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Seattle and Tampa Bay both wrap up division titles, the Dragons doing so despite a tough loss in LA. Meanwhile, Tim Tebow helps Birmingham’s win streak hit 3 games in a row, while the Generals are stunned by a very feisty Washington Federals’ squad. And, don’t look know, but with a 3-game winning streak, the Panthers are back in 2 nd  place in the Central, only 1 game behind Chicago. We will run down all the action, including Davis Mills’ debut for the Invaders. We will also take a look at the award races, which are all looking very tight right now, and the distinct possibility that 3 longstanding coaches could be in trouble as Black Monday approaches. But we begin with Washington’s unexpected showing against a Generals team that had won 9 in a row.   Federals Stun Generals as New Storyline Emerges The Washington 2 months ago the Washington Federals were on the fast track to an early draft pick, sitting at 1-6 and making a midseason change at QB. But with 3 weeks left in the USFL season the Feds may be on the fringe of the playoff race, but they have not given up. Since making their swap at QB, promoting former Seattle Dragon Jacoby Brissett over high-priced free agent acquisition Ryan Nassib, the Federals have gone 5-2, including a 3-week win streak that included victories over Philadelphia and Ohio, and just this week they avenged their lone loss during the past 2 months, a 28-21 loss in New Jersey, by knocking off the Generals 31-24. Washington may only be 6-7 overall, but they are one of the hottest teams in the league and a team no one wants to see on their schedule the next three weeks.   Brissett’s numbers may not be huge (1,672 yards and a 53.4% Completion Rate) but he has produced 11 touchdowns in 7 games, with only 5 picks, and he has helped Washington turn the season on its head and make June games relevant. But the truth is that he has not done it on his own. Brissett has benefited from the rapid development and undeniable skills of rookie HB Travis Etienne. The Clemson star is closing in on 1,000 yards after a 119-yard outing against the Generals, the self-same Generals team that held him to only 28 yards 2 weeks ago. Throw in a 99-yard game against Charlotte, a 91-yarder vs. Atlanta, and his 130-yard break out game against New Orleans and you have a back who will garner a lot of votes for Rookie of the Year.   Etienne has become a focal point of the Washington offense, allowing Brissett to use play action and helping the Federals move up the offensive statistical tables to a point where they now rank 10 th  in scoring and 12 th in rushing. Even with the 28 th  ranked defense (yards allowed) they are still winning games. They will host the New England Steamrollers this week, and again in the finale, and simply winning those two games will get them to .500, but if we were the Chicago Machine, the Feds’ Week 16 opponent, we would not be happy to see this team getting hot right now.   The odds for Washington to make the postseason are slim, even with a 3-0 finish (which would actually be a 5-0 finish). Their top potential record is 9-7, which is unlikely to be a Top 6 finish in the East, but they certainly can send a message about the future, putting the rest of the NE Division on notice and setting up for a big 2022. It all starts with offense right now, but give Coach Kevin Gilbride another offseason and we could see some improvement on defense as well. All this from a team that seemed to be giving up at midseason, trading away Chris Long to Seattle in what looked like a cap-dumping move. But now, with a nucleus to build around, that move may well be the basis for upgrades on defense that could help the Federals take another step. They are essentially set at QB (Brissett), HB (Etienne), WR (Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, and Jarvis Landry) and at TE (Housler and Winslow). So, that means they can dedicate the offseason to improving Brissett’s protection and bringing in some help for DE Bradley Chubb, and CB Prince Amukamara. With Tremaine Edwards, Patrick Queen, and Anthony Walker looking solid in the LB slots, we think DE, CB, and the O-line will be the focus, and that is a pretty manageable wish list for a team that has over $8M in cap space before we see any free agent departures or retirements (not that we expect many).   The win this week over New Jersey was a stunner, not because the Feds got the win, but because it indicated that this team was not happy playing out the string, they wanted to send a message that Washington is on the way back after 7 consecutive non-playoff years. 2021 may be the 8 th , but with what we are seeing from this group, that streak is not likely to hit 9 seasons. SEATTLE DRAGONS 21   LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 28 Sometimes you just know that a game is going to be a good one, and with the LA Express teetering on the verge of playoff oblivion, we all had a sense that they would make a stand, playing at home, and visited by the 10-2 Seattle Dragons, winners of 10 in a row. We were right as Saturday’s Prime Time game on ESPN gave us everything we could have wanted out of a Pacific Division showdown.   The game featured one of the league’s best defenses in the Express going up against it’s leading rusher in Knowshon Moreno. It featured one of the most criticized and analyzed passing games going up against perhaps the league’s best secondary in Seattle’s combo of corners Richard Sherman, Chidobe Awuzie, and Jaire Alexander and safeties Taylor Rapp and Terrell Edmunds. It also featured two coaches with contrasting styles, the aggressive offensive mind of Mike Riley against the stodgy and defense-first philosophy of Marvin Lewis. In other words, this one had “classic” written all over it.   We often expect these kinds of divisional slugfests to start slowly, with both teams sizing each other up, but that is not what we got. We got points out of the gate, with Seattle opening the game with an 11-play drive and a Hundley to Amari Cooper TD that silenced the LA crowd. But that crowd was not silent for long when, on Seattle’s 2 nd  drive, backed up at the 10, Hundley made a fatal mistake, trying to force the ball inside to TE Kyle Rudolph. Express LB Keith Rivers jumped the route, snapped up the ball, and rumbled his way to the endzone to even the score with a defensive TD, an Express specialty.   Seattle was upset, but angry after the botched pass, and Hundley bounced back in a big way, connecting with slot receiver John Brown for 30 yards on a 3 rd  and 7 throw. That was followed by a 12-yard run from Moreno, his longest of the day, and then a quick strike to Cooper, and finished off with Moreno going the final 6 yards to once again build up a 7-point Dragon lead. All of this in about 7 minutes of game time, and while the score would hold through the end of the 1 st  quarter, it was clear that both teams were ready for the intensity of this game.   Midway through the 2 nd  quarter, Seattle expanded their advantage with Moreno earning his 2 nd  TD of the game, a goal-line plunge after a defensive PI against Richard Sherman (who guarded Cooper all night) put the ball on the 1. Moreno’s score with 6:14 left in the half, gave Seattle a 21-7 lead, but the Express were not impressed. They got in range as the half wound down, but a poor snap cost them a field goal and they went into the locker room a frustrated but motivated team, trailing by 14, but feeling the game was far from over.   LA came out in the 2 nd  half with no interest at all in respecting Seattle’s game. They manhandled the Dragons on 3 consecutive 3-and-out possessions by the Dragon offense. Their own offense found some rhythm as well, turning their 2 nd  possession of the half into 7 points thanks to a 15-play, 7-minute drive that concluded with Paul Perkins crashing into the endzone from the 3. The Express had dominated the quarter and now went into the final period down only 7.   The 4 th  quarter would belong to two players, LA DE Nick Bosa, who recorded 2 sacks, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the span of 12 minutes, and WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who would find the endzone twice in the final 6 minutes of action. The first came on a 1-yard crossing pattern after the Bosa fumble gave LA the ball at the Seattle 22. The Express pounded the ball towards the endzone, with Perkins and Ty Montgomery both effective against the Dragon run defense. Once they got inside the 5, they faked the run and Murray found Brown for the equalizer.   Only 3 minutes later, after yet another 3-and-out from the LA defense, helped by a Jamar Taylor sack on a corner blitz, the 6 th  sack of Hundley on the night, LA was back in action and moving the ball well. Murray, who finished the game only 10 of 21, got 2 of his 10 completions on the drive, including the go-ahead score, a 29-yard out & up that fooled the Seattle secondary and left Brown open for the score. LA was up 7 after trailing by 14, had held Seattle without any points in the second half, and was only 2:54 away from a very needed division win. But 2:54 is an eternity in football, so this game still had some drama left to play out.   Seattle took the ensuing kickoff to the 27 on their return, and took the field hoping to muster one last drive to send the game to overtime. They would abandon the run on the drive, having seen Knowshon Moreno, despite his 2 short TD runs, limited to only 33 yards on 16 carries, a paltry 2.1 YPC average. Hundley would have to carry the team if they were going to even the score in the final minutes. At first he seemed very much up to the task, finding Newhouse for an 11-yard strike on the first play of the drive, then finding TE Kyle Rudolph for 23 only 2 plays later. They were in LA territory, but they needed 7, not 3, and they needed to keep moving closer to get that done.   Hundley took a huge hit on the next play, a blow just as he threw the ball as Bosa again hit home, but as the pass fluttered out of bounds, it did nothing but move the down to 2 nd  and 10. On the 2 nd  down play, Hundley found TE John Bates, but the play gained only 2 yards, creating a 3 rd  and 8. Hundley went to the shotgun, looked first at Newhouse, then back across to John Brown over the middle, but there was nothing there.  He took off running but was brought down after gaining only 2 yards, creating a game-defining 4 th  and 6. Again in the shotgun, Murray thought he had the clean route he needed, throwing a laser towards Amari Cooper, but Richard Sherman recovered quickly, gaining ground on the receiver, and disrupting the catch with his left arm thrust between Coopers. The ball fell to the ground and the possession switched over to the Express.   LA would need a first down to end the game, and they got it in only 2 plays, the first a 5-yards counter by Perkins, the second another 5-yard gainer, this time from Murray on the scramble, and that was all she wrote. The Express, up 28-21, could take a knee, leave the field at 7-7 and remain very much alive in the playoff hunt. The Dragons, winners of 10 in a row, now had their third defeat, and yet, for the disappointment of the day, there would be good news as other results came in over the weekend, locking in the Dragons not only as a playoff team, but as the Pacific Division Champions. A strange way to get there, but they got there nonetheless. NEW JERSEY 24   WASHINGTON 31 As we covered in our Big Story this week, Washington stunned the Generals, with Travis Etienne not only rushing for 119 yards, averaging 6 yards per carry, but he also contributed a key TD through the air. Jacoby Brissett also found Tyreek Hill for a score in the 4 th  quarter, giving Washington a 31-17 lead before a late General TD made the game look closer than it was. POTG:  Federal HB Travis Etienne: 20 Att, 116 Yds, 3 Rec, 23 Yds, 1 TD   OHIO 0   CHICAGO 34 A disastrous performance for Ohio in a game they hoped would propel them to the playoffs. The Glory rushed for a total of negative 2 yards in this game. Yes, even with a dual threat QB and a pretty solid veteran HB in Isaiah Pead, they managed negative rush yardage. Add to that a grand total of only 3 first downs in the entire game, and a defense that allowed Chicago to walk all over them and this was a very bad showing for a team that had playoff aspirations. POTG:  Chicago kicker Daniel Carlson: 6 for 6 on FG.   MICHIGAN 28  PHILADELPHIA 17 LeVeon Bell had only 1 carry before a shoulder injury took him out, but Alexander Mattison and Karlos Williams stepped in and combined for 161 yards and 2 TDs as the Panthers won their 3 rd  in a row to get right back into playoff position at 8-5. The Panthers picked off Carson Wentz twice, including a Dre Kirkpatrick pick-six, and limited Derrick Henry to only 39 yards in a game that was never really close after a 14-0 first quarter from the Panthers. POTG:  Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD.   ORLANDO 27   NEW ORLEANS 17 The ‘Gades took care of business, improving to 8-5 despite 3 Russell Wilson picks and a defense that gave up 126 yards and 2 scores to Breaker WR Justin Jefferson. They were helped by a 100-yard game from NFL import Chris Carson, and by a defense that sacked Tajh Boyd 4 times, 3 coming from league sack leader Montez Sweat. The Renegades took a 10-3 lead in the 2 nd quarter and never trailed after that as New Orleans was eliminated from playoff consideration at 4-9. POTG:  Orlando DE Montez Sweat: 5 Tck, 3 Sck, 1 FF   PITTSBURGH 21 DALLAS 33 Dallas won their 3 rd  in a row to move above .500 and they did it in style, with Perine and Johnson combining for 124 yards and 2 TDs on the ground and the defense returning a Dalton pick 29 yards for a score. All you need to know about how this game went for Pittsburgh is that Andy Dalton led all backs with 8 rushing attempts. Pressure was on him all game and the results were not pretty for the Maulers. POTG:  Dallas HB Samaje Perine: 22 Att, 81 Yds, 2 TD   BIRMINGHAM 26  OKLAHOMA 20 Tim Tebow has 2 wins in 2 starts, and this one came with some pretty nice numbers as well, with Tebow going 14 of 25 for 312 yards, 2 TDs and no picks. That is quite a bit better than Jalen Hurts’s 186 yards, though Hurts also added 2 TDs. Oklahoma held a surprising 20-16 lead after 3 quarters, but a Tebow to HB Ben Tate TD throw and a field goal from Chris Boswell helped the Stallions build up a 6-point lead and they blanked Oklahoma down the stretch to move to 9-5 on the season. POTG:  Stallion QB Tim Tebow: 14/25, 312 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   ST. LOUIS 14  DENVER 20 With Josh Allen knocked out of the game with a foot injury after only 1 attempt, it was Mitch Trubisky who rallied the Gold, with a lot of help from Golden Tate. Tate caught 6 of 9 targets from Trubisky, turning short throws into big gainers with YAC. That includes a 50-yard TD on a 7-yard throw, and another 27-yard TD catch and run. St. Louis played the Gold tough, but Tyrod Taylor was sacked 5 times, 3 in the 4 th  quarter and the Skyhawks just could not come back late. POTG:  Denver WR Golden Tate: 6 Rec, 173 Yds, 2 TD   BALTIMORE 24  NEW ENGLAND 7 The Blitz stay alive in the Wild Card race, with Jake Locker throwing for 3 scores and the defense limiting Ryan Tannehill to 185 yards passing. It was 24-0 after 3 quarters with a late garbage time score finally putting New England on the board. The poor offensive performance by the homestanding Steamrollers likely played a big part in the decision to finish the year with Jameis Winston under center (see story below). POTG:  Blitz QB Jake Locker: 15/25, 144 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   SAN ANTONIO 10   ATLANTA 21 The Gunslingers were feeling good after building up a 10-0 lead at the half, but the Fire adjusted in the 2 nd  half, with Pat White throwing for 3 scores and the Gunslinger D giving up 168 yards to Fire backs. Kenyan Drake, who is rumored to be headed into free agency, rushed for 104 yards on only 6 carries, while Nick Chubb went 18 for 62 as Atlanta, got their first win with White under center. POTG:  Fire QB Pat White: 28/41, 273 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   CHARLOTTE 13   JACKSONVILLE 17 In what might have been their best shot at a win this season, Charlotte held a 13-10 lead after 3 quarters but could not finish the game out. Jacksonville scored on a Lawrence to Mike Williams 22-yard toss with 5:16 left to play and the Monarchs just did not have a late answer. Kyle Boller threw for 307 yards against the Bulls’ defense but also threw 2 second half picks. The star for Jacksonville was Williams, who caught both Trevor Lawrence TDs on the day. POTG:  Jacksonville WR Mike Williams: 5 Rec, 105 Yds, 2 TD   PORTLAND 9   ARIZONA 35 No doubt about this one as the Wranglers put up 17 points in the 2 nd  quarter to take a dominant 23-2 lead. David Carr threw for 4 scores and both Victor Cruz and Demarcus Robinson both went over 100 as the Wrangler offense is rounding into playoff form down the stretch. DE Bud Dupree added 2 sacks, including a safety against Mariota as each team got one 2-pointer in the game. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 14/23, 283 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   TAMPA BAY 34  SAN DIEGO 19 The hardest part of this game for Tampa Bay was getting there, as their original coast-to-coast flight had to make an emergency landing in Mobile, Alabama due to mechanical issues. They found their way to San Diego in plenty of time and from there it was pretty simple. Dak Prescott went 14 of 22 for 311 yards and 2 scores, while Dalvin Cook added 87 more and three TDs in a Bandit win that locked up their repeat as SE Division Champs. POTG:  Bandit HB Dalvin Cook: 17 Att, 87 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Rec, 13 Yds, 1 TD   LAS VEGAS 17   OAKLAND 21 A solid debut for QB Davis Mills and a good win for the Invaders, who improved to 7-6. Mills went 23 of 34, throwing for 262with 2 TDs and 1 pick. He was pressured by the Vipers, who recorded 6 sacks, but he stayed on his game and helped Oakland get the win with a 4 th  quarter TD to Taylor Gabriel that proved to be the winning score. Christian McCaffrey also had a good day, rushing for 106 and a score. POTG:  Oakland LB Shaquile Barrett: 6 Tck, 3 TFL, 1 Sck   HOUSTON 44   MEMPHIS 17   The Showboats did not show for this one, as Houston ran up a 34-3 score by halftime. First half scores from Mike Evans, Josh Reynolds, Carlos Hyde and Gerald Everett proved how diverse and how difficult this Gambler offense can be. McCoy threw for 4 scores in the game, while Blake Bortles, getting the start for an injured Paxton Lynch (a Saturday incident at home with a knife, apparently), was sacked 6 times and picked off once in the Houston blowout. Lynch is expected to be back next week, but it may be too late for the 6-7 Showboats. POTG:  Houston QB Colt McCoy: 14/23, 238 Yds, 4 Td, 1 Int   Tebow 2-0 As Stallions Keep Stampeding While Stallion fans can certainly hope for Cam Newton to be back by season’s end, the absolutely cannot complain about the results the past three weeks, with Tim Tebow at the helm. Not only did the former Bulls’ starter and Gator legend help the Stallions pull out a key game against Memphis when Newton went down, but in two starts he has produced over 550 yards passing, 4 touchdowns, no picks, and, most importantly 2 wins. The initial panic and all the hand-wringing about the trade that sent Jameis Winston to New England seems to have been without merit. Tebow has not only played well, he now has Birmingham on the brink of playoff certainty for only the 3rd time this millennium. Birmingham holds a slim 1-game lead over Houston for the division title, but at 9-4, they are almost assured a place among the 12 playoff teams, and they have a real shot at winning their first division title since 1997. You read that right, the Brett Favre-led Stallion team of 1997 was the last division title for Birmingham, a drought that is now 23 seasons long and on the cusp of finally ending.   Tebow has not tried to play Superman, and his game is still a bit rusty, completing only 47.1% of his passes since taking over for Newton, but he is managing the game, spreading the ball around, finding plays at key times, and even using his legs to make plays. He sits with a 106.4 QB Rating after 2.5 games, far better than most starters across the league, and he has the Stallions believing they can finish the regular season atop the Southern Division and possibly even getting a nice bye week for their troubles. That bye could be pivotal, with Cam Newton expected to miss at least 2 more games, but very likely needing even more time. The best case scenario was for Newton to return for Week 17’s season finale at Arizona, but if Tebow continues to win games, Birmingham might be in a position to play some backups and let Tebow make a curtain call in the regular season, with Newton then getting an additional week of rest before coming back under center in the Divisional Playoffs 2 weeks later.   Tebow’s play, and the victories over New Orleans and Oklahoma, has flipped the narrative in Alabama from “Can we survive and make the playoffs with Tebow?” to “What if Tebow goes 5-0? Should we keep him in for the playoffs?”. That last thought was unthinkable only a few weeks ago, but with one SEC legend replacing another and doing it with very positive results, Birmingham is asking questions that are more a luxury than a necessity.   Mills gets Win in First USFL Start Birmingham is not the only team asking some tough QB questions after rookie Davis Mills got his first start and produced a nice win over Las Vegas. His numbers were not eye-popping, but they were certainly very solid for a rookie making his pro debut: 23 of 34 for 262 yards, 2 TDs and 1 pick. Mills looked comfortable under center and Oakland improved to 7-6 on the year, still very much in a crowded pack looking for a Wild Card spot.   The decision to bench Tom Brady was certainly a highly controversial one, but at 6-6 and feeling like the chance for a playoff spot had passed them by, it made some sense to give their rookie some 2021 playing time before possibly taking on the starter mantle full time in 2022. But, what happens if Mills keeps producing wins? Oakland is currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, one of 5 teams sitting at 7-6, with Ohio currently holding the tie-breaker advantage for the 6 th  playoff position, but a few more wins from the Invaders and they could easily leapfrog the Glory, Maulers, Express, and Roughnecks to claim the spot. What happens if they do?   Assuming Mills is able to maneuver the Invaders into the playoffs, do you stick with the hot hand, an untested rookie in his first USFL postseason, or do you return to the 5-Time Pro Football Champion and 2-time USFL Champion QB in his swan song season? There will be fans within the Invader Army who feel like Brady deserves the shot at one more playoff run. Others will look at what will have to be a very strong 4-game mini-season by Mills and insist that the rookie deserves the postseason starts. It is a tough situation for Coach Kubiak, but, as with Birmingham’s QB situation, it is one based on abundance, not scarcity, a playoff run facilitated by a new QB and a very solid veteran backup also available. There are plenty of teams that would be envious of those kinds of tough decisions instead of the ones they face as the season heads into its final weeks.   Bell Out vs. Stars But Panthers Prevail The Michigan Panthers have used a 3-game winning streak (and 4 of 5) to get back into the thick of the Central Division chase after falling all the way to 4 th place in the division. Their win this week over Philadelphia was an impressive one, if only for one reason, it was accomplished without 3-time OPOTY winner LeVeon Bell at halfback.   Bell came into the game looking like he was ready to rip through the Stars’ defense, but on only the 2 nd  play of the game, Bell’s first carry, he took the ball on a routine counter run, crashed through the line, gained 3 yards, and was driven to the ground by Philadelphia rookie LB Micah Parsons. Bell popped right back, headed to the huddle, rotating his arm, when he suddenly winced in pain, and called to be taken out. Michigan fans everywhere likely let out some salty language upon seeing Bell head to the medical team, and then the locker room. The good news is that while his shoulder was clearly bruised, he had not suffered a dislocation or a fracture. He would spend the rest of the game on the sideline in a t-shirt but without a sling.   The better news for the Panthers is that with their superstar out of action, they still dominated the Stars, outgaining Philadelphia 314-266 and converting on 8 of 12 third downs. Alexander Mattison got most of the carries in Bell’s stead, and the 3 rd  year back availed himself quite well, averaging 3.9 YPC on his way to 81 carries. Third stringer and occasional 3 rd  down back Karlos Williams also stepped up, rushing for another 80 yards on 12 carries, with a strong 6.1 YPC average. Both Williams and Mattison found paydirt, scoring once apiece, and the Panthers came away with an 11-point victory on the road against a very tough Philadelphia squad.  Bell is expected to suit up this week, when the Panthers match up in a key Central Division game against 7-5 Ohio, and while he may have his snap count limited, it is clear from this week’s Panther victory, that Michigan may well be able to carry on and challenge Chicago without him being at 100%, something the Panther faithful are very happy to see.   Roughnecks Back in Hunt with 3rd Straight Win Another team on a 3-game streak, the Dallas Roughnecks, are hoping they can stay hot and get themselves back in the playoff race. It won’t be easy as their 6-5 Conference record has them currently last among the 5-team cluster of Western Division teams with the same 7-6 record. Of all the 7-6 teams, Dallas is the one most likely to need to gain a game on the others to earn a Wild Card spot. Having already lost to Arizona, Ohio, and LA, the Vipers have some head-to-head issues, but also only have 1 more conference game left, a season finale against Las Vegas.   The Roughnecks, elevated by 3 good wins over that same Las Vegas team, as well as a big win in Denver and this week’s victory over Pittsburgh, may well need to win out, which will be a challenge, but not impossible as the three foes left on the Roughneck schedule (New Orleans, Memphis, and Las Vegas) all sit below .500 after 13 games. They have a chance, and they will likely need a good bit of help, but all you can ask at this point of the season is to be playing well and to have that retain meaning as the playoff races come down to the final weeks.   Steamrollers to Give Winston 3-Game Mini-Season Officially eliminated from playoff contention at 4-9, and coming off two deflating losses to Orlando and Baltimore, the New England Steamrollers have clearly moved into “future planning” mode. The biggest sign of that is the decision from Coach Fox, announced on Tuesday, that Jameis Winston, and not Ryan Tannehill, would be under center for their final three games (@ Washington, @ Ohio and home to the same Federals for the finale). Winston, acquired in a midseason three-team trade that saw the Steamrollers give up both HB Eddie Lacy and 1 st round rookie pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, will get his first USFL start against the Federals this week and is expected to have what is essentially a 3-game audition to be the named starter ahead of the 2022 season. The former NFL starter came to the USFL to serve as Cam Newton’s backup in Birmingham after some rough, up and down, seasons in the NFL, including a brutal 30-interception year in 2020. When Tampa Bay released Winston, he got moderate attention from other NFL teams but opted to restart his career in the USFL. Now, with the Steamrollers, he will have a chance to show that he should be reinstated as a starter.   And what of Ryan Tannehill? Himself an NFL import, Tannehill came to the Steamrollers after 1 season in Jacksonville, where he was in Winston’s shoes, trying to prove he could be a viable starter. He had 1 start late in the 2019 season for the Bulls, going 24 of 36 and doing enough to impress John Fox, who selected the former Miami Dolphin in the expansion draft. Tannehill started all 16 games for the Steamrollers in their inaugural season, throwing 15 TDs and 17 picks, and earning a sup-par rating of 68.7. This year has been a bit better, with Tannehill’s numbers improving to a 77.7 QBR, while throwing 9 touchdowns and 8 picks in 11 starts (missing 2 starts to injury early in the season and before Winston's arrival). Well, a lot of what happens to Tannehill depends on how Winston performs in the three final games for the Steamrollers. If he shows a lot of promise, we could see Tannehill free to go in free agency. If there is doubt, however, and Winston struggles, then New England may well scramble to provide Tannehill with an acceptable extension to his original contract.   For Tannehill, the situation must be very frustrating, with his future determined not by his own play, but by the play of a competitor. For Winston, this is the chance to rehabilitate his image, shaking off the “bust” tag that emerged in Tampa Bay, and once again claiming a starting job in the pros. And for New England, who are likely to also give more time to several additional younger players over the next 3 weeks, it is an audition to see if they have caught lightning in a bottle or if they need to reevaluate the most important position on the field.   Two teams are in, both now assured a division crown, as the 11-2 Tampa Bay Bandits, winners of the Southeast Division for a second year running, are joined by the Seattle Dragons, who may have lost to rival Los Angeles this week, but whose 10-3 record now puts them 3 games ahead of any division rival with only 3 to play. Yes, a collapse could allow either Oakland or LA to catch them in the standings, but the tiebreakers all go Seattle’s way, to such a degree that the title is now assured.   Behind the two frontrunners for 1-seeds is a cluster of teams all vying for position or to gain a berth in the next 3 weeks. Each conference has a pair of 9-4 teams, New Jersey and Birmingham in the East, Chicago and Denver in the West, followed by several 8-5 teams and several more at 7-6. With most divisions other than the Pacific and Southeast currently showing only a 1-game margin between first and second place, we may not see another “-y” next to a team any time soon, but we do expect to start seeing some “-x” designations as several teams have a chance to get at least a Wild Card sewn up before their divisions are settled.   The other big story this week on the playoff front is the elimination of 6 more teams, bringing the total to 8 of the 30 USFL franchises. Sitting at 4-9, now 4 games behind the 6 th  and final Wild Card in the East, New England and New Orleans now join the Bulls and winless Monarchs as teams out of the playoff hunt. In the West, 4 teams all joined that group this week, with 3-10 San Diego joined by a trio of 4-9 teams in St. Louis, Oklahoma, and Portland. A Wild Card is out of the question for all 4, though there is still a chance to play spoiler in their final 3 games.   With teams in vital playoff push games this week, even a 1-week injury could be huge. Atlanta knows that and will be hard-pressed to put points on the board with Aaron Murray and now WR Kelvin Benjamin both out in Week 15. Seattle will be without Deshon Hall, but they have perhaps the deepest CB group in the league to help them cope. Baltimore may struggle to pressure the QB with Da’Quan Bowers expected to miss the rest of the regular season, while Michigan is hoping that LeVeon Bell can go this week as they face Ohio.   OUT DE          Dion Jordan              POR      Fractured Arm            2-4 Weeks DE          Da’Quan Bowers            BAL        Abdominal Tear               2-4 Weeks CB          Michael Jackson             ORL       Neck                              2-4 Weeks DE          Deshon Hall                SEA        Collarbone                   2-4 Weeks WR         Kelvin Benjamin              ATL         Abdominal Strain           1-2 Weeks OT          Rashawn Slater               PIT         Hernia                             1-2 Weeks LB           Ramik Wilson                 HOU     Hamstring                    1-2 Weeks G            Nick Easton                  NE          Covid Protocol                 1 Week CB          Kevon Seymour             OHI       Covid Protocol                 1 Week   DOUBTFUL G            Nick Allegretti                  CHI        Foot DE          Jerry Hughes                  ARZ       Hand   QUESTIONABLE TE           Rob Gronkowski             PIT         Concussion OT          Jonah Williams              SD          Hand OT          Tyson Clabo                   LV           Eye HB         LeVeon Bell                  MGN     Shoulder   Are LeBeau, Lathon, and LaFleur Safe or Scared? Too many L’s, that is the problem for three “L” coaches, Dick LeBeau, Lamar Lathon, and Brian LaFleur. Each has at least 4 years with their club, with LeBeau in year 8 and Lathon the senior man with 10 seasons behind him. But with all three already removed from playoff contention and looking at a 10-loss season, what are the odds that these three coaches could become Black Monday sacrifices.   Brian LaFleur (POR) LaFleur’s position seems the most precarious. He is only in his 4 th  year and at 4-9 it looks like the Stags are all but assured a 10-loss season, his second in 4 years. And while the Stags have also had two 9-7 seasons in LaFleur’s tenure, a one-time trip as a Wild Card and a quick one-and-done departure are likely not enough to keep their coach for a fifth season. What is perhaps more damaging for LaFleur is that he came to Portland with an offensive pedigree, ostensibly signed to mentor QB Marcus Mariota and yet the Stag offense is stagnating, sitting at 25 th  in scoring and a nasty 27 th  in rushing. Yes, Mariota has improved, securing a 111.9 rating in 11 games last year, but a dip back into the high 80’s this year, and with 15 picks in 13 games, the results are just not there. VERDICT: Almost certainly receiving a pink slip on Black Monday.   Dick LeBeau (SD) LeBeau’s resume is certainly stronger than LaFleur’s. this is a coach who racked up 4 consecutive 10+ win seasons and 4 straight playoff appearances in San Diego (2016-2019), but after last year’s collapse at 3-13, the Thunder again are sitting on 3 wins this year. Do we think the Thunder will accept a 2 nd  straight 10-loss season and not want a change? LeBeau is known as a defensive guru, but the Thunder rank 27 th  in the league, giving up 25.2 points per game this year. We think that is going to be seen as a failing in the coach’s main area of expertise, and rightly so. VERDICT: We think San Diego will go another way, both at GM and in the Head Coach position.   Lamar Lathon (NOR) Over 9 seasons, Lathon has amassed a 95-48-1 record and has taken the Breakers to the postseason every single season, a remarkable feat. Add to that a league title, the first and only in the 39-season history of the Breakers, and you have a pretty strong case for a Mulligan. So, what do we make of their drop from 11-5 in 2020 to a current tally of 4 wins? Is one bad year enough to force a change in the Big Easy, or does Lathon, as a former star player for the club and a very successful coach, get the benefit of the doubt? We think he has to. The Breakers have the talent to rebound in 2022, and Lathon has proven to be a solid coach with a strong record of success. VERDICT: Lathon will get a shot to rebound in 2022.   Season Awards Could be Real Races With only 3 weeks left in a season, we usually have a really firm grasp of who is going to come away with the individual awards in the USFL. From MVP to Rookie of the Year, we would normally know who the voters will go with after 13 games, but this year is proving a challenge. In pretty much every one of the 5 major USFL honors, there is a debate, and a pretty balanced field of top contenders, so which way will the final weeks of the season break? And who will step up to claim their spot as the best of the 2021 Season? Here is our look at the 5 major USFL awards and where the race stands with each.   MVP: Josh Allen, Cam Newton, Jalen Hurts, or Colt McCoy? We know that the MVP will be a quarterback, it almost always is and without another position putting up a potential record-breaking season, we think the pattern will stick. But, after 13 games there are good arguments to be made for multiple players, and we are not at all sure who wins out. Of these four names, all of whom have their arguments, we think that two may be fading.   Cam Newton’s injury means he can do nothing for the next 3 weeks to rally his team or to bolster his numbers. He was likely the frontrunner after 10 weeks, but that injury, paired with Tim Tebow’s success in relief, makes his case a tough one. Jalen Hurts certainly has the numbers, with over 3,400 yards and 26 touchdowns, but the Outlaws have 4 wins and are eliminated from playoff position, so how can we say his contribution has been the most valuable of any player in the league? That leaves Josh Allen and Colt McCoy. McCoy will get some sentimental vote towards a “lifetime achievement award”, after all, 2021 is just the latest in a long run of strong statistical years. McCoy has not had a season with fewer than 3,000 passing yards, 24 TDs or a QB rating below 90 since 2016. This year’s numbers (4,165 yards, 28 TDs, 12 Ints, and a 98.6 QBR) are among the best of his career. Add to that Houston’s rating as the top passing team in the league and their strong playoff position, and we could see McCoy getting the nod. But don’t count Allen out either. Yes, his fast start has tapered off a bit, but his numbers remain impressive: 3,518 passing yards in 13 games, 28 TDs, 12 picks, and a 108.3 QBR. Allen’s Denver Gold are also one of the surprise teams of the season, sitting atop the SW Division at 9-4, and that is largely due to the success their QB has found in his 4 th  season. We think McCoy has the edge (in numbers and public awareness), but it would not surprise us if Allen got the award if Denver holds on to win the division.   OPOTY: Knowshon Moreno, Golden Tate, or the 2 nd Place MVP Votegetter at QB? The award for offensive player of the year is typically the award for the best offensive player who is not a QB. But we have seen years in which the 2 nd  place votegetter for the MVP award walks away with OPOTY as a consolation prize. So, it is perfectly viable that either McCoy or Allen could snatch this award away from the best back or receiver of the season. Or, how about this for a take, Allen misses out on MVP, but they give the OPOTY to his favorite target, veteran WR Golden Tate? Tate is having the best season of his illustrious career, with over 1,250 yards and 60 receptions in 13 games, not to mention a league best 13 receiving touchdowns. In a way, giving Tate the OPOTY is a way to recognize Allen while still giving McCoy his due as MVP.   But, before we get too focused on Denver, we have to acknowledge that in any other year the clear frontrunner would be Seattle tailback Knowshon Moreno. After 3 straight OPOTY victories by LeVeon Bell, and with the Michigan back dropping all the way to 10 th  in the latest rushing stats, Moreno has become the new face of the run game in the USFL. A back with 13 grueling seasons behind him, Moreno is on pace for a personal best in yardage, and could make a run at 1,400 yards. He has 10 TDs and could beat his personal best from last season (11) with a strong finish, and, perhaps most impressive for a back who turned 32 this year, he is doing it by averaging 4.7 yards per carry, the best among any back with more than 40 touches. We love the season Moreno has put together, and with Seattle as the top seed in the West, the Dragons and their star back deserve this one.   DPOTY: Defensive ends Montez Sweat, J. J. Watt, Calais Campbell, or LB Kahlil Mack Perhaps more than any award other than MVP, the DPOTY tends to be a mix of statistical excellence and team impact. How else could you explain the fact that Calais Campbell missed out on the title during years when the Renegades were not a playoff squad, despite his dominance as a pass rusher. We keep Campbell in the mix this year because he has worked his way into the Top 5 in sacks once again, but it does seem that he will not be able to catch Montez Sweat this year, making it the first in more than a decade where someone else’s name will top the leaderboard. That alone makes Sweat a major contender for the award. Add to that a nice run in the 2 nd  half of the season that has Orlando right in the playoff mix, and the Renegades’ newest edge rushing dynamo has to be considered a frontrunner for the award. In Memphis, J. J. Watt had a fast start, but the wear and tear of a USFL season hot on the heels of his last NFL season has started to take effect, with Watt clearly slowing down and dealing with some injury issues the past month. That leaves only one darkhorse, and again it is a case of a player who is certainly gifted, but who is also on a team that seems to be on a fast track to a Summer Bowl appearance, Seattle LB Khalil Mack.   Mack is not going to lead the league in tackles, a category often won by a player on a bad team that simply gives up more offensive plays, producing more tackles. He won’t lead the league in picks or sacks either, as LB’s never do, but when you put the three major defensive stats together, there is no one who is excelling as a tackler, pass rusher, and coverage linebacker quite like Khalil Mack. In his 8 th  season, Mack leads the Dragons with 3 interceptions, despite the quality of their secondary. He is 2 nd  on the team with 9 sacks, but Chris Long, who leads the Dragons, only came over a few weeks ago from Washington, so in actual sacks for the Dragons, Khalil is again first. Oh, and with 69 tackles, he is only 5 behind team leader Josh Allen. He has a real chance to finish the season atop the team leaderboard in all three categories, and his team is currently 10-3, a division winner, and a clear favorite for the 1-seed. We think that could make him a darling of voters.   ROTY: QBs Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, HB Travis Etienne, or DE Odafe Oweh? We all went into the season thinking that Lawrence was the odds-on favorite, and he certainly has had a good statistical year for a rookie QB, throwing for over 3,000 yards and on pace for well over 20 TDs, but, with the Bulls mired at 4-9 and their offense ranked only 17 th  in passing, the numbers are just not strong enough, not with the kind of games we have seen from Justin Fields in Ohio.   Fields not only has the Glory in the playoff mix at 7-6, but has had some games that were pure highlight reels. The only major knock is that Fields has been mediocre as a passer and only shows up as a dynamic leader when he uses his feet. The former Ohio State dual threat has only 2,337 passing yards after 13 starts, and his TD:INT is not good at 9:12. His rating is 64.4, which is a rating that often gets QBs benched. But, when we look at him as a rusher, the numbers pop: 130 attempts for 733 yards, an 5.6 YPC average and 10 rushing TDs. That is a strong resume for a rookie halfback, much less a starting QB. But, what if the passing numbers drag him down, who then?   Many will point to Washington HB Travis Etienne. That makes sense, as the former Clemson Tiger has 905 yards after 13 games, with a real chance to hit 1,200 as a rookie. He also has 10 total TDs (9 rushing) and is clearly a focal point of the Federal offense. But, we have someone else in mind, a bit of a dark horse, but clearly a player who has had a highly impactful first year. That 4 th  name is Denver Gold DE Odafe Oweh. The former Penn State LB/DE hybrid has been a revelation for the Gold, racking up 19 sacks in 13 games, good enough to be tied for 2 nd  in the league and only 4 behind league leader Montez Sweat. If wins and losses are part of the equation, and impact for a team is also counted, we think Oweh needs major consideration.   COTY: Robert Saleh, John Hufnagel, Todd Haley, Mike Riley, or Ron Rivera We always say that this award goes to the coach who gets more out of his roster than most predicted. Well, this year there are a lot of cases to be made with that criteria in mind. On the one hand, you have teams that have exceeded expectations even as teams some expected to compete for the playoffs, as is the situation with Mike Riley in Seattle or New Jersey’s Robert Saleh. But the other hand holds coaches leading teams that were not seen as contenders, but are now in the mix, such as Birmingham’s Todd Haley or Denver’s John Hufnagel. Our final pick is a coach who many thought might be on the verge of being let go, Orlando’s Ron Rivera. After a 4-4 start, many were critical of Rivera and the underachieving Renegades, but the 2 nd half of the season has seen Orlando get very much in the mix, going 4-1 and now very much a team to be reckoned with as the playoffs approach. Honestly, we think the voters will likely be looking at Hufnagel and Haley simply because their teams were not well-respected ahead of the season and both now have a chance to win their divisions.   Tampa Bay Bandits to Alter Look for 2022 With the Bandits locked in and ready for the 2021 playoffs, the club was ready to reveal their new Under Armour look, safe in the knowledge that they would be donning the gear a bit early. The USFL tradition of teams switching to their new gear in the playoffs prior to the official debut season is one well-established, and one the Bandits expect to uphold as they gear up for the 2021 playoffs.   At an event at the famous Don Cesar hotel in St. Petersburg, the Bandits and Under Armour unveiled the new look for the defending USFL champions. Not to worry, Bandit fans, it is a look that very much pays homage to the team’s 39 USFL seasons and their 4 league titles. The Bandits mixed innovation with trademarks from their past to design the new look. The helmet is one very familiar to Bandit fans, with the traditional silver-grey shell and grey facemask. The traditional striping and the masked rider will be very familiar. Where fans will see a difference is in the new striping on the jersey and pant sets as Under Armor took the traditional 5-stripe pattern (black-white-red-white-black) found on the helmet and gave it a new twist, with the familiar pattern now appearing as angled horizontal stripes on both the grey pant set and both the red and white jerseys, not as a sleeve stripe, but along the ribs. The sleeves of both jerseys will feature the familiar monogram logo with black hat and no striping. The numbers are either red or white with silver and black piping and a black shadow.   The look is one that is both new, in the way stripes are aligned, but also deeply tied to the look that Tampa Bay has worn since the league’s inaugural season. However, if there are Bandit fans that hanker for a more traditional look, they will certainly be happy with the club’s 1983 Throwback look. The original look of the Bandits, including their 1983 logo and the traditional sleeve and pant striping, will be a very welcome and familiar look for Bandit nation.   The final alternate look, known as the “Midnight Rider” will also be one from Tampa Bay’s past, modeled after a short-lived alternate look the Bandits experimented with in the early 1990’s. The all-black design features the team’s secondary Bandit logo on the black helmet, outlined in silver. The black jersey and pants replicate the new striping pattern on the team’s primaries, but with no use of white, using only red and silver striping. The numbers also avoid white, with silver numbers piped in black and red. It is a look we expect to see only when the Bandits play at night, considering that the all black look would hardly be a good idea in the hot summer sun of a June or July day game.   Expect the Bandits to debut the new red jersey primary look when they open the playoffs, almost certainly playing as a home team. If they are able to lock up the 1-seed, that game will be in the Divisional Round, which feels pretty much like a safe bet considering the 10-3 Bandits are 2 games up on both New Jersey and Birmingham for the 1-seed and have only 3 games left on the schedule.   A week for teams to either make a stand or fade away. It is not hard to see why as we have so many teams at either 7-6 or 6-7 and only a couple can have a real shot at a playoff berth. We kick off on Friday with 4 teams, all at 7-6, and all hoping they can make a late run to reach 10 wins. On NBC it will be the Blitz heading to Pittsburgh to take on the Maulers. This used to be a divisional game but is now an interconference matchup, but one that is vital to both teams. The ESPN/EFN game is also an interconference game, but with both LA and Atlanta at 7-6, this is a must-win for both teams.   The drama will continue on Saturday, where we start with the first of 6 divisional matchups. Michigan, sitting at 8-5 and winners of 3 in a row, head down to Ohio to face the 7-6 Glory. Yes, a great battle of rivals built off the enmity of the two states, but also a vital playoff-defining game for both clubs. A win by Michigan and they are all but assured a playoff spot and a shot at Chicago for 1 st  place. Ohio needs the win to stay in the mix in the Central. We will also have 6-7 Memphis hoping to upset 8-5 Philadelphia and return to .500. The NBC Saturday night game will also provide some playoff drama, with 9-4 Chicago facing 9-4 New Jersey in a clash of teams defined by their tenacious play.   Sunday features 4 divisional games, though none have two playoff seeking squads facing off. Washington is still alive at 6-7, as they host the 4-8 Steamrollers (with new QB Jameis Winston), while the 8-5 Renegades and 9-4 Stallions hope wins over Charlotte and San Antonio will boost their playoff positions. Finally, at 4pm, we have Oakland, sitting at 7-6, hoping a win in San Diego keeps them in the mix. But in what will likely be the most watched game this weekend, we have a nightcap on Sunday that could produce some real fireworks, as the Houston Gamblers head to Tampa Bay to face the Bandits. This game will have two of the most prolific offenses in the league going head-to-head, so we expect a lot of big plays and a real “shootout” atmosphere.   FRI @ 8pm ET         Baltimore (7-6) @ Pittsburgh (7-6)                     NBC FRI @ 8pm ET        Los Angeles (7-6) @ Atlanta (7-6)                     ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET      Michigan (8-5) @ Ohio (7-6)                             ABC SAT @ 12pm ET      Memphis (6-7) @ Philadelphia (8-5)               FOX SAT @ 4pm ET        Oklahoma (4-9) @ St. Louis (4-9)                 ABC SAT @ 4pm ET     Jacksonville (4-9) @ Seattle (10-3)                 FOX SAT @ 8pm ET      Chicago (9-4) @ New Jersey (9-4)                     NBC SAT @ 8pm ET      Arizona (8-5) @ Las Vegas (5-8)                       ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET     New England (4-9) @ Washington (6-7)         ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET   Orlando (8-5) @ Charlotte (0-13)                   ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     San Antonio (5-8) @ Birmingham (9-4)          FOX SUN @ 4pm ET        New Orleans (4-9) @ Dallas (7-6)                    ABC SUN @ 4pm ET       Denver (9-4) @ Portland (4-9)                       FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Oakland (7-6) @ San Diego (3-10)                   FOX Regional SUN @ 8pm ET        Houston (8-5) @ Tampa Bay (11-2)                  ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Denver found themselves in a tough spot, their potential MVP QB knocked out of the game, former INT champion Mitch Trubisky in at QB and fighting a very plucky Skyhawk team. They needed someone to step up, and that someone was veteran WR Golden Tate. Tate reeled in 5 of his 6 catches from Trubisky, turning in 173 yards and scoring twice, from 27 and 50 yards out as Denver held off St. Louis 20-14. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Seattle joined joined the Bandits in the playoff pool this week, locking up not only a playoff berth but the Pacific Division crown at 10-3. They and the Bandits are now both Division champs as each holds a 3-game advantage over their closest competition, and all the tiebreakers as well. The other big news this week was that we had several teams learn that their hunt for a postseason spot was over. St. Louis, Oklahoma, Portland, San Diego, New England and New Orleans joined the Bulls and Monarchs in the "not so fast" pool, a 6-team wave of eliminations.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ohio's rookie QB Justin Fields was at it again this week, powering the Glory to a much-needed win over the visiting Oakland Invaders. The numbers were not as big as his record setting performance earlier this year, but they certainly were enough to get Ohio to 7-5 on the year, passing for 163 yards and a TD, while adding 143 more on the ground, along with 3 rushing TDs as Fields again proves that he is an extremely dangerous runner from the QB position. PLAYOFF PICTURE: The Bandits became the first team to lock up a playoff spot, emerging from Week 13 with a 10-2 record and a 3-game lead in their division. They are assured of no less than a Wild Card even if they go 0-4 in the season's final month. We also had a 2nd team join Charlotte in the pool of eliminated teams as Jacksonville's 3-9 record and lack of tiebreakers means that even if they win out and tie some of the current 7-win teams, they will not qualify for the postseason. San Diego, despite an equally troubling 3-9 record can still eke their way into the playoffs with a combination of a 4-0 finish and some truly bad finishes from current 7-win teams.

A good week for the two hottest teams in the league as New Jersey improved their winning streak to 9 games while Seattle’s bumped up to 10. It was also a good week for several teams trying to get their head well above the .500 watermark, with Orlando, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, and Houston all avoiding a 6-6 mark and improving to 7-5 on the season. Not a good week for the Fire, who dropped to .500 after a strong start to the year, or for the Invaders, who lost their 3 rd in a row and now share a 6-6 mark with the LA Express. The change of fate for the Invaders led to a surprising decision from Coach Kubiak, one that we kick our coverage off with, the benching of legendary QB Tom Brady in favor of rookie Davis Mills.   Coach Kubiak to Bench Tom Brady as Oakland Drops 3rd in a Row Yes, the Oakland coaching staff, led by HC Gary Kubiak, talked about the change at QB as a strategy to spark the offense, many in the Bay Area, including some players, seem to be reading the surprising move as something very different. Following a third consecutive loss with Oakland dropping their game in Ohio by a score of 34-19, Coach Kubiak made the announcement on Monday, that the Week 14 starter would not be former NJ General and Dallas Cowboy Tom Brady, but rookie Davis Mills.   It was a move that very few saw coming, and to hear from local reporters, it is a move most thought would come if and when the Invaders were truly out of the playoff race, a handing over of the reins to the rookie when the season was truly done, not when the Invaders were at .500 with 4 weeks to play and every possibility of a late run.   Brady, who turned 45 this year, had started the season strong, helping Oakland gather 5 consecutive wins in the early season and helping the offense average over 30 points per game. But that early season success did not hold. Oakland is currently ranked 25 th  in scoring with an average of only 18.6 points per game. Brady’s offense had failed to score more than 20 points in 6 of 7 games since their 4-1 start, losing 5 of those 7 outings. After managing only 3 points in a tough loss in Seattle, and only 13 against Pittsburgh at home last week, this week’s loss in Ohio proved to be a turning point for the organization.  Can the Stanford rookie make the transition quickly with 4 weeks left for the 2021 season? Kubiak cited a desire to mix things up, to possibly provide a spark to the offense by starting talented rookie Davis Mills, a local product from nearby Stanford signed through the Territorial Draft. But those close to the organization say the inescapable truth is that Oakland, despite sitting at 6-6, was already looking to 2022. The expectation all along was that Mills would sit this year and with Brady expected to retire in the offseason, he would get those months off to prepare for his first real action in 2022. But, with the team losing 4 of their last 6 and struggling to put points on the board, it seems the decision was made to use the final 4 games of the year not as a playoff push but as a testing ground for their young quarterback.   If Mills finds success, then Oakland will go into the offseason with QB not among their roster priorities, if he struggles, he may well have competition in the QB room next year, and not just from fellow 2021 draft pick Sam Ehlinger, but from a likely veteran signing as well. Does the shift mean that Oakland is officially out of the playoff race in the West? No, a solid 4-game span from the rookie could actually keep them in the mix, but it seems clear that the Invaders are less concerned about immediate results than they are the future of the team at the QB position.   PHILADELPHIA STARS 20  PITTSBURGH MAULERS 19 While the Stars and Maulers no longer battle it out in the same division each year, with Pittsburgh now in the Central Division rather than the Northeast, the rivalry still remains, and this encounter between the two Keystone State rivals certainly did nothing to dampen the enmity between the two clubs. A controversial call helps the Stars pull out a last minute victory over their rivals, one that has Mauler fans steaming as Philadelphia moves to 8-4, while Pittsburgh drops to 7-5. But, before we get to the controversial play, we should set the scene by outlining what happened in the first 59 minutes of action.   The Friday night game kicked off with a lot of fanfare as 46,792 fans cheered on their squads, with a pronounced Mauler advantage as Heinz Field was predominantly purple and orange clad. The two teams were cautious in the opening quarter, both trying to establish their run game and protect their somewhat immobile QBs. Derrick Henry would certainly have the best day of the backs in this game, outrushing Pittsburgh’s lead rusher, Cam Akers, by a 103-28 mark. But it was Pittsburgh who put the first points on the board, following a Carson Wentz interception with a short drive and an Andrew Franks field goal to wrap up the 1 st  quarter up 3-0.   But as the half progressed, Philadelphia’s stronger offensive performance started to pay dividends. Following a 35-yard scamper from change-of-pace back and former Mauler Marcus Lattimore, Wentz found TE Travis Kelce for the red zone touchdown to take their first lead of the game. They would follow that drive with another scoring drive, with Eddie Pineiro making it a 10-3 lead for the Stars at the half.   Philadelphia would have the better offensive performance all game, outpacing the Maulers 368-271 and outgaining them on the ground to the tune of 153-43, but the Stars suffered 4 turnovers, including 3 picks of Carson Wentz, and that carelessness with the ball helped the Maulers stay in this game. Pittsburgh used Wentz’s second interception as the energizer to get their first touchdown of the day. Taking the ball over on their own 44 after LB Vince Biegel snagged what would be the first of two picks on the day, Pittsburgh quickly added 7 to the board, with Adam Thielen advancing the ball 30 yards on their first offensive play, and the Maulers finding paydirt 3 plays later, with Dalton connecting with rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown for the young receiver’s 2 nd  score of the season.   The even score would be short-lived as Philadelphia put 7 more on the board only 4 minutes later, this time Wentz hitting Randall Cobb for the Stars’ second lead of the game. With the PAT, the Stars now lead 17-10 as the third quarter wound down. Pittsburgh would tighten the game with an Andrew Franks field goal early in the 4 th . Up only 4, The Stars pressed on their next drive and once again Carson Wentz made a poor decision, trying to squeeze the ball into Kelce’s hands, he again was picked off by Biegel, this time in the red zone. Pittsburgh would get the ball off the turnover with 6:05 to play.   In no hurry to score, the Maulers, slowly dinked and dunked their way down the field, all the while milking the clock. With a first and 10 on the 5, and the clock ticking, Pittsburgh back Sony Michel pushed the ball to the 3 with a solid inside run. On 2 nd  and goal from the 2, the threat of the run was enough to freeze the linebackers, allowing Dalton to find a wide open Anthony Hill for the score. The PAT would put them up 3, but only if Franks connected. He did not, doinking the ball off the left upright and leaving Pittsburgh with a precarious 2-point lead with 1;45 left to play.   The Stars received the kickoff with receiver K. J. Hamler returning the ball to the 23 and leaving the offense 1:39 to get into field goal range. Pittsburgh needed a stop, and they thought they got one, with Wentz missing on a throw to Cobb on first down, connecting with Kelce for a gain of 7 on 2 nd  down, but losing 5 of those yards on third down, when Wentz was dragged down by Shaquile Riddick on 3 rd  and 3. The sack brought up a game-defining 4 th and 8 play on the Philadelphia 25. Pittsburgh opted to send LB Brian Cushing on the blitz, dropping 5 back in coverage to prevent the first down.   At first it appeared that they had, with Carson Wentz pushed out of the pocket and forced to throw on the run. He released the ball just as DE Vic Beasley tried to bring him down. The ball bounced in front of E. J. Moore, and the fans prepared to celebrate the turnover on downs. But out of the pocket of the side judge came a flag. The crew gathered to discuss the infraction and the Head Umpire announced the call, Roughing the Passer on Beasley for his hit on Dalton. The call drew immediate boos from the Mauler fans, but it also produced a first down and a 15-yard move up the field. Replay, debated by the NBC announcers, showed neither a blow to the head or the use of Beasley’s body weight on Dalton. Both the NBC crew and the Mauler radio team were puzzled as to what the line judge saw, but the call was made and video replay did not alter the decision.   Philadelphia, now playing with a chorus of something that rhymes with “Full ship” raining down on them, completed 2 more passes, a 17 yarder to Cobb and a final throw to TE Pat Freiermouth that put them in range for a Pineiro kick. It would be a 44-yard attempt, well within Pineiro’s range. Pittsburgh tried to ice him with a timeout, but when it was time for him to have his shot, Pineiro easily parted the uprights with a kick that would have been good form 55 yards out.   The crowd booed the two teams (and the refs, the target of their ire) off the field, but the game was settled. Philadelphia would stay on pace to challenge New Jersey for the Northeast Crown, while the Maulers would drop a game behind Chicago in the Central. It is a call that mystified the studio crew that night and was a major topic of conversation on every network over the weekend, but in the end, the result is what it is, a Stars victory.   DALLAS 31  DENVER 10 A big win for the Roughnecks, bringing them back to .500 with 4 games left, while for Denver a harsh defeat that has their fans questioning Coach Hufnagel. Dallas may have given up 301 yards passing to Josh Allen, but they held him to only 1 TD and they sacked him 6 times, 4 of those drive enders. The Roughnecks also took advantage of Denver’s defense for 141 yards rushing (Perine with 73, Johnson with 68).All this, plus Herbert TDs to Watkins, Sutton, and Tim Wright simply left a sour taste in the mouths of Gold fans. POTG:  Dallas DE Taylor Hart: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   ATLANTA 23   NEW JERSEY 26 The Fire and QB Pat White looked good, but a late Ka’imi Fairbairn kick did them in as they could not hold at the end. White put up big numbers against a Generals’ D that was focused on containing HB Nick Chubb. White finished the day with 343 yards on 27 of 35 passing. A. J. Green brought in 7 of 10 targets for 105 yards and a TD, but in the end, New Jersey found a way. They got 85 yards and a TD from Delone Carter, a Jonnu Smith TD catch, and 4 Fairbairn field goals, with the final one coming with 17 seconds to play to provide New Jersey with their 9 th  straight win. POTG:  Generals’ CB Rashard Robinson: 4 Tck, 2 FF, 1 FR   LOS ANGELES 21  CHARLOTTE 17 Charlotte took a 17-14 lead into the half, but were shut down in the 2 nd  half, limited to only 3 first downs after the halftime break. Los Angeles struggled on offense as well, but only needed one drive, a 4 th  quarter TD from Murray to TE Jacob Hollister, to put themselves on top and stay there. Both teams got their backs involved early, with Nyheim Hines rushing for 109 while Paul Perkins had 130 yards on 18 carries. POTG:  LA end Nick Bosa: 4 Tck, 2 Sck   OAKLAND 19   OHIO 34 Ohio pulled 2 games over .500 thanks once again to a dual threat attack from rookie QB Justin Fields. In another POTW performance, Fields rushed for 143 yards on 12 carries, with 3 TDs mixed in, including a 76-yarder. He also threw for 163 and a 4 th  TD as Ohio went through, over, and around the Invader defense. Tom Brady was forced to put the ball up 54 times as his Invaders tried to come back from a 17-7 halftime deficit that grew to 31-9 in the 2 nd  half. POTG:  Glory QB Justin Fields: 16/22, 163 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 12 Att, 143 Yds, 3 TD   NEW ORLEANS 13   BIRMINGHAM 26 The Breakers’ 2021 collapse continued as the Stallions doubled them up thanks to 2 Tim Tebow TD throws and 133 yards from Henry Ruggs. Tebow had an up-and-down game, completing only 12 of 28 attempts, but managed to put points on the board, with TD tosses to Devonta Smith and TE Ricky Seals-Jones. New Orleans, again with Tajh Boyd at QB struggled to do the same, managing a lone TD by Coby Fleener in the game. POTG:  Birmingham WR Henry Ruggs: 3 Rec, 133 Yds   WASHINGTON 23  BALTIMORE 20 The Federals stay alive and deliver a blow to rival Baltimore, as they build a 23-6 lead early in the 4 th  before two late Jake Locker TDs. The Federal D was impressive, as was Baltimore’s Calais Campbell, who added 3 sacks to his total for the year, pulling into a tie for 2 nd  in the league. But, Campbell’s efforts were not enough to stop Washington as they got scores from TE Rob Housler, a Travis Etienne TD run and a pick-six from FS Rafael Bush. POTG:  Federals’ safety Kenny Vaccaro: 9 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 PDef, 1 FF   ST. LOUIS 17   MICHIGAN 20 The Panthers win their 3 rd straight division game, improving to 7-5 on the year, but it was not easy. St. Louis got 2 Taylor to Deionte Johnson TDs to pull the game to a 17-17 tie at the start of the 4 th , but Michigan got the final points, adding a field goal with only 12 seconds to play to snatch the win and keep their playoff hopes very much alive. Taylor threw for 364 and 2 TDs in a losing cause, while Michigan got 2 scores from WR Cody Latimer on their way to win number 7. POTG:  Michigan DE Dee Ford: 6 Tck, 3 Sck   NEW ENGLAND 18  ORLANDO 21 Orlando was their own worst enemy in this game, building up a 21-3 lead, but then suffering 2 pick-sixes as Russell Wilson got careless with the ball in the 2 nd  half. New England never scored an offensive TD, but were in striking range in the 4 th . They just could not get the ball into the endzone to steal the win, helping Orlando improve to 7-5 on the season. POTG:  Orlando HB Chris Carson: 21 Att, 118 Yds   MEMPHIS 28   JACKSONVILLE 26 Another razor’s edge loss for Jacksonville as Memphis wins their 3 rd  game in the past 4, moving to .500 with 4 weeks left to play. The Bulls held a 20-14 lead at the half, with TDs from HB Chubba Hubbard, who had a banner game with 142 yards on only 16 carries, and Montario Hardesty. Memphis rebounded in the 2 nd  half, with a Todd Gurley TD giving them a 1-point lead before Robert Woods’s TD catch from Lynch made it 28-20. Jacksonville would score a late TD but failed to connect on the 2-point conversion, preserving the win for the Showboats. POTG:  Memphis CB Rashaan Golden: 9 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   PORTLAND 17   TAMPA BAY 37 No concerns in Tampa Bay as the Bandits dominated early, building a 24-0 lead and coasting their way to victory number 10. Dak Prescott threw for 255 and 4 TDs. Ryan Grant went over 100 yards, while he and 3 other receivers all found the endzone. Portland did nab a pick-six, the one big mistake from Prescott on the day, but the offense did not muster a touchdown until garbage time as Tampa Bay allowed several backups to get some playing time late. POTG:  Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 12/24, 255 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   CHICAGO 26  OKLAHOMA 16 The Machine defense forced 3 second half turnovers as they expanded a 13-6 halftime lead into a comfortable win in Oklahoma City. Sam Bradford threw for 258 and 2 scores, while Jalen Hurts was picked twice and fumbled once. The win pushed Chicago to 8-4, atop the Central, while Oklahoma drops to 4-8. POTG:  Chicago CB Josh Norman: 5 Tck, 4 PDef, 2 Int   SAN DIEGO 3   SEATTLE 31 Seattle wins their 10 th  in a row by demolishing the visiting Thunder. Moreno rushed for 92, Amari Cooper caught 5 for 80 yards and 2 scores, and TE Kyle Rudolph brought in 6 passes for 66 yards and a score in the Dragons’ dominant performance. Richard Sherman had himself a game as well, batting away 5 Ponder throws and forcing a fumble on a rare completion on his side of the field. POTG:  Seattle CB Richard Sherman: 5 Tck, 5 PDef, 1 FF   ARIZONA 55  SAN ANTONIO 3 The Wranglers played their most complete game of the season, dominating on both sides of the ball to move to 7-5. Isaiah Crowell scored 3 times in the 2 nd  quarter alone, finishing the game with 82 yards on 15 touches. David Carr went out at the half with a nagging calf injury, but Brock Osweiler did not show any rust, going 6 of 13 for 100 yards and finding both Victor Cruz and TE Maxx Williams for 4 th quarter scores as Arizona simply overwhelmed the Gunslingers. POTG:  Arizona CB A. J. Bouye: 4 Tck, 6 PDef, 1 Int, 1 DefTD   LAS VEGAS 20   HOUSTON 34 Houston also joined the 7-5 club with a solid win against the Vipers. It was tight into the 4 th , with the Vipers pulling to within 4 on a Matt Gay field goal early in the final period, but from that moment it was all Houston, with Mike Evans catching a McCoy toss to put them up 10. McCoy finished with 329 yards and 3 TDs. Houston struggled against the run, with Kareem Hunting breaking free several times on his way to a 13-carry, 103-yard day, but in the end it was not enough as Houston held off the Vipers and stayed 1 game behind Birmingham in the South. POTG:  Houston QB Colt McCoy: 15/33, 329 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   Tebow Rusty But Rewarded Against Breakers Completing 12 of 28 passes is hardly the stuff of legends, but leading his team to a solid 13-point victory over a division rival to move them to 8-4 is certainly all that Stallion fans could have hoped for in Tim Tebow’s first start under center since last year and his first truly meaningful start since 2018. Tebow was rusty, missing several open receivers with balls that sailed on him, but he kept his cool, connecting for 2 scores and avoiding costly turnovers to the New Orleans defense. It was by no means a dominant win over the spiraling Breakers, but in outscoring New Orleans 17-3 in the second half, Birmingham was able to pull away and, more importantly, retain their 1-game lead over the Houston Gamblers. The Stallions have only 1 more division game left to play, hosting San Antonio in 2 weeks, and they have a tough final 2 weeks, with the Stars and Wranglers on the schedule, but winning the games they are favored to win, like this week’s game against the Breakers, is the first step for both Tebow and the Stallions if they hope to reach the playoffs and the return of Cam Newton later this summer.   Taylor Puts Scare into Panthers While many Michigan fans expected a blowout win by their home town Panthers this week, St. Louis QB Tyrod Taylor not only kept that from happening but put a real scare into the Panthers before Michigan finally went on top with 12 seconds left to play. Taylor, subbing for the injured Lamar Jackson, completed 18 of 30 passes, amassing 364 yards against a normally-solid Michigan defense, and added 2 touchdowns to keep St. Louis in the game and keep Michigan fans on edge. When Taylor hit Deionte Johnson for the wideout’s 2 nd  TD of the game, knotting up the score in the 4 th  quarter, you could cut the tension in Ford Field with a knife. Would Michigan fall to the lowly St. Louis Skyhawks? Would their hopes to catch Chicago and regain the division be dashed? They would not, as Kirk Cousins got the Panthers in position for Chase McLaughlin’s game winner in the final seconds, but Taylor’s performance, even with St. Louis again falling short, was enough to impress Skyhawk fans and cause a good bit of anxiety for the Panther faithful.   Blitz’s Late Rally Falls Short Against Federals Down 23-6 at home to the rival Washington Federals, the Blitz certainly did not look like the preseason favorites to claim the NE Division title. And at 6-5 they were already 2 games back of the New Jersey Generals in the division. For more than 3 quarters Blitz fans at M&T Stadium had watched as Travis Etienne, Jacoby Brissett, and a shaky Washington defense had managed to dominate the game against the favored Blitz. Many of them had already started heading for the exits before Baltimore started their comeback attempt in the final period, but in the end, perhaps they were right to do so.   Down 17 with 7 minutes to play, Baltimore did produce some drama, first scoring on a Brian Hartline TD to pull to 10 points down, and then, only 1:23 later, getting another score on a screen to Josh Jacobs to make it a 3-point game. An onside kick and a field goal would send this game to overtime, something absolutely unimaginable only 6 minutes earlier. But, as so often happens in both the USFL and the NFL, the onside kick was recovered by the opposition and Baltimore simply did not have enough time outs left to force a punt. They dropped to 6-6 and are now 3 games back of white-hot New Jersey, but they at least showed some spirit in the final minutes, something Coach Caldwell hopes will be seen early on as they face the Steamrollers this week.   Allen Ineffective Amid Roughneck Blitzes There are a lot of reasons the Dallas Roughnecks were able to head into Empower Field and crush the Gold 31-10, but the one that truly stands out is their ability to get to Josh Allen. Allen, an MVP candidate for most of the season, was under constant pressure from a team not known for huge sack numbers. They managed to get to the Denver QB six times, force him to scramble on 4 occasions, and got in several hurries and big hits as well.   The lack of a run game from the Gold (only 27 yards total in the game) meant that Dallas’s edge rushers could focus on pressuring Allen, with both Connor Barwin and Taylor Hart getting to the Gold QB, along with 2 sacks from blitzing safety Dezmen Southward and 2 more from the linebackers. Allen would finish the game 14 of 28, and while he did connect with T. J. Hockenson for one big play (a 75-yard throw, catch, and run) it would be his lone highlight in a long and tough game for Denver’s young QB.   Monarchs Confirm Coaching Change at Season’s End It is not happening immediately, but Charlotte Monarch Head Coach Vance Joseph now knows that he is, without any doubt, in the job market as of mid-July. The Monarchs announced this week that while Joseph will finish the year, he will be released following the conclusion of the season. It is something of an unorthodox move to notify a coach that he has 4 games left and no chance of saving his job, but apparently the Monarchs felt it was important to indicate that a change was coming, while also keeping the current leadership intact over the next month.   Joseph, who has yet to manage a win in his first season as the Monarch head coach, now has 4 week to try to salvage something from a lost season. The Monarchs face Jacksonville, the only other team already eliminated from the playoffs, this week, and have another potential win opportunity in Week 17, as they visit the 3-9 San Diego Thunder. Of course, neither of those teams wants to be the one to fall to a team that has not produced a win in 12 outings and there is pretty good money saying that Charlotte very easily could finish the year without tasting victory once. But, with 4 games to go, and his fate with the team already established, Vance Joseph can still try to avoid the fate of coaching one season and failing to obtain a single victory.   We have our first playoff spot claimed as the Tampa Bay Bandits, sitting at 10-2 have locked up at least a Wild Card. Of course, with a 3-game lead over Orlando, odds are that they will lock up the division title within the next 2 weeks. San Diego, also sitting at 10-2, have not yet locked things up as there are more 7-win clubs in the West, so they need to keep that winning streak going to lock up a title. They are 4 games up on LA, but with the tiebreaker in place they need either 1 more win or an LA loss this week to lock up the division title. The other divisions are certainly closer, with Chicago only 1 game up on Pittsburgh, Michigan, and Ohio, all sitting at 7-5. In the Southwest, Denver’s lead over Arizona is down to 1 game as well. In the East, New Jersey has a 1-game lead over Philadelphia, 2 games over Baltimore. In the South, Birmingham is at 8-4, with Houston also 1 game back at 7-5, and Memphis coming on strong, now 6-6. We did have a 2 nd  team officially eliminated this week, with Jacksonville joining Charlotte with that undesirable distinction. San Diego, also 3-9 like Jacksonville, still has a mathematical chance thanks to some tiebreakers, but one more loss is likely going to add them to the list as well.   No new IR additions, which is always good to see, but several players who may well be missing through the remainder of the regular season. The Maulers, Dragons, Renegades, and Wranglers are all hoping to make the postseason, so even if their injured players are not able to play in the next month, don't expect them to be added to IR as they can come back in time for a playoff run.   OUT OT      Rashan Slater         PIT         Hernia                           2-4 Weeks DE          Deshon Hall           SEA        Broken Collarbone         2-4 Weeks G            Amini Silatulo          ORL       Sprained Ankle                2-4 Weeks WR         Brandon Aiyuk        ARZ       Back                                  2-4 Weeks HB         Devin Singletary      JAX         Knee                              1-2 Weeks CB          Scott Whitmore       DAL       Groin                           1-2 Weeks CB          Kevon Seymour       OHI       Quad                                 1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL OT          Riley Reiff                         BAL        Ribs                                       FB          Anthony Sherman                          HOU     Foot WR         Kenny Golloday                                LV           Knee CB          Dominique Rogers-Cromartie        LA          Thigh   QUESTIONABLE WR         Gabe Davis               ATL         Pinched Nerve DT          Joe Demarco          NOR      Thigh CB          Eric Murray             BAL        Knee WR         Dontrelle Inman     OHI       Hip FS           Robert Sands          PIT         Concussion   HALL OF FAME TO WELCOME 6 MORE USFL LEGENDS The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio will see five very impactful players and a coach undervalued for too long join the ranks of the enshrined legends of the USFL this October. The Hall of Fame and the USFL announced this week the Class of 2021, and it is one for the ages. Five players from the 10-player short list of semifinalists made the list, along with a choice from the Legacy Committee, this year choosing to honor a coach who helped bring a title to the South.   The Legacy Committee named former Birmingham Stallion head coach Ron Ehrhardt as the newest Legacy addition to the Hall. Ehrhardt, an offensive coordinator before getting the job in Birmingham, would lead the Stallions from 1992 through the 2000 season, when he retired from coaching. That may only be 9 seasons, but they certainly were impactful ones. Ehrhardt’s tenure in Birmingham aligned with some of the biggest high points in Stallion history, with the club making the playoffs 6 times in that 9-year span, including 4 Division Titles and the 1993 League Championship, Birmingham’s sole USFL title in 39 seasons. He retired after 3 decades as an offensive coach and a 9-season head coaching record of 78-60 and a USFL playoff record of 7-4. Ehrhardt's 1993 Stallions were one of the best teams in league history, amassing a 14-2 record before a 3-game playoff run that saw them knock off Jacksonville 45-42 in one of the league’s greatest playoff shootouts, defeat the Washington Federals 27-21 and then take out the Jim Kelly-led Houston Gamblers 38-36 in one of the best Summer Bowls ever played. His teams in the 1990’s certainly did not lack for stars, starting with QB Brett Favre, but also featuring TE Shannon Sharpe, WRs Ernest Givens and Lawrence Dawsey, kicker Scott Norwood, CBs Chris Dishman and Anthony Blaylock, LB Kevin Greene, and FS Blaine Bishop. Known for an aggressive pass-first mentality and a defense that prioritized QB pressure, Ron Ehrhardt joins the Hall of Fame, where his bust can stand aside some of his best players: Favre, Sharpe, Givens, Dawsey, and tackles Emory Yates and Richmond Webb.   Joining Coach Ehrhardt in the Class of 2021 are Two quarterbacks, a dynamic halfback, an impactful wideout and one of the best middle linebackers in USFL history, with 4 of the 5 making the hall in their first year of eligibility. The unquestioned leader of the Houston Gamblers from 1999 through 2016, QB Matt Hasselbeck threw for over 54,000 yards and 394 touchdowns, garnering both the League and Playoff MVP awards in 2010 as he led the Gamblers to a league title. QB Byron Leftwich also wears a championship ring, leading the plucky Seattle Dragons to the title in 2005, a feat that also garnered him a playoff MVP title. A six-time All-USFL nominee in his 13-year career as the leader of the Dragon offense, Leftwich joins Hasselbeck in a 2-QB Hall of Fame Class.  The Hall voters certainly did not want to say "No" to Urlacher. To no one’s surprise, former Washington Federal Deuce McCallister made the class in his first year of eligibility. With over 19,000 yards rushing, a truly eye-popping number, as well as 138 total touchdowns and a decade and a half of unbelievable games, we all knew that the Deuce would be among this year’s class. So too did we assume that MLB Brian Urlacher would make the cut this year. A 10-time All-USFL selection and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, Urlacher was a tackling machine and a force to be reckoned with in his 17 seasons in Chicago. He joins other Chicago MLB legends, players like Dick Butkis and Mike Singletary in the Hall of Fame.   The final nominee was the only returning candidate. Wide Receiver Steve Smith , in his second year of eligibility, joins the Hall after 16 USFL seasons. Smith spent the early part of his career in Philadelphia before moving to Ohio in 2011. He won a title with the Stars in 2008, was nominated All-USFL five times and retired with more than 15,000 receiving yards and 94 career touchdowns. Never one to shy away from the camera, Smith’s acceptance speech is sure to be one of the highlights of this October’s enshrinement ceremony.   Third-Quarter Power Rankings With all teams now having completed 12 games, we can provide our 3 rd Quarter rankings, and we have a change at the top. Seattle, having just knocked off Tampa Bay in a head-to-head classic at Lumen Field jumps up to the top spot. New Jersey, riding a 9-game winning streak sits now in the 2-spot, while the 10-2 Bandits drop from first to third, a move that may well provide them with some motivation as the season heads quickly towards its conclusion and the postseason to follow. Here are the full rankings, from 1 to 30 (with no surprise at the bottom either). With huge clusters of teams at 8-4, 7-5, and 6-6, there is going to be plenty of room for debate in our rankings, so enjoy the back-and-forth.   1—Seattle Dragons (10-2) You win 10 in a row and knock off the defending champs; you get to be at the top of our power rankings.   2—New Jersey Generals (9-3) New Jersey has one fewer win than Tampa Bay, but their 9-game win streak is also impressing us, so they leapfrog the Bandits.   3—Tampa Bay Bandits (10-2) Sometimes when you lose a game matters. After going 7-0, Tampa Bay is 3-2 in their last 5, and with two teams on major win streaks, we had to drop the Bandits to 3 rd .   4—Chicago Machine (8-4) Despite a 3-game losing streak, Chicago still gets a lot of respect for how they play the game, and that puts them at the top of a small cluster of 8-win teams.   5—Denver Gold (8-4) Denver might have been ahead of Chicago before this weekend, but their bad loss at home to Dallas has left us a bit unsettled about the Gold.   6—Birmingham Stallions (8-4) The Stallions have won 4 of 5, and probably deserve more respect, but their pass defense is still ranked 30 th  in the league and that worries everyone, including Coach Haley.   7—Philadelphia Stars (8-4) The Stars have lost 3 of 5 since their bye, and their 2 wins were over Charlotte and a 1-point squeaker this week in Pittsburgh. Lots of folks are wondering if reality has caught up to them.   8—Orlando Renegades (7-5) The Renegades, despite some consistency issues, have won 4 of their last 5, including a nice win over LA and a whooping of Atlanta. That has folks giving them some respect.   9—Houston Gamblers (7-5) The Gamblers snapped a 3-game losing streak with their win over Las Vegas. Maybe we are too optimistic, but with McCoy putting up big numbers, Houston is still very dangerous.   10—Arizona Wranglers (7-5) This week’s 55-3 annihilation of San Antonio was clearly a message game for the Wranglers. They don’t feel like their championship window is closing, and this last game may prove it is not.   11—Ohio Glory (7-5) A nice win over Oakland, and a win over Chicago 2 weeks ago have Ohio fans feeling good. They face the Machine again this week and a win to sweep the series will pull them into a tie for first place.   12—Pittsburgh Maulers (7-5) The Maulers are something of an under-the-radar team, which is surprising after a 3-game streak that had them beating the Machine, Express, and Glory back-to-back-to-back.   13—Michigan Panthers (7-5) Don’t look now, but the Panthers have won 3 of 4, including a nice win over Chicago and another against the Glory. They have only 2 division games left, but with both of their foes (Ohio and Pittsburgh) currently tied at 7-5 with the Panthers, both could be huge.   14—Los Angeles Express (6-6) 3 wins in their last 4 keep the Express in the playoff hunt, and a win over Seattle this week would be huge. They need it for morale, but also to pull into the cluster of 7-win teams, because a 6-7 record is not going to help them moving forward.   15—Memphis Showboats (6-6) The Showboats have also been hot lately, winning 3 of 4, but that one loss, a 31-24 loss in Birmingham, could haunt them as they try to get into the divisional mix. They have Houston this week in what is likely a must-win game for the Showboats.   16—Baltimore Blitz (6-6) The Blitz are the epitome of inconsistency, up and down with almost no pattern. They need to fix that right away and may need to go 4-0 in the season’s final month to have any chance of a playoff spot.   17—Dallas Roughnecks (6-6) Dallas followed a nice win in Las Vegas with an even nicer one in Denver, dominating the division-leading Gold. They need to go 3-1 down the stretch, maybe even 4-0 to have a shot, because being a game over .500 at season’s end may not be enough.   18—Atlanta Fire (6-6) The Fire have gone cold, losing 5 of 6 after a 5-1 start. It is not all about the injury to Aaron Murray, but that certainly has not helped. No easy games moving forward in what could be a lost season for a team many had high hopes for.   19—Oakland Invaders (6-6) We understand why a 6-6 Invader team would want to give Davis Mills some starts in his rookie year, but the idea of benching Tom Brady feels wrong. It seems to signal that Oakland is not even trying any more in 2021.   20—Las Vegas Vipers (5-7) The Vipers were hot early but have lost 5 of 6 down the stretch. With Oakland, Arizona, Denver, and Dallas on the horizon, they may struggle to avoid another 10-loss season.   21—Washington Federals (5-7) The Feds, once 1-6, have been a lot tougher to knock off lately, winning 4 of 5. Their lone loss in this streak was at New Jersey, who they now face at home in Week 14. They would love to level that score and stay alive another week.   22—San Antonio Gunslingers (5-7) It feels like all the positive vibes the Gunslingers had built up recently went out the window in that loss to Arizona, but losing by 52 points will do that to you. They have a chance to rebound with winnable games against Atlanta and Charlotte coming up.   23—St. Louis Skyhawks (4-8) The Skyhawks have won 3 of 5 of late, and that puts them at the top of our 4-win teams, but they still have a rough road ahead if they want to go 3-1 and avoid a 10-loss season.   24—Portland Stags (4-8) Portland has struggled for consistent offense all season, and with upcoming games against 3 solid defenses in Arizona, Denver and LA, it likely won’t start looking better by season’s end.   25—New Orleans Breakers (4-8) The Breaker collapse has been one of the season’s biggest surprises. We are still not entirely sure why, but nothing that worked in 2020 is working this year.   26—New England Steamrollers (4-8) A pair of nice wins this month, knocking off both Philly and Houston, but it is clearly too little, too late for the Steamrollers, who will be lucky to equal last year’s 6-win total. 27—Oklahoma Outlaws (4-8) Three straight losses, in games where they put up only 7, 16 and 16 points, has to be a huge disappointment for Outlaw nation. The development of Jalen Hurts seems to have plateaued, which Coach Stoops needs to address this offseason.   28—Jacksonville Bulls (3-9) With just a handful of better bounces, this Bulls team could be in the thick of the playoff hunt, but here they sit, 3-9 and officially eliminated.   29—San Diego Thunder (3-9) Coach LeBeau has to be expecting the axe after another 10-loss season. He just does not have the horses to compete, which in our minds points to the GM more than the coach.   30—Charlotte Monarchs (0-12) Can Charlotte finish 0-16? Well, they face Jacksonville, San Antonio, and San Diego in the final 4 weeks. Those are three games where they are not obviously outmanned, but can they muster a win in any of them?   Six divisional games are peppered throughout Week 14, but so too are several inter-divisional games with playoff implications. We start on Friday night with two simultaneous divisional games. NBC will have New Jersey vs. Washington on their Friday Night Lights broadcast, while ESPN and EFN will head to the Midwest where Chicago hopes to put some space between themselves and the three 7-5 teams, facing Ohio at Soldier Field.   Saturday kicks off with an interesting inter-conference game as 7-5 Michigan heads to Philadelphia to face the 8-4 Stars. Also at noon, Orlando hopes to get solidly in the Wild Card race as they head to New Orleans to face the Breakers. At 4pm, an interesting game between two playoff hopefuls as 7-5 Pittsburgh visits 6-6 Dallas. In the two nightcaps we have St. Louis visiting Denver on NBC while Seattle can lock up the Pacific with a road win in Los Angeles against the Express. A win here and the division is theirs.   Sunday’s noon action includes a national game with Baltimore at New England, and two regional games, including San Antonio at Atlanta in a battle of teams right on the cusp of the Wild Card. At 4pm the national game on Fox is Las Vegas vs. Oakland, featuring the first start for rookie Davis Mills of the Invaders. We also have regional games on ABC with Portland in Arizona and the Tampa Bay Bandits on the West Coast to face the San Diego Thunder. The weekend wraps up with a big Southern Division clash as Houston travels to Memphis. The Gamblers have a game up on the Showboats, but Memphis is hoping to take this win and pull themselves right into the division race once again.   FRI @ 8pm ET         New Jersey (9-3) @ Washington (5-7)                  NBC FRI @ 8pm ET         Ohio (7-5) @ Chicago (8-4)                                       ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET      Michigan (7-5) @ Philadelphia (8-4)                       ABC SAT @ 12pm ET       Orlando (7-5) @ New Orleans (4-8)                        FOX SAT @ 4pm ET      Pittsburgh (7-5) @ Dallas (6-6)                                 ABC SAT @ 4pm ET       Birmingham (8-4) @ Oklahoma (4-8)                     FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        St. Louis (4-8) @ Denver (8-4)                                   NBC SAT @ 8pm ET         Seattle (10-2) @ Los Angeles (6-6)                       ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET     Baltimore (6-6) @ New England (4-8)                 ABC SUN @ 12pm ET     San Antonio (5-7) @ Atlanta (6-6)                            FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Charlotte (0-11) @ Jacksonville (3-9)                 FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Portland (4-8) @ Arizona (7-5)                                   ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET      Tampa Bay (10-2) @ San Diego (3-9)                      ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Las Vegas (5-7) @ Oakland (6-6)                              FOX SUN @ 8pm ET       Houston (7-5) @ Memphis (6-6)                             ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: St. Louis lost QB Lamar Jackson to a torn bicep last week, but don't mourn the Skyhawks. Backup Tyrod Taylor proved he can fling it, dissecting one of the league's best defenses for 394 yards and 4 touchdowns. Chicago proved completely unprepared for the St. Louis QB as Taylor completed 22 of 30 throws and pulled off the 31-30 upset by connecting with 7 different receivers and using his legs to keep plays alive. It was an impressive showing for the career backup. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Tampa Bay's loss in Seattle means that no one is guaranteed a slot in the 2021 postseason, but we do have our first official elimination as the 0-11 Charlotte Monarchs are now officially removed from playoff contention, to no one's surprise.

A week that complicated a lot of team’s playoff hopes, from Birmingham losing their MVP Candidate QB for at least the next month to a number of playoff hopefuls suffering tough losses, including major upsets with St. Louis knocking off Chicago and New England stunning Houston. For others it was a week to reassert themselves, as Michigan did in a solid victory over Ohio or as New Jersey did with their win over Washington. It was also a week that saw some nice performances out of teams at the bottom of the standings, with both expansion clubs getting home wins while Jacksonville won their second in a row thanks to a nice game from QB Trevor Lawrence. We will break down all the scores, take a look at the cluster of teams hovering around .500, and discuss some early rumors about the upcoming offseason, but we begin with a huge story out of Birmingham, an injury that may just derail one of the feel-good stories of the season as Cam Newton could lose the remaining regular season to injury.   Newton Lost to Ankle, Tebow Asked to Be the Hero It was a routine play, a drop back pass that led to a scramble, and it was a non-contact injury, but as soon as it happened everyone in Birmingham’s Protective Stadium new it was bad. Leading Memphis 14-10 early in the 2 nd quarter, Birmingham faced a 3 rd  and 4 inside field goal range. The Showboats pressured Newton on his drop back and the dual threat QB had already decided to run for the first down. He started off to his left, cleared the line to gain but attempted to make a sharp cut to avoid a hit from NaVorro Bowman in pursuit. Newton put his full weight on his left foot, but the ankle immediately buckled, his foot bending under his calf. Birmingham’s star QB collapsed to the ground and had to be carried to the sideline, hopping on his one good foot.   Newton was immediately carted into the endzone. X-rays would reveal no break or fracture, but later imaging would show significant damage to both tendons and muscles around the outside of the ankle. The diagnosis was 2-3 weeks before Newton could put weight on the ankle and no less than 4 weeks, even in the best of circumstances for the MVP candidate to return to practice, much less game action. The verdict means that Newton, in all likelihood, will miss the entire remaining regular season, 5 games that will almost certainly determine whether the Stallions can hold their place atop the Southern Division or qualify for their first playoff appearance in 8 years.   Immediately after the injury, the ESPN commentators, Steve Levy and former USFL QB Brian Griese, started opining about the trade of Jameis Winston which Birmingham had executed only 3 weeks prior, leaving Tim Tebow as the primary option behind Newton. The assumption was that Stallion fans would now be furious with the team for letting their NFL import backup head to New England as part of a 3-team trade that brought two defenders to the Stallions for their playoff run. But, almost as soon as that debate got rolling, former University of Florida star and Bulls’ starting QB Tim Tebow started rewriting the game script.   After failing to gain another first down after the Newton injury, Birmingham settled for 3 to take a 17-10 lead. Memphis would match that score with a Dallas Goedert touchdown, but with Stallion fans still rallying behind their team, Tim Tebow came in for the next drive and helped calm the nerves at Protective Stadium by leading a successful 2-minute drill, scrambling twice for good yardage and connecting with Julian Edelman to put Birmingham up 24-17 at the half.   The second half was much more a defensive struggle as the Stallions had difficulty moving the ball for most of the half. Tebow would go only 2 of 6 in the 3 rd , as the club tried to use the run to take pressure off. Memphis would record a tying score once again in the waning moments of the half. But as the 4 th quarter began, Tim Tebow reawakened the Stallion fans with a play straight out of his SEC glory days at Florida. With the ball at the Memphis 46, Tebow called his own number, using the “alert” call at the line to shift from a drop back pass to an RPO option call. Tebow faked the ball to Ben Tate, bootlegged to the right, where he had TE Hunter Henry breaking open. But, instead of trying to hit his TE, Tebow pump faked, sending the pursuing linebacker into the air and then took off. He would pick up both Henry and WR Henry Ruggs as blockers as he made his way down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown. It was pure Tebow, but it also reminded the crowd very much of Newton himself.   That play would end up being the winning score for the Stallions in their heated rivalry game with Memphis. It would also establish Tebow as a viable option with Newton down. The hope now in Birmingham is that the Tim Tebow who was an unstoppable dual threat in the SEC, and who threw for over 3,000 yards each year from 2011-2013 in Jacksonville, could revive his hero status and help Birmingham survive their final 5 games. The Stallions, currently sitting at 7-4 and holding a 1-game advantage over Houston in the Southern Division, likely only need to win 3 of 5 to be assured a playoff spot at 10-6, but obviously had hoped to do even better to win their first division title since Brett Favre was their QB back in 1999.   With Tebow at the helm, backed up by 2020 undrafted free agent Michael Cisneros, the Stallions will try to beat the odds and make that division run over the final 5 weeks. They have another division game this week, with 4-7 New Orleans coming to town, before traveling to Oklahoma, another home division game against San Antonio, and then two very tough games to end the season, with the Philadelphia Stars coming to Birmingham in Week 16 and a road trip to Arizona in the season finale. We expect the Stallions will look to find a 3 rd  QB in free agency this week, and the hope, of course, is that Newton is able to return to the team for the postseason, or even, with a strong recovery, by that season finale in Arizona. But, for now, it will be SEC superstar Tim Tebow with the playoff hopes of Stallion Nation on his shoulders.   CHICAGO MACHINE 30   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 31 This was not supposed to be a tough game for Chicago, not even a close one, with the 7-2 Machine traveling down I-55 to face a 3-win St. Louis Skyhawks team that did not even have their dynamic QB Lamar Jackson suited up. Las Vegas saw this as a potential blowout, favoring the visiting Machine by 12 points. But, apparently, no one told the Skyhawks, or veteran backup Tyrod Taylor, that it was a lost cause. The Skyhawks came out in force, despite the fact that The Dome at America’s Center was looking very Chicago friendly, with a good number of Illinoisans and Machine fans making their way to the game.   The game started very much as the Vegas books had predicted, with Chicago dominating and Taylor struggling to make plays against the league’s 3 rd rated defense. Chicago jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks to a Bradford to Floyd TD toss and a short TD run from Notre Dame product Tony Jones Jr.. Chicago outgained St. Louis 101-21 in the quarter with the Skyhawks failing to produce a first down to Chicago’s 7.  No one would have guessed at this point that St. louis would outgain Chicago 378-298 the rest of the way, or that they would consistently find the endzone against a defense that is one of the best in the league in minimizing big plays.   The first signs of life came when the Skyhawks forced a Chicago punt just as the 1 st was ending, producing a sack of Sam Bradford to end their 3 rd possession. The Skyhawks got the ball at their own 33, and on their very first play they surprised the Machine with a play action pass from Tyrod Taylor to Allen Robinson that went for 35 yards. The play got the moderate contingent of engaged Skyhawk fans into the game. The drive sputtered inside Chicago territory (as so many have this year) and St. Louis was forced to settle for a Zane Gonzalez field goal, but the big play was a sign of things to come.   After holding Chicago to a field goal on their next possession, St. Louis would have their first of 4 touchdown drives, and the first of 4 touchdown passes for their backup QB. Tyrod Taylor would go 4 of 5 on the drive, moving the ball crisply in 2-minute mode before finding Deionte Johnson uncovered in the endzone, the beneficiary of a nicely executed rub pattern. The St. Louis score meant that the underdog Skyhawks were down only 7 at the half, with Chicago taking a 17-10 lead into the break.   The Machine expanded on that lead with the opening possession of the 2 nd half, with Bradford finding his new favorite target, Chase Claypool for the receiver’s 7 th  touchdown of the season. Back up by 14, Chicago was feeling good and the Machine fans breathed a sigh of relief, feeling their team would again take over a dominant position. But St. Louis quickly showed the Machine that the game was far from over. In a drive that took only 5 plays to go 74 yards, Taylor first scrambled for 8 yards on the opening play, then found FB Jerome Felton on a beautifully disguised screen play. Felton would rumble for 44 yards before finally being shoved out of bounds. The play electrified the St. Louis bench, and gave Taylor the confidence to make more calls at the line. He would complete another nice pass to get the ball down to the 9-yard line, a beautifully timed out route to Jakobi Myers. On the very next play it was rookie Kyle Pitts for the young tight end’s 1 st  TD of the season, a laser throw from Taylor hitting the rookie in stride just as he passed by the linebacker in coverage.   Chicago would add a field goal to end the 3 rd  quarter, but there was a feeling that St. Louis was not fading. The team was electrified on the sideline by the Taylor-led drive, and as the 4 th  quarter began, you could feel the energy coming from Taylor and the Skyhawk offense. On the very next possession after Chicago’s field goal, Taylor again found his rookie tight end. This time it was a very different play, a seam route that saw the two outside receivers draw the safeties to the sideline with sharp out routes. That left Pitts in single coverage with Chicago safety Micah Hyde. Hyde has been playing well all season, but he was slow to pick up on the route on this play, falling a step behind Pitts as the athletic tight end raced down the center of the field. Taylor dropped in a perfect pass, and while Hyde got a hit in on Pitt’s hip, the bigger receiver was able to shrug off the body blow and continue downfield for a 50-yard score. The Chicago lead was down to 3, but the energy in the stadium made it feel like St. Louis had just taken the lead. This energy fed into a St. Louis defense that had struggled all year, rated 22 nd in the league in points allowed, and 26 th  in the USFL, allowing 374 yards per game. The Skyhawks bent, but did not break on Chicago’s next possession. With the Machine run game getting the offense to the 11 yard line of St. Louis, but the Skyhawk D standing up for a stop on 3 consecutive plays in the redzone. Sam Bradford tried to thread the needle with throws to the endzone on both 2 nd  and 3 rd  down, but both times the St. Louis secondary was able to disrupt the throws, forcing the Machine to go for the field goal on 4 th  and 10 from the 11.   Chicago had a 6-point lead after the chip shot kick from Daniel Carlson. And with 2:32 left to go, it meant that St. Louis would have an opportunity to drive the field and get the win, a win no one expected of them. The Skyhawks took the ball at their own 22, 78 yards to go, 2 timeouts, and a QB who was feeling it after going 17 of 24 with 3 TDs in the game. Taylor would go 5 of 6 in the two minute drill, throwing to 4 different receivers on the drive. It began with a comeback route to Robinson, the game’s leading receiver with 6 catches for 117 yards. He followed that with another swing pass to Felton, who gained 8 on the play, then a short run by HB John Conner for the first down. The Skyhawks called their first time out, the ball on their own 43.   The next play was perhaps the biggest, with Taylor scrambling away from pressure as his receivers tried to find secondary positions after the initial routes ended. Taylor located Jakobi Myers along the sideline, and hit the 3 rd  year receiver with a perfect strike, allowing Myers to spin away from the corner and gain another 8 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Chicago 30. Another Conner draw and a short completion to Deionte Johnson and the Skyhawks had the ball on the Chicago 8 yard line with 27 seconds to go and one time out.   Taylor took a shot at the endzone, trying to find Robinson, but the ball was too high for his receiver, setting up a 2 nd  and goal at the 8. On 2 nd and goal, Taylor was forced out of the pocket by Jason Pierre-Paul, but managed to pick up 3 yards before being dragged down from behind. 3 rd  and goal from the 5 with 11 seconds to play and their final timeout used to stop the clock. The Skyhawks lined up with Robinson and Johnson wide, Pitts and Will Disley inside along the line, showing a possible RPO with Conner or Taylor as runners. That would be a risky call as the Skyhawks would have no way to stop the clock after a run play. Chicago knew this and lined up ready for a passing play. It would be a shallow man coverage in a nickel, with 3 DBs hovering just inside the goalline.   St. Louis called a man-beater, a play that sent Disley in motion, lining up just outside Pitts on the right. When the snap came to Taylor, Pitts flew towards the endzone, with Dissley ducking in underneath him. The safety got caught in the shuffle, leaving Dissley open inside, and Taylor zipped the ball right to his chest. The bigger (and slower) of the two St. Louis tight ends, brought the ball in and fell backwards into the endzone before defensive help could get there. LB Manti Te’o hit Dissley as he fell, jarring the ball, but not dislodging it from the TE’s grip. He held tight to the ball as he fell on his back in the endzone. 6 seconds on the clock and the Skyhawks had tied the game at 30. All that was left was the PAT for the win. Zane Gonzalez connected on the kick and St. Louis went up with 6 ticks on the clock. A squib kick and it was all over. The St. Louis Skyhawks, and their undervalued backup QB, Tyrod Taylor, had knocked off rival Chicago, a result that few, if any, saw coming.   The loss certainly hurt Chicago, who were hoping to compete with Seattle for the top seed in the West, and now not only fell a game behind the Dragons for the chance at home field in the playoffs, but now found themselves only 1 game ahead of the feisty Pittsburgh Maulers, only 2 ahead of both Ohio and the reigning division champion Michigan Panthers. With upcoming games against some tough opponents (Ohio, New Jersey and Philadelphia among them), and having now lost 3 straight games, this loss had to rattle the Machine and threw their season into a very different light.   For St. Louis, this win would not put them in playoff contention, still only 4-7 on the season, but, after knocking off Pittsburgh the week before, it certainly was a moment of pride, and a possible sign of things to come. The Skyhawks would finish their 3-game divisional swing with a road game in Michigan in Week 13, and they too had a tough road ahead, but the confidence gained from this win would certainly help them as they tried to salvage the season and build towards a brighter future.   OHIO 10   MICHIGAN 37 A big win for the Michigan Panthers and a very much needed one as they get their last division win in 4 tries, and they did it without LeVeon Bell. Kirk Cousins had a stellar game, going 21 of 26 for 229 yards and 3 scores, all to newly arrived WR Justin Blackmon, making the GM look like a genius for the trade at the deadline. Blackman caught all 6 targets, scoring on 3 of them, all red zone tosses. The defense also came up huge, limiting the Ohio run game (including Fields) to only 55 total yards. The win moves Michigan into a tie with Ohio in 3 rd  place, a game behind the Maulers and Machine. POTG:  Panther QB Kirk Cousins: 21/26, 229 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   DENVER 28   ARIZONA 23 Denver wins the rivalry matchup in Arizona and puts some space between themselves and the rest of the division, all thanks to 4 first half TDs. Josh Allen threw for 3 scores and Bryce Hall picked off David Carr and returned it 36 yards for the game winning score as the Gold built up a 28-17 first half lead and held on for the 5-point victory. Despite being sacked 9 times, Carr threw for 412 yards in the comeback attempt, but it was not enough as Denver secured their 8 th win and built up a 2-game lead in the division. POTG:  Denver’s rookie DE Odafe Oweh: 4 Tck, 4 Sck, 1 FF   HOUSTON 13   NEW ENGLAND 24 The Gamblers underestimate their NE Division foe and fall to the Steamrollers, thanks in large part to New England’s balanced offense, which rushed for 112 yards and passed for another 328. Ryan Tannehill went 19 of 26, connecting with Devante Parker and Will Fuller for scores, while the combo of Yeldon and Hill rushed for 112 and a score in the Steamroller upset win. They pulled it off despite McCoy connecting with Evans 9 times for 180 yards, as the New England defense bent but did not break against the Gambler attack. POTG:  Steamroller WR Will Fuller: 5 Rec, 159 Yds, 1 TD   MEMPHIS 24   BIRMINGHAM 31 In a game that may cost Cam Newton the rest of his season to an ankle injury, Tim Tebow rallied the Stallions, breaking out a 54-yard TD run in the 4 th quarter to stun the Showboats. Birmingham gave up 130 yards rushing to the Showboats and Paxton Lynch threw for 2 scores, but with the game tied in the 3 rd , after Newton’s injury, Tebow kept the ball on a RPO call and rambled all the way to the endzone to put Birmingham on top. It was a costly win for the Stallions, but one that also secured first place in the division. POTG:  Stallion QB Tim Tebow: 6/15, 98 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 11 Att, 64 Yds, 1 TD   OKLAHOMA 16   SAN ANTONIO 22 Don’t look now but the Gunslingers are in the playoff mix at 5-6. They get a home victory over Oklahoma thanks to a solid defensive effort and a pair of 4 th quarter field goals. Rookie Rhamondre Stevenson scored on his only carry of the day (a goalline plunge) and Flacco hit Marquise Goodwin for a score, but it was the Gunslinger defense that won the day, holding Oklahoma out of the endzone until the final minutes of play. POTG:  San Antonio DE Gregory Rousseau: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   DALLAS 19   LAS VEGAS 17 Down 17-10 after 3 quarters, the Dallas Roughnecks rallied in the 4 th  and knocked off the Vipers at Wynn Arena. Justin Herbert hit Courtland Sutton for a 4 th  quarter Td, but with Catanzaro missing the game-tying PAT, the Roughnecks needed more. They got it with a Catanzaro field goal from 47 yards with only 19 seconds left in the game to secure the win and move to 5-6, staying alive in the Wild Card race. POTG:  Dallas QB Justin Herbert: 23/34, 260 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   PHILADELPHIA 16   BALTIMORE 21 The Blitz improve to 6-5, knocking off the slumping Stars as Josh Jacobs rushes for 80 yards and a score. The Blitz defense held Philadelphia to only 2 field goals until the 4 th  quarter, building up a 21-6 lead before a late rally by Philadelphia pulled them within 1 scores. A Wentz to Moore TD with 23 seconds left got Philadelphia within 5, but they could not secure the onside kick and Baltimore held on for the division win. POTG:  Blitz WR Michael Pittman Jr: 4 Rec, 112 Yds, 1 TD   WASHINGTON 21   NEW JERSEY 28 Washington played the Generals tough, pulling out to a 21-14 lead in the 3 rd , but New Jersey dominated the final 20 minutes of action, tying the score on a Foles to Pharaoh Cooper TD late in the 3 rd  and adding the game winner, a Delone Carter TD run, in the 4 th . Carter and Pollard combined for 95 yards rushing and Foles went 18 of 29 for 204 and 3 TDs in the victory for the Generals, who now sit at 8-3. POTG:  New Jersey CB Rashard Robinson: 9 Tck, 1 Int   SAN DIEGO 9   JACKSONVILLE 21 The Bulls win their 3 rd  game in the last 4 as the defense picks off Christian Ponder twice and holds Charles Sims to only 2.2 YPC with 41 yards on 19 carries. The Bull run game was far more effective, with Chubba Hubbard getting the start and combining with Devin Singletary to rush for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. POTG:  Bull LB Alex Anzelone: 10 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   NEW ORLEANS 21  CHARLOTTE 3 Kyle Boller gets the start for the Monarchs, but struggles to mount any offense as New Orleans holds them to a single field goal. Tajh Boyd got the start for the injured Geno Smith and produced 3 touchdowns on a 15 of 26 outing. Jordy Nelson, Justin Jefferson, and DeMarco Murray all put points on the board as New Orleans snaps a 3-game losing streak by beating the winless Monarchs. POTG:  Breaker QB Tajh Boyd: 15/26, 305 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   ORLANDO 8  LOS ANGELES 3 In a game that set back offensive football at least 20 years, the Orlando Renegades get a safety and manage two field goals as they upend the LA Express. This was an ugly one, with 13 sacks between the two teams and almost no threat of a big play at all. Neither team can feel good coming off this game, but at least the W helps Orlando move above .500 and into competition with Atlanta for 2 nd  place in the Southeast. As for LA, the loss drops them below .500, now a full 3 games behind division-leading Seattle. POTG:  Orlando DE Montez Sweat; 3 Tck, 3 Sck, 1 FF   ATLANTA 17   PORTLAND 38 Atlanta hurt their playoff cause by laying an absolute egg in Portland against a 3-win Stags team. Despite 118 yards from Nick Chubb, the Fire fell behind early and could not recover. Portland put up 21 points on their first 3 possessions, with Brandin Cooks scoring twice and Dale Luong returning a Pat White pick 32 yards for a score. White struggled all game, picked off 4 times in his first start for the Fire. Marcus Mariota had no such difficulties, going 27 for 33 and throwing 3 touchdowns as Portland improves to 4-7. POTG:  Stag DB Dale Luong: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   PITTSBURGH 19  OAKLAND 13  OVERTIME Sony Michel busts off a 25-yard walk-off touchdown run in overtime as Pittsburgh gets the W on the road. The Maulers needed a final drive TD to send the game to overtime, and they got it when Andy Dalton found Adam Thielen on a fade route with 1:30 left on the clock. The Mauler D picked off Tom Brady twice and sacked him 4 times, including a big sack on the final possession which forced Oakland to play for overtime. Michel, who had only 11 yards in regulation, broke free on the Mauler’s first overtime possession and ended the game with the dynamic scoring run, giving Pittsburgh their 7 th  win on the season. POTG:  Mauler CB Tre Herndon: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int   TAMPA BAY 17  SEATTLE 19 The battle of heavyweights lived up to the hype, with the Seattle D containing the Bandit Ball offense, despite giving up 408 yards passing to Dak Prescott. Dez Bryant had a huge game, catching 8 balls for 207 yards, but never found the endzone as Seattle tightened up their D each time the Bandits reached the red zone. Knowshon Moreno rushed for 97 yards and a score, but the big play for Seattle was a 4 th  quarter TD toss from Brett Hundley to Marshall Newhouse that gave them a 9-point lead with 6 minutes to play. Tampa added a late Dalvin Cook TD, but it was too little too late for the Bandits, who drop their 2 nd  game of the season. POTG:  Seattle LB Khalil Mack: 6 tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 2 FF, 1 FR   Khalil Mack helps Seattle Deliver a Statement Win Nine consecutive wins do not happen by accident, and they do not happen without a variety of players stepping up each and every week. Defeating the 9-1 Tampa Bay Bandits this week was not only a 9 th  win for the Dragons, but a statement win as they took down the best in the game, the defending champions and a team that had been an offensive juggernaut all season long. That Seattle not only held Tampa Bay to 17 points, but also found a way to win despite being outgained by over 100 yards (424-312) meant that the Dragons had found ways to bend but not break, to take advantage of Tampa mistakes, and to prove resilient. That mental toughness began with the defense, and in particular with linebacker Khalil Mack, who finished the game with a pretty impressive stat line, racking up 6 tackles (3 for a loss), a sack a pick, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.   Mack was a huge reason why the Bandit run game was held to only 16 total yards on the day, regularly blowing up plays and forcing Dalvin Cook to turn outside runs back inside, where others like LB Josh Allen, and DT Byron Mone trapped the elusive Bandit halfback. Mack was also a nightmare for QB Dak Prescott, creating pressures, hurries, and one of the Dragon’s 6 sacks on the day. Prescott still put up big numbers, throwing for 408 yards, but when the game was on the line, the Seattle defense found ways to end drives and get the Bandits off the field. They had held Tampa Bay to only 1 TD through 3 quarters, taking a 19-10 lead with 6 minutes left, and while the Bandits did succeed in their hurry up offense to put 7 more on the board, they did so with so little time left that only an onside kick could help them salvage the game. The Dragon special teams did their job and QB Brett Hundley took the knee to end the game, but it was clear that the Dragons had knocked off Tampa Bay and now, thanks to Chicago’s 3 game slide, held the future 1 seed in the palms of their hands, winners of 9 straight, and, on this day, home to one of the most devastating defensive players in the game in Khalil Mack.   Carr Outperforms Allen, but Gold Get the Win No one is going to knock David Carr for Arizona’s 28-23 loss to the Denver Gold. The Arizona QB had his best game of the year, averaging 11.1 yards per attempt as he threw for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the showdown with Denver’s Josh Allen, Carr clearly came out on top, with Allen mustering only 187 yards to Carr’s 412. But, with both QBs each tossing 3 touchdowns, Carr’s big numbers were not enough. The difference? The one poor throw that Carr made all day and Denver’s ability to cash in on it. Late in the 2 nd  period, Carr tried to force a ball to Victor Cruz, only to have Denver CB Bryce Hall snatch the ball away and race 36 yards for a pick-six. Carr more than redeemed himself with over 200 yards and a TD to Brandon Aiyuk in the 2 nd  half, but it proved to be just a few yards and just a few points too few for the Wranglers to get the home win and pull closer to the Gold in the standings. The Denver win gives them a 2-game lead on Arizona and the field in the SW Division. With 5 games left to go, and now down 2 games to the Gold, the Wranglers may well be battling for a Wild Card, with only slim hopes to win their 7 th  consecutive division crown.   Expansion Clubs Starting To Take Shape with Big Week 11 Wins Building a competitive team takes time. The history of expansion in the USFL clearly proves this, with only the 1984 teams getting a quick jump because their competitors only had 1 year of experience ahead of them. For most others, in 1995, 2006, 2008, and now, 2020, the pace of growth is slow and erratic. But, despite the odds, both New England and San Antonio are showing that they are making improvements and finding some success in their sophomore campaigns. With both winning this week, we wanted to take a moment to recognize the gains made by both teams.  New England’s upset of Houston this week marks their 2 nd  consecutive upset win, having knocked off the slumping Stars last week in Philadelphia. Winning back-to-back road games for the first time as a franchise, and against two teams that appear to be playoff bound, is a very nice feather in the cap of Coach John Fox and the Steamrollers. New England now moves into 4 th place in the Northeast, a position they took last year by surpassing Philadelphia’s 2-win season with 6 wins of their own. Their target this year is to surpass those 6 inaugural season wins, which means they will need to win 3 more games in the final 5 weeks. That could be a tough task, considering they play 3 teams currently over .500 and hoping for a playoff berth. But, New England is building towards a goal. Yes, they are struggling on offense, with the league’s lowest scoring club at only 13.5 PPG, but the defense is in the Top 12, allowing only 21.1 points per game and limiting teams in both the pass and run game. They have 2 games left against Washington, who share a 4-7 record with them, and could well finish ahead of the Federals if they can sweep that series. That means that to reach 7 wins they need one upset, with Orlando, Baltimore, and Ohio their other two games. They won’t be favored in any of those games but they were not favored the past 2 weeks and that did not seem to hold them back. As for San Antonio, they are already ahead of last year’s pace, sitting at 5-6 on the year, already 2 games up on their 2020 record of 3-13. They too have won their last 2 games, both at home, and both division games, as they knocked off Houston in Week 10 then returned from their late bye week to defeat Oklahoma this week. With Joe Flacco at the helm, and with solid contributions from NFL import back Melvin Gordon, San Antonio is a solid offensive squad, sitting 9 th in yards and 14 th  in scoring, a middle of the pack ranking for the 2 nd year team. They still struggle a bit on defense, giving up just over 100 yards per game rushing and another 245 passing each week, but they have been in most of their games, giving up 22.5 points per week and scoring 22.4.   San Antonio has won 3 of their last 4, but their road to .500 will be a tough one, with huge games coming up against Arizona, Atlanta, Birmingham and Denver. That is not an easy road, especially with the Fire, Stallion, and Gold games on the road. At 5-6, they are currently in the cluster of teams well within the Wild Card race, and while most see them as a poser rather than a potential playoff team, the Gunslingers are still in the mix, which, for a 2 nd  year team, is an accomplishment already.   White Picked 4 Times as Stags Put out the Fire It is a nervous time to be a member of the Fire Brigade, as Atlanta’s official fan group is called. The Fire have dropped 4 of their last 5 after a 5-1 start, their starting QB, Aaron Murray, is lost for the season to a PCL injury, and they have slipped back into the pack, 3 games behind Tampa Bay in the division and not at all assured of a Wild Card spot. To make matters worse, their backup QB, now thrust into the starting role, Pat White, just had a nightmare game against a pretty mediocre defense, throwing 4 picks against Portland in a blowout loss to the Stags. A team that felt ready to compete with the defending champion Bandits is now looking to be on life support, needing to find a winning formula fast or face a possible slide down the division standings and out of playoff contention.   It will be no easy road for White and the Fire, with a trip to New Jersey this week, and some tough matchups, including a season ender at Tampa Bay, on the docket. In this week’s loss to Portland, the Stags focused their attention on White, allowing Nick Chubb to run rather effectively (13 carries for 118 yards and a TD), but with constant pressure on White, the QB proved prone to poor decision making, throwing into traffic and throwing late over the middle (always a no-no). Expect the Generals and future foes to try a similar strategy of shallow zones and front-line pressure. Chubb can help White with more touches and more short-yardage 3 rd  downs, but White is going to have to make smarter decisions under pressure if Atlanta is going to turn the season around and find their ways to the postseason.   Bandits Send Short to IR with Wrist Injury Bad news for the Tampa Bay Bandit defense as DT Kawaan Short is lost for the year after suffering a wrist injury that will require surgery this week. Short got caught up in a dogpile after a fumble by Seattle’s Gus Edwards in the Bandit’s road loss to the Dragons. His wrist caught awkwardly under a pile of bodies, he suffered both ligament and tendon damage. The 8-year veteran had been part of a 3-man rotation inside, rotating with Marcell Dareus and Bryan Cowart in Tampa’s 4-3 scheme. He will now be shuttered for the season, with Brent Urban now joining the rotation and 2 nd  year sub Kevin Givens moved from the practice squad to fill Short’s spot. In a game that also saw OT Levi Brown suffer an injury (expected back in Week 13), Short missed the final quarter and now will miss the final quarter of the season as he recovers and rehabs.   Tampa Bay’s loss in Seattle means that we are still without a single team guaranteed a spot in the 2020 USFL playoffs. Both Seattle and Tampa Bay sit at 9 wins, but with the 7 th  best team in each conference at 6-5, and 5 games yet to play, it seems we may be waiting before anyone can clinch on record alone. Both Seattle and Tampa Bay are still the most likely to lock up a spot first, as both hold 3 game leads in their division, meaning that a win this week, with losses to Orlando, Atlanta, or Oakland, could do the trick. We could see two division titles announced before anyone is eligible as a Wild Card, not surprising when we have such a cluster of teams either at 6-5 or 5-6. We did see, however, our first officially eliminated club. To no one’s surprise, that club is the 0-11 Charlotte Monarch team that has simply been abysmal this year. Charlotte has given up twice as many points as they have scored (168-321) and has lost 7 of 11 games by double digits. Expect Coach Joseph to be on Black Monday alert, assuming he lasts through the full season, which at this point has to be in doubt. At 0-11, Charlotte is now officially out of the running, and we should expect wholesale changes to the franchise.   Another rough week, well beyond the lead story about Cam Newton’s ankle. Two more IR placements, both starters, as well as a pretty long list of players who could be placed on IR as soon as their team is no longer a playoff hopeful. Baltimore, for example, hopes Eli Rogers can return in time for a Wild Card game if they qualify. As we get closer to the conclusion of the regular season, expect several players with longer recovery timelines to be shuttered for the season as teams look to 2022 and want to avoid any further complications this year.   OUT TE           Gavin Escobar           JAX         ACL Tear             IR DT          Kawann Short                   TBY        Wrist                     IR WR         Eli Rogers                       BAL        Broken Leg         6-8 Weeks CB          Prince Amukamara       WSH     PCL Tear             6-8 Weeks CB          Benjamin St. Juste         NE          Miniscus             6-8 Weeks QB         Cam Newton               BIR         Ankle                    4-6 Weeks G            Chris Lindstrom              NJ           Wrist                     1-2 Weeks OT          Riley Reiff                       BAL        Ribs                       1-2 Weeks FB          Anthony Sherman          HOU     Foot                      1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL CB          Mackensie Alexander  LV           Concussion WR         Kenny Golloday               LV           Knee   QUESTIONABLE OT          Taylor Lewan                JAX         Knee DE          J. J. Watt                       MEM     Concussion C             Robert Vega                  ARZ       Migraines DT          Dontari Poe                  MGN     Concussion     Making Sense of the 6-5 and 5-6 Cluster Five games to go and while there are certainly teams looking solidly like playoff hopefuls, and others, of course, who don’t appear to have what they need this year, but we are also looking at a huge cluster of teams who are on the bubble. With those 5 games left, we have 12 of the league’s 30 clubs sitting either at 6-5 (eight) or at 5-6 (four). These teams could well be battling over only 2-4 possble playoff spots, especially if those teams with 7 or more wins currently continue to have success. So, what do we make of these 12 clubs? Who is primed to make a run, who may need to get some help, and who might just be a pretender, likely to drop more games down the stretch than they win? Here is our quick rundown of all 12 “bubble” teams as they prepare for Week 13.   ARIZONA (6-5); The 6-time defending SW Division Champs are struggling for consistency this year, but they are still a very talented team and one certainly capable of going on a run late. They are relatively healthy, and their next 3 games (@ San Antonio, vs. Portland and @ Las Vegas) could tell the story. If they can win those 3, they are in good shape as they prepare for the final 2 weeks. The Division may not be possible, but we see Arizona as a likely Wild Card.   ATLANTA (6-5): Even before losing Aaron Murray to injury, the Fire were slumping, losing 3 in a row before a surprising win over Houston. Now, with Pat White at QB, it is hard to feel confident that Atlanta can get to 10 wins, perhaps not even to 9. They have some very tough games ahead, including New Jersey this week, and back-to-back division games @ Orlando and @ Tampa Bay to close out the season. That feels like a recipe for an 8-8 year at best.   BALTIMORE (6-5): Picked by most to win the division after a very aggressive offseason, Baltimore has largely disappointed, but at 6-5 and with some very winnable games on the horizon (vs. Washington, @ New England, and @ St. Louis in the finale) we think the Blitz have a chance to play their way into playoff position. The key may be the 2-game stretch when they travel to Pittsburgh and then host Tampa Bay. They likely need a win in one of those games.   DALLAS (5-6): Being under .500 this late in the year was not the plan for the Roughnecks. They have struggled on offense, but their win this week against Las Vegas certainly helps. A win in Denver next week will be vital to their playoff hopes. They do finish the year with 3 of their final 4 games at home, but they may need to run the table to feel safe for a playoff berth.   HOUSTON (6-5): When the Gamblers were 6-2, we had little doubt they would be in the field, but after losing 3 in a row, including bad losses to both expansion teams in the past 3 weeks, we cannot be so certain. They face Las Vegas this week in what may be a must-win game at NRG Stadium. With Memphis and Tampa Bay after that, the Gamblers have to find their mojo quickly if they hope to hit 10 wins.   LOS ANGELES (5-6): We were ready to write off the Express, but back-to-back wins over Las Vegas and Dallas had us feeling better. This week’s offensive nightmare against Orlando has us doubting again. They have a nice “bye week” against Charlotte this week, but then they need to treat their next home game vs. Seattle as a must-win, a playoff atmosphere, or the final weeks could be pointless.   MEMPHIS (5-6): The 2020 Southern Champs are not looking at all like the same team this year. Yes, J. J. Watt has been outstanding, but the offense has not found success in recent weeks. Their loss this week, with Tim Tebow finding a way to win, was a big blow. They head to Jacksonville next week in a game they should (and need to) win. That is followed by a huge home matchup against Houston that could determine how the final weeks of the season will be played.   MICHIGAN (6-5): The win this week over Ohio was enormous for the Panthers, not just because they played well on both sides of the ball, but because it helped them claw closer to relevance in the Central. They need to follow that up with a win over St. Louis this week, and with both Ohio and Pittsburgh coming up before the season is over, this is a team that can write their own destiny. They just need to rediscover the formula that has worked for them over the past 5 seasons.   OAKLAND (6-5): We know that Tom Brady wants one more shot at the postseason, but we are just not sure Oakland has the team to do it, not after being demolished by Seattle and losing to Pittsburgh at home this week. They have a road game in Ohio in Week 13, and two more division games on the schedule, but they feel very much like a team that is going to end up at 8-8 and on the outside looking in.   OHIO (6-5): This week’s loss to the Panthers was a momentum killer. After beating Chicago in what was a huge statement game, they could not repeat the intensity needed to knock off the Panthers, and that puts them in this group and in a tough situation. They will face both the Machine and the Panthers again, back to back again, with a trip to Chicago in Week 14 and then a home game against Michigan. Do they need to sweep those games? Quite possibly.   ORLANDO (6-5): Orlando may benefit from the collapse of the Atlanta Fire. They have already gained a foothold, moving into 2 nd place thanks to a tiebreaker over the Fire. Now they need to finish the job. That means no let down against New England, New Orleans, or Charlotte. Three wins in those 3 games and they well could be ready to punch their ticket to the postseason when they face the Fire in Week 16.   SAN ANTONIO (5-6): We have the sneaky feeling that the Gunslingers are just happy to be in this conversation. They have had two very nice outings, upsetting both Houston and Oklahoma to get here. Their final 5 games include 3 pretty tough outings, including this week’s game against Arizona, then a trip to Birmingham and a finale in Denver. That could be too much to ask for the 2 nd  year club, but even 2 wins in the next 5 puts them at a solid 7-9 record, which is certainly something to build on for Coach Long and a nice upgrade from last year’s 3-13 inaugural campaign.   Offseason Rumors Already Swirling We are still 5 weeks away from the conclusion of the regular season, but that certainly has not stopped the rumor mill from priming for a busy winter. Rumors are swirling around any number of franchises, coaching rumors, draft priorities, even QB change rumors. Of course, the majority of these conversations focus on teams that are longshots for a playoff push, but surprisingly not all of them. Here is our list of the rumors that seem to be both persistent and intriguing as we enter the home stretch of the USFL season. Will any of them pan out? We shall see.   Charlotte Will Clean House This Winter This one should shock no one. After all, the 0-11 Monarchs have been a disaster all year. We have already seen their starter benched as Jimmy Garoppolo has had a miserable 2021 campaign, throwing more than twice as many picks as touchdowns. Expect Charlotte to start at the top, relieving GM Roy Wentz of his duties along with Head Coach Vance Joseph. And while we think QB will certainly be a focal point this offseason, there are certainly plenty of holes to fill in this roster, including an ineffective run game, a porous O-line, and a secondary that lacks playmakers. Charlotte will likely rebuild around DE Chandler Jones, LB Rolando McClain, and DT Leki Fotu, but outside of those three, we could see a very different roster in 2022.   Maulers May Challenge Dalton with Rookie Andy Dalton, the “Red Rifle” has been something of an institution in Pittsburgh since being named the starter in 2013, but in 9 seasons he has produced only 1 playoff season (2015). The Maulers are looking like a possible playoff team this year, but most of the credit is going to their solid defense, as the passing game is ranked 25 th  in the league at only 230 yards per game. So, what is the plan? Well, Dalton is signed through next year, which in our minds makes 2022 a very good time for a transition of the Maulers want to go another direction. Rumors have the Maulers very interested in a local product, Pitt QB Kenny Pickett. A 4-year starter for the Panthers, Picket has had modest numbers but has shown flashes. He led Pitt to their first ACC title in 2018. He had a stellar game in the Quick Lane Bowl in 2019, throwing or 361 yards and 3 scores against Eastern Michigan, and this past year, in a Covid-shortened season, he threw for over 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns, helping Pitt reach the Top 25 rankings. A strong 2021 campaign for the senior QB and we could be seeing the Maulers reach out for the local star in the 2022 Territorial Draft. With a year left in Dalton’s contract, that would set them up for a big decision a year from now.   OBJ Headed OTD?        Is Odell Beckham Jr. headed “out the door” in New Jersey. The All-USFL receiver made some noise about his role and his team earlier in the year but has been mostly silent as the Generals embarked on the 8-game winning streak that now has them atop the NE Division. OBJ is in a contract year, so the time is right if he does want a change of venue. There will almost certainly be no shortage of teams interested in a receiver about to finish his 6 th  consecutive 1,000-yard season. OBJ has elite hands, good speed and is considered the model for body control thanks to a series of acrobatic catches over his career in New Jersey. Winning may have cooled his interest in leaving the Generals, but he also has to know that if he does enter the market, there is every chance he will get a record-setting contract for a wideout. That could well push the General’s big playmaker into free agency and could open up a feeding frenzy as teams try to land the outgoing and very talented receiver.   Former Bull LB Mike Vrabel a Hot Coaching Candidate Current Seattle DC and former Jacksonville Bull legend Mike Vrabel is considered one of the hottest coaching prospects in the league. The 11-time All-USFL linebacker, who is second only to Brian Urlacher in career tackles, has become a rising star in the coaching world and could be a name on a lot of team’s short lists after the success of his Dragon defense in Seattle this year. Vrabel retired from the playing field after the 2014 season, joining the Bulls’ coaching staff as a strength and conditioning coach for 2015. By 2018 he was the LB position coach for the Bulls before taking the DC position with Coach Mike Riley and the Seattle Dragons in 2019. The Seattle defense struggled a bit in 2019 but showed marked improvement in last year’s 9-7 Wild Card campaign. This year, the squad has improved to Top 5 status, highlighted this week with a masterful game against the Tampa Bay Bandits.   That quick rise, as well as the respect shown by Seattle players towards their former-superstar-player-turned-coach has Vrabel on a lot of team’s short lists as they look for a new leader.  We would not be shocked at all to see Jacksonville try to bring Vrabel back if they decide to let Winston Moss go, but Vrabel could also be in consideration in Charlotte, Portland, San Diego, or Orlando, if those clubs decide to make a change. Heck, if Houston legend Wade Phillips steps down, as many now believe he will, we could even see Vrabel headed to the Gamblers. His dance card will be busy come the offseason, though teams may have to wait as Seattle looks poised for a deep playoff run.   Weak QB Class makes DE the Potential Heart of the 2022 Draft With the 2021 NCAA season still over 2 months away, there is a lot of room for growth, but at present, there is currently no QB with a 1 st  round draft grade in the 2022 Draft Pool. That will almost certainly change, but what we see right now is a top tier of seniors and anticipated junior departures that focuses on receivers, cornerbacks, linemen, and particularly edge rushers. From Georgia’s Trevon Walker to Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, this is looking like a draft that could be heavy on pass rushers, defenders, and receivers, and not on passers themselves.   Currently, in their “way too early” draft rankings, both Mel Kiper and Mike McShay have 5 defensive ends listed with 1 st round grades, including the two named above. They also have 2 corners as potential Top 10 picks (LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. and Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner) as well as a handful of receivers with 1 st  or 2 nd round grades, led by USC’s Drake London and Ohio State’s duo of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. With no QBs listed in the Top 30 for either draft analyst, this very well could be a year where free agent QBs, possible trades, and possible NFL imports are the key to improving the QB position, while teams use the draft on players who can either catch those passes or stop the passing game.   Myles Jack & Clay Matthews Both Expected to Hit Free Agent Pool It is not unusual for veteran defenders to use free agency to both improve their financial situation and their chance at a title. This year looks to be no different as both Myles Jack of San Diego and Clay Matthews of Dallas have rejected early deals from their current teams and appear fully ready to hit the free agent marketplace. Jack, at only 26 and coming off a nice, but certainly not eye-popping rookie deal, is excepted to seek at least double his current compensation, with significant guaranteed money. After 5 years with the Thunder, in which he has proven to be one of the most disruptive players in the league, as well as an outstanding edge rusher, Jack is looking to cash in, and, almost certainly, hopes to find himself on a team that is ready to compete right away. Matthews, at 33, is likely headed into his final deal, and while he certainly could be leaving a good situation if he steps away from Dallas, there is no doubt that the veteran MLB, one who topped 100 tackles every year from 2010-2018, will get paid to be the veteran leader of a defense somewhere in the league. The question is both how many years he has left to take on that role, and what team gives him both a payday and a real chance at a title? Getting that combo could be tougher for Matthews than the younger and more explosive Jack.   Tannehill: Locked In or Trade Bait? Yes, over the past 2 weeks, with New England getting two surprise wins, Ryan Tannehill’s stock has gone up. And perhaps that was the reason why New England went out and dealt to bring in NFL import Jameis Winston from Birmingham. But the question is whether they have boosted Tannehill with the hope that he can be their long-term solution, or if his recent success will make him a more coveted commodity in a poor draft year for QBs. Rumors have New England possibly giving Winston some late season starts as a way of testing whether they need to sign Tannehill to a long-term deal, or to a very trade-friendly extension of his current deal. If Winston does see game action, and if he proves successful, there is every possibility that New England would shop Tannehill around in hopes of acquiring more draft capital. If Winston struggles, then the Steamrollers could offer Tannehill a more long-term deal and see what value Winston would have on the free agency market. What seems clear is that there is little chance we will see both in Foxboro next year.   Tom Brady “Goodbye Tour” Almost Certain At the age of 45, most QBs are already 10 years into their post-football careers, broadcasting, selling insurance, owning a car dealership, or just playing golf. Tom Brady is still getting under center in Oakland. But by every account, the 2021 season is the swan song for the 2-time USFL Champ and 3-Time Super Bowl Winner. Brady, after a combination of NFL and USFL seasons that spans 20 years, is expected to retire this year. That reality has been known in Oakland for some time and is one of the primary reasons that they wooed, selected, and signed Cal QB Davis Mills in the 2021 draft. Mills, who has appeared in only 1 game for mop up duty this year, is the anticipated heir apparent for Brady in Oakland. With Jimmy Garoppolo traded to Charlotte in the offseason, it was clear that Mills was going to be given every chance to take on the role. But, in an interesting twist, Oakland also signed U. of Texas QB Sam Ehlinger in the same draft. So now they have 2 QBs going into their 2 nd seasons and could well have a QB competition on their hands.   Ehlinger has spent most of the season on the Practice Squad, with veteran Kellen Moore as the 3 rd  QB for the Invaders, so the expectation is that Mills certainly has the upper hand. If Oakland, currently 6-5, were to slip out of playoff contention, we might see Mills get a start or two just to confirm that the Invaders are ready to go into 2022 with him at the helm, but as of right now, with the Invaders still very much in the mix, that seems unlikely, so we could see Oakland have to make a decision based purely on their backup QB’s practice habits and offseason training.   Week 13 offers only 5 divisional games, but a lot of games with playoff implications, starting on Friday, when a pair of 7-4 clubs very familiar with each other face off. Philadelphia heads across the state for a Keystone Clash against Pittsburgh, with both clubs hoping to fight their way into a playoff spot. The second Friday game is a divisional clash between 5-6 Dallas and division-leading Denver. A win here by the Gold and Dallas may well fall out of playoff contention.   Saturday starts with what may be a must-win game for the Atlanta Fire, and a tough one as they head up to New Jersey to battle the Generals. New Jersey has not lost a game since early April, having won 8 in a row to reach the top of the NE Division, so a very tough task for QB Pat White and the Fire. Saturday also has an interdivisional battle of 6-5 clubs as Oakland heads to Ohio, as well as divisional battles with New Orleans visiting Birmingham, Washington going up the Beltway to Baltimore, and St. Louis visiting Michigan.   Sunday features the two top teams in the league, with Tampa Bay hosting Portland and Seattle taking on the San Diego Thunder. We will also have a battle of playoff hopefuls when Arizona makes their first trip to San Antonio since the rebirth of the Gunslingers. The nightcap features another battle from that cluster of 6-5 and 5-6 teams as Las Vegas visits Houston to finish up the week.   FRI @ 8pm ET       Philadelphia (7-4) @ Pittsburgh (7-4)                      NBC FRI @ 8pm ET          Dallas (5-6) @ Denver (8-3)                                      ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET      Atlanta (6-5) @ New Jersey (8-3)                             ABC SAT @ 12pm ET   Los Angeles (5-6) @ Charlotte (0-11)                     FOX SAT @ 4pm ET       Oakland (6-5) @ Ohio (6-5)                                        ABC SAT @ 4pm ET         New Orleans (4-7) @ Birmingham (7-4)             FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        Washington (4-7) @ Baltimore (6-5)                    NBC SAT @ 8pm ET        St. Louis (4-7) @ Michigan (6-5)                            ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET     New England (4-7) @ Orlando (6-5)                        ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Memphis (5-6) @ Jacksonville (3-8)                       ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Portland (4-7) @ Tampa Bay (9-2)                            FOX SUN @ 4pm ET       Chicago (7-4) @ Oklahoma (4-7)                             ABC SUN @ 4pm ET       San Diego (3-8) @ Seattle (9-2)                              FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Arizona (6-5) @ San Antonio (5-6)                           FOX Regional SUN @ 8pm ET        Las Vegas (5-6) @ Houston (6-5)                             ESPN/EFN

A week to talk about quarterbacks, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good was pretty obvious, with rookie sensation Trevor Lawrence having his best game as a pro, throwing for over 400 yards and securing a huge upset win for the Bulls. It was also NFL import Gardner Minshew proving to the Viper faithful that the injury to Matt McGloin would not derail their season. The bad was quite bad, with Chicago QB Sam Bradford looking absolutely horrendous in throwing 4 picks as the Machine dropped only their 2 nd  game of the year, taken down by the Ohio Glory thanks to Bradford’s issues. And then there is the ugly, ugly as in a torn PCL that will end Aaron Murray’s season for Atlanta and ugly as in a torn bicep that will send St. Louis starter Lamar Jackson to the IR. A week to discuss quarterbacks, their value, their upside, and the risks they face. We will break down all the week’s stories, and also update you on the playoff picture, along with a look at which teams are riding a tide of momentum (positive or negative) as we head down the home stretch. It’s all right here, so don’t go anywhere.   Jackson & Murray Lost for the Season Both Atlanta and St. Louis are dealing with a crisis situation this week after their star quarterbacks go down to season-ending injury. And while St. Louis’s season was not looking particularly promising anyway, Atlanta still had hopes of a strong finish and a playoff run. Both now will turn to the backups to guide them the rest of the way.   For Atlanta and QB Aaron Murray, the injury came early in the 3 rd quarter, with Murray flushed from the pocket and attempting a rare scramble in a 13-6 game against Houston. Caught from behind by Houston LB Ramik Wilson, Murray fell awkwardly, his knee rotated unnaturally by the tackle. He would limp off the field, then soon be seen heading to the locker room. It would not be until Monday that a diagnosis was released, a full tear of his PCL ligament, requiring surgery and a lengthy recovery. Murray’s season is over. Former Breaker Pat White stepped in at QB and helped guide the Fire to a 30-27 overtime victory, hitting A. J. Green for a touchdown in the 4 th  and then guiding the Fire offense to the game-winning field goal in overtime. White now steps in, with DeShone Kizer as his backup, set to lead the Fire through the final 6 games of the Fire season. White last started a game in 2019 in New Orleans and has not started multiple games since 2017 (2). The 34-year-old, 12-season veteran will now get a chance to shine with a team that has a very solid offensive roster around him, including Green, HB Nick Chubb and potential All-USFL tight end O. J. Howard.  St. Louis also turned to a veteran backup after their star QB went down, with Tyrod Taylor, and a surprising defensive performance, helping them to knock off the Pittsburgh Maulers in Pittsburgh. In that game, Lamar Jackson came out of the game midway through the 2 nd  quarter, holding his throwing arm at his side after an awkward throw under pressure. He too would head into the locker room, and later that day the report came out that imaging had proven that the mobile QB had suffered a tear of his bicep. He too would require reconstructive surgery and his season was over. Tyrod Taylor came in and finished the game, leading St. Louis on its lone TD drive of the day and adding a field goal late as the Skyhawks upended the Maulers. Taylor had been brought to St. Louis from Dallas in 2018, valued for his ability to run a similar offense to that of Lamar Jackson. He has started 1 game each of the past two seasons but now will start the next 6 for the Skyhawks, including next week’s home game against the division-leading Chicago Machine.   Both injuries were the result of pressure, with Murray injured during a scramble while Jackson’s muscle tear was the result of an awkward throwing motion made to avoid incoming blitzers. Both now leave their teams relying on career backups, though fortunately both teams have veteran backups who have proven capable in the past. For St. Louis, sitting at 3-7, the stakes may not be very high, as there is little expectation that the Skyhawks will compete for a playoff spot, but for Atlanta, sitting in 6-4, a game up on Orlando for 2 nd place in the Southeast, the pressure is on to continue to secure wins and hopefully a Wild Card berth. Sitting 3 games behind Tampa Bay, that seems to be the goal for the Fire, but one possibly in jeopardy now that their starting QB has been placed on IR.   ATLANTA FIRE 30  HOUSTON GAMBLERS 27  OVERTIME We had a doozy in Houston this weekend, with backup QB Pat White leading the Atlanta Fire to a big road win over a very good Houston squad. It was a game that saw some big numbers, with Colt McCoy throwing for 435 yards in defeat, and the combined Atlanta QB’s going 23 for 30 and sharing 294 passing yards and 2 TDs as the Fire pull off the surprising victory without their starter under center.   Houston came in 6-3, sharing the lead in the Southern Division with the Birmingham Stallions. Atlanta was 5-4, already 3 games behind Tampa Bay but still a game up on Orlando for 2 nd  in the Southeast. Both had been strong offensive squads all season with the Gamblers ranked 5 th  in scoring and 2 nd  in yards per game at over 410 per outing. Atlanta came in ranked 6 th  in scoring and 4 th  in yards at 386 per game. So we expected some fireworks and we got them.   The scoring started early, with Atlanta using an initial drive of scripted plays to march the ball 74 yards for an eventual Murray to Howard TD toss from the 3. The drive included 4 runs from Nick Chubb, who would finish the game with 20 carries for 77 yards. It also showed off Murray’s arm, with the QB going 3 for 3 and finding Kelvin Benjamin on a nice 3 rd  down conversion.   Down 7-0, Houston responded with a drive of their own, eating up nearly 7 minutes as they dinked and dunked the ball down the field, relying mostly on short underneath passes to Tony Moeaki, Gerald Everett and Denzel Mims. Everett would be Colt McCoy’s favorite target on the day, catching 6 of 8 targets for 145 yards. But, when a 3 rd  and 5 toss failed, the Gamblers had to settle for 3, and that is how the first quarter ended, with Atlanta up 7-3 and driving the ball again.   Atlanta’s 2 nd  possession would also provide points, as John Bounds connected on a 31-yard kick to boost the Fire advantage back up to 7. It was followed by another Houston field goal drive. Up 10-6, Atlanta attempted a deep ball on 3 rd and 3, but the play action pass failed, leading to a punt. Houston followed that with a short drive and a punt of their own, leading the game to go to the half at 10-6, a lower score than many expected, but one that would explode in the 2 nd  half.   After the break, Atlanta shut down Houston on their first possession of the game, ending the drive with a tip drill that saw safety Baccari Rambo tip the McCoy pass away from JuJu Smith-Schuster only to have CB Shaquille Griffin dive to the turf to scoop the ball up before it hit the ground. With a short field, Atlanta moved the ball into range for kicker John Bounds and added 3 points only 90 seconds into the half. Following the score, Houston tried to regain a foothold, but they came up short, sending Younghoe Koo out to attempt a 53-yard kick. The ball sailed right and Atlanta took over on their own 36.   The Fire looked to be in good position but suffered a shock as Aaron Murray was flushed out of the pocket on a 2 nd  and 8, was caught by the ankle and suffered a nasty knee injury when his leg was twisted unnaturally during the tackle. Without their starter, Pat White stepped in, threw an incompletion on 3 rd  down, forcing a punt on the short drive. Houston took over as Murray was helped to the endzone. Atlanta’s sideline deflated, their star QB clearly out of commission, the Gamblers hoped to take advantage.   But Houston’s hopes of an easy win, despite the 13-6 deficit, were short-lived. On the 2 nd  play of the drive, Colt McCoy and Denzel Mims were clearly not on the same page. Murray threw the ball anticipating an in-cutting route, Mims cut to the sideline, and the ball sailed directly into the arms of Atlanta CB Shaquille Griffin. The speedy corner raced down the sideline, pursued by Mims and McCoy, but neither was able to find the right angle, with Griffin high stepping into the endzone to increase the Atlanta lead to 2 scores. The Fire may have been without their starting QB, but they now had a 14-point lead with barely 18 minutes of game time left.   Houston needed a response, and they got one, with McCoy rebounding from the pick-six to complete 4 of 4 on their next drive, including a beautiful 42-yard completion to Mike Evans on a perfectly executed 1 st  down play action call. That play set up the Gamblers inside the Houston 10 and 2 plays later, Carlos Hyde would take the ball in for 6 and halve the Fire lead. With the 4 th quarter only seconds away, Atlanta was now up only 20-13.   Pat White led the Fire out for the next drive, looking calm despite the pressure of the situation. The former Bandit and Breaker QB, who last started a game in 2019 for the Breakers and had only seen limited mop up duty with Atlanta, was unphased by the situation. After a pair of Nick Chubb runs set up a 3 rd and 2, White hit O. J. Howard with an underneath route for the first down, a nice easy throw to set him up for future success. He followed that throw with a 14-yard completion on a screen to Chubb, another QB-friendly throw. With a 1 st and 10 on the Houston 45, Coach Elizondo showed faith in his QB, calling a play action throw that would have both Kelvin Benjamin and A. J. Green on fly patterns as they hoped the safeties would creep up for the fake to Chubb. The play worked as designed, with both Houston safeties concerned with Chubb’s interior run, by the time it was clear that White still had the ball, the mobile QB had rolled to his right and had set his eyes on A. J. Green, flying down the sideline. The ball was a bit short, but Green adjusted, shrugged off an arm tackle form the corner and raced to the endzone for 6. Once again, the Atlanta lead had ballooned to 14 points.   Houston would not have an immediate response, going 3-and-out on their first possession of the final period, but their defense held on Atlanta’s next possession, stuffing Kenyan Drake on a 3 rd  and 2 run to get the ball back for Colt McCoy and the offense. On their second possession of the period, McCoy was again deadly accurate, connecting on a pair of long completions to get the team deep into Atlanta territory. Three plays after Josh Reynolds’ 29-yard completion put the ball on the Atlanta 5, McCoy faked the ball to Hyde and hit a quick-developing slant to Mike Evans for the score. After the Koo kick it was Houston down 7 once again, 27-20, with 3:00 left on the clock.   Houston opted to kick away, hoping to pressure Atlanta into a quick 3-and-out. The Fire turned to Nick Chubb on all 3 downs, hoping to not only gain a first down but also kill as much clock as possible. But Houston’s defense held the Fire a yard short of the first down, and despite losing nearly 2 minutes of time, Houston got the ball back with 1:07 left on the clock, the ball at their own 36 after the Atlanta punt.   This would be a drive to tie the score, and it would be entirely on McCoy’s shoulders to get them there. The veteran Gambler QB would go 4 of 6 passing on the drive, including a beautiful deep seam route to Everett as they moved quickly and efficiently down the field, burning 2 of their 3 timeouts to keep the clock from running. With a first and goal at the 7, McCoy hit Everett again, but the big TE was ruled down at the 1. The Gamblers quickly ran to the line, not wanting to use their final timeout just yet. The play called at the line was for the two tight ends, Everett and Moeaki, to use shallow crosses in hopes that one of the two defenders would get caught in the wash and picked from the play. Just as planned, the safety struggled to stay with Tony Moeaki and Colt McCoy hit him crossing the endzone for the game tying score. With 29 seconds left on the clock, Houston had tied the score at 27.   Atlanta sent Chubb into the line on their first play, ending the half as the clock ran down, and ready to face overtime. The Fire won the toss, took the ball, and planned their strategy for a possible game-winning score. They would balance their attack, using play action on first down to start the drive, White hitting Vance McDonald for a short gain. Chubb gained a first down with his first run of the overtime period, and the Fire had the ball moving. They methodically marched into Houston territory, with short throws easing White into his role as the new starter. But, after a false start set up 3rd and 13, Atlanta used a short dump off to Chubb to improve their field position and sent out John Bounds for the kick. Bounds connected, but the score meant that Houston would have a chance to tie or take the win on the next possession.   The Gamblers were fully intent on taking the win with a touchdown on their possession. They opened their drive with a perfectly timed out route to Evans. After a 4-yard gain from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, McCoy again tried the deep route but failed to connect with Smith-Schuster, setting up 3rd and 6 form their own 41. McCoy connected with Everett again, but the tight end was brought down 2 yards shy of the first down. 4 th  and 2 and the Gamblers’ chances for a comeback victory rode on this one play. The call went to Hyde on power run to the right, but Atlanta was ready for it. LB Jelani Jenkins read the run and penetrated the backfield to disrupt Hyde’s path. The Houston back twisted back to the left, but there was no room there either. As Hyde tried to surge forward, he was caught by DT Ed Oliver and dragged down for no gain. Houston had given up the ball on downs and that meant Atlanta, despite losing their QB, had held on for the win, a dramatic win and one that would certainly help Pat White gain confidence as he looked at the next 6 weeks as the new starter for the Fire.   ORLANDO 13  TAMPA BAY 24 The Bandits hold serve thanks to a solid defensive performance and touchdowns from Dez Bryant and Jordan Cameron. Orlando was game, taking a 13-10 lead just as the 3 rd  quarter began, but the Bandits took over when Dak Prescott hit Jordan Cameron for the go-ahead score. They would add a defensive touchdown when Preston Brown returned a Dak Prescott fumble for a TD late in the 4 th . That put the game out of reach for the pesky Renegades, who dropped to 5-5 as Tampa Bay improved on the best record in the league with their 10 th win of the season. POTG:  Bandit LB Preston Brown: 9 Tck, 1 Def TD 1 FR   PHILADELPHIA 12   NEW ENGLAND 20 A troubling loss for the Stars as they struggle to turn yards into points against a very disciplined New England defense. The Rollers came back from a 10-0 2 nd  quarter deficit, with Ryan Tannehill hitting Tyler Johnson for a 30-yard score and T. J. Yeldon adding a 14-yard TD run to open the 3 rd . New England held Derrick Henroy to 76 yards and held the Stars to only a late safety as their lone score in the 2 nd  half. An impressive outing for Coach Fox’s D. POTG:  Steamroller FS Deion Bush: 7 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PDef   JACKSONVILLE 26  BIRMINGHAM 20  OVERTIME The Bulls get their 2 nd  win of the season after an impressive outing from both their defense and rookie QB Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence put the ball up 53 times in the game, completing 37 for 417 yards and 2 scores. Another rookie, HB Chubba Hubbard led the team with 66 yards on 13 carries, and wideout Tee Higgins had a monster day with 9 receptions, 119 yards and a score as the Bulls got the equalizer with 6 minutes left in regulation and then followed it up with a TD drive for the win in overtime. POTG:  Bulls’ QB Trevor Lawrence: 37/53, 417 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   NEW ORLEANS 20   LAS VEGAS 27 Viper fans can breathe easier after QB Gardner Minshew’s debut in the USFL. The former NFL Jaguar looked polished, completing 22 of 36 passing for 264 yards, 3 touchdowns and no picks against the Breakers. Kareem Hunt was also a huge factor in the game, rushing for 117 against the Breakers. New Orleans’ back DeMarco Murray also had success, rushing for 168 yards, but it was not enough as the Vipers used a Tommy Tremble TD reception in the 3 rd  to take the lead and then added 2 Matt Gay field goals to hold on for the win over the slumping Breakers. POTG:  Viper QB Gardner Minshew: 22/36, 264 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   PORTLAND 22  SAN DIEGO 21 A battle at the bottom of the Pacific Division goes to Portland by the slimmest of margins. San Diego led 31-7 after 3, but the Stags dominated the final period, putting up 15 unanswered despite failing on two 2-point PATs in the final 5 minutes. San Diego HB Demetric Felton got the start for the injured Charles Sims, and looked like a Heisman back, rushing for 113 and 3 scores in the first half. Portland adjusted at the half and minimized the back’s impact in the 2 nd  half, while Marcus Mariota finally started finding his receivers, specifically Josh Gordon, who caught two 4 th  quarter TDs to help Portland secure the 1-point win and equal their record with San Diego’s both now 3-7. POTG:  Stag QB Marcus Mariota: 29/40, 306 Yds, 3 TD, 2 Int   OAKLAND 3   SEATTLE 24 No doubt who sits atop the Pacific after Seattle dominated the Invaders to take a 2-game lead in the division. Their win streak now at 8 games, the Dragons got TDs from HB Knowshon Moreno, WR Marshall Newhouse, and a pick-six from CB Richard Sherman, who returned a desperation pass from Brady 55 yards for the score. Brady threw 3 picks on the day, though 2 of the 3 were tipped balls. Brett Hundley had modest numbers, only 199 yards, but did complete 22 of 28 on the day as Seattle simply did not give Oakland a chance to catch their breath after falling behind. POTG:  Dragon CB Richard Sherman: 6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 DefTD   CHARLOTTE 17   WASHINGTON 22 The Monarchs surprised Washington by starting Kyle Boller on a gameday decision. It helped them at first, but after the half Washington adjusted and went on to outpace Charlotte 12-7 in the 2 nd  half to turn the game in their favor. Charlotte actually took the lead with 2:06 left to play when Boller hit K. J. Hill for a short TD, but the Charlotte defense could not hold, with Washington getting the game winner on a Brissett to Winslow TD toss with just under 45 seconds left to play. Brissett finished the day with 235 yards and 2 scores, while Travis Etienne missed 100 yards by a single yard, going 19 for 99. POTG:  Federal WR Tyreek Hill: 6 Rec, 100 Yds, 1 TD   ST. LOUIS 15 PITTSBURGH 7 The Maulers got caught in a trap game, clearly underestimating the Skyhawks’ chances with Lamar Jackson sidelined early injury (more on that below). Tyrod Taylor came in and helped the Skyhawks get the upset, but the true honors have to go to the oft-maligned Skyhawk defense. The Skyhawks held Andy Dalton to only 138 yards passing, allowed Sony Michel only 26 yards on the ground, and did not permit a 3 rd  down conversion the entire day (0 for 11). This has to be a warning to the Maulers, who did not look like a serious contender in this home loss. POTG:  St. Louis end A. J. Epenesa: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 TFL   BALTIMORE 10   NEW JERSEY 13 A defensive shoving match between two teams that like to play smashmouth football. Baltimore kept 8 or 9 in the box on almost every play, limiting the Carter/Pollard duo to a season low 21 yards total. New Jersey gave up a bit more to Josh Jacobs, 71 yards on 22 carries and the lone offensive TD of the game. The biggest play of game was an Aqib Talib pick of Jake Locker. Talib pulled the ball away from Michael Pittman Jr. then raced 64 yards for the score. Tied 10-10 at the half, New Jersey got the lone score, and the game-winner, when Ka’imi Fairbairn connected from 37 yards out in the 3 rd . POTG:  New Jersey CB Aqib Talib: 8 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF   OKLAHOMA 7  DENVER 20 The Gold were ready for Oklahoma back Eddie Lacy, holding the recent trade acquisition to only 24 yards rushing. Oklahoma was ready for QB Josh Allen, sacking the Denver QB 7 times, but they still got hurt by the Denver offense, with Phillip Lindsay rushing for 81 yards and 2 scores. The game was a low scoring affair through 3, with a 3-0 Denver lead at the half and a 10-0 lead after 3. Following a Mark Andrews TD for Oklahoma, Denver added a field goal and a 2 nd  Lindsay TD run to pull ahead by 13, a lead that Oklahoma would not challenge. POTG:  Denver FS Camryn Bynum: 5 Tck, 3 Pdef, 1 Int   CHICAGO 16   OHIO 23 Concern for the Machine as they drop a second consecutive divisional road game. Happiness in Columbus as the Glory now stand 1 game behind Chicago for the division title. Kudos for QB Justin Fields, who had no room to run once again as Chicago spied him, but who stayed in the pocket, completed 27 of 41 passing, with 2 TDs on the day. The Ohio defense did the rest, absolutely tormenting Sam Bradford, who had 4 picks on the day, 2 to Ohio CB Chimdi Chekwa. It was a rough outing for the Chicago QB, and for the Machine, who are watching their division lead shrinking. POTG:  Ohio CB Chimdi Chekwa: 8 Tck, 3 Pdef, 2 Int   DALLAS 17   LOS ANGELES 20  OVERTIME The Express needed overtime to get the win, but they pull the game out thanks to a 41-yard Dan Bailey kick in extra time. LA used a Murray to Weems TD in the 3 rd to take the lead, but Dallas equalized with a late field goal, sending the game to extra time. In overtime, a Chris Jones sack of Hebert ended Dallas’s first drive, giving LA a chance to win the game with a field goal. They did just that after Murray found new receiver Jeremy Maclin for a 21-yard completion to get them in range. Bailey did the rest. POTG:  LA QB Kyler Murray: 20/34, 360 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int MICHIGAN 8   ARIZONA 26 An ugly loss for the Panthers after their big home win over Chicago. Arizona dominated from the opening kickoff, with Ka’Deem Carey rushing for 108 yards and David Carr finding TE Robert Tonyan for 2 scores. The Arizona defense kept Michigan off the scoreboard in the first half, as Arizona built up a 16-0 lead at home. The Panthers got a lone Cousins to Bennett TD with a 2-point PAT, but a second Tonyan score put the game well out of reach for the visitors. POTG:  Arizona QB David Carr: 17/24, 200 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   Minshew Shines in First USFL Start You can understand why Viper fans were a bit distraught this week. Las Vegas, sitting at 4-5 and having lost their starting QB to a season-ending injury, was not looking like they could keep pace in a tough Southwest Division. But fears of losing out may have been wiped away, if only temporarily, by what Viper fans saw in Gardner Minshew this week. The NFL import and internet-famous meme machine had a very solid debut outing, completing 22 of 36 passing, and throwing for 3 scores. He was helped out by an effective run game, led by Kareem Hunt’s 117 yards, but Minshew had his moments as well, connecting with John Ross for an early TD and then finding both Rashod Bateman and TE Tommy Tremble for 3 rd  quarter scores that put the Vipers up 21-20 after 3 quarters. The D did the rest, shutting out New Orleans in the final period while Las Vegas added two Matt Gay field goals to claim a 27-20 victory. The result moved Las Vegas to 5-5, very much in the mix in the Southwest, where Denver leads the division at 7-3.   The Vipers are currently in sole possession of 3 rd  place, just a game behind Arizona, and while last week’s loss to LA broke their home winning streak, they still have 3 more home games ahead of them, all divisional matchups, including another divisional battle next week, when Dallas comes calling. Arizona and Denver will also be paying a visit, and the Vipers have a road trip to Dallas to finish out the season. That is 4 divisional games left, which means they can largely control their own destiny. If their new QB can continue to make plays, there is no reason they cannot still have a lot of say in how the division finishes.   Trevor Lawrence Leads Bulls to Road Upset Call it a trap game for the Stallions, or call it a sign of things to come, but what we saw from Trevor Lawrence this week is the kind of outing that has to put a smile on the faces of Bulls fans everywhere. Lawrence reinserted himself in the ROTY discussion with a 417-yard, 2-TD game in Birmingham, only Jacksonville’s 2 nd win of the year and one few saw coming. Birmingham tried pressuring Lawrence all game, and they did produce 4 sacks, but they also gave up some huge plays, plays like a 49-yard strike to slot receiver Tajae Sharpe, and a 3rd and 17 conversion that went for 21 to Tee Higgins, with Lawrence threading the needle between two defenders to reach his primary receiver. Lawrence completed passes to 9 different Bulls, with Higgens the favorite, catching 9 for 119 and a TD. It was a coming out party for the rookie QB, who has had some good games so far, but very few wins. This time his personal success translated into team success, something Bull fans hope is a sign of things to come for the former Clemson QB.   Talib & “General Mayhem” Defense Have New Jersey Rolling Few looked at the Generals’ defensive roster this year and expected them to finish in the upper half of the league, but Coach Saleh has turned a rag tag group into the top-rated scoring defense in the league after 11 weeks. The “General Mayhem” defense as the local NY Post has dubbed them, is allowing only 14.5 points per game, giving up only 68.8 yards per game on the ground, and has helped New Jersey put together an impressive 7-game winning streak that now has them tied atop the division with the once 5-0 Philadelphia Stars. New Jersey has already swept the series with the Stars, meaning that a tie atop the NE Division would make the Generals the Division Champs. They have only 2 more division games to play, both against Washington, and, if they can sweep that series, they would finish with an impressive 7-1 record in the division.   So, who has stepped up for the NJ defense? Pretty much everyone, individually and collectively, but the players getting the most recognition are no strangers to the limelight. CB Aqib Talib has long been considered one of the league’s best, and as evident by his pick-six game winner this week, he remains one of very few corners in the league who have the capacity to shut down a team’s best receiver. The LB group has also been impressive, led by MLB Matt Milano and edge threat Aldon Smith, the General linebackers have been a huge reason for their success, especially against the run. The Generals also feel they have the best 1-2 combo on the D-line of any team in the league, their 4-3 alignment focused on the interior, where DTs B. J. Raji and Grady Jarrett have largely bottled up the interior run, and allowed the linebackers to roam behind them.   It is a team defense that is aggressive without being frantic, ball-hawking without giving up big plays, and one that swarms to the tackle, exactly what their head coach, former NFL DC Robert Saleh wants to see. And, with 6 games left, they are in a position few thought they would achieve this year, a chance to be the top-rated defense in the league as well as a potential division champion and home playoff team.   Bradford “Nightmare Game” Tightens Central Division Race This was a week, and a game, that Chicago QB Sam Bradford would love to forget. Under constant pressure from the front 7 of the Ohio Glory, Bradford made a series of poor throws, producing 4 picks and ending 4 drives with frustrating turnovers, all in a game that could have gone either way had the picks not stunted Chicago’s attack. Ohio planned for the Machine very effectively, borrowing some of the tactics used successfully by Michigan the prior week. They sent blitzes to the interior of the Chicago line, producing immediate pressure and forcing Bradford out of his comfortable pocket. On the run, the Chicago QB is far less efficient, as was evident in this game.   Bradford has been forcing the ball of late, something that has to worry Head Coach Lovie Smith. With 9 of his 13 picks on the season coming in the last month, Bradford has seen his QB Rating drop almost 10 points, and now, with the division on the line and 2 more division games coming up in the next 3 weeks, Chicago cannot afford to have a QB who is both losing confidence in himself and who continues to make throws that are ill-advised and dangerous. Coach Smith has to figure out how to offset what is likely to be continued pressure up the middle, and Bradford has to be willing to either scramble or throw the ball out of bounds rather than trying to force plays. Chicago was 7-1 only 2 week ago but now sit at 7-3 and seem far more vulnerable as long as the issue of Bradford turnovers continues.   Felton Proves Thunder Have Deep RB Room with 3 TD Day While San Diego could not pull out the win this week, falling to Portland by a single point, they at least showed that they have more to offer than initially thought. With HB Charles Sims out to injury, there was a huge question mark in the San Diego backfield. The Thunder went into the game with Demetric Felton as the temporary starter and Morton Tunrer behind him. Not familiar with either back? We are not surprised. The combo had a combined 12 carries before this week’s game. Felton, a rookie out of UCLA and a 3 rd  round pick by the Thunder in the T-Draft, had never had more than 2 touches in any game this year, but now was the starter. So, what did he do in his debut? How about 25 carries for 113 yards and 3, yes 3, touchdowns. He did most of that damage in the first half, with 99 yards in the half and all 3 touchdowns. Portland focused on the unknown back in the 2 nd  half, but what we saw from Felton has to make Coach LeBeau happy. We would not be surprised at all to see Felton get more carries even with Sims returning to action this week. San Diego may have surprised themselves with his success, but we suspect they won’t keep their rookie back a secret from this point on. No clinching after 11 weeks and no eliminations either. Expect that to change in Week 12, when Tampa Bay could get it with a win and some key losses, while Charlotte will be out if they drop to 0-11. With 16 teams between 6-4 and 4-6 we could be waiting a while before the playoff picture comes into focus. As reported, it was a bad week for quarterbacks, with two quality starters now sent to IR. Geno Smith avoided that fate but did miss much of this week’s game after suffering a concussion. In addition to the QB injuries, we saw 2 other players added to the IR, including Pittsburgh’s veteran receiver Brian Quick and Baltimore DE Jonathon Massaquai. Quick will be replaced in Pittsburgh by rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has flashed some very nice route-running skills this season. Massaquai was serving as a swing end behind Calais Campbell and Da’Quan Bowers. That role will now be taken by James Nannee.   OUT DE          Jonathon Massaquai    BAL        PCL Tear             IR QB         Aaron Murray                   ATL         PCL Tear             IR WR         Brian Quick                     PIT         MCLTear             IR QB         Lamar Jackson                STL         Bicep Tear          IR CB          Tra’Davious White         NOR      Back                     4-6 Weeks WR         Doug Baldwin                 NE          Quad                    1-2 Weeks SS           Budda Baker                 HOU     ACL                       1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL QB         Geno Smith                  NOR      Concussion DT          Leki Fotu                       CHA      Turf Toe LB           Anthony Barr                  ORL       Foot   QUESTIONABLE TE           Rob Housler                  WSH     Ribs CB          Darnay Holmes               SEA        Hand G            Taylor Moton                  SAN       Finger HB         LeVeon Bell                     MGN     Ankle     Surge or Slide: Momentum Impacting USFL Clubs Six weeks left, six games for teams to decide their postseason fate. A hot team can rise to the top of their division, a cold one can fall right out of contention. It does not matter how well you performed in the cold afternoons of March at this point, the heat is on, the summer sun reveals who is ready for the playoffs and who was offering fool’s gold in the season’s early weeks. So, just who has momentum on their side? Who is surging at the right time? And who is sliding, dropping games that they should have won, or revealing flaws that were hidden in the season’s opening months? Here is our list of 4 teams headed up the standings and 4 who appear to be sliding downwards.   SURGE: New Jersey Generals: 7-Game Win Streak No doubt about this one. Seven straight wins, including a sweep of the Philadelphia Stars, have the Generals poised to take the NE Division and a possible bye week as well. They face Washington twice in the next 3 weeks, their only remaining divisional games. A sweep there puts them at 7-1 in the division. But they also have 4 tough inter-divisional games (Atlanta, Chicago, @ Michigan, and Ohio) so they need to stay sharp to stay ahead of the pack.   SLIDE: Dallas Roughnecks: Lost 5 of Last 6 Dallas was a hot pick to usurp Arizona atop the Southwest Standings this year. They have a hot young QB and an innovative offensive coach, but the Roughnecks have had a rough 6 weeks, losing 5 of 6 since late April. That includes 3 divisional losses, including a sweep by the Wranglers. Now at 5-6 they are still alive, but they need to turn the ship around quickly. They have divisional road games at Las Vegas and at Denver on the docket. They may well need to win both to still be a contender in the division.   SURGE: Arizona Wranglers: Won 3 of Last 4 While Arizona has slid back to the pack in the Southwest, Jim Tomsula still knows how to get the best out of his squad when it matters most. He put together huge wins against Las Vegas and @ Dallas in the past 3 weeks. Their win over Michigan this week was also a very nice conference win. So, with Denver up next, they have a chance to gain a share of first place, and from there, who knows?   SLIDE: Michigan Panthers: Lost 5 of Last 6 The Panthers are looking very much like a tired franchise. After years of divisional dominance, the Panthers have now lost 5 of 6 this summer. They dropped games in the division to both the Maulers and Machine before earning a much needed win over Chicago in Week 10, but that win clearly wore them down, as is evident by their lackluster performance in Arizona this week. With Ohio up next, and 3 more divisional games after that, Michigan has a chance to rebound, but if they stumble, they could be out of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Is this the end of an era?   SURGE: Los Angeles: Won 3 of Last 4 The Express have won 3 of the last 4, and even shown some rare offensive competence in a 30-17 victory over Las Vegas in Week 10. We like what we saw this week against Dallas as well, a mix of pressure and complex zones on defense, and some solid offensive production as well. With a huge matchup against Seattle in 3 weeks, LA cannot let themselves get complacent against Orlando and winless Charlotte in the meantime. They are still alive in the mix, but their margin for error is slim.   SLIDE: Philadelphia Stars: Lost 2 of Last 3 It is not easy turning a 2-14 team into an immediate contender. Coach Dan Quinn seemed to work miracles when Philly was 5-0, but since then reality has set in. Losing both games to New Jersey hurt, but falling this week to New England may be a sign that the Stars’ feel good story is about to come face to face with the realities of a long and tough season. They have Baltimore this week, in what could be a season-defining game, then atough 5-game stretch against 5 potential playoff teams in Pittsburgh, Michigan, Memphis and Birmingham.   SURGE: Memphis Showboats: Won 4 of last 6 There were a lot of folks counting Memphis as a flop this year when they were mired at 1-3, but they have found their sea legs and appear ready to compete in the South. After a health-restoring sweep of San Antonio, the Showboats came up big against New Orleans and got the win we expected against New England. They come off a bye this week with a huge game at Birmingham next up. A win there and they could be right in the thick of things. SLIDE: New Orleans: Lost 7 of Last 8 We are not sure what has happened to the Breakers, but clearly they are not right. Somehow they pulled off a 36-20 victory over Arizona in Week 8, but outside of that it has been loss piling up after loss. Their once feared offense is not getting the job done, averaging only 23.5 PPG, and their defense has proven vulnerable to the run. Coach Lathon has to be frustrated with a team that simply cannot seem to put the pieces together, despite a very talented roster.   League Office Announces 2023 & 2024 Summer Bowl Sites USFL Officials in New York announced this week that the sites for the 2023 and 2024 Summer Bowls had been selected. As we have seen in the past decade, the rotation of divisional hosts continues, with the Central Division targeted for 2023 and the Southern Division the hosts for the 2024 Summer Bowl. Following the 39 th  Summer Bowl in Santa Clara this year and the 40 th Season extravaganza ending with Summer Bowl 2022 in Washington D.C.’s Audi Field, the league title game will return to Chicago for 2023. The game, to be played at Soldier Field, will mark the first Summer Bowl in the Windy City since the 2001 title game that saw Orlando defeat Denver for the Renegades’ lone title. The 2024 USFL title game will return to San Antonio , with the newly rebuilt Alamodome as the venue for the league’s 42 nd  championship. San Antonio’s original Alamodome hosted the USFL title game back in 1997, when Washington defeated the then Portland Thunder 27-21 for their 2 nd title. That was, of course, a very different facility than the current Alamodome, completed in 2020 after tornadoes in 2015 revealed significant structural defects with the original structure.   The league has used a divisional rotation for its title games ever since moving to a 6-division format, so we can already predict that the 2025 and 2026 title games will be hosted by teams representing the Southwest and Southeastern Divisions, though the specific sites will not be revealed until 2023. For now, we have 4 Summer Bowls lined up, with Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium on the docket for this August.   Las Vegas Turns to the Dark Side for 2022 Look It will be a very different Las Vegas Vipers look taking the field in 2022, with the team leaning heavily into black as a primary color for the 2022 season. The new Under Armour designs were released at a press event at Wynn Arena this Tuesday and the look, while still using the three primary colors of the current Viper squad, will take on a very “dark side” look. The new look begins with a modified logo as the familiar serpent head logo now merges with a monogram “V” for “Vegas”. The V forms the lower jaw of the serpent, its two fangs prominently setting the internal border of the logo. The fang + V design is retained as well in the new secondary, which features only the letter and the two venom-delivering fangs. A tertiary logo featuring the silhouette of the state of Nevada with two fangs in open space was also presented. But, what is more dramatic in the new look is not the modified logo, but the significant shift in color balance. The Vipers unveiled a home look that is black from helmet to socks. The new black helmet features a satin finish, black facemask, and a pair of tapered stripes which come to fang-like points above the front bumper. Between the two fangs is a steady stripe of black “snakeskin” a pattern that uses a glossier black, a satin black, and a dark charcoal to insinuate the scaled skin of a snake, in a diamond pattern. This same feature, the snakeskin impression, returns in the uniform in various ways.   Along with the black helmet, the new primary jersey shifts from a pale blue to black, as does the home pant set. The jersey will retain some of the pale blue color in the sleeves, which now have their own snakeskin effect using different tones of blue. The sleeves are capped by black cuffs and a white “fang” stripe at the shoulder. The numbers are paleblue with snakeskin patterning, bordered in black and white. Paired with a black pant set and black socks, the look puts Las Vegas in black from head to toe, a look only possible in the desert location due to their use of a climate-controlled dome. Without that advantage, this look would be a horrible idea in the 100 degree heat of Las Vegas, but inside the dome, the all-black look will not produce any negative physical effects, though the Vipers seem to be hoping that it presents a more intimidating look for their opponents. So, what happens when Las Vegas plays on the road. Well, the black helmet stays, but the full-black look is replaced with a much cooler all-white look. While Las Vegas could opt to use their black pant set with the road jersey, the primary look will feature a white jersey and white pants. These road kits retain the blue snakeskin pattern sleeves, now with a black fang at the shoulder and a white cuff. They feature the snakeskin pattern numbers, now in black, with pale blue and black outlines, and they feature a white pant set that has the same blue snakeskin “fang” stripe, with a thin black top line that extends to the knee (on the black pant set this stripe is white).   Clearly missing from the look is silver, once a dominant color of the primary Las Vegas uniforms. But don’t worry “Silverado State” fans. There is plenty of silver in the team’s two alternate looks. The familiar silver helmet worn by the Vipers this season returns for the team’s “Snakeskin” alternate. The only difference between it and the current helmet being a black facemask replacing the current white mask. This look also features silver pants with a snakeskin blue fang and black top line. The jersey is snakeskin patterned both on the body and the sleeves, both in the team’s pale blue. It features a black collar, sleeve cuffs, and the fang-shaped shoulder stripe. The numbers are silver with white and black piping and no snakeskin pattern, which seems a good idea considering the tonal pattern is used for the entire jersey.   The 2 nd  alternate is a bit of a surprise. The Vipers have opted to go pretty far back in franchise history, but not to the very beginning. That makes sense, of course, since the team started out as the LA Express in 1983, and the new LA Express have long since made a deal with the league to retain the rights to the original’s logos and look. So, the Vipers go back as far as they can, to the 1992 relocation look when the Express became the St. Louis Knights. This allows them to use the same silver shell as the Viper alternate, working within the league’s 2-helmet shell limitation. The Vipers “St. Louis ‘92” retro uniforms bring back the chesspiece logo of the 1992 squad, the purple, silver, gold and black color palette, and the traditional striping for the home and road jerseys as well as the silver pant set. It is a very different look, and we are not sure how fans in Las Vegas will respond to their club coming out wearing a St. Louis identity, but for those of us who loved the Knight look when they first took the field in 1992, it will be a nice throwback moment. Let’s just hope they get a game against the Skyhawks in St. Louis to really rile things up next year.   Week 12 brings us back to a full slate of 15 games as the bye weeks of midseason have ended, and what a slate it is. We begin on Friday night with two hugely impactful divisional games. NBC’s Friday Night Lights will feature Ohio traveling up to Michigan, no sense of rivalry there. On ESPN and EFN it will be a Southwest showdown as the division-leading Denver Gold head to Arizona to face their archrivals in a game that features the two top teams in the division.   Saturday continues the divisional clashes with Chicago visiting St. Louis at noon. The Skyhawks will have Tyrod Taylor under center as they host the division leaders. Then at 4pm it is Dallas at Las Vegas in another key SW Division clash. We are back to 2 Saturday night games, and both are also divisional clashes, with Philadelphia making the short trip to Baltimore to face the Blitz in a battle of NE Division hopefuls, while ESPN and EFN will host the “World’s Best BBQ Tailgate” as the Showboats travel to Birmingham in a Southern Division clash. With a full day to tailgate ahead of the Saturday night showdown, this could be one heck of a USFL party on Saturday Night.   Sunday has only 1 divisional game, with Washington facing the white-hot NJ Generals at noon. The rest of the slate features interdivisional games, but there are a few good ones in there, like Orlando and LA battling at Farmers Insurance Field. Both are 5-5, which makes this game a battle for playoff relevance for both clubs. The other 4pm game with major playoff implications is in Oakland, where the 6-4 Invaders hope to stay on pace with Seattle as they face off against a Pittsburgh squad that was stunned this week by St. Louis. We finish the whole week off with a possible Summer Bowl preview, as the two teams with the best records in the league clash in Seattle. It will be the 8-2 Dragons hosting the 9-1 Bandits in a clash of conference leaders and a clash of styles, with Seattle’s ground & pound going against the high-flying style of Bandit Ball.   FRI @ 8pm ET          Ohio (6-4) @ Michigan (5-5)                                      NBC FRI @ 8pm ET         Denver (7-3) @ Arizona (6-4)                                   ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET      Houston (6-4) @ New England (3-7)                      ABC SAT @ 12pm ET       Chicago (7-3) @ St. Louis (7-3)                               FOX SAT @ 4pm ET        Oklahoma (4-6) @ San Antonio (4-6)                     ABC SAT @ 4pm ET        Dallas (4-6) @ Las Vegas (5-5)                                FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        Philadelphia (7-3) @ Baltimore (5-5)                  NBC SAT @ 8pm ET        Memphis (5-5) @ Birmingham (6-4)                    ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET      Washington (4-6) @ New Jersey (7-3)                 ABC SUN @ 12pm ET      San Diego (3-7) @ Jacksonville (2-8)                      FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     New Orleans (3-7) @ Charlotte (0-10)                   FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET      Orlando (5-5) @ Los Angeles (5-5)                          ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Atlanta (6-4) @ Portland (3-7)                                   ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Pittsburgh (6-4) @ Oakland (6-4)                             FOX SUN @ 8pm ET       Tampa Bay (9-1) @ Seattle (8-2)                              ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: A tough call between NFL Import Gardner Minshew, making his debut with the Vipers and throwing for 3 scores to upend the Breakers, or rookie Trevor Lawrence, going for over 400 yards in a huge upset over Birmingham. We think we have to go with the bigger upset, and besides it is Lawrence's first 400-yard game (Bulls fans home for many more) and with 3 TDs he was the key to the big road win for the Bulls, only their 2nd win on the season. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Still too early for clinching, though we are right on the cusp for the Bandits, and for the Monarchs, who are likely officially out as of next week, even with a win.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: While Lamar Jackson certainly shone in yet another St. Louis defeat, we are giving the POTW to a player who came up huge to get his team a W they desperately needed. Dre Kirkpatrick, Michigan's All-USFL corner played like a champion, picking off two Sam Bradford passes and defending 5 more as the Panthers held off Chicago to stay very much in the Central Division race. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Nothing decided yet, with all teams still looking at 6 more games to go. Tampa Bay looks poised to lock up a playoff spot first, while Charlotte, sitting at 0-9, is most likely the first team we will see elminated in the next couple of weeks.

Week 10 saw the trade deadline come and go with a flurry of late deals as teams try to prepare for a playoff run. It also saw a major upset as the San Antonio Gunslingers shocked the Houston Gamblers. Week 10 was also the debut of the “new look” Oklahoma Outlaws, and it was a good one for the newest Outlaw, Eddie Lacy. As we prepare our first Playoff Picture review, we will also look at all the Week 10 scores, discuss the impact of the Matt McGloin injury for the Vipers, and take a look at 5 coaches who have a lot to prove over the season’s final 6 weeks. All that, but we start with a very active trade deadline, our Big Story for the week.   Buying & Selling at Trade Deadline After last week’s huge 3-team deal, we had a feeling that the Week 10 Trade Deadline would not go out without a bang, and we were right. The Memorial Day Weekend added an extra day to the deadline, shifting it from Monday to Tuesday, and that helped at least 2 deals get pen to paper and filings in to the league office for some 11 th  hour swaps. Was there a pattern to the deals? Absolutely. In each case we saw a team engaged in a playoff hunt, some on the fringe, some pretty well placed right now, working to address a gap or to improve a particular aspect of their squad by pulling in a high priced player from a team likely out of the playoff picture (if only realistically and not mathematically). In several cases, it was a high-priced player in a contract year who was shipped off, freeing up cap space for the seller while providing an option for the buyer to jettison the player after the season or resign them to a new deal. For the players, it is a chance to prove their worth and get that new deal with a new team, or, if the fit is not good, to walk after the season concludes. So, who made the deals and how do we think it will impact the remainder of the season? Here is our breakdown of the 4 big deals completed between last Wednesday and this Tuesday.   DENVER ADDS HB DEPTH A lot has gone well for the Denver Gold offense this year, but the run game has not been what Coach Hufnagel wants to see, with Phillip Lindsay averaging only 2.9 YPC and the team as a whole sitting 26 th  in the league rankings. The Gold would love to get a bit more out of their run game to take pressure off their young QB, Josh Allen. So, they went searching for a complementary back to Lindsay, and they found one in San Diego, where the emergence of Charles Smith has meant that veteran David Wilson was seeing fewer and fewer touches. San Diego agreed to a deal that would send Wilson to Denver in exchange for CB Jaylon Johnson and a 4 th  round pick in the 2022 Open Draft. Wilson is in a contract year and having just turned 30 will have a chance to prove his worth in Denver’s attack as the Gold seek a possible SW Division title. San Diego gets some depth at corner and adds a pick as they try to rebuild around HB Charles Sims and one of their two “Christians” at QB (Ponder & Hackenberg).   EXPRESS STAY FOCUSED ON DEFENSE Apparently, being ranked 4 th  in scoring defense and 3 rd  in yards allowed is not good enough for the Express, who opted to double down on the defensive side of the ball rather than try to fix their 29 th  rated offense. They certainly got themselves a gamer this week in a deal with Jacksonville. Veteran cornerback Dominique Rogers-Cromartie heads to LA to finish out his 13 th  USFL season. Rogers-Cromartie, also in a contract year, will join a secondary that already features another savvy veteran and All-USFL corner in Stephon Gilmore, as well as safeties Lonnie Ballentine and Rahim Moore. The move certainly makes LA’s pass defense, already a Top 10 squad, all the more difficult to gameplan against, but does little to address the offensive issues that have plagued the Express. Jacksonville, for their part, picks up 2 third round selections, one each in 2022 and 2023 as they give DRC a chance to play for a title with the Express. Panthers Give Cousins Another Option Michigan, concerned with a precipitous drop off in offensive production this season, and still in a search for a viable option opposite Cody Latimer found themselves a good one in former Charlotte Monarch receiver Justin Blackmon . Blackmon, Charlotte’s lead receiver this year, has been grumbling of late in Charlotte. He now gets a chance to play for the Panthers and for a possible playoff spot, something not possible with the winless Monarchs. The 9-year veteran who started his career in Boston, joined Ohio for 4 seasons, and then moved on to Charlotte in 2018, had 3 consecutive 1,000 yards seasons with the Monarchs. He has 602 yards so far this year, and now heads to Michigan for the final 2 years of his contract.   The Panthers get themselves a bona fide deep threat in Blackmon, and in return send WR Calvin Ridley and a 2 nd  round choice in the 2022 Draft to the Monarchs. Ridley never really synched with the Panther offense, with only 23 receptions in 2020. In Charlotte, expect him to start off as a swing receiver, with Marques Colston and Austin Proehl the likely starters. Ridley could swap snaps with slot receiver Tandon Doss, or could sub for either outside receiver. Meanwhile, expect Blackmon to line up opposite Cody Latimer from the get go, providing more of a deep threat in the Panther attack. Michigan will shift Donovan Peoples-Jones to a swing position, splitting time with Kevin Kraft in the slot, but also backing up both Latimer and Blackmon outside.   SEATTLE ADDS VETERAN EDGE RUSHER Without a doubt the biggest deal of the final week saw the Federals part with DE Chris Long , sending the 13-year veteran to the Seattle Dragons for a two 3 rd  round picks (2022 and 2023). Long, another player in a contract year at the age of 33, has been highly productive for the Federals, recording 14 or more sacks each of the past 5 seasons. He has 8 already this year, and now he joins a Seattle defense that is already ranked in the Top 10 in all 4 major defensive categories (points, total yards, passing, and rushing). Seattle leads the Pacific Division with a 7-2 record and is clearly focused on a Summer Bowl this year. Adding a proven pass rusher opposite Deshon Hall gives Seattle an important upgrade at a key position down the stretch. With one of the best secondaries in the game (Corners Richard Sherman, Chidobe Awuzie and Jaire Alexander, with safeties Taylor Rapp and Terrell Edmunds), and a LB group headed up by Khalil Mack, Josh Allen and Calvin Pace, the Dragons now add a veteran edge rusher. Expect Seattle to use the combination of Long and Mack to assail one side of an offense’s line, as Mack alternates sides to match down and distance. This could be a very effective two-pronged attack.   As for Washington, the departure of Long was anticipated this offseason. By moving him now, they get compensation that would have been lost in free agency, adding mid-round picks to their draft plans for the next 2 years. The departure of long means that Bradley Chubb will be the primary focus of the Federal pass rush, with Jalen Jelks moving from swing end to starting right end. Expect Washington to complement Chubb’s pass rush with blitzes from OLB Patrick Queen, MLB Tremaine Edwards, and safety Kenny Vaccaro.   So, Seattle addresses the pass rush, LA adds to an already strong D, Michigan boosts their aerial attack, and Denver their run game. Four teams hoping to make a splash in the postseason, and hoping that a late season acquisition can put them over the top. As for Jacksonville, Charlotte, Washington, and San Diego, their sights are clearly on building for the future, freeing up cap space, and reducing the pressure to resign older veterans, picking up draft capital along the way. It is the buyer-seller market of the Trade Deadline, and we will see the results over the next 6 weeks and into the offseason.   CHICAGO MACHINE 13  MICHIGAN PANTHERS 19 It was billed as a Central Division showdown, a battle between the Michigan Panthers, winners of the division 4 of the past 5 years, and the Chicago Machine, a 7-1 team that appeared ready to dethrone the champions. With Michigan already 3 games behind Chicago at 4-4, and sitting all the way down the standings in 4 th  place, this was a “must win” situation if the Panthers wanted any chance at the division. For Chicago, it was a chance to knock Michigan below .500 and out of the division race, one that had been more complicated than most expected, with the rise of Pittsburgh and Ohio as contenders.   Played in front of 51,048 in Ford Field, this was also a classic rivalry game, with the Midwest’s two preeminent USFL clubs facing off again. It would be two highly respected defenses, each trying to shut down the primary weapons of their opposition. Michigan HB LeVeon Bell would be the focus for the Machine defenders, while Michigan’s defense would attempt to disrupt Sam Bradford of the Machine. Both defenses would find some success, with Chicago actually finding more of an advantage against the Michigan passing game, sacking Kirk Cousins 6 times on the day, while Michigan absolutely crushed Chicago’s run game, with the Machine attempting only 8 rushes all game.   Michigan won this game thanks to absolute clock domination, holding possession for a remarkable 43 minutes as Chicago went 0 for 6 on third down, and managed only 31 offensive plays on the day, eking out only 6 first downs all game long. Michigan, for their part, ran 69 offensive plays, each one milking the play clock as far as it would go. They more than tripled Chicago’s first down production, racking up 24 on the day, but for all that dominance, they could never truly pull away from the Machine, leaving them vulnerable to even a single big play in what would be a 6-point victory.   In a game that saw only 2 touchdown drives, both coming off turnovers, it was a war of attrition, with teams swapping field position throughout the game. Michigan used their run game, bolstered by the acquisition of fullback Khari Blasingame, to grind out first downs and get themselves in position for kicker Chase McLaughlin, who finished the game accounting for 13 of the Panther’s 19 points. LeVeon Bell would carry the ball 25 times, clawing out 109 yards, while backup Alexander Mattison fared even better, averaging 7.3 yards per carry for 51 yards.   Chicago would abandon the run early on, relying on Sam Bradford for pretty much all their offensive production. Their one TD came after the only true break-away play of the game, a 78-yard catch and run by Chase Claypool, only 1 of 2 receptions on the day for Bradford’s favorite target. It would be TE Tyler Eifert who would lead all Chicago receivers with 5 catches. The one-dimensional offense proved problematic for Chicago, with Bradford picked off twice, including in the final minute of action to preserve the Michigan win. Chicago’s attack was off the entire game, with Bradford only completing 13 of 23 passing, and failing on each 3 rd  down attempt the team faced.   It could not be called an exciting game, with few offensive fireworks, though it certainly was a tense one, with Michigan building a 16-3 lead only to give up the big play to Claypool and a 3 rd  quarter touchdown that pulled Chicago within 6. In the 4 th  quarter Michigan extended the lead to 9 points with Chase McLaughlin’s 4 th  field goal of the day, only for Chicago to respond with Daniel Carlson’s 2 nd  on the day. The Machine were again within 6 and they got the ball back with 3:31 left to play, but would need to drive 83 yards for a touchdown if they wanted to complete the comeback.   After getting a quick first down on a Bradford to Kearse 16-yard throw, the Chicago drive, and the drama of the game, quickly came to an end as Bradford, pressured by LB Sean Porter, tried to hit Claypool on a comeback route, only to have Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick, who had already defended 5 passes and picked off a 6 th , come up with a 2 nd  pick on the day, snatching the ball away from Claypool before stepping out of bounds. Michigan ground out a pair of first downs and could have added a 5 th  McLaughlin field goal to extend the lead, but opted to take a knee and end the game with a 6-point victory.   It was a game dominated by Michigan’s lines, the offensive line helping to grind out 167 yards on the ground and keep the game clock rolling, the defensive line limiting Chicago to a ridiculous 8 total yards rushing (admittedly on only 8 attempts) and pressuring Bradford into only 13 of 23 passing. It was also a game dominated by CB Dre Kirkpatrick, who all but shut down Chase Claypool, allowing 1 reception in man coverage against the Chicago wideout. The lone strike to Claypool came off a stacked receiver group in which Kirkpatrick was forced to cover Michael Floyd and leaving Claypool on safety Jabril Peppers. Michigan got the win they needed, drawing them within 2 games of Chicago at 5-4, while Chicago got a bit of a wake-up call. They would need to play better if they were to hold onto the division, one that had 3 other legitimate contenders in the mix.   OKLAHOMA 37  DALLAS 13 The new-look Outlaws were impressive, as was HB Eddie Lacy, who rushed for 116 yards and a TD in his Oklahoma debut. The Outlaws outgained Dallas 413-241, thanks to offensive balance. Jalen Hurts threw for 239 and 2 scores but also scrambled for another 51 yards and a score as Oklahoma rolled. And no concerns about the loss of Pacman Jones from the secondary, as the Outlaws picked off Justin Herbert 3 times. Dallas’s lone TD came on a pick six by Patrick Peterson as the offense struggled to establish anything on the day. POTG:  Outlaw QB Jalen Hurts: 18/27, 239 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int, 11 Att, 51 Yds, 1 TD   NEW ENGLAND 13   MEMPHIS 23 New England’s new HB combo (Hill and Yeldon) combined for only 62 yards rushing, while Ryan Tannehill completed 23 of 44 for 235 as the Steamrollers fell to the Showboats in a pretty lackluster performance for both teams. Memphis got the advantage late, thanks to 3 straight scoring drives, with Robert Woods giving them a 17-13 advantage, built up with two Lewis Ward field goals in the 4 th . POTG:  Memphis LB NaVorro Bowman: 10 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   PHILADELPHIA 24  CHARLOTTE 19 The homestanding Monarchs, in front of barely 21,000 in Charlotte, played the Stars tough, holding a 19-17 lead until the final 69 seconds of action. Philadelphia QB Carson Wentz, who had been picked twice in the game, found K. J. Hamler for a game-saving touchdown to conclude a 2-minute drill to avoid the embarrassing loss to a winless Charlotte club. The Monarchs held Derrick Henry to only 63 yards rushing and forced 3 turnovers on a sloppy day for the Stars. POTG:  Philadelphia CB Dwayne Gratz: 3 Tck, 4 PDef, 1 Int   PITTSBURGH 21  OHIO 6 The Mauler D shut down and nearly shut out the Glory, limiting Justin Fields to negative rushing yards and only 178 yards passing with 2 picks and 3 sacks. That was all Andy Dalton needed, finding rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown and veteran Albert Wilson for scores, with Sony Michel adding a third on a 15-yard dash as the Maulers dominated their division rivals to take over 2 nd  place in the Central. POTG:  Mauler LB Brian Cushing: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   ST. LOUIS 21   SEATTLE 34 Lamar Jackson had himself a game, but it was not enough against the streaking Seattle Dragons. Jackson rushed for 148 and 2 scores, threw for another 137 and another score, and single-handedly kept St. Louis alive, but in the end the Dragon offense had too many opportunities, with Brett Hundley throwing for 3 scores and Knowshon Moreno rushing for a 4 th  along with 109 yards on the day. Seattle wins a 7 th  in a row to hold the lead in the Pacific, while St. Louis drops to 2-7. POTG:  Seattle LB Khalil Mack: 7 Tck, 2 Sck   BIRMINGHAM 21  NEW ORLEANS 10 Serious concern about the Breakers after another poor offensive showing. The Breakers were held to only 232 yards of offense, committed 2 turnovers, and failed on both 4 th  down attempts as Birmingham improved to 6-3 on the season with a balanced game. New acquisition Pacman Jones had 5 pass defenses, but the shining star was rookie LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who finished the game with his first USFL interception, a pick-six to celebrate his new role and his new team. POTG:  Birmingham LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: 6 Tck, 1 FF, 1 PDef, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   ORLANDO 40   ATLANTA 17 The Fire drop their third in a row as Orlando dominates, putting up the final 16 points of the game and outpacing the Fire from the opening gun. Brashad Perriman had 2 TDs on top of 140 yards receiving, while Montez Sweat picked up 2 more sacks as the Atlanta O-line struggled all day. The Renegades got within 7 in the 3 rd  on a Murray to Green TD, but Orlando put the game away with 4 consecutive scoring drives. POTG:  Orlando WR Brashad Perriman: 7 Rec, 140 Yds, 2 TD   TAMPA BAY 43  JACKSONVILLE 6 No trap game here as Tampa Bay takes care of business. Dak Prescott went 17 of 27 for 287 yards and 3 scores to power the Bandits. Ryan Grant went over 100, while Dez Bryant had 2 scoring catches in the Bandit romp. The defense picked off rookie Trevor Lawrence 3 times and sacked him 4 more in a long day for the rookie QB. POTG:  Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 17/27, 287 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   HOUSTON 15   SAN ANTONIO 31 The biggest shock of the week as the homestanding Gunslingers took it to the visiting Gamblers. Joe Flacco was in vintage form, throwing for 324 yards and 2 TDs, while the defense held the Gambler attack in check all game with a combination of shallow zones and LB blitzes. The Gunslingers controlled the ball and the clock, finishing with over 36 minutes of possession and a very impressive 16-point divisional win. POTG:  Gunslinger QB Joe Flacco: 28/38, 324 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   OAKLAND 24  PORTLAND 17 Portland was game, with Mariota to Josh Gordon tying the game at 17 late in the 3 rd , but they could not get over the hump, with Tom Brady finding Zach Ertz for the game winner. Brady was efficient all game, completing 22 of 31 for 236 and 3 scores, while Christian McCaffrey averaged 5.1 yards per carry for 71 total yards. Portland, playing without Doug Martin, split carries between Tavares Cadet and Javontae Williams, but only managed 23 total rushing yards against the Oakland D. POTG:  Invader TE Zach Ertz: 4 Rec, 38 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 30  LAS VEGAS 17 Coach Lewis had to be happy with his offense on this day, with Paul Perkins busting out for 136 yards rushing and Kyler Murray throwing for 237 and 3 scores with no turnovers. A safety late in the game proved to be more than just 2 points for LA as Matt McGloin left the field with what was later determined to be a fracture in his clavicle, a shoulder injury that will cost him the remainder of the season. With the result, both teams now sit at 4-5 on the year. POTG:  Express HB Paul Perkins: 17 Att, 136 Yds   Birmingham Gets DPOTW Debut from Owusu-Koramoah It took only 1 weeks for the 3-way trade between New England, Birmingham, and the Oklahoma Outlaws to pay dividends, and in the case of Birmingham, impressive ones. Rookie LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had only 3 days of practice with the Stallions, but was given the start against New Orleans. Playing on raw talent and instinct, the young linebacker made an immediate impression. JOK, as announcers and teammates have already gotten used to calling him, came out of the gate with his new teams with a Defensive Player of the Week performance, recording 6 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pick six in his first action as a starter.   The big play for JOK came in the 3 rd  quarter, with New Orleans backed up inside their own 10. Geno Smith simply did not account for the speed of the rookie LB, trying to squeeze a pass to his favorite target, TE Coby Fleener. Owusu-Koramoah easily undercut the route, snatched the ball out of the air, then pushed his way (with some help from the pile) the 7 yards to paydirt. The pick-six in JOK’s first game gave Birmingham a 14-7 lead and would prove to be the game winner for the Stallions. Not a bad first impression for the young Notre Dame grad. The kind of first impression that has to make New England fans question why JOK was not a starter for them over the season’s first 9 weeks.   Lacy Impresses in First Game as Outlaw A second former Steamroller also balled out in his debut with his new team. HB Eddie Lacy had only his 2 nd  100-yard day of the season after a short week of practice in Oklahoma. Lacy rushed the ball 23 times for 116 yards for the Outlaws, helping Oklahoma earn a key divisional win over Dallas. He also scored on a goal line plunge in the 1 st  quarter, only his 3 rd TD of the season. The 116 yards in his opening game as an Outlaw represents a full ¼ of all his yards this year and serves as a notice that he is ready to be a huge part of the Outlaw attack moving forward. With 34 yards in his first 5 attempts of the game, Lacy’s presence also impacted the passing game, with defenders forced to respect the run, Jalen Hurts had more time in the pocket, able to complete 18 of 27 passes. He also took advantage through several called option plays, rushing 11 times for 51 yards and a score thanks to the threat of the pitch out to Lacy. All in all a very strong outing and a very interesting twist in what could be a down-to-the-wire SW Division race.   McGloin Lost for Season, Minshew to Take the Reins One of the teams in the mix in the Southwest will have to move ahead with Plan B after losing their starting QB to injury this week. Las Vegas QB Matt McGloin was battling the LA defense all game, when he suffered a safety to LA end Deatrich Wise Jr. late in the 4 th  quarter. McGloin tried to wriggle out of the tackle when he was hit by LB Keith Rivers and driven to the ground. The awkward landing on his throwing shoulder produced instant gasps and winces of pain for the Viper QB. As the Vipers kicked the ball back to LA, McGloin was helped to the locker room. It would later be revealed that he had suffered a fracture to his right clavicle, an injury which would require immobilization and time to heal, shuttering McGloin for the rest of the season.   Las Vegas had signed NFL gunslinger Gardner Minshew in the offseason. The former Jacksonville Jaguar came into the game, threw 1 pass for 4 yards, and was chased out of bounds on a scramble in his second attempt. LA would go on to score again, and the game was well out of hand for the stunned Vipers, losing their first home game of the season. As Las Vegas, now 4-5 and tied for 3 rd in the division with both Oklahoma and Dallas, looks to the final 7 games of the year, they will move forward with the mullet-wearing Minshew as their QB. Behind him is veteran backup Jeff Tuel and practice squad QB Colby Lowell.   Minshew had built a bit of a cult following in the NFL, as much for his flamboyant personality (and hairstyle) as for his play in Jacksonville. He now inherits a team that is still very much alive for a possible playoff spot. He will have a 2-headed rushing attack of Kareem Hunt and Matt Jones, and a receiving corps of Dobson, Bateman, and newly acquired John Ross, to help him guide the Viper offense. He also will benefit from a pretty solid defense, ranked 9 th against the pass and led by DE Matthew Judon and LB Blake Martinez.   Bell X-Rays Negative, Questionable for Week 11 Panther fans got their prayers answered when the results of an MRI came back negative. With LeVeon Bell taken from the field on a cart late in the Panther victory over Chicago, fans and teammates feared the worst. The ankle injury suffered by Bell during an awkward juke-turned-tackle, could have been a season-ender. The news, reported early on Saturday, produced a state-wide sigh of relief. No fractures, no ligament damage, just a significant sprain. Bell is listed as questionable for this week’s game in Arizona, and could be a game time decision, a far better outcome than many feared when Bell went down Friday night. The added down time between the Friday game and this week’s Sunday Night matchup could benefit Bell and the Panthers, allowing for an extra 2 days of healing and testing out of the ankle. If Bell cannot go, Michigan will start Alexander Mattison in his place, with Karlos Williams the backup and likely 3 rd down option.   Week 10 and we start to assess where teams are. Obviously no one Is locked in yet, though Tampa bay is certainly the closest to having their ticket punched. Even 0-9 Charlotte is not out of the running with 7 weeks of action left. So, what do we have? We have teams looking very good right now, a group that includes the Bandits, Generals, and Stars in the East and the Machine and Dragons in the West. We have a huge cluster of teams with 6, 5, or 4 wins, so we expect the Wild Card races to be tight all the way until the season ends. But we do think we will start to see some of the teams at the bottom of the standings get that dreaded “-e” next to their names in the coming weeks, starting with the Monarchs and Bulls unless their fortunes turn quickly. The McGloin injury is the only IR-impacting injury of the week, but that certainly does not mean that all the other teams are injury free. It is getting late enough in the season that we are seeing more and more players placed on the Doubtful and Questionable lists with injuries that are day to day. That includes LeVeon Bell’s ankle, as well as safety Will Harris of Washington, LB Jabril Cox of Memphis, and New England MLB Jamie Collins. The one avoidable absence is that of Tampa Bay WR Ryan Grant, who apparently slept through team meetings on Tuesday, causing Coach Trestman to threaten sitting the veteran and placing him on the injury list for “team violations”.   OUT QB         Matt McGloin             LV           Shoulder                   IR FS           Adrian Amos                WSH     Foot                         6-8 Weeks HB          Javonte Williams         POR      Arm                         4-6 Weeks DT          Isaiah Loudermilk       ORL       Covid Protocol        1 Week SS           Budda Baker                 HOU     Covid Protocol         1 Week   DOUBTFUL SS           Will Harris                    WSH     Ribs LB           Jabril Cox                      MEM     Concussion SS           Marqueston Huff            OAK      Concussion G            Taylor Moton               SAN       Hand C             Robert Vega                  ARZ       Shoulder CB          Darnay Holmes               SEA        Finger   QUESTIONABLE LB           Jamie Collins             NE          Ribs DE          Matthew Judon             LV           MCL Strain DT          Josh Boyd                      SEA        Migraines WR         Ryan Grant                    TBY        Team Rule Violations DT          Kendall Reyes                  MEM     Thigh HB         LeVeon Bell                      MGN     Ankle OT          James Hurst                    PIT         Hamstring   Ten Players Using 2021 to Set Up a Huge Deal for 2022 & Beyond As we look across the league there is not a team that does not have at least 1 superstar player in a contract year. Some are pretty happy where they are, some are already grumbling about their situation, and some are seeing dollar signs in their eyes as they head into contract negotiations. We know from history that many will sign extensions or get new deals with their current teams, but we also know that several will hold off on a deal, hit the free agent waters and see if they cannot get a payday this offseason. So, as we look around the league, here are 10 players who are well-positioned to leverage a strong 2021 into a very lucrative deal, either with their current club or on to greener pastures in free agency. Here are our 10 Players Expecting to Get Paid.   QB Cam Newton (BIR) Newton is having what may prove to be an MVP year, and with the Stallions actually playing well as a team, there is no better time for their QB to get a top dollar deal. There is no way the Stallions would let Newton walk, not after what he has done this year, so they had better be ready to bust open the vault because he is not going to be a cheap resigning.   HB Christian McCaffrey (OAK) After his first 1,000-yard season in 2020, McCaffrey is on pace to repeat the feat, and could even surpass 1,200 yards rushing this year. One of the league’s premier dual threat backs, we could see McCaffrey look for a deal in free agency. Oakland will likely be going through a QB transition with Brady expected to retire this offseason, and that may be motivation enough for McCaffrey to look for a club that will both pay him and give him a role in a more established offensive system.   HB Nick Chubb (ATL) Chubb was a huge part of Atlanta’s rapid rise last year, rushing for 1,205 yards and 8 touchdowns. He is on pace to do the same this year, and Atlanta would be wise to try to resign their star back for the future. There is a lot to like in Atlanta, and Chubb certainly seems happy staying in Georgia, where his college fame paired with his role with the Fire gives him plenty of endorsement clout, but the Fire are a bit cap-constrained and also need to sign QB Aaron Murray along with several linemen. There may well be bigger dollars out there if Chubb waits for free agency.   WR Devin Funchess (MEM) After a breakout season in 2020 which saw Funchess catch 102 passes for over 1,500 yards and 10 TDs, he has not lived up to the hype in 2021. He is barely on pace for 1,000 yards, will likely fall short of the 100-receptoin mark, and has only 1 TD on the season. That is not good for a player who was hoping to cash in after last year’s success. We suspect Funchess will sign a short deal (1-2 years) in Memphis, hoping to rebound in time to get more in his next deal.   WR Odell Beckham Jr. (NJ) OBJ was pretty loudly complaining early in the season, but with New Jersey now on a 6-game win streak and QB Nick Foles clearly targeting him early and often each week, we think the fiery receiver might well be happy to stand pat and sign on again with the Generals. That said, if he does hold out for free agency, he will almost certainly get himself a top dollar deal. Receivers with his skill set are a rare breed, and there is no shortage of teams willing to pay diva prices to get diva numbers. We think OBJ will keep his mouth shut as the season winds down, so as not to rule out New Jersey for 2022, but we would not be shocked at all if he waited for Free Agency and then went to the highest bidder.   C Mike Pouncey (CHA) The best lineman currently unsigned for 2022, and on a team that looks like it is years away from contention, we think Pouncey uses this year to find himself a better option, a chance to move to a club contending for a title. It won’t be about huge dollars, it never is for an interior lineman, but Pouncey will certainly get a pay raise and a chance to contend if he enters the market.   LB Myles Jack (SD) Another standout player on a pretty lackluster team, Jack’s rookie deal ends this year and we think he will certainly hit the market in hopes of finding a new home and a chance to compete for a title. Now, we know Jack loves Coach LeBeau, so if LeBeau is confirmed for 2022, there is a chance that the athletic linebacker stays put. If the Thunder let LeBeau go, which is possible for what is currently a 3-win team, then we think Jack is going as well.   CB Joe Haden (ARZ) One of the best corners in the game, and one having a DPOTY type of season, we think Haden will get paid this offseason. We also think his preference would be to stay with Coach Tomsula and a team that has been a contender for over half a decade. Those rings feel awfully good and there are few teams that could offer him as many future opportunities to earn more than Arizona. That said, Arizona has several players they want to retain, including WR Victor Cruz, OT Mitchell Van Dyck, HB Isaiah Crowell, and FS Nate Allen, but if Haden is not top of their list, they are fools.   CB Dee Milliner (ORL) If Haden does not enter the free agent pool, then we think Dee Milliner is more likely to do so. Milliner would be the top corner available if Haden stays put, and that means a major payday after a pretty modest rookie deal ends this August. Milliner also has a possible coaching change at Orlando (as we will outline below), so a lot could depend on what the Renegades do at the top. If they look to retool, he could look to take the exit ramp. If Coach Moss stays, he might stay as well.   SS Budda Baker (HOU) Hard to believe Houston would let Baker leave, but with Carlos Hyde, Leodis McKelvin, LB Ramik Wilson, and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster also coming up on contract years, we are just not sure that the All-USFL safety can be their top priority. We cannot imagine they would let any of the others go, but in all honestly, they do not have the funds to keep them all, so who is the odd man out? It won’t be Hyde, unlikely to be McKelvin either, so is it Baker? If it is, he will have no shortage of suitors come free agency.     Five USFL Coaches Who Need Results Now As we head into the “home stretch” of the season, there are no shortage of teams battling for possible playoff positions, but there are also several teams trying to show that they are building towards future success, and that includes coaches trying to show that they are turning their teams around, creating something that has not fully formed yet, and worthy of another season to get the team headed in the right direction. As we look across the USFL, there are certainly some hot seats where the coach’s future with the team will depend on their clubs showing something in the second half of the year. There is also one coach who is under no pressure to keep his job, but who likely feels the need to do something special in his final year at the helm. We picked 5 coaches who we think are feeling a need to impress in the season’s second half, many with a need to preserve their positions, and one hoping to put an exclamation point on their legacy.   Vance Joseph (CHA) No surprise that the head coach of an 0-9 team would be on the chopping block if his team cannot show some signs of life this year. Coach Joseph could already be a dead man walking (figuratively, of course) as recent trades seem to indicate that the Monarchs are already building for the future, seeking draft capital while shipping off solid players like WR Justin Blackmon and FB Khari Blasingame. So, what can Joseph do in the final 7 games of the season to potentially be a part of the rebuild instead of a castoff after only 2 years at the helm? Well, a win or two is certainly a bare minimum.   An 0-16 season seems very possible for these Monarchs and that is certainly a job-killer for their coach. Charlotte has some potentially winnable games on the horizon, including this week in Washington, a Week 12 home game against the spiraling Breakers, a Week 14 trip to Jacksonville, and two season-enders against expansion San Antonio and the San Diego Thunder. In fact, their final 7 games feature only 2 teams at or above .500 at this point (LA in Week 13 and Orlando in Week 15). If the Monarchs can show some spirit and pull out 2 or 3 games, Joseph may just get a 3 rd year to show development. If not, well, change is likely coming.   Winston Moss (JAX) The Bulls went out on a limb, trading away a very solid QB in Teddy Bridgewater and going all in on rookie Trevor Lawrence. That move has certainly had some upside, with Lawrence showing flashes, including a current QB Rating of 90.8 and a 16:8 (2:1) TD:INT ratio. The problem is that the early success of Lawrence as a pro QB has not translated into wins. Jacksonville sits at 1-8 after 9 games, with their sole win coming against the winless Monarchs. They will get a rematch with Charlotte in Week 14, but the rest of their schedule does not look favorable, with a trip to 6-3 Birmingham this week and upcoming games against Memphis, Seattle, LA,and Orlando, wins could be tough to find.   So, what is Winston Moss’s best argument for a 3 rd season? A couple of upset wins would certainly help, as would going 2-0 in their remaining divisional games (Charlotte and Orlando, both at home). What would likely help even more is an improvement in the league’s 28 th rated run game. Rumors have the Bulls looking to give rookie Chubba Hubbard more of a role in their 3-headed attack, along with Singletary and Hardesty. Hubbard is a bigger back, more capable of grinding out yards, but he also has the ability to make a tackler miss, so we may see more of him in early downs as Jacksonville tries to take some pressure off their rookie QB. The other thing ownership will certainly be looking for is more pressure from a front 7 that has simply not gotten to the QB often enough to disrupt opposing offenses. Moss is a former defensive coordinator, and one known for pressure, so the lack of QB sacks and hurries is a clear area of concern. Moss’s best chance at getting a 3 rd year may be just as much about proving his defensive qualifications as it is winning late season games. He will be challenged to do that this week as the Bulls face one of the league’s most dynamic QBs in Birmingham’s Cam Newton.   Matt LaFleur (POR) Considered an offensive “guru’, Matt LaFleur has struggled to get consistent performance from his offense in Portland. Sitting at 2-7, the Stags have put up some good games from a yardage standpoint, and their rankings are not horrible: 7 th  in passing yards and 12 th in total yards, but they are 26 th  in scoring. The run game which used to be the bread and butter of the Stags has just not produced nearly enough this year. Rookie Javonte Williams was supposed to inject more energy into the run game, but is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry and now may be lost for the year after suffering a shoulder injury against Oakland.   Portland’s defense is adequate, not particularly oppressive, but certainly stiff enough to help the Stags win games, but LaFleur’s offense needs to show more if he wants to return for a 7 th  season. He got Portland to the playoffs last year at 9-7, and many expected Portland to be a possible contender for the division, so a 2-7 record is a huge disappointment. We think LaFleur needs to start shoing something, even if it is only getting some wins against some of the weaker teams on their schedule. Portland has both games against San Diego yet to play, with their trip to Southern California this week and a rematch in Week 16. The bad news for LaFleur is that every other game on their schedule is against a team with a winning record (Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Denver, and LA). They will need to pull some major upsets to avoid a 10-loss season. We think LaFleur needs to get at least 4 more wins. If he goes 6-10 by winning 4 of his final 7, we think he stays. If not, well, there will certainly be some OC positions out there in 2022.   Ron Rivera (ORL) The Renegades are 5-4 after 9 weeks, and could certainly still be in the mix for a Wild Card. That is the good news. The bad news is that Rivera has two 8-8 seasons under his belt in Orlando and another will feel very much like a stagnating team. So, pretty simple, he needs at least 4 more wins this year, reaching 9-7, and certainly a playoff berth would be a very welcome addition. That seems very possible, with games coming up against both 0-9 Charlotte and 1-8 Jacksonville, as well as expansion New England and slumping New Orleans. That could be 4 wins right there, though certainly an upset win over Tampa Bay, Atlanta or LA would also be very welcome. We think there is a very good chance that Rivera gets himself a 4 th  season, but the Renegades cannot languish at 8-8 again for that to happen.   Wade Phillips (HOU) Don’t get us wrong. There is absolutely no one calling for Wade Phillips to step down or lose his job. After all, this is the man who has taken Houston to the postseason each of the past 7 years, including 3 Summer Bowl appearances and a title in 2018. He is a 2-time Summer Bowl Champion, a future Hall of Fame coach, and the longest tenured coach in the league, coming to Houston, where his father was a legend in the NFL, in 2001. No, the reason we added Wade Phillips to this list is that there is widespread expectation that he will retire after this year, and he will want to go out with a bang.   Houston is currently 6-3 and tied atop the Southern Division with upstart Birmingham. Phillips would like nothing better than to win the South once again, and to make a deep playoff run, challenging Tampa Bay for a trip to yet another Summer Bowl. That is the only pressure on Phillips, putting a cherry on top of his amazing career sundae. He certainly has a team capable of doing just that, with Colt McCoy firmly in the MVP conversation, a deep and talented offense, currently ranked 1 st  overall in yards per game and 4 th  in scoring, and a defense that has moments (but honestly needs more of them). The upset loss to San Antonio this week is a head scratcher, but with several upcoming games in which Houston should be a prohibitive favorite (@ New England, Memphis and New Orleans, and home to Oklahoma, and Las Vegas) this is certainly a team that can reach 11 or 12 wins. It starts this week with a home game against a very tough Atlanta team, and the Gamblers already have their Week15 trip to Tampa Bay circled as a game of major importance. Can Phillips rally the Gamblers one last time? That is the goal, and it is one shared by every player who loves and respects their head coach. Hard to believe it is Week 11 already. It seems only yesterday that the season was kicking off. Well, the 11 th  week of the season is here, and it is the last of the bye weeks, with only San Antonio and Memphis left to wrap up the byes and get back to 15-game weekends. That means we are nearly there this week, with 14 games on the schedule, with only the NBC Saturday Night Game on hiatus. It is also a heavy divisional week, with 8 division games on tap. So, let’s get to it.   Friday opens with a pair of intriguing matchups. On NBC it will be an Eastern Conference clash of contenders as 5-4 Atlanta heads down to 6-3 Houston in a battle of teams with Summer Bowl aspiriations. Meanwhile on ESPN and EFN, it is a huge Southeast clash as Orlando heads to Tampa Bay with upset on their minds. A win by the Renegades would keep them very much alive in the playoff race, while a win by the Bandits largely removes Orlando from divisional consideration.   Saturday features 3 divisional games, with Philly headed up to Foxboro to take on the Steamrollers at noon, Portland heading down the coast to San Diego at 4pm and a really nice nightcap as the two Pacific Division frontrunners meet at Lumen Field. 6-3 Oakland can grab a share of first with a road win, while Seattle could solidify their hold on the division by holding off the Invaders.   Sunday offers 4 more divisional clashes, including a 12pm clash on FOX between Baltimore and New Jersey. This could be the best chance the Blitz have to get back in the divisional title race, but New Jersey has won 6 in a row and are very much invested in making it 7. Then at 4pm we have a pair of divisional clashes that could produce fireworks. Jalen Hurts and his new run game with Eddie Lacy head up to altitude to face the Denver Gold and QB Josh Allen. Chicago is also in division, coming off the tough loss in Michigan they head just a bit south to face the Ohio Glory in Columbus. If Ohio can use home field to get this game, they will greatly improve their odds at a possible division title in a very hard-fought 4-team race in the Central.   We cap it all off at 8pm on ESPN and EFN with a battle of former champions and 5-4 squads that cannot afford to drop too many more games. Michigan, hot off their big homestand against Chicago, heads out to Arizona, where the Wranglers are in unfamiliar territory, looking up at another team above them in the Southwest. A loss, paired with a Denver win, would put them 2 games behind the Gold, a situation they certainly want to avoid at all costs. Should be a great game and a real battle in the week’s final game.   FRI @ 8pm ET          Atlanta (5-4) @ Houston (6-3)                             NBC FRI @ 8pm ET         Orlando (5-4) @ Tampa Bay (8-1)                           ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET     Philadelphia (7-2) @ New England (2-7)           ABC SAT @ 12pm ET       Jacksonville (1-8) @ Birmingham (6-3)                 FOX SAT @ 4pm ET        New Orleans (3-6) @ Las Vegas (4-5)                    ABC SAT @ 4pm ET        Portland (2-7) @ San Diego (3-6)                           FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        Oakland (6-3) @ Seattle (7-2)                                  ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET      Charlotte (0-9) @ Washington (3-6)                       ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      St. Louis (2-7) @ Pittsburgh (6-3)                          ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Baltimore (5-4) @ New Jersey (6-3)                      FOX SUN @ 4pm ET      Oklahoma (4-5) @ Denver (6-3)                             ABC SUN @ 4pm ET        Chicago (7-2) @ Ohio (5-4)                                       FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Dallas (4-5) @ Los Angeles (4-5)                              FOX Regional SUN @ 8pm ET        Michigan (5-4) @ Arizona (5-4)                                 ESPN/EFN

A return to normalcy? Is that what Week 9 brought us, with Chicago and Tampa Bay easily rebounding from Week 8 upsets, with surging New Jesey and Seattle moving their win totals to 6 in a row, and with big games from big names, primarily Seattle HB Knowshon Moreno, Birmingham QB Cam Newton, and Arizona QB David Carr. After some topsy-turvy weeks, Week 9 felt more like what we expected this season. Sure, we had a couple of upsets (Washington over Ohio and Memphis over New Orleans), but neither were truly shocking when we look at how the teams have been playing. So, a week that helps us feel like order is restored, at least on the field. This was also a week that saw one of the biggest mid-season trades we have seen in a while, with former USFL and NFL All-Stars swapping teams mid-year, with 3 clubs trying to address issues and improve their 2 nd half fortunes. We will start with the 3-way deal as our Big Story, recap the entire week of action, and take a look at what could be an action-packed Memorial Day weekend as 24 teams are in action, and we creep up on Tuesday’s Trade Deadline. It’s all coming up right here, right now.   Outlaws, Steamrollers & Stallions Swing Surprising 3-Way Deal With the trade deadline only a few days away (Tuesday at noon), we saw one big, and very unexpected deal, as the Oklahoma Outlaws used their bye week to focus on the trading block, to bring Birmingham and New England to the table, and pull off a huge 3-way deal that could well prove helpful to all three.  It all began with the Outlaws, disturbed by their 30 th  ranked rushing offense, producing only 44.8 yards per game. That was not sitting well with Coach Stoops, or with the front office, so they got on the phones, looking to see if a deal could be cut to bring a quality back to OKC in time to perhaps allow Oklahoma to get into a very tight Southwestern Division race. With Jalen Hurts looking like a possible MVP candidate in only his first full season as the starter, Oklahoma wanted to support their budding star and provide some balance to an offense that was very much overdependent on their sophomore QB.   The Outlaws reached out to multiple teams, hoping to find one who felt their running back duo would work better as a single-back structure. There were calls made to Atlanta, Chicago, Jacksonville, and New Orleans, but no bites. But, on a whim, Oklahoma reached out to the New England Steamrollers. The Rollers had spent a fortune bringing former Skyhawk HB Eddie Lacy in this offseason, only to see the back struggling behind a somewhat makeshift line in Foxboro. With QB Ryan Tannehill not progressing as Coach Fox would like, the offense was far too dependent on Lacy, and defenses knew it. Coach Stoops struck a nerve with the Steamrollers. They had sunk money into Lacy, but what they needed was another option at QB. That was not going to be Jalen Hurts, that was for sure, but perhaps Mason Rudolph would provide New England with a reason to move Lacy.   No deal, Rudolph, while a solid backup, was not exactly the kind of name that Steamroller GM Kyle Smith could sell to his coach or to the fans as a good deal for Lacy. Nope, if Oklahoma wanted to deal, they would have to find a better option, someone the Steamrollers could bring in as a potential starter, immediate competition for Tannehill. Oklahoma hit the phones, and he found the QB he wanted, another recent signing, much like Lacy in New England. That player was former NFL All-Pro Jameis Winston. Winston had been brought to Birmingham as insurance if Cam Newton struggled, but the Stallion QB had flourished in 2021, himself now an MVP candidate as he led the Stallion offensive resurgence. But what did Birmingham want? Defensive help, that was the key for Coach Haley. The Stallion defense had been porous all season, one of the reasons Birmingham had traded for FS David McCarter only a week earlier. McCarter was a start, but the Stallions wanted more. They would be open to trading Winston if they felt they could upgrade on defense.   The three GMs got on a conference call that apparently went back and forth for over 3 hours, each team pausing to debate value, to determine what was possible and what was a non-starter. But, by 8pm on Wednesday a deal was cut. Six players, two draft picks, a 3-way swap of talent with 1 player from each team going to each of the other teams, and a pair of 3 rd  round picks helping New England feel validated in giving up their starting halfback.   Oklahoma would get the big back they coveted, receiving Eddie Lacy from the Steamrollers, and absorbing the full cost of his 2021 Free Agency deal, the deal New England had touted only months earlier. They would also pick up a second option at the HB position, Birmingham’s Rex Burkhead, a solid blocker and outstanding 3 rd  down option whose place in the Stallion RB room had been diminished with the drafting of Najee Harris. Two backs to bolster the Oklahoma corral.  Those additions made Justice Hill expendable. The former OK State back who had rushed for 482 yards in 2020 would be headed to New England, where he will cycle with former Stallion T. J. Yeldon in the Steamroller backfield. But getting a warm body to replace Lacy was just a side dish to the main course, bringing in a legitimate challenger to Ryan Tannehill. That would come in the form of Stallion import Jameis Winston. The former starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had yet to take a regular season snap after signing with the team in February. But, in 5 years with the Buccaneers, the UCF product had thrown for nearly 20,000 yards and over 100 touchdowns. Sure, he had some issues with picks, including an infamous 30-interceptoin season in 2020, but he was a pure gunslinger, the kind that USFL fans loved to have hurling up long bombs.   So, a surefire lead back for the Outlaw attack, taking pressure off Jalen Hurts and making the Outlaws a far more balanced offense. A potential superstar QB for the Steamrollers, one who, if he could pick up the playbook quickly, could help New England make the case for season ticket holders to stay on board for 2022. But what about the Stallions? They were the only one of the three that was already in a solid playoff position, only 1 game behind Houston in a Southern Division race that felt very good about. How did they benefit?   Many might say that the Stallions benefited most from the deal. Not only did they give up a disgruntled former lead back in Burkhead, but they freed up a ton of money at the QB position, one still staffed by a potential MVP candidate in Newton, and with a very viable and fan-friendly backup in Tim Tebow. But they also added two potential impact players on defense. The first was New England rookie LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. JOK was a player Birmingham had high on their draft board, a 2-year starter out of Notre Dame who New England had selected with their first round pick, a pick they acquired from Birmingham in trade. Now Birmingham would get their player of choice after all. In his rookie year, JOK had already started to make plays on the field for New England, but he was stuck behind Junior Galette on the depth chart. In Birmingham he would move immediately to a starting role, taking the weakside role while Reggie Ragland moved inside.   But even bigger moves were in the minds of Stallion’s GM Ryan Cowden. Cowden wanted a corner, but not any corner, a true shut down corner. He wanted Pacman Jones, the extroverted, sometimes distracting, All-USFL corner form the Outlaws. The push for Jones was credited as the reason for the length of the negotiation, with Cowden unwilling to back down from his desire for the veteran. Jones, already in his 11 th  USFL season, would be an immediate boost to the Stallions, while Oklahoma had already moved in another direction, landing Xavien Howard in free agency in 2019 and securing Isaiah Oliver from LA in free agency this year. Surely, they could let Jones go for what could be the final few years of his career.   It was a heated back and forth, and in the end, Birmingham had to throw in Burkhead to sweeten the pot, but they got their man. Adam “Pacman” Jones would be a Stallion. In the course of 3 weeks, Birmingham had added an All-USFL corner, a first round draft pick at LB and a new starting free safety. They had added 3 potential impact players to a defense that certainly needed the help, giving up only a backup QB and a disgruntled former lead back who now was a role player for them. By all accounts, the Stallions got themselves a very good deal. Oklahoma too has to be happy with what they now have on board, a starting HB with five 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and a penchant for grinding out those tough 3 rd  and short plays. They also landed a talented back who could bolster their 3 rd  down options and who could help protect Jalen Hurts as a shotgun chipper. So, two teams very happy. What about New England?   The Steamrollers are the team with the biggest question mark in the deal. Yes, they now have a talented QB on their squad, one who almost certainly could usurp Ryan Tannehill by season’s end, but Winston is also a QB with a lot of questions. He essentially ran himself out of Tampa Bay with his 30-pick season, and while he also had some eye-popping games in the NFL, fans may well struggle to accept that he was worth giving up a former All-USFL halfback and a first round choice at linebacker. The Steamrollers were concerned about the impact of the deal on their 2021 season, but they also valued what might be possible in 2022, and that is why they fought long and hard to get some draft capital in the deal. The eventual deal got them that as well, with both Oklahoma and Birmingham chipping in a 3 rd  round pick in the 2022 draft to get the deal done. That “add on” means the Steamrollers will have 3 picks in the round, which almost certainly will be used to move up, possibly giving them a 2 nd pick late in the 1 st  or early in the 2 nd  round, all needed for a team trying to build a competitive roster 2 years after expansion.   The final question for Coach Fox and the Steamroller offense is just what their run game would now become. New England will very likely rotate Justice Hill in with T. J. Yeldon, creating more of a backfield by committee, but there is little doubt that In the short term the New England attack is going to recess, which is scary to say for a team that is currently dead last in points per game at only 11.5 on average. The Steamrollers very much feel like a team trying to reinvent themselves in only their 2 nd  year of existence. The move to sign Lacy was seen as a step forward, but now it seems that Coach Fox is spinning his wheels, trying anything to make change for change’s sake. So, what is the plan? Let’s assume that Winston pans out and the Steamrollers can go into 2022 with a solid QB position, perhaps even a dynamic one that could help them do more on offense. They will need to address the run game once again. Do they have a plan there? The 2022 HB Draft Class has a few intriguing names, including Iowa State’s Breece Hall, Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker, and Georgia’s James Cook, but New England certainly does not have a bead on any of those rookies. In our eyes, the Steamrollers are putting a lot of faith into Fox and his desire for a QB who can deliver. They have the biggest risk of failure of the three involved in this deal, and you know that the newly activated New England fanbase will notice if Lacy and JOK prove to be big bonuses for their new teams while the Steamrollers likely run out the string in 2021 with a QB battle as their top story.   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 24   DENVER GOLD 17 There is nothing quite like a rivalry game to bring out the best in teams. And while Denver-Houston is no longer a divisional rivalry, with the Gamblers relocating from the Southwest to the South, there is still a lot of bad blood between these two from the decades of Southwest Division clashes. So, what we got at Empower Field was a back-and-forth battle between two teams that have been going at it since 1984.   This iteration of the longstanding battle was a balanced affair, with both offenses and defenses having their moments as the score swung first to Houston, then to Denver, before Houston climbed back in the 4 th  quarter to claim the win. We saw good QB play, with Colt McCoy throwing for 3 scores while Josh Allen threw for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns. We saw two receivers at the top of their games, as Mike Evans caught 6 for 111 and a score while Golden Tate brought in 6 of 9 targets for 137 and a pair of scores. We also saw outstanding defense, from Houston’s Emmanuel Ogbah rushing Allen to Artie Burns picking off McCoy to end a drive. There was a little of everything in this one.   The game started with Denver taking the ball but failing to convert on a 3 rd and 8 after an initial first down. On Houston’s first possession, McCoy found Evans for a 33-yarder, then came back to JuJu Smith=Schuster, putting the first points on the board with a 25-yard strike to the younger of his two main receivers. Houston took a 7-0 lead into the 2 nd  quarter, but it was Denver who controlled the next 15 minutes, first putting 3 on the board with a 47-yard Zeurlein kick, and then taking the lead with a 14-play drive that finished with Josh Allen finding Golden Tate for the score with 1:57 left to play. Houston got the ball before the half and had Younghoe Koo in position for a 46-yarder, but the swirling winds in Denver helped push the ball to the right and Houston had to settle for a 10-7 deficit at the half.   With neither team able to establish much on the ground (Hyde went 14 for 51 while Phillip Lindsay struggled to only 25 yards on the day) it was up to the two quarterbacks. In the third quarter it was Allen who got the better of the defense, connecting with Darnell Mooney for 20 before finding Tate once again, this time from 27 yards out, for the veteran receiver’s 2 nd  TD on the day. Denver held a 10-point lead as the 4 th  quarter began, but the 4 th  would prove to be all about Houston on both sides of the ball.   The final period began with Colt McCoy leading a 9-play TD drive, hitting Denzel Mims on 2 nd  and goal from the 7 to pull the Gamblers back within 3. The defense next made their play as Ogbah and DT Ed Oliver closed in on Allen, who forced a poor throw in the middle, a throw picked off by FS Marcus Epps. That mistake would immediately lead to points as Houston got into position and Koo hit on a 38-yarder to level the score at 17 with 8:22 left to play. Time for either team to get a shot at the win.   Denver received the kick and moved the ball well, but a holding call on 3 rd and 3 turned it into a 3 rd  and 13. Josh Allen tried to connect with TE T. J. Hockenson, but the pass was broken up by Houston LB Eric Wilson. The Gold punted the ball back to the Gamblers with 5:17 left to play. Houston would start their drive cautiously, a short pass to TE Tony Moeaki, followed by a Hyde rush for 3 to gain their first new set of downs on the drive. McCoy then found Gerald Everett for 17, Smith-Schuster for another 11, and then the backbreaker, a 33-yard slant-go route by Mike Evans allowed McCoy to throw a perfect breadbasket lob that Evans brought in and strode into the endzone for 6.   Down 24-17 with just under 2 minutes to play, there was still time for Allen and the Gold to even the score and take the game to overtime. They took the kickoff at the 24 after a solid return by returner Terrance Williams. On first and 10, Allen found Tate for the 6 th  time in the game, a medium route that produced 14 yards thanks to Tate’s yards after catch. But that would be the last completion on the drive. On 1 st  and 10 Allen missed Mooney on an out. 2 nd  down saw Allen under pressure, sacked by Ed Oliver on an attempted scramble. Third and 12 was a deep shot to Tate, but he was double covered. That left 4 th  and 12 and Houston called up a blitz. The blitzers did not get to Allen, but they did force an early throw, one that sailed over the head of Hockenson, turning the ball over to the Gamblers, who would run out the clock for their 6 th  victory of the year, sending Denver to 6-3 with the loss.   NEW ORLEANS 9  MEMPHIS 18 J. J. Watt and the Memphis defense apparently have had enough criticism and decided to show us they are capable of dominating a game. The Showboats offense was all but absent (racking up only 142 yards of total offense), but with Geno Smith picked off twice, sacked 5 times, including a safety from Watt, and limited to only 2 of 12 on 3 rd  down, the Boats still earned the W. The only TD of the game was a Todd Gurley run in the 1 st  quarter, otherwise a day for kickers and for the Showboat D. POTG:  Memphis DE J. J. Watt: 7 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty   SAN ANTONIO 10  BALTIMORE 19 The Gunslingers played Baltimore tough but just could not muster enough offense to overcome a 16-7 deficit. San Antonio’s D held Josh Jacobs to only 2.6 YPC but he still managed 74 yards and helped put Baltimore in position for 4 field goals. Jake Locker hit Michael Pittman for the Blitz’s only touchdown, while Joe Flacco’s 1 st  quarter TD to Julius Thomas was the high point for the Gunslinger offense in this defensive matchup. POTG:  Baltimore LB Anthony Hitchens: 7 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sck, 1 PDef   LAS VEGAS 34  BIRMINGHAM 37 A shootout in Protective Stadium saw the two clubs combine for over 1,000 yards of offense (Birmingham 533, Las Vegas 468). Cam Newton proved that Justin Fields is not the only dual threat QB in the league, rushing for 118 yards and 3 scores while throwing for 385 and a TD, but Las Vegas simply would not go away. Down 37-20 in the 4 th , Matt McGloin connected with Kenny Galloday and Kareem Hunt for late scores, but it was just not enough as Birmingham held on to win a thriller. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 14/24, 385 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 10 Att, 118 Yds, 3 TD   NEW ENGLAND 10   CHICAGO 37 Chicago rebounded from their first loss of the season by taking care of business in front of a sellout crowd at Soldier Field. The defense held Eddie Lacy to 32 yards rushing while holding New England without a TD until late in garbage time. Sam Bradford had a day himself, completing 15 of 22 and throwing 3 touchdowns before taking a rest in the 4 th  as Mike Kafka came in. Chicago went up 14-0 on TDs from Maron Mack and TE Druham Smythe and never looked back, building up a 37-3 lead by the time the backups were swapped in early in the 4 th . POTG:  Chicago LB Kevin Minter: 11 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 PDef   PORTLAND 17   ST. LOUIS 37 A truly poor showing for the Stags as 1-win St. Louis dominated at home. Lamar Jackson threw for 3 scores and ran for another as the Skyhawks had their most complete game of the year. The defense picked off Marcus Mariota twice, held rookie Javontae Williams to only 22 yards rushing, and helped set up short fields for the offense all day. Deionte Johnson caught 4 for 120 and a score for the Skyhawks, who improved to 2-6 with the win. POTG:  Skyhawk QB Lamar Jackson: 13/27, 277 Yds, 3 TD, 2 Int, 15 Att, 47 Yds, 1 TD   PHILADELPHIA 24  NEW JERSEY 34 The Generals doubled up their advantage on rival Philadelphia, knocking off the Stars for the 2 nd  time in 4 weeks. Nick Foles showed up big, throwing for 338 yards and 3 scores against the Stars defense, while Carter and Pollard combined for 151 yards on the ground. Philadelphia relied heavily on Derrick Henry, rushing for 93 yards, but as they fell behind in the 2 nd half, Carson Wentz could not rally the Stars as the Jersey D held him to 8 of 19 in the 2 nd  half. POTG:  Generals’ QB Nick Foles: 23/35, 338 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   ARIZONA 41  DALLAS 28 A 14-14 game at the half, David Carr took over in the 2 nd  half, putting up TD passes to Tonyan, Aiyuk, and Cruz on his way to 371 yards and 5 total TDs. The highlight was a 98-yard TD toss to Brandon Aiyuk from deep in his own endzone as Carr took advantage of the Dallas secondary all game long. Justin Herbert tried to rally the Roughnecks, throwing for 384 and 3 scores, but it was not enough as Arizona took the important divisional matchup to move above .500 at 5-4. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 20/34, 371 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int   OHIO 11   WASHINGTON 26 The Federals followed their upset of Atlanta with an equally impressive home victory over a very good Ohio squad. Having seen what Justin Fields did last week, the Feds stayed in nickel defense all game, using safety Rafael Bush and LB Joe Giles-Harris as spies on Fields, and sending DE Bradley Chubb after the Ohio QB like a guided missile. The strategy paid off, with the Ohio QB rushing 12 times for negative 6 yards, a stunning turnaround. Despite throwing 3 picks in the game, Jacoby Brissett got the W thanks to TD runs from Travis Etienne and Darrynton Evans. POTG:  Federal DE Bradley Chubb: 9 Tck, 6 TFL, 1 Sck   LOS ANGELES 3   PITTSBURGH 17 Kyler Murray is at risk of losing his job after going 8 of 25 against the Maulers, suffering 6 sacks and throwing for only 124 yards. The Mauler D dominated the game, holding the Express to a lone field goal, and shutting them out for the final 3 quarters of action. LA finished with only 184 total yards and 6 first downs in one of the worst offensive performances in recent memory. The Mauler offense was not exactly electrifying, but with TDs from Adam Thielen and Sony Michel they had more than enough in this one to improve to 5-3 on the year. POTG:  Mauler DE Vic Beasley: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   SAN DIEGO 13  OAKLAND 20 This was a good one, a California Derby that was tight throughout as both clubs slugged at each other for 60 minutes. A Luke Wilson TD from Ponder in the 3 rd gave San Diego a 13-10 lead, but Oakland scored the final 10 points in the game, and held of San Diego late, holding the Thunder on 4 th  and 8 on their final possession to preserve the win. DaVante Adams had a very strong game for the Invaders, catching 8 of 12 targets for 101 yards and a 2 nd quarter TD as Oakland improves to 5-3. POTG:  Invader WR DaVante Adams: 8 Rec, 101 Yds, 1 TD   SEATTLE 31  MICHIGAN 17 Michigan’s losing streak grows to 4 games, including 3 at home as the Dragons shut out the Panthers in the 2 nd  half, turning a 24-17 halftime lead into a 14-point victory. Knowshon Moreno was the better of the two backs, outgaining LeVeon Bell 146-66 and providing 3 of the Dragons’ 4 touchdowns on the day. TE Kyle Rudolph went over 100 yards on 5 receptions, and the Seattle defense sacked Kirk Cousins 4 times, producing a pick and a fumble from the Michigan QB as Michigan drops to 4-4 after their initial 4-0 start to the year. POTG:  Seatle HB Knowshon Moreno: 21 Att, 146 Yds, 3 TD   Moreno’s Big Day Powers Dragons to 1st in Pacific 2007. That was the last time the Seattle Dragons stood atop the Pacific Division as division champs. Nine weeks into the 2021 season and Seattle is in a very unfamiliar spot, looking down on the other 4 clubs in their division. With a 6-2 record, Seattle holds a 1-game lead over Oakland, and 3 games up on last year’s champions, the 3-5 LA Express. So, what has given the Dragons the advantage this year? Defense and a tailback with a lot to prove.   Seattle’s D is currently among the Top 5 in both yards and rushing yards allowed. They sit 6 th  in the league, allowing 16.4 points per game, but their best number is their rushing offense, where they are second only to the surprising New Jersey Generals. Seattle, with 1,001 yards as a team and a very solid 4.6 YPC is among the best in the USFL at using the ground game to their advantage. And at the center of that is their lead back, Knowshon Moreno. Moreno’s 756 yards place him 2 nd  in the league rushing rankings, behind only Baltimore’s Josh Jacobs, but his 4.1 YPC average is the best in the USFL at the midpoint of the season. The former Orlando Renegade is once again looking to be better this year than the year before. This has been a trend for Moreno since he arrived in the Pacific Northwest. After gaining 760 yards in his final year in Orlando, he began his time with the Dragons by barely missing out on a 1,000-yard season, gaining 931 yards in 13 games in 2018. The next year he played 14 games, rushing for 1,188 yards. In 2020 he topped that, healthy for all 16 games, he helped lead Seattle to the playoffs at 10-6 with 1,240 yards and a career-best 12 touchdowns. So far in 2021, he appears ready to do even more. He is on pace for a 1,500-yard season, and his Dragons are sitting at 6-2 after 8 games, hoping not only for a return to postseason action, but their first division crown in 14 years.   Generals Win Streak Reaches 6 Games No team is hotter right now than the New Jersey Generals, winners of 6 in a row, and coming of a sweep of their archrival, Philadelphia, a sweep that now gives them a definitive tiebreaker should the two finish the regular season tied atop the Northeast. The Generals’ success is not what most of us saw coming this offseason, or what we saw in the season’s opening weeks, when New Jersey was demolished by Baltimore 24-7 in the opener and then lost at home to New Orleans. And on the road in San Antonio. Sitting at 0-3, and having already made a change at QB, things did not look good for the Generals. What was worse, their newly anointed starter, Teddy Bridgewater, lasted all of 5 quarters before being lost for the season. Replacing Nick Foles for the start in Week 3, Bridgewater threw 2 picks as New Jersey lost to the expansion Gunslingers. His next game would be worse, a back injury that would cost him the season.   Back the Generals turned to QB Nick Foles, who had started the two opening weeks, struggling with 5 picks to only 2 TDs in the first two losses of the year. But something had changed, a focus, or a turn of luck perhaps, because Foles came into the Week 4 game against St. Louis and rallied the Generals to their first win. They would go on to beat the Steamrollers the next week, and then the real surprise. New Jersey went to Philadelphia to face the unbeaten Stars, and they shocked everyone, blowing out the Stars 47-9 as Delone Carter and Tony Pollard combined for 154 yards and 2 scores. The next week it was another takedown of New England, this time in the Meadowlands, a 26-3 demolition. In week 8 they headed to Tampa Bay to face yet another unbeaten team, the 6-1 Bandits. But by now, the team’s confidence was fueling something special.   New Jersey dominated Tampa Bay as they had the Stars. They would win by 14, with the run game again leading the way, Pollard and Carter combining for 156 yards in this one. This week it was Philadelphia again and once more it was New Jersey proving they were a team to be reckoned with, defeating Philadelphia 34-24. The Generals now have a real shot at taking back the Northeast Division, a division they last won in 2018. They are doing it in much the same way Seattle is leading the Pacific, a solid team defense and a run game that is surprising many and forcing teams to adjust their expectations.   Hurts Wants Individual Accolades to Turn to Wins With the Outlaws engaging in a major trade this week, a trade designed to provide a solid run game to their offense, it seems Coach Stoops is not content to muddle along, even with a QB playing about as well as any in the league. And that sits just fine with that QB, sophomore starter Jalen Hurts. The former Alabama signal caller who spent his last season just down the road in Norman saw himself raised to the top position in this week’s midseason QB Ratings. He currently ranks 6 th  in passing yards, 2 nd  in TDs to Josh Allen, and has the league’s best QB rating among eligible candidates, sitting at 117.4. But for Hurts, this does not matter much when his Outlaw team is mired at 3-4, looking up at 3 teams ahead of them in the standings.   “I am happy to be seen as a good player,” said the 2 nd  year QB, “but that only really matters if the team is winning.” Hurts cited his rapport with receivers Nick Toon and Mark Andrews as big reasons for his 2021 success. He lamented the loss of DeDe Westbrook to injury but praised the contributions of Justin Hunter and newly arrived target Allen Lazard, acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh. As for the latest trade, the one that now brings halfbacks Eddie Lacy and Rex Burkhead to the Outlaws, Hurts seemed over the moon. “I love that our team is not satisfied, that we want to do and be more, because that is exactly how I feel.” Hurts declared when asked about the deal. The Outlaws had the week off for their bye and could come out Week 10 against Dallas with a very different look. That could be vital as they face the Roughnecks and Denver Gold in back-to-back divisional games to start the second half of their season.   A rough week, with higher numbers than we have seen in the past month, and two more IR additions, as several teams are now looking a bit depleted, including Dallas, who loses three players for Week 9, including one gone of for up to 2 months an another for up to a month. Throw in some pretty lengthy lists of players who are either doubtful or questionable this week, including Portland HB Doug Martin and LA edge rusher Nick Bosa, and you have a week that few GMs want to see.   OUT OT      Christian Darrisaw   NOR      Torn ACL               IR CB          Benjamin Richards  OKL       Neck                       IR WR         Chad Williams         DAL       Broken Arm              6-8 Weeks CB          Scott Whitmore       DAL       Groin tear                4-6 Weeks CB          Nate Hairston         WSH     Shoulder                  4-6 Weeks WR         Doug Baldwin         NE          Torn Quad             4-6 Weeks SS           Budda Baker            HOU     ACL Strain                1-2 Weeks C             Keith Ismael           DAL       Hamstring                 1-2 Weeks OT          David Tremblay       DEN      Thigh                     1-2 Weeks LB           Jamie Collins          NE          Ribs                           1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL SS           Caden Sterns            ARZ       Shoulder DT          Dontari Poe                   MGN     Migraines SS           Damar Hamlin             PIT         Concussion HB         Doug Martin                   POR      Shoulder G            Conner McGovern         STL         Patella DE          Nick Bosa                         LA          Concussion   QUESTIONABLE FB          Reggie Gilliam                 ATL         Finger G            Dan Feeney                     BAL        Hamstring OT          James Hurst                  PIT         Hamstring FS           Derek Jordan                 NE          Concussion     Preseason Picks Revised We tell you every year not to “bet the ranch” on any of our preseason picks, and we hope you did not this year, because while we got some things right (Tampa Bay staying elite, for example), we did not see a lot of what has happened this year as possible. Did you really see Philadelphia as a 6-2 team at the midway point? Ohio as competing for the Central? Memphis collapsing? We don’t think you did. So, let’s revisit our preseason picks and see what we think might need to be adjusted.   NORTHEAST Preseason Picks: We picked Baltimore as the cream of a pretty weak crop. Revisions: The Blitz have not been as dominant as we expected, with both Philadelphia and New Jersey surprising us with their defensive quality and their ability to avoid self-inflicted wounds. We think that the Blitz can still claim the division, but only if they can get a bit more going on offense. If not, we think it is New Jersey, with Philadelphia and Baltimore possibly claiming Wild Cards.   SOUTHEAST Preseason Picks: We had this as a 2-team race between Tampa Bay and Atlanta, with Orlando possibly making some noise. Revisions: This is perhaps the division that has stuck most closely to our preseason outlook. Tampa Bay looks dominant; Atlanta has potential and is in position to finish 2 nd . Orlando is clearly the 3 rd  best team but may not be good enough to reach the postseason, while Jacksonville and winless Charlotte are very likely headed towards another long offseason.   SOUTH Preseason Picks: We saw the South as a very balanced and competitive division, expecting a 3-way battle between Houston, Memphis, and New Orleans. Revisions: While we did cite Birmingham as a possible interloper in the mix, we did not think they would be as impressive as they have been this year. Most of that is Cam being Cam, but the defense is coming along, and the team continues to add pieces to improve it. With Memphis seemingly in utter freefall and New Orleans looking very vulnerable, we could well see a 2-team race between the Gamblers and the upstart Stallions. Both could, and should, make the postseason.   CENTRAL Preseason Picks: We liked Chicago and Pittsburgh as contenders, with Michigan still very much in the mix, and that is the case today. Revisions: What we did not see is a rapidly improving Ohio Glory squad joining the fray. That is 4 teams fighting for perhaps only 2 playoff spots. After 8 weeks, what is perhaps most surprising is that of the 4, Michigan appears to be in the most trouble. We could easily see them finish 4 th  in a division they have dominated in recent years.   SOUTHWEST Preseason Picks: We said this division was ripe for the picking, looking at Dallas and Oklahoma as possible contenders to dethrone the Wranglers. Revisions: We got it right that the division would be far more competitive. Right now, we have 4 teams at or above .500 all 5 teams still very much alive in the hunt. The surprise was that we thought Denver would be trailing behind and it turns out they are the frontrunners. This one is far too early to call, with even 3-5 Oklahoma still potentially in the mix. Las Vegas is better than expected, Arizona has not been the same on defense, and Denver has shown some issues, so keep your eyes on this one, it could go down to the wire.   PACIFIC Preseason Picks: We had bought into LA as a new power in the West and we liked what Portland was putting together, with Seattle always in the mix. Revisions: Seattle is very much in the mix, but both Portland and LA have been major disappointments. We think Oakland is doing better than expected, but we think Seattle certainly has the upper hand, with a cluster of teams possibly already in Wild Card mode. Of the 4 remaining, we think Oakland, and then perhaps LA have a realistic shot to finish in the playoff mix, but only if both can find more offensive firepower to go with their shut down defenses.   SUMMER BOWL PICK Our original pick was for the Bandits to repeat as champions by holding off Justin Herbert and the Dallas Roughnecks. We still very much like Tampa Bay in the East, though it won’t be the cakewalk that some thought this offseason. In the West, we would like to revise a bit, as we now feel like Dallas has not put all the pieces together, whereas Chicago very much has. So, our new pick is for Tampa Bay, with a healthy Dak Prescott back under center, to repeat, but to deal with a very tough Chicago Machine defense in Summer Bowl 2021.     Award Races Revised Our divisional picks were not the only ones to fall far from reality as the season has progressed. We made our picks for the 2021 Award Winners largely based on 2020 results, and those have not held as the new season got underway. Some players are dealing with injuries, others are simply not producing at the same level, while some new faces have certainly made an impact this year. We are still several weeks from any real sense of where things will fall, but we think it makes sense to reevaluate where the races stand right now, so here are our modified picks for each of the league’s 5 major awards.   MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Preseason Picks: QB Dak Prescott (TBY), QB David Carr (ARZ), QB Justin Herbert (DAL) Current Picks: QB Cam Newton (BIR), QB Josh Allen (DEN), QB Jalen Hurts (OKL)   If there has been one emerging theme to the 2021 season it is that a new generation of QBs, particularly dual threat QBs, is coming into shape. At the midpoint of the season, we are looking at three such QBs as potential MVPS, with the veteran Cam Newton taking center stage right now, but followed closely by Denver’s Josh Allen and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts. All three are among the league leaders in yards, TDs and QB rating, and while one of the preseason picks could rise up, we think we could be looking at a new MVP QB in 2021, perhaps even a full changing of the guard.   OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Preseason Picks: HB LeVeon Bell (MGN), WR Jordy Nelson (NOR), HB Todd Gurley (MEM) Current Picks: HB Knowshon Moreno (SEA), WR Golden Tate (DEN), HB Dalvin Cook (TBY)   Michigan’s Bell seemed a pretty solid pick going into the year, but the Panthers’ offensive issues have hindered Bell’s effectiveness, while others like Cook, Moreno, and Tate have risen up, buoyed by strong all around offensive performances by their clubs. We see Moreno as the frontrunner right now, but both of the others listed could certainly surge as their teams push for the playoffs.   DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Preseason picks: DE Calais Campbell (BAL), DE Montez Sweat (ORL), DE Bud DuPree (ARZ) Current picks: DE J. J. Watt (MEM), CB Aqib Talib (NJ), CB Joe Haden (ARZ)   Let’s not count out Calais Campbell quite yet. He is in range to catch up to Watt in sacks, and Baltimore certainly needs him to have a strong 2 nd  half. Watt may be hindered by Memphis’s overall performance, as it is rare to see a DPOTY on a non-playoff team. That may well be exactly what pushes Talib into the forefront, as the best defensive player on a pretty good New Jersey defense.   ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Preseason picks: QB Trevor Lawrence (JAX), HB Najee Harris (BIR), HB Travis Etienne (WSH) Current picks: QB Justin Fields (OHI), QB Trevor Lawrence (JAX), HB Travis Etienne (WSH)   We are not sure if we just were not sold on Fields or on Ohio as a team in our preseason picks, but after the games he has put up, and with Ohio currently 2 games over .500, we think Fields is the frontrunner right now. He has already set some single game records, and we could see him challenge for the all-time season record for rushing yards by a QB. If he hits that mark, and if Ohio gets into the postseason in his rookie campaign, then we think Fields is a runaway winner here.   COACH OF THE YEAR Preseason picks: Skip Holtz (PIT), Kliff Kingsbury (DAL), Jay Gruden (OHI) Current picks: Dan Quinn (PHI), Jay Gruden (OHI), Lovie Smith (CHI)   In our season preview, we said COTY might well be a first-year coach but then offered 2 returning coaches as front runners. After 8 games, we feel that there is an almost certainty that a first-year coach will walk away with the award, with Philadelphia’s Dan Quinn and Ohio’s Jay Gruden looking very promising. If either can win their division or even get to 10 wins and a playoff berth, with the years they had in 2020, that would certainly be worthy of the award. If both falter in the second half, we think Lovie Smith deserves some attention for what he has built in Chicago.   Five Players to Watch in 2nd Half For most teams we are 8 games into a 16-game schedule, some are already 9 games in with a bye coming up shortly. So, we largely know who the impact players are and who has it all working. So, for our look at the 2 nd  half of the season, we wanted to highlight 5 players who could see a dramatic uptick in their use, value, and production in the season’s 2 nd  half. These are players who have not yet made a splash but will almost certainly be called on to do so over the final 9 weeks of action.   QB Blake Bortles (MEM) Far be it from us to call for a QB change, especially with the year Paxton Lynch put in last year, but we feel the rumblings in Memphis as the Showboats are struggling on offense and in the win-loss column. Just compare the numbers from last year to this year. After 8 games, Lynch now has a completion % 7 points lower than in 2021, he is more than halfway towards the 2021 total of 10 picks, with 6 already, but nowhere near halfway to last year’s 27 touchdowns, with only 8 on the year. Will Coach Ryan go to the NFL import to gain a spark? Maybe not this week, but if the Showboats drop to 4-6 or 4-7, we think Bortles will be called upon.   HB T. J. Yeldon (NE) With the Steamrollers taking the deal to acquire Jameis Winston and a pair of draft picks, Eddie Lacy is gone, and that means that former Stallion T. J. Yeldon is the most likely to be asked to pick up the slack. Yes, he will almost certainly split carries with newly acquired Justice Hill and with short-yardage specialist Robert Foster, but this is a chance for Yeldon, who has not been a lead back in the USFL since 2017 in Birmingham; to prove he still has some fire in the belly.   WR Nick Toon (OKL) The Outlaws added two backs to their offense this week, which is sure to alter their offensive scheme moving forward, and with Westbrook lost for the season, the player who could benefit from a shift to more play action, and more single coverage, is certainly Toon. The 9-year veteran has already seen his targets increase after the Westbook injury, but now we expect those targets to be more productive and more advantageous. Toon is already on pace for a career best in receptions and touchdowns, and we think that if Oklahoma finds the success running that they hope for, he could benefit even more and have a monster 2 nd  half. LB Tremaine Edwards (WSH) Washington’s often-criticized defense has started to show some signs of improvement, holding Ohio to only 11 points this week and limiting Justin Fields at the same time. If they can continue to improve on 3 rd down, Edwards could finally start to get some recognition for the quality of his game. He is on pace for a third consecutive 100-tackle season, and already has 2 sacks on the year, so a career best is very possible there as well. Of course, the key is whether the Federals can build some consistency and make big plays when called upon.   CB A. J. Bouye (ARZ) With Joe Haden a potential DPOTY candidate, leading the league with 6 picks in only 8 games, it is easy to understand why the former Stag and Mauler, A. J. Bouye, might not be getting the attention he deserves. But Bouye is seeing a lot of throws as teams try to avoid Haden, and he is making QBs pay as well. The veteran corner has 3 picks and 8 pass defenses already. He is also 3 rd  on the Wranglers with 40 tackles in 8 weeks and could see even more attention if teams continue to avoid throwing in Haden’s direction.   The last of the large bye weeks, with only 2 teams left on break after Week 10, we will have another 12-game weekend in the USFL. This week, the league has 2 games set for Friday night and both are divisional matchups you won’t want to miss. On NBC we have a huge one to determine the Central Division as 7-1 Chicago can all but remove 4-4 Michigan as a threat with a win, but going into Ford Field is no easy task, even for the talented Machine. On ESPN and EFN it will be a Southwest showdown as the retooled Oklahoma Outlaws look to debut their new run game and HB Eddie Lacy against rival Dallas. The Roughnecks may not have any new faces, but they are hoping to use home field to spoil the debut for the new Outlaws.   Saturday also features a pair of high-stakes divisional matchups, with Pittsburgh heading to Ohio in a battle of 5-3 teams at 4pm on ABC. That will be followed by ESPN’s night game, where Birmingham heads down to New Orleans hoping to improve to 6-3 and help take the Breakers out of the mix in the South. On Sunday, we have 4 divisional games, featuring 4 of the 5 Southeaster teams facing off after their bye weeks. It will be 4-4 Orlando heading up to Atlanta to face the 5-4 Fire, while Jacksonville, fresh off their first win of the season and with an extra week to prepare, faces a huge challenge in the form of the visiting Tampa Bay Bandits. Also on tap Sunday, we have Houston traveling to San Antonio in a Lonestar affair in the South, while Oakland heads up the coast to Portland, where the 2-6 Stags are reeling after their loss to St. Louis this week. We wrap it all up with a matchup of two teams that could be in the same division, but aren’t, when LA travels across the desert to take on the Las Vegas Vipers, still unbeaten at home. Las Vegas is sitting at 4-4 at the midway point and they are hoping that their new arrival, WR John Ross, can help them overcome that nasty Express defense.                   FRI @ 8pm ET      Chicago (7-1) @ Michigan (4-4)                   NBC FRI @ 8pm ET       Oklahoma (3-5) @ Dallas (4-4)                           ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET     New England (2-6) @ Memphis (4-5)              ABC SAT @ 12pm ET      Philadelphia (6-2) @ Charlotte (0-8)                 FOX SAT @ 4pm ET        Pittsburgh (5-3) @ Ohio (5-3)                           ABC SAT @ 4pm ET        St. Louis (2-6) @ Seattle (6-2)                           FOX SAT @ 8pm ET       Birmingham (5-3) @ New Orleans (3-5)           ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET      Orlando (4-4) @ Atlanta (5-3)                           ABC SUN @ 12pm ET      Tampa Bay (7-1) @ Jacksonville (1-7)                FOX SUN @ 4pm ET       Houston (6-2) @ San Antonio (3-6)                  ABC SUN @ 4pm ET       Oakland (5-3) @ Portland (2-6)                          FOX SUN @ 8pm ET     Los Angeles (3-5) @ Las Vegas (4-4)                ESPN/EFN   BYES: Arizona, Baltimore, Denver, New Jersey, San Diego, Washington

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Not one to be outdone by a rookie, Cam Newton reminded everyone just how dangerous his legs were this week. The numbers may not have been as eye-popping as Justin Field's Week 8 explosion, but the results were just as impressive for the Stallions as they moved to 5-3 on they year. Newton, who is certainly a more adept passer, threw for 385 yards, impressive in itself, but then scrambled and ran for another 118, with 4 total TDs on the day (1 passing, 3 rushing) as the Stallions continued their strong 2021 campaign.