The Playoff picture gets an overhaul with important home wins by Philadelphia, Chicago, and Nashville. Meanwhile, Boston claws back into the playoff picture with a tough win in Denver and the Oakland Invaders get a tough win on the road in Memphis. It is getting tense across the league, and while some clubs, like Ohio and Orlando could be in real trouble, others, like Pittsburgh, Boston, and Seattle are still fighting hard for a possible playoff spot. Let’s get right to the action and then take a look at the situation as we enter the final month of action across the league.
WASHINGTON FEDERALS 31 PHILADELPHIA STARS 38
The Feds and the Stars gave us an epic divisional clash with first place on the line this Sunday. Both clubs came in at 8-3, the Stars riding a 3-game losing streak after a masterful 8-0 start, Washington winners of 3 of their last 4. This game would be a rematch of a pretty good 16-13 Stars victory in week 6, now 6 weeks later.
The Stars would dominate the first half, taking a 31-7 lead into the break, but Washington would turn the tables in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points to even the score at 31 with 5 minutes left in the game. Could the Stars hold on and avoid a 4th straight loss, or would Washington continue their 2nd half domination and take home the win, vaulting themselves into first place for the first time all season?
Before we get to the game’s conclusion, let’s start with a first half utterly dominated by the Stars. Washington won the coin toss and deferred, so the Stars began the game with the ball. They would need only 5 plays to get the ball in the end zone, with Kurt Warner taking advantage of a Washington blitz to locate Steve Smith for the first of his game high 3 touchdowns. Smith, who would finish the day with 151 yards on only 4 catches (a 37.8 YPC average), was a constant threat to get deep, and on the first drive of the game he did just that. Locked up in single coverage, Smith brought in the fly route and highstepped his way out of an ankle tackle before finishing off the 39-yard play. When Washington failed to convert their first 3rd down attempt of the game, the Stars went right back on offense.
Philadelphia would add another score on their second drive, pushing the ball into the Washington red zone before returning HB Michael Robinson, after missing 2 games, burst off the right side for 14 yards, putting the homestanding Stars up 14-0. It looked like the Stars would get the ball back one more time in the quarter as they forced Washington into a 3rd and 12, but with a blitz on, Star defenders wrapped around the pocket, but instead of locking up Kordell Stewart, the Philadelphia pressure created an open lane for the athletic QB, and Stewart did the rest, spinning, juking, and sprinting his way to a 58-yard TD run, his 5th of the season, tying St. Louis’s Jeff Blake with 5.
The 2nd quarter opened with Philly up 14-7, but it was a quarter to be dominated by the Stars. Kurt Warner connected with Steve Smith twice more for scores, one from 16 yards out, the other a deep bomb that went 84 yards before Smith crossed the end line and put Philadelphia up 28-7. The Stars defense also fared very well in the period, limiting Deuce McCallister to only 21 yards on his first 8 carries.
The emphasis for the Stars at the half was on finishing the game out strong, while for Washington it was about pride and about not letting the deficit keep them from their goal, a division title. The Feds would get the ball first, and they would immediately implement a new strategy, having Stewart roll out of the pocket with his halfback, threatening the option run, but more often than not throwing to an open slot receiver, either Kellen Davis or Heath Miller. The strategy worked and after a long 11-play possession, the Feds kicked a field goal to get them within 21. Then, on the very first play of the Stars’ first possession, they would get the break that would shift momentum their way and deflate the Star sideline.
Kurt Warner opened the 2nd half trying to hit Smith again, but instead of his deep threat receiver, he found CB Brandon Flowers. The undersized corner stepped in front of the pass and had clear sailing from there down the sideline to the endzone 32 yards later. That defensive play not only pulled Washington back to a 14-point deficit, but also silenced the Philadelphia crowd.
After a short Star drive ended with a punt, Washington’s offense went to work again, again using roll outs to loosen up the Star defense. With Stewart and McCallister both taking turns with carries, Philadelphia crept up their secondary, and that is when Stewart hit Eddie Kennison for a 32-yard TD strike, with Kennison catching the ball just outside the 10 and then making a bee line to the corner pylon.
The Star lead was down to 7 and once again the offense proved incapable of sustaining a drive, Steve Slaton stuffed behind the line on a 3rd and 1 from their own 44. Philly punted, and Washington again converted on a drive. This one killed nearly 8 minutes, with 14 plays, including 2 costly penalties from the Stars, and ended with Deuce McCallister evening the score (with PAT) on a 3-yard inside run.
The Stars were looking flustered, but they were still in the game, still tied and would get the ball back with plenty of time left, 5:09 when Doug Pelfrey kicked the ball back to Carlos Rogers. The Stars opted to shake things up a bit as well, focusing the passing attack not on Smith, but on TE Dallas Clark. Clark would catch 3 of his 5 receptions on the day on this drive. Mixed with runs from both Slaton and Robinson, Philadelphia seemed to find a formula that workedagainst Washington’s coverage schemes. It took 9 plays, but when Reche Caldwell’s 2nd and 7 catch brough the ball to the Washington 6, they were in the red zone and had just over a minute to kill clock and kick a game winner.
Washington, knowing that the Stars would be content to run the ball, kill clock, and kick on the final play of the game, went for a risky gambit. On 1st and Goal, they let Michael Robinson score. The Stars back seemed almost perplexed when Washington defenders, rather than try to stuff him, seemed to hold him up as he fell into the endzone. Washington would get the ball back with nearly a minute left, down by 7, but with time to potentially equalize. A risky gambit to be sure, and one that traditionalists would despite, but one which left enough time for Stewart and the offense to potentially send the game to overtime.
Of course, the strategy of letting your opponent score to save time only works if the offense can quickly move the ball down the field and get the equalizer. That did not happen for Washington in this game. After earning a first down with their first play, Washington went for a deep ball to Deion Branch, but Philly’s Quentin Jammer was ready. His interception showed the folly of Washington’s gambit, giving the Stars the ball and the ability to end the game with a knee. The Stars looked to be in trouble but found a way to pull this game out and retake command of the division. Washington perhaps learned a valuable lesson, but also showed that they could hang with the Stars should a third showdown be necessary.
OHIO 24 CHICAGO 29
Chicago’s defense comes up huge, with 6 sacks of Kerry Collins, and just a complete shutdown of Eddie George to help the Machine take the W and put Ohio 4 games behind the leaders in the division. Michael Turner also did his part, taking the pressure off of Kyle Orton with 126 yards rushing. Orton fared pretty well, completing 15 of 25 passes and tossing TD’s to Donald Driver and Aaron Shea as the Machine thrill the home fans with a big win in the division.
PITTSBURGH 30 ORLANDO 12
Another week and another QB goes down. The good news for Orlando is that Drew Brees could be back as soon as Week 14, but the bad news is that at 5-7 their playoff hopes are slipping away. Pittsburgh realizes their hopes are also slim, but they are proving tenacious nevertheless. DeShaun Foster was the big star in this game, rushing for 107 yards and 2 scores for the Maulers.
JACKSONVILLE 17 ATLANTA 19
The Fire get a win at home as Jacksonville cannot connect on a game-ending field goal. Charles Woodson got the game off on the right foot for Atlanta, picking off Delhomme only 23 seconds into the game. After that, field goals by Josh Scobee and a 3rd quarter TD form Thigpen to Reed were enough for the Fire, who limited Jacksonville to only 3 points in the second half to hold on for the W.
TAMPA BAY 27 CHARLOTTE 7
Henry Burris struggled, while Daunte Culpepper cruised in this lopsided win for the Bandits. Culpepper threw for 3 scores and Willis McGahee rushed for 122 yards as the Bandits racked up 354 yards of offense on their way to a comfortable division win.
NEW JERSEY 16 NEW ORLEANS 20
The Generals continue to fight for Coach Romeo Crennel, but also continue to come up short. Trailing 16-7 after 3 quarters, the Breakers flipped the switch in the final 15 and outpaced New Jersey 13-0 to take the narrow win. Eli Manning threw for both Breaker TD’s and Fred Jackson averaged 7.2 yards per carry as he fared better than starter Matt Forte in the game.
BIRMINGHAM 7 LOS ANGELES 10
The Stallions were in this one until the end, but just could not mount enough of an offense to catch or bypass the Express in LA. Neither team showed much on offense as the two teams did not reach 500 yards combined on the day. Maurice Jones-Drew got the lone TD for LA while Felix Jones had Birmingham’s only points.
SEATTLE 31 PORTLAND 7
After having their win streak snapped at 6 last week, Seattle rebounded in definitive fashion, dominating the Portland Stags in all phases. Despite Jonathan Stewart rushing for 149 on the day, Portland fell behind 10-7 at the half, and then watched as Seattle scored on their first 3 possessions of the second half to pull away.
LAS VEGAS 24 NASHVILLE 29
A necessary home win for the Knights as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive at 6-6. Las Vegas outgained the Knights (360-279) but committed 10 penalties, which killed drives and on two occasions took the team out of field goal range. The Knights were effective against the run, limiting Lynch to 57 yards on 19 carries, while the combo of Frank Gore and Leon Johnson produced 114 yards for Nashville.
TEXAS 17 BALTIMORE 31
Baltimore rolls to their 8th win of the year by balancing the run and the pass. Ben Roethlisberger connected with three different receivers on scoring drives and Ron Dayne punched in a 4th TD as the Blitz took over the game in the second half, scoring all 24 points of the final 30 minutes.
ARIZONA 14 HOUSTON 31
The Gamblers did not fall for the trap game, taking a 21-0 lead by the end of the first half and cruising to a home win against Arizona. Shaun Alexander rushed for an even 100 yards and Ike Hiliard caught two Hasselbeck TDs as Houston put away the 1-win Wranglers.
MICHIGAN 43 ST. LOUIS 37
A wild game in St. Louis, one that saw pick-sixes from both teams and 9 total touchdowns. St. Louis had a 37-34 lead, but a 65-yard pick six from Michigan’s Kenny Phillips gave the lead to Michigan and they held on to win a game they had to have. Brian Griese threw for 3 scores, while Jeff Blake ran 2 in for St. Louis. Justin Fargas also added 114 and a TD while Dominique Rhodes led St. Louis with 95 yards on 14 carries.
BOSTON 10 DENVER 9
The exact opposite type of game in Denver as defense dominated for both teams. Adrian McPherson struggled to 9 of 32 passing, but Rashard Mendenhall’s 116 yards and his lone TD were enough for Boston to win their 3rd in a row and return the Cannons to .500. Matt Leinart connected with Peerless Price 10 times for 157 yards but Denver just could not turn yards into points, settling for field goals on their 3 scoring drives.
OAKLAND 35 MEMPHIS 32
The Invaders make the case that they are an elite team this year with a tough road win in Memphis. Brett Favre went 20 of 26 for 257 yards and 4 TDs, outdueling Joey Harrington, but Oakland won the game thanks to a balanced attack that included TDs from Williams, Dudley, Norwood, and Jennings, but the play of the game was from rookie DeSean Jackson, who took a punt after Memphis’s first drive of the 3rd quarter and returned it 65 yards for a score.
It’s Showdown Season
This week we saw two key divisional showdowns with Philadelphia topping Washington and Chicago upending Ohio. Next week we get the Machine at the Panthers with the Central Division lead on the line. It is the time of year when teams are fine tuning for the postseason and battling for positioning and for playoff spots. In addition to the divisional clashes, there are plenty of heavyweight fights among division leaders, such as this week’s Oakland-Memphis clash.
Next week will see not only the Battle for the Central, but also good matchups of Denver @ Baltimore, Philadelphia @ Memphis, and Nashville @ Oakland, In Week 14 it will be Baltimore at Houston, Seattle @ Ohio, Boston at Philadelphia, Memphis @ Orlando, and Tampa Bay at Nashville. Week 15 could be huge when Boston hosts Washington, Oakland heads to Seattle, and Houston is in Chicago, and it all wraps up with Week 16, where Ohio faces Oakland, Philadelphia takes on Michigan, Denver has their divisional clash at Houston, and the Federals renew their rivalry with Baltimore.
Brees Out for 1-2 Weeks, Orlando May Be Out of Playoff Hunt
The Renegades got a big scare on Saturday when Drew Brees had to be helped off the field. The good news is that Brees’s knee is only a sprain and not major ligament damage. He could return as soon as Week 14, but the bad news is that Orlando is struggling, losing their last two games, three of the last four, and now could be out of playoff contention before Brees is even able to return to action against Memphis. Sitting at 5-7, Orlando is now well out of the Divisional race, with Tampa Bay wrapping up the Southeast at 11-1, but they are also a game behind Nashville, who sit at 6-6. If they cannot upend Jacksonville in Jacksonville next week, they could easily be 2 games out of a tie with Nashville with only 3 to play.
It seems obvious that the injury to rookie DE Calais Campbell has caused the defense to struggle, and that has put more pressure on the offense, and in 3 of the last 4 games, that offense has not gotten it done, scoring 7, 16, and 12 points. What began as a disaster with Orlando starting the season 1-4, then seemed to turn around, thanks to a 4-1 run, but now, with the past two losses, the Renegades may be quickly fading out of the picture.
Birmingham To Go With Wright For Rest of Season
The quarterback carousel continues in Birmingham, where it seems clear that there is a clash between ownership and Coach Austin. While it is well-known that ownership, for reasons we cannot comprehend, wants to see Jason Campbell under center, Coach Austin has announced that the starter will not be Campbell, but Anthony Wright. Wright was the 3rd string QB when the season began, but after Campbell was benched and CFL import Dave Dickenson was injured, Wright got a start and looked good in his first game, so Austin has named him the starter. His game this week was not nearly as good, going 18 of 32 for 165 yards and a pick, but Austin must see something to keep him under while a healthy Campbell sits on the bench.
It may be a moot point if Austin cannot get the Stallions ready for a home game against Charlotte in Week 13. It is the Stallions’ best bet to get a 2nd win, with New Orleans, Nashville, and Memphis on tap after that, and if Austin’s Stallions finish the year at 1-15 there is a real chance that the ownership will clean house. Of course, Birmingham may also be looking at an ownership change as Marvin Warner Jr, who inherited the team when team founder Warner Sr. passed away, is in deep heat with the Feds due to his role in the current banking and mortgage crisis. The USFL is conducting their own investigation and, if due to malfeasance or simply financial collapse, Warner is found to be unfit to retain the team, the Stallions could be sold. None of that likely impacts what happens on the field, but it certainly helps explain some of the chaos that has turned this once proud organization into one which has floundered, with 4 straight losing seasons, and a 5th guaranteed already this year.
Atlanta to Switch Back to Garrard
More QB uncertainty as Atlanta Head Coach Jay Gruden has seen enough of Tyler Thigpen. Coach Gruden announced this week that David Garrard will return under center in Week 13. Thigpen has started the past 6 games since being given the wheel for Week 7’s game in Orlando. In that 6 game window, Thigpen has thrown for 4 scores and 9 picks, with a QB Rating of 59.9. For comparison, in the first six games of the year Garrard threw for 3 scores and 7 picks, and his QBR of 61.0 is barely better than what we have seen from Thigpen.
It seems clear that Atlanta does not have their franchise QB on the roster right now. They will have to finish out the year with these two as the best options, but we all know what fans of the Fire want. They want University of Georgia QB Matt Stafford, who is going into his final season for the Bulldogs as a potential Heisman candidate. Stafford, playing for UGA, will be available to Atlanta in the USFL’s Territorial Draft, and it seems a no-brainer that Coach Gruden and the Fire will take a long hard look at the young QB. It would be a shock if Stafford was not one of the 3 T-Draft picks Atlanta protects from the rest of the USFL in the T-Draft, but their bigger concern is almost certainly the NFL. Stafford is considered a Top 5 prospect and could very easily be the top pick of whichever NFL club finishes the 2008 Fall season with the league’s worst record. Can Atlanta convince Stafford to stay in Georgia at what likely would be a more modest contract than the NFL alternative, or could the Fire lose Stafford to the fall league? And if they do, what else will they do to land a viable starter?
Week 12 and the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. While Tampa Bay remains the only team with a confirmed playoff spot, and are only 1 win away from an assured bye in the first round, others are well within range and could clinch this week with the right combination of results. Michigan, Oakland, and Chicago are likely to clinch this week, and Philadelphia could join them with a win.
We do have more clubs eliminated as Birmingham, St. Louis and Texas join Arizona with that dubious distinction. In the Wild Card race, we have 4 teams realistically alive for 1 space in the East, with Nashville currently in the position of controlling their own destiny. If they slip, Boston, with their 3-game winning streak, is right back in contention at 6-6, while New Orleans and Orlando remain in range for a potential late run, only 1 game back at 5-7.
In the West, there are 4 teams within 1 game of the 6th playoff position, with Las Vegas at 7-5 and able to control their own destiny. Four more wins and Las Vegas is assured of the spot, but if they slip, there is Seattle also at 7-5, and behind them the 6-6 clubs in Portland and Ohio.
As for divisional races, we have two where the two frontrunners are tied, with Denver and Houston both sitting at 8-4, and in the Central where the Panthers and Machine both sit at 10-2. Philadelphia has a 1-game lead on Washington, while Oakland, Memphis, and Tampa Bay all have multiple game leads on their divisions.
A light week for injuries, with a few 2-4 week concerns but no new IR placements. St. Louis OT Ross Verba is perhaps the most severe injury with some tendon damage to his right wrist. He could be back in 2 weeks with a soft cast on the arm, or St. Louis could opt to play it safe and sit him for the season’s final 4 games. We already mentioned Drew Brees’s situation for Orlando. He could miss between 1-2 weeks depending on how quickly the swelling and pain in his sprained knee subsides.
Others who could mis this week, listed as Doubtful, are LB Mark Simoneau of Washington, FB Heath Evans of Denver and Las Vegas LB Joey Porter. Expected back in action this week are some important pieces for some teams looking at the playoffs. Memphis SS Coy Wire, Oakland WR Alex Bannister, Tampa WR Davone Bess, Philadelphia CB Antonio Cromartie, and two Denver Gold players, HB Mewelde Moore and LB Kendrell Bell.
Outlaws to Call Dallas Home in 2009
The question of how the Texas Outlaws would handle their temporary exodus from the Alamodome in 2009 has been answered. The club announced this week that a deal has been reached for them to play the entire 2009 season at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The 90,000+ seat stadium has not been the home to a professional football team since the Cowboys relocated to Texas Stadium in 1971, and has not been a home venue for any team since SMU opened Gerald J. Ford Stadium in 2000. While certainly not the most modern facility, what the Cotton Bowl lacks in amenities and luxury suites, it certainly makes up for in pure capacity. It immediately becomes the largest stadium in the USFL, and the largest since the early years of the LA Express, when they played at the LA Coliseum.
It is believed that the Cotton Bowl was selected over several other contenders, including El Paso’s Sun Bowl, the aforementioned Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and Austin’s Memorial Stadium in large part because the league and their television partners preferred the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and the Outlaws wanted a stadium with at minimum a 45,000 seat capacity, which ruled out SMU’s facility. With neither the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio or Bobcat Stadium in nearby San Marcos viewed as valid alternatives, it was well-known that the Outlaws would play on their regional “Texas” name by opting to play far from their home city of San Antonio. Dallas does offer the largest open market in the state, and one of the largest markets in the USA without a USFL club.
The club has announced that they will retain their training facilities in San Antonio for the 2009 preseason, but will then relocate their base of operations to Dallas, practicing at nearby UT-Dallas. The club has stated that they expect season tickets sales to begin on schedule in August, and expect to offer tickets well below standard USFL rates for the upper areas and endzone seating in the stadium in hopes of taking advantage of the larger DFW metroplex population to get large crowds on hands for the region’s first USFL presence. It may only be a temporary arrangement, as the Outlaws are contracted and fully expect to return to the newly-refurbished Alamodome for the 2010 campaign, but for USFL fans in northern Texas, this may be their best shot to demonstrate fan interest, and possibly develop a grassroots effort to bring a club to the region in the future.
League Reveals 2010-2013 Summer Bowl Sites
As expected, the league yesterday announced the locations for the 2010-2014 Summer Bowls. The league had announced earlier that they had hoped to finalize sites and venues in 4-year clusters, and they have lived up to that commitment with their announcement this week. Following this year’s Summer Bowl in Jacksonville, and the 2009 contest in Baltimore, the league will be back on the West Coast, as Portland’s brand new Columbia Sportswear Stadium will host the 2010 stadium, the first time the Rose City has hosted the league’s title game.
Following Portland, the game returns to the South, with Memphis’s Liberty Bowl named as the host for 2011. Then, in 2012, we get the first fully enclosed “dome stadium” Summer Bowl since the 1997 game in San Antonio, when the St. Louis Skyhawks will play host at The Dome at America’s Center. We have seen several games played at stadia with retractable roofs, such as last year’s game in Arizona, but St. Louis returns the game to a traditional domed facility.
Finally, the 2013 game brings the league full circle back to its first championship, returning to Denver for the Summer Bowl, the third time the Centennial State has hosted the title game. The schedule maintains the rotation of divisions, with the 4 newly announced sites representing the Pacific, Southern, Central, and Southwestern in that order. With this year’s title game in the Southeastern city of Jacksonville and 2009 I the Northeastern city of Baltimore, all 6 divisions are represented.
While we did not feel that it would be possible for teams that barely passed their 10-year anniversaries to adequately populate a full Mt. Rushmore on their own, we decided to recognize these four clubs by asking them to nominate one retired player to represent each club, forming a 4-team Mt. Rushmore for the class of 1995. Once again, current players could not be included, so don’t expect 3 Ohio Glory stars and no one else. We also limited each team to 1 player so that all 4 clubs would be represented.
ATLANTA/BOSTON
For the Boston Cannons, who began their existence as the Atlanta Fire (version 1), the choice is obvious. Halfback Tiki Barber was for several years the lone offensive star of the Fire. He got even better when the club moved to Boston and landed NFL QB Drew Bledsoe to guide the offense. Barber retired in 2006 with a career that will get him first-ballot consideration for the USFL Wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 11,7-6 yardsrushing and 77 touchdowns, including a fabulous 2006 season, his last in the league, in which he rushed for over 1,500 yards, 14 TDs and a league rushing title.
LOS ANGELES
The “reborn” LA Express spent 4 years with an assortment of QB’s trying to get the job done (some with a few quality moments), but in 1999 they had the inside line on UCLA QB Cade McNown, and in the former Bruin they found their starter. McNown spent 7 seasons with the Express before moving on to the New England Patriots of the NFL. He is still an active player, but as he is not in the USFL any longer, we are allowing the fans of the Express to nominate the UCLA product. In his 7 years, McNown threw for over 24,000 yards and tossed 199 touchdowns. One of the league’s top rated QB’s, with a 100.8 QBR in his USFL career, McNown is the clear choice for the Express.
OHIO
Ohio fans struggled with this one, wanting to amend the rules to allow them to name one of the many stars of the club that came to dominance in the early 2000’s, but with Collins, Galloway, and George all still current members of the Glory squad, we could not let these future Hall of Famers represent the club, at least not this year. So, who did the Glory fans select? Believe it or not, a defender. LB Craig Powell was the highest vote getter of the actually eligible players. Powell was a founding member of the Glory, coming to the USFL in 1995 and spending his entire career in Glory red and royal until his retirement last season. Powell amassed over 1,100 tackles and 37 sacks in his career with Ohio. And while the Glory have never been known as a defensive power, Powell has been recognized as a quality defender, named All-USFL 2 times in addition to his two championship rings.
SEATTLE
With Seattle, we have the first and only occasion of a player appearing on two different Mt. Rushmore lists. Wideout Eric Metcalf was already named as a member of the Texas Outlaw Mt. Rushmore quartet, barely edging Carlos Carson for the honor. For Seattle, with current stars like Leftwich, Boston, or Dillon unavailable, Metcalf became the clear choice. The speedy Metcalf was the first break out star for the Dragons, coming over from Texas as a free agent 1 year after the birth of the franchise. In his first year in Seatle, Metcalf caught 104 passes for 1,026 yards and 7 touchdowns. He would go on to lead the Dragons in receptions and yards in each of his 6 years in Seatle, retiring after a 1,300 yard season in 2001.
And with these four names, our Mt. Rushmore Project wraps up. 100 players (24x4 plus 4x1) that epitomize the best of the game, and the fondest of memories for USFL fans. We will continue our look back at the first 25 seasons of the USFL in Weeks 13 and 14, before wrapping it up in Week 15. Next week we will list our top 8 players who missed their window for the Hall of Fame but who deserve consideration when the league opens up its nominations for overlooked players from before 1995. In Week 14, we look back at the stadia that were homes to USFL squads in the past, and we wrap it up in Week 15 with our nominations for the greatest single game performances in USFL history.
Week 13. Will it be lucky or unlucky for clubs around the league. With several teams hoping to clinch playoff spots this week, and others trying their best to stay in the chase, it will take more than luck this week to get the results each club needs. Here is our breakdown of this week’s games.
FRIDAY @ 8pm Orlando (5-7) @ Jacksonville (4-8) NBC
Not the game NBC hoped for when they built the schedule, but a game where both teams recognize that a loss almost certainly means their postseason hopes are done.
SATURDAY @ 12pm Denver (8-4) @ Baltimore (8-4) ABC
A really interesting matchup of two very interesting teams, both of whom want this one badly as they pursue the postseason.
SATURDAY @ 12pm Atlanta (4-8) @ Tampa Bay (11-1) FOX
What should be a very winnable game for the Bandits at home. They do not want to look past Atlanta, even with a 2-game lead on the top seed right now.
SATURDAY @ 12pm Houston (8-4) @ New Jersey (2-10) FOX
Houston is playing at the same time as Denver, and both clubs know that they have a shot at being all alone in first place if the other slips, but they do not want to be the club to stumble.
SATURDAY @ 4pm Portland (6-6) @ Arizona (1-11) ABC
We are pretty sure most Wrangler fans had this one circled as a win before the season started, but now it is Portland hoping the can get win #7 against a club that has shown almost no life in weeks.
SATURDAY @ 4pm New Orleans (5-7) @ Las Vegas (7-5) FOX
The Breakers still have playoff hopes, the Thunder cannot afford to drop a game at home, so this one should be a high energy game for both.
SATURDAY @ 8pm Chicago (10-2) @ Michigan (10-2) ESPN
A monster game on Saturday night, one likely to determine the Central Division Champion and very possibly the top seed in the West.
SUNDAY @ 12pm Boston (6-6) @ Washington (8-4) ABC
The Cannons have won 3 in a row with Adrian McPherson at QB. It they can make it four against Washington, they could be very much alive in the playoff picture, something that seemed nearly impossible a month ago.
SUNDAY @ 12pm Ohio (6-6) @ Pittsburgh (5-7) FOX
We don’t think anyone expected these two teams to be separated by only 1 game this late in the year. Could Ohio actually fall below .500 this week?
SUNDAY @ 12pm Charlotte (3-9) @ Birmingham (1-11) FOX
Perhaps the best shot the Stallions have to earn a 2nd win for the rest of the season. If they cannot, is that the end for CFL import Kent Austin?
SUNDAY @ 4pm St. Louis (2-10) @ Texas (3-9) ABC
Two teams who have been playing better than their record indicates, especially over the past few weeks.
SUNDAY @ 4pm Nashville (6-6) @ Oakland (10-2) ABC
Teams tend to underestimate the Knights, something the Invaders do not want to do. They still have a shot at the #1 seed, but a loss here will put them a game behind the Chicago-Michigan winner.
SUNDAY @ 4pm Philadelphia (9-3) @ Memphis (9-3) FOX
A game we expect most around the country will watch as two division leaders clash. The Stars got the upper hand on Washington last week, but could lose it if they cannot muster a win in Memphis.
SUNDAY @ 8pm Los Angeles (5-7) @ Seattle (7-5) ESPN
The Dragons cannot afford to slip up any more. They need to play near perfect ball to get a Wild Card. LA needs even more, but are still about a week or two out from having Seneca Wallace back.
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