The IFL is a 30 team league that uses the Action! PC football game by Dave Koch Sports.  If you would like more information about the IFL please contact Commissioner John Storer at jstorer715@gmail.com

WEEK 11 RECAP

Linval Joseph earns IFL Defensive honors with 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles as the Packers shut out the Jets.

 Green Bay 23 New York (A) 0                 51 10-20
The NY Jets hosted the Green Bay Packers, and were they ever hospitable!
 
The HOME team, did not get the home field advantage, the Jets fumbled 5 times, and threw
one interception. What a great group of guys.
 
Big Ben was 17-29 for 178 yards and 2 TDs. Ben Watson caught 5 passes, 2 of which were TDs.
 
For the Jets Mike Parlady punted 6 times putting 3 inside the 20, and averaged 50.3 yards per kick.
He continues to be the Jet's MVP!!
 
Next week Green Bay hosts Chicago, and the Jets visit Tampa Bay. My guess is the Jet players will
have their golf clubs with them, making it a business trip.
 
 Detroit 20 Buffalo 28                       42 10-20
After three the Bills led 28-7 when Cody Kessler and Michael Thomas got hot to make a comeback only to fall short 28-20 in Buffalo.
Thomas caught 12 balls for 169 yards and 2 TDS while Kessler had his best game of the year passing for 233 yards 3 TDS.
The Bills once again were led by Antonio Brown catching 12 for 195 and 2 TDS. Alex Smithpassed for 334 and 3 TDS along with 1 pick.

The BiIlls move to 7-4 while the Lions fall to 6-5. Detroit heads to Minneaplois next while Buffalo heads to New York to play the Jets.
 
 Cincinnati 38 Oakland 16                    65 5-15 
Melvin Gordon ran for 110 yards and a score as the Bengals down the Raiders 38-16.  But the big story was the return of Aaron Rodgers to the Cincinnati huddle.  Rodgers was a little rusty but finished 15 of 24 for 141 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT.  He also rushed for 54 yards and a score.  The Bengals rushed for 218 yards, good for a 5.1 average.  Oakland suffered a bad break when rookie star running back Alvin Kamara was knocked out of the game early in the third quarter.  The Raiders were forced to pass more with the Bengals playing the pass more as Matt Stafford completed 17 of 31 passes for 216 yards with a TD and an INT.  Jermaine Kearse was his top target hauling in 7 passes for 91 yards.
 
Next week Cincinnati host Jacksonville in a AFC Central match-up while the Raiders travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in an AFC West contest.
 
 Houston 17 Tennessee 24                     59 0-10 
Tennessee builds a 10-0 lead in the first 25 minutes of the game.  Houston's offense finally comes alive as Kirk Cousins puts together a 14 play 75 yard drive finished off by a 19 yard TD pass to Chris Godwin in the last minute of the half.  Tennessee 10 - Houston 7.
 
The Titans own the 3rd quarter with two drives finished off by Matt Ryan TD passes to DeAndre Hopkins and Kyle Rudolph.  Houston's offense is in neutral until with 9 minutes left in the game.  Then they take over on their 4 yard line and march 96 yards scoring on an 8 yard run by Cousins.  However the drive consumed 8:13 of the clock so there were only 24 seconds left in the game.  The onside kick is successful and Houston kicks a field goal with 4 seconds left in the game.  Final score is Tennessee 24 - Houston 17.
 
An odd stat is that Houston outgained Tennessee 282 to 261 yards.  The only problem was that the Texans accumulated 171 of those yards on the two drives at the end of the half and the end of the game.  Matt Ryan finished with a 116 QB rating thanks to 3 TD passes.
 
 Arizona 7 Carolina 38                       65 0-5  
Two teams looking for answers clash in Carolina. Arizona unfortunately comes up on the short end of the sticks as AJ McCarron throws 3 interceptions and is sacked 6 times. 
 
Carolina lead 21-7 at the half behind a solid run game. Breida did give Arizona hope with a 97 yard kick return for a TD which made the score 14 -7 Carolina. Arizona was unable to stop the Carolina rushing game though as the Panthers finish with a season high 283 yards on the ground lead by Abdullah with 101 yard performance. Johnson was solid in limited caries for Arizona averaging 5.3 yard per tote.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 25 Jacksonville 14          75 10-20 Rain 
Trailing 14-7 at the half, the Chargers score the final 18 points for the comeback win.  Tyrod Taylor throws for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns for Los Angeles.
        
 Tampa Bay 3 Miami 52                        87 0-5   Light Rain 
Tampa Bay rested key players and Miami just keeps rolling as the Fins roll up 505 yards to 151 for the Bucs.Final was 52-3 Fins.

Goff throws for 251 and 4 TDS with Baldwin catching 11 for 115 and 3 TDS, Ingram ran for 155 and a TD and the

Fins D kept the Bucs in check. Dolphins move to 11-0 while Bucs fall to 7-4. Tampa Bay heads to Indy next week while the Dolphins will head to Foxboro to play the Pats.
   
 Denver 6 Baltimore 27                       45 10-20
Baltimore grounded the high scoring Broncos offense with a swarming defense and a ball-control offense en route to a solid 27-6 victory at home, despite the Broncos being 4 point favorites on the road. Thanks to Patriot Kevin for filling in for Doug. He beat Ken by just 12 minutes.
 
Le'Veon Bell was named the game's MVP with 153 total yards - 99 on 20 carries and another 54 on 4 catches. Buck Allen (5/33) and Alex Collins (7/25) helped the Ravens rushing attack amass 157 yards on 37 attempts. Eli Manning was about as good as Eli will ever be - 20/31/178/2 TDs and no INTs. Adam Thielen caught a 17-yard TD pass (his fourth) to culminate the opening drive of the game for the Ravens. TE Jared Cook caught a 12-yard TD strike early in the 4th to give the Ravens some breathing room, 20-6. RB Alex Collins capped a 16-play (12 runs), 79-yard drive with a 4-yard TD plunge that took 8:30 off the clock in the 4th quarter and sucked the life right out of the Broncos.
 
Denver, who came into the game having scored 30+ points in 5 of their 10 games, couldn't cross the goal line versus the stingy Raven D. All their scoring came from the leg of Justin Tucker - FGs of 37 and 30 yards, both in the 2nd quarter. Blake Bortles wasn't bad...well, maybe he was...12-for-22, 136 yards with just 1 INT (S Keanu Neal notched his first pick). Break-away threats Kareem Hunt (16/59 on the ground and 2/25 through the air) and WR Tyreek Hill (4/84) just couldn't get on track and didn't have much of a supporting cast.
 
Denver's Luke Kuechly (12 tackles) and Carlos Dunlap (7 tackles, 1 hurry) did everything they could to keep it close, but in the end, the Ravens just wore them down. Oddly, there were no sacks for either team in this game.
 
Denver (8-3) remains tied atop the AFC West with Oakland (8-3), who lost to AFC Central leading Cincinnati (10-1), while the Ravens (6-5) remain tied with Tennessee (6-5) as both hunt for a WC spot. Next week, Denver hosts 6-4 Kansas City and Baltimore hosts 3-7 Pittsburgh.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 19 Washington 13            42 0-10 
The Rams win a rematch of last years NFC Championship game 19-13.  Too call it a defensive struggle would be an understatement.  The two teams combined for 4 interceptions and 13 punts.  
 
Just a little preview of the exciting first half:
 
Interception
FG
Punt
Punt
Interception
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Interception
Touchdown
Interception
Field goal
 
Washington will travel to Houston next week while the Rams will head to Tennessee.
 
 Philadelphia 3 New Orleans 20               70   
Philly would march into town with their 8-2 record to face the 9-1 Saints and their #1 ranked defense. The Saints would take the opening kickoff and efficiently take the ball right down the field which ended with a Flacco to Sheppard 14 yard TD strike. 7-0 New Orleans. Philly would then get the ball and after a great kick return would start from their own 41. They would then drive to the Saints 34 where Butker would hammer a 52 yard FG- 7-3 Saints. Both teams defenses would step up as they exchanged punts the rest of the quarter. The 2nd quarter was more of the same until about the half way mark. The Saints would face a 3rd and 1 from their own 30. Coach Rice anticipated a full out run defense and threw the bomb. Flacco completed a 70 yard TD to Dez Bryant for his 11th TD of the season(he better catch them all this season). Saints 14-3. The teams would exchange punts to finish the half. Philly would start the 2nd half deep in their own territory and be forced to punt. New Orleans would start at their own 46 and drive to the Eagles 26 befor McManus would nail a FG. Saints 17-3. Philly would get the ball but be forced to punt again. This time they pinned the Saints deep. The Saints not wanting to get conservative would throw and pay for it. Flacco threw a pick to McLeod. But the Saints D would come up with the stop and force another Butker FG. Butker's kick would sail wide left and that seemed to take the air out of the Eagles sail. The rest of the game was a lot of ball control by the Saints and would add one more FG for the 20-3 win. The Saints D was the MVP of the game holding the Eagles to 140 yards total offense. Flacco had 216 yards passing and 2 TD's with Dez catching for 129 yards and a touch. The Eagles had to start Nick Foles for the injured Winston and will face the 7-3 Cowboys next week. The Saints take a 2 game lead for #1 seed and will take on the 6-4 Falcons at home. 
                 
 Kansas City 24 Pittsburgh 27                48 0-10 
Tom Brady throws three TD passes, two of which were to Gronk as the Steelers hold off a Chief fourth quarter rally.
​
 New England 3 Chicago 30                    34 0-10 
The Patriots were unable to move the ball effectively against the Chicago defense, while the Bears offense was efficient.  Chicago outgained New England 371-96 and produced 20 first downs vs. 4 for the visitors.  Mariota was 23/30/282 and 3 TDs, all to Demaryius Thomas.
Chicago 30 New England 3
Next week New England hosts Miami and Chicago travels to Green Bay.
 
 New York (N) 35 San Francisco 38            67 0-10 
With the Giants and the Niners meeting in week 11 with 1 and 2 wins respectively, no one could guess that this would be a shootout between
two young QBs.  Giants Carson Wentz threw for 402 yards and 3 TDs while SF's Mitch Trubiskey scored all five 49er TDs, throwing for 3 TDs and
running for 2 others, gaining over 80 yards on 5 carries. Juwan Howard broke out of a season long slump with 26 carries for 141 yards.

 Dallas 33 Atlanta 31                        68   
Cam Newton was having a good game, with 217 yards and 3 TDs (1 rushing) but coach Steve still pulled him at half time with a 19-14 lead.
 
Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Tyrell Williams on a 67 yard TD pass on his 3rd play to extend the lead to 26-14. Rivers quickly got the lead for Falcons with 2 TD passes, separated by a successful onside kick.
 
Chandler Catanzaro extended the lead to 31-26 with a 34 yard FG with 3:07 left. On the Cowboys next drive, they turned it over on downs on their own 30 yard line with 1:38 left. Rivers then kneeled down 3 times, with the Cowboys calling their last two timeouts after the first two and the Falcons after the 3rd.  That set up a wind aided 50 yard FG attempt for Catanzaro. With 0:47 left, DePaola snapped the ball, Donnie Jones caught the ball, spinned it and set it up perfectly for Catanzaro's attempt. He kicked it long enough but the wind blew it just wide.
 
After the missed FG, Dallas took over at their own 40, down 31-26, with 0:44 left, no timeouts and needing a TD to win. After an incomplete pass, Fitzpatrick hit LeSean McCoy on a button and go and he broke free for 44 yards down to the Falcons 11 yard line with 0:26 seconds left. After a Fitzpatrick spike, the Cowboys had 0:10 and most likely one play left to win. Fitzpatrick drops back and goes through one read then another and another, while dodging the Falcons pass rush. On his 4th read, he found Lewis open over the middle and hit him in the end zone for the game winning TD, as the clock hit 0:00.
 
With the win, the Cowboys go to 8-3 while the Falcons fall to 6-5.
                 
 Minnesota 22 Indianapolis 30                69         
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.com) – High price free agent Case Keenum threw for 279 yards and 1 TD on 34-25 passes to help improve the Colts record to 7-3-1   over the Minnesota Vikings 5-6.
 
Minnesota came into the game with the number 2 scoring offense (29.3 per game) in IFL which was a major concern of Head Coach Ken Griffith, “after the butt beating we got last week, a 45-21 thrashing by Buffalo, we knew this was going to be tough, Drew Brees and Marshawn Lynch,…concern, a major concern.” Brees threw 5 touchdowns last week in a win over New England and Lynch ran for 116. Both stars were held in check by the Colts D. Lynch managed only 57 yards on 16 carries and Brees had a better day, tossing 2 TD and finishing with 256 yards, however the Colts were able to sack him 3 times. The defense was the star of today’s game forcing 2 key fumbles, one of which was a 13 yard “scoop and score” of a Brees sack and fumble early in the first quarter which put the Colts ahead 14-0, and they never looked back. On the play Brees faded back to pass from his own 17 when he was HIT and stripped by Cameron Wake (DE) his 7th sack of the year, and linebacker Telvin Smith scoops it up and scores.  
 
Second Half 
 
Early in the 4th quarter Minnesota would close the scoring gap to 22-27 on an 11 play 78 yard drive that finish with a Brees to wideout Dontrelle Inman 3 yard TD pass, his 2nd of the day and 5th in the last 3 games, he finished with 6 catches for 73 yards and 2 TD. Indianapolis would answer that score with a 6:34 minute 14 play 73 yard drive which ended with a Stephen Hauschka 22 yard FG. With 1:39 left in the game Colts leading 30-22, starting from their own 25 Minnesota had one more chance to tie the score but would turn the ball over on downs, final 30-22 Colts.
 
Next up
Tampa Bay Bucs 7-3 @ Indianapolis Colts (7-3-1)
Detroit Lions (6-4) @ Minnesota Viking (5-6)
           
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Ingram,M(Mia)   24-155  1 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    26-141 – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Anderson,C(Pit) 24-119
 Gordon,M(Cin)   20-110  1 TD
 Abdullah(Car)   19-101  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown,A(Buf)    12-195  2 TD
 Thomas,M(Det)   12-169  2 TD
 Baldwin,D(Mia)  11-115  3 TD
 Thomas,De(Chi)   8- 88  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Wentz(NYG)      34-26-407   3 TD  1 Int
 Smith,A(Buf)    33-26-334   3 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       26-20-251   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
Joseph(GB) 5 Tck, 2 Sacks, 2 FF – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Succop(LAR)    4-4 FG
 Cooper,P(Chi)  1-1 Kick Ret 9-136 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 11 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 11 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 10 RECAP

Bills receiver Antonio Brown after scoring one of his three touchdowns as Bills take a step forward in playoff bid.

Game Scores
 Indianapolis 21 Buffalo 45                  47 10-20
The Bills looked to get revenge on the Colts after losing in OT at Indy and the Bills did just that as Alex Smith threw for 379 yards and 5 TD's, Antonio Brown caught 12 for 211 and 3 TD's, Adam Humphries caught 6 for 121 as he broke loose for a 68 yarder. Freeman rushed for 107 on 15 carries.
 
Case Keenum was solid for Indy as he was 23 for 34 211 yards and 3 TD's but for the most part the Bills kept the big plays to a minimum...
 
The final score was 45-21 Bills as they improve to 6-4 and Indy falls to 6-3-1.The Bills host Detroit next while Indy host Minnesota.
 
 Denver 21 Los Angeles (A) 10                76 Calm
Blake Bortles throws two touchdown passes and runs for another as Broncos rally for come-from-behind win.

 New York (A) 6 Miami 45                     81 0-10  Light Rain    
Miami scores 21 unanswered second quarter points to cruise to the win.  Jared Goff throws four TD passes.

 Cincinnati 27 San Francisco 14              57 0-10
49ers strike first thanks to good field position as a Huber punt only netted 27 yards after the Agnew return.  A 26 yard strike from Trubisky to Boyd set up a Trubisky 3 yard run for the score, 7-0 San Fran at the 8:12 mark of the opening quarter.
 
Cincinnati took advantage of a 49er turnover and converted into a Ty Montgomery 9 yard touchdown run to tie it at 7 with 3:26 remaining in the quarter.  
 
At the 9:09 mark of quarter 2, substitute kicker Conner Barth gave the Bengals their first lead booming a 50 yard field goal, 10-7.  After forcing a San Francisco punt, Hundley connected with Walker for the 24 yard score to give Cincinnati a 17-7 lead.  After another San Francisco punt, Hundley engineered a nine play, 52 yard drive that led to a 39 yard field goal and a 20-7 Bengals lead at the half.
 
The Bengals extended their lead to 27-7 as Gordon went in from a yard out.  The Niners closed out the scoring with a Howard four yard run that was set up by a Diggs 75 yard catch and run for the 27-14 final.
 
Hundley finished 11 of 21 for 118 yards and a TD.  Gordon rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries and a score. Walker led the receivers with 8 catches for 94 yards and a TD.
 
For San Francisco, Trubisky was 12 of 20 for 150 yards.  Howard had 22 carries for 66 yards and a score.
 
Next week the 49ers host the Giants while Cincinnati is at Oakland.
 
 Detroit 14 Green Bay 19                     46 5-15
First place was on the line as the upstart Lions visited Lambeau.
 
Lions had things going their way early.
 
Packers gamble on 4th and 2 from the Detroit 44 and fail.
 
Steve Nordberg's surprise Kittens take the gift and move quickly downfield
getting big plays from WR Micheal Thomas and RB Leonard Fournette.
 
Lenny powers it onto the end zone from 1 yard out...7-0 Lions
 
On the next series Green Bay lost OC Eric Wood for part of a big portion of the game
(and it seemed like forever considering our backup Matt Slauson wasn't even dressed)
 
After a Packers punt, the hosts looked like they got a break when QB Cody Kessler is picked off
deep in his own end, but a roughing the passes penalty on Calais Campbell would negate the INT.
Two plays later Fournette coughed the ball up after being hammered by ILB Ryan Shazier.
 
Green Bay was in business at the Lions 44. After a pair of Jay Ajayi runs went for short gains
QB Ben Roethlisberger found WR Emmanueal Sanders for a first down. Nordberg challenged the
reception whining that the ball had hit the turf. The suits in New York agreed and the visitors dodged
a bullet.
 
The game took a huge turn early in the second quarter when Fournette went down with a serious
ankle injury.
 
On the next series, down 7-3, Green Bay put together a masterful drive that left the Lions
scratching their proverbial 5-heads.
 
Mixing Ayaji and Jamal Charles on the ground and using 4 different receivers, the hosts
went 96 yards on 15 plays, culminating with a Roethlisberger to Sanders one yard TD toss
 
10-7 Packers at the half.
 
Without Fournette to keep the defense honest, the Lions went back to back
three and outs to start the 3rd. Meanwhile, the Green Bay offense tacked on a
Robbie Gould FG and an uncoverted Sanders 13 yard TD reception to go up 19-7.
 
The Lions would stay in the game after some no name RB named
Artis-Payne or Artis-Gilmour or something, ripped off a 43 yard TD run
to make it 19-14 to end the 3rd.
 
The 4th was tension filled as the Pack couldn't get anything going
offensively. Luckily, the Lions never got over midfield on their 3 final three possessions
allowing the home team to escape with a hard fought 19-14 victory.
 
Always enjoy playing the Lions. Steve called a great game.
Even without Fournette he had us sweating right up until the end.
 
Notables:
 
Kessler            15-32 126, 1 int, 44.5 rating
Atris-Gilmour    9 rush-81yards,  43 yard TD
M. Thomas       7 rec-75 yards  17 targets!
 
Roethlisbeger  23-36 198, 2TDs 96.8 rating
J. Charles       9 rush-75 yards
Sanders          5 rec-56 yards   2TDs
 
Next:
 
Detroit (6-4) travels to Buffalo (6-4)
Green Bay (7-3) visits New York Jets (1-9)
  
 Houston 3 Kansas City 23                    44 20-30
Andy Dalton throws 2 TD passes to Jarvis Landry and Steven Gostkowski kicks 3 field goals as the Chiefs dominate the Texans.
 
 New England 10 Minnesota 35                 68          
New England, 1-7-1, came into the frozen wild of Minnesota to take on the slumping Vikings (4-5, losers of 4 of their last 5).
 
On the first play of the game from scrimmage, Drew Brees threw an interception, and two plays later the Patriots were in the end zone on a 1-yard DeShone Kizer run, 7-0, after just a minute of play.
 
The next possession, New England forced Minnesota to punt, then marched 73 yards down the field in 11 plays, finally settling on a 25-yard field goal by Jake Elliott to up their lead to 10-0.
 
In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Patriots had scored 10 points, which was only one point short of their game average entering the contest. And Brees had yet to complete a pass.
 
The Vikings came alive at that point, however, and then there was no stopping them. Brees completed 21 of his next 23 passes, throwing for 5 touchdowns, Marshawn Lynch gobbled up 116 yards on 24 carries, and Chris Ivory came off the bench to add 142 total yards from scrimmage (83 running, 59 receiving) as Minnesota rebounded big time for a 35-10 win.
 
Stars on the ground for New England were Christian McCaffrey and Kizer, who combined for 111 yards rushing. Kizer netted only 68 yards through the air, for a 43.1 passing rating, whereas Brees, almost twice as old as Kizer, had 259 yards and a 132.8 rating.
 
The Vikings are now 5-5 (0-4 vs. division rivals Green Bay and Tampa Bay, 5-1 versus the rest of the league) (the Vikings have scored over 30 points in all 6 games versus the rest of the league, but are averaging only 20 vs. division rivals). New England drops to 1-8-1.
 
In week 11, Minnesota visits powerful Indianapolis, while New England visits struggling Chicago.
          
 Tennessee 19 Pittsburgh 14                  42 0-5   Light Rain 
This game was played with the temperature at 42 degrees (farenheit) in light rain.  Pittsburgh started off the game with a 75 yard drive capped by a Brady to Gronkowski TD pass.  Tennessee then dominated most of the second quarter with a TD on a Ryan to Hopkins 41 yarder along with two field goals.  However with only 3:14 left on the clock Brady moved the Steelers 75 yards and scored on a 1 yard QB sneak.  At the half it was Pittsburgh 14 - Tennessee 13.
 
The Titans dominated most of the second half with three substantial drives but these only resulted in two field goals and a failed 4th and 1 gamble on the Steeler 16 yard line.  With 3:40 to go in the game the Steelers took over on their 25.  Brady mixed runs and passes to move Pittsburgh all the way down to the Titan 7 yard line but only 2 seconds were left on the clock.  Brady looked for his favourite target Gronkowski but it got batted away.  Final score Tennessee 19 - Pittsburgh 14.
 
Eric Decker had 8 receptions for 98 yards for the Steelers.  Ryan was the game MVP going 24 for 32 for 241 yards and 1 TD.
 
Many thanks to Ken from Indianapolis for subbing for Vince.
  
 Chicago 9 Tampa Bay 13                      78 0-5   Rain    
The Bears, winners of 2 games and 9 point underdogs, paid a visit to the Buccaneers.  Tampa is in the middle of a dogfight in the NFC Central along with Green Bay and Detroit, all at six wins.  Tampa suffered a 29 to 10 drubbing in Chicago earlier in the season.
 
The game was played in a light rain.  Defense dominated the day.  The Bears outstanding defensive lineup held Derek Carr and Todd Gurley in check.  The lack of a consistent Chicago running attack allowed Tampa Bay to play an extra DB making it difficult on the young Marcus Mariota. 
 
First quarter action included a 13 play drive by each team, however, two field goals were the result of both efforts.  3 – 3 after one quarter. 
 
The only touchdown and the only truly big offensive play came midway through the second quarter.  On fourth down and with mere inches to go, Carr audibles at the line to a play action bomb to Devante Adams for a 54 yard touchdown pass.  Rojas adds a field goal late in the quarter for a halftime score of 10 – 6, Tampa with the lead. 
 
Deep in the third quarter Tampa is able to work to the Chicago 11 yard line with the score still 10 to 6.  On second down and six to go, Ryan Kerrigan and Bobby Wagner come on one of the many Bear blitzes on the day.  Kerrigan strips the ball from Carr and Wagner recovers the fumble to the stop the drive!
 
After a Chicago three and out the Buccaneers added a field goal to their slim lead.  The score after three quarters was 13 – 6 Bucs. 
 
In a sluggish fourth quarter the two teams exchange field goals.  Tampa plays conservatively, and Chicago gets a couple of drives going.  On fourth down from the Tampa 40 yard line with 1:18 left in the game, Tyrann Mathieu picks off Mariota effectively ending the game.
 
The two offenses only possessed the ball twice in the red zone. These possessions culminated in a total of 3 points. Chicago managed 250 yards of offense - 116 of that came from Demaryius Thomas.  A dominant Bear defense held Todd Gurley to 30 yards rushing on 24 attempts.  Ryan Kerrigan led the way on defense for Chicago with 8 tackles, 2 of them sacks, and the forced fumble. 
 
The difference in the game was the one long TD pass to Devante Adams. 
 
Next week Tampa travels east to try and trip up undefeated Miami while Chicago hosts New England. 
     
 Dallas 22 Arizona 21                        68 Calm 
Where has the Mighty Red Bird gone?
 
It seems like only yesterday Arizona lost to Oakland in the Super Bowl.  Like the Dan Marino years with the Dolphins everyone waited for Big Ben’s return for his ring.  However, the team seemed to crumble around their star QB and began to slip each year.  It became obvious in 2018 the Cardinals would not be able to rebuild before the setting sun of Big Ben.
 
The Cardinals GM decided it was time to rebuild, but unfortunately at the cost of the 2018 season.  Young players are gaining valuable experience, but also making too many mistakes.  For the second time in the same season Zona loses to Dallas by 1 point.
 
The young Red Birds played a strong game.  On Dallas’ first series Thompson intercepted a Newton pass deep in Dallas territory and it only took one play to turn it into 7 points for Zona.  The Arizona defense returned to the field energized and held Dallas to three and out.  On Arizona’s second possession they would drive the length of the field to put Zona ahead by 14 points.
 
Dallas appeared to be the deer in the headlights as Zona continually shut down their offense.  Dallas would throw a second interception and it looked promising for Zona.  However, for those who could read the tea leaves, it was more of the same.  Zona simply could not consistently move the ball.  Early in the second quarter, Newton would hit Stills for a 71 yard TD to close within 7 points.  With just over 4 minutes left Dallas would drive from their own 8 yard line to potentially tie the game. However, a missed extra point by Dallas would leave them behind by 1. Zona would end their chances in the first half with a McCarron interception.
 
After yet another failed Arizona series on their first possession of the second half, Dallas would drive for a FG to put them up by 2 points.  Finally, Arizona would breath again.  While Dallas concentrated on stopping Duke Johnson, Zona traversed the field on McCarron’s arm to score their third TD.  Now up by 4, Zona only needed to keep Dallas out of the end zone.    
 
On Dallas’ next series Zona shut them out.  However, on the very next series McCoy was able to break a short pass into a 46 yard gain.  Dallas would take the FG to move ahead by one point.  Arizona was not done however.  With 15 minutes left Zona would drive from their own 25 yard line to the Dallas 34 yard line while burning 7 minutes off the clock.  On a 3rd and 3, Breida would attempt to pick up a first down only to be thrown for a 1 yard loss.  Down by 1 point, Zona attempted a long FG without success.
 
Dallas came close to costing themselves the game with a controversial call on Zona’s one yard line.  After failing on a 3rd and 1 with goal to go, Dallas would attempt to score the TD on 4th and 1 rather than taking the chip shot FG.  Zona managed a brilliant goal line stand and took over on downs at the one yard line.  Zona would move the ball to their 25 yard line before negative plays stopped their final possession.
 
 Philadelphia 24 Washington 28               50 Calm 
Washington scores 14 points in the final 5 minutes to beat Philly 28-24.  The Redskins have gone from losing to the winless Giants to knocking off the 8-1 Eagles.  Philly fans will be spending the rest of the week talking about the aggressive decision to go for a 4th and 1 with j2 minutes left to play at the Washington 42 yard line up by 3.   Philly would fail and give the Redskins great field position on their game winning drive.  
 
It was also a physically painful game for Philly as they lost Hitchens for 3 weeks, Winstons for 2 weeks, Rowe for 7 weeks and Witherspoon for 3 weeks.
 
 Carolina 26 Atlanta 31                      68     
Josh McCown had a Josh McCown game. He completed a lot of passes but a couple of them were to the other side. Ultimately, though, down 26-17 with 6:02 left, he came up big. He led the Falcons offense on a 10 play 75 yard drive, ending in a Larry Fitzgerald TD to close the gap to 26-24. The Falcons then kicked deep with 1:56 left in the game and all their timeouts. Wilson completed a pass to Mike Evans but it's called back on a DJ Fluker penalty. The Panthers then run 3 times, with a Falcons timeout after each and then punt the ball away.
 
On the punt, Jakeem Grant returned it 15 yards to the Panthers 43  and fumbled it and fortunately TJ Watt recovered it. Lamar Miller then sets up the Falcons with a 21 yard run at the 14 yard line with 24 seconds left and down by 2, 26-24. Without timeouts, the Falcons decide to try once for the end zone and hit Larry Fitzgerald for a TD  to take the lead 31-24. The Panthers take over with 18 seconds left but simply not enough time left against the Falcons prevent defense.
 
Falcons made the big plays and the ball bounced the Falcon's way at the end which helped the Falcons come away with a 31-26 victory over the Panthers.
 
With the home win, the Falcons go to 6-4 while the Panthers fall to 4-6.
 
Russell Wilson was excellent for the Panthers with 245 yards, 2 TDs and no picks. Both his TD passes were to Mike Evans who had 7 catches for 107 yards and the two TDs.
 
Josh McCown had 311 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. He also had 4 scrambles for 31 yards and a TD rushing. Larry Fitzgerald had 9 catches for 120 yards and 2 TDs. Lamar Miller had 19 rushes for 122 yards to balance the offense.
               
 Los Angeles (N) 7 New Orleans 19            70
Saints dominate Rams in New Orleans. Flacco doesn't throw an incomplete pass and Dez Bryant scores a long late touchdown to put the game out of reach.             
       
 Baltimore 30 Jacksonville 10                62 5-15 
The Ravens came to Jacksonville and laid a severe beating on the hosts en-route to a 30-10 victory. The pain was swift and decisive as a porous Jags defence was eviscerated for 27 first half points. The Jags on the other hand were a comedy of errors throughout.

Arron Donald was the game MVP with 8 tackles, 2 sacks and one forced fumble.

 Oakland 30 New York (N) 0                   45 Calm 
The Raiders defense turned this matchup into a rout quickly as the vaunted Silver and Black returned two interceptions for touchdowns and sacked opposing quarterback Carson Wentz for a safety on its way to a 30-0 victory. The Raiders jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and went into safe mode, content with letting its defense run out the string. Matthew Stafford was 9 of 14 for two touchdowns and the Raiders' running backs combined for over 35 carries.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Miller,L(Atl)   19-122
 Lynch,M(Min)    24-116
 Freeman,D(Buf)  15-107
 McCoy,L(Dal)    19-102  1 TD
 Gordon,M(Cin)   21-102  1 TD
 Morris,A(Mia)   12-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown,A(Buf)    12-211  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Woods,R(NYJ)    10-110
 
 Passing Leaders
 Smith,A(Buf)    28-24-379   5 TD
 McCown(Atl)     36-26-311   3 TD  2 Int
 Brees(Min)      25-21-259   5 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       21-13-194   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Coyle(SF)        15 Tk
 Donald (Bal) 8Tk, 2 Sacks, 1 FF – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Bailey,D(Ten)  4-4 FG  - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Lambo(Car)     4-4 FG
 McManus(NO)    4-5 FG
​

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WEEK 10 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 10 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 9 RECAP

Giants linebacker Preston Smith enjoys the final seconds before New York's first win of the season.

Game Scores
Washington 14 New York (N) 15               45 0-5  
Behind a game-for-the-ages performance by D Mays (22-74-3.4) and despite my kicker missing 2 PATs and Wentz's pick-six, the Giants pull off a stunning 15-14 upset of the heavily favored Washington un-PC's.  New York linebacker Preston Smith contributed 2 interceptions, a sack, and 10 tackles.
 
 Arizona 15 Philadelphia 17                  49 Calm  Rain  
On a cold rainy day in Philadelphia, the 0-8 Cardinals would come in looking for their 1st win of the season against the division-leading Eagles.  The Eagle brass decided before game time to sit starting QB Jameis Winston and RB Demarco Murray in order to save them for the rest of the season.  Nick Foles would replace Winston in hopes of continuing the Eagles winning ways.
 
Arizona would draw first blood against a reinforced Eagle defense by driving 57 yards on 11 plays ending in a Caleb Sturgis FG.  Cards up 3-0.
 
The Eagles would take the ensuing kickoff and drive 75 yards on 11 plays.  The Eagles had a 4th and 1 at the goal line and decided to go for it and newly acquired RB Rex Burkhead would leap over the top to put the Eagles in front 7-3.  At this point, the Eagle coaching staff was feeling pretty good about the decision to rest some starters.
 
On their next possession, the Cards would turn in over when QB AJ McCarron would throw it to Eagle LB Sam Acho who would put the Eagles in scoring position at the Cards 30.  However, on 2nd down from the Cards 30, Foles would drop back to pass and be sacked and stripped of the ball by Cards DE Tak McKinley.  Cards LB Tyus Bowser would pick up the ball and ramble 63 yards for a TD and a 9-7 Cardinal lead after the extra point was missed.
 
The Eagles would come right back behind the passing of Foles and drive down the field speedily and put the Eagles back in front when Foles hit TE Evan Engram on a 26 yard TD.  Eagles up 14-9
 
This was the point in the game where the offenses fell asleep and the defenses dominated.  There were 12 punts between the 2 teams as the field position game was being played.  The Eagles were finally able to mount a short drive midway through the 3rd quarter and K Harrison Butker would nail a 51 yard FG to make it 17-9.
 
The 2 teams continued to exchange punts into the 4th quarter.  The Eagle defense had done its job all game holding down a depleted Card offense.  However, on their 1st possession of the 4th quarter, McCarron would hit TE OJ Howard on a screen and he would ramble 96 yards to pull the Cards within striking distance at 17-15.  The Eagle crowd became anxious at this point.
 
With just over 11 minutes left in the game, the Cards would get it back with a chance to drive down the field and take the lead.  They would take 8 minutes off the clock and go all the way to the Eagle 18.  It looked like the Cards would take the lead and possibly win their 1st game of the year.  However, consecutive holding penalties would push the Cards back to their 38 and out of FG range.  Philadelphia would run the clock under 2 minutes, punt the Cards deep into their own territory and hold on for the victory.
 
It was a nailbiter all the way.  Cards GM and Coach Jim Heaton did a great job hanging in and, if not for those holding penalties, may have pulled off the upset.
 
Next week, the Eagles will play an important divisional game against the Redskins while the Cards will attempt to win their first game against the tough Cowboys.
       
 Buffalo 31 New England 3                    48 5-15 
In Week 3, Antonio Brown was not shy about sharing his displeasure over the off-season trade which jettisoned him from New England to Buffalo.  Brown caught 7 passes for 112 yards and 3 TDS in the Bills 37-20 win.  So what would A.B do for an encore in his return to Foxboro?  
 
Try 10 catches, 121 yards and 3 more touchdowns.
 
Alex Smith was outstanding as well, completing 24 of 33 attempts for 241 yards, 3 passing TDs and a rushing TD.  Buffalo's defense stifled the inept Patriot offense all day.  New England had less yards passing in the first half (10) than they did penalty yards (25).  
 
Buffalo raced to a 24-0 lead at halftime, and could have won this game by 50 had they not taken the foot off the gas.  Bills had 25 first downs on the day, to New England's 7.  Buffalo's only complaint would be the 10 penalties whistled against them, but even 30 penalties against wouldn't have changed the outcome here.  Bills win in a rout:  31-3.
 
 Chicago 7 Detroit 17                        70  
This was reminiscent of an early '70's Black & Blue match up.  Too bad it was in a dome.
 
First half was a lot of punting, seeing the Bears leading 7-3 at the half.
 
Some more punting then the Lions are able to put together a 8 play 80 yard drive to take the lead 10-7.  Prior to that a Detroit interception was called back due to roughing the passer, which we did.  Shook 'ol Mariota up a bit.
 
Mariota then thew an interception early in the 4th, on a reviewed play & the Lions went on to win 17-7
 
Mariota had a bad afternoon with a 57.4 rating,  Cody "the Cobra" Kessler ended up with 181 yards and a 95.2 rating
 
Fournette netted 108 on the ground including a nice 28 yard scamper.  Most of all Michael Thomas caught a 51 yard pass to account for 20% of the Lions offense.
 
Next week Chicago travels to Tampa, while Detroit goes to Wisconsin.
                  
 Baltimore 13 Tennessee 30                   66 5-15 
The Titans were favoured by 4 in this contest between two teams mired in the middle of the pack quagmire.  The first 20 minutes was a field goal kicking contest with Tennessee kicking 2 and the Ravens 1.  In the second quarter each team put together a TD drive so at the half it was Tennessee 13 - Baltimore 10.  BTW the sack of the year took place with Baltimore having a second and 4 at the Titan 37.  Yannick Ngakoue beat his man and started chasing Eli Manning all over the field.  Manning finally fell down whimpering 27 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
 
The second half belonged to the Titans as a rash of penalties and two 3rd quarter turnovers doomed the Ravens.  Two Matt Ryan TD passes and another field goal ensured the win as Baltimore could only manage a field goal in the half.  Tennessee 30 - Baltimore 13.
 
Baltimore really missed Aaron Donald as well as Marcus Cannon, Chris Hogan and Joe Thomas.  AJ Green was their stat leader with 5 catches of 63 yards.  For Tennessee Matt Ryan was 22 for 27, 206 yards and 2 TDs.  DeAndre Hopkins caught 7 passes for 113 yards and a TD.  In week 10 it's Baltimore at Jacksonville and Tennessee at Pittsburgh.
 
 Pittsburgh 17 Cincinnati 27                 41 5-15 
In AFC Central action, the Bengals hosted the Steelers.  Pittsburgh struck first at the 6:16 mark of the opening quarter as Vinatieri connected on a 41 yard field goal.  The score remained 3-0 Steelers at the end of the quarter.
 
The Bengals finally started to matriculate down the field.  Enough for Fairbairn to tie the game with a 31 yard kick.  After an exchange of punts, Cincinnati got the first break of the game.  Hyde intercepted Brady.  After a 34 yard run by Gordon, Hundley found Funchess for the eight yard score, 10-3 Bengals with less than a minute remaining in the half.  Nothing is ever safe when going against Brady.  He connected with Gronk for a 47 yard catch and run and with eight seconds remaining found Holton for the 11 yard score, 10 all at the half.
 
The Steelers were able to set up Vinatieri for a 50 yard attempt to open the second half but it was wide.  The Bengals took advantage of the good field position.  Mel Gordon continued his hot running with a 22 yard run.  Hundley then hit Jeffery for 12 and Richardson for the 18 yard score, 17-10 Cincinnati with about 8:30 left in the quarter.  The Steelers went three and out on their next possession.  Hundley stayed hot hitting Jeffrey for 29 yards and Richardson for 14.  Capping the drive off with another touchdown to Funchess, 24-10 Bengals.  The Steelers gambled and failed on fourth and three giving Cincinnati the ball at 50 as the quarter was closing.
 
Pittsburgh held the line thanks to a sack by Wilhoite, forcing a Cincinnati punt.  After forcing another Steelers three and out Ty Montgomery broke free for a 30 yard gain.  This set up Fairbairn's 53 yard field goal to give the Bengals a 27-10 lead.  Pittsburgh closed out the scoring as Brady found Lewis from 10 yards out for the 27-17 final.
 
Brady finished 24 of 37 for 290 yards and two TDS and an INT.  Gronk had seven receptions for 109 yards.
 
For Cincinnati, Hundley played his best game of his career (wouldn't take much) going 19 of 26 for 190 yards and three TD passes.  Gordon rushed 14 times for 113 yards.
 
Next week the Steelers host Tennessee while the Bengals travel to San Francisco.
 
 Miami 42 Green Bay 23                       30 0-5  
Undefeated Miami comes into Green Bay and puts the hurt down
 
Packers newcomer Jamal Charles fumbles on the opening drive
setting up the first Dolphins TD.  Jared Goff hit Brandon Cooks from 5 yard out to make it 7-0.
 
After 3 consecutive punts, Miami got a huge play. Packers expecting a run to Mark Ingram deep in Dolphins territory but instead Goff hits a streaking Doug Baldwin for an 86 yard TD. Brent Grimes was burned badly on the play.  14-0
 
On the next Packers possession penalties and a Roethlisberger sack backed up the hosts.  Goff moved down the short field smartly. Ingram punched it in from 2 yards....21-0
 
Just like last week the Packers would come back however
 
On the ensuing kickoff Bobby Rainey took it back 53 yards to give the home team some life.  5 plays later Big Ben hit Emmanuel Sanders from 15 yards out.....21-7
 
After an exchange of punts the Pack got a huge play from the defense. Miami was driving deep into Green Bay territory when Clay Matthews hammered Goff from behind, Brian Orakpo scooped it up
and went 72 yards to paydirt 21-13 (extra point was missed).
 
Team exchanged late TD's.
 
28-20 at the end of an entertaining first half
 
Story of the second half was the Miami defense coming up big on multiple occasions. Packers had the ball first and goal on the Dolphins 1, not once, but TWICE and came up with only 3 points. Huge first down stops and holding penalties on 2nd down killed both scoring chances.
 
Miami made the most of their 2 second half red zone opportunities scoring TD's both times.
 
Final score was 42-23 Miami
 
Goff 23-34 397  5TDs
Baldwin 8-170 2TDs
Ingram 15-65 1TD despite being knocked out early in the 3rd
 
Roethlisberger 17-32 184 1td
Ajayi  19-100 1Td
Sanders 6-83 1TD
 
Week 10
 
Miami (9-0) host the J-E-T-S Jets (1-7) and are favored by 18
Green Bay (6-3) takes on the smoke and mirrors Detroit Lions (5-3).
 
 San Francisco 23 Los Angeles (N) 21         56 Calm 
49ers hold on in an exciting finish to get their second win of the season. 49er QB Mitchell Trubisky was the hero of the day, finding some footing in the second half converting third downs and then making a huge play on a two minute drive to put the Niners in position for the winning score.
 
Rams got off to a fast start scoring 14 points in the first quarter. Rams QB Andrew Luck found Trey Burton for a short score on the opening drive and then a few possessions later Rams punt returner Tarik Cohen returned a Niners punt for a Touchdown. The 49ers regrouped in the 2nd quarter, Trubisky found Seth Roberts on a 3rd 8 in the Rams end to cut the lead in half. On the next Rams possession, Luck threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by 49ers CB Jason McCourty, tie game 14-14 at the half.
 
The momentum had shifted, the Niners were able to muster two long drives that resulted in field goals giving them a 20-14 lead. The Rams finally answered late in the 4th quarter. After a key penalty on 3rd and 12 in the Niners end which gave the Rams a new set of downs, Luck found Burton again for his second touchdown, Rams lead 21-20. On the next 49ers possession the Rams forced a couple incompletions making the down and distance 3rd & 10. Trubisky went back to pass, didn't see what he liked and took off, for 50 yards. The Niners ran off some time and kicked a field goal, giving them the lead 23-21. The Rams received the ball with 1:33 left. Luck found TY Hilton for a big 18 yard completion getting the Rams into the Niners end. The Rams edged closer with another couple successful plays. Rams decided to attempt the game winning field  goal from 36 yards out, but missed. Rams kicker Ryan Succop, having a terrible season, missed his 8th kick of the year counting both field goals and xps on only 29 attempts. This one was costly, the Niners take the win.
 
49ers QB Trubisky, did not have eye popping numbers, but running and passing he totaled 252 yards, 100 on the ground. He moved the ball enough in the second half to get the 49ers the win.
 
Rams defensive end Trey Flowers did his best to keep the 49ers in check, finishing with 13 tackles and 2 sacks, but it was not enough.
 
Next week the 49ers host the Bengals, while the Rams travel to take on the Saints.
 
 New York (A) 3 Indianapolis 24              69  
Indianapolis, Indiana (IFL.com) – The Indianapolis Colts improve their record to 6-2-1 with a 24-3 win over the visiting New York Jets (1-8). Game MVP Case Keenum threw 2 touchdown passes and Isaiah Crowell ran for 92 yards on 15 carries in the win. 
 
First Half 
 
Indianapolis came into the game has an 8 point favorite and finally, the boys in the desert got this one right. The Colts scored the first 10 points of the game on a Malcolm Brown (RB) 7 yard TD run and a Steven Hauschka 43 yard field goal. Following an 11 play 71 yard drive the Jet’s Dustin Hopkins would kick a 38 FG for the first and only score for the boys from Gotham, Jets 3 Colts 10. With 14 seconds left in the first-half Keenum would hit Michael Crabtree (WR)  for a 7 yard touchdown, 17-3 Colts at intermission. 
 
Second Half 
 
Early in the third quarter Keenum would toss his second touchdown pass of the game on a short 7-yard slant to Golden Tate, which would provide the final score of the game 24-3 Colts.          
 
The win keeps the 2nd place Colts 2 games ahead of the Buffalo Bills (4-4) in the AFC East and 2 games in back of the first place and undefeated Miami Dolphins (8-0).
 
In week 10 Indianapolis travel to Buffalo and the Jets go to the sunshine state to play the Miami Dolphins the number one ranked team in the IFL power rankings.          
 
Notable Players
 
New York Jets
Ryan Mallet (QB) 27-21, 205 Yards 
Jerick McKinnon (RB) 15- 47 Yards 
Robert Woods (WR) 9 – 94 Yards 
Sammy Watkins (WR) 7- 65 
 
Indianapolis Colts
Malcolm Brown 10-52 Yards 1 TD 
Vernon Davis (TE) 6-54 Yards 
Golden Tate (WR) 4-48 1 TD 
Telvin Smith (LB) ejected for fighting  
                  
 Los Angeles (A) 22 Dallas 7                 70 
Chargers come up with their best effort of the season.  Amari Cooper catches 6 passes for 110 yards and a score for Los Angeles.          
​  
 Jacksonville 17 Atlanta 19                  68   
Philips Rivers was named MVP as he led the Falcons to a 19-17 victory over the Jags.
 
The Falcons jumped out to a 16-0 lead going into the 4th quarter on a TD pass from Rivers to Tevin Coleman. In the 4th, the Jags started their comeback. It started with an 11 play drive for 65 yards, ending in an 11 yard Elijah Hood TD to get the Jags on the board at 16-7.
 
After a swap of FGs, Jay Cutler got red hot hitting Jack Doyle for 18 yards, Rashad Higgins for 16 yards and then Torrey Smith twice, including a 25 yard pass for a TD to close the gap to 19-17 with 0:41 left in the game.
 
Jags then tried an onside kick and recovered it on their on 46  yard line with 31 seconds left. After 3 incompletions, Mackensie Alexander picked off Jay Cutler on 4th down to end the game.
 
For the Jags, Elijah Hood had a breakout game with 27 carries for 120 yards and a TD while Philip Rivers had 265 yards and a TD pass for the Falcons.
 
With the win, the Falcons go to 5-4 while the Jags fall to 2-7.
                 
 Denver 21 Houston 16                        70           
The Broncos get a hard fought win in Houston as the Texans nearly pulled off the upset.
Pete called a great game.
         
 Kansas City 17 Oakland 45                   65 10-20
Oakland wins in a rout despite Kamara going down in the first quarter. Stafford was unstoppable and Carlos Hyde rushed for 129 yards in the 45-17 victory.
 
 New Orleans 24 Carolina 20                  74 Calm 
The first place Saints roll into Carolina in a divisional match up. The first quarter was a slog as neither team was able to score. Early in the second Flacco hit Bryant on a 83 yard pass and the Saints punched it in a few plays later for the 7-0 lead. The teams then exchanged field goals before Carolina threw a TD pass to tie the game at 10-10 and that is where it would stay going into the half. 
 
In the third the Saints strike first with a one yard run from Stewart but the Panthers answer quickly with a 6 yard run from Drake.The saints then drive down the field as Flacco punches it in from the one to take the 24-17 lead. Carolina is able to get a field goal with 3 minutes left to draw within 4. The Saints however are able to run the clock out as the largest issue for Carolina rears its head again. No matter what defense is called or who is running the ball behind whatever quality of O-line the Carolina D repeatedly gets gashed by the opponents run game.
 
The Saints look to have a commanding lead in the West and Carolina is looking for answers.
 
Tampa Bay 31 Minnesota 21                   68   
Tampa Bay's A team showed up, not the scrub team that lost to a winless team, and it thumped the discouraged Vikings. The Vikes started off the game moving the ball, driving deep into Buc territory in the 1st period, but they went for a 4th-and-1 -- and were stymied. They were lifeless after that, and the Bucs opened up a 28-7 lead. Two Vikings touchdowns made the game 28-21, but Tampa Bay kicked a late field goal, 31-21, and that was that.
 
Great game called by Sir Smog, whose mighty team somehow had been outscored this season going into the game. Hard to figure!!
                 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Hyde,C(Oak)     25-129  1 TD
 Gurley II(TB)   24-124  2 TD
 Hood,E(Jax)     27-120  1 TD
 Gordon,M(Cin)   14-113
 Stewart,J(NO)   20-108  1 TD
 Fournette(Det)  24-108
 Trubisky(SF)    5-101
 Ajayi(GB)       19-100  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Baldwin,D(Mia)   8-170  2 TD
 Bryant,D(NO)     5-161  1 TD
 Brown,A(Buf)    10-121  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Goff(Mia)       34-23-397   5 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   36-21-349   3 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    47-31-253   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Smith,P(NYG)     2 Int 1 Sk 10 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Rainey(GB)     6-151 Kick Ret
 Switzer(Jax)   5-168 Kick Ret
 Forbath(Atl)   4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Mickens(Oak)   7-135 Punt Ret  1 TD

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WEEK 9 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 9 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 8 RECAP

Leonard Fournette rushes for 152 yards and 2 scores as the Lions roll Tampa Bay 36-14.

Game Scores
 Detroit 36 Tampa Bay 14                     85 0-10 
10 point underdog Lions come out of FLA with a win. 
 
TB jumped of early taking the opening KO dive for a TD.  Then as the game progressed as predicted, but alas, Detroit managed an a stop on 3 & inches at mid field when Gurley fumbled leading to a Det FG.   Once again the Bucs went on the move, but Carr was intercepted as he went for the TD from the 35, leading to a Kessler-Thomas 44 yrd TD.  Holly smolly, it's 10-7 Lions.
 
Then it was 17-7, 24-7, 27-7 and finished 36-14.
 
Bucs:  Carr started on fire but went cold in the middle of the game.  22/37 for 211 1 int 2 tds, but 3 sacks
Gurley got 93 on the ground.
 
Lions:  Kessler started very slow, then looked his all pro self going 14/19 205 yrds 2 tds
Fournette had 152 yrds with 2 tds
 
The Lions have now scored 66 of their points in two games, & scoring 58 in the other 6. 
 
In week 9, TB travels to division rival Minny, while Det hosts Chi in another divisional game.
 
 New York (N) 10 Dallas 31                   70  
The Cowboys' Tyrell Williams put on a show for the hometown fans catching scoring passes of 39, 43 and 65 yards from Cam Newton as he and the Cowboys defense prevailed 31-10 Wednesday night.  Cam Newton had his best game of the year, throwing for 285 yards.  The Dallas defense forced three turnovers, including a 29 yard pick six by Dime Back Borbert McClain. 
 
The win was costly for the overachieving Cowboys as three more players went down with multiple game injuries.
                 
 Los Angeles (A) 14 Kansas City 16           41 5-15 
Charger kicker Nick Rose misses on a 53 yard go-ahead field goal attempt with only 1:38 remaining as the Chiefs dodge a bullet.

 Indianapolis 27 New England 27              45 5-15 
Case Keenum connected with Vernon Davis on a 30 yard TD pass in the first quarter to give Indy a 7-0.   Pats put a field goal on the board to cut it to 7-3 heading to the 2nd quarter.
 
A Keenum to Keenan Allen 5 yard TD pass made it 14-3 early in quarter number 2.  After an exchange of punts, Marlon Mack ripped off a 29 yard run to get the Patriots into Colt territory.  A few plays later, Kizer found Mack from 11 yards to cut the lead to 14-10 heading to the half.
 
Patriots received the ball out of the halftime break and put together an 11 play drive covering 79 yards.  A Kizer 22 yard scramble gave the Patriots first and goal from the 1 - and Kizer punched it in on the next play to give the home team a 17-14 lead midway thru Q3.
 
Neither team would score in the third quarter, but New England was putting together another impressive drive towards the end of the quarter - sparked by a 19 yard reception by Jordy Nelson and an 18 yard run by Marlon Mack.  Kizer scored his 2nd TD on the ground, this one from 5 yards out, and NE had a 24-14 lead with just over 12 minutes to play in the game.
 
A Keenum to Crabtree 35 yard TD pass brought Indy to within 3 points with just under 10 minutes to play.  Pats couldn't get any offense going on their next drive, allowing Keenum to march the Colts down the field (5 straight completions) and into FG territory, where Hauschka tied it with a 29 yard FG.  
 
The game would go into overtime, and NE would score on their initial drive - a 26 yard field goal by Elliott - while leaving Indy just under 3 minutes left to tie it up or win it.  Keenum would complete 7 of 10 passes however, setting up a game tying 33 yard FG on the final play of the game. 
 
Final Score 27-27
 
Keenum completed 40 of 52 passes for 436 yards and 3 TDs.  Deshone Kizer added 2 rushing TDs himself along with a passing TD to lead New England.  New England's Jordy Nelson caught 6 passes for 105 yards, while Golden Tate snared 12 balls for 129 yards for the Colts.
 
 New Orleans 21 Baltimore 10                 63 0-10 
In a tight defensive battle, it was the Saints winning the turnover game, 5-2, and knocking off the Ravens in Baltimore, 21-10.
 
With three Jenkins on defense, the Ravens weren't sure who was rushing the passer or covering the WRs, but Janoris was singled out by the writers as the game's MVP on the strength of 8 tackles, 1 hurry and 1 INT (returned for 22 yards that sealed the game).
 
The tell-tale dagger, however, was driven into the Ravens heart earlier in the 4th. That, though, we'll get to in a minute.
 
The game started with 3 punts and fumbles by each team. Baltimore took advantage of their recovered fumble and went on a 10-play, 36-yard drive that resulted in a 41-yard Matt Bryant FG. Baltimore 3-0 with just under a minute left in the 1st quarter.
 
New Orleans answered with a Joe Flacco-to-Dez Bryant TD strike from 43-yards out. New Orleans 7-3.
 
The teams exchanged punts before Baltimore went on a 10-play, 59-yard drive that Le'Veon Bell finished with a 7-yard jaunt into the end zone. Baltimore 10-7.
 
After the Ravens' kick-off went out of bounds, the Saints set up shop at their own 40 and moved quickly downfield, aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Joey Bosa. Three plays later, Flacco found Sterling Shepard, for the second time in three plays, for a 14-yard TD toss. New Orleans 14-10.
 
With 2:10 on the clock before the half, Baltimore had visions of regaining the lead before going into the locker room, but those visions were quickly dashed when Reggie Nelson came up with his first INT of the season. Baltimore's D held and the Saints were happy to lead by 4 as the marching band took to the field.
 
The second half started with 6 punts. Though neither team really gained any benefit, the Ravens generally held the higher ground, starting their three possessions on their own 31, 30 and 28, while the Saints started their possessions on their own 21, 7 and 20. The teeter-totter quickly teetered toward the Saints when Michael Campanero fielded a punt at his own 12 and tired to make a run of it. DT Andrew Billings lumbered downfield on the punt coverage team and blasted the 150 pound Campanero, who fumbled. Campanero is actually listed at 192, but compared to the 311 pound DT with a head of steam, its no wonder the fumbled. Another Saint water buffalo, G Earl Watford recovered at the Ravens 12. Trying to strike while the Ravens were stunned, Flacco instead found the purple jersey of CB Desmond Trufant, who made his 4th pick of the season. Disaster averted.
 
Baltimore marched out to mid-field where their drive stalled, due primarily to a Michael Bennett sack, but Rigoberto Sanchez's punt pinned the Saints at their own 4. After a quick three-and-out, Baltimore got the ball back at mid-field and moved down to the Saints 35 with 8:55 left...and here's where the Saints pulled the dagger from their cloak. As the Ravens tried to pound the ball toward the goal lline with Alex Collins, Saint ILB Jon Bostic stripped the ball from Collins' grasp and the ball popped into the air where OLB De'Vondre Campbell caught it in stride and romped 65-yards for a TD. New Orleans 21-10.
 
The Ravens moved to the 50 with 5:30 left, but chose to punt with 3 timeouts in the cupboard. The kick again pinned the Saints deep into their own territory (at the 9) and a three-and-out returned possession to the Ravens at their own 47, but now with just 3:17 left. After moving to the Saints 33, three straight incomplete passes gave the ball back to the Saints and the Ravens used their timeouts to delay the inevitable. Upon regaining possession, Eli Manning threw his 2nd INT of the game and the Ravens' fate was sealed.
 
 Tennessee 12 Cincinnati 9                   45 15-25 Rain          
On a rainy, windy Cincinnati afternoon the Tennessee Titans traveled to Cincinnati in an AFC Central match-up.  Neither team threatened through the first quarter as the punters were the stars.  Tennessee finally put together a 12 play, 47 drive that ended with a Bailey 47 yard field goal and took a 3-0 lead into the half.
 
Cincinnati finally got on the board as backup running back Montgomery ran for gains of 17 and 11 yards to allow Fairbairn to convert a 28 yard field goal.  The Titans took advantage of the first turnover of the game as Swearinger intercepted a Hundley pass that resulted in a Bailey 26 yard field goal.
 
The Bengals put together another drive that went into the fourth quarter.  The key play was a 23 yard reception to Montgomery on third and 15.  Cincinnati wound up with another Fairbairn field goal from 50 yards out to tie the game at 6.  The Bengals had a chance to take their first lead after forcing a Titan punt.  However, Fairbairn missed from 49 yards out.  This set up Tennessee with good field position and on third and 10, Ryan found Rudolph for 41 yards to set up a Bailey 24 yard attempt to give Tennessee a 9-6 lead with only 1:29 remaining.  
 
Cincinnati's next drive did not start out promising as Philon sacked Hundley for an eight yard loss.  On third and 18, Hundley dumped it off to Gordon who ran 59 yards to set up a Fairbairn 35 yard field goal to send the game into overtime.
 
After multiple exchanges of punts in the overtime, the Titans pinned Cincinnati deep in their own territory that resulted in good field position for Tennessee after the Cincinnati punt at the Titans 47.  Ryan connected with Hopkins for an 11 yard gain.  After consecutive incompletions, Ryan connected with Hopkins again for 10 but fumbled.  After the pile was uncovered, Tennessee had recovered.  The Titans wasted no time and ran the field goal unit onto the field.  Bailey ended the game and Cincinnati's undefeated record with the game winning 48 yarder with a little over two minutes remaining.
 
Ryan finished 22 of 41 for 151 yards.  Rudolph caught 7 passes for 82 yards.  Swearinger led the defense with the interception for 27 yards.  And of course Bailey was the special team hero connecting on all four of his field goal attempts.
 
For the Bengals, Hundley finished 18 of 31 for 176 yards, one INT, and he was sacked four times.  Gordon only averaged 3.2 yards per carry but caught 6 passes for 83 yards.  
 
Next week, the Titans host Baltimore while the Bengals welcome the Steelers.
 
 Miami 41 Buffalo 20                         49 0-10 
The powerhouse Dolphins come to New Era Stadium in Buffalo looking to go 8-0 and they did just that, leading 27-3 the Bills make a furious comeback to cut it to 27-20 in third but Miami showed their superiority as they stiffen and put it away 41-20 as they pick Alex Smith 3 times and Jared Goff was outstanding throwing 5 TD's and 336 yards, Cooks scored 3 TD's and caught 6 for 138, Ginn jr. caught 5 for 106 and a TD..Everson Griffen sacked Smith twice and Marcus Peters chipped in with 13 tackles for the Dolphins.Antonio Brown despite being double covered caught 11 for 108 and a TD catch...Freeman ran for 84 on 13 carries and a TD for the Bills...Miami improves to 8-0 while the Bills fall to 4-4...
Miami heads to Lambeau next while Buffalo heads to Foxboro...
 
I'll make a bold prediction that Miami will win it all, the moves he has made this year should make him GM of the year as he has built a heck of a squad!!!
 
 Philadelphia 27 Denver 19                   53 0-5  
Two division leaders would hook horns at the midseason point looking to continue to lead their divisions as well as hold off the teams chasing them.  Denver GM and Coach Doug Crandall was unable to coach his Broncos, so League Commish John Storer stepped into coach the Broncos.
 
The game would be highlighted by both offenses as they moved up and down the field at will.  The Eagles would score TD's on its first 2 possessions, and miss a FG on their 3rd while the Broncos would score a TD and 2 FG's on their 1st 3 possessions.  14-13 Eagles at the half.
 
In the 3rd quarter, the Broncos would continue moving the ball, but the Eagle defense would only allow 2 FG's.  The Eagle offense could not muster much offense and the Eagles would trail 19-14 going into the final quarter.
 
At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Eagles would punt to the Broncos and put them deep in their own territory.  ON 3rd and 1 from their own 27, QB Blake Bortles would try to get the yard with a sneak.  Instead, he was stripped of the ball by Eagle LB Anthony Hitchens who would take it to the house to give the Eagles a 20-19 lead!  After a 3 and out by the Broncos, the Eagles would put the game away when QB Jameis Winston, on a 4th and 1 play, would fake the handoff against the Bronco goalline defense and hit a streaking Mohamed Sanu across the middle for a 36 yard TD.  The Broncos would mount one last drive, but it would stall at midfield and the Eagles would run out the clock.
 
 Minnesota 24 Green Bay 34                   32 5-15
Huge NFC Central showdown as the 4-3 Vikes visited Lambeau to
take on the 5-2 Packers.
 
This one was all Minnesota early.  Visitors got a big play right off the top as Drew Brees hit JuJu Shuster-Smith for a 53 yard pass and run TD on the opening drive, 7-0.
 Green Bay could only manage one first down on their first possession and were forced to punt.  On the next drive Coach Robb was masterful, engineering a 14 play 80 yard drive that was capped off by an 8 yard Ezekiel Elliot TD run...14-0 Vikings.  Early in the drive Shuster-Smith was knocked out of the game, which would ultimately be a huge loss for Minnesota.  The Pack went 3 and out on their next opportunity giving the visitors a chance to take total control.  Brees and Co. would not disappoint. They went right back down the field on an 18 play 91 yard rive that ate up over 8 minutes. Brees to Jason Witten from 3 yards out for the TD.
 
It was 21-0 nothing early in the 2nd quarter!
 
The Vikings had dominated time of possession 16:46 to 3:46 and outgained Green Bay 228-27. After an exchange of punts the hosts got one last chance to close the gap with just over 2 minutes left before halftime.  Ben Roethlisberger had been awful up to that point but found amatchup he liked with Danny Woodhead being covered by a LB.  He connected with the veteran RB 3 times on the drive before spotting Emmanuel Sanders for a 24 yard slant and go TD.
 
21-7 at the half.
 
The building finally had some energy after a humiliating early stretch that saw the Vikings put the boots to the division leaders.  Green Bay got the ball to start the 3rd and drove down the field.  TE Ben Watson had a couple of big grabs to set up Sanders second TD catch of the game from 6 yards out.  21-14 with over 9 minutes left in the 3rd.  We had a game.  Minnesota got a holding penalty that stalled their next drive giving the Packers back the ball with a chance to tie it.  A couple of Jay Ajayi runs got the ball down to the Minnesota 36 but the drive stalled out there. Robbie Gould connected from 53 yards out aided by a decent tail wind. 21-17 Minnesota.
 
After an exchange of punts, the Vikings received a big boost from their kicker when the Minnesota drive stalled at the Packers 38.  Greg "the leg" Zuerlien lined up for what appeared to be an ill advised 56 yard attempt into the wind. He stepped up and nailed it to restore a 7 point lead...24-7 at the end of the 3rd.
 
Early in the 4th Minnesota got a big play from their defense as Ben was picked off by safety Jason Poyer who brought it back to the Packer 38. Vikes were in business to go up by 2 scores.  Luckily for the hosts Ryan Shazier picked off Bress on 3rd and 5 and took it back to midfield.  After an Ajayi 11 yard run and a pair of Woodhead receptions (he was knocked out of the game during the second grab after he took a vicious hit), the Pack moved the ball all the way down to the Minnesota 12.  On 4th and 4 coach Conners thought about going for it but with over 11 minutes opted for the short Gould FG....24-20.
 
Another holding penalty stalled the next Viking drive and the hosts got the ball back with just over 7 minutes left.  Roethlisberger spread the ball around effectively finding TE Ben Watson and RB Charles Sims on a drive that covered 80 yards in 13 plays. Sanders caught his 3rd TD of the game from 22 yards out to give Green Bay their first lead...27-24.  Then the Packer defense came up big. CB Steve Smith hammered WR Kelvin Benjamin on a short slant. The ball was jarred loose and S Rashad Jones scooped it up and took it to the house......34-24 Packers would be the improbable final.
 
Rich called a great game and had us on the ropes all game long.  Losing Shuster-Smith early was key.  Both games versus Minnesota this season were nail-biters
and could have easily gone the other way.
 
Brees 23-37 239 2TD 1 int
Elliot 18-77 1TD
Matthews 5-76
 
Roethisberger  25-42 295 3TD, 2int
Woodhead 8-82
Sanders 7-123 3TDS (player of the game)
 
Next week:
 
Minnesota 4-4 hosts Tampa Bay 5-2
Green Bay 6-2 welcomes unbeaten Miami 8-0
 
 Chicago 21 New York (A) 17                  65 Calm
Two 1-6 teams faced off when the Chicago Bears came to the Big Apple to play the Jets.

This game turned out to be a “what have you done for me lately” for one Jets player. It started just as one would think a game between two 1-6 teams would, 3 consecutive punts, 2 by Chicago, and one by the Jets. Then the game got interesting, 3 scoring drives in a row. The Jets started it with an 80 yard drive which culminated in a 34 yard TD pass from Mallett to McKinnon. Remember those 2 names.

Next the Bears drove 75 yards in 10 plays, and scored on a 19 yard pass from Mariota to Crowder. 7-7....

The Jets then went 75 yards in 11 plays and finished it with a Mallett( yes the stat pack star) 8 yard pass to Watkins, 14-7 Jets. That was the score at the half.

The second half opened with the Jets kicking a 29 yard field goal to go up 17-7. Late in the 3rd the Bears put together an 11 play 75 yard drive which led to a Blue TD run that cut the Jet’s lead to 3.

New York started the 4th with the ball, and took 5 minutes off the clock, but ended up having to punt from the Bears 43. The Bears then used up 4 minutes on a drive that ended in an interception by Robey. Mallett hoped to run clock, and the ball, but couldn’t get a first down. So, with 4 minutes to play the Bears, after fielding the Jet’s punt, had to go 83 yards to pull out a win.

Mariota drove his team 51 yards to the Jet’s 32 yard line. On 4th and 4, with 46 seconds to play, Coach Agosta decided not to attempt a 49 yard FG, and the Bears went for it!!

The Jets hold the Bears!! The crowd goes crazy.... 38 seconds to go, and the Jets get their 2nd win. A run by Oliver, a time-out by the Bears. 31 seconds to go, setting the stage for.....On the next play Star Lotulelei strips Mallett, and Wagner picks it up, and rumbles 26 yards for a TD....what had only moments before looked like a Jets win, was now just another lose!!

For the game Mallett went 16-19 for 194 yards, and 2 TD passes. But, he’ll be remembered for coughing up the ball, and the win. McKinnon had 159 yards of total offense, but it was wasted.

Mariota was 36-47 for 304 yards, and Crowder, along with Thomas, had 11 receptions each.

The Jets did get some good news in that their rookie QB, Watson, is getting heathy, and could be back for their final 6 games.

Next week Chicago travels to Detroit, and the Jets fly to Indianapolis.
 
 Atlanta 30 San Francisco 16                 64 0-10 
Atlanta jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first half and held on to overcome SF 30-16 at games end.  The 49ers had closed the lead to 24-16 in the third quarter, but couldn’t get over the hump.  Each team kicked 3 FGs and Lamar Miller rushed for 92 yards for the winners.  Philip Rivers was very efficient at 15-20 for 225 yards and 1 TD. Louis Agholor caught 6 passes for 111 yards.  SF QBs Gabbert and Geno Smith completed 26-38 throws but only for an aggregate 177 yards.
 
Atlanta improves to 4-4 while SF drops to 1-7
 
Arizona 6 Washington 14                     62 0-10 
Washington struggles to put points on the board but thankfully it doesn't take many to beat the Cardinals.  The Redskins move on to 5-3 and will face off against the Giants next week while the Cardinals fall to 0-8 and play the division leading Eagles.
 
 Carolina 3 Los Angeles (N) 27               66 Calm
Rams prevail at home  27-3 mostly behind an impressive defensive effort that frustrated the Panthers QB Russell Wilson all game. Since the end of the game a major controversy emerged on social media based on reporting from an intrepid Carolina reporter. According to a source in the article, the Rams, knowing they likely would be at a disadvantage with Andrew Luck playing the season throwing with his left-hand, contracted with local resident and Tesla/Space-X resident Elon Musk to make modifications to their field. Specifically the Rams asked Musk to design a field that would slightly tilt allowing the Rams to play "downhill", while the opposing team would have to play "uphill". The Rams wanted this ability to be adjustable due to the changes on the sides of the field between quarters. 
 
It was unclear after the game if Panthers Coach Sean Britt was aware of the controversial report, but he did make many references to the game feeling like climbing up a mountain or fighting an uphill battle. The Panthers could only muster 190 yards on offense, were 2-12 on 3rd down and, had three turnovers, one of which was returned over 60 yards for Touchdown. On Defense the Panthers had trouble getting off the field early, but eventually found some footing and kept the Rams offense from scoring in the second half.
 
It's unclear what ramifications from the league the Rams may face if in fact they built a tilting field.
 
It was difficult to identify a Panthers player who stood out, but based on the potentially slanted conditions they played under it is hard to blame them.
 
Rams running back Ken Dixon managed 102 yards and a Touchdown to lead the Rams ground game.
 
Next week the Rams host the San Francisco 49ers while the Panthers host the New Orleans Saints.
 
 Houston 10 Oakland 27                       63 5-15 
Raiders score 13 unanswered second half points to defeat the Texans.  Travis Kelce catches 6 passes for 124 yards and a score.
 
 Jacksonville 31 Pittsburgh 21               48 0-5  
Jaguars score ten fourth quarter points to escape Pittsburgh with the win.  Jay Cutler throws for 321 yards and two scores to lead Jacksonville.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Fournette(Det)  28-152  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Johnson Jr(Ari) 22-124
 Dixon(LAR)      21-102
 
 Receiving Leaders
 William,Ty(Dal)  6-185  3 TD
 Thomas,M(Det)   10-169  2 TD
 Cooks(Mia)       6-138  3 TD
 Tate,G(Ind)     12-129
 Sanders,E(GB)    7-123  3 TD
 Brown,A(Buf)    11-108  1 TD
 Thomas,De(Chi)  11- 99
 Crowder(Chi)    11- 86  1 TD
 Allen,K(Ind)    10- 77  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Keenum(Ind)     52-40-436   3 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   40-29-380   2 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       32-20-336   5 TD
 Cutler(Jax)     44-30-321   2 TD  1 Int
 Winston,J(Phi)  38-25-309   3 TD
 Mariota(Chi)    47-36-304   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 White,T(Jax)     2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Bailey,D(Ten)  4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Tucker,J(Den)  4-4 FG

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WEEK 8 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 8 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 7 RECAP

Miami receiver Doug Baldwin catches three TD receptions as the Dolphins stay perfect in week 7.

Game Scores
Miami 45 Los Angeles (A) 14                 80 Calm 
Dolphins score 21 unanswered second quarter points to cruise past the Chargers. Miami receiver Doug Baldwin catches three of quarterback Jared Goff’s four touchdown passes.
​
Atlanta 10 Baltimore 13                     77 0-5  
If you were listening to this game on the radio, you'd have thought it was being played during the approach of Hurricane Michael or maybe on the frozen tundra of Wisconsin or the shores of Lake Michigan, but no, it was a sunny 77 with a light breeze blowing across the jade green grass of M&T Stadium in Baltimore. Regardless, it was a throw-back, ugly, defensive battle where the winning team threw for just 120 yards and the losing team racked up 184 yards on the ground. In the end, it was Baltimore who made a goal-line stand that would have made Ray Lewis proud (SB 47 anyone?) and the Ravens escaped with a 13-10 victory.
 
The game started ugly, with the Ravens' Desmond Trufant picking off Phillip Rivers on the first play from scrimmage, but Baltimore gained only 7 and kicked a FG for a 3-0 lead. On the ensuing kick-off Jakeem Grant was blown up by Javorious Allen and Mark Barron recovered the fumble on the Falcons 31. The Ravens would gain a first down, but a Von Miller sack pushed the Ravens back and they had to settle for a FG...attempt. I think a butterfly landed on the nose of the ball as Rigoberto Sanchez placed it for Matt Bryant and as he tried to swat the butterfly away, he inadvertently swatted the ball away from Bryant's swinging leg, a la Charlie Brown. So it remained Baltimore 3-0.
 
When Atlanta finally got to run some plays, they did well, putting together an 11-play, 52-yard drive, but the Ravens' D stiffened and the Falcons had to settle for a 50-yard Kai Forbath FG. Tie game, 3-3.
 
After 7 punts, the score remained 3-3 going into the locker rooms at the half. Baltimore received the second half kick-off and proceeded to punt again. With Rivers suffering through a 1-for-7 half, good for a whole 17 yards passing, 1 INT and a sack, Coach Golden turned to Josh McGown to generate some offense for the black-and-red to start the second half. A penalty on Joey Bosa gave the Falcons a first down, but on the next play CB Kendall Fuller picked McGown and the Ravens again had a short field at the Falcon 43. Determined to pound the stone, the Ravens gained 24 yards on 4 consecutive running plays, but two incomplete passes left them with a 4th-and-1 on the Atlanta 21. Not confident that a 3-point lead would hold up with nearly 20 minutes of football left, Coach Master decided to go for it, opting for a play-action, roll-out to Le'Veon Bell on the sideline. It worked, but the drive stalled three plays later anyway and the Ravens kicked the FG for the lead - Baltimore 6-3 with 4:45 left in the 3rd quarter.
 
Atlanta went 3-and-out and the Ravens took control on their own 34 after the punt. Like that little sunbeam of light that shines through the dark storm clouds, Baltimore saw a glimmer of their real offense as they mixed runs and runners and passes and pass catchers as they marched efficiently downfield in 10 plays, the last of which was a 9-yard Manning-to-Theilen TD strike. The extra point made it 13-3 Baltimore.with 12:39 left in the game.
 
The Falcons gained a first down on their possession after the kick, but a 5-yard penalty and a Mark Barron sack put them in a hole they almost, but couldn't get out of. Faced with a 4th-and-5 from their own 35, Atlanta chose to return the ball to the Ravens via a punt. Three plays later, the Ravens returned the favor and did so quickly, to give the Falcons plenty of time to make a comeback.
 
Starting at their own 42, McGown led the Falcons on a 10-play drive, aided by a Trufant facemask penalty, that resulted in a Tevin Coleman TD run from 9 yards out. The PAT cut Batimore's lead to 13-10, but while the drive put 7 points on the Falcons side of the scoreboard, it also took away 4 1/2 minutes from the clock.
 
With just 2:09 left on the clock, everyone in the stadium knew the onside kick was coming, but somehow, someone forgot to tell the Ravens receiving team to catch the kick. Go figure...Atlanta recovered and visions of the Steelers last-play victory over the Ravens just two weeks before flashed on the backs of Coach Master's closed eyelids.
 
First play after the successful onside kick...16 yards to Zack Ertz. Already in FG position with the wind at their back. A false start penalty set them back 5 yards and a stuff of Lamar Miller put the Falcons in a dire 2nd-and-15 with 1:42 left, but an 8-yard bullet to Grant and a 14-yard jaunt by Coleman gave Atlanta a first down on the 20 with :49 on the clock.
 
McGown then hit Nelson Agholor for his only catch of the game, an 11-yarder to the Raven 9 with just 24 seconds left. An incomplete pass stopped the clock with 17 seconds left. With two timeouts in his back pocket, Coach Golden decided he wasn't going to sit on the FG and daringly called for a dive play to Coleman. The Ravens stopped Coleman at the 4 with 9 seconds on the clock after the Falcons timeout. Coleman then tried to squeeze through a slim gap in the O-line, but was stonewalled by Stacey McGee at the 1 with 2 seconds on the clock.
 
Go for the W or kick the tying FG? Pretty easy decision for Coach Golden. Go for the win! After pummeling the Ravens D to the tune of 185 yards on 32 carries, it was up to Dion Lewis to punch it in. Lewis saw a crease and tried to dart through, but there was Matt Judon, gold teeth and all, grinning as he met Lewis head-on and drove him back for a game-saving, 1-yard loss on the last play of the game.
 
Somewhere, Ray Lewis was doing the Squirrel Dance! Baltimore 13, Atlanta 10.
 
In a game dominated by defense, it should be noted that Baltimore played without Aaron Donald who left the game with just under 9 minutes left in the 1st quarter and got lost in the catacombs of M&T Stadium, never to make it back on the field. Though Donald has a 10+ durability rating, his direction finding rating must be a 2!
 
Regardless, it was fitting that Mark Barron (9 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 sack, 1 stuff) was named the game's MVP.
 
Next week, the Falcons (3-4) take on the winless 49ers (0-6), while the Ravens (4-3) look to stay relevant in the playoff race against powerhouse New Orleans (6-0).
 
 Dallas 20 Tampa Bay 28                      92 0-5  
Derick Carr throws three TD passes and Todd Gurley runs for 102 yards and a score as the Bucs hold off the Cowboys.
 
​New York (N) 10 Green Bay 20                65 0-10  Rain   
The Giants, led by sub coach Ken, looked poised to pull the much talked about upset in Green Bay.  New York came in and absolutely dominated the first quarter and could have been up by more than just 7-0 after 15 minutes.  Coach Conners was seen on the sidelines visibly annoyed, his face sporting various shades of
red and purple.  The hosts finally got it together early in the 2nd and knotted things up at 7-7 when Ben Roethlisberger
found WR Emmanuel Sanders from 11 yards out.  On the next possession Carson Wentz was picked off by CB Brent Grimes (Grimes 4th int of the season).  Green Bay then put together an impressive 14 play, 66 yard drive capped off by a Roethlisberger to Nick O'Leary 1 yard toss. 14-7 at the half.
 
The second half was a tight the whole way. New York hung in there with solid defense and kept it aone score game until late in the 3rd when the Pack added a 35 yard Robbie Gould FG. 17-7.  Giants wouldn't go away and drove all the way to the Packers 11 yard line midway through the 4th.
The Green Bay defense dug in and forced a short Cairo Santos FG. 17-10.  The hosts then put together a clutch 10 play, 54 yard drive that put them in FG range.
Gould would put it away with a 39 yarder.
 
Lambeau faithful exhale. Final 20-10 Green Bay.
 
Ben 22-34 282 2 TDs, 1 int
Sanders 4 recs. 70 yards and 1 TD
Ajayi was quiet  20 rushes for just 54 yards
 
Wentz 15 of 29 127 1 int
Robby Anderson 6 rec 48 yards
 
Next week:
 
Packers (5-2) host Vikings (4-3) in a key division game
Giants (0-7) have another tough one at Dallas (5-2)
      
 Buffalo 17 Kansas City 27                   52 5-15 
Andy Dalton’s fourth quarter 11 yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry just before the two minute warning puts away the Bills.
 
 San Francisco 31 Tennessee 28               71 5-15 
A normal IFL game was taking place with SF up 17-14 at the start of the second half.  Then DKS kicked into its weird mode!  Tennessee's drive was helped by 3 SF penalties in a row totalling 57 yards.  However DKS got its revenge by having a bad snap on the Titan's field goal attempt from 36 yards.  The 49ers marched downfield and their drive was salvaged by a crucial penalty on Patrick Robinson on a 3rd and 10 play.  SF scored on the next play via a Blane Gabbert 10 yard toss to Julius Thomas.  SF 24 - Tennessee 14.
 
The 49ers tried a squib kick on their kickoff. Tyler Matakevitch helped them out by fumbling the kick and the 49ers recovered at the Titan 25.  Next play Gabbert (aka Johnny Unitas) hit Seth Roberts for the TD.  Halfway through the 3rd quarter it was SF 31-14.
 
Early in the 4th Tennessee put together a long drive but opted to gamble on 4th and goal at the 49er 3 yard line.  The pass to Hopkins fell incomplete and the Titans would come to regret not taking the guaranteed 3 points.  The 49ers had a 3 and out and then the Titans  went 68 yards in 1:24, scoring on a Matt Ryan 12 yarder to Kyle Rudolph.  With 9 minutes left SF 31 - Ten 21.
 
San Fran's next drive consumed 5 minutes but fell apart when Gabbert was sacked on two consecutive plays.  He fumbled on the second sack and the Titans recovered on their own 48 with 4 minutes left.  Matt Ryan then completed 7 of 10 short passes, culminated by a 7 yard TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins on 4th and 4. With 2:15 left it was SF 31 -Ten 28.
 
SF could not move the ball and was forced to punt with 1:14 left.  From the Titan 19 yard line Ryan found Rudolph on a medium hitch.  Someone missed a tackle and Rudolph went 40 yards to the San Francisco 41.  A short out to Delanie Walker put the ball at the 36 with 18 seconds remaining.  SF went into a 3-1 deep zone prevent and somehow 3-rated DE/OLB Lerentee McCray sacked Ryan for a 12 yard loss ending the game.  SF 31- Ten 28.
 
Blaine Gabbert 21/26 301 yards 4 TDS 154.5 rating!
DeAndre Hopkins 11 receptions for 28 yards and 2 TDs.
 
Congrats to Bob for nabbing his first win of the season.
Patrick Robinson and Delanie Walker both demanded a trade following the game.
 
 Washington 21 Chicago 14                    66 10-20
Washington (-1) vs. Chicago in week 7.  Things looked promising for the Bears as Pharoh Copper took the opening kickoff 99 yards and an early 7-0 lead.  The Redskins answered after intercepting Mariota and driving the short field in 3 plays, Bryant 30 yards from Prescott.  The game then settled into a defensive struggle.  Mariota threw a second interception late in the 2nd period, giving Washington a first and goal from the 7.  Jones takes it in on the first play and the half ends Washington 14 Chicago 7.
 
The defenses were strong in the second half.  Chicago tied the game at 14 (Blue 10 yard run) in the 3rd, but Washington put together a strong drive late and Prescott found Parker from 11 yards out with 14 seconds left on the clock.
 
Washington 21 Chicago 14
 
For Washington, Prescott 23/34/229 2 TD, 1 Int; Parker caught 7 passes for 93 yards and a TD.
For Chicago, Mariota 23/37/180 2 Int.
 
Washington outgained Chicago 289 to 245 in net offense.
 
Next week Washington hosts Arizona and Chicago travels to the New York Jets.
 
 Philadelphia 24 Detroit 0                   70    
Eagles rebound from their first loss of the season by shutting out the Lions 24-0.  The Eagle defense was stout this day against a Lion offense that was led by stat pack QB Cody Kessler.  Kessler and company were held to 244 yards of offense and was 0-3 in the red zone.  The Eagle offense was balanced and efficient despite 2 ints by QB Jameis Winston.  They build a 21-0 lead by halftime and never looked back.
 
The offensive highlight of the game was a 42-yard touchdown jaunt by Eagle RB Demarco Murray, who was supposed to be resting due to overuse but was called into action when RB Bilal Powell was injured.  In addition, the WR tandem of Muhammed Sanu and Cooper Kupp caught touchdown passes.
 
The Eagles, now 6-1, visit the AFC West division leading Broncos next week while the Lions attempt to bounce back against Tampa Bay in a key interdivisional game.
                
 Arizona 19 Minnesota 30                     68              
Arizona, losers of all 6 games this season, but lost the last one by only one point. McCarron had a passing rating of over 100 and started to show promise.
 
Minnesota, losers of 2 straight and now in 4th place in their division. Can't stop anybody.
 
The Vikings, playing back to back after being outgunned by Buffalo last night, came out strong, intercepting the ball in Arizona territory less than 2 minutes into the game and scoring a touchdown on a Brees to Matthews 6 yard pass shortly thereafter. 7-0 Minnesota.
 
Their next possession, the Vikings took 10 plays to drive deep into Arizona territory, where they settled for a 27-yard field goal by Zuerlein to take a 10-0 lead.
 
In the 2nd Q, Arizona picked off Brees in Viking territory and had a golden opportunity with first down on the Viking 12. Their offense stalled, however, and Arizona had to settle for a Sturgis 22-yard field goal that made it 10-3 Vikings.
 
Minnesota then drove methodically for a touchdown, capped by a 2-yard Lynch run, that brought the score to 16-3 Vikings.
 
Sturgis ended the half for Arizona with a 46-yard FG that made the halftime score 16-6 Vikings.
 
The rest of the game was all touchdowns, two for Minnesota (15-yard pass Brees to Witten and a 17-yard pass Brees to Smith-Schuster) and two for Arizona (McCarron 27-yard pass to Brown and McCarron 8-yard pass to James), as the Vikings closed out the Cardinals 30-19.
 
Minnesota had the ball for 36 minutes to only 24 for Arizona, as the normally pass-happy Vikings actually had more rushing plays than passing plays. Lynch led the way, running for 136 yards and 8 first downs in 31 carries. Brees hit 21 of 29 passes, 3 TDs and 3 interceptions. For the Cardinals, McCarron only had 161 yards on 29 attempts (62.6 passing rating). Arizona generated only 175 yards of net offense, compared to 359 by Minnesota.
 
Arizona goes to 0-7, but they already have Mahomes in waiting for next year as well as a top pick in this year's draft. Next week they go to Washington. Minnesota is now 4-3, and next week they host Green Bay.
      
 Indianapolis 34 Houston 14                  70  
Colts score 20 unanswered second half points to pull away.          
       
 Los Angeles (N) 30 Jacksonville 27          92 0-5 
The Rams came to Jacksonville looking stay in the play-off race while the hosting Jags we hoping to garner their second win of the the season. Sadly for the Jags Andrew Luck and TY Hilton were not obliging as they shredded Jacksonville secondary for 3 TDs en-route to a 30-27 road victory.

While the game was close throughout, the Jags inability stop Hilton (7 catches 145 yards, 1 TD) and an anemic passing game (Cutler 45 QB rating) ensured the Rams would be coming home with a victory.

Orleans Darkwa was the Jags only bright spot with 103 yards rushing and 1 TD. Hats off to coach Heaton whose timely play calling kept coach Hood off balance all day.
 
 New York (A) 13 Denver 34                   70 Calm 
The Denver Broncos moved to 6-1 on the season with a 34-13 victory over the 1-6 Jets.
 
The Jets got on the scoreboard first as they drove 71 yards in 11 plays capped by a Mallet to Sammy Watkins pass from 10 yards out to take a 7-0 lead.
 
The Broncos would then score the next 34 points, led by QB Blake Bortles who threw for 269 yards and 2 TD's as well as rushing for another TD.
 
The TOP and stats were pretty equal except for the 3 Jet turnovers that proved to be the difference.
 
The Jets Oliver rushed for 103 yards on the day 
 
The Broncos WR Tyreek Hill snagged 7 balls for 118 yards and a score in the Bronco victory.
 
It was a great game Bob
 
The Jets will host the Bears next week while the Broncos will host the Eagles.
 
 Carolina 25 Pittsburgh 20                   64 0-10 
 Pittsburgh jumps out of the gate to a 14-0 lead with Brady throwing two TD's to take the early lead with 6:14 left in the first quarter. Carolina responds with 22 unanswered point including 3 TD passes by Russell Wilson and a field goal. Due to a missed extra point and two point conversion, Carolina only holds an 8 point lead 10 minutes left in the game.
 
 With the game on the line, Brady drives Pitt down the field and punches it in with 1:21 left in the game, drawing the Steelers to within 2 point. Pittsburgh comes out in a 4 wide for the two point conversion and Carolina responds with dropping into a dime formation. With the game on the line, the Panthers are able to stop the pass from Brady and maintain the lead. Pittsburgh fails to convert and onside kick and a play later Ameer Abdullah breaks a 35 yard run that leads to a field goal and salts the game for the Panthers.
 
Thanks to Ken for subbing for Pittsburgh and calling a great game.
 
Tom Brady finishes with  3 TD passes and 229 yards for Pittsburgh, and Wilson throws 3 TD passes and 209 yards for the Panthers.
 
 Cincinnati 16 New Orleans 13                70      
The Bengals traveled to the bayou for a battle of two 6-0 teams.  After a scoreless first quarter, the Saints took a 7-0 lead thanks to a 19 play 93 yard drive that took over eight minutes as Jamaal Williams plowed in from two yards out.  Cincinnati answered as Brian Hoyer connected with Paul Richardson from 16 yards out.  New Orleans created a turnover late in the quarter as Jarvis Jenkins stripped Hoyer.  The Saints could not capitalize as Brandon McManus missed from 39 yards out.
 
The Bengals forced New Orleans to punt on their first possession of the third quarter and Jurrell Casey blocked it.  Cincinnati had to settle on a Ka’imi Fairbairn 30 yard field goal against the tough Saints "D" for a 10-7 lead.  The Bengals had a chance to extend their lead after forcing another New Orleans punt but this time Fairbairn missed from 43 yards.  Cincinnati was down to one quarterback as Hoyer was knocked out of the game.  McManus made up for his previous miscue by blasting a 55 yards field goal to tie the game at 10.  The Bengals answered thanks to a nice kick return by Brendan Langley and a couple Melvin Gordon runs of 17 and 27 yards.  Fairbairn connected from 27 as Cincinnati regained the lead 13-10 with a little over 12 minutes left in the game.  
 
After an exchange of punts, the New Orleans offense started to get on track.  Williams went for 33 yards on a short pass from Joe Flacco.  Then Dez Bryant finally got open for a 38 yard gain.  The Bengals defense bent but did not break as the Saints settled on another McManus field goal to tie the game at 13 with a little over three minutes remaining.  The Bengals got another nice return from Langley and set up shop at their 47.  After Gordon was stuffed for no gain, Brett Hundley connected with Jermaine Gresham for 15 yards.  Rookie Fairbairn was called on and connected from 54 yards out to give Cincinnati a 16-13 lead with 1:42 remaining.  Flacco was intercepted by Hyde and the Bengals escape with a nice win on their resume.
 
Flacco struggled finishing 8 of 18 for 119 yards and an INT.  Rookie Jamaal Williams rushed 15 times for 61 yards and a score.  He also caught 3 passes for 51 yards.  Dez finished with 3 catches for 52 yards.
 
Gordon rushed for 97 yards on a workhorse like 22 carries.  Hoyer and Hundley combined to go 11 of 21 for 110 yards with a Hoyer TD pass.
 
Key to the win was Cincinnati converting 8 of 17 on third downs while the Saints converted just 2 of 11.
 
Overall a great game.  Jim called a fantastic game.
 
Next week, the Saints are at Baltimore while the Bengals host the Titans as they witness Delanie in strips for the first time.
              
 Oakland 23 New England 0                    60 20-30
Matt Stafford throws three touchdowns and the Raider defense pitches a shutout.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Hyde,C(Oak)     21-138
 Lynch,M(Min)    31-136  1 TD
 Oliver(NYJ)     21-103
 Darkwa(Jax)     21-103  1 TD
 Miller,L(Atl)   16-102
 Gurley II(TB)   24-102  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Hopkins,D(Ten)  11-138  2 TD
 Baldwin,D(Mia)   6- 55  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Ryan,M(Ten)     50-33-355   3 TD
 Gabbert(SF)     26-21-301   4 TD
 Keenum(Ind)     33-25-269   4 TD
 Goff(Mia)       25-18-261   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Glanton(Ari)     17 Tk
Lawrence(Oak) 9 TK, 2 sacks 
Barron(Bal) 9, TK sack - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
Ka’imi Fairbairn(Cin) 3 of 4 FG, 54 Long – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 7 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 7 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 6 RECAP

Bears kicker Aldrick Rosas 5 field goals helps Chicago upset Tampa Bay in week 6 IFL action.

​Game Scores
Tampa Bay 10 Chicago 29                     70 0-5   Light Rain    
4-1 Tampa Bay came to 0-5 Chicago as a 10 point favorite.  The Bears defense finally showed up, stopping the Bucs offense on drive after drive.  Mariota to Thomas from 18 out opened the scoring, and 3 FG and a Cox 2 yard fumble recovery for a TD gave the Bears a 23-0 halftime lead.  The Bears outgained the Bucs 212 yards to 20 net offense in the first half.
 
Things looked like they were starting to turn around when Lockett ran back the opening kickoff of the second half 102 yards, then Burfict intercepted Mariota on the Bears first play resulting in a TB field goal cutting the lead to 13.  The Bears defense took over after that, Chicago eked out two more field goals and the game ended Chicago 29 Tampa Bay 10.
 
Tampa Bay held the ball for only 17:03 and managed only 45 yards of net offense for the game.  The Chicago D came up with 7 sacks and forced 2 turnovers.
 
Next week Tampa Bay is home to Dallas and Chicago hosts Washington.
 
 Houston 20 Los Angeles (A) 14               71 Calm 
Matt Forte rushes for 79 yards and a score as the Texans hold off the Chargers.
 
 Baltimore 17 Cincinnati 42                  41 10-20
The Ravens took an early 7-0 lead after an impressive 19 play 75 yard drive with Alex Collins completing it with a 2 yard run.  After an exchange of punts, the Bengals finally tied the score at seven with a Gordon 5 yard run at the 11:46 mark of the second quarter.  The Bengals took their first lead 14-7 just before the two minute warning as Hoyer connected with Gordon for the 12 yard score.  After forcing a Baltimore punt, Cincinnati set up shop at their own 49 and hoped to increase their lead.  However, Mark Barron intercepted a Hoyer pass and one play later Manning connected with Fuller for a 44 yard gain.  This set up a Bryant field goal to make the score 14-10 Cincinnati at the half.
 
The Bengals were forced to punt on their opening drive of the half and Michael Campanaro returned it 82 yards for the score and a 17-14 lead.  That was probably the last highlight for the Ravens as the Bengals scored 29 unanswered points and go on to win 42-17.  Baltimore suffered some bad breaks and deserved a better fate.
 
Manning struggled completing just 20 of 35 for 159 yards and 2 INTs.  Bell and Collins were held in check averaging only 2.8 yards per rush.
 
Hoyer finished 20 of 34 for 201 yards and 2 TDs with an INT.  Funchess caught seven passes for 82 yards and a score.  The Cincinnati pass rush finally showed up with six sacks, 2 each by Hughes and Casey.  Trevathan had a 15 yard pick six.
 
Next week in another battle of the birds, the Ravens host the Falcons while the Bengals travel to New Orleans to take on the NFC West leading Saints.
 
 Miami 52 Indianapolis 14                    69    
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) - The Colts (4-2) scored a TD on its first possession of the game and the Dolphins (6-0) scored touchdowns on its first six (6) possessions of the game. The score was 42-14 at the half and Miami was well on the way to a embarrassing beat down of the Colts. Miami finished with 560 yards of offense, 226 on the ground on 33 carries, Jared Goff threw for 332 yards, and 6 TDs, final score 52-14. A check of the IFL record books would show this was the worst showing by a Ken Griffith coached team during his 15-year head coaching career. He had no comment after the game and didn't show for the IFL mandatory press conference following the contest.    
                
 Arizona 19 Dallas 20                        70  
The winless Arizona Cardinals gave the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys all they could handle in a 20-19 loss Thursday night in Dallas.
 
The take-away is Dallas is not as good as their record and Zona is not as bad as theirs.
 
The Cardinals took the opening kickoff and cashed in their drive for three poinst on a 45-yard FG.
 
On the first play from scrimmage for Dallas, Tyrell Williams got behind his defender and Cam Newton hit him for a 75-yard score.   Dalls scored again in the second quarter when backuip QB Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with TE Mercedes Lewis for a 14-yard scoring pass.   The Dallas crowd, most wearing beards, cheered voraciously.
 
But Arizona scored on McCarron passes to Brandon Marshall and Duke Johnson to go ahead 19-17.  It should have been 20-17, but the PAT was missed.
 
Dallas kicked a FG to go ahead 20-19 to retake the lead. 
 
Arizona mounted a drive but on third and four, their run was good enough for a first down.  But, at the request of the Dallas coaching staff (we challenged) the booth reversed the call.  Arizona punted the ball to Dallas and the Cowboys held onto the ball for the final four minutes of the contest to preserve the win.
 
Cam Newton and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 323 yards.
 
Duke Johnson led Arizona's effort with 10 rushes for 54 yards and eight receptions for 81 yards.
 
Dallas outgained Arizona 438 to 286 in the game.
                  
 Washington 31 Philadelphia 10               65 0-10 
The Eagles were riding high for the first 5 games of the season as they took on a very dangerous 2-3 Redskin team under the direction of sub coach Ryan Heaton.  On the first drive, it looked like all of the other Eagle games this year as QB Jameis Winston drove the Philly offense down the field for a TD by throwing to TE Evan Engram.  
 
However, the Redskins would show this day that they would be a force to be reckoned with.  Redskin QB Dak Prescott would take the ensuing drive and march the Skins down the field to tie it.  The big play was a booth reversal of an Eagle int.  That was a sign of things to come.
 
The Eagles would get an interception late in the 1st quarter and convert that to a FG for a 10-7 lead.  The Redskins would again fight back and on the ensuing drive ( a common theme) would drive the ball 75 yards on 10 plays to take a 14-10 lead.  This is when things would fall apart for the undefeated Eagles.
 
Just before halftime, the Eagles would have a FG blocked on their next to last drive of the half and Winston would throw an interception on the last drive that would lead to a Washington TD for a 21-10 halftime lead.
 
The second half was about ball control offense for the Redskins and the Eagles inability to move the football.  The Skins would tack on 10 more points for a 31-10 win and the Eagles undefeated season comes crashing down.
 
 Pittsburgh 20 San Francisco 17              60 5-15 
Pittsburgh holds on for a 20-17 win as SF’s Mason Crosby misses a 47 yard FG with 5 seconds left. Pittsburgh opened up with a 4 play 75 yard drive and didn’t do much after that as SF defense toughened up. The only other TD they scored came after an interception on the SF 15 and an ensuing 4 yard pass to by Brady to Gronk.  It was Brady’s second TD pass of the game. SF showed some ball movement (28 first downs) for the 1st time this year but couldn’t close the deal for more than Howard 3 yd run and a Trubiskey pass to Diggs.  Pitts came up wih big plays (5 sacks) to end drives.
​
  Green Bay 24 Detroit 0                      70                     
Lions racked up 5 first downs & 120 yards of offense.  
 
The game was very close until the very end of the 3rd. Both teams struggled on O.
 
Big Ben showed a 69 QB rating blowing away "Wild" Cody Kessler who was 17 / 45 for 83 yards, 3 int, 18.3 QB rating.
 
GB hosts the Giants & Detroit welcomes the Eagles to town.
 
 Jacksonville 6 Tennessee 10                 66 5-15 
Two 1-4 teams contested last place in the AFC Central.  The game showed both teams deficiencies.  Jacksonville was able to pound the ball behind their excellent O-line for 194 yards but their passing game mainly consisted of 5 yard tosses to tight end Jack Doyle.  They were never able to get the ball into the end zone, instead settling for 5 field goal attempts.  The problem with that was Randy Bullock had a career worst game missing 3 of the 5.  Jacksonville 6 points.
 
Tennessee meanwhile struggled all game moving the ball.  However early in the 2nd quarter Matt Ryan found DeAndre Hopkins with a 47 yard bomb for the TD.  The only other effective Titan drive in the game came early in the 4th as they drove 71 yards before settling for a Dan Bailey field goal.  Jacksonville was unable to mount an effective drive in the closing minutes.  Tennessee 10 points.
 
Doyle caught 14 passes for 82 yards for the Jaguars.  Hopkins caught 5 for 122 yards and the game's only TD.  Jacksonville (1-5) hosts the Los Angeles Rams (3-2) next week while Tennessee (2-4) hosts San Francisco (0-5).
 
 Atlanta 7 Carolina 42                       69 0-10 
Atlanta rolls in to Carolina looking to keep pace in NFC West but a serious of unlucky bounces dooms their attempt.
 
Carolina opens the scoring with a 5 yard TD pass from Wilson to Drake with 4:20 left in the first. Atlanta quickly evens the score less than a minute later as Rivers hits Ertz with a 3 yard pass for the TD. Unfortunately the wheels fell off for Atlanta after this with Carolina scoring the next 35 points. Turnovers where the issue as Carolina returns a fumble for a TD and converts an interception deep in Atlanta's territory which led to an immediate TD.
 
Rivers  passed for 240 yards and a TD and Agholor 94 yards receiving as the top players for Atlanta.
 
For Carolina, Wilson passed for 199 and a TD and Mike Evans caught 8 passes for 101 yard.
 
 New Orleans 17 Los Angeles (N) 0            74 Calm 
The Saints keep rolling as their defense dominated the Rams in Los Angeles. So dominant was their effort the Saints were able to employ an extremely conservative game-plan, choosing never to gamble when down and distance was not in their favor. The Saints correctly predicted the Rams only chance of scoring in the game would have been a turnover in the Saints own end of the field. Even though the Saints played conservatively they still moved the ball effectively, particularly on the ground the Saints running backs combined for over 200 yards. It was not a pretty game to watch both team's quarterbacks combined for a little over 150 yards. Rams QB Andrew Luck completed less then 10 passes and threw two interceptions. The game was never really in doubt, the Rams never made it to field goal range and only converted one third down. 
 
The MVP of the game was the Saints defense, hard to single out a particular defender that stood out, it was more a complete effort, the Rams only managed 116 total yards.
 
Rams had no standout players, they got steamrolled.
 
Next week the Saints host the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, while the Rams travel to 1-4 Jacksonville.
 
 New York (A) 17 New England 9               64 5-15  Light Rain    
JETS GET FIRST WIN WITH A 17-9 VICTORY OVER PATS
 
Foxboro, MA. (IFL.COM) – The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (1-5), off to its worst start in five seasons was hosting the winless New York Jets. The division rival was the cure for whatever ills bothering the visiting Jets (1-5), as they would walk out of Gillette Stadium with a 17-9 victory, it’s first of the season.
 
The Patriots out gained the Jets in total yards 378-309, however 3 turnovers and none by New York would be their undoing. Pats running back C.J. Prosise had 2 critical fumbles, the first coming early in the 1st quarter at the Jets 5-yard line.
 
First Half
 
After a brief injury to Jets starter Ryan Mallett (36-23, 217 yards, 0 TD 0 INT), backup Scott Tolzien (2-1, 13 yards, 1 TD) came into the game and completed 1 pass, a 13 yard TD to game MVP running back Corey Grant (7-49 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches 18 yards, 1 TD). Down 7-0 the Patriots would drive deep into Jets territory when Prosise (15 carries -77 yards, 2 catches - 27 yards, 1 TD) committed the first of two misuses, FUMBLE at the 5 yard-line, and the Pats never recovered. New England would add an Jake Elliott 47 FG as the first quarter ended with the Jets holding a 7-3 lead. With 1:09 left in the first-half Grant would score his 2nd TD of the game on a 1-yard plunge, giving the Jets a 14-3 half time advantage.
 
Second Half
 
Early the 3rd quarter with the Pats at the Jets 30, DeShone Kizer (QB) would hit Prosise on a screen pass and he would take it to the house for the TD, closing the gap to 14-9 (2 – failed). Following a 9 play 51 yard drive Jets kicker Dustin Hopkins would push the lead to 8 with a 44 yard FG, 17-9. At midfield with 0:19 seconds left on the clock, New England will have one more shot at tying the game and forcing overtime when Kizer (33-26, 279 yards, 1 TD 1 INT) turned back into Kizer and he committed the 3rd and final turnover of the game when Kavon Frazier (S) intercepted him at the Jets 15 yard-line and closing the door on the comeback attempt.  
In week 7 the Patriots host the 4-1 Oakland Raiders, and the Jets will travel to Mile High to play the Denver Broncos (4-1).           
 
 Oakland 22 Denver 23                        73 0-5 
In a game with the division lead on the line the Broncos defense scored two pick-6 int's to escape with a 23-22 victory over the rival Raiders.
 
Raider QB Matthew Stafford threw for 355 yards and 2 TD's but he also threw 3 picks with 2 of them returned for scores.
The Raider offense took a big hit when RB Alvin Kamara went down with an injury in the 3rd quarter and then the Bronco defense was able to contain the Oakland offense much easier.
 
 Kansas City 30 New York (N) 23              61 5-15 
Chiefs jump out to a 30-7 lead and the Giants rally falls short.  Andy Dalton tosses 3 TD passes for KC.
 
 Buffalo 37 Minnesota 31                     68                     
Two high-scoring teams with weak defenses met up in week 6, with Minny a 1-point favorite because of home field advantage.
 
Buffalo jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead, as Alex Smith teamed up with the double-teamed Antonio Brown on a 37-yard pass for the 1st TD, then found 
Brandon LaFell from 25 yards out for a 2nd TD. Minnesota, however, got right back in the game as Drew Brees hit Jason Witten for a 9-yard TD strike later in the 1st Q. Buffalo 14-7 after one.
 
In the 2nd Q, Smith kept on rolling, pushing the lead back to 14 with a 9-yard pass to the (still) double-teamed Brown for another touchdown. Not to be outdone, Brees then threw to JuJu Smith-Schuster for an 18-yard TD pass that made the score Buffalo 21 Minny 14. With 26 seconds left in the half, Graham Gano kicked a 30-yard chip shot to seemingly give the Bills a 10-point cushion. But JuJu took the kickoff and raced 106 yards for a touchdown (in only 5 seconds!) that cut the Bills'  lead to only 3 at the half.
 
After a high-scoring first half, the two teams settled down to play some defense after intermission. The Vikings got a 35-yard field goal from Zuerlein to knot up the game at 24-24 with about 6 minutes left in the 3rd Q. Buffalo answered a minute thirty later on a 39-yard gem of a pass from Smith to the (still) double-teamed Brown for their lone touchdown of the 2nd half.It put the Bills back in front 31-24. Late in the 3rd, Buffalo opened its lead to 10 on a 38-yard field goal by Gano.
 
In the 4th, though, the Vikings took 3 minutes to go 75 yards for another touchdown, this time Brees to JuJu from 25 yards out, to make it 34-31 with 9 minutes left. Buffalo, however, chewed up over 7 minutes of clock time, getting another FG (this time from 36 yards out) by Gano to lead by 6. Brees had only 1:52 to work with, and it did not help when Buffalo kicked away from JuJu and the stat pack returner caught the kick and slipped on the 3 yard line, where he was touched down by a Viking teammate (??).  The Vikes got off 7 plays but could not go 97 yards, as Buffalo held on for a 37-31 victory.
 
Smith and Brees both stood out, Smith hitting 25 of 41 passes for 305 yards and 4 TDs for a 116.4 passing rating and Brees completing 23 of 34 passes for 270 yards and a 121.0 rating. Devonta Freeman was an unsung hero, amassing 112 yards on 15 attempts, and even rushing for a first down when Buffalo gambled on a 4th and 4 in their own territory late in the game! Brown was DT'd virtually the entire game, yet still caught 9 passes for 166 yards and 3 TDs.
JuJu Smith-Schuster caught 6 for 93 yards and finished with 3 TDs, including his KO return.
 
It was a fun game. Greg made some gutsy, momentum-changing calls, particularly successfully going for it on 4th and 4 in his own territory late in the game, that kept Buffalo in front, and we salute him for that. He also masterfully ran out the clock in the 4th Q when Brees just wanted the ball back with a little time and less than 97 yards to go.
 
Buffalo goes to 4-2 with the win and Minnesota slips to 3-3. In week 7, the Bills go to Kansas City, and the Vikings host Arizona.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Ingram,M(Mia)   15-140  1 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  15-112
 Darkwa(Jax)     19-111
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Jones,J(LAC)     9-207  1 TD
 Brown,A(Buf)     9-166  3 TD
 Landry(KC)      10-165  2 TD
 Baldwin,D(Mia)   6- 85  3 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     11- 54
 
 Passing Leaders
 Stafford(Oak)   48-29-355   2 TD  3 Int
 Goff(Mia)       30-18-332   6 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Smith,A(Buf)    41-25-305   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Grimes(GB)       2 Int 2 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Cunningham(LAR)  15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Campanaro(Bal) 4-111 Punt Ret  1 TD
 Lockett(TB)    4-245 Kick Ret  1 TD
 Rosas(Chi)     5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Smith-Schu(Min)4-184 Kick Ret  1 TD

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WEEK 6 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 6 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 5 RECAP

In a battle of the birds, the Eagles led by Bilal Powell's 107 yards and two TDs, win this one over the Cardinals.

​Game Scores
Philadelphia 27 Arizona 7                   90 Calm 
Once upon a time the Tampa Bay Bucs were referred to as the Tampa Bay Yucks.  The mood of the fans is similar, except the Yucks were probably better than the Red Birds.
What can you say about an offense which cannot score ANY offensive points?  McCarron has been given his shot to start and cannot even provide a first down.  The offense generated less than 200 yards of offense and zero points.  The defense gave up big play after big play on the afternoon.  The team could only generate 3 first downs of 17 third down attempts.  The ONLY positive was McCarron did not throw an interception.
 
Philadelphia on the other hand benefited from big plays.  After two stalled drives in the first quarter, it took only one play on the third possession for Winston to connect with Kupp for a 43 yard touchdown.  The only misfire by the Eagles was when Winston connected with Zona CB Randall for a pick six.  However, the tied game was short lived.  On the next possession Blial Powell would break away for a 51 yard touchdown.  The Eagles continued to add additional scores while Arizona rarely was able to cross the 50 yard line into Eagle territory.
 
The fans continue to scream for first round pick Patrick Mahomes to assume control of the offense.  However, the coaching staff is remaining stubborn and refuse to step away from McCarron.  However, look for changes next year if McCarron does not step up to the call. 
 
 Detroit 21 Chicago 16                       50 15-25
The 3-1 Detroit Lions (a 5 point favorite) visited the 0-4 Chicago Bears in week 5.  Things got off to a promising start for the Bears when Pharoh Cooper took the opening kickoff on his own goal line and ran 100 yards for a TD, 6-0 Bears after the missed extra point. After a Detroit 3 and out, Mariota led Chicago on a 10 play, 80 yard drive, ending in a 17 yard TD reception by Crowder.  Detroit owned the second quarter, scoring on a 6 yd pass, Kessler to Thomas, and a 66 yard pick 6 of Mariota to lead 14-13 at the half.
 
Both offenses struggled in the second half.  The Bears managed a field goal midway through the 4th quarter to take a 16-14 lead, but Kessler’s 23 yard TD strike to McDonald gave Detroit a 21-16 lead with 4:25 left on the clock.  Mariota led the Bears on a long drive, converting 4th and 10 twice.  With 42 seconds left on the clock, the Bears had a 1st and goal from the Detroit 8.  Mariota dropped back to pass and was intercepted by Mosely in the end zone, sealing the Detroit victory and keeping Chicago winless.
 
Detroit 21  Chicago 16
 
Chicago outgained Detroit 332 to 264, but two key turnovers made the difference,
 
Next week Detroit hosts Green Bay and Chicago is home to Tampa Bay.
 
 New York (A) 21 Buffalo 27                  47 15-25
With Watson out at QB and also Mallet the Bills deactivated Antonio Brown, Devonte Freeman along with Dre Kirkpatrick and it almost blew up in the Bills face!

Game time temperature was 47 degrees with winds 15-25 mph, the Bills win the toss and received kick only to punt after 7 plays. The Jets backed up at their own 9 went 3 and out losing 1 yard, each team then threw interceptions before the Bills opened the scoring by marching 80 yards on 7 plays capped off by a Smith to Humphries 9 yard reception, 7-0...

The Jets strike back going on 7 play 64 yard drive ending with Grant plunging in from 1 yard to tie it at 7-7.  Buffalo goes 3 and out with the Jets going on a 7 play 64 yard drive with Grant again plunging in from the 1, WOW! 14-7 Jets.  With second half winding down the Bills march 75 yards on 7 plays with Yelson running it from 4 yards out to end the half at 14-14...

The Jets receive the second half kick and go 3 and out and then the Bills go on a 10 play 77 yard drive capped off by a Smith to Boyle 10 yard TD to give the Bills a 21-14 lead.  Both teams are forced to punt on their next possessions and then the Jets tie the game by by driving 60 yards on 9 plays with Oliver running it in from the 2, 21-21.  On the last possession of the third quarter the Bills drive is stymied after 9 plays and 42 yards as they are forced to punt.  The Jets then open up the 4th with a costly int by Tolzien as Colvin jumps the route to put the Bills at the Jet 33.  The Jets defense stiffens as the Bills drive ends at the five and Gano kicks the FG to put the BIlls up 24-21.

The Jets start the next drive from the 25 and the Jets are moving into Buffalo territory for the tie or lead when on a 3rd and 13 the Bills blitzs Bradham who strip-sacks Tolzien and Colvin recovers at the Jet 39.  Facing a 4th and 1 the Bills bring on Gano with 55 seconds left and he drills a 48 yarder to extend the Bills lead to 27-21...

The Jets start at their 25 and Webster picks it to end the game and the Bills survive a big scare from the Jets, Webster was elated as he was picked off the waiver wire this past week.

The Jets fall to 0-5 while the Bills move to 3-2, the Jets head to New England while the Bills travel to Minnesota.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 23 Oakland 29               63 10-20
Matt Stafford throws for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Raiders get by the Chargers.
 
 Houston 14 Dallas 3                         70 
Cam Newton was overdue to have a rotten game and it happened tonight.  He was no match for Cousins as Houston prevails 14-3.   To give credit where credit is due, Pete the Greek called a good game - especially on defense.
                   
 Minnesota 14 Tampa Bay 34                   80 5-15  Light Rain    
This game was a match-up of division rivals and co-division leaders, both with three wins in their first four games.  The Minnesota Vikings traveled to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Minnesota brings the top scoring offense in the league behind Drew Brees and other stars such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jason Witten and Ezekiel Elliott.  After dropping the season opener, Tampa Bay has one three games in the row. 
 
The pundits are wondering if the light rain and 5 to 15 miles an hour winds might slow down these offenses.
 
That would not be the case through the first quarter and deep the second. The first six possessions resulted four in touchdowns.  Long drives were the norm.  There were no plays over 20 yards.  The last of the four drives, which tied the game up at 14, was a 15 play 91-yard Tampa Bay drive consuming 7:21 of game clock. 
 
The defenses showed up in the latter part of the second quarter. The Buccaneers added a field goal to go into the locker room ahead 17-14.
 
The first (and only) big momentum switch arrived up with nine minutes left in the third as Minnesota had driven to the Tampa Bay 19. On first and five, Buc Safety Antoine Bethea tips a Brees pass and former Viking George Iloka makes the interception to halt the drive. 
 
Tampa is able to move the ball from their own 11 down the field and into the end zone on a Todd Gurley dive to go-ahead 24-14.  One of the few big plays of the game made the drive possible. On third and 15 at their own 6 yard line, Todd Gurley took a screen pass 49 yards for the first down.  Tampa Bay is now up 24-14 with four minutes left in the third.  Of course, plenty of time for the Viking offense.
 
On the ensuing drive, Brees and Company have the ball for five minutes, but things are not running smoothly.  Eight pass attempts result in only two completions and the drive stalls at the Tampa 41. With the wind at his back, “The Leg” tries one from 59 yards, but it falls short.  Tampa Bay is still up by ten, 24 – 14, with the ball at midfield.
 
Leaning heavily on the dog tired Todd Gurley, Tampa Bay takes full advantage of the short field when Gurley scampers in from six to widen the lead to 31-14 with 10 ½ minutes left in the game. 
 
A big comeback was not in the cards for Minnesota. Tampa Bay added a field goal for a final of 34-14.
 
Team and individual stats show a solid Tampa advantage.  The Buccaneers outgained the Vikings 401 yards to 195.  Bucs were 11 for 14 on third down.  Todd Gurley accounted for 193 yards on 121 yards rushing and 72 yards receiving.
 
Next week Tampa Bay plays at Chicago wall Minnesota hosts Buffalo.
 
 Tennessee 20 Atlanta 23                     68   
After trading FGs, Matt Ryan hit Andre Hopkins for a 27 yard TD pass to give the Titans a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Rivers tied it up early in the second, leading a 7 play for 75 yard drive which culminated in a 32 yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor to tie the game at 10-10. The two teams would then trade FGs again and go into the half tied at 13.
 
Atlanta took the lead on FG mid way through the 3rd and then extended the lead on a 4 yard TD pass from Rivers to Doctson to extend the lead to 23-13 early in the 4th quarter.
 
The Falcons would then do their best to hold off the charge of the Titans. Matt Ryan would manage a 13 yard TD pass to Kyle Rudolph through a double team with 8:08 left in the game.
 
After a couple of changes of possession, including a big stop by the Titans after punting with less than 2 minutes left to get the ball back and a shot to tie the game. Tennessee managed to drive down to the Falcons 46 yard line, looking for the game tying FG, but an ill timed penalty would set them back 10 yards and essentially kill the drive. On 3rd and 20 at their own 44, Matt Ryan hit Hopkins for a 15 yard pass to get it to 4th and 5 with 0:22 left. Ryan would then try to convert the first on a short button hook to Kyle Rudolph but it was knocked down by Vonn Bell.
 
With the Titans turning it over on downs, Rivers spiked the ball and ran out the last 0:05 on the clock and the Falcons hold on to win 23-20.
 
There were no real offensive standouts on the Falcons but Nelson Agholor did have 4 catches for 70 yards and a TD. Matt Ryan led the way for the Titans with 233 yards, 2 TDs and no INTs.
 
With the win the Falcons go to 3-2 while the Titans fall to 1-4.
                 
 New England 10 Miami 41                     82 0-5  
New England takes the opening KO and moves downs the field but has to settle for the FG to take the early 3-0 lead, but other than a late TD that's most of the highlights for the Patriots. New England going through the pains of a rebuild, doesn't have a lot of weapons but always calls a good game.
 
Next week New England host the Jets and Miami travels to Indianapolis
 
 Indianapolis 16 Green Bay 28                49 0-10
Unbeaten Colts came in to Green Bay looking to improve to 5-0 and
knock the Packers out of the NFC Central division race.
 
The hosts had other plans.
 
Return ace Bobby Rainey took the opening kickoff back to his own 45 and the
Packers started the game with excellent field position.  QB Ben Roethlisberger led his team 55 yards in just 6 plays, capped off by a Jay Ajayi
1 yard TD plunge. 7-0 early. Big play of the drive was a Ben to WR Josh Gordon 31 yard hookup.
 
The next 3 possessions end in punts.
 
Green Bay put together another nice drive to end the quarter,. Ajayi scores on a 7 yard pass and run.  14-0 Pack after the first. The unbeaten Colts were reeling.
 
Early in the 2nd the Indy offense finally got going. QB Case Keenum led a brilliant 6 play 76 yard drive. He found WR Micheal Crabtree on an 11 yard fly. The lead was cut in half 14-7.
 
Packers respond in a big way. Roethlisberger fires a long out to Gordon who shakes off a tackle and
takes it 75 yards to the house. The lead was back up to 14. 
   
Keenum and the Colts offense then strung together a lengthy 16 play, 87 yard drive but it stalled deep in Green Bay territory. A short Steven Hauschka 24 yard FG made it 21-10 at halftime.
 
The defenses ruled a scoreless 3rd quarter.
 
Early in the 4th the Packers increased the lead as Big Ben found little used backup TE Nick O'Learly for 2 yard TD pass. 28-10 Green Bay.
 
Indy had a chance to get back in it midway through the 4th quarter but on 4th and 1 from the Packers 18, Keenum's pass to WR Chad Hansen was knocked away.
 
Colts get a late TD but the hosts hold on for a 28-16 victory.
 
Indy had more total yards and time of possession but the Packers made the most of their red zone opportunities scoring touchdowns on all 3 trips.
 
Both QB's played well.
 
Keenum                31/46 336 yards 2 TDs
Roethlisberger      19/25  224 yards 3 TDs
 
Golden Tate and Keenan Allen combined for 28 catches but no touchdowns
 
Josh Gordon had 6 receptions for 135 yards and a TD.
 
After the game it was reported commissioner John Storer plans to ban Gordon for the remainder of the regular season for violation of the leagues substance
abuse policy.
 
In his post game press conference Packers Coach Conners had this to say:
 
"Considering what went on at last year's unsanctioned coaches clinic in Vancouver, suspending a player for drug use seems highly hypocritical"
 
Indianapolis 4-1 travels to 5-0 Miami next week in a HUGE divisional game
 
Packer 3-2 head to surprising Detroit 4-1 to face the coaching mastermind.
  
 Denver 31 Kansas City 3                     67 10-20 Light Rain    
Blake Bortles throws for two touchdowns and Luke Kuechly collects three sacks and 14 tackles as the Broncos maul the Chiefs.

 Los Angeles (N) 29 San Francisco 24         67 5-15 
Rams entered the game a 5 pt favorite but at half time, they had built a 29-10 lead on the strength  of 3 Andrew Luck passes to Hilton (34 yds, 8 yds) and Green (8 yards) and a Turbin 1 yard run. Succop kicked a FG from 29 but oddly, Succop missed 2 of 4 EPAs.   The 49ers  had countered with a 47 yard FG by Crosby and an 84 yard drive ending with a 2 yard run by Barber but had punted 6 times on shorts and outs.
 
The 2nd half was a different story.  As the 49ers woke up for at least one half this year!  A blocked punt lead to a Dupree (SF) TD and a drive lead to a Howard 1 yard rush.  Howard had his best day so far with 118 yards on 23 carries. The 49er defense held the Rams scoreless in the second half.  Trubiskey was 20-37 for only 140 yards and 5 sacks.
 
SF missed 2 field goals n the 2nd half and had they made them, might have had have had their first win of the year. 
 
And BTW, Las Vegas nailed it as the Rams win by 5 points (courtesy of 2 missed EPs!)
 
LA (3-2) vs Jacksonville (1-3) next week and SF (0-5) meets Atlanta (2-2)
 
 Cincinnati 17 Jacksonville 10               89 0-10 
Week 5 sees the highly favored Bengals travel to Jacksonville to take on the slumping Jacksonville Jaguars. While the result was predictable, the game was a close fought affair that saw both offences struggle throughout. The difference boiled down to the steady but unspectacular play of Bengals pivot Hundley who outplayed the turnover plagued Jay Cutler en-route to a well coached 17-10 Cinci victory.

The Bengals D bottled up Orlenes Darkwa with Micah Hyde's two interceptions leading the way.

The Bengals assail to 5-0 while the Jags drop to 1-4
 
 New York (N) 7 Washington 30                70 0-10 
6 Giants turnovers help the Redskins to victory in Washington DC.
 
MVP Dak Prescott 3 TD Passes.
 
 Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 21                  56 10-20
Regardless of their respective records, you could expect a Ravens-Steelers game to be tight and this one didn't disappoint. The 1-3 Steelers were considered 3 point favorites playing at home against the 3-1 Ravens. With the Steeler owner/coach under the weather, Patriot Kevin filled in at the last minute and led the Steelers to a 21-17 "upset".
 
Pittsburgh scored first on a long 12-play, 55-yard drive with Frank Gore rushing in from 2 yards out. Pittsburgh 7-0.
 
Baltimore responded with a 14-play, 94-yard drive capped-off by a Le'Veon Bell 4 yard run as the 1st quarter ended. Tie 7-7.
 
Pittsburgh started quickly with consecutive first down plays, but the drive fizzled and the Steelers had to punt. Pinned at their own 10, Baltimore's first play was a 5 yard penalty. So started a 15-play, 95 yard drive that culminated with a 4-yard Manning-to-Thielen pass. Baltimore 14-7.
 
Pittsburgh again started quickly with a 21-yard gain on their first play, but the Baltimore D again forced a punt and with 1:50 left before the half, they decided to make a go of it and try to score despite being pinned deep into their own territory for the third time. Thomas Davis had a different idea and thought it should be the Steelers who should be trying to score. He strip-sacked Manning and recovered the ball at the Raven 3. Gore plunged in for the tying score one play later. 14-14.
 
The Steelers couldn't get much started on their first possession and punted to the Ravens. Baltimore drove down to the Steeler 27 and Davis forced another fumble that the Steelers recovered. The teams exchanged punts before Pittsburgh started on a 14-play, 75 yard drive that stretched into the 4th quarter. Feeling a FG wouldn't stand up with nearly 12 minutes still on the clock, stand-in coach Kevin decided to go-for-it in true Vince-style on 4th-and-1 from the Raven 12. Brady connected with back-up RB Lawrence Thomas who raced to the 4 yard line before losing the ball when Shaquille Barrett dislodged the ball from Thomas, where another Thomas (Earl of Baltimore) recovered.
 
Baltimore marched out to mid-field where they had to punt, but on the first play from scrimmage, Kendall Fuller picked Tom Brady and the Ravens were in charge with just over 6 minutes remaining. Confident they could run down the clock and win with a FG kicked with the win, Baltimore plodded to the Steeler 7 where Matt Bryant booted a 25-yard FG, giving the Ravens a 3 point lead. Baltimore 17-14.
 
Playing a conservative, prevent defense, it worked to perfection - and prevented Baltimore from winning. With Coach Kevin calling the plays and Brady spinning his magic, the Steelers jetted down the field, overcoming a 4th-and-7 with an 11-yard gain to WR Roger Lewis. Brady then hit WR Kendall Wright for 9 and back to Lewis for 19 before calling their last timeout with 20 second left and the ball on the 22 yard line. With the Ravens doubling Gronk, Brady went back to Lewis who found a crease through the middle and stuck the dagger right into the heart of the Ravens as the home fans went bonkers! Pittsburgh 21-17.
 
Brady was named the game's MVP with a 29-for-41 game good for 284 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.
 
Baltimore (3-2) travels to Cincinnati (5-0) hoping to stay relevant in the AFC Central. Pittsburgh (2-3) takes on winless San Francisco.
 
 Carolina 7 New Orleans 33                   70         
2-2 Carolina would roll into New Orleans to try and knock off the unlikely undefeated Saints as they almost went into rebuild mode. The Saints D would step up to the plate holding the Panthers to 140 yards of total offense. Joe Flacco would lead the Saints throwing for 2TD's and no picks. Time of possession was key as the Saints held the ball for over 35 minutes. The big question for New Orleans is whether or not the injuries are going to catch up with them. So far not yet. New Orleans travels to division foe LA and Carolina hosts the Falcons.            
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Gurley II(TB)   29-121  1 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    23-118  1 TD
 Powell,B(Phi)   15-107  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Bell,L(Bal)     17-102  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Tate,G(Ind)     11-120
 
 Passing Leaders
 Keenum(Ind)     46-31-336   2 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   47-31-309   3 TD
 Smith,A(Buf)    38-30-278   2 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Alonso(LAC)      17 Tk
 Kuechly(Den)     3 Sk 14 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Hyde,M(Cin)      2 Int 7 Tk
 Jenkins,M(Was)   2 Int 5 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Jackson,A(LAC) 5-151 Kick Ret 2-9 Punt Ret
 McManus(NO)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

---

WEEK 5 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 5 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 4 RECAP

Keenan Allen scores two touchdowns as the Colts edge Buffalo 34-28 to remain undefeated.

​Game Scores
 Buffalo 28 Indianapolis 34                  69         
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) - The Indianapolis Colts (4-0) wins an OVERTIME thriller 34-28 against division rival Buffalo Bills (2-2).
 
With only 2:00 left of the clock in the final period and Buffalo leading 28-21 the hometown Colts would score with :04 left in regulation when Case Keenum (QB) hit Golden Tate (WR) with an 8-yard TD pass to tie the game at 28-28. In overtime the very game and well coached Bills would never see the ball as the Colts received the kickoff and went on a 9 play 75 yard drive that concluded with Keenum hitting a double-covered Tate for a 7-yard TD for the game winner.
 
In week 5 the Colts travel to Green Bay to take on the 2-1 Packers while the Bills host division rival New York Jets (1-2). 

 Los Angeles (A) 21 Denver 30                64 0-5 
The Chargers came to Mile high stadium for a divisional game vs. the Broncos and the home team held on for a 30-21 victory.
 
Denver was led by Rookie RB Kareen Hunt who rushed for 136 yards on 26 carries with 2 TD's.
Tyreek Hill caught 5 passes for 92 yards while QB Blake Bortles threw for  177 yards on a 14 of 19 passing day,
 
Tyrod Taylor had a nice game for the Chargers as he threw for 284 yards and 2 scores.
Julio Jones caught 8 passes for 111 yards and a TD to lead the SD club.
 
The Bolts were flagged 11 times for 84 yards of penalties while the Broncos only had 1 for 5 yards.
 
The win moves Denver to 3-1 as the Chargers fall to 1-3.
 
Next week both teams remain in division as the Chargers travel to Oakland and the Broncos head to Kansas City.
   
 Kansas City 27 Houston 24                   70
Gostkowski connects on a 41 yard field goal as time expires and the Chiefs rally after being down 14-0 after the first quarter.
                     
 Miami 49 New York (A) 3                     56 Calm 
Easy story here. The Jets are playing with Ryan Mallett, a stat pack QB, and he threw a pick
on the 3rd play of the game. That lead to a 42 yard TD drive for the Fins.
 
The Jets went on to turn the ball over 4 times in their first 5 possessions. Oh, Mallett was injured
and replaced by our 3rd string QB.
 
All told the Jets turned it over SIX times....leading to SIX TD's for the Fins.
 
In between turnovers the Jets did manage 237 yards, and 15 first downs in 29 minutes when they held
onto the ball.
 
Next week the Jets visit the Bills, who are already licking their chops, and Miami host the Pats.
 
 Pittsburgh 14 Tennessee 27                  80 Calm 
Pittsburgh owned the first half with two nice drives resulting in touchdowns for Gronkowski and Gore.  Tennessee responded with one TD drive finished by a 9 yard Ryan to Rudolph pass.  14-7 Steelers at the half.
 
The Titans dominated the second half with four substantial drives leading to two touchdowns and two field goals.  The Steelers' offence was repeatedly stymied by untimely penalties, three sacks and two fourth quarter interceptions within two minutes.  Penalties in the game ended up 12 against Pittsburgh versus only 2 against Tennessee.  The Titans win 27-14.
 
Frank Gore had a solid 77 yards on 16 carries for Pittsburgh.  Matt Ryan finally had a decent game with 3 TD passes and a 109.1 passer rating.  Both teams are now 1-3 with dim playoff prospects.  Pittsburgh hosts the powerful Ravens next week while Tennessee visits Atlanta.
 
 Carolina 13 Cincinnati 27                   49 20-30 Light Rain 
On a rainy Cincinnati afternoon, the Bengals hosted the Panthers.  Carolina won the toss and elected to defer.  The Bengals were forced to punt on their first possession.  With the Panthers facing third and five, Jalen Ramsey jumped in front of a Russell Wilson pass and went 35 yards for the score.  Carolina put together a nine play 75 yard drive on their next series capped off by a 16 yard screen pass to Abdullah for the tying score.  Carson Palmer completed a 33 yard completion to Paul Richardson on their next possession setting up a three yard score to Jeffery as the Bengals regained the lead 14-7.  After forcing a Panther punt, Cincinnati put together a 13 play 91 yard drive that ended with a Hoyer to Funchess 11 yard score.  The extra point was no good as the Bengals extended their lead to 20-7.  Carolina was able to cut the lead to 20-10 before the half thanks to a Lambo 44 yard field goal.  
 
Carolina cut the lead to 20-13 with their first possession of the third quarter as Lambo blasted a 54 yard field goal with the help of the strong wind.  That would be as close as the Panthers would get.  As Hoyer connected with Paul Richardson from 8  yards out in the fourth quarter for 27-13 final.
 
Wilson struggled with the wind and the Bengals pass rush finishing 14 of 23 for 158 yards with one TD and one INT.  Rookie standout Carl Lawson had two sacks for Carolina.
 
Hoyer finished 15 of 22 for 116 yards and 3 TDs.  The Bengals suffered another serious injury at quarterback as Palmer went down and will miss the next seven weeks.  The Cincinnati defense played well with the Ramsey interception return for a touchdown and Bruce Irvin two sacks.
 
Next week the Panthers have a tough road divisional game facing the undefeated Saints.  Cincinnati travels to Jacksonville for a tough divisional road game of their own.
  
 Jacksonville 24 Baltimore 27                58 0-10 
For the second straight week, the Ravens were out-played in nearly every aspect of the game and still managed to win the game, 27-24, over a talented Jags team. Jacksonville controlled the game with 20 first downs (vs 7 for the Ravens), picking up 241 yards on the ground (vs 113 for the Ravens), led by RB Orleans Darkwa's 157 on 22 carries (vs Le'Veon Bell's 62 on 21); and 137 through the air on the strength of Jay Cutler's 18-for-25 (vs Eli Manning's 10-for-20-for-110).
 
Unfortunately for Jag's fans, Cutler threw three INTs. The first came after an impressive opening drive that carried the ball down to the Ravens 37. The eight play 38 yard drive turned on Desmond Trufant's INT returned 47 yards to the Jags' 31. Four plays later, with the ball on the Jags 9 yard line, Eli Manning returned the favor, getting picked by CB Stephon Gilmore. The Jags again trudged down the field before stalling at the Ravens 18 where Randy Bullock booted a 36 yard FG. Jax 3-0.
 
Baltimore responded with a 3-and-out and Jacksonville lumbered downfield again, stalling at the Ravens 34, where Bullock missed, wide left.
 
Le'Veon Bell got the crowd riled up with a 21 yard jaunt to the Jags 37, but the Raven "drive" stalled 3 plays later, where Matt Bryant kicked a 47 yard FG to tie the game at 3-3.
 
After the teams exchanged punts and field position, Cutler threw his second INT, though this one took a Raven challenge and a video reply to confirm that Mark Barron actually secured the ball. On the first play after the TO, Alex Collins took it to the house, 45 yards away on a sweep. Baltimore 10-3.
 
After another exchange of punts, the Jags rumbled downfield with Darkwa toting the ball 4 times for 37 yards, the last time 11 yards into the end zone. Tie game, 10-10 at the half.
 
After the kick to open the second half, the Ravens moved the ball into Jags territory only to have two holding penalties and a sack put them in a 4th-and-44 situation. A punt to the first down marker pushed Jacksonville back to their own 23 and Jay Cutler loosened up the Ravens D with two 15-yard gains to Allen Hurns. After a short Darkwa run and a Jag penalty, Darkwa burst through the center of the line on a dive play and didn't stop until he reached the goal line, 55 yards away. Jacksonville, 17-10.
 
Jacksonville's D forced another 3-and-out from the Ravens and Rigoberto Sanchez's punt put the Jags on their own 23. Again, Cutler threw to the wrong color jersey and CB Kendall Fuller returned it to the 8. Three plays later, Bell carried it in for the Ravens. Tie game, 17-17.
 
The next three possession results in punts. With :41 left in the 3rd quarter and the ball on the Raven 26, Coach Master took a chance on first down and called for a long cross to Adam Thielen. Manning complied and hit the streaking Thielen for 54 yards. Sadly, in what has become a regular thing, the Ravens didn't go any further. Fortunately, they didn't have to and Bryant knocked a 42 yard FG through the uprights. Baltimore 20-17.
 
On the ensuing possession, Jacksonville got a nice return and moved into Raven territory after a personal foul penalty against the purple defense. The drive stalled, however, and Bullock lined up to attempt a 57 yard FG. Kicking with the wind, the Ravens figured there was a good chance he'd make it, but still put Chris Moore deep, just in case. Good move, because the kick landed in the arms of Moore WHO RETURNED IT 109 YARDS FOR A TD! Surely, there would be a flag...but NO. It stood. Baltimore 27-17 with 11 1/2 minutes remaining.
 
Needing two scores, Coach Hood felt the need to go for it on 4th-and-5 from his own 36. He made the right call, a draw against a pass defense, but Elijah Hood was stopped short. No worries. Baltimore's offense was putrid and could only gain 3 yards before giving the ball back to the Jags.
 
Jacksonville marched downfield, eating up yards...and time. Their drive resulted in a Cutler-to-Hurns TD, but just 2:22 remained on the clock. Baltimore 27-24.
 
Baltimore recovered the onside attempt and forced the Jags to burn their timeouts after gaining one of their seven first downs at a most opportune time. Though the Jags would get the ball back with :10 on the clock, Matt Judon ended all hope with a sack of Cutler to end the game.
 
For Week 5, Baltimore (3-1) travels to division rival Pittsburgh (1-3), while Jacksonville (1-3) hosts division leader Cincinnati (4-0).
 
 New Orleans 21 San Francisco 17             70 0-10 
The Saints (3-0) visit the 49ers (0-3) at SF as a 15 point favorite.  
 
As expected, the game featured total domination by the Saints who rushed for over 280 yards. Had 28 first downs (to 13 for SF), controlled the football for almost 40 minutes, gained 411 yards to 240 and basically beat the living daylights out of the SF Defense.  But not expected, the 49ers hung tough, and with a couple of breaks and came close to pulling a major upset.  
 
The SF D really “bent” but did not break and SF and only allowed 3 TDs. The Saints missed 2 FGs.  SF received major breaks with a 33 yard fumble recovery return TD by Coyle and a 59 yard pass to Boyd from Trubiskey that resulted in a FG.
 
Despite overall New Orleans domination, the game ended on the Saint 14 yard with a 1st down with the 49ers having a real chance to win.  However, Trubiskey threw 4 incomplete passes and that was that.
 
 Chicago 7 Minnesota 31                      68 
The two teams had a slugfest in their first match-up, with Minnesota coming back to beat Chicago in the last minute 41-40. What would happen in the rematch?
 
Let's put it this way. The Bears seemingly dominated the game, but the Vikings came out on top, 31-7.
 
The Vikes, on their second play of the game, scored a 66-yard touchdown on a Brees to Smith-Schuster pass to take a 7-0 lead. After an interception, the Vikes scored again two plays later on a Marshawn Lynch 3-yard run. 14-0 Vikes two minutes into the game.
 
Afterwards, the Bears controlled play, except they failed to execute when they had to. Midway through the 1st Q, Rosas had his field goal from 48 yards out blocked. Starting off the 2nd Q, the Bears drove to the Viking 3, but Mariota was picked off. The Bears finally got on the scoreboard late in the 2nd Q
with a 14-yard TD run by Alfred Blue. This awakened the Vikings out of their slumber, as they drove 74 yards in 2:17 to score an answering TD on a 4-yard pass from Brees to Witten. Vikes 21-7 at the half.
 
In the 3rd Q, the Bears dominated the first 7 minutes of the quarter, driving to the Vikings' 8 yard line before a sack drove them back to the 16. From there they tried another field goal, only to have it blocked again. The Vikings then took virtually the rest of the 3rd Q marching down the field, settling for a 48-yard FG by Zuerlein. That made it 24-7 through three quarters.
 
Early in the 4th, the Vikes, getting the ball in Bear territory after an interception, wasted little time in scoring another TD, Brees to Smith-Schuster for 14 yards, that made it 31-7, which was the final.
 
At one time in the the Bears had 100 more net yards than the Vikes, but were down big-time. They finished with 327 net yards to only 281 by the Vikes. They had 20 first downs, compared to only 14 by the Vikes. They had possession of the ball for about 35 minutes compared to only 25 by the Vikes.
 
The difference was efficiency. Mariota completed only slightly more than half of his passes (18/33) but was picked off 3 times and sacked 3 times for a passing rating of only 33.9. Brees, on the other hand, had a passing rating of 156.3. He had only 240 yards this time, but was 17 for 20 and passed for 3 TDs, with 0 interceptions. 
 
Smith-Schuster had 109 yards receiving on only 5 catches, while Marvin Jones had 95 yards on 6 catches.
 
Minnesota goes to a surprising 3-1 while Chicago drops to an equally surprising 0-4. In week 5, the Vikings travel to Tampa Bay to take on the division rival Bucs, and Chicago will host Detroit.
                   
 Atlanta 10 Los Angeles (N) 16               72 Calm 
Atlanta traveled to Los Angeles to face the Rams to close out their season series. In the first game the teams combined for 59 points. Regression hit hard as they only combined for two offensive touchdowns in this one. With so little offense the game came down to three key plays:
 
1)In the second half the Rams clung to a 9-3 lead. Atlanta was trying to work the ball out of their end. Falcons QB Phillip Rivers, on 2nd down, heaved a long pass attempt downfield, Rams Safety Justin Simmons jumped in front of the pass for an interception. He wasn't done; dodging multiple tacklers Simmons returned the interception 50 yards for a touchdown, Rams extend the lead to 16-3.
 
2)The very next drive the Falcons immediately marched down the field to the Rams 9 yard line. A score looked imminent, but on 1st down Rivers fumbled the snap, Rams recovered to end the 3rd quarter.
 
3) The Falcons would eventually get their touchdown to make it 16-10 and then recover an onside kick. Their subsequent time consuming drive ran the clock down to 1:27, but they faced a 4th and 11 from the Rams 15, Rivers threw a slant to WR Ryan Grant, but it was off the mark. Falcons were able to get the ball again with just under a minute, but did not really threaten and were forced to try hail-mary attempts.
 
Falcons had nearly 400 yards of offense, but little to show for it thanks to the turnovers and some penalties. Their ground attack was very effective: Dion Lewis, Lamar Miller and Tevin Coleman combined for 179 yards on 30 attempts.
 
The Rams standout was Safety Justin Simmons who managed 4 pass defenses including the biggest play of the game for the Rams.
 
Next week Los Angeles travels to another division rival, San Francisco.
 
Atlanta hosts Tennessee.
 
 Green Bay 41 Tampa Bay 45                   84 Calm 
Green Bay rolled in to Tampa Bay for the battle of the Bays and an important divisional game with both teams holding 2 – 1 records.  The Packers demolished the Buccaneers 31 to 3 the opening game of the season. 
 
Game summary notes include 86 points scored; 9 lead changes; 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns; 803 yards total offense; each QB averaging over 14 yards per completion and a half time score of 31 to 28. 
 
Individual highlights show Packers Bobby Rainey with 5 kickoff returns for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns and Josh Gordon credited with 5 catches for 149 yards (30 yards per) and 1 TD.  Buccaneer players Todd Gurley with 79 rushing yards and 126 receiving yards for 205 total yards and Derek Carr tossing for 387 yards and 5 touchdowns. 
 
When it came to crunch time the game was tied at 38 with 6 minutes left.  A game changing play took place on third and six with Green Bay driving on the Tampa Bay 22 yard line. Roethlisberger hit Charles Sims for an apparent first down, but Tampa wins a challenge leaving Green Bay little choice but to kick the short field goal for the lead.
 
On the ensuing possession, Tampa is faced with 4th and 3 at midfield with 3:30 left.  Not wanting to give the ball back to Ben Roethlisberger and his explosive offense, the Buccaneers go for it and catch the Packers playing the pass which allows Todd Gurley to scoot around the right side for 5 yards to keep the drive alive.  Just before the two minute warning, Derek Carr finds DeShawn Jackson streaking down the right sideline for a 30 yard go-ahead touchdown pass.  Score is now 45-41 Tampa Bay.
 
Bobby Rainey does his thing again bringing the kickoff out to the 35 yard line, however, a holding penalty leaves the Steelers at their own 20 to start the drive.  After a quick Roethlisberger strike to Danny Woodhead out to the 32, Terrance Williams hauls in a down and out to the Pittsburgh 46 with 1:40 left.  But wait … Steeler Austin Howard is called for holding!  On the next play (1st and 20,) Vontaze Burfict drops Roethlisberger for a huge 15 yard sack essentially ending the game.  Final TB 45 – GB 41. 
 
Next week the Packers host a strong Colts team while the Bucs welcome another division rival to Florida in the Vikings. 
 
 Washington 7 Dallas 17                      70   
In a remach of week one opponents, Dallas used a stifling defense and effective running game to defeat Washington 17-7 Saturday afternoon.  The Cowboy defense help Kris Heaton's team to 217 net yards.  To make matters worse, Kris' club lost a few first downs on penalties.  The Redskins were called for nine penalties for 83 negative yards in the contest.
 
Lesean McCoy rushed 28 times for 152 yards and two scores to lead the Cowboy offense.  Cam Newton had a run of 26 yards on third and long in the fourth quarter that was heart-breaking for the Skins.
 
The defensive game was 7-0 Dallas until late in the fourth quarter.
 
To the surprise of many, Dallas and its humble roster improves to 4-0.  The loss drops Washington to 1-3.
                 
 Arizona 5 Oakland 35                        71 5-15 
Raider quarterback Matt Stafford throws for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns as Oakland cruises past Arizona.
​
 Detroit 13 New England 6                    47 0-10 
Michael Thomas hauled in 8 passes for 116 and a TD, and QB Cody Kessler completed 15 of 24 for 175 yards as visiting Detroit came away with a rather sluggish 13-6 win at New England.  Patriot QB Deshone Kizer threw 2 interceptions while the Patriots were in Lion territory, effectively torching two of New England's better scoring chances on the day. 
 
 Philadelphia 34 New York (N) 13             65 0-5  
In a rematch of division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles go on the road and sweep the season series from the New York Giants.  It was pretty much the same story as it has been all year for the Eagles.  A balanced running attack with Demarco Murray and Bilal Powell coupled with the passing attack of QB Jameis Winston, who continues to spread the ball around to WR Mohammed Sanu, WR Cooper Kupp and TE Evan Engram.
 
The Giants were hampered in their running game due to the trade of CJ Anderson as Coach Jude Law was forced to sit him as to not get him injured.  QB Carson Wentz did some good things, but it was not enough against the bend not break Eagle defense.
 
The Eagles stay undefeated at 4-0 and go to the desert next week to play division foe Arizona, while the Giants, 0-4, will travel to the Nations capital to take on a division foe of their own, Washington.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Stewart,J(NO)   22-162
 Darkwa(Jax)     22-157  2 TD
 McCoy,L(Dal)    28-152  2 TD
 Hunt,K(Den)     26-136  2 TD
 Peterson,A(Mia) 17-61  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Allen,K(Ind)    11-124  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Kupp(Phi)        6- 74  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr,D(TB)      39-27-387   5 TD
 Keenum(Ind)     42-31-316   4 TD
 Smith,A(Buf)    37-28-308   3 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
Eddie Goldman(Det) 1 sack, 3 hur – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
​
 Special Teams
 Moore,C(Bal)   4-220 Kick Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Rainey(GB)     5-290 Kick Ret  2 TD
​

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WEEK 4 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 4 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 3 RECAP

Cowboys Running Back Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for 109 yards with 2 TDs as Dallas gets by New York.

​Game Scores
Dallas 26 New York (N) 18                   80 0-10   
Cowboys rally from a 9-0 first quarter deficit to defeat the Giants.  Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for 109 yards and two scores on only 16 carries to lead the Dallas offense.
 
Indianapolis 24 New York (A) 20             70 0-10 
The undefeated Colts came in to the Big Apple knowing they were facing Ryan
Mallett, and that certainly didn't scare them.
 
Well, Mallett gave them more than they expected, but also some of what they
expected. He kept the Jets in the game, but also kept the Colts in the game.
 
The game was 7-7 when Mallett threw back to back interceptions. His first gave
the Colts the ball at the Jet's 29 yard line....5 plays later it was 14-7, Colts. Next
Jet's play was another pick, leaving the Colts at the 2 yard line....one play, and it
was 21-7, Colts....
 
But, Mallett wasn't done giving....with the Jets trailing 24-20(after a missed extra point).
Knowing they needed a TD because of the missed extra point, the Jets tried to run clock
and went on a 73 yard drive, that took over 5 minutes. The Jets got to the Colts 23 yard line
when Mallett threw his 3rd pick of the day....game over.
 
The Jets turned the ball over 4 times total, and couldn't pull out a win.
 
For the Colts Keenum was 25-34 with 2 TDs. Allen had 8 receptions for 109 yards and 2 TDs.
 
For the Jets Jones had 12 tackles, and Woods had 8 receptions for 80 yards and a TD.
 
Next week the Jets host the Dolphins, who are eagerly waiting to face Mallett....and the Colts
host the Bills.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 14 Philadelphia 23          82 5-15 
One yard plunges by Powell and Murray along with three Butker field goals lead Eagles to nine point win.

 New England 20 Buffalo 37                   55 15-25
With New England in rebuild mode after dominating the last few seasons the Bills saw an opportunity to up their record to 2-1 and they did just that as Alex Smith was the MVP of the game throwing 5 TD passes on 26-36 for 278 yards and rushing for 92 yards on 7 carries...DeShone Kizer played very well in his rookie season throwing for 227 yards and 1 TD finishing with a 97.1 rating, McCaffrey caught 8 balls for only 50 yards and rushed for 34 on 10 carries as the Bills kept him contained for the most part..Despite being double teamed most of the game former Patriot caught 7 balls for 112 yards and 3 TD's for the Bills...The BIlls out-gained the Patriots 422-344 as the Bills pull away in the second after leading 13-3 to take it 37-20.

 Tennessee 22 Baltimore 34                   69 0-5
The Titans thoroughly dominated the Ravens: out-gaining them 448 yards to 181, earning more first downs (21 to 9) and held a 7 minute time of possession advantage. Of course, the Ravens won the game by 12, 33-21.
 
Tennessee set the tone early with a 12-play, 67 yard drive to start the game, but the drive stalled after two incomplete passes by Ryan Ryan and the Titans had to settle for a Dan Bailey 26-yard FG. Tennessee 3-0.
 
Baltimore responded with a 13-yard TD strike from Eli Manning to AJ Green after Manning found Chris Hogan on a 58-yard streak on 3rd and 6. Matt Bryant's PAT made it, 7-3 Ravens.
 
The Ravens D forced a 3-and-out but Colton Schmidt's punt pinned the Ravens inside their own 10. The Titans D rose up and stuffed Le'Veon Bell for on consecutive plays (-5 and 0) and that's when the weird stuff started. On 3rd-and-14, Manning saw the D-line jump and thought he had a free play. The O-Line thought so too and allowed Frank Clark straight thru unabated. Clark took advantage of the confusion and plowed Manning into the end zone paint for a safety. Ravens still led, 7-5.
 
Tennessee took the punt-off and started on another punishing drive, but after gaining 43 yards on 6 plays to push the ball down to the Ravens 17, Aaron Donald sacked Matt Ryan and forced a fumble...that Mark Barron scooped up and returned about 75 yards for a TD. Ravens, 14-5.
 
Tennessee put together another grinding drive on their next possession - 14 plays and 62 yards - all the way down to the Raven 13 yard line, but Mark Barron picked off Matt Ryan at the 8 and returned it 36 yards. The Titans D tightened (sorry about the pun) and the Ravens were forced to punt....but!...an offside penalty on Tennessee gave the Ravens 5 yards and Coach Master decided to bring out ageless Matt Bryant to try a 55 yard FG with a slight wind at his back. Bryant prevailed. Ravens 17-5, but they didn't even have 100 yards of offense.
 
The next Titans possession churned out 25 yards in 5 plays, but Shaquill Barrett strip-sacked Matt Ryan...and who picked up the fumble? Mark Barron was the man on the spot and recovered the ball for the Ravens.

 Tampa Bay 23 Detroit 10                     70   
The game was a close TB 10-Det-0 with about a minute left in the half & the Lions fumbled inside the Buc 10 & ILB Davis returned it 75 yards before he was finally dragged down & Tampa had to settle for 3.
Lions scored on their opening 3rd quarter drive to cut the lead to 7-13.  After that Tampa responded with a TD & then by the time it was 23-7 early in the 4th the game was clearly over.
 
Carr 101 and  Lynch 91 ratings both played well.  Gurley & Fournette each had approx 140 yard offense.
 
Next week TB hosts division rial GB, while Det travels to Boston to meet NE.
 
                 
 Jacksonville 13 New Orleans 16              70           
Bouye intercepts Cutler in overtime setting up the McManus 20 yard chip shot for the Saints win.   
     
 Miami 24 Chicago 6                          75 5-15 
The 2-0 Dolphins came to Chicago to play the 0-2 Bears.  Vegas had Miami as a 16 point favorite.
The Bears defense finally showed up in the first half, intercepting Goff twice and holding Miami to 3 points.  The Bears offense was inefficient though and the half ended Chicago 6 Miami 3.
The Bears intercepted Goff again on the Dolphins first drive of the second half and the hopes of an upset started to grow.  Miami finally got things rolling midway through the 3rd on a Goff 43 yard TD pass to Cooks and the Dolphins rolled from there.  Miami scored twice more, held the Bears scoreless and won the game 24-6.
Miami:  Goff 23/38/359, 2 TD 3 Int; Baldwin caught 7 passes for 126 and a TD.
Chicago:  Mariota 18/34/182 Int; Cooks gained 91 on 16 carries before being carted off the field.
Next week Miami travels to the NY Jets and Chicago is in Minnesota.
 
Los Angeles (N) 3 Carolina 32               94 0-10  Light Rain    
With Luck out with injury, the Rams put up a brave effort but are severely handicap on offense against the Panthers. The Panthers jump out to a 20-0 lead in the first half and never look back. 
 
Game standouts include Russel Wilson passing for 270 yards and 3 TD's. Mike Evans goes for 101 yards receiving and 2 TD's. For the Rams, Landry Jones starts the game 9 for 9 passing and finishes with 134 yards. 
 
 Houston 3 Denver 31                         73 0-10 
Denver was home to the Texans for a week 3 divisional clash.
The broncos jumped out early and then the offense clicked opening up a 28-0 halftime lead
 
The 2nd half saw both offenses struggle to get much going and the Denver defense sealed the game
Thanks to Pete for a quick and fun game.
 
 San Francisco 7 Atlanta 25                  68
The Falcons beat division rival 49ers 25-7. Larry Fitzgerald was named MVP as he caught 7 passes for 112 yards and a TD. Trubisky was running for his life as he was hurried 6 times, sacked 5 times and was forced to scramble twice for 26 yards.
 
With the win, the Falcons go to 2-1 while the 49ers fall to 0-3.
                    
 Cincinnati 49 Pittsburgh 7                  79 0-5
  Leading 14-7 at the half, the Bengals scored 28 unanswered third quarter points to down division rival Pittsburgh 49-7.  Penalties and turnovers did in the Steelers.  Pittsburgh was called for 11 penalties for 76 yards and they also suffered three turnovers including a pick six from Cincinnati's first round draft pick William Jackson.
 
Surprisingly Tom Brady struggled completing only 11 of his 30 pass attempts for 66 yards, 1 TD with 2 INTs.  Brady was also sacked 4 times.  Frank Gore may have been the lone bright spot for Pittsburgh with 88 rushing yards on 14 carries.
 
For Cincinnati, Brian Hoyer finished 18 of 24 for 196 yards and 3 TDs.  Jeffery caught 2 of the TD passes.
 
Next week, the Steelers are at Tennessee while the Bengals host the Carolina Panthers.
 
 Green Bay 23 Minnesota 20                   68                
A match-up between the highest scoring team in the young season (Minn 46.5) and the third stingiest 
defense in the league (Green Bay 9.5 pts allowed). A match-up between the two-time reigning IFL 
Offensive Player of the Week (Drew Brees, 400+ yards each game) and Old Ben Roethlisberger, 
rumored to be a few more interceptions away from retirement. On the other hand, a match-up between 
a coach who has never won anything in football (Rich Robb) and an old fox of a coach of a perennial 
division champion (John Conners).
 
Green Bay established its mastery early, holding the Vikings to a 3-and-out on their first possession, then 
scoring a TD to cap a 71-yard drive, Roethlisberger to Woodhead on a 9-yard pass. GB 7-0.
 
On their next possession, Minnesota mounted a long drive to the Green Bay 6, only to be stymied by a penalty that 
made them settle for a Zuerlein field goal. GB 7-3.
 
Green Bay, on their next possession, marched again to the 28 in Minnesota territory, where Gould kicked a field goal.
GB 10-3.
 
Minnesota then sustained a long drive for over 6 minutes despite suffering 3 sacks and 2 penalties, as Brees fought
through the setbacks to get a series of first downs on four completions over 10 yards.  With the half about to end, Zuerlein nailed a 
36-yard field goal. GB 10-6.
 
The second half saw Minnesota gear up its offense and shut down the Packers. Brees hit Smith-Schuster on a 19-yard pass,
then Marshawn Lynch churned in from 8 yards out to give the Vikings their first lead. Minn 13-10.
 
Minnesota opened the 4th quarter strong, too, as Brees found Smith-Schuster in the end zone on a 21-yard pass to push
the Vikes lead to 20-10.
 
Old Ben, despite his good start, was below 100 yards for the game at this point.
 
With their backs to the wall, the Packers started to roll. A 13-play drive, featuring six completions by Old Ben, took only about 
3 minutes, but ended in a 27-yard Gould FG. Vikings lead cut to 20-13.
 
With 11 minutes to go, Green Bay had a real shot at a win again.
 
The Vikes got two first downs to eat up some clock, but on a 3rd and 1 Brees fumbled, and the Vikes were forced to punt.
 
Starting with 7:42 left in the game, Roethlisberger led the Pack on their most impressive drive of the game, going 90 yards
for a game-tying touchdown. Old Ben completed 7 out of 7 passes during the drive, capping it off with a 4-yard pass to Watson
in the end zone. Minn 20 GB 20.
 
Getting the ball with 2:26 left, Brees had only to get in field goal range for the win. In truth, he got only 3 plays off, 2 of them
completions. After a first down, the drive was killed by a Minnesota penalty and by two sacks.
 
Roethlisberger had only 1:12 left in the game to win it. Starting at mid-field, he hit Ayaji on a 13-yard pass to set up a field goal.
A couple of runs killed the clock and left 3 seconds for a game-winning field goal. Gould was dead-on from 38 yards out, and
the Pack pulled off a great 4th quarter comeback to win, 23-20.
 
Roethlisberger quieted the Old Ben comments by completing 9 straight passes to finish the game. He sure is no Jay Cutler.
He ended the game with 271 yards and 2 TDs.
 
Brees finished with 294 yards and 1 TD, but was sacked 7 times. Smith-Schuster caught 7 passes for 123 yards.
 
There were two keys to the game. One, Green Bay's ferocious pass rush, which sacked Brees 7 times. Two, Green Bay's ability
to avoid flags. They went the last 20 minutes of the game with zero penalties. They had only 5 penalties the entire
game, compared to 11 by the Vikings.
 
John called a marvelous game, the game would not have been won by a lesser coach. Still, the Vikings take heart from the
fact that they held the Packers to only 10 points through the first 3 quarters, and they feel they could have won the game
if the penalties had been more even. Despite 7 sacks and over twice as many penalties, it took a field goal with 3 seconds left
to beat them.
 
The Packers did what champions do, though: They get an opportunity, and they capitalize on it. 
 
Both teams are now 2-1. In week 4, the Vikings get a rematch with Chicago (the Vikes won the 1st game 52-27) 
and the Packers get a rematch with Tampa Bay (the Pack won the 1st game 31-3).  
    
 Oakland 34 Kansas City 14                   75 5-15
Travis Kelce catches 3 TD passes as Oakland downs KC.
 
 Washington 19 Arizona 6                     87 Calm
 With only three games played, the Arizona Cardinals fans cannot wait for the season to be over.  The Cardinals have yet to notch their first win and it does not look as if any will be coming soon.  On the bright side, beer sales at the stadium are at a record high.  Seems most fans prefer sitting at the stadium watering hole and watching the Red Zone to keep up with their fantasy teams than watching the Red Birds.  
 
The boo birds were out in force early in the game.   For just about 5 minutes in the first quarter it looked like the Birds were ready to play.  They took the opening kick off and started with some positive plays.  They began at the 25 and moved nearly to mid field ( a game highlight for Zona) before McCarron was rudely sacked.  The next play McCarron threw his 6th interception in the very young season.  It was pretty much down hill the rest of the way.
 
Washington would take the gift interception and march 66 yards for the TD.  The Skins never looked back or lost the lead.  In fairness, both teams looked bad.  Washington could only manage a FG before the end of the first half.  This was while Zona practiced their punting.
 
Anytime Zona did anything good, they followed it up with a penalty or turnover.  Early in the 4th quarter, Zona got a break.  Washington turned the ball over and Zona moved to the 5 yard line.  Zona planned to take the three and attempt and onside kick.  However, the FG was blocked and Zona still had no points.  
 
Zona would get a late garbage TD but most of the fans had already left the building.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Miller,L(Atl)   21-118
 Rodgers,J(Dal)  16-109  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Darkwa(Jax)     19-106
 Fournette(Det)  18-101
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Hopkins,D(Ten)   6-211  2 TD
 Brown,A(Buf)     7-112  3 TD
 Kelce,T(Oak)     7- 95  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Goff(Mia)       38-23-359   2 TD  3 Int
 Ryan,M(Ten)     43-21-324   2 TD  3 Int
 Smith,A(Buf)    36-26-278   5 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   25-21-266   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Byard(Ind)       2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Wagner,B(Chi)    2 Int 8 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Lambo(Car)     4-4 FG
 Hill,T(Den)    5-130 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Team Player of the Week
 Dayes(Pit)     5-165 Kick Ret
​

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WEEK 3 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 3 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 2 RECAP

Jags Ryan Switzer 90 yard punt return helps Jacksonville defeat San Francisco.

​Game Scores
 San Francisco 13 Jacksonville 30            92 10-20
A close game that saw both offences struggle until half way through the 4th quarter when the Jags blew it open with two big plays en route to a 30-13 victory over a game 49er squad. Down 17-13 with eight minutes to go the 49'ers attempted to pin the struggling Jags O deep in their own end only to have Ryan Switzer return the punt 90 yards for paydirt. Jags lead 24-13.

On the ensuing drive the 49'ers turned it over on downs on the Jacksonville 40.  Three carries later Orleans Darkwa raced 58 yards to the house ensuring a Jags win.

Coach Beardsley coached a great game but his hands were tied following WR Steffon Diggs getting knocked out early in the second half.

Leaders

Darkwa (JAX) 21 carries, 128 yards, 3TDS
Howard (49rs) 23 carries, 94 yards

Reed (49rs) 8 catches for 42 yards
Doyle (JAX) 5 catches for 58 yards

Next week the 49ers are in Atlanta while the Jags travel to the "Big Easy"

 Detroit 30 Arizona 21                       87 Calm 
For a few minutes in the first half, Arizona fans thought their team was on track for its first win of the season.  Arizona marched down the field after taking the opening kick off and scored a touch down to take the lead 7 to zip.
Detroit lost their starting QB early and Manion was rushed into duty.  He quickly moved the ball into zona territory before the drive stalled after a holding penalty.  Detroit was forced to settle for a FG.
Arizona made it a quick possession as McGuire scampered 75 yards for a touch down on the first play after kickoff.  Zona was on fire.  The D was motivated and the Detroit offensive line was forced to commit another holding penalty to protect their young QB.  Detroit was forced to punt.
That was about the end of the good news for Zona.  ON the next series, McCarron would throw his first of three interceptions in the game.  Detroit continued to shoot themselves in the foot as they committed yet another holding penalty and were forced to settle for another FG.
 Zona could not move with the offense and the momentum shifted to Detroit.  Detroit mixed the run and pass to move down the field from their own 5 yard line.  On the Zona 16 yard line the Lions committed their 3rd holding penalty of the half.  Again, Detroit had to settle for three to make the score 9-14.
McCarron looked like he was about to sync with his WR.  After hitting Marshall for 18 he threw his second pick of the day.  With time running out, Detroit picked up a key first down.  Then three plays later Mannion hit double teamed Thomas with a perfect pass for 36 yards.  With 11 seconds left in the half Fournette would ram the ball down Zona’s throat for a score.  Detroit then led 16-14.
Zona would get an early chance in the 3rd quarter as Fournette fumbled the ball on a screen pass but it did not matter.  Zona could not find the rhythm.  Kessler returned to the game on the next series and promptly turned threw and interception.  However, Zona could not move it yet again.  Back and forth it went as neither team could get out of their own way.  Neither team would score in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth, Kessler found his TE in the end zone for 7 to increase the lead to 23-14. 
Zona found some life and made it look like a real game.  On their next possession they would move 75 yards down the field and score.  Make it 23-21 Detroit.  The next highlight of the game was the fourth holding penalty committed by Detroit.  The Lions OL coach was so irate he stormed onto the field throwing his own offensive lineman to the ground.  The officials ejected him from the game, but it was entertaining.
With the game in the balance, McCarron would turn out to be the chump as he threw his 3rd and last interception of the game.  Detroit would add another 7 and it was history.
 
 Houston 21 Miami 33                         82 Calm
The Texans come to town off a closer than expected week 1 loss to Oakland and were determined to have a better outing. Houston took the opening kickoff straight down the field to score in 4 plays and go up 7-0. Miami would score on their next 3 possessions, 2 TD's and a FG to go up 17-7 with 6:37 left in the half. The Texans weren't finished and would mount a drive and score the TD with .30 seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 17-14.
After a scoreless 3rd QTR, Miami would score early in the 4th to go up 24-14 with 14:25 left in the game. Once again Houston would drive the ball right down the field and get the TD with 7:05 left to cut the lead to 24-21. The Dolphins would mount a drive but it stalled, they kick the FG to go up by 6 at 27-21 with 2:47 left. Houston takes the ball, but goes nowhere and has to punt from their own 7 with 2 minutes left. Miami scores a quick TD to go up 33-21 and that's how it ends, but a hard fought battle by Houston. Many thanks to Pete for getting the game in so quickly. next week Houston 0-2 is again on the road at Denver and Miami 2-0 takes to the road for the 1st time this year at Chicago.
 
 Kansas City 10 New England 24               62 5-15 
Chiefs come to Foxboro looking to move to 2-0, while the Patriots look for their first win after a poor showing at Indy in week 1.
 
Rookie Deshone Kizer gets New England going early with a 9 yard completion to CJ Prosise and a 10 yarder to Jordy Nelson, sandwiched around a 16 yard Kizer scramble.  Fellow rookie Marlon Mack ran it in from 8 yards out and the Patriots had their first TD of the season.
 
A KC three and out was followed by another impressive New England drive, highlighted by a 36 yard Kizer to Nelson pass play.  Kizer finished the drive with a 1 yard TD dive, and it was 14-0 Patriots with less than twelve minutes gone in the 1st quarter.
 
The two teams traded punts midway into the 2nd quarter before Kizer got things going again.  After a 6 yard McCaffrey rush followed by a 10 yard pass play to Christian, Kizer connected on 3 consecutive pass plays to Jordy for 11, 16 and 11 yards - the final for a TD to give NE a 21-0 lead.
 
A 56 yard field goal by Gostkowski into the wind got KC on the board, but there was still much work to be done heading into the second half.
 
A 52 yard Elliott FG got the Patriots on the board early in the 2nd half, opening up the lead to 21 once again.  In response, Andy Dalton finally put together a strong drive for the Chiefs, capped by a 13 yard TD to Jarvis Landry, to make it 24-10.  But KCs next three drives resulted in a turnover followed by consecutive turnover on downs, and the Patriots would ultimately come away with the 24-10 win.
 
Kizer completed 19 of 24 passes for 212 yards and a passing TD (plus an INT) and a rushing TD.  Jordy Nelson caught 8 balls for 106 and a TD.  For KC, Andy Dalton (19-36-0-163 with a TD) was mediocre on the day, with several poorly thrown balls as well as a lost fumble.  RB LaGarrette Blount ran for 54 yards on 10 carries.  New England's Erik Walden had 2 sacks, bringing his season total to 3.  
 
Thanks to Bob for a good game and for his good sportsmanship.
 
 Oakland 15 Indianapolis 16                  69
Indianapolis, Indiana (IFL.com) – The Indianapolis Colts a 6 point favorite, improve their record to 2-0 in this young season with a 16 to 15 victory over the visiting Oakland Raiders (1–1), a wildcard rematch from 2017. The Raiders won that playoff game 26-17, a game that forced Indy QB Carson Palmer into retirement.
 
Newly acquired quarterback Case Keenum was the toast of the town after a week one victory over the New England Patriots, however today he threw an astonishing 4 interceptions, 3 in the first half, and the Colts still found a way to victory lane. The much publicize showdown between Keenum and Oakland QB Matthew Stafford didn’t materialize as Stafford was a serviceable, 239 yards and 2 touchdowns while Keenum was a pathetic 19 of 34 for 135 yards 1 touchdown and 4 INT‘s, resulting in to a 35.4 QB rating.  
 
This was a back-and-forth contest and a ugly win by indianapolis. The scoring got under way in the first quarter when Indianapolis running back Isaiah Crowell  (24-97 Yards 1 TD) scored on a 4-yard run that was initially called short of the goal however, the call was challenged and the Colts was awarded the touchdown, 7-0 Indianapolis. The Raiders will close the gap to 7-3 on a Jason Myers 29 yard FG which was set up by the first of four interceptions thrown by Keenum. Oakland would take the lead late in the second quarter on a Stafford 14-yard pass to Alvin Kamara (RB), the PAT was no good, 9-7 Raiders and that’s how the first half would ended.
 
Indianapolis would come back and take the lead 10-9 on a 20 yard Stephen Hauschka FG following a 17 play 84 yard drive that eats up 8:49 of the third-quarter. The Raiders would counter with their own time consuming drive (11-75 yards, 5:28) that concluded with a Stafford 4th quarter 13 yard touchdown pass to wideout Jermaine Kearse (2-point failed), 15-10 Raiders. The Colts didn’t panic with plenty of time left on the clock (11:45) you can see the coaches and players on the sidelines calmly discussing late game strategy as the Fox telecast picked up the audio of Colts DB Kevin Byard saying “I got this.” And like a made for TV movie with 8:O7 left in the fourth quarter, Oakland leading by 5 on the Colts 45, 2nd and 2 Stafford phase back to pass a medium hitch to Travis Kelce (TE), Byard got a finger on it, Kelce bobbles it, the ball is batted up in the air, Byard snatches the loose ball for the interception at the 35 and returns it 56 yards to the Raiders 9 yard line. Two plays later Keenum will hit a medium-slant to Golden Tate (WR) for a 10 yard touchdown (2-point failed), 16-15 Colts. Oakland would get the ball one more time and go on a 10 play drive to the Colts 29-yard line. With 3:44 left in the fourth quarter Myers has a 47 yard FG try to give the Raiders the lead. Myers is waiting for the snap, it’s low but holder Andy Lee (P) got it down, the kick is up,… he hooked it.                 
 
Final score Raiders 15 Colts 16, great game by Keith and thanks for getting it in. 
 
Next up for Indianapolis, they travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Jets (0-1) and the Raiders travel to Kansas City (1-0) for a divisional game against the Chiefs.   
 
Notable player stats;
 
Oakland
Kamara (RB) 8 catches 83 yards, 1 TD
Kearse (WR) 5 catches 59 yards, 1 TD
Myers (K) 1-3 (29 FG), 0-1 XP
 
Indianapolis
Tate (WR) 7 catches 61 yards, 1 TD
K.J. Wright (LB) 11 tackles
                    
 Washington 7 Tampa Bay 24                   85 0-10 
Washington traveled to Tampa Bay with both teams looking for their first victory of the year.  As would be true too often for Redskin fans, their team drew two penalties in the first possession and had to punt the ball away. 
 
After two more punts, Tampa is able to get on the board when Derek Carr finds Richard Rogers in the end zone from 7 yards out.
 
The Redskins answer right back as Dak Prescott gets hot throwing for 49 yards during the drive including a 2 yard score to Pierre Garcon to tie the game at 7.  Aaron Jones played a big role ripping off runs and 18 and 13 yards.
 
Tampa Bay consumes seven minutes on the next drive and goes ahead 14 to 7 on a Todd Gurley 10 yard scamper.
 
The Redskins hold the ball until less than a minute left in the first half but lose some momentum when Blair Walsh hooks a 29 yard field goal attempt just before halftime.
 
Tampa extends the lead to 24 to 7 in the third quarter after a field goal and then a Ross Cockrell interception of Prescott which the Buccaneers offense turned into a touchdown.  That was the end of the scoring for the day. 
 
The lone offensive bright spot for the Redskins was Aaron Jones gaining 60 yards on just 5 carries.  Any chance the Redskins had to gain some momentum was quickly squashed by the referees who called 10 penalties for 52 yards.
 
Derek Carr had and efficient day going 17 of 23 for 151 yards with two TDs.  Todd Gurley ran the ball 20 times for 105 yards and added three catches for 26 yards. 
 
Next week the Redskins travel to the desert to face the Cardinals while the Buccaneers head to the Motor City for a fierce face-off with their undefeated division rival Lions.
 
 New Orleans 24 Pittsburgh 23                65 0-10 
Trailing 23-21, Saints quarterback Joe Flacco engineers a 16 play 69 yard drive that sets up a McManus 42 yard game winning field goal as time expires.  Two encroachment penalties by the Pittsburgh defense aided the New Orleans drive.  Flacco threw for 274 yards and 3 TDs with an INT.  The Steelers Brady struggled all afternoon against the Saints pass rush being sacked four times.

 Denver 26 Buffalo 30                        65 40+  
The Denver Broncos came to Buffalo in week two with gale force winds blowing over 40 mph and the Bills came out with a 30-26 victory.
 
Alex Smith threw for 286 yards and 3 TD's with Brown catching 12 of those passes for 127 yards and 2 TD's.
 
For Denver, Bortles threw for 302 yards and a score with one pick.
Tyreek Hill snared 6 balls for 148 yards and RB Kareem Hunt rushed for 100 yards on 15 carries for the losing team.
 
It was a great game.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 21 New York (A) 3           77 Calm 
Not much to say other than Watson is injured, and Mallett had to start.
 
Chargers dominate the Jets 21-3....The Chargers ran for 206 yards and
held the ball for 38 minutes( they were slowing it down, but....)
 
Eddie Lacy rolled, literally rolled because he can't run, for 60 yards on 12 carries.
 
For the Chargers Taylor was 13-22 with1 TD.
 
For the Jets Parlardy punted 6 times and averaged 48.5 yards.
 
Next week the Jets host the Colts and the Chargers visit Philadelphia.
 
 Chicago 10 Philadelphia 34                  81 5-15 
The Philadelphia Eagles scored on 4 of their first 5 possessions in the 1st half to take a 28-0 halftime lead and coast to a final of 34-10.
 
The Eagle offense was clicking on all cylinders as QB Jameis Winston was an efficient 13-16 for 170 yards and 3 TDs.  The RB tandem of Demarco Murray and Bilal Powell would grind out 156 yards on 27 carries and a Powell TD.  On defense, the Eagles were able to disrupt Bear QB Marcus Mariota, sacking him 3 times and intercepting him twice while, also, creating a fumble that the Eagle offense would turn into a TD.
 
The Bears were led by the dangerous receiving tandem of Demaryius Thomas (9 for 92) and Jamison Crowder (8 for 89), but turnovers, penalties, and a bend but don't break Eagle defense would hold down the Bears on this day.
 
Next up for the 2-0 Eagles will be the LA Chargers, while the Bears will try to get their first win of the year against the Miami Dolphins.

 Atlanta 19 Cincinnati 31                    81 0-10
The IFL Bengals hosted the Atlanta Falcons in their 2018 home opener.  The Falcons are one of the more stable and competitive franchises in the IFL as Marty is one of two original members.  Chargers coach Jerry Banko is the other.  I don't recall ever playing Marty.  I played his brother Lorne plenty of times as he is the former Jaguars coach.
 
The Falcons first play from scrimmage went for 35 yards as Rivers connected with Fitzgerald.  The Bengals defense eventually stiffened and held Atlanta to a Forbath 31 yard field goal and a 3-0 Falcon lead.  Cincinnati would move down the field as Rodgers connected with Funchess for 11 and Jeffery for 13.  However, Rodgers laid motionless on the field after the second completion and IFL Bengal fans worst fears were confirmed.  The Bengals franchise quarterback broke his collarbone and will be out for a prolonged period.  I am sure I will receive pity emails from my IFL counterparts.  Cincinnati was lucky to have veteran QB Carson Palmer ready for such emergencies and he finished the drive as Montgomery went in from 3 yards out giving Cincinnati a 7-3 lead.  The Falcons answered with a drive that finished with 3 straight completions to Agholor with the last being from 22 yards out and a 9-7 lead (XP was no good).  The Atlanta defense forced a 3 and out on the Bengals next possession but Forbath missed a 45 yard field goal attempt to begin the second quarter.  Palmer connected with Funchess for 34 yards, Jeffery's for 16, and again to Funchess for 15 and the score, 14-9 Bengals.  The Cincinnati defense stepped up on the Falcons next series as Vinny Rey intercepted Rivers.  On 3rd and 9, Palmer found Jeffery in the end zone as the Bengals increased their lead to 21-9.  The Falcons cut the lead to 21-16 as Lewis goes over the top on fourth and inches.  
 
The second half began with the teams exchanging punts.  A horse collar tackle penalty helped Cincinnati move into field goal range as Fairbairn hit from 42 yards out increasing the Bengals lead to 24-16.  Atlanta cut the deficit to 24-19 at the end of the third quarter.  The Bengals would add another score as Gordon went in from 9 yards out for the 31-19 final.
 
Rivers finished 19 of 32 for 272 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT
Agholor caught 5 passes for 93 yards and a score.
Nose tackle Poe was credited with 2 sacks.
 
For the Bengals Palmer finished 21 of 27 for 265 yards and 2 TDs.
Funchess caught all 8 of his targets for 121 yards and a TD.
Rey had the interception and Casey a sack.
 
Next week the Bengals travel to Pittsburgh for a key AFC Central match-up while the Falcons host San Francisco.
 
 Green Bay 15 Dallas 16                      70 
This contest was a defensive struggle as evidenced by the game featuring 14 punts, 9 sacks and five turnovers.
 
Dallas marched to the Green Bay four-yard-line on the games opening possession onto to see LeSean McCoy fumble the ball away.  From there, neither offense could mount a drive and Dallas was the first to blink when a Cam Newton pass was picked off by the Packer's Patrick Peterson deep in Dallas territory.  The Pack would capitalize when Big Ben hit Emmanuel Sanders for a slant from the six to put Green Bay up 7-0 early in the second quarter.
 
On Dallas' next possession, Cam Newton hit Kenny Stills.  While trying to make a big play, Stills was careless and Patrick Peterson stripped the ball from Stills' grasp.  Green Bay ball.  But Dallas' defense would hold.
 
Later in the quarter, Roethlisberger connected with Josh Gordon on a 47-yard pass play for the Pack's second score.  However, the kicker missed the XP.  This would prove decisive.
 
Just before halftime, Roethlisberger attemped a screen pass.  But the Cowboy's DE Dean Lowry anticipated it and intercepted the ball.  Dallas would score with six seconds on the clock before halftime on at Newton pass to Tyrell Williams for a 10-yard TD.   Earlier in the drive, Cam tucked a ball under for a key 24-yard scamper.   The score was 13-7 at the half.
 
Dallas made another costly error in the third quarter when Cam Newton was sacked in Dallas' end zone to put Green Bay up 15-7.
 
In the fourth quarter, Cam Newton dumped a pass to H Back Charles Clay.  Clay would put on the jets and take the short pass 53 yards.  Two plays later it was 3rd and 1.  Dallas called a medium slant to Stills off a play action.  it worked.  Stills took it 15 yards to paydirt.  Down two points, Dallas went for two.  But McCoy's end run was stopped short of the goal.
 
Dallas got a break when Green Bay drove to the Dallas 32 where the drive stalled.  But Gould connected on a 49-yard FG.  But wait …. offensive holding.   John had to punt the ball.
 
After the touchback, Dallas got the ball on its 20 with just 3:10 left on the clock.  Three McCoy running plays got Dallas a first down.  Then McCoy broke a long run for 54 yards … to the Green Bay 14.  After two running plays and a "try to trip him up" screen that went incomplete, Dawson kicked a 31-yard FG to put Dallas up for the first time in the game 16-15. 
 
Green Bay went four and out and Dallas ran out the clock to move to a very unexpected 2-0.
 
Green Bay falls to 1-1 with the loss.  
 
McCoy rushed for 108 yards and Newton for 85 to lead Dallas' humble offense.
                   
 Tennessee 25 Carolina 26                    76 0-5
Two teams who lost close games in week one do battle in Carolina. The first half saw plenty of offense with Tennessee going in to the half with a 19-17 advantage. The highlight of the half was a 45 yard TD run by DeMarco Murray. Tennessee's Dan Bailey missed two extra point which would be the difference in the game. 
 
The second half saw both defenses pick up the pace as both sides denied each other a touchdown. Carolina hits a field goal with 5:28 remaining to take the lead which they would hold on to to win the game. 
 
Tennessee out gained and generally out played Carolina but Bailey's two missed extra points would be the difference. 
 
Tennessee 25
Carolina 26
 
Standouts for Tennessee include Murray rushing for 100 yards and a TD and Hopkins with 140 yards receiving and a TD.
 
For Carolina, Goodwin and Evans had 100 and 98 yards receiving respectively. Wilson also tossed 3 TD's.
 
 Baltimore 3 Los Angeles (N) 17              73 Calm 
The Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens played a sluggish game that no fan could be happy they paid to see. Rams started Andrew Luck at Quarterback, who's throwing arm was injured during the past season.  The Rams made the controversial decision to train Andrew Luck to throw with his left arm in the off-season. The results have been mixed thus far. Ravens made several trades in the off-season including adding several former Rams (AJ Green, Josh Sitton, Bernardrick McKinney) hoping to make a run to the Superbowl. Neither team's off-season plans paid dividends in this game.
 
The first half ended 0-0 with neither team able breach the other's 35 yard line. Lots of punts, lots of poor field position.
 
In the second half Ravens fans had to ask themselves if their defense became their own worst enemy. After dominating Lefty Luck in the first half, the Ravens dynamic pass rush knocked Luck out for the game. In comes Landry Jones for the Rams, able to throw with his strong arm, but easily tires. Jones converted some first downs and at the end of the drive scrambled out of trouble to find TE Trey Burton for a TD, 7-0 Rams. Ravens QB Eli Manning had a good completion percentage, but was unable to pick up chunks of yards or convert key third downs. Ravens line up to punt after another stalled drive, but it's blocked. Second Rams blocked punt in as many weeks. Huge play that gave the Rams a FG, 10-0 Rams. Ravens were not out of it. Still struggling on offense the defense stepped up and forced a fumble from Rams RB Ken Dixon. Ravens in business, but unable to punch it in for a TD, 10-3 Rams still lead. Landry Jones with some help from the refs would answer the score. Up to this point penalties were equal, but then a flag parade began against the Ravens. Including a long pass interference call that put the Rams on the Ravens, 14 yard line. Landry Jones fired a slant to TY Hilton to make it 17-3 and put the game out of reach for the Ravens.
 
The net offense of the game pretty much told the story, each team had a total of 259 yards, one key caveat, Rams penalties 8-60, Ravens penalties 14-127(including a punt returned for TD called back for an illegal block). The penalties plus the blocked punt played the difference.
 
Not a lot of exciting performances by individual players
 
Alex Collins managed 41 yards on just 5 carries for the Ravens and Leveon Bell ran 11 times for 49 yards.
 
Rams Punter Alex Nortman landed 5 punts inside the 20, but the MVP was Landry Jones who came off the bench to throw for 2 TDs.
 
Next week the Rams travel to Carolina while the Ravens host the Titans.
 
 Minnesota 52 New York (N) 27                75 0-5   Light Rain 
The game was strange from the start. First, after multiple failed attempts to get connected, we finally got it going after over an hour's delay. It was shaping up to be a nailbiter, as Minnesota was up 17-14 midway through the 2nd quarter but was hanging on for dear life as New York was moving the ball well and was deep in Minny territory. Then Wentz went down for the game! But, in an IFL first, the game was interrupted by a wild incident where an irate fan cornered one of the coaches and the police had to be called. The game had to be suspended.
 
When the game resumed a few nights later, we had more connection problems that lasted again over an hour, with Hamachi refusing to let the Viking coach play unless he coughed up over $350. Suddenly, out of the blue, we received a message from Hamachi, and they announced the Viking coach was now approved to use the program. Whoa, a corporation with a conscience!
 
When the game resumed, the score was still 17-14, but the Giants were in their own territory and -- miracle of miracle -- Wentz was again healthy. The 2nd quarter saw Minnesota erupt for 17 points to take a 31-21 lead at the half.
 
In the 3rd quarter, the Giants fought back to cut the deficit to only 3, 31-28, entering the 4th quarter. They blanked the Vikings in the quarter.
 
Confusion reigned, however, as the Vikings coach thought the game was over. He kneeled out what he could swear was the game, but the scoreboard said only 3 quarters had been completed. Apparently the sluggish pace of the game, which neither coach could figure out how to fix, deceived him. 
 
The 4th quarter turned out to be all Vikings, however, as they blanked the Giants 21-0 to win the game, 52-27.
 
The 52 points was an all-time high for the Vikings and moved their record to 2-0. The Giants fell to 0-2.
 
Drew Brees had his second straight 400+ passing game, hitting 30 of 36 passes for 421 yards, 6 TD's and 0 interceptions. Rookie Wentz was 14/23 for 289 yards. Wentz passed for 3 TDs and ran for 1.
 
Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 98 yards and caught 5 passes for 71 yards, making 169 yards total for him. Rishard Matthews and Juju Smith-Schuster also stood out with 101 and 82 yards, respectively. Theo Riddick led the Giants with 162 yards received, including a 70 yarder. Robby Anderson caught only 2 passes, but both were touchdowns, including a 64-yarder.
 
The Vikings had 545 yards net offense and the Giants had 386.
 
Next week Minnesota hosts Green Bay and the Giants host Dallas.
 
Thanks, Jude, for sticking with this game. Hopefully our connection problems are now solved and there will be smooth going in future games.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Darkwa(Jax)     21-128  3 TD
 Fournette(Det)  21-115  1 TD
 McCoy,L(Dal)    21-108
 Gurley II(TB)   20-105  1 TD
 McGuire(Ari)    7-103  1 TD
 Hunt,K(Den)     15-100  1 TD
 Murray,L(Ten)   18-100  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Riddick(NYG)     5-162
 Brown,A(Buf)    12-127  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Brees(Min)      36-30-421   6 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Goff(Mia)       40-26-333   4 TD
 Bortles(Den)    31-20-302   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Slay(Oak)        2 Int 6 Tk
 Walden(NE)  2 sacks 5 TK – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Tucker,J(Den)  4-4 FG
 Switzer(Jax)   2-59 Kick Ret 4-110 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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WEEK 2 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 2 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 1 RECAP

Vikings Drew Brees throws 4 TD passes including the game winner with 25 seconds left in the game.

​Game Scores
Minnesota 41 Chicago 40                     65 0-5  
The Vikings opened their IFL season by traveling to Chicago.  Minnesota’s opening drive produced 7 points on a 26 yard run by Marshawn Lynch, but the Bears answered in their opening drive, Mariota to Crowder from 11 yards out.  Brees led the Vikings back to the lead on their next possession, Brees 12 yards to Witten.  The Bears bounced right back, Mariota to Crowder again getting in from 27 yards out.  Rosas missed the extra point.  The Bear’s defense finally forced a punt but Minnesota pinned Chicago on their own 4 after the punt. Viking 14 Bears 13 after 4 drives after one.
 
The Bears continued to move the ball, and a 96 yard drive ended with Mariota’s 3rd TD pass, this time 20 yards to Jones Jr.  Chicago forced another punt, drove down the field again, Mariota to Jones Jr. for 6 from 33 yards out.  Minnesota stayed in the game when Brees hit Smith-Schuster for a 44 yard TD pass late in the second.  Chicago 27 Minnesota 21 at the half.
 
Things settled down a bit in the 3rd quarter.  A field goal by Rosas and two by Zuerlein made it Chicago 30 Minnesota 27 after 3.
 
Rosas extended the Chicago lead early in the 4th to 33-27, but Brees led Minnesota back with a long drive to put the Vikings up 34-33 (Brees 12 yards to Matthews).  (The Bear’s D forced a punt on this drive, but an encroachment penalty kept the ball with Minnesota).  Mariota was not done – 8 playes, 75 yards, Mariota to Thomas from 30 yards away, Chicago 40 Minnesota 34.  With 1:18 left in the game, Brees led Minnesota back from the 24.  With 25 seconds left to go, Brees found Ivory in the end zone from 1 yard out for the game winner.  Minnesota 41 Chicago 40
 
Minnesota:  Brees 31/40/420 4 TD;  Matthews 7 receptions for 149 and 1 TD; Smith-Schuster 8 for 141 and 1 TD.
 
Chicago:  Mariota 31/42/426 5 TD; D Thomas 11/151 1 TD; Jones Jr. 8/141 2 TD
 
Chicago had 553 yards of offense and punted once.  Minnesota had 464 yards and punted twice.
 
 Buffalo 17 Miami 34                         87 0-5
Two old rivals open the season with a divisional game in a division that for the 1st time in a while is up for grabs. Although Buffalo was active in the FA market pre-draft, Miami was very active in accumulating some Veteran talent to field what they hope is finally a playoff run this post season. Although the score might indicate otherwise, this game never had the feel of being one you could put away until late in the 4th quarter. Buffalo actually out gained the Miami offense 382 yards to 359, dominated in time of possession, and had more 1st downs and a very good game in converting on 3rd down, but a key for the Dolphins was some very untimely penalties on the Bills and Miami was able to capitalize on the 1st Bills turnover which kinda set the tone early, although the Bills would score on their next possession to tie the score, Miami never trailed in the game. Alex Smith started hot and had 2 big scrambles in the 1st half but tailed off in the 2nd half which was a relief to the Dolphin secondary. Both Teams showed flashes of big play offenses, but today the Dolphins come away with a 34-17 win at home to get the season underway. Next week Buffalo will host Denver and Miami will host Houston. Thanks to Greg in getting the game in quickly and the season underway.
 
 Denver 34 Arizona 13                        85 Calm 
The Broncos traveled to Arizona for a week one match up with the Cardinals with Denver coming out on top 34-13.
 
Broncos QB Blake Bortles threw for 319 yards and 3 TD's and Rookie RB Kareem Hunt rushed for 122 yards and one score as the Broncos opened the season
with the win.
 
Cardinals QB AJ McCarron threw for 260 yards and a TD with 2 picks on the evening.
Cardinals WR Corey Coleman had a big night catching 7 balls for 138 yards.
 
 New York (A) 10 Detroit 14                  70  
NYJ  QB Watson goes down early in the 3rd & it didn't look good.  I'd like to say this was a defensive battle, but the truth is it was two inept offenses
Player of the game was Det wr Thomas who scored 2 TD's.  NYJ wr Woods had a nice game with 9 catches & 102 yrds.
Lions QB Kessler ended with a 90 QB rating but only 177 yrds.  Watson was 97 rating with 149 yrds in basically a half..
Overall it was two evenly matched teams & Detroit happened to win.
                  
 Cincinnati 27 Tennessee 24                  74 0-5
On paper Cincinnati and Tennessee have very good defensive teams.  That was not in evidence in the first half as the teams took turns marching up and down the field.  By halftime it was 24-21 for the Titans who were greatly assisted by the refs who called 7 accepted penalties against the Bengals in the first quarter alone.
The second half was a different story as both teams struggled to move the ball.  The only score in the 3rd quarter was a 41 yard field goal by the Bengals Ka’imi Fairbairn.  Tied at 24-24 with 9 minutes to go in the game the Titans put together a nice 5 minute 55 yard drive that stalled at the Bengal 32 yard line.  The usually reliable Dan Bailey missed the 50 yard field goal (his second miss of the game).  That was doubly punitive as Aaron Rodgers and company took over at their own 40 with 4 minutes left.  He moved the team down to the Titan 28 yard line and Fairbairn kicked the winning field goal with 45 seconds on the clock.
The Bengals dynamic secondary (Jalen Ramsey 10, Micah Hyde 9) was the difference in the game as DeAndre Hopkins was limited to 3 receptions on 11 attempts and Odell Beckham got injured early in the 3rd quarter.  Rodgers deep passing was very effective with 3 pass completions over 30 yards and Melvin Gordon added 104 yards rushing.  Blake Martinez had the best stat line for the Titans with 12 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.
  
 New York (N) 7 Philadelphia 37              83 5-15 
Division rivals opened the Week 1 season with visions of grandeur.  Optimism always starts the opening week of every IFL season, but only a few of those teams remain by mid-season.
 
With that as the background, the Giants and Eagles kicked off.   After a 3 and out by the Giants to open things, the Eagles would use their combo backfield of Demarco Murray and Bilal Powell to control the ground in the 1st quarter and not give the Giant offense many opportunities.  This would lead to 2 touchdowns and an early 14-0 lead.  As the 2nd quarter began, the Giants passing attack under the direction of new QB Carson Wentz would kick into high gear.  A long pass to WR Robby Anderson followed immediately by a crossing pass to TE Tyler Kroft would close the gap to 14-7 and that would be the score at halftime.
 
The 2nd half would begin with the Eagles getting great field position at midfield.  Deciding that the run game had loosened things up, the Eagles OC would decide to let QB Jameis Winston go deep to rookie WR Cooper Kupp.  The move would pay off with a 50 yard TD bomb. 21-7 Eagles.  After another 3 and out from the Giants, the Eagles would go back to their formula of controlling things on the ground.  A 10 play 70-yard drive would ensue and culminate with a Murray 2 yard burst taking over 6 minutes off the clock.  28-7 Eagles.  The rest of the half was a series of mistakes from the Giant offense that would lead to 3 Eagle FG's and a final score of 37-7.
 
The entire Eagle offense was the story on this day as they controlled the ball 40 to 20 minutes and scored almost at will.  The Eagle defense did its job of getting the Giants off the field in a timely manner.
 
Thanks to Indy Ken for subbing due to technical difficulties for Giants owner Jude Plante.  Next week the Eagles play host to the Chicago Bears while the Giants will have their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
 
 Kansas City 17 Los Angeles (A) 3            89 Calm
Chiefs quarterback Andy Dalton throws to first half touchdown passes and the KC defense does the rest.
​
 New England 3 Indianapolis 24               69  
Indianapolis, Indiana (IFL.com) – The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (0-1) came into Indianapolis (1-0) looking for their first win of the season and and left with a shocking 24-6 defeat.
 
The Patriots dominated the time of possession (33:11) with a punishing ground attack, running for 131 yards on 31 carries however they committed 2 turnovers and were a dreadful 4/0/1 in the red-zone. Indianapolis newly acquired QB Case Keenum had a fantastic debut completing 22 passes on 28 attempts for 206 yards with 3 touchdowns. Head coach and general manager Kenneth Griffith said he wasn’t surprised by the performance “hey we gave up a lot to get him, we gave up a first, second, third, and a fourth round selection to get this kid,.. we’re here to win and that’s why we brought him here”.
 
Other notable players:
 
New England Patriots-
DeShone Kiser QB 24-14, 138 Yards, 1 Int
Christian McCaffrey RB 10-44, 4.4 avg. 4 rec 17 Yards
Jordy Nelson WR 5 rec 55 Yards
 
Indianapolis Colts-
Isaiah Crowell 10-49, 4.9 avg.
Keenan Allen 5 rec 44 Yards 2 TD
Golden Tate 6 rec 61 Yards 1 TD
 
Next up
In week 2 the Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs and the Colts welcome in the Oakland Raiders.
               
 Pittsburgh 33 Jacksonville 26               84 0-5  
Tom Brady shredded an anemic Jacksonville defence for 332 yards and 3TDs en route to a well deserved 33-26 victory. Jacksonville's "88" corners were diced and sliced on a regular basis. Coach Diiorio and Tom Brady eviscerated the hapless Jag's secondary with the skill of a vivisectionist, and it wasn't pretty...

The score was close in the second half, but the  27-13 halftime deficit was too much too overcome.

For the Jags....Well, Cutler sucked. He tossed up four picks, and starting running back.Darkwa was knocked out of all but three plays.

Some dude named Hood ran for 112 yards on 24 carries following Darkwa's hangnail.

Props on Vince for a well coached game.
 
 San Francisco 3 New Orleans 24              70 
The Saints would open at home and not disappoint. The Saints would control the ball and gain 143 yards on the ground. Joe Flacco threw 3 TD's for 243 yards. Unsigned Dez Bryant caught 4 balls for 126 yards and 2 TD's. The 49ers offense would struggle most of the day as rookie Trubisky threw for 148 yards but was sacked 4 times. New Orleans was on the borderline of rebuilding but the Saints fanbase know that is rarely in Owner/Coach Rice's vocabulary. Saints win 24-3. 
                  
 Tampa Bay 3 Green Bay 31                    68 0-5  
Battle of the Bays had some extra steam this season as it was the Bucs
who ended Green Bay's 4 year reign as NFC North Champions last season.
 
Lambeau was rocking for this one.
 
Packers took the opening kickoff and made it look easy. They went
75 yard in just 5 plays, capped off by Jay Ajayi's 18 yard touchdown run. 7-0 GB
 
Tampa Bay went three and out on their first possession and were forced to punt.
Packer couldn't get much going on their second drive as things stalled out near midfield.
 
This is when things got crazy.
 
Derek Carr would throw back to back INT's that led to 10 more Green Bay points.
 
17-0 after the first.
 
Coach Chase would get his team settled down early in the 2nd as Chris Boswell
nailed a 53 yarder to cut the lead to 17-3.
 
Packers responded with a clutch 7 play, 60 yard drive. The Ben to Ben combo
of Roethlisberger/Watson hooked up for a 26 yard TD to cap it off, 24-3 Pack.
 
Tampa Bay then put together their best drive of the game moving all the way
down to the Green Bay 11. On the next play Carr would throw his 3rd pick of the half
as Patrick Peterson jumped an out route intended for Davante Adams.
 
Green Bay's drive stalled in their own end and the Bucs got the ball back in good field position
with a chance to get back into the game with just over a minute left before halftime
 
After a first down got it close to midfield, Carr fumble the snap from center. Ryan Shazier
scooped it up and went 46 yards to paydirt.
 
The shell shocked Bucs trailed 31-3 at the half.
 
Tampa couldn't much going in the 3rd and pulled the starters just before the end of the quarter
 
31-3 would be the final
 
Big Ben didn't have to do much. He finished 13 of 20 for 143 yards and 2TD's
Ajayi was solid 17 for 93 and a TD
Josh Gordon added 3 rec. for 74 yards and a TD
 
Carr had a miserable day: 12-24 for just 131 yards, 3 ints and a lost fumble (26.9 rating)
Todd Gurley was held in check: 13 carries for 51 yards along with 3 rec for 31
 
Thanks to Mike for being a good sport despite poor treatment from the Action PC gods
 
Green Bay visits Dallas in week 2
Bucs host Washington
 
 Los Angeles (N) 28 Atlanta 31               68   
Falcons have a 21-7 lead go into the half after a TD pass from Rivers to Jalen Richard with 0:02 left in the first half. Falcons extend their lead to 31-14 going into the 4th quarter.
 
The Rams stop the first Falcons drive of the 4th and then block the punt. Ziggy Ansah scoops it up and runs it in for the TD to close the gap to 31-21. Rams weren't done as Luck hits Hilton for a 57 yard TD pass with 6:42 left in the game to reduce the Falcons lead to a FG.
 
After a blocked punt, the Rams blocked the FG on the Falcons next attempt. On the Rams next drive, they managed to drive it down to the Falcons 46 yard line with 0:19 left. Unfortunately, it was out of even long FG range so the Rams attempt a last ditch attempt to get into FG range. Luck puts up the pass deep but it's knocked down and the Rams turn it over on downs.
 
The Falcons run out the clock and win 31-28 to go to 1-0 while the Rams fall to 0-1.
 
Rivers is named game MVP as he passes for 270 yards and 4 TDs.
                 
 Dallas 24 Washington 19                     72 5-15 
Cowboys jump out to a 21-0 lead at the half thanks to two Newton runs.  Washington rallies with two Prescot touchdown passes but Dallas hangs on.
 
 Oakland 17 Houston 10                       70     
Matt Stafford throws two touchdown passes as the Raiders pick up a road win to open the season.  
 
 Baltimore 21 Carolina 20                    82 0-5 
Thanks to Ram Ryan for subbing. He called a great game and nearly knocked off the Ravens.
 
Carolina held a 17-6 lead mid-way through the 3rd quarter and recovered a Raven fumble near midfield. Baltimore's defense decided enough was enough and forced a three-and-out that included an offensive penalty and a sack by CB Anthony Brown. Michael Campanaro returned the punt 66 yards and three plays later Le'Veon Bell ran it in from the 10. Eli Manning hit Adam Thielen on a short slant for a two-point conversion that cut the Panther lead to 3.
 
The Raven D held the Panthers to another 3-and-out just before the quarter flipped over. Carolina stymied the Ravens on the first two plays, but Manning hit Thielen on a medium slant for 43 yards that set up a 24-yard TD strike to AJ Green three plays later. Baltimore took their first lead since the first quarter, 21-17.
 
Carolina marched 51 yards on 11 plays, but the Raven D tightened in the red zone and held the Panthers to a FG.
 
The Panthers had two more chances, but really never threatened as Baltimore milked the clock.
 
Ram Ryan got a sneak-peak at his next opponent as the Ravens travel to Los Angeles. Carolina takes on its second AFC Central opponent, Tennessee in Week 2.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Hunt,K(Den)     22-122  1 TD
 Hood,E(Jax)     24-112
 Gordon,M(Cin)   22-104  1 TD
 McCoy,L(Dal)    20-104
 Forte(Hou)      22-102  1 TD
 Murray,D(Phi)   17-85  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Thomas,De(Chi)  11-151  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mariota(Chi)    42-31-426   5 TD
 Brees(Min)      40-31-420   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Brady(Pit)      33-22-332   3 TD  1 Int
 Prescott(Was)   44-30-328   3 TD  1 Int
 Bortles(Den)    30-21-319   3 TD
 Rivers,P(Atl)   35-23-270   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Alexander(NYG)   15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Vinatieri(Pit) 4-5 FG
 Bullock(Jax)   4-4 FG
 Switzer(Jax)   8-247 Kick Ret
 Campanaro(Bal) 3-113 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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WEEK 1 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 1 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​
​2018 IFL PRESEASON

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SPORTS WRITER PETER KING MOCKS THE IFL DRAFT

The former writer for Sports Illustrated and author of five books, Peter King has agreed to attempt to mock the 2018 IFL draft.  It is quite the honor to follow in the foot steps of some of the great sports media people in the world stated King.  I have done a lot of digging and believe this could be one of the more interesting and surprising drafts in IFL history.  So, let's get going!

  1 - JETS:  When Ryan Mallett is the only QB on your roster it is easy to select a quarterback.  I like Mitch Trubiskey but love Deshaun Watson playmaking                                       skills.  Watson to the Jets.
  2 - GIANTS:  Quarterback is not an issue for the football Giants.  They could use a pass rusher and Myles Garrett shows plenty of potential in this area.
  3 – 49ERS:  I don't like the looks of the current 49er quarterback room.  Mitch Tribiskey to San Francisco.
  4 - RAMS:  This is a tough one.  Rams need help at running back but with Luck out for the season I could see them taking the highest rated player on the                                      board.  That would be cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
  5 – BRONCOS: Denver has only one running back currently on their roster.  I like Kareem Hunt to go here.
  6 – PANTHERS: Running Back is clearly a spot where teams would continue to look at.  However, Carolina has a nice committee already in place.                                                              However, even with that said, I don’t see the Panthers passing up on Alvin Kamara.
7 – CARDINALS:  Arizona is starting over.  Quarterback is probably the best place to start.  Patrick Mahomes to the Cardinals.
8 – DOLPHINS:  Miami is thinking playoffs this year.  Even though they just acquired Mark Ingram, running back Leonard Fournette is easily the best                                                         player on the board.  Otherwise look for a trade at this spot.
9 – JAGUARS:  With no quarterbacks worthy of being selected at this spot, Jacksonville will upgrade receiver with JuJu Smith-Schuster.
10 – VIKINGS:  Christian McCaffrey is hanging out there but I don’t believe Minnesota  would use two consecutive top ten picks on a running back.  The best                                           defensive player remaining is Corner TreDavious White.  He would be a huge upgrade for the Vikings.
11 – PATRIOTS:  The back-to-back champions have decided to throw in the towel and rebuild.  While McCaffrey will be considered I think New England                                                      goes O-Line with tackle Ryan Ramczyk at eleven.
12 – LIONS:  This is a good landing spot for Christian McCaffrey as Detroit continues to collect talent.
13 – CARDINALS:  A lot of talent to consider at this spot;  T.J. Watt, Cooper Kupp, and Evan Engram.  However, I look for Arizona to go with corner                                                                Adoree’ Jackson at 13.
14 – CHARGERS:  Safety Jamal Adams would be a nice addition to the Los Angeles secondary.
15 – TEXANS:  Houston suffered some injuries to their receiver corps.  Cooper Kupp would help offset that.
16 – CHIEFS:  Evan Engram would be a solid addition to the Chiefs offense and a nice compliment to Jarvis Landry.
17 – COWBOYS:  If Jamal Adams slides he would be a nice addition to the Dallas secondary.  However, Marcus Williams may have had a better rookie year and is an                               even better addition to the Cowboys defensive backfield.
18 – BEARS:   The Bears needed a running back this time last year and need one this season as well.  I think they will have better luck solving this issue by                                           selecting Joe Mixon this time.
19 – EAGLES:   While not a pressing need, pass rusher T.J. Watt is the highest rated player still available.
20 – RAMS:   The Rams can afford to gamble and hope for a healthy Dalvin Cook to lead their ground game for years to come.
21 – EAGLES:   The Eagles probably wish Cook would have fell to this spot but Watt probably would have been scooped up by the Rams. However, receiver Cory                                    Davis is a nice investment at 21.
22 – FALCONS:   With Dumervil getting a little long in the tooth, Solomon Thomas makes sense here.
23 – CARDINAL:  Arizona has a lot of needs, I like Marlon Humphrey here.
24 – PATRIOTS:  O.J. Howard makes sense here as a long term replacement for Olsen.
25 – SAINTS:  Center Pat Elflein would add some youth along an aging offensive line.
26 – RAIDERS:  Reuben Foster would be an interesting selection here but I think Oakland plays it safe and fills a need with center Nick Martin.
27 – RAMS:  Los Angeles snags Linebacker Jarrad Davis and breaks the Bengals heart.
28 – BENGALS:  Once thought to be a position of strength, injuries and performance have made Tight End a priority.  Cincinnati likes David Njoku’s                                                            ceiling.
29 – REDSKINS:  Tackle is an issue in Washington and of course Dion Dawkins falls in their lap.
30 – PATRIOTS:  I think the Pats jump all over Malik Hooker here to end round one.
  

IFL SUPER BOWL

PATRIOTS 23  REDSKINS 16

Patriots quarterback Sam Bradford earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the second straight season as New England edges Washington.

The Washington Redskins, led by rookie QB Dak Prescott and winners of 10 consecutive games (including two impressive playoff wins against the Rams and Saints), were looking to cap an outstanding season with a win in the 2018 IFL Super Bowl.  Their opponents, the New England Patriots, were looking to defend their IFL title behind MVP candidate Sam Bradford and their dynamic WR duo of Antonio Brown and Jordy Nelson.  

Washington entered the game as the 3 point betting favorite.

New England won the coin toss and deferred.  Marqise Lee ran the opening kick back to the Washington 29 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage and the Patriot line cheating left, Redskin back Jeremy Hill took a handoff right and sprinted FIFTY yards down to the Patriot 22 yard line!  That fantastic start was followed by two more Hill runs before, on 3rd and 2, Prescott found DeVante Parker for a 14 yard TD pass.  The PAT failed, but with not even two minutes off the clock, Washington led 6-0.  One bit of bad news on the drive however, as primary blocking back Jerome Felton was lost for the game to injury.


Bradford started hot for New England also, hitting Latavius Murray for a quick 7 yard completion, and then Greg Olsen for 12 yards to secure a quick Patriot first down.  But all eyes quickly were diverted to Patriot WR Jordy Nelson, who appeared to turn an ankle on the play and was down on the field.  It quickly became apparent when two assistant coaches had to help him off the field, that Jordy's day was over after only two offensive plays.  

A devastating blow to New England's offense, as Jordy had scored 5 touchdowns and hauled in 17 passes for nearly 400 yards in the first two NE playoff games.

With a huge part of the offense now in the locker room, New England looked to Lat Murray to spark them.  Trap right for 9 yards - then an off tackle left for the first down.  Consecutive completions to Brown, Olsen and Prosise brought the Pats inside the Washington 30 yard line, but the drive would stall and NE would settle for a Sturgis field goal.  6-3 Redskins.

Redskins would control the clock for over 5 minutes on the ensuing drive, taking the ball into Patriot territory thanks to completions to Marqise Lee, Parker and Ebron.  At the Patriot 40 yard line, Washington looked to convert on a 4th and 4, but a short out to Hill from Prescott was incomplete and the Patriots would take over with 1:57 to go in the 1st quarter.  

Bradford went to work, quickly hitting Greg Olsen for 11 yards.  Gerald McCoy sacked Bradford on the next play however, burying New England with a 2nd and 19.  A trap play by Prosise into a blitzing defense gained 15 yards back, and a huge facemask penalty on the D provided an additional 15 yards.  A 2 yard rush by Murray to the Redskin 26 followed, but on the play Redskin DE Jason Pierre Paul was slow to get up.  He would leave the field and not return.  

Murray for 2 more yards brought on 3rd and 6, and Bradford then hit Prosise for 6 yards.  A measurement showed he was brought down just short of the first down marker.  From the Redskin 18, New England passed on the field goal and handed off to Murray who got the necessary yardage for the first down.   Another facemask penalty, this one on Sharrif Floyd, gave NE first and goal from the 8 yard line.  Washington's D stiffened however, and Sturgis hit the short FG to tie the game at 6-6 with 11:31 to play in the first half.

The two teams would exchange three and outs before Washington would take over with 8:50 in the half.  Runs of 9 and 2 yards carried the Skins across midfield, and then Prescott would find Parker on a short slant - AND PARKER BROKE LOOSE - racing 48 yards for the TD to give the Redskins a 13-6 lead!!!  

Even with Washington paying extra attention to Antonio Brown, the Patriots were able to string together a nifty 13-play drive in response, with Bradford hitting 5 of 6 pass attempts to the likes of Olsen, Prosise, and Dorial Green-Beckham.  The drive stalled in the red zone, and Sturgis would hit his 3rd FG of the game, cutting the Redskin lead to 13-9 heading to the half.

New England would come roaring out of the locker room and move 75 yards in 7 plays to take a 16-13 lead, thanks in part to Latavius Murray who carried 3 times for 28 yards.  Patriot starting guard Josh Kline was lost for the game due to injury on the drive, and rookie Christian Westerman had to enter the game.  Even so, a Bradford to Olsen 7 yard TD (Bradford's 18th completion in his first 21 attempts) capped the drive and early in the second half, the Patriots had their first lead.

Against their better judgment, New England kicked deep to Marqise Lee.  

BIG mistake.  

Lee raced 60 yards on the return, handing the Skins great field position at the Patriot 44 yard line.  Washington would get as far as the 22, but on 4th and 1, the Redskins took the 3 points.  Game tied 16-16 midway through the 3rd quarter.  

Starting their next drive at the 25 yard line, Bradford quickly hit Green-Beckham for 7 yards, followed by a Prosise 8 yard rush.  An 8 yard completion to Olsen gave NE 2nd and 2 near midfield.  Bradford misfired on a short pass to Murray before Prosise ripped off another 8 yard carry to the Washington 44.  But, continuing the theme of the day, Patriot RB Lat Murray, blocking on the previous play, was down and out.  Another key injury, and the Patriots were left with a near-fatigued CJ Prosise and reserve RB James Starks in the backfield.

Amazingly, 4 plays later, Patriot guard Ruben Foster went down for the game, leaving NE with TWO (3 rated) rookie guards to finish out the final 17 minutes of the Super Bowl.    

Bradford hit Starks, Prosise and Green-Beckham  on consecutive short passing plays for 22 total yards.  Another short gain to Olsen set NE up inside the Redskin 10 yard line, where Bradford hooked up with Antonio Brown for a 7 yard TD.  With 1:33 to play in the 3rd quarter, even with key players dropping like flies, NE had the lead 23-16.

Washington's first play from scrimmage saw Jeremy Hill rush for a 4 yard gain.  Wouldn't you know it, another Patriot starter was slow to get up!!  This time it was starting DE William Gholston limping off.  He would not return.

Another short rush by Hill was followed by a Washington penalty.  On 3rd and 10, Prescott faded back to pass and hit Parker for a short gain, but was leveled by Patriot DT Ndamukong Suh!!  No flag was thrown, but Dak Prescott was hurt!!  

Needing assistance off the field, it was apparent that Washington would have to mount a comeback with their starting QB on the sidelines.  Dak was done for the day!!

After a loss of 1 yard on a Prosise carry, a holding penalty on one of New England's few surviving offensive linemen (Zach Streif) put NE in a 2nd and 21 hole.  A screen to Prosise netted 17 yards however, giving NE an achievable 3rd down opportunity.  Then, an 8 yard hookup from Bradford to Green-Beckham gave NE a fresh set of downs.

After another Patriot first down, Washington managed to stop the Patriot offense and force a punt.  

Enter Tom Savage, with 9:38 to play, from his own 12 yard line.

Completions to Garcon and Cook gave the Skins a quick 1st down.  Then Jeremy Hill ran for 4 yards, giving him 100 yards on the day.  Washington would likely need to lean on their star RB down the stretch to take some of the heat off of Savage.  

On 3rd and 6 and NE with 6 DBs on the field, Hill took a pitch left............but was stuffed by CB Logan Ryan after a 2 yard gain.


Uh oh.

Now it was Hill who was down on the turf.   

Amazing.

Washington had now lost their starting QB and RB on consecutive drives.

A punt to NE followed, and they looked to salt the game away with 7:21 to play.

NE, not wanting to get too conservative however in a one-score game, caught the Redskin DB's looking into the backfield on 1st down.  Bradford hit Brown for 16 yards and the first down.  Working slowly, the Pats conservatively ran the clock down to 4:27 before punting back to Washington.  With 4:13 to play and starting at their own 20 yard line - this could be the ball game for Washington.

Rushes of 4 and 11 yards by Paul Perkins were essentially offset by a Kilgore holding penalty.  On 4th and 7 from their own 23, Savage hit Garcon for a KEY first down!  Then, two consecutive incompletions and a short Savage rush gave Washington another tough 4th down to convert, but NE bailed them out this time, as a pass interference on Clinton-Dix gave Savage and the Skins a fresh set of downs.

First and ten from their own 40 yard line, with 1:27 to play.

Three consecutive incomplete passes to Garcon brought on another 4th down.  And again, for the THIRD time on the drive, Savage converted hitting Lee for 11 yards and into Patriot territory.  First and 10 with 1:05 from the NE 49 yard line.

A penalty on G David DeCastro made it 1st and 15.  Two incomplete passes and a short hook-up to Garcon brought on a 4th and 11 with 46 seconds to play.  This time there would be no 4th down magic however, as Savage was flushed from the pocket and tackled after a 5 yard run.  

Turnover on downs, and NE would run the clock out.

Final Score - Patriots 23, Redskins 16

Sam Bradford was the MVP of the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year.  After tossing 3 TDs in last year's win over Atlanta, Bradford completed 31 of 38 passes on the day for 252 yards and 2 TDs.  In the absence of Jordy Nelson and with Washington's concerted effort to minimize Antonio Brown (5 receptions for 55 yards and a TD), Bradford looked to his secondary receivers often in this one.  Tight end Greg Olsen caught 9 balls for 79 yards and a TD.  CJ Prosise caught 7 for 53 yards, and Dorial Green-Beckham caught 5 big passes for 37 yards.

On the ground, NE was led by Murray's 13 carries for 55 yards.  Prosise kicked in 40 rushing yards on 9 carries.

Jeremy Hill led the Skins offense with 102 yards rushing on 13 carries (50 on the game's initial play from scrimmage).  Dak Prescott completed 12 of 16 passes for 136 yards and 2 TDs before he would leave the game late in the 3rd quarter.   DeVante Parker led Washington receivers with 5 grabs for 87 yards and 2 TDs.

There were no turnovers in the game.  Washington however, was penalized 10 times for 85 yards, while New England was flagged only 3 times for 20 yards.  Big advantage for New England on that front.

New England doubled the Redskins with 26 first downs to only 13 for Washington.  New England also controlled the ball for over 38 minutes on the day, thus minimizing the damage Prescott was able to do.

Congratulations to Kris on a great IFL season.  This was a somewhat disappointing game in that neither team was able to put its best foot forward due to injuries.  NINE starting players were lost during the course of the game (5 for NE, 4 for Wash) but Washington's loss of their starting QB and RB in a one-score game was especially devastating.however.

Good luck to everyone in the upcoming off-season!  For New England, it will likely be the beginning of a rebuilding effort and stars such as Brown, Suh, Atkins etc may well find themselves elsewhere in training camp 2018!

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IFL CONFERENCE FINALS

AFC

PATRIOTS 27  BENGALS 18

Sam Bradford throws for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.

Bengals, winners of 12 of their last 13 games, make the trip to New England looking to advance to the Super Bowl.  New England, without all-pro WR Antonio Brown and star LB Jamie Collins, were still installed as 5 point favorites by the sharps in Vegas.  Foxboro doesn't often see 70 degrees in the middle of January - but it was the case on this day.  What other strange occurrences would this day bring?

Bengals took the opening kickoff and faced an early 3rd an 8.  Aaron Rodgers dropped back to pass and was sacked by a blitzing Erik Walden, forcing a fumble which was recovered by New England.  With barely a minute off the clock, NE had the ball at the Bengal 27 yard line.

Coming off a 4-TD game in the Divisional round against the Titans, Jordy Nelson once again was active early.  Bradford hit him for 11 yards on the first play from scrimmage.  A Bengal penalty and it was 1st and 5 from the 11 yard line. A short Lat Murray run was followed by two Bradford misfires however, and the Patriots were forced to settle for a short FG.  3-0 New England.

A Bengal 3 and out gave NE the ball again, this time starting at their own 39 yard line.  On first down, Latavius Murray took the pitch but was blasted by the Bengal D for no gain.  The crowd quickly went silent as Murray lay flat on the Foxboro turf.  He would soon walk off under his own power, but would be escorted immediately to the tent with a suspected concussion.  Just like that, Murray was done for the day.

The injury to Murray sucked quite a bit of air out of the stadium, with the Patriots already missing their top WR and now their top RB.  Bradford tried to rally the troops, but misfired on a pass to Rod Streater.  Then on 3rd down, Bradford looked to connect with spare WR Wendall Williams but was PICKED OFF by Micah Hyde...................who returned it all the way to the NE 16 yard line!!!!  Like the Patriots had done to the Bengals earlier in the quarter, the Bengals had now turned NE over in their own territory.  

A quick 10 yard pass from Rodgers to Heuerman was followed by a 6 yard Melvin Gordon scamper for the TD!!  The PAT was missed, but Cinci had the lead 6-3.

CJ Prosise started the next Patriot drive with a nifty 13 yard sweep.  However, Bradford was sacked by Jurrell Casey on the next play, FORCING THE 
F-U-M-B-L-E!!!  Bengals recovered and had the ball at the NE 39 yard line.  Rodgers and company could not get a first down, and Robbie Gould came on to hit a 45 yard field goal.  9-3 Bengals.

The Patriots looked to answer and on the 2nd play of the next drive, Prosise took a screen pass 52 yards to the 23 yard line of Cincinnati.  A Bradford to Nelson (double teamed) 9 yard pass gave NE a 2nd and 1 from the 14.  However, after Prosise was stuffed on 2nd down, Bradford missed Nelson on a crossing pattern.  4th and 1 - and the Patriots decided to go for it.   Prosise rambled for 7 yards to give NE another first down at the Cinci 7 yard line.

Bradford to Greg Olsen was stuffed for a loss of 1.  Prosise ran for another 7 yards down to the 1 yard line.  Rather than running it in, Bradford tried Nelson on a short slant but it was broken up.  Having converted on 4th and 1 just a minute earlier, the Patriots tried again, this time handing it to Prosise............who was STUFFED for no gain!!!  Bengals take over and the quarter would end with the Bengals up 9-3.

Rodgers responded like the champ that he is, methodically leading the Bengals from the shadow of their own goal line across midfield, thanks to completions to Eifert, Jeffery and Heuerman.  The drive would stall at the 24 yard line however and Cinci would get another 3 points on a Gould FG.   
12-3 Bengals.

The two teams would exchange punts on their next drives, though NE had tilted the field in their favor.  With 3 minutes remaining in the half, NE would take over at their own 44.  Bradford to Olsen for 13, followed by a Bradford to Prosise for 7 yards.  Out of the two minute warning, Prosise then swept right for 15 yards down to the Bengal 9 yard line.  Then on the next play, Bradford to Prosise from 9 yards out and it was 12-10 Bengals heading to the half.  

The third quarter saw the defenses take over.  Both teams had their first two drives of the quarter end in punts, eating up nearly 13 minutes of game time.  With under two minutes left in the quarter and NE at their own 15 yard line, Bradford looked to make something happen with the wind at his back before the end of the quarter.  A quick strike to Olsen for 6 yards started things off.  Then on 2nd and 4 from their own 21, he found Jordy on a quick out.  Rookie CB Jalen Ramsey failed to wrap him up however and JORDY WAS GONE!!!  79 yards later and NE had the lead just like that!  17-12.

Enter Ty Montgomery, who quickly broke off runs of 5 and 8 yards to get Cinci off to a nice start as the 3rd quarter would end.  Completions to Royal (8 yds) and Jeffery (13 yards) book-ended another nifty 12 yard Montgomery run, and it was first and 10 from the NE 29 yard line with 12 minutes to play.  
Montgomery was stuffed on his next attempt and the drive stalled.  A 44 yard Gould FG cut the lead to just 2 points however.  17-15 Pats

With 11 minutes to play, the Patriots knew they couldn't get complacent.  Three consecutive completions to Green-Beckham, Olsen and Nelson moved the Pats from their own 25 out to midfield.  Then on 2nd and 3, Prosise busted off a 27 yard run down to the Bengal 24.  Two plays later Prosise ran for another 17 yards.  Then after a misfire to Jordy, Bradford connected with Prosise for their 2nd TD hookup of the day, this one from 7 yards and it was 24-15 NE!

Things looked bleak for the Bengals as they went 3 and out on their next drive.  However Trevor Davis muffed the punt giving Cinci new life!!  
With 6:27 to go, the Bengals had it at the NE 34 yard line.  

A sack by Stefon Tuitt made it 2nd and 15, but Rodgers found Royal and Gordon on consecutive pass plays for a Bengal first down.  A sack by Erik Walden derailed the Bengal TD hopes, but Gould hit on his 4th FG of the day - this from 35 yards - and it was 24-18 with 3:07 to play.

Bengals chose to kick deep, and the Pats had it from their own 25 yard line.  With Prosise showing signs of fatigue, Bradford threw caution to the wind.  With the defense keying on CJ, Bradford hit Nelson on another quick out - and Nelson did all the work again - this time racing 43 yards to the Bengal 32!  Another 10 yard pass to Nelson before the 2 minute warning gave NE 3rd and inches.  Fullback Zach Line would dive for the first down, and the game was essentially over.   Bradford would take 3 knees before Sturgis kicked the game clinching FG - Patriots win it 27-18.  

CJ Prosise was the star of the game, rushing for 87 yards on 10 carries while also catching 6 passes for another 87 yards and two touchdowns.  Jordy Nelson followed up his 4 TD effort in the Divisional round with another fantastic day, hauling in 7 passes for 170 and a TD.  Erik Walden had two QB sacks, following up his 3 sack effort from a week earlier.

For the Bengals, Aaron Rodgers completed 21 of 36 passes for 197 yards.  He did not throw a TD nor did he turn the ball over.  Melvin Gordon carried the ball 21 times but managed only 56 yards against the Patriot D.  

New England managed to overcome 3 turnovers and injuries to two more starters as both Lat Murray and William Gholston left the game in the first quarter.  With 5 starters on the sidelines, NE still somehow managed to overcome a gritty and tough Bengal squad.

Congratulations to John on a truly great season.  The Bengals ripped off 11 consecutive wins after starting the season 2-2.  Winning 14 of the 18 games they played, the Bengals were truly among the elite squads in the IFL in 2017.

New England moves on to their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl, in what should be a great game against the NFC's best - the Washington Redskins.

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NFC​​

REDSKINS 27  RAMS 23

Redskins Eric Ebron scores the deciding touchdown as Washington wins NFC title game.

Los Angeles would head to Washington for a little family feud with the winner heading to the Super Bowl. 

LA would get the kickoff first and would take advantage of an aggressive Washington defense mixing and matching personnel.  A 3rd and 13 would be picked up by the dynamic White on a screen while Dixon would punch it in from 7 yards out to go up 7-0.  While the Rams fans were thrilled to see them get into the end zone  the cheers quickly turned to fear as it was announced star RB Mark Ingram would be lost for this game and the following week should they win.  Fearing Lee as a return man LA would squib the kickoff but a short kick still resulted in the Redskins starting at the 42 yard line.  3 Plays later Prescot would hit Parker for 47 yards and Hill would finish off the drive with a 6 yard run to tie it up 7-7.  LA would follow up with a 3 and out and the Redskins would get it back and be aided by a 24 yard PI call.  They would dink and dunk it the rest of the way and Prescott would sneak it in from the goal line.   

LA and Washington would exchange a few 3 and outs however the special teams play would provide Washington with the advantage.  Good returns and punting during the exchange would lead to LA having to punt from their 5 yard line giving Washington great field position and allow Janikowski to bang through a 55 yard field goal despite a 3 and out to give them a 17-7 lead.  Following the score the Rams would go to the ground and run the ball 7 out of 8 highlighted by a 24 yard Luck scramble.  Dixon would again find paydirt from 1 yard out.  However the LA kicker would shank the XP leaving the score 13-17.  With only 2 minutes remaining neither team was able to get anything going before the half.
Washington would get the ball at the half and were looking to put some distance between them.  However Prescott would throw a pick on 3rd and 8 giving the Rams amazing field position on the 36 yard line.  2 plays later the Rams would be looking at a 3rd and 12 from the 26 yard line.  The Redskins gambled and expected the Rams to go for the score and brought a lot of pressure.  The Rams had called a play action pass hoping to catch the Redskins keying on the run and Luck would go down for a 12 yard loss.  Now looking at a 4th and 12 in no-mans land and with little confidence in their kicker they would go for it.  The gamble would pay off big as Luck would hit the Gronk and he would steamroll the Redskins D on his way to the end zone and a 20-17 lead.  Washington would put together a decent drive in response but it would stall out on their own 42.  Washington would elect to punt on the 4th and 1 and Martin would deliver pinning LA on its own 2 yard line for the second time in the game.  LA would punt a few plays later and set Washington up on the Rams 47 yard line.  Prescot would lead them to the 10 yard line but the drive would stall and they would have to settle for the tying FG. 

The Rams would answer back with a nice drive of their own sucking up some clock using just about every offensive weapon they have.  They would get the ball to the Washington 2 yard line and face a big decision.  4th and 2 tie game on the road.  While it appeared as though the initially thought going for it the Rams ultimately made the decision to take the points and put the game on their defense.  The FG would be good and the Rams would lead with 10 minutes left in the game.  Washington would be bailed out early on their next drive with a 3rd and 6 holding call against Rhodes.  Later in the drive Prescot would pick up a big 3rd and 10 by hitting Marqise Lee for 11 yards to put hte ball on the 38.  A few runs later and a Rams challenge would put the ball at 3rd and inches from the 11 yard line.  They would call a play action pass looking for Ebron in the middle of the field while the Rams were expecting another QB sneak from Prescot.  Ebron would be open and take it in for 6 to give the Redskins a 23-27 lead.  

The Rams would try to answer and with just under 6 minutes left they would still be able to use the ground game.  Some heavy running by Dixon and Jones would get them to the Washington 34 yard line but a 4th and 3 Jones would come up 2 yards short.  With only a minute left the Redskins would force LA to burn its timeouts and put the game on their D.  With 40 seconds left with the ball on their own 20 Luck wasn't able to get anything going and Washington would head to the Super Bowl.

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IFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

AFC

PATRIOTS 45  TITANS 21

Patriots Nelson scores 4 touchdowns

New England jumped out to a 35-7 halftime lead thanks to three Bradford to Jordy Nelson TD passes in route to a 45-21 win over Tennessee.
Sam Bradford threw for 347 yards and 5 TD passes, while Jordy Nelson caught 10 balls for 197 yards and 4 TDs.

Beckham Jr caught 8 for 154 and scored all three Titan TDs.

New England was hit hard by injuries in this one, losing 4 starters along the way.  Star WR Antonio Brown (D) and LB Jamie Collins (Q) are both uncertain to play in the AFC Championship game against the Bengals.  Starting G Josh Kline was also injured and will miss time.

Congrats to Rick on another strong season.  

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BENGALS 17  RAIDERS 16

Gould's last second field goal lifts Bengals over Raiders.

The AFC West champion Oakland Raiders traveled to Cincinnati to take on the AFC Central champion Bengals in the divisional round of the IFL playoffs. The Raiders held off the Colts 26-17 in the wild card round last week.  

The Bengals looked like a well oiled machine on their opening drive, going 68 yards on 13 plays and using over seven minutes as Rodgers scrambled in from six yards out to give Cincinnati the early 7-0 lead.  

The teams would exchange punts until Oakland put together a five play 90 yard drive with Bernard going in to tie the game from four yards out with about six and a half minutes left in the half.  Travis Kelce's 46 yard reception was the key play of the drive.

The Bengals offense continued to sputter going three and out.  The Raiders struggled as well until their final possession of the half as Stafford found Benjamin for a couple first downs setting up a Myers 29 yard field goal to end the half giving Oakland a 10-7 lead.

The Raider offense continued to march down the field to begin the second half.  Stafford hit Wallace for 18 and Moncrief for 23.  But the Cincinnati defense stiffened and Oakland had to settle on another Myers field goal to extend their lead to 13-7.

The Bengals finally got a big play as Rodgers connected with Jeffery for a 50 yard score as Cincinnati regained the lead 14-13 with about nine minutes remaining in the third.

Oakland begin their march to regain the lead eating up all but one minute remaining in the third quarter.  The Raiders recovered two of their own fumbles on the drive but at the Cincinnati 13 Stafford was intercepted by Rey to end the threat.

The Bengals moved to their own 40 before Hicks sacked Rodgers resulting in a fumble  and an Oakland recovery.  The Cincinnati defense held once more as Myers missed the 47 yard field goal attempt.

Cincinnati took over at their own 37 and Gordon burst for 10 yards on the first play.  However, after another run for one yard, Rodgers was intercepted by Slay.  The Raiders drove to the Cincinnati seven but a offensive pass interference penalty moved Oakland back ten yards and they had to settle on another Myers field goal attempt.  This time the Raider kicker was true from 27 yards out giving the Raiders a 16-14 lead with four minutes remaining in the game.

The Bengals methodically marched up the field.  Montgomery ran for seven, Jeffery's caught a pass for 13 yards, Eifert for 10 yards, a Gordon screen pass went for 11 more.  Cincinnati was in the 90% success range for a field goal.  Meanwhile Oakland started using their time outs.  On third and seven with 1:34 remaining Gordon ran for eight to pick up the first.  After a couple Gordon dives to center the ball in the middle of the field, Cincinnati called time out with three seconds remaining..  Gould made the 29 yard attempt and the Bengals advance to the AFC Championship game 17-16.

Congrats to Keith on a fine season.  His Raiders will be tough again next season.  

Stafford finished 25 of 49 for 305 yards and an INT.  Kelce caught four passes for 82 yards.

Rodgers went 15 of 26 for 214 yards with a TD and an INT.  Jeffery caught six passes for 107 yards and the TD.  Gordon rushed 19 times for 69 yards..  He also caught three passes for 58.

Next week the Bengals await the winner of the Tennessee at New England game for the right to represent the AFC in the IFL Super Bowl.

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NFC

RAMS 33 BUCCANEERS 13

Mark Ingram's 2 touchdowns help the Rams down Tampa Bay

On a hot 84 degree day in Los Angeles the Central Division Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers battled the Los Angeles Rams. The local Angelinos appeared to still be getting used to football's return to Southern California. An unofficial count by a reporter at the game suggested there were more people participating in a Global Warming demonstration at the stadium, citing the unseasonably hot weather, than actual Rams fans. Luckily both teams were well equipped to take advantage of the weather, great QBs with explosive wide receivers. The Bucs, combo of Derek Carr, Davante Adams and Desean Jackson can shorten a defensive coordinators' life-span. The Rams were a team though that could keep pace, with Andrew Luck AJ Green and TY Hilton. As it turned out the deep passing game played an important role in the outcome of the game, but instead of the number of completed deep passes determining the outcome it was the timing of the deep passes (complete or incomplete) that turned out to be important.

 First Half

Rams won the toss and deferred. Unfortunately that meant the Rams had to start the game by kicking to Cordarelle Patterson,  he of a 33 yards per return average. He caught the first kick 5 yards deep and nearly broke free. He only made it to the 29, but the Rams coach was clearly shaken by the decision to kick deep to Patterson. He immediately fired the Special Teams coach during the game, the Rams from then on squibbed kickoffs, without much better results. When asked about Patterson after the game coach Heaton simply stated "He sucks to play against, sucks big time." 

The Buccaneers first drive would fizzle after a key holding penalty. The Rams took over at their 20 yard line. The Bucs defense to start was dialed in to the Rams game plan. Whether it was home-field advantage or a soft spot Koch has for Los Angeles, two key third down conversions by penalty and a Luck scramble kept the drive alive. Still the Rams went immediately into another 3rd down. The next play was a key one, a deep fly to AJ Green went for 36 yards. Rams offense was in business and eventually a 12 yard Mark Ingram run put the Rams up, 7-0. The Bucs second drive turned into a 3 and out in what would be a theme for their offense in the 1st half, an incomplete check down on a deep pass attempt on 3rd and 1. Rams next possession leads to a Field Goal, 10-0 Rams. After a couple punts the Bucs found some footing, a short drive leads to a Field Goal 10-3 Rams. Bucs force another Rams punt, the next drive was an important turning point in the game. The Bucs sat 3rd and 3 at the Rams 22. Bucs coach Mike Chase staying aggressive calls another deep pass and catches the Rams in a short zone pass defense, but again it was incomplete. Bucs settle for a field goal, 10-6 Rams. The Rams put together a drive to end the half adding another field goal despite some questionable clock management, 13-6 Rams.

Second Half
Rams get the ball in the situation they hoped for after ending the half with a score a chance to really extend the lead. But the Bucs pass defense stifled the drive and once again Rams settle for a Field  Goal, 16-6 Rams. Bucs trying to stay within striking distance needed points on the next drive. They pushed the ball to the Rams 42 and faced a 3rd and 2. The Bucs, with a game plan you had to love, were just going for it. Again another deep pass attempt, but still Carr couldn't connect. Now 4th and 2, what would the Bucs do, Go Deep! But the Bomb wasn't there so Carr scrambled, but was stripped and the Rams recovered. Rams methodically drive the ball to the 32 yard line when Luck hit RB James White on a short pass. White broke a tackle and took it to the house, 23-6 Rams. The Bucs,  time running out, got to the Rams 33 and faced a 4th down. This time a Gurley dive was stuffed. The Rams again capitalized, scoring another touchdown, 30-6 Rams. The Bucs fought all the way to the end even as it looked bleak. They scored a touchdown and recovered an onside kick, but that drive fizzled out after the Bucs did not convert a 4th down essentially ending the game.

It was not as explosive an offensive game as initially expected, the Rams offense was fairly efficient boosted by some key Andrew Luck scrambles. The Bucs had success running the ball, but hard trouble finding the range on those deep passes sometimes even against favorable coverages. 

The Bucs end the season 11-7, Division Winners, winning a playoff game with impressive seasons by QB Derek Carr and their Wide Receives. Congrats to Mike on a great season and a great game plan.


The Rams await the outcome of the Saints and Redskins two teams the Rams know well for different reasons.

Bucs playoff game Stars:
Spencer Ware 18 Carries 81 yards
Desean Jackson 6 catches 86 yards
Cordarelle Patterson (mainly just pure fear factor)

Rams playoff game Stars:
Andrew Luck 20-29 265 yards and 1 Touchdown
T Y Hilton 9 catches 93 yards
Ryan Succop 4-4 Field Goals
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REDSKINS 17  SAINTS 14

Redskins kicker Janikowski field goal wins it in double overtime.

This would be a rematch of a regular season game where Dak Prescott would lead a monster time consuming drive for a game winning FG over the Saints.  This one would not disappoint and would be played in a cool Washington with heavy 10-20 mph winds playing a big role in the game.  Nola would get the ball first with the wind at their back and get it to midfield but be forced to punt.  Washington would go 3 and out and punting in the wind would give the ball right back to Nola at midfield.  The Saints would play a little aggressive and go for it on 4th down turning it over to the Redskins in good field position.  The Skins would punt it back to the Saints just as quickly and this song and dance would go on for the rest of the 1st quarter.  At the very end of the 1st on their own 27 Colquitt would launch the final play of the 1st with the wind at his back and hit a 73 yard punt that would go out the back of the endzone.


With the wind finally at their back Washington had some hope to move the ball through the air but Prescott would throw a pick and Nola would take over at the Redskin 30.  Faced with a 3rd and 7 a 11 yard screen pass to Asiata would keep it going and Stewart would punch it in from 3 yards out for the first score of the game.  The Redskins would respond with a nice drive themselves as Prescott would finally settle in but instead of 7 they would have to settle for a FG.  Nola would go 3 and out and the Skins would get the ball again.  They would push the ball to the 50 with 46 seconds left and a 4th and 3 coming up.  With the wind in their favor and realizing Nola would have to move the ball pretty far into the wind for a FG chance the Skins went for it.  Unfortunately they would not succeed as Perkins would be stopped for no gain.  Nola would fail to capitalize so they would go into halftime up 7-3.


In the 2nd half Washington would again take advantage of the weather and move the ball on a long time consuming drive to move the ball into FG range.  Again they would have to settle for 3 but would close the gap to 7-6.  THe saints would again go 3 and out giving the ball back to the Redskins on the 26 yardline.  On 3rd and 2 Prescott would hit Marqise Lee on a short slant that he would take 58 yards.  One play later Hill would punch it in from 8 yards out.  Up 12-7 with 4 minuets left in the 3rd the Redskins knew they were about to lose the wind in a defensive struggle so they rolled the dice and went for 2.  Prescott would take the bootleg and convert giving them a 14-14 lead.  The Saints would finally wake up on offense and put together their own time consuming drive and hit Dez Bryant for a 30 yard TD to tie it up.  Washington and the Saints would trade long drives but neither could put any points on the board.  The 4th would end on a Prescott fumble in Saints territory but time was on nobodies side as that would end regulation.


In overtime the Redskins would get the ball first but have to go into the wind.  a few plays and a penalty would have them at the 25 yard line but then on 1st down Paul Perkins would fumble and the Saints would recover.  We would now be entering sudden death.  The Saints starting from the 25 would put together a promising drive but at midfield the yellow flags started to fly stalling the drive and forcing a punt. 

​The Skins would be forced to punt it to the Saints who would then be backed up at the 1 yard line.  They would move the ball some but then be forced the punt.  The Redskins would then mount another drive and get into comfortable field goal range to win 17-14.

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IFL WILDCARD WEEKEND

​AFC

TITANS 19 STEELERS 17

Dan Bailey hits the game winning field goal with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

This game was essentially a push as DK favored Tennessee by 3 which is the normal home field advantage.  Weather was 53 degrees with virtually no wind.
 
FIRST QTR
This looked like a blowout as 3 plays into their opening drive Pitt's Tom Brady hit Steve Smith Jr. on a long fly for a 48 yard TD.  7-0 Pittsburgh.  The Titans could do nothing on their first possession and the Steelers took over at their own 34.  Brady completed an 8 yarder to Edelman.  Then, as predicted by Nostradamos (aka John Conners), Brady got injured and was out for the balance of the game and the next one.  Stat pac QB TJ Yates came on to lead the offense.  Two plays later Pittsburgh was punting.  Again the Titans could do nothing.  From their 27 Pittsburgh drove the ball 54 yards highlighted by a short out to Anquan Boldin that turned into a 41 yard gain.  However, another short out attempt was intercepted by David Amerson who returned it to the Titan 43.  The Titan offense finally got in gear and moved it to the Steeler 28.  Matt Ryan completed a 10 yarder to Delanie Walker but Eric Berry knocked the ball loose and Thomas Davis recovered for Pitt.
 
2ND QTR
Yates then took Pittsburgh on an 8 play 80 yard drive.  With a first and goal from the Tennessee 2 yard line Darren Sproles  was stymied three times by the Titan defense.  Adam Vinatieri kicked the 20 yarder to make it 10-0 Pittsburgh.  The next three possessions were dominated by the defenses and Pittsburgh had the ball at the Titan 49 with 6 minutes to go in the half.  With 4th and 3 at the Titan 42 coach Diiorio elected to go for it.  Frank Gore tried a sweep right but came up a yard short.  The Tennesse offense finally got something going and advanced down to the Steeler 29.  Dan Bailey kicked a 47 yard FG from there with 52 seconds left in the half.  10-3 Pittsburgh.  An incompletion followed by two Frank Gore runs along with two Titan timeouts forced the Steelers to punt.  From his own 37 Matt Ryan screened to Delanie Walker who took it 23 yards to the Steeler 40.  With two seconds left in the half Dan Bailey nailed the 58 yard FG.  10-6 Pittsburgh.
 
3RD QTR
The first four possessions of the 3rd quarter featured little offense.  However Pittsburgh was twice penned inside its 5 yard line and unable to move the ball.  After their second punt the Titans took over at mid-field.  A mixture of runs and short passes moved the ball to the Steeler 7 yard line.  On first down Ryan hit Odell Beckham with a short hitch for the TD.  13-10 Tennessee.  The kickoff was downed and Pittsburgh took over at their 25.  Two short passes to Edelman left them with a 3rd and inches.  A medium fly to Edelman fell incomplete.  Coach Diiorio decided to go for it.  However, the quarterback draw didn't fool the Titans and Yates was brought down behind the line.  Tennessee ball at the Steeler 31.
4TH QTR
The Titans couldn't advance from there and Dan Bailey came through with the 42 yard field goal.  16-10 Tennessee.   Pittsburgh started the next drive from its 21.  Yates went deep for Edelman and it fell incomplete.  However a VERY late penalty flag was thrown and Josh Norman was called for a 34 yard interference penalty.  Another 15 yard penalty against the Titans (Yannick Ngakoue - pronounced Egg Nog Way) and three completions to Edelman got the Steelers into the end zone.  17-16 Pittsburgh.  With 11 minutes to go in the game Tennessee was trapped inside its 10 yard line and its subsequent punt put Pittsburgh at mid-field.  With a 4th and 2 at the Titan 42 coach Diiorio again went for it.  QB Kevin Hogan snuck into the game and tried for the first down around right end.  He was stopped for a 3 yard loss and Tennessee had the ball.  Again the Titans couldn't move but figured that a punt from the 50 would hem the Steelers deep in their own end.  Colton Schmidt responded with his worst punt of the year - 17 yards!  Tennessee's defense had to come up big and they did despite giving up one first down.  Pittsburgh's punt went into the end zone and so the Titans had the ball at their own 20 with 3 and a half minutes left.  Matt Ryan burnished his MVP credentials going 6 for 6 on a 66 yard drive that brought the ball to Pittsburgh's 14 with 13 seconds left in the game.  Dan Bailey came on and calmly made the 32 yarder.  Tennessee 19-17.  Game over.
Thanks to Vince for a very competitive game.
​

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RAIDERS 26  COLTS 17

Giovani Bernard scores two touchdowns as Raiders advance.

Injuries, injuries, injuries dictated the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders. In a game marred by early injuries to both team's starting running backs as well as key members of their defenses, both teams had to change their game plans midstream to account for the losses. For the Raiders, that meant switching to a pass heavy offense that featured a lot of Giovani Bernard in the screen game offensively and a blitz happy defense to keep pressure on the Colts' Carson Palmer. 
The Raiders jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead, but the Colts cut it to 14-7 before the half with a balanced offensive attack that kept the Raiders on their heels. 
In the second half, the Raiders switched from single coverage on the Colts' two star receivers to double coverage to limit the number of big plays and turn the game into a grind it out affair. Coupled with RB Bernard's decent running in the second half, the Raiders were able to limit the Colts' chances and grind out a 26-17 victory.
​

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NFC

EAGLES 20  BUCCANEERS 37

Tampa Bay's Desean Jackson hauls in three touchdown passes as the Bucs advance past Philadelphia.

On a beautiful clear winter afternoon in Florida, coach Greg Mason led his 10 win Philadelphia Eagles into Raymond James Stadium to face Mike Chase’s 10 win Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 The Eagles win the toss and elect to defer.  Starting from their own 35 Tampa looked to establish the run with Spencer Ware.  Ware would carry the ball seven times during the Tampa 15 play drive that would end with a Chris Boswell 31 yard field goal.  On the 10th play of the game Eagle starting number two cornerback Darrell Worley would limp off the field not to return. Derek Carr went to work on the new match up of DeSean Jackson verses Eric Rowe.  Rowe was targeted four times during the drive, but held his own as Jackson only hauled in one catch, albeit for 20 yards.
 Jameis Winston came out ready to play. In his first possession, he drove his team the length of the field for a 11 play 79 yard scoring drive. The Eagles also turned to the run early and often. A nice mixture of Winston passes and DeMarco Murray runs was capped off by a TD strike to Kenny Britt off play action.   Philly 7 - Tampa 3. 
 The ensuing kickoff is returned by Cordarrell Patterson to midfield. Coach Chase leaves the run and tries to work some more on the Jackson – Rowe match up, but the Eagles were waiting and a long ball is picked off by Darius Butler.  Philadelphia ball at their own 40.
 After giving up one first down, the Tampa defense stiffens which leads to a forth and one at the Tampa 41 yard line.  Coach Mason rolls the dice and leaves his offense on the field.  Winston is denied the first down on the quarterback sneak.  Tampa Bay takes over at their own 41.
 On the second play of the possession once again Carr takes a shot downfield to DeSean Jackson. This time it pays off with a 52 yard hook up for touchdown.  Tampa 10 – Philly 7. 
 Philadelphia once again controls the clock and starts to wear out the Tampa defense.  They assemble a 10 play drive, highlighted by a 39 yard Murray run in a 17 yard Winston to Britt hook up, but the drive stalls at the Tampa Bay 5 yard line.  Nick Folk booted a 23 yard field goal to tie the game up at 10. 
 Tampa would get another big play on the third play of the next possession. On third and six, Carr looks to Davante Adams running a long hitch.  Darius Butler is not able to make the tackle and Adams takes it to the house.  The 65 yard scoring play makes the score Tampa 17 Philadelphia 10.  Both teams are scoring on nearly every drive.
 Philadelphia would answer back once again. The first two plays of this drive were a 19 yard run for Murray in a 47 yard bomb post completion from Winston to Britt leading to a first and 10 at the Tampa 11 yard line. Another Philadelphia drive stalls when on third and seven Trent Murphy corrals Winston for a sack.  The Philly field goal makes a score Tampa 17 Philadelphia 13.
 Tampa is not able to build their lead turning the ball over on downs when Carr misses Brian Quick on fourth and seven from the Philadelphia 36.
 Inside the two minute warning Philadelphia moves to the Tampa 37, but heading in to a light wind coach Mason leaves the offense on the field once again for a fourth down play.  Winston is picked off by Bradley McDougal , who runs the ball back to the Philly 43 yard line.
 Tampa has another opportunity to increase their lead with 35 seconds left on the clock. Carr moves his team to the Philly 13 yard line with 12 seconds left, however Jamize Olawale is tackled inbounds at the 4 yard line as the clock expires. Halftime score. Tampa Bay 17 Philadelphia 13.
 The next big play the game takes place while many fans are still waiting in line for one thing or another. Philadelphia’s Deonte Thompson fumbles the second half kickoff at his own 28 yard line.  Once again, Carr goes to the Jackson v Rowe match up on a first play, 28 yard touchdown pass. Tampa Bay 24 Philadelphia 13.
 There is no panic with coach Mason. He sticks with the run and moves the ball to midfield, but that is where the possession ends.  For the first time in the game a punt team kicks the ball away.
 The Buccaneers are able to open up the game gaining yards in chunks once again.  They make the score Buccaneers 31 Eagles 13 via consecutive plays of 16 yards, 34 yards, 18 yards, and a third long DeSean Jackson touchdown reception.  This time for 32 yards. 
 Things unraveled for the Eagles. They fumble away the next possession which leads to a Tampa Bay field goal.. Tampa 34 Philadelphia 13.
 However, there’s no quit in Mason.  Early in the fourth quarter they cut the lead to 14 with a DeMarco Murray 36 yard touchdown jaunt. Tampa 34 Philadelphia 20.  That would be Philadelphia’s last score the day. As the threat of the run started to dissipate, Winston is not able to consistently move the Eagles with the pass. The Buccaneers would tack on a field goal to make the final Tampa 37 Philadelphia 20.


 It was a huge day for the offenses.  Philadelphia put up 424 yards.  They tallied 231 yards on the ground and 210 in the air.  DeMarco Murray ran for 170 yards on 29 attempts good for a 6 yard average.  Kenny Britt caught six balls for 102 yards.
 Tampa Bay netted 469 yards of offense.  Carr threw for 363 yards on 19 completions for a 19 yard average and four touchdowns.  Spencer Ware ran for 106 yards on 21 carries.  Davonte Adams hauled in 7 balls for 156 yards, a 22 yard average.  DeSean Jackson caught five for 138 yards, a 28 yard average.
 Coach Mason called a great game. He has a lot to look forward to next year with both Jameis Winston and Case Keenum on the roster.  The rumor mill has it that his GM is already working the phones looking for a possible trade. 
 

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SAINTS 28  FALCONS 19

Saints running back Jonathan Stewart's second TD of the game with 2:13 remaining ends Atlanta's season.

Atlanta would roll into New Orleans in a battle of division rivals. The Falcons would win the toss and elect to receive. They would start their first possession at their own 25 and take the ball to the Saints 49. On the next play Quinten Demps would step in front of a Philip Rivers pass for the pick and take it back to the Falcons 25. 3 plays later Joe Flacco would hit Dennis Pitta across the middle for a 13 yard TD strike. 7-0 Saints. The 2 teams would exchange punts and then the Falcons would get the ball midway thru quarter 1 at their own 37. Rivers would go 3 of 4 on the drive ending in a long slant to Victor Cruz for 29 yards against the leagues #1 defense. The extra point was missed and it was 7-6 Saints. The teams would then continue to exchange punts the whole way until around 10 minutes left in the half. New Orleans would start at their own 20 and drive the whole way to the Atlanta 42 and then Flacco would strike long to Dez Bryant for the TD. 14-6 Saints with 7:03 left in the half. As Atlanta did all day, they would not quit and then put together a solid 5 and a half minute drive ending in a Forbath 39 yard FG. 14-9 New Orleans at the half as the team exchanged punts to end the half.
 
The Saints would get the ball in the 2nd half and would start at their own 25. The Saints would drive down the field anchored by Jonathan Stewart and Tim Hightower. Faced with a 3rd and 4 the Saints would run again against a tired Atlanta defense and Stewart would break the run for an 18 yard TD. Saints 21-9. Atlanta would then get the ball and after 5 run attempts would go to the air against the top notch secondary of the Saints and pay for it. Jordan Hicks would intercept the pass of Rivers at the Falcons 28 yard line. A holding call would stall the Saints and McManus would kick a 39 yard FG to extend the lead. Wrong!!! Wide left as he shanked it. Still Saints 21-9 with 5:31 left in the 3rd quarter. The Falcons would then take the ball to the Saints 34 before Forbath would crush a 52 yard FG cutting the lead to 21-12. The teams would then exchange punts to take us into the 4th quarter. New Orleans would pin the Falcons at their own 9 on a terrific punt by Colquitt with 13:18 left in regulation. Atlanta would then put together a 14 play drive of 91 yards ending in a 2 yard TD plunge from Dion Lewis. The crowd was stunned as no one has really done that to this defense. The score was 21-19 New Orleans with 7:18 left. The Saints would start at their own 38 and would come out firing expecting the D to key the run. The Saints would put together a methodical drive with Flacco completing 5 of 8 balls and Hightower carrying the ball 4 times for 20 yards. All this would lead to the play of the game. The Saints would face a 4th and 1 at the 2 of the Falcons with 2:13 left and the Falcons out of timeouts. A FG gives the Saints a 24-19 lead but leaves the Falcons over 2 minutes. A TD would basically seal the victory. This decision also had to be made after the Falcons D just stuffed Hightower on 3rd and 1. Coach Rice would roll the dice and go for it. The play was a trap to Stewart and he would plunge in the endzone for the score. 28-19 Saints. The Falcons would get the ball and take it to the Saints 41 yard line before fumbling the ball away. Flacco would take a few knees and the Saints advance to the next round. Great game called by Marty and never gave up despite some key injuries. This felt like a chess match the whole way thru.
 
Key stats:
Atlanta: Rivers 277 yards, 2 picks and 1 TD....Fitzgerald 6 catches and 96 yards
 
New Orleans: Flacco 196 yards and 2 TD's...Stewart 15 carries for 78 yards and 2 TD's...Bryant 6 catches for 93 yards and a TD
 
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WEEK 16 RECAP

Falcons and Bears fight for their playoff lives in their week 16 IFL match-up.

 Game Scores
Chicago 13 Atlanta 22                       70       
Chicago and Atlanta faced off in a big game that has serious playoff implications. Chicago wins and they were in. Atlanta lose and they likely go home. That would be the "cleanest" scenario. The alternative, with Atlanta winning, brings everything closer and could bring a lot of tiebreakers into play, depending on results from other games.
 
Philip Rivers did a good job leading the Falcons to a 22-13 and Von Miller had a big game on defense. He had two game changing sacks and was always in the backfield putting pressure on the Bear's Mariota, contributing to two interceptions. One of the sacks came with the Falcons up 10-3 on 3rd and 6 with Bears on the Falcons 6 early in the second quarter. That forced the Bears to kick a FG to allow the Falcons to maintain the lead at 10-6.
 
The sack became bigger as the Bears scored a TD on their next drive on an 8 play 93 yard drive, ending in a 27 yard TD pass to Jamison Crowder to give the Bears a 13-10 lead with 3:03 left in the first half.
 
After a Falcon's 3 and out, Miller got his second sack on 1st and 10 with the Bears on their own 14, killing the Bears next drive and giving the Falcons another drive with 1:09 left in the first half with good field position. The Falcons took over at their own 36. Rivers went 4-5 for 37 yards with passes to Cruz, Ertz and Fitzgerald to set up a Kai Forbath FG with 0:03 left to tie up the game at 13-13 going into the half.
 
After deferring to start the game, the Falcons started with the ball in the second half. The Falcons started quickly with an 11 yard run by Jalen Richard, With a fresh set of downs, Dion Lewis catches a 6 yard pass which set up a big turning point in the game. The Falcons got two penalties to make a 3rd and 4 a 3rd and 14. Philip Rivers drops back and hits Agholor streaking up the seam. He catches it, cross the first down marker but then Jonathan Cyprien forced Agholor to fumble. There's a scrum and a mad scramble for the ball. The refs break it up, peel the players off the pile and find Agholor on the bottom with the recovery of his own fumble at the Falcons' 46 yard line. Rivers then hit Fitzgerald for a 12 yard gain for another first. After an incomplete pass, Richard rushes for 8 yards but the drive but the Bears D comes up big on 3rd and 2, forcing a 37 yard FG by Kai Forbath. This gave the Falcons what turned out to be the game winning score as the Falcons take the lead 16-13.
 
Defense dominates the rest of the way with the ball bouncing the Falcons way. Cruz fumbled but it was recovered by Jake Matthews. Mariota then looks for Brate but it's tipped up and picked by Derrick Johnson. Each time, the Falcons respond with a FG to get the end score of 22-13 which keeps it close.
 
Down two scores, the Bears get to their own 46 on the next drive but it's picked by William Gay. After a Falcons 3 and out, Mariota hits deep passes to Marvin Jones Jr. twice for 43 yards and Eli Rogers for 15 yards. Down 22-13, it set up the Bears with a 4th and 5 at the 11 yard line and a big decision for Coach Agosta on a couple of levels. Needing two scores with 1:23 left, do you take the FG and then go for the onside kick to get the TD or vice versa. If coach Agosta decides to go for the TD then do you go for the endzone from the 11 or the first down (with still two TOs left). Falcons D plays conservatively, going all ot pass to stop the TD. Bears, thinking along with the Coach Golden, call the Mariota QB draw, seemingly a perfect call for the first down with a chance to get the TD. However, the thin Falcons front seven comes up big, stuffing Mariota for no gain and forcing the turnover on downs.
 
From there the Falcons are basically able to run out the clock. Rivers kneels 3 times with the Bears using their timeouts on first and second. On third, Rivers kneels then lets the play clock run down to 0:01 before calling a timeout with 0:38 left. The Falcons punt and then "prevent" the Bears from completing bombs to Demaryius Thomas and Marvin Jones.
 
The clock runs out and the Falcons win 22-13. With the win, the Falcons go to 11-5 and lock up a wild card spot while the Bears fall to 10-6 and a tie with the Bucs in the division, Cowboys and Eagles and face the tiebreakers (which I don't have time to look into to right now) for both the central division and the wild card where 2 out of the 4 teams will make the playoffs.
 
Thanks to Dennis for accommodating my busy schedule and good luck to him with the tiebreakers.
  
 Houston 23 Miami 9                          75 0-5  
The Dolphins give up 7 sacks, 11 penalties, and 3 turnovers, in addition to getting to the red zone 5 times and come away with only 3 FG's to end the year on a losing note 23-9. Houston moves the ball, pretty much at will, despite constantly throwing into double coverage and completing passes and moving the chains. The running game was also in good form as Forte carries the rock 32 times for 143 yards. Kudos to the Texans to finish the regular season at 8-8 while the Dolphins finish at 5-11 and look forward to next year. Good Luck to all the Teams that make the post season and as they continue their Quest to the Title...see ya next year.
 
 Detroit 3 Los Angeles 30                    57 Calm 
The Lions and Rams met in Los Angeles to close out the season. The Lions looked to even their record to 8-8  and get the momentum for next season going in the right direction. The Rams with a win could clinch a 1st round bye. Prior to the start of the game TMZ sports tweeted a video of some Lions players walking out of a club on the Sunset Strip, Kardashians and Jenners in tow the morning before the game. While the Lions did not appear to take any steps to suspend the players, the "fatigue" of being awake for over 24 hours showed up right away.  Lions Coach Nordberg did his best to lead his team to victory, but 3 Lions turnovers on the first three drives helped stake the Rams to a 20-0 lead. In the second half the Lions called on Paxton Lynch to provide a spark; he led a long scoring drive to make it 30-3. But the remainder of the game his arm didn't have the same juice.
 
Rams have a week off to rest for their playoff opponent.
 
The Lions closeout the season 7-9 with impressive seasons turned in by WR Allen Robinson and RB Terrence West, both going over 1,000 yards. With a young WR core and a solid offensive line the Lions likely will be looking for a QB to take their team to the next level.
 
 Oakland 17 Indianapolis 27                  69          
COLTS PLAYOFF BOUND
 
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – The Indianapolis Colts (10-6) hosted the Oakland Raiders (12-4) before a sold out Lucas Oil Stadium in a season finale in which both teams had already secured playoffs berths in the IFL postseason. Both teams rested key starters throughout the game.
 
Despite the lack of starters playing on the Oakland defense the Colts struggled to a 27-17 victory. Head Coach Ken Griffith told IFL.COM the purpose and main focus of both teams was to come out healthy, “when our starter Trevone Boykin (QB) went down in the 1st quarter we went with Kellen (Clemens), however he played so poorly I couldn’t take it any longer and inserted Carlson (Palmer). Then he went down for a couple plays and I bout lost it,.. he’s okay now and should be ready next week.”
 
The only key injury for Indianapolis is starting safety Tyvon Branch, he should miss the entire playoffs with a 2nd degree shoulder separation. Several players are listed on the injury report for the Raiders, however the only players that will miss the wildcard round is Trent Williams (T), out 2 weeks with a slight groin pull, Mike Person (G/T) out 4 weeks, kick returner Lance Dunbar 2 weeks, and Rob Ninkovich (DE/OLB) 2 weeks with an undisclosed back injury.
 
          
 Philadelphia 26 Cincinnati 21               31 20-30
The Eagles invaded PBS with playoff hopes still alive.  Meanwhile the Bengals had dreams of the number one seed in the AFC.  Philly drove down the field during their opening possession but had to settle on a Folk 33 yard field goal.  The Bengals, facing a strong wind, reached the Eagles 28, but had to settle on a Barth field goal attempt.  Barth was no match for the wind and missed.  After an incompletion, Winston hooked up with Kenny Britt for 22 yards and then for 42 yards and a quick score to extend the Philly lead to 9-0 as the point after was blocked.
 
On the Bengals next possession Eddie Royal fumbled after a 10 yard reception and the Eagles recovered.  One play later Winston fired a strike to Sanu for a 37 yard score and a 16-0 lead with seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Bengals finally got something going in the second quarter thanks to a Rodgers 50 yard scamper.  One play later Montgomery dove in from a yard out to cut the Philly lead to 16-7.  The Eagles again put together a long drive but once again settled on a Folk 29 yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-7 to end the scoring in the half.
 
The Bengals came out guns-a-blazing in the second half.  Rodgers connected with Funchess for a 58 yard gain.  Rodgers then took it in himself from 17 yards out to cut the Eagles lead to 19-14. 
 
After an exchange of punts, Philly went with an old school pro set offense with Powell joining Murray.  Powell ran for 17 one play and 40 another to set up another Winston to Britt touchdown pass from 12 yards out to extend the Eagles lead to 26-14.
 
After exchanges of punts, a missed field goal by Folk, and a turnover on downs by Cincinnati, Montgomery ran for 24 yards to set up a Rodgers to Wright 16 yard touchdown pass to cut the Eagles lead to 26-21.  However, only a little over two minutes remained in the game.  The Bengals decided to forego the onside kick with all three timeouts remaining.  It almost worked but Fowler Jr. jumped offside on third and five.  Philly was able to run out the remainder of the time for the win.
 
Winston finished 18 of 23 for 240 yards and 3 TDs.  Powell ran for 97 yards on only 11 carries and Britt had five receptions for 100 yards and two TDs.
 
Rodgers finished 25 of 38 for 268 yards and a TD.  He also ran for 86 yards on six carries with a TD.  Funchess exploded for 120 yards on five receptions.
 
The Bengals have a week to heal their injuries while the Eagles must wait for the Dallas at Pittsburgh results among others.  I heard Coach Mason is having the team over to watch the game in his living room!
 
 New Orleans 30 Green Bay 14                 28 5-15
Playoff bound Saints came into Green Bay as big favorites.  Packers played pretty well in the early going.
Hosts took the opening drive and moved 79 yards in 12 plays capped off by a Brian Hoyer to Christine Micheal 6 yard TD pass.  New Orleans came right back and put together a nice drive of their own.
They took it all the way down Packers 11 until three Joe Flacco incompletions forced
them to settle for a short FG to make it 7-3 Packers.
 
The score would stay that way until early in the second when Hoyer was picked off by ILB Jordan Hicks at his own 26. On the very next play Flacco would find Dez Bryant for a long catch and run TD. 10-7 Saints
 
Undaunted, Green Bay put together a 75 yard drive versus the powerful Saints defense.
CJ Spiller ran it in from 3 yards out and Green Bay retook the lead 14-10
 
With just over 6 minutes left in the half Flacco got hot, completing three straight passes
including a 37 yard bomb to Dez Bryant. Jonathan Stewart finished off the drive from 2 yards out.   17-14 Saints at the half
 
I wish I could say the second half was as close and entertaining as the first but that was not the case.
New Orleans dominated the rest of the way and won going away, 30-14 Final.
 
Joe Flacco (20-30, 314 yards, 2TDs) and Dez Bryant (5 rec. for 141 and 2 TD's) were standouts
 
Hoyer (59.1 rating) and the rest of the Packers offense struggled mightily after a hot start versus a very good Saints defense
 
Jim called a great game as usual, his team will be tough to defeat in the playoffs.
Packers finish at 7-9 and look to be trending downward for 2018
 
 Dallas 21 Pittsburgh 35                     34 0-10 
Brady throws three first quarter touchdown passes and Frank Gore goes in from 18 yards out just before the half as the Steelers take a 28-10 lead into intermission.  Pittsburgh adds icing to the cake with a 53 yard interception return for a score by Eric Berry.
 
 Minnesota 17 San Francisco 14               62 10-20
Minnesota on an 6 game losing streak visited the 49ers who were on an 8 game losing streak. And the game developed as one expected. 6 fumbles, 2 INTs, 15 punts and untimely penalties highlighted the play.  If you can call them highlights.
 
SF scored first on a Crosby 25 yd FG after a fumble by Minny on their own 12 yd line. The second quarter belonged to Minnesota as they scored 3 times, twice from Brees TD throws to Mitchell  (14 yards) and Hard Hittin’ Witten (10 yards) to take a 17=3 lead into the second half. That would be all the offense they could muster but it was enough.
 
In the 4th quarter, the 49ers briefly came alive with a 53 yd FG by Crosby and a 12 yard pass from Fitzgerald to Jordan Howard.  With the 2 point conversion, the score was now 17-14.  SF harkened back to earlier in the quarter when Crosby missed a FG – had he made it would have been a tie game in regulation.
 
Minnesota’s Brees was star of the game hitting 23-39 for 220 yards2 TD and 1 INT. Fitzpatrick was 18-33, 120, 1 TD and 1 INT. Jordan Howard had 80 yards on 22 attempts. Minny’s Chris Ivory only ran of 35 yards, but caught 7 balls for 77 yards,  Diggs caught 7  for 65 yards.
 
Minnesota breaks its 6 game losing streak and ends up 6-10.  SF ends up 3-13 with what looks like a lock on the 4th pick in next years draft. Minnesota looks to pick 8th or 9th and did not worsen their draft position with the win.
 
Offensive Player of the Year for SF:  Jordan Howard ends the season with 1323 yards and caught 29 passes for 130 more.
Offensive Player of the Year for Minnesota:  Drew Brees, 4040 yards, 31 TDs, com[letting 62% of his passes.
 
 
 Arizona 0 Baltimore 20                      31 0-5   Light Snow    
Baltimore tossed their first shutout since Week 8 of the 2013 season, beating a tired Arizona Cardinals team, 20-0, in a light snow at M&T Bank Stadium.

Eli Manning was named the game MVP, completing 15 of 20 attempts for 253 yards, a TD and no INTs. His 133.3 Passer Rating was his best since Week 16 of the 2015 season when he scored a 142.8 against Buffalo. Le'Veon Bell added another 100 yard game to his resume, his 9th this year and 17th of his career, gaining 102 yards on 28 carries and scoring on a 3-yard run in the second quarter.

As Arizona considers a rebuild (next year's squad is already severely depleted by injury), Ben Rothlisberger's potentially last game in a Cardinal uniform wasn't pretty - 3 INTs and 4 sacks to go with a 23-for-44 game with 232 yards. An exhausted Jay Ajayi ran for 78 yards on 26 carries, giving him 1,438 yards on the season, good for 3rd best in the league. Bell will likely finish 6th, 1 yard behind Jordan Howard and 48 behind Ezekiel Elliott.

As for the game itself, Arizona controlled the clock (33:33 vs 26:27 and 18 vs 14 first downs), but continually turned the ball over. Baltimore wasn't much better at handling the slick, frozen ball, but fortunately, they recovered two of their three fumbles. In the end, it was really two big plays that made the difference. Scoreless well into the 2nd quarter, Baltimore forced Arizona to punt and took possession on their own 27 yard line. Manning threw a short hitch to Adam Thielen (3/85 + 1TD) as the Cardinal D focused on Bell, and Thielen turned it into a 58-yard completion, getting pulled down at the 3. Bell then skated his way into the end zone for the game's first score. Matt Bryant's PAT made it 7-0 Baltimore and it stayed that way until the 3rd quarter.

Receiving the kick after the half, Baltimore was faced with a 3rd-and-5 from their own 30. Manning again connected on a short hitch for a big gain, this time with Ryan Griffin for 53-yards that put the ball on the Cardinal 17. Two plays later, Manning found Thielen in the paint for a 14-0 Baltimore lead.

Bryant would add two more FGs and Arizona threatened to score late, but with a 1st-and-goal on the Raven 9 and 3:14 on the clock, sacks on consecutive plays (Bosa for -11 and Donald for -7) made for a tall order. Big Ben completed a 14-yard pass to Jaron Brown, but Desmond Trufant swatted away their last gasp from the 13.

Arizona (4-12) suffers their first losing season since 2010, when they went 7-9. In the 6 seasons in between, they compiled an impressive 70-26 record. Surely, one of the best in the league over that period.

Baltimore (3-13) hopes that next year is the year the Ravens start a Cardinal-like streak and breaks .500 for the first time since 2009, when they went 12-4. The Ravens are licking their lips (do Ravens have lips?) at another top draft pick to be the last piece of the puzzle to start their run.
 
 New England 0 San Diego 14                  70 0-5  
San Diego takes advantage of injuries to key NE offensive stars, Bradford, Brown and Murray to upset playoff bound Patriots 14-0.
 
 Tampa Bay 31 Carolina 3                     55 0-5  
The Panthers went over a 100 yard total offense with a 1:30 left in the game. Tampa had 200 yard in the first quarter.
 
Worst performance I have seen from Carolina in my many years running the franchise.
 
Tampa moved the ball at will as the Panther's Defense offered no resistance.  On Offense Carolina's RB's averaged 2 yards per carry. Spencer Ware had 139 yards rushing for Tampa.
 
DeSean Jackson had 146 yard receiving including a 52 yards TD on 3rd and 25. Carr for Tampa had 335 yard passing and 3 TD's.
 
Carolina players were obviously ready to end the season as not one single player did anything of note.
 
Final total yards:
 
TB 525
Carolina 120
 
Carolina is cleaning house after this.
             
 Kansas City 34 Buffalo 15                   39 5-15 
The Chiefs come into Buffalo a three point underdog and fall behind early as the Bills take the opening kick and march 75 yards on 11 plays capped off by a 7 yard TD reception by Lafell from Smith and Gano misses the XPT..


Both teams go three and out on their next possessions before the Chiefs go on a 11 play 79 yard drive ending in a 12 yard romp by Blount and Gostkoski converts XPT..
 
Next two possessions are two and out before Spaight picks up a fumble by Ryan Mathews and scampers 32 yards for the score, XPT good to make it 14-6 Chiefs...

With the Chiefs backed up Dalton takes a deep drop in the end zone and is sacked by Beasley jr. to make it 14-8. The Bills take the next possession 69 yards on 9 plays with Freeman capping it off with a 14 yard run and Gano splits the uprights to close out first half with Bills up 15-14.


The Chiefs take the opening kick in the third and march 83 yards in only 6 plays as Landry TD reception from Dalton make 21-15 after XPT...
 
The Bills couldn't move the ball in second half as all their drives end in punts with one fumble turnover, the Chiefs add one more TD on a Williams run two FG's to close it out 34-15 and even their season at 8-8 while the Bills fall to 6-10.

Good luck to all playoff teams and wish everyone a great Holiday season and look forward to next year!
 
 Denver 3 New York(A) 9                      41 0-10 
Well, the New York Jets ended the season the way they started it, with a win!!

Too bad they lost all their games in between.

Here's hoping they didn't lose the 1st pick in the draft by getting the win!!

The highlight of the game for the Jets looked like it was going to be Pat McAfee's 76 yard punt.
But, Ryan Mallett's bootleg for the winning TD was.

Doug and I agreed that it was a game between two very weak teams.
 
 Tennessee 7 Washington 21                   53 0-5
With not much to play for both teams rested some key players.  Brock Osweiler would get the start for the Redskins with a little situational help from Dak Prescott.  Matt Ryan would struggle for Tennessee.  Washington go on and eat the W 21-7.
  
 New York(N) 3 Jacksonville 30               65 0-10 
Colin Kaepernick throws two touchdown passes and David Johnson rushes for 128 yards and a touchdown as Jags close out 2017 with a bang. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Forte(Hou)      32-143  1 TD
 Ware,S(TB)      21-139
 Freeman,D(Buf)  22-136  1 TD
 Gore(Pit)       26-132  1 TD
 Johnson,D(Jax)  21-128  1 TD
 Jones,M(LAR)    25-113  1 TD
 Washington(Ind) 17-112
 Bell,L(Bal)     28-102  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Marshall.B(Ari) 12-111
 Watkins,S(NYJ)  10- 99
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr,D(TB)      49-25-335   3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Flacco(NO)      30-20-314   2 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Alexander(Hou)   4 Sk 9 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Bowman,N(Mia)    1 Sk 17 Tk
 Mercilus(Ari)    3 Sk 8 Tk
 Wagner,B(Chi)    15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Erickson(Dal)  5-162 Kick Ret 3-26 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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FINAL 2017 IFL STANDINGS

FINAL 2017 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 15 RECAP

Eagles edge the Steelers to keep their playoff hopes alive in the battle of Pennsylvania.

Game Scores
Pittsburgh 13 Philadelphia 17               39 10-20
The Steelers and Eagles hooked up in the battle of Pennsylvania with both teams holding on to playoff chances.  The Steelers came into the game without QB Tom Brady, who was sitting out due to suspension for calling Commissioner John Storer a high paid self serving good for nothing leader.  Ugh!

Both teams struggled in the 1st quarter, but the Steelers managed to get it going late and carried that momentum into the 2nd quarter.  That's when strange things started to happen.  As the Steelers were driving, Backup QB TJ Yates decided to throw a long pass into the end zone.  Eagles CB Darius Butler would step in front of the intended receiver and return in out of the end zone.  As Butler made his way out, he would take a ferocious hit and fumble the ball.  The Steelers would recover and, 2 plays later, RB Chris Johnson would score to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.  The Eagles would move the ball into Steeler territory on their next possession, but K Nick Folk would miss a 52 yard FG.  This time, it was the Steelers who would turn in over on a fumble by WR Julian Edleman.  The Eagles would take advantage and score on a Demarco Murray 2 yard run.  The Steelers would add a FG before halftime to go into the locker room with a 10-7 lead.

The Eagles came out for the 2nd half ready to overcome the mistakes of the 1st.  On their 1st possession, they would drive down the field and score on a 10 yard pass from Jameis Winston to Murray.  Eagles up 14-10.  The Steelers would add a FG at the end of the 3rd and close the gap to 14-13.  In the decisive 4th quarter, the Eagle defense would rise to the occasion and keep the Steelers from mounting a comeback.  The Eagle offense used their ground game to run clock and add their only FG to make the final 17-13.

This concluded an ugly game as both teams suffered multiple sacks and had 2 turnovers each.  In addition, the Eagles were flagged 16 times for 149 yards.  The Steelers were hurt by missing 13 tackles.

The Eagles go to Cincinnati next week to try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while the Steelers play host to the Cowboys with Tom Brady back off suspension.
 
 Indianapolis 30 New York(A) 16              28 0-10 
East Rutherford, NJ (IFL.COM) – The Indianapolis Colts (9-6) broke a 2 game losing with a 30-16 triumph over the struggling New York Jets (1-14). The final score is not a true reflection of the game that was played here today at Met Life Stadium. The game wasn’t decided until late in the 4th quarter with 2:10 left on the clock, Colts holding onto a 24-16 lead, when game MVP Carson Palmer threw a short quick pass to Golden Tate (WR) who was double teamed at the Jets 35 yard-line, one quick move down the sideline for the score, Colts 30-16 victory. This was Carson’s first game back from and injury he suffered 3 weeks ago in a 16-13 lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5).
 
The Colts will close out the regular season at home against the AFC West Division leader Oakland Raiders (11-3), and the Jets play host to 4-10 Denver Broncos.   
 
Top Performers
 
Indianapolis Colts
C. Palmer (QB) 38-25, 243 Yards, 2 TD 101.1 Rating
Golden Tate (WR) 10-123 Yards 2 TD  
 
New York Jets
Ryan Mallett (QB) 37-24, 280 Yards, 1 TD 1 INT 85.4 Rating
Sammy Watkins (WR) 11-197 Yards, 17.9 Avg. 1 TD
 
 Cincinnati 30 Baltimore 13                  40 Calm 
Baltimore (2-12) hosted Cincinnati (12-2) earlier this week and graciously let the visitors win. Actually, it was the Bengals who were in a giving mood (Thanksgiving hang-over?) with 4 fumbles (2 lost) and a Rodgers INT. The Ravens returned the favor with 3 TOs of their own and the Bengals cruised to a 30-13 win, though the Ravens hung close enough to make it interesting.

Cincinnati motored down the field on their first possession on two Aaron Rodgers-to-Tyler Eifert tosses, aided by a personal foul penalty, but Raven CB Anthony Brown intercepted Rogers at the Raven 18 to stop the drive, though the call had to be reviewed. Baltimore had to punt after 6 plays and the Ravens' D forced a 3-and-punt on Cincinnati's second possession. Gaining possession near mid-field, Baltimore earned a first down, but the drive stalled and Matt Bryant was faced with a 47-yard FG with the wind at his back. For the 3rd time in 4 attempts (going back to last with against Dallas), he MISSED. Cincinnati took advantage of the short field, but three straight incomplete passes from the Raven 14 brought in Robbie Gould for a 32-yard FG. It was good and the Bengals took the lead, 3-0.

Baltimore couldn't move the ball on their next possession and punted to Cinicinnati, who fumbled the ball on their second play from scrimmage. Again, the Ravens couldn't move, but this time Bryant successfully converted a 38-yard FG. Game tied at 3.

The teams exchanged punts and Cincinnati drove to the Ravens 16, where Gould kicked another FG to give the Bengals a 6-3 lead, with 3 minutes left before the half.

Punt. Punt. Punt. With :41 on the clock Rodgers hit Devin Funchess on the first play after gaining possession with a 57-yard strike, putting the ball on the Ravens 3. Two plays later, Rodgers took it in for a 13-3 Bengal lead at the half.

Baltimore received the kick to start the second half and marched down the field for another Bryant FG to cut the Bengals lead to 13-6.

Rodgers again led his team down the field on their next possession, with another big personal foul penalty aiding the effort. Rodgers capped that drive with another scamper for a 20-6 Bengal lead.

Baltimore's Le'Veon Bell fumbled on the Ravens' next possession and Cincinnati's Darrelle Revis recovered. Cincinnati was forced to punt, but pinned the Ravens at their own 9. Eli Manning went to work and drove his team the length of the field, completing just 6 of 11 passes, but the Ravens got the big plays when they needed them. Bell took it in from 2-yards out to cut the Bengal lead to 20-13 with just over 14 minutes remaining.

After a huge, 47-yard romp by RB Ty Montgomery put the ball on the Ravens' 15, Cincinnati was poised to put this one away. Unfortunately, Jermaine Gresham fumbled, giving the ball back to the Ravens. Baltimore, wanting to return the favor, gave it right back three plays later when Manning was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey. Three plays after that, Gould would add his third FG of the game for a 23-13 lead with 9:12 left.

Baltimore responded with a 13-play drive that stalled at the Bengal 24. Rather than risk missing a 4th-and-1 and getting no points, Coach Master opted to go the conservative route and get back to a 10-point deficit with a "short" FG. Sadly, usually reliable Matt Bryant missed  ANOTHER FG attempt from 42-yard out. Cincinnati took two minutes off the clock and punted. After a 4th-and-6 pass to Le'Veon Bell netted 38 and put the ball on the Bengal 17, Eli put the ice cream on the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie by tossing his 2nd INT, which Kenny Vaccaro returned 82 yards to the Ravens 1 with 1:45 left. Aaron Rodgers' 3rd rushing TD capped the scoring and put the nail in the Ravens' coffin. Final score: Cincinnati 30, Baltimore 13.

Rodgers was named the game's MVP on the strength of the 3 rushing TDs. Otherwise, his 22-for-37 game for 237 yards, no passing TDs and one INT was rather ho-hum.

In a losing effort, Baltimore's Le'Veon Bell was a monster - gaining 125 yards on the ground, despite being keyed on all game, and adding another 129 yards on 11 receptions with 1 TD. That's 254 yards from scrimmage on 35 touches (a 7.3 yards-per-touch average).

I guess getting into the end zone is more important to the MVP voters, though Rodgers' commercials with the Australian Cattle Dog gives him bonus points in my book.

Cincinnati (now 13-2) hosts 9-6 Philadelphia in Week 16.  The Eagles need a W to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Baltimore (2-13) appears to have sewn up another Top 4 draft pick with neither a W or a L next week against 4-11 Arizona meaning much.
 
 Miami 17 Buffalo 24                         15 0-10 
On a cold day in Buffalo the Bills and Dolphins were both banged up a bit as Miami had Goff at QB who has much promise but has stumbled a bit in his rookie season and the Bills were happy to have Smith back running the offense but with LaFell was out, essentially down to two wide-outs and come out running the wishbone on a number of plays which had the Dolphins making adjustments. Tony Cox was frustrated as he double Adam Humphries with Marcus Peters going solo on Jordan Mathews figuring it would shut down the passing game but despite the double coverage Humphries goes deep over and over and catches 10 balls for 149 and 1 TD and even pull off a hook and ladder with Bostick taking it to the house the final 37 yards! Peters did pick Smith twice and Mitchell also picked one as Smith was careless at times. The Fins were effective running the ball with limited attempts, 18-92 for 5.1 average. Goff threw 2 TD's and 246 yards with 1 pick. Buffalo out gains the Dolphins by one yard 327-326 as the Bill sweep the Dolphins this year but the future looks bright in Miami with rookie Jared Goff.
 
 San Francisco 3 New Orleans 21              70
The 49ers would have to travel into New Orleans against the Saints who are not only battling for a playoff spot but also battling for the division. The 49ers would take the opening kick and control the ball taking it to the Saints 17 before kicking a FG. 3-0 Niners. The Saints would then get the ball and waste no time driving the length of the field which ended in a 10 yard TD strike from Flacco to Dez Bryant (his 12th). Saints 7-3. The team would exchange possessions until a key Fitzpatrick pass was picked for 6 by Jordan Hicks. 14-4 Saints. The teams would then exchange possessions until the 7:22 mark of the 2nd quarter. San Fran had a big stop during these exchanges as they stopped Jonathan Stewart on 4th and 1 from the 10. At the 7:22 mark New Orleans would take over at their own 20 and drive the field ending in a 10 yard TD run from Stewart. The drive was keyed by a 42 yard pass to Dez. 21-3 Saints. That is how the half would end.  In the second half the Saints would use ball control and their defense continued to be solid and the game would end with that 21-3 score. The Saints move to 11-4 with the win and the 49ers drop to 3-12. The Saints D would force 4 turnovers with 3 sacks. Stewart rushed for 92 yards a TD for the Saints and Jordan Howard rushed for 73 yards on 23 carries for the 49ers. 
                   
 Tennessee 21 Jacksonville 15                74 0-10
Tennessee came to Jacksonville looking for the easy win and while the Jags were no pushover, the Titan prevailed 21-15. While Jacksonville dominated statistically (335 total yards to 203) in the end it was the big play ability of the Titans (100 yard KR for a TD) and their stout D inside their 20 that did in the Jags.

The playoff bound Titans climb to 10-5 while the hapless Jags fall to 4-11.

A well earned victory for coach Brunskill and the Titans. 
 
 Arizona 20 Dallas 27                        70    
The Cardinals gave Dallas Cowboys coach Steve Hart the biggest scare since he broke the armrest of a theater seat when the big shark came out of the water in Jaws a few decades ago.
 The Cowboys rode Cam Newton's hot hand to take a seemingly comfortable lead at 27-10 early in the fourth quarter.
 However, Ben Roethesleberger connected on 7 of 10 passes on the ensuring drive before a Markus Golden sack (his 13th of the year) stalled the Cardinals drive.  The Cards had to settle for a FG.   "Whew," I thought.  "He burned the clock and only scored three.  I'm still up 27-13."
 But Jim recovered onside kick (despite my watching for the onsides kick).  .Ajayi took advantage of Dallas overplaying the pass for an 18-yard run.  Later in the drive, Roethesleberger connected with Jaron Brown (a REC-2) from the 10 to draw his team to within seven at 27-20 with a little over two minutes on the clock.
 I expected the onside kick.  Jim didn't disappoint.  What I didn't expect was Arizona recovering it again!!
 Dallas' DT Glenn Dorsey proceded to sack Big Ben on the Zona's first play … for 12 yards.  But then Ben connected with Brandon Marshall for a medium pass that went for 32 yards.  On third and nine, Big Ben connected on a pass with somebody named Jeff Janis (who caught just two balls in the NFL last year) for 11 yards and a first down.  Then on third and six from my 18, Roetlesburger avoided the rush and ran for seven yards.   Ugh!  
 
Jim tried to trip me up by rushing Ajayi.  He went for four yards.  Then Ben threw two straight incompletions from the 11.  On fourth down, his ball was intercepted.  I ran out the clock to end the game.
 Dallas hangs on for a 27-20 win.
 Cam Newton was an impressive 27/38 for 367 yards and three TD's. 
              
 Los Angeles 28 Atlanta 7                    70               
Rams come in with the right game plan. Run the ball and wear down the Falcon's D. It works and gets compounded as Jones and Jones get injured and the Falcons are down to 2 DLs from early on.
From then on, the Rams offense becomes progressively more unstoppable as the Falcons D wears down and it becomes a blowout.
Rams go to 11-4 and the Falcons fall to 10-5.
     
 Detroit 3 Chicago 26                        30 20-30
7-7 Detroit traveled to Soldier Field to play the 9-5 Bears.  Chicago needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt.  After an exchange of punts, the Bears put together a short drive and converted the FG to take the early lead.  Mumphery fumbles away the kickoff and Mariota needed only one play to find Crowder in the end zone from 16 yards out.  Bears 9-0 after the missed extra point.  The Lions put together a drive to the Chicago 17, put missed the FG attempt.  After a punt early in the 2nd quarter, the Lions again drove deep into Bears territory, this time converting the field goal to pull within 6.  After another exchange of punts, the Bears put together a drive, ending with Mariota to Brate from 1 yard out.  The half ends Chicago 16 Detroit 3.
 
Detroit takes the second half kickoff and quickly down the field, stalling at the Bears 15.  The kick is good, but the officials throw a flag – holding Detroit.  The snap is bad on the second attempt, and the Bears get the ball.  Chicago eats up yards on the next drive and DeAngelo Williams runs it in from 15 yards out.  Chicago 23 Detroit 3.  Detroit fumbles the ball away on the next drive, and can’t mount any real threat after that.  Chicago adds a 4th quarter field goal to close out the scoring.
 
 Kansas City 13 Houston 20                   70  
Cousins throws two touchdown passes and Forte runs for another as the Texans hold off the Chiefs.
                  
 Washington 44 New York(N) 0                 47 5-15 
Redskins build up a 31-0 half time lead and cruise to the shutout win.  Prescott throws for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
 
 Minnesota 11 Green Bay 24                   19 0-5   Light Snow    
Division rival Minnesota came into Green Bay all fired up for the upset.
 
When asked earlier in the week about his coaching opponent, Packers boss John Conners chuckled and channeled his inner Jay Z "I got 99 problems but Rich ain't one".
 
The weather was a bone chilling 19 degrees (-7 celcius) at Lambeau.  Light snow blanketed the playing surface.  Both offenses started slowly with the only first quarter points coming off the foot of Vikings kicker Greg Zuerlein from 28 yards out. 3-0 Vikings  Midway through the 2nd Green Bay's offense finally came up with a big play.   QB Brian Hoyer hit WR Terrance Williams in full stride for a 54 yard catch and run TD.  7-3 Packers.
Minnesota QB Drew Brees just couldn't get anything going in the first half as his team managed
just 79 yards through two quarters.
 
Packers took the second half kickoff and went 75 yards in 10 plays. QB Brian Hoyer checked down to
RB Christine Micheal for a 3 yard score to finish it. 14-3 Packers.  On Minnesota's next play Brees was picked off by ILB Ryan Shazier at his own 29.   Five plays later Micheal would run it in from 14 yards out for his second TD. 21-3 Green Bay  Any chance the Vikings had for a comeback fizzled when RB Ezekiel Elliott put it on the carpet twice to end the 3rd.
 
A late 4th quarter Brees to Travis Benjamin 48 yard TD would make it interesting at 21-11,
but the Pack would add a FG to ice it. 
 
Final score 24-11 Packers
 
Christine Micheal was the star of this one: 29 carries for 114 yards and a pair of scores.
Hoyer threw for 198 and two TD's
 
Brees (182 yards, 1 TD/ 1 int.) and Elliott (69 yards rushing) were held in check.
WR Benjamin played well, 7 receptions for 141 yards and a TD.
 
Vikings (5-10) will finish off the year in San Francisco (3-12)
 
Green Bay (7-8) ends a disappointing campaign at home versus
the playoff bound Saints (11-4).
 
 San Diego 17 Tampa Bay 30                   79 10-20
Carr throws two touchdown passes and Ware rushes for 125 yards, including a 36 yard run to the house as the Bucs down the Chargers.
 
 Denver 17 Oakland 31                        56 0-10
The Raiders thought they could just stroll into this game and sit everyone and walk out with no injuries. So of course Geno Smith went down in the first quarter and Matthew Stafford had to play the entire game. That said, Stafford much like Keanu Reeves before him, led a bunch of scrubs to a shocking 31-17 victory.
 
 New England 20 Carolina 10                  58 0-5
New England cruises to an easy victory over the Panthers. The Panthers never really threatened as the Patriot rested some players to get ready for the playoff run. The Patriot defense stifled Carolina the majority of the game.
 
New England went in at half leading 10-0 and close it out with a 20-10 victory. CJ. Prosise ran for 72 yard with a 6.0 average. The only standout on the Panthers was Mike Evans with 11 catches for 84 yards and a TD. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Johnson,D(Jax)  36-171
 Murray,D(Phi)   23-159  1 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     24-125
 Ware,S(TB)      19-125  1 TD
 Montgomery(Cin) 7-118
 Michael(GB)     29-114  1 TD
 Forte(Hou)      21-111  1 TD
 Rodgers,A(Cin)  4-17  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Watkins,S(NYJ)  11-197  1 TD
 Parker,D(Was)    6-150
 Humphries(Buf)  10-149  1 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     11-129  1 TD
 Tate,G(Ind)     10-123  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Prescott(Was)   26-21-368   2 TD
 Newton,C(Dal)   38-27-367   3 TD  1 Int
 Stafford(Oak)   40-23-326   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Peters,M(Mia)    2 Int 6 Tk
 Martinez(Ten)    1 Sk 16 Tk
 Clinton-Di(NE)   2 Int 10 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Franks(Jax)    5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 15 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 15 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 14 RECAP

Andrew Luck throws for 274 yards and three TDs to lead the Rams past Chicago.

Game Scores

Los Angeles 41 Chicago 24                   40 5-15
The 9-4 Rams played the 9-4 Bears in week 14 – both teams hoping to strengthen their bid to make the playoffs.  The Rams drove the ball well on their opening drive, but stalled on the Chicago 37.  The FG was good, but negated by a holding penalty, forcing a punt.  Jimmy Garoppolo, subbing for the injured Mariota, moved the ball well and the Bears opened the scoring, Thomas an 8 yd TD reception.  The first quarter ended 7-0 Chicago.  The teams traded field goals early in the 2nd , then the Rams drove for another FG to make it 10-6 Chicago at the half.
Chicago opened the second half with a 4 play, 75 yd drive, Garoppolo to Crowder, 63 yards for the score.  LA answered in 6 plays, 62 yards, Luck to Hilton from 11 yards out.  Chicago 17  Los Angeles 13.  The Bears follow with a 3 and out, but on LA’s first play Wagner intercepts Luck setting up Chicago 1st and 10 from the LA 15.  4 plays later, Garoppolo to Crowder from 4 yards out, Chi 24 LA 13.  The Rams came back, moving the ball easily and scored, Luck 11 yds to Hilton – 24-20.  The Bears were unable to move the ball and the 4th quarter opened with a Chicago punt.  The Rams wasted no time – 3 plays, 65 yards, Luck to Gronkowski for a 38 yard score and a Rams lead 27-24.  3 and out for the Bears, punt, Sherels from the 22, 74 yards later it’s LA 34 Chicago 24. The Bears moved the ball on their next drive, but Ward picks off Garoppolo to end the threat.  The Rams make them pay with a 5 play drive, Ingram running it in from 5 yards out.  The Bears could not recover. 
 
Ryan called a great game and the Rams playoff bid looks good. The Bears are fighting to stay in it.
 
Luck was 21/29/274 and 3 TD 1 Int.  Ingram 100 yards on 15 carries. Hilton 8 receptions for 109 yards and 2 TD.  Garoppolo 22/41/256, 3 TD 1 Int.  Crowder 8 receptions for 129 and 2 TD.
 
 New York(A) 10 San Diego 33                 72 10-20
Chargers jump out to a 20-3 halftime lead and cruise to the win.  Taylor throws for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

 Atlanta 13 Green Bay 10                     23 0-10 
Division leading Falcons (9-4) come into Lambeau looking to add to the Packers
season long misery (6-7).
 
Surprisingly, the home team came to play on this day.
 
Packers put on one of their best defensive first half performances of the season and lead 10-0 at the break.
 
Atlanta was held to just 117 yards over the first 2 quarters as the Green Bay front seven was all over the field.
 
Packers didn't exactly light it up on offense either, except for one 12 play- 95 yard drive midway through the 2nd
that was finished off with QB Brian Hoyer finding WR Manny Sanders from 7 yards out.
 
Both defenses continued to dominate this one in the 3rd with the only points coming from the foot of Kai Forbath
as Atlanta cut into the lead. 10-3 Packers heading onto the final frame.
 
After K Cody Parkey missed a relatively easy 45 yarder early in the 4th that would have made it a two score game,
Atlanta's offense finally came to life.
 
Phillip River found 4 different receivers during an 11 play-65 yard drive. Telvin Coleman capped it off with a 3-yard run.
 
We were knotted up at 10-10 with 5:45 left.
 
Packers then went 3 and out, Falcons also went 3 and out.
 
Green Bay took at their own 28 with 4:51 left with a chance to complete the upset.
 
Atlanta's defense came up big yet again and forced another 3 and out.
They got the ball back with 2:40 remaining and turned things over to Telvin Coleman.
 
After Rivers hit Coleman for a 10 yard gain, the 3rd year back broke free for a 13 yard scamper on
the very next play to take it into Packers territory.
 
After Rivers mishandled a snap on first down, Jalen Richard tore off a 10 yard run to bring up a
crucial 3rd and 2 from the Green Bay 39 with under a minute left. Packers switched into a 5-3 and stunted inside anticipating the run.
 
Rivers handed it to Coleman on a dive. Somehow he found a small opening a broke free for a 16 yard gain
all the way down to the Green Bay 23 with :46 seconds left.
 
Falcons wisely knelt three times to force the Packers to burn their remaining 2 timeouts and milk the clock down to 3 seconds,
before they used a timeout of their own. Forbath made no mistake from 43 yards as time expired.
 
Heartbreak at Lambeau...13-10 Atlanta Final
 
Marty made some great calls down the stretch and fully deserved the win.
It was a great back and forth battle of two very good defensive teams.
 
Telvin Coleman was the star of this one with 104 combined yards (74 rushing, 30 receiving)
 
No offensive standouts for the Pack as we could only produce 233 total yards (just a 2.8 yard per carry rushing average)
 
Falcons (10-4) host Los Angeles (9-4 at press time) next week in a HUGE NFC West showdown.
 
With the loss, Green Bay's 4 year reign as NFC Central Champion officially comes to an end.
 
Packers (6-8) will try to avoid matching their worst record during the Conners regime (6-10) as they host
IFL bottom feeder Minnesota next week.
 
The game is being advertised as "Guaranteed Win Night" with the team is promising a full 
ticket refund if the Packers aren't victorious.  Pabst Blue Ribbon will also be on sale for just $1 at all
Lambeau concession stands.
 
 
 Philadelphia 24 Tennessee 27                61 10-20
Two 8-5 teams with playoff aspirations met in what was the first  Phil-Ten game in my memory.  It turned into a back and forth game as the teams each scored one touchdown in both the first and second quarters.  The defenses tightened up in the third period as the only score was a Dan Bailey 53 yard field goal which gave Tennessee a 17-14 lead.
Things heated up early in the 4th as Philly was able to tie the game with a 37 yard Nick Folk field goal.  Tennessee's ensuing drive stalled but Colton Schmidt's punt pinned the Eagles at their own 6 yard line.  Jameis Winston then risked a medium fly throw and seldom used Titan LB Mike Morgan picked it off and took it 19 yards for the go ahead score (24-17).
Philly wasn't done and it took them only 6 plays and 2 and a half minutes to march 75 yards and even the score on a 2 yard DeMarco Murray run.  A 42 yard pass interference penalty on Josh Norman was the big play.  With 8 minutes left Tennessee was able to finally run the ball a bit and the Titans worked the ball down the field to the Eagle's 14 yard line.  The drive stalled and a Bailey field goal made it 27-24 Tennessee.
Philly had the ball on their own 26 yard line with 3:47 to go.  However a 5 yard penalty, two incompletions and a 3 yard Murray run forced a punt with 2:48 to go.  From their own 20 the Titans managed one first down and were able to effectively run out the clock.  Titans win 27-24.
Demarco Murray gained 97 yards on 24 carries but Winston could only complete 12 of 26 for 123 yards.  Matt Ryan was 21 of 38 for 257 yards and 2 TD's.
Thanks to Greg for a very competitive gain.  Eagles (8-6) probably are out of the playoff picture now while the Titans (9-5) are in the hunt for a wild card spot.

 Cincinnati 37 Arizona 14                    75 Calm 
The Bengals go to the air to down the Cardinals.  Rodgers throws for 398 yards and two touchdowns.  Jeffery finishes with four receptions for 94 yards and the two scores.  Ajayi runs for 100 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown for Arizona.
 
Next week Arizona is at Dallas while Cincinnati travels to Baltimore.
 
 Indianapolis 13 Houston 17                  70              
Matt Forte rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown as the Texans grind out a win over Indy.
      
 Miami 23 Kansas City 6                      43 10-20
The Miami Dolphins rolled into KC fresh off a win over Jacksonville and rolled out of KC on a 2 game winning streak, thumping the Chiefs 23-6. Miami controlled the game from the start, taking a 16-3 lead by the end of the 1st quarter and had put up 300 yards of offense by halftime. The Dolphins were lifted by the performance of sub QB Jared Goff, who entered the game in the 1st qtr. when Tanneyhill went down with an injury. Goff only proceeded to go 16-12-180 with 3 td passes, Brandon Cooks was the beneficiary of his throws, evidently using his super power of invisibility to get open enough to haul in 6 passes for 141 yards and all 3 td passes. The Miami defense held the Chiefs in check for the entire game, allowing only 263 yards of total offense as KC continues to run on fumes late in the season. With the win Miami improves to 5-9 while KC falls to 7-7.
 
 Buffalo 14 Denver 30                        50 0-5
Buffalo headed into Denver with Bryce Petty at the helm in place of the injured Alex Smith and looked good at times but still managed to throw 3 picks while the combo of Bortles and Barkley threw 2 td's(1 each) and no turnovers to get the "W" to improve to 4-10 while Buffalo falls to 5-9 but will get Smith back next week for their rivalry game against Tony Cox and the Fins in a game that will be nasty with plenty of cheap shots and ejections a strong possibilty! Final score 30-14 Broncos!!!
  
 Washington 23 Jacksonville 7                57 Calm 
Two teams headed in different directions showed up for this week 14 match-up with a predictable result. For the second straight week the anemic Jags offence could only garner a mere 78 yards passing vs a stacked and talented Redskins secondary. The Jacksonville defence played well but in the end they were worn down in the second half by deft play calling by coach Heaton and the poor Jags passing game. Full props to coach Heaton for a well coached win.

David Johnson was the lone Jags bright spot 197 yards in offence and 1 TD. Pierre Garcon was a pain in the a** all game long!

Next year we will suffer.....
 
 New Orleans 24 Tampa Bay 14                 71 0-10  Light Rain   
The 8 and 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcomed the 9 and 4 New Orleans Saints to Tampa for match up of two teams in the upper third of the IFL power rankings.  The Saints are in a three-way tie for first place in their division with Atlanta and Los Angeles. The Buccaneers need a win to be assured of staying within one game of the Chicago Bears.
 
In the first quarter, Tampa Bay would run 23 plays to 11 for New Orleans, however, the score after one would be tied at seven each.  The Saints started their second possession at their own 46 yard line after forcing a Tampa three and out deep in their own in their own end.  On the first play Joe Flacco found Dez Bryant on a 54 yard bomb post to put their team up by seven.  Tampa responded with a 13 play 75 yard drive that was capped off by a Spencer Ward 1 yard plunge into the end zone on fourth and one.
 
A big play in the second quarter came when Tampa Bay’s Derek Carr could not handle the snap on 3rd and 1 at the New Orleans 43.  New Orleans cornerback Janoris Jenkins fell on the fumble to once again give the Saints great field position.  Flacco would use a nice mix of runs and passes with primarily Tim Hightower and Cole Beasley and to earn his team a seven point lead with about five minutes left before halftime.
 
New Orleans started to power away from the Buccaneers as the second quarter wound down.  The next time they got the ball the Saints went 75 yards in just 6 plays to score on a 20 yard Flacco to Beasley crossing pattern.  Score at the half, 21 for New Orleans 7 for Tampa Bay. 
 
With their first possession of the third quarter. New Orleans would make it three scoring drives in a row with a time-consuming 14 play drive that ended in a 44 yard field goal and a 24 to 7 score.  Tampa Bay would get within 10 halfway through the fourth quarter, but the game did not feel in doubt.  Final score Saints 24, Bucs 14. 
 
Stars of the game include the entire Saints offensive line; Joe Flacco with a 138.8 quarterback rating; Jonathan Stewart and Tim Hightower combined for 113 yards rushing on 28 attempts; Cole Beasley caught six balls for 70 yards, 4 first downs and a touchdown. 
 
Next week New Orleans plays at home and will look to add to their win total versus their division rival the San Francisco 49ers while the Buccaneers will host the San Diego Chargers in hopes of staying in the wild card race. 
 
 
 Dallas 38 Baltimore 28                      38 0-10 
Dallas (8-5 coming in) was in a generous mood traveling to Baltimore (2-11 entering the game) this Thanksgiving, but the Ravens weren't able to cash in on 3 turnovers as Cowboy QB Matt Moore led the Blue-and-Silver to a 38-28 win that wasn't really that close.

Moore missed on just 5 passes all day (23-for-28 for 312 yards and 4 TDs) and chewed up the Baltimore secondary, completing 21 passes for 10 or more yards, resulting in a 137 QB rating. Moore took home the Golden Turducken (game's MVP) for his efforts. WR Willie Snead benefited most, catching 7 passes for 106 yards and 2 TDs. RB Jacquizz Rodgers chipped in 77 yards on 20 carries.

Eli Manning tried to keep up, throwing for 302 yards (26-for-37, 1 TD, 1 INT)) and Le'Veon Bell, back from the Raven hospital ward, contributed 22 carries for 68 yards + 8 receptions for 35 yards, but in the end, the Ravens didn't have enough to compete.

Dallas improves to 9-and-5 and hosts Arizona (4-9), then finishes the regular season at Pittsburgh (8-5) in a game that will likely have big playoff implications.

Baltimore falls to 2-12 and is happy to have Le'Veon Bell and Joey Bosa back when they face the Bengals (11-2) next week. Unfortunately, as Bell and Bosa returned, S Earl Thomas, WR Will Fuller and OT Marcus Cannon all went down with injuries against Dallas and are expected to miss the big "rivalry game".
 
 San Francisco 9 Detroit 14                  70           
49ers & Lions played a close game that saw very few highlights.  Detroit scored two TDs on a 1 play 6 yd drive &  a 8 play 59 yrd drive.  Frisco could only manage 3 FGs.
 
Fitzpatrick was 10/29 106 yrds 1 int 0 TD sporting a 31.7 QB rating
Mannion for the Lions managed to pass for 154 yrds with 1 int 2 TD and a 76 QB rating.  Detroit ran for 201 yards including a 49 yard scamper by Terrance West with :31 seconds left vs a run D.  That run iced a close hard fought brawl of a game in which the Computer Gods were smiling on the home squad.
 
49ers had 10 FD's, 199 yards, 7 bad passes & 8 missed tackles.  Many a time Bob had his team ready with a nice call, only to misfire.
 
(3-11) SF travels to New Orleans.  Detroit (7-7) is off to Chicago next week.   
     
 Pittsburgh 20 New York(N) 16                39 0-10 
Steelers rally for ten points in the final quarter to avoid the upset.  A T.J. Yates pass to Boldin just before the two minute warning proves to be the game winner.
 
 Carolina 23 Minnesota 7                     18 0-5  
Receiving the kickoff, the Vikings went 75 yards by Drew Brees and his marksmanship, capped off by a 9-yard pass to Chris Ivory for an opening touchdown. Vikes led 7-0 after the first 4:48, but that was it for them: they then acted drugged out and stumbled through a 23-7 loss to 3-9 Carolina.
 
The absence of Zeke Elliott was sorely felt by the Vikes, who at first mounted drives that were killed by fumbles, interceptions or penalties, and then quietly settled into a 3 and out routine.
 
The Panthers moved the ball freely most of the game, but sputtered several times in goal line situations and had to settle for chipshot field goals.
 
The loss was the 5th in a row by Minnesota. The win was the second in three games by Carolina.
 
In week 15, Minnesota gets the pleasure of playing the Pack in Lambeau. Carolina, alas, has to play host to almost unbeatable New England.
 
 New England 20 Oakland 17                   50 10-20 Rain          
Pats score 20 unanswered in the second half to win it 20-17.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Johnson,D(Jax)  24-156  1 TD
 Riddick(NYG)    21-139  1 TD
 West,T(Det)     19-122
 Murray,L(NE)    21-118  1 TD
 Ingram,M(LAR)   15-100  1 TD
 Ajayi(Ari)      20-100  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Cooks(Mia)       6-141  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Humphries(Buf)  10-116
 
 Passing Leaders
 Rodgers,A(Cin)  43-28-398   2 TD
 Moore,M(Dal)    28-23-312   4 TD  1 Int
 Manning(Bal)    37-26-302   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
Waynes(Den) 1 int  7Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Santos(SD)     4-4 FG
 Erickson(Dal)  6-184 Kick Ret 2-7 Punt Ret – IFL Special Team Player of the Week

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WEEK 14 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 14 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 13 RECAP

Matt Ryan throws for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Titans take down previously undefeated New England.

Game Scores
Tennessee 44 New England 28                 31 Calm
Titans come to New England looking to extend their winning streak to three games.  New England, riding a 21-game win streak dating back to last year (including the playoffs), hope to cap a perfect home schedule before finishing up its final three regular season games on the road.
 
Patriots took the opening kick but weren't able to crack their own 30 yard line.   On their first drive, Matt Ryan served notice that this was going to be a battle.  10 plays and 71 yards later, Tennessee had a 7-0 lead.  That's how quarter #1 would end.
 
On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Sam Bradford looked to convert on a 3rd and 11 but was PICKED OFF by linebacker Malcolm Smith (his 4th of the season) giving Tennessee the ball just inside Patriot territory.  A sack by Stefon Tuitt helped to hinder the drive, but Dan Bailey nailed a 52 yard field goal to give the Titans a 10-0 lead.
 
An 11 play 75 yard drive followed as the Patriots stormed back to within 3 points thanks to a 22 yard TD reception by Antonio Brown.  10-7 Titans with 7 minutes to play in the half.
 
After back to back punts, Titans took over at their 21 with four minutes before the half.  On 2nd and 20 from their own 45, Ryan connected with TE Rudolph for a HUGE 53 yard completion, down to the NE 2 yard line.  Doug Martin capped the drive with a 2 yard plunge, and it was 17-7 with just over a minute to play.  An incomplete pass and a sack by Frank Clark appeared to kill any chance that NE could draw closer before the half.  With 43 seconds to play, the Titans had the ball at their own 39.  Instead of going to the half with the 10 point lead, they looked to stretch the lead a bit further.  And for the 2nd time in the half, the Titans connected on a HUGE pass play.
 
A short slant on first down to Andre Roberts went for 47 yards down to the Pats 14.  A couple short passes to Doug Martin were incomplete.  On 3rd and 10 with 13 seconds before the half, Ryan hit Rudolph for the 14 yard TD to make it 24-7 at the half.
 
Titans received the ball coming out of the half, but after 3 consecutive incomplete passes, the Patriots got their first break thanks to a bad snap which resulted in a first down for NE at the Titan 38.  Four plays later, Bradford hit Nelson for a 14 yard TD and it was 24-14.
 
11 plays 45 yards later, Dan Bailey hit a 48 yard field goal to extend the Titan lead to 27-14 with 5:22 to play in Q3.  
 
New England struck back with their own long drive (9 plays 75 yards) including 3 completions to Nelson for 11, 13 and 17 yards.  Latavius Murray capped the drive with a 7 yard TD and New England was within 6 points, 27-21.  
 
On their next drive, the Titans faced a 2nd an 9 from their own 39 yard line.  Ryan looked for Hopkins on a short out...........and wouldn't you know it..................Nuke took it 61 yards for the TD and just like that it was 34-21!!
 
After back to back punts, Bradford looked to rally the troops as there was still over 10 minutes to play.  After a 5 yard penalty however things looked bleak with NE at their own 5 yard line.  Bradford dropped back to pass and looked for James Starks on the screen...........only to have DL Mike Daniels step in front and take it back for the pick 6.  The Titans were all over NE, stretching the lead to 41-21.
 
A garbage time TD by Greg Olsen made it closer than the game really was.  Final score, Titans 44  Patriots 28.
 
A 10 point underdog, Tennessee completely out-classed NE in Foxboro with strong defense and some big plays on offense en route to the convincing 16 point win.
 
Matt Ryan completed 20 of 35 for 333 yards and 3 TDs (zero interceptions).  Meanwhile, Sam Bradford threw for 250 yards and 3 TDS, but was also intercepted 3 times, directly resulting in 13 Titan points.  The Titans outstanding duo of tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Delanie Walker combined for 10 catches, 133 yards and a TD.    
 
With the 1972 Dolphins (and IFL Commissioner Storer) sipping from their bottles of champagne, New England now packs their bags to head out to Oakland, hoping to avoid back to back losses.  Meanwhile, Tennessee moves to 8-5 and heads home for a tough matchup with the Eagles.
 
Thanks to Rick for ruining our perfect season.  ;)
 
 New York(N) 6 Los Angeles 34                60 Calm 
The New  York Giants and promising rookie QB Carson Wentz traveled to Los Angeles hoping to play spoiler to the Rams playoff hopes. It was not to be, as the rebuilding Giants left thinking about possible weapons they can add to their young solid foundation and get back to the playoffs.
 
The Giants defense hung tough most of the game, but a turnover right at the start of the game put the Giants on their heels. Wentz threw an interception to Rams CB Jalen Collins. Three plays later the Rams get a touchdown, 7-0. The Giants mount an answer with a 10 play drive that leads to a Wentz to Tevaun Smith TD hookup, a missed x PAT makes it 7-6. Rams would get their running game going with Matt Jones(137 yards) and don't look back scoring 17  more points in the half, making it 24-6. Giants, due to some player fatigue, were forced to gamble on 4th downs and combined with some more turnovers left the Rams some short fields. Rams add a couple second half scores for the final of 34-6.
 
Next week the Rams travel to Chicago for a critical playoff battle while the Giants look to spoil the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff chances in New York.
 
 Detroit 23 Houston 20                       70 
Statistically Houston looked to have the edge 422 net yards to the Lions 201.  But somehow Coach Nordberg and the Lions rise above the stats for the win.
                   
 Tampa Bay 10 Denver 22                      49 0-5
The Broncos are starting to get healthy and are starting to get their season turned around.
For the 2nd week in a row they have won, this time defeating the Bucs 22-10 in Denver.
 
The Broncos rushed for a season-high 184 yards, led by Jamaal Charles with 95 and QB Blake Bortles had his highest rated game of the season
completing 18 of 24 passes for 210 yards and a passer rating of 101.0
 
The Bucs rushed only 12 times for 23 yards but Carr threw 56 passes, completing 28 of them for 327 yards with a TD and a pick.
 
The return of LB Justin Houston and Luke Keuchly were huge as they accounted for 11 tackles, 4 sacks, and a forced fumble.
 
It was a great game and Mike called a great game.

 
 Baltimore 13 Buffalo 9                      15 15-25
The Baltimore Ravens invade Buffalo in cold windy conditions and knock out Alex Smith and Bryce Petty stinks it up as the Baltimore defense overwhelms him sacking him twice while picking him twice as the Bills offense stagnated! The Ravens do enough to get their second win of the season 13-9 and the Bills will play next weeks game without Smith as he has been ruled out.
 
 Arizona 3 New Orleans 34                    70        
Joe Flacco throws three touchdown passes in the first half as the Saints roll.         
  
 Pittsburgh 16 Indianapolis 13               69       
Battle of Backups Yates vs Boykins 
 
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – Positioning for the AFC wildcard birth began to take shape on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) came to Indianapolis (8-5) and snap the Colts 6 game winning streak with a 16 - 13 victory before a sellout crowd at Lucas Oil stadium. The Colts not only lost their 5th game of the season, but they also lost starting QB Carlson Palmer who went down early in the second quarter with a grade 2 hamstring sprain. Palmer and the 63,000 fans watched in horror as back up quarterback Trevone Boykin (18-14, 84 Yards 0 TD 2 INT, 46.5 QB rating) turned the ball over three times, 2 Int and 1 lost fumble in the three point loss. “He (Palmer) will definitely miss next weeks game at the Houston Texans (5-7) then he’ll be reevaluated, hopefully we’ ll have him back for our road matchup with the Jets in week 15” Head Coach Kenneth Griffith told reporters at the post game press conference.
 
The game started with Pittsburgh taking the opening kickoff and driving down to the Colts 39 where they failed to convert a 4th and 7 when TJ Yates (QB) fired into a tight window to TE Antonio Gates, the pass was swatted away by Colts DB Alterraun Verner. Four plays after the turnover on downs the Colts would return the favor when punter Marquette King was unable to corral a bad snap from long snapper Don Barclay.  The bad snap would be recovered by Terrell Suggs (DE/LB) and the Steelers were set up in business at the Indianapolis 31 yard-line. They were unable to capitalize on the miscue and eventually punted. After a 15 play 59 yard, 7:11 minute drive the Colts would settle for a Steven Hauschka 34 yard FG. Hauschka would add a 45 yard field goal with 3:41 left in the first half following a 13 play 49 yard drive, Indianapolis 6 Steelers 0. The Steelers Adam Vinatieri close out the half with a 43 FG, after going on a 10 play 50 yard drive using only 2:03  to put the 20 year vet into position for the kick, Colts up 6-3 at the half.
 
The third-quarter was all Pittsburgh as they scored 10 points when the Steelers intercepted Boykin twice in the quarter, Safety Eric Berry’s 2nd INT of the season and Eric Weddle’s grabs his 1st.  The 2 turnovers led to a Yates to Julian Edelman (6-84 yards, 1 TD)  6 yard touchdown pass and a Vinatieri 47 yard field goal. The third-quarter would end with the Steelers leading 13 - 6 and Indianapolis looking like the game was pretty much over due to the Palmer injury, however with 7:59 left in the fourth quarter, and the Steelers leading 13-6, Pittsburgh punter Jon Ryan goes back to punt when the snap from Phillip Supernaw goes way over the head of Ryan and is recovered by Pittsburgh’s John Greco (OL) at their own 9 yard-line. Three plays later Isaiah Crowell (RB) would score his 11th rushing touchdown of the year on a 4 yard run off right tackle to tie the score at 13-13. As the hometown crowd begins to return into the stadium from the parking lot, just in time to see TJ Yates (29-12, 149 yards, 1 TD 1 INT) lead the Steelers on a 13 play 58 yard 4:42 drive that finished with Vinatieri converting a 35 yard field goal that put the Steelers up 16-13 with 1:47 left in the game. After receiving the ensuing kickoff the Colts start from their 23 yard-line and 1:40 left on the clock, Indianapolis trailing by 3, the crowd began to turn up the volume, everyone was on their feet, Boykin breaks the huddle, shotgun formation, 4 wide receivers, Boykin is calling an audible, the ball is snap, heavy rush Boykin is leaving the pocket, he scrambles looking and looking, tucks it and runs, Pittsburg DE Cliff Avril pops him at the 21, rips the ball out, RECOVERED by Pittsburgh’s Brian Robison (DL), GAME OVER, Steelers win 16-13.    
 
Next week the Colts travel to Houston (5-7) and the Steelers play the New York Jets in the Little Big Apple, better known as New Jersey.
             
 Cincinnati 23 New York(A) 0                 39 0-5  
Bengals defense throws a shutout as Cincinnati downs the Jets 23-0.  After a scoreless first quarter substitute kicker Robbie Gould kicks his first of three field goals to give Cincinnati a 3-0 lead.  Ten seconds later it was 10-0 as Ramsey returns a Mallett pass to the house.  Gould kicks another field goal to make it 13-0 at the half.  
 
After another Gould field goal in the third quarter, Rodgers hit Royal for a 16 yard score to close out the scoring.
 
It was a costly win for the Bengals as it looks like Melvin Gordon will miss the next few weeks.  Cincinnati hopes he is available for the playoffs.  
 
Mallett finished 14 of 29 for 142 yards with the INT.  Watkins had seven receptions for 85 yards.  The Jets defense collected three sacks.
 
Rodgers completed 27 of 37 for 219 yards and a TD.  As a team the Bengals rushed for 151 yards for a 6.9 average.  
 
Next week the Jets travel to San Diego while the Bengals visit Arizona.
 
 Philadelphia 28 San Francisco 15            52 0-10 
Philadelphia (7-5) visited San Francisco (3-9) hoping to increase its chances for a playoff spot while the 49ers were playing out the season. Plus to make the situation worse for SF, they were without their three best offensive players, Stefan Diggs, Jordan Reed and Jordan Howard with a 1st qtr injury.
 
Philadelphia  grabbed a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with passes by Winston to John Brown (18 yards, 20 Yards). SF had trouble moving the ball, as normal, and it looked like it was all she wrote.  However, the 49ers turned a Eagle fumble into a short FG and later in the second quarter, scored a 55 yd FG by Crosby. Meanwhile, the Eagles failed to convert even a 1st down in the second quarter as the 9ers defense held them in check.
 
The Eagles woke up on their first drive in the 3rd quarter going 65 yards and Jameis Winston throwing a 10 yard pass to Thomspon.  This extend their lead to 21-6. To the SF’s credit, they did not give up and when the defense forced a fumble by punter Way on their own 9 yard line, Fitzpatrick threw a 9 yard TD to Boyd. A 2 pt conversion failed.  The score was now 21-12, 9 of those points were self inflicted wounds by Philly fumbles.
 
The Eagles apparently nailed the win down with another Winston pass (his 4th) to Swaim (8 yards). The 49ers were not through. They drove 65yards and settled for a FG with 3:56 remaining and failed in an onside kick.   Their defense held and SF took over on their 11.  Fitzpatrick moved the ball 88 yards in 1:15 to the Eagle 1. It was the Eagles defense turn to get tough and they stopped the 49ers on 4 straight attempts to score from the 1.  Final score Eagles 28, SF 15.
 
Stars of the game for Philly:  Jameis Winston, 21-29, TDs. Murray 18 carries for 81 yards. For the Niners, Ryan Fitzpatrick had his grittiest game of the year (20-39, 1 TD, no INTS and no Sacks or fumbles). Of note, the SF D sacked Winston 6 times.
 
Philly keeps playoff hopes alive (8-5) Eagles and SF sank to 3-10.  SF each had 21 first downs and 303 vs 338 in yards gained respectively.  Good game called by Greg Mason.
 
 
 Kansas City 13 Chicago 36                   34 10-20
Turnovers decided the outcome of this game.  Kansas City took the opening kickoff and moved the ball into the red zone, but on 1st and 10 from the Chicago 15, Lotulelei intercepts Dalton.  After an exchange of punts, the Bears opened the scoring on a 30 yard strike, Mariota to Crowder.  KC answered with a long drive and tied the game at 7 early in the 2nd quarter – Dalton 8 yds to Harris.  The Bears then put together a long drive of their own and added a FG.   Ervin fumbles the kickoff, the Bears recover and the drive is finished with Mariota finding Thomas in the end zone from 12 yards out.  KC’s next drive stalled and the half came to an end.  Chicago 17 Kansas City 7. 
Neither team could move the ball early in the 3rd.  On the Bears second drive of the half Sherman picks off Mariota and the Chiefs had a 1st and 10 from the Bears 11.  Three incomplete passes forced the Chiefs to settle for a FG.  On the Bears next drive, Mariota takes a big hit on a pass to Kelly and has to be replaced by Garoppolo.  The offense didn’t suffer from the change and the Bears extended the lead to 24-10 – Garoppolo 11 yards to Brate.  On the 3rd play of KC’s next drive, Chancellor intercepts Dalton, Bears 1st and 10 from the KC 30.  Garoppolo takes them to the 5, but the Bears have to settle for the FG, Chicago 27  KC 10 early in the 4th.  On the 1st play of Kansas City’s next drive it’s Chancellor again picking off Dalton, and the Bears start at their opponents 14.  Garoppolo finds Rainey out of the backfield from 12 yards out, 33-10.  Déjà vu all over again!  Harris fumbles away the kickoff and the Bears add another FG.  KC manages another FG, but the clock is against them.
 
 Washington 20 Carolina 17                   61 0-10 
The first place Redskins march into Carolina looking to continue drive to the playoffs.
 
Carolina would open the scoring in the first quarter with a rushing touchdown from Derrick Henry. They would also close out the second with another rushing touchdown, this time from Gillislee. With Janikowski missing two field goals for Washington, Carolina had the surprising 14-0 lead at the half.
 
Carolina opened the second moving the ball again as Wilson lead the Panthers down the field for a field goal to go up 17-0. Wilson at this point had completed his first 17 passes. It was all down hill for the Panthers after this.
 
The old Carolina Swiss cheese defense emerged as Dak Prescott torched a wounded secondary starting with a 3 yard TD pass to Cook late in the third. Midway through the fourth, Jeremy Hill finds the endzone to make the score 13-17. Janikowski continues his nightmare day by missing the extra point meaning Washington would need a TD to win. 
 
No worries against a horrible Carolina D as Dak leads the team down the field and tosses a TD pass to Ebron with 21 seconds remaining to close out the win for the Redskins.
 
Wilson finishes the game 19 of 22 for 211 but zero TD's. He was also sacked 6 times. Mike Evans had 133 yards receiving.
 
For Washington, Dak Prescott had 285 yards passing with 2 TD's. Garcon had 109 yards receiving with Lee chipping in 92. Melvin Ingram had 3 sacks to bring his season total to a crazy 27.
 
 Dallas 14 Atlanta 30                        70    
Cam Newton hits Charles Clay for a TD to give Dallas a 7-3 at the end of the first but it went down hill from there. Rivers hits Fitzgerald on a short TD pass then Cooper picked Newton for a TD to give the Falcons a 17-7 lead. A Rivers TD on a sneak gave the Falcons a lead that they would not give up.
 
Injuries to Cam Newton and Lesean McCoy ruined any chance Dallas may have to come back.
 
With the 30-14 win, Atlanta goes to 9-4 while the Cowboys fall to 8-5.
                
 Jacksonville 24 Miami 27                    79 0-10
Two Teams with a eye toward the future take the field for a week 13 Battle.
Miami scores on their 1st three drives to take a 17-0 lead with 6:05 left in the half and it looks like a long afternoon for the Jags, but a steady dose of David Johnson, enhanced by a 71 yard gain and a 3 yard TD run on 4th and goal cuts the lead to 17-7 at the half.

Miami kicks off to Jacksonville and it is promptly returned for a 100 yard TD by Jordan Todman in a blazing 6 seconds (man that guy is fast) to cut the lead to 17-14 Miami with 14:54 left in the 3rd. The Jags continue the turnaround and score on their next 2 drives to total 24 unanswered points and lead 24-17. The Dolphins go on a 16 play drive but only net 35 yards and turn it over on downs, but on the Jags 1st play DJ fumbles in what was the only turnover of the game and the Dolphins capitalize and go 40 yards for the tying score to knot it up at 24 with 2:40 left in the game. Jacksonville can't move it and Miami uses their time outs and get the ball back with 1:35 left at their own 24 yard line. Miami moves it quickly to the Jacksonville 35 but can't get to the line in time to spike it, and the game goes to OT

Jacksonville gets the overtime KO but go 3 and out and Miami moves it down to the Jacksonville 36 and Prater kicks the game winning 54 yarder to give the Dolphins the 27-24 win. Both Teams now stand at 4-9 with 3 weeks to go in this disappointing season for both squads.
 
 San Diego 30 Minnesota 24                   20 0-10 
The Vikes knew they were in trouble when Drew Brees started the game 10 for 10 while rival quarterback Tyrod Tayler of the Chargers was only 1 for 8, yet the game was tied 7-7. Minnesota kept on putting points on the board in the first half, getting out to a 17-7 lead and missing opportunities to push the lead higher. The Chargers, though, eventually got untracked to score 17 straight points and take a 24-17 lead deep into the 4th quarter. With 1:03 left in the 4th quarter and the closing Viking drive stalling, Dontrelle Inman broke loose to haul in his 3rd touchdown pass of the game, scoring on a 41-yarder from Brees to tie the game. In overtime, the Vikes had to punt after running 7 plays, but the Chargers wasted little time, Taylor running 44 yards for a touchdown to win the game for San Diego, 30-24.
 
Missed opportunities for the Vikings included a missed 46-yard field goal, a pass in the red zone that was intercepted, and an 18-play drive that yielded zero points. An injury to Zeke Elliott midway through the game crippled the Vikes offense, while the Chargers seemed to grow stronger as the game progressed.
 
Taylor and DeAndre Washington rushed for 90 and 83 yards, respectively, for the Chargers, with Taylor getting two rushing TDs and passing for one TD. Brees led the Vikings with 338 yards in the air and 3 TD passes, all of them to Inman, who finished with 133 yards on 9 catches. Austin and Cooper were the leading receivers for San Diego with 96 and 81 yards, respectively.
 
Both teams netted over 400 yards, Minnesota had more first downs 29-24 and a greater time of possession 41 minutes to 27. But San Diego, which started the season 0-5, won its 6th of the last 8 games. Minnesota, meanwhile, dropped its 4th straight contest.
 
Special thanks to John Storer who was able to connect with the Vikings and coached SD to victory. Connection problems prevented Jerry Banko from coaching his team and Ken Griffith from subbing.
 
In Week 14, the Chargers host the Jets and  Minnesota (sans Zeke Elliott) hosts Carolina.
 
 Green Bay 13 Oakland 17                     63 0-10 
Despite losing QB Matthew Stafford early in the game, the Oakland Raiders were able to withstand backup QB Geno Smith's shaky play to barely win 17-13.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Johnson,D(Jax)  23-163  1 TD
 Stewart(NO)     12-137
 Jones,M(LAR)    20-137  1 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  17-106
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Pryor Sr.(Hou)  12-137  1 TD
 Inman(Min)       9-133  3 TD
 Baldwin(Mia)    11- 91  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Cousins(Hou)    48-36-352   2 TD  1 Int
 Brees(Min)      60-36-338   3 TD  1 Int
 Ryan,M(Ten)     35-20-333   3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Carr,D(TB)      56-28-327   1 TD  1 Int
 Tannehill(Mia)  56-37-313   3 TD
 Winston,J(Phi)  29-21-211   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Houston,J(Den)   3 Sk 5 Tk
 Chancellor(Chi)  2 Int 2 Tk
 Ingram,M(Was)    3 Sk 10 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Tucker(Den)    5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 13 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 13 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 12 RECAP

Dante Freeman rushes for 116 yards and a score as the Bills take the Battle of Brentwood.

​Game Scores
 
 Buffalo 34 Miami 13                         67 0-5   Light Rain
Long time rivals wait until week 12 to Battle in the 1st of 2 meetings in the next 4 weeks with little on the line other than pride. The Bills score 10 points in 10 seconds fueled by a pick 6 to take a 10-0 lead 5 1/2 minutes into the game, but the Dolphins answer with 10 points of their own to tie the game at 10 with 11 1/2 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter, but other than another FG, Miami's scoring was done for the day as the Bills out score them 24-3 after the Dolphins tied the score at 10. Buffalo's scoring was aided by 3 additional Tannehill picks giving him a grand total of 4 on the day, accounting for 20 of the Bills total points, as the Bills beat the Dolphins 34-13.
 
Chicago 35 San Diego 28                     77 0-10
Bears score 21 fourth quarter points to edge the Chargers. 
 
 Houston 30 Kansas City 14                   38 10-20
After not allowing their previous 5 opponents to score over 16 points in a game, the inevitable came home to roost and the Kansas City Chiefs were routed by the Houston Texans 30-14 in a game that was not remotely that close. The Texans ran and passed over the Chiefs like it was a no contact 7 on 7 drill and raced out to a 23-0 halftime lead and a 30-0 advantage into the 3rd quarter. Houston forced Andy Dalton into 3 interceptions and had a 9 minute ball control advantage, and KC missed 6 tackles in the game to add to their misery. Houston came in with a solid game plan behind Kirk Cousins and cruised to the victory. KC scored twice late but it was only window dressing as they suffered a thorough beat down. With the win Houston improves to 5-7 while the Chiefs fall to 7-5 while wondering if this is the beginning of the end of their surprise season.
 
 Baltimore 9 Cincinnati 27                   38 0-5  
The Ravens come into Cincinnati banged up, missing star running back Le'Veon Bell among others.  The defenses dug in until Cincinnati managed a field goal with about five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.  After forcing a Baltimore punt, Rodgers connected with Eifert on a short out and the Cincinnati Tight End turned it into a 40 yard score with less than a minute remaining in the quarter.
 
Baltimore got a couple nice runs from Alex Collins and a couple nice completions allowing Bryant to connect on a 54 yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-3.  The next Cincinnati drive benefitted from four Baltimore penalties including two pass interference calls.  After a 15 yard completions to Funchess, one play later Montgomery scored from six yards out to extend the Bengal lead to 17-3 with about five and a half minutes remaining in the half.  The Bengals were able to blow it open as Vaccaro intercepted Manning and shortly after Rodgers found Royal for the nine yard score and a 24-3 lead.
 
Manning threw another interception on the Ravens opening drive of the second half and the Bengals converted that into another field goal.  Baltimore got a fourth quarter score as Manning found Fuller from nine yards out to close out the scoring.
 
Manning had a tough go, going 32 of 51 for 245 yards with a TD and 3 INTs.  Collins rushed 12 times for 58 yards.  
 
Rodgers finished 23 of 31 for 171 yards and 2 TDs.  Rookies Ramsey and Gotsis along with Vaccaro intercepted passes.
 
Next week the Ravens are at Buffalo and Cincinnati travels to New York to take on the J-E-T-S.
    
 Jacksonville 3 Tennessee 33                 58 5-15
This started out as a competitive game as Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and marched 40 yards before eventually settling for an Andrew Franks field goal.  However on the Titans first play from scrimmage Matt Ryan aired it out to Odell Beckham who took it to the house for a 75 yard TD.  From that point onward it was downhill for the Jaguars as stat pack QB Chad Henne targeted Titan players as often as Jacksonville ones.  Meanwhile the Tennessee offense was cooking and finished the half up 24-3.  The Titans added 3 field goals in the second half so Tennessee won 33-3.
Matt Ryan was 20 for 24 for 290 yards and 3 TD's.  David Johnson ran for 82 yards on 16 carries for Jax.  The Titan D had 5 turnovers (4 picks), 6 sacks and 15 passes defensed.  The rematch in 3 weeks time should be more competitive as Jacksonville will have starting QB Colin Kaeperick back from injury.
Tennessee (7-5) gets to get hammered next week in New England.  Jacksonville (4-8) visits the Dolphins who have struggled this season.
 
 Atlanta 0 New England 30                    27 0-10  Light Snow    
Sam Bradford (28 of 31 for 315 yards) completed 16 consecutive passes to start the game, including 3 first half touchdowns (2 to Jordy Nelson), as the Patriots moved to 12-0 with a surprising 30-0 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons.  Tight end Greg Olsen had his best game of the season, hauling in 13 passes for 159 yards and a TD.  
 
Patriots had the ball for over 37 minutes in this one.  Neither team turned the ball over in a game which saw 8 players depart due to injury.
 
Patriots host Titans next week while Atlanta looks to regroup at home against the Cowboys.
 
 New Orleans 20 Los Angeles 28               63 Calm 
The two division rivals met for another knock down drag out battle in Los Angeles. Remember in Week 5 the Saints won a 16-13 game that went to overtime. Coach Rice's 4th quarter play calling and the Saints pass defense really tipped the balance in that game. The rematch was similar with both teams showing improvement on offense leading to a  higher scoring game then anticipated. But once again the game would come down to the final drive. Rams made a controversial decision to bench Andrew Luck based on his performance against the Saints in their first game. Landry Jones was charged with leading the Rams offense
 
1st Half:
The game started like an old fashioned staring match. Saints defense doing what they did all season, sacked the qb, forced incompletions, and did not give an inch. Rams defense with the crowd behind them answered, forcing 3 Saints three and outs. Early in the 2nd quarter the Rams break through, with field position in their favor. Four modest runs get them into field goal range, 3-0 Rams. Coach Rice, sensing his team needed a spark, decided to roll the dice on a 4th and 1 on the Rams 36. A holding penalty on the dive play pushes the Saints back.Coach Rice feeling like he was now in "no-mans land", gambles on 4th-11. Flacco's pass is picked by Safety Ricardo Allen and returned to the Saints 33. Two plays later Rams score on a Jones dump off to a back up TE, 10-0 Rams.  Saints were undaunted by this string of bad luck, Coach Rice regrouped.  A clever mix of run and pass leads to a beautiful 30 yard strike from Flacco to Sterling Shepard, 10-7 Rams.
 
2nd Half:
Saints start with the ball, but again are thwarted. The next Rams drive has two chunk plays that get them to field goal range, 13-7 Rams. Saints remain aggressive, consistently challenging the Rams defense on deep passes. Late in the third Saints find pay-dirt, a 44 yard Deep Cross to Dez Bryant goes to the house, Saints first lead 14-13. Saints defense stifles the next Rams possession giving them a chance to take control. Coach Rice knowing that a second score would likely put the game out of reach for the Rams Landry Jones led offense remained aggressive. Flacco looked for a deep fly, but checked down. Interception! Rams DE Khalil Mack jumps in front of the pass, Rams ball on the Saints 32. A Mark Ingram sweep gets LA the lead back in the 4th quarter, 19-14 Rams. Saints are too good to stay down. A 15 play drive capped by a Jonathan Stewart 22 yard run, Saints re-take the lead! It's 20-19 Saints 7:44 left. Each team got the ball 2 times and did nothing. 1:41 left, Rams ball on their 31 yard line. Two modest passes and penalty get the ball to the Saints 46 yard line. Rams only need a FG, Saints trying to hold the line. Landry Jones drops back for a screen pass, Saints blitz. LB Justin Durant had Jones in his grasp, but Jones escaped. Jones shoveled the ball to James White. White with space to operate evades defenders and goes 46 yards for a touchdown to give the Rams the lead! 26-20 Rams. Rams add a safety with the Saints trying to hit bombs, 28-20 Rams.
 
Two turnovers and timely penalties helped tip the balance for the Rams.
 
Saints Studs:
WR Dez Bryant 4 catches 95 yards 1 TD
S Quinton Demps 3 passes defensed
 
Rams Studs:
DE Khalil Mack 2 sacks 1 Int
RB James White just two catches, but the 2nd catch won the game
 
Next week the Saints host the Arizona Cardinals while the Rams host the New York Giants.
 
 San Francisco 14 Carolina 31                64 0-10
Two teams looking forward to better days clash in a Charlotte.
 
Carolina opens the scoring as Wilson tosses a 10 yard TD to Evans. San Fran responds early in the 2nd with Fitzpatrick tossing a 10 yard TD to Diggs. Wilson tosses 2 more TD's before half to open up the scoring at 21-7.
 
The second half sees San Fran pull close with a 1 yard TD run to pull within 7. That would be if for them however, as Carolina would add another TD and field goal to closeout the win.
 
Wilson has his best game of the year passing for 288 with three TD's. Henry runs for over 100 yards with Evans and Goodwin both going over 100 yards receiving.
 
For San Fran, Howard breaks the 100 yard mark while averaging 6.7 yards per tote.
 
 Arizona 3 Pittsburgh 13                     41 10-20
The Steelers gambled resting Tom Brady and relying on their defense.  Known for their explosive offense, the Steel Curtain was up to the task holding Arizona to a first quarter field goal.  A second quarter Vinatieri field goal tied it and a third quarter Gore 1 yard dive gave Pittsburgh the lead.  Edelman kept the chains moving with nine receptions for 126 yards.  Cliff Avril led the defense with two sacks.
 
 Dallas 6 Washington 28                      36 5-15 
Washington gets its revenge with a 28-3 win over the Cowboys.  Prescott and the Redskin offense was firing on all cylinders in this one bursting out to a 21-3 lead in the first half and then adding another TD in the opening possession of the 2nd half.  A late Prescott fumble would lead to another Cowboys FG but down so much they could not rely on their run game to bring them back.  


Washington now holds a 3 game lead in the NFC east and will head to Carolina.
 
Dallas will lick its wounds and head to Atlanta for an important game against a potential wild card/maybe division winner in the convoluted NFC West.
 
 New York(A) 19 Indianapolis 35              69 
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – Following a 24-7 home lost to the Buffalo Bills in week 6 of the IFL season, and a 2-4 start, the Indianapolis Colts have gone on a 6 game win streak after beating the visiting New York Jets (1-11) 35-19. The victory improved their record to 8-4, squarely in position to make a playoff run for the first time since 2014 when the Colts finished the season with a 10-6 Wildcard berth.
 
The scoring got underway in the first quarter when Carson Palmer (21-12, 185 yards, 2 TD) hit game MVP Michael Crabtree (4-110 yards, 2 TD) on a medium slant over the middle that he took to the house resulting in a 46 yard TD, and later in the half he caught a 7 yard TD, which sandwiched a New York 50 yard FG by Dustin Hopkins (4-4 FG, 1-1 XP 13 points), Colts 14-3 at the half.
 
The Jets came into Lucas Oil Stadium with an excellent game plan by shorten the game, Jets time 37:31 Colts 22:29, with a punishing ground attack (33 rushes 180 yards) and converting two onside kicks to start the second half. However, 3 turnovers and poor quarterback play were their undoing. Indianapolis had won the opening toss and had elected to defer until the second half, with a 14-3 lead the Colts were ready to pounce, but the wind was taken from their sail when the Jets stole the second half kickoff by converting a surprising onside kick. The onside trickery resulted in a Ryan Mallet (29-15, 145 yards, 1 TD 3 INT, 37.9 rate) 14 yard TD pass to wideout Robert Woods (5-61 yards, 1 TD), and they followed that score up with a second most shocking onside kick, which closed the scoring gap to 14-13, on a 47 yard Hopkins FG with 9:04 left in the third quarter, silencing the hometown faithful. Following the second successful onside kick the Colts special teams coach was seen on the sideline going under the tent for the leagues concussion protocol, which was order by the league doctors observing the game. The Colts would rebound and put the game away by scoring 21 points on a 7 yard rushing touchdown by Dwayne Washington (17-49 yards, 1 TD) a 24 yard interception return for a TD by cornerback Tavon Young, and a 2 yard plunge by Charcandrick West, his only carry of the game. New York would add 2 Hopkins FGs to complete the scoring and the Colts win its 8th game of the 2017 season 35-19.   
 
The next game for the Colts will be the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5), an important game for both teams in the hunt for a playoff berth, and the Jets will host the Central division leading Cincinnati Bengals (9-2). 
                   
 Green Bay 14 Detroit 6                      70  
Rival coaches met prior to the game.  GB coach Conners noticed right off that coach Nordberg seemed way off balance with reality, much more so than normal.  It became clear when the Lions leader began to cry once it was explained to him having and running a successful 3-4 defense doesn't mean you want your D line to be 3's and your linebackers to be 4's.
 
Needless to say the lions, no longer an overconfident hosting team looked listless & defeated.
 
GB opened the game mixing the run & pass, then Derek Andserson threw a pick that Detroit turned into 3 points.  A low lite in this drive was a wide open Lions TE McDonald dropping a 8 yard TD pass.
 
The Packers responded moving the ball down the field with relative ease to go ahead 7-3 on a TD pass to a wide open O'Leary.
 
Lions then can't move & punt.  2 plays later GB fumbles, Det ball, again Lions can't move & the drive ends with a blocked FG.
 
Packers waste no time completely faking the D out & hitting Sanders on a 63 yard bomb for a TD.  Lions proceed to go on a long drive that was stopped at the two, once again it's FG time.  14-6 GB.  & that's the end of the scoring for the game at the 5:41 mark of the 2nd.
 
Det rookie CB Hargreaves III had a controversial interception early in the 4th when the Packers were thinking of putting the game away.  In all reality Conners should have been ejected for extreme temper tantrum.  It was embarrassing, seeing a grown man throw a temper tantrum like a non-potty trained 2 year old. He  was madder than an albino hitch hiker in a snow storm.
 
These two squads end up playing yet another close game.  Lions managed to get the ball on a long 8 min drive to the GB18 yard line late in the game, but couldn't get a TD.  Detroits sideline was out of control, complete chaos & discombobulated all gamre long. Being in the red zone on four other drives and yet to score a TD, delay of game flags were flying like crazy.  At least I was able to go to bed knowing I was safe at the clinic. 
 
Other than the red zone, the stats were pretty even. 
 
Coach Conners showed some more of his incredible defensive play calling, and was very pleased to see Derek Anderson get a 96 QB rating.  GB finally gets his 1st & 2nd string QB's back.  Cutler & Hoyer.
 
The game was billed as "Kesslers Last Stand" and it looks to be true.  The QB job is now stat pac'r Sean Mannion's for the remainder of the season.
 
6-6 GB travels to Oak, while (5-7) Det heads to Houston
                  
 Oakland 21 Denver 17                        46 0-5 
The Broncos played a tight game vs the division leading Raiders but Oakland was able to pull out the win 21-17.
 
The Broncos were into Raider territory but on 4th and 18 Bortles pass to Matthews netted just 17 and the Raiders had the win.
 
Thanks to Kenneth for subbing today.
 
 New York(N) 10 Philadelphia 23              41 0-5  
Giants start out hot scoring first ten points and taking a 10-3 lead into the half.  Eagles make halftime adjustments and score 23 unanswered points for the win.
 
 Minnesota 11 Tampa Bay 34                   73 5-15 
The five and seven Minnesota Vikings led by coach Robb traveled south to take on their longtime rival seven and four Tampa Bay Buccaneers and coach Chase.
 
Minnesota would win the toss and elect to receive. The decision paid off nicely as they moved the ball well, however, the drive stalled at the 16 after 2 Drew Brees incompletions.  Greg Zuerlein booted it thru from 33 yards away for a 3 point Viking lead.
 
Helped by a Viking personal foul, the Derek Carr led Bucs moved down the field quickly with their first possession as well. Carr completed six in a row after missing his first pass.  He found Todd Gurley open for a 10 yard touchdown to put his team ahead 7 to 3. 
 
The defensive coordinators started making their adjustments.  Five consecutive punts saw the game move on from mid-first quarter into mid-second quarter. 
 
Taking over at his own 39 yard line Carr took matters into his own hands. Going 4 for 4 on the drive passing as well as two scrambles for 9 yards, he put his squad ahead 14 to 3.  The scoring pass, a 14 yard strike to Todd Gurley, was their second TD hook up on the day. 
 
Fermenting negative Viking mojo is compounded when after Brees completes a 31 yard hitch to Malcolm Mitchell, he tries a second long pass which is too slow to develop.  Playing in his first game this season, Tampa Bay linebacker Jalani Jenkins scoops up a Brees fumble caused by a Richard Hayes sack and dashes 72 yards for the score.  Minnesota is now behind by a score of 21 to 3. 
 
Tampa adds a field goal before the half to go into the locker room ahead 24 to 3.
 
In the second half, the Vikings are just not able to move the ball quickly enough to mount a serious challenge. Final score of the contest is Tampa Bay 34 Minnesota 11.
 
It was just an awful day for Drew Brees. He managed 125 yards passing on 11 for 22.  Brees’ arm was outgained by Ezekiel Elliott’s legs with 135 yards rushing on 22 attempts.  (Granted, mostly verses pass defense.)
 
Derek Carr completed 25 passes on 37 attempts for 260 yards.  He spread the ball around to 10 different receivers.  Todd Gurley accounted for 122 yards from scrimmage and all three Tampa Bay offensive touchdowns.
 
Next week Tampa Bay travels to Denver while Minnesota plays host to San Diego.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Elliott,E(Min)  22-135
 Murray,D(Phi)   20-120
 Henry,D(Car)    17-118  1 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  22-116  1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Hill,J(Was)     15-109  1 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    16-107
 Ajayi(Ari)      19-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Olsen(NE)       13-159  1 TD
 Thomas,D(Chi)   10-158  1 TD
 Riddick(NYG)    10- 58
 
 Passing Leaders
 Bradford(NE)    31-28-315   3 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   33-22-305   2 TD
 Manning(Bal)    51-32-245   1 TD  3 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Jones,C(Chi)     3 Sk 8 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Bradham(Buf)     2 Int 4 Tk
 Smith,M(Ten)     2 Int 2 Tk
 Ingram,M(Was)    3 Sk 5 Tk
 Houston,J(Den)   4 Sk 5 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Bailey,D(Ten)  4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Hopkins,D(NYJ) 4-4 FG

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WEEK 12 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 12 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 11 RECAP

In a game that lived up to the hype, Washington edges New Orleans on a last second field goal.

​Game Scores
Washington 17 New Orleans 16                70  
In game of the week the Redskins and Saints would not disappoint. The Saints would get the ball first and disaster would strike 3 plays into the game as Flacco would throw a screen right into the hands of Pierre Paul. Skins ball at the Saints 26. 2 plays later Precot hits Ebron for a 26 yard TD strike. 7-0 Skins.
The teams would then exchange punts for the next 4 drives then the Saints would strike with a bomb from Flacco to Dez Bryant for 48 yards. 7-7. Washington would respond the very next drive. Set up by a 49 yard pass to Lee on a fly pattern the Skins would punch it in with a 7 yard run by Hill. 14-7 Skins.
After the teams exchanged punts the next 3 drives the Saints would then start at their own 8 and put together a solid drive that was stopped at the Redskins 4. McManus kicks a gimme FG and we are at 14-10 Skins. Washington would punt its next possession and then the Saints would start another nice drive which started at their own 20. They would run out of time in the first half and be forced to kick a 38 yard FG as time expired. 14-13 Redskins at the half.
Both teams offenses were held in check as both teams were scoreless for the 3rd quarter. The Saints had the ball at mid field when the quarter ended though and 2 plays later McManus would drill a 54 yard FG. Saints 16-14. After the 2 teams exchanged punts the Redskins would get the ball at their own 6 and put together the drive of the year. They would hold the ball for 20 plays and almost 11 minutes against the leagues #1 defense. With 13 seconds left Janikowski would drill the 30 yard FG for the win. Great game!!!!
                
 Carolina 33 Philadelphia 45                 53 5-15 
Panthers come into Lincoln Field and hit the Eagles in the mouth quickly and frequently and take a 21-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter.  Not panicking, the Eagles make the necessary adjustments and score 38 unanswered points to make it 45-21 early in the 4th quarter.  Not giving up behind sub coach Ken Griffith, the Panthers tried to claw their way back by scoring 2 more TD's but time ran out to make the final 45-33.  Demarco Murray took the MVP honors by rushing 25 times for 121 yards and 3 TD's.
 
Carolina goes to 2-9 and faces SF next week in a battle for a top draft position while the Eagles go to 6-5 and meet the New York "football" Giants with their slim playoff hopes still alive.
 
 Tampa Bay 13 Kansas City 16                 46 15-25 Rain  
On a weather day fit for neither man nor beast, the ancient gods decreed "There shall be football", and so Tampa Bay and Kansas City played their scheduled game. And just so the gods showed they had a sense of humor, they decreed "Let there be overtime football". And so it was.......With rain and 46 degree temperatures and winds consistently in the 15-25 MPH range, the Kansas City Chiefs held on by the skin of their teeth to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers 16-13 on an OT field goal by Steven Gostowski, without doubt aided by the strong wind at his back. Tampa took the opening kickoff with the wind and quickly drove down to the KC 8, but on 3rd down David Carr threw his only pick of the day to Richard Sherman, ending the threat. Given the ease with which the Bucs moved down the field against the ragtag KC defense it looked to be as miserable a day for the Chiefs as the weather was. Not so fast my friend. After that opening drive, Tampa would only venture once into KC territory until late in the 3rd quarter. Not surprisingly, the Chiefs were worse.
The two teams combined for 19 punts in the game, with KC punter Drew Kaser averaging over 50 yards a punt on 10 punts. After Tampa failed on a 4th and 3 late in the 1st quarter, KC moved the ball 55 yards with Dalton hitting a double covered Jarvis Landry in the end zone and a 7-0 lead. After a long period of ineffectiveness by both offenses, Tampa was forced to punt into the wind from their own 9 yard line with 3:53 left in the half.  After a net punt of 32 yards, the Chiefs ran the ball 4 times for 18 yards, and when a 3rd down screen pass to Blount fell incomplete, Gostowski nailed one from 37 yards out and a 10-0 half time lead.
After 4 series ending in a punt to start the 3rd quarter, the Chiefs caught a break when Landry hauled in an out pass, broke a tackle, and rumbled 38 yards to the Buc 10. They bogged down there, however, and Gostowski kicked a 24 yard FG which, given the conditions, seemed to be about 453 points. At that point Tampa said 'curse you gods' and started moving the football with deliberate but relative ease. They first marched 62 yards in 11 plays, Carr hitting Patterson from 7 yards out to cut the lead to 13-10 with 4:19 left. KC was able to run 9 plays and take 2:38 off the clock, but the Bucs held and facing a 4th a 1 from the Tampa 38 and facing into the wind, the Chiefs decided to punt. The ball bounced into the end zone, however, and Tampa had it at their own 20 yard line, down 3 with 1:34 to go and  no time outs. Not counting spikes, Carr was 4 for 6 on the drive and had the visitors knocking on the KC 14 with 9 seconds left and no time outs.  Boswell calmly knocked thru the 32 yard FG with 4 seconds left and the game was tied. Tampa 'won' the OT coin toss and were destined to receive, although they had no choice in the matter as per the game engine. Starting the OT going into the wind is tough. To have a holding penalty on the return is even tougher. The Bucs started OT from their own 7 yard line. After getting a first down on the first play of OT, Tampa stalled and had to punt from their own 20. A good punt with a fair catch had KC starting from their own 39, but successive passes to Maclin for 10 and Kendriks for 18 put the ball at the Tampa 33.  On a critical 3rd and 10, Dalton hit Landry for 12 down to the Tampa 21. After a stuffed run, Gostowski stolled onto the field and nailed a 37 yarder for the win. Neither QB could ever find a rhythm in the cold, wind and rain, Carr going 23-47-254 while Dalton went 18-35-188, and Todd Gurley did go over 100 yards for the day, with 103 on 29 carries, but it was more like a tooth pull than anything else.
With the win KC improves to 7-4 with division rival Houston coming to town, while Tampa Bay falls to 7-4 and hosts Minnesota next week.       
 
 Miami 34 Baltimore 14                       55 5-15 
When your team comes into the game with a 1-9 record and missing RB Le'Veon Bell, DE Joey Bosa, S Earl Thomas, G T.J. Lang, OT Marcus Cannon and their starting C Ryan Jensen, you can't be feeling good about how things are going to turn out. Miami was just 2-8 and missing their fair share of players, so maybe, just maybe, there was a chance.

Sadly for the home Ravens fans, it was false hope. Miami scored on their second possession, held Baltimore to just a FG after a Ryan Tannehill INT in their own territory, scored again on a 12-play, 75 yard drive and again held Baltimore to a FG after a fumble gave the Ravens the ball on the Dolphin 21. With 19 seconds left in the half, the Ravens trailed 14-6 and hadn't even earned a FD and had only 3, yes THREE, total yards passing. Then, somehow, Eli Manning found Chris Hogan and a long hitch, and the defenders knocked each other down and Hogan raced into the endzone, completing a 63 yard TD pass. With nothing to lose, the Ravens went for two...and Eli found Hogan again! Game tied at the half, 14-14, even though the Dolphins dominated in every sense of the word.

Though the Ravens had the first possession of the second half, it was more of the same. They didn't get their first (non-TD) first-down until mid-way through the 3rd when RB Alex Collins "romped" 16 yards, then sprinted 14 for their second first down on the next play. That drive ended two plays thereafter though on a sack/fumble and Tannehill hooked up with Brandon Cooks for a 21-14 lead. On the Dolphins next possession Tannehill found Doug Baldwin in the end zone for a 28-14 lead.

Manning threw an INT and the Dolphins turned that into 3 points and a 31-14 lead as the 4th quarter was starting.

Baltimore got a first down on their next possession (YAY!)...then fumbled it away.

Miami added a FG late for the final margin of 34-14 Dolphins. Coach Tony called a great game on both sides of the ball. When he gets some horses, he'll be tough to beat.

Tannehill was the game's MVP with 3 passing TDs on a 25-for-37 game, totaling 252 yards, but Baltimore's Aaron Donald made a strong case in a losing effort - 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended, 3 stuffs, 3 hurries and 2 force fumbles...oh, and he made a mean chicken tarraggon for the team lunch.
 
 Pittsburgh 24 New England 47                38 5-15
 An upgraded Pittsburgh squad led by Tom Brady traveled to Foxboro looking to pin an "L" on the undefeated Patriots.  
 
An 8 point underdog, the Steelers drew first blood.  After an exchange of punts, Pittsburgh failed to convert on a 3rd and 2 from the Patriot 32 yard line.  New England had the chance to move them back 10 yards after a penalty, but declined for fear of giving Brady an extra down.  Vinatieri nailed the 49 yard field goal and the Steelers were up 3-0.
 
The Patriots began their next drive with a couple short completions to Lat Murray and Jordy Nelson.  A pass interference penalty gave New England 19 yards and a first down.  Six plays later, Bradford hit Brown from 28 yards out to give NE the 7-3 lead.
 
Brady couldn't get the Steelers offense going on their next two possessions, while NE's Caleb Sturgis nailed a pair of field goals on successive drives, and NE was up 13-3 midway through Q2.  
 
Pittsburgh rolled the dice on their next drive.  Choosing to go for it on 4th and 14 from midfield, Brady was sacked by Eric Walden and the Patriots had the ball inside Pittsburgh territory.  While the Steelers defense held, the Patriots were able to pin them deep in their own territory. Darren Sproles rushed for one first down, but that was all they could muster and NE took over again at their own 38 with 1:13 to play in the half.
 
Bradford hit 5 consecutive passes including a 20 yard screen to Lat Murray.  With 11 seconds left from the Pitt 3 - and no time outs - Bradford rolled out and found nobody open..........so he ran it in himself giving the Pats the 19-3 halftime lead (conversion failed).
 
Pittsburgh attempted an onside kick coming out of the break, but NE recovered and quickly made them pay.  A 6 play drive was capped by a 23 yard TD from Bradford to Brown, and it was 26-3 Pats.
 
Pittsburgh didn't pack it in however.  A 64 yard bomb from Brady to Edelman cut the lead to 26-10. Then after a NE punt, Brady engineered a 10 play 76 yard drive, highlighted by a Brady to Gates 21 yard TD to make it 26-17 with 2:35 to play in Q3.
 
Rather than get conservative, Bradford kept slinging it around the field.  4 consecutive completions moved the Pats 72 yards, the last being a 35 yard TD strike to Brown, his 3rd on the day.  33-17.
 
Pittsburgh couldn't get anything going on their next drive, and Bradford continued to shine, connecting with Jordy Nelson on a short slant which Nelson took 64 yards to the house.  40-17.
 
A pick six by Logan Ryan on the Steelers' ensuing drive gave NE their 3rd touchdown in 2:15 of game play.  Patriots win this one 47-24. 
 
Sam Bradford continued his magical season, completing 29 of 35 for 376 yards and 4 TDs.  3 of those TDs went to Antonio Brown, who hauled in 13 passes for 184 yards.  Jordy Nelson caught 7 for 129 and a TD.
 
For the Steelers, Tom Brady threw for 336 yards and 3 TDs.  Frank Gore rushed for 68 yards on only 10 carries, but the Steelers were forced to abandoned the run game after falling behind by multiple scores in the first half.  Edelman went 6 for 114 and 2TDS.
 
Pittsburgh was penalized 7 times for 75 yards.  New England, somehow, played penalty free football.
 
New England has another tough one next week when Atlanta comes to town in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl.  Pittsburgh goes home to face Arizona.
 
 Detroit 14 San Diego 26                     69 0-10 
Tyrod Taylor throws two first half touchdowns and runs for another as the Chargers get past the Lions.
 
 Denver 16 Green Bay 6                       42 0-10
Packers welcomed Brian Hoyer back with the 1-9 Broncos in town.
 
What could possibly go wrong? 
 
Coach Crandall had his squad ready. He called a great game and basically took it to us   The Broncos won the war of attrition as both inept offenses struggled throughout.  Denver got the game's only big play late in the 2nd as Rishard Matthews took a Blake Bortles pass 38 yards to the end zone to make it 10-0 at half.
 
Early in the 3rd Brian Hoyer, who had been held in check anyways, got reinjured forcing Derek Anderson
into action. Anderson did what he does, throwing 3 int's on his first 3 drives to kill off any chance the Packers had in this one.  Green Bay did get a Terrance Williams touchdown late in the 3rd to cut the lead to 16-6 Denver.   Broncos defense did the job in the 4th stopping Green Bay on 4 separate drives to preserve the lead.
 
Final 16-6 Denver
 
Bortles 15/30 165 1td
Yeldon 11 rush for 50, 4 rec 39 yards
Matthews 3 for 69 1td
 
Anderson 10-23 155 1 td, 3ints
Micheal 16 rush 63 yards
Sanders  7 rec for 101 yards
 
Broncos move to 2-9 and host Oakland 8-2 next week.
 
Packers 5-6 head to Rock City to take on the Lions 5-6
With Hoyer out again, the great Derek Anderson is back under center
 
 Buffalo 14 Cincinnati 23                    39 0-10 
Conner Barth kicked three second half field goals as the Bengals got by the Bills 23-14.  Cincinnati struck first early in the second quarter as Melvin Gordon plunged in from two yards out.  Buffalo answered with about five minutes remaining in the half as Donte Freeman scampered in from 19 yards out.    The Bengals answered right back as Rodgers connected with Royal for 22 then Gordon broke free for 27 yards.  The drive was capped off with a Rodgers to third string Tight End Crockett Gilmore nine yard touchdown pass just before the two minute warning.
 
The Bengals forced the Bills to punt on their first series of the third quarter.  But Buffalo Corner Dre Kirkpatrick intercepted a Rodgers pass and took it 21 yards for the score to tie the game at 14.  Cincinnati quickly regained the lead with Barth's first field goal from 50 yards out.  The teams exchanged punts to close out the quarter.
 
The Bengals put together a 13 play 55 yard drive early in the fourth but had to settle on another field goal to extend their lead to 20-14.  Buffalo would drive the ball down to the Cincinnati nine with about six minutes remaining in the game.  The Bills decided to go for it on fourth and one but Alex Smith was stopped cold and the Bengals dodged the threat.  After forcing Cincinnati to punt, Buffalo again gambled on fourth down and five at their own 25 with three minutes remaining.  Smith could not connect with Brandon LaFell.  The Bengals added another field goal to put the game on ice.
 
Smith finished 18 of 29 for 137 yards.  Freeman rushed for 92 yards on 17 attempts with a touchdown.  
 
Rodgers, struggled without Jeffery, going 18 for 31 for 155 yards with a touchdown and an INT. Melvin Gordon enjoyed another strong game as his breakout continues.  The Cincinnati tailback rushed for 110 yards on 21 attempts with a score.
 
Penalties were the Bills achilles heal suffering 10 for 77 yards while the Bengals were only called for three for 15 yards.
 
Next week the Bills are at division rival Miami while the Bengals welcome one win Baltimore to PBS.
 
 Atlanta 27 Arizona 6                        86 Calm
The Arizona Cardinals owner made NFL history Monday morning after announcing he would refund half the ticket price to the fans.  During a press conference the owner of the team said if his team was only going to play half a game, then the fans should only pay for half a ticket.  Some journalist suggested the season ticket holders deserve a total refund for their ticket costs given the way the team has performed. 
 
During the first half the game was up in the air.  Zona went to the locker room down only 7 points and those points were both the result of Big Ben interceptions.  Big Ben would return in the second half to throw two more picks for a total of 4 in the game.  Rumors have already begun that this may be the last year in Arizona for the all star QB.
 
Arizona could only manage two field goals during the game.  Their once deadly offense is only a shadow of what it once was.  Injuries have taken a toll, but it is no excuse.  Sounds like the team, the fans and staff are focusing more on next year. 
 
 Los Angeles 23 Dallas 26                    70
Phil Dawson has made some big kicks for the Dallas Cowboys this IFL season.  But none were more important than the four he made in this week's game vs the LA Rams. 
 
The Cowboys (8-3) took an early lead in the game but had to fight for its life as the Rams came back to draw within three in the fourth quarter.
 
I told Phil I would get us in scoring position and that his leg would likely be decisive for us to win," said Cowboy quarterback Cam Newton.
 
"The kid is a heckuva kicker," sad Cowboy coach Steve Hart.  We found ourselves in a bind after all five of our fullbacks and tight ends were nursing injuries.  "It made it is hard to sustain drives …. but we got enough field goals to prevail in this one.
                    
 New York(A) 13 Tennessee 16                 60 Calm 
Dan Bailey’s 34 yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game allows the Titans to squeak past the Jets.   
 
 Chicago 34 Houston 30                       70   
Trailing 27-14 at the end of three quarters, Mariota runs for one score and throw two touchdowns to Thomas.  The last with only 33 seconds remaining in the game to give the Bears the exciting come from behind win.
                 
 Indianapolis 27 Jacksonville 21             64 0-10 
This match up saw the sinking Jags, losers of their last two, hosting the surging Colts looking for their third win in a row. Difference in this one was the Quarterback play of Carson Palmer who shredded the Jags for 303 yards compared to Henne's paltry 118 yards on 28 attempts on route to a 27-21 Colt victory.

David Johnson was heroic in the loss with 170 yards+ in offence and 2 TDs but Colt Issah Crowell kept pace with 2tds and almost 100 yards on the ground.

A particularly well called offensive effort by coach Griffith.

The Colts rise to 7-4, the Jags fall to 4-7
 
  Minnesota 17 Oakland 38                     70 0-10 
Matt Stafford throws five touchdown passes as the Raiders cruise past Minnesota.
 
 San Francisco 22 New York(N) 30             54 5-15 
In an homage to G.O.T., two forsaken squads took the field in NY this week.
 
Wentz and Co. put up their best numbers of the year, score 5 times in the Red Zone, and give the home crowd a wondrous 30-22 win against the San Francisco 49ers. 
 
Joe Banyard (don't bother remembering that name, he's a one-and-done) was awarded the game ball with a 147 yard effort. Wentz threw more TDs than picks for the first time this season (harbinger of things to come?) and withstood a Jordan Howard 7.7ypc 100-yard+ game to pull this one out. 
 
Ryan Fitzpatrick was Ryan Fitzpatrick. Nuf said. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Banyard(NYG)    25-147  1 TD
 Ajayi(Ari)      23-136
 Johnson,D(Jax)  19-128  2 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    16-123
 Murray,D(Phi)   25-121  3 TD
 Gordon,M(Cin)   21-110  1 TD
 Gurley(TB)      29-103
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown,A(NE)     13-182  3 TD
 Benjamin,K(Oak)  7-164  2 TD
 Pryor Sr.(Hou)  11-132  1 TD
 Meredith(Hou)   10-115  2 TD
 Cobb(Car)        9-106  3 TD
 Gates(Pit)      10- 91  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Bradford(NE)    35-29-376   4 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    53-36-369   4 TD
 Brady,T(Pit)    53-32-336   3 TD  1 Int
 Winston,J(Phi)  35-25-311   2 TD  1 Int
 Palmer,C(Ind)   32-23-303   1 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   32-20-289   5 TD  1 Int – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Wilson,R(Car)   44-27-287   4 TD  1 Int
 Mariota(Chi)    38-22-281   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Johnson,C(Den)   3 Sk 10 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Williamson(Atl)  2 Int 2 Tk
 Jones,C(Chi)     3 Sk 9 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Dawson(Dal)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

---

WEEK 11 IFL STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 11 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 10 RECAP

Despite a slow start, Tyrod Taylor has the Chargers thinking playoffs.

Game Scores
San Diego 20 Denver 18                      51 0-5  
The Broncos continue to turn the ball over and the losses keep coming as the Chargers come into Milehigh Stadium and escape with a 20-18 victory.
 
On the Broncos first possession QB Bortles completes a short pass to Jamaal Charles but Charles coughed up the ball and the Chargers ha the ball at the Denver 23.
 
QB Taylor ran a sneak on 3rd and goal from the 1 and scored the first TD to make it 7-0 Chargers.
 
Denver started to come back when Taylor was flagged for intentional grounding in his end zone for a safety followed by 2 FG's and the Broncos had an 8-7 lead midway
through the 2nd quarter.
 
With 23 ticks left in the first half Taylor called his own number again as he swept around right end for a 7 yard score and a 14-8 halftime lead.
 
Chargers kicker Santos tacked on another FG halfway through the 3rd to increase the lead 70-17-8.
 
The Broncos next drive ended at the 1 yard line before they had to settle for a FG but the Chargers answered that one with a FG of their own to
get the lead back to 9 points at 20-11 with 4:00 minutes left.
 
Bortles moved the ball and with 1:30 left in the game threw a TD strike to Tyreek Hill to cut the lead to 20-18.
 
The Chargers recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
 
It was a great game by Jerry, as usual.
 
Philadelphia 31 Arizona 14                  86 Calm
Well, it was not much of a "win streak".  The Cardinals possess a strong running game married to a less than scary passing game.  Their receiving corp is less than mediocre.
 
When Zona plays like teams as in last week, the game comes down to big plays, RNG and the Zebras.  The Giants game was a great example and would put the normal fan asleep.  Think the 2017 Miami Dolphins or any Miami Dolphin team in the last 10 years or so.
 
This week Zona faced a real team and it was no contest.  It would not be surprising if the opposing coach was actually entering numbers randomly to call his plays while reading a good novel or the sports page.
 
Providing play by play would only bore the reader and no one would even bother to read the recap.  In the end, the game came down to Zone being 3 for 10 in third down conversions and 0-2 for fourth down conversions.  Zona did not put up any points until the game was a done deal.  Zona scored two garbage time TD in the 4th quarter.  It was another ho hum game for the red birds and a glimpse into the future.
 
 Indianapolis 26 Buffalo 17                  43 5-15 
Indy comes into Buffalo to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth to overtake the Bills as they avenge the earlier loss. Carson Palmer, Michael Crabtree and Isiah Crowell were the three stars of the game for Indy and despite giving up 441 yards to the Bills the defense stiffened when they needed to improve the Colts to 6-4 while the Bills fall to 4-6.
 
 Miami 13 New Orleans 24                     70
Miami would come into New Orleans and look for the upset against the 7-2 Saints. The Saints came in losing 2 in a row and would start slow here also. Miami would take the opening kickoff and drive right down the field keyed with a 39 yard screen to Zach Zenner. The drive would end in a 26 yard slant over the middle to Brandin Cooks from Tannehill. 7-0 Miami and the Saints crowd is wondering what has happened to this team. The Saints would then take the ball down to the Dolphins 39 and be faced with a 4th and 2. Coach Rice would go for it to try and get a spark going and fail on an incomplete from Flacco. The teams would exchange punts and then Miami would take the ball from their own 13. Sparked by a 44 yard bomb to Chris Thompson, Matt Prater would kick a 47 yard FG. 10-0 Miami near the end of the 1st quarter. The teams would then exchange punts and then the Saints would start with the ball at their own 15. After a nice drive Coach Rice would gamble again going for it at the Miami 43 on a 4th and 3 and fail again. The crowd was dead silent. Miami would take over and face a 4th and 7 of their own at the Saints 39 and Tannehills pass would fall incomplete. The crowd went nuts and it seemed to create a spark. The Saints would then drive right down the field keyed by a Tim Hightower run of 23 yards and then score a TD on a long pass of 26 yards from Flacco to Dez. 10-7 Miami with 1:50 left in the half. That's how the half would end. Beginning of the second half the Saints would start at their own 25 and put together a 15 play 8 minute drive which ended in a 6 yard slant to Dez. 14-10 Saints. Miami would get the ball and after 6 plays would punt back to the Saints. New Orleans would drive right down the field and end with Dez Bryant's 3rd TD of the day on a 25 yard TD. 21-10 Saints and to throw an even bigger wrench into Miami's plans Tannehill was knocked out the drive before and in enters Goff. The Saints seemed to have the game under control when on a Miami punt Walters would fumble at the Saints 41 and the Dolphins would take over. This led to a 37 yard FG by Prater and we were at 21-13 Saints. The Saints would then start at their own 31 and with a tired Miami D would turn to the ground and pound offense. New Orleans would consume 8 minutes of the clock running the ball 8 out of 10 plays and the kick a FG to make it 24-13 and a 2 score game. This is how the game would end up. The Saints move to 8-2 and a huge conference matchup against the Redskins. The dolphins fall to 2-8 but have a nice young team will travel to Baltimore.       
             
 New York(A) 20 New England 35               38 Calm 
Logan Ryan picked off Ryan Mallett and returned it 23 yards for a TD just over a minute into the game.  Jets responded with a nice drive of their own and shaved the lead to 7-3.  Patriots needed only one play to extend the lead when Antonio Brown took a pass from Sam Bradford and raced 75 yards down the sideline to make it 14-3.  A James Starks 3 yard TD run late in Q1 extended the lead to 21-3.
 
Latavius Murray ran it in from 6 yards on the Patriots next drive to make it 28-3.  A Jets field goal and a Mallett to J McKinnon 9 yard TD toss (after a successful onside kick) cut the lead to 28-13 at the half.
 
Bradford hit Brown for a 2nd TD early in the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to 35-13, and the Pats held on for the 35-20 win.
 
Ryan Mallett had a nice game for the Jets, completing 18 of 33 for 204 yards and 2 TDs.  Fozzy Whitaker rushed for 95 yards on only 11 carries as the Jets out-rushed the Pats 120-88 on the day.
 
Sam Bradford enjoyed another nice day, completing 23 of 29 for 242 yards and 2 TDs.  James Starks had 111 yards from scrimmage on the day.
 
Thanks to Bob for an enjoyable game.
 
 Dallas 36 New York(N) 7                     43 Calm 
Dallas rolls as Newton throws two touchdown passes and runs for another.  Three turnovers did not help the G-Men’s cause.
 
Pittsburgh 27 Tennessee 16                  57 0-10 
An elite masters league team showed up in Tennessee and taught the Titan youngsters a lesson in humility.  Pittsburgh rolled to a 17-0 lead halfway through the second quarter, yielded a late field goal to the Titans to make it 17-3 at the break.  A three play 59 yard drive early in the third basically ended the game.  Frank Gore somehow ran 46 yards to get the TD.  Tennessee got 13 points once the issue was decided but a Vinatieri field goal made the final score Pittsburgh 27-Tennessee 16.
Frank Gore's 139 rushing yards and Julian Edelman's 10 receptions were the statistical highlights.  BTW the key to winning DK football is getting fewer penalties than your opponent.  This has happened in all 5 Titan wins while in all 5 losses the Titans had more penalties than the victors.
 
 Tampa Bay 20 Chicago 7                      47 20-30
Derek Carr throws two first quarter touchdowns as Bucs pick up the big road win.  The Bears struggled with third down converting only one of 11 attempts.
 
 Detroit 31 Minnesota 21                     35 10-20
Minnesota clicked on all cylinders in the first half against Detroit, running up a 21-7 lead until a bonehead decision to go for a long field goal into the wind failed, which left just enough seconds for Detroit to kick a 50+ field goal with the wind behind them. Duh!  What is into your face is a good wind for your opponent. Next time, don't get greedy, fool!
 
But the Vikings still led comfortably 21-10 entering the 2nd half.
 
Little did we realize that Koch would kill us so soon, starting at the half and no doubt lasting for the remaining 5 games. Drew Brees suddenly could not hit any of his usual targets, because they were "tired". Never mind they were NFL athletes and had put up mediocre numbers all season: they were "tired". Never mind they would catch more balls if Brees had been their QB in real life. Brees is still far below his real life pace for completions. But those poor receivers can't catch anything now.The Vikes were shut out in the 2nd half as Detroit won going away, 31-21, scoring 24 straight points. Brees finished with a passer rating of 69.
 
Sensing blood, Lion coach Nordberg brilliantly stifled the Vikings in the second half and seemingly scored at will. Kessler (who?) outdueled Brees with a 121 passer rating, 231 yards and 3 TDs. West rushed for 93 yards and a TD. For the Vikes, Elliott had 83 yards on the ground, and that was about it.
 
Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay are now all tied at 5-5 in the Central Division.
Detroit is at San Diego and Minnesota at Oakland in week 11.
 
 Houston 23 Green Bay 30                     34 5-15 
A battle of 4-5 teams, both struggling of late.
 
Packers came in losers of 3 in a row and had been outscored 57-3 over
the last two, thanks to the poor play of QB Derek Anderson.
 
Houston was also reeling, dropping 4 straight, after a promising 4-1 start.
 
Coach Conners thought it was going to be another long night after
his team drove deep in Texans territory only to see Anderson
throw a bad pick at the Houston 2 midway through the 1st.
 
The Texans went 3 and out, and Green Bay moved the ball back into
Houston territory. They would settle for a Cody Parkey FG..3-0 hosts
 
On the visitors next possession QB Kirk Cousins found WR Cameron Meridith
on a short slant. He broke several tackles and took it 75 yards to the house...7-3 Houston.
 
Momentum kept going the Texans way after Anderson threw a pick 6 to Kurt Coleman
to open the lead to 14-3 early in the 2nd.
 
Boos rained down from the disenchanted fans at Lambeau.
 
Packers would get a huge break later in the quarter however, as ILB Ryan Shazier picked off Cousins
at the Texans 27. Two plays later newcomer RB Christine Michael ran it in from 6 yards out...14-10 with 3:21 left in the half
 
Green Bay got a stop. With under a minute left WR Emmanuel Sanders took a crossing pattern 44 yards to paydirt.
The hosts had a stunning 17-14 lead at the half.
 
Packers got the ball to start the 3rd. On the second play from scrimmage Derek Anderson struck again.
He threw his 3rd pick of the day, this time to S Andrew Sendejo. 
 
Coach Conners luckily had his blood pressure medicine close at hand or this write up might have had some much darker overtones.
 
The Packers defense held Houston to just a FG...17-17.
 
Undeterred, two plays later. Anderson hit a streaking WR Breshard Perriman for a 75 yard catch and run TD....24-17 Pack.
 
The teams would exchange punts, and then the Texans put together a nice 15 play, 83 yard drive that stalled on the Green Bay 7.
Houston took the chip shot FG, 24-20 at the end of 3.
 
After the Packesr were forced to punt again, Houston put together another time consuming drive moving 63 yards in 14 plays.
 
Facing a 2nd and 8 from the Packers 16, Cousins didn't see CB Buster Skrine. who jumped the out route and took it all the way back to
the GB 47.
 
3 plays later Anderson hooked up with Perriman again for a 50 yard score...30-20 as the Lambeau faithful were in a full lather despite the
frigid 34 degree temperature.
 
Houston would hit a late FG to make it a one score game but couldn't recover the on side kick.
 
Final 30-23 Green Bay
 
Perriman the games star: 3 rec for 124 yards and 2 tds
Derek Anderson was all over the map: 11-26 for 276 yards, 3 td's of 44, 50 and 75 yards to go along with 3 ints
 
Cousins was 31 of 52 for 359 and a TD but both of his INT's were costly
Meredith:  9 for 154 and 1 TD
Forte went down early in the 2nd, which limited Houston's running game
 
Great game by Pete. We've been in leagues together for years but never in the same conference.
It was enjoyable to get a chance to face him again.
 
Texans (4-6) host Chicago (6-4) next week
 
For the Packers (5-5), it's more of the AFC West as Denver (1-9) pays a visit
 
Coach Conners will likely party late into the night with the news that QB Brian Hoyer
has a probable designation for week 11, meaning we have likely seen the last of
stat pack flop Derek Anderson and his 52.0 Quarterback rating!
 
 Los Angeles 34 San Francisco 10             56 0-5  
LA squelches SF 34-10.  The highlight of the game for SF was on the first play from scrimmage as Fitzgerald hit Ginn on a short pass and Ginn ran it 78 yards for the TD.   After that, it was all LA.  They posted 27 first downs to 7 total for SF. The offense led by Luck (24-35, 2 TDs, 241 yds) and Ingram (11 for 84 yards) posted drives of 92, 95 and 79  yards for TDs.  In addition  LA got a pick six by Rhodes and a 69 yd Punt Return by Sherrels.
 
 Baltimore 0 Washington 23                   49 0-10 
Baltimore would get the ball first and quickly throw an INT giving the ball to the Redskins at the 4 yard line.  After a Redskins TD the Ravens would go 3 and out and the Redskins would kick a FG.  A second 3 and out which ended with Offensive workhorse Bell being injured for 4 games followed quickly by another Washington TD ended any hope for the Ravens.
 
 Oakland 10 Kansas City 21                   50 5-15 
KC quarterback Andy Dalton passed for 287 yards and ran for 40 more, accounting for 3 td's as the Kansas City Chiefs upset the Oakland Raiders 21-10. It was a tight slug fest through most of the game, with a scoreless first half. Oakland struck first in the 3rd quarter with a Myers 42 yard FG when their drive stalled, but KC responded with a 12 play 75 yard drive culminating with Dalton scoring on a 4 yard bootleg to give the Chiefs a 7-3 lead. After 3 punts KC took over at their own 16 with 8:03 to go in the game. Dalton hit Landry for 19 yards and then 15 more was tacked on for roughing the passer to put the ball at midfield. Another Dalton scramble put the ball on the OAK 34 facing a 3rd and 6. Dalton then beat an all out blitz by rolling out and hitting Lance Kendriks in stride for a killer 34 yard td pass and a 14-3 lead with 6:02 left. Dunbar then fumbled the kickoff which KC recovered at OAK 13, and on the next play Dalton hit Landry for a TD and a 21-3 lead. Oakland rallied to cut the score to 21-10 on a 65 yard drive with Stafford scrambling in from the 3 on 4th down, but KC recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. Dalton was 20-37-287 with 2 TD's and Landry had 8 catches for 187 yards. Carlos Hyder picked up an even 100 yards on the ground for the visitors, Stafford went 21-36-226-0-0. With the win the Chiefs improve to 6-4 while Oakland falls to 8-2.
 
 Cincinnati 20 Jacksonville 10               70 0-10  Light Rain    
A close defensive battle that saw Cincinnati break it open in the 2nd quarter on two big plays leading to a 20-10 Bengals win. The Jags struggled to move the ball while Rogers made the plays he had to.
 
 Carolina 10 Atlanta 26                      70 
Dominique Rodgers Cromartie is named game MVP as he picks off Russell Wilson 3 times. Wilson had a bad game overall with 4 total picks, only 128 yards passing and a 30.8 rating. Atlanta's run game was also dominant with 51 carries for 301 yards and 2 TDs. 
 
With the 26-10 win, Atlanta goes to 7-3 while Carolina falls to 2-8.                   
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Freeman,D(Buf)  22-145
 Gore(Pit)       21-139  1 TD
 Murray,D(Phi)   18-107  2 TD
 Miller,L(Atl)   20-106
 Hyde,C(Oak)     18-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Landry(KC)       8-187  1 TD
 Meredith(Hou)    9-154  1 TD
 Edelman(Pit)    10- 93  1 TD
 Bryant,D(NO)     6- 90  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Cousins(Hou)    52-31-359   1 TD  2 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Rhodes,X(LAR)    2 Int 3 Tk
 Rodgers-Cr(Atl)  3 Int 1 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Roberts,A(Ten) 1-35 Kick Ret 3-104 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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WEEK 10 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 10 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 9 RECAP

Ageless Drew Brees throw five touchdown passes as the Vikings win a shootout over the Bears.

Game Scores
Chicago 35 Minnesota 42                     33 0-10
Chicago: 1st place in the Central Division with a 6-2 record, the Bears' defense with two shutouts in its last 3 games.
Minnesota: Offense humming, scoring 35 and 31 points in two straight wins, record up to 4-4.
 
Which would dominate the game: Chicago's stingy defense, or Minnesota's suddenly potent offense?
 
In an exciting game, which saw only three punts, Minnesota scored a touchdown on almost every possession (one punt), but Chicago answered with a touchdown on all but two possessions (two punts) as both offenses moved the ball at will. However, after Chicago's two punts midway in the game, the Vikings scored a pair of touchdowns, enabling them to open up a 14-point lead. The Vikings then controlled the ball for 14 of the last 18 minutes of the game as Zeke Elliott churned out first down after first down, enabling the Vikes to hold off the Bears, 42-35.
 
Elliott finished with 148 yards on 28 carries, but most important he got 11 first downs. Drew Brees, however, received game MVP honors, racking up 349 yards (26/35) and 5 touchdown passes for a 145.1 passing rating. Marcus Mariota starred for the Bears with 302 yards (27/37) and a 123.9 passing rating.
 
As for receivers, the Vikes' Dontrelle Inman had 149 yards and 2 touchdowns and Jason Witten had 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Bears's Demaryius Thomas caught 10 passes for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
Minnesota finished with 480 net yards and Chicago had 410. 
 
Chicago is now tied with Tampa Bay for first place in the Central Division with 6-3 records. The two square off in week 10 in Chicago. Minnesota hosts Detroit as the two teams battle for third place in the division. 
 
 Baltimore 6 Pittsburgh 38                   39 10-20
Steelers overwhelm the Ravens as Tom Brady throws five touchdown passes in the first half.  Brady finished 29 of 33 for 353 yards and the five TD passes.  Julian Edelman had a day with 12 receptions for 202 yards and caught all five of the touchdown passes, tying the IFL single game mark.  Veteran Brian Robison led the Steel Curtain with two sacks.
 
 Indianapolis 29 Los Angeles 28              67 Calm 
The best analogy for how this game played out is to think about the opening scene of Indiana Jones Raiders of the lost Ark, where Dr. Jones escaped the temple with the giant rolling stone chasing him. The Colts offense in this game was the giant stone and unfortunately for the Rams(Jones), they did not escape. It came down to the end, but Carson Palmer was  clutch all game. Colts converted 13 of 19 third downs and held the ball for 40 minutes. Ball control doesn't do justice to what the Colts did to the Rams defense.
 
First half:
Rams received the ball first and did nothing with it. Colts as would be a trend for most of the game methodically went down the field and scored on a Palmer QB sneak, 7-0 Colts. Rams answered on a long pass to TY Hilton to tie, 7-7. Colts responded quickly with Palmer to Michael Crabtree strike, 14-7 Colts. Rams tie the game  again at 14 on another long pass to Hilton. Colts add a couple field goals, one after a fumbled kick by the Rams kick returner. Rams managed to take the lead before the half on a strike to Michael Floyd, 21-20. At this point in the game both teams had suffered critical injuries. Colts lost their starting ILB, CB and Crabtree for the rest of the game. The Rams lost AJ Green and shortly later their starting right tackle. Lots of criticism for the Rams field crew due to the the injuries suffered in this one.
 
Second half:
 
Injuries really curtailed the scoring, but not the drama. No scores in the third quarter, but in the 4th quarter Luck broke through with a 15 yard scramble into the end zone giving the Rams a 28-20 lead with 11 Minutes left. Colts pull together an 18 play drive that ends with another Palmer plunge into the end zone. Colts go for 2 to tie the game, but are denied. Rams clinging to a 2 point lead, 3 minutes left. The Rams run the ball twice without much success and a third down pass falls incomplete. Colts get the ball with 2 Minutes to go, down 2. Colts go on another long drive, much of it 5 yards at a time until the last few critical plays where the Rams were gassed. Two ten yard passes to Barnidge got the Colts into very comfortable field goal range for Hauschka, 29-28 Colts. (Due to a game fluke Hauschka actually had to make this kick twice since the game did not seem to save the result on the first attempt).
 
Colts Primetime Players:
Carson Palmer 33-47 291 Yards 1 Passing TD Two Rushing
Golden Tate 13 Catches 113 Yards
 
Rams Primetime Players:
Mark Ingram 13 Carries 97 yards
TY Hilton 3 catches 86 Yards 2 TDs
 
Colts ran 80 offensive plays in the game, the Rams ran 43. That pretty much sums up the Colts offensive domination.
 
Next week the Colts take on the Buffalo Bills while the Rams travel to San Francisco.
 
 Tennessee 16 Cincinnati 24                  47 0-10
The Titans come to town in a key AFC Central battle.  The first quarter featured multiple exchanges of punts.  Tennessee finally got on the board thanks to a Bailey 25 yard field goal.  Cincinnati answered early in quarter two with a Barth field goal of his own from 23 yards out for a 3-3 deadlock.  Bailey added his second field goal on the Titans next possession as Tennessee regained the lead 6-3.  Cincinnati put together a long 17 play 75 yard drive with Gordon scoring from six yards out to give the Bengals a 10-6 lead at the half.
 
Despite starting from their own four, the Titans drove 94 yards but once again had to settle on a Bailey chip shot to cut the Cincinnati lead to 10-9.  The Bengals rubber band defense was bending to its limit but somehow not breaking.  With about a minute remaining in the quarter the Bengals offense came up with a big play as Rodgers hit Jeffery in stride for a 74 yard score to extend the Cincinnati lead to 17-9.  
 
Early in the third quarter the Bengals made another big play, this time by the defense.  Vinny Rey intercepted a Ryan pass and took it 48 yards to the house to extend the Cincinnati lead to 24-9 with 14 minutes remaining in the game.  Penalties and a timely Fowler Jr. sack stalled the Titan offense.  Tennessee finally got a couple big plays as Ryan hit Hopkins for 43 and then Beckham for a 28 yard score.  However, only 1:22 remained.  Using all of their timeouts, the Titans got the ball back and Ryan hit Hopkins again for 41 but that was as close as they could get as the Bengals pull out the win.
 
Ryan had a big day going 25 of 39 for 380 yards with a TD and an INT.  Despite being 2-teamed most of the game Beckham Jr. finished with 8 receptions for 144 yards and a score.  Hopkins added 9 catches for 137 yards.
 
Rodgers finished (a 1960's like) 7 of 13 for 126 yards and a TD as he was more of a field general this game.  Gordon had another nice game with 94 yards on 21 carries and a score.  Vinny Ray was the defense star with the pick 6.
 
Each team has a big divisional contest next week.  The Bengals travel to Jacksonville while the Titans host Pittsburgh.
 
 Houston 13 San Diego 20                     78 Calm 
Tyrod Taylor throws for 284 yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers down the Texans.
 
 Kansas City 28 Denver 10                    55 0-5 
The Kansas City Chiefs came into Mile High stadium and jumped all over the Broncos in a 28-10 victory.
 
KC got out to a 28-0 lead at the half and then just coasted in the 2nd half as the broncos fumbled and bumpled as they
turned the ball over 4 times.
KC QB Andy Dalton had a nice game throwing for 153 yards and a TD on a 14 of 19 evening.
Bronco QB Blake Bortles threw for 301 yards and a TD but was picked twice and fumbled two other times.
 
The win improves KC to 5-4 on the season while the Broncos drop to 1-8.
 
It was a great game with fast play from Bob.
 
 Oakland 16 Detroit 13                       70
Oakland completely dominated the 1st half, ending the 2nd quarter with an 81 yard pass from Stafford to Wallace to go up 13-0 & getting the ball to begin the 3rd.
 
The Lions followed that up with 13 straight points to tie the game with 7 min to go.
 
The Raiders then moved down the field with little resistance to take the lead & win 16-13.
 
Stafford ended up passing for 308 yards, half of those coming on two receptions.  As mentioned Wallaces big TD and  Benjiman added another long one.  His passer rating was 80 as was Kessler, who passed for 163 yards.
 
Oak ran for 101 yards behind Hyde & Duke Johnson Jr.   Terrance West picked up 93 yards for Det.
 
Oak's having to settle for two field goals in the red zone in the first quarter almost cost them an upset loss in this one.  Thank goodness this was the case cuz a couple TD's then & it may have turned into a blowout quickly.
 
It was a fun game that ended up coming right down to the end.
 
Next week Oakland goes to KC & Detroit travels to Minnesota in hopes of avenging week four loss to the Vikings.
                      
 Arizona 15 New York(N) 11                   63 5-15
This game was so boring it enabled the try outs for the puppy bowl to end up with better ratings since most fans preferred watching the puppies.

It med both teams left their offense at home.  It really was not the case that both teams had dominating defenses as it was that neither team could execute on offense.

The Arizona offensive line decided to take the day off.  After a solid performance against Washington, Ajayi was mugged by the Giants.  He was consistently hit on his side of the line of scrimmage and was ineffective throughout the game.

Fortunately for Arizona, Wentz was equally bad.  He could hardly complete a pass.  When he was able to throw a spiral occasionally, you could count on the receiver dropping the ball. 

However, both teams played so badly, it kept the game close.  If you want to know how bad the game was, think about this.  How the hell does a football game end with a score of 15 to 11?  I vote for the puppy bowl try outs. 
 
 Jacksonville 3 Dallas 20                    70       
This contest featured the 4-4 Jaguars at the 5-3 Cowboys.
 
A back-story in this one is Jacksonville starting the controversial Colin Kaepernick against a team coached by a retired Army Colonel.
 
The Jags won the toss and elected to receive.  They went three and out.  The Cowboys sustained a 61 yard, ten play drive before petering out.  They settled for a FG to go up 3-0.
 
On Jacksonville's next possession, they again couldn't earn a first down and had to punt.
 
The Cowboys controlled the ball and scored on their 11th play on a one yard plunge by Turbin to go up 10-0.
 
On its third possession, the Cowboys' forced a third three and out.  This would be a theme as Jacksonville had to punt seven times in the contest.  The Cowboys would prevail, 20-3.
 
Meanwhile, DeSean Jackson (146 yards) and Jacquizz Rogers (56 yards) led a Cowboys ground game that amassed 217 yards.  McCoy's performance put him over the century mark (1,035 for the season).
 
Dallas held Jacksonville to 219 total yards.  66 came on a pass play to sensational RB David Johnson, who was double covered.
 
The Jags' ability to stop the run was hurt by Damon Harrison (DT-10) sustaining an injury in the first half and not returning to the game.
             
 Buffalo 31 New York(A) 0                    55 5-15
Nothing much to say about this one....

Jets received the opening kickoff, and on their 3rd play threw a pick.
Moments later it was 7-0....and that was the game....
 
 Atlanta 16 San Francisco 10                 64 20-30
The 49ers second possession of the game resulted in a 93 yard drive capped by a 3 yard TD run by Jordan Howard. The fans were ecstatic.  The Falcons were held to punts on their first 3 possessions. On the next 49er possession, they moved the ball smartly before Ryan Fitzpatrick morphed into Mr Hyde, getting picked on the 16 yard line that ended the 74 yd drive.  Before the pick, he had hit 11 of 11. 
 
Atlanta got untracked late in the 2nd quarter on the arm of Rivers and runs of Miller and Richard, resulting in 88 yards in 7 plays and a 13 yd TD run by Richards.  Yet another interception of a Fitz pass late in the 1st half afforded Cantanzaro a 34 yd FG with 13 seconds left.  End of half: Atlanta 10, SF 7. Fitzgerald would be benched in the second half for Gabbert.
 
Late in the 3rd quarter, SF put together another 80 yard drive, this time based on 13 runs (mostly Howard) that stalled on the Atlanta 4 yard line and finished with a Crosby 13 yd FG to tie the game.  Later in the 4th quarter, Forbath kicked a 56 yd FG after a short drive and then fashioned a 69 yard drive resulting in a  32 yd FG to finish the scoring.
 
SF moved the ball well (22 FD vs 13 FD for Atlanta) but couldn’t take advantage of the tough Falcon defense when it mattered. Falcon offense did just enough (Rivers 12-22, 127 yards, 24 rushes for 139 yards) to win.  49er Howard had another good game --22-123 yards but the SF QBs sabotaged the offense.
 
Thanks for Marty for a good game.  He patiently witnessed the 49ers theatrics on the filed and made the most of his opportunities.
 
 Green Bay 3 Tampa Bay 34                    84 0-10 
The 4 and 4 Green Bay Packers rolled into Tampa Bay for game two of their division series.   Tampa’s coach Chase, his team’s record at 5 and 3, was seeking his first ever season sweep of the John Conners lead Packers after taking game one on the road 20 – 13.  
 
Personnel wise things were in Chase’s favor with two Packer QBs, Brian Hoyer and Jay Cutler, out of action.  Formally third string Derek Anderson was the starting Green Bay QB.  That combined with the return of QB Derek Carr for the Buccaneers had the odds makers heavily favoring the Bucs.  
 
The result of the game was as many expected, a Tampa victory.  The difference between the two rivals on this day was more than was commonly held. 
 
Green Bay could only muster 8 first downs to Tampa Bay’s 21.  GB 136 yards of net offense; TB 392.  The Anderson version of Derek threw for 56 yards; the Carr version 283.  Tampa won the turnover battle 5 to 2. 
The final score tallied 34 Tampa points to only 3 for Green Bay. 
 
Neither Hoyer or Cutler are expected back for next week’s Packer match up with the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field.  Coach Conners will search hard for a way to get Anderson to sharply increase his productivity.  After working to a 4 and 2 record, the Pack has dropped 3 in a row to fall to 4 wins against 5 losses.  A sixth loss, with only one team left on the schedule with a losing record, could mark the end of the Packer’s hope for the season’s playoffs. 
 
Chase has his team at 6 and 3 heading into a huge divisional game on the road verses the 7 and 2 Chicago Bears.  A win will mean a season split in the series and pull the Bucs to all even with the Bears.  A loss will likely leave Tampa relegated to a wild card playoff spot at best. 
​
 New Orleans 19 Carolina 22                  64 0-5 
The division leading Saints roll into Carolina to take on the last place Panthers. 
 
Carolina is surprisingly game and leads at half time 16 to 13. Carolina fully expecting the dam to break in the second half. To everyone's surprise there is no scoring in the second half until the Saints drive the length of the field, including converting a 3rd and 19, to tie the game at 16-16 with a field goal as time expires.
 
In overtime the Saints win the toss and drive the length of the field in a workmanlike manner. Carolina is able to hold on a 3rd and 2 but still give up the go ahead field goal. After the kick off for Carolina's possession, things don't look good as the Panthers start at their own 10. facing 4th and 19, the Panthers shockingly convert and proceed to drive the length of the field culminating with Wilson tossing a 9 yard TD to Cobb for the win.
 
 New England 31 Miami 24                     77 Calm 
The Patriots visit the Dolphins as the last unbeaten team this year, but the Dolphins, inspired by a earlier upset score announcement were out to change that. Solid performances by both Teams on both sides of the ball, this game had 5 lead changes and was close until the end, but alas, New England would leave Miami as still the only unbeaten team in the IFL, the Pats escape with a 31-24 win in a hard fought affair.
 
  Washington 31 Philadelphia 14               45 5-15
Rookie Dak Prescott makes a splash in his debut in the City of Brotherly Love, tossing three touchdown passes in a contest tighter than the final score indicates.  The Redskins put up 17 unanswered points in the final quarter to secure the win. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Murray,L(NE)    20-163  4 TD
 Elliott,E(Min)  28-148  1 TD
 McCoy,L(Dal)    22-146  1 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    22-123  1 TD
 Murray,D(Phi)   21-121  1 TD
 Blount(KC)      19-103  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Edelman(Pit)    12-202  5 TD
 Thomas,D(Chi)   10-134  2 TD
 Tate,G(Ind)     13-113
 Austin,T(SD)    11-112  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Ryan,M(Ten)     39-25-380   1 TD  1 Int
 Flacco(NO)      49-31-365   1 TD  1 Int
 Brady,T(Pit)    33-29-353   5 TD
 Brees(Min)      35-26-349   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Wilson,R(Car)   37-25-309   2 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   40-18-308   1 TD
 Mariota(Chi)    37-27-302   3 TD
 Bortles(Den)    39-21-301   1 TD  2 Int
 Palmer,C(Ind)   47-33-291   1 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Beasley Jr(Buf)  3 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Shazier(GB)      2 Int 5 Tk
 Van Noy(TB)      2 Int 4 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 McManus(NO)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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WEEK 9 IFL STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 9 LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 8 RECAP

Anthony Brown's 3 TDs help New England remain undefeated as they escape Buffalo in O.T.

​Game Scores
New England 27 Buffalo 21                   43 5-15 
One heck of a battle as the Patriots take the ball on their last drive to tie the game and send it to OT where they score a TD on the first possession to seal the game and keep the Pats undefeated!
 
Philadelphia 27 Dallas 13                   70
Dallas' game plan was to overplay the run, given Nick Foles' limited pass attempt allocation.  I got burned.  Foles completed 17/21 passes for 184 yards and two TD's.   Meanwhile, Cam Newton's hot or cold (and no in between) season continues.  He was cold:  14/31 for a paltry 137 yards.   His lousy game combined with 100 yards in penalties gave Dallas no chance in this one.    
​                 
 Tampa Bay 13 Detroit 23                     70
This was a hard fought close game.  The box scores are very even.  The Bucs got hurt going for 4 & 6 twice and not making it around the Lions 38 or so.  All in all TB was 2/5 on 4th down.  In the end, I guess the difference was a couple nice Terrence West runs & Kessler hitting some key timely passes.
 The Lions had 2 red zone TDs to go along with 2 red zone FGs, while the Bucs had to settle for 2 FGs on their 2 trips to the red zone.
 Kessler threw for 207 yrds with a 86 rating.
Terrence West ran 18 times for 122, but over half those yards came on 2 carries. He also had 2 TD's
Alan Robinson halled in 9 passes for 105 yrds
 Bucs Derrick Carr was 0-0 with zero yards.  Leaving the QB'n chores to Sieman who seemed to go down hill as the game went on.
Ware ran nice for 114.
 
Det (4-4) will host the  6-1 Raiders, while TB(5-3) hosts division rival GB (4-3) 
                   
 New York(N) 7 Tennessee 52                  56 5-15
This one was over early as the Titans took the opening kickoff and went 72 yards in 5 plays, scoring on a 7 yard Matt Ryan pass to Kyle Rudolph.  The Tennessee kickoff was 9 yards deep but Tommylee Lewis elected to run it out.  Unfortunately, he fumbled at the 9 yard line and the Titans recovered.  Next play the Giants expected a pass but Bralon Addison took the handoff and scooted into the end zone.  It was 14-0 Titans three minutes into the game.
The rest of the game was DK doing everything to help Tennessee win.  Three turnovers by the Giants plus 7 untimely penalties doomed New York to a bad loss.  The final score was 52-7.  Matt Ryan was the game MVP with 11 for 16, 170 yards and 4 TD's.  Robby Anderson caught 5 passes for the Giants.
Tennessee visits Cincinnati next week in an important Central Division matchup.  The Giants host Arizona in their bid to win the Kareem Hunt derby. 
 
 San Diego 10 Kansas City 30                 43 0-5 
Behind an efficient effort from Andy Dalton and taking advantage of 9 San Diego penalties, the Chiefs defeated the visiting Chargers by a score of 30-10. Dalton was 24-19-192 with a TD and a QB rating of 113.9, and combined with LaGarrett Blount's 88 yards on 20 carries, the Chiefs controlled the ball for over 35 minutes to come away with the win. Tyrod Taylor was bothered all day by the KC secondary, as he completed only 15 passes in 33 attempts for 150 yards. San Diego was effective on the ground, piling up 125 yards at 5.2 yard per carry, but the Chargers never led and because of the penalties could  not sustain many long drives. With the win KC improves to 4-4 with a visit to Denver while San Diego falls to 2-6 and hosts Houston next week.
 
Pittsburgh 25 Cincinnati 33                 49 Calm 
Week 8 IFL action saw a key AFC Central match-up as the Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Cincinnati.   The Bengals with a three game winning streak hoped to continue their hot play while the Steelers, who have been very active trying to beef up their squad with trades hopes reality hits Cincinnati right in the mouth.
 
The Bengals got the first break of the game as safety Shawn Williams picked off Brady after Cincinnati challenged the call of an incomplete pass.  The Bengals could not take advantage of their good fortune thanks to a couple penalties as Barth missed the 54 yard attempt.  The Cincinnati defense known as the Baby Bengal "D" with rookies Jalen Ramsey, Donte Flower Jr., and Sheldon Rankins as major contributors forced Pittsburgh to punt despite starting off at their own 44.   This seemed to spark the Bengal offense as Mel Gordon rushed for 12 yards two straight times.  Eventually Rodgers connected with Jeffery for the 19 yard score.  The point-after attempt was blocked however.  Before IFL Bengal fans could toast the score the Steelers Josh Huff returned the kick 105 yards to give Pittsburgh a 7-6 lead.
 
After exchanges of punts, Cincinnati put together an 11 play 74 yard drive that saw Gordon fly over from less than a yard out as the Bengals regained the lead at 13-7.  After forcing another Steeler punt, Cincinnati put together another 10 play drive with Ty Montgomery finishing it off from two yards out extending the Bengals lead to 20-7 with a little over two minutes remaining in the half.  However, after Pittsburgh downed the kickoff, Brady hits Sproles on a little out and he goes 75 yards to cut the lead to 20-14 at the half.
 
The Bengals opened the third quarter with another long drive but had to settle on a Barth field goal to extend the lead to 23-14.  The Steelers gambled on fourth down from their own 48 but Ferguson could not haul in Brady's flip and Cincinnati took over.   The next series emphasized Pittsburgh's frustration and the Bengals good fortune as Cincinnati recovered two of their own fumbles to keep the series alive.   Gordon would go in from three yards out adding to the Bengal lead 30-14 on the first play of the final quarter.  Pittsburgh once again gambled from their own 41 on fourth down and once again were denied.  However, Vereen fumbled and this time the Steelers recovered.  The Steelers drove to the Cincinnati 10 but decided on a Vinatieri field goal to cut the lead to 30-17 with about seven and a half minutes remaining.
 
After forcing a Cincinnati punt, the Steelers failed again on their fourth down gamble from their own 25.  The Bengals converted this into another Barth field goal and a 33-17 lead with 1:40 remaining.  However, facing first and 22 from their own 12 after an Edelman personal foul, the Pittsburgh receiver made up for the miscue by catching an 88 yard bomb.  The Steelers converted the two-point attempt cutting the lead to eight at 33-25.  However, the Bengals were able to recover the onside kick and hold on for the win.
 
Brady finished 18 of 39 for 285 yards with two TDs and an INT.  Edelman caught six passes for 136 yards and a score while Sproles added six catches for 107 yards and a score.
 
The big story for Cincinnati was Melvin Gordon's best game of his IFL career.  The Bengal tailback rushed for 127 yards on 31 attempts with two touchdowns.  Rodgers went 19 of 25 for 190 yards and a TD.  Brooks Reed led the Cincinnati defense with two sacks.
 
Next week the Steelers welcome Baltimore while the Bengals host Tennessee in another big AFC Central game.
 
 San Francisco 17 New York(A) 16             61 0-10 
A close game between two teams looking forward to next April.

The 49er's get the win 17-16, despite Fitz throwing 3 picks. The Jets
didn't have an answer for Jordan Howard, he had 143 yards on 31 carries.

And, for the Jets, the beat goes on!

Next week the Jets host the Bills, and the 49er's host the Falcons.
 
 Jacksonville 30 Baltimore 21                50 Calm 
Jacksonville (3-4) and Baltimore (1-6) met for an always tough AFC Central battle with the odds makers calling this an even game at M&T Bank Stadium. Be sure to read the full write-up if you want to be entertained by the wacky happenings. Here's the short version: Baltimore loses again. Jacksonville wins, 30-21.

The Jags started on their own 35 and put together an 11-play, 38-yard drive that resulted in a 54-yard FG from Andrew Franks. Jags up, 3-0 after their first possession.

The Ravens went 3-and-out, but Jeff Locke's 49-yard punt went out at the Jacksonville 18, leaving the Jags with a long field to cover. Cover they did, going 82 yards in 8 plays with Colin Kaepernick hitting TE Jack Doyle for 24 and WR Jeremy "Formerly a Raven" Kerley for 23 and a TD. Jags up, 10-0.
 
Baltimore stuck back quickly though, with Eli Manning hitting WR Chris Hogan for a 54-yard TD. Matt Bryant's PAT cut the Jags lead to 10-7.
 
Jacksonville got a first down in their next possession, but had to punt. Manning led the Ravens downfield, hitting Hogan for 17 and a first down on the Jags' 12. On the next play, Eli returned to his old self, getting picked-off by LB Zach Brown at the 1. Jacksonville managed to dig out of that hole and climb to mid-field, but the 11-play drive stalled there. Johnny Hekker's punt rolled out at the Baltimore 5 to pin the Ravens deep in their own territory.
 
Manning led the purple jerseys out to mid-field with 1:40 left in the half, but on 2nd-and-10, T.J. McDonald picked-off Manning's pass and set up another long FG (55 yards) by Franks as the clock expired for the half. Jacksonville, 13-7.
 
Baltimore received the kick to start the second half, but couldn't move the ball. Jacksonville responded with a 3-and-out of their own. Baltimore struck swiftly and moved down the field like a bobsled on ice. The drive included a 24-yard Manning-to-Will Fuller gain, then a 12-yarder to Hogan for a 14-13 Baltimore lead.
 
The Jags crawled out from the shadow of their goal posts on the next possession, but had to punt after 7 plays and Baltimore took possession on their own 38. Just as sudden as Usain Bolt running the 100 meters, Manning hit Fuller on a short hitch, and 62 yards later, it was Baltimore 21-13. Things were looking good in Baltimore with about 20 minutes to play. Then the fourth quarter happened.
 
Jacksonville went 69 yards in 12 plays, with a Franks FG cutting the deficit to 21-16 Baltimore. The Jags then caught Baltimore with their pants down and successfully recovered an onside kick as the 4th quarter was just begining! Guess this was a sign of the weird stuff that was about to happen.
 
The Jags drove to the Raven 14 and had a 2nd-and-3. They gained 7 on their next play, but OT Donald Penn was called for holding. 2nd-and-13 from the 24. On the next play, the Jags again fooled the Ravens and called a draw play where RB David Johnson darted and dashed his way to a 17 yard gain and a first down...expect Penn was AGAIN called for a holding penalty. Faced with a 2nd-and-23 from the 34, Coach Hood was realistically look a kicking another FG to cut Baltimore's lead to 21-19. David Johnson ran for 6, 5 and 5 yards - yes, that's right. With all the penalties, Coach Hood forgot that after two runs, and 11 yards, it was 4th-and-12 on the Ravens 23 and he called another run play to get into even better FG position.
 
Baltimore took over on downs and attempted a run play, but TE Jace Amaro was flagged for a penalty (probably because he hadn't played in so long) that set the Ravens back to their 9 yard line. Feeling guilty (about the 4th down play, not the penalty), Coach Master asked Dave Hood if he wanted to try a restart at that 4th down play. Seemed like the fair thing to do since it was an honest mistake. He surely should have had 3 points out of that drive.
 
Try as we might, we couldn't get the game to restart from two plays back (remember, the run/penalty play after the failed 4th-down attempt?). So we decided to just continue on and chalk it up to "coaching error". Of course, as we discussed it, the play-clock ran out and Baltimore was backed up another 5 yards. Karma, I guess.
 
Well, karma wasn't done and after Baltimore couldn't gain a first down, the Ravens punted and Jacksonville had the ball near mid-field. Two runs and four Kaepernick passes later, Johnson sprinted across the goal line and the Jags led again, 23-21.
 
Two plays after an ill-advised return out of the end zone, Manning was sacked by Damon Harrison and Lawrence Timmons recovered the loose ball on the Ravens 5. Three plays later, Johnson ran it in from the one-yard line. Jacksonville, 30-21.
 
The snake-bitten Ravens were stunned and couldn't move the ball. Manning's 4th-and-19 pass fluttered to the ground and Jacksonville, mercifully, ran out the clock.
 
Jacksonville's RB David Johnson was named the game's MVP with 208 total yards - 129 on the ground in 28 carries and 79 through the air on 10 receptions. Kaepernick completed 26 of 36 passes for 241 yards and 2 TDs.
 
Baltimore's Le'Veon Bell failed to reach 100 yards for the first time this year - gaining 97 on 14 carries and added another 18 on 3 receptions. Chris Hogan (3 rec/83 yards/2 TDs) and Will Fuller (3 rec/107 yards/1 TD) had big games, but they weren't enough for the Ravens.
 
Jacksonville (4-4) stays on the road (5th road game of last six) to take on Dallas (5-3). Baltimore (1-7) is looking forward to the draft, but has to travel to Pittsburgh (4-4) first and play the other games on the schedule first.
 
 Miami 17 Indianapolis 23                    69
    Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – The visiting Miami Dolphins (2-6) turned the ball over four (4) times and the Indianapolis Colts converted 3 of those miscues into 13 points as they went on to win their fourth game of the season 23-17, evening their record at 4-4. 
 
The Dolphins scored the first points of the game on their opening drive, going 75 Yards in 9 plays when Ryan Tannehill (40-23, 268 Yards 1 TD 3 INT) hit wide  receiver Travis Benjami (3-52 Yards 1 TD) with a 10 yard scoring pass. Following the touchdown toss both teams exchange a total of 5 punts, when from its own 15 Tannehill through his first interception of the game to Tavon Young (CB) no return. The Colts converted the turnover into a 53 yard Stephen Hauschka FG, 7-3 Miami. Indianapolis will follow that score with 2 touchdowns in the final 1:28 of the first half, when the Colts scored its first touchdown of the game going 14 plays in 91 yards on a 3 yard touchdown run by Isaiah Crowell (19-80, 2 TD). Following the kickoff the Dolphins take over with 1:05 left in the first half when Tannehill threw his second interception of the game to cornerback Jamar Taylor and returned 37 yards to the Miami 6. Crowell would score his second touchdown on the game, taking it to paydirt on one play from the 6 yard-line, 17-7 Indianapolis.
 
The Colts would score the only points of the third-quarter with a 20 yard field-goal by Hauschka, extending their lead to 20-7. Early in the fourth quarter following a 15 play 67 yard drive Miami will close the gap to 20–10 with a 26 yard Matt Prater FG.  With 4:59 left in the fourth quarter Hauschka kicked his 3rd field-goal of the game when he drilled a 50 yarder, Colts 23-10. With time running out Miami’s next possession saw them drive 75 yards on 7 plays and score a touchdown on a 5 yard run by Zack Zenner (RB) 23-17 Indianapolis. Miami will get one more shot to win the game as time expired, final score Indianapolis Colts 23 Miami Dolphins 17.          
 
Next up for Indianapolis is the Los Angeles Rams (5-2)  in the LA Coliseum, and the Miami Dolphins host division leading and undefeated New England Patriots (7-0).        
 
Sam "no spell check" Willie
NFL Insider 
Indianapolis Star                 
                           
 Green Bay 0 Chicago 23                      42 15-25
Green Bay traveled to Chicago in week 8.  The teams met in week 1 with the Packers defeating the Bears 13-7.  The anticipated close game wasn’t in the cards this time.
 
The stats say it all.  The Bears managed to put up 20 points in the first half while holding the Packers to 24 yards of total offense (-1 on the ground).  Neither team did much on offense in the second half, the only scoring a Bears field goal.
 
Chicago 23  Green Bay 0
 
The Bears defense forced 3 turnovers, Green Bay one.  Packers QB Anderson was sacked 5 times, Mariota 3.  There were no offensive standouts on either team.
 
Next week Green Bay travels to Tampa Bay while Chicago travels to Minnesota.
 
 Washington 17 Arizona 23                    88 Calm
The Redskins came to visit the Cardinals expecting a romp.  However, it was damn hot in Arizona and the Cardinals like it hot.  The game did not go as expected for the high powered skins.  Washington had trouble containing the Zona running game and Big Ben was on target for most of the outing.  
 
The Zona team slowed their offense down not wanting to give the Skins any more opportunity against their weak defense.  However, in the end the tide of the game turned on one interception by Zona to prevent a Skins score and penalties.  Penalties continually gave the Skins headaches and the long road for first downs.
 
Zona avenges their prior defeat in the season opener with a shaky win 23 to 17. 
 
 New Orleans 10 Atlanta 13                   70          
The Saint's dream of a perfect season turned into a nightmare as a a fumble on a "lineman's dream", also turned nightmare, decided the game. This was a hard fought defensive battle that came down to a deflected pass caught by Jahri Evans but forced to fumble by game MVP Avery Williamson. Cre'von Leblance, playing out of position at S after Rashad Johnson got injured leaving the Falcons without another option at S, recovered the fumble on the Saints 35. After 2 rushes by Lamar Miller, Kai Forbath hit the game winning 49 yard FG with no time left on the clock, breaking a 10-10 tie.
 
With the 13-10 win, the Falcons improve their record to 5-3 while the Saints fall to 7-1.         
 
 Minnesota 31 Denver 28                      40 Calm 
In a game where neither defense played very well, the Vikings came up with a 31-28 victory over the Broncos at Milehigh.
 
Both QB's had great days.  The Vikes Brees threw for 350 yards and 2 TD's and the Broncos Bortles threw for 251 yards and 3 scores.
 
The Broncos had no defense for the Vikes TE Witten and Wideout Inman as they amassed 158 and 119 yards respectively and each
of them had a TD.
For Denver Matthews had 103 yards and a score.
 
Carolina 13 Los Angeles 27                  54 Calm 
Rams and Panthers got together for a rematch of their week 1 tilt. 
 
1st half:

The 1st half went very similar to first match between these teams. Panthers had a lot of success mixing the run and pass. Wilson was sharp early. Panthers managed a 10-3 lead going into the two minute warning. Rams QB Andrew Luck completed got on track stringing together some passes and then capped the drive with a 3 yard scramble to tie it 10-10.
 
2nd half:

Rams offense stayed efficient. Big runs by Mark Ingram helped lead to the next Rams TD, 17-10 Rams. Panthers continued to move the ball but their FG kicker let them down and missed a 48 yarder. That would be a key play in the game, in three plays the Rams score another TD, 24-10 Rams. Going up by two scores allowed the Rams to focus on the pass. Carolina would manage another field goal, but with the defense struggling there wasn't enough time for the Panthers to muster a comeback. Khalil Mack finally solved the mystery and managed 3 sacks after having 0 going into the game. Final 27-13 Rams.
 
 
Panthers Best:
Mike Gillislee 13 carries 85 yards 1 TD
Paul Posluszny 10 Tackles 1 sack 3 Stuffs
 
Rams Best:
Mark Ingram 13 Carries 87 Yards 1 TD
Khalil Mack 3 sacks 9 Tackles 
 
Next week the Rams host the Colts while the Panthers host the Saints.
 Oakland 23 Houston 10                       70 Calm  Dome          
Sim
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Hill,J(Was)     23-146
 Howard,J(SF)    31-143  1 TD
 Johnson,D(Jax)  28-129  1 TD
 Gordon,M(Cin)   31-127  2 TD
 Ajayi(Ari)      30-126  1 TD
 West,T(Det)     18-122  2 TD
 Ware,S(TB)      20-114
 Addison(Ten)    26-112  2 TD
 Murray,D(Phi)   20-107
 Elliott,E(Min)  25-106  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Witten(Min)      9-158  1 TD
 Brown,A(NE)     13-137  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Johnson,D(Jax)  10- 79  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Brees(Min)      34-22-350   2 TD  1 Int
 Stafford(Oak)   36-27-304   1 TD  1 Int
 Bradford(NE)    38-28-303   4 TD
 Wentz(NYG)      48-33-189   1 Int
 Ryan,M(Ten)     16-11-170   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Bradberry(NYJ)   2 Int 3 Tk
 Chancellor(Chi)  2 Int
 Campbell,D(NO)   16 Tk
 Slay(Oak)        2 Int 1 Sk 5 Tk
 Mack(LAR)        3 Sk 9 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Huff(Pit)      6-198 Kick Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Team Player of the Week
​

---

WEEK 8 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 8 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

IFL TEAM STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 8

WEEK 7 RECAP

Demarco Murray and the Eagles ambush NFC Central leader Tampa Bay in Week 7 IFL action.

​Game Scores
Philadelphia 41 Tampa Bay 13                89 0-10
The 2 - 4 Eagles travel south to Tampa to take on the 5 - 1 Buccaneers.  Philly's first possession results in minus 6 yards after a William Hayes sack.  The Tampa faithful are pumped up.
 
Tampa's first time with the ball goes well.  Derek Carr is accurate and Ware rips off a 13 yard run as they drive down the field, but the drive stalls and they settle for 3.  
 
The Eagles make a much better showing of it with the ball and DeMarco Murray.  Three Murray carries brings about 6 quick points.  The third run was a 52-yard sweep left verses the Bucs heavy run defense.  After a missed extra point the score is 6 - 3 Eagles.
 
After one first down Tampa boots it back to Philly.  Philly in turn mixes in the run and pass nicely and hits another big play with a Jameis Winston to Kenny Britt 35-yard TD pass.  13 - 3 Philly.  
 
The crowd is less boisterous, but still behind Carr and his guys.  That is until Carr limps off the field after DeForest Bucker is blocked into the QB's leg.  He would not return.  It would be up to Trevor Siemian to take the controls the rest of the way.  Coach Chase shows a lot of confidence in the young man going for it on 4th and 1 at the Philly 47 and calling a play action pass.  Over confidence abounds.  Philly ball with a short field and up 10 early in the 2nd quarter.  
 
Coach Mason calls 7 runs in a row.  Murray carries the load.  Then with the defense drawn in, Winston hits Britt for a second TD on a 13-yard hook up.  Things are slipping away for the home team.  Eagles up 20 -3.
 
In what would prove to be their last gasp, Tampa drives for 7 to cut the lead to 10 points at 20 - 10.  
 
Thereafter Murray goes untouched for his second long TD run.  This time 53 yards.  Now it's 27 - 10.  Siemian gets picked off making for a short field for the birds.  Quickly its 34 - 10.  At the half the score is 34 - 13.  
 
The second half was just a going thru the motions process.  The final was a somewhat  shocking 41 - 13 Eagle crushing of the pirates.  
 
Player stats include Jameis Winston QB rating of 149.9.  DeMarco Murray 13 carries/152 yards/13.8 average and 2 TDs over 50 yards!  Kenny Britt 6 grabs/101 yards and 2 TDs.  
 
Next week Tampa takes on division rival Detroit at Ford Field with Carr questionable.  Philadelphia flys out to the Big D to take on the Cowboys.  
 
 Atlanta 39 Miami 36                         92 0-5  
Miami gains 566 yards to 431 and Tannehill has a 104.8 rating to 33.6 for Phillip Rivers who threw 4 picks but the Dolphins lose to the Falcons in overtime after throwing a pick at the falcons 1 yard line in overtime and the Falcons march the field and kick the game winning FG with 4:20 left in overtime to win it 39-36. The Falcons were aided by 2 special teams TD's, a punt return to open their scoring and a KO return (with 1:29 remaining in regulation and converting the 2 pt conversion to tie the score) to force overtime. the win moves Atlanta to 4-3 while dropping the Dolphins to 2-5. The win keeps the Falcons in contention while once again moving the Dolphins to the lower end of the Division with only hopes of playing spoiler somewhere down the road.
 
 Dallas 42 Detroit 30                        70 
     Cowboys jump out to a 17-0 lead before the Lions even get a 1st down.  But Detroit's offense comes alive and the Lions take the lead 30-29 with 4:09 left.  That was time enough for super sub QB Matt Moore to lead the Dallas squad 75 yards for the winning TD.  Dallas tacked on a meaningless TD cuz the Lions kept calling timeout in hopes of a million to one chance of a fumble recovery for a TD.
 Cam Newton began the game 9 for 9 & Matt Moore finished the game going 9 for 9.  They had QB ratings of 123 & 156 respectively.   LeSean McCoy ran for 146 YARDS. 6.3 avg & 2 tds, While Jacquezz Rodgers added 45 more yards averaging 5.6.
 For Detroit, Kessler passed for 324 yards with 3 TD's & West ran for 68 yards.
 
It was a fun game that came right down to the end.
 Next week Detroit hosts division leading Tampa Bay, while Dallas hosts rival Philadelphia.
             
 Oakland 21 Baltimore 3                      65 Calm 
Oakland traveled to Baltimore with the swagger* of a 5-1 team being a 13 point favorite to take on the 1-5 Ravens. For most of the first quarter, it looked like the Ravens would make Commissioner John look like Jimmy the Greek (OK...maybe that's not a good look...sorry...don't know any other famous prognosticators). *Note: it was the players who swaggered around, not Coach Keith.

The Raiders' first three possessions looked like this:
Start on their own 8, penalty on their first play, two incomplete passes and a 14 yard pass left them short of a first down, punt.
Start on their own 7, penalty on their first play, 5 yard run and three incomplete passes, punt
Start on their own 8, 3 incomplete passes, punt

After that second series, Baltimore was able to move downfield to the Raider 12 before the drive stalled. Matt Bryant kicked a 30-yard FG for a 3-0 Baltimore lead.

Winning the field-position game, Baltimore pinned the Raiders at their own 4 where Oakland started their 4th possession as the 1st quarter ended. This is when Raider QB Matthew Stafford started to warm up. Stafford hit 5 straight short passes for 2 first downs, pushing the ball out to their own 37. Then lightning struck in the form of a short out to Kelvin Benjamin and he scampered 63 yards down the sideline to give the Raiders a 7-3 lead.

Baltimore went 3-and-out on their next possession (4-and-out if you include the offensive penalty) and the Raiders got good field position near midfield. Ten plays later, Carlos Hyde dove in from the 2 for a 14-3 Raider lead with just under 6 minutes left in the half. Neither team could mount a threat before the half, but Baltimore was encouraged by the their first half showing.

Receiving the kickoff to start the second half, Baltimore was confident they could beat that 13 point spread the odds makers had set. Unfortunately, Jordan Norwood was in a giving mood and after returning the kickoff, 32 yards decided to give it to the Raiders. Eight plays later, Stafford hit Benjamin for a 2-yard TD. Oakland 21-3.

The closest Baltimore would get after that was to their Raider 8 with about 10 minutes left. Rather than kick the FG to make it a 15-point, two-TD game, Ravens' Coach Master stupidly opted to go for it...and failed. Baltimore's last two possessions resulted in Raider INTs and the game was over.

Benjamin was named the game's MVP with 2 TDs on 5 catches for 101 yards. Stafford totaled just 167 through the air on 16 completions in 32 attempts.

Raven Le'Veon Bell again topped the 100-yard mark with 103 on 23 carries. Manning's two INTs late dropped his QB rating to 31.4, but otherwise had a reasonable game against Oakland super-tough secondary. Eli connected for 174 yards on 15 completions, though it took him 39 attempts to get there.

Oakland (6-1) takes on Houston (4-2) in Week 8 for a big showdown in the AL West. Baltimore (1-6) starts looking towards the draft...again...and takes on Jacksonville (3-3).
 
 New York(A) 13 New Orleans 20               70    
The #1 ranked D would step up again limiting the Jets to only 106 yards. The Jets would make things interesting with a fumble recovery for a TD and a blocked punt that led to a FG. Byron Maxwell had 2 picks for the Saints and Flacco had 2 TD passes. The undefeated Saints travel to Atlanta next week and the 1-6 Jets host the 49ers.
                
 Arizona 13 Chicago 33                       51 5-15 
2-4 Arizona visited 4-2 Chicago as a 7 point underdog.  After Arizona won the toss and deferred, the Bears mounted a 13 play, 76 yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead (Mariota 3 yds to Crowder).  After quickly stopping the Cardinals first drive, the Bears went 61 yards in 11 plays to make it Chicago 14 Arizona 0 (Mariota 18 yards to Marvin Jones).  The Arizona defense stiffened and held the Bears scoreless the rest of the half, but their offense couldn’t move the ball.  Arizona managed one decnt drive at the end of the half, moving 53 yards on 13 plays, Walsh hitting a 45 yd FG as time expired.  14-3 Bears at the half.
 
The Cardinals opened the second half with a short drive from their own 39, Walsh again putting points on the board from 54 yds out, making it a one score game at 14-6.  The Bears answered on their next possession as Mariota hit Rogers from 34 yards out and a 21-6 lead.  Arizona showed were still in the game as as Ajayi ran 76 yards for the score on the Cardinal’s first play from scrimmage, Chicago 21 Arizona 13.  The Bears showed they could make big plays from scrimmage themselves on the next drive.  After a 6 yard run by Kelly, Mariota found Crowder on a short 8 yd out, who was able to turn upfield and find running room, getting pushed out at the Arizona 8 and a 61 yard gain.  Two plays later Mariota hit Thomas in the end zone, Novak missing the extra point, Chicago 27 Arizona 13.  The Bears stopped the Cardinal’s offense and the quarter ended with the Bears controlling the ball and a 14 point lead.
 
The Bears drive continued to open the 4th and Mariota extended the lead to 33-13, hitting Thomas again, this time on a 37 yard fly pattern. Novak again missed the extra point.  Arizona gamely fought back, but was stopped on 4th and goal from the 3.  Neither team could move the ball much with 6 minutes remaining and Chicago eventually ran out the clock.
 
Chicago 33  Arizona 13
 
Thank you to Bob Beardsley (SF) for subbing for Arizona.
 
For Arizona, Ajayi gained 106 yards on 14 carries.  Roethlisberger 24/38/205.
 
For Chicago, Mariota 27/32/377 and 5 TD.  He also ran for 28 yards on 5 carries, keeping several drives alive.  Marvin Jones caught 8 balls for 102 yards and a touchdown.
 
In week 8, Arizona (2-5) hosts Washington (5-1), Green Bay (4-2) travels to Chicago (5-2).
 
 Los Angeles 14 New England 24               57 10-20 Rain          
With only one loss between these two teams after 6 weeks, this looked to be a prime matchup.  AJ Green, TY Hilton and Andrew Luck matched up against Jordy Nelson, Antonio Brown and Sam Bradford.   The stars were out in Foxboro.
 
New England jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, thanks in large part to a Logan Ryan interception, giving NE the ball at the Rams 17 yard line.  NE bogged down at the LA 9 yard line and Sturgis nailed the 27 yarder.
 
The next two Ram drives ended with punts, and toward the end of the 1st quarter, Bradford went back to work.  Three completions to Jordy for a total of 45 yards set the Patriots up in the red zone, and Latavius Murray capped the drive with a 9 yard TD run.  10-0 New England early in Q2
 
Rams stormed back with a 12 play 71 yard drive spanning over 6 minutes to cut the lead to 10-7.  Two key 3rd and long conversions by Luck, to Hilton and Green respectively, keyed the drive.  Mark Ingram scored from 3 yards out to draw the Rams within 3.
 
Not wanting to be outdone, Sam Bradford responded by engineering a 15 play 75 yard drive which ended with a 14-yard TD pass to Nelson.  17-7 heading to the half.
 
The defenses took over in the 3rd quarter and neither team could dent the scoreboard.
 
The first play of the 4th quarter was a Rams punt, which should have given New England the ball, with the wind, and a 10 point lead.  Rather than having the chance to work some clock, punt returner Trevor Davis coughed it up during the return, and the Rams were in business at the NE 35 yard line!
 
Naturally, when you give a good team a break like that, they are prone to cash in.  And the Rams did.  Luck hit Hilton for a 12 yard TD, after an early 17 yard completion, and the Rams were within 3 points with most of the 4th quarter still to play.
 
The Patriots worked some clock, eating nearly 6 minutes on the ensuing drive.  Facing a critical 4th and 1 at the Rams 30 yard line the Patriots eschewed the 47 yard field goal attempt (with a strong wind behind them), instead giving the ball to Lat Murray.  The Rams were waiting for him however, and he was stuffed!  
Rams take over, down 3 points, with 6 minutes to play.  
A penalty by Rob Gronkowski set the Rams back however, and they were forced to punt without even gaining a first down.
 
An Antonio Brown reception gave the Pats a quick first down, but the Ram defense stiffened and forced a NE punt from near midfield.
 
Lethal Rams punt returner Marcus Sherels was back and waiting...........
 
Punting near the sidelines, Sherels let it roll out of bounds at the 9 yard line.  But there was a penalty on NE, and the Rams forced NE to punt it again from 5 yards deeper.
 
Sherels fielded the ensuing punt...............but then fumbled it away...........right into the arms of a Patriot special teamer.  A backbreaking turnover, New England had the ball at the 1 yard line.
 
Sam Bradford ultimately dove over the goal line after a couple attempts were thwarted.............New England had a 10 point lead with just over 2 minutes to play.
 
Luck attempted to rally the troops, but after leading the team out near midfield, the Ram QB tossed his 3rd interception of the day....this one to Sean Smith.  Game over.
 
Luck had a rough day to say the least, completing only 8 of 26 passes for 92 yards, 3 INTs and a TD.  Mark Ingram carried 15 times for 79 yards and a rushing TD.
 
For New England, Sam Bradford completed 24 of 36 passes for 218 and a TD.  Jordy Nelson was the offensive star for the home team, grabbing 10 passes for 112 and a score.
 
4 Ram turnovers resulted in 10 Patriot points - which was the difference in the final score.
 
Rams host Carolina next week.  Pats travel to Buffalo.
 
 San Francisco 13 Indianapolis 26            69                     
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – The Indianapolis Colts (3-4) continued their up-and-down season with a 26-13 victory over the visiting San Francisco 49ers (2-5).
 
The scoring got underway when Carson Palmer (25-16, 168 Yards 2 TD) hit Michael Crabtree (6-59, 1 TD) with a 3 yard touchdown pass following an incredible 17 play 75 yard drive that eat up 8:32 of the first-quarter, Colts 7 San Francisco 0. The 49ers responded with a pair of 50 and 44 yard field goals by Mason Crosby. Following a Indianapolis 50 yard field goal by Steven Hauschka, the 49ers had driven deep into Indianapolis territory when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (28-15, 212 Yards 1 TD 1 INT) was intercepted at the Colts 27 by Jamar Taylor (CB) and return 49 Yards to the San Francisco 41. With 34 seconds left on the clock Palmer threw his second touchdown of the first half when he hit wide receiver Brandon Tate (5-44, 1 TD) for a 28 yard score, extra point was no good and the half ends with Indianapolis 16 San Francisco 6.
 
The Colts would extend their lead to in the 3rd quarter to 23-6 on a 13 yard run by Charcandrick West following an 8 play 72 drive. San Francisco would get its only score of the second half midway through the fourth quarter on a Fitzpatrick 5 yard touchdown toss to tight-end Jordan Reed, 23-13. With 7:51 left in the fourth quarter the Colts preceded to chew up 5:59 of the final quarter with an 11 play 33 yard drive, completing the scoring with a Hauschka 43 Yards FG, 26-13 Colts.  
 
Next up for the 49ers is another travel to the East Coast where they play the struggling New York Jets (1-5). The Colts are hoping to even up their record at 4-4 when they host divisional rival Miami Dolphins (2-4) at Lucas Oil for 1 o’clock Sunday matchup.
 
 
 Houston 17 Cincinnati 20                    56 5-15 
 
The IFL Bengals welcomed the Texans to Paul Brown Stadium.  After forcing Houston to punt Cincinnati had a chance to take an early lead but Connor Barth's 47 yard FG attempt was wide.  The Texans were able to put together a 12 play 63 yard drive that saw Cousins scramble in with only a couple ticks remaining in the opening quarter, 7-0 Houston.
 
After forcing a Bengals punt, Houston put together another long 20 play, 83 yard drive but had to settle on a 26 field goal by Murray and took a 10-0 lead into the half.  
 
After Houston kicked the ball out of bounds to start the third quarter the Bengals put together enough offense for a Barth 46 yard field goal to cut the Texan lead to 10-3.  Houston missed a 43 yard attempt on their next series.  Cincinnati cut the lead to 10-6 as Barth connected on a 38 field goal to close out the scoring in the third quarter.
 
On the Texans next drive Cousins was intercepted by Revis as the Bengals took over at the Houston 47.  Nine plays and 47 yards later the Bengals took their first lead as Rodgers found Richardson for the eight yard score and a 13-10 lead.  The Texans answered as Cousins connected with former IFL Bengal great Justin Forsett for the go-ahead score just before the two minute warning.
 
With Houston leading 17-13, the Bengals started on their own 25.  Cincinnati converted a big third and six as Montgomery rushed for 15.  Rodgers would later convert a fourth and eight with a 16 yard scamper as Jeffery luckily recovered the fumble at the end of the play.
 
At this point only 27 seconds remained on the clock.  After a failed pass attempt, Houston was called for a P.I. which placed the ball on the Texans 11.  However, only 12 seconds remained.  After another failed attempt to Jeffery's the Bengals were down to one play.  Somehow Jeffery's was able to work himself free in the corner of the end zone and Rodgers placed the ball perfectly and Cincinnati steals one on the last play of the game, 20-17.
 
Cousins struggled completing only 21 of 41 passes for 247 yards with a TD and an INT.  Forte rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries.  Pryor Sr caught six passes for 87 yards.
 
Rodgers finished 18 of 28 for 164 yards and two TDs.  The make-shift OL  did a good job allowing only two sacks.  Casey collected both of the Cincinnati sacks from a defensive perspective.
 
Next week, the Bengals host a beefed up Pittsburgh squad while Houston host Oakland in as close to a must win game for the Texans as there can be at this point.
 
 
 New York(N) 21 Minnesota 35                 64 5-15 
Two sad teams, the Giants and the Vikings, squared off in week 7. 
Each got a taste of how their usual opponents feel, as both were able to go up and down the field with little defense in the way. Potent offense? Ha, we both know better.
 
The Vikings struck first, receiving the opening kickoff and going 75 yards in only 7 plays to finish with a 19-yard Drew Brees to Jason Witten TD. 7-0 Vikings in only 3 1/2 minutes.
 
Their next possession, the Vikings took 17 plays to reach the Giants 5, but an interception in the end zone finally killed the drive. 
 
The Giants then got untracked, marching down the field to tie the score on a 31-yard pass from Carson Wentz to Robby Anderson. 7-7. Game on!
 
The Vikings, however, scored three straight touchdowns -- a 19-yard pass from Brees to Andrew Hawkins, a 4-yard run by Zeke Elliott, and a 12-yard pass from Brees to Dontrelle Inman -- to open up a 28-7 lead entering the 4th quarter.
 
New York did not lay down, however, notching another TD on a 12-yard Wentz-to-Tanner McEvoy pass, making the score 28-14.
 
The Vikes put the game away 2 minutes 28 seconds later on Elliott's 2nd TD run, this time a 5-yarder. 35-14. The Giants' Jeremy Langford closed out the scoring with 3-yard run for a final TD with under 2 minutes to go.
 
Final: Vikings 35, Giants 21.
 
The Vikings moved to 3-4 and the Giants fell to 1-6.
 
The 35 points was a season high for the Vikes. The 21 points by the Giants, who had averaged only 9.3 points entering the game, was their second highest total of the season. 
 
Brees finished with 265 yards (22-33) and 2 TDs, and Wentz had 218 yards (21-30) and 2 TDs. Elliott rushed for 111 yards on 27 carries, including 2 TDs. Witten had 8 catches for 107 yards and 1 TD.
 
In week 8, the Vikings visit Denver and the Giants travel to Tennessee.
 
 Kansas City 10 Tennessee 16                 64 0-10
A defensive dominated (i.e. boring) game where each team put together one meaningful drive in each half.  The first quarter was pathetic and then Tennessee had a 14 play drive culminated by a 20 yard TD pass from Ryan to Beckham.  KC responded with a 68 yard drive but stalled in the red zone and had to settle for a Gostkowski field goal.  At the half it was Tennessee 7 - Kansas City 3.
The third quarter was a repeat of the first quarter with both offenses doing zip.  Finally with 7 minutes gone in the 4th Andy Dalton engineered a nice drive capped off by a 16 yard TD pass to Landry.  KC was up 10-7.  Five minutes were left in the game and the Titans were helped by Gostkowski angling the kickoff out of bounds.  Matt Ryan finally woke up and directed a drive that had Tennessee with a first down on the Chief 11 yard line with 1:30 to go.  However a Pernell McPhee sack stymied them there and Dan Bailey kicked the tying field goal with 24 seconds left in regulation.  Tennessee 10 - Kansas City 10.
Normally you play the overtime right away but we encountered a bug that froze the game just as overtime was starting.  Bob and I can take joint credit for the October 5th Service Update that fixes the bug.
The game resumed two days later with KC kicking off to start the OT.  Matt Ryan finally flashed his NFL MVP form as he completed 5 straight passes to go along with two Bralon Addison runs.  The last pass was a 12 yarder to Delanie Walker for the game winning TD.  Tennessee 16 - Kansas City 10.
 
There was nothing special in the stat sheet other than Tennessee possibly setting an IFL record with 15 penalties for 125 yards.  Next week KC (3-4) hosts San Diego while Tennessee (4-3) hosts the New York Giants.
 
 Denver 9 Pittsburgh 45                      59 5-15 
Steelers quarterback Tom Brady throws four touchdown passes as Pittsburgh routes the Broncos.  Former Jag, Julian Edelman catches three of the touchdowns from Brady.
 
 San Diego 17 Jacksonville 13                85 0-10 
A game where both team's D's played well but in the end, one failed badly at the worst time.

After an uneventful first three quarters the game got interesting after a Jacksonville FG mid way through the 4th to make it 13-10. Alas, for Jacksonville it was not to be, as Tyrod Taylor behind the masterful coaching of Coach Banko put together a 7 play 91 yard drive for the TD to win it late for the Chargers 17 - 13.

San Diego's ability to keep David Johnson out of the end zone won this game for the Chargers.

Passing
Buf- Taylor 170yrds, 1 Td 0 Int
Jax- Kaepernick 213yrds, 1 Td 0 Int

Rushing
Buf- 9 for 45yrds, 0Td
Jax-Johnson 24 for 88, 0 Td

Receiving
Buf- Jones 7 for 93, 1 Td
Jax- Johnson 8 for 136, 0 Td

A well coached win.
 
 Green Bay 24 Washington 27                  63 0-10 
Washington scores 11 unanswered points in the final quarter for the come-from-behinid win. 
 
 Carolina 17 Buffalo 21                      50 20-30
Buffalo holds off Carolina as they make a strong bid to make a huge comeback only to fall short as Buffalo wins their third straight to go to 3-4 on the year while Carolina falls to 1-6.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Murray,D(Phi)   11-152  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 McCoy,L(Dal)    23-146  2 TD
 Elliott,E(Min)  27-111  2 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     23-109
 Ajayi(Ari)      14-109  1 TD
 Crowell(Ind)    19-102
 Spiller(GB)     21-100
 Coleman,T(Atl)  6-48  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Cooks(Mia)       5-193  2 TD
 Sanders,E(GB)    4-193  3 TD
 Baldwin(Mia)    11-146  2 TD
 Edelman(Pit)     9-125  3 TD
 Nelson,J(NE)    10-112  1 TD
 Britt,K(Phi)     6-101  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Tannehill(Mia)  51-30-455   5 TD  2 Int
 Mariota(Chi)    32-27-377   5 TD
 Anderson,D(GB)  29-16-330   3 TD  2 Int
 Kessler(Det)    30-22-324   3 TD  1 Int
 Brady,T(Pit)    30-23-226   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Peters,M(Mia)    3 Int 3 Tk
 Maxwell,B(NO)    2 Int 4 Tk
 Graham,B(Chi)    3 Sk 4 Tk
 Wake(Ind)        3 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Posluszny(Car)   18 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Richard(Atl)   3-163 Kick Ret  1 TD
 Grant,J(Atl)   1-35 Kick Ret 3-105 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Team Player of the Week.

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WEEK 7 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 7 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 6 RECAP

Tampa Bay Kicker Chris Boswell earns IFL Special Team honors as he boots 4 FGs in Bucs win over Texans.

​Game Scores
Houston 19 Tampa Bay 33                     92 0-5
In a match up of 4 and 1 teams, Houston traveled to Tampa Bay for a game played at 92 degrees in October.  Everything on offense was hot.  The teams combined for 2 punts and 799 yards of offense. 
 
Houston took the opening kick off right down the field in 15 plays and 8:36. The drive included Pete the Greek going for it on 4th and inches from his own 34.  Downside was Patrick Murray missed the extra point.   Tampa answers back with an 11-play drive, but they settle for a FG.  6 – 3 Houston.
 
Kurt Cousins is on his way down the field again when he is picked off by nickel back B.W. Webb.  May be the only way to stop the Texan juggernaut!  Tampa doesn’t move far and Pat Anger sees his only action of the day. 
 
Again, the Texans move the ball and get to 4th and 2 at the Bucs 29.  Pete the Gambler goes for it again, but a screen pass top Forte falls to the ground. 
 
Soon thereafter Tampa gets a big play from DeSean Jackson who grabs a short slant from Derek Carr and takes it to the House.  Tampa leads 10 – 6.
 
Here we go again.  Cousins gets to Tampa’s side of the field, but faces 4th and 2 at the 44.  The slant to Terrelle Pryor is knocked down by B.W. Webb.
 
Tampa moves into Houston territory as the half is coming to a close, but needs Chris Boswell to get points.  His 51-yard kick makes it 13 – 6 Tampa. 
 
The Bucs get the second half kickoff and are able to add another FG.  16 – 6 Tampa, but they are unable to pull away from the Cousins machine.
 
Tampa’s defense steps up and forces a Houston punt that Tyler Lockett takes back 49 yards to the Houston 25-yard line.  However once again, Boswell adds 3.  19 – 6 Tampa. 
 
Houston’s offense gets it going with the run gobbling up 64 yards on the ground and puts up 6 when Forte scampers in from 6 yards out.  BUT again, Patrick Murray missed the extra point!  19 – 12 Tampa.
 
On the second huge Tampa special teams play, Cordarrell Patterson runs the ensuing kickoff back 60 yards to the Houston 44.  Carr is sacked by Lorenzo Alexander on the first play and has to leave the game.  In steps Trevor Siemian who would throw one pass on the day.  It went to DeSean Jackson for his second long TD of the game on the 52-yard long slant.  26 – 12 Tampa. 
 
No time for Bucs fans to rest.  Cousin’s passing and Forte’s running produce a TD and an extra point.  26 – 19 Tampa with 9 minutes left in the game. 
 
The drive of the day for the Bucs was able to finally create some space.  Along the way three 3rd downs were converted before the Todd Gurley TD.   33 – 19 Tampa with 1:47 left.  That would be the final score.  
 
Player stats included 321 yards on 34 of 48 for Cousins.  Forte 98 yards on 18 attempts.  Cameron Meredith and Terrelle Pryor each got 107 yards receiving.  DeSean Jackson was gaudy with 4 catches for 126 yards. 
 
Next week Tampa hosts Philly while Houston is on the road at Cincy.  
 
 
Denver 14 San Diego 35                      84 0-10 
San Diego picked up its first win of the season with a 35-14 victory over Denver.
Charger QB Tyrod Taylor passed for 217 yards connecting on 13 of 21 passes and a TD.
The Charger defense forced 2 Bronco turnovers and the Broncos also committed 14 penalties
to aid in the Chargers victory.
 
 Jacksonville 13 Cincinnati 30               46 0-5  
Aaron Rodgers throws three touchdown passes as the Bengals pick up another big AFC Central win over Jacksonville 30-13.  Jeffery enjoyed another big game with 11 catches for 158 yards and a score.  Rookie Donte Fowler Jr. added two of the four Cincinnati sacks.
The Jags fought hard and were only trailing 10-6 just before the half when Huber punted and Cincinnati recovered with 27 seconds remaining.  After a Rodgers 10 yard run and a spike in hurry-up mode, Barth converted the 48 yard field goal as time expired for a 13-6 Cincinnati lead.
Rodgers connected with Funchess from 24 yards out to extend the Bengals lead to 20-6.  Jags answered to cut the lead to 20-13 in the third quarter as Kaepernick ran it in from seven yards out. 
The Bengals were able to extend their lead to 27-13 in the fourth and added another field goal to close out the contest.
Four turnovers were too much for Jacksonville to overcome.  
Next week the Bengals welcome the much improved Texans while the Jags host the Chargers.
 
 Tennessee 44 Pittsburgh 28                  58 0-10
Tied at 14 with about six minutes remaining in the half, Titans score 30 unanswered points and cruise to the win.  Ryan throws three touchdown passes and runs for another to lead Tennessee.
 
 Buffalo 24 Indianapolis 7                   69  
SEASON TICKET CUSTOMERS CALLING FOR CHANGE IN INDY 
 
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – The heavily favored Indianapolis Colts (2-4) once again disappointed the hometown crowd with a 24-7 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills (2-4). Lucas Oil Stadium saw the stands emptying late in the 3rd quarter as the Colts failed to score a signal point in the 2nd half, with Colt fans calling for change at the top.    
 
The folks at Westgate Sportsbook, the largest gaming handicapper in Las Vegas had installed the Colts as a 9 point favorite and a +475 money line favorite. Vice President of gaming operations Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose tells us that the company’s handicappers were looking at the Colts trending up. “This game would’ve put them at 3-3 and in position to make a run at a playoff spot.” Rose added “ The running game never got on track, they just never showed up, I think we put too much stock in the surprising 13- 9 Atlanta victory last week on the road, it looked like they (Colts) had figured it out, wrong again when it comes to the Colts, we here at Westgate lost a ton on this one.”
 
The game was never in doubt as the Bills took the opening drive 75 yards in 8 plays scoring on an Alex Smith 26 yard pass to Brandon LaFell, 7-0 Buffalo. After an Indianapolis punt Smith again hooked up with LaFell on an 8 yard slant in the end zone putting the Bills up 14-0. Early in the second quarter Carson Palmer scored the only Colts points of the game with a 14 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joshua Bellamy (3-38 yards, 1 TD). Buffalo closed out the 1st half with a 14 play 75 yard drive eating up 6 minutes 24 seconds of the clock that ended with Ryan Mathews taking a handoff off right tackle for 1 yard TD, 21-7 Buffalo. The Bills would add a 39 yard Gram Gano FG late in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring, a 24-7 Bills win in front of a half empty Lucas Oil Stadium.
 
Team Stats
 
Stat
Buffalo
Indianapolis

First Downs
22
14

Rushes
25-198
21-65

Passes
24-18, 252
35-20, 191

Sacked
0-0
2-13

Fumble
0
2

Penalties
6-40
9-60

Turnover
0
0

Missed Tackles
2
10

Dropped Passes
0
1

Bad Passes
1
7

Time
32:21
27:39

Third Down
5-11
7-15

Fourth Down
1-2
1-3

Red Att/TD/FG
3/2/0
1/1/0

Net Offense
450
243

 
Player Stats
 
Buffalo Bills
Alex Smith (QB) 24-18, 252 Yards 2 TD
Ryan Mathews (RB) 17-105 1 TD
Brandon LaFell (WR) 5-116, 2 TD
 
Indianapolis Colts
Carson Palmer 35-20, 191 Yards 1 TD
Isaiah Crowell 12-41 Yards
Jerrell Freeman (ILB) 10 tackles                     
                  
 Green Bay 23 Minnesota 17                   63 0-5  
After watching Green Bay's stat pack QB Derek Anderson put up a passing rating of 14.6 the previous week, Minnesota was looking forward to this matchup. Key on aging running back Frank Gore and dare Anderson to beat you. On the other hand, the Pack might bottle up the Vikes' mediocre receivers with an all-pro quality secondary led by Eric Berry (rated 10) and Patrick Peterson (rated 9), but not to worry: the Vikes could turn to NFL leading rusher Zeke Elliott and pound them on the ground.
 
Those plans went out the window as soon as the game started. In the Vikes' first possession, two starting offensive linemen (both 9 durability) were knocked out by crafty (dirty?) Green Bay and carried off the field. As the Vikings were already missing their starting center with an injury, that meant their O-line was missing three regulars -- and there went Elliott's running game.
 
Essentially, the two teams would be evenly crippled -- and the winner would be determined by coaching.  Packer coach Conners had held his famous coaching clinic just a couple of weeks earlier, and Viking coach Robb didn't attend, scoffing at what could be learned at a Conners clinic.  It cost him: Coach Conners put on a free coaching clinic during the game and left coach Robb buried in shame.
Example: By midway through the 2nd quarter, the Vikings had gained 123 yards, the Packers had only 7 yards. 7 yards -- but 7 points. And the game was tied.  The Vikes opened the scoring on their second possession, taking 12 plays to go 62 yards, capped off by an Elliott one-yard run to take a 7-0 lead.
 
After two three-and-outs by Green Bay, the Vikes fumbled deep in their own territory, and the Pack recovered on the Vikes' one. It took one play for Anderson to find Sanders in the end zone and tie the game 7-7. 
Minnesota bounced back, putting together a 20 (yes, 20) play drive to the Green Bay 1, but a penalty threw them back and they had to settle for a field goal. The drive took 10 1/2 minutes off the clock, but netted only 3 points. 10-7 Vikes.
In the 3rd quarter, the Packers mounted a 6-play, 75-yard drive ending in a 15-yard Anderson-to-Perriman TD pass. Pack now up 14-10.
A few minutes later in the 3rd, the Vikes struck back, going 59 yards in 11 plays for a TD that put them back in frontf 17-14. Brees found Inman in the end zone from 6 yards out.
The Pack offense was in gear by this time, though, as ex-Viking Josh Brown kicked a 52-yard field goal to tie it up again, 17-17, near the end of the 3rd.
 
The 4th quarter was scoreless, as GB moved the ball, gaining 101 yards, only to have Brown miss two field goals (thanks, Josh), while Minnesota failed to get a first down.
 
OVERTIME!
 
Minnesota got a first down -- wow! -- but then had to punt. Green Bay got a first down, then Anderson hit Terrance Williams on a fly pass for 50 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Final: Green Bay 23-17 in overtime.
 
Coaching lessons from Mr. Conners:1) When your opponent has a ramshackle line, blitz and get 5 sacks. 2) Don't bad mouth a stat pack QB, or he'll go off for 3 touchdowns and a 95.2 passing rating. 3) And don't plan to take away the running game by keying on Gore, then play nickel defenses that prevent keying on Gore. And Gore burned us for 138 yards on the ground. Lessons learned, baby!
 
Nice job by Johnny, hate to say it, but his coaching is worth every cent he makes in the IFL. And you guys who have ever lost to the stumbling Vikings coach, you should be ashamed!
 
 
 Baltimore 23 Philadelphia 20                54 0-5  
Baltimore looked like Super Bowl contenders for 3 quarters, then like their usual 0-and-whatever team, but in the end they squeaked out the win for their 1st of the year, 23-20, on a 45-yard, into the wind, Matt Bryant FG with just :02 on the clock.

Philadelphia came in 2-3, after a dominating 41-3 win against division rival New York Giants. Baltimore came in winless, continuing an early season trend that's been going on for 3+ years now (or more). Of course, few things came out the way you'd expect them in this game.

The Ravens elected to defer to the second half and the first half possessions looked like this:
PHL - punt
BAL - punt
PHL - fumble
BAL - missed FG
PHL - punt
BAL - TD on 55-yard Manning-to-Theilen short slant, Bryant PAT, Ravens 7-0
PHL - Winston INT (Ravens won challenge)
BAL - Bryant 38-yard FG, Ravens 10-0
PHL - punt
BAL - punt
PHL - TD on 1-yard run by Powell, 13 play, 68 yard drive, Ravens 10-7
BAL - Bryant 41-yard FG with :21 left in half, Ravens 13-7

Baltimore opened the Q3 with a 9 play, 62 yard drive that culminated with a 15-yard Manning-to-Thielen TD pass, Bryant PAT, Ravens 20-7.

Things were looking good for the Ravens. 20-7 lead, D finally showed up, holding Jameis Winston in check, sacking him 4 times, Manning hadn't been intercepted...

OK, Manning didn't throw any INTs, but just when we were feeling confident, we gave Le'Veon Bell a breather to start Q4 and told Javorious "Buck" Allen to "hold onto the ball!" What do you think he promptly did? If you guessed "coughed up a fumble that Shaq Thompson scooped up and scampered 49-yards for a TD" then you guessed right. Eagles back in the game just like that (snap of the fingers). 20-14.

Baltimore tried to burn time in their next possession, but a penalty backed them up. They couldn't recover and were forced to punt.

The Eagles then rode DeMarco Murray (5 carries for 32 yards) and Nick Foles (4-for-4, 49 yards) downfield for the game tying TD with 3:10 left. All Nick Folk had to do was boot the PAT. But, as you might have guessed...he missed it. Game tied, 20-20, with 3:10 left.

A holding penalty nullified a Baltimore FD and they had to punt with 2:31 left, but Nick Foles couldn't connect on three straight passes and the Eagles returned the ball to the Ravens, having run just 24 seconds off the clock.

Baltimore took possession on their own 20 and, with three time outs still in their back pocket, decided to run Le'Veon Bell to the house. He carried for 13, 4 and 7 yards, before Manning hit Thielen for 9. After an incompletion, everyone in the house knew Bell was getting the ball on 3rd-and-1. The Eagles stopped him inches short of the first down. With the wind blowing in the Ravens' face and the ball sitting at the Eagles 47, they decided to go for it. Seeing the stacked D slanting in, Manning audibled a sweep around All-Pro OT Tyron Smith and Bell gained 2 for the FD. A PI penalty on the next play made the next few play calls easy...give to Bell for 4 and 6 yards and kick the FG. They did and the Ravens won. 23-20.

It was an entertaining game, at least the last quarter. Coach Greg just couldn't get anything out of Winston (10-for-22 for 79 yards and just 5 yards on 3 rushes, while being sacked 4 times for 38 yards lost). DeMarco Murray hit the century mark for the Eagles with 100 yards on 18 carries, but Le'Veon Bell stretched his league rushing lead with 123 yards on 29 carries. Nobody crossed the century mark for receiving, though Adam Thielen came close with 96 yards on a 5-receptions-in-5-targets game.

Manning was named the game's MVP with a 22-for-38 game, good for 257 yards, 2 TDs and NO INTS(!), but the game ball could have easily gone to the Ravens D, who finally showed a little of what they can do. Aaron Donald led the team with 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and a forced fumble. #3 overall pick, Joey Bosa, added a sack, two tackles and a hurry. Tyson Jackson also recorded a sack. Mark Barron had an INT, 2 passes defended and 5 tackles. A real solid game from the D...finally.

Philadelphia (2-4) travels to Tampa Bay (4-1) next week, while Baltimore (1-5) hosts AL West power, Oakland (4-1).
 
 Atlanta 10 Los Angeles 27                   75 Calm 
Rams and Falcons met for an important divisional match-up that could have playoff implications down the road. Despite perfect weather, both QBs struggled. In the end it was the Rams ability to run the ball that ended up being the difference in the game.
 
1st half:
Rams put together two touchdown drives, 1 a long time consuming drive and the other a quick strike attack. Falcons were able to answer with a field goal. Falcons pass defense foiled the Rams QB, Andrew Luck, several times including an interception.  At the half it was 14-3, Rams.
 
2nd half:
On the opening drive the Rams push the score to 17-3. Falcons QB Philip Rivers struggled all day, suffered another 3 and out series. But the Falcons would find other ways to score. On the next Rams possession Marcus Cooper jumped in front of a quick slant for TY Hilton, Interception! Cooper sprinted into the end zone, a 52 yard return, 17-10 Falcons. The Rams defense would sink in and force a couple more three outs.That allowed the Rams offense to get the final ten points of the game, a Ryan Succop FG and a Mark Ingram 5 yard run.
 
Falcons Top Performer:
 
OLB Von Miller 1 Sack 1 Stuff 5 tackles
 
Rams Top Performer:
RB Mark Ingram 19 Carries 115 yards 2 TDs
 
Next week Atlanta travels to Miami and Los Angeles travels to New England
 
 New England 21 New York(A) 10               74 Calm  Rain     
One team is headed to the playoffs, the other to the upper end of the draft.

All you need to do is click on Play...go to NE @ NYJ...21-10...Rushing  Starks 14-39...Receiving...
Brown 9-141-1TD....Bradford 36-23 269 yards 2 TD 1 Int....Misc...Seumalo out 7 games.

That sums it up.
    
 Chicago 24 Detroit 0                        70                
Lions host division contender Chicago Bears.  Bears win toss, Lions go nowhere & punt.  A few plays into the Chi drive, they fumble & Det CB Trumane Johnson picks it up and scores a TD....but wait, the refs had blown the play dead.  Da Bears proceed to march down & score.  7-0 Chicago.
 
From there on out it was all Bears winning 24-0.  Marcus Mariotta was the difference.  He passed very accurate, overcame 4 drops & scrambled 5 times(4 of them for over 20 yrds) for 118 yards and a TD.  Besides him, tail back Blue ran well out of the 3 wide set & the Bears effective blitzing kept Cassel in trouble all evening.  Cassel was so bad, he looked like, well, Matt Cassel.
 
Lions lost both starting ILB's during the game.  Mosley & Kendricks.  Kessler had a 75% chance of playing but the idea of running from Wagner, Kerrigan & Jones made him decide to sit this one out. 
Detroit dealing with poor field position, costly penalties, an inability to blitz cuz Mariotta was running like a deer & a nonexistent offense were so sad my mom wouldn't even let me come home after the game.
Next week the Lions host a tough Dallas squad.  Good news is Kessler is back.  Bad news will prob be home dogs again.  Da Bears host AZ.
    
 Dallas 24 Arizona 30                        93 Calm 
Well it looked like a battle of Titans to the fans.  Both teams shredded each others defense and moved up and down the field running and passing.  Both teams gained over 100 yards on the ground and passed for more than 300 yards.  Zona won the game but Dallas won the penalty battle constantly called for pass interference.  
 
During the 4th quarter it looked like a repeat of the past several games for Zona fans.  Zona would score key points on a safety during the third quarter.  After taking a 23-14 lead by adding another TD, the Giants stormed back adding by scoring a touch down in the third quarter leaving them down by two.  After both teams missed FGs early in the 4th quarter, Dallas was able to add FG with just under 8 minutes left.  It began to look like Zona would lose yet their 3rd close game in a row.
 
With just over two minutes left, Ajayi would find his stride as he peeled off yards on the ground on his way to the century mark.  This opened the passing lanes and Big Ben would find his TE standing alone in the end zone for the capping TD.
 
 Miami 41 Carolina 10                        74 Calm 
The battle of one win teams ends with Miami proving undoubtedly who the better of the two are.
 
Miami took a 6-0 lead with a couple of first quarter field goals. Carolina looked like a game opponent as they took the lead late in the first with Wilson tossing a touchdown pass to Amendola to take the 7-6. It was all downhill for Carolina after that.
 
Miami proceeds to score 21 unanswered point in route a  41-10 blowout. Carolina was out gained 370 to 227 and lost 4 turnovers to none for Miami.
 
For Miami, Tannehill set the pace with 40 pass attempts for 258 with 3 TD's. Cooks and Baldwin lead the way receiving with 108 and 95 respectively. 
 
For Carolina, Gillislee was effective when he was not on the bench from fatigue, averaging 6.1 per carry.
 
 
Congrats to Tony on the solid win.
 
 Kansas City 7 Oakland 31                    67 Calm 
Up 31-0 at the half, thanks to some timely turnovers, the Raiders shut it down in the second half and just run the ball and take a 31-7 victory.

 
 New York(N) 0 Washington 24                 56 0-10 
Redskins jump out to a 21-0 halftime lead and cruise to the 24-0 win.  Rashard Jennings rushes for 101 yards and a score to lead the Washington offense.
 
 New Orleans 23 San Francisco 0              69 15-25
McManus hits three field goals as Saints take 9-0 lead at the half.  Flacco adds two touchdown passes in the third quarter as New Orleans remains undefeated.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Gore(GB)        29-138
 Bell,L(Bal)     29-123
 Mariota(Chi)    5-118  1 TD
 McCoy,L(Dal)    21-117  2 TD
 Ingram,M(LAR)   19-115  2 TD
 Mathews,R(Buf)  17-105  1 TD
 Ajayi(Ari) 26-105  2 TD -  IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Jennings,R(Was) 19-101  1 TD
 Murray,D(Phi)   18-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Jeffery(Cin)    11-158  1 TD
 Meredith(Hou)   11-107  1 TD
 Baldwin(Mia)     8- 95  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Roethlisberger (Ari) 29-21-342   2 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    48-34-321   2 TD  1 Int
 Brees(Min)      45-30-237   1 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Ingram,M(Was)    4 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Whitehead(Pit) 7-178 Kick Ret 1-3 Punt Ret
 Boswell(TB)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Team Player of the Week

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WEEK 6 IFL STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 6 LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 5 RECAP

Jamison Crowder's 88 yard punt return leads Bears to a win over Oakland.

​Game Scores
 Oakland 31 Chicago 45                       57 20-30
For the second straight week the Bears faced an undefeated team.  Oakland came to Soldier Field with the top ranked offense and 5th overall defense.  The Raiders won the toss and deferred.  The Bears’ first drive went 68 yards in 5 plays, ending in a 2 yd TD pass from Mariota to Thomas.  After forcing a 3 and out on the Raiders first drive, the Bears scored again, Mariota 11 yards to Marvin Jones.  Oakland then mounted a long drive of their own, 10 plays, 85 yards, Stafford 14 yards to Kelce.  Chicago answered, 74 yards in 13 plays, Mariota again finding Thomas from 12 yards out, 21-7 Bears after one.
 
The Raiders stalled again opening the second period and for the fourth straight drive the Chicago offense chewed up yards and clock, 86 yards, Mariota finding Sherman out of the backfield and a 28-7 lead.  Oakland started to shift the momentum after that, scoring a TD (Stafford 12 yds to Wallace) with 41 seconds left in the half, shutting down the Bears, then driving for a field goal with 1 second left on the clock.  The half ends Chicago 28 Oakland 17.
 
After both teams went 3 and out to open the second half, the Oakland comeback started to gain steam. Stafford again found Kelce from 3 yards out after a 10 play, 55 yard drive, cutting the Bears lead to 4.  After forcing a Bears punt, the Raiders started on their own 12.  Stafford was unstoppable, hitting Benjamin from 59 yards out and giving Oakland the lead 31-28 late in the 3rd quarter.  The Bears offense continued to stall and the Raiders had the ball and the lead to open the 4th.
 
The Bears defense held and Crowder fielded the punt on his own 12, found an opening in the coverage, and raced 88 yards to put the Bears back on top 35-31.  O’Donnell kicks off, McCourty fields it at the 5, gets nailed by Thomas at the 18, fumbles and Amakamura recovers for the Bears.  Six plays later Thomas hauls in his 3rd TD of the game, 15 yards from Mariota.  Bears 42 Raiders 31. The defenses took over the rest of the way.  Oakland managed another long drive but missed the field goal.  The Bears took time off the clock and added a field goal and Oakland ran out of time.
 
Final score:  Chicago 45  Oakland 31
 
Oakland outgained Chicago 411 to 383, and had a 4+ minute edge in time of possession, but two late breaks for the Bears decided the outcome.  Stafford was 32/56, 391 and 4 TD.  Mariota 16/25, 251 and 5 TD.  For Oakland, Kelce 9 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD; Benjamin 8/163/1; Wallace 7/100/1.  For Chicago, Kelly 128 yards on 19 carries; Thomas 7/106/3.  Keith called a great game and deserved better.
 
 New York(A) 3 Buffalo 32                    62 15-25
The Jets come into Buffalo and are held to 40 yards in the first half as the Bills get their first win of the year 32-3 as the Jets couldn't muster much all game.
 
 Los Angeles 13 New Orleans 16               70 
  The Rams and the Saints would square off in a big division game of 2 4-0 teams. This game had all the makings of a great game and wouldn't disappoint. The Rams would take the opening kickoff and start at their own 25. They showed they meant business by driving the whole way down the field on the leagues top defense, but the drive would stall at the 9 and Succop would drill a 27 yard FG. Rams 3-0. After a couple first downs the Saints would punt it back to LA. The Rams would then hold the ball for over 7 minutes which took us into the 4th quarter. Succop would come in for his 2nd FG and kick it wide left from 38 yards out. New Orleans would then hold the ball for 7 minutes, which was well needed for their defense as they had been on the field most of the first half. The drive would stall at the 25 and McManus would trot out to tie it. No dice as he missed wide right from 43 yards. 3-0 Rams still. The Rams would take over at their own 33 and after a personal foul on Gronk would face a 3rd and 22. This would be a key play as the Saints would play deep zone and the Rams would screen it off to White who would rumble 26 yards for a first down. After a few plays the Rams would have a first down at the Saints 28 and throw right into the strength of the defense on a strike from Luck to Gronk over the middle for a TD. 10-0 Rams. The teams would exchange possessions and we would go to the half 10-0 Rams. New Orleans would open with the ball in the 2nd half and waste no time as Flacco would hit Dez for strikes of 16 and 38 yards. This would lead to a McManus 31 yard FG. 10-3 LA. The teams would exchange punts and then the Rams would commit the games first major mistake as Luck would throw a pick to CB Janoris Jenkins at the 42 of LA. McManus would then kick a 49 yarder to cut the lead to 10-6. The Rams would once again put together a nice drive but once again the Saints D would make a stop in the redzone at the 11. Succop would nail the FG and the Rams led 13-6. The Saints would start with the ball at their 35 and Jonathan Stewart would bust out a 31 yard run to the Rams 41. Flacco would then complete 5 straight passes with the last being a 6 yard strike to Cole Beasley. 13-13. The Rams would then stick to their script and put together another long drive over 7 minutes but penalties and a strong defense would  force them out of FG range and force a punt. The punt would put the Saints at their own 8. A 3 and out would force a punt and the Rams would take over at the Saints 48 yard line with 3:17 left. The league's #1 defense would stand up once again and force a 3 and out. This time the Rams would punt them to the 3 yard line with 2:13 left. The offense would manage to get the ball out to the 32 killing a lot of clock taking it down to 28 seconds. The punt to the Rams 27 would take us to 22 seconds. Luck would then hit a strike to Gronk for 24 yards down to the 49 of the Saints. 13 seconds left as Succop would be warming up on the sideline. Cameron Jordan would then come up with a huge 12 yard sack and were going to OT. 13-13. The Rams would get the ball in OT and then a corner kick pinned the Rams at their own 10. The Saints D who only gave up 3 points the whole second half would step up again and force a 3 and out. A 48 yard punt was returned by Tate for 20 yards giving the Saints great starting field position at the LA 48. Coach rice expected a run key and came out throwing as Flacco would hit Dez Bryant over the middle for a 21 yard gain down to the Rams 25 and into FG range. After 3 straight runs to get closer McManus would come in to attempt a game winner from 36 yards out. He would put it right down the middle and the Saints win a thriller 16-13 in OT. Great game that both teams deserved to win. The Saints travel to San Fran next week and the Rams host Atlanta.                 
 
 Pittsburgh 34 Baltimore 26                  70 5-15 
Anquan Boldin caught all 12 passes thrown his way for 155 yards and 3 TDs to lead Pittsburgh (3-2) over Baltimore (0-5), 34-26. With the Ravens focusing on containing Julian Edleman (3 rec on 16 targets for just 34 yards...job accomplished), Tom Brady (24-for-43 for 290 yards and 4 TDs) found a different target in Boldin, who caught TDs of 7-, 20- and 8-yards while scorching the Ravens supposedly "improved D".

Le'Veon Bell led the Ravens with 230 yards from scrimmage (163 on 21 carries and another 67 on 10 receptions).

The refs did their best to give Baltimore a chance, flagging Pittsburgh 16 times for 115 yards in penalties, but the Ravens regularly (3 times!) returned the favor with PI or defensive holding penalties that gave the Steelers new life.

Pittsburgh hosts division rival Tennessee in Week 6. Baltimore seeks its first win with a short trip up I-95 to Philly next week.
 
 Philadelphia 41 New York(N) 3               72 5-15 
The Giants kept pace with the Eagles, staying within 38 points and holding the green birds to only 550 yards of offense in the briskly played (48 minute) 41-3 contest at the Meadowlands. DeMarco Murray was a rather pedestrian 19-140 and a TD, averaging a paltry 7.4 ypc. Blial Powell was benched late for scoring only 2 TDs to go along with his 77 yards.
 
Theo Riddick led the G-Men with a blistering 5 catch-for-7 yard day before being carted off due to a hangnail that will sideline him for the next 6 weeks.
 
Kudos to G.M. for a thorough thrashing.
 
 Cincinnati 36 Tennessee 31                  67 0-10 
Aaron Rodgers vs. Matt Ryan played out as advertised with the defenses almost nowhere to be seen.  There were 3 punts in the game with one of them coming after a safety against the Titans.  That safety and a Jalen Ramsey interception off Ryan gave the Bengals two extra possessions which they used to build a 23-10 halftime lead.
Tennessee used a very methodical offense to put together three long drives in the second half leading to three touchdowns.  The last of these gave the Titans a 31-30 lead with 5 minutes left in the game.  On the first play after the kickoff Rodgers hit Alshon Jeffery on a medium fly route.  A couple of missed tackles and it turned into a 45 yard gain with the ball on the Titan 30.  Coach Storer called 5 straight run plays and the last of these was a Melvin Gordon dive for the touchdown.  The 2 point convert failed and Tennessee had a minute ten to try and engineer a winning drive.  Three short passes moved the ball to the Titan 42 but then Shawn Williams picked off Ryan and the game was over.  Cincinnati wins 36-31.
Statistics for the game were bizarre as Tennessee had possession for nearly 40 minutes of the game and had 441 yards of total offense.  The Bengals were no slouch with 342 net yards.  The two turnovers and the safety turned out to be the decisive factors in the game.  Bralon Addison (Titan's stat pac RB) shocked everyone by gaining 142 yards on 21 carries.  Aaron Rodgers was stellar for Cincinnati with a 140 pass rating (18/26, 263 yards, 3 TDs).  Alshon Jeffery caught 8 of 9 throws for 172 yards and 2 TDs.
Tennessee (2-3) visits Pittsburgh next week while Cincinnati (3-2) hosts Jacksonville.
 
 Miami 14 New England 45                     65 5-15
Miami comes to Foxboro and strikes first with a 5 yard TD pass from Tannehill to fullback DiMarco.  After the Patriots tied it on a 30 yard TD from Bradford to Jordy Nelson, RB Chris Thompson took the ensuing kick back 100 yards to give Miami a 14-7 lead to end the first quarter.
 
A 50-yard bomb from Bradford to Nelson quickly tied it at 14-14 early in the 2nd quarter, and from that point on the home team would take over.  New England scored 31 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter, including 3 TD passes from Bradford and an 8 yard Lat Murray run (15-133-1 on the day).  Final score:  New England 45, Miami 14.
 
For the Patriots, Sam Bradford completed 28 of 36 passes for 339 yards and 5 TDs (three to Jordy Nelson).  Defensively, OLB Erik Walden continues his torrid start to the season with 4 more sacks, bringing his total to 15 after 5 games.  
 
Thanks to Tony for being a good sport in a game that proved to be one sided.
 
 Detroit 16 Green Bay 14                     51 10-20
Always a good game when the Lions come to town.

Packers would lose their 3rd starting QB to long term injury in just the first 5 weeks when RG3 went down on the second play from scrimmage.  Undeterred, Stat pack sensation Derek Anderson came in and led the hosts on a 75 yard dive the was capped off by a Nick O'Leary 13 yard td snag....7-0 Pack

Detroit responded with a 75 yard TD drive of their own keyed by a Taylor Gabriel 47 yard reverse.
Terrance West finished it off with a 4 yard scamper....7-7

This one was shaping up like a shootout but based on the QB match-up of Cassell-Anderson that was not to be.  The next 2 1/2 quarters were ground and pound with no TD's at all.

Detroit slowly but surely added three FG's to take a 9 point lead based mainly on a superior running game and three interceptions off a struggling Derek Anderson.

With a 16-7 lead and just 4:21 left the Lions looked in full control.  Enter WR Darrius Hayward-Bey. He took a reverse 71 yards to the house to make it 16-14.

Detroit wanted to kill the clock but could only mange one first down before they had to punt it away.  Packers took over at their own 27 with 1:50 left and no timeouts.
Anderson found WR Terrance Williams for 16 yard gain out to the Green Bay 42, 1:15 left.  With a strong wind behind them the Pack needed just few more yards to be in Josh Brown FG range.  After a short gain on a Frank Gore draw, three straight incompletions would end any hopes of a dramatic comeback. 16-14 Detroit was the final.

Steve called a great game. His defense shut us down all game long keying on Gore or doubling Sanders
at precisely the right time.

Both teams put up under 300 yards total offense but those 3 Anderson int's were costly

Lions:
Cassell 15-22, 85 yards
West 22-69 , 1 TD

Packers:
Anderson 11-33, 1 TD, 3 int, 14.6 rating
Gore 16-83

Next week:

Green Bay 3-2 at Minnesota
Detroit 3-2 vs Chicago
 
 Indianapolis 13 Atlanta 9                   70
Sometimes the game MVP is a no brainer. IE a QB with 400 yards and 4 TDs and the game gets it right (ie agrees with me). Other times, they seem to just default it to the QB like the NFL often does. This time, to my surprise, Terrance West, was named MVP with 14 carries for 83 yards whenhe was the guy I was going to name MVP if the game had someone else. He had 3 rushes for more than 10 yards and 5 first downs, of which most were important ones. Before Indi started running out the clock, West had 10 carries for 76 yards and felt unstoppable.
Lamar Miller had virtually the same stat line with 14 carries for 78 yards but only 2 first downs and simply didn't have the impact West did.
Cruz had the best night for the Falcons with 6 catches for 108 yards.
Ken called the perfect road game and led his Colts to a 13-9 victory to improve his record to 2-3. Falcons fall to 3-2.
                    
 Washington 23 Dallas 41                     70
This one featured 4-0 Washington playing 3-1 Dallas in Dallas. 
 
Dalla got the ball first and marched down the field and Cam Newton ran the pall to  paydirt to complete a nine play, 75 yard drive.  Following a Washington punt, Cam Newton hit wide receiver Tyrell Williams on a short pas and he took it to a house for an early 14-0 lead.
 
Dallas would never look back in this one.
 
Dallas' defense harrassed Dak Prescott all afternoon.  Prescott, who completed 68% of his passes in the NFL, could only find his receivers 16 times in 33 tries.  A strong Dallas pass rush was the reason.  The Cowboys sacked Prescott five times.  Washington was a woeful 1-11 on third downs.
 
Meanwhile, the LeSean McCoy led a strong Dallas running game that amassed 191 yards on the ground.  Cam Newton was efficient passing, completing 11/18 for 203 yards and two TD's.  Newton also ran for a score. 
 
Washington did sack Newton eight times in the contest.
                     
 Denver 24 Kansas City 27                    57 10-20
Looking to erase the offensive ineptitude of the previous week, the Kansas City Chiefs displayed a resurgent offense and did just enough to hang on and defeat the visiting Denver Broncos 27-24. A week after being shut out by Green Bay and held to 147 yards of total offense, the Chiefs piled up 367 yards with the ball, controlled the clock for over 35 minutes and ran off 77 plays without a turnover in the victory. Andy Dalton threw for 279 yards and 2 td while LaGarrett Blount carried the ball 25 times for 81 yards. Jarvis Landry chipped in with 8 catches for 118 yards and both of Dalton's td throws. The one thing the Chiefs could not do is control Tyreke Hill in the return game, as the Broncos rookie had 88 yards on 3 punt returns and a touchdown as well as a 48 yard kick off return. Denver also managed 5.5 yards per carry in the game, but QB Blake Bortles was unspectacular with only 128 yards passing in 28 attempts. A Matt Barkley 40 yard TD pass on his second throw of the game made things interesting with 1:48 left, but KC recovered the onside kick and knelt to victory. With the win the Chiefs improve to 3-2 with a road trip to division rival Oakland on the agenda, while Denver falls to 1-4 with a trip to San Diego next week.
 
 Carolina 26 San Francisco 27                62 5-15 
Clash of two 1-3 teams in San Francisco.  Woo hoo!
 
They played a boring first half with the Panthers leading 9-6 at the end of 30 minutes.  Both teams moved the ball but scoring was scarce.  SF got on the board first with a 34 yard FG after an 11 play 43 yard (drive) stalled on the Carolina 13.  The Panthers opened the 2nd quarter putting together a 12 play 56 yard drive that was stopped on the 12. Lambo kicks a FG for a 3-3 tie. Now the action picked up as Carolina’s Mike Glennon-- in for Russell Wilson temporarily-- put together an 80 yard drive resulting in a 21 yd TD pass to Goodwin.  Lambo missed the extra point and that play would haunt them for the rest of the game. Panthers 9 49ers 3.  The half concludes with SF going 63 yards but again getting stopped in the red zone. They settle for a 30 yard FG – half ends Carolina 9 San Fran 6.
 
The 3rd quarter, after Carolina goes 3 and out, the scoring was opened up by the 49ers who drove 72 yards consuming almost 8 minutes. Fitzpatrick threw a TD to Reed and the score stands SF 13, Carolina 9 .  The extra point miss starts to weigh heavy on the Panthers.  With a little over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, could the Niners defense get tough and hold Carolina?  No.
 
The answer was quickly provided as on the next serie,s the Panthers offense woke up and responded when Wilson hit Amendola for a 12 yard score.  49ers fans slumped in their seats. Panthers 16, SF 13. 
 
4th quarter: 4 9ers starting on their own 9 yard line, Crosby finishes off a 59 yard drive with a tying FG of 52 yards. Next series.  Wilson gets hot and throws 4 passes for 75 yards in lickity-split finishes with a 10 yard strike to Evans.  Panthers 23, 49ers 16. 
 
Only 4:23 left!  Game over?  NO!
 
SF takes over on its 5 YARD LINE and little hope left.  Hope aside, this doesn’t stop them from going 95 yards with Fitzpatrick hitting Diggs for a 40 yard strike. Panthers 23, 9ers 22.  SF, eschewing the possible tie, rides the back of Howard (27 rushes 140 yards) for a 2 point conversion.  The fans go wild!  Niners lead 24-23 with ONLY 3:07 remaining.  
 
GAME OVER?  NO!!! Panthers then drive 69 yards to the 11 of the 49ers and kick a 29 yd FG for the lead.  Panthers back on top, 26-24 with 1:57 remaining. Game OVER NOW?  NOO!
 
Taking over with 59 seconds left on their own 25 yd line, Fitzpatrick hits 3 straight long outs with no time outs left and clocke stopped with 2 seconds left. Crosby hits a 54 yarder as time expires!  Niners win 27-26 (remember that blown XP?). 
 
It would have been fitting for both teams to walk away with something from this game but only one can win and this time it is SF.
There were no less than 10 drives of 43 yards or more and defenses only stopped one series in the 2nd half.   Coach Sean Britt called a brilliant game and promised to castigate Lambo for the missed XP.
 
Heroes
Carolina’s Gillisee 10 rushes for 98 yards, Russell Wilson 18-26 and 2 TDs for a 116 QB rating. Evans caught 7 balls for 106 yards.
Niners: Fitzpatrick 20-34 for 217 yards and 2 TDs. Howard 27 rushes for 140 yards , Diggs 7 catches for 11 yards. Crosby 4 FGs with two being 50+  yards.
 
 San Diego 9 Houston 16                      70     
Kirk Cousins throws two first half touchdown passes to Terrelle Pryor as the Texans get by San Diego.
               
 Jacksonville 21 Arizona 13                  92 Calm 
David Johnson scores one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown as the Jaguars down the Cardinals.
 
 Tampa Bay 31 Minnesota 17                   60 0-5   Light Rain  
  The stats showed this as an even game: Tampa Bay 284 yards, Minnesota 275. The Bucs 85 on the ground, the Vikes 76. In the air, the Vikes 248 yards, the Bucs 205. Time of possession: Bucs 31:34, Vikes 28:26.
 
How misleading stats are!
 
The game was dominated by Tampa Bay, which led 10-0 in no time. The Vikes had a total yardage of minus-1 through the first 10 1/2 minutes of the game! 
 
Boswell made a 32 yard FG to put Tampa Bay up 3-0 at the 5:35 mark of the first quarter, then Burfict picked off Brees and returned it to the Vikings 8. Carr promptly found Henry with a laser pass in the end zone for a TD on the next play to make it 10-0.
 
Brees then found his stride, hitting 5 passes for gains of 51 yards total as the Vikes drove down the field, capping the drive with a 10-yard TD pass to Witten. Tampa Bay's lead was down to 10-7 early in the 2nd quarter.
 
The Bucs then took 8 minutes off the clock to score an answering touchdown on a lengthy drive, Carr himself sprinting in from 7 yards out to make the score 17-7.
 
Less than 2 minutes later, the Vikes struck back on a third and long pass from Brees that Inman took 73 yards for a touchdown. 17-14 Tampa Bay at the half. 
 
In the second half, Carr threw two more TD passes, a 4-yarder to Adams followed by a 28-yarder to DeSean Jackson, to boost Tampa Bay's lead to 31-14, and a series of sacks effectively shut down Minnesota's offense. The Vikes took over 10 minutes on a closing drive that ended with only a field goal, making the final score 31-17.
 
Carr finished 20/31 for 205 yards, 3 TDs and 1 sack; Brees was 21/32 for 248 yards, 2 TD's but 5 sacks. 
 
Ware and Gurley gained 83 yards on 22 carries, while Elliott had 76 yards on 15 carries.
 
Inman totaled 102 yards on 4 catches.
 
Mike called an excellent game, but the bottom line is he has built a powerful team in short order. It was a pleasure to see his team in action, even though it was kicking our butt.  
 
In week 6, Tampa Bay hosts Houston, while Minnesota hosts Green Bay. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Bell,L(Bal)     21-163  1 TD
 Addison(Ten)    21-142
 Murray,D(Phi)   19-140  1 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    27-140
 Murray,L(NE)    15-133  1 TD
 Kelley(Chi)     19-128
 McCoy,L(Dal)    18-122  2 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  14-75  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Jeffery(Cin)     8-172  2 TD
 Benjamin,K(Oak)  8-163  1 TD
 Boldin(Pit)     12-155  3 TD
 Nelson,J(NE)     5-147  3 TD
 Thomas,D(Chi)    7-106  3 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     10- 67  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Stafford(Oak)   56-32-391   4 TD
 Bradford(NE)    36-28-339   5 TD
 Brady,T(Pit)    43-24-290   4 TD
 Mariota(Chi)    25-16-210   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Beasley Jr(Buf)  3 Sk 4 Tk
 Alexander(NYG)   16 Tk
 Walden(NE)       4 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Ingram,M(Was)    4 Sk 7 Tk
 Kuechly(Den)     16 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Bryant,M(Bal)  4-4 FG
 Crowder(Chi)   2-107 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Lee,M(Was)     6-185 Kick Ret
 Crosby(SF)     4-4 FG
​

---

​WEEK 5 IFL STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 5 LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 4 RECAP

Rookie Carson Wentz leads the Giants to an upset win over previously undefeated Dallas.

​Game Scores
New York(N) 24 Dallas 10                    70 
Carson Wentz had a sensational day:  28/40 289 yards and two TDs to lead the NY Giants to their first victory over previously undefeated Dallas 24-10.
 Cam Newton was due for a stat correction as he played waaaaay over his head in games one, two and three.  Cam was a rather horrible 10/27 in this one and Dallas was 1-11 on third downs.
 Theo Riddick caught 10 balls for Jude and somebody named Robby Anderson burned me for five catches and 136 yards.
 So let's review my week:  I pay for eight days at the Hard Rock Resort in Cancun but come back after five to get my house ready for the approaching hurricane and then evacuate my wife and pets … and now I lose a game in the IFL.  
 That's all from Dallas (Savannah).
 
A bummed Steve Hart                 
 
 Minnesota 24 Detroit 16                     70     
Vikings visit Detroit coming in a 6 point underdog.  Both coaches agreed it was a strange game. Lions rookie kicker missed an extra point & also missed a 38 yard FG with 6:24 left in the game which would have put the Lions up by 9.  Brees then took advantage on the miscue and lead the Vikes to their winning score putting Minny up 17-16 with 2 minutes left.  A TD interception on a desperation heave finished the scoring.  
 
Both teams had some good moments, but both were very inconsistent.
 
Good game by Rich, he kept us guessing all game long.
 
Detroit travels to GB, Minny hosts TB.   
            
 Miami 30 New York(A) 20                     63 0-5
Miami came into New York with an 0-3 record, while the Jets were at 1-2.

Well, both teams played like their records. They combined for 6 fumbles and 4 interceptions, and
138 yards in penalties.

Marcus Peters was the MVP with 2 picks, and a fumble recovery returned for a TD.

Mallett was the goat with 3 interceptions.

Next week the Jets visit the Bills, while the Fish visit the Pats.

The Jets, Bills, and Dolphins are in a race to the cellar in the Patriots division. 
 
 Houston 38 Denver 23                        69 0-5  
With just a little over 2 minutes left in the first half the Broncos and Texans were tied.  It was all downhill after that as Houston
would go on a  22 point streak to pull away for the easy win.
 
Texans QB Kirk Cousins threw for 382 yards and 4 scores in the victory.
The Broncos Luke Keuchly was in on 17 more tackles this week.
 
   
 San Francisco 10 Los Angeles 29             65 Calm 
49ers have had a tough travel schedule since the formation of the IFL. Placed in the NFC West Division with fellow division-mates located in New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina and previously St. Louis, one could understand why the word West may not mean the same thing to a SF player.. Every time they had an away game they were flying east, well east. So when the Rams met the 49ers in Los Angeles for the first time, the Niners appeared to play the role of the good neighbor, welcoming the Rams with open arms to the West Coast. Unfortunately the welcoming and football don't mix well.
 
1st Half:
Lots of scoring in the first half. Rams behind a quick strike passing game orchestrated by Andrew Luck scored 23 points in the first half. 49ers stayed within striking distance behind the powerful running of Jordan Howard, including an impressive 36 yard TD run. At the half the score was 23-7 Rams.
 
2nd Half:
Rams managed two additional field goals. Niners tried several thing to change the flow of the game, including benching QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert managed to drive the Niners for a field goal. 49ers just could not convert 3rd downs, ending the game 2-12.
 
49ers Beasts:
Jordan Howard 14 carries 102 yards
Jadeveon Clowney 8 tackles 1  sack 3 stuffs 4 hurries
 
Rams Beasts:
Andrew Luck 20-29 386 yards 3 TDs
TY Hilton 4 catches 125 yards 1 TD
 
Rams lost RB Matt Jones for 6 weeks
 
Next week San Francisco hosts Carolina while Los Angeles travels to New Orleans
 
 New Orleans 24 Buffalo 17                   47 30-40
The Saints come into Buffalo riding high with a 3-0 record while the Bills opened the season with three road losses, the Saints are 17 point favorites and with a wind of 30-40 mph and a temp of 47 degrees at kickoff as the elements could play a part in this game.
 
Both teams first drives stall and are forced to punt, then the Bills go on a 8 play 61 yard drive capped off by a Alex Smith to Brandon LaFell 15 yard reception to make it 7-0 after Gano hits PAT, that's how the first quarter ends.
 
New Orleans responds in the second quarter as Flacco leads the Saints on a 10 play 75 yard drive as Flacco hits Dennis Pitta on a 6 yard TD connection and with the PAT in knots it at 7.
 
Buffalo closes out the scoring in the first half as Gano connects on a 38 yard FG capping a 14 play 55 yard drive which consumed 8 minutes, 10-7 Bills headed to halftime. 
 
The Saints take the second half kickoff and drive to setup a 32 yard FG by McManus to tie it 10.
 
The Bills gamble on their next possession and go for it on 4th and 2 from their own 38 which backfired as Smith was incomplete to LaFell and the Saints take over at the 38. Three plays later Flacco hits Bryant on a 34 yard TD bomb to give the Saints a 17-10 lead after the PAT.
 
Cameron Jordan strip-sacks Smith and the Saints have it in scoring position at the Bills 14, after a holding penalty by Whitworth backs up the Saints, Flacco scrambles 19 yards and Hightower runs it in from 5 yards and after the PAT the Saints have commanding lead of 24-10 heading to the 4th.
 
The Bills make it interesting as Smith hits Humphries for 6 with only 49 ticks left to make 24-17 with the PAT, the onside kick is recovered by the Saints and Flacco takes a couple of knees to close out the victory and the Saints go to 4-0 while the losing continues in Buffalo as they fall to 0-4.
 
The Saints host division rival L.A. in what should be a great game while Buffalo looks to get their first win hosting the Jets.
 
 Baltimore 13 Tennessee 24                   59 5-15 
DK said the winds were 5-15 MPH in Tennessee but they really affected this game.  The Titans had the wind in the first quarter and put together two long drives.  Both were finished off with TD passes from Matt Ryan to Odell Beckham.  Tennessee lead 14-0 at the end of the first.
Baltimore finally was able to move the ball in the second but David Amerson picked off an Eli Manning medium slant on the Titans 32.  Tennessee concocted a 61 yard drive but had to settle for a Dan Bailey field goal.  As the half drew to a close Baltimore managed a nice drive.  However they were at the Titan 26 with 10 seconds left in the half and Scott elected to try a long out to Chris Hogan.  It was complete but Tamba Hali stopped Hogan at the seven and time expired before the FG team could get set.  17-0 Titans at the half.
The Ravens had the wind for the 3rd quarter and they outscored Tennessee 13-0 in the period.  A 41 yard Leveon Bell TD run was sandwiched between two Matt Bryant field goals.  BTW Dan Bailey missed a 35 yard FG in this quarter to go along with the 31 yarder he missed in the second.  Titans were up 17-13 after three. 
Tennessee seemed reinvigorated with the wind at their back and put together a 60 yard drive culminated once again by a Ryan-Beckham TD pass.  Baltimore had three more possessions through the 4th but were unable to generate much offense playing against the wind and a tight Titan secondary.  The clock expired to finalize a 24-13 Tennessee victory.
Matt Ryan was 27 for 42 for 346 yards and 3 TD's.  Beckham and Kyle Rudolph each had 8 receptions.  The Titan defense had 14 passes defensed which might be a record.  For the Ravens Leveon Bell ran for 123 yards on 17 carries.  Leonard Williams had a stellar game on the Ravens defensive line.  Ten tackles, two sacks, 3 stuffs, 3 hurries and a forced fumble.
Baltimore (0-4) hosts Pittsburgh next week while Cincinnati visits Tennessee (2-2).
 
 Washington 18 Cincinnati 13                 56 10-20 Rain 
In week 4, Cincinnati hosted Washington. The Bengals and Redskins have history.  You could call it a rivalry except the Bengals have never beaten the Redskins including in two of the biggest games.  Washington got the first big play as Jeremy Hill (?) ran for 66 yards on second and eight.  The Skins would have to settle on a Janikowski 22 yard field goal, 3-0 Washington.  The Bengals went three and out as McCoy sacked Rodgers on third and six.  The teams exchanged punts, Cincinnati did manage a first down but an Ingram sack on third and 15 ended the series.  The Redskins took advantage of good field position and a five yard encroachment penalty to set up another Janikowski field goal and a 6-0 lead with 3:17 remaining in the first quarter.  On the Bengals next series, Gordon picked up four yards but Pierre-Paul sacked Rodgers to make it third and 12.  Rodgers was picked off by Jenkins on the next play as the Washington challenge was successful.  The Skins still could not move the ball and settled on another field goal from 51 yards out to make it 9-0.   JPP picked up another sack for Washington to end quarter one.
 
The teams exchanged multiple punts in the second quarter until Fiedorowicz caught a 20 pass from Prescott for a first down.  The Redskins picked up another first down thanks to two Hill runs but the drive stalled and Washington kicked another field goal for a 12-0 lead at the half.
 
The Bengals picked up a first down on their opening drive of the second half but once again went backward thanks to a penalty and another sack.  The Skins took over at their own 22.  After a first down completion to Garcon, Washington faced third and two and Cincinnati got their first big break of the game.  Rey intercepted a Prescot pass setting the Bengals up at the Washington 26.  Cincinnati some how avoided a sack and thanks to a couple Gordon runs Cincinnati had first and goal at the Washington six.  Rodgers connected with Funchess for the score.  However, the extra point was blocked and Cincinnati trailed 12-6 at the 6:33 mark of the quarter.  The fired up Bengal defense forced a three and out.  The Bengals took over at their own 24 as Rodgers scrambled for 14.  After a five yard penalty on Cincinnati, Gordon picked up 9 on a screen.  Gordon rushed for four more as the Bengals faced third and two.  Rodgers rolled out and connected with Jeffery for 10 to convert on third down.   Gordon converted a third and one at the Washington 33.  After a Rodgers to Montgomery pass for 10 yards and an eight yard completion to Jeffery, Rodgers found Jeffery for 15 and a 13-12 lead early in the final quarter.
 
The teams exchanged punts the next two series.  The Redskins took over at their own 40.  After an incompletion, Prescot heated up with a 15 yard completion to Ebron and a 18 yard completion to Lee.  After a couple short passes set up third and inches, Prescot managed to convert to set up a first down at the Cincinnati 16 with a little less than eight minutes remaining.  Prescot connected with Garcon on the next play for the 16 yard score and a Washington 18-13 lead.  The two point attempt was no good.
 
The Bengals had a couple opportunities but three more sacks did them in.  It would have been nice to have stolen this one as Washington dominated for the most part.
 
The big story of the game was the Washington pass rush sacking Rodgers ten times for 78 yards.  Ingram and JPP each collected three while McCoy added two.  Jeremy Hill rushed 20 times for 119 yards.  Prescot struggled until it meant something, going 13 of 27 for 147 yards with one TD and one INT.  Washington converted only 2 of 14 third downs.
 
For Cincinnati, Rodgers made the best of a bad situation, going 19 of 33 for 152 yards with 2 TDs and one INT.  Gordon rushed for 67 hard earned yards on 20 carries and Jeffery caught 7 passes for 80 yards and a score.  Cincinnati's experiment of trying to beef up their O-line with 5 rated one dur Dallas Thomas was a miserable failure as Thomas went down for the season at the 11:41 mark of the first quarter.
 
Next week Washington is at Dallas for a big match-up in the NFC East while the Bengals are at AFC Central rival Tennessee.
        
 Jacksonville 31 Pittsburgh 28               43 0-5  
Jags rally from 14 down as David Johnson scores three second half touchdowns.  This included the game winning score with only 1:15 left in the game.  Johnson finished with 162 rushing yards on 26 carries.  This game may have been won on fourth down as Jacksonville finished 2 for 4 while the Steelers could not convert any of their three attempts.
 
 Green Bay 23 Kansas City 0                  61 0-10 
The Chiefs came into their game with KC riding an offense that was averaging 27 points a game, but that balloon was burst in a big time fashion as the Packers defeated the Chiefs  23-0. A game that looked like it might end up in a scoreless tie had no score at the 2 minute warning of the first half, but Green Bay was able to kick two FG's in that time span to take a 6-0 halftime lead. The second half was men against boys as the Packers controlled the game with a rushing attack that produce 199 yards on the ground led by Frank Gore's 89 yards on 24 carries. The Packer defense contributed mightily to the win, sacking Andy Dalton 5 times and holding KC to 147 total yards. 3 Chief turnovers also contributed to the paltry offensive output, and the second half was total domination by a well coached Packer squad. With the win Green Bay improves to 3-1 and their 3rd game this year of holding an opponent under 10 points and will host Detroit next week. The Chiefs fall to 2-2 and host Denver next week.
 
 Atlanta 27 Carolina 13                      64 0-10 
A back and forth game in the first half with Carolina tying the game 10-10 right before half time by taking advantage of a Falcon turn over at mid field.
 
Atlanta established their dominance in the second half, outscoring Carolina 17-3. Atlanta's ground game pulverizes the Panthers D led by Lamar Millers 126 yards.
 
 
 Chicago 24 Tampa Bay 17                     87 10-20
Ken Griffith stepped in to play the Buccaneers.  Bears in control until mid 4th - Bucs drive to tie stalls at the 15.
 
 New England 28 Indianapolis 13              69  
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – The new England Patriots (4-0) beat division rival Indianapolis Colts (1-3) for the second time in four weeks with a 28-13 victory. 
 The Patriots came into Indianapolis with the fifth ranked scoring offense and didn’t disappoint, scoring 28 points on three Sam Bradford touchdown throws and a 19 yard Draw by James Starks (13-74 Yards, 1 TD) which accounted for all the scoring. The one bright spot for the Colts was quarterback Carson Palmer who attempted 47 passes completing 26 with 236 yards and one TD, however he was sacked five times by the Patriots defense.
 In week 5 the Colts travel to Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Falcons (3-0) and the Patriots travel to South Florida to play the Miami Dolphins (0-3). 
                   
 Arizona 19 Philadelphia 20                  68 0-5
Eagles get first win of the season by driving 71 yards on their final drive of the game, scoring with 9 seconds remaining in the game.  Super sub QB Nick Foles was instrumental in driving the Eagles down the field for the game winning TD, scored by RB Demarco Murray.
  
 San Diego 21 Oakland 34                     83 5-15 
Matt Stafford throws four touchdown passes as the Raiders continue to roll.  Hyde adds 101 yards on the ground. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Johnson,D(Jax)  26-162  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Murray,D(Phi)   23-131  1 TD
 Miller,L(Atl)   19-126  1 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     17-123  1 TD
 Hill,J(Was)     20-119
 Kaepernick(Jax) 19-112  1 TD
 McCoy,L(Dal)    15-104  1 TD
 Howard,J(SF)    14-102  1 TD
 Hyde,C(Oak)     23-101
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Nelson,J(NE)    10-145  2 TD
 Kelce,T(Oak)    13-136  2 TD
 Beckham Jr(Ten)  8-135  3 TD
 Edelman(Pit)    11-114  2 TD
 Pryor Sr.(Hou)   6- 77  3 TD
 Riddick(NYG)    10- 67  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Luck(LAR)       29-20-386   3 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    34-27-382   4 TD
 Ryan,M(Ten)     42-27-346   3 TD  1 Int
 Mariota(Chi)    43-28-334   2 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   36-26-329   4 TD
 Tannehill(Mia)  47-29-306   1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Peters,M(Mia)    2 Int 5 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Mathis,R(NYJ)    3 Sk 5 Tk
 Kuechly(Den)     1 Sk 17 Tk
 Pierre-Pau(Was)  3 Sk 4 Tk
 Ingram,M(Was)    3 Sk 5 Tk
 Jones,C(Chi)     3 Sk 6 Tk
 Walden(NE)       4 Sk 7 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Janikowski(Was)4-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Patterson(TB)  5-157 Kick Ret

---

​WEEK FOUR IFL STANDINGS

​​WEEK FOUR IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 3 RECAP

Cowboys improve to 3-0 as Markus Golden collects 3 of Dallas' 6 sacks to hold off the Titans.

​Game Scores
Tennessee 24 Dallas 35                      70   
The game was played in another stadium (family room) as Dallas was forced to evacuate (Savannah) due to Hurricane Irma.
 
The displaced Cowboys overcame a 34/44, 335 yard game by the Titans Matt Ryan to comeback in the second half in a 35-24 victory to improve to (a highly improbable) 3-0.
 
The keys to Dallas' win were:
 
     *  Our defense sacking Ryan six times.
     *  Tennessee's nine penalties
     *  Our rushing for 175 yards and a competent enough QB play from Cam Newton (2 TDs) and Matt Moore (1 TD)
     *  A fourth quarter stop that resulted in a Tennessee turnover on downs when a score would have put the Titants on top
 
Denver 17 Detroit 24                        70   
Denver got out to a 14-0 lead.  It took a full quarter for the home squad to be able to move the ball at all.  Then Detroit rookie QB Lynch got past his 1st quarter jitters and began to throw the ball nicely.  West sprinkled in a few nice runs, and even though Detroit had 9 penalties for 60 yards to 4 for 40, it was some very timely calls against visitors that must have had coach Crandall shaking his head.  I suppose their 2 turnovers to 0 wasn't a real big highlight for him either.
All in all it was a hard fought close game with both teams running balanced offenses.
The play that won the game was a 60 yard Lynch to Gabriel TD with 6:45 to go. It was then 24-17.
Denver got the ball, but had to punt, then Detroit got a nice 15 yard penalty call & a couple timely passes & ran out the last 4:26.
Both Bortles & Lynch had over 100 ratings.
Kuechly had 17 tackles, 2 stuffs
Detroits big NT-Goldman went down and miss the next 10 games.  That leaves the Lions with only 4's & 5's on the DL, O'boy.  At least rookie 1st rounder WR-Michael Thomas will be back.
Lynch will hold the starting spot for the upcoming home game vs Minnesota.  Denver hosts rival Houston for their second meeting this season.                 
 
Indianapolis 36 Miami 10                    86 0-10 
Indianapolis comes to Miami and proceeds to continue Miami's slide into the abyss with a 36-10 thrashing of the Dolphins. Indy rolls up 485 yards of offense, add in 3 Tannehill picks and the Colts get into the win column. Indy did fumble twice but recovered both. Indy host New England next week and after losing their 1st 3 at home, Miami hits the road to play the Jets.
 
 Baltimore 24 Jacksonville 31                84 0-5  
Colin Kaepernick turned in his best performance of the young year and was named the game's MVP with 262 yards of offense (188 yards through the air (12-for-18 with a TD) and another 74 on the ground) to lead Jacksonville to a 31-24 win over Baltimore.

Though Jacksonville led comfortably throughout, Baltimore started mounting a comeback early in the 4th quarter. With 13:55 left, Le'Veon Bell (29 carries for 121 yards) carried the Ravens down to the Jags 26. Eli Manning dropped back to pass on a 2nd-and-3, was blind-sided by Brian Robison and lost control of the ball. LB Zach Brown caught the fumble mid-air and sprinted (as best as LBs can) 61-yards for a game-changing score. Instead of Baltimore tying the game at 24, Jacksonville extended it's lead, 31-17.

Baltimore roared back with a Manning-to-Chris Hogan 61-yard scamper on a medium slant and scored on a Manning-to-Will Fuller 10-yard TD to make it 31-24 Jacksonville, but the Jags D stiffened and held Baltimore to a 3-and-punt, a 5-play drive that resulted in another punt and a failed 4th-and-12 attempt from the Jags 37 with 2:22 left. After the Ravens D forced a 3-and-punt, Manning again hit Hogan with a long-gainer (48 yards) that put them in Jacksonville territory with 1:06 left. Seven plays later, the Ravens found themselves on the Jags doorstep (12 yard line) with :04 on the clock. Manning tried a corner fade to Adam Theilen, but the ball sailed right past and the Jags had their first win of the year.

Well coached game by Dave. While the numbers lean heavily toward Baltimore, Jacksonville was in control the entire way (save that little scare at the end). The biggest disappointment for the Ravens were 11 missed tackles as Kaepernick and David Johnson (75 yards on 20 carries), shucked and jittered their way through the porous Ravens D.

Jacksonville (1-2) heads to Pittsburgh in Week 4, while Baltimore (0-3) heads to Tennessee for a rematch of their Wk1 game (a 23-16 Titan win). Looking like another long season for the Purple-and-Black after a promising draft.
 
 New York(N) 11 Arizona 32                   95 Calm
 Once upon a time, teams traveling to the Eastern Division left black and blue and usually with a loss.  The trio of Zona, Redskins and Giants were wrecking balls.  The Cardinals and Giants are now just shadows of their former selves.  Both teams 0 and 2 met in Arizona for bragging rights of a first win.
 
All and all, it was a pitiful day for both teams.  Zona would walk away winning 32 to 11, but it was less lopsided than it appeared.  Wentz was pathetic for the Giants completing less than 50% of his attempts.  Poor wide receivers were the root cause.  Once Zona had a solid lead, they put things on cruise control forcing the Giants to run and eat the clock.
 
The score disparity was the result of turnovers.  The Giants failed to protect the ball and the Cardinals took it from them three times.  Ajayi struggled finding running lanes forcing Big Ben to rely on his unexceptional wide receivers.  Neither team was happy with the performance, the Zona got the win.
 
 Minnesota 13 Chicago 20                     63 0-10 
The first quarter saw the Bears take a 7-0 lead on a Mariota to Marvin Jones 28 TD strike, but 4 plays later Brees hit Inman from 48 yards out to tie the game at 7.  After pinning the Vikings deep in their own end on the following drive to open the 2nd quarter, Hall intercepted Brees and ran it in 14 yards to give the Bears a 14-7 lead.  The Vikings managed a field goal to close the half 14-10 Chicago.
 
In the 3rd, Mariota found Jones again from 16 yards out, but Novak missed the extra point. On the following drive, the Vikings drove 81 yards on 14 plays, to setup 1st and goal from the Chicago 6, with about 8 minutes left in the game.  Four incompletions followed and the Bears took over on downs.  The Vikings got a late FG to make it 20-13, the Bears missed a late FG to put it out of reach, and the Vikings last drive ran out of time.  
 
Chicago 20  Minnesota 13 
Inman had 6 receptions for 104 and a TD for Minnesota.  Thomas was 8/114 and Jones 5/81 and 2 TD.  Minnesota travels to Detroit and Chicago is in Tampa Bay for week 4.
 
 San Francisco 25 Atlanta 28                 70 
      It's never easy. Atlanta jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the second and had a 17-3 lead with 1:56 left in the first half. Then Fitzpatrick, playing like you would think Fitzpatrick would play, led the 49ers back. He scrambled for first downs, got sacked, got picked but still relentlessly led the 49ers back. With 0:10 left in the first half, he hit Jordan Reed for a 5 yard TD pass to make the score 17-9, after a missed PAT by Mason Crosby. 
 
Atlanta had a good drive going to start the second half but it eventually bogged down after an Erik Fisher holding penalty. Falcons settle for a 42 yard FG to extend the lead to 20-9.
 
Fitzpatrick and the 4pers would not be denied on their next drive. Fitzpatrick got sacked leading to a 3rd and 19 but he hits Tyler Boyd for 23 yards and a first down. A few plays later, Fitzpatrick is picked by William Gay but the 49ers challenge the call and it's reversed as the ball hit the ground. Drive ends with a FG and the Niners close the gap to 20-12.
 
After a 3 and out by the Falcons, the 49ers go at it again. Diggs beats the double team for a 23 yard gain then Jordan Howard pretty mcuh took it the rest of the way with 6 carries for 31 yards and finished the drive with a TD to bring the Niners within 2 at 20-18.
 
Clowney stopped the Falcons next drive with sack / FF on 3rd forcing the Falcons to punt. On the 49ers next drive, Fitzpatrick scrambled for a first down on 3rd and 2, hit Tajae Sharpe for a 40 yard quick out and break away and closed the drive with a 5 yard TD pass to Stephon Diggs to give the 49ers their first lead at 25-20 with 4:27 left in the 4th.
 
After being inept for most of the second half, the Falcon's offense finally responded, after losing the lead. With a mix of Rivers passing and various runners, Rivers ends the drive by hitting Fitzgerald for a 2 yard TD pass to give the Falcons a 26-25 lead. The Falcons then convert on the 2pt attempt to extend the lead to 28-25 on a Tevin Coleman run.
 
Needing a FG with 0:39 left, SF really hurt their opportunity after a good return by Benny Cunningham was called back by a penalty. The 49ers had to start at their own 7 yard line but couldn't get anything done against the Falcons prevent defense. They would get to their own 23 yard line but no further as time runs out and the Falcons hold on for a pretty wild 28-25 divisional win.
 
Rivers was named game MVP as he passed for 220 yards and 3 TDs. Zach Ertz, Larry Fitzgerald and Dwayne Allen caught the TD passes. With Lamar Miller injured, 4 Falcons RBs combined for 22 carries for 125 yards.
 
Jordan Howard rushed 21 times for 97 yards and a TD. Stephon Diggs had 7 catches for 71 yards and a TD. Fitzpatrick had 254 yards passing, 2 TDs, a pick, recovered his own fumble and got lucky when a pick was overturned. He also scrambled for 3 first downs to keep drives going.
 
With the win, the Falcons go to 2-1 while the 49ers fall to a 1-2.
 
Definitely a a fun game to play.
             
 New York(A) 13 Los Angeles 29               79 Calm 
The Los Angeles Rams played their first ever home game in their new city. Before the game Rams Coach Ryan Heaton talked about how he grew up a Dolphins fan and that he did not think it was coincidence the Rams first ever home game was against the New York Jets.  Coach Heaton used air quotes when he discussed his understanding of how the schedule maker "randomly" generates the schedule. He recounted the numerous times the Jets dashed the Dolphins hopes over the past 3 decades, and had to admit he thought that curse could follow him all the way to the West Coast. Even though the Rams were favored against a rebuilding Jets team, it did not look like the Rams' coach slept a wink before the game.
 
1st Half:
Jets do nothing with the opening kickoff. Rams offense looked good at the start, a mix of run and pass led to a  TY Hilton 15 yard touchdown, 7-0 Rams. The rest of the half played as a defensive struggle, Jets defense bottled up the Rams running game. They also hurried Rams QB Andrew Luck several times and  effectively doubled Hilton for much of the half. A crazy 21 yard Rams WR catch/fumble/9 yard recovery by a Rams player/plus a 15 yard face mask  by the Jets (Homefield Advantage+City of Angels?) was key for the Rams second score in the half. A 16 yard TD scramble by Luck, 13-0 Rams. Jets, hanging around, put together a drive that leads to a FG, 13-3 at the half.
 
2nd Half:
Rams start fast again, Luck completes 4 passes on the drive, the last a 31 yard TD pass to Hilton, 19-3 Rams. Jets coach Durfee rallied the Jets, with some great play calls Jets overcome a 3rd and 14 and a 1st and 25 to get the Jets their first TD,Sammy Watkins from 20 yards out 19-10 Rams. Jets decide to test whether the Football Gods favor the Jets against all Dolphins fans. Onside kick by the Jets! Only a Dolphins fan could truly appreciate how unprepared the Rams were for this moment. Rams completely caught flat footed had a normal return on. Rams rookie LB BJ Goodson, saved the day and recovered the kick for the Rams! With only half the field to go Rams collect themselves and get another touchdown, 26-10 Rams. Jets did not give up, but did not get any breaks they needed to beat the Rams. Both teams traded field goals and the game ended, 29-13. Coach Heaton declared BJ Goodson MVP and Goodson was carried off the field on the shoulders of the other Rams players.
 
Jets Hero:
Robert Mathis 2 sacks 1 hurry
 
Rams Hero:
BJ Goodson 1 onside kick recovery
 
Jets lost safety Maurice Alexander for 2 weeks
 
Next week the Jets (ironically) host the Miami Dolphins(Good luck you will need it).
 
The Rams host division rival, SF 49ers.
 
 Philadelphia 26 Washington 28               73 0-10
Washington's offense operates like a well oiled machine and gives the punter a day off scoring on every drive except the one right before the half where a costly false start pushed them to the edge of Janikowski's range.  Philadelphia tried to keep up but one punt and 2 FGs and a late missed extra point cost them.  Their special teams did recover an onside kick late to give them a chance. 
Washington heads to Cincinnati for a rematch of the 2010 and 2012 Super Bowl participants.  For those who forgot Washington won both of those.
 
Philadelphia will lick its wounds and head to Arizona still looking for that elusive first win.  
 
 Cincinnati 17 Pittsburgh 13                 61 5-15
  The Bengals traveled to Pittsburgh in week 3 IFL action.  Cincinnati won the toss and decided to receive the kickoff.  Usually Cincinnati defers but with the Steelers powerful offense the Bengals did not want to risk falling behind early.  While Cincinnati did pick up a first down on their opening drive, the Steelers forced a punt.  After multiple exchanges of punts, Cincinnati safety Shawn Williams intercepted Brady setting up the Bengals at their own 45 just before closing out the first quarter with no score.
 
The Pittsburgh Coach is known for his gambling on fourth down.  However, this time it was Cincinnati going for it on fourth and four at the Steelers 34.  The play saw Rodgers scramble for 23 yards and a Bengals first down at the Pittsburgh 11.  The very next play Rodgers found Gresham open for the 11 yard score and a 7-0 Cincinnati lead with about 12 and a half minutes remaining in the half. 
 
On Pittsburgh's next series the Bengals defense denied Tom Brady on fourth and inches stuffing the Steelers quarterback short of the marker.  However, the Cincinnati offense could not take advantage going three and out.  After forcing Pittsburgh to punt, the Bengals moved the ball to the Steelers 28 but Rodgers was intercepted by Grimes giving Pittsburgh the ball at their own 38.  The Steelers started to move the ball showing great patience with no gain going for more than 12 yards.  After a Lucky Whitehead End-Around for 10, Sproles went in from one yard out to tie it at seven with a little over one minute remaining in the half.  Cincinnati managed a first down on their final drive of the half but went into the locker room tied at seven.
 
The Steelers opened the second half with a 10 play drive that resulted in a Vinatieri 38 yard field goal for their first lead of the day 10-7.  The Bengals answered with their own 10 play drive and a 36 field goal by Barth to tie it at 10 with 3:50 remaining in the quarter. 
 
After forcing Pittsburgh to punt, Cincinnati moved the ball to almost midfield early in the fourth quarter before Gresham fumbled after a catch with the Steelers recovering.  The Steelers drove to the Cincinnati one but could not punch it in and settled for another Vinatieri field goal and a 13-10 lead.  The next series Ty Montgomery broke loose for a 47 yard run setting up the Bengals at the Steelers seven.  Two plays later Rodgers connected with Paul Richardson for the seven yard score and a 17-13 lead with eight minutes remaining.
 
After exchanges of punts, Pittsburgh had one last chance with a little over two minutes remaining.  After two Brady short completions for a first down, Bruce Irvin sacked Brady for a nine yard loss and two plays later Brooks Reed added another sack to seal the upset win for Cincinnati 17-13 giving the Bengals a share of first place in the AFC Central.
 
Brady finished 29 of 45 for 236 yards, NO touchdowns and one interception.  Sproles rushed nine times for 55 yards and a score.
 
Rodgers finished 21 of 33 for 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.  Late game hero Montgomery rushed four times for 53 yards.  The Bengals defensive collected five sacks.
 
Next week hated Washington travels to Cincinnati while the Steelers host Jacksonville.
 
 Carolina 9 New Orleans 28                   70    
The 2-0 Saints would host the 1-1 Panthers in a big divisional game. New Orleans would bring in the #1 ranked defense and would not disappoint again. To start the game the teams would exchange punts and then Carolina would take the ball at their own 17. They would put together a very solid drive taking it down to the Saints 13 before settling for a FG. The drive consumed almost 6 minutes. The Saints would then start at their own 25 and put together their own 6 minute drive ending in a 2 yard plunge for a TD for Jonathan Stewart. 7-3 Saints. The Panthers would stick to their game plan on the next drive with short runs and passes and running clock. This drive would take up 7:30 minutes but the Saints D would tighten up at the end and force another FG from Lambo. Saints 7-6. The Saints would then waste no time moving right down the field and ending with a short 6 yard pass from Flacco to Pitta. 14-6 New Orleans at the half. The 3rd quarter was led by the defenses as Carolina would score the only FG. Saints 14-9 at the beginning of the 4th. The Saints would open the quarter with a nice drive resulting in a 1 yard TD run from Hightower. 21-9 Saints. The rest of the quarter was filled with punts with one being blocked by the Saints and returned for a TD. Final score 28-9 Saints. The Saints defense once again stands out and holds their third straight opponent to 10 points or less. The 3-0 Saints travel to 0-2 Buffalo next week and the 1-2 Panthers host the 2-1 Falcons.  
             
 Tampa Bay 20 Green Bay 13                   69 0-5  
Beaming with confidence after taking in the Conners Coaching/GM clinic Tampa Bay coach Mike Chase
headed across English Bay to the home of Jaguars coach Dave Hood to get set up for an internet
showdown with the Packers.
 
Coach Hood was still buzzing from the Conners Clinic, so much so that he was up well before noon
in anticipation of this first place showdown.
 
Back in the heart of Vancouver, Packers coach Conners had an eager Lions boss Steve Nordberg by his side. Nordberg,
as you may remember, was a little but overwhelmed by the depth of knowledge the previous evening and was still
processing.
 
This one did not start well for the Packers.
 
After surprise starter Derek Anderson (who lobbied for playing time all game long) went three and out on the first series,
Tampa Bay moved the ball quickly downfield. QB Derek Carr used 3 different receivers before Spencer Ware ran it in from 16 yards out.
7-0 Bucs
 
Recent acquisition Robert Griffin got the call for Green Bay on the second series but he wouldn't fare much better thanks to a pair of untimely false starts on the offensive line.
 
The teams traded defensive stops for the rest of the quarter but the visitors had the Pack offense penned in deep in their own
end.
 
Early in the second RG3 made his first mistake. Looking to WR Terrance Williams, Griffin was picked off my Tyrun Mathieu at his own 21.
The Pack defense held strong however and held Tampa to just 3....10-0 Bucs
 
Faced with this one getting away from him, Griffin began to heat up. He found WR Emmanuel Sanders for a couple of nice gains
mixed in with a couple of effective runs from Danny Woodhead and Frank Gore. The drive stalled at the 18, so Green Bay had to settle
for a Josh Brown FG...10-3 Tampa Bay
 
The Bucs responded with a nice drive to end the half, set up by a big gain to WR Devonte Adams (24 yards).
Tampa Bay added a late FG, 13-3 at halftime.
 
Coach Nordberg was getting a second wind and tried to fire up the host coach. Meanwhile, back in Kitsilano,
coach Chase was feeling pretty confident as his team looked to be in control.
 
Early in the 3rd Green Bay caught a huge break. Carr mishandled a snap at his own 43 and ILB Cory James jumped on it.
Packers were in business. After a couple of short gains the hosts faced a 4th and 3 from the 29. Conners rolled the dice
and tried a bootleg with Griffin. It didn't fool anybody and Tampa Bay took over. You could feel the air leave the building
after that one.
 
Chase sensed the letdown and went the for the jugular. Instead of playing it conservative, the Bucs went to the air.
Completions to Ware, Adams and DeSean Jackson got it all the way down to the Packers 1. Green Bay was expecting
a run but Carr faked it and found Adams, 20-3 with 3:29 left in the 3rd.
 
Packers needed a response. Aided by a couple of Tampa Bay penalties RG3 moved them into FG range
and Josh Brown nailed a 47-yarder. 20-6 early 4th
 
On the next series the dynamics of this game would change. Tampa Bay set up a screen that
DL Kyle Williams sniffed out and picked off. Packers were in business at the Bucs 38.
 
After a 7 yard run by Gore, Green Bay got nothing from their next two plays and faced another 4th and 3.
 
They looked back to Sanders but he was covered, with the pocket collapsing RG3 found a seam and took
off with it and scampered 21 yards to the Tampa 10. Two plays later Terrance Williams took a screen to the house.
20-13 with 12 minutes left.
 
Green Bay's defense got a stop on the next series thanks in part to a Robert Ayers Jr sack.
The Packer offense got it back but their next drive stalled after one first down, time was becoming a factor
with just over 7 minutes left.
Tampa's next possession looked promising but a big play to Jackson got erased by a Brian Bulaga holding penalty.
 
Green Bay got it back at their own 28 and need a big drive. On 3rd and 3 from the 35, Tampa Bay keyed on Gore
but Griffin faked the hand off and found a streaking Sanders for 18 yard gain down to the Bucs 47.
 
Packers went to Gore on three straight runs but came up short. On 4th and 2 with just 2:20 left Green Bay went for it.
Griffin looked for Gore i the flat but his pass sailed over the head of his intended target. Turnover on downs.
 
Tampa Bay converted a 3rd and 12 and this one was in the books.
 
20-13 was the final for the Bucs
 
Great game called by Mike in this one as it could have been a lot worse for the Pack if not for some fumbles and
untimely penalties by the visitors.
 
Carr  21-33 for 233 1/1   Griffin 15/27 121 1/1
Ware 18-56 1 td             Woodhead 18-52
Adams 7-89 1 td              Sanders 7-77
(game star)                          
 
                 
 Buffalo 24 New England 34                   64 20-30 Light Rain
Patriots move to 3-0 with a 34-24 win over Alex Smith and the Buffalo Bills.   Antonio Brown caught 9 passes for 160 yards and 3 TDs, as the Patriots built a 34-10 lead early into the 4th quarter.  QB Sam Bradford threw 4 TDs on the day without suffering an interception, while Buffalo QB Alex Smith was nearly as good, completing 30 of 41 passes for 354 yards and 3 TDS in the losing effort.  Bills receiver Jordan Matthews was the player of the day though, grabbing 12 passes for 200 yards and 2 TDs.
 
Buffalo host the Saints in Week 4, while the Patriots travel to Indy for a rematch of Week 1.
   
 Kansas City 36 San Diego 31                 88 0-10 
Despite being out gained 433 to 257, the Kansas City Chiefs turned 3 San Diego 2nd half turnovers into 17 points and held on to defeat the host Chargers 36-31. Tyrod Taylor threw for 269 yards and 2 td's, but his two interceptions, one a pick 6 by Richard Sherman, doomed the Chargers. Julio Jones had 116 yards receiving and San Diego pounded out 164 yards on the ground, but the Chiefs were able to stay even in time  of possession, and with LaGarret Bount gaining 108 yards, took the lead with 17 seconds left in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. With the win the Chiefs move to 2-1 with a home date against Green Bay, while San Diego fell to 0-3 and travels to Oakland.
 
 Houston 20 Oakland 35                       75 5-15
sim 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Bell,L(Bal)     29-121  1 TD
 Blount(KC)      25-108  1 TD
 Ajayi(Ari)      20-103  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Matthews,J(Buf) 12-200  2 TD
 Brown,A(NE)      9-160  3 TD – IFL Offense Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Cousins(Hou)    34-24-379   3 TD
 Manning(Bal)    49-22-362   2 TD
 Palmer,C(Ind)   28-19-361   2 TD
 Stafford(Oak)   34-25-358   3 TD
 Smith,A(Buf)    41-30-354   3 TD  1 Int
 Ryan,M(Ten)     44-34-335   3 TD
 Bradford(NE)    35-28-332   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Kuechly(Den)     17 Tk
 Golden,M(Dal)    3 Sk 8 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Sherman,R(KC)    2 Int 10 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Hauschka(Ind)  4-4 FG – co-IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Myers,J(Oak)   4-4 FG – co-IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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WEEK THREE IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK THREE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​IFL Coaching/GM Clinic

Satisfied customers from the Conners Coaching Clinic Left to Right: Mike Chase (Bucs) Ken Fukuyama (Titans) Steve Hodson (Titans) Rick Brunskill (Titans) Dave Hood (Jags) Steve Nordberg (Lions-head so full of knowledge he could barely keep his head upright), John Conners (host/clinician)

​VANCOUVER, B.C..- IFL General Managers are jetting their way into the British Columbia metropolis

for the inaugural Coach Conners IFL Coaching/GM clinic on Friday evening.


This once in a lifetime event should provide those in attendance with a huge leg up at this stage in the
young season. Lions coach Steve Nordberg, whose team sports a surprising 2-1 record, called it
"a likely life changing experience".  His entourage is slated to arrive at YVR just after 7:30
local time on Thursday.

Tampa Bay coach Mike Chase touches down shortly after his Detroit rival and was quoted as saying

"my thoughts are with those in my home state of Florida with the impending arrival of Hurricane Irma

but when you have a chance to learn from a living legend, it's just something you can't pass up".

The entire Tennessee front office staff is already in town with Titans head coach Rick Brunskill

admitting the $380 CDN ($308 US) per person entry fee is vastly under priced. "You can't quantify
the value of just sitting in the same room as Mr.Conners. I'm going to get better just by the process of
osmosis"

Jacksonville head coach Dave Hood became emotional when asked about Conners impact on his coaching
career. With his voice cracking and barely audible, he spoke to the media yesterday. "I had the pleasure of

spending one season as offensive coordinator for the Packers. John's impact in my career is something

I cannot articulate to you."

The Conners Coaching/GM clinic kicks off at 4:30 PST on Friday, just outside of BC Place stadium in Vancouver
​

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WEEK 2 RECAP

Melvin Ingram collects 4 sacks as Washington holds off the Bears in Week 2 IFL action.

Game Scores
Chicago 24 Washington 29                    72 0-10 
It's only week 2 but fans were in for a treat as two Vegas betting favorites were set to meet in Washington.  Chicago had been getting a lot of hype behind a stout defense led by dynamic sophomore QB Marcus Mariota while Washington had quickly overcome a devastating loss to their starting QB by trading a truckload of players for Dak Prescott.  On paper they seemed pretty evenly matched but betting on Washington was heavy as they were 15 point favorites heading into the game and early on it looked like Washington bettors might be please.
 
While on paper they were pretty evenly matched there was one area where Washington did hold an advantage and that was special teams.  That would become clear from the very first play of the game.  Shepherd would catch the ball 4 yards deep in his own end zone and decide to take it out.  8 yards later he was tackled at the 4 yard line.  While they would pick up a first down a sack on 3rd and 10 would drive them right back to the 4 yard line.  Washington would get the ball on the Bears 48 and it wouldn't take Prescott long to get started.  First pass of the game 48 yards to Lee for a touchdown.  Another 3 and out by Chicago and Washington would be right back at it.  Prescott would take his time on this one and lead a surgical drive completing 8/9 passes ending in  a 2 yard pass to Ebron for 6. 
 
Chicago would finally get its offense in gear and with the aid of a 19 yard PI penalty on 1st and 20 against Hayward move the ball to the Washington 20 yard line.  Hayward would then makeup for the miscue earlier in the drive and pick off Mariota and return it to the Washington 40.  Despite the turnover Washington wasn't able to do much with it and was forced to punt it away.  Chicago would begin to have some success again and get it to the Bears 45.  Mariota would find an open Demariyus Thomas on a short slant and he took off down the sideline fighting for every yard he could get for 21.  Unfortunately, in attempt to break a tackle he coughed up the football putting an end to another scoring opportunity.  Washington was unable to do much with it but they were able to pin the Bears down on their 5 yard line.  Mariota would lead them out and on  3rd and 6 would take off for a 44 yard TD to get the bears on the board.  The excitement was short lived though as Marqise Lee would take the kickoff 93 yards for a TD.  However Janikowski would miss the extra point putting Washington back up 2 scores 20-7.  Both teams would trade unsuccessful drives and the Skins would head into the half up 20-7.
 
Washington would get the ball to start the half and Lee was right back to work with a 43 yard KO return.  A few Prescott strikes and they were already in FG position.  However a sack on 2nd down stalled the drive out putting the skins up 23-7.  Chicago would go 3 and out giving the Skins another shot and he would again march the skins down the field to the 2 yard line but the Bears stout defense would keep them out of the end zone forcing another field goal with 4 minutes left and would leave the Redskins feeling in control of the game up 26-7.  It was at this point that Mariota would finally start to find his rhythm completing his first 5 passes of the drive bringing the Bears to the 31.  Rob Kelly would finish it up with a TD to put Chicago back in the game with 14 to go in the 4th down 26-14.  The Redskins would be caught flatfooted expecting an onside kick which resulted in a poor return to their own 12.  On the next play Prescot would throw a pick 6 to make it 21-26 and putting the pressure on the Skins to close out the game.  The Washington drive would stall but a beautiful punt from Martin would pin them at the 1 yardline and the Bears would be given their first chance to take the lead since they got the opening kickoff.  Mariota would make quick work and Thomas would make up for his previous fumble taking a slant 73 yards to the 13 yard line.  Washington's defense would hold and leave the Bears with a 4th and 1 from the 4 yard line.  With 8:00 left down 5 they would elect to kick the FG.
 
Up only 2 and limited success on the ground the Redskins would leave it in the hands of Prescott and he finally snapped out of it.  He would complete his first 6 passes but on a 2nd and 2 Fletcher Cox forced a fumble but RT Ogbeuhi quickly pounced on it.  On 3rd and 9 outside of FG range Prescott saw something he liked and called an audible and would hit Lee for 20 yards down the field.  Washington would settle for a FG but up 5 Chicago would be forced to score a Touchdown to win.  Unfortunately for the Bears there would be no Mariota Magic as Hayward would secure his 2nd INT of the game on 3rd and 7 ending the game.
 
Dennis called a great game and fought hard and came back in a game that looked all but over.  The Redskins will host Philadelphia next week while the Vikings will come to Chicago.

 New Orleans 31 Indianapolis 6               69
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.com) The New Orleans Saints (2-0) marched into Indianapolis (0-2) and smack the Colts defensive front seven around to the tune of 149 rushing yards on 38 carries. The game was very tight and the Colts really thought they had a shot at knocking off the heavy 12 point favorite, when midway through the third quarter with New Orleans leading 7-6, Saints defensive back Byron Maxwell intercepted a Carson Palmer (43-23, 215 yards, 1 INT) pass and returned it 30 yards for a Saints touchdown and the floodgates came crashing down as New Orleans offense scored 24 unanswered points and the defense shut out the Colts the rest of the way, which resulted in a New Orleans 31-6 victory. 

The Saints had five running back’s tote the rock with game MVP Jonathan Stewart (15-74, 2 TD) getting the bulk of the workload. Joe Flacco had a pretty pedestrian day going 17 of 24 for 190 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. Palmer and the Colts struggled the entire day, managing only 246 yards of total offense for the 60 minutes of work, and rumors swirling around about the abilities of Head Coach/OC Kenneth Griffith to put together a game plan when facing some of the top teams in the league. 

Next week the New Orleans Saints host Russell Wilson and division rival Carolina Panthers (0-1), while the Indianapolis Colts travel to South Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins (0-1) who lost their home opener at Sun Life Stadium to the New York Jets 20-17.              
      
 Baltimore 17 Houston 35                     70   
In a thoroughly dominating performance right from the get-go, Houston rolls the Ravens, 35-17. An 18-point favorite going into the game, the odds-makers proved prophetic. Congrats to Coach Pete for grinding it out.

Starting on their own 12 yard line, Houston put together a drive that would be a sign of things to come - a 19 play, 88 yard march, culminating in an 8-yard Cousins-to-Forsett TD toss. Patrick Murray booted the PAT for a 7-0 Texan lead.

Baltimore's first drive was aided by a PI pen, but ended with a missed 49-yard FG by Matt Bryant.

Houston again marched down the field in an 8 play, 61 yard drive that culminated in a 7-yard Cousins-to-Pryor score. Murray's PAT made it 14-0 Texans.

After a Raven 3-and-punt, Houston marched downfield again - this time for 86 yards in 13 plays, culminating in a 4-yard Cousins-to-Graham TD. Murray's PAT made it 21-0 Texans.

At this point, I think Houston had 17 first downs to Baltimore's 1 and something like 250 total yards to 16.

Baltimore did rally to score just before the half, then mid-way through the 3rd to pull close at 21-14 Texans, but Houston flexed their muscles again, marching 72 yards in 8 plays with Cousins hitting Prior on a 5 yard TD. Murray's PAT made it 28-14 Texans.

A Matt Bryant field goal opened the 4th quarter scoring and gave Ravens fans a glimmer of hope, but on the ensuing possession, Houston had a 3rd-and-6 from the Ravens' 47 and Baltimore sent 3 to blitz Cousins. Terrell Prior burned them with a 47 yard scamper on a screen pass. 35-17 Texans.

With 9 minutes left, it was apparent, Houston was the better team.

Cousins was deservedly named the game's MVP with a 5 TD, 277-yard, 29-for-34 performance and a 140 QB rating. Cameron Meredith caught 9 for 89 yards. Pryor caught 8 for 112 yards. Matt Forte rushed for 80 yards on 23 carries. Carlos Dansby led the D with 6 tackles.

For the Ravens, Eli Manning completed 14-of-23 passes for just 90 yards and a 98 QB rating. Le'Veon Bell rushed for 113 yards on just 15 carries and also led the team in receptions with 5, but only for 24 yards. Mark Barron had 10 tackles, 2 passed defended, 2 stuffs and 1 hurry.

Houston (2-0) travels to Oakland (1-0) in Week 13, while Baltimore (0-2) heads to northern Florida to take on division rival Jacksonville (0-1).              
   
 Los Angeles 35 Miami 7                      78 0-5 
 The Dolphins had several key players unavailable(Tannehill, Peters, Z Miller, J Brown)  when they took on a full strength Los Angeles Rams team in Miami. With Tannehill sitting out, Jared Goff took the reigns for the Miami offense. Goff, in his first IFL season, looks like he is still getting adjusted to the speed of IFL defenses.
 
First Half:

Some clever play calling by Miami Coach Tony Cox on defense kept the game scoreless in the first quarter. In the 2nd quarter Rams would find pay dirt with a Mark Ingram plunge into the end zone, 7-0 Rams. On the ensuing drive Rams DB Xavier Rhodes picked off a Goff pass and returned it for a TD, 14-0 Rams. A third Rams possession in the quarter lead to another Ingram plunge, 21-0 Rams. The Dolphins were not ready to go away, they received the kick with 17 seconds left in the half. Dolphins got the ball to their 42 yard line. Goff, showing his arm strength, threw a TD bomb to Brandin Cooks, 21-7 Rams to end the half.
 
Second Half:
Rams controlled the second half getting two more touchdowns, 1 each to TY Hilton and AJ Green, 35-7 Rams. The rest of the game was played with backups running out the clock.
 
Goff only converted 1 third down in the first half, putting the Dolphins defense on the field a lot and was a big factor in the game.
 
Dolphins Stars:
Brandin Cooks 4 catches 98 yards 1 TD
Rams Stars:
Mark Ingram 96 rushing yards 2 TDs
 
Next week the Dolphins host the Colts (It would be surprising not to see Tannehill suit up for this one) and the Rams host the Jets.

 San Diego 20 Pittsburgh 31                  75 0-10 
Washington scores from one yard out with about a minute remaining in the first quarter to give San Diego a 7-0 lead.  The Steelers tie it with 10:25 remaining in the second quarter as Brady connects with Gates for a six yard score.  The Chargers regain the lead thanks to a Santos 24 yard field goal just before the two minute warning.  However, Pittsburgh marches down the field as Brady finds Kerley from 13 yards out with 12 seconds remaining in the half, 14-10 Steelers.  The teams exchange touchdowns in the third quarter but Brady finds Kerley again, this time from 25 yards out early in the fourth quarter and that proved to be the difference.  Brady finished four touchdown passes.
Next week the Steelers host the Bengals while the Chargers welcome the Chiefs.
 
 Cincinnati 7 Kansas City 31                 74 10-20
In week two IFL action Cincinnati travelled to Kansas City.  The Bengals thought they had a shot with the Chiefs pretty beat-up.  Instead Kansas City took the Bengals to the wood shed.
 
It started innocently enough with the Chiefs winning the coin toss.  12 plays and 68 yards later KC was up 7-0 as Blount plows in from one yard out.
 
The Cincinnati opening drive started promising as they marched from their own 20 past midfield before Gordon coughed up the pill and the Chiefs recovered.  Three plays later Dalton connected with Maclin for a 52 yard score, 14-0 Kansas City.  The first quarter ended with an exchange of punts.
 
Neither offense was able to dent the scoreboard in the second quarter until the Chiefs put together a 10 play 86 yard drive with Blount scoring from 10 yards out with a little over a minute left in the half to make it 21-0 KC.
 
The Chiefs put ten more points on the board in the third quarter for a 31-0 lead.  The Bengals finally scored thanks to a Gordon seven yard run for the 31-7 final. 
 
Dalton finished 18 of 26 for 260 yards and two TDs.  Landry caught seven passes for 101 yards and a score while Maclin grabbed five for 95 yards and the other score.  Blount rushed 22 times for 78 yards and two TDs.
 
Rodgers went 15 of 32 for 138 yards and was sacked five times.  Gordon rushed 16 times for 70 yards and a score.
 
The Bengals were hit hard by injuries with Cooper out 12 weeks, Eifert eight, and Vaccaro out five weeks.
 
Next week Cincinnati travels to Pittsburgh while the Chiefs are at San Diego.
 
 Minnesota 27 Dallas 42                      70     
 After winning the season opener, Dallas coach Steve Hart was anxious to see if Cam Newton, who had a poor NFL season, could put consecutive quality games together during its matchup in week two with the 1-0 Minnesota Vikings.
 Superman didn't disappoint as he threw for three scores and scored a fouth TD on the ground.
 LeSean McCoy let a powerful ground attack by rushing for 141 of the Cowboys' 220 yards.
 First round draft pick, WR Tyrell Williams, caught six balls for 94 yards.  Three of his six catches resulted in scores.
 Dallas' defense sacked the Vikings' Drew Brees five times, preventing him from doing even more damage than he did:  27/40 306 with 3 TD's.    Savannah's game plan to not let Ezekial Elliott take over the game worked.  Zeke managed just 47 yeards on 14 carries.     
        
 Tennessee 20 Denver 24                      75 0-10 
After trailing 20-3 in the 4th quarter the Broncos comeback to stun the Titans 24-20 with 3 4th quarter TD's.
 
After being shut down for the first three quarters of the game, the Broncos saw a little life on offense as Bortles hit Matthews for a 42 yard bomb
with 10:30 left in the game.
 
After some big Titan penalties forced them to punt, Tyreek Hill returned a punt for a nice return and Bortles hit on passes of
7 and 22 yards and then connected with Matthews on another bomb for a 30 yard TD and suddenly it is a 3 point game with 5:50 left to go.
 
QB Matt Ryan moved his team down into bronco territory before more untimely penalties on the Titans setup a 3rd and 19 from their own 42.
Martin took a handoff on a draw play with the Broncos in a blitz and as he busted through the line CB Terrance Mitchell stripped him of the ball and
took off down the sideline for a 52 yard TD and the Broncos led 24-20 with just under 2 minutes left in the game.
 
It wasn't over however, as Ryan moved the Titans down inside the red zone but with just 14 seconds remaining he had time for 2 plays
but the Bronco defense swatted away both passes and the Broncos had their first win of the season in a dramatic come-from-behind fashion.
 
Rick called a great game but luck was not on his side in this one.
 
 Detroit 16 Arizona 15                       82 Calm 
Detroit and Arizona both lost their opening games and the reasons were obvious as both teams for the second game of the season.  Both teams played sloppy games with both teams penalized 7 times.  However, Zona got the worst of it with 70+ yards of penalties and 22 negative yards from sacks.  All total, Zona had nearly 100 yards of negative offense.  
 
Zona would post 395 yards of total offense, more than enough to win most games to only 271 yards from Detroit.  Detroit struggle at QB only completing 9 passes on the day for 88 yards.  Losing their starting QB half way through game did not help.  However, the Lions consistently chipped away running the ball.  It was enough to overcome Arizona's inept offense and defense.
 
Arizona hosts the Giant next week seeking their first W of the season.  Although there is not a lot of confidence in the bad lands this season.
 
 Buffalo 14 Atlanta 31                       70   
 Rivers leads the Falcons to the their first win of the year, 31-14 against the Bills. Rivers got off to a bumpy start with 2 early picks but came back with 350 yards and 3 TDs. Larry Fitzgerald also had a big game with 11 catches for 204 yards and a TD.
 
For the Bills, Devonta Freeman had a big game with 23 carries for 131 yards and 2 TDs. Alex Smith couldn't get anything going as we sacked 3 times by Von Miller and ended up with only 158 yards passing.
 
Next week, the Falcons (1-1) host division rival 49ers while the Bills (0-2) travel to New England.      
     
​ Green Bay 16 Philadelphia 6                 75 10-20
The Pack visited the Eagles at Lincoln Financial sporting one of the best defenses in the league.  That defense did not disappoint as the Pack was able to hold the Eagles offense to 6 points in a 16-6 victory.  It was a game of FG's for 3 quarters as both teams were unable to muster any red zone offense.  It was especially painful for the home team Eagles as they had 4 attempts in the red zone and came up empty twice.  
 
The turning point of the game came with just over 2 minutes remaining.  Down 9-6 and at the Packers 4 yard line, the Eagles decided to kick a FG on 4th down and 3 to go.  The kick was good, however, the Pack was offside which would move the ball to the 2 and make it 4th and 1.  Instead of taking the sure thing and a tie, Coach Mason decided to go for the throat with a TD.  Calling a Jameis Winston sneak, the Eagles QB was able to get a push.  It was close, very close, so the referees called the chain gang in from the sideline.  Short by inches, the Pack takes over at the 1!  The Eagle staff was livid and wanted a replay, but it was not to be.
 
The Pack took over, but with 3 timeouts, the Eagles were able to get the ball back with 1:33 left on the clock.  Starting from their own 23, the Eagles knew that young QB Winston would have to throw the ball in order to get them in FG range for the tie.  After a 5 yard penalty pushed the Eagle defense back to the 18, Winston went back to pass, didn't see any open receivers, and took off running.  5, 10 yards and, just as Winston is about to slide, he is hit by Brian Orakpo, who forces the ball out.  The ball gets scooped up by little used S Chris Maragos, who takes in into the end zone!  16-6 Pack with 1:07 left on the clock.  Down 10, the Eagles called in a day and took a knee.
 
Coach Connors called a great game and had a great game plan.  The star of the game for the Pack was their defense and the running of Frank Gore who had 29 carries for 135 yards.  The Eagles wasted a great performance by RB Demarco Murray who had 160 yards on 21 carries.
 
 New England 26 San Francisco 0              67 20-30
The Pats man handled the Niners in the Week 2 contest.  The final was 26-0. Despite the lopsided score, SF registered more first downs than New England 16-15 but that doesn’t count in the standings.  Furthermore, SF only got into the red zone once in the game.  The first half looked to end with only a 3-0 Patriot advantage until, with 29 seconds left, New England’s Ryan picked up a fumble and ran 59 yards for the score.  The second half was all Patriots featuring 7 sacks and 2 INTs of SF Ryan Fitzgerald.  Sam Bradford was efficient for the Pats going 20-31 and a TD.
 
Kevin deserves a lot of credit for a well called game.
 
 Tampa Bay 31 New York(N) 13                 67 0-10 
Tampa gets a road win in New York verses the Giants.  Sub coach Heaton did a great job keeping his team close.  Eventually Tampa’s Derek Carr, with more tools to choose from at WR, was able to outpace Carson Wentz. 
 
Individually both QBs had 100 plus ratings.  Running backs were just average.  New York’s Robbie Anderson pulled in 5 balls for 104 yards and a TD.  DeSean Jackson caught 4 for 94 yards and a TD. 
 
Next week for Tampa it’s the battle of the Bays up in Wisconsin.  The Giants have a tough one in Arizona.
 
 Carolina 19 New York(A) 17                  77 5-15
Great game that comes down to the last play. The jets take the lead 17-13 with 2:45 remaining as Mallet found Sammy Watkins on the 5 yard pass. Russell Wilson leads the Panthers back down field and hits Randall Cobb with a 19 yard TD pass with 31 seconds remaining to take a 19-17 lead. The Jests blocked the XP but surely there was now enough time remaining to capitalize? Well, they almost did, driving all the way down to the 25 before time ran out.

Thanks to Dennis for subbing and Bob for patience with my connection issue. Thanks also to everyone else who offered to sub.
 
 Jacksonville 10 Oakland 37                  62 0-5  
Matt Stafford throws three touchdown passes as the Raiders down the Jaguars.

 Rushing Leaders
 Murray,D(Phi)   21-160
 McCoy,L(Dal)    19-141  1 TD
 Gore(GB)        29-135
 Freeman,D(Buf)  23-131  2 TD
 Bell,L(Bal)     15-113
 McKinnon(NYJ)   14-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Fitzgerald(Atl) 11-204  1 TD
 Thomas,D(Chi)    9-160
 Smith Sr.(Pit)  10-136
 Pryor Sr.(Hou)   8-112  3 TD
 Hopkins,D(Ten)  11- 98
 William,Ty(Dal)  6- 94  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Brady,T(Pit)    50-31-380   4 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Rivers(Atl)     36-26-350   3 TD  2 Int
 Roethlisbe(Ari) 43-24-329   1 TD
 Brees(Min)      40-27-306   3 TD
 Ryan,M(Ten)     48-31-292
 Cousins(Hou)    34-29-277   5 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Fairley(KC)      3 Sk 8 Tk
 Golden,M(Dal)    3 Sk 12 Tk
 Miller,V(Atl)    3 Sk 10 Tk
 Hayward(Was)     2 Int 5 Tk
 Ingram,M(Was)    4 Sk 7 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Walden(NE)       4 Sk 8 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Lee,M(Was)     4-197 Kick Ret  1 TD - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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​WEEK TWO IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK TWO IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 1 RECAP

Jimmy Graham's three TD receptions led the Texans past Denver to open up the 2017 IFL season.

Game Scores
 Denver 16 Houston 36                        70
Houston defense forces 6 Bronco turnovers and the Texans open the season with a 36-16 victory at home.
The Broncos QB's passer rating for the game was a woeful 14.9 and Texans QB Kirk Cousins carved up the juicy Broncs secondary for 260
yards a 3 scores.
Matt Forte chipped in 83 yards on the ground for the opening week winners.                  

​ Chicago 7 Green Bay 13                      70 0-10
The IFL regular season is upon us!
 
Chicago came to Green Bay to renew our old rivalry.
 
This game turned out to be a real "black and blue" division slugfest.
 
Nobody could get things going on offense in the first quarter. The Packers, winners of three straight
division titles, got the games first break as RB Alfred Blue would have the ball stripped out at his own 14.
Green Bay came away with nothing however when Coach Conners went for it on 4th and 1 from the 4.
QB Brian Hoyer's short hitch to WR Emmanuel Sanders got batted away. No score after the 1st. 
 
The Bears put together a nice 15 play, 55 yard drive midway through the second but Nick Novak missed a long FG
to keep the game scoreless. Green Bay took the next possession and moved all the way down to the Bears 14
thanks to a couple of Hoyer to Sanders hookups. The drive stalled there and the hosts had to settle for a
Josh Brown 32 yard FG to open the scoring...3-0 Packers at the half.
 
Chicago got a break early in the 3rd as S Cam Chancellor picked off Hoyer inside Packers territory.
The Green Bay defense dug in and forced another Novak FG try, this time from just 42 yards out.  
Much to the delight of the Lambeau faithful, he shanked another one...still 3-0
 
As was the case after the first Novak miss, Green Bay's offense seemed to come to life on the next possession.
RB Frank Gore tore off three decent runs and Hoyer found WR's Terrance Williams and Breshard Perriman for big gains.
On 1st and 10 from the Bears 17 Hoyer dropped in a perfect strike to Sanders...TD Packers...10-0
 
Green Bay would tack on another FG to lead 13-0 after 3 quarters.
 
The hosts seemed to have things under control until midway through the 4th until Bears QB Marcus Mariota found
WR Jamison Crowder for a huge 39 yard gain. RB Blue then tore off a 10 yard run to take it down to the Packers 31.
Mariota went back to Crowder on a short out. He broke the tackle of CB Bryce Callahan and sprinted down the sideline for
a TD. Suddenly it was a one score game 13-7 with 6:19 remaining.
 
On the next possession Hoyer completed a huge 2nd and 10 check down to Gore to move the ball out to the near midfield to burn some clock.
Hoyer' 3rd and 6 pass would fall incomplete. On the play, the Packers pivot was hammered to the turf with no call and lay motionless for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher.  After a Shayne Lechler punt, Chicago would get the ball back at their own 14. The Packers forced a 3 and out thanks to a Bears holding penalty.
 
Green Bay got the ball back at their own 38. With stat pack QB Derek Anderson under center Coach Conners decided to play it safe and keep it on the ground. Chicago would hold and after using 2 timeouts and the 2 minute warning, got the ball back at the Bears 20 with 1:31 and a timeout.
 
Mariota quickly moved them out to the Green Bay 48 with completions to WR's Crowder and Demarious Thomas. With just 33 seconds left Crowder caught a short hitch but LB Brian Orakpo came across and jarred the ball loose. Callahan would jump on it to secure the win...13-7 the final
 
It was a costly win for the Packers as we lost Hoyer for 10 weeks.
 
Frank Gore was named MVP (24 carries for 104, 8 rec for 32)
 
Crowder played well (8 rec. for 106 and a TD) but had the costly fumble late
ILB Bobby Wagner was his usual dominant self with 15 tackles and a sack
 
Great game called by Dennis. 
His Bears are a solid squad and our only real rival in the division.
 
The other 3 teams are, quite frankly, lackluster.
 
I do give credit however to TB Mike and Detroit Steve
who, unlike Minnesota Rich, are trying to improve their abilities.
Both have signed up for my September 8th coaching/gm clinic in Vancouver, Canada.   
Jacksonville Dave along with the entire Tennessee staff will also be on hand.
 
Admission is just $380 CDN per person with a limited amount of spots still available.
 
Dallas 34 Philadelphia 24                   77 0-10            
This Dallas Cowboys broke out to 17-0 and 24-7 leads in the first half but had to hold on for a 34-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener for both teams.
 
Dallas' LeSean McCoy was named the game MVP following a three touchdown game; two on the ground and one via a pass.
 
Dallas took the opening kickoff and went 64 yards in eight plays for a quick 7-0 lead.  Cam Newton completed 3/4 passes on the drive, including a 26-yard pass to Williams and a 20-yard scree to McCoy.
 
Following a Philly punt, Dallas went 51 yards to the Philly 20 but had to settle for a FG.  McCoy had runs of 24 and 13 yards in the drive.
 
On the second play from scrimmage, Murray fumbled and Dallas pounced on it at the Philly 41.  It too Cam Newton just two plays to gind the end zone:  a 29-yard pass to Williams and a 21-yard TD throw to Snead.  Dallas goes up 17-0 while the fans were drinking their first beer.
 
Philly got a big play from Sanu, who took a medium out from Winston to the house for 79-yards.
 
Dallas answered the score with one of its own.  Newton engineered an 11 play, 75-yard drive that ended with a McCoy TD run from the four.  The big play was Newton hitting TE Clay for 20 yards on 3rd and five.
 
With time running out in the half, Winston completed seven of eight passes in a long drive that ended with Winston hitting Murray from out of the backfield form a 13-yard score with 29 seconds on the clock. 
 
Sore was 24-14 at the half.
 
To open the second half, Dallas hit a FG.  However, a holding penalty negated the kick.  Dawson then missed from 50 yards out. 
 
Philly closed to 24-21 with 31 seconds left in the quarter when Winston hit Brown
 
Philly's kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Cowboys excellent field position.  Cam Newton hit passes of six, 14 and 18 yards to bring me to the Philly 27.  Dawson's FG advanced my lead to 27-21.
 
Both teams exchanged punts as the defenses stepped up.
 
Dallas brought in backup QB Moore, who completed both his throws, including an 18-yard play to Stills on third and 11.  McCoy then ran for seven yards for a score making the final score 34-24.
 
A key to the win was Philly committing two turnovers to none by Dallas.  Also, Dallas was 8/13 on third down, whereas Philly was 4/11.

 Buffalo 7 San Francisco 20                  73 10-20
Rookie Jordan Howard ignited the 49er offense rushing for 88 yards and two scores as the Niners defeat the Bills.

 Atlanta 3 New Orleans 35                    70 
 The Saints come out firing against the defending NFC champs winning their home opener 35-3. The Saints defense is for real, holding Atlanta to 5 first downs and forcing 4 interceptions. The Falcons will for sure strike back as they are led by a great coaching Marty. Dez Bryant hauls in 2 TD's in the win.  
​                  
 Pittsburgh 17 Jacksonville 16               97 0-10 
The Jags open the season hosting divisional rivals Pittsburgh featuring The Steel Curtain 2.0 and as predicted it was an ugly affair. The Steelers D allowed only 49 yards passing on route to a 17-16 win over the aerially challenged Jags. The Jags D had success early on against Brady but in the end they were a worn out group by the 4th quarter.

Linval Joseph was a complete stud for the Steelers with 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FFs

Jordan Todman had the Jags lone TD on a 104 yard KR.

Vince made some balsy 4th down calls that in the end won him the game.
​                    
 Los Angeles 34 Carolina 19                  82 0-5  
Rams pull out a win against a game Panthers team in Carolina, coached by Kevin Kolb from the Pats. The game came down to an offensive explosion in the third quarter, with two plays tipping the balance.
 
Carolina controlled most of the first half with an impressive mix of run and pass. Carolina QB Russell Wilson had a lot of success only missing on two or three passes in the first half, staking Carolina to a 13-10 lead.
 
Carolina's first drive in the 2nd half stalled, which led to the first big play. A 98 yard punt return by Marcus Sherels, giving the Rams a 17-13 lead against the run of play to that point. Both teams traded touchdowns making the score 24-19 Rams after a failed Carolina 2 pt conversion. Rams next possession led to the 2nd big play, an innocuous short out pass to a double covered TY Hilton turned into a 67 yard gain for the Rams.That led to a third TD in the quarter for the Rams, 31-19. Wilson could not quite recapture the first half magic, he would end with two interceptions after the Rams no longer had to worry about the run.
 
Panthers Studs:
Randall Cobb 9 catches 104 yards 2 TDs
 
Rams Studs:
TY Hilton 7 Catches 161 yards 2 TDs
 
Carolina suffered two injuries to DBS Lamarcus Joyner and Andrew Adams, both set to miss 2 weeks.
 
Next week Carolina takes on the Jets and the Rams travel to Miami.
 
Thanks to Kevin from the Pats for playing, Sean I hope to see you in the rematch.

 Tennessee 23 Baltimore 16                   71 0-5  
Computer called this game a push and it turned into a nail biter.  Baltimore opened the scoring 5 minutes into the game with a one yard sneak by Eli Manning.  From that point until near the end of the third quarter both teams would put together several drives that would always end in successful field goals.  The Titans had three of those to the Ravens' two so the score after 3 quarters was 13-9 Ravens.
With a minute to go in the third the Titans took over the ball on their own 21.  Coach Scott anticipated a pass to Beckham and had him doubled.  Despite that Ryan connected with him on a fly pattern for 48 yards.  A 12 yard completion to Kyle Rudolph moved the ball to the Raven 19.  On the first play of the 4th quarter Ryan hit DeAndre Hopkins with a 19 yard fade for the TD.  The convert made it 16-13 Titans.
Baltimore responded with a nice 49 yard drive with Leveon Bell and Adam Thielen leading the way. However it stalled and they had to settle for a 44 yard field goal by Bryant.  Tied at 16-16.
Tennessee took the kickoff and moved the ball to their own 41.  The Ravens anticipated a run and keyed on RB Wendell Smallwood.  The playcall was a short quick to Hopkins.  He caught the ball, broke a tackle and scampered 59 yards for the TD.  23-16 for the Titans half way through the 4th.
Baltimore's next possession was basically stymied by a 9 yard Landon Collins sack.  Tennessee couldn't do anything either and Baltimore took over the ball on their own 25.  Bell had two nice runs that left the Ravens with a second and two at their own 49.  Then however Bell took the ball three times (one pass, two runs) and could only gain one yard.  Tennessee took possession and the game was essentially over.  Titans win 23-16.
Stat stars for Baltimore were Bell with 120 yards rushing and Joey Bosa with two sacks.  Hopkins caught 8 for 153 yards and Matt Ryan ended with nearly 300 yards passing courtesy of the long gainers by Beckham and Hopkins.
Looks like the AFC Central will be a dogfight all season long.
 
 New York(A) 20 Miami 17                     75 0-5
In a stunner the Jets come into Miami and defeat the Dolphins 20-17, 4 turnovers to 2 was the big story but untimely penalties also played a part. A very shaky opening for the Dolphins and a solid start for the Jets. These 2 Teams meet again in week 4.
 
 Detroit 12 Tampa Bay 27                     91 10-20
Derek Carr throws two touchdown passes and Cordarrell Patterson returns a kickoff 101 yards for another score as Tampa Bay gets by Detroit.

 Arizona 7 Washington 31                     62 5-15 
Second overall pick Dak Prescott throws three touchdown passes in his debut as the Redskins defeat the Cardinals to open the 2017 IFL season.
 
 Indianapolis 27 New England 35              70 10-20 Light Rain  
New England holds off a determined Indy team in a tough, physical battle which saw 20 total penalties and plenty of injuries, including New England's top two RBs for a good portion of the game, as well as their 1st and 2nd string middle linebackers.  
 
The game was back and forth much of the way, but New England took a 15 point lead with under two minutes to go to seemingly cinch it.  A 5 play 65 yard drive pulled Indy within 8 points with 40 seconds left.  The Colts recovered the onside kick and were driving for the tie before the clock ran out on them.
 
Sam Bradford picked up where he left off a year ago for NE, tossing 4 TD passes to go along with his 356 yards passing.  James Starks picked up the slack after L Murray and CJ Procise (out 10 weeks after getting injured on his one and only snap of the game) were knocked from the contest, rushing for 72 yards on 15 carries.  
 
For Indy, Carson Palmer and Co. kept the Patriot D on their heels much of the game.  Palmer finished with 20 of 39 passes completed for 263 yards and 2 TDs (zero INT).  
 
Nice game, Ken. 

 Oakland 33 San Diego 13                     83 Calm 
Matt Stafford throws four touchdown passes to lead the Raiders past the Chargers.  Tight End Travis Kelce was a top target for Stafford hauling in eight receptions for 116 yards and a score.

 Cincinnati 17 New York(N) 5                 79 0-5   Heavy Rain 
 Tyler Eifert caught two passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns as the Bengals downed the host Giants 17-5.  After forcing a New York punt Rodgers hit Eifert for a 85 yard score.  The Giants got on the board late in the first quarter as Cincinnati was called for holding in the end zone resulting in a safety for New York.  Barth extended the Bengal lead to 10-2 with a 27 yard field goal. 
 
Cincinnati opened the third quarter with a 10 play 81 yard drive capped off by a Rodgers to Eifert 9 yard scoring pass.  The Giants closed out the scoring with a Carpenter 20 yard field goal with about two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
 
While the game was played in a steady rain, Rodgers enjoyed a solid day going 24 of 33 for 271 yards and the two TDs.  Gordon grinded out 46 yards on 20 carries. 
 
Giants rookie phenom Carson Wentz finished 14 of 28 for 95 yards with one INT.  Joe Banyard provided some late game heroics rushing for 69 yards on only seven attempts.
 
Next week the Giants host Tampa Bay while the Bengals travel to Kansas City. 

 Kansas City 14 Minnesota 20                 66 Calm 
Drew Brees amassed 328 yards in the air, including passes of 66 yards and 51 yards, and rookie Zeke Elliott ran for 95 yards, including 7 first downs, as Minnesota showed some offensive power in its home opener. In the end, though, they had to hold on to beat valiant Kansas City, 20-14, mostly because of the help of friendly referees, who killed drive after drive of the Chiefs with penalties. 13 penalties against the Chiefs? 1 against the home team Vikings? Hmmm.
 
The Chiefs entered the red zone 6 times, but came away with only 1 score -- thanks largely to penalties. The Vikings invite the same crew to work their game next week.
 
LaGarrette Blount was a wrecking ball for Kansas City, rushing for 100 yards on only 18 carries. Andy Dalton struggled, throwing for only 174 yards on only 16 of 32 passes (compared to Brees's 28 of 36). 
 
The Vikings totaled 412 yards, compared to the Chiefs' 287, The Vikes took a 13-7 lead into the 4th period, and scored a TD to move the lead to 20-7 with about 6 minutes left. But the Chiefs answered with a quick touchdown of their own to make it 20-14 with about 4 minutes to go. Eight plays by the Chiefs netted them only 22 yards, though, and the Vikings held on.
 
The Chiefs also suffered some huge injuries: Shields to miss 15 games, ,Edwards to miss 14 games, and Johnson to miss 10 games.
 
In Week 2, the Chiefs host the Bengals and the Vikings visit the Cowboys.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Murray,D(Phi)   20-122
 Bell,L(Bal)     26-120
 McCoy,L(Dal)    23-110  2 TD
 Gore(GB)        24-104
 Blount(KC)      18-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Hilton(LAR)      7-161  2 TD
 Hopkins,D(Ten)   8-153  2 TD
 LaFell(Buf)     11-113
 Graham,J(Hou)    6- 71  3 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Bradford(NE)    40-31-356   4 TD  1 Int
 Brees(Min)      36-28-328   1 TD  1 Int
 Smith,A(Buf)    53-31-226   1 TD  1 Int
 Stafford(Oak)   37-21-215   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Wagner,B(Chi)    1 Sk 15 Tk
 Campbell,D(NO)   2 Int 5 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Kuechly(Den)     17 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Thompson,D(Phi)7-187 Kick Ret
 Todman(Jax)    3-174 Kick Ret  1 TD
 Sherels(LAR)   2-105 Punt Ret  1 TD - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Patterson(TB)  2-152 Kick Ret  1 TD

---

​WEEK ONE 2017 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK ONE 2017 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

DINNER WITH THE COMMISH

Patriots Coach and defending IFL Champion Kevin Kolb took advantage of being in the Greater Cincinnati area to have dinner with the Commissioner.

IFL War Rooms

With the draft less than 24 hours from starting, IFL DOT COM was able to get a sneak peak into the Bengals War Room.

Giants GM Jude enjoys a snack after announcing the club has reached agreement in principal with Carson Wentz to make him the first overall selection.

Packers management prepare for Saturday in our state of the art gym.

Buc Mike displaying the scientific technique he uses to determine a potential first round selection.

Mike Mayock's 2017 IFL Mock Draft 

  Former professional football player and now draft analysis Mike Mayock will provide his expert opinion on the 2017 IFL draft.  Mayock agreed to be our guest on IFL dot com as long as no orangutans were used as a prop to announce IFL draft selections.

1.  Giants (from Baltimore) - Last year the Giants traded Drew Brees for Colin Kaepernick and a package of draft picks.  To New York's credit they realized Kaepernick was not a long term answer at the quarterback position.  This resulted in the Giants trading up to the top spot. Just like last year when the Bears had to decide between Mariota and Winston, I see Big Blue choosing between Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz.  I lean toward Prescott because of the better performance and situation in the NFL last year.

2.  Redskins (from Houston) - This is like deja vu as Washington traded up prior to the 2015 IFL draft to select Teddy Bridgewater with the number one overall pick.  Unfortunately, Bridgewater suffered a horrific injury and will miss all of the 2017 IFL season requiring the Redskins to go quarterback hunting again.  It's really a credit to the Washington scouting department that they can once again accumulate the depth to be able to trade up into a position to select another promising young quarterback.  More than likely, it will be Wentz.

3.  Ravens (from Giants) - Baltimore dropped back a couple spots to pick up the second overall pick in round two.  I believe there are two players who justify selection at this spot.  One of the players, Baltimore already has one of the best in the IFL in Le'Veon Bell.  The other will give the Ravens one of the best defensive fronts in the IFL for year's to come.  Joey Bosa to Baltimore.

4.  Vikings - Minnesota is a team with a lot of needs.  They do have Drew Brees, an aging Jason Witten, and a beat-up Chris Ivory.  I think the Vikings would be best served to trade down and accumulate additional picks.  The Jets could certainly provide the bounty to trade up to this position but they are in a rebuilding phase of their own.  Green Bay might be able to tempt them with 9 and 26.  Detroit could possibly be a willing partner with the 8, 37, and possibly Terrance West but probably not enough.  So, Ezekiel Elliott to Minnesota.

5.  49ers -  San Francisco could use an anchor on their offensive line.  Donald Stephenson is a journeyman and thus far Donovan Smith has been a disappointment.  Jack Conklin would provide quite the upgrade.

6.  Jets (from Dallas) - Gang Green could go in so many directions, its dizzying!  Jared Goff has to be in consideration although I would have kept Dalton and taken either Michael Thomas or Deforest Buckner.  Goff goes to New York.

7.  Dolphins - Miami is another team that might be interested in moving up to the number four positions.  Otherwise they have an opportunity to upgrade a defensive line that needs help.  Buckner to the Fish.

8.  Lions - The bad news is Detroit does not have an opportunity to upgrade their quarterback position.  The good news is that the best wide receiver in the draft drops to them in Michael Thomas.  Teamed up with Alan Robinson suddenly the Lions have one of the best receiving tandems in the league.  Its a shame they won't have anyone to get them the football.

9.  Packers (from Philadelphia) - Insiders think the Packers traded up to nine to have a shot at Goff.  I think that is a pipe dream as Detroit would have taken him if the Jets didn't.  Logic seems to dictate that Green Bay will take Jalen Ramsey or Ronnie Stanley with this selection.  However, I could see Tyreek Hill as a sleeper pick at this spot.  The Packers need to stop ignoring the O-line early in the draft and solidify that position.  Ronnie Stanley to Green Bay.

10.  Bengals - There was a time Cincinnati had the best cornerback duo in the IFL with Revis and Joseph.  However, time waits for no one.  While offensive tackle is a concern, look for the Bengals to select Jalen Ramsey here.

11.  Eagles (from Green Bay via Jacksonville) - The Eagles are desperate for help on the defensive line.  However, I don't think anyone available justifies selection at this spot.  Philly does have a promising young quarterback and it never hurts to give him another weapon.  I like wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin at 11.

12.  Bills - Its time for Laremy Tunsil's slide to stop.  This is a huge upgrade for Buffalo in an area they need the help.

13.  Giants (from Pittsburgh) - I would have given Taylor Decker a lot of consideration here before his injury.  Keanu Neal is tempting but I could see the Giants reaching just a tad and taking the best Tight End in the draft in Hunter Henry.

14. Cowboys (from the Jets via Kanas City) -  Dallas could use an upgrade at offensive tackle and Taylor Decker fits that description even with his injury. 

15.  Jets (from Indianapolis) -  The Jets need to think about best player available at this point.  Safety Keanu Neal tops my list of available players and fills a need as well.

16.  Rams - This is a historic pick as it will be the IFL's first selection from a franchise located in Los Angeles.  Neal would have been a good fit for the Rams but Cody Whitehair allows Los Angeles to move Spencer Long to guard and upgrade the offensive line.

17.  Panthers - Carolina needs safety help.  But I think they hope to boast that position in a later round.  Tyreek Hill adds an interesting weapon to the Panther offense.

18.  Buccaneers - One of the most improved teams in the IFL last year, James Bradberry would boast the secondary allowing Mathieu to play safety.

19.  Raiders - Oakland could use help at running back.  Carlos Hyde's durability is a concern.  Jordan Howard has to be a consideration but I like Derrick Henry's upside.

20.  Jets - I think the Jets were considering inside linebacker Deion Jones at 15 and have to be delighted he is available at 20.

21.  Cardinals - Arizona has to give thought to the defensive backfield but Will Fuller has potential as a game breaker.  Marshall is getting old and Decker is broken down.

22.  Saints - Saint management likes instant gratification and there is no more of an immediate contributor than veteran pass rusher Lorenzo Alexander. 

23.  Broncos - Denver has to be shocked promising and productive Jordan Howard is available to boast the rushing attack.

24.  Chargers - Another IFL team that made a big jump last season.  In my opinion Coach Banko should have received more consideration for IFL Coach of the Year.  The secondary needs help but so does linebacker.  Leonard Floyd is a good fit for San Diego.

25.  Bears - Chicago finally turned the corner last year and had a big opening round playoff win over Arizona.  The Bears will take either Kelley the running back or Kelly the center.  Rob Kelley, the running back fills a more immediate need.

26.  Packers -   Tyrell Williams gives Green Bay's array of quarterbacks another option at wide receiver. 

27.  Titans - IFL teams usually only have an open window to vie for a championship for a few seasons.  Orlando Scandrick solidifies Tennessee's secondary.

28.  Texans (from Washington) - Houston was able to fill a lot of holes by trading down with Washington.  Center Ryan Kelly would upgrade the offensive line for seasons to come.

29.  Falcons - The defending NFC Champions could use safety help.  I list Vonn Bell as the best available.

30.  Colts (from Jets via New England) - Indy has a glaring need at corner and Artie Burns is still available.

Teams without a first round pick:

60.  Patriots - The Super Bowl champs could use some long term safety depth.  I think there is a chance Karl Joseph could be here.

71.  Steelers - Offensive tackle is a glaring need and Joe Haeg isn't a bad second tier prospect.

72.  Chiefs - Kansas City needs another corner and because of his injury Tavon Young "might" fall to this pick.  Otherwise Brian Poole could be there.

104. Jaguars - It gets a little tougher projecting this far out and Jacksonville won't get much help for 2017.  Defensive End Jihad Ward might be worth a flier here.

2017 IFL DRAFT

2016 IFL SUPER BOWL

Sam Bradford rallied the Patriots with two, late fourth quarter scoring drives.

The 2017 IFL Super Bowl was comprised of arguably the two best teams in the league, as the Atlanta Falcons, winners of 17 of 18 games, squared off against the New England Patriots, who came into the game winners of all but 2 of their 18 games in 2016-2017.   For three quarters, the two teams battled tooth and nail in what was an extremely intense struggle.  If the game consisted of only 3 quarters (although then they would be “periods”), it would have been a terrific game all by itself.  But it was what happened after the third quarter ended which sealed the deal and made this one of the most memorable championship games in IFL history.

New England won the opening toss, but elected to kick off to the elite offensive unit of Atlanta, led by Philip Rivers, Lamar Miller and Larry Fitzgerald.  Rivers wasted no time hooking up with his leading receiver, finding Larry for completions of 8 and 13 yards within the first minute of the game.  A 14 yard completion to Nate Washington carried the Falcons into Patriot territory, but the drive bogged down from there, and Atlanta was forced to punt.

Sam Bradford started this game as he had many others, finding his favorite receiver Antonio Brown for 14 yards, followed immediately by a 17 yard completion to Sammy Watkins.  In two plays, New England was in Atlanta territory.  A 7 yard carry by James Starks followed by a 7 yard pass from Bradford to Latavius Murray on 3rd and 3 gave New England 1st and 10 from the Falcons 35.   After a misfire from Bradford to Marcel Reece, Atlanta doubled both Brown and Watkins on 2nd and 10, but it was Murray who went off tackle for a 23 yard gain, down to the Falcon 12 yard line.  On the next play, Bradford found Brown on a short crossing pattern to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead with 6 minutes to play in quarter number one.

Quan Bray took back the ensuing kickoff 38 yards, out to the 35 yard line.  From there, Rivers went to work, completing 4 of 4 passes on the drive, three of which went to Larry Fitzgerald.  The last of the three, a spectacular 26 yard catch and run by Fitz, in spite of a double team, to make it 7-6.  The PAT attempt by Catanzaro was blocked by Geno Atkins however, and the game remained at 7-6 Patriots  with 2 minutes to play in the opening quarter. 

The Pats second drive began just as their first one did, with an 11 yard completion to Antonio Brown.  A Murray 9 yard run was followed by a 15 yard reception by Murray, and New England was once again quickly in Atlanta territory.  An incompletion to Watkins was followed by a 5 yard run by Starks, bringing an end to an exciting and quick moving first quarter.

The second quarter began with Starks runs of 4 and 3 yards, followed by a 12 yard screen pass to Starks.  Patriots were now first and 10 from the Falcon 21 yard line.  A 17 yard catch by Brown brought New England to the 4 yard line of Atlanta.  Murray was stuffed on first down, but on the next play, Bradford found Brown on a corner fade pattern in the back of the end zone to give New England a touchdown on their first two drives of the game.   Patriots had a 14-6 lead.

Lamar Miller sparked the Falcons next drive with runs of 8 and 13 yards on the first two plays.  Receptions by Ertz and Cecil Shorts carried Atlanta out near midfield, as the clock dropped under the 9 minute mark of the 2nd quarter.  Atlanta looked to get Lamar Miller going on three consecutive carries, but the Patriots defensive front seven were up to the task and shut Miller, and the drive down.  Falcons punted, which resulted in a touchback.

Pats went 3 and out on their next drive, giving Rivers another shot at closing the gap with just over 5 minutes in the first half.  A solid punt return got Atlanta started at their own 44 yard line.  As he did earlier in the game Rivers then caught fire and complete four consecutive passes, two each to Fitzgerald and Washington, for a total of 47 yards.  On first and goal from the four, Lamar Miller carried it across the goal line, making the game 14-13 with 2:17 to play in the first half.  The Patriots decided to play it conservative and killed the remainder of the clock without incident, knowing that they’d have the ball coming out of the halftime festivities.

The two teams exchanged punts to start the second half.  On New England’s 2nd drive, successive penalties pushed New England into a second and 17 hole.  Bradford followed with successive incompletions, and Atlanta would take over six minutes in to quarter number three.

Atlanta decided to see if their notoriously physical offensive line could start to impose their will on the Patriot front four……….and boy did they ever.  The next drive consisted of 10 plays spanning 6:30, 9 of which were runs.  The Falcons were facing a first and goal from the Patriot 5 yard line, but were ultimately forced to settle for a field goal.  Still, Atlanta had their first lead of the game, 16-14, with 2:28 to play in quarter number three.

Sam Bradford and company went back to work, methodically driving out to their own 43 yard line as the 3rd quarter expired. Then, on first and 10 on the very first play of the fourth quarter, Bradford hit Brown for 11 yards, but then, DISASTER!!  Brown couldn’t hold onto the ball as he was tackled, and Von Miller scooped the ball up and raced 55 yards for the touchdown, giving Atlanta a two score lead at 23-14!!  New England was in trouble, though there was still a quarter left to play. 

New England couldn’t do much on their next drive however, and again Atlanta’s Kaelin Clay registered a fine punt return, giving Atlanta the ball at their own 49 with 13:05 to play.  Rivers hit Lamar Miller on consecutive short pass plays for gains of 7 and 5 yards.  An 8 yard Dion Lewis reception on 3rd and 9 forced another Catanzaro field goal attempt.  This time Chandler converted on a 46 yard field goal, and it was 26-14 with 10 minutes remaining.

Facing a near must score situation, Bradford started the next drive out by finding Murray out in the flat for a 6 yard gain.  A 10 yard sweep left by James Starks made it 1st and 10 from the New England 36.  With Atlanta expecting pass, Bradford misfired on successive attempts to Brown and Watkins, forcing a 3rd and 10 for New England.  With Watkins and Brown doubled, Bradford looked for Dorial Green-Beckham and connected on a HUGE 17 yard play to give the Pats a fresh set of downs.

The Pats had Atlanta caught with their nickel personnel on the field after that last play, and then with Atlanta still expecting pass, a James Starks draw play resulted in another big 17 yard gain down to the Atlanta 30 yard line.  Starks was stuffed on the next play for a 3 yard loss however, and a Bradford to Brown attempt was not successful on the next play, leaving New England with a 3rd and 13.  With Watkins and Brown doubled once again, Bradford found tight end Coby Fleener for the first time all day on a critical 15 yard catch to once again convert on the third and long, down to the Falcon 18 yard line.  Another draw to Starks resulted in an 18 yard touchdown, and with just over 6 minutes left, it was now 26-21 Falcons.

Looking for the onside kick, Atlanta’s Bray wasn’t able to muster much of a return this time, and Atlanta would take over at their 13 yard line.  Three consecutive pass attempts by Rivers would result in only one Ertz catch for six yards.  New England would get the ball once again, with 5:18 to play.

With Atlanta looking pass, Latavius Murray carried for 22 yards on a sweep right, across midfield.  Murray would get stuffed on the next play, making it 2nd and 10 with 4:34 to play.  Then, a HUGE 15 yard personal foul on OT Greg Robinson (in the game for the ailing Zach Streif) pushed New England back to their own 46 yard line, while forcing the Pats into a 2nd and 25 dilemma.  A long crossing pattern was nearly picked off as Brown was once again double-teamed.  On 3rd and 25, Bradford hit Starks on a screen pass, good for 12 yards to the Atlanta 42. 

Facing 4th and 13 but with all three time outs, and with 3:17 to play, New England prepared to punt.  A false start on Rogers-Cromartie made it 4th and 8.   New England, from the Falcon 35, decided to pull their punt team off the field in an attempt to convert the 4th down attempt.  Bradford did just that, hitting Brown (double-covered again) for the 12 yard completion and another key first down to the Atlanta 25 yard line. 

With the clock ticking under 2:30 in the 4th quarter, Bradford went for it all on first down, and connected with the streaking Brown for a 25 yard TD pass.  New England had scored two touchdowns in less than 4:30 of game clock, and now had a 27-26 lead.  The Patriots went for the 2 point conversion, and Latavius Murray blasted his way thru the Falcon defensive line for the conversion. 

29-26 New England with 2:17 to play!!

Atlanta’s Bray couldn’t muster much of a return this time, and Atlanta had to start at their 7 yard line thanks to a penalty on the return.  A false start pushed the Falcons back to their own 4 yard line, but then Rivers found Dion Lewis for 16 yards, giving the Falcons another set of downs and some breathing room, as they looked for a shot at a game tying field goal.  Rivers next found Nate Washington for 13 yards, out to the 32 with 1:39 to play.  A short pass to Lewis for 3 yards was followed by consecutive incompletions, forcing Atlanta into a 4th and 7 with 1:05 to play. 

As he had many times all season however, Philip Rivers was up to the task and found Zach Ertz for a 7 yard pass play, JUST enough for the Falcon first down.  In hurry-up mode, Rivers found Lewis for 4 yards, but the clock was the enemy as the Falcons were nearing midfield.  Rivers then failed to connect with Ertz, forcing a big 3rd and 6 from their own 46, with 38 seconds remaining.

Rivers found Larry Fitzgerald for a huge 10 yard completion, but Fitz remained in bounds and Atlanta had to use their final time out with 30 seconds to play. 
First down Atlanta from the Patriots 44 yard line.

Meanwhile, on the Falcon sidelines, Chandler Catanzaro was calmly loosening up for the potential game tying field goal.

Rivers looked for Dion Lewis on each of the next two plays, hoping to get further into Patriot territory, but each attempt was thwarted by the Pats defense.  On 3rd and 10, Rivers hit Nate Washington for a 7 yard completion before being knocked out of bounds with 8 seconds to play.  With no time outs remaining, Atlanta was facing a 4th and 3 from the New England 37 yard line.  

On came Catanzaro to attempt the game-tying 54 yard field goal and a shot at overtime………………

BAD SNAP!!!!

Donnie Jones couldn’t handle Falcon long snapper Kyle Nelson’s snap, and Catanzaro wasn’t even able to get the kick off as time expired.  New England had escaped……………29-26!!

As he had all season long, Patriot quarterback Sam Bradford took care of the football – completing 23 of 37 pass attempts for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns – all to Antonio Brown.  More importantly, Bradford didn’t turn the ball over.  As such, Sam was named the MVP of the Super Bowl.  Antonio Brown’s heroics (10 receptions on 18 targets, 125 yards and 3 touchdown receptions) were only almost overshadowed by his fumble in the 4th quarter which NEARLY cost his team the championship. 

New England’s offensive line was solid all day as well, helping the Patriots run the ball extremely well against a Falcon defense that had been DEATH against the run all season.  Latavius Murray ran 12 times for 75 yards, while James Starks carried the ball 10 times for 69 yards, for a surprising overall average of 6.5 YPC. 

On the other side of the field, Atlanta’s Phil Rivers was effective and efficient as well, completing 27 of 40 pass attempts for 255 yards and a TD.  Like Bradford, Rivers did not turn the ball over either.  Larry Fitzgerald caught 8 passes for 109 yards and a score, while Lamar Miller carried the ball 14 times for 75 yards and a TD. 

In addition to supporting solid run games for their respective teams, both offensive lines were exemplary in keeping their quarterbacks upright.  With the likes of Elvis Dumervil, Von Miller, Geno Atkins and Thomas Davis on the field, neither Atlanta OR New England could register a single quarterback sack on the day.  Just a very well-played game by both offensive lines.

Time of possession was nearly equal, and Brown’s fumble was the only turnover on the game.  A key stat was New England’s execution in the red zone, where they converted all three trips into touchdowns, while Atlanta scored one TD on two red zone trips themselves.

All in all, Atlanta seemed well positioned to win this one, with a 12-point lead and 10 minutes remaining.  New England’s offense was somehow able to kick it into high gear at just the right time, sneaking away with the win, and the 2017 IFL Championship.

Congrats to Mary on a fine game and an excellent season.  This was a game neither team deserved to lose………the breaks just seemed to fall New England’s way in the final minutes of the game.

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IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Tennessee 13 at New England 21

Latavius Murry's two touchdown runs helps punch New England's ticket to the Super Bowl.

For the second consecutive year, Tennessee makes its way to Foxboro for a post-season match-up against New England.  This time, a trip to the Super Bowl was on the line. 

Titans win the coin toss and defer.  New England goes three and out on their initial drive.  Titans take over and convert a first down, before punting.  On their 2nd drive, Patriots put together a 15-play drive covering 88 yards and spanning over 7 minutes.  On 3rd and 4 from the Tennessee 26, Latavius Murray ripped off a 21-yard run to the Titan 5 yard line.  On the next play Murray went off tackle right for the TD, and New England had a 7-0 lead at the 3:23 mark of Q1.

Matt Ryan responded on the ensuing drive.  After Patriot CB Logan Ryan helped Tennessee's cause with two (one offsides, one illegal contact) penalties, Ryan hooked up with Beckham and Delanie Walker on consecutive plays to bring the ball to the NE 32.  The game moved to the 2nd quarter and Tennessee's offense bogged down, forcing a 41 yard Dan Bailey field goal.  

7-3 New England.

Thanks to a penalty on the return, the Patriots started their next drive deep in their own territory.  Unable to muster a single first down, the Pats were forced to punt into the wind......giving the Titans the ball at the NE 39 yard line.  Short completions to Walker and Doug Martin left Tennessee facing 4th and 1 from the Patriot 30.  Even with a slight breeze at their back, Coach Brunskill looked to convert with Doug Martin.  The Patriot defense was waiting for him however, and stuffed him for a loss and a turnover on downs.  

Two false start penalties by the Patriot offensive line put the home team in a bind, but on 2nd and 17, James Starks tore off an 11 yard run.  With Brown and Watkins doubled on 3rd and 6, Sam Bradford found Coby Fleener for 9 yards, giving NE a first down at their own 44.  Starks' carries for 6 yards, and then 4 and 9 yards, helped bring NE to the 27 yard line.  On 4th and 2, Coach Kolb decided to follow Coach Brunkskill's lead and eschew the field goal.  As was the case on the Titan attempt, Latavius Murray was also stuffed, and the Titans would take over with 4:30 to play in the 2nd quarter.  Still 7-3 NE.

Matt Ryan methodically moved his team down the field in an 11 play drive, with 5 completions along the way.  DeAndre Hopkins had two catches on the drive, one for 11 and the second for 20, which gave Tennessee first and 10 from the Patriot 17 yard line.  After a Doug Martin 7 yard carry, New England called a time out as their defense was completely gassed.  An incomplete pass to Walker made it 3rd and 3.  Ryan dropped back to pass and looked for Beckham on a short slant, but Logan Ryan jumped the route and INTERCEPTED the pass. 

The game would go to halftime with NE up 7-3.

Tennessee would take the kickoff and a 35 yard Weems return gave the Titans nice field position.  However, on the first play from scrimmage, Ryan mishandled the snap and LB Jamie Collins recovered.  Another false start by NE forced them into a 3rd and 11, but Bradford converted the first down by hitting Sammy Watkins for 17 yards.   On the next play, Bradford hit a doubled Antonio Brown for 18 yards down to the Titan 1 yard line.  Latavius Murray appeared to cross the goal line and NE challenged, but the replay indicated he was stopped short, making it 2nd and inches.  Murray was given 2 consecutive attempts on 2nd and 3rd down, and on both, appeared to break the plane of the goal line.  On both plays however, the replay official indicated he had been stopped short, forcing a critical 4th down.  

Rather than taking the 3 points, NE went for it.  This time, Same Bradford DID break the plan on a QB sneak, and NE was up 14-3 at the 11:21 mark.

The Titans briskly moved the ball back into NE territory, thanks to completions to Hopkins and Beckham and a 13 yard dash by Martin.  On 2nd and 1 from the NE 30, Patriot DT Brandon Williams sacked Ryan, forcing the ball loose....................but the Titans recovered and were ultimately forced to settle for a 50-yard Dan Bailey FG to cut the Pats lead to 14-6.

New England was forced to punt, and Tennessee took over with just under 3 minutes in Q3 at their own 40 after another nice Weems return (26 yards per KR and 14 yards per PR on the day).  Completions to Hopkins and Rudolph brought the Titans to the Patriot 43, but an incomplete pass on 3rd down forced another tough decision  - punt and bury the Patriots deep in their territory or try and keep the drive moving.  The Titans went for it, but New England's defense prevailed, forcing an incomplete pass attempt from Ryan to Walker.   

Still 14-6 as the third quarter ended.

The momentum seemed to have turned with the prior turnover on downs, as New England responded with a 7-play drive which culminated with an 18-yard TD run by Latavius Murray, and the Patriots were up 21-6.  Things were looking bleak for the visitors, though it was still only a 2 score game.

After an exchange of punts, Tennessee took over with under 8 minutes to play in a do-or-die situation.  Matt Ryan engineered a 20-play, 87 yard drive which was capped by a 14 yard TD pass to Hopkins.  But had they taken too much time??  

21-13 Patriots, with 2:38 to play. 

With all 3 timeouts, the Titans kicked the ball deep, hoping for one final shot with the ball.  

After stuffing Murray on first down, New England tempted fate and elected to pass against a defense looking for the run.  Bradford found Watkins for 11 yards and a key first down. Consecutive runs by Murray forced Tennessee to burn their final time outs before the two minute warning.  Then, on 3rd and 2, Bradford connected with Antonio Brown for 17 yards and that would be the ballgame.   New England 21  Tennessee 13.

New England overcame 9 penalties on the day, but without question the key to the victory for New England were the two turnovers by Tennessee - one immediately before halftime as the Titans were knocking at the door for the lead touchdown before halftime - and the 2nd immediately after the halftime break which set up the Patriots 2nd TD on the day.

Latavius Murray ran for 110 yards on 27 carries with 2 TDs on the day.  Sam Bradford, against a superior pass defense, completed 19 of 28 attempts for 185 yards, with no TDs or INTs.

Doug Martin carried the ball just 11 times for Tennessee, for 59 yards.  Matt Ryan completed 30 passes on 55 attempts.  Somehow, the Patriots defense held both Odell Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins under 70 yards receiving on the day.

Congrats to Rick for putting together a truly scary team which was definitely Super Bowl-worthy.  On this day, the Patriots were fortunate in that they simply made fewer critical mistakes than did the Titans.   

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Washington 10 at Atlanta 23

Lamar Miller's 5 yard TD score at the end of the third quarter propels Falcons to the Super Bowl.

Game MVP Philip Rivers led the Falcons to a 23-10 victory over the Redskins to advance to the Super Bowl against New England.

Quan Bray set up the Falcons with good field position with a 37 yard return of the opening kickoff. From there, Rivers took over. He hit Fitzgerald twice for 23 yards, Spiller and Ertz for 23 yards to take the Falcons down to the 10 yard line where Rivers hit Washington for the 10 yard TD pass. Falcons 7-0 (10:14 first quarter)

Redskins and Falcons trade punts. On the Falcon's punt, Bolden set up the Redskins with good field position with a 19 yard return to the Redskins 39 yard line. After a 12 yard pass to Ebron, Bridgewater connected with Martavis Bryant for long pass over the middle for 25 yards. After hitting Garcon for a 13 yard pass down the seam, the Redskins were set up with a 1st and goal at the 9 yard line. On first down, Bridgewater can't hook up with Martavis Bryant. On 2nd, the Falcons D comes up big. The defensive line is shifted to the right and catches Bryant on an end around from the left side and stuff him for a huge 9 yard loss. That set up a 3rd and goal at the 18. With the Falcons calling pass, the Redskins try the draw with Jennings but it's only good for 5 yards to force the FG attempt. Janikowski hits the 31 yarder. Atlanta 7-3 (1:51 first quarter).

Next drive resulted in a Falcons FG after another big kick return for 39 yards from Quan Bray. Miller had an 11 yard run and 11 yard pass included in the drive which eventually stalled at the Redskins 29 yard line. Catanzaro hits the 47 yarder. Atlanta 10-3 (13:30 second quarter).

Washington goes 3 and out. On the Falcons ensuing drive, Lamar Miller rushed 5 times for 26 yards but the drive stalled at the Redskins 18 yard line to set up another Catanzaro FG. Atlanta 13-3 (6:42 second quarter).

Washington goes into the 4 minute drill but the drive stalls at the their 46 yard line after a sack by Cameron Heyward on 3rd and 10.

Atlanta takes over at their own 11 yard line with 2:09 left and all their timeouts. Rivers hit Dion Lewis, Nate Washington, Zach Ertz and Larry Fitzgerald for 47 yards but also mixed in 3 rushes for 31 yards to set up a 29 yard FG with no time left in the first half. Falcons 16-3 (0:00 second quarter)

Washington has their best and most productive drive to start the second half. Cadet gets a 41 yard kick return to set up the Redskins at their 35 yard line. Rashad Jennings rushed 5 times for 28 yards and Bridgewater mixed in 4 passed for 34 yards including a 4 yard TD pass to Eric Ebron. Falcons 16-10 (8:01 third quarter).

Falcons replied back with a clock killing drive which was capped off by a Lamar Miller 5 yard TD run. Miller also had 5 rushes on the drive for 22 yards. After a delay of game on the offense, Rivers found Nate Washington running open downfield for a 30 yard gain. The Miller TD was the final scoring in the game, making it 23-10 Falcons. (0:23 thirs quarter).

Washington didn't seriously threaten in the 4th as they had only one first down and turned the ball over on downs twice and on an interception of a screen by DL Ian Williams.

With the 23-10 win, the Falcons face the Patriots in the Super Bowl. It will be the Falcons third trip, losing the first time to Jacksonville and then more recently to Denver.

Good game and good season by Kris and his Redskins.

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IFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF ROUND

Denver 14 at New England 36

Bradford was all smiles after throwing 4 TD passes and leading the Patriots to the IFL Conference Championship game.

On an unseasonably warm but rainy evening, the Denver Broncos made the trip to Foxboro as a 9 point underdog.  They would look for another solid performance from RB Jamaal Charles, who ran for 119 yards in last week's road win at the Jets.

Denver won the toss and elected to receive.  Charles started things out well with a 6 yard scamper, but Jamie Collins sacked Matt Stafford on 3rd down to kill the opening drive.  New England started slowly as well, with 3 Latavius Murray runs failing to convert a 1st down on their initial drive.  After a 3 and out by the Broncos on their 2nd drive, Sam Bradford took a chance and heaved it downfield, and he found Antonio Brown for a 40 yard completion.  After a couple nice gains by James Starks, Bradford hooked up with Sammy Watkins for a 19 yard score.  Julius Peppers blocked the extra point attempt, and it was 6-0 Patriots.

Matt Stafford looked to bring Denver back, as he connected with Rishard Matthews on an 18 yard completion to get the visitors out near midfield.  Stafford went back to the well two plays later, but his attempt to connect with Matthews was this time picked by Sean Smith, who took it all the way back to the Denver 18 yard line.  Denver's defense stiffened however, and the Pats had to settle for a Sturgis field goal.  9-0 New England with four minutes to play in Q1.

Things went from bad to worse on the next series for Denver.  On 3rd and 6, a pitch to Charles was foiled when William Gholston ripped the ball from Jamaal's hands, giving New England the ball once again, this time at the Bronco 27 yard line.  

Bradford wasted no time, immediately hooking up with Sammy Watkins for a 27 yard TD pass to make it 16-0 Patriots.  

On their next series, Stafford was sacked on back to back plays by Atkins and Gholston, and Denver had to punt once again.  New England tacked on another three points and it was 19-0 with 12:49 left in the 2nd quarter.

Facing a 4th and 2 on their next drive from their own 28 yard line, Denver rolled the dice with a fake punt, but it was sniffed out by the Patriot special teams, giving the Pats another chance deep in enemy territory.  A 12 yard TD pass to Antonio Brown made it 26-0, which is how the first half ended.

Another Bradford to Brown TD midway through the 3rd quarter made it 33-0 Patriots, who would ride that lead to a 36-14 win.  Sam Bradford finished with 293 yards passing and 4 touchdowns.  Antonio Brown had 9 receptions for 153 yards and 2 scores.  

For Denver, Matt Stafford struggled early on, missing on 11 of his first 15 pass attempts.  He'd finish with 172 yards passing and 2 TDs, but he also tossed 2 interceptions as well. Jamaal Charles found the sledding a bit tougher in New England, though he did manage 107 yards from scrimmage (including 40 yards receiving)

Congrats to Doug on making it to the Divisional Round - no easy task in the IFL!

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Tennessee 34 at San Diego 17

Titan receiver Hopkins broke open a close game with a 76 yard score in the third quarter.

The AFC Central champion Tennessee Titans traveled to San Diego to take on the AFC West champion Chargers.  The Titans edged AFC West foe Oakland 20-17 to advance from the wildcard round.  San Diego earned a first round bye with the second best record in the conference at 11-5.

The teams exchanged punts on their first drives before Charger quarterback Tyrod Taylor connected with Malcolm Floyd on a 37 yard score to give San Diego a 7-0 first quarter lead. 

The game stayed at 7-0 San Diego until the Tennesse offense finally got something going early in the second quarter.  Starting with good field position at their own 47, Titan quarterback Matt Ryan connected with Beckham and Hopkins for short gains that moved the chains.  Runningback Doug Martin was able to burst through the line for a 14 yard gain to set up a first and ten at the San Diego 17.  After an incompletion, Ryan hit Tight End Rudolph for a 15 yard gain and Martin took it in from two yards out to knott the game at seven with 11 minutes remaining in the half.

The Titans took their first lead as IFL Defensive Player of the Year Josh Norman intercepted Taylor and Bailey connected on a 20 yard field goal for a 10-7 lead and still over eight and a half minutes left in the quarter.

The Chargers offense was forced to punt on their next series.  The Titans put together a ten play 74 yard drive capped off by a Ryan to Hopkins six yard pass just after the two minute warning to give Tennessee a 17-7 lead at the half.

After forcing Tennesse to punt on the opening drive of the half, San Diego put together a 14 play 91 yard drive that was capped off by a Taylor to Tavon Austin 17 yard touchdown strike to cut the Titan lead to 17-14.  Tennessee would answer with a 13 play 93 yard drive as Ryan would sneak in for the score from the one and increase the lead back to ten at 24-14 with less than a minute remaining in the thrid quarter.

San Diego cut the lead to a touchdown thanks to a Santos 35 yard field goal with still over eight minutes remaining in the game.  However, on the Titans next series DeAndre Hopkins broke loose on a quick pass and went 76 yards to increase their advantage to 31-17 with seven minutes remaining.  The Chargers were forced to gamble on fourth and two, deep in their own territory on their next drive but could not convert.  This allowed Titan kicker Bailey to convert a 30 yard field goal and seal the 34-17 win as the Titans advance to the AFC Championship for the first time in franchise history.

Taylor finished 23 of 34 for 267 yards with two TDs and an INT for San Diego.  Julio Jones caught nine passes for 100 yards but was kept out of the end zone.

For the Titans, Ryan completed 26 of 32 for 292 yards and two TDs.  Martin rushed for 77 yards on 19 attempts with a TD.  Hopkins caught seven passes for 126 yards and the two TDs. 

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Chicago 17 at Atlanta 24

Lamar Miller's fourth quarter four yard touchdown run gave the Falcons the 24-17 win

Falcons get off to the "dream" start as they force a 3 and out on the Bears first offensive possession. After a Von Miller sack back to the 8 yard line, the Falcons take over on the Bears side of the field at the 41. On the Falcon's first play, Rivers finds Washington wide open over the middle and hits him in stride with the pass. Washington breaks away for the 41 yard TD to give the Falcons an early 7-0 lead.

The teams trade punts as the Bears' drive is stopped by an offensive penalty and the Falcons go 3 and out. On the Bears next drive, Mariota and the offense go to work. Drive gets off to a shaky start as Demaryius Thomas gets called for offensive holding on the first play but Mariota hits Marvin Jones and DeAngelo Williams for 14 yards before hitting Demaryius Thomas for a 14 yard pass on 3rd and 6 for the first down. After that Mariota hit Demaryius Thomas again for 27 yards down to the Falcons 16 yard line. The Falcons doubled Thomas and Jamison Crowder but Mariota find DeAngelo Williams on a dump off and he broke free for the TD to tie the game at 7-7.

The Falcons next drive started out well enough with a 13 yard pass completion to Larry Fitzgerald before the Bears defense stepped up in a big way. Chandler Jones sacked Philip Rivers on 1st and 10 from the Bears 48 and intercepted Rivers on the next play to set up the Bears with good field position on the Falcons 48 yard line. Mariota then hit Marvin Jones twice for 28 yards to set up a DeAngelo Williams 4 yard rush for a TD to give the Bears a 14-7 lead with 10:47 remaining in the second quarter.

Atlanta and Chicago then trade punts again. Lamar Miller had a 23 yard run for the Falcons but they couldn't follow it up before they had to punt. Bears start with bad field position as the Donnie Jones and the Falcons punt coverage pin them at the 3 yard line. On 3rd and 4, James Carpenter recovered a fumbled snap leading to a Bears punt.

The Falcons next drive was rolling as Rivers hit Lamar Miller for 7 yards and then Nate Washington and Larry Fitzgerald each for 9 yards to set up a 2nd and 1 at the Bears 39 yard line. One the next play, Rivers looks for Fitzgerald deep but the Bears double cover him and Cam Chancellor picks off the pass setting up the Bears at their own 17 yard line after replay upheld the interception.

On the first play after the interception, Mariota fumbled the snap again but recovered it. On the next play he hit Marvin Jones over the middle. He turned on the jets and broke it for a 51 yard gain before Charles Woodson stopped him with a shoe string tackle at the Falcons 16 yard line. On the next play, Mariota gets the snap but can't find anyone open and gets sacked by Cameron Heyward for an 11 yard loss back to the 44 yard line. Mariota hit Jamison Crowder for 9 yards but then the drive stalls at the 35 yard line. Bears go for the long, 53 yard attempt and Nick Novak nails it to extend the Bears lead to 17-7 with 1:53 remaining in the first half.

On the Falcons next drive, Rivers hits Nate Washington 4 times for 57 yards down to the 10 yard line. Rivers tried to spike the ball to set up the last second FG attempt but time runs out and the Bears go into halftime with a 17-7 lead.

After trading punts, the Falcons were able to move the ball on their next drive but would eventually stall at the Bears' 18 yard line. Catanzaro hit the 36 yard FG to close the gap to 17-10 for the Bears.

Falcons force the Bears to punt on their next drive and then Philip Rivers goes to work. After an 8 yard run by Lamar Miller, Rivers hits Ertz, Fitzgerald and then Washington on a 37 yard pass down to the Bears 4 yard line. The Bears look for Miller run but Rivers fakes it to him and finds Larry Fitzgerald wide open in the end zone for the 4 yard TD pass and catch to tie up the game at 17-17 with 1:46 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

The Falcons D stops the Bears on their next drive, forcing a 3 and out. The Falcons took over on their 27 yard line after a 3 yard punt return from Kaelin Clay. On the first play, Rivers Zach Ertz on the button hook, he shakes a tackle and breaks it for 37 yards to the Bears 36 yard line. A great start but then Richie Incognito takes a holding penalty to set up back the drive. So, now it was a 1st and 20 at the Bears 46. Dion Lewis gains 9 yards then Star Lotulelei jumps across the line for a 5 yard penalty to set up a 2nd and 6 at the Bears 32 yard line. Rivers hits Washington for 10 yards for the 1st down and the drive continues down to the 22 yard line. Rivers then completes a short 8 yard pass to Spiller to the 14 and the rest was Lamar Miller. He rushed for 10 yards down to the 4 and broke it across the goal line for the TD on the next play to give the Falcons a 24-17 lead.

From then on, it was Mariota passing into the teeth of the Falcons pass D as they attempted to hold the lead. After two unsuccessful drives, the Bears took over on the Falcons' 25 yard line. With 3 big plays, a yard yard pass to Demaryius Thomas, a 40 yard pass to Deangelo Williams and a 16 yard pass to Riley Cooper, Marcus Mariota set up the Bears with a 1st and goal at the Falcons 5 yard line with 32 seconds left. Mariota spikes the ball with 15 seconds left to stop the clock and sets up and epic goal line stand by the Falcons D. Mariota first tries Jamison Crowder then twice to Demaryius Thomas but the Falcons deny them forcing the Bears to turnover the ball on downs. Rivers kneels down to run off the remaining second and the celebration starts in Atlanta.

Nate Washington is named game MVP as he caught 8 passes for 154 yards and a TD. Larry Fitzgerald added 5 catches for 47 yards and a TD. On the ground Lamar Miller had 17 rushes for 81 yards and a TD. Rivers passed for 317 with 2 TDs and 2 INTs.

For the Bears, Mariota had a big game with 336 yards and TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. Thomas totalled 9 catches for 126 yard and a TD. While DeAngelo Williams didn't rush for many yards, as he only had 28 yards on 14 carries, he had a TD rushing and added 4 catches for 79 yards and a TD.

The Falcons D forced 5 fumbles including 3 by Von Miller but could not recover any of them. Result was losing the turnover battle 0-2 but sstill being able to make enough plays to win.

Congrats to Dennis on a very well coached game and a great season. Now the Falcons wait to host the winner of the Packers / Redskins game.

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Green Bay 7 at Washington 23

The Washington defense led by Melvin Ingram and his two sacks suffocated the Green Bay offense.

Green Bay traveled to Washington for their divisional round playoff game and they would receive a rude welcoming.  Washington would get the ball first and Jennings would get it rolling with a 41 yard carry to start the game.  3 plays later Bridgewater would hit Bryant for a 17 yard TD.  Green Bay would quickly go 3 and out and punt to Bolden who would return it 40 yards which would result in a Washington FG.  Green Bay would have to run another 4 plays and punt again and Bolden would return that one 28 yards.  That drive would stall out for Washington but they would hit another FG to bring the lead to 13-0.   Green Bay would go three and out again and Washington would drive down to the red zone.  It appeared they would have to settle for a FG but on 3rd and goal from the 11 a personal foul would give the drive new life.  2 plays later and Jennings would punch it in from 7 yards out to push the lead to 20.  

It wouldn't be until just under 3 minutes that Green Bay would finally get something going on offense.  Cutler would quickly march them down the field for a TD to bring the halftime score to 20-7 with Green Bay getting the ball to start the second half.  They would pickup where they left off int he half and push the ball to the Washington 48 but the drive stalled out and they would be forced to punt.  A poor return decision by Bolden would leave Washington pinned inside the 4 yard line.  Washington would push their way out of the shadow of the goal post but they would face a daunting 3rd and 14 against one of the best pass defenses in the league.  Fortunately the Green Bay defense was frustrated and picked a fight and the refs threw the flag.  15 yards first down Washington.  The drive would stall out on the Green Bay 22 and Washington would be forced to kick a FG but the damage was already done as it was now 23-7 and the drive ate 9 minutes off the clock.  

With the clock ticking down Washington was able to sit back and rush the passer at will and Green Bay couldn't protect Cutler.  Over the next 3 drives Cutler would be sacked 4 times with each one essentially killing the drive.  

John called a great game.  Things went downhill pretty quickly in the game and he managed to dig himself out of it by halftime to give himself a shot.  There were not a lot of penalties in the game but two called against Green Bay were especially brutal allowing Washington to get a TD instead of a FG and a second one extending a drive that resulted in a FG.  

Washington will head to Atlanta next week for the NFC Championship game while Green Bay will lick their wounds and prepare for the draft.

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2016 IFL AWARDS

2016 IFL COACH OF THE YEAR

Atlanta Falcons Coach Marty Golden was named IFL Coach of the Year by Dave Koch Sports.  Golden led his Falcons to the league's best record with a 15-1 mark while capturing the NFC West division championship.  The Falcons finished in the top ten in both team offense and team defense.  The Falcon defense allowed ten or less points in eight of their games.  Washington Coach Kris Heaton finished second in the balloting and New England Coach Kevin Kolb placed third.

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2016 IFL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

New England Patriots Quarterback Sam Bradford was named IFL Offensive Player of the Year by Dave Koch Sports.  Bradford led the league in Passing with a 129.6 rating.  This also set the single season record.  Bradford threw for 3,346 yards and 38 touchdowns with only six interceptions while leading the Patroits to an AFC best 14-2 record.  Atlanta Quarterback Phillip Rivers finished second in the balloting and Green Bay Quarterback Jay Cutler finished third.

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2016 IFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tennessee Titan Cornerback Josh Norman was named IFL Defensive Player of the Year by Dave Koch Sports.  Norman allowed only 59% of the passes thrown in his area to be completed.  He intercepted four passes and returned three of those for touchdowns.  Norman also finished with 83 tackles.  St. Louis edge rusher Khalil Mack finished second in the balloting and New England linebacker Thomas Davis placed third.

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IFL WILDCARD WEEKEND

Oakland 17 Tennessee 20

Doug Martin's fourth quarter touchdown proved to be the game winner for the Titans.

The 8 and 8 Oakland Raiders came to challenge the 11 and 5 Tennessee Titans in this wild card game.  Temperature was only 41° F but there was very little wind.  DKS favoured Tennessee by 6 points.

  1 Oakland         Oak 24  4 plays  16 yards  2:39   Punt
  1 Tennessee       Ten 23 10 plays  57 yards  3:15   Field Goal, Oak 0 Ten 3                       
First play of the drive is a long hitch to Hopkins which goes for 35 yards as the Raiders were in a short zone.  Titans move the ball to the Oakland 20 before the drive stalls.  Dan Bailey kicks the 38 yard field goal.

  1 Oakland         Oak 7   2 plays  11 yards  0:56   Punt

  1 Tennessee       Ten 30  3 plays   6 yards  0:51   Punt
  1 Oakland         Oak 18 14 plays  63 yards  7:14   Field Goal, Oak 3 Ten 3
Oakland finally gets their offense in gear as Brian Bortles goes 5 for 7 on pass attempts.  Three consecutive run attempts from the Tennessee 25 yield only 6 yards and Jason Myers comes on to kick a 37 yard field goal.

                    

 2 Tennessee       Ten 26 10 plays  74 yards  5:29   Touchdown, Oak 3 Ten 10                       

Raiders again get burned on a long hitch on the first play of the drive.  Matt Ryan hits Odell Beckham for 26 yards against a short zone defense.  Next play is an Anthony Barr sack of Ryan for an 11 yard loss.  An 8 yard screen to the Bishop (Sankey) followed by a 17 yard out pass to Beckham keeps the drive alive.  Titans move the ball to the Raider 3 and then on third down Ryan hits Beckham on a short cross for the TD.  A significant injury occurred on this drive as the Raiders lost 8 rated CB Ronald Darby for the rest of the game.  Six rated CB Ronald Alford came on to replace him.  This forced coach Jackson to double Beckham on most passing downs in the second half.

 2 Oakland         Oak 20  8 plays  19 yards  3:12   Punt

 2 Tennessee       Ten 22  7 plays   3 yards  3:31   Fumble

Tennessee gets one first down before stalling.  Colton Schmidt comes on to punt but long snapper Jake McQuaide sails the ball over Schmidt’s head.  Marcel Dareus recovers for Oakland on the Tennessee 25.

 2 Oakland         Ten 25  2 plays  25 yards  0:41   Touchdown, Oak 10 Ten 10

The Raiders waste no time taking advantage of the turnover.  Carlos Hyde runs outside for 8 yards and on the next play Bortles hits Travis Kelce with the 17 yard TD pass.  Game is tied.

 2 Tennessee       Ten 14  5 plays   7 yards  1:02   End Half



 3 Tennessee       Ten 23  7 plays  61 yards  3:07   Turnover on downs

The Titans started the second half with a rejuvenated offense.  A screen pass to Sankey caught the Raiders in a blitz and 36 yards later Tennessee had a first down on the opponent’s 25 yard line.  A penalty moved the ball back 5 yards but two Doug Martin runs got the ball to just short of the 15 yard line.  On third down and inches the Raider d-line came up big and stopped Martin for a one yard loss.  Coach Brunskill then made a stupid decision and had Martin try another dive play on fourth down.  He got stonewalled and the score remained tied.

 3 Oakland         Oak 16  3 plays   1 yards  0:56   Punt

Two incompletions following a one yard run forced a Raider punt.

 3 Tennessee       Ten 44  9 plays  44 yards  4:32   Field Goal, Oak 10 Ten 13

The Titans were again able to move the ball.  A 28 yard completion to Beckham put the ball on the Raider 8 yard line.  On 3rd and 4 Akiem Hicks sacked Ryan for an 8 yard loss.  Bailey came on to kick the 30 yard field goal and Tennessee had the lead 13-10.

 3 Oakland         Oak 10  9 plays  90 yards  4:45   Touchdown, Oak 17 Ten 13

At their own 10 the Raiders looked to be in a pickle.  Coach Jackson called for a short out to Mike Wallace and he broke a tackle and zipped 40 yards to mid-field.  Two plays later Bortles threw long to Wallace who was tackled at the Tennessee 18 yard line.  Five plays later Carlos Hyde plunged in from the one yard line.  Oakland had the lead 17-13.

 3 Tennessee       Ten 31 11 plays  69 yards  4:21   Touchdown, Oak 17 Ten 20

Matt Ryan gave the troops a talking to with the game hanging in the balance.  Doug Martin came alive and four times on second down was able to gain enough yardage to move the chains.  The last of these was from the Oakland 7 when the Raiders were looking for the pass with OBJ doubled and one blitzer.  Martin’s TD run put the Titans up 20-17.  There were 11 minutes left in the game at this point.


 4 Oakland         Oak 13 12 plays  19 yards  6:03   Punt

Starting from his own 13 yard line Bortles was able to complete short passes to Kelce (twice) and Giovani Bernard to have the Raiders first and ten at their own 39.  Another 5 yarder to Bernard and two incompletions left them 4th and 5 on their own 44.  Coach Jackson rolled the dice Bortles found Kelce for a 7 yard out route to get the first down at the Titan 49.  A 2 yard Hyde run was followed by a 10 yard holding penalty on Raider centre Weston Richburg.  With Oakland facing 2nd and 18 Mike Daniels made the play of the game by sacking Bortles for an 11 yard loss.  A third down incompletion forced the Raiders to punt with 5 and a half minutes left in the game.

 4 Tennessee       Ten 10 10 plays  38 yards  4:34   Punt

A penalty on the punt return put the Titans on their own 10.  Tennessee milked the clock and was able to use three Doug Martin runs and two short passes (Walker and Hopkins) to get two first downs.  They had the ball on their own 33 1st and 10 with 3 minutes remaining.  Two Martin runs got a total of 7 yards as we hit the 2 minute warning.  It was 3rd and 3 on the Tennessee 40 and Oakland had two timeouts remaining.  Coach Brunskill went against the book and called for a short pass to OBJ.  He caught it for a 9 yard gain and a first down.  The Raiders were forced to use their two remaining timeouts as the Titans ran the ball up the gut twice.  An incompletion made it 4th down and Schmidt angled a put that went out of bounds at the Raider 12 with 44 seconds remaining.

 4 Oakland         Oak 12  2 plays  23 yards  0:44   Game Over

Bortles hit Wallace for a 23 yard gain but his next pass missed Kelce and the clock ran out.  Tennessee wins 20-17.

 

Thanks to Coach Jackson for a thrilling game.  Tennessee now goes on the road to face San Diego in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs

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Denver 24  Jets 21

Justin Tucker's field goal as time expires gave the Broncos a hard fought win over the Jets.

The Denver Broncos came into MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and won a close contest 24-21.

The Broncos were knocking on the door all day long as they traveled into the Red Zone an amazing 10 times but could only muster up 1 TD and 3 FG's out of all those opportunities.

The Jets on the other hand were very efficient when they got to the Redzone going 3 for 3 on TD's but the opportunities just weren't often enough.

The game opened with the Jets receiving the kickoff and promptly went 80 yards on 7 plays and a quick 7-0 lead.

The Broncos marched back down the field on their first possession but sure-footed kicker Justin Tucker hooked one from 32 yards out and the Broncos were still looking for points.

After Andy Dalton threw a pick to the Broncos Tucker hit on his next FG attempt and the first quarter ended with a 7-3 score.

After 2 punts, a missed FG attempt from the Jet,s and 2 Denver fumbles early in the 2nd quarter, the Jets hit paydirt again as Dalton hit  Sanders for a 14-3 lead.

The Broncos did answer that score quickly as they went 68 yards on 3 plays as Stafford connected with Rishard Matthews for a TD and a 14-10 game that stayed that way until halftime.

Denver went 65 yards in 12 plays to open the 2nd half and Tucker hit a FG from 24 to cut the lead to 14-13.

After a 3 and out from the Jets the Broncos went on another long drive as they went 84 yards in 15 plays before Jamaal Charles ran over the left side for a 3 yard TD.
After Charles also ran in the 2-point conversion the Bronos found themselves in the lead at 21-14.

The Jets moved the ball into Bronco territory on their next possession but on 4th and 1 the Dalton swing pass fell incomplete as the Broncos defense held on for the turnover on downs.

The Jet defense stepped up and forced a 3 and out from Denver and the Jets had the ball again but it was getting late.

Andy Dalton was very cool and calm as he drove the Jets down the field for a game tying touchdown with Shady McCoy running it in from 9 yards out and we had a tie game with just 3 and a half minutes left in the game.

On the Jets kickoff, Kicker Justin Hopkins would kick the ball out of bounds and the Broncos had the ball at their own 40 to start the drive.

That proved fatal to the Jets as Jamaal Charles ran for 4 yards on 1st down and then scampered 18 yards on the next play to move the ball down to the Jets 38 yardline at the 2 minute warning.

TJ Yeldon then ran 22 yards off tackle and the Jets were forced to use their last timeout.  Yeldon found a seam again as he ran for another 10 yards and a 1st down at the Jets 6 yardline.  After Stafford kneeled a few times to run the clock down, Tucker hit the GW FG as time expired and the Broncos will move on the the next round of the playoffs.

Jamaal Charles ran for 119 yards in the victory and McCoy ran for 109 yards for the Jets.

Stafford connected on 21 of 30 passes for 265 yards and a score.

Bob called a great game and even though he was guessing right on numerous plays, the Jets defense could not keep the Denver players contained.

Great game and season for Bob and the Jets.
He's always a great guy to play.

---

Green Bay 24 New Orleans 9

Packer RB Gore haunts former mates as he rushes for 132 yards and 2 TDs as Packers advance.

The defending champion Saints came into the frozen tundra with some well deserved confidence.  Last season they manhandled the Packers in the second round of the playoffs on their way to the IFL LambardiStorer trophy.

In addition to that lopsided victory Coach Rice took his team into Lambeau earlier this year and defeated Green Bay using their backup quarterback.

Just when you though the outlook couldn't get any worse for the hosts, the news broke earlier in the week that Coach John Conners had to be briefly hospitalized, suffering from a bout of the H3N2 flu virus.

As expected things did not start well for the hosts. New Orleans took the opening kickoff and did just what they had been doing to everyone this season...they ran the ball down the oppositions throat.  They went on a 15 play, 9 minute drive led by RB Jonathan Stewart and looked to take an early lead.
However, against the flow of play, S Eric Berry would come up with huge pick at his own 16.  The replay showed it was a throw QB Joe Flacco would clearly like to have over.

Green Bay took the opportunity to drive deep into Saints territory but Jay Cutler threw an interception of his own to Janoris Jenkins to keep this one scoreless through 1 quarter.  The Packers desperately needed to slow down the New Orleans run game so they started to use a steady dose of 5-2 fronts while keying on Stewart. Flacco took advantage of this by finding former Packer WR Brian Hartline for a couple of nice gains as they drove for the games first score, a Brandon McManus 45 yard FG, 3-0 visitors

Green Bay's next drive would end with Cutler being taken down by DE Micheal Bennett. Not only was the home team unable to score but they were losing the time of possession battle.

Coach Rice continued to grind down the Packers defense with another long drive.  McManus would connect again from 42...6-0 with just 2:22 left in the half.  It looked like the shell shocked hosts would just be happy to escape to the warm confines of the locker room down by just one score, but somehow WR Calvin Johnson managed to get behind the defense for a huge 44 yard gain.  Packers settled for a late Cody Parkey 27 yard FG....6-3 New Orleans at the half.

Green Bay got the ball to open the 3rd quarter but promptly went 3 and out. New Orleans went on another long drive that seemed to be sucking the life out of the hosts. Backed up deep in their own territory the Packers defense came up big, forcing 3 straight Flacco incompletions. Saints settled for another short McManus FG, 9-3 Nola

Holding the Saints to just 3 seemed to provide a spark to the hosts.  RB Frank Gore did all the heavy lifting on the ensuing drive as Green Bay moved deep into the red zone.  On second and 1 from the Saints 15, Jay Cutler threw to a double teamed Megatron who made a circus catch in the end zone...10-9 Packers after the made convert..we had a ball game with 2:33 left in the 3rd.

Suddenly Lambeau was deafening. After DE Jonathan Babineaux got to Flacco, New Orleans faced a 3rd and 18 from their own 12. Nickle CB Buster Skrine was flagged for holding, causing coach to Conners to turn an odd shade of purple. First down Saints and new life. Flacco began to mix it around finding Vincent Jackson, Dez Bryant and Hartline as the visitors moved back into Green Bay territory.

On 3rd and 8 from the Packers 40 a pivotal moment arose. RB Joseph Randle appeared to have gained the first down but Green Bay challenged the spot and won. On 4th and inches from the 32, Coach Rice decided to play the percentages and take the FG. However, McManus would miss his first try of the day.

The score remained 10-9 with just under 11 minutes to play.

Green Bay got another big break on the very next play. Cutler dropped back to pass and was strip sacked by Micheal Bennett. ILB Jordan Hicks scooped it up but then fumbled it back to the Packers.  The host maintained possession and then put together their best drive of the day.  It went 11 plays for 61 yard and ate up over 7 minutes. Frank Gore punched it in from 4 yards out to give the Pack a 17-9 lead with 3:33 left.

New Orleans still had plenty of time to tie it up with a touchdown and a 2 point convert but on 3rd and 10 from their own 32, Flacco threw his second pick of the game, this time to the much maligned Skrine, who took all the way back to the 1 yard line.

Gore pounded it in from there...24-9 with 2:14 left.

The defending champs refused to throw in the towel however, and moved quickly down the field. On 4th and goal from the 4, Flacco's slant to Cole Beasley was knocked away to seal the deal...24-9 final.

Thanks to Jim for an entertaining playoff tilt.  As usual, he called a great game and would have beaten us yet again if not for a couple of breaks going our way

(double fumble recovery comes to mind!).


Former Saint Frank Gore was named player of the game 22-132 2 TDs

Jonathan Stewart ran for 107 on 22 carries despite being keyed on most of the game

The QB's were underwhelming, both throwing for under 200 yards as the defenses ruled this one.

The Packers move on to the division round to face the Redskins.

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Chicago 37 Arizona 24

Kerrigan's 36 yard fumble return for a TD was the first of two Chicago defensive touchdowns.

Arizona (11-5) came to 22 degree Soldier field to face Chicago (12-4) in a wildcard matchup.  The Bears, a 5 point favorite and having already exceeded expectations during the season, hoped at the very least to be a tough out.  The Bears won the toss and deferred.


The Cardinals took the opening kickoff and easily moved down the field, 14 plays, 80 yards, ending in Roethlesberger to Peterson, 6 yards, and a 7-0 lead.  The Bears mounted a drive of their own, but Novak’s 47 yard FG attempt was blocked and the Cardinals maintained the lead.  Both offenses bogged down until the Bears managed a FG midway into the 2nd quarter to make the score 7-3 Arizona.  Arizona answered, mainly on the running of Adrian Peterson, with a field goal of their own to extend their lead to 10-3.  With the half winding down, Mariota drove the Bears to the Arizona 2 yard line, then hit Brate with a TD pass on 1st and goal.  The half ended 10-10.

The second half saw the Bears unable to move the ball early, while Arizona was able to drive from their own 17 late in the 3rd, helped by a 25 yard scamper by Peterson, to score Roethlesberger to Williams, 17-10 Arizona after 3.  The Bears were then faced with a long drive of their own, starting the next drive from their own 10.  A pair of Williams runs netted 20 yards, the Mariota went to work and drove the team to a TD 5 plays later (Crowder 20 yards on a WR screen) and we were knotted 17-17 early in the 4th.
Arizona started to move the ball well on their next drive, but Marshall caught a pass, turned upfield and got drilled by Smith, the ball came loose, Kerrigan scooped it up and ran it back 35 yrads for the TD.  Novak missed the point after, 23-17 Bears.  The Cardinals once again moved the ball well, driving to the Chicago 24.  On first and 10, Roethlesberger hits Decker for a short pass, hit by Hall, drilled by Wagner, fumble, picked up by Wagner, 80 yards…   TD Bears!  Chicago 30  Arizona 17 with 4:56 left to play.

Arizona goes into hurry up mode from their own 7.  After an incomplete, a short 7 yard gain, and an incomplete, Roethlesberger hits Marshall for 45 on 4th and 3, then hits Decker on the next play for 41 and the score, 30-24 Bears.  Chicago recovers the onside kick with 3:21 on the clock.  Mariota hits a couple of quick, safe passes before turning it over to Williams to try and run out the clock.  With 1:40 left in the game, Williams runs off tackle past the blitzing Cardinals, 16 yards, 37-24 Bears.  Arizona could not move the ball against the Chicago prevent formation, 4 and out.

Chicago 37  Arizona 24

Roethlesberger was 29/42, 357 and 3 TD.  Peterson ran for 130 yards on 20 carries.  Marshall caught 12 balls for 188 yards.  For the Bears Mariota was 21/29, 223 and 2 TD.  Williams had 89 yards on 14 carries and Thomas caught 8 pass for 96 yards.

Jim called a great game and had the better team on the field.  Turnovers were the difference.

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Week 16 Recap

Cutler confident about the Packers postseason.

Game Scores

Green Bay 47 Jacksonville 34                65 0-10 
The Pack came to Jaqcksonville hoping a win would lead them to a division championship. The slumping and fatigued Jags did not disappoint as Cutler and the Pack eviscerate Jacksonville 47-34. While the Jags were able to keep pace early with big plays from Torry Smith and Percy Harvin in the end the Packers D was just too strong for Jacksonville to keep pace. After a slow start the Pack pounded Ryan Fitzpatrick mercilessly casuing four turnovers and many hurried passes.

On offense, Cutler and Danny Woodhead were unstoppable. Cutler finished with 320 yards, 5 TDs with one interception while Woodhead was the beneficiary of "smokin" Jay's largess scoring 4TDs and 158 yards.

Torrey Smith was Jacksonvilles lone bright spot on offense with 2 receptions for 107 yards and 2 TDs
 
 Chicago 15 Pittsburgh 28                    36 0-10 
Steelers play spoilers knocking the Bears from a top the NFC Central.  Brady threw three TD passes despite being sacked seven times.  But it was veteran Mike Adams 42 yard first quarter interception that he took to the house that set the tone early.

 Detroit 24 Baltimore 17                     44 0-10
Two teams playing out the string engage in an entertaining game with the Lions grabbing the lead early in the second quarter, then holding on for a victory that drops them out of a Top 5 pick.

Baltimore took the lead on their second series when Eli Manning hit Adam Thielen from 16 yards out to culminate a 7-play, 85 yard drive. Matt Bryant's PAT made it 7-0 Baltimore.

Lions punt. Ravens punt. Lions punt again with Brett Kerr's pinning the Ravens at the Raven 7. Brandon Bolden gave the Baltimore fans hope that they'd dig out of the hole with a 7-yard run on 1st down. Unfortunately (for Ravens fans), Bolden fumbled on the next play and DE Howard Jones scooped up the ball and rumbled 15 yards for a TD. Adam Vinatieri's PAT tied the score at 7.

Vinatieri kicked off and Anthony Levine returned it 22 yards...before fumbling the ball away. On the next play, Matt McGloin found Allen Robinson in the end zone. Vinatieri's PAT put the Lions up 14-7.

Detroit's Matt McGloin tried to give the Ravens hope by tossing 2 INTs before the half, but Baltimore couldn't cash in.

The Lions struck quickly after the half with McGloin connecting on 3-of-4 attempts before Damien Williams raced 16 yards to the end zone and a 21-7 Lions lead.

Baltimore responded with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended with Brandon Bolden going over the top from 1 yard out to pull the Ravens closer: 21-14 Lions.

The Ravens D forced a 3-and-out and the O went on another long drive, this one a 10-play, 52-yard drive with Matt Bryant booting a 46-yard FG cutting the Lion lead to 21-17.

Detroit punt. Baltimore punt. Detroit punt. Baltimore INT. Detroit FG...Lions 24-17.

With just over 6 minutes left in the season, Baltimore was faced with a 4th-and-4 near mid-field. With Manning looking for a quick hitter, it came in the form of DE Howard Jones who sacked him for an 8-yard loss. Detroit took over and marched down to the Raven 18. Vinatieri lined up to put the nail in the Ravens' coffin...and missed.

Baltimore raced down the field with no TOs as the clock ticked down to 19 seconds. Again faced with a 4th-and-4, this time at the Lions 20, Manning faded back looking for somebody...anybody...but nobody was open and he decided to tuck in under and run for it. Like most Mannings, he ran like his feet were stuck in the mud, gaining just 1 yard and falling well short of the first down.

Game...and season...over.

 Indianapolis 19 Denver 17                   42 0-5
Indianapolis come into Mile High and most likely knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs with a last second FG to win 19-17.
 
Matthew Stafford picked a bad game to have his worst game of the year as he threw 2 picks and only hit on 16 of 31 passes for 243 yards.
Meanwhile Colts QB Carson Palmer picked apart the Bronco secondary all game as he threw for 306 yards and a score.
 
The Broncos limp off the field as they wonder what they could have done different in the past 2 games.
  
 Miami 10 San Diego 31                       86 0-10 
Chargers take a 17-3 lead into the half and make it stick for a very important win.  San Diego earns a first round bye. Tyrod Taylor threw for two TDs and Karlos Williams rushed for two more to lead the Charger offense.

Buffalo 20 Houston 17                       70     
In a tight back and forth game the Bills win it with 12 seconds left on a 51 yard FG by Gano as drills it dead center for the "W" as the BIlls finish the season at 7-9 and Houston falls to 3-13 as both squads stay home for the playoffs.           
    
 New York(A) 13 Oakland 0                    56 5-15 
The New York Jets shut out the Oakland Raiders 13-0 in an AFC tilt on Thursday night. Led by a tenacious defense that intercepted Raiders' quarterback Blake Bortles four times, the Jets never let the Raiders offense get comfortable. Beautifully called game by Bob! The Jets finish the season 10-6, while the Raiders finish 8-8. 
Hope I get the call to manage either this team or another next season, it's been my pleasure coaching the Raiders and playing with this league.
 
 Dallas 13 St. Louis 30                      70             
The Cowboys and Rams met for perhaps the last IFL game to be held in St. Louis. The fans in St. Louis seemed to think its foregone conclusion and have bailed on the team. Cowboy fans, despite experiencing a bit of a down season, still travel well and outnumbered Rams fans 5-1. Unfortunately for the Cowboys and their fans the Cowboy defense seemed fatigued from the long season. Many players complained that they only felt at about 70% of their normal selves and a few had to leave the game for stretches. The Rams tried to take advantage of the fatigued Cowboys and had a lot of success on the ground rushing for 167 yards. Some big runs and pass plays allowed the Rams to get out to a 20-6 lead in the first half. Cam Newton and the Cowboys though would hang around with Newton completing many clutch passes on third down to keep the game within two scores in the 4th quarter. With roughly 12 mins left in the 4th quarter the Cowboys got the ball back in decent field position. On 2nd and 2 on the Rams 48 Newton was looking to lead his team back, but Rams safety Ricardo Allen jumped the slant route and intercepted the ball. It allowed the Rams to run clock and add another field goal. The Cowboys fought down to the last second, and can feel good about their effort going into next season. The Rams hope they will actually have a home-field advantage next season. 
 
Cowboys finish the season 4-12
Rams finish the season 8-8
      
 New Orleans 13 Arizona 22                   72 Calm 
Sometimes the IFL games bounce just like footballs and no one knows where they will land.  Two weeks ago Arizona faced Buffalo.  On paper the Zona team should have been able to cruise to a comfortable win and secure a wild card berth.  The Bills were prepared and demolished the Zona D and obviously Big Ben did not study much film that week.  However, the luck of the Irish was with the Cards and they still managed to tie up a wildcard lotto ticket.
 
Facing a hot Saints team who have won 9 of their last 10 outings, the Zona coaches felt it would be better to rest up a banged up offense to prepare for games that mattered.  Despite objections from AP and Marshall and Decker, they were all benched to nurse their bumps and bruises.
 
The game began as expected.  With Armstead also sitting out, the patched up OL was over matched.  After two consecutive holding calls, the New Orleans pass rush was able to hit Big Ben as he released the ball which started the game with a pick six.  It looked like Zona was in store for another game like Buffalo.
 
However, as the ball bounced, New Orleans was a bit presumptuous.  Despite dominating the Cards in the first quarter, the Saints could only manage a missed field goal.  Giving the Cards excellent field position, a pass interference penalty moved the Cards close to red zone.  Another penalty put them in the red zone.  A couple of passes to non starters and a dive by the back up running back and it was a tie game.
 
Despite controlling the ball, the Saints could not manufacturer any points.  Late in the second quarter Marshall literally got on his knees and begged the head coach to put him in the game.  The coach relented and put him in the line up and he did not disappoint.  Marshall became a one man wrecking ball as he caught pass after pass leading the Cards to a go ahead field goal.
 
New Orleans would manage to tie it up with a long drive to the red zone, but they could still not get into the end zone.  With the third quarter almost gone and the game in the balance and Peterson now on his knees, Coach Heaton let the stars back into the game.  AP and Marshall played like super heros. (where were they last week?)  New Orleans focused on stopping AP and Marshall moved the ball down the field.  Then despite keyed, AP would carry three tacklers on his back into the end zone to go ahead 16 to 13.  The fans were out of control.  The Cards D would smother New Orleans.  A few well deserved New Orleans penalties would help.  Now behind in the 4th quarter, the New Orleans coaching staff was in shock.  It is a good thing there wasn't a dog to kick on the sidelines.
 
Zona would mount one additional drive for 7 more points to put the game away move on to the wildcard.
 
 Cincinnati 26 Minnesota 13                  70
Cincinnati controlled the ball for twice as long as Minnesota in cruising to a 26-13 win that wasn't that close.
 
The Bengals chewed up 155 yards on the ground compared to only 31 for the Vikings. Drew Brees passed for 222 yards, compared to
only 127 by Aaron Rodgers; but Rodgers connected on 18 of 21 passes to win the efficiency battle hands down.
                     
 Washington 10 Atlanta 13                    70 
Atlanta clinches HFA throughout the NFC playoffs with an exciting 13-10 overtime victory over Washington.
 
Both teams basically played "vanilla" throughout and rested some players but it still came down to a Lamar Miller TD with no time left on the clock in the 4th quarter to tie up the game at 10-10.
 
In overtime, Atlanta got the kickoff and kept the ball for 9:33 leading up to, what turned out to be, the Chandler Catanzaro 23 yard FG. On Washington's drive, Jared Cook fumbled the ball away to end the game.
 
With the win, the Falcons clinch HFA and finish the season 15-1 while Washington falls to 14-2.
                   
 New York(N) 17 San Francisco 20             60 Calm
Truly bizarre game. The teams were fighting for the 3rd pick in the draft and the Giants lost and won! For most of the game it looked like the 49ers would lose and win.

The entire game was a comedy of errors with fumbles that yielded points, penalties and incompetence for most of the game.
However, the 49ers, truly awful for the first 58 minutes were trailing by 10 points with less 1:52 to go At. Miraculously, they woke up in the last 46 seconds scoring a FG and a TD to tie it up.

The first break came when the Giants fumbled the ball on a punt return at their own 24 yd line in the 4th quarter. . The 49ers couldn’t get a 1st down so they kicked a field goal to make it 20-13 at 1.37 left.  The 49er onside kick failed but the Giants could not get a FD and punted the ball OB at the 49er 6. The 49ers, with no time outs left and 94 yards of field in front of them with 52 seconds left, Tanney threw a medium out pass snagged by Ginn Jr and he took it all the way.  91 yards.  27 seconds left on the clock.

Then in OT, the Giants failed op move the ball and punted.  The 49ers engineered a 6 play 55 yard drive capped with a 29 yard pass to Jordan Reed.  49er Crosby kicked a FG to win it.  49ers win. 

The teams used two backup QBs, Giants Nassib,  and 49ers Tanney (Hoyer injured in 1st half).   Nassib was 25 for 36 and Tanney was 16-24 with 205 yards, sacked 5 times , 1 int and 1 TD.

The Giants CJ Anderson ran for 177 yards on 22 carries. Andre Johnson caught 12 balls for 90 yards and a score. 49ers Hurn caught 4 balls for 140 yards. The 49ers had no running game and scored their first touchdown after a Giant fumble.  The Giants also scored a short field TD after an INT.
 
 Kansas City 14 New England 52               35 0-5  
Patriots D heads into the postseason on a high note, sacking KC quarterbacks 4 times and forcing FIVE 2nd half turnovers, including two defensive TDs and three others which set the Patriots up for scores from the Chief goal line, as well as their 24 and 2 yard lines.
 
Sam Bradford capped off a fine regular season with 4 TD passes, while Antonio Brown caught 8 passes for 153 and 3 TDs.
 
Jeremy Maclin caught 4 passes on 10 targets for 87 yards and a TD for KC.  
 
 Tampa Bay 51 Tennessee 21                   55 0-5  
DKS extracted revenge on the Titans for a bunch of blowout wins at home earlier in the season.  Almost everything that could go wrong did as Tampa Bay caused 4 turnovers, returned a punt for a TD and embarrassed Tennessee by a 51-21 score.  Mike called a great game and took advantage of every opportunity.  Proof that stats are like cold potatoes comes when you read a box score where the Titans outgained the Bucs 343 to 257 yards.  Despite finishing 10 and 6 Tampa Bay misses the playoffs.  Tennessee seems destined to host a wild card game.

 Philadelphia 21 Carolina 41                 66 0-5  
Trailing 14-0, the Panthers score just before the half to cut the lead to 14-6.  Then Russell Wilson throws three second half TD passes and Carolina cruises to the win.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Anderson,C(NYG) 22-169  1 TD
 Martin,D(Ten)   15-146  2 TD
 Gurley(TB)      26-137  4 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  21-127  1 TD
 Allen,J(Bal)    16-106
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Cobb,R(Car)     10-192  1 TD
 Randle,R(Pit)   11-188  2 TD
 Robinson,A(Det)  8-160  1 TD
 Woodhead(GB)     8-158  4 TD
 Brown,A(NE)      8-153  3 TD
 Marshall,B(Ari) 10-118
 Johnson,A(NYG)  12- 90  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Cutler(GB)      26-17-320   5 TD  1 Int - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Wilson,R(Car)   28-20-316   3 TD  1 Int
 Palmer,C(Ind)   36-24-306   1 TD
 Bradford,S(NE)  24-19-247   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Brown,P(Min)     16 Tk
 Campbell,C(NYG)  3 Sk 5 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Hauschka(Ind)  4-4 FG - Co-IFL Special Team Player of the Week
 Nugent(Cin)    4-4 FG  - Co-IFL Special Team Player of the Week
 Landry,J(KC)   2-30 Kick Ret 2-102 Punt Ret  1 TD
.

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FINAL IFL 2016 STANDINGS

FINAL IFL 2016 LEADERBOARD

Week 15 Recap

Blake Bortles throws for 303 yards and 3 TDs as the Raiders keep their playoff hopes alive.

 Game Scores

Denver 24 Oakland 27                        69 0-10 
The Raiders defense stepped up in the OT period and forced the Broncos to Punt from deep in their own territory and then Carlos Hyde ran for 35 yards on 2 carries and that was close enough for Myers to hit the 39 yard GW FG to move the Raiders to 8-7 and Drop the Broncos to the same record, thus giving the division title to the Chargers.
 
The Broncos jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead with a TD on their opening possession but the Raiders came back and put up 21 unaswered points to fonish out the half.
QB Blake Bortles was amazing in the first 30 minutes as he carved up the Bronco secondary.
 
In the 2nd half Denver battled back and even had a 24-21 lead in the 4th quarter but Bortles once again was able to move the ball for the game tying FG and then the Raider refense and RB Carlos Hyde did it all in the OT to seal the Oakland victory.
 
 
Atlanta 31 St. Louis 15                     70  
The Falcons easily handled the Rams while also preserving key players for a playoff run. After going down 7-0 early the Falcons reeled off 28 points in the 1st half. The Falcons intercepted Rams QB Andrew Luck 3 times in the 1st half and converted two of them into touchdowns. The Rams struggled on third down for most of the game and were forced into going for it on 4th down several times. Rams only managed to convert 2-6 attempts. A combination of running backs for the Falcons totaled 137 rushing yards and Phillip Rivers had an efficient passing game 15-21 for 150 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Rams Mark Ingram got the home team excited in the first half with a 64 yard TD run, but the game for the Rams went downhill from there.
 
Atlanta finishes the season at home versus Washington; St. Louis hosts Dallas.
             
 Indianapolis 17 New York(A) 20              47 0-10  Rain 
The Jets needed this game to stay alive in the wild card race.
 
They played like it in the first half, shutting out the Colts 10-0. The big play was an interception of a Palmer pass in the end zone with 24 seconds to play in the 2nd quarter.
 
At the half the time of possession was even at 15 minutes, but the Jets controlled the scoreboard 10-0.
 
The Colts dominated play in the second half, mostly in the 4th quarter when they scored 17 points. Luckily for the home team, they managed two scoring drives of their own to get the win, 20-17.
 
Indianapolis controlled the ball most of the second half, but came up short.
 
For the Jets:
 
Dalton 17-24 for 253 yards and 2 TD's
McCoy 14-49 yards rushing and 4 receptions for 30 yards and 1 TD
Sanders 5 receptions for 138 yards
 
 
Colts:
 
Palmer 27-47 for 311 yards and 1 TD
West 17-49 yards
Barnidge 8 receptions for 81 yards and 1 TD
 
Next week the Colts visit Denver and the NYJ visit Oakland.
 
        
 Baltimore 12 Cincinnati 34                  31 5-15 
Looking for their third straight win the Bengals welcome the Ravens to town.  In a fowl mood this flock of birds jump out to a 6-0 lead at the end of one quarter thanks to two Bryant field goals.  After the offense received a sideline tongue lashing, Rodgers and company put together a seven play 49 yard drive with Jeffery hauling in a seven yard TD pass to give Cincinnati a 7-6 lead with about seven minutes remaining in the half.  After an exchange of punts, the Bengals Vinny Rey intercepted Eli giving Cincinnati great field position at the Baltimore 14.  Rodgers connected again with Jeffery on the very next play for a 14-6 Bengal lead at the half.
 
The Bengals received the second half kickoff but Wright fumbled with Baltimore recovery on the very first play from scrimmage.  Starting from the Cincinnati 33, after a couple Allen runs resulted in a first down, Manning connected with Norwood for the 17 yard score.  Baltimore went for two to tie but the conversion failed, Bengals still led 14-12. Cincinnati drove to the Baltimore 30 but Nugent's 47 yard try hooked right.  The Ravens got into field goal range on their next drive but a rare miss by Bryant from 44 yards out allowed the Bengals to continue to lead 14-12.  The miss seemed to give Cincinnati a lift as Rodgers connected with Eifert for 37 yards to the Baltimore six.  Jeffery caught his third TD pass of the game on the next play to increase the Cincinnati lead to 21-12.  After forcing another Raven punt, Cincinnati got a 24 yard run out of Dexter McCluster that eventually set up a Nugent 34 yard field goal and a 24-12 lead.  Thanks to a Revis interception, the Bengals put the game out of reach with a Crocket 10 yard TD reception.  The Bengals added another field goal after another Revis interception for a final score of 34-12.
 
Raven stats
Manning 18 of 33 for 161 yards TD and 3 Ints
Norwood 3 receptions for 35 yards and a TD
 
Bengal stats
Rodgers 18 of 29 for 216 yards and 4 TDs
Jeffery 7 for 94 yards and 3 TDs.
Revis 2 Ints
 
Next week the Ravens close out the season hosting Detroit while the Bengals travel to Minnesota.
 
 Chicago 24 Tampa Bay 14                     75 0-10 
Trailing 14-3 at the half, Bears score 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. 

 Jacksonville 10 Pittsburgh 37               35 10-20
Brady throws three TD passes and the Steel Curtain holds the Jags to 51 passing yards.

 Tennessee 30 Green Bay 24                   20 10-20
The Annual Boston Pizza Bowl was moved to a Kitsilano bar named Storm Crow in order to accommodate the huge demand for a good seat.  For the first time in several years this contest featured two teams in the playoff hunt. Titans came in looking for a first round bye in the AFC, while the Pack needed this one to hold off the surging Bears in the NFC Central.
 
Green Bay drew first blood with a FG, but the Titans came right back with a Matt Ryan to OBJ 33 yard TD strike...7-3 visitors.

After Greg The Leg Zuerlein missed a long FG, Tennessee would find paydirt again when Doug Martin raced in from 11 yards out... 14-3 with just over 9
minutes left in the 3rd

Things were not looking good for the Packers.
 
Coach Conners took a good swill of ale and refocused. The Pack responded with a 7 play-70 yard drive, capped off by a 44 yard Jay Cutler to Calvin Johnson fly..14-10 Titans  Just before the half Zuerlein added a 59 yarder with the wind...it was a one point contest at the half.
 
After a missed Zuerlein FG to start the 3rd, Tennessee took back momentum when Ryan found DeAndre Hopkins from 14 yards out. Titans back up by 8...21-13.
 
Dan Bailey would tack on a 34 yard FG early in the 4th and the hosts now trailed by 2 scores....24-13
 
Green Bay would go on a 15 play, 69 yard drive but had to settle for another FG...24-16 with time running out
 
After forcing a 3 and out Green Bay had the ball and a chance to tie it with a TD and 2 pt. convert.  However on 4th and 6 from the Titans 42, Cutler's pass to Danny Woodhead was batted away.  Tennessee took over near midfield with a chance to ice it.  The Pack defense would come up big again and the visitors were forced to punt.  With just 3:35 left, MVP candidate Jay Cutler moved the Pack downfield in surgical fashion,going 63 yards in 10 plays.  Woodhead would cap it off from 3 yards...24-22 with the 2pt convert to come.
 
Cutler faked it to Gore and then fired a bullet to Ben Watson, convert good.....Lambeau erupted... 24-24 and we were headed to OT.

The joy would be short lived.

Tennessee put together a clutch 8 play 87 yard drive. Ryan to Hopkins finished it off from 14 yards...30-24 final
 
Great game to be a part of, despite the loss. Great to see Rick and Steve.  Notable by his absence was GM Ken Fukuyama.

With Coach Brunskill in a contract year, this victory was huge. Titans have now won 8 of their last 9.

When asked about Fukuyama missing the game Brunskill noted he'll have to be there come contract time and then headed off to his palatial Langley estate
.
Packers are in huge trouble having dropped 2 of our last 3 games at home, losses to powerful Washington and Tennessee.


Matt Ryan was MVP 25-36 for 264 and 3TDs
Martin 20 for 120
OBJ 6 for 101,1td Hopkins 5 for 74, 2 TDs

Cutler 27-42 312 , 2TDs
Gore 17-76
Johnson 5-144, 1TD
 
Both teams are 11-4. Packers finish off versus Jacksonville,Tennessee hosts Tampa Bay

 New York(N) 29 Philadelphia 24              39 0-10
Chris Harris Jr has a 2-pick day (a pick-6 and an almost pick-6...stopped on the 1 inch line) and Ryan Nassib steps in for the injured Colin Kaepernick to guide the G-Men to a 29-24 road win in Philly. Eagles are plagued with 9 penalties and 4 turnovers but somehow still manage to outgain NY 354-322.
 
Both kicking games were awful, but with little wind and no precip they couldn't blame the results on the elements. Carpenter missed 2 PATs and Folk had a wide-right and the Eagles had a muffed snap on another FG to give this game a keystone cops feel.
 
 New England 21 Miami 7                      78 0-10  Rain  
Miami wins the toss and takes the ball after a out of bounds KO by the Pats and march 60 yards in 7 plays and gets the TD to take a 7-0 lead. The next 7 possessions by the 2 Teams resulted in 6 punts and a fumble, and the next 2 possessions after that (1 by each Team) resulted in turning the ball over on downs for each Team, the last one by New England and Miami takes a shot at a 57 yard FG into the wind that is no good and it goes to the half with Miami leading 7-0
 
Whatever halftime adjustments the Patriots made were good ones as New England scores on their 1st 3 possessions in the 2nd half to take a 21-7 lead over the Dolphins with Miami only mustering 2 first downs in their 3 possessions in between the New England scores. Although Miami's defense returned in the 4th quarter and they threatened scoring a couple of times, they just couldn't get the scores and ended up losing with the final Patriots 21 Miami 7, it was a well played game, but keys to the Pats victory were 9 defensive sacks, constantly putting the Dolphins in long yardage situations and Miami only converting on 3 of 8 4th down conversion attempts. Although Miami held the advantage in 1st downs, passing yards, and time of possession, their lack of scoring against the strong Patriot defense spelled their demise on this day.
 
Miami closes out it's season next week in San Diego and regardless of the outcome, go home for the winter while New England finishes at home against Kansas City with a 1st round playoff bye in it's pocket
       
 Dallas 16 Washington 28                     41 5-15 
Dallas came in with nothing to lose and it showed early on.  On their first drive they would go for a 4th and inches from their own 23.  The gamble would pay off as they would pickup the first down and finish off the drive with a touchdown.  Washington would then roll off 21 unanswered points and never look back.  Cam Newton would play most of the game under siege as he was sacked 5 times.  Ingram would contribute 2 of those sacks bringing his mind boggling season total to a league leading 22.  While the Redskins went into the game with the expected tie breakers in their favor they have now assured a 1st round bye.  Next week the Redskins will travel to Atlanta where the winner will receive home field advantage for the playoffs.  The Cowboys fall to 4-11 and finish up their season in St. Louis for what is rumored to be the last game in St. Louis.  Most expect them to take the greatest show on turf to Los Angeles next year.

 Buffalo 35 Arizona 19                       70 Calm 
Bills shock the favored Cardinals jumping out to a 21-0 first quarter lead.  Alex Smith goes 13 of 16 for 126 yards with 2 TDs and one INT.  Goal line specialist Ryan Mathews scores three TDs for Buffalo.

 Kansas City 31 San Diego 34                 83 0-5  
San Diego churns out nearly 500 yards of offense and holds on late to defeat Kansas City 34-31.  SD was bolstered by the return of OL Joel Bitonio and 
DE Derrick Wolfe, who had both missed significant time over the past month.
 
The teams traded touchdowns with KC scoring with 2:52 left in the half to tie the game at 14-14. SD, looking to drive late and take a lead into halftime
was dealt a crushing blow as after a long-gainer by Austin, KC’s Frank Zombo returned the ensuing fumble 49 yards to give KC a 21-14 lead and swing
the momentum before half. SD was now demoralized as what looked like a halftime lead was now a deficit. But did they quit? “Hell no.” After a penalty on
the kickoff forced them to start at their own 5; game MVP Tyrod Taylor moved the Bolts 95 yards in 8 plays, culminating in a 28 yard scoring strike to
Malcom Floyd.
 
After exchanging punts to start the 3rd; the teams traded touchdowns following a SD field goal. KC on a Tolbert 3 yard run and SD on a 31 yard
strike from Taylor to Julio Jones. The teams then exchanged field goals, Gostowski a 48 yarder to tie it for KC, and Santos a 52 yard bomb with 6:13 left
to give SD a narrow 34-31 lead. KC tried to mount a comeback taking over at their own 20; but two crucial sacks by Wolfe and Richardson forced them to punt
with 2:26 left. SD was able to run out the clock to give them another win during their expected down season.
 
Tyrod Taylor led the SD attack with 309 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Julio Jones caught 7 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Tavon Austin had
a combined 119 yards from scrimmage. SD had 185 yards on the ground to complement Taylor’s passing. Jeremy Maclin paced the KC offense with 8
catches for 140 yards.
 
SD remains at home to finish the year versus Miami, while KC heads up to frigid NE.
 
 Carolina 22 San Francisco 3                 57 5-15 
Carolina dominates SF with a 22-3 victory.  Carolina’s Russell Wilson is 20-33 with 198 yards and 2 TDs.  MCFadden rushed for 92 yards and caught five passes for 40 more. The 49ers offense went missing again as they came up with only 195 yards total for the game.  SF’s Talib provided the only highlight for them with an 86 yard INT return setting up SF’s only score.

 Houston 7 New Orleans 24                    70    
The Saints fall behind 7-0 quickly and then score 24 unanswered points. New Orleans controls the ball for almost 40 minutes rushing for 177 yards in the win.                  
 Detroit 33 Minnesota 14                     70  
Mighty Detroit -- well, they are mighty when they play the hapless Vikings -- stomped all over weary Minnesota in a toilet bowl matchup, 33-14.
 
Lion wideout Allen Robinson made catch after catch against a double team for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. QB Matt McGloin enjoyed his evening against the Viking "defense", finishing with a 144 passing rating and racking up 227 yards through the air.
 
For the Vikes, Drew Brees managed 251 yards despite having mainly practice team players as receivers. Usual standout James Jones was useless again, he kept backing out of the game, claiming he was too tired to play because, he explained, "I have about two catches a game too many". Thank goodness the season end is near so we can get his overachieving butt out of the league!
 
Detroit led 24-7 at the half, and that was all she wrote. Great game called by coach Nordberg!
 
Detroit will wrap up its season on the road at Baltimore, while Minnesota faces Cincinnati in its finale.
                  
  
 Rushing Leaders
 Peterson,A(Ari) 24-180  2 TD
 Ingram,M(StL)   15-141  1 TD
 Martin,D(Ten)   20-120  1 TD
 Blue(Chi)       23-108  1 TD
 Hyde,C(Oak)     18-101
 Johnson,C(Den)  15-78  3 TD
 Mathews,R(Buf)  8-18  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Boldin(Pit)     11-174  3 TD
 Robinson,A(Det)  7-170  2 TD
 Jeffery(Cin)     7- 94  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Cutler(GB)      42-27-312   2 TD
 Palmer,C(Ind)   47-27-311   1 TD  1 Int
 Taylor,T(SD)    32-21-309   2 TD
 Brady,T(Pit)    38-26-303   3 TD  1 Int
 Bortles(Oak)    41-29-303   3 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Tannehill(Mia)  52-31-294   1 TD
 Rodgers,A(Cin)  29-18-216   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Revis(Cin)       2 Int 5 Tk
 Harris Jr.(NYG)  2 Int 4 Tk
 Atkins,G(NE)     3 Sk 5 Tk
 Tuitt(NE)        3 Sk 7 Tk
 Grimes,B(Buf)    2 Int 5 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Johnson,T(Det)   2 Int 1 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Vinatieri(Det) 4-4 FG - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
.

---

WEEK 15 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 15 IFL LEADERBOARD

Week 14 Recap

Mason Crosby hits game winning field goal as 49ers get by Eagles 40-38.

Game Scores

 San Francisco 40 Philadelphia 38            49 0-10 
SF travels to the City of Brotherly Love for showdown and what a show it was.  The game featured something for everyone.  There were 2 Pick 6s thrown by 49er Brian Hoyer, a fumbled snap by 49er punter Masthay, and a total of 5 turnovers. untimely penalties and all around pretty bad offensive play despite the final score. SF dominated for 3 quarters building a 37-17  lead in the 4th quarter.  However, the Eagles were not finished  fashioning a remarkable comeback (3 TDS in the 4th quarter) to actually take their first lead 38-37 with 5 minutes remaining,  Then, after an offside penalty allowed the 49ers a 1sr down, they drove a 10 play 43 yards drive, ending with a heartbreaking FG by 49er Crosby with 14 seconds left.
 Individual notable performances for the 49ers include QB Hoyer connecting for 5 TDs, unfortunately 2 of them were pick 6s by the Eagles.  He was 27-47 for 253 yards.  Jeremy Hill had his best game of the season gaining 99 yards on 21 carries.
Stefan Diggs caught 7 balls for 86 yards and 1 TD while Steve Johnson caught 5 balls for 2 TDs.
 For the Eagles: Demarcus Murray gained 90 yards on 15 carries, Jameis Winston was 17-35 for 206 yards, 1 INT and 2 TDs. Colston caught 6 balls for 196 yards.
SF improves to 3-11 while Philly drops to 6-8

 Oakland 26 Miami 28                         84 0-10 
The Raiders with interim head coach Keith Jackson come into Miami fresh off a win over Carolina last week in his debut, looking to make it 2 in a row over the reeling Dolphins.
 
Miami starts with a quick 3 and out and the Raiders march down the field, 60 yards in 10 plays and get the TD and the 7-0 lead. Miami answers and answers quickly, on it's 2nd possession, 2nd play, Tannehill connects with Brandon Cooks who races for the end zone 89 yards to tie the score at 7. On their ensuing drive Oakland waste little time going 89 yards in 5 plays highlighted by a Bortles to Kearse 72 yard pitch and catch to get the TD but miss the PAT to make the score 13-7 Oakland with 3:33 still left in the 1st quarter. But once again Miami returns the favor quickly again going 90 yards in only 4 plays capped by a Baldwin 69 yard TD catch and with the PAT it's Miami 14 Oakland 13 and so ends the 1st quarter. After a exchange of punts, Miami gets the ball and methodically marches 59 yards in 8 plays and scores the TD to take a 21-13 lead with 3:08 left in the half. A quick Raider 3 and out sets the Dolphins up at their own 42 with 2:10 to play in the half. Miami gets it back and quickly runs 8 plays, all passes covering 58 yards and get the TD with 18 seconds left in the half to run the score to 28-13 Dolphins and that's the way it would go to halftime
 
The 3rd quarter starts with an exchange of punts, but on Miami's 2nd possession, a pick by Oakland opens the door and they don't waste it, going 54 yards in 12 plays taking the game into the 4th quarter and get the score to cut the lead to 28-20 Miami with 11:59 left in the game. After a :44 second Miami 3 and out the Raiders get it back and proceed on a 73 yard drive culminating in a TD but consuming 7:27 off the clock and fail to covert the 2 pt play and the score sits at 28-26 Miami with 3:38 left in the game. Miami gets the ball and manages one 1st down, but with the 2 minute warning and Oakland's 3 time outs, they hold Miami, and after the Dolphins appear to be going for it on 4th and inches hopefully to seal the game, decide at the last minute to punt the ball and they pin the Raiders deep at their own 5 yard line with only 1:38 left to play in the game and the Raiders with no time outs. The Raiders manage a 1st down but the comeback is just not in the cards today, they turn it over on downs and the Dolphins take the game 28-26. A well fought game and both Teams left the field on empty tanks. The win improves the Fins to 5-9 while the loss drops the Raiders to 7-7 and moves the post season a little further away. Next week Oakland host Denver in what could be their last shot at the postseason and Miami stays home to host nemesis New England
 
 Pittsburgh 28 Tampa Bay 45                  80 0-10 
Derrick Carr throws four TD passes as the hold off the Steelers.  DeSean Jackson caught two of the TDs good for 105 yards.  Brady kept Pittsburgh close with four TD passes of his own but a 17-0 Buccs third quarter advantage was the difference.

 Detroit 23 Cincinnati 29                    38 0-5  
Cincinnati welcomed the Detroit Lions to town in a Thanksgiving eve ILF contest.  The Lions took a 6-0 lead into the second quarter thanks to two Vinatieri field goals.  The Bengals finally got on the board thanks to a long 85 yard drive that took over eight and one half minutes as Rodgers connected with Jeffery from 19 yards out to make it 7-6 Cincinnati.  The Bengals would add two field goals to extend their lead to 13-6 at the half.
 
After some halftime adjustments by Coach Nordberg Detroit scored 10 points in the third quarter.  After Vinatieri hit another field goal, Ridley scored from two yards out to cap off an 11 play 77 yard drive giving Detroit a 16-13 lead.  The Bengals answered with a 17 play 93 yard drive as Rodgers rolled out and found Eifert from three yards out to regain the lead 20-16.  The Lions weren't done as Nordberg had the boys fired up after enjoying some of that Cincinnati Chili. Allen Robinson would not be denied despite being 2x 90 percent of the game.  Robinson had receptions for 7, 10, 18 and finally 11 for paydirt and a 23-20 Detroit lead with only about four minutes remaining.  The Lion defense forced a Cincinnati three and out.  However, Nordberg must of confused Cassel with Johnny U. as Cassel was picked by Revis and the Bengals took over at the Detroit 32 with about three minutes remaining.  A 12 yard completion to Eifert helped the Bengals get into field goal position and Nugent converted from 31 yards out to tie it.  After an exchange of punts the game headed to O.T.
 
The Bengals received the ball in overtime and a combination of runs and short passes to Jeffery put Cincinnati at the Detroit 11.  After Forsett lost a yard on a run, Wright caught a pass for three yards.  On third and eight Rodgers connected with Eifert for the second time today in the end zone and the Bengals gain the 29-23 win.
 
Detroit Stats
Combination of McGloin and Cassel finished 19 of 35 for 160 yards and a TD but two Ints.
Payne rushed for 38 yards on 7 carries.
Robinson 6 receptions for 68 yards and one TD
Siliga 2 tkls and a sack
 
Cincinnati Stats
Rodgers 24 of 38 for 188 yards and 3 TDs
Forsett 25 rushes for 113 yards
Eifert 7 catches for 55 yards and 2 TDs
 
There were a combined 24 penalties in the game.  Cincinnati was charged with 15 of them for 157 yards.  Detroit had 3 turnovers to Cincinnati's 1.  Both teams were 2 for 2 on fourth down.
 
Next week Detroit travels to Minnesota while the Bengals host Baltimore.
 
 San Diego 38 Buffalo 21                     32 15-25
The Chargers offense never punted as the Bills had no answer trying to stop Julio Jones(10-165,2td) and the running attack as the trio of Williams,Lacy and Austion rushed for 204 yards and Tyrod Taylor was on target with16-20 and 216 yards and 2TD!!!
  
 Atlanta 27 Arizona 10                       74 Calm 
What did you expect?  The Falcons are predators, the Cardinals are, um, red.
 
Atlanta showed no mercy carving up the Zona defense or lack of defense.  Atlanta's punter got a well earned rest only showing up in game two times.  The Falcons amassed 430 total yards with 287 over the top.  On defense, they stopped AP cold in the first half and AP barely got on track in the second.  
 
Zona still has a tough road to the playoffs with New Orleans still on the game card.  Nevertheless, Zona is a house of cards which fields only half a team.  They can make noise but at the end of the they might as well spend extra time preparing for the draft.
 
 Kansas City 17 Indianapolis 23              69       
INDIANAPOLIS, IND (IFL.COM) - The Indianapolis Colts (6-8) gets victory number six with a 23 to 17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (7-7) at Lucas Oil Field. The Colts got the scoring on the way when they took the opening drive and Charcandrick West (RB) went over from the 2 yard-line following a 10 play 80 yard drive eating up 6:30 of the first quarter. They finished the first half when Carson Palmer hit Michael Crabtree (WR) on a 6 yard pass that sandwiched 2 Steven Hauschka field goals. The first half ended with the Colts on top of the Chiefs 20–3.
 
The second half became with both teams going scoreless in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw the Chiefs close the scoring gap to 23-17 with 1:51 left in the game when Tony Romo went over from the one yard-line with a quarterback sneak and Kerwynn Williams (RB) scoring on a four yard run, score 23-10 Colts. The Colts down to kick off in the end zone and started the final drive from the 20 yard line. Indianapolis picked up a first down on a Palmer quarterback sneak from the 30 yard line as KC used all three timeouts, enabling the Colts to go into the victory formation, final score Indianapolis 23 Kansas City 17.
             
 Houston 3 New England 35                    33 10-20 Snow      
Houston came to Foxboro on a windy, snowy evening with an eye on springing a Thanksgiving upset.  New England looked to extend their winning streak to 4 since their Week 10 drubbing at the hands of Philadelphia.
 
The Texans struck first after Sam Bradford was picked off near midfield by Lavonte David late in the first quarter.  A Geno Atkins sack of Kirk Cousins forced a field goal attempt by Travis Coons, who nailed a 51 yarder with the wind at his back to give Houson a 3-0 lead.
 
Bradford rebounded from the prior interception be engineering a 10 play, 80 yard drive, capped by a 15 yard TD reception by James Starks.  7-3 Patriots.
 
Houston was forced to punt after an 8 play 5 minute drive bogged down in their own end.  From their, the Patriots went on a 15 play, 73 yard drive which culminated with a 4 yard TD pass to Antonio Brown with 13 seconds left in the half.  14-3 New England, and they were set to get the ball coming out of halftime.
 
Bradford connected with Sammy Watkins for a 28 yard TD less than 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter, and the game was essentially over at that point.  Antonio Brown would add another receiving score and a punt return for a score, as NE went on to a 35-3 win.
    
 Minnesota 10 Tennessee 30                   45 0-5   Light Rain
It was 45 degrees with light rain which in Tennessee means start building your ark.  Both teams' offenses seemed to be running in mud. The Titans had one drive covering 68 yards (40 yard Ryan to Walker TD pass) but outside of that the longest drive in the first half was 33 yards.  However the Vikings committed FIVE turnovers in the first half and Tennessee turned them into 16 points.  In addition Shecky Greene returned a punt 93 yards for a Titan TD.  It was 30-0 Titans at the half.
The second half was blowout lineups both ways and Minnesota put 10 points on the board to make the score more respectable.  Final stats illustrated the lousy conditions as the Vikings actually outgained the Titans 213 to 205 yards.
Minnesota and Detroit will renew an old NFBA rivalry next week.  The Titans go on the road against the Packers although the venue has been changed to the Stormcrow Alehouse.  Josh Norman is already trash talking about shutting down Calvin Johnson.   

 Chicago 37 Jacksonville 16                  63 0-10
The sagging Jags disappoint at home as once again as the high flying Bears mercilessly pound ole Fitz for 6 sacks on route to a 37-16 win,.

As said, the vicious Bears defense put many a kittens ( aka ..Jags) in the hospital as they decimated a suffering Jackonville offensive line.

The better team, with the better coach won.......This being said, Jordan Todman did have 107 yards in the loss

 New Orleans 28 Dallas 20                    70      
Dallas won the first half 20-7 but New Orleans won the second half 21-0 to take the game 28-20.   Joe Flacco led the Saint offense completing 26-39 passes for 292 yards and three TD's.
 
After both teams exchanged punts, Dallas put three on the board to take the early lead with a Denard Robinson 24-yard run.  The lead was short-lived as New Orleans went on a 9 play, 79 yard drive that ended with a 9 yard pass from Flacco to Beasley.  Flacco completed 5 of 7 passes on the drive.
 
But Dallas answered behind a 12 play, 95 yard drive finishing with a Cam Newton to Clay TD pass from the four. 
 
Dallas extended its lead when Cam Newton hit Snead on an out pattern.  Snead slipped a tackle and took it to the house for a 17-7 Cowboy lead.   Following a Flacco INT, the Cowboys took the gift and cashed it in for three points before the half.
 
But the Saint defense buckled down in the second half, … pitching a shutout.  The offense put up 21 points to go up 21-20.    N.O. went up 28-10 with 4:01 left on a Randle dive from the one after a Dallas fumble.   The Saints could have clinched the game, but they missed a FG.
.              
 Carolina 0 Washington 41                    47 10-20
This game was as one sided as they come as Washington dominated every minute.  Russell Wilson had a miserable game going 6-17 for 73 yards, 2 INTs (1 pick six) and 1 fumble.  He was sacked a total of 8 times.  He finished with a net of 2 passing yards on the day.  Entering the 4th quarter the Panthers had a negative passing yardage total.  McFadden had 9 rushes for 52 yards and as a whole the Panthers gained just 97 yards of offense.  On the other side the Redskins moved the ball and scored at will.  The Redskins have clinched the NFC East and possibly a bye week.

 St. Louis 27 New York(N) 14                 40 0-10
Rams overcome a scrappy effort by the Giants in New York. Based on the passing stats you would have thought it was a windy day at Giants Stadium, but the weatherman reported nothing stronger then occasional 10 mile an hour gusts. If you added the QB rating for each teams' QBs ( Rams: Andrew Luck  59 Giants: Colin Kapernick 48) you would get a respectable rating; 103. Not what either coach had in mind. The Rams were able to muster 173 rushing yards, 5 sacks and 3 turnovers to take the game while the Giants were encouraged by the effort of ILB Kwon Alexander 10 tackles 1 pass def and 2 stuffs and CB Chris Harris who shut down Rams WR AJ Green.
 
Next week Giants travel to Philly and the Rams host Atlanta.
 
 Denver 10 New York(A) 24                    31 0-5  
The Broncos came into New York 8-5 and tied with San Diego for 1st place in the West division of the AFC.
 
The home team was 7-6 and fighting for a playoff wild card spot, since the Patriots own the division.
 
New York took the opening drive 80 yards in 15 plays, and had a 7-0 lead after a Hillman 1 yard run. The drive took 7:40 off the clock. The remainder of the quarter saw two punts by Denver and one by the Jets.
 
After a 3 and out by the Jets, Denver put together a 15 play 85 yard drive that took up 7 minutes, but only resulted in a FG, 7-3 Jets. New York had another 3 and out, but the clock ran out on the Broncos, 7-3 at the half.
 
The teams exchanged punts to start the 3rd before Denver missed a 50 yard FG. New York couldn't take advantage of the good field position and had to punt again. Stafford took his Broncos 80 yards in 9 plays, which ended with a Stafford 21 yard TD pass to Patton, 10-7 Denver.
 
Dalton responded and took the Jets 80 yards in 10 plays to start the 4th quarter, with the final play being a 6 yard pass to Sanders, 14-10 Jets. Denver then went 3 and out. Dalton then drove his team 72 yards in 7 plays with the last a 15 yard pass to Olsen, 21-10 Jets. The Jets tacked on a FG to get the win 24-10.
 
For the Jets:
 
Dalton  16-19 for 171 yards and 2 TD's
Sanders 6 for 73 yards and a TD
McCoy 18 for 106 yards
 
Broncos:
 
Stafford 23-41 229 yards 1 TD
Floyd 4 76 yards
Johnson 15 for 69 yards
 
Next week Denver travels to Oakland and New York hosts Indianapolis.
  
 Baltimore 16 Green Bay 26                   38 5-15
Ravens came into Green Bay looking for the upset but things did not start well for the visitors.
 
On the first play from scrimmage QB Jay Cutler found WR Terrance Williams for a 65 yard touchdown,7-0 Packers.
 
Baltimore was unfazed however and moved 80 yards in 9 plays to even things up at 7-7,
culminating in a 29 yard Eli Manning to FB Kyle Juszczyk 29 yard TD reception.
 
After a Green Bay 3 and out, the Ravens looked to take the lead but S Rashad Jones picked off Manning at the Packers 46.
 
The hosts would then rattle off 13 straight points, mainly behind the strong arm of MVP candidate Jay Cutler,
before Baltimore answered with a late first half FG.
 
20-10 at the break.
 
After a Raven 3 and out to start the 3rd, Green Bay went on a time consuming 12 play 90 yard drive,
capped off by a Greg Zuerlein 20 yard chip shot. 23-10 Packers.
 
After that score, both offenses bogged down until late in the 4th when the Packers added a FG to go up 26-10.
Baltimore answered with a Manning to Brandon Coleman 11 yard TD but the 2 point convert was failed.
 
26-16 was the final.
 
Despite a 1-13 record, Scott's Ravens have some emerging talent, especially on defense.
Don't be surprised if they pull a Chicago or Tampa Bay and turn it around big time next season.

Cutler named MVP yet again 16-28 320 yards and 2 TD's
RB Ahmad Bradshaw 22-80
WR Calvin Johnson 5-103
WR Williams 2-112
ILB David harris 9 tackles
 
Manning 19-34 209 2 Td 1 int
RB Boldin 15-41
WR Brown 4-74

Next up Green Bay host the surprising Tennessee Titans,Baltimore visits the Bengals.

 
 Week 15 Leaders
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Freeman,D(Buf)  22-135  1 TD
 Toussaint(Was)  23-126
 Forsett(Cin)    25-113
 Todman(Jax)     17-107
 McCoy,L(NYJ)    18-106
 Stewart,J(NO)   19-103
 Williams,K(SD)  7-77  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Jones,J(SD)     10-165  2 TD
 Washington(Atl)  8-164  2 TD
 Brown,A(NE)     11-139  2 TD
 Matthews,J(Buf) 10-103  1 TD
 Boldin(Pit)     11- 80  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Tannehill(Mia)  38-24-382   4 TD  1 Int - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Brady,T(Pit)    45-29-320   4 TD  1 Int
 Cutler(GB)      28-16-320   2 TD
 Carr,D(TB)      31-22-294   4 TD
 Bradford,S(NE)  31-21-260   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Jordan,C(NO)     3 Sk 3 Tk - Co-IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Attaochu(Was)    3 Sk 5 Tk - Co-IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Lee,S(NYJ)       15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Crosby(SF)     4-4 FG  - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Zuerlein(GB)   4-5 FG

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WEEK 14 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 14 IFL LEADERBOARD

Week 13 Recap

Sean Lee with 9 tackles and 2 interceptions help keep the Jets postseason hopes alive.

Game Scores
New York(A) 35 Baltimore 7                  43 0-10 
What a great game this one was...for about 4 series. The Jets started things off with a 10-play, 83-yard drive culminating in a Ronnie Hillman 13-yard TD run. Jets 7-0. Baltimore went 3-and-out and 4 plays later, Andy Dalton hit Kenny Britt for 38 and a 14-0 lead. But the Ravens decided to make a game of it and put together an 80-yard drive and pulled close when Eli Manning hit Philly Brown for a 14-yard TD strike. Jets 14-7.

Then the Gang Green Blitzkrieg happened! Dalton hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 62-yard TD strike. On the first play after the KO, LB Sean Lee picked Eli. On the next play, Dalton hit Britt for another TD, this time from 23-yards out. New York kicked off and Eli promptly threw ANOTHER pass to Lee on the very first play from scrimmage. This time, it took the Jets 3 plays to get into the end zone with Dalton finding Jacob Tamme from 10-yards out. In the span of about 90 seconds, it when from 14-7 Jets to 35-7 Jets. Ugh.

New York improves to 7-6 and takes on Denver in Week 14.
Baltimore falls to 1-12 and is really looking forward to the draft. The powerhouse Packers are going to try to help them get there next week.


Buffalo 23 Cincinnati 24                    28 0-5  
Week 13 IFL action saw the Buffalo Bills travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals.  Buffalo jumped out to an early 10-0 lead thanks to a 48 yard field goal by Gano and a Smith nine yard TD pass to LaFell.  The Bengals finally got on the board as Rodgers connected with Jeffery from 20 yards out to cut the lead to 10-7.  The Bills answered with a 11 play 80 yard drive capped off by another Smith to LeFell touchdown from 26 yards out.  Cincinnati cut it to 17-14 just before the half as Rodgers connected with Funchess from 25 yards out.
 
After forcing the Bengals to go three and out to start the third quarter Buffalo increased their lead to 20-14 with a 32 yard field goal.  After another Cincinnati punt, the Bengals defense created the first turnover thanks to a Freeman fumble.  Cincinnati took advantage of the good field position that started at the Bills 38.  Rodgers rolled out to find Eifert from four yards out to give the Bengals their first lead 21-20.  Buffalo drove the ball 71 yards on 11 plays but had to settle on another field goal to regain the lead 23-21 with a little under eight minutes remaining in the game.  Cincinnati was able to move the ball down the field thanks to multiple Vereen runs and the Rodgers to Jeffery connection.  The Bengals drove to the Buffalo three but could not punch it in.  Nugent kicked the go ahead field goal giving Cincinnati a 24-23 lead with about two and a half minutes remaining.  Thanks to Irvin's second sack of the game the Bills faced a third and 21.  Somehow Alex Smith was able to connect with Givens for 25 yards despite playing a deep zone with everybody but the popcorn vendor in the Cincinnati secondary.  Fortunately for IFL Bengal fans, Hughes came up with another sack and Buffalo turned the ball over on downs as the Bengals escape with the one point win.
 
GAME STATS FOR BUFFALO
Smith 24 of 35 for 299 yards and two TDs
Freeman 22 rushes for 108 yards
LaFell 5 receptions for 74 yards and two TDs
 
GAME STATS FOR CINCINNATI
Rodgers 19 of 26 for 200 yards and three TDs
Jeffery 10 receptions for 145 yards and a TD
Irvin 2 sacks
 
The Bengals have lost five games by four points or less so it was nice to win a close one. 
 
Next week Buffalo host San Diego while the Bengals welcome the Lions in the battle of the big cats.
 
 San Diego 21 New Orleans 28                 70  
San Diego would come into New Orleans with both teams sharing 8-4 records. This game would be everything everyone thought it would be. The Saints would get the ball and start at their own 20 and control the ball for just under 8 minutes and end the drive on a 16 yard TD scamper by Tim Hightower. 7-0 Saints. San Diego would return the favor taking the ball at their own 20 and marching 80 yards in 7 minutes ending in a Tyrod Taylor to Julio 5 yard out pass. 7-7 end of quarter 1. Both teams would exchange punts and the Saints would get the ball at their own 9 with 10:01 left in the half. After a 6 minute drive and the ball taken to the 29 of San Diego Flacco would set up for the pass and take off for an 8 yard run but fumble and Banks would pick up the fumble and ramble 80 yards. The stadium was silenced. 14-7 Chargers. The Saints would get the ball back with just over 4 minutes at their own 7. Flacco would lead the Saints the whole way to the Chargers 2 but be forced to kick a FG. And the 99.5% attempt is.........NO GOOD. Coach Rice was spotted throwing his headset to the turf. Half time 14-7 Chargers. The Chargers would get the 2nd half kick off and ride the momentum as they took it right down the field with Taylor hitting Amari Cooper on a 9 yard strike. 21-7 Chargers and it just seemed to be one of those days for the Saints. Coach Rice would huddle his team up and remind them that they are the defending champs and to start playing like it. On that note the offense would take the ball 80 yards on a 7 minute drive ending in a 4 yard TD plunge by Jonathon Stewart. 21-14 Chargers. The defense would step up also forcing a 3 and out and a punt. The Saints would start from their own 35 and bombs away....Flacco to Dez Bryant on a 65 yard bomb for the TD and were tied. San Diego would tighten up though and put a nice drive together down to the Saints 39 but on a 3rd and 6 Jerod Mayo would get the sack for an 8 yard loss and force the punt. The Saints would get the ball with 9:22 left and it was very apparent what the game plan was. Run the hell out of the ball against the Chargers very tired defense and take off as much clock as possible. The Saints would run the 10 of 11 plays down the Chargers 29 and only 2:05 to play. Flacco would then hit Dez on a slant in which he would take to paydirt. 28-21 Saints, but did they leave to much time for Taylor and the boys. Taylor would complete 6 of his next 8 passes down to the Saints 19 with 14 seconds left. Taylor would take 2 shots at the endzone in which both fell incomplete and the Saints would pull out a tight one. Great game called by Jerry. The Saints move to 9-4 and head to Dallas next week and the Chargers drop to 8-5 and head to Buffalo.
                  
 Philadelphia 31 Detroit 3                   70    
Eagles lead 31-0 at the half as Winston throws two TD passes.
                  
  Miami 7 Tennessee 35                        62 0-10 
This one got away from the Dolphins early as Matt Ryan hit Odell Beckham Jr. with a 43 yard TD pass 3 minutes into the game.  Miami couldn't move the ball on its next possession and following the punt Tennessee put together an 11 play 66 yard drive finished off with a 3 yard TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins.  The ensuing kickoff was returned to the 14 yard line.  Ryan Tannehill was then picked off by Danny Trevethan who returned it to the Dolphin one.  Doug Martin scored on the dive play and it was 21-0 Titans at the end of the first quarter.
Midway through the 2nd quarter Malcolm Smith forced a Tannehill fumble at the Miami 32 yard line which Smith also recovered.  Five plays later Ryan hit Kyle Rudolph with a 16 yard TD pass to make it 28-0.  The half ended that way.
In the 3rd quarter David Amerson picked off a Tannehill pass at the Dolphin 6 yard line and walked into the end zone (35-0).  After that it was slow down by both teams to get this one over with.  Miami got on the scoreboard late in the 4th with a 32 yards TD pass Tannehill to Brandin Cooks.  The final score was 35-7 Titans.
Credit this one to the Titan defense which forced 3 turnovers leading to 3 touchdowns.  Miami hosts Oakland next week while Minnesota visits Tennessee.
 
 St. Louis 23 Houston 3                      70
Rams came out on top of the Texans in a sloppy game between two teams out of the playoff race. The Rams committed three turnovers, while Texans QB Kirk Cousins only managed 142 yards on 32 attempts. Aside from a couple missed tackles that resulted in long touchdowns for the Rams it was field goal affair.
 
Texans RB Matt Forte had 12 catches and 16 rushes for a total of 125 yards and Safety Kurt Coleman came away with 2 ints.
 
Rams RBs Mark Ingram and James White had 93 yards on the ground and 76 yards through the air respectively.
 
Next week Houston travels to New England and St Louis travels to the New York Giants
                    
 Atlanta 30 Kansas City 17                   37 5-15
During the week reporters asked Chief CB Richard Sherman if he was ready for the challenge of facing star Falcon wideout Larry Fitzgerald. Sherman replied "Challenge? What challenge?" After the game Fitzgerald walked up to Sherman and said "You mad, bro?"  as Atlanta defeated Kansas City 30-17 and Fitzgerald hauled in 9 passes for 185 yards (gasp) and a TD. Atlanta had thorough control of the game rolling up 475 yards of offense behind an efficient Phillip Rivers, who went 29-21-323-1td. A limited Peyton Manning tried his best to keep the Chiefs in the game, going 28-20-251-2td, but it wasn't enough to overcome a well balanced and talented team like Atlanta. With the win the Falcons improve to 12-1 while the Chiefs, now losers of 3 in a row, fall to 7-6 and in danger of missing the playoffs. 

 Denver 20 San Francisco 0                   49 10-20
The Denver Broncos came into Candelstick to take on the 49ers and the Bronco defense pitched a shutout as the Broncos won 20-0.
 
The Broncos opened the game with a 10 minute drive that got down to the SF 1 yard line but they had to settle for a short FG and a 3-0 lead.
 
The defenses took over for the next several possessions but just before the half the Broncos were able to put together a 15 play-74 yard drive that ended with a Stafford to Martavius Bennet TD pass with just a few ticks left on the 1st half clock and the half ended 10-0.
 
The 49ers put together a nice 11-play drive to open the 2nd half but were eventually stopped and forced to punt.
 
With the punt downed at the Denver 2 yard line the Broncos slowly worked their way out of trouble and then Stafford hit WR Rishard
Matthews on a short hitch and he broke a tackle and took off down the sideline for a 58 yard score and the Broncos extended the lead to 17-0 with
3 minutes left in the 3rd.
 
The 49ers put together one more drive but a fumble stopped the drive and the Broncos took over and ran out the clock.
 
It was a nice, quick game by Bob.
 
 New York(N) 19 Chicago 23                   31 5-15 
The Giants traveled to Chicago for the Bears final home game of the season.
The Bears started the game with a long drive that took almost 9 minutes off the clock.  1st and goal from the 2 saw Blue run it in for the TD.  But, no, after further review, the ball was placed at the goal line, 2nd and goal.  Mariota hit Thomas with a quick pass, but he was stopped inches short.  Blue on the run again, TD!  Hang on....   after further review, 4th and goal just outside the goal line.  The Bears elected to go for it, and Mariota finally sneaks it in for a 7-0 early lead.
The Giants drove the ball down the field and opened the 2nd quarter with a 23 yd FG, then after stopping the Bears added a Carpenter 55 yarder to make it 7-6.  The Bears answered with a field goal of their own, but a long Giants drive saw Nassib hit Riddick for a 6 yd TD pass and the half ended 13-10 Giants.
The Giants got the ball to start the second half, but their drive stalled and the punt put the Bears first and 10 from their own 10.  Mariota opened the drive with a 56 yard strike to Jones and after moving the ball down the field had 1st and goal from the one.  Blue takes the ball, runs into the pile, TD.  But we've been here before - after further review...  After a failed pass attempt and a false start, Mariota hit Williams on a 5 yd slant and the Bears took the lead 17-13.  The Bears stopped the Giants and were driving again when Mariota gets picked by Alexander.  On the very next play, Nassib gets picked by Amakamura.
The Bears score a FG early in the 4th to extend the lead to 20-13.  The Giants drive stalls, but Williams fumbles on the next drive and Alexander runs it back 46 yards for what should have been a tie score.  The extra point is missed - 20-19 Bears.  The Bears drive slowly to eat up the clock and the 2 minute warning arrives.  Novak hits a 39 yarder to extend it to 23-19.  The Giants drive the ball to the Chicago 19, but time expires.
 
 Dallas 23 Tampa Bay 28                      64 0-5
In week 13 IFL action the 7 and 5 Tampa Bay Bucs hosted the 4 and 8 Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. 
 
Dallas started the game with an excellent drive of 6:24 and 11 plays.  Cam Newton moved his team into the end zone with a nice mix of passing and rushing, including a 17 yard run of his own.  The last 9 yards were a scoring pass to TE Ladarius Green.  Dallas 7 Tampa 0.
 
Tampa is called for holding on their first play from scrimmage and does nothing with their first possession.  Dallas seizes the opportunity.  In 7 plays they grab an early 14 – 0 lead.    The drive consisted of 2 Newton runs and 3 completed passes over 10 yards.  The scoring play was 17 yards Newton to Willie Snead. 
 
After the teams exchange punts the Bucs get it going on offense by throwing the ball from their 4 WR set and mixing in some nice runs by FB Jamize Olawale.  It’s Todd Gurley that finishes the drive on a 3rd and goal from the 8 with a bruising run off the left side.  Dallas 14 Tampa 7.
 
Dallas added a FG before the half.  The score at halftime Dallas 17 Tampa 7. 
 
The second half kickoff sails out of bounds giving Tampa a start at the 40.  Five Girley runs and three Derick Carr passes later Girley gets his second TD, this time from 5 yards out.  Tampa has reduced the Dallas lead to 17 – 14. 
 
After forcing a Cowboy punt the Bucs take 15 plays to go 64 yards culminating with a Olawale plunge from one yard.  Tampa grabs its first lead of the game.  Tampa 21 Dallas 17.
 
After Tampa forces a Dallas three and out punt, the momentum has completely turned.  Starting from their 44 Tampa is able to get into the end zone again when Carr finds Tyler Lockett for a 23 yard strike to put the Bucs ahead by 11.  Tampa 28 Dallas 17. 
 
However, Cam Newton wasn’t finished working today.  After the teams exchanged punts he gets the ball with 7 minutes left and is able to drive his Cowboys into the end zone when he dives in from a yard out to cut Tampa’s 11 point lead down to 5.  The downside is the drive consumed 5 minutes and with just 1:41 left Dallas goes for 2.  Newton is unable to complete the 2 point pass attempt.  Tampa 28 Dallas 23. 
 
The Cowboy on side kick is recovered by Tampa.  Dallas does get the ball back at their own 20 with 27 seconds left, but needing a touchdown there’s just not enough time left.  Final Tampa 28 Dallas 23.
 
It was a hard fought game and with the exception of 12 Tampa penalties, it was a well played game.  Both QBs earned ratings over 100.  There were no turnovers.  The time of possession was essentially even.  Tampa was just able to finish off more drives for the win. 
 
Next week the playoff hopeful Bucs host play host to the Steelers while the Cowboys host a strong Saints team.  
 
 New England 38 Pittsburgh 0                 25 0-5  
Sam Bradford threw for 3 first half touchdowns and Antonio Brown and Sammy Watkins each eclipsed 100 yards receiving as New England traveled to Heinz Field and shut out Tom Brady and the Steelers 38-0.

 Washington 26 Green Bay 21                  38 0-10 
Bridgewater sneaks in for two one yard touchdowns as  the Redskins escape with a nice road win.

 Carolina 14 Oakland 27                      67 10-20
Interim coach Keith starts off with a bang with a dominating performance not truly reflected by the score. A garbage time TD by Carolina only gives the illusion of respectability. Oakland more than doubles Carolina's offensive output. 
 
I think Keith has a real shot at a playoff run with a very solid Oakland team.
 
 Arizona 34 Minnesota 26                     70  
Powerful Arizona brought its 9-3 record to Minnesota to play the 4-8 Vikings, and immediately showed they meant business as Adrian Peterson raced 70 yards on their 2nd play to a touchdown.
 
The Vikings, however, methodically fought back, as Drew Brees found Jason Witten from 26 yards out for a TD on a 9-play drive on the Vikes' first possession. Score 7-7.
 
The game then followed that pattern, back and forth, but with Arizona always scoring first and Minnesota playing catch up. The Cards led 24-20 at the half.
 
The Cards kept up the offensive pressure in the 2nd half, but the Vikings could not keep up. DKS decided to take over the game. The Cards were called for 13 penalties, the Vikes for only 2. DKS gave the Vikes every advantage that way. But DKS got revenge on the Vikes, crippling their offense, as it decided the Vikes' receiving corps was doing too much (6 catches for James Jones, 6 for Witten, 2 for Andrew Hawkins is too many??) and kept yanking them from the lineup in favor of 1-rated receivers. This gutting of our offense first appeared with the Vikings in the red zone. It was a constant battle with DKS from there on to get the Vikings offense into the game. And without his favorite receivers, Drews dried up and the Vikes could barely get a first down. It puzzled us: Why was DKS okay with Cards wide receiver Eric Decker being targeted 17 times and having 11 catches (note: I am okay with that), but apparently threw a fit over the Vikings receivers with their paltry numbers -- 6 catches, 6 catches and 2 catches? C'mon DKS, why are you meddling so much in the game? First you were an out-of-control ref calling the game in favor of one team only, and then you gutted that team's chances for no good reason at all. Made me lose faith in the game big time.
 
Final score was Arizona 34, Minnesota 26.
 
Ben Roethlisberger was masterful with 329 yards and 3 TDs. Adrian Peterson broke off 211 yards on 25 carries, and Brandon Marshall and Decker had 149 and 118 yards receiving, respectively. All told, Arizona had 555 yards net offense.
 
The Vikes' Brees had 265 yards through the air and 2 touchdowns, and Jones finished with 106 yards. Chris Ivory had 89 yards on only 10 carries. Minnesota had 344 yards net offense.
 
Thanks to Jim for calling a great game and having an excellent team.
                  
 Indianapolis 26 Jacksonville 23             71 5-15  Light Rain    
Colts kicker Hauschka ties it at 23 from 31 yards out with 25 seconds remaining in regulation.  Jags gamble on fourth and two from their own 28 and don't convert.  Hauschka comes running back in and kicks the game winner from 46 yards out.

 Rushing Leaders
 Peterson,A(Ari) 25-211  1 TD
 Stewart,J(NO)   21-125  1 TD
 Rawls(Pit)      19-114
 Hyde,C(Oak)     21-112  1 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  22-108
 Jennings,R(Was) 19-104  1 TD
 Johnson,C(Den)  24-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Fitzgerald(Atl)  9-185  1 TD
 Jeffery(Cin)    10-145  1 TD
 Decker(Ari)     11-118  1 TD
 Riddick(NYG)    11-112  1 TD
 Forte(Hou)      12- 74
 
 Passing Leaders
 Roethlisberger (Ari) 32-22-329   3 TD
 Rivers,P(Atl)   29-21-323   1 TD
 Dalton(NYJ)     24-18-297   4 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Lee,S(NYJ)       2 Int 9 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Coleman,K(Hou)   2 Int 4 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Hauschka(Ind)  4-4 FG - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 13 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 13 IFL LEADERBOARD

Week 12 Recap

Doug Baldwin's three TD catches help the Dolphins defeat the Bills.

 
 Game Scores
Buffalo 21 Miami 27                         81 0-5 
Week 12 saw the Dolphins hosting long time rival and game mentor Greg Smith and the Buffalo Bills. Miami took their week 5 meeting 27-24 after scoring 2 TD's in the final 5:09 including the game winning TD with only :16 seconds left, to escape Buffalo with the win and at the time run their record to 3-2. Things have changed since then as Buffalo has continued to improve while Miami, after some player changes has went in the opposite direction, as their last win was in Buffalo in week 5.
 
The 1st quarter started slow, but Miami did open the scoring after a interception by Peters was returned to the Bills 13 yard line, only to go backwards and settle for the FG to put the Fins up 3-0. After a 3 and out (aided by 2 penalties) from Buffalo, Miami put it in gear and went 66 yards on 4 plays and gets the TD to go up 10-0 with almost 6 minutes left in the quarter. The Bills would then go on a 12 play drive, finishing the 1st quarter and moving into the 2nd, but the drive stalls in Miami territory and the Bills are forced to punt. Miami moves to the Buffalo 16 before their drive stalls and settle for the FG to make the score 13-0 Dolphins. Although the Bills would threaten on their next possession, that's the way the 1st half would end Dolphins 13 - Bills 0.
 
The 2nd half opens with a Miami 3 and out, and Buffalo then goes to work, on 2 straight 9 play drives (aided by another Miami 3 and out in the middle), the Bills score 2 TD's to take a 1 point lead with 8 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter, but Miami is not finished, the drive starts in the 3rd but finishes in the 4th quarter with another Miami TD to retake the lead at 20-14 with 10:51 left in the game. After an exchange of punts, Alex Smith throws his second pick of the day and the Dolphins take it under 2 minutes and get the TD to run the score to 27-14 with 1:53 to play, but there is no quit in Buffalo as the Dolphins kick the ball out of bounds and the Bills have it at the 40 yard line, on the 2nd play from scrimmage, the Miami defender falls down and the Bills Brandon LeFell scampers 60 yards and gets the TD to cut the lead to 27-21 with 1:21 left in the game. Buffalo comes up empty on the onside kick and after Miami making the Bills burn all 3 timeouts, Buffalo does get the ball back with .45 seconds left at their own 14 yard line, but after completing a pass the receiver fails to get out of bounds and valuable time runs off the clock and in his hast, Smith commits his 3rd turnover of the game (fumble) and it seals the victory for Miami.
 
Stats were dominated by Buffalo, holding an almost 2 to 1 advantage in 1st downs and rushing, the Bills also held the ball for 14:00 minutes longer than the Dolphins, but the one stat that the Bills wish they hadn't had was the turnovers, 3 to none in favor of the Dolphins, 2 that lead to 10 points and the final one that sealed the game. As always a hard fought battle that Miami got the best of on this day.
 
Next week the Bills stay on the road at Cincinnati and the Dolphins hit the road and travel to Tennessee
 
Green Bay 37 Pittsburgh 10                  34 0-10  Heavy Rain  
Packers came into Pittsburgh and played our best game of the season.
 
Green Bay scored touchdowns on each of their first four possession and blew this one open early.
 
Other than a Tom Brady 45-yard strike to Ruben Randall, nothing went right for the hosts.
 
Pack led 37-7 at halftime and the seconds stringers saw extended action for both clubs
 
37-10 was the final
 
Brady 5 of 13 for 100 yards and 1 TD
Rawls 15 carries for 103
 
 
Cutler 21-28 268 yards and 4tds
Gore 14-56
Watson 10 rec 110 yards and 2TDs
Jacquies Smith 2 sacks and a safety
 
Steelers host New England next week
Packers home to NFC East power Washington
 
 Houston 21 San Diego 23                     77 5-15 
Julio Jones catches seven passes for 107 yards and a score as the Chargers edge the Texans.

 Tennessee 27 Baltimore 10                   36 0-10 
A tough defensive game for 55 minutes as the only touchdown during that time was a Titan one yard TD run by Doug Martin.  Other than that Tennessee had two field goals and the Ravens had one.  So it was 13-3 Tennessee with 6 minutes left in the game.  Eli Manning suddenly found the magic touch as a short screen pass to Javorius Allen went for 41 yards and on the next play he hit Allen on a 12 yard medium slant for the TD.  With the score 13-10 and its offense spinning its wheels the Titans felt this one was slipping away.  BUT on the ensuing kickoff Andre Roberts took the return 101 yards and the score was 20-10.  Then to add insult to injury Josh Norman picked off a Manning pass and took it 45 yards for the TD.  The final score of 27-10 in no way did justice to the Ravens.
Javorius Allen was the game's only stat star with 88 yards rushing and 62 yards receiving including the TD.  DKS chose Andre Roberts as the star of the game even though his only touch was the kickoff return for the TD.  Next week Baltimore (1-11) hosts the New York Jets while Tennessee (8-4) is home against the Dolphins.

 Cincinnati 34 Jacksonville 35               65 5-15 
Jags down the Bengals 35-34 in a late game comeback

The Bengals (3-8) came to Jacksonville (6-5) to seek revenge for an exciting week 3 loss to the visiting Jags.

The inconsistent Jags opened the scoring on their third play when Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Kamar Aiken for a 74 yard pass and run play giving the hosts an early 7-0 lead. Following an exchange of punts, Cinci tied it up midway through the first quarter as Alshon Jeffery burned past a stunned Stephon Gilmore to knot the game at 7-7.

The second quarter saw the Jags retake the lead on Kamar Aiken's second touchdown of the evening putting Jacksonville up 14-7 half way through the 2nd. The Bengals not to be outdone crafted a long 9:15 drive that led to a 25 yard Ryan Nugent FG making it 14-10 at the half.

Things started to get interesting in the second half.

The Jags looked to be taking control when David Johnson ran it in from 12 yards out captializing on a deep Cinci interception. Jags up 21-10 early in the third. All hell then broke lose as the third quarter was dominated by a reinvigorated Bengal squad that scored touchdowns on it's next two possesions giving the visitors a 27-21 lead going into the fourth.

The fourth started as the third left off with a long Bengal drive that resulted in Roger's third TD of the half to a wide open Tyler Eifert - Bengals push the lead to 34-21 with less than 10 minutes to go. Cincinnati, fearing a deep strike to Torrey Smith or Kamar Aiken resorted to pass defenses to ride out the final 9:41......The Jags ground game made them pay. On the next drive, David Johnson starting on his own 7 yard line hualed the rock 10 times for 74 yards for drive cutting the lead to 34-28 on a 7 yard off tackle run.

Following a failed onside kick and a three and out by the Bengals the Jags got the ball back on there own 37 with 2:27 to go. Things looked bleak for the Jags as leading rusher David Johnson had been reduced to 2% duability leaving the Christine Michael as the main man behind Fitzpatrick. On the very next play Michael broke free for what looked like the go ahead TD only to be pulled down on the 8 by saving tackle. Follwing three incompletions it came down to 4th and goal from the Bengal 8. Showing huge confidence in his rookie TE Ryan Fitzpatrick fired a TD pass to Clive Walford with 1:46 left to put the Jags up 35-34.

The Bengals had one last shot but the Jags held stout and held on to a tough 35-34 victory.

Noteable performances:

David Johnson 16 carries 101 yards 2 TDs
Christine Michael 9 carries 117 yards
Kamar Aiken 5 catches 102 yards 2TDS
Fitzpatrick 3TDs, 1 Int

A. Rodgers 271 yards 4 TDs 1 Int
A. Jeffery 10 catches 139 2TDs
T. Eifert 7 catches 56 yards.

 Tampa Bay 7 Chicago 24                      39 10-20
Chicago (8-3) hosted Tampa Bay (7-4) in week 12, with both teams needing the win to keep pace in the playoff race.  Brandon Weeden started at QB for the Bears replacing the injured Mariota.
After an exchange of punts, the Bucs scored first with just 48 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter, Ware running it in from 8 yards out.  The Bears moved the ball well on their next drive, but a Weeden interception ended the threat.  Tampa Bay could not cash in on the turnover, fumbling the ball back to Chicago, who eventually tied the score 7-7 on a Williams 11 yard run.  The Bucs gave the ball back on downs at the Bears 36, and the 2 minute drill produced a 10-7 Bears lead at the half.
The Bears extended the lead to 17-7 early in the 3rd quarter on a Weeden to Jones 37 yard pass.  On the next drive, Tampa Bay elected to go for it on 4th and 2 from their own 28, but Adams was unable to hold on to the Carr pass and the Bears used the short field to extend the score to 24-7 on Jones' 2nd TD reception (from Blaine Gabbert).
The defenses took over from there and Chicago won its 3rd in a row, 24-7.  Marvin Jones caught 8 balls for 118 yards and two TDs.
The Bears host the Giants and the Buccaneers host the Cowboys next week.

 New Orleans 17 Denver 18                    39 0-10 
In a game with two teams vying for playoffs spots the Denver Broncos squeaked by the Saints 18-17 with a last seconds TD pass from Stafford to Andre Holmes.
 
The Broncos opened up the game with a 6 play 47 yard drive that led to a Justin Tucker FG.
 
Both teams failed to move the ball on their next possession but after a Denver punt, Saints Punt returner Brandon Tate muffed the catch and the Broncos jumped on the ball.
The Broncos however, could not move the ball and settled for another Tucker FG for a 6-0 lead after one quarter.
 
The Saints got their offense rolling in the 2nd quarter, led by RB Jonathan Stewart.  With Stewart gaining yards in bunches and Flacco hitting some key
passes, the Saints got a 25 yard FG from McManus and then hit paydirt with just a few seconds left in the half as Flacco hit Stewart in the flats for an easy TD to take a 10-6 lead into intermission.
 
Neither team could gather any offense to start the 3rd quarter but towards the end of the quarter Flacco and Stewart got going.
Flacco hit on 5 of 7 passes in the drive for 47 yards and Stewart and Harris gained 42 yards on the ground as Flacco connected with TE Heath Miller for a 5 yard TD and a 17-6 lead heading into the 4th.
 
The 4th quarter was Matthew Stafford's time to shine.  He connected on 5 of 6 passes and 52 yards in the drive as hit hit Quentin Patton for the last 6 yards and after the 2-pt attempt failed,
the Saints still held a 17-12 lead with 8:00 minutes to go.
 
The Broncos got their only sack of the game on Flacco but it ended the Saints drive and the Broncos had the ball at their own 25 with 4:18 left.
 
After the 3rd New Orleans sack of Stafford the Broncos were faced with 4th and 18 but Stafford threw a perfect pass down the sideline to Quentin Patton for a 20 yard gain and a 1st down at their own 37.
On 3rd down and 2 yards to go, a Stafford pass fell incomplete and Denver had 4th and 2.  This time Stafford hit TE Martellus Bennett on a crossing pattern good for 8 yards and another 1st down, this time
into New Orleans territory.
 
The Saints Michael Bennett was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty and the Broncos had a 1st and 10 at the Saints 32 with just over a minute to go.
 
Saints MLB Jerod Mayo sacked Stafford for a 7 yard loss on first down but Stafford hit Patton for 6 yads and then on 3rd and 11 he hooked up with Michael Floyd on a 12 yard out and the Broncos
had another 1st down at the New Orleans 21 yard line with 26 seconds remaining.
 
Denver QB Stafford dropped back on 1st down but with the Saints pass rush coming he tucked it under and scrambled to the Saints 10 yard line before sliding down giving the Broncos 1st and goal with 14 ticks left on the clock.
 
On 1st down Stafford hit Andre Holmes on a corner fade and the TD put the Broncos up 18-17 with just 7 seconds left in the game.
The Broncos did not convert on the 2-pt attempt but after the squibbed kickoff bounced off a Saints player there was no chance for a return and the game was over with the home team fans going home happy.
 
It was a great game by Jim as he had the Bronco defense guessing wrong all afternoon.
 
Flacco hit on 16 of 26 passes for 194 yards and 2 TD's with one INT.
 
Jonathan Stewart rushed for 139 yards on 20 carries and 22 more yards receiving with a TD catch.
 
For Denver, Matthew Stafford threw for 217 yards as he connected on 21 of 32 passes and the 2 TD's.
Chris Johnson led the Broncos with 56 yards rushing and Michael Floyd caught 5 passes for 90 yards.
 
The Saints will host AFC West division leading San Diego next week for another big game and the Broncos
will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.
  
 Minnesota 12 Detroit 19                     70  
Trailing 12-6 Brees connects with Jones for a 29 yard score.  However, the XP was blocked and the Lions go on a 11 play 80 yard drive with Artis-Payne going in from three yards out for the game winning touchdown 19-12. 
                 
Arizona 30 Indianapolis 17                  69     
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – Another home loss for the Indianapolis Colts (4-8) at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals (9-3) and Ben Roethlisberger and his 4 touchdown passes.
 
The loss puts the Colts a half game in front of the Miami Dolphins (3-8) at the bottom of the AFC East, and the win put the Cardinals put  1 ½  games behind the division leading Washington Redskins (10-1).  Indianapolis took a 14 - 13 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter, when Roethlisberger was seen huddling on the sideline with the offensive unit and proceeded to score 17 unanswered points, increasing their lead to 30-14. The Colts added a garbage field goal late in the fourth quarter making the final score 30-17 Steelers.
 
Player stats
 
Arizona Cardinals
 Ben Roethlisberger 20-15, 236 yards 4 TD 1 INT
Adrian Peterson 15-117 yards
Eric Decker 6-94 yards, 3 TD
Brandon Marshall 6-103 yards
Whitney Merciless 5 Tackles 2 sacks
 
Indianapolis Colts
 Carson Palmer 44-28, 357 yards 2 TD 2 INT
Charcandrick West 12-55 yards
Isaiah Crowell 9-53 yards
Colts had a team rushing total of 24-115
Gary Barnidge 8-126 yards
Golden Tate 5-62 yards 
               
 Washington 27 Dallas 3                      70   
This one was far worse than the score as Kris did virtually nothing but run his scrub running back in the third and fourth quarters.  Consequently, the score could have been 50-3 if he wasn't a good sport.
 Dallas actually put the first points on the board on its first possession - a 32-yard FG.   Little did I know at the time, those would be my only points.
 Bridgewater was 15/17 passing for 263 yards as he connected on long gainers after long gainers against my out-manned defense.  Martavis Bryant burned my secondary catching all six balls thrown his way for an astounding 169 yards.
                
 New York(A) 6 New England 27                36 0-10 
Jets go 3 and out, before forcing Patriots to do the same.  Emmanuel Sanders fumbled the Patriot punt however, giving NE good field position at the Jets 25.  Three consecutive incomplete passes led to a 43 yard field goal to give NE a 3-0 lead.
 
Ronnie Hillman leads NY back with 4 carries and  receptions on the next drive, setting up a 49 yard Hopkins field goal to tie the game at 3-3.
 
Patriots employ the quick hook after Manziel fails to complete a pass on his first 3 attempts, turning instead to Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez didn't take long to create some chemistry with Antonio Brown, connecting 3 times for 49 yards including a 21 yard TD to give NE a 10-3 lead as the 1st quarter drew to a close.
 
Jets and Andy Dalton fail to respond and punt it away on their next drive.  Pats respond with consecutive holding calls which bury them deep in their own territory.  They too punt it away, but for the 2nd time in the game, Emmanuel Sanders muffs the punt and NE is in business again at the Jet 30.  5 plays later, Sanchez connects with Fleener for a 7 yard TD and its 17-3 NE. 
 
At the half it was 20-3, and when all was said and done, NE came away with the 27-6 win.
 
Sanchez played well in relief of Manziel, throwing for 224 yards and 3 TDs (two to Antonio Brown).  For NY, Andy Dalton completed only 15 of 38 passes for 158 and 2 INT.  Ronnie Hillman ran for 88 yards in a losing effort.
 
 New England overcame 9 penalties on the day, but that was more than offset by the 4 NYJ turnovers.
 
 San Francisco 14 Carolina 26                58 0-5  
Closely fought battle with Carolina holding a 13-7 halftime lead. Cunningham returned the second half kick off deep in Carolina territory and Hoyer tossed the TD pass to give the 49'ers a 14-13 lead. Carolina was able to score a couple more time to seal the victory but were only save by a couple of costly turnovers by Hoyer.
 
 Oakland 17 Kansas City 7                    28 10-20
Suffering yet another QB injury, the Kansas City Chiefs were unable to muster any kind of offense against a stout Oakland defense and suffered a 17-7 defeat at the hands of the Raiders. Oakland ground out 141 yards on the ground and used an efficient if not spectacular game from Blake Bortles to seal the win. After Hasselbeck went down again, Peyton Manning came in and delivered a QB rating of 24.1 with 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. With the win Oakland improves to 6-6 while Kansas City suffers it's second loss in a row to fall to 7-5.

 Philadelphia 19 New York(N) 13              35 Calm 
Eagles build 19-3 lead and hold off the tenacious Giants.  No real stars as both teams were a bit sloppy.

 St. Louis 21 Atlanta 27                     70       
Game MVP Philip Rivers leads the Falcons to a 27-21 victory over the visiting Rams. Rivers hit Nate Washington and Zach Ertz for TDs and Lamar Miller added two on the ground.
 
Lamar Miller also had a key fumble which was recovered by John Simon and returned for the game tying TD. Miller, though, would redeem himself with what would turn out to be the game winning TD.
 
AJ Green had 7 catches for 69 yards and a TD for the Rams while Ingram rushed for 76 yards.
 
With the win, Atlanta goes to 11-1 while the Rams fall to 5-7.
             
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Stewart,J(NO)   20-139
 McFadden,D(Car) 23-132
 Peterson,A(Ari) 15-117
 Michael(Jax)    9-117
 Williams,D(Det) 23-105
 Williams,D(Chi) 15-104  1 TD
 Rawls(Pit)      15-103
 Johnson,D(Jax)  16-101  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Bryant,M(Was)    6-169  1 TD
 Jeffery(Cin)    10-139  2 TD
 Baldwin,D(Mia)   7-135  3 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Watson,B(GB)    10-106  2 TD
 Decker(Ari)      6- 94  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Palmer,C(Ind)   44-28-357   2 TD  2 Int
 Rodgers,A(Cin)  48-26-271   4 TD  1 Int
 Cutler(GB)      28-21-268   4 TD
 Roethlisberger (Ari) 20-15-236   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Bowman,N(Mia)    15 Tk
 Slay(Oak)        2 Int 8 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Cunningham(SF) 3-180 Kick Ret - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 12 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 12 IFL LEADERBOARD

Week 11 Recap

Aaron Donald's three sacks help Baltimore pick up their first win.

 Game Scores
Baltimore 23 Miami 10                       70 0-5
Last week Baltimore GM and Coach Scott Master made an Erie prediction warning Miami of a coming storm when the Ravens visit the Dolphins in week 11, either Miami didn't take the comments seriously or didn't believe it as the Ravens came to town at 0-10.
 
Although both Teams made FG's on their opening drives that would be about as close as it got. With a dominating air and ground attack, the 0-10 Ravens scorched the 3-7 Dolphins with a combined 385 yards in offense, combined with a defense that recorded 7 sacks and 2 turnovers and held the Dolphins to only 2 of 13, 3rd down conversions. Miami had no answers on either side of the ball and looked helpless in generating any momentum, although Miami actually cut the lead to 3 with a opening 3rd quarter drive for a touchdown, that would be their only highlights for the game. Congratulations to the Ravens on their win and they move on next week to face the Titans in Baltimore while the Dolphins host the Bills
 
Minnesota 28 Dallas 38                      70   
Dallas' opening drive resulted in Cam Newton hitting Cotchery for a 24 yard TD Pass.   Minnesota answered with a 12 play, 87 yard drive culminating with a 3-yard TD run by Ivory to tie the game.  Minnesota forced Dallas to punt on Dallas' next possession.  The punt was blocked and recovered by a Minnesota player in the end zon to put Minnesota up 14-7.
 The Cowboys ran off 12 playes and after 77 yards, Darkwa banged it in from the 3 knot things up at 14 all.  Dallas then went up 17-14 on a 54-yard FG by Dawson.  It was short-lived as Drew Brees was sensational while moving Minnesota 78 yards on just 8 plays and put his team on top with a short 4-yard pass to Jason Witten.  Minnesota would take a 21-17 lead into the half.
 Brees remained on fire during a 8/78 yard drive that ended with a 15 yard pass to Jason Witten.  Minnesota lead expands to 11:  28-17.
 But thinks went terribly wrong for the Minnesota offense from that point as Brees lost his touch.  Meanwhile, Cam Newton threw TD passes to Snead (25 yards), Clay (2 yards) and Snead again (22 yards) for a comeback 38-28 win for the Cowboys.
 Cam Newton had a big day:  18/27 passing for 295 yards and 4 TD's, while rushing 10 times for 70 yards.   Snead hauled in 8 Newton balls for 170 yards and two TDs.    Dallas' RB by committtee rushed for 208 yards to keep Rich off guard while trying to stop Cam.
               
Tennessee 24 Buffalo 36                     49 30-40
At Ralph Wilson there were 30-40 mph winds and a temp of 49 may have helped the Bills slow down the Titans passing game as Ryan Mathews rushed 9 times for 148 yards and 4 TD's! Devonta Freeman chipped in with 105 on 21 attempts and 1 TD as the Bills OL opened up some big holes. The Bill defense held "Matty Ice" to 151 yards and 1 TD as the receiving corps of Hopkins,Beckham jr. and Delanie Walker were held in check, the final tally was 36-24 for the Bills as they improve to 5-6 and the Titans fall to 7-4. Buffalo heads to reeling Miami next week while the Titans head to Baltimore who just beat Miami for their first victory of the year!

 Arizona 17 Green Bay 41                     42 Calm 
NFC Battle between a pair of 8-2 teams.
 
Cards came into Lambeau and started strong. They took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in just 9 plays, capped off by a Ben Rothlisburger 18 yard strike to
Brandon Marshall. 7-0 visitors.  Packers went 3 and out. Things were not looking good for the hosts.  Arizona started at midfield looking to get out to a big early lead but on first down Patrick Peterson picked off Big Ben and brought it back to the Cardinal 33.  Pack then rode Frank Gore's aging legs all the way down to the 3. Gore capped off the drive on a Cutler check down, extra point was missed.... 7-6 Arizona.
 
The next Zona drive stalled at midfield but a well placed punt hemmed the Packers in at their own 7. Green Bay put together, what would be their best drive of the day, moving 93 yard in 14 plays that spanned the end of the first quarter and early 2nd. Cutler finished it off with a 6 yard strike to Calvin Johnson to put the Pack up 13-7.
 
Cardinals went 3 and out and the Packers drove yet again. Ben Watson and Megatron were featured in this 9 play 65 yard foray...20-7 Green Bay
 
On the visitors next series, Rothlisberger was picked off again by Peterson but this time he took it to the house from 30 yards out and the game was getting out of hand 27-7.
 
Arizona tacked on a late FG. 27-10 Green Bay at the half.
 
Things only got worse for the visitors in the 3rd as Ben threw his 3rd INT just 4 minutes in, which flipped the field position.  Minutes later Green Bay would add a Ben Watson 33 yard touchdown to go up 34-10.
 
Arizona responded with a Dontrell Inman 81 yard catch and run, to close the gap to 34-17. However late in the 3rd Inman would cough
up a fumble that led to a Gore TD...41-17 after 3.  That would be the final.
 
Cardinals lost the turnover battle 4-0, in a game where they got none of the breaks.
 
We've all been on the wrong end of a few of these where you just can't anything to go your way..... very frustrating.
 
Big props to Jim for being a great sport when the Koch gods certainly were not with him on this afternoon  
 
 
Gore was named MVP with 124 yards on 22 carries and 3 TD's
Cutler was a pedestrian 13-26 for just 124 yards, but tossed 3 TD's
 
Ben threw for 240 yards and 2Td's but had the 3 picks
AP ran 18 times for 95 yards
 
Arizona heads to Indianapolis next week,
while Green Bay visits high scoring Pittsburgh
 
 New Orleans 27 Oakland 0                    68 0-10 
New Orleans would come into Oakland against a well coached Raider team and try for the win on the road. Oakland would take the opening kick and be forced to punt after 7 plays. The Saints would get the ball at their own 29 and after 2 penalties would start at their own 14. It then became evident that the Saints intended to ground and pound and that is what they would do for over 7 minutes down to the Raiders 32 and McManus would kick a 50 yard FG. Saints 3-0. Oakland would get the ball but be forced to punt after a 3 and out. This would be the standard of the day as the Saints D would be dominate. Saints would take over at their own 34 and ball control again was the name of the game. They would consume another 7 minutes and Flacco would check down to Tim Hightower for a 6 yard TD. Saints 10-0. The teams would exchange punts and then Oakland got the ball back at their own 9. After Bortles would complete 3 of 4 getting them out of their own zone the next play Cameron Jordan would blind side him forcing a fumble and Justin Durant would pick it up and rumble for a defensive TD. Saints 17-0. This takes us to the half. The 3rd quarter would consist of more ball control and only one score a McManus 21 yard FG. Saints 20-0 4th quarter. In the 4th the Saints D would force 2 more turnovers and Jonathon Stewart would take a score in from 7 yards out. Final score 27-0 Saints. The Saints defense was immaculate only giving up 51 total yards and 4 first downs all day. Stewart would rush for 184 yards and a TD on the day. Saints move to 8-3 winning their 5th straight and the Raiders fall to 5-6.

 Jacksonville 23 New York(A) 27              65 10-20
In a big game for two teams with playoff hopes, the Jets started fast scoring the games first 10 points.
 
Jacksonville came back strong behind a 77 yard pass to Torrey Smith. They scored the games next 13 points to lead 13-10 at the half.
 
The 3rd quarter saw the Jets punt 3 times and the Jags punt 3 times and fumble once. Dalton took advantage of that fumble and put the Jets up 17-13.
 
Dalton's 21 yard TD pass to Sanders put the Jets up 24-13 early in the 4th. The teams exchanged FGs making it 27-16. The Jags scored a TD with no time on the clock to make the final 27-23 Jets.
 
Both teams are now 6-5.
 
Next week Jacksonville hosts Cincinnati and the Jets travel to New England.
 
 Atlanta 34 San Diego 6                      82 Calm
Game MVP Philip Rivers led the Falcons to a 34-6 win in Qualcomm. Rivers completed 17-21 for 191 and 2 TD passes to Zach Ertz. Lamar Miller also added 2 TDs on the ground.
 
San Diego scored first with a FG but then it was all Falcons as they scored 34 straight points until Santos tacked on a FG mid way through the 4th to get to the final score of 34-6.
 
With the win, the Falcons go to 10-1 while SD falls to 7-4.
 
 Kansas City 13 St. Louis 31                 70       
A curious game by John Simon (OLB for the Rams) played a big part in the Rams improving to 5-6 and throwing a monkey wrench into the Chiefs battle for 1st place in their division.
Simon had only 1 sack coming into the game, but in the first half he single-handedly disrupted the Chiefs first three possessions with sacks on each drive. With the Rams defense holding the Chiefs at bay, it gave Landry Jones and the Rams offense time to figure out some things out. At the end of the first half it was 17-0 Rams mostly thanks to Simon and TY Hilton who had several big catches in the first half.
 
Chiefs hoped to turn things around in the 2nd half, but their first possession signaled it was gonna be "just one of those games". Another Rams sack of Chiefs QB Matt Hasselbeck led to a 3 and out. The Rams capitalized quickly scoring another TD, a 25 yard pass to Hilton made it 24-0. The Chiefs buckled down and gamely pulled themselves to threatening distance. Two bomb passes by Hasselbeck to stud wide-outs Jarvis Landry and Jeremy Maclin got the score to 24-13. The tipping point in the 4th quarter happened at the 6:40 min mark. Chiefs with the ball in their own end on 4th and 2 went for it, but the Chiefs OL, who just didn't have a good game, didn't get enough of a push on a trap play. Rams took over and eventually punched in a game clinching score,  31-13.
 
Chiefs Stars:

Chiefs offense struggled, but Jarvis Landry and Jeremy Maclin each managed over 70 yards and a TD.
 
Rams Stars

John Simon OLB 3 sacks 1 stuff (once in a lifetime performance)
TY Hilton 8 catches 132 yards
 
Next week:
KC hosts Oakland
StL travels to Atlanta
            
 New England 38 Cincinnati 9                 31 5-15 
The AFC East leading Patriots traveled to Cincinnati to take on the 3-8 Bengals.  After the Bengals defense forced a New England punt, Cincinnati took an early 3-0 lead thanks to a Nugent 49 yard field goal.  The Patriots gained their first lead of the game with a 14 play 80 yard drive capped off by a Bradford nine yard scoring play to Brown,7-3 Pats at the end of one.  Geno Atkins forced a fumble on a Rodgers scramble on the Bengals next series and the Pats converted it into a Sturgis 21 yard field goal for a 10-3 lead.  After the Bengals were forced to punt again New England got a big play from Tight End Fleener for 30 yards.  This set up a Bradford to Green-Beckham score from four yards out as the Pats extend their lead to 17-3.  Cincinnati was able to generate enough offense to kick another field goal to cut the lead to 17-6 at the half.
 
The Bengals put together a long drive to begin the third quarter but had to settle on another field goal and cut the New England lead to 17-9.  However, New England answered quickly thanks in part to another long Fleener reception.  This time for 40 yards.  Offensive tackle Zach Strief (a local Cincinnati product btw) caught a Bradford throw that was deflected for a rare lineman touchdown to extend the Pats lead to 24-9. 
 
Cincinnati moved the ball to the New England 27 before Rodgers was intercepted as Coach Kolb threw out the challenge flag.  Replay confirmed Kolb's challenge and the Patriots offense took over.  Cincinnati forced a punt but a Gresham fumble resulted in a first and goal for New England and Murray put this one of ice with the one yard score and a 31-9 lead.  The Patriots finished the scoring with another Fleener long catch and run for the 38-9 final.
 
 
Bradford finished 20 of 26 for 231 yards and three TDs.  However, he was knocked out of action and his availability next week is questionable.  The Bengals held Brown in check with seven catches for 81 yards and a score but Fleener took advantage of all the attention we gave Brown with six receptions for 162 yards and a score.
 
Rodgers wound up 23 of 37 for 204 yards and a INT.
 
Next week New England host the Jets while Cincinnati travels to Jacksonville.
 
 Detroit 10 Washington 19                    56 0-10  Light Rain   
Washington's offense puts up a putrid display as they turn the ball over 5 times.  The Redskins defense was dominant for most of the game limiting the damage from those 5 turnovers to just 10 points and forcing 3 turnovers.    Detroit falls to 2-9 while Washington moves to 10-1.  The Redskins will have to play much better next week against the Cowboys if they hope to keep pace with the Falcons.

 Chicago 23 Philadelphia 20                  44 10-20
Two fourth quarter field goals rally the Bears past the Eagles.

 Carolina 23 Denver 13                       42 0-5
The Panthers came into Denver and played a complete game breaking the Broncos winning streak with a 23-13 victory.
 
QB Russell Wilson had a great day completing 15 of 19 passes for 265 yards and 2 TD's and McFadden ran for 103 yards in the victory.
 
Bronco QB Stafford threw 2 picks for the only two turnovers in the game and they proved to be killers.
 
The Panthers improved to 5-6 on the season and the loss drops the Broncos to 6-5.
 
 Pittsburgh 38 Indianapolis 35               69
Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) – The Colts (4-7) comeback fall short in overtime when Robbie Gould kicks a 24 yard field goal at the 8:48 mark of overtime giving the visiting Steelers ( 5-6) the road win.
 
Late in the fourth quarter with the Steelers leading 35-20 the Colts go on a 14 play 65 yard drive and score on a 5 yard pass from Carson Palmer to Isaiah  Crowell  (RB) closing the gap to 35–27 with 5:14 left in the game. With 1:51 left in the 4th the Colts go on a 7 play 45 yard drive down to the Steelers 10 yard line with 12 seconds left in the game. First and goal Palmer hits Michael Crabtree with a 10 yard pass for the TD and a quick slant to Crabtree for the two point conversion tying the score at 35 and forcing overtime.
 
The Colts get the overtime kickoff and manage only 15 yards on 6 plays and punt  to the Steelers. With 10:13  left in overtime Tom Brady hits Rueben Randle (WR) on a short out that turned into a 52 yard play down to the Indianapolis 6. Three plays later Gould kicks the winning field goal, Pittsburgh 38 Colts 35. 
 
Game Notes:
 
Pittsburgh 
 
Tom Brady (QB) 37-24, 339 yards, 4 TD 1 INT
Anquan Boldin (WR) 10-147 yards, 3 TD
Rueben Randle (WR) 3-101 yards
Michael Thomas (S) 57 yard fumble recovery for a TD (this was the backbreaker in the 4th quarter). 
 
Indianapolis 
 
Carson Palmer (WB) 61-42, 432 yards, 5 TD
Gary Barnidge (TE) 12-116 yards
Michael Crabtree (WR)  9-111 yards, 2 TD
Golden Tate (WR) 9-80 yards
Steven Hauschka (K) 0-1 FG, 3-4 XP (missed XP OUCH!) 
                    
 San Francisco 24 Houston 10                 70
San Fran (1-9) visited Houston (3-7) in a battle of the have-nots – but someone had to win.  Two of the worst offenses in the league in YPG met. SF is 30th and Houston is 27th.
 
The 49ers broke their 9 game losing streak with a less than stirring 24-10 victory.  SF QB Brian Hoyer had his best game of the year passing for 3 TDs and 227 yards. However, 2 of those TDs came after an interception  resulting in an 11 yard “drive” and a failed 4th down attempt by the Texans  resulting in a 27 yard drive.  Had it not been for those two short field turnovers, the game would have ended 10-10, a more fitting result. 
 
The only offensive  highlight for the Texans was a 3rd Qtr 14 play, 80 yard drive capped by a Kirk Cousins 12 yard throw to Lance Moore.  Cousins was 27-41 for only 182 yards. Houston was held to only 44 rushing yards on 20 attempts.
 
For the 49ers, Jordan Reed (49ers) caught two TD passes on 6 receptions. Jeremy Hill led all rushers with just 63 yards. A special note: Crosby kicked a 48 yd FG, only his 6th FG in 11 games! 
 
SF (2-9) meets Carolina (4-6) next week and Houston (3-8) travels to San Diego (7-3).
 
Houston coach Pete the Greek called a good game but his offense took the day off!
                    
 Tampa Bay 26 New York(N) 3                  52 5-15 
 The 6 and 4 Tampa Bay Bucs traveled to MetLife Stadium to take on the 2 and 8 New York Giants.  The Giants have struggled mightily to score points ranking last in the league averaging just 11.5 points per game. 

The Bucs have gone 6 and 2 in games against teams with losing records and 0 for 2 against teams with a winning record.  The trends would hold true in this contest. 

The first quarter was a punting contest that was great for the commercial adds department.  Tampa acquire 4 first downs, but missed a 50 yard FG the only time they crossed the 50.  New York went 3 and out all 4 times they had the ball.  Obviously, the score at the end of the first was 0 - 0. 

The G Men put together a pretty nice drive early in the second, but had to settle for the FG to go up 3 – 0.  Then they wake up the thin MetLife crowd with a Byron Jones pick at the Buc 26 and a near first down on the first play thereafter, but the boos start once again after 2 missed passes and then a stuffed dive leading to the Giants turning the ball over on downs. 

Tampa starts to win the field position battle and finally get on the board with a Spencer Ware one yard plunge to go up 7 – 3.  Tampa tacks on a late FG to get to 10 – 3 at the half. 

The New York defense is worn out by the next two Tampa possessions of 10 and 15 plays each that, after a blocked extra point, add 9 points to the visitor’s side of the scoreboard.  At 19 – 3 Tampa, the game feels out of hand. 

The final was 26 – 3 Tampa over New York. 

We will find out what the Bucs really have in the coming weeks when, instead of the 19.7% winning percentage of the teams they have beat this year, they play three games against teams that have won 70% of their games.  Next week they travel to the Windy City to take on the 8 and 3 Bears.  

If they can muster a semblance of offense or dare we say get a couple of breaks, the Giants finish the season with 4 winnable games.  Next week they host division rival Eagles who are 4 and 7 on the season.  
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Stewart,J(NO)   25-184  1 TD
 Mathews,R(Buf)  9-148  4 TD
 Gore(GB)        22-124  2 TD
 Freeman,D(Buf)  21-105  1 TD
 McFadden,D(Car) 18-103  1 TD
 Martin,D(Ten)   17-101
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Sanders,E(NYJ)   9-174  1 TD
 Snead(Dal)       8-170  2 TD
 Fleener(NE)      6-162  1 TD
 Boldin(Pit)     10-147  3 TD
 Barnidge(Ind)   12-116
 Graham,J(Hou)   11- 68
 
 Passing Leaders
 Palmer,C(Ind)   61-42-432   5 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Brady,T(Pit)    37-24-339   4 TD  1 Int
 Fitzpatric(Jax) 37-18-302   2 TD  1 Int
 Newton,C(Dal)   27-18-295   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Donald(Bal)      3 Sk 3 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Peterson,P(GB)   2 Int 3 Tk
 Simon,J(StL)     3 Sk 7 Tk
 Hal(Det)         2 Int 2 Tk
 Johnson,T(Det)   2 Int 3 Tk
 Wagner,B(Chi)    15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Janikowski(Was)4-4 FG - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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WEEK 11 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 11 IFL LEADERBOARD

Week 10 Recap

Colts Isaiah Crowell rushes for 127 yards and 2 TDs as Indy rallies past Buffalo.

Game Scores
 Indianapolis 32 Buffalo 31                  41 5-15
Down 31-13 to start the 4th the Colts make a fantastic comeback to take victory away from the Bills, 32-31 !!! Both teams are now 4-6 on the year 

 Pittsburgh 14 Tennessee 45                  46 0-10 
This one started out like it would be a repeat of the first matchup between these teams which saw the Titans outscore the Steelers 45-30.  Brady marched Pittsburgh 56 yards down to the Tennessee 12 but took off on a run, was blindsided by Michael Griffin and the Titans recovered the fumble.  They marched down the field and scored on a 44 yard Matt Ryan pass to Delanie Walker.  The route was on as Pittsburgh struggled to move the ball without Thomas (Lou) Rawls and Steve Smith Sr.  Tennessee scored TD's on its next five possessions and went into the half up 42-0. 
The second half might have set a record for speed of play as both teams used blowout lineups and burned up the clock.  The Steelers scored two touchdowns and the Titans got a field goal to make the final score 45-14.  Matt Ryan was 1