragons quite handily behind 25 carries for Rashaan Salaam, and 3 Jeff Wilkens field goals. Denver held the ball for nearly 40 minutes as they wore down the Seattle defense, gaining 21 first downs to Seattle’s 10 over the course of the day.
BIR 24 LA 20
Birmingham got 3 TDs from Brett Favre, with Lawrence Dawsey returning to the lineup to catch 7 balls for 124 yards, as the Stallions edged a determined LA Express team. Brent Pease threw for 3 scores to keep the Express in the game, but were unable to recover an onside kick after pulling to within 4 late in the game.
JAX 24 OAK 19
A huge win for the Bulls as the visitors scored 14 points in the final 5 minutes to shock the Oakland crowd. Chris Chandler hit rookie Kez McCorvey for a score with 2:52 left, then, after recovering an onside kick, Chandler did it again, finding Howard Bishop for the game winner with only 44 seconds to play. Oakland, which had led 19-10 only minutes earlier, was left without a response and the Bulls moved a step closer to locking up the Southern Division with the win.
MEM 31 POR 28
Portland could not take advantage of the Oakland loss, as 2nd year Memphis QB Heath Shuler impressed in his first start of the year. Shuler completed 23 of 33 for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns. He got a lot of help from veteran Greg Boone, who had his first 100-yard game this year, rushing for 115 and a score as Memphis pulled off the road upset in Portland.
ORL 22 ATL 23
Atlanta made it two wins in a row as Cliff Stoudt engineered a 4th quarte drive that ended with a TD to Glenn Kozlowski with only 11 seconds left to play. For the first time all season the Fire gained over 100 yards rushing, as Bernie Parmalee and Ricky Blake combined for 128 on the day. Orlando’s Scott Mitchell threw for 2 scores but had to watch helplessly as the veteran Stoudt drove Atlanta to the win.
1. QB Switches Lead to Immediate Results: The big story this week was the benching of two longtime starters at QB, and the success of the young upstarts. Memphis opted to give Heath Shuler the chance that fans had been clamoring for and Shuler provided immediate dividends, helping Memphis to a road win in Portland. Shuler found success throwing wide to Jo-Jo Townsell (5 receptions for 112 yards and 2 scores) and Carl Pickens (6 receptions for 47 yards), and seemed nimble enough to avoid the Portland pass rush. In the SilverDome, Rob Johnson got the nod over Doug Flutie, and while not quite as successful (23 of 39 for 196), was able to guide the Generals to a win. With both clubs on the outside of playoff contention, looking in, it seems a good time to test out their young QB’s to see if they may be looking at a generational change at the position. At least at first glance there seem to be some positives to take away from the first games from both young guns.
2. Kelly Injury Not Serious: Houston got the news it was hoping for after Jim Kelly left the game against Baltimore with what looked like a left knee injury. X-rays confirmed no fractures, and after evaluations on Monday, Kelly was cleared to play next week, although he will likely wear a protective brace to keep the knee stabilized. Without Kelly the Houston offense looked vulnerable, and with Chicago now tied atop the Central, the Gamblers can ill afford losing their field marshal down the stretch.
3. Panthers Lost in the Jungle: Losing their 4th in a row has to have Michigan questioning some of their roster choices this year. While the trade of Marcus Allen in favor of rookie Tyrone Wheatley has clearly paid off, with Wheatley near the top of the rushing board, veteran Joe Montana simply has not been able to replicate his NFL success with the Panthers. A lack of top level wideouts is partially to blame, but it also seems that Montana simply does not have the same ability to will his team to victories that we saw in San Francisco. With the defense struggling right now, and with teams keying on the run, Michigan appears to be quickly fading out of playoff contention, and many believe that Montana may hang up the cleats once the season is done, leaving Michigan with a need at QB, leaving many concerned because the 1996 draft class does not appear to have any clearly pro-ready prospects at the position.
4. Maulers on a Mission: On the opposite side of the spectrum we find Pittsburgh, winners of 6 straight, and Philadelphia, winners of 4 straight, both making serious claims on the division which Washington now only holds onto by 1 game. The Maulers have rediscovered their run game, and the ageless Mike Rozier seems more than capable of bearing the load of the offense, while the Stars are winning with defense, but also with a good balance between Chuck Long’s passing and Charlie Garner’s run game. Washington still holds an edge, as they remain undefeated in divisional play, but these final few weeks are likely to be a messy give and take as the teams in the Atlantic battle it out. Even Ohio, having won 2 in a row, is now a factor, potentially playing spoiler down the stretch.
5. Injury Update: While Jim Kelly escaped serious injury this week, not everyone was so lucky. Orlando LT Robert Curry is likely gone for the season with a ruptured Achilles. Portland LB Todd Howard is also likely finished as he suffered a major hamstring injury this week. Jacksonville will be without FS Mark Carrier for the next 6 weeks with an abdominal tear, and they also lose T Antone Davis to a biceps injury. In Seattle, wideout O.J. McDuffie just cannot stay healthy, as he will be out again after suffering a neck injury against Denver. And in New Jersey, Dino Hackett is likely to be out a couple of weeks with a lower back issue.
Some positive news on the injury front, Birmingham’s #1 receiver may be back this week for the first time since the opening week. Ernest Givens was cleared for action and returned to practice on Wednesday. Others potentially returning this week include SS Eric Reid in Jacksonville, G Todd Kalis in Arizona, LB Scott Stephen in Seattle, and LB Kurt Gouveia in Denver, who suffered a concussion this week but was cleared to resume play.
Our first playoff preview of the season finds things getting awfully tight in the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions, while the 2-team dogfight in the Central continues and Jacksonville now looks poised to clinch the Southern Division. With 5 teams in the Eastern Conference already at 7 wins, and with a 3 game gap between 5th place Baltimore and 6th place Orlando, it seems secure which teams will be making the playoffs in the conference, so now it is all about jockeying for position and for byes. In the West, Houston and Chicago will continue to battle for the Central crown and the #1 seed, while there are 6 teams fighting for 3 playoff spots, all either at 6-4 or 5-5. Portland currently holds the tiebreaker to take the Pacific, but they cannot feel safe with Denver, Oakland and Arizona all within range to steal it from them.
Week 12 gives us the first of the “home stretch” divisional clashes, with nearly all clubs in divisional play. Washington and Baltimore play in Memorial Stadium in a game that could make things very interesting in the Atlantic. Philadelphia hopes to take out the Generals and QB Rob Johnson to keep pace, and Pittsburgh faces Ohio in Columbus. In Birmingham it is a battle of 4-6 clubs as the Memphis Showboats visit the Stallions. Jacksonville hopes to remove Orlando from contention when the two play in the Gator Bowl. Tampa is the lone Southern team out of division this week as they travel to Seattle to face the Dragons.
Texas and New Orleans have tough road clashes this week as they face Chicago and Houston respectively. Meanwhile St. Louis travels to Michigan in a battle of clubs that are just evaluating talent at this point. Out west we find Oakland in Denver in one key clash of Pacific clubs, while Portland visits the LA Express and the Arizona Wranglers take on the visiting Atlanta Fire.
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