Steel Bends; Doesn’t Break
SUPER 16 – Enduring a futile comeback attempt on Monday Night Football, Steel Curtain (3-3-0) bent but didn’t break, holding on to beat The Dawg Pound (2-4-0), 196-168 in the Week 6 Game of the Week in the S16. The Dawgs’ star QB, Aaron Rogers, put up an impressive 425 yd/ 2 TD/ 42 point statline Monday night, it wasn’t enough to cover the deficit, and it didn’t surpass the 45 points Steel Curtain scored on the arm of their own franchise signal caller, Roethlisberger. In just the third time ever that these teams have faced each other, they have alternated wins, with Steel Curtain now taking the lead in the series 2-1. It’s also the second win in a row for the Pittsburgh franchise who has now dug themselves out of what had been an early season 1-3 hole. Now 3-3, they’re part of the 4-way standings tie that the East Division is currently all tied up in after week 6. For the Dawgs, it’s been a brutal stretch of schedule over the last 6 weeks where they’ve had to face not only the Steel Men, but have also faced division rival Motor City – twice, 2018 juggernaut AF#1 WRATH OF ODIN – twice. along with perenial powerhouse AF#18 1 Eye Til I Die (5-1-0) over the 6 week span. At this point, Dawg Pound is looking at all of their remaining games as a must-win situation if they’re going to make a playoff run, and fortunately, their schedule gets a little softer the
rest of the way out.
The Western Warrior 1 Eye squad, won again to maintain their stranglehold on the division and their spot at 3rd overall in the league, doing it in dramatic fashion, also on Monday Night Football. Facing division and cross-bay rival SF’s BowMen (1-5-0), the one eyed bandits staged a come back for the ages, posting 58 points to make the 159-153 victory possible in this one. always a slug fest between these two, 1 Eye now leads the all time series 5-1, and though the outcomes have been generally one sided, the games are always close, with an average margin of victory of just 7 and a half points. One Eye now enjoys a 3 game lead on the rest of the West Division, with Dem Bucking Broncos (2-4-0) likely in the best position to challenge after their monster 255-215 win over Eagle has landed (3-3-0) this week. The two clubs are currently 7th and 8th in the league in total scoring and opened the season by squaring off with each other in a match that 1 Eye won. They will also be finishing the season against each other in Week 13 in a game that could wind up being a de facto division championship game.
Around the rest of the league, Odin, of course, won again, continueing their campaign of terror, this time 248-198 over last year’s champs, Arizona. With they’re undefeated record and ranking on the AF Top 25 as the best team in the Association, they have a 3 game lead in the North Division standings and will play the division number 2 Motor City Kitties (3-3-0) in Week 7. A win in that match, and Odin could actually clinch the division title as early as week 9. The AF#8 and league #2 Who Dat Saints (5-1-0) won again in Week 6 as well, 193-176 over the Kitties, maintaining their single win lead over Birds of Prey (4-2-0) who paced them by defeating the AF#25 Northern Fins 275-206. The 275 point performance by BoP is in the top 5 single game scores in league history and should get them back into the Top 25 next week. The loss for the Fins, wraps them up in that East Division rat king, along with Steel Curtain and Eagle has landed. Technically fourth place within that tie, the AF#23 Jaw Breakers (3-3-0) beat the Indy-structibles 198-168 in a SimulPlay Game to remain the league’s number 2 scoring franchise right behind Odin. Week 7 will mark the midpoint of the 2018 regular season, and the beginning of the famous Super 16 playoff push.