The second half kicked off with some major upsets as Washington fell in Columbus, Orlando edged New Orleans, LA toppled the Thunder, Baltimore knocked off Chicago, and Memphis absolutely shocked Philadelphia and the nation with a huge road win. It was a week that saw some outstanding performances across the league, with Jonathan Stewart (141 yards rushing), Joseph Addai (107 yards) and LeVeon Bell (139 yards) all putting up huge games for their teams. Chris Weinke proved he could win the close won at the end, and Cam Newton proved he could run his team to victory. Let’s kick off our coverage of Week 9 with one of the week’s big upsets as Ohio came back to beat the Federals in the final 2 minutes. We will have all the game recaps and also take a look at where some of our middle of the pack clubs may be heading in the season’s second half.
WASHINGTON FEDERALS 21 OHIO GLORY 24
A huge win for the Glory as they hault a 3-game losing streak and get back to .500 against a very tough Washington Federal squad. Chris Weinke had his best game in over a month, throwing for 331 yards and avoiding any costly turnovers. Washington’s Joe Webb also played well, but it was Ohio’s ability to control the line and limit Deuce McCallister to only 2.8 yards per carry that helped them carry the day. Will this be a formula that other clubs can repeat against the Feds or was Ohio just the right matchup to make it work?
The game started strong for the Glory from the onset as they took the opening kickoff and put together a 10-play drive that ended with an Isaiah Pead TD run. Ohio showed they could manage the Federal pass rush on a 3rd and 9, when Weinke had the time needed to find Arrelious Benn for the first. On Washington’s first drive, the tone was set immediately by the Glory as they stuffed McCallister for negative plays on the first two snaps. Washington would have to punt and the Glory would respond with a field goal drive that put them up 10.
Washington got a break on their next drive as a defensive pass interference call gave the Feds strong field position. Joe Webb did the rest, connecting on 3 passes over 4 plays and hitting Bryant Johnson for the team’s first score. The first quarter ended with Ohio up by 3. The first half would end with Washington flipping the score. In a quarter that saw both offenses struggle, Washington had the only scoring drive, a short 51-yard drive in 7 plays that saw McCallister plunge over on a goallline run to give the Feds a 14-10 advantage at the break.
The third quarter saw more solid defense from both teams, but one big play helped Ohio get back on top. Chris Weinke used a perfect 3rd and 1 play action fake to Pead to buy time and then found Steve Smith wide open for 27 yards and a first down inside the red zone. From there, the Ohio QB would hit Javon Walker on a slant for six points. Ohio finished the third up 17-14 and feeling good.
Washington would strike first in the final period, but it would not come until the 2-minute warning had sounded. Webb hit Bryant Johnson for his second TD of the day with only 1:21 left on the clock. The score, capping off a 9-play drive, gave Washington a 4-point lead and would require Weinke to lead the Glory on a furious 2-minute drill to secure the win.
Washington kicked off and Glory KR Ashton Youboty helped Ohio start strong with a 25-yard return up to the 31-yard line. From there Chris Weinke gave the Glory fans what they have wanted to see from their QB, a confident hurry-up drill of 6 plays. He connected with Walker for an initial first down, then a beautiful screen to Pead gained 29 yards. After hitting Reggie Cobb and TE Lee Smith, Weinke finished off the drive with only 16 second on the clock when he hit Pead out of the backfield and the big back bulldozed his way past the safety and into the endzone for the game winner. Ohio Stadium exploded with celebration and the Glory moved their record over .500 with a big home win. It was only Washington’s 2nd loss on the year, but it was one that could foretell how teams will play them in the future. Lots of run blitzes on defense and lots of max protect or play action from the offense is what Ohio used to get the win, that and a very solid final drive from a QB gaining in confidence this year.
NASHVILLE 17 OAKLAND 37
Oakland is a tough team to beat in front of their home crowd, and when you go into the game with your backup at QB, it is that much tougher. Cody Pickett played well, throwing for 302 yards, but the result was still a lopsided win for the Invaders. Both Keenan Allen and Pierre Garçon scored, and Eric Wright added a pick 6 of Pickett to drive the message home that Oakland were a team to take seriously.
ARIZONA 45 TAMPA BAY 17
If Oakland is to be taken seriously, Arizona is to be feared. Tampa Bay did better than most by scoring 17 points against the Wrangler defense, but they still were blown out, losing by 28 points as Arizona was in full form on the road. Frank Gore had 150 yards rushing, another 43 through the air and 3 total TDs as he makes his boldest statement yet for MVP consideration. Add in 2 scores and another 81 yards from backup Steven Ridley and you have a dominant win by the unbeaten SW Division leaders.
JACKSONVILLE 10 CHARLOTTE 16
In a sloppy game that saw 7 turnovers between the two clubs, Charlotte held a slight 9-3 lead into the 4th quarter before a Taiwan Jones 1-yard TD run put them in safe distance from the sluggish Jacksonville offense. Brandon Wheedon played conservatively as the Monarchs combined runs by Fred Jackson and Jones to control the clock and slog out a win at home in muggy conditions.
LAS VEGAS 10 LOS ANGELES 17
Our first big upset of the week, but one of many, as the Express used a bit of home cooking and a late Mark Sanchez scramble to upend the Thunder and stay alive in the playoff hunt. It was not a pretty game for either QB, but Sanchez was able to connect with Keyshawn Johnson for one score and then run in the second on a 17-yard scramble that caught Las Vegas completely by surprise. The loss drops Las Vegas behind Oakland again on tiebreakers.
CHICAGO 10 BALTIMORE 27
The Machine clearly underestimated Baltimore as they entered this game expecting a W. Baltimore was ready for them, holding Doug Martin to only 62 yards on 23 attempts and picking off Brady Quinn twice. Meanwhile. Ron Dayne had 2 TD runs and Ben Roethlisberger added a 27-yard TD strike to Darius Heyward-Bey as the Blitz move to 4-5 and feel they have a chance to make a run for a Wild Card.
DALLAS 3 HOUSTON 20
No upset in Houston, where the Gamblers took advantage of Landry Jones’s inexperience. They pulled ahead even as their own QB, Matt Hasselbeck was knocked out of the game, forcing Tim Rattay to see action. Rattay went 11 of 19 for 185 and a TD, giving him better numbers than Jones and helping Houston move over .500 at 5-4. For Dallas it was a 7th consecutive loss, and one that might lead to a frustrated Mike Sherman returning to Jake Locker at QB.
MEMPHIS 28 PHILADELPHIA 9
Another huge upset as Memphis went into Philadelphia and sideswiped the Stars. The Showboats racked up 436 yards of offense against a Stars defense that looked like anything but a league leader. Eli Manning went 22 of 31 for 360 yards and 4 TDs to earn POTW consideration. Three of those four went to the newest, and quickly becoming the favorite, Showboat. Greg Jennings caught 7 passes for 105 yards and 3 scores. Lee Evans added another 124 yards as Memphis simply caught Philadelphia sleeping at the wheel.
NEW ORLEANS 18 ORLANDO 21
The Renegades move to 4-5, proving they might still have something to say this season. Russell Wilson threw for 246 and connected on 2 TD tosses. Knowshon Moreno added 104 on the ground and the oft-maligned Memphis defense shut down the Breaker run game completely, limiting the team to 22 total yards on the ground and Matt Forte to only 12 yards on 10 carries.
NEW JERSEY 27 BIRMINGHAM 30
A great game at Protective Stadium as Birmingham edged the Generals on a Cam Newton TD run in the 4th, his 3rd rushing TD on the day. Newton finished with only 122 yards through the air, but had 86 yards and 3 scores with his feet. Joseph Addai also found running room as Birmingham surprised New Jersey with a ground-based attack. The tailback tallied 107 yards on 16 carries as the Stallions move to 6-3 and send New Jersey below .500 on the season.
PORTLAND 27 SEATTLE 24 OVERTIME
Portland evens their record with Seattle, now both sitting at 3-6, thanks to an overtime field goal from Mason Crosby. They needed a Koren Robinson TD in the final 1:18 to send the game to extra time, but pulled out the win on the road. James Stewart was the player of the game with 141 yards rushing, but it was a team effort as the defense held Seattle out of field goal range at the final whistle and the offense got the final points needed to earn the win, their second in a row.
ATLANTA 24 DENVER 17
The Gold fall at home as Atlanta gets 17 points in the final period against a tiring defense. Kyle Orton connected with Demaryius Thomas for one score, but the other was a self-inflicted wound as Matt Leinart threw a pass right to Atlanta’s Dannell Ellerbe, who ran the ball back 30 yards for the TD and a 24-10 lead. Too much for Denver to come back from as Atlanta moves to 5-4 on the year.
MICHIGAN 24 TEXAS 27
Michigan hoped the upset magic would help them, but Texas had just enough to edge the visiting Panthers. TDs from Chris Cooley, Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston helped Texas overcome three Kirk Cousins TD passes as both teams found success in the air. Michigan also got a strong 139-yard day out of rookie LeVeon Bell, almost enough to earn a road win, but not quite.
ST. LOUIS 34 PITTSBURGH 13
The Skyhawks flexed their offensive muscles in this one, with Eddie Lacy and James Ridley both scoring, while the defense added a pick six on one of three Andy Dalton interceptions. With Jordi Nelson out, Dave Nelson stepped up, catching his 2nd TD on the season as St. Louis moved to 4-5 and remained alive in the Wild Card hunt.
Trades Heat up ahead of Week 10 Deadline
With several teams still feeling close to making a playoff run, and others now resigned to finishing out the year and building for the future, the setting was right for USFL clubs to make some moves just before the Week 10 trade deadline. We had 3 big trades, all involving at least 1 team in the 5-4 or 4-5 range that want to push for a Wild Card spot.
We start in Atlanta, where the Fire made a huge move to improve their defense. The Fire had been weak in the middle all season, and spent significant capital to solve that issue by trading for one of Dallas’s best defenders, MLB Luke Kuechley. Kuechley had been a top prospect out of Boston College just a couple of years ago when the Roughnecks selected him in their T-Draft as the Boston Cannons. He now heads to Atlanta where the Fire hope he will solidify the spine of their defense. Atlanta may have gotten a steal, but it was still not cheap. Dallas will receive WR Hank Basket, lB Clint Sintim, and the Fire’s 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft. The Roughnecks needed depth at WR, and certainly are hoping that a 2nd round pick will bring quality to the franchise as they build for the future.
Our next big move involved the Denver Gold and their lack of explosiveness. They have solid possession receivers in Peerless Price and Golden Tate, but no one who scares safeties into playing the deep routes. Enter New Jersey WR Michael Crabtree, a solid receiver who still has the speed that makes defenders worry about the fly route. Crabtree was seen as expendable by New Jersey thanks to the development they have seen in Miles Austin, and the depth they have with Muhamed Sanu and Kevin Kraft.
New Jersey sends Crabtree to the Gold for two 4th round picks, both 2014 and 2015. Expect Crabtree to steal some snaps from Peerless Price and to appear in most 4-receiver sets as needed.
Finally, a swap of Defensive Ends as Tampa Bay tries to upgrade a defense that once again got burned this week. They send Derrick Burgess, who had fallen out of favor with Coach Shula, and in return get Jerry Hughes, a faster edge rusher, but one who has not fully lived up to expectations in Houston. In addition to the two DE’s swapping teams, Houston and Tampa Bay also swapped picks, with the Bandits picking up Houston’s 4th rounder, while Houston upgrades with Tampa Bay’s 3rd round pick in 2014.
There are still a couple of days left before the draft window closes. Will these moves be the last we see or will another big name be changing teams before the week is out?
Richie Incognito Suspended for Remainder of 2013 Season
The league has spoken on the Richie Incognito suspension and their decision has been to extend the suspension put on the lineman through the remainder of the 2013 season. The Ohio Glory had suspended Incognito pending league review of his case and the league has completed that review, one centered around comments caught by microphones during a game in which Incognito used both homophobic and racial slurs in trash talking during a game. The league, using references to the standard language found in all league contracts regarding appropriate conduct and actions unbecoming of the league as the standard to set the suspension. Ohio had previously placed Incognito on an indefinite suspension, with the league now setting the timeframe for his potential return. The question now for Ohio will be whether or not they wish to retain Incognito for the 2014 season. His contract is set to run through the 2015 season, but they could opt to avoid the potential blowback and distraction of having him remain with the team by releasing him come August. A spokesman for Incognito again reiterated the player’s remorse and stated that they hope to appeal the duration of the suspension while also hoping to work with the Glory to ensure that the player can return to the team once any final suspension is completed.
Stars lose both Steve Slaton and Stevie Johnson in Memphis Game
Not only were the Philadelphia Stars stunned by the offensive output of the Memphis Showboats in their game this weekend, but perhaps more troubling, they also suffered two significant injuries on their own offense, injuries likely to impact their playoff hunt over the next month, perhaps longer. Philadelphia lost two of their primary offensive weapons, with Steve Slaton going down in the first quarter with an ankle injury that could keep him out of the lineup for up to 6 weeks. Later in the game, Slaton was joined on the training table by WR Stevie Johnson, who suffered a dislocated, and later confirmed, broken finger on his right hand.
Johnson is expected to miss no less than 2 weeks of action while the finger is splinted. The loss of both starters was a big factor in Philadelphia’s offensive woes this week, limited to only 9 points. They were already missing WR Reche Caldwell, lost for the season back in Week 6 with a shoulder injury. They are now without their two season-starting receivers for at least the next 2 weeks, putting a lot of pressure on the rest of the offense to step up.
The team has already announced that rookie Zac Stacy will start at halfback, allowing Leon Washington to retain his role primarily as a 3rd down back. The Stars also signed former New Orleans tailback Kenny Irons to a 1-year deal with hopes that he could provide some short yardage support in the run game. At receiver, Philadelphia will now be starting Marshall Newhouse and James Hardy out wide, with Williamson still retaining his slot receiver role, at least for the next 2 weeks until Johnson potentially returns to duty. In a division race where the Stars are tied with Washington and every game is pivotal, these offensive absences could prove decisive, but Philadelphia has succeeded in the past with players stepping up, most famously the promotion of Matt Gutierrez last season, and they do have one of the league’s best defenses, so we won’t count them out just yet.
Coach LeBeau Issues Challenge to his Panther Squad
Sitting at 2-7, it does not look like the Michigan Panthers will be attending the Big Dance this year, but that is not keeping Coach Dick LeBeau from trying to rally his troops and get signs of life from them. The veteran coach, while not happy with the tough season his squad has endured to date, is looking to the future and hoping that he has some pieces in place to build on for the future. Working with an untested QB in MSU grad Kirk Cousins, and with a rookie HB, the offense has struggled at times. The defense has also not lived up to his usually high standards, but Coach LeBeau is not making any excuses, saying in this week’s presser that he expects to see his team improve week to week and that despite their struggles this year, he has been pleased with the team’s effort.
He went one step further in a team meeting on Wednesday, asking this team to commit to this season, to commit each week, and to push themselves each game to improve over their last game. His challenge to them, to win 5 games in the season’s second half, in other words, to finish the year with a winning record over the final 8 weeks. That may be a tall task, having already lost their first game of the 2nd half and looking ahead to tough games at Chicago, vs. Ohio, and St. Louis, and even games where they will be the underdog at Portland this week, then against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. There is a good chance the 2-7 Panthers will not be favored in any game this year, so asking the club to win 5 of 8 is a big ask. What it may also be is a standard ownership will hold him to when it comes time to decide if LeBeau will be a Black Monday casualty or will be granted a chance to continue to build a young team into a contender.
Only 2 new IR additions this week, with one being Ohio QB Vince Young, anticipated since last week’s injury, and the other being Nashville safety LaRon Landry, who suffered a back injury that wil require significant time to resolve. Outside of these two IR additions, the big news is in Philadelphia, where Steve Slaton is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. That won’t put him on IR, which would eliminate any chance for a playoff run return, but will force Philly to go with rookie Zac Stacy for most of the rest of the regular season. Here is the full rundown of newly-added Injury Reports:
OUT
SS LaRon Landry NSH Back IR
HB Steve Slaton PHI Ankle 4-6 Weeks
OG Brett Williams LA Foot 4-6 Weeks
OT Todd Wade POR Hand 1-2 Weeks
DE Chuckie Nwokorie DAL Toe 1-2 Weeks
WR Stevie Johnson PHI Finger 1-2 Weeks
QB Matt Hasselbeck HOU Hamstring 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
CB Jordan Poyer CHI Concussion
CB Reggie Smith PIT Neck
DT Brandon Mebane NJ Shoulder
QUESTIONABLE
OG Aaron Sears WSH Toe
DT Kevin Vickerson MGN Pinched Nerve
QB Kyle Orton ATL Shoulder
WR Deion Branch WSH Hip Pointer
In the Hunt or in the Tank?
Nine weeks in and we have 10 teams sitting either at 5-4 or 4-5. We know some of these teams will make the postseason, likely sitting at 9 wins, though 8 is not out of the question, but a good number will not. So we asked ourselves, who in this Group of 10 is a team to fear? Who could be headed the right way? Who could be in trouble? And who is a pretender? Here is our assessment of the 10 and where we think they are headed.
A Real Threat
Atlanta Fire (5-4)
The Fire have won 4 in a row after a rough 1-4 start, and appear to have figured out just who they are. They have a solid, Top 5 defense, and they hae shown they can beat some solid clubs, upending Houston, Tampa Bay, Birmingham and Denver in that streak. We think they are on the way to challenging Charlotte as they did last year and could still be in the hunt for a Division Title.
Houston Gamblers (5-4)
Maybe we are overestimating the Gamblers, but this just does not feel like a .500 team to us. Yes, most of their wins have come against lesser opponents, but they have beaten both Chicago and St. Louis this year. The problem is that they have not proven they can win on the road, with a 1-4 record so far this year. If they cannot get more road success, they will be destined for 8-8 at the best, though it might help that their remaining road games are at Dallas, Denver, and Jacksonville, not exactly a Murderer’s Row.
St. Louis Skyhawks (4-5)
The defending league champions have won 4 of the last 6 games, with tough losses to Chicago and Las Vegas. We think they are much better than their record, and with a Top 5 offense, they are always dangerous. They have some very winnable games on the horizon with New Jersey (Wk 10), LA (Wk 11), Seattle (Wk 12), Michigan (Wk 15) and Denver (Wk 16) on the schedule. The key will be the 2-game tough run of playing at Ohio and then at Chicago in weeks 13-14. If they can go even 1-1 in those 2 games, they could well be in the playoff mix.
Headed in the Right Direction
Baltimore Blitz (4-5)
We disparaged the Blitz, and particularly their offense, earlier this season, but Baltimore has won 3 of their last 4, including this week’s upset over Chicago. The offense looks much better after the trade for Robert Ferguson, and the defense is still a pretty solid group. This is a team that could make a run, at least at a Wild Card. It won’t be easy, with a lot of solid teams still on the schedule, but the Blitz do seem to be playing to their capacity right now.
Los Angeles Express (4-5)
Every time we praise LA they seem to tank, and every time we say they are done they impress us. They just finished a brutal run of Vegas, Oakland, Chicago and Vegas again. They lost the first three but impressed us this week with a good in in Las Vegas to move to 4-5. Their schedule does get easier in the next few weeks, with 2 games against Seattle and 1 against Oakland. That could help propel them towards a winning record. Their final 3 games include a huge derby matchup at Oakland and a season finale at home against Charlotte. Those two games could make or break their season.
Possibly in Trouble
New Jersey Generals (4-5)
No surprise here, as the General have lost 3 of 4 and are looking a bit lost without Sam Bradford. They face St. Louis, Washington, and Philly in the next 4 weeks. If they cannot win 2 of those 3, they likely fall behind Baltimore and should start looking at 2014. We just don’t see them doing enough to push for Sam Bradford to come back for the final 1-2 games of the year if they cannot get to Week 14 with at least 8 wins.
Ohio Glory (5-4)
The early season success seems to have faded, with 3 losses in their last 4. The win this week over Washington was a big one, however, and may indicate that they are not done yet. They have a tough run coming up (Baltimore, @ Oakland, @ Arizona, St. Louis), and will need to win 2, maybe 3 of those games to have any shot at the division or possibly even for a Wild Card.
New Orleans Breakers (4-5)
The breakers won 3 in a row, including victories at Oakland and vs. Philadelphia, but the way they lost to Nashville, and this week’s loss to Orlando has us worried that they have lost the juice they need to make a run. They Have a winnable game at home against Portland this week and then a big matchup with Birmingham in Week 11. Win those two and we might just believe there is a second wind for this club.
A Pretender
Denver Gold (4-5)
Yes, Denver has won 3 games in the past 5 weeks, but are we really impressed with 2 wins over Dallas and a 4-point win over Orlando? Denver is just not impressing us on either side of the ball. Under Coach Jauron they are always a hard-working team, but we just don’t see the firepower to do much, unless, of course, the Michael Crabtree trade turns out to be a huge move, but we are not feeling it is a game changer and our gut tells us Denver is not going to finish the year above. .500.
Orlando Renegades (4-5)
Maybe we are biased because of the poor season they had last year, or because Russell Wilson has had some real rough patches, but we have a hard time seeing a 4-5 Orlando team as potential 9-7 Wild Card. They have no wins over teams that are currently over .500, and with Texas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Washington still on the schedule, we just don’t see much out of the Renegades (Calais Campbell excepted) that scares us.
A look at the possible 2014 QB Draft Class
Will it be Manziel Mania for the USFL in the 2014 Draft? Or will other potential top picks like Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson’s Tajh Boyd, or Alabama’s A. J. McCarron be all the rage by January’s Draft? We would need a crystal ball to know for sure, but what we do see is a pretty deep pool of potential early round QB picks. In addition to those named above, we have intriguing prospects in players like Central Florida’s Blake Bortles, Fresno State’s Derek Carr (Brother of Arizona’s unbeaten David), LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, or potential darkhorses like Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas or Jimmy Garoppolo from Eastern Illinois, the same school that brought the NFL star Tony Romo.
Right now Manziel is the player that most scouts are talking about, sometimes praising his playmaking instincts, other times criticizing his character. He seems to be a gunslinger who mixes the bravado of Jim Kelly with the elusiveness of Doug Flutie, perhaps a perfect match for the more wide-open USFL than for the stodgier NFL. As a Texas A&M product, he would fall under the territorial rights of the Houston Gamblers, but will Houston invest in Manziel? With Matt Hasselbeck turning 36 this season, the Gamblers may very well be looking for a young gunslinger.
Teddy Bridgewater is an intriguing option, again very agile, elusive, and with a strong arm, the 5-star recruit who led the Cardinals to a huge upset win over Florida in the 2012 Sugar Bowl, could be a very big get for the USFL by January, after one more year in Louisville. He could be protected by Baltimore in the T-Draft, but the Blitz are hardly a team that seems to be QB-needy, which could open up a trade war to get the Blitz’s first T-Draft pick. Any team could potentially make a move to land the Louisville QB.
Other possible T-Draft impact picks include Jacksonville’s rights to Clemson’s Boyd, Washington’s rights to Va Tech’s Thomas, or Oakland’s claim to Dereck Carr. We could certainly see the Bulls and Invaders taking at shot at their potential QB options, but unless David Garrard’s injury is worse than reported, we are not so sure they need to take a shot on Logan Thomas.
Blake Bortles is an interesting case. His rights are held by Orlando, but they are investing a lot of effort on developing Russell Wilson, so do they undermine that by selecting Bortles, or do they let him go to the Open Draft. Just how many of these QB’s make it to the Open Draft is always a big question, as is how many will wait out competing bids from the NFL before deciding their pro football destiny. Of course, there is an entire college football season ahead of all of them, so a lot can change, but what we see right now is a very hot QB market come January. Just how well the USFL will fare and who will come away with a potential franchise QB is yet to be seen.
Week 10 starts our official playoff countdown, and we have plenty of games that will impact that first playoff status update. We start on Friday where the divisional clash between Denver and Houston is also a fight for playoff positioning. If Houston wins they would move solidly into the mix at 6-4, if Denver wins, then both teams sit at 5-5 and we could be in for a dogfight down the stretch.
Saturday opens with a fun matchup that could regain its former glory as the Keystone Clash between the Stars and Maulers is once again a twice-a-year divisional rivalry. We also have two nice evening games, including a big matchup of 4-5 vs. 5-4 as Orlando tries to prove our skepticism wrong as they head to Atlanta. LA is in Seattle in the late night game, and that could be huge for the Express if they can even their record at 5-5 with a win.
On Sunday we start the day off with Las Vegas at Birmingham, a game that highlights two division leaders. The best of the afternoon games has Baltimore (4-5) at Ohio (5-4) in another clash of teams that are trying to prove they can be dangerous down the stretch. The nightcap is St. Louis at New Jersey, a rare game between these two, but a nice opportunity for the Skyhawks to prove they are back to championship form.
Friday @ 8pm Denver (4-5) @ Houston (5-4) NBC
Saturday @ 12pm Philadelphia (7-2) @ Pittsburgh (3-6) ABC
Saturday @ 12pm Nashville (3-6) @ Charlotte (6-3) FOX
Saturday @ 4pm Dallas (2-7) @ Chicago (6-3) ABC
Saturday @ 4pm Tampa Bay (3-6) @ Texas (6-3) FOX
Saturday @ 7pm Orlando (4-5) @ Atlanta (5-4) NBC
Saturday @ 9pm Los Angeles (4-5) @ Seattle (3-6) ESPN/EFN
Sunday @ 12pm Las Vegas (6-3) @ Birmingham (6-3) ABC
Sunday @ 12pm Washington (7-2) @ Jacksonville (2-6) FOX
Sunday @ 12pm Oakland (6-3) @ Memphis (3-6) FOX
Sunday @ 4pm Portland (3-6) @ New Orleans (4-5) ABC
Sunday @ 4pm Arizona (9-0) @ Michigan (2-7) ABC
Sunday @ 4pm Baltimore (4-5) @ Ohio (5-4) FOX
Sunday @ 8pm St. Louis (4-5) @ New Jersey (4-5) ESPN/EFN