2020 USFL Week 16 Recap: Holding Serve

Put a pin in the 2020 USFL regular season, because it is done. The league wrapped up the most unique, offputting, and bizarre season in league history, completing 240 games in empty stadiums. But despite all the strangeness that accompanied the year, including all 30 teams living in hotels, all 240 games played in only 4 states with no team ever truly having a home game, regular testing and a special Covid-19 inactive list complicating roster management all season, the games were played and the season was completed without a single cancellation, forfeit, or rescheduling. Overall, we have to call it a success, even if it felt so odd to watch games on television with either piped-in crowd noise or silence between plays.

And now the USFL prepares for another season, the 2^nd season, a playoff run that will bring fans back to the stands, though in limited numbers. The 12 remaining teams will stay in hotels for a while longer. The games will continue to be limited to Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida, and we are now into September, a month that has never seen USFL football before. Next week, the Wild Card Weekend for the USFL, will be the opening week for the NFL. How will the two stand side-by-side. And while the USFL is holding to its hub system, the NFL will be back in all 32 franchise cities, taking advantage of limited capacity seating just as the spring league is doing. It will be different, that is sure, but it is still football, and for the USFL it is playoff football. So, let’s get to it.

Showboats, Roughnecks and Dragons Hold Serve in Season Finales

Holding serve, an expression that comes out of tennis. It means winning when you have control of the circumstances (the serve) and it is exactly what the Memphis Showboats, Dallas Roughnecks, and Seattle Dragons did this week. Each was in position to get what they wanted. For Memphis that meant their first Southern Division title in over a decade. For Dallas it meant their first playoff appearance since relocating from Boston. And for Seattle, a chance to again join the playoff pool and finally dump the image of a team that starts horribly (0-5 or 0-6) and then scrambles late. 

Seattle did not have the horrendous start we have seen in past years under Mike Riley. Sure, 3-5 at the midway point is not ideal, but it is hardly the hole the Dragons have dug for themselves in past years. Prior to this week’s game against Denver, they were already guaranteed a winning season at 9-6, and, more importantly, they were sitting in playoff position. A win over the Gold and they would hit 10 wins for the first time since 2008 and they would lock up a Wild Card for the third time in 4 years. Seattle got the job done, knocking off the Kyle-Orton-led Gold 31-17, punching their ticket to a Pacific Division matchup with the LA Express this weekend. 

For Dallas it was also about getting a playoff berth, their first since relocating from Boston in 2015. The Roughnecks had suffered four straight 10+ loss seasons in Dallas since leaving New England, and had started 7 different quarterbacks, but in rookie Justin Herbert they think they may have just found a long term solution, and Herbert helped them flip the script this year, going from 6-10 in 2019 to 10-6 this year after defeating the San Diego Thunder by 14 this week. The victory assures the Roughnecks of the 5 seed and a Wild Card matchup against a very tough Chicago Machine club. 

Finally, there was Memphis. The Showboats had not won the Southern Division since 2008. In the 11 seasons since, they had finished with 10 or more losses 8 times, and even when they went 12-4 in 2016, they were still a game behind the Houston Gamblers and had to settle for a Wild Card (which they did parlay into a Summer Bowl appearance). So, this year, with the division on the line, they had a head-to-head with New Orleans, winner take all, and the Showboats stepped up. Rex Ryan’s club stepped up, defeating the Breakers 37-24, with QB Paxton Lynch throwing for 320 and breakout star of 2020, WR Devin Funchess, going for 141 with a TD. The win locked up not only a division title, but a bye week as the 2 seed as well, meaning that Memphis would now sit and wait to see who came out of the LA-Seattle game in 2 weeks.

Holding serve, making full use of the advantage you have and using it to lock up victory, and, in the case of these three USFL teams, breaking long histories of frustration to step into the limelight and remain alive for the league’s first ever September playoff season. It is on to postseason football for all three clubs, and with fans now allowed in the stadiums in all 4 USFL venues, a chance for the diehard fanbases of each club to see their teams in action live, and to make some noise.

MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 37  NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 24

There was no way this would not be our game of the week. It was a classic Week 16 showdown. First place Memphis one game up on perennial Southern Division power New Orleans and facing their division rivals in the season finale. In a season that saw Houston slip a few steps down the ladder, it was a chance for the Showboats to do something they had not done in over a decade, win the 4-team Southern Division. It was also a battle of styles, the Breakers having put together a stunning season on offense, leading the league in both passing (332.9 YPG) and total offense (407.9 YPG) and the Memphis Showboats relying on the tried and true combination of running the ball well and stopping the opposition from doing the same. Memphis holds both the top rush offense in the league (121.5 YPG) and the best run defense under Rex Ryan (68.4 YPG). But how would they match up against a team that prefers to spread you out and send their receivers deep down the field?

Well, if the first quarter of this game was any indication, both defenses would be challenged on this day. Memphis did what Memphis loves to do with the opening possession, they ground out first downs, moved the ball crisply but certainly not quickly, and put 7 on the board with a 1-yard TD toss from Lynch to Crowder after 15 plays and nearly 7 minutes of possession. But, only 15 seconds later, New Orleans did what they love to do, with Geno Smith rolling out of the pocket and finding rookie Justin Jefferson for what would be a 60-yard TD pass. Ball control vs. big play. That was the opening salvo from each team and it would be the story of the first half, with a surprise twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan after the halftime break.

The first quarter would see two more scoring drives, putting 28 total points on the board in one of the highest-scoring opening quarters of any game this year. Memphis responded to the Breaker quick strike with another time-consuming drive, this one nearly 5 minutes long before Jacob Hester ran the ball in from the 1, having vultured the points away from Todd Gurley, who earned most of the yards on the way to the endzone, part of his 97 yards on the day. New Orleans, not happy to be down again, did what they so often did and scored in only 1:10 on only 4 plays, capping off the drive with Geno Smith’s 2^nd TD of the day, a 13-yarder to Curtis Nelson to once again level the score.

With 28 points scored in the first quarter, the game was off to a frightening start, with all 4 drives resulting in 7 points. That quick pace would continue into the 2^nd quarter, this time with Memphis getting a quick score on the board. On a 1^st and 10 from their own 32, Paxton Lynch faked the ball to Gurley, and with so much success on earlier drives the Breaker D had to respect the run, which drew up the safeties. Lynch rolled to his right and found Devin Funchess in single coverage. Funchess hauled in the pass, took a step to his left as the cornerback went for the tackle, and had a clear path for a 68-yard touchdown, a taste of New Orleans’s usual medicine.

The Breakers were unphased, responding again in short order, a 5-play drive that saw Geno Smith hit on a 3^rd TD toss, this time to Coby Fleener and once again we were all even. Six possessions, six touchdowns. Surely this could not continue. It did not. While Memphis moved the ball well on their 4^th possession, they bogged down inside the 20, with New Orleans finally making a stop, a deflected pass on 3^rd and 5. Coach Lathon begrudgingly sent out the field goal unit, uncertain if going for 3 would be a mistake or not. Lewis Ward put the ball through the uprights for a 5^th score in 5 drives for the Showboats, who now took a 24-21 lead.

What came next was perhaps the most shocking moment in the game, a 3-and-out. After three straight TD drives, Geno Smith finally missed on a play, overshooting Jordy Nelson on 3^rd and 5 and forcing the punt team to come out on the field. Memphis seemed almost stunned to be getting the ball back, with HB Todd Gurley scrambling to find his helmet as he was called back to the field. Memphis took advantage of the rare New Orleans punt and once again moved the ball down the field, this time with the clock a factor, eventually putting up another 3 points on a Lewis Ward field goal as the clock wound down. The Showboats would go into the half up 27-21, but certainly not confident that the game would stay in the 20’s through another half.

But something happened at the half. Either Rex Ryan figured something out or the Breakers somehow lost confidence in themselves. They would play another 30 minutes of football, but in that second half, New Orleans would only put 3 more points on the board. They would gain good yardage, even during a short period when Geno Smith was forced to the sideline by a finger to the eye, but they simply did not connect on the big plays. After three touchdowns in their first three drives, the Breaker offense sputtered the rest of the way.

Memphis also struggled more in the second half, going 0-for-3 on third downs in the 3^rd quarter and coming out of the quarter with only a slim 27-24 lead. In the fourth they added another field goal early, pushing the lead back up to a precarious 6 points, but they too suffered from an offensive drought unforeseen by the first half’s furious pace. It was not until the 5-minute mark in the 4^th when the Showboats again crossed midfield. Realizing that another score could put the game out of reach for New Orleans (assuming that they did not reconnect with their big play success). Memphis was methodical, gaining 3, 5, 3, 7, etc. all the way down the field. When David Williams, again subbing for Gurley who did most of the work on the drive, dove in from the 2, there was only 1:38 left to play and the Breakers were now down 13 points.

New Orleans did not reconnect with their deep ball attack. Memphis used 3-deep, pressuring with only 4 linemen, and that proved effective, with the Breakers forced to go for a 4^th and 4 on their own side of the 50. They failed when Geno Smith threw to TE Dawson Knox, only to have LB Nathan Triplett of the Showboats shove his hand between Knox and the ball. The Showboats took over on downs, drove the clock down to double zeros and claimed not only the win, but the division and the 2 seed. Ryan was doused in Squelch (the USFL’s version of GatorAde) and the Showboats left the field knowing they would now get a well-earned week off before facing a Wild Card winner in the Divisionals. For New Orleans, the loss meant they would be the “road team” in a matchup with Atlanta, which did mean that they would have to leave their hotel in Houston and head to Florida for their first true road experience of this odd hub-based season.

NEW JERSEY 10  PHILADELPHIA 26

With the 1^st pick in the draft assured, the Stars win their finale and get a spark of happiness in upending their rivals from up the turnpike. In what is likely his last start with the Stars, Matt Gutierrez threw for 258 and a TD to rookie K. J. Hamler. Derrick Henry stayed in the game, hoping to reach 1,200 yards but fell 9 short. New Jersey started 3^rd stringer Brett Rypien, and, well, he played like a 3^rd stringer, going 16 for 36 on the day.

POTG: Stars’ HB Derrick Henry: 24 Att, 91 Yds, 2 TD

PORTLAND 34  ARIZONA 14

Portland was the first of the West’s Wild Card contenders to take the field, and they did their part, cruising past a Wrangler squad that struggled to mount any offense at all with Brandon Allen at QB, sparking rumors that Coach Tomsula may switch to 3^rd stringer Tom Savage come the playoffs. Doug Martin rushed for 96 yards for the Stags and QB A. J. McCarron looked like he could well be a playoff QB, throwing for 367 yards and 4 TDs against a Wrangler D that did have several starters out by halftime.

POTG: Stags’ QB A. J. McCarron: 14/24, 367 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int

BIRMINGHAM 9  HOUSTON 38

The Gamblers won this battle of backups quite handily, with Kellen Clemons throwing for 4 scores, including 2 to WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Tim Tebow got the start for Birmingham and looked very rusty, going 11 of 30. What was perhaps more surprising is that the athletic QB was sacked 10 times as he simply seemed unwilling to let go of the ball.

POTG: Houston CB Janoris Jenkins: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD

SAN ANTONIO 9  ST. LOUIS 3

We hope no one out there got stuck watching this game. It was a snoozefest from beginning to merciful end. Chad Kelly went 13 of 32 for the Gunslingers, Tyrod Taylor did little better for the Skyhawks, completing only 14 of 34. We got no touchdowns and barely any plays with any pop. One lone Marshawn Lynch run may have been it. A sad end to two tough seasons for these clubs.

POTG: Gunslinger HB Marshawn Lynch: 19 Att, 95 Yds

SEATTLE 31  DENVER 17

Win and you are in. That is the situation Seattle had at hand, and they played like it, dominating the Gold throughout. Brett Hundley threw 3 TD passes and Knowshon Moreno added 120 yards to his season total as the Dragons locked up a Wild Card with the win. Denver started Kyle Orton, with Josh Allen injured, but let Phillip Lindsay add 74 more yards and another TD to his 2020 totals.

POTG: Seattle HB Knowshon Moreno: 20 Att, 120 Yds, 1 TD

SAN DIEGO 24  DALLAS 38

The Dallas Roughnecks were also in a win-and-in situation and they killed all the drama for the teams hoping to get a shot to move into Wild Card position. They held serve, got the win, and locked in the 5 seed in the West at 10-6. San Diego kept it close for a half, but two 2^nd half TDs gave Dallas a comfortable lead and they claimed the win and their first playoff berth since relocating from Boston.

POTG: Roughneck QB Justin Herbert: 16/25, 322 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int

JACKSONVILLE 24  TAMPA BAY 31

It was B. J. Daniels, Matt Breida, and Deebo Samuel, not Prescott, Cook, and Bryant, but the Bandits still got the W and finish the year an impressive 15-1. Samuel was the star of the day with 2 touchdowns and 142 yards. Jacksonville saw Teddy Bridgewater return to action, but only for 1 quarter before they put in Cardale Jones. Little-used WR Equanimeous St. Brown got the start as the Bulls rested Tee Higgins, and the hard-to-pronounce wideout responded with 5 catches, 83 yards and a TD.

POTG: Tampa Bay DE Brian Burns: 5 Tck, 2 Sck

BALTIMORE 10  ATLANTA 21

Their playoff positions secured, the Fire and Blitz rested many of their stars and let the backups get some snaps in this one. So, it was Deshone Kizer vs. Nate Sudfeld, Kenyan Drake v. Troymaine Pope, and Dorial Green-Beckham vs. Dion Simms. Atlanta got the win thanks to 3 TDs from Kizer, including one to Dorial Green-Beckham. The two will both be in action next week as they head into the Wild Card round.

POTG: Atlanta DT Jarron Gilbert: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR

OHIO 3  PITTSBURGH 33

With the wins by Seattle and Dallas, the Maulers were already eliminated, but they played for pride and the ability to say they were a 10-win team. That was enough to thrash an Ohio Glory team that already knew their head coach was on the chopping block. Andy Dalton went 22 of 33 and threw 2 TDs for the Maulers in what had to be a sad feeling of having a really strong season but losing the chance to continue into the postseason.

POTG: Mauler QB Andy Dalton: 22/33, 221 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int

LOS ANGELES 23  LAS VEGAS 17

We had a Brock Osweiler sighting for the Express, but the player who made a statement was backup HB Paul Perkins. The UCLA grad may well be pushing for more snaps, and after a 25-carry, 107-yard game, he may get them. Las Vegas receiver Aaron Dobson consolidated his status as the league’s receptions leader with 9 more catches on 13 targets, giving him 138 catches on the season.

POTG: Express CB Isaiah Oliver: 10 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR

OAKLAND 16  OKLAHOMA 20

The Outlaws wanted to reach 8-8 on the year, the Invaders, already out of Wild Card contention, did not feel equally motivated, and that was the difference as Oklahoma built up a 20-10 lead and then held the Oakland offense to two late field goals. Nick Toon was the star for the Outlaws with 138 yards receiving, most of it coming on a 98-yard TD pass thrown by Hurts from the shadow of his own goalline.

POTG: Outlaw WR Nick Toon: 3 Rec, 138 Yds, 1 TD

NEW ENGLAND 17 WASHINGTON 20  OVERTIME

Neither coach really wanted to go to overtime in this one, but that is what we got when neither club could get in field goal range late. Washington got a TD from punt returner Kavontae Turpin in this battle of backups, and in overtime Adam Vinatieri gave the W to Washington, with both teams finishing the season with 6 wins apiece.

POTG: Washington HB Orleans Darkwa: 15 Att, 79 Yds, 1 TD

CHARLOTTE 5  ORLANDO 13

Another snoozer filled with backups and little imagination as both teams ran out the string on a disappointing season. Honestly, we have looked over the box score and have no idea what we should highlight. Nothing stands out. So, it happened, Orlando won. Season over for both teams.

POTG: Orlando OG Mike Iupati: 4 Pancakes, because, why not?

CHICAGO 16   MICHIGAN 35

Normally a heated rivalry game, but Chicago did not want to risk many of its stars, while Michigan knew the 1-seed was in hand thanks to Arizona’s loss, so they too did not do much. Cody Latimer impressed, catching 6 for 146 and 3 scores, and LeVeon Bell locked up another rushing title. We did get a Mike Kafka sighting and young WR Jevon Kearse showed he had some hops, catching 7 for 120, but in the end, it was the Panthers locking up the 1 seed in the West with the win.

POTG: Panther WR Cody Latimer: 6 Rec, 146 Yds, 3 TD

Black Monday Claims Four

We had a feeling that this Monday would be a tough one for coaches around the league. And while not every coach we were concerned for ended up finding themselves emptying out their desks, we did see four coaches, in addition to Jim Harbaugh and Franck Reich, who only lasted until midseason, let go from their positions. With the Black Monday departures, we will now have 6 clubs with new men at the helm come 2021. Here is the breakdown of the four positions vacated this week as USFL clubs try to reimagine themselves during the shortened offseason this fall and winter.

Rick Neuheisel (Las Vegas)

After three seasons hovering around .500 in Las Vegas, more was hoped for in the former USFL quarterback’s 4^th year at the helm. Neuheisel came into the year with a 24-24 record, but left 27-37, which is not what you want. The collapse from 8-8 to 3-13 was exactly the kind of indicator that makes owners give up on a coach, and that is what happened to Neuheisel. Finishing the year with one of the league’s worst rushing attacks, and the oddity of having a Top 5 defense in yards allowed and yet a bottom 5 defense in points allowed, a truly bizarre stat, certainly did not help. Expect Las Vegas to look for an offensive-minded coach, along with improvements to the line and the running back room, this offseason.

Tom Coughlin (Ohio)

This one is not a surprise to anyone. We had Coughlin on the hotseat before the season, listed him as a coach unlikely to make it 16 weeks, and now, he joins the 5 others as coaches let go this year. The reason is obvious, after a promising rise from 8-8 to 10-6 and a surprising division title in 2018, the Glory collapsed to 4-12 in 2019. Ownership believed Coughlin could turn things around, despite the fact that they did very little to improve the roster in the offseason, so a 3-13 finish this year was not the expectation. What is worse, it seemed clear that players were less and less open to Coughlin’s style of coaching. The disciplinary demands, the fines, the unique rules that no other team had in place, all of it led to greater dissent and greater acrimony. So, Coughlin lost the team, and now loses his position. Expect the players to tell ownership they want a coach who “gets them”, but also expect ownership to try to find an innovator and a coach who can do more with less.

Norv Turner (New Jersey)

We had heard rumors, but our expectation was that Turner would escape Black Monday, but it seems that back-to-back losses to the expansion New England Steamrollers, and the 1-14 Philadelphia Stars pushed the needle towards “enough already”. Turner had a pretty solid run in New Jersey, going 57-43-2 over 7 seasons and winning 2 division titles along the way. But, after back to back 9-win seasons, a quick exit from the playoffs last year, and a losing record this year, including some pretty shaky outings against bad teams, it seems that ownership felt that Turner was not getting the job done. Call them unrealistic, and perhaps they are, but for a club that has not been a true contender since the 2004 and 2006 Tom Brady title years, we can understand why the Generals want to set their sights a little higher.

Gus Bradley (WSH)

Bradley came over from rival Philadelphia with a reputation as a hard-nosed defensive coach, and he had some success in his first year, getting Washington to 9-7 and just barely missing out on a playoff spot. But since then two things have gone awry. First was the move to bring Ryan Nassib over from Arizona. After a stunning season replacing an injured David Carr for the Wranglers, there was a feeding frenzy for Nassib, and the Federals felt like they had hit the jackpot when he signed with them. That has not worked out as planned. Nassib has gone from a 117.9 QB Rating in that magical year in Arizona to 84.8 last year and 77.5 this year. The other big failing has been the defense, Bradley’s bread and butter. This year’s Federal D gave up nearly 23 points and 360 yards per game and were equally unreliable against both the pass and the run. They stayed in the mix in what was a pretty sub par NE Division for a good part of the year, but went on a 6 game stretch where they went 0-5-1 and that was enough. Bradley is out after 3 years.

So now the coaching hunt will begin. Expect several teams to want to meet with coordinators from the 4 top seeds who are each on bye week right now. Expect them to also pay close attention to the current NFL and NCAA seasons, and to look at coaches let go last year. With the USFL season moved later in the year, there may well be a greater chance that USFL teams will need to wait until January, after the NFL and NCAA seasons to find a coach, at least one coming from outside the USFL, but the search will start right now (and already has for the Stars and Skyhawks.)

League Leaders include 1 New League Record

Every year we wonder if we will see any records broken, and while we tend to focus on the big ones—Herschel Walkers’s 1,767 rushing yards in 1983, Troy Aikman’s 1998 total of 54 Touchdowns and 5,675 yards passing, or Eric Truvillion’s 1,959 passing yards and 25 touchdowns—we know that those are going to be very tough records to break. So, when we look at the final stats from 2020, we should not be surprised that we did not see those numbers touched. But, for true stat-heads, we did get one new record this year, and it is an impressive one.

Before we reveal the new record holder, we should acknowledge some great numbers we saw this year, this very bizarre year, in the USFL. Kudos first to Geno Smith, who led the league with 4,944 yards passing and tied for the lead with 37 passing touchdowns. He tied with Dak Prescott, the 2019 MVP who well could win the title again this year as leader of the 15-1 Bandits. Prescott, in addition to finishing 2^nd in yards and tied for first in TDs, was this year’s top rated QB with a 131.3 score.

Once again it was LeVeon Bell leading all rushers, and once again he easily tops the 1,200-yard mark, racking up an impressive 1,529 yards, just slightly lower than his 2019 total of 1,552. Bell also led all rushers with 15 rushing touchdowns and had an impressive 4.5 YPC average.

And yet another tip of the hat to the Man, the Myth, the Legend, Arizona DE Calais Campbell, who, despite missing 2 games early in the season, rolled late to not only catch but surpass Montez Sweat to capture his 12^th consecutive Sack title, finishing with 26 on the year, his 12^th straight season with 20 or more sacks, a truly stunning run of excellence.

But, for league records, we have to shift our attention to the receivers, and to one in particular. Jordy Nelson, winner of the yardage title for the 3^rd time in 4 years, with a total of 1,880 yards, good enough for 4^th all time, behind three seasons from the inimitable Eric Truvillion, finally has a record of his own. With only 60 catches on the year, Nelson’s 1,880 yards translates into a truly mind-blowing 31.3 yards per catch, the highest YPC average in league history for a player with more than 20 catches (the requirement for consideration). In a league known for the vertical passing game and receivers with deep ball credentials, to average over 30 yards per catch is truly astounding. Could Jordan surpass Truvillion’s record for receiving yards in a season some day? Perhaps, he has tried before, and this year was his best season yet, but this record is one he can be proud of right now, a truly amazing number, and one he can pair with his 13 touchdowns and his title as the receiving yardage leader once again.

Final Game Frustration or Swan Song

That is the question that came out of the post-game press conference statements from San Diego MLB A.J. Hawk. Hawk, who will turn 36 this offseason, played his 15^th season with the Thunder this year, and while the 2-time All-USFL linebacker can certainly be frustrated with the club’s collapse from division champion to 3-13 also ran, there also appeared to be real frustration in Hawk’s comments about his own play.

Hawk, who made a career out of blowing up the run, struggled this year with missed tackles, poor angles, and out-of-position errors. It is clear he has lost a step in his speed, but these are also mental errors, something you would not expect from a 15-year veteran who has put up several 100-tackle seasons. Hawk could well be looking at his team, his own game, and the wear and tear on his body after 15 years at middle linebacker and be considering a departure from the game. While he did not directly state that he was done in the postgame that followed yet another Thunder loss this week, could we really blame him? It is one thing to return for one more year on a contender, especially for a player who has never gotten a ring, but to do so on a team that is likely in full rebuild mode, that is a lot to ask. We will keep an eye out over the next weeks and months, but after expressions of personal and team disappointment in the postgame media room this week, we will not be shocked if Hawk becomes one of this offseason’s departures from the league.

So, here we are, playoff season. As you saw in our Big Story, Memphis won the Southern Division with a season-ending victory over New Orleans, and both Dallas and Seattle held their Wild Card positions with wins this week, so the roster of 12 playoff teams is set. Tampa Bay, Memphis, Michigan, and Arizona will use this week to rest, recover, plan, and position themselves for the Divisional Round. Eight other teams will gear up and game plan for playoff football, all hoping to avoid the dreaded “one and done” scenario. So, what are the matchups in the 2020 Wild Card Round? Here is the schedule of all 4 games, each played in the hub city for the “home” team.

Saturday’s Games 

6-Seed Houston faces off against NE Division Champion and 3-seed Baltimore. This means the Gamblers actually have to leave Houston for the first time this season as they travel to Orlando to face the Blitz. This will actually be the late game on Saturday as the afternoon matchup will be played in the dome in Houston (without the Gamblers). As an inter-hub game, not only did these two not meet this year, they also have no common opponents in their 16 games.

The 5 seed in the West, the Dallas Roughnecks, relocate from Arizona to Texas to face the 4-seed Chicago Machine at NRG Stadium in Houston in the Saturday afternoon game. This is Dallas’s first playoff game since relocating from Boston, while for Chicago it is their first time “hosting” a playoff game since the 2014 season. Too bad it could not be in Chicago, but we expect some diehard fans to travel down to Houston from the Windy City for this one. Another inter-hub game which means absolutely no familiarity with each other and no common opponents on their record to judge the two against each other.

Sunday’s Games

Again, we work opposite of geography with the domed stadiums hosting in the afternoon and the open-air Florida game at night. The Sunday early game is a Pacific Division battle as the 10-6 Seattle Dragons, the West’s 6 seed, battles the Division Champion and 4 seed LA Express. The game will be played at Wynn Arena in Las Vegas, and we expect nearly 19,000 fans, many from LA, to be there. As this is a divisional game, we can look back at the two meetings this year, which this year saw a split, with LA winning 27-16 in Week 7 but the Dragons getting the edge in a 27-17 victory only 3 weeks ago.

The final game of the weekend is in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, where the Atlanta Fire, the 4 seed despite a 13-3 record, will play host to the New Orleans Breakers, who come in at 11-5 and as the 5 seed. This is the third inter-hub battle, with New Orleans coming over from Houston to face the Southeastern Division Fire. We expect a nice mix of fans from Georgia and Louisiana to make the trip (a very drivable trip) to Tampa for this one, so we may get some really nice atmosphere in the stadium, even if it is only at 25% capacity.

A range of issues across the 8 Wild Card teams, with Baltimore coming in clean, no one reported injured, while most teams have a combination of IR listings and players in various states of availability. The good news is that no players on any of the 8 teams tested positive for Covid-19 this week, so we are expecting that teams will be ready to roll come the weekend.

Among the injuries that could have the most impact are the injury to Kenny Vaccaro, who will miss this game but could be back if Houston advances, and the potential loss of a trio of wide receivers from the weekend’s action, with Atlanta’s A. J. Green listed as doubtful while Dallas’s Courtland Sutton is a 50/50 proposition and Houston is hopeful, but cautious about Mike Evans’s availability.

DAL: LB M. Ingram (Q), WR C. Sutton (Q), SS Duke Williams (Q), FS J. Adams (P)

CHI: OG V. Ducasse (Out), DT E. Goldman (Out), LB S. Leonard (P), TE T. Eifert (P)

HOU: QB L. Jones (Out), DT N. Fairley (Out), SS K. Vaccaro (Out), WR M. Evans (P)

BAL: No Injuries

SEA: CB D. Truffant (Out), OT E. Fisher (Out), QB J. Brissett (Out)

LA: OG L. Stenberg (Out), WR M. Lee (Out), FS J. Mills (Out), OT r. Odhiambo (P)

NOR: CB D. Jackson (Out), LB T. Williams (D), C G. Mancz (P)

ATL: OG J. Poutasi (Out), WR A. J. Green (D)

2021 Early Draft Order & Team Highlights for 2021

Pick 1: Philadelphia Stars

Bright Spot for 2021: Even with absolutely no passing game to speak of, Derrick Henry still rumbled for nearly 1,200 yards. If the Stars can find a QB to balance the offense and force defenses to pull their safeties back, he could be unstoppable.

Pick 2: St. Louis Skyhawks

Bright Spot for 2021: OLB Trey Hendrickson is developing into a nightmare for offenses, able to play coverage, stuff the run, and get to the QB. Expect St. Louis to even use him as a DE in some situations in 2021 (well, depending on who their new coach is and what kind of defense he sets up, but the potential is there.)

Pick 3: San Antonio Gunslingers

Bright Spot for 2021: Expansion seasons are never easy, but what we saw in 2020 is that Joe Flacco can still sling it and Easton Stick has some potential for the future as well, putting up an 84.4 QBR in limited action this year.

Pick 4: Ohio Glory

Bright Spot for 2021: Despite a pretty abysmal passing offense this year, WR Terry McLaurin looks like a legit primary receiver in this league. He had 83 receptions for 1,087 yards on a team that was 28^th in passing yards per game.

Pick 5: San Diego Thunder

Bright Spot for 2021: The Thunder, for all their issues, had a 16-sack DE (Jonathan Newsome), and a 6-pick CB (Tye Smith), and Myles Jack is still one of the best run-stuffing LBs in the league, so there are pieces to build on for the defense.

Pick 6: Birmingham Stallions

Bright Spot for 2021: Sure, we could highlight Cam Newton again, but what is perhaps a bigger piece of the puzzle, rookie WR Henry Ruggs was on pace for ROTY recognition before his injury. If he can return in form next year, Newton will have a very good target to work with.

Pick 7: Las Vegas Vipers

Bright Spot for 2021: For all their issues, you cannot forget that Aaron Dobson had 138 receptions (on a ridiculous 209 targets) and remains the best possession receiver in the game today.

Pick 8: Charlotte Monarchs

Bright Spot for 2021: The Monarchs’ 3-game win streak late in the year, including the victory over Tampa Bay, shows that they have potential, though we all know they also have some big questions.

Pick 9: Denver Gold

Bright Spot for 2021: HB Phillip Lindsay had 906 yards and 10 touchdowns this year and is also proving effective as a receiver. We think Denver will focus on balance on offense and use Lindsay to allow Josh Allen to go for more deep balls on play action, if they can just find a speedster in the offseason.

Pick 10: New England Steamrollers

Bright Spot for 2021: John Fox has to be happy with a 6-10 season out of the gate. That is far better than most predicted, and along the way he learned that he has some real playmakers in HB Kerwynn Williams, LB Jamie Collins, and SS Jaiquawn Jarrett.

Pick 11: Washington Federals

Bright Spot for 2021: Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill blossomed this year, catching 71 passes for 1,001 yards and 9 TDs. He is one of the fastest men in pro football and Washington certainly will have plans to use him even more in 2021.

Pick 12: Jacksonville Bulls

Bright Spot for 2021: In his first year Coach Winston Moss got immediate results, with Jacksonville improving on defense by leaps and bounds. He also learned that he has a legitimate QB in Teddy Bridgewater, who threw for 3,083 yards with a 17:6 TD:INT ratio. Now he just needs to improve the line (and help the run game) and he could be on to something in 2021.

Pick 13: New Jersey Generals

Bright Spot for 2021: MLB Matt Milano took on a leadership role this year and excelled. Not only did he finish the year with 106 tackles, but he was clearly the player others on the D turned to, which is good to see for a younger player in that position.

Pick 14: Oakland Invaders

Bright Spot for 2021: With over 1,000 yards rushing and 44 receptions, Christian McCaffrey is the kind of player you can design an offense around. The invaders need to get more inventive on offense, but with McCaffrey, Davante Adams and an emerging Taylor Gabriel, they have some weapons to work with.

Pick 15: Oklahoma Outlaws

Bright Spot for 2021: It seems clear that Oklahoma found their QB in Jalen Hurts. In limited action this year he finished with a 99.6 QB Rating and added a buzz of excitement to the Outlaw offense. We expect some changes in the receiver group, but the Outlaws have to be happy with what they saw from their rookie QB this year.

Pick 16: Orlando Renegades

Bright Spot for 2021: Montez Sweat and Arthur Moats combined for 39 sacks, which means that the Renegades can build a defense based on a 4-man rush and make life tougher for opposing QBs in 2021. Expect them to look for a corner to put opposite Dee Milliner to make passing a lose-lose situation for opposing QBs.

Pick 17: Portland Stags

Bright Spot for 2021: The Stags surprised us with an early season run, and while they faded a bit down the stretch, a 9-7 record and the 4^th rated offense in the league is a solid base to build on. They just need to figure out how to keep Marcus Mariota upright for 16 games, and they might need to invest in a young study at HB because Doug Martin is getting quite long in the tooth.

Pick 18: Pittsburgh Maulers

Bright Spot for 2021: The Maulers are disappointed that 10-6 did not come with a playoff berth, and that 2-week stint when Andy Dalton was a Covid inactive hurt them, but outside of those games, the Maulers were in the mix every week thanks to the combo of Shaquile Riddick and Dwight Freeney on the D-Line, producing 28 sacks, as well as Rasul Douglas developing into a shutdown corner outside.

Award Frontrunners

With the regular season completed and the voters now casting their ballots for the USFL Awards, all of which revealed in 3 weeks ahead of Summer Bowl 2020, it seems as good a time as any to recognize the outstanding performances this year and the players likely to take home some hardware, even if this year the hardware will be mailed to them after a fully virtual gala.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Even money is that QB Dak Prescott will make it back-to-back MVP awards after he led the Bandits to a 15-1 record and the top seed in the East. Prescott’s numbers are impressive, finishing the year with 37 touchdowns, a QB rating of 131.3 and 4,250 yards, but it is the team success that we think will put him over the top and give us the first repeat winner since David Carr in 2016-17. Chasing him is the other obvious choice, New Orleans QB Geno Smith, the only player to throw for more yards than Dak, 4,944 to Dak’s 4,250. Smith also had 37 touchdowns on the season and trailed only Prescott with a QB rating of 126.9, but at 11-5 and without the division title in hand, we think Smith will finish a close second.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Another 2-man race as it comes down to the league’s lead rusher, Michigan’s LeVeon Bell, and its best receiver, New Orleans wideout Jordy Nelson. Both had incredible seasons, with Bell beating out 2^nd place ballcarrier Maurice Jones-Drew by nearly 200 yards (1,529 to 1,349) and scoring 15 touchdowns to also lead the league. Nelson’s performance was equally meritorious, leading the league in receiving yards with 1,880 yards while also setting a new league record with a 31.3 YPC average. Nelson’s total was 236 yards higher than 2^nd place Sammy Watkins, and his 13 touchdowns, were 3^rd in the league behind only Dez Bryant (16) and Robert Woods (15). Both have won OPOTY before, with Bell taking the OPOTY the past three of the past 4 seasons (2016, 2018, and 2019) and Nelson winning it the one year Bell did not (2017). Seems like these two are destined to battle for the title each year.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

It couldn’t be Campbell again, could it? Well, he did win the sack title for the 12^th consecutive year, this time coming back from a 5-sack deficit and winning by 4 in the final weeks. Winning this year would be his 6^th DPOTY, and it is hard to argue against him, especially not with the way he pulled it off this year. Yes, we would love to recognize the amazing seasons put in by players like LA Express DE Nick Bosa, Jacksonville MLB Sean Lee, or Mauler CB Rasul Douglas, all of whom were outstanding and certainly will be named to the All-USFL team, but it has to be Campbell again.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Early in the season it was all about the wideouts: Birmingham’s Henry Ruggs, Justin Jefferson in New Orleans, Tee Higgins in Jacksonville, no doubt. But, once the Dallas Roughnecks decided to make the switch and let former Oregon Duck Justin Herbert take command of the offense, there was a new sheriff in town. Herbert won his first 3 games, turning a 2-4 team into a 10-6 playoff club. His 8-2 record as a rookie is certainly impressive, his ability to guide the Roughnecks to the playoffs for the first time since they relocated is huge, but even with only 10 weeks as a starter, his stats are impressive as well. Herbert threw for 2,716 yards, yes, an average of 271 yards per game, and threw 21 touchdowns, with 4 games where he had 3 or more touchdowns, all while only throwing 6 picks. It is as impressive a rookie season as we have seen from a QB in a long time. And while Mitch Trubisky now somewhat dubiously won the ROTY in 2017 with far fewer statistical strengths, we think Herbert compares more to prior QB winners like Cam Newton (2011), Sam Bradford (2010) or Matt Leinart (2006) in that he seems destined for a long run of success in the league.

COACH OF THE YEAR

With Mark Trestman winning the COTY last year, we don’t think he repeats, even though he took Tampa Bay to another level with his 15-1 season. But, will the award still be an honor for Trestman? Yes, we think so, because it goes to his 2019 Offensive Coordinator and the first year coach of the Atlanta Fire, Jaime Elizondo. Elizondo got a lot of credit for Tampa Bay’s offensive success in 2019, and he proved he deserved it by turning Atlanta into one of the most potent attacks in the league this year. His first season in Atlanta saw the fire improve by 9 games over 2019, from 4-11-1 to 13-3, which is actually a bigger leap than Tampa Bay had last year. And along the way he made football exciting in Atlanta (even though the team never played there), which has not been something many Fire fans have said in a long time. While we love what we saw from Marvin Lewis’s Showboats this year, as well as the great story of Kliff Kingsbury and Justin Herbert in Dallas, we think this has to go to Elizondo, the secret weapon in Tampa last year and the key to football success in Atlanta this year.

Wild Card Weekend, and it is a wild one this year, as the USFL not only enters into September football for the first time ever, but also works around NFL and NCAA schedules to put teams in stadiums and put fans in seats. What we get this year is a unique schedule in which the teams in the East, playing in Orlando and Tampa, get the late games so they can be played at night, while games in Houston, Phoenix, or Las Vegas are scheduled during the day to take advantage of climate-controlled stadiums, because, as we all know, September is very much still summer in the South. So, with that weird schedule in front of us, here are the 4 games this weekend, complete with times, networks, and odds.

5-Dallas Rougnecks (10-6) @ 4-Chicago Machine (11-5)

Saturday, Sept. 12 @ 3pm ET on NBC

NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

18,050 Capacity Expected

Chicago -5

6-Houston Gamblers (10-6) vs. 3-Baltimore Blitz (9-7)

Saturday, Sept. 12 @ 8pm ET on FOX

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL

15,054 Capacity Expected

Even

6-Seattle Dragons (10-6) @ 3-Los Angeles Express (11-5)

Sunday, September 13 @ 3pm ET on ABC

Wynn Arena, Las Vegas, NV

18,100 Capacity Expected

Los Angeles -5

5-New Orleans Breakers (11-5) @ 4-Atlanta Fire (13-3)

Sunday, Sept. 13 @ 8pm ET on ESPN and the ESPN Football Network

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

19,010 Capacity Expected

Atlanta -4