AFFLWk6 Recap: Generals’, Showboats’ Wins Keep All Four Divisions Locked Up
Week 6 Highlight Game:
Sleeperville Outlaws at Prince George Generals 137 – 204
With a win that may become an important tiebreaker in playoff seeding, the Generals post their third 200 point outing of the year despite blooper-reel quarterback play from back-up Jacoby Brisset. Receiver Ja’Marr Chase gave the Prince George offense 42 points, but as a unit, the group could only muster 59 total. It was once again the Generals’ defense that won the day, generating 119 points – their highest all season – and led by 51 of them from defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Dealing with bye week issues, the Outlaws drop their second in a row, but remain in control of their division. The back to back low scoring weeks – 129 and 137 – are concerning for Outlaw fans, but with a 4-2 record, if they can get their scoring back on track, Sleeperville has few powerhouses left on the schedule and may have one of the softest routes to the #1 seed. The win keeps Prince George in the division hunt for control of the Landry Division, making next week’s match vs Winston-Salem an even more important game than this one, and the Generals would love to get Mac Jones back from IR for it.
Around The League
B.C. Blitz at Ohio Federals 186- 130
The British Columbia Blitz have made the defending champs their latest victim on their way to a 5-1 record. The 186 point score was one of the lowest of the season for the Blitz who have now posted totals of 193, 195, 185, 199, 290, and 186, but it was a well rounded win, with all phases of the roster involved – 82 points of offense, 73 on defense, and another 28 on special teams. The loss leaves the Federals with a disappointing 2-4 record as we approach the halfway point. The 47 points of offense Ohio posted in this home loss was their lowest offensive total yet as trade acquisition Justin Herbert continues to struggle, scoring just 26 points since putting on the Federals’ green and white jersey after averaging 25 points per game through the previous 4 weeks of the season. The Blitz are now second in the league because they trail the Wranglers in scoring, but they remain first in the division thanks to the head to head victory, making next weeks home stand against the Italians hug.
Italian Wranglers at Jefferson Panthers 222 – 158
After stumbling last week, the Italian Wranglers look unstoppable once more, adding another 200+ point total onto their now 5-1 record. With 94 points on offense, paced by Mark Andrews’ 35 points, and 92 on defense, paced by Derwin James’ 33 points, and another 33 from the special teams unit, Italy remains, perhaps, the most well rounded team in the league. In another loss for the Panthers, their 158 points scored was consistent with last week’s 158 points, and the squad has only turned in one 200+ point game all season. Their offense was somewhat productive, posting 83 and remaining in the top half of the league, but they fall to 2-4 on the season in a division that includes the best two teams in the league. It’s 5 of 6 games with north of 200 points, for the Wranglers, though, giving the Italians 1293 points through 6 games. That’s just 37 points short of where they stood after 6 games in the 2020 season when they set their league record scoring total of 3327 points. They had a 195 point per game average in that season…….right now, the Wranglers are running with a 215.5 point per game average, and if extended out to an 18 game season would be a 3879 point total – over 500 points above the league record. They’ll need as many points as they can generate in the showdown with B.C. next week, with a loss in their first meeting, the Wranglers cannot afford to let the Blitz sweep them.
Tracy Bulls at Pittsburgh Maulers 163 – 146
The Maulers needed a career day from receiver Courtland Sutton going into Monday night….he gave them just 3 points, and Pittsburgh falls to 2-4 on the season in their third sub-150 point game in a row. Led by T.J. Edwards’ 25 points and Xavier McKinney’s 21, the Mauler defense posted 87 points, but with just 39 points of offensive production, Pittsburgh settles into the Halas Division basement. For Tracy, the 163 points was their second lowest scoring performance all season, but was good enough for them to pick up an important division win in a division where it looks like division record is going to make all the difference. With 83 points of offense, their receiver tandem of Diggs and Kupp remain the driving force of this offense, contributing 66 total points on 245 all purpose yards.
Tampa Bay Renegades at San Quintin Showboats 185 – 226
After 3 consecutive weeks of increasingly high scores – 226, 237, 252 – the Renegades had hopes of leaving The Rock with another victory, this one to secure control of the division, but didn’t have quite enough firepower. Much of their 69 offensive points came out of Josh Allen’s 41 point total, and although the Renegade defense’s 102 points was a season high for them, their 11 points from special teams was the second worst they’ve posted this year. The Showboat defense outscored Tampa’s defensive unit by a point, posting 103 on defense, and they added another 86 on an offense led by the unlikely Marcus Mariota, who’s now scored 96 points across 5 starts for the Showboats. After starting the season off unimpressively, San Quintin has now posted scores of 192, 249, and now 226 over their last three games and have quietly put together a 4-2 record. In a division that includes 2 former league champions and last year’s runner up, with 15 total playoff games over 3 years between the 5 division rivals, San Quintin may have the flimsiest pedigree of the bunch, but they nonetheless find themselves now first in the division with a 3-2 division record that includes a sweep of third place Tracy and this win over now second place Tampa.
Minnesota Gamblers at SoCal Gold 173 – 187
Minnesota has performed far below expectations so far this season with their second loss by less than 15 points. A Monday night comeback never materialized for the Gamblers, with Mike Boone giving them a goose egg in that one, they totaled just 51 points on offense. The loss leaves them dead last in the Paul Brown Division. The Gold, meanwhile, are on the other end of that equation, at 4-2, they remain tied with the Outlaws, although Sleeperville owns the head to head tiebreaker. SoCal has managed to outscore Sleeperville on the season though by almost 30 points a game, but after this one they drop to second in the league behind Italy.
Miami Stallions at Guatemala City Stars 168 – 210
The new Guatemala Stars continue to improve, and look like they might have found their footing after topping 200 points for the first time and doing it in front of a home crowd. Their 79 points on offense was the 3rd week in a row with more than 75 offensive points and their defense contributed 77, rebounding from last week’s collapse, but it was their special teams that broke the game open. With over 100 return yards, returner KaVontae Turpin chalked up 24 points for the Stars as the special teams unit totaled 51 points in the win. Miami’s Joe Burrow put up 49 points for the Stallions, and there were other big number contributors, as well, like Deebo Samuel’s 21 points, and Jonathon Allen’s 29, and even Jason Myers’ 19 points at placekicker, but too many other roster spots turned in duds on the scoreboard – 7 positions with 6 or fewer points. The Stallions now fall to a troubling 2-4 record; they’ve lost their last 3 in a row, but they’ve only struggled to score in the last two. Still, they’re in a tough division, and every loss already feels like a nail in the coffin.
Grand Strand Gunslingers at AFFL Bandits 135 – 171
The league-sponsored Bandits have claimed another victim as the Grand Strand Gunslingers lose what should’ve been a gimme. Their 135 points scored is a season low for them, and while their 28 special teams points is a decent showing, their 44 points on defense is a season low, and their 63 on offense is just one point above their season low of 62 last week. The Gunslingers opened the season with 615 points of scoring through their first three games, but have only totaled 448 through their last 3; could we be looking at a franchise in trouble?
Winston-Salem Express at Wisconsin Invaders 195-191
This unexpectedly exciting Landry Division match is headed to the land of Fantasy Overtime with just a 4 point difference. In what turned out to be a bit of a shootout, these offenses combined for over 200 points of scoring. For the visiting Express, their 97 points of offense was on par, and they’ve now posted 350 points of offense in their last 3 games. Sticking with their now signature Single Wing Offense, Winston-Salem got 65 points from their trio of backs – Ekeler, Etienne, and Hall. The Invaders’ 105 on offense came out of nowhere, after Wisconsin scored just 54, 19, and 58 offensively through the previous 3 weeks. QB Trevor Lawrence led the way with 3 touchdowns and 40 points, while Michael Pittman added another 38. It’s Winston-Salem’s defense their fans will thank if they get out of this one with a win. While the Invaders’ top scoring defensive player got them 18 points, Winston-Salem’s defenders gave them 18 each from both of their safety positions and another 24 from Bobby Okereke and 31 from Zaven Collins at linebacker.
New Orleans Raiders at Bicton Breakers 154 – 253
After a game delay caused by waiting for the league office to process the paperwork on the last minute promotion of running back Kenneth Walker from the Breakers’ practice squad, Walker led Bicton’s wildcat offense to 95 offensive points behind his own 24 point performance in this massive 253 point victory. Bicton scored the league high 54 points on special teams, with a crowd-pleasing 35 points alone from their returners, Braxton Berrios and Ray-Ray McCloud. Bicton’s 145 points on defense is the league high for any team so far this season, and a good chunk of that came from Alex Singleton’s 48 garbage time points on Monday night. Quarterback woes continue to be the storyline in New Orleans where the Raiders head home with another loss after an atrocious 154 point performance. Replacement quarterback Carson Wentz exited with injury after contributing just 2 points and looks to be out for at least a month. Between their two starters this year, across 5 starts, New Orleans has only managed 20 points from the position. The Raiders defense remained strong in the loss, accounting for 92 points, led by Kyle Dugger at safety. After posting totals of 228 and 232 over the last two weeks, this is now the third 150 point outing for New Orleans and they’ll drop in the early running for a points wild card with this one.
Odds and Ends
- Italy takes over #1 on the season scoring list from SoCal Gold; Prince George Generals move from #10 to #6
- ZERO movement in the top ten of offensive scoring…..this has never happened in any category through 3 and a half seasons;
- San Quintin moves up from #14 to #11
- Prince George overtakes Italy for #1 in defensive scoring; Blitz fall from #7 to #13
- Bicton Breakers overtake the Blitz for #3 on the all time list
- Guatemala City climbs from #11 to #5 in special teams scoring