SCORES
MEM 27 BLT 37 Blitz overcome 21-0 deficit to overtake the Showboats.
BIR 27 NJ 24 Cribbs is too much for Generals D, with 130 rushing.
TBY 16 PHI 24 Stars rounding into playoff form with big win vs. Tampa.
JAX 23 WSH 38 Big day from Craig James squash Bulls and get Feds to .500.
DEN 10 NOR 31 Crump comes off the bench for 86 yards and a score in Breakers win.
ARZ 29 PIT 12 Maulers are just what Arizona needed to snap 7 game losing streak.
LA 24 HOU 27 Houston win 3rd straight as LA blow a chance to gain on Denver.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Oakland Invaders 31 Michigan Panthers 6
Has the mystique of the Panthers been figured out? Last week the Blitz held Michigan to 12 points in a tough 12-11 loss, but this week the Invaders used much the same formula to take down the unbeaten Panthers in brutal fashion. Oakland combined a suffocating 2 deep zone defense with second half offensive fireworks to take down the Panthers in dramatic fashion. For the second week in a row the vaunted Panthers passing game struggled to sustain drives, going 4 for 14 on third down, and this time around, the Panthers D failed them as Oakland was able to score on 4 consecutive drives in the second half to blow past Michigan.
At the half it looked like a repeat of last week’s game between the Panthers and the Blitz, with a 6-3 score and neither team moving the ball effectively, but then the dam broke. Oakland began the half with a long 73 yard drive that ended when a swing pass out to Henry Ellard got the Invaders the final 2 yards they needed and put them on top to stay at 10-6. On their next drive, the Invaders again drove the field, this time with TE Raymond Chester catching the scoring pass. After a Michigan fumble, and only 28 second after the Chester score, Henry Ellard caught his second scoring pass of the day and Oakland had a commanding 24-6 lead. Michigan would press, and fail on 3rd down, leading to yet another long Oakland drive, this one 67 yards, ending in a Whittington dive over the top for the final score of 31-6.
The loss was complete for Michigan, as every aspect of their gameplan failed against the white hot Invaders. Bobby Hebert was held to 237 yards passing, no scores and an interception, while HB John Williams was able to gain only 64 yards on 19 carries. Meanwhile, Brian Sipe completed 65% of his passes and threw for three scores, and the combination of Whittington (98) and Bentley (31) produced 129 yards rushing. Gary Plummer, the veteran Invaders LB, was the defensive star, with 9 tackles. Tory Nixon and Will Lyles combined for the game’s big play, the fumble and recovery that allowed Oakland to score a quick and decisive backbreaking TD only seconds after their second score of the day. Perhaps Michigan came out flat after clinching the #1 seed in the Western Conference, or call it a case of a team that was just hungrier, but many are now concerned that the Panthers’ formula has been revealed and the once unbeatable Michigan squad may now be due for a comeuppance as the playoffs draw near.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Despite Craig James winning Offensive Player of the Week, we want to give this weeks POTW to the entire Washington run game. Not only did James rumble for 154 yards and 2 scores, but backup Curtis Bledsoe also scrambled for another 103 yards and 2 scores of his own after James left the game with a knee concern. We knew that with Vaughan Johnson out of the Bulls LB corps, run defense would be a concern, but no one, not even the Washington coaching staff, could have expected such dominance on the ground. Kudos to the team’s offensive line for opening massive holes all day, to OC Sam Rutigliano for recognizing a weakness and exploiting it, and to both James and Bledsoe for shedding tackles and finding cutback lanes that shredded Jacksonville on the way to an important victory for the Feds. The win moves Washington to 7-7 and gives them a legitimate shot at the franchise’s first playoff berth in team history. If this is the way they can run the ball, they will be a team that no one will want to face these last 2 weeks, and maybe in the playoffs.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With two weeks of divisional play to come, here is the big picture. Michigan, Baltimore and Jacksonville are in. Denver, Tampa, New Orleans and Philadelphia control their own destiny. Washington and Oakland can also stamp their tickets with a 2-0 finish. And while Birmingham, LA and Arizona are still technically alive, they are on life support.
NEWS & NOTES
Things are getting heated in Jacksonville where Doug Williams this week publicly requested a trade from the embattled Bulls. Despite leading the team to another playoff berth, Williams expressed frustration with the contract negotiation tactics of Bulls management, stating that he felt disrespected by their lowball tactics and threatening to return to the NFL unless Jacksonville could find a new USFL home for him. With 4 expansion teams coming into the league next year, there is a good opportunity for Jacksonville to get top value for Williams, as all 4 new teams will be desperate to lock down the game’s most vital position in their first year. The Bulls could come away with multiple #1 picks (in the Open and Territorial Draft) if they opt to move Williams. It is rare for a Top 5 QB to be on the market, but with a toxic relationship between Williams and ownership in Jacksonville, getting good trade value for the QB may be the best option in front of Fred Bullard, Lindy Infante and the Bulls personnel team.
INJURIES
With the final playoff push on the horizon for many USFL teams, this Is a bad time to lose key players even for just a week. LA lost two contributors in backup TE Cap Boso and DE Larry Roberts. Philly lost their starting center, Blair Bush for at least 2 weeks with a knee injury. Oakland will be without CB Tory Nixon at least until the first week of playoffs after suffering a foot injury vs. Michigan. Craig James, who had such a great game vs. Jacksonville may also miss the next week, or more, with fluid on his knee. Tampa may be the hardest hit, as QB John Reaves suffered an abdominal injury, perhaps a hernia, this week and could miss the remaining regular season. That is a lot of playoff implicating injuries to deal with, but this is why depth is a factor each and every season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Here we go. Final two weeks, all divisional games. The stakes are way up, so the action should be especially fierce as teams fight for their playoff lives. In Week 16 we have huge matchups between Philly and Washington in RFK, Jacksonville @ Tampa Bay, Denver @ Arizona and LA in Oakland. Each of these games has major playoff implications. Meanwhile other playoff teams and contenders hope to snag an easy win against lesser competition as Baltimore heads to New Jersey, Michigan to Houston, New Orleans faces Pittsburgh in the Super Dome and Birmingham hosts 2-win Memphis.