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 [email protected]

IN MEMORY OF BEAR STEVE 

IFL DIVISIONAL ROUND

PATRIOTS 27  CHIEFS 10

Kareem Hunt scores two touchdowns as the Patriots down Kansas City.

​Kareem Hunt rushed for two touchdowns while Mike Evans caught 4 passes for 70 yards and a TD as the New England Patriots eliminated the upstart Chiefs from playoff competition by the score of 27-10.  Derrick Henry rushed for 105 yards on 21 carries for the day, pacing the Patriot offense.  Lamar Jackson had a somewhat understated afternoon, completing 13 of 19 pass attempts for 161 yards and the TD to Evans.  

NE jumped out in front in the first quarter thanks to a Will McDonald strip sack of Justin Fields, giving NE the ball at the 32 of KC.  Two plays later Jackson found Evans for the 22-yard TD and NE was up 7-0.

The Chiefs answered with points of their own on the next drive, with a nice 11-play 50-yard drive which bogged down at the NE 25.  A Koo field goal made it 7-3.

Patriots would answer on the next drive, as Henry broke loose for a 20 yard run on the first play, and a 16 yard pass from Jackson to Evans coupled with a 26 yard pass to Colby Parkinson moved the Patriots deep into KC territory.  Kareem Hunt would run it in from 2 yards out to give NE a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

A Patriot field goal was all the scoring in the second quarter, and the game went to halftime with NE up 17-3.  

KC would look to cut it to a one score game coming out of the locker room at halftime, but an Allan Lazard penalty on 3rd and 5 pushed KC back and ultimately forced a punt.  The Patriots answered with a 12-play 89-yard drive which ate 7:23 of game clock and ended with an 8-yard Hunt TD to extend the NE lead to 24-3, and put a bow on it for all practical purposes.  David Montgomery's broke loose for a long TD in the final minute which capped the scoring, as the Patriots win 27-10 and face Miami next week for the right to move on to the Super Bowl.  

For KC, David Montgomery rushed for 102 yards on the day including the late 51 yard TD.  George Kittle led the KC offense in receiving, grabbing 5 balls for 74 yards.  

KC turned the ball over 3 times, while the Patriots did not turn it over once. 

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DOLPHINS 31  STEELERS 28

Nico Collins hauls in 10 receptions for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Dolphins edge Pittsburgh.

Miami visits Pittsburgh in the 2nd rd of the IFL playoffs on a cold Pittsburgh day in the 2nd round of the IFL Playoffs.

Miami wins the toss and elects to receive but only manages 1 first down and is forced to puny on their 1st possession. Pittsburgh returns the favor on their 1st possession and after a first down they are forced to punt. Miami gets the second drive going and drives 73 yards in 10 plays and gets the TD to go up 7-0 with 6:56 to go in the 1st.  Pittsburgh takes their 2nd possession and drives to the Miami 16 but a sack by Miami on 4th and 1 gives the ball back to the Dolphins at the Miami 24 and the Dolphins travel 76 yards carrying over to the 2nd quarter and get the TD to go up 14-0 with 13:46 left in the half. Pittsburgh needing to answer then goes on a 12 play 64 yard drive and gets the TD to close the gap to 14-7 Miami with 7:53 to go in the 1st half. Miami then goes on a 12 play drive consuming 5 minutes and 33 seconds but have to settle for the FG to take the 17-7 lead with 2:30 left in the half. The Steelers are not done as they take the KO and travel 66 yards in only 1 minute and 34 seconds and get the TD on a couple of big plays to close the gap to 17-14 Miami with only 42 seconds to play in the 1st half. However, Miami aided by a PI call, is able to go 75 yards in only 23 seconds and get the TD to take a 24-14 lead into the half.

The Steelers get the ball to start the 2nd half and waste no time, thanks in part by a 44 yard catch and run on their 2nd play of the 2nd half and score the TD to cut the lead to 3 at 24-21 Dolphins with lots of time left with 12:33 in the 3rd. Miami drives to the Steeler 36 yard line but Goff throws his 1st of 2 interceptions at the Pittsburgh 11. Pittsburgh then drives to the Dolphin 17 yard line, but their drives stalls and they line up to try for the tying FG but it is blocked by Van Noy and the score remains 24-21 Miami with 4:34 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Miami then drives 70 yards to the Steeler 5 yard line where Goff throws his 2nd interception of the day with no time left in the 3rd quarter and gives the ball back to Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh manages only 1 first down and gives the ball back to Miami. the Dolphins make short work of it and travel 81 yards in only 3 plays capped by a 50 yard TD pass from Goff to Collins to take the 10 point lead at 31-21 with 11:41 remaining in the game. There is no quit in Pittsburgh as they take the ensuing kick off and travels 75 yards in only 3 minutes and 43 seconds to close the gap to 31-28 Miami with 7:48 remaining in the game. After a Dolphin punt with 2:23 left in the game the Steelers travel to the Dolphin 48 yard line but Browning throws his 1st and only pick of the day at the Dolphin 1 yard line. Miami is then able to run out the clock and get the win at 31-28 to advance to the AFC Championship. A extremely tough loss for the Steelers but the Dolphins are glad to be moving on. Over 950 yards of offense in this one as both defenses were absence at times.

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​SEAHAWKS 20  FALCONS 6

Dak Prescott runs for one score and throws for another as the Seahawks down Atlanta.

Atlanta would head to Seattle for a rematch.  Atlanta traveled to Seattle in week 13 losing the game 27-12.  While it was a warm 53 degrees for a January game in Seattle there were wind gusts up to 20 mph.  Seattle would win the toss and defer and Atlanta would get solid starting field position at their own 37 after a nice return from Turpin but a quick 3 and out and they would have to punt it away.  Seattle wouldn’t do much more and the teams would exchange punts again.  Seattle would finally get something going on the ground on the second drive but a clutch sack by Sweat on 2nd down would stall the drive out and Seattle would have to settle for a FG to go up 3-0.  Atlanta would finally find some offense as Watson would get loose for 43 yards on a 3rd and 4.  With the quarter ending and playing into the wind Atlanta would switch to the ground game but unfortunately they were still stuck and neutral.  So despite the promising big play Atlanta would have to settle for a FG to tie it up at 3-3. 
 
With the wind now at Seattle’s back they began to test the vaunted Falcons secondary through the air with some success.  Adams would pick up 14, Hockenson 8 then Hockenson another 11.   Finally in the redzone on a 3rd and 2 Prescott would find Aaron Jones in the endzone for 6 to go up 10-3.  The drive would take 13 plays and consume 7:15 off the clock.  Following the Touchdown things would go south for both teams.  Atlanta would down the kickoff for a TB then proceed to lose 20 yards forcing them to punt from their own 5 yard line.  Seattle up 10, getting the ball back at the half was in amazing spot on the Atlanta 40 with 5:02 left in the half when Pescott would drop back and attempt to hit Adams on a crosser unfortunately it would be picked off by All Pro CB Bland who would return it to the 50.  Atlanta would complete a couple passes but a couple of plays later they would have a 4th and 13 from the Seattle 40.  Kicking into the wind they passed up the chance at a 57 yard FG to punt.  Camadra would hit a beautiful punt pinning Seattle at the 1 yard line with 2:30 left.  Seattle would get the ball out of their endzone to the 29 yard line with 1:00 left and two timeouts.  With the wind at their back they then changed up their strategy from running the clock out to getting into FG range.  Prescott would hit Adams for a 13 yard gain to the Seattle 42 and making this looking a realistic shot.  On the next play Prescott make an ill advised pass attempt to Tee Higgins who was double covered at the time and it would be picked off by Joseph who wouldn’t get much on the return.  With only 18 seconds left on the clock Hurts would have to work quickly however he would quickly throw an interception to Howard to end the half.
 
Following halftime Seattle and Atlanta would play a battle of field position.  After a quick 3 and out to start the half Wright would boom a 61 yard punt down to the 7 yard line.  A tough spot for an offense that hadn’t gotten much going outside the 43 yard Watson reception.  Unfortunately coach Alberry’s halftime speech didn’t do much to wake up the dormant run game as Mostert would go nowhere followed by an incompletion by Hurts.  Seattle wouldn’t do much better but they were playing inside the Atlanta 50 while Atlanta was stuck with the backs up against the endzone.  After another 3 and out by Seattle Wright would hit another beautiful punt pinning Atlanta on the 4 yard line.  On the first play Hurts would narrowly avoid a safety trying to escape from chubb putting them on the 1 yard line.  They would pickup 2 yards to get some room but they would again be punting out of their own endzone.  Seattle with favorable field position at the 50 would finally get the run game going as Freeman would churn out a couple of first down.  A quick pass to Hockenson followed by a few more runs and Seattle would be inside the 10 yard line for the second time.  Seattle wouldn’t get anywhere on 1st and 2nd down so with a 3rd and 8 Presccot would drop back looking for Jones on the screen but it was sniffed out by Watt and the LB corps forcing Prescott to take off and he would hit paydirt for another TD and a 17-3 lead.  Down two scores Atlanta finally decided to abandon the tradition run game and spread the Seattle defense out.  Hurts would finally find some room with his legs and complete a couple of passes to get them to the Seattle 32 yard line from there they would be faced with a 4th and 4 when coach Alberry would provide fodder for all the Monday morning QBs and armchair analytic experts and attempt the 50 yard FG.  Folk would hit the kick and Atlanta was now down 11 with 11:43 remaining. 
 
Seattle would begin to work on the clock and try to keep it on the ground.  Jones would pick up a first down but from there the drive would stall out after only taking 3 minutes off the clock.  Wright would pin them inside the 20 where Atlanta would have to finally do what they hadn’t done all game, score a TD.  After they gave Mostert some time on the bench on the last drive they hoped he would finally wake up and provide a spark.  He did finally get something going against a Seattle D looking to keep everything in front of them.  He knocked off runs of 4, 7 and 9 yards.  Hurts would connect with Kupp picking up a big 3rd and 10 to keep the drive going.  Hurts would struggle to handle the Bedeson  snap for the second time again causing them to lose 5 yards and leaving them with a 3rd and 8 with 3:21 left on their own 42.  Hurts would find Erts over the middle but he would be stood up at the sticks leaving Atlanta with a 4th and Inches.  With Atlanta bringing all the big boys in Seattle was all hands on deck in an attempt to stop the famed Hurts tush push.  Atlanta hoping to catch Seattle off guard would hand it to Moss instead but at 37 years old and 16 years in the league Calais Campbell wasn’t fooled because he has seen it all.  He took Moss down for a 2 yard loss sealing the W for Seattle.   Seattle would add a late FG 20-6.  Hurts would then throw his second pick of the day trying to mount a miracle comeback.
 
Seattle would runt he ball 45 times for 209 yards and a TD.
Prescott had a pretty abysmal game going 12-18 for 95 yards 1 TD and 2 INT but he did come up big in the redzone with two 3rd down TDs.
 
Jalen Hurts didn’t get much help but he left a state line he would like to forget.  15-27 for 116 yards 2 INTs and 3 sacks.    He did find some success on the ground while his stat line was 7 rushes for 16 yards there were fumbled snaps that impacted those numbers.
Mostert and Moss were non-existent rushing 12 times for 25 yards. 
 
The Atlanta D did the best it could forcing turnovers to keep them in the game the offense just couldn’t’ get anything going.  They never made it into the redzone and the closest they ever got was the 26 yard line. 
 
In the two games combined Seattle ran the ball 92 times for 466 yards.
 
Paul called a great game and his secondary is terrifying but it was just a bad matchup for him.
 
Seattle now waits for the winner of the Packers and Rams game.
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RAMS 44  PACKERS 24

Trevor Lawrence rushes for two touchdowns and throws two more as the Rams explode for 27 second half points.

Rams and Packers faced off again after meeting in week 16 during the regular season. The stakes have been high in each of the meetings and the familiarity seemed to play a role early on. But once the teams made adjustments the offenses exploded.

Halfway through the second quarter the Rams held a slim 7-3 lead, when the Packers threw their first haymaker of the game. A one play 75 yard bomb to Tank Dell to take all momentum out of the home team. The Rams answered meekly with a field goal. The Pack going for throat loaded up another deep pass to Dell, a 38 yard strike from Brock Purdy to go up 17-10 with about 3;30 left before the half. The Rams cobbled together a drive that ended with a Trevor Lawrence scramble with 12 seconds left to tie the game 17-17.

There were some strange events in the first half, but nothing like what took place in the second half. The Rams struggled with handling the snap all game. On a key early drive the Rams bumbled two snaps in a row leading to a punt. The problems continued in the second half, Lawrence fumbled the snap on a 2nd and 20 play. It was picked up by Packers CB Brandon Stephens, and presumably on his way to the end-zone. But he dropped the ball, Lawrence recovered, new set of downs for the Rams. The Rams hit a 60 yard pass to Ceedee Lamb to get into GB territory. Devon Achane eventually would run it in, 24-17 Rams.

The Rams forced a punt on the next GB drive leading to the next play that really was a tough pill to swallow for the GB faithful. The Pack Defense forced the Rams into a 3rd and 8. Lawrence looking for his favorite target hit Lamb for a big gain, before he goes down he pitched the ball to RB Samaje Perine who took the ball another 60 yards for touchdown, 31-17 Rams.

Discombobulated by the events of the last 6 mins Purdy fumbled on a scramble, the Rams recovered and add a FG, 34-17. The Packers would pull within 10 mostly on the back of star RB Bijan Robinson, still 12 mins to play. The Rams answered quickly with another TD drive to make it 41-24. The Pack tried to force the issue but a Purdy int would essentially end any hope.

It was a great season by John and the Packers. They were right in the game until some strange events occurred that went against them. Those plays firmly put the momentum behind the Rams.

Lastly it was very sad to hear that Steve Nordberg passed recently. He was fun to play with and converse with, definitely gave a carefree surfer type vibe. I will miss his sense of humor and playing against him. I hope he is in a better place.

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IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

CHIEFS 31  BRONCOS 23

Chiefs tight end George Kittle with 7 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown as KC escapes Denver.

KC came into mile high for a wild card playoff game.  Chiefs QB Justin Fields was on his game in this one as he threw for 231 yards and 2 td's as the Chiefs beat the Broncos 31-23 to advance to the next round.  TE George Kittle was Fields go to guy as he caught 7 passes for 125 yards and a TD and RB Montgomery got loose for 141 yards on 18 carries a a score. 
Bronco QB Geno Smith threw for 256 yards and 2 TD;s and McCaffrey rushed for 99 yards but the defense could not get the KC offense off the field. 
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STEELERS 38  RAVENS 20

Jake Browning throws five touchdown passes as Pittsburgh advances past Baltimore.

​The division rivals meet twice this season splitting the season series with each team winning on their home turf. First game week 3 in Pittsburgh the home team wins 34-23. Browning had a 144 QB rating 26-32 336 yards 3 TD 0 picks. Second game in week 10 week to Baltimore 30-17 Kyren Williams ran for 114 yards on 19 carries Mayfield was 21-30 for 300 yards and a TD.


After missing the last 6 games of the regular season the Steelers welcome back WR Jefferson . However for Baltimore not as good of news RB Kyren Williams was out


1st Quarter- Baltimore wins the toss and defers. Big 54 kickoff return by up man and starting FB Andrew Beck sets up the Steelers in enemy territory. Six play and Browning connects with Allgeier  from 4 yards out for the opening score. After treading punts Baltimore starts a drive on their 43. Converting 2-2 on third downs the Ravens are first and goal from the 9 after 3 plays its 4th and 6 and coach keeps the offense on the field.and it pays off as Mayfield finds his RB Herbert uncovered to tie the score at 7. 

2nd Quarter - On a drive that carried over from the first after Baltimore's score Jones once again has a nice kick off return this time 41 yards and the Steelers start their own 43.On a 2nd and 5  Allgeier catches a pass from the flat for 11 yards but a facemask penalty against the Ravens moves the ball down to the 15. The next play Browning to Jefferson and the Steelers jump back out in front. After a Baltimore punt Browning is picked by CB Bretts trying to hit Jefferson on a deep shot. Setup at the 37 the Ravens face a 4th and 1 from the 28 this time they take the points and Aubrey connects from 46. Pittsburgh follows with a 9 play scoring drive the big play was Rondal Moore catching a screen for a 20 yard gain on the next play Moore catches an 8 yard TD . The Ravens who will get the ball to open the second half look to double up as they take over at their own 12 with 3:46 to go. Mayfield puts together a nice drive key play facing a 3rd and 2 Mayfield runs the ball for the first plus draws a 15 yard facemasking putting the ball at the 29. They settle for a 39 yard Aubrey FG making the score at the half 21-13 .

3rd Quarter - On the first play of the second half Mayfield makes his first mistake as Stevenson picks him off and the home team is setup at the 37. Browning find Jefferson on the 2nd play from 36 yards making it 28-13 as the home team has all the momentum. But the Ravens will not go down that easy as Mayfield bounces back leading a 10 play scoring drive to answer Herbert was big on this drive a 32 yard run then on a 3rd and 4 runs the draw 18 yards to the house back to a one score game 28-20. Both teams exchange punts . Pittsburgh get the ball with 5 minutes left in the quarter and overcome a holding penalty to have the ball still when the quarter ends.


4th Quarter - The Steelers have drove the ball down to the 19 and face a 4th and 1 from the 10. Coach Alberry Sr decides to take the points and make it a 2 score game 31-20 real early in the 4th. After Pittsburgh's d forces a punt . The next drive starts with one of the games greats making his final sack of his career as Aaron Donald takes down Browning on the first play of the drive. But once again they overcome the negative play because Allgeier on a 3rd and 15 takes a draw 22 yards to keep the drive alive moving the ball down to the 25. On the next 3 plays Jefferson has an 11 yard catch then a 13 yard TD catch as the Steelers are beginning to believe they will be moving on to round 2 off the playoffs for the first time in Coach Alberry's time at the helm of the organization Baltimore with 8 minutes left is in desperation mode and Jacobs picks off Mayfield and that ends things between the division rivals. 
Final Pittsburgh 38  Baltimore 20


Congrats to Scott who did a great job leading his team to the playoffs as we had tied for the division lead at 10-7 but the Steelers won a tiebreaker if the game was in Baltimore who knows.


for Pittsburgh 
QB Browning finishes 20-24 240 yards 5TD 1 pick 
WR Justin Jefferson 7 catches 112 yards 3TD
S Kyle Hamilton had 13 tackles


For Baltimore

QB Baker Mayfield Struggled 20-42 175 yards 1TD 2 int

RB Kahlil Herberts had a nice game 16-133- 1TD and a TD catch
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DOLPHINS 35  RAIDERS 17

Dolphins quarterback Jared Goff throws for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns as Miami defeats the Raiders.

In an earlier regular season rematch, 5th seeded Miami travels to 4th seeded Las Vegas for the opening round of the playoffs, looking to avenge an earlier season loss and advance in the postseason.

Miami won the toss and elected to receive with the 0-10 mph wind at their backs. The Dolphins come out and get 2 quick 1st downs, but Goff would throw 3 straight in-completions and the fins would have to punt from their own 42 yard line and give the ball to the Raiders at their own 13 yard line. The Raiders would methodically move the ball down the field in a 12 play, 87 yard drive and cap it with the TD pass to take a 7-0 Raider lead. The Dolphins would get the ball with 5:44 to go in quarter 1, at their own 22. Miami would mount their own drive and go 78 yards in 12 plays and get the TD with 1:29 left in the 1st to tie the score at 7-7. The Raiders would then go 3 and out and give the ball back to Miami with 4 seconds to play in quarter one, a 10 yards pass the Pacheco would finish the 1st quarter tied 7-7.

Miami would continue with their 1st drive of the 2nd quarter and travel the remaining 55 yards to pay-dirt to go up on the Raiders 14-7 with 9:52 to go in the half. Las Vegas would go own a drive of their own and push the ball down to the Miami 5 yard line but 2 penalties and a 3 yard loss would force them to settle for the FG and put the score at 14-7 Dolphins with 3:34 left in the half. Miami would get the ball at their own 25 yard line with 3:29 left in the half and quickly move it down the field, finishing with a 10 yard Goff to Olave TD pass with only .52 seconds left before halftime. Las Vegas would choose to run out the half and go to the locker room trailing 21-10, but Vegas would get to opening kickoff of the 2nd half.

Both Teams would open the 2nd half with a couple of 1st downs and then punts from each Team. After Las Vegas' 2nd 3 and out of the game, Miami would get the ball at their own 20 yard line and on the second play of the drive, Chris Olave would take a short slant and run 71 yards to the Raiders 6, just missing the score, but Gibbs would take it off tackle for the score (but give the TD ball to Olave), the extra point makes the score 28-10 Dolphins with a little over 19 minutes to play in the Game.

The Raiders would start the drive on their own 25 yard line with 4:35 left in the 3rd quarter but their drive would carryover into the 4th quarter, ending with the Raider TD and extra piont to cut the Dolphin lead to 28-17 with 13:19 left on the clock and in the game. Miami would then take the ensuing kick off and from their own 25 and with 8 straight running plays, burning almost 6 minutes of precious clock, Pacheco would take it in the final 6 yards, right up the gut to make the score 35-17 Miami with 7:24 left in the game. The Raiders would get the ball and travel to the Dolphin 23 yard line using 4 minutes and 5 seconds but a Greenard sack on 4th and 3, would end the Las Vegas season at home in front of a stunned crowd.

The Dolphins would pile up a whopping 469 yards in total offense to 270 yards for Vegas and would lead in almost every statistical offensive category including  going 9 for 11 on 3rd down. This was not meant to be the Raiders day.


The Raiders finish the year with a good start with their roster for next year as the Dolphins move on to the next round with a yet undetermined opponent.

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RAMS 34  VIKINGS 6

Samaje Perine's touchdown gives LA a lead they would not relinquish.

Rams and Vikings got the NFC playoffs kick started. One team came ready to play the other was nearly a no show, the score was no indicative of the performance of both teams. The Vikings despite missing several key starters including exciting young QB CJ Stroud were heavy underdogs in the game. But no one told the Vikes, behind a rotation of QBs Trey Lance and Case Keenum the Vikings jumped out to a 6-0. It could have been much worse, but the Vikes WRs were so tired they could barely raise their hands to catch passes. They heavily leaned on old workhorse Ezekiel Elliott he found the fountain of youth and put on an impressive performance accounting for nearly 80 pct of the offense in the first half. A Rashid Shaheed Kickoff 78 return after the Vikes second FG would help the hosts wakeup. Samaje Perine would eventually run it in for the Rams. The Rams added a second TD in the half on a Trevor Lawrence Scramble and then a FG after a Vikings turnover to go up 17-6. On the ensuing second half drive another Lawrence scramble put the hosts up 24-6. With a limited passing game it would be too much for the Vikings. The defense and run game kept them in it, while the Rams were dogged by penalties and turnovers. 

Vikings appear set up well for the future with a solid core, with valuable playoff experience now gained they will have higher expectations next season. 
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FALCONS 17  SAINTS 13

Patrick Surtain II fourth quarter interception is the final nail as Atlanta advances past the Saints.

In one of the premier matchups from the Wildcard weekend a division rivalry between #4 Atlanta (13-4) vs #5 New Orleans (12-5). These two successful franchises have some history that dates back to last year. In the divisional round, Coach Rice and New Orleans traveled to the #2 Falcons, Saints were up 24-7 at the half, but the Falcons and Hurts would pull a major comeback and win 30-24. 


Leading us to the 2024 offseason- Coach Rice made some great moves and picked up Tua to replace Heinicke, which was an amazing move and made the Saints loaded! The Falcons, feeling the pressure to keep up, made a move with the team they just lost the Super Bowl to (NE) and acquired Cooper Kupp.  During the 2024 regular season, the Saints won one game, and lost one to the Falcons on a last second FG as time expired. 

All this being said, this game was going to be a great game, and it didn't disappoint. 

1st Quarter:
The Falcons would take the ball and their offense looked underwhelming for sure and it took them 5 plays to punt after a Hurts sack. The Saints looked strong on the opening possession as they would convert two 3rd downs and a 4th down on an over 9 minute drive, mixing in the run and pass. But on 3rd down, a pass for Njoku in the endzone was broken up, leading to a FG. (NO 3, ATL 0) 

2nd Quarter:
The Falcons finally got the ball over midfield, but on 3rd and 3 Moss was stuffed backwards and a penalty was added on, forcing a punt. Defense was on full display here as both Tua and Hurts would lead their teams to punt. With 4 minutes to go, Tua was putting together a nice drive into Falcon territory when DaRon Bland would get a pick, and give Atlanta the best field position of the game around their own 40. Unfortunately, after 3 plays, they moved 4 yards and gave it back. 

Did I say this was a defensive battle? Saints forced to punt back to ATL with 1 minute left. The Falcons get just past midfield with 13 seconds left and a timeout looking to grab a FG going into half, but Hurts holds the ball and gets rocked by Myles Garrett. Halftime. NO 3- ATL 0

3rd Quarter:
 Saints start with the ball and have a nice chunk play to Njoku, and get to midfield on 4th and 1 and Tua gets stuffed on the QB sneak, Falcons ball. Hurts looks sharp out of the gate and hits Watson twice for 30 yards including a TD to give the Falcons the lead 7-3. 

Tua took the ball determined to keep his team in it- but a ball got batted up and picked by Joseph! Falcons have momentum and the ball at the 35 yard line. On 3rd and 4, the Falcons in FG range ready for a FG, Hurts throws a dangerous pass that is picked by Gordon and returned down to the 16 yard line of the Falcons. The crowd is like someone let the air out of the balloon after Tua recovers on the first play and hits Lockett in the end zone to regain the lead and kill all momentum by the Falcons. N.O 10- ATL 7. 

Hurts watched his college rival Tua steal his job at Alabama, but he didn't want him to steal his playoff game, so on Hurts first pass, he hits Gabe Davis in stride and he could...go....all...the...way for a 90 yard TD pass on the first play to regain the lead. ATL 14- NO 10. 

As the quarter comes to an end, Hurts throws a ball that Coach Rice and Saints fans swear is an interception... but home cooking is in the mix and upon further review, incomplete! The Falcons happily punt it away. Whew!

4th Quarter:
If there is one thing we learned from this game, it is that it is never over. The Saints would start the quarter with the ball and would nickel and dime their way down the field mixing pass and run... 3rd and 2 no problem, 3rd and 1, got it. 1st and goal on the 8 yard line became 3rd and goal from the 4 yard line. Tua sees pass, audibles to a pitch, and has the end zone in sight, but Cam Heyward came from nowhere to level him in the backfield for a 4 yard loss... prompting 4th and 8 and a FG to narrow the lead. ATL 14- N.O 13. 

Hurts would get the ball with 6:34 left in the 4th. Hurts had valuable playoff experience and Coach Alberry hoped it would show... Hurts hit Kupp for a first down on 2nd and 10, but Coach Rice again saw issues with the officiating and challenged the spot and won. 3rd and 1 with just 10 seconds run off. Atlanta lines up for a tush push and N.O is expecting it, but Moss gets the ball instead and barely gets the 1 yard. Moss would then run 4 times in a row for 22 yards taking 3 minutes off the clock. 

On a key 3rd and 6 from the Saints 29 yard line, Coach Alberry would key up a pass to Gabe Davis who N.O left wide open, but Hurts didn't see him and scrambled for 4 yards leading to a 4th and 2. Coach Alberry played it old school and took the FG instead of trying to ice the game. ATL 17- NO 13. 

1:50 left for Tua, needing a TD to win it and 2 timeouts. Falcon fans were sweating as Njoku grabbed a pass for 14 yards, then on the next play grabbed another one for 25 years. They were on the Falcon 39 with 51 seconds left, a few quick passes and N.O took a timeout on 3rd and 1 with 34 seconds left. Atlanta was playing the pass and the ball went to Connor for a quick run to get the first down, but he was stuffed by Spillane for no gain. 4th and 1 with the hurry up offense, Connor was able to get the ball again and got the 1st down. 

10 seconds left, Tua tries to throw a hurry up pass but Pat Surtain was able to wrestle the ball away for a pick which would seal the game. ATL 17- NO 14

Great game by Jim as usual, his team is always tough, and in many ways he should be moving on not me. Saints had 20 first downs to 13 from Atlanta. Net offense was 322-275 in favor of the Saints. Time of possession was 33:11-26:49... Saints. 3rd and 4th down the Saints were 8/17 compared to 4/13 of the Falcons. But the key was turnovers which the Falcons won 3-1, and that was the difference in the game. 

Njoku ends up with 7 catches for 94 yards for the Saints. For the Falcons Hurts ended with a 104 Rating, and only threw 1 pick, but the real MVP was the Falcon secondary with Bland, Joseph, and Surtain all getting picks. 
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PACKERS 34  COWBOYS 9

Bjian Robinson scores three touchdowns as Packers overpower Dallas.

3 seeded Packers hosted the 6 seeded Cowboys in a first round NFC playoff matchup.

Weather would be a factor as the temperature was a chilly -7 degrees celsius,

with winds gusting up to 30 kph out of the north end of Lambeau field.

Green Bay won the toss and elected to defer. 

Dallas had the wind at their back so the hosts focused on stopping the dynamic Cowboy trio of Deebo Samuel, George Pickens and Dallas Goedert. Coach Hart saw this and leaned on the running game on their first drive. Alexander Mattison and Justice Hill ripped off several big gains as they moved all the way down to the Packers 27. Cowboys faced 4th and inches and caught the hosts playing the run. Unfortunately QB Justin Herbert missed an easy throw to a wide open Pickens that would have likely resulted in a TD. Packers dodged a bullet.

Sensing a big momentum swing Coach Conners dialed up a long slant to Tank Dell on the very next play. Brock Purdy found him in stride for a 30 yard gain. The drive would eventually stall 4 plays later, but Riley Patterson nailed a 47 yarder into the wind 3-0 Packers.

On the next drive Herbert found Goedert for a nice gain but the drive stalled out after that.
Green Bay then went 3 and out. Dallas coughed up the ball on the ensuing punt return and the Packers had caught their second big break of the game. Purdy went to work from there with 3 straight completions to Darren Waller, Dell and Bijan Robsinson, to get it down to the Cowboys 4. After a pass interference call on the next play, Robinson plunged it in from 1 yard out. 10-0 Packers


Dallas responded with a nice drive between the end of the 1st quarter and the start of the second but a Chris Jones sack forced a Greg Zuerlein FG  10-3 Green Bay.

On the next drive Purdy responded with completions to Dell, Robinson and Demario Douglas
as the hosts went 75 yards in just 7 plays. Robinson capped it off with his second rushing TD of the day 17-3 Packers


Green Bay got yet another break on the Cowboys next possession as Montez Sweat stripped the ball out from Mattison at his own 17. Three plays later Robinson took it in from 4 yards out for his 3rd TD of the half 24-3 Green Bay, much to the delight of the Lambeau faithful.

Packers got the ball to start the second half and moved it right back down the field thanks to  43 and 16 yard Tank Dell grabs. Zack Charbonnet caught a 2 yard swing pass to complete the 9 play, 75 yard back breaking drive, 31-3 Packers

Cowboys didn't fold however, moving 64 yards on 14 plays as Herbert heated up completing passes to 5 different receivers on the drive. 
On 4th and 10 from the Green Bay 11, Dallas elected to settle for the FG, 31-6


The visitors needed points fast so they tried an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Packers were ready for it. The hosts took advantage of the good field position and Shakey Jake Moody hammered a 56 yard FG with the wind just before the 3rd quarter ended 34-6 Packers

 
Green Bay was able to sit back in pass defense for the remainder of 4th quarter as they advance to the next round with a 34-9 victory


The home field advantage was huge in this one as it seemed the Packers got all of the breaks
( 2 timely takeaways, 5-1 penalties).

Bijan Robinson was named player of the game for his 3 TDS, but Dallas really bottled him up throughout the game (19 carries 55 yards 2.9 ave). 
Brock Purdy had a solid outing (18 of 26, 312, 1 TD)

Justin Herbert was held in check (25-41, 191 yards) as his offensive line didn't give him much help all game long. 

Congrats to Steve for guiding his team to the playoffs as he's restocked his roster in impressive fashion. Happy he's not in my division, as this team looks a couple players away from being an even nastier matchup down the road.

Packers visit Sofi next week in the divisional round. 
It's a rematch of a week 16 game, won 18-17 by the Rams.

​

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WEEK 17 RECAP

Geno Smith throws two TD passes as the Broncos claim the division championship.

​Game Scores
Atlanta 13 Denver 26                        44 0-5
A game with major playoff implications saw the Broncos get a hard-fought win over Atlanta 26-13 to secure the AFC West division title.
Denver held the Falcons to just 8 1st downs and 0-10 on 3rd and 4th down in the contest.
 
A Mostert fumble gave the Broncos some life and they converted a FG midway through the 1st quarter.
 
The Falcons would go 3 and out on their next possession and then the Broncos QB Geno Smith engineered a nice drive going 78 yards in 8 plays and hit RB McCaffrey with a short hitch for a TD and a 10-0 lead late in the 1st quarter.
 
The Falcons would come back and also put together a nice drive before Moss found an opening around the left end for a 34 yards TD but the PAT was blocked, making it 10-6.
 
Denver would add a FG as the 1st half ended making it 13-6 at the intermission.
 
The 2nd half started with punts from both teams but Atlanta PR Turpin would muff the punt and Denver would jump on it at the Atlanta 7 yard line. Two plays later Geno Smith hit DeVonte Smith in the corner of the end zone for a TD and the Broncos led 20-6 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
 
Both teams would exchange more punts to end the 3rd quarter and to start the 4th quarter Denver had moved the ball into FG range before Geno Smith would throw an errant pass and all-pro CB Bland would pick it off giving the Falcons some life.
 
Jalen Hurts started to go to work as he hit Agholar for 13 and then Mostert ran for 14 and then the hot Davis for a 31 yard TD strike and it is just a one score game at 20-13 with 12 minutes left to play.
 
Geno Smith would move the ball down close enough for a Butker FG with 7:33 left to up the Bronco lead to 23-13.
 
Atlanta could not get any offense going the rest of the game and Denver kicked another FG to end the scoring at 26-13.
 
Detroit 0 Tennessee 30                      35 0-5   Rain    
This one was over in the first 3 minutes as the Titans scored TDs on a bomb to Aiyuk, a medium cross to Keenan Allen that went the distance and a Matt Milano pick 6.  After that Deshaun Watson struggled mightily behind a depleted O line.  Tennessee kicked 3 more field goals to make the final score 30-0 Titans.  On to the draft!
​
 New Orleans 28 Los Angeles (A) 3            75 Calm 
LAC brutal season mercifully comes to an end as NO defeats them handily.... could have been much worse without the mercy shown by Mr. Rice; it was 28-0 at the half....
 
despite the brutal campaign, LAC manages a field goal to avoid being shutout in any game this season.... 
 
in perhaps an IFL record, LAC punter Bradley Pinion averaged 59.0 yards per punt in the game.
 
 Chicago 10 Jacksonville 3                   68 0-10 
The Bears beat up the Jags 10-3 to wind up the 2024 season. The Bears dominated the hapless Jags sacking Josh Allen nine times and forcing two turnovers. One of the turnovers was on a fumbled punt inside the Jacksonville five yard line that led to the games only TD.
 
 Green Bay 13 Cincinnati 16                  21 20-30
With temperatures in the low 20's and winds between 20-30 mph the Packers must have felt right at home in Cincinnati.  Neither team had a lot to play for as Green Bay locked up the number three seed and the Bengals were playing out the string.  This was Cincinnati's first losing season since 2016.  
 
With the wind at their back Green Bay marched 10 plays and 40 yards but settled on a Jake Moody 40 yard field goal with about nine minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Bengals couldn't get much going into the wind and were forced to punt on their opening drive.  Green Bay featured former Bengal Melvin Gordon who rushed for 9 and 13 yards on consecutive plays.  This set up a Brock Purdy to Elijah Moore 38 yard connection to make it 10-0 Packers.
 
Cincinnati finally got things going as Jordan Love hit Dionate Johnson for 13 and then a flat pass to Chase Brown for 27.  This set up a surprising 18 yard touchdown run by "stat pack" running back Raheem Blackshear to cut the Green Bay lead to 10-7 as the first quarter ended.
 
It was the Packers turn to fight the wind as the team's flipped direction.  Purdy threw two incompletions and Bengal safety Jessie Bates intercepted Purdy.  Coach Conners was not happy with the Cincinnati defense 2-teaming Jalen Guyton.  He should have been upset with his QB for throwing into double coverage!  The Bengals had to settle on a Matt Ammendola 33 yard field goal to tie the game at 10 with 13 minutes remaining in the half.
 
Green Bay had some success moving down the field but Moody missed from 48 yards out going into the wind.  Conners put his rookie kicker into an impossible situation.  After an exchange of punts Cincinnati marched to the Green Bay four but settled on another field goal to give them their first lead at 13-10.
 
Each team could only produce a field goal in the second half.  The Packers had good field position at the Cincinnati 49 but Purdy threw his second interception of the day to Isaiah Simmons.  The Bengals came away with the 16-13 win and can only think of what might have been if it weren't for Buffalo.
 
Purdy finished 22 of 40 for 266 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs.  Moore had 6 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.  I thought it was D.J. the way he played.
 
Love finished his first campaign as the starter going 25 of 39 for 289 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
 
Next week, there is no next week for the IFL Bengals while Green Bay awaits the playoff bracket.
 
 Carolina 10 Houston 16                      70 Calm             
Both teams fight hard in each's final game of the season, but Carolina falls short against Houston.
 
Down by 6, Carolina has the ball with under a minute to play, but a sack on Wilson seals the game. 
 
Joe Mixon is the standout player for Houston as he rushes for 114 yards and 1 TD.
 
Wan'Dale Robinson grabbed a TD catch for Carolina.
 
 Tampa Bay 3 Pittsburgh 27                   23 Calm
 With the tie breakers in place the Steelers had a chance with a win tonight to lock up their first division title since coach Alberry took over the team in 2018. Heck there have been no playoff appearances let alone a division title.And in those early years its been a lot of wtf is he doing moments from the fans disgusted by the teams performance but slowly they added talent just not fast enough to surround HOF QB Tom Brady ironically its the first year without him at the helm of the offense.
 
On to the game .
 
Tampa Bay comes in with an offense that has been shutout 3 of the last 4 games as usage issues have really hurt this team. 
 
After a 3 and out by TB Browning connects with Addison from 7 yard out to score the games first TD . The drive went an impressive 13 plays and over 6 minutes. 
 
TB offense has a second 3 and out and Browning drive the Steelers down the field to get them in FG range but Bass having an off year misses from 40 and its 7-0 after one. 
 
TB gets a little drive going to start the second with help of 2 PI against the home team but Carr is picked off by Stevenson at the 32 to shut down the drive.
 
Carr is picked on the first play of their next drive but this time its in his own territory as LB Sanborn steps in front of one and rumbles down to the 8 for a 37 yard return. On 3rd down Moore runs it in on a reverse from 5 yards out making it 14-0. 
 
Pittsburgh gets another long 14 play drive at the end of the half that sets up a Bass for a 53 yard attempt and he nails this one 17-0 at the half. 
 
On the opening drive of the 2nd half Browning connects with Addison from 40 yards out to make it 24-0 and essentially put an end to this game.
 
Both teams tack on FG in the 4th to make the final score 27-3 for the Steelers who clinch their first division title at home
 
Steelers run the ball 45 times for 212 yards and hold TB offense to 5 FD. 
WR Addison is game MVP with 8 catches for 112 yards and 2 TD
 
 New York (N) 23 Buffalo 16                  14 20-30
After a big win against the Bengals the Bills crap the bed, from the get-go the Giants controlled the game as Reagor takes the opening KO 92 yards to give the G-Men a 7-0 lead.Trubisky only threw for 101 yards but didn't turn it over.Kenneth Walker III was the star of the game rushing for 134 yards and aTD. Despite being sacked 8 times Kyler threw for 321 yards with a TD and a pick, Leonard Floyd had 4 of the sacks! The Bills outgained the Giants 410-241, the 3 turnovers by the Bills was what lost the game as the Giants had 0 with only 8 first downs and 1-11 on third down.Congratulations to Dylan on getting his defensive pass rush up for the game! The Giants finish the season at 2-15 while the Bills end their season at 6-10-1. Good luck to all the playoff teams and everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
 Philadelphia 14 New York (A) 3              31 0-10  Heavy Snow    
The 2024 season finally came to an end for the NY Jets. As the players gathered to run onto the field they
yelled 1-2-3 go Jets, the coaching staff whispered 1-2-3 Cancun!!
 
The Jets fought through their fatigue long enough to kick a FG to avoid a shut out.
 
The Jets' kicker, Hopkins, and punter, Wishnowsky, tied in the teams vote for MVP.
 
Thanks to Commissioner John for doing another great job this year.
 
Good luck to all the playoff teams.
 
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to everyone...
 
 San Francisco 26 Kansas City 10             24 5-15 
This contest was a throwback to the glory days of ground games. In the post game presser, 49er coach Brendan McCormick compared his rushers to the likes of the Miami Dolphin trio of Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris. Overall, there were 623 yards of offense by the two teams.  Of that, the two starting passers combined for 26 attempts and 152 yards. 
 
Meanwhile, there were 79 rushes. The 49ers had a two players go over 100 yards on the ground and a third ran for another 94. The ground pounders were Taysom Hill with 116; Chuba Hubbard with 111; and Devin Singletary with 94. The Chiefs also had a good day on the ground, with running back David Montgomery and quarterback Justin Fields gaining 116 yards and 49 yards respectively. 
 
KC jumped out to a 10 - 0 lead, but were not able to add to their point total over the next 3 quarters. San Fran took a 13 - 10 lead into the halftime locker room and won the 2nd half 13 - 0. 
 
The final score was a 26 - 10 win for the 49ers. 
 
The game only took 2 hours and 5 minutes to play. Netflix was forced to fill the allotted broadcast time with a rerun of the 2023 World Pickleball Championships. 
 
 Los Angeles (N) 28 Las Vegas 19             51 0-5
​
  Rams Outlast Raiders in a Hard-Fought Battle with Playoff Implications
In a game that carried significant playoff weight for both teams, the Los Angeles Rams emerged victorious with a 28-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. However, the stakes were diminished before kickoff due to an earlier result in Denver, where the Broncos' win over the Falcons secured the NFC West for the Rams and eliminated the Raiders from AFC West contention.
The Raiders, reeling from a spate of injuries that left them without four of their five starting offensive linemen, struggled to protect quarterback Jarrett Stidham throughout the night. Los Angeles' relentless defensive front sacked Stidham eight times, with Brian Burns and Kwity Paye each recording two sacks. Despite the constant pressure, Stidham showed resilience, throwing for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams’ star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, named the game’s MVP, was surgical in his execution. He accounted for all four Rams touchdowns, passing for three and rushing for one. Lawrence’s connection with CeeDee Lamb (8 catches, 121 yards) and Rashid Shaheed (5 catches, 89 yards) kept the Raiders’ defense off balance. His 12-yard rushing score in the second quarter gave the Rams a lead they would not relinquish.
The Raiders’ offensive woes were apparent in the trenches. Running back Jake Funk managed 77 rushing yards but had little help as the offensive line struggled to create lanes. Penalties and poor third-down efficiency (4-of-14) also plagued the team.
Las Vegas briefly cut the deficit to 21-19 at the end of the third quarter, but their missed two-point conversion loomed large. In the fourth quarter, the Rams sealed the win with a five-play, 54-yard touchdown drive capped by Lawrence’s five-yard pass to D'Onta Foreman.
The Raiders’ defense held strong in stretches, forcing a fumble and limiting the Rams to just 88 rushing yards. Linebacker Kaden Elliss and safety Adrian Amos were bright spots, leading the team in tackles. However, the unit wore down under the strain of poor field position and the Rams’ efficient passing attack.
With this win, the Rams improve to 15-2, maintaining momentum heading into the playoffs. The Raiders drop to 12-5 and will be entering the playoffs still missing 2 of their starting linemen.
 
 Seattle 20 Miami 14                         88 0-10 
Both teams looking to stay healthy headed to the post season, and both teams wanting to get this one over with. Seattle scores 1st on their opening drive after a 3 and out by Miami to make it 7-0 Seahawks, and follow up with a FG after a Miami punt to go up 10-0. Miami gets a gift int from Prescot with 5:48 left in the half and manage to get the ball into the end zone for the TD with 4:17 left in the half to make it 10-7 Seattle. The Seahawks take the kickoff and drive 81 yards and get the TD as time expires in the half to go up 17-7.
 
The second half starts with both Teams missing FG's, one blocked and one missed as both Teams playing a lot of slowdown and the 3rd quarter comes to a scoreless end, with the score remaining 17-7 Seattle. Seattle has a drive that carries over to the 4th quarter but Miami holds on a 3rd and 2 at the 10 and Seattle kicks the 28 yarder to extend the lead to 20-7 with 12:29 to go in the game. Miami goes for the 1st down at their own 48 for a second time after having a 1st down call reversed on 4th and 1 and pick it up. On the following play Pacheco goes 51 yards and the TD to make the score 20-14 with 8:24 to play in the game. After and exchange of punts Seattle drives to the Miami 4 yard line and lets the clock expire, for the final of 20-14.
 
To be honest, The Seahawks were the much better Team, even playing alot of reserves they manage 432 yards to the Dolphins 215.
 
Seattle finishes 17-0 regular season and has the 1st week bye and home field throughout the playoffs. Miami finishes 11-6 and is post season bound but are yet unsure about their opponent.
 
 Dallas 20 Indianapolis 17                   69 Calm 
 As the 2024 IFL season was coming to a close, the Indianapolis Colts' stadium was sparsely filled in week 17 when the Colts hosted the Dallas Cowboys.  For the Colts, they were thinking about next year when they can (hopefully) get Joe Burrow for all 17 games.  There was little doubt their 5-11 record kept all but a few faithful still attending the game.
 
Meanwhile, the visiting Dallas Cowboys entered the game with a record of 10-6.  A win would go a long way with locking in their first post season in a decade.
 
Dallas took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to the Indy 10.  Then Justin Herbert threw the ball to the wrong team.  
 
The first half featured Dallas moving the ball and either turned it over because of holding penalties or not being able to execute on third downs to sustain drives.  The first half ended with both teams exchanging field goals.
 
The Colts scored a couple of touchdowns in the third quarter:  one on a Semien to Watson pass for 46 yards and another on an Akers 8-yard run.
 
Indy would open the fourth quarter up 17-3.  
 
But Herbert found Pickens from 19 yards out with 10 minutes left in the game to have the Cowboys close to 17-10.  On the Colts' next possession, Semien threw an interception.  Dallas could only manage a field goal after the gift, though, to narrow the Indy lead to 17-13. 
 
On the Colts' possession following the kickoff, Christian Barmore sacked Semien and stripped the ball out.  Safety Micah Hyde scooped up the ball and scampered down the field for 34 yards and Dallas TD.  The score put Dallas in the lead 20-17 for the first time in the game with 6:35 left in the game.
 
Dallas' defense held the Colts in their next two possessions to seal the game for the Cowboys.
 
Dallas amassed 418 yards on offense but were killed by penalties.  The Cowboys were flagged nine times for 80 yards.   
 
Herbert completed 36 passes in 51 attempts for 332 yards.  Deebo Samuel caught 12 passes for 86 yards and Dallas Goedert was on the receiving end of 10 passes for 95 yards for the Cowboys.  
 
Dallas finishes the regular season 11-6 while the loss leaves Indy at 6-11 for the 2024 campaign.  
             
 Minnesota 6 Baltimore 33                    52 10-20
Baltimore rolls into the playoffs on the back of Big K. No, not Kryen Williams. The other K...Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Yes, the stat pack back ran for at least 100 yards for the second game in a row...totaling exactly 100 this game on 16 carries. That's 224 yards on 40 carries. 5.6 per carry for a stat pack back!
 
The more amazing story might be the number of injuries that occurred in the one. Johns Hopkins Hospital emergency ward was full, as was the University of Maryland Medical Center Trauma Center. The Vikes came into the game short on plays and ended the game short of players, losing 11. Baltimore's M*A*S*H unit was less crowded, until the 4th quarter, when four players dropped, making it 7 for the Ravens.
 
Baker Mayfield was named the game's MVP on the strength of a 19-for-27 night for 210 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. The quiet story of the game...maybe the season, is Baltimore's defense. After a Week 8 loss to New Orleans, which dropped the team to 2-6, the Ravens have gone 8-1. If that's not startling enough, the Ravens D has only given up TWO TDs in the last FIVE games - and both of those came in the same game (a 23-17 win vs TEN). Otherwise, Baltimore has held the Chargers and Colts to a single FG each and the Jets and Vikings to two FGs each..OK...two of those four have a combined win total of...one tie, but still. That's pretty impressive. The defensive coordinator is looking for a raise next year!
 
The Ravens postseason run might be short, but it's been a fun run. Thanks to Commissioner John for inviting me back!
 
 Arizona 7 New England 41                    20 5-15 
A weary Arizona club travels to New England and things go about as expected.  Pat Mahomes was held to 91 yards passing as he just didn't have enough healthy bodies on offense to mount much offense (Josh Palmer led all Arizona receivers with 88 yards).  Derrick Henry led NE with 87 yards on the ground and 3 TDs (one of them receiving) while Dalton Schultz caught 6 passes for 95 yards as the Patriots rolled to a 41-7 win.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Evans(Sea)      26-174
 Walker III(NYG) 23-134  1 TD
 Montgomery(KC)  19-116  1 TD
 Hill(SF)        10-116
 Mixon(Hou)      16-114  1 TD
 Hubbard(SF)     21-111
 Mostert(Atl)    15-100
 Vaughn(Bal)     16-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown,A(NO)      7-120  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Goedert(Dal)    10- 95
 Samuel(Dal)     12- 86
 
 Passing Leaders
 Herbert(Dal)    51-36-332   1 TD  1 Int
 Murray(Buf)     41-30-321   1 TD  1 Int
 Jackson(NE)     24-20-306   2 TD  1 Int
 Tagovailoa(NO)  25-17-232   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Parsons(Chi)     3 Sk 7 Tk
 Jefferson(Chi)   3 Sk 3 Tk
 Floyd(NYG)       4 Sk 5 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Wilson(KC)       24 Tk
 Allen(Bal)       3 Sk 9 Tk
 McKinney(Ari)    16 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Butker(Den)    4-4 FG
 Gay(SF)        4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Aubrey(Bal)    4-4 FG

​

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FINAL 2024 IFL STANDINGS

​FINAL 2024 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 16 RECAP

Nose Alim McNeill collects 2 of the Raiders 6 sacks as they bully Dallas for the win.

​Game Scores
Dallas 13 Las Vegas 34                      64 0-10 
Not much to say about this game. Steve did a great job coaching Dallas, but this one felt like one of those where Action has already decided the final and kept punishing Dallas. 6 sacks, 5 fumbles (one returned for a TD) and an interception meant that Dallas was in trouble no matter how well coached they were.
 
New Orleans 24 Chicago 0                    28 5-15 
Saints jump all over the Bears for an easy win.  A few Bears box score highlights: 5 first downs, 97 yards, 12 pen for 95 yards, 2-0 turnovers, 7 missed tackles, ......I'd say we were taken to the woodshed.  It was 14-0 after 4 minutes.
 
 
San Francisco 10 Tampa Bay 0                72 0-10
Tampa earned 4 first downs; and turned the ball over 4 times. This formula resulted in zero points. The Bucs defense played very well. They were led by safety Julian Blackmon with a whopping 17 tackles. 
 
San Francisco's RB Chewbacca Hubbard gained 91 yards on 19 carries and scored the games only TD. 
 
 Philadelphia 26 Los Angeles (A) 20          84 Calm  Light Rain    
LAC puts up their high points total of the season; but sees a game-winning drive stall in the closing seconds deep in Philly territory.... 
 
don't get the impression that LAC suddenly got good.... Quandre Diggs had a 30 yard fumble return for a touchdown and a 79 yard interception return; almost as much yardage as the offense.... 
 
LAC loses 9 more players to injury during the course of the game.
 
 New England 41 Tennessee 21                 53 0-10 
Miraculously the Titans led 14-7 after the first quarter.  Then the Patriots went crazy outscoring Tennessee 28-0 in the 2nd and finishing the half with 400 yards of offense.  The second half was a slowdown special.
 
 Jacksonville 27 Miami 49                    73 0-5  
The Jags came to Miami looking to stay in the postseason hunt but banged up by injuries.
 
They took the opening kickoff and in only 3 plays went 75 yards to score the TD and take the 7-0 lead on the Dolphins. Unfortunately for the Jags that lead wouldn't hold. After an exchange of turnovers on downs, the Dolphins would get things going and score the next 42 points, to take a 42-7 lead into the half.
 
The Jags would get 3 second half touchdowns to the Dolphins 1 but couldn't overcome a depleted roster and the Dolphins preventive defense, and would fall 49-27. The Jags out gained the Dolphins 526 yards to 438 but it wasn't enough to get the win. Next week the Jags go home to face the Bears and the Dolphins host Seattle in the final week hoping to tag the 1st loss on the season on the Seahawks.
 
 Carolina 10 Minnesota 32                    68 Calm
The Minnesota Vikings achieved a noteworthy 32-10 victory against the Carolina Panthers, bringing their record to 10-6. This result leaves the Panthers at 1-15 for the season. JaMycal Hasty made a significant contribution with 135 yards on 28 carries, while CJ Stroud demonstrated his efficiency by completing 18 of 22 passes for 118 yards, including two touchdowns to Michael Wilson. Wilson’s performance has been impressive, as he now boasts 15 receiving touchdowns this season.      
    
 New York (N) 3 Houston 27                   70     
Texans score three fourth quarter touchdowns to put this one away.  Joe Mixon rushes for 177 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown to lead Houston.
               
 Cincinnati 6 Buffalo 19                     29 0-10 
John brings his playoff hopeful Bengals into Buffalo looking to keep alive in the race. The Bills defense came to play as the star of the game was Bryce Huff sacking Love three times as the Bills sacked him six times on the day while picking him off one time. The Bengals were 2-14 on third down and 0-4 on fourth down while committing six holding penalties to stifle drives. The Bills only had four first downs as they were limited to one big play as Murray hit Slayton for a 52 yard TD which was the only TD on the day as Jake Elliott converted all four field goal attempts. The Bengals out-gained the Bills 243-173 only to lose 19-6. The Bengals fall to 7-9 while the Bills improve to 6-9-1. The Bengals will host the Packers next week while the Bills will host the Giants.
 
 Detroit 0 Atlanta 20                        68 Calm    
Detroit (3-12) at Atlanta (12-3) one team is fighting for the division lead and has higher aspirations, the other team is rebuilding and trying to play spoiler. Atlanta came into this game banged up and had some load management, trying to rest key players like Ertz, Kupp, Watson, and they were down to only one running back, but they were still a 15 point favorite at home...but anything can happen in DKS Football!
 
1st Quarter: 
Atlanta gets the ball first and connects on passes to Davis and Agholor to get in range for a FG after a sack taken by Hurts. ATL 3, DET 0. 
 
Detroit would come back with a drive that was helped along by Atlanta's penalties (12 in total!) but Detroit had one of their own to stall the drive... however Detroit lost a tackle and were down to only one healthy tackle... against TJ watt! 
 
2nd Quarter:
The next two Atlanta drives amounted to -22 yards. Hurts was sacked twice and Moss could not run the ball at all against one of the top run defenses in the league! However Detroit had their own struggles, as Spillane picked off Watson and set up Atlanta on the 6 yard line. 
 
Coach Alberry is a fantasy football player, and has his own players on his team! He calls out Kupp from the bench to come in for a play, and Hurts hits him for a 6 yard TD, then he would sit down the rest of the game. ATL 10 DET 0. 
 
After a Detroit 3 and out, Hurts who was looking rough today threw a pick of his own to Detroit which would set them up at mid field. As Detroit was driving and about to enter the red zone, Watson took a shot long and it was picked by Bland to stop the drive. Coach Alberry in need of a spark to ensure a win sends out Ertz to play... but Ertz was not ready to play and finishes the game with 3 catches and 3 drops... in fact Atlanta has 6 drops total on the game! Detroit was at midfield at the end of the half but a TJ Watt sack would end the drive. 
 
3rd Quarter: 
Detroit would get the ball only down 10 against heavily favored Atlanta, however they were forced to punt. Atlanta would capitalize going on a drive that lasted about 9 minutes with a key 4th and 7 at midfield that Atlanta went for and connected for 13 yards to Agholor. However Hurts would take another sack to stall the drive and Atlanta kicked a FG to make it 13-0. 
 
4th Quarter:
The rest of the game was pretty ugly as Atlanta would hold the depleted Lions, but Atlanta couldn't even run the ball... used to running for over 150 yards per game, they only ran for 60 yards on 25 attempts. With 1 minute left, and the Lions in a hurry up last ditch effort dialed up a long fly, but TJ Watt would force a fumble, and Jay Ward would go all the way for a TD. Game would end 20-0. 
 
That Detroit defense is tough! But unfortunately with Watson, and injuries, they were in a bind on offense. Kmet is the leading pass catcher on both teams hauling in 5 grabs as DeShaun Watson goes 9/26 and a passer rating of 13.9. 
 
 Game MVP: TJ Watt- 2 sacks, 4 Hurries, and a FF leading to a TD. 
         
 Los Angeles (N) 18 Green Bay 17             32 0-10 
Battle of two division leading teams as the Rams came into Green Bay.
 
Packers jumped out to a 10-0 lead as Brock Purdy was dialed in early.
 
LA hung tough and after a Devon Achane 46 yard run got them deep into 
Green Bay territory late in the second quarter, things were looking up. The Packers
defense kept the visitors out of the end zone as LA had to settle for a short FG. 10-3
 
On the ensuing Packers possession S Juston Simmons stepped in front of a Brock Purdy
pass and the Rams were back in business. The defense again held strong and LA had to settle for another FG 10-6 Packers at the half.
 
Green Bay got the ball first in the second half and put together an 11 play, 75 yard drive capped off by a Purdy to Van Jefferson 22 yard TD. 17-6
 
On the next two Rams possessions QB Trevor Lawrence threw back to back INTS.
The LA defense came up big after both miscues, holding the Packers off the scoreboard
and this would prove to be pivotal.
 
Early in the 4th, Lawrence regrouped, leading his team on an 8 play, 70 yard drive capped off by a D'onta Foreman 7 yard run. 2-pt convert was unsucessful. 17-12 Packers.
 
On the next drive another key moment came after TE Josh Oliver converted a 3rd and 14 with a key grab over the middle. Rams challenged the spot and afrter review the Packers were short by inches at their own 35. Coach Conners lined up to go for it. but decided against it at the last minute and instead punted. This decision would come back to haunt the hosts.
 
Rams marched back down the field and took the lead with another short Foreman TD. 2pt convert was again stopped
18-17 Rams with 3:31 left.
 
Green Bay would turn the ball over on downs after a 4th and 7 check down to Bijan Robinson came up a yard short as it looked like game over with just 2:10 left and the Pack with just 1 timeout.
 
Instead of crashing the ball into the line, Coach Heaton thought he would catch the defense off guard and pass on first and second down without success. A 45 yard FG on 4th down sailed wide right. Green Bay had life down by just a point with 1:35 left. On first down, a Leremy Tunsil holding penalty made things much more difficult. Four plays later it was lights out.
 
Rams win 18-17, in a game that will haunt Coach Conners and the Packers faithful
 
D'onta, Foreman was named MVP for his two decisive 4th quarter TD's.
Devon Achane was very effective going for 139 yards on just 11 carries
as the Rams running game bailed out Lawrence who had an off night.
WR Elijah Moore was a lone bright spot for Green Bay, 7 recs-103 yards.
 
Packers are now locked into the 3 seed while LA will win the NFC West (and the 2 seed) 
with another win or a Falcons loss.
 
 Arizona 3 Kansas City 9                     39 0-10 
Score looked like a baseball game, about all you need to know about the action in the game.  Turnovers determined the winner late in game.
 
 Denver 0 Seattle 27                         48 0-10 
Denver comes to town without their starting QB and fail to muster much of an offense with backup Bethard. 
 
 Baltimore 31 Indianapolis 3                 69 Calm    
Baltimore keeps their playoff hopes alive with a 31-3 victory at Lucas Oil Field against the Colts. Stat pack RB Ke'shawn "Arky" Vaughn runs rough-shod over the Colts Swiss-cheese D to the tune of 124 yards on 23 carries. One was a TD. Most of those yards came in garbage time. The true MVP of the game was Raven WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught 6 passes from Baker Mayfield and ran for 168 yards and 2 scores. The goat of the game? The Colts defense, who missed a whopping 17 tackles.
 
The 9-7 Ravens host the 10-6 Vikings in Week 17 with both teams looking to extend their season. Indy (6-10) hosts the Cowboys (10-6) in their final game. 
 
 Pittsburgh 20 New York (A) 7                41 0-10 
Younger Alberry Coach subbing for Dad in the middle of a tough playoff hunt trying to win a game on the road against a struggling Jets team that is fatigued and injured but still talented. Pitt came in as a 5 point favorite, but you never know it DK Sports World. 
 
After a 3 and out Pitt would take the ball on their own 7 and got a drive going but punted it deep. They would stop the Jets there and get good field position. Allgeiers would run for around 60 yards and catch a 34 yard dump off to get Pitt rolling early. A Gus Edwards TD run would put Pitt up 7-0.
 
In the 2nd Pitt would chip in a FG, and then stop the Jets on 4th down around mid field. Devito would hit Addison on a 25 yard TD throw and the score at half was 17-0. 
 
The second half would see Bass go 1 for 2 missing a 27 yarder, and the Jets played until the whistle throwing a TD pass with 10 seconds left to finish the game. Pitt 20- NYJ 7 
 
Bob looks forward to the draft as his team is just banged up and fatigued allowing Pitt to run the ball at will. 
 
Game MVP Allgeiers with 17 attempts for 103 and one 34 yard reception. 
 
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Mixon(Hou)      25-177  1 TD
 Achane(LAR)     11-139
 Hasty(Min)      28-135
 Vaughn(Bal)     23-124  1 TD
 Montgomery(KC)  23-114
 Henry(NE)       16-106  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Warren(NO)      10-103  1 TD
 Allgeier(Pit)   17-103
 Evans(Sea)      23-102
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Cooper(Jax)      9-226  2 TD
 Hill,T(NE)       7-191  2 TD
 St. Brown(Bal)   6-168  2 TD
 Palmer(Ari)     13-111
 Lamb(LAR)       11-110
 Chase(Ind)      10- 39
 
 Passing Leaders
 Allen,J(Jax)    50-24-352   4 TD  3 Int
 Jackson(NE)     27-22-343   3 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       41-23-301   3 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Blackmon(TB)     17 Tk
 Edwards(LAC)     16 Tk
 Al-Shaair(Car)   20 Tk
 Huff(Buf)        3 Sk 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Okereke(Ari)     17 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Ryland(Phi)    4-4 FG
 Dicker(Min)    6-6 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Elliott(Buf)   4-4 FG

​

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IFL WEEK 16 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 16 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 15 RECAP

The Packers claim the NFC Central Championship with their win in Chicago.

​Game Scores
Green Bay 27 Chicago 14                     42 0-5  
Bears were looking good early in the 2nd leading 14-3, but Brock Purdy caught fire for the rest of the way & never looked back as the Packers pick up a big win to help their playoff aspirations.  Purdy finishes 23 of 33 for 357 yards with two touchdowns.
 
Buffalo 17 Detroit 23                       70 Calm            
Kyler Murray’s fourth quarter nine yard touchdown toss to Jonathan Mingo  rallies the Bills past Detroit.
 
 Miami 34 New York (A) 13                    43 0-5   Heavy Rain    
This game was scheduled for Thanksgiving Day on Peacock, but it was moved to tonight so as to not ruin anyone’s Thanksgiving.
 
The Jets are so pathetic they have set football back to the 50’s, 1850’s!!
 
Goff had a good game going 19-23 for 200 yards, and 2 TDs.
 
Miami could have scored 50 if Tony hadn’t been a nice guy.
 
Next week Miami hosts Jacksonville, and New York hosts Pittsburgh.
 
 Cincinnati 9 Atlanta 13                     68 Calm          
  Week 15- The Cincinnati Bengals (7-7) came into Atlanta (11-2) as an 8 point underdog, however they were determined to keep their playoff and division title hopes alive despite injuries and usage issues. The Falcons made it 4-1 in a stretch of opponents that were 35-7, so we're looking forward to a game where they were the favorites. 
 
1st Quarter:
 
Atl goes 3 and out and then they stop a Bengal drive on a 3rd and inches after a failed challenge by Commish Storer. The first quarter ended with the Bengals driving as Atlanta was only able to muster 1 first down. 
 
2nd Quarter: 
 
Love played well this game starting out on fire and distributing the ball evenly. They would get a drive into Falcon territory and kick a FG to go up 3-0 and take the lead. Hurts was struggling to find the open receivers today against a tough CIN secondary, but a break for the Falcons when CB Ramsey would be ruled out of the game and for the final 2 games of the season... this allowed Hurts to open up the passing game a bit and lead the team for a FG with the big play a 29 yard strike to Gabe Davis. CIN 3 ATL 3
 
The Bengals would get the ball with about 8 minutes left and put together a lengthy drive that saw a Daron Bland pick get called back on a Facemask, and a Watt sack get called back on offsetting penalties. Love would miss a 3rd and 2 pass to setup a 24 yard chip shot to take a 6-3 lead going into the half. 
 
3rd Quarter
 
Atlanta hoped to turn the tide after forcing a 3 and out, but could only muster 1 yard. The Bengals went backwards and had their own 3 and out. Falcons fans were feeling the pressure of the offense just sputtering. However, the Falcons completed a pass to Kupp and a Hurts 15 yard scramble to get a decent drive going in the red zone, but an 8 yard sack would make them settle for a FG. CIN 6 ATL 6 
 
Momentum was shifting in favor of the home team, but Jordan Love was undeterred this day, he refused to throw an interception to the Falcons who have a top 5 defensive takeaway team coming into the game. 13 yard completion to Pierce, 10 yard screen to Cook, and they nickel in dime their way into a 54 yard FG that is perfect putting the anxiety back on the Falcons. CIN 9 ATL 6
 
4th Quarter:
 
Hurts refuses to give up as well, Long throw to Kupp into double coverage... complete. Throw to Davis... double covered ... complete! Key play on 3rd and 1 the Falcons line up for the tush push but throw it to Kupp for 16. On 3rd and 7 from the 18. The Falcons dial up a pass into double coverage again as Coach Storer was on point, but Hurts is the X factor and he takes it 18 yards to the house for the first TD of the game... ATL 13 CIN 9. 
 
After a few sacks, the Falcons get the back with 6 minutes left looking to make a dent in the clock and put some pressure on... but they go 3 and out and punt it away with 5 minutes left. Atlanta was looking to stop them quick... on 3rd and 4, 15 yard roughing the passer penalty on Watt gave the Bengals some easy yards that they needed. 3rd and 1... no problem Cook up the guy, 3rd and 3, Love finds Mayer for 11 to the Falcon 28 with 1:55 left. However those would be the last yards Cincy gets as Love throws 4 straight incompletions to turnover on downs. The Falcons run out the clock and end the game 13-9 victory. 
 
John called an amazing game, we couldn't move the ball at all, he knew my tendencies for sure. I got bailed out by that Hurts run for a 18 yd TD on a pass play which put me up 4, because if I had to kick a FG to tie it- John would have won...I thought he would have won at the end anyway, Love didn't turn the ball over. Game MVP: Jalen Hurts
 
Cincy loses Ramsey for the rest of the reg season ( 2 games). Atlanta loses Rhamondre Stevenson for 5 games, which could probably be his last game for the year. 
ATL 12-3 takes on Detroit at home next week, while Cincy travels to warm and sunny Buffalo. 
   
 Kansas City 10 Las Vegas 31                 58 Calm 
The Las Vegas Raiders (11-4) defeated the Kansas City Chiefs (8-7) convincingly at Allegiant Stadium, 31-10. Despite Kansas City's dominance in time of possession (42:52 to 17:08) and first downs (24-12), the Raiders capitalized on big plays, with Matthew Stafford throwing for four touchdowns, including three to Moore, who racked up 174 receiving yards. Moore's standout performance earned him MVP honors.
Kansas City started strong with an 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive but struggled to finish drives, converting only one of four red zone trips into a touchdown and missing two field goals. Las Vegas excelled in efficiency, scoring touchdowns on quick strikes, including an 81-yard pass to Moore and a 57-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Injuries continue to climb for both teams with Kansas City losing WR Kenrick Bourne for 9 weeks while the Raiders will be without the help of starting CB Darius Slay and rotational DT Grady Jarrett.
With the win, the Raiders continue to put pressure on division leader Denver while staying a game ahead of Miami in the wildcard rankings.
 
 Tennessee 17 Baltimore 23                   49 5-15
 Clinging to a 16-10 lead at the start of the 4th quarter and pinned back to their own 3 yard line, Baltimore's Amon-Ra St. Brown caught an 11-yard hitch from Baker Mayfield and torched the Titan secondary for 70 YAC that set up the game-sealing TD pass from Mayfield to...Amon-Ra St. Brown with 3:50 left on the clock.
 
But no Tennessee squad is going to crawl into a hole and die as long as Rick Brunskill is at the helm. Taking control at their own 40 after Michael Aubrey kicked the ball out of bounds, Jimmy Garoppolo moved the Titans into Raven territory then hit Trey Palmer from 33-yards out. The PAT made it 23-17 with 1:17 remaining and the Titans holding three TOs.
 
Playing it safe and holding onto the ball with two hands, of course, the Ravens fumbled. Luckily, they recovered, but had to punt. With one shot left, Garoppolo completed one pass for a single yard, threw two incompletions and was sacked for the game's only sack on the last play of the game. Ravens survive. BAL 23-17 and matched the game line (6).
 
Mayfield was named the game's MVP with a 116.6 rating on a 20-for-29 game for 257 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. St. Brown hauled in 9-of-11 targets for 148 yards. Kyren Williams amassed 66 yards on just 5 carries, 57 coming on one in the Ravens first series that set up their first TD. Unfortunately, Williams was lost to injury in their second series and will likely be done for the rest of the regular season.
 
Garoppolo (16/21 for 118 yards and a TD), Aiden O'Connell (9/16 for 137 and a TD) and Jeff Driskel (0/1) tag-teamed the QB position for the Titans. Palmer caught 6-of-12 targets for 119 yards and 2 TDs.
 
Tennessee (4-11) hosts (currently) undefeated New England (14-0) in Week 16. Baltimore, now over .500 at 8-7, continues their uphill climb toward the playoffs with a road game at Indy (6-8).
 
 New England 48 Indianapolis 7               69 Calm
 New England visits Indy who is without franchise QB Joe Burrow.  Trevor Siemian engineered a nice opening 6-play 75 yard drive which was highlighted by a 43 yard Jamar Chase TD catch to give the Colts a 7-0 lead.  Things went downhill from there for the home team, as Gardner Minshew threw 3 TD passes in the first half and Siemian tossed a pick-6 to Kenny Moore as NE raced to a 34-7 halftime lead.  Kareem Hunt ran for a couple second half TDs as the Patriots rolled to a 48-7 win.
              
 San Francisco 28 Carolina 10                58 0-5  
San Fran is in control of the entire game in a victory over Carolina.
 
Mac Jones is very efficient for the 49'ers completing 25 of 28 passes for 2 TD's. Hubbard also chips in 126 yards rushing and a TD of his own.
 
Hurst caught a TD pass late in the game for the Panthers to make the score a little more respectable.
 
 Jacksonville 19 Pittsburgh 20               37 0-10 
Jacksonville 8-6 comes into Heinz field reeling losing 5 of their last 6 games after a 7-1 start The Steelers come in winning 4 of their last 5. Somehow installed as an 11 point favorite ya right when both teams were healthy back in week 6 in Jacksonville the Steelers pulled out a 33-31. Both teams are now injured and fatigued.
 
1st Quarter- Jacksonville wins the toss takes the ball lead by their great QB Josh Allen would get to a 4th and 5 at the home teams 43 and go for it but a incomplete pass to Metcalf would end the drive. 5 plays and Pittsburgh is down to the 27 but Browning is picked by DT Kahil Davis an a screen pass to end the threat. The teams traded multiple punts but Jacksonville was getting the better of the field position after two 3 and puts by the home team. A 56-yard Bullock FG is the only scoring in the quarter. Jacksonville 3 Pittsburgh 0
 
2nd Quarter - On a carryover drive from the first Pitt moves the ball down to the 39 facing a 4th and 6 decides to go but also fails turning the ball over on downs. Allen puts a drive together then facing a 3rd and 5 from the 21 Dexter Lawrence gets his 9th sack of the year forcing a 48 yard FG try for Bullock and its good. The teams trade punts before Browning and the offense finally gets something going toward the end of the half. An 18 yard Completion to Javonte Williams then a 10 yard pass to Addison gets them down to the 18 on the 8th and 9th play of the drive. Browning then hits Pringle on an 18 yard TD pass and the Steelers take the lead at the half. Pittsburgh 7 Jacksonville 6
 
3rd Quarter - A 3 and out to open the half for the home team. Allen get the Jags offense going an 11 play drive key plays 14 yards to RB Gibson 27 yards to Cooper then a 12 yard TD strike to Cooper and Jacksonville is back in front. Pitt returns the favor having a 12 play drive and overcoming an 8 yard loss on the 1st run of the drive . Addison's 24 yard grab on 3rd and 12 would key this drive and leads to a Bass 44 yard FG. Jacksonville 13 Pittsburgh 10
 
4th Quarter - Allen goes on another drive that carried over from the 3rd 10 plays and Bullock gets a 47 yard FG to extend the lead early in the 4th. Pittsburgh offense would answer back and it only took 4 plays as Rondale Moore  goes 48 yards to the house on a reverse Pittsburgh goes back on top. Allen is then intercepted at mid field by Tre Flowers and the home team has a great opportunity to add to their fragile lead. But on a 4th and 2 from the 40  Williams short catch goes for 1 yard as they turn it over on downs. with 5 minutes to go in the game Allen to Cooper for 24 sets them up at the 37. Five plays later Bullock kicks a 44 yard FG to give the Jags back the lead with 1:55 to play. Brownings 16 yard scramble would get the Steelers down to the 40 with 1:13 to play but Pittsburgh has no timeouts left having used them on defense. . Two incompletion's sets up a 3rd and 10 from the 40. Addisons would grab a 13 yard pass to keep the drive alive 46 seconds. 6 yard run by Williams down to the 25 7 yard pass to Moore at the 18 28 seconds to go 4 yard run Williams then Browning spikes the ball with 3 seconds left . Bass comes out for the 32 yard FG and makes it to win the game as time expires. Pittsburgh 20 Jacksonville 19.
 
Dave called a great game and could have very easily won this one. Both teams had injuries pile up on them during the game Jacksonville came into the game short 8 players lost another 5 players OG Dotson RB Pierce for 3 weeks C Pocic  and S Kareem Jackson 2 weeks and LB Cunningham 1 week. Pittsburgh came in short 7 players lost DB Leonard 6 weeks S Hamilton 2 weeks CB Watson and DE-LB Gregory 1 game.
 
Jacksonville 8-7 travels to face a tough 10-5 Miami Dolphins who are one of the hottest teams in the league. Pittsburgh 8-7 travel to the Jets 0-14-1
 
 Los Angeles (A) 10 Arizona 21               74 Calm 
The game between Zona and LA was named the Slumber Bowl.  The game set a record for the number of fans ejected from the game for sleeping and snoring in their seats.  Many did not know it was a thing, but it the rules are printed in fine print on back of the tickets.  
 
Arizona was nicknamed the Walking Dead.  Many of the plays on the field were copied from the series.  Somehow, Zona prevailed.  It was not coaching.
 
 New Orleans 10 Los Angeles (N) 38           63 Calm
 The Rams and Saints have had many memorable battles over the years. Unfortunately, sometimes the game AI has different ideas. This was an ugly affair with neither offense performing particularly well. Big plays were few and when they did happen a flag would appear to negate the outcome, most of time to the detriment of the Saints. The moment when both coaches realized it was going to be one of those days was probably in the first half. The Rams were up 10-0, but the Saints were driving. On the Rams 34 Tua completes a pass inside the Rams 20 to AJ Brown, but he gets stripped and the Rams run it back over 80 yards for a TD. The game snowballed from there with 2 more turnovers for the Saints and lots more penalties.

 Minnesota 21 Tampa Bay 0                    85 10-20
Tampa gains 178 yards on the day. The Vikings had plenty of offense to cruise to victory.
 
 Houston 10 Denver 36                        54 0-5  
Houston came into Denver for a Thanksgiving weekend game.  The Broncos were not very good hosts as they defeated the Texans 36-10. 
 
 Dallas 17 Philadelphia 12                   47 5-15 
Entering the game, the Dallas Cowboys were facing a conundrum.  Justin Herbert, their starting quarterback, was injured and Tyler Huntley, the backup, had reached his limit for throws and was to face a degradation of ability situation.   Dallas would have to use its third string quarterback, Jaren Hall, who only attempted 20 passes and had four sacks in his brief playing time.  His QB Rating was 70.4.
 
Dallas would need some breaks and have to rely on its running game.
 
And what happens?  On the Eagles' quarterback Nick Mullens throws an interception to Cowboy ILB Termaine Edmunds, who takes it 36 yards to the house.  It was his third interception of the season and second pick six.
 
Philly would get on the board with a FG and Dallas advanced its lead to 14-3 on a Hall to Deebo Samuel pass for nine yards.
 
In the third quarter, the Eagles registered a field goal and then scored a touchdown following a Hall interception.  Tannehill, in for Mullens, threw a pretty pass to Reed for a 19-yard score to bring Phill to 14-12.  Greg Mason would try for 2-points to tie the game.   However, Barmore sacked Tannehill to deny the Eagles.
 
Following a Philly lost fumble, Dallas extended the lead to 17-12 with a Zuerline field goal.
 
With 6-30 in the game, Philly needed a touchdown to take the lead.  A screen pass to Rashed White went for 28 yards.  Facing a fourth and seven on the Dallas 35, Greg's QB connected on a 10-yard pass to Drake London to keep the drive alive.  Then Greg called an end around that went for nine more yards.  
 
With 2:52 on the clock, and the Eagles on the Cowboy eight-yard line, the Eagles were called for a holding penalty and had to settle for a field goal.  But more bad luck struck Greg ... his kicker missed a 36-yard chip shot of a field goal.
 
 
Dallas would take over on its own 27.  The Cowboys went three and out.  The Eagles would take over on their own 24 with 2:15 on the clock and one timeout remaining.  
A 5-yard pass took the clock to the two-minute warning.  An 8-yard pass would give Philly a first down.  Then came an incompletion followed by an intentional grounding call.  Faced with a third and 20 situation, Greg threw a medium pass to London for 14 yards.  On fourth and sixth from its own 41, Mullens threw a slant to Reed that went for 10 yards to the Dallas 49.  Mullen spiked the ball.  The clock showed 1:01.
Mullens threw an incompletion but took the 5-yard encroachment penalty instead.  Mullens felt pressure from the Dallas pass rush and ran the ball for 3 yards.  On third and two, Philly connected on a short out pattern for four yards.  The clock stopped with the receiver getting out of bounds.  The ball was on the Dallas 37-yard line.   Then the dreaded QB checkdown pass play happened.  On a long pass, Mullen checked down to his running back for a two-yard gain.   Philly used their final timeout.  After two incomplete long passes, the game ended when the Philly Hail Mary also was incomplete.
 
Dallas wins 17-12.  
 
Philadelphia had four fumbles (three lost) and an interception (pick six) in the game. All of Dallas' points came off Philadelphia turnovers in its own territory.  Dallas would only accrue 109 yards total offense in the game and was 0-9 on third downs.
 
The quarterback tandem of Mullens and Tannehill went 36/53 for 302 yards in the game.  
 
Antonio Winfield shared MVP honors for Dallas with Edmunds by making 15 tackles in the Cowboy bend but don't break defense.
 
Dallas improves to 10-5 with the win and Philly falls to 5-10.

 
 New York (N) 0 Seattle 41                   34 10-20
Giants get shut out.  Dak Prescott throws four touchdown passes; three to T.J. Hockenson.
 
 

 Rushing Leaders
 Hubbard(SF)     23-126  1 TD
 Warren(NO)      9-103
 Knight(NYJ)     26-101  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Moore(LV)        5-174  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Smith,D(Den)     8-167  1 TD
 Hill,T(NE)       9-164  2 TD
 Ridley(Chi)     11-108
 Hockenson(Sea)   8- 92  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Minshew(NE)     40-27-361   3 TD
 Purdy(GB)       33-23-357   2 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    37-25-312   2 TD  2 Int
 Stafford(LV)    15-12-275   4 TD  1 Int
 Prescott(Sea)   32-24-256   4 TD
 Murray(Buf)     51-31-188   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Winfield(Dal)    15 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Moody(GB)      4-4 FG
 Bullock(Jax)   4-4 FG
 Carlson(Ari)   4-4 FG
 Butker(Den)    5-5 FG
 Dortch(Den)    5-126 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week


​

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IFL WEEK 15 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 15 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 14 RECAP

Miami's Jared Goff throws three touchdown passes as the Dolphins defeat Pittsburgh.

​Game Scores
Miami 31 Pittsburgh 10                      32 5-15 
Miami 8-5 travels to Pittsburgh 7-6 for a big game with playoff implications. Miami has been hot after losing to the undefeated Patriots in week 8 to put their record at 3-5 they have run off 5 straight wins meanwhile the Steelers after losing to division rival Ravens in week 10 that had them sitting at 4-6 have won 3 straight.
 
1st Quarter - No offense for either team in the first 6 drives of the game as Goff would be sacked twice in Miami's opening drives and the home team would go 3 and out as Devito would go 0-3 and the running game would gain 9 yards. Late in the quarter after a 18 yard punt return sets Miami up at their own 47 Goff connects on 3 passes Downs (13) Collins (19) and Olave (8) setting up a Harris plunge for the first score of the game. INJURIES :Miami LB Van Noy (for game) and Pittsburgh FB Beck (for game) and DB King (7 weeks) .Miami 7 Pittsburgh 0
 
2nd Quarter - Midway through the quarter the Dolphins get another drive going this one starter at their own 8 but took only 7 plays to extend the lead as Goff hit Gibbs out of the backfield for 24 to get them out of the shadow of their own end zone and finished the drive with a 19 yard TD pass to RB Harris . The Steeler's finally get a drive going thanks to a 15 yard roughing penalty on Peppers but after getting to the 40 for first time this game a holding penalty sets them back. facing a 4th and 10 from Miami's 43 with 1:34 left in the half coach Alberry decides to roll the dice but Devito does not repay the confidence as he zips an incomplete pass. Coach Cox and his team take advantage 6 plays later Goff to Collins from 16 yards out and the Dolphins are up 3 scores. But wait their is more the Steelers fumble the kickoff and Miami recovers with 20 seconds left and take over at the 23. Move it to the 7 but run out of time and settle for a 25 yard FG from Prater. Miami 24 Pittsburgh 0 at the Half. 
 
3rd Quarter - Pittsburgh gets the ball to start the 2nd half . a 41 yard return sets them up at the 45. a 12 play drive gets them to the 18 which included a 4th and inches sneak by Devito to keep the drive going at the 33. But they face a 4th and 6 so out trots Bass for the 36 yard FG and the home team is finally on the board. On Miami's opening drive of the half they make it down to the 37 facing a 4th and 1 decide to go for it and send Gibbs plunging into the line but the Steelers were ready and turn him away as they take over on downs. Pittsburgh can do nothing with the momentum and the quarter ends with no more scoring. INJURES: Miami CB Adorree' Jackson (3 weeks) DT Roy Lopez (1 week)  Pittsburgh CB Jaylen Watson (1 week)
Miami 24 Pittsburgh 3 
 
4th Quarter  - After a successful Steeler's challenge negates a first down on their own 25 its the Dolphins this time that decide to go for it on a 4th and inches once again the Pittsburgh's D holds and hands their offense the best field position of the game. A defensive PI moves the ball to the 11 then Devito to WR Rondale Moore for 8 yards makes it 2nd and 2 from the 3. Miami stuffs 2 run attempts for zero yards forcing the Steelers to go for it on 4th down and Devito bootlegs one into the end zone for the home teams first TD and a 2 score game with 14 minutes to go. Wilkins gets his 2nd sack of the game forcing a Miami punt but as was true most of the game Devito and the offense go 3 and out. Miami then ice's the game with a 2 play drive Goff completes passes of 21 then 40 for a TD to Olave that puts this game out of reach with 6 minutes to play. INJURIES: Miami Jabrill Peppers (1 week) Final Miami 31 Pittsburgh 10
 
Miami had 23 FD Pittsburgh had 10.  Goff goes 29-40 for 349 3TD's . Devito 15-25 for 96 yards and the home team had 11 penalties called against them compared to 5 for the Dolphins.
 
Miami 9-5 looks to further their win streak in NY to face the win less Jets 0-13-1 while the Steelers 7-7 stay home and hope to have a better showing  against division leading Jacksonville 8-6.
 
Dallas 26 Kansas City 6                     29 5-15 
In week 14 action Tuesday morning, the Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) hosted the Dallas Cowboys (8-5).  The game was a defensive struggle in the fist half as neither team could move the ball and each team punted the ball away three times.  At the half, the Chiefs (with Tony Cox subbing) led 6-3.
 
The Chiefs fell apart in the second half as their possessions went punt, punt, punt, punt, INT, INT and then a possession with time running out to end the game.  One of the interceptions was a pick six by ILB Tremaine Edmunds.  The Dallas defense held the Chiefs to 195 yards total offense in the contest.
 
Dallas entered the game with eight players injured.  They had six more get injured in the contest for at least the end of the game (four of them for the next game or more).  With QB Justin Herbert on the sidelines in civilian clothes, Tyler Huntley got the start for the Cowboys.  Herbert had a great game, completing 10 of 16 throws for 207 yards.  Dallas relied upon its running game to take the pressure off Huntley.  Dallas ran the ball 46 times and amassed 190 yards rushing.  Running backs Justice Hill and Alexander Mattison led the rushing attack with 62 and 61 yards, respectively.  Mattison also contributed a 57-yard pass as a checkdown receiver,
The win improves the Cowboys record to 9-5 while the loss drops KC to 8-6.
 
 Las Vegas 20 Philadelphia 16                43 5-15 
This one stung for Eagles fans as Philadelphia showed plenty of fight but couldn’t close out a winnable game, falling 20-16 to the Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. A slow start saw the Eagles trail 10-3 at halftime, with a fumble and lack of offensive rhythm allowing Las Vegas to control the early momentum. The defense, however, made key adjustments in the second half, and Ryan Tannehill provided a spark, connecting with Drake London on a 45-yard touchdown to give Philly a 13-10 lead in the third quarter. Chad Ryland added a field goal early in the fourth to extend the lead to 16-10, but missed opportunities loomed large.
Matthew Stafford led a methodical touchdown drive to put the Raiders back on top, and Ryland’s missed field goal late in the fourth sealed the Eagles' fate. London shined with 84 yards and a score, while the defense forced a key interception to keep things close. Despite the bright spots, turnovers, a lackluster running game, and early mistakes proved too costly. The loss drops the Eagles to 5-9 in a season filled with what-ifs, but the fight and potential shown by players like London and Reed provide hope for the future.
 
 New York (A) 6 Baltimore 28                 42 0-10 
Ravens reach (7-7) .500 for first time since Week 2 with a lot of help from the refs. Well, even without the refs it would have been a Ravens win, but the zebras made it kinda ridiculous. The Jets lost more yards to penalties (120 on 13 penalties) than they gained on offense (118). The refs thought they were getting paid by the flag and tossed nine against the Ravens for 80 yards.
 
In the end, Amon-Ra St. Brown (BAL) was named the game's MVP after catching 7-of-13 targets, including two TDs, for 80 yards. Stat-pack RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn rumbled for 97 yards on 28 carries. Gang Green TE Tyler Higbee gobbled up 51 of the Jets' 118 offensive yards.
 
Baltimore hopes to keep their playoff hopes alive next week when they close out their division schedule with a home match against Tennessee (4-9). The Jets will try to put a dent in Miami's playoff plans.
 
 Buffalo 31 Tennessee 30                     50 0-10 
The Titans led for the first 55 minutes of this game as they took advantage of 3 Buffalo turnovers and some timely penalties.  When the Bills kicked a field goal with 8 minutes left the score was reduced to 30-24 Titans.  A clock burning drive and maybe a field goal would clinch it for Tennessee.  However, on its first play after Buffalo's kickoff Trey Palmer caught a 1 one yard (!) short cross and fumbled thanks to a Jaire Alexander hit.  The Bills took over at the Titan 26.  The Tennessee defense was exhausted and the Bills worked it down to the 4 yard line where Travis Etienne run it in on a 4th and 2 gamble.  The extra point made it 31-30 Buffalo and that's how the game ended as Aiden O'Connell had a dead arm and both Keenan Allen and Brandon Aiyuk compared their casts on the sideline.  Somehow DKS chose Etienne as the game star despite him gaining only 60 yards on 22 touches in the game.
 
Buffalo plays Detroit next week while the Titans visit Baltimore.
 
 Tampa Bay 24 Carolina 9                     60 0-5  
Tampa leads the entire game but Carolina keeps it somewhat close until Mathis picks up a fumble by Wilson and takes it 25 yards into the endzone late in the fourth.
 
Carr threw two td's for Tampa, and Brown had 91 yards receiving and 2 td's.
 
No Carolina player did anything worth mentioning.
 
 Detroit 17 New Orleans 34                   70 Calm 
Saints jump out to a 31-3 lead and hold on for a win at home 34-17. Tua throws for 268 yards and 2TDs in the win. Josh Jacobs rushes for 120 yards and a TD for the Lions.     
   
 New England 44 Jacksonville 13              60 5-15  Rain
D.K. Metcalf was a one-man wrecking crew for the Jags, catching 12 passes for 201 yards against the Patriot secondary.  Unfortunately for the home team, the rest of the Jaguar offense accounted for just 93 additional yards.  For New England, Kareem Hunt rushed for 96 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Patriots on offense.  Lamar Jackson completed just 7 passes on the day, but 2 went for TDs to Mike Evans as New England wins this one 44-13.     
 
 Houston 20 Arizona 0                        71 Calm 
Arizona Fumbles, Penalties, Interceptions plus Injuries to starting RB, both starting WR and both starting CB.  Do I really need to say any more about the game?
 
 Chicago 7 San Francisco 13                  54 5-15
The Bears outgained the 49ers 362 to 235 but couldn't overcome 4 turnovers.  Singletary rushed for 113 yds for the 49ers.
 
 Indianapolis 3 Cincinnati 30                20 0-5
 The Colts headed East on I-74 to enter the Jungle.  Indy was missing one key piece in quarterback Joe Burrow though.  
 
After a scoreless first quarter, Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes and James Cook went in from a yard out as the Bengals took a 20-3 lead at the half.
 
Love would throw another touchdown pass in the third quarter.  Rookie tight end Michael Mayer's second of the game.  Fill-in kicker Matt Ammendola would add a field goal that finished the scoring 30-3.
 
The combination of Trevor Siemian and P.J. Walker would finish 20 of 37 for 117 yards and an interception.  Puka caught four passes for 46 yards.
 
Love enjoyed probably his best game since becoming the Bengals starting QB finishing 22 of 26 for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Stat pack running back Raheem Blackshear rushed for 93 yards on 27 carries.
 
Next week, the Colts host undefeated and defending IFL Champ New England while the Bengals travel to Atlanta to face the defending NFC Champs.
 
 Minnesota 17 Los Angeles (N) 37             53 Calm
Rams top the Vikings in Los Angeles. Rams were aided by several catastrophic injuries to the Vikings on offense and defense. IFL ROY candidate CJ Stroud still gave the Rams headaches for most of three quarters. A couple late ints though helped the Rams put the game out of reach.
 
 Seattle 31 Los Angeles (A) 10               71 Calm 
you got what you paid for, 13-0 versus 0-13.... Seattle 31-10.... 
 
LAC highlight: Wilson completes 3 consecutive passes covering 80 yards for the game's first score....
 
LAC starts the game with 10 players out injured and adds 3 more during the game.... the long season continues.... 
 
 Green Bay 0 Atlanta 29                      68 Calm
After 4 straight games on the road, Atlanta was finally home to take on the Green Bay Packers, both teams sitting at 11-2. The Packers are trying to hold on for the division title, while the Falcons are in a scrap for the division title with LA and N.O. 
 
Atlanta comes into this game with Cooper Kupp and Zack Ertz healthy together for the first time since week 4, but Green Bay is really banged up and dealing with usage problems, so QB Dobbs starts for GB and tries to lead them to a surprise victory. 
 
1st Quarter: 
On Atlanta's first possession the 4th play Hurts throws an INT to Stephens from GB who would return it over 50 yards to the ATL 2. However, Atlanta's defense proves strong, stuffing Dobbs on a bootleg and tackling two passes for 0 yards gained. On 4th and 2 the Packers go for it, and their pass is incomplete leading to no points. 
 
Atlanta would then mix in the run and pass and take in 98 yards on a 9minute drive to score a TD off a batted ball that Nelson Agholor caught in the endzone... Hurts went 6/6 on this drive. XP blocked. ATL 6, GB 0
 
2nd Quarter:
After a 3 and out, Atlanta would take the ball and on a 4th and 2 from mid field Mostert broke a 10 yard run and the drive capped off with a Gabe Davis TD from Hurts, XP missed! ATL 12, GB 0
 
GB would go 3 and out again punting away for Atlanta who would run the ball 10 times including a Hurts 32 yard scramble, before he punched it in from the goal line after a dropped snap. XP made, ATL 19 GB 0 
 
3rd Quarter: 
GB just couldn't get much going although their defense played a lot stronger in the 2nd half. Atlanta lost Ertz and Mostert in the second half... so much for Hurts having Kupp and Ertz back together for long. 
 
On 3rd and 2 at the end of the quarter, Hurts would hit "big time playmaker" Kadarious Toney for the TD to make it 26-0 ATL. 
 
4th Quarter: 
 
There was a lot of running going on this quarter... Hurts did hit TE Brown on a short slant which he took 26 yards to setup a FG with your final score being 29-0 in favor of ATL. 
 
GB played it safe with usage and injuries, so they just didn't have the horses to compete in this race with 3 first downs and 41 net yards on offense the whole game. While Atlanta trying to finally get healthy, they lost 5 players including Ertz again on his 2nd game back and Mostert for 2 weeks. 
 
Next week Atlanta 11-3 hosts Cincinnati (7-7) as they finish their tour of the AFC central, while GB is at division rival the Bears, a win here for GB would ensure claim of the division I believe. 
             
 New York (N) 9 Denver 37                    49 0-10
The Denver Broncos used a balanced offense and a stearn defense to take down the G-Men in Denver 37-9.  Denver held the Giants to 184 yards of offense and just 4 of 19 passing for 30 yards and 6 sacks.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 McCaffrey(Den)  21-132  2 TD
 Hall,B(LV)      22-131
 Jacobs(Det)     21-120  1 TD
 Foreman(LAR)    14-114  1 TD
 Singletary(SF)  24-113
 Evans(Sea)      22-107
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Metcalf(Jax)    12-201
 Lamb(LAR)       10-181  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Goff(Mia)       40-29-349   3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Prescott(Sea)   38-25-305   4 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    39-23-301   2 TD  1 Int
 Murray(Buf)     42-32-272   2 TD  3 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Holland(NYJ)     15 Tk
 Campbell,T(Ten)  2 Int 1 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Okereke(Ari)     18 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Zuerlein(Dal)  4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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IFL WEEK 14 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 14 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 13 RECAP

Tua throws four touchdown passes as the Saints cruise past Philly.

​Game Scores
 New Orleans 38 Philadelphia 3               34 5-15
Saints quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throws four touchdown passes as New Orleans receives little resistance from the Eagles.  A.J. Brown caught two of the touchdowns.  Boston Scott rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown as well.  Two turnovers and six penalties did not help the Philly cause.
   
 Green Bay 17 New England 38                 24 5-15 
Green Bay came to Foxboro looking to bounce back from their first loss of the 2024 season, and Bock Purdy came out firing on the opening drive.  A 30 yard completion to Demario Douglas was followed by a couple more short completions as the Packers were inside the NE 25.  On 2nd down from the 21, Tyrann Mathieu snagged a tipped pass near the goal line and returned it 70 yards to the GB 30.  Patriots took advantage of the short field a few plays later as Lamar Jackson connected with Tyreek Hill for a 10-yard TD.  7-0 Patriots
 
Purdy continued firing away with the wind at his back, connecting for 22 and 27 yards to Douglas and Elijah Moore, and GB was back in NE territory.  Josh Oliver would catch a short TD pass from Purdy a couple plays later to tie the game at 7-7.  
 
New England would score touchdowns on their next four possessions however, jumping out to a 35-7 halftime lead.  Green Bay would add a 4th quarter TD but NE would win this one going away 38-17.
 
Lamar Jackson would complete 16 of his 25 pass attempts, with 5 first half TDs.  Mike Evans caught 8 balls for 124 yards and 2TDs to lead the NE offense.
 
Brock Purdy threw for 172 and a couple TDs, while Damien Williams rushed for 67 yards on 17 carries to lead the ground attack for the Packers.
 
NE travels to Jacksonville next week while GB visits Atlanta.
 
 Miami 31 Tampa Bay 0                        83 0-10 
The Bucs were unable to move the ball, managing only 77 yards of offense. The Dolphins QB Jared Goff picked a good week to throw 2 INTs. Individually for the Fins, Najee Harris ran for 120 and Nico Collins caught 114.
 
Next week 3 win Tampa is at 0 win Carolina. Tickets are pretty easy to purchase. In a game with Wild Card implications, Miami travels to Pittsburgh, where it could be mighty cold for fish. 
 
 Tennessee 16 Las Vegas 28                   57 Calm
 Vegas Beats Titans, But Sloppy Play and Penalties Cast a Shadow on Defense-Heavy Win

Las Vegas managed a 28-16 win against Tennessee last night at Allegiant Stadium, but despite their two-touchdown margin, the game was a frustrating one to watch for Raiders fans who’d expected a more decisive show from their 9-4 team against a depleted 4-9 Titans roster. The Raiders’ defense delivered, holding the Titans to 226 yards and repeatedly stalling Tennessee's offense. Yet the self-inflicted wounds on offense—driven by penalties, fumbles, and an inconsistent run game—left the defense shouldering the game while the Raiders’ offensive rhythm faltered.

Matt Stafford led the way with four touchdowns, but Vegas’s offense nearly sabotaged its own success with two turnovers and an array of penalties, tallying up to 57 yards. The Raiders were sloppy out of the gate, punting on multiple drives and giving the Titans short-field opportunities, which only Grupe’s field goals kept respectable. Vegas was hampered by injuries throughout, losing key players including Davante Adams for two weeks in the fourth quarter and relying on backups to secure crucial downs. 

As the Raiders eye a playoff run, this narrow win over a Titans team that has suffered even worse injuries than the Raiders has exposed a few worrisome habits. Unless the offensive line tightens up and key players recover, relying on defensive grit alone won’t cut it down the stretch.
 
 Baltimore 20 Los Angeles (A) 3              71 Calm 
LA's woes continue; although they avoid being shutout this season and put in their 3rd best defensive effort.
 
 Cincinnati 6 Denver 16                      35 Calm 
This game was a defensive battle as neither team could muster much offense with Denver pulling out a 16-6 victory.  Denver QB Geno Smith was just 11 of 31 for 117 yards and a pick but McCaffrey would rush for 187 yards on 30 carries and the Denver team would hit 209 yards on the ground.  Cincy QB Jordan Love was 22 of 33 for 226 yards was was picked off once (late in the game) but the Bengal rushing game never got going as they gained 41 yards on 22 carries.
 
 San Francisco 9 Dallas 16                   70 Calm                
In a defensive struggle, Dallas prevailed over San Francisco 16-9.
 
After Dallas took the opening possession 75 yards for a touchdown, Dallas' QB, Justin Herbert, left the game with a serious injury.  Dallas would struggle to absorb that loss and had five other players leave the game with injuries and not return.
 
Down 16-9, SF was driving down the field before wide receiver Dontayvian Wicks lost the handle on the ball after an 8-yard pass and Dallas recovered the ball.
 
Deebo Samuel had nine receptions for 84 yards and a TD reception from Herbert and Huntley.  SF's Mac Jones put the ball in the air 47 times, competing 30 of them for 228 yards and a score.  SF was unable to score a TD in its three trips to the red zone.  Diggs and Engram each caught nine passes.
 
 Pittsburgh 16 Houston 13                    70 Calm
Texans fans at NRG Stadium witnessed one of those games that come along every once in a while. For the Steelers starter Tommy Devito was sacked 9 times and throw 2 INT and the Pittsburgh lost 2 fumble and had 6 players leave the game due to injury and was called for 11 penalties.. For Houston their starting QB Tanner McGee (who) had a 96 QB rating however they had they share of problems also 2 lost fumbles 3 players left the game with injuries and they had 9 penalties called against them and gave up 2 sacks.
 
1st Quarter - The Steelers win the toss and defer Houston drives down the field big 21 yard reception for McLauren but a holding penalty stymies the drive and they settle for a 55 yard Sanders FG. Pittsburgh moves the ball into enemy territory however on a 3rd and 1 Edwards fumbles and the home team recovers. 5 plays later Mixon breaks lose for a 24 yard TD run. The Steelers lost 3 players to injury this quarter for the game as Noah Brown who was making his first start for the injured Jefferson goes off an a stretcher LB Davis and FB Beck where also lost. Houston 10-Pittsburgh 0
 
2nd Quarter -  After a Houston punt Devito once again moves the Steelers into Texans territory this time its Devito who throws a pick to Warner. Houston could do nothing with the turnover as a holding penalty set them back. The Steelers take over with 9 minutes to go in the half and methodically get a drive going they make it to the 48 but Devito takes a sack on a 1st and 10. but two strikes one to Addison for 11 then Rondale Moore for 16 and the visitors are in business at the 29. after a Houston offside 1st and 10 from the 24. Thibodeaux gets back to back sacks to force a 55 yard FG attempt for Bass with just over a minute left in the half and he nails it.
Houston lost DL Adams and Safety Taylor Rapp in the 2nd.  Houston 10 Pittsburgh 3 at the half.
 
3rd Quarter-Pittsburgh first drive of the half they reach the Texans 30 yard line however back to back penalties a hold and a false start knock them back to the 45. On a 3rd and 21 from the 41 another holding call knocks them out of FG range. Pittsburgh LB Sanborn gets a strip sack that produces the Steelers 1st turnover of the night and halted a good Texans drive which had made it down to the 29. Here is what the Steelers did with the opportunity Sack-False Start- INT. Texans get to start at the Steelers 33 one First Down and Houston has to settle for another FG Sanders from 36 is good. Pittsburgh losses CB Stevenson and TE Knox in the 3rd while the Texans lose LB David. Houston 13 Pittsburgh 3
 
4th Quarter - Divito hits little used TE Mundt on a short pass but he breaks a tackle and gets a 29 yard gain to jump start the drive. Facing a 3rd and 4 from the 24 Devito is sacked and Bass comes out and makes a 47 yard fg. Houston is forced to punt on their next drive after losing their PR earlier in the 4th Desmond King comes into fill in and he has a huge 49 yard return on a 51 yard punt the Steelers are in great shape set up inside the 30 with 7 to play. But wait there is a hanky on the ground offsides negates the return. Well at least we still get the ball nope King muffs it Houston recovers at the 24. Two plays later the home crowd is stunned as Sean Tucker fumbles and the Steelers pounce on it giving them some hope. Devito cannot get anything going as Houston forces a 3 and out as Pittsburgh faced a 4th and 2 from there own 28 with 4:47 to go but with all thier timeouts and the way this game had gone coach Alberry(Sr) figured his defense had a better chance to cause a turnover then the offense had a chance to make 2 yards.No turnover but they do force a punt and only had to use 1 timeout. they start at the 34 with 2:28 and needed Devito to produce a comeback (where is Brady when you need him) facing a 3rd and 2 Devito legs get 7 yards. A Screen to Williams gets 11 yards and they are at the 40 with 1:08 remaining. Then a Reverse to little used as a WR Velus Jones gets the Steelers a big 28 yard gain. Then a Pass Interference call on the next play against the home team and suddenly with 44 seconds left they are at the 3. Javonte Williams slugs it in and the Steelers have tied the game. We head to OT Houston 13 Pittsburgh 13
 
OT - Pittsburgh wins the toss but goes 3 and out as Devito is sacked again. Houston gets a first down but a holding call then a false start leads to the 2nd punt of OT. The Steelers get a first down on the ground then a 16 yard completion to Addison gets them to midfield with 2:16 to go. On a 2nd and 4 from the 44 Allgeier catches a 3 yard pass but the refs throw a flag for a face mask and the Steelers are now at the 26.A holding call pushes them back to the 36 on the next play. Allgeier gets back the 10 yards and then Devito bootlegs 6 yards setting up a 39 yard game winning attempt for bass with 36 seconds to go and he makes it and the Steelers escape with a road win in a wild one. 
       
 Chicago 29 Buffalo 26                       16 20-30
The Bears come to Buffalo and find themselves down 26-14 with 7:52 left. Mason Rudolph who replaced Sam Howell , Rudolph marches the Bears down the field on a 13 play 73 yard drive capped off by a Rudolph to Rice 14 yard connection to make it 26-21 with 3:18 left. The Bears defense force a Zetner punt which lands dead at the 7 with 1:21 left and 93 yards to go for the win. Facing a 3rd and 18 from the Buffalo 40 Rudolph hit Ridley for the game winning TD as the Bears add the 2-pt. conversion. Final 29-26 Bears. The Bears improve to 8-5 while the Bills slide to 4-8-1.Chicago visits the 49'ers next week while the Bills visit Tennessee.
 
 Indianapolis 14 Detroit 7                   70 Calm   
A pick six by Rasul Douglas is the difference in this one.  It was a costly win for the Colts as quarterback Joe Burrow looks to be out for the remainder of the IFL season.
            
 Minnesota 23 New York (A) 10                34 0-10  Heavy Rain
  In a game that set football at least fifty years, the Minnesota Vikings get past the winless New York Jets 23-10. The game was much closer than the score would indicate. The Jets couldn't move the ball, and the Vikings were almost equally inept. The Vikings move to 8-5 but will face the powerhouse Rams team next week, where the Vikings will be a bigger underdog than George Custer and Little Bighorn. 
 
 Jacksonville 31 Kansas City 7               33 0-10 
The Jags lose Amari Cooper mid way through the second quarter but still hold on to defeat the KC Chiefs, 31-7. Cooper was dominant early with 5 catches for 146 and 1 td but after that it was a slog for both teams. The Jags defense was dominant as they sacked Justin Fields 7 times and knocked him out of commision for 3 weeks.

Jonathan Cooper had a decent game for the Jags with 3 sacks and 1 FF. Josh Metellus was a force for KC with 12 tackles.

Next week the Jags get slaughtered by New England while the Chiefs try to regroup in a critical game against Dallas.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 38 Arizona 17               75 Calm 
Both teams rush for close to 150 yards each, but turnovers and a lack of offensive weapons doomed the Cardinals even though they were at home.  
​
 Carolina 17 New York (N) 9                  39 5-15
  Carolina wins 17-9. Both teams look forward to the offseason.
 
 Atlanta 12 Seattle 27                       39 5-15 
Seattle hits some big plays and then relies on its defense and run game to stay undefeated.   Atlanta fought hard to keep it close and had Seattle backed up with a 3 and 10 from their own 27 when Prescott hit Pittman for a 73 yard TD to extend the lead to 15 with 9:25 left in the 4th quarter.  With the way Seattle’s defense was playing two scores in 9 minutes left was just too big of a hill to climb. 
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 McCaffrey(Den)  30-187  1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Jones,A(Sea)    23-153
 Etienne(Buf)    21-127  1 TD
 Harris(Mia)     21-120  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Rice(Chi)       10-133  1 TD
 Sims(Min)       10- 43
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mayfield(Bal)   36-27-308   1 TD
 Stafford(LV)    35-23-278   4 TD  1 Int
 Jackson(NE)     25-16-240   5 TD
 Jones,M(SF)     47-30-228
 Tagovailoa(NO)  20-16-209   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Allen(Bal)       3 Sk 5 Tk
 Thibodeaux(Hou)  3 Sk 4 Tk
 Walker,Q(NYJ)    1 Sk 15 Tk
 Cooper(Jax)      3 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Elliott(Buf)   4-4 FG
 Jones,C(Sea)   5-104 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​
​

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IFL WEEK 13 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 13 LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 12 RECAP

Colts rookie WR Puka Nacua explodes for 201 yards and 3 TDs as Indy defeats Buffalo.

Game Scores
Buffalo 26 Indianapolis 34                  69 Calm
The Indianapolis Colts has their best offense day since Charles Evans took over the club in 2021.
The Colts get their 5th win of the season, also the best since Evans took over in a 34-26 win over the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills never gave up but penalties and turnovers in the second half doomed their chance to catch up.
Colts quarterback Joe Burrow had his best day as a IFL pro going 21-30 for 312 yards, 4tD's and no interceptions.
IFL rookie receiver Puka Nacua has his best day as a pro so far catching six passes for 201 yards and three touchdown catches, including two passes of 60+ yards.

After going 0-16 in 2021 the Colts seem to be making progress. Now they are clearly combative against losing clubs winning games consistently, but still have acute problems vs winning clubs.
                 
Philadelphia 0 Dallas 24                    70 Calm
  Edna Buchanon once said, "If not for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all."   Philadelphia Eagles coach Greg Mason experienced that level of frustration when his squad faced the Dallas Cowboys Tuesday night.
 
Here's how the first half went:
 
With its first possession, the Eagles had consecutive passes of 14 and 15 yards called back due to holding penalties.  They would have to punt.
 
Second possession:  the Eagles were called for two more holding penalties.  Only one was accepted because the second occurred on third down when Nick Mullens threw an incomplete pass.  The Eagles would have to punt.  The Eagles' defense held Savannah, forcing a punt on fourth and two.  But wait - a defensive lineman was offsides.
 
Third possession:  On the first play, Philly was called for (you guessed it) holding.  Later in the drive, Philly's QB Mullens was called for intentional grounding.  The Eagles would have to punt.
 
Fourth possession:  Dallas' Haason Reddick recorded his second sack of the game (8th of the season).  The Eagles would have to punt.
 
Fifth possession:  Philly wide receiver Xavier Gipson dropped a pass. The Tremaine Edmunds intercepted a pass.
 
Sixth possession:  Jayden Reed dropped a pass and Dallas registered another sack, this one by Kenny Clark.
 
How's that for an utterly miserable first half!!!
 
Meanwhile, Dallas' Justin Herbert three touchdown passes, staking the Cowboys to a commanding 24-0 lead at the half.
 
I won't go into specifics.  I will reveal this, though:  Greg's kicker missed field goals of 43 and 26 yards in the second half.  The last was as time expired with Greg just trying to avoid a shutout.
 
Dallas mostly ran the ball the second half in the 24-0 Cowboy win.
             
 Denver 33 Kansas City 10                    23 15-25
With the division lead riding on the game the Denver Broncos came into Arrowhead and dominated the Chiefs by a score of 33-10.
 
Denver would jump out to a 30-0 lead late in the 1st half and then just coasted in the 2nd half. 
 
Denver would force 3 Justin Fields turnovers and get 129 rushing yards and 2 TD's from McCaffrey in the victory. 
 
 Tampa Bay 10 Minnesota 22                   68 Calm 
The Vikings returned to winning ways with a closely contested victory over the pesky Bucs. Both teams moved the ball well between the 30s but stalled once they neared the red zone. Both teams sustained several injuries that hampered their game plans. 
           
 Detroit 7 Miami 34                          76 0-5  
Miami scores the first 10 points of the game but the Lions get a TD to close the gap to 10-7, but that would be the end of the Lions scoring on the evening. The Lions commit 2 costly turnovers, one a pick 6, add a punt return for a TD and the breaks were all against the Lions. The Dolphins got a last second TD which should have been a kneel down.
 
Next week the Lions are at home against the Colts and the Dolphins travel to a always tough Bucs team.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 17 Houston 31               70 Calm 
LA achieves their season high in points scored; but still falls short to Houston 31-17.  
​            
 Arizona 24 Las Vegas 34                     57 0-10 
The Las Vegas Raiders capitalized on a challenging night for the Arizona Cardinals, who struggled under the weight of injuries and penalties in their 34-24 loss at Allegiant Stadium. Arizona opened strong with a 49-yard field goal, but from there, they faced an uphill battle marred by setbacks.
The Cardinals suffered a critical blow when linebacker Ford exited in the third quarter with a seven-week injury, weakening an already taxed defensive unit. Ojulari and Barkley were later sidelined as well, and Barkley, Arizona’s rushing leader, will miss two weeks. These absences hampered Arizona's defensive consistency and rushing attack. Meanwhile, penalties proved costly, as Arizona incurred nine infractions for 68 yards, disrupting offensive rhythm and extending several Raiders drives.
Raiders quarterback Matthew Stafford took full advantage, connecting for 360 passing yards and a touchdown, while Hall anchored the run game with two rushing touchdowns. Arizona quarterback Patrick Mahomes led a late charge, but it was too little, too late, as the Cardinals’ losses on both the scoreboard and injury report cast a shadow on the night.
Big thanks to Jim for being flexible in scheduling and for continuing to push despite what Action threw at him this week. He didn't have a drive that wasn't marred by penalty or injury.
 
 New York (A) 3 New England 34               33 5-15 
It's been a tough year for the Jets, and a trip to New England wasn't likely to make things any better.  The visitors kept it close in the first quarter trailing only 3-0, but NE warmed up in the 2nd quarter as Lamar Jackson threw TD passes to Tutu Atwell and Austin Hooper while penalties, turnovers and injuries plagued the NY squad all day.  Patriots pull away and take this one 34-3.  
 
 Seattle 27 New York (N) 3                   30 0-10 
The Giants lose to Seattle 27-3. Seattle goes to 12-0 and New York falls to 1-11.
 
 Pittsburgh 17 Tennessee 3                   60 0-10
 Pittsburgh scored on their opening drive via a 46 yard bomb from Jake Browning to Noah Brown.  It turns out that was all the scoring they would need in this defensive struggle.  Brandon Aiyuk was injured after 7 minutes of play and the Titans' offense ground to a halt.  Pittsburgh added another TD and field goal in the 4th quarter and the final score was Pittsburgh 17-3.  Next week Pittsburgh (6-6) looks to have a winable game versus Houston while the 4-8 Titans without Aiyuk are in tough against Las Vegas.
 Cincinnati 21 Baltimore 19                  41 Calm
  The way this game started; you'd think it was being played in the middle of the 2010 Snowmageddon. Instead, it was 41 with no wind when Cincinnati received the opening kick. Regardless of the weather, the Bengals ran for 0, drew a 10-yard penalty, threw incomplete and ran for 6 before punting. Baltimore threw three straight incompletions and punted. Cincinnati threw incomplete, ran for three then fumbled the snap for -4. The Ravens gained a little traction and traversed 33 yards to the Bengal 16 before the drive stalled. Brandon Aubrey's 34-yard FG gave Baltimore the lead. BAL 3-0.
 
A 10-yard pen started the Bengals next drive. Three plays later they would punt and Marvin Mims Jr would return it 28 yards to the Bengals 43. On the seventh play of the drive Baker Mayfield would run it in from 5 yards out. BAL 10-0.
 
The Bengals found their stride with consecutive 30+ yard plays, but a(nother) 10-yard pen set them back and they had to settle for a 29-yard Ka-imi Fairbairn FG on the first play of the 2nd quarter. BAL 10-3.
 
On the first play of the Ravens next drive, Mayfield would fumble with Cincinnati recovering on the Ravens' 18. Jordan Love hit Dionte Johnson for seven. That quickly, the game was tied. 10-10.
 
After an exchange of punts, the second of which pinned the Ravens at their own 8, a holding penalty called on Mason Cole in the end zone resulted in a safety and 2 points for Cincinnati. CIN 12-10. As things turned out, that would be the difference maker.
 
Cincinnati returned the punt-off for 35 yards and quickly moved in for a 47-yard Fairbairn FG. CIN 15-10.
 
The teams exchanged punts as the clock drew down towards half-time. Trying one last play to get into FG range, Mayfield was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey. With just 4 clicks on the clock, Fairbairn knocked through another FG. CIN 18-10.
 
Baltimore got a 32-yard Aubrey FG to cut the deficit on their first possession of the second half. CIN 18-13.
 
The rest of the 3rd quarter was unremarkable. Another Aubrey FG started 4th. CIN 18-16.
 
A Love INT allowed Baltimore to regain the lead with another Aubrey FG with 8:19 remaining. BAL 19-18.
 
Three punts later, Cincinnati took over at their own 31 with 2:08 remaining. Aided by a 10-yard tripping penalty the Bengals moved downfield to the Raven 25 where Fairbairn would boot the go-ahead FG. CIN 21-19.
 
Eight FGs, four by each team, two TDs, one by each team and the difference-maker...a safety.
 
Cincinnati evens it's record at 6-6 as they take on 9-3 Denver next week. Baltimore drops to 5-7 as they travel to sunny SoCal next week to try and keep the Chargers winless.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 34 New Orleans 28           70 Calm
The Rams win a big divisional game on the road. In a pretty much even game, the huge difference is a breakout run by Achane from 32 yards out with 18 seconds left in the half and another break out from 81 yards out on the first play of the second half. That made it 27-7.
Saints wouldn’t give up and come within 1 score. Achane would finish the day with 168 yards rushing and 3TDs on the day. Tua would have a big day for the Saints throwing for 264 yards and 4 TDs on the day, but it just wasn’t enough. The Saints drop their 3rd straight and drop to 8-4 and will play Philly (5-6) on the road next week and the Rams move to 10-2 and travel to Arizona (6-5).
              
 Chicago 17 Green Bay 12                     32 0-10
 Bears come into Green Bay and hand the Packers
their first loss, 17-12 the final
 
Chicago's Mason Rudolph is named MVP as he shredded the Green Bay defense for
275 yards and 2 TD's, 136.4 rating
 
Bears defense was too much for Green Bay as coach Nordberg was masterful in 
limiting any big plays by Brock Purdy
 
 Atlanta 41 Jacksonville 7                   64 0-10
 The Falcons come in to Jacksonville and lay a pounding on the floundering Jags.
 
 Carolina 7 San Francisco 31                 62 20-30
The 49ers defense forced 3 turnovers, held the Panthers offense to 180 yds, while rushing for over 200 yds to get past the Panthers 31 to 7.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Achane(LAR)     14-168  3 TD
 Singletary(SF)  26-146
 Mixon(Hou)      15-132  1 TD
 McCaffrey(Den)  23-129  2 TD
 Conner(NO)      14-105
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Nacua(Ind)       6-201  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Higgins(Sea)     7-122  3 TD
 Mingo(Buf)      10- 98
 LaPorta(Buf)    10- 64  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Murray(Buf)     74-51-374   1 TD  3 Int
 Stafford(LV)    37-26-360   1 TD
 Burrow(Ind)     30-21-312   4 TD
 Tagovailoa(NO)  35-24-264   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Singleton(TB)    16 Tk
 Walker(Sea)      3 Sk 8 Tk
 Smith,R(Buf)     17 Tk
 Williams,Q(Ind)  2 Int 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Bland(Atl)       2 Int 4 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Butker(Den)    4-4 FG
 Dicker(Min)    5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Fairbairn(Cin) 4-4 FG
 Aubrey(Bal)    4-4 FG
 Mims Jr.(Bal)  2-23 Kick Ret 5-106 Punt Ret

​

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IFL WEEK 12 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 12 LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 11 RECAP

The Seahawks remain undefeated with a hard-fought road win in New Orleans.

​Game Scores
 Seattle 33 New Orleans 24                   70 Calm
The Seahawks would come to New Orleans and remain undefeated with a 33-24 win over the Saints. The key to the game was the 4 turnovers committed by the Saints and the lack of success of completing passes to AJ Brown. Only 2 catches out of 7 official attempts on high % completions but there was probably 10 more attempts that resulted in sacks or checkdowns. Great job by the Seattle D on that. Dak Prescott and Aaron Jones led the charge for the Seahawks with Prescott  completing 20 of 25 for 209 yards and 2 TDs. Jones would rush for 104 yards. Tua would throw for 316 yards but throw 3 costly interceptions to add to his league leading 14 picks. The undefeated Seahawks visit the 1-9 Giants and the Saints host division rival 8-2 Rams. 
 
 Los Angeles (A) 7 Cincinnati 20             48 10-20 Heavy Rain
Conditions were not the best for this IFL contest with a heavy rain and the temperature below 50.  The Jungle was more like the Amazon rainforest.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, the Bengals got on the board with Jordan Love connecting with Kylen Granson from seven yards out on their first series of the second quarter.  Cincinnati would take a 10-0 lead into the locker room at the half after a Matt Ammendola 27 yard field goal.
 
After forcing a Bengals punt on their first possession of the third quarter, the Chargers put a shock into the Cincinnati fans as Garrett Wilson went 56 yards with a screen pass to cut the Bengals lead to 10-7.
 
The Bengals answered with a 17 play 75 yard drive capped off by a James Cook over the top jump from a yard out increasing the Cincinnati lead to 17-7 with about six and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
The Bengals would add another field goal early in the final quarter for the 20-7 final.
 
Zach Wilson finished 14 for 30 for 188 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers.  Garrett Wilson had four catches for 84 yards and the score.
 
Jordan Love went 22 of 39 for 212 yards and a touchdown.  Rookie tight end Michael Mayer caught three passes for 51 yards.  Defensively the Bengals collected three sacks.
 
Next week the Chargers head to Houston for an AFC West battle while the Bengals travel to Baltimore for a key AFC Central match-up with both teams wild card hopes still alive.
 
 Dallas 35 Carolina 15                       62 0-10
 Carolina continues their losing ways with a home loss against Dallas. 
 
Carolina's defense was absolutely impotent allowing Dallas to average 5.4 yards a carry behind a patchwork line, and Herbert throwing for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.
 
The only bright spot for Carolina was Cooks catching 6 passes for 108 yards and the refs penalizing the Cowboys for 70 yards.
 
 Minnesota 27 Miami 34                       72 0-5   Light Rain
Miami dominates the statistics but fails to pull away from a feisty Viking team that was in it until the end. The Dolphins get into the wild card race with the win to go 6-5 and the Vikings drop to 6-5 with the loss. Next week the Vikings are at home to face the TB Bucs and the Dolphins are at home to play the Lions.
    
 Las Vegas 35 Jacksonville 21                84 10-20
The Raiders come to Jacksonville and down the Jags 35-21. The Jags led at the half 21-14 but completely fell apart in the second half and were unable to answer the Raiders 21 second half points. The Raiders had too many weapons in this one as their offense was unstoppable in the second half. DJ Moore led the raiders with 7 catches for 163 and 1 TD while Stafford was dominant going 21 of 32 for 349 yards and 3TDs.

DK Metcalf played well with 13 catches for 220 yards and 2 TDs.

The refs were terrible, flagging the Jags 7 times for 60 yards and the Raiders 1 time for 0 yards.

The Jags look to continue their downward slide as they face Atlanta at home while the Raiders host Arizona.
 
 Tampa Bay 17 Buffalo 27                     28 10-20
The Bucs come into Buffalo now facing the Bills with Kyler Murray returning from injury and Kyler was the difference as he passed for 203 yards on 31-40 and 2 TD passes for a 104.5 rating and also running for 56 on 8 runs. Derek Carr struggled with limited options to go to and the Bills defense held the Bucs to 241 yards to lead the Bills to a 27-17 victory. The Bucs fall to 3-8 while the Bills improve to 4-6-1. Tampa Bay heads to Minnesota next week with Buffalo headed to Indy.
 
 Tennessee 14 Denver 34                      48 0-10   
 Tennessee comes to Denver for a week 11 game and the Broncos win the game 34-14.  Denver QB Geno Smith throws for 322 yards and 2 TD's and the Denver defense holds the Titans to just 195 yards of offense.
           
 Kansas City 16 Pittsburgh 23                48 0-10 
The division leading 8-2 Chiefs come to Steeler country to take on the 4-6 Steelers. We thank coach Merlenbach for subbing for the visitors.
 
1st Quarter - This game started off with some fireworks. The Steelers get the ball first two runs equaling 35 yards then a long out to Jefferson for 21 gets them down to the 19 in a flash. Facing a 2nd and goal from the 12 Devito gets it to his man Jefferson for the first score of the game pat is good. KC marches right back down the field but took a little longer as they had to overcome a holding penalty. Lock to Bourne 24 yards was the big play on the 10 play drive as Montgomery runs it in from 8 yards out and we are tied. First play for the Steelers gets the towels a swirling Devito to Jefferson for a 64 yard quick strike TD back up 7. Two plays into KC drive they lose a fumble and the home team is in business at the 35. No magic in this drive they get it to the 15 but settle for a Bass 33 yard FG. Pittsburgh 17 KC 7 
 
2nd Quarter - On a drive that carried over from the 1st the Chiefs get down to the 15 but Lock is picked by Hamilton to end the threat. After a couple of punts the Steelers get a drive going big play was Rondale Moore's 24 yard scamper setting up a Bass 46 yard FG. KC goes into a 2 minute drive that reaches their 42 but now with Andy Daulton at QB the result was the same as he is picked off at midfield by LB Jamin Davis. Now its the Steelers at the 42 yard line of KC with a chance to score before the half with 1:15 left . Devito takes a sack but then hits Moore for a 10 yard completion after an incompletion face a 4th and 4 with 17 seconds left. They convert on a screen to RB Williams. Bass hits another 46 yard FG . At the Half Pittsburgh 23 KC 7
 
3rd Quarter. On KC opening drive they move it down to the 28 but face a 4th and 2 Coach Merlenbach goes for it Fields is stuffed on a running play as the Steelers D makes a big play. After a Steelers punt . KC gets a big play from Fields to Reynold for 39 after they had to start on their own 14 add a Fields 25 yard run then Montgomery runs it in from 8 yards out as the game tightens. To really turn the momentum in favor of the visitors a turnover was needed and they got it on the 1st play on the steelers next drive. Devito is picked by S Xavier Woods and its 1st and 10 from the 15 a great chance to make this a one score game. But they face another 4th and 2 from the 8. Looking to capitalize on the momentum they go for it but Fields pass falls harmlessly to the ground and Pittsburgh’s D once again makes a stand. Nearing the end of the quarter the Steelers get a great play and devastating play all in one play. RB Gus Edwards gets a 47 yard run to get the Steelers off their own 8 yard line (where they spent much of the quarter) after all the cheering they noticed someone down with an injury Jefferson is down on the ground grabbing at his knee and is out for the game and done for the rest of the regular season we found out later as the crowd grow silent. Pittsburgh 23-KC 13
 
4th Quarter - The teams traded punts to open the quarter. KC does manage to put together a drive that ends with a Woo 44 yard FG to cut the lead to a one score game with just under 5 minutes to play. Devito completes 2 pass to get a 1st down as with no Jefferson KC rightly so was expecting the run. However, that was it the drive stalls at mid field. With 2:41 left and 1 Timeout remaining the Chiefs drive starts on their own 6 yard line and Fields throw 2 incompletions. Facing a 4th and 6 from the 10 Fields hits Reynolds to keep the drive alive at the 2 minute warning. RB Jerick McKinnon then hauls in a 20 yard pass a couple of plays later its 3rd and 2 with 0.40 to go from their 49. DE Jonah Williams sacks Fields for a 12 yard loss. Facing a 4th and 14 with 32 seconds left they bring in the Red Rifle Daulton to try to keep the drive alive but S Justin Reid comes up with the Steelers 3rd INT of the game to seal the win. Final Pittsburgh 23 KC 17
 
Justin Jefferson is still named game MVP with 5 catches for 124 yards and 2 TD 
 
KC 8-3 gets a home date with division co-leader Denver 8-3 KC won a 1 point game earlier this year in Denver. Pittsburgh 5-6 head on the road to face division rival Tennessee 4-7 who came into Pittsburgh in week 5 and won by 24 in a blowout .
 
 Green Bay 28 Indianapolis 0                 69 Calm
Packers come out flying and get a win on the road.
 
Indy offense started slow and dug too big of a hole early
 
Second half saw a lot of second teamers.
             
 Houston 20 Baltimore 23                     51 0-10 
Baltimore does just enough to defeat a tough Texans squad, 23-20, and run their win-streak to three.
 
In typical Raven fashion (giving up long drives), the Black-and-Purple gave up a 10-play, 75-yard drive to start the game. Houston's Joe Mixon punched it in from a yard out. HOU 7-0.
 
Baltimore responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive immediately subsequent to Houston's drive, showing they can do it too. The first of Baker Mayfield's two TD passes found Amon-Ra St. Brown in the end zone for a 7-yard score. 7-7 tie.
 
On the subsequent possession Houston moved into Raven territory, but QB Tanner McKee was intercepted by Andre Cisco, who returned it to the Texan 44. On the Ravens' first play, Mayfield hit St. Brown on a short out and Amon-Ra turned it into scoring play with a 44-yard romp down the sideline. BAL 14-7.
 
The second quarter saw the teams exchange punts and interceptions, the second of which allowed the Ravens' Brandon Aubrey to kick a 56-yard FG just before the two-minute warning. BAL 17-7.
 
The Ravens received the 2nd-half kick...and Mayfield promptly threw an INT...which led to a Texan FG from 26-yards out by Jason Sanders. BAL 17-10.
 
Baltimore tallied FGs on their next two possessions (38- and 39-yards) to push their lead to a two-score game. BAL 23-10.
 
Houston cut into that lead with a 40-yard Sanders FG early in the 4th quarter. BAL 23-13.
 
The Texans would force a Raven 3-and-out and march downfield to the Raven 10, where McKee would hit Parker Washington for a TD with just over 5 minutes left in the game. BAL 23-20.
 
Baltimore would run 2 1/2 minutes off the clock, but couldn't gain a game-sealing first-down. Ethan Evans' punt rolled into the endzone for a touchback and Houston would start their final drive on their own 20 with 2:16 remaining. Needing just FG to tie, and trying to catch the defense offsides, Joe Mixon was stuffed for a loss of one by Aaron Donald. On the first play inside the 2-min warning Josh Allen sacked McKee for an 11-yard loss. Facing 3rd-and-22, McKee hit Trey McBride for 7, but his 4th-and-15 pass fell incomplete. Ravens survive. BAL 23-20.
 
Amon-Ra St. Brown was named the game MVP with just 5 receptions, because 2 went for TDs. He totaled 104 yards. Mayfield could have been the MVP, but threw 2 INTs in a 19-for-31 game with 241 air yards.
 
Houston (now 3-8) looks to keep the Chargers winless as they travel to LA next week. Baltimore (now 5-6) looks to get a leg-up in the three-way AFC North race for second as they host division rival Bengals (also 5-6).
 
 Atlanta 22 Arizona 10                       79 Calm
 As the season wears on, injuries and fatigue begin to take their toll.  Atlanta visited Zona Sunday and it was a blood bath.  Both teams fielded receivers playing only on one leg.  However, the Atlanta CBs were healthy and dominate.  Meanwhile the Zone defensive backfield had been also hit by the injury bug.  It proved to be the difference.  Arizona put up a good fight but still ended up with a loss.
 
 New York (N) 9 Los Angeles (N) 31           62 Calm
Rams top a depleted Giants team in Los Angeles. Giants lost star WR Waddle and star RB Walker early in the game. That gave Giants QB Heineke few options on offense. They still managed to score on three drives.
 
 Philadelphia 14 San Francisco 37            62 5-15
The 49ers beat the Eagles 37 to 14.  The game engine was not kind to Greg's Eagles.
 
The 49ers outgained the Eagles by only 12 yards, but the Eagles had 4 turnovers that provided the 49ers short drives to score.
 
 Detroit 22 New York (A) 10                  63 5-15
 A battle of cellar dwellers with stat pack QBs...enough said.
 
Next week Detroit visits Miami looking to win 2 in a row, and the Jets visit New England looking for their first win of the season.
 
 New England 28 Chicago 23                   38 Calm
Close back & forth game. Bears took lead 23-21 with 1:43 left.  Then Lamar Jackson took the Patriots for a TD with :20 left.  NE remains undefeated.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Singletary(SF)  22-111  1 TD
 Jones,A(Sea)    19-104
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Metcalf(Jax)    13-220  2 TD
 Moore(LV)        7-163  1 TD
 Hill,T(NE)       9-154  2 TD
 Samuel(Dal)     11-116  2 TD
 Bowden Jr.(Ind) 11- 52
 
 Passing Leaders
 Goff(Mia)       49-35-425   4 TD  2 Int -IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Stafford(LV)    32-21-349   3 TD  1 Int
 Allen,J(Jax)    41-30-330   3 TD  2 Int
 Smith,G(Den)    44-28-322   2 TD
 Tagovailoa(NO)  39-28-316   1 TD  3 Int
 Herbert(Dal)    31-25-300   4 TD  1 Int
 Murray(Buf)     40-31-203   2 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Brisker(Min)     19 Tk
 Mack(LAR)        3 Sk 4 Tk
 Luvu(Det)        3 Sk 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Santos(Sea)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Olszewski(Det) 6-110 Punt Ret 

​

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IFL WEEK 11 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 11 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 10 RECAP

Baltimore's Kyren Williams rushes for 114 yards and a TD in win over Steelers.

Game Scores
 Baltimore 30 Pittsburgh 17                  51 Calm 
Baltimore (3-6) travels to Pittsburgh (4-5) looking to build on their impressive win over division leading Jaguars last week who were 7-1 at the time. While Pittsburgh took their licks on the road vs a very good Rams team and was hoping coming home and giving Browning a start at QB would spark the offense . He threw for over 330 yards last time these teams meant in Baltimore.. 
 
1st Quarter - Baltimore won the toss and deferred. After holding the home team to a couple of 1st downs the Ravens hit a couple of big pass plays from Baker 50 yards to Mims Jr and 29 yards to Thielen. However, Pittsburgh's D stiffens in the red zone and they settle for a 28 yard Aubrey FG. The teams trade a couple of punts as Pittsburgh QB Browning is sacked 3 times in their next couple of possessions killing drives. Baltimore gets a 33 yard TD to Thielen on an Isolation play as Pittsburgh's 4th CB gets beat pretty bad 10-0 Ravens after one.
 
2nd Quarter - On a drive that bleed into the second quarter the Steelers finally got something going moving it to the 29 but Browning is picked in the end zone on an overthrow putting the end to a promising drive. Baltimore's next possession facing a 4th and 2 from the 40 coach Master decides to go. He calls the right play as St Brown beat another back up CB Desmond King on a long pass but King nails him to jar it loose and the Steelers survive what could have been a big play for the visitors. Pittsburgh is able to get on the board as Jefferson catches 38 yards worth of passes but the drive stalls on the 7 yard line and Bass hits from 26. On the last play of the half the Ravens methodically move the ball down the field and with 3 seconds left Aubrey gets his 2nd FG making it 13-3 at the half. 
 
3rd Quarter - No scoring until late in the 3rd that's when TE Moreau scores on a jet sweep from 4 yards out making the score 20-3 after 3 quarters.
 
4th Quarter - Pittsburgh's offense on a drive that carried over from the 3rd strikes quick in the first minute of the 4th on a 44 yard bomb to Addision from Browning making it 20-10 and giving the home team some life. Rookie RB Kyren Williams strikes for a 42 yard run to get Baltimore deep into Steeler territory. Williams finishes off the drive 3 plays later on a 9 yard run 27-10 Ravens 11 minutes to play. Browning does not take long to answer a 4 play drive capped of by Edwards 4 yard TD run after Jefferson got them there after his 29 yard catch and its 27-17 with just under 10 to play. Baltimore grinds down the clock using about 5 minutes on the drive with help of a 15 yard facemask penalty Aubrey gets his 3rd FG from 29 yards and its 30-17 Ravens. The closer Aaron Donalds sack does not allow Pittsburgh to even sniff a comeback. 
 
Baltimore rushes for 167 yards controls the clock having the ball 36 minutes and has 457 net offense for the game. Meanwhile the Steelers did not get an offensive spark actually fumbled 5 times (did not lose any somehow) was called for 10 penalties to 4 for the Ravens missed 5 tackles and dropped 4 passes and lost 5 players due to injury during the game just an overall sloppy game in front of the home fans.
 
Mayfield throws for 300 yards 1TD and zero picks and Williams runs for 114 yards and 1 TD. Jefferson did his thing 7 catches for 103 yards just not nearly enough on this night.
 
Baltimore 4-6 return home to take on Houston 3-6 while Pittsburgh 4-6 stays home to face the 7-2 Chiefs
 
 Chicago 31 Detroit 7                        70 Calm 
Sam Howell throws two first half touchdown passes and L’Jarius Sneed takes a Blaine Gabbert pass 37 yards to the house as da Bears take a 21-0 lead into the half and cruise to the win.
              
 Las Vegas 20 Los Angeles (A) 10             76 Calm 
Despite a tough loss to the Raiders, Chargers fans should be feeling optimistic after seeing some real fight from the team. The offense finally found some rhythm in the second half, with a determined 16-play drive that ended in a Tyler Goodson touchdown, showing that this group has the potential to grind out long drives.
Zach Wilson was mobile and showed flashes, racking up 47 rushing yards on his own, which kept some plays alive. Our defense also held its ground for much of the game, with standout performances from guys like Markquese Bell and Chandon Sullivan, each racking up 7 tackles.
While the result wasn’t what we wanted, there's definite improvement, and the fight is still there. The Chargers may be 0-10, but brighter days are ahead!
 
 Miami 30 Buffalo 14                         33 30-40
 The Dolphins come to Buffalo and the game is tight in the first half and then the talent of Miami prevailed led by Jared Goff and his fine cast of receivers as the they win going away. 30-14.
Miami evens its record at 5-5 while Buffalo fall to 3-6-1.  Miami will host the Vikings next week with Buffalo hosting Tampa Bay 
 
 Jacksonville 21 Cincinnati 38               47 5-15 
After a disgusting loss to rival Tennessee last week the IFL Bengals backs were against the wall as first place Jacksonville came to town.  
 
After multiple punts by both teams, Jordan Love hit D.J. Chark for 27 yards setting up first and goal at the three.  James Cook took it in on the very next play and Cincinnati jumped out to a 7-0 lead with about 30 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. 
 
The Bengals defense seemed to come to play today as they forced a Jags three and out.  After a PI by Jacksonville defensive back Eli Apple, James Cook ran for 15 yards.  This set up a 20 yard Love to Diontae Johnson score for a 14-0 Cincinnati lead.
 
On the next series Josh Allen was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey.  Cincinnati could not capitalize as Love was intercepted by Justin Hardee.  The Jags then got back in the game as Allen connected with Isaiah Likely on third and 13 for the 21 yard score.  14-7 Bengals with 11:43 remaining in the half.
 
After runs of 8 and 6 yards by Cook and a Jags penalty, Love connected with Johnson for 15 and two plays later found Alec Pierce from 18 yards out to increase their lead back to two scores, 21-7.
 
A Trenton Irwin fumble after a reception led to another Cincinnati score as Love found Johnson again from 10 yards out for a 28-7 lead with five minutes remaining in the half.  The Jags did block a punt, setting them up at the Cincinnati 22.  However, Allen turned it over again as Dax Hill intercepted at the one.  Probably the big play of the game.
 
After an exchange of punts to open the half, thanks to the ground game as Cook and Chase Brown ate up yardage with Cook going in from two yards out for a 35-7 lead with a little less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Jags cut it to 35-14 as Allen ran it in from four yards out.  D.K. Metcalf caught two passes for 53 yards on the drive.
 
Metcalf caught a 13 yard touchdown pass to close out the Jacksonville scoring.  The Bengals added a field goal for the 38-21 final.
 
Jacksonville woke up a little too late in this one.  The Bengals did a good job holding Allen to 23 of 52 for 281 yards 2 TDs and 2 interceptions.  He was also sacked four times.  Metcalf finished with 7 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.
 
Love finished 18 of 32 for 23 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception.  Cook rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Next week, the Jaguars host Las Vegas while the Bengals welcome the Chargers to the Jungle.
 
 Tennessee 30 Carolina 24                    62 Calm 
The winless Panthers host the Titans. Carolina is able to tie the game at 10 a piece with seconds left in the half. Carolina was helped with the Titans having a rough day with the refs as they were constantly penalized at the start of drives.
 
The teams exchange punts at the start of the second until finally O'connell powers it in from the one to give the Titans a 17-10 lead. Carolina responds at the beginning of the 4th as Taylor punches it in from 4 yard out. But in typical Carolina fashion the extra point was missed leaving Carolina still trailing 17-16.
 
With 6 minute to go in the game O'Connell hit Aiyuk on a 25 yard pass to expand the Titans lead to 24-16.
 
Carolina miraculously is able to drive the length of the field and aided by two penalties on the last two plays, punch it over the line as time expires as Wilson ran it in from 4 yards. Due to missing the extra point earlier, Carolina was forced to go for two to tie the game. Taylor was able to convert the conversion on a dive play to tie the game and send it to overtime. 
 
Tennessee wins the coin flip to receive the ball first in overtime and Aiyuk immediately snags a pass and takes it 62 yard to the red zone. A few plays later Dillon punches it in from the goal line to end the game and keep the Panthers winless.
 
Aiyuk was the player of the game grabbing 5 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown.
 
 Indianapolis 17 New York (A) 9              59 5-15
 The Jets came into the game knowing they finally had the new QB back from injury. They knew that star TE Andrews was out, and that Flowers was exhausted, but Richardson was back.
 
He helped the Jets take a 9-7 lead by completing 14-18 passes and running for 27 yards. Then the injury bug hit again. he's out for the next 5 games.
 
Of course, the Colts scored 10 points after the injury to win the game 17-9.
 
The next 5 games will have Winston at QB....yikes!!!
 
 Tampa Bay 7 Green Bay 38                    40 0-5  
Bucs came in missing several key players.
 
Score was close early, but QB Brock Purdy heated up in the second quarter
and the Packers pulled away. Final score 38-7
 
Total yards were 450-133  for the hosts. Derek Carr struggled while throwing to some
average receivers. He was 7/15 for 53 yards
 
Purdy was efficient 20/26 298 and 3 TDS, completing passes to 9 different players
 
 Atlanta 17 New Orleans 14                   70 Calm
Atlanta travels to New Orleans in a big division match up. The Saints would take the opening kick and drive the length of the field only for McManus to brick a 30 yard FG. That would prove to be costly. The teams would exchange punts and then the Saints were pinned deep and forced to punt from their own 7. The snap would be fumbled and Atlanta would recover at the 1. 2 plays later Mostert would take it in. 7-0 Falcons.
The 2nd quarter would have McManus kicking 2 FGs to cut the lead to 7-6. Hurts would throw a pick with 12 seconds left in the Saints endzone and at the half it was Atlanta 7-6. After an exchange of punts Atlanta would take over at their own 20. The first play Zack Moss would break one for 79 yards down to the 1. Mostert would punch it in from there. 14-6. The score would remain that until the Saints took over with 5:03 left. AJ Brown had been blanketed all day but Coach Rice would dial in a bomb that connected for 42 yards down to the Falcon 21. 3 plays later Tua would throw a screen to James Conner for the TD. After Conner would rumble in for the 2 point conversion we would be all tied.
The Saints would kick off and pin the Falcons down to their 7. Coach Rice is thinking get the stop, as they had done all 2nd half, and then kick the game winner. Hurts would have other plans as he would drive the Falcons down to the Saints 41 and face a key 3rd down just outside of FG range. The Saints would blitz and Hurts would break free for a 12 yard scramble. Atlanta would call timeout with 1 second left and Folk would kick the game winner as time expired. Great game called by Paul and now the division is up for grabs.
               
 Seattle 31 Arizona 6                        69 Calm 
Seattle coasts to its 2nd win over Arizona this season. 
 
 New England 45 Minnesota 9                  68 Calm    
New England CB Darious Williams intercepted CJ Stroud twice, returning one for TD while setting up another as the Patriots took a commanding halftime lead en route to a 45-9 win.  Stroud would toss a third interception later which led to another Patriot touchdown as the Vikings (eleven penalties on the day) could not get out of their own way for much of the afternoon.  Lamar Jackson completed 20 of 28 pass attempts on the afternoon including 4 TDs to lead the NE offense.
         
 New York (N) 20 Philadelphia 31             63 5-15
Philly takes care of business at home to get back to .500.  It was a solid effort on offense and defense.
 
 Denver 26 Dallas 3                          70 Calm
Denver's Geno Smith was on fire against the Cowboys in Sunday night action.  Smith completed 29 of 37 passes for 362 yards to torch the Cowboy secondary.  

Equally as impressive was the Denver defense which held Dallas to a mere field goal in the Broncos' 26-3 win.  Dallas' offense could get nothing going as they experienced three sacks, four dropped passes, an interception, a lost fumble and a missed field goal.
 
The win improves Doug Crandall's record to 7-3 while Dallas falls to 5-5.
            
 San Francisco 31 Los Angeles (N) 41         71 Calm 
Rams come out on top after a wild 4th quarter in which both teams combined for 35 points. Mac Jones came off the bench for the Niners and was hot going 23-29 with 2 tds. Unfortunately, he also had 2 ints including a backbreaker with two minutes left inside his ten yard line. That led to a Rams insurance score and the win over a tough Niners team.

 Houston 3 Kansas City 21                    30 0-10 
sim
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Williams,K(Bal) 19-114  1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 White,R(Phi)    23-112  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Diggs(SF)       10-153  2 TD
 Lamb(LAR)       10-141  2 TD
 Nacua(Ind)      12-140
 McBride(Hou)    10-136
 
 Passing Leaders
 Smith,G(Den)    37-29-362   1 TD
 Stafford(LV)    37-27-324   2 TD
 Prescott(Sea)   28-23-316   3 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       40-26-306   2 TD
 Mayfield(Bal)   30-21-300   1 TD
 Burrow(Ind)     42-30-292   1 TD  2 Int
 Jackson(NE)     28-20-250   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Singleton(TB)    17 Tk
 Williams,D(NE)   2 Int 5 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Butker(Den)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week


​

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IFL WEEK 10 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 10 LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 9 RECAP

CeeDee Lamb helps the Rams stay in the hunt for the NFC West title.

​Game Scores
 Pittsburgh 14 Los Angeles (N) 27            60 Calm
CeeDee Lamb, arguably the best receiver in the IFL, caught eight passes for 134 yards and a touchdown as the Rams defeat the Steelers.  Tommy Cutlets got the call to start for the Steelers in Los Angeles. He played admirably, scrambling and improvising, but a fumble by Cutlets and then later a punt return for a td by the Rams would pace them for the win at home.
 
 Arizona 33 Dallas 14                        70 Calm
 Pat Mahomes and the Arizona Cardinals avenged a week five loss to the Dallas Cowboys Tuesday evening with a convincing 33-14 victory.
 
Mahomes consistently burned the Cowboy defense with long passes as he threw for 371 yards while completing just 16 passes.  Mahomes threw TD passes of 99 and 28 yards to Josh Palmer and a 59-yard pass to Christian Kirk in the contest.
 
Dallas, playing without star WR Deebo Samuel, was only able to accrue 175 yards passing as Justin Herbert was just 23-42.   Many of the 23 completions came on checkdowns for very short gains.
 
Dallas did rush for 208 yards, but it wasn't enough.  
 
With the win, Arizona passes Dallas in the standings with a 6-3 record while the Cowboys fall to 5-4.
              
 New Orleans 31 San Francisco 3              63 Calm
 Tua throws 3 TDs to 3 separate receivers, the Saints rush for 146 yds leading to an easy 31 to 3 win over the hapless 49ers.
 
 Cincinnati 24 Tennessee 27                  46 Calm 
This was a highly anticipated matchup to determine who would sit at the bottom of the AFC Central Division.  Some highlights:


·  On their first play from scrimmage the Titan's O'Connell completes a mid-range fly to Brandon Aiyuk who takes it to the house for a 84 yard TD.
·  Jordan Love is awful for the first 3 quarters as Tennessee builds a 24-10 lead.  Cincy's TD came after Jalen Ramsey intercepted O'Connell at the Titan 7 yard line.
·  Love turns into Pat Mahones in the 4th as the Bengals need only 5 minutes to put together two TD drives both capped off by Love TD passes.  Tie game 24-24.
·  Neither team could do anything to win it in regulation.  Teams combined for a total of 16 punts in regulation time.
·  The Bengals win the toss to start OT.  On their second play Jahlani Tavai picks off Love and returns it to the Bengal 36.
·  DKS hits the Titans with two penalties (9-78 for the game) on their possession but Tennessee still manages to move it to the 23 yard line where Blake Grupe hits the game winning 41 yard field goal.  Tennessee 27 - Cincinnati 24.
·  Tavai has some how moved into the IFL lead for interceptions.  He had 2 in the NFL last season.
 
 Chicago 21 Tampa Bay 6                      90 5-15  Light Rain    
Neither team was able to muster much on offense. The Bucs managed two first half field goals that, at the time, felt like touchdowns. 6 - 0 Tampa at the half. The game was changed dramatically in the second half by special team plays. 
 
Late in the third, Chicago speedster Deonte Hardy returned a punt 82 yards for a TD. Then, at the end of the ensuing possession, Tampa punter Brian Anger dropped the snap. The loose ball was recovered by the Bears Jonathan Ledbetter at the Bucs 17. One play later, QB Sam Howell carried the rock to the house. 14 - 6 Bears. 
 
As the final quarter developed, the pressure got to Tampa's Coach Chase. His over aggressive defensive calls allowed Howell to complete several long passes. Soon thereafter, Bear RB Tony Pollard put the game away with a 7 yard romp. 21 - 6 Bears was the final. 
 
 New York (A) 17 Green Bay 27                34 Calm 
I need a drink after this one.
 
Upstart JETS raced out to a 14-0 lead and forced the hosts to claw back all game long.
 
This one turned into an ugly affair. Teams combined for 7 turnovers (3 ints by both QB's) and
16 penalties.
Packers kept chipping away at the lead by settling for FG's. Score was 18-17 GB at the half. After a hot start, Jets QB Jameis Winston came crashing back down to earth as the game progressed and couldn't muster any second half points. Brock Purdy wasn't much better, especially in the red zone. Most of Green Bay's points came off of the foot of K Riley Patterson
who hit 7 FG's. His 3 second half FG's proved to be the difference. Final score 27-17 Packers.
 
Tank Dell was named MVP 6-149 and a TD
Zay Flowers was excellent as well 11-114
 
 Los Angeles (A) 6 Denver 31                 54 Calm
 The Broncos used a suffocating defense to win the divisional battle with the Chargers 31-6.
McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards and WR Smith hauled in 11 passes from Geno Smith for 142 yards.
LA had only 145 yards of offense on the day.
 
 Detroit 7 Minnesota 27                      68 Calm  
 Minnesota controlled the contest, besting the pesky Detroit Lions 27-7. CJ Stroud completed 26 of 32 pass attempts for 266 yards and three scores.           
 
 Indianapolis 3 Miami 33                     69 0-5  
Indy would open the scoring, driving to the Miami 7 but stalling and kicking the FG to take a 3-0 lead, but would really only threaten one other time as Miami controlled the game and reeled off 33 unanswered points and took the win 33-3. Next week Miami visits Buffalo and Indy travels to the Jets.
 
 Houston 20 Las Vegas 14                     67 0-5   Rain      
  Raiders Show Fight in Narrow Loss to Texans
While the 20-14 defeat to the Houston Texans is a tough pill to swallow, there’s reason for optimism in Las Vegas. After a demoralizing 23-6 loss to the Broncos last week, the Raiders showed a lot more fight, especially in the second half. Matthew Stafford found his rhythm, connecting for two crucial touchdown passes—one to DeAndre Hopkins and another to D.J. Moore—to keep Las Vegas within striking distance.
The defense had its struggles, allowing Kirk Cousins to throw for 322 yards, but they clamped down in the fourth quarter, keeping the Texans off the board and giving the offense a chance to make a comeback. The Raiders nearly pulled off the upset after a 75-yard drive late in the game, but ultimately came up short on fourth down.
There’s no denying the team has issues to clean up, but Stafford’s connection with his playmakers remains strong, and the defense showed flashes. If Las Vegas can build on this, they’ll be in good shape to rebound in the weeks ahead.
 
 Philadelphia 7 Seattle 30                   43 0-10 
Seattle runs away with it early and doesn’t look back. 
 
 Carolina 17 Atlanta 29                      68 Calm              
 Week 9 matchup between the visiting 0-8 Panthers and the 6-2 Falcons at Atlanta. DK Sports said Atlanta is the favorite in this game +18- which seems mighty high since anything can happen in this game. 
 
1st Quarter: 
 
Atlanta would take it to midfield and be stuffed on a 4th and 1 for a turnover on downs, Carolina would get a few 1st downs but a holding penalty would take them out of FG range and have to punt. Atlanta would punt again after being pinned deep, and Carolina would take the ball with Russell Wilson scrambling like a young Wilson for over 20 yards until he fumbled and was recovered by Jay Ward according to the game who hasn't really played all year... 
 
Hurts would take advantage running 3 times then throwing a TD to Davis to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead. 
 
2nd Quarter:
 
Atlanta hasn't been disciplined as of late- and it showed on the following Carolina possession: 4th and 5 on a punt: Roughing the kicker; 3rd and 5- holding on the defense automatic 1st down; 4th and 18 FG attempt - no good! wait, offsides 5 yard penalty and Carolina chipped in the next one. ATL 7 CAR 3 
 
Atlanta would drive down the field again after a 23 yard pass to PArham JR and capped it off to Nelson Agholor for another Falcon TD with a missed XP ATL 13- CAR 3. 
 
Carolina lost 2-3 offensive linemen this game and it really hurt them, but on this drive Wilson for Geiseke a few times and scrambled for some FDs to make it 4th and 6 on ATL 37, they decided to go for it and Wilson was sacked by TJ Watt. 
 
Hurts with 2 minutes left was looking to add on to the lead before half, after getting sacked on 3rd and 11 near midfield with 1:20 to go, Hurts found Kadarius Toney for 10 yards near the marker...but a fumble! Picked up by Carolina and they would take it the distance to stun an Atlanta crowd. ATL 13 CAR 10. 
 
With 1:10 left in the half, and Toney firmly on the bench again, Coach Alberry showed some confidence in Hurts, as the next play Hurts found Davis for a long 27 yard gain plus a 15 yard facemask penalty. A few short passes to Stevenson and Atlanta would kick a FG to go into halftime up ATL 16 CAR - 10. A far cry from the 18 points given to Carolina on the over under. 
 
3rd Quarter:
 
After a Carolina 3 and out Atlanta came up big on a 3rd and 12 pass to Davis only to stall out and hit a FG to expand the lead to 19-10. After 3 traded 3 and outs, Atlanta was driving again, hitting Davis for another 25 yard pass. Raheem Mostert had 18 TDs in real life and got the ball on the 11, only to fumble it! Luckily Agholor jumped on it, and Hurts would find Kupp for another TD to make it 26-10 in favor of the Falcons. 
 
4th Quarter
 
Carlona was sacked again on 4th and 6 to turn the ball over, Atlanta added a FG after advantageous field position to make it 29-10 Falcons. With 2:30 left, Carolina was able to drive and score a TD with :04 left to make the final 29-17 making many bettors who supported the Panthers happy. 
 
Sean called a fine game just didn't have the horses in this race along with the many injuries to the O-line he had like three linemen rated a 4 because of injuries. Atlanta sacked Carolina 7 times. Coupled with Hurts playing his best game of the year earning MVP honors with a 135 passer rating. 
 
Carolina falls to 0-9 and will be hosting Tennessee next week, while Atlanta has a grueling upcoming schedule (maybe they upset the commish?) They have 4 road games out of 5, with their opponents having a combined record of 35-5 and I don't think any lost this week! They start with N.O on the road who beat Atlanta at their place pretty soundly. It will be a tough stretch for the Falcons, and we will see if they are a real contender or pretender? 
 
 Buffalo 17 New England 34                   38 10-20
 Buffalo QB Hendon Hooker completed his first 6 passes of the game, while Travis Etienne (16 carries, 113 yards) broke free for a 54 yard run as the Bills gave the Patriots all they could handle in the first half.  Leading 10-6 with under 2 minutes to play before the break, Patriot safety Tyrann Mathieu intercepted a Hooker pass and returned it 25 yards for the score, giving New England a 13-10 lead at halftime.  
 
New England's struggles with the Bills D continued into the second half until late in the 3rd quarter when Lamar Jackson found Mike Evans for a 25 yard TD to extend the NE lead to 20-10.  After a short TD pass to Tyreek Hill extended the lead to 27-10, Buffalo would respond with a Hooker to LaPorta (7 rec 90 yards) TD to cut the lead to 10 points once again with just over 10 minutes to play.  An 11-play 75 yard drive by NE at over 6 minutes and was capped by a short TD reception by Dalton Schultz to end the scoring.  34-17 Patriots.  
 
Well coached game by Greg who had his team within 3 points late into the 3rd quarter.  After a hot start however, Hendon Hooker cooled off considerably (throwing 4 interceptions) as Lamar Jackson and the Patriots offense ultimately pulled away late.  Derrick Henry ran for 142 yards on the day while Lamar Jackson tossed 3 TDs to lead the NE offense.
 
 Baltimore 33 Jacksonville 31                67 5-15 
Baltimore came into Jacksonville and pulled off a big win as the Ravens down the Jags 33-31. Scott coached a great game and took advantage of numerous Jacksonville turnovers and coaching errors. I was out coached and Baltimore came away with the win.
 
 Kansas City 6 New York (N) 9                51 5-15
AND THE STREAK ENDS!.... 7-1 KC came into Metlife looking to beat up on the 0-8 Giants but in a defensive battle that ended with no touchdowns, the New York Football Giants end their losing streak to win their first game of the season by a score of 9-6. Joey Slye kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to give them the win. The Giants went run heavy running the ball 55 times for 246 yards.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Henry(NE)       18-142
 Hull(NYG)       23-121
 Etienne(Buf)    16-113  1 TD
 Harris(Mia)     20-106
 Dillon(Ten)     19-103  1 TD
 Evans(Sea)      21-101  1 TD
 McCaffrey(Den)  27-98  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Pacheco(Mia)    7-48  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Aiyuk(Ten)      10-166  1 TD
 Palmer(Ari)      4-155  2 TD
 Smith,D(Den)    11-142
 Flowers(NYJ)    11-114
 McLaurin(Hou)   10-104  1 TD
 Sims(Min)       10- 75
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mahomes(Ari)    26-16-371   3 TD  1 Int
 Purdy(GB)       34-15-329   1 TD  3 Int
 Cousins(Hou)    41-33-322   2 TD
 Allen,J(Jax)    39-27-314   4 TD  3 Int
 Goff(Mia)       33-25-308   2 TD  1 Int
 O'Connell(Ten)  43-29-301   2 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Tavai(Ten)       2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Mosley(Chi)      18 Tk
 Watt(Atl)        3 Sk 6 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Carlson(Ari)   4-5 FG
 Patterson(GB)  7-7 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Aubrey(Bal)    4-4 FG

​

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IFL WEEK 9 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 9 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 8 RECAP

Jake Elliott's five field goals allow Buffalo to get by the Jets.

Game Scores
 New York (A) 13 Buffalo 22                  41 10-20
After a 37-37 week one tie, the Jets visit Buffalo and lose 22-13 as the Jets defense only allows 80 yards while struggling to net only 182 themselves! Winston and Hooker both struggled to say the least. The Jets fall to 0-7-1 while the Bills improve to 3-4-1. The Jets head to Lambeau next week with the Bills headed to New England.
 
 Kansas City 24 Los Angeles (A) 7            88 Calm 
Justin Fields throws three touchdown passes as the first place Chiefs cruise past the Chargers.
 
 Miami 20 New England 45                     43 10-20
Miami took the opening kick and drove 75 yards in only 4 plays (thanks to a long pass play from Goff to Olave) for a TD to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.   
Patriots would tie it up on their first drive of the game, moving 75 yards on 11 plays, including a key 3rd and 8 conversion when Lamar found Dalton Schultz for 14 yards, leading to a 4-yard Kareem Hunt TD.  7-7 tie.
 
Miami would answer back with a 14-play drive that led to a Matt Prater 34 yard field goal.  10-7 Miami heading to the 2nd quarter.
 
Patriots moved 75 yards on 9 plays on their second drive of the game, which was aided by a couple Dolphin penalties.  Derrick Henry would run it in from 7 yards out to give New England their first lead, 14-10.
 
Patriots would force the first punt of the game and get the ball back looking to extend their lead.  Lamar would immediately connect with Schultz for 33 and Mike Evans for 20 more.  A few plays later Henry would run it in from 3 yards out to extend the lead to 21-10.  A Prater 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked near the end of the half, and NE would take the 11 point lead to the halftime break.
 
The teams would exchange field goals in a low scoring 3rd quarter, but as the quarter neared its close, Jackson would hit Mike Evans from 21 yards out to extend the lead to 31-13 heading to the third.  Things would get worse from there for Miami, as Goff was picked on the first play of the final quarter, leading to another Evans TD.  
 
Goff would throw a TD to Nico Collins later in the final quarter, but New England would win this one going away.  
 
Miami RB Jahmyr Gibbs was electric, rushing for 83 yards on only 10 carries while catching 3 passes for 26 yards.  Olave caught 5 for 77 in the losing effort.  For New England, Derrick Henry rushed for 85 yards and 3 TDs, while Mike Evans caught both of Lamar Jackson's TD passes.
 
Each team was penalized 9 times, but Miami committed the only 2 turnovers of the game.
 
Dolphins host Indy next week while NE hosts Buffalo.
 
 Dallas 34 New York (N) 6                    60 0-5  
Justin Herbert throws three touchdown passes as the Cowboys remain in the playoff hunt defeating the Giants.
 
 Las Vegas 6 Denver 23                       45 0-10 
Denver wins a defensive battle 23-6 as the Broncos hold the Raiders to 2 FG's in the game.
 
 Jacksonville 17 Tennessee 13                53 5-15 
Jacksonville had scored the most points in the IFL while Tennessee had given up the 3rd most so of course this game turned into a tight defensive struggle.  The Jags led 10-3 after the first quarter but neither team scored in the second.  Jacksonville put together a nice drive early in the third with Josh Allen scoring on a one yard plunge to make it 17-3.  The Titans came back with a 69 yard drive that stalled at the Jag 23.  However Blake Grupe missed the 41 yard field goal which in hindsite was crucial.  Jaxcksonville up 17-3 at the end of the 3rd.
 
Four minutes into the fourth the Jags had a 3rd and 1 at their own 19.  Antonio Gibson got stopped for nio gain.  A distracted coach Hood (thanks Canucks!) called an Allen 4th down sneak and he was stymied as well.  The Titans quickly took advantage scoring on a 6 yard O'Connell to Noah Fant pass.  Jags were now up 17-10.  A three and out gave the ball back to the Titans.  Their drive stalled at the Jag 9 and Grupe's field goal made it 17-13 Jacksonville.
 
Another Jaguar 3 and out gave the Titans the ball at their own 45 with two minutes left.  O'Connell moved them down to the Jaguar 22 yard line where they had a 4th and 5 with 23 seconds left.  If Grupe had made his earlier miss the Titans could kick the game-winning field goal.  Instead they had to gamble.  O'Connell completed a short slant to Trey Palmer but it only gained 4 yards when 5 were needed.  Jacksonville wins 17-13.
 
 Chicago 31 Indianapolis 7                   69 Calm     
A real good game turned into a blow out in the 3rd qtr after the Colts kept turning the ball over & giving the Bears a very short field, multilabel times.
 
Howell continued to struggle turning in a 43.8 QBR, with Indys Burrows with a 33.5
After last week when Pollard ran for 0 yards on 9 carries, he bounced back with 105 yards.
      
 New Orleans 31 Baltimore 13                 52 0-10 
New Orleans improves to 7-1 after steamrolling the Ravens in Baltimore, 31-13. Baltimore tumbles to 2-6 and will likely be 2-7 after next week's match-up against Jacksonville (7-1). Who made this schedule?! The Saints travel to SF (3-4) for an inter-division match-up.
 
 Pittsburgh 28 Cincinnati 9                  41 15-25
The Pittsburgh Steelers invaded the Jungle in a key AFC Central battle.  Both teams sat at 3-4 so both teams needed this one.
 
The Bengals won the toss and deferred as Pittsburgh had the ball and the wind at their back.  After a 40 yard kick return by Velus Jones Jr. Pittsburgh marched 57 yards capped off by a Jake Browning to Justin Jefferson 23 yard scoring play at the 10:08 mark of the opening quarter.
 
The Bengals series started with promises as James Cook converted a second and five with a 10 yard run.  However, one play later Jordan Love was intercepted by Kyle Hamilton. This was the first of three errant throws by the young signal caller.   Pittsburgh went on another long drive as Browning found Jefferson again this time from just two yards out.  14-0 with a little over two minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
After the Steelers defense forced a punt, the Pittsburgh offense drove 69 yards on 12 plays as Browning dumped it off to Tyler Allgeier from seven yards out.  21-0 with 9:30 left in the half.
 
The Bengals managed a couple field goals before the half to cut the lead to 21-6.
 
After a scoreless third quarter, Cincinnati added another field goal and Gus Edwards would score from eight yards out for the 28-9 final.
 
In typical Steelers fashion, they grinded out 143 yards rushing.  Browning finished 17 of 22 for 160 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.  Jefferson, double teamed the majority of the time, was held to five catches for 57 yards but two touchdowns.
 
Love was anything but lovely going 22 of 42 for 191 yards and three interceptions.
 
The Steelers have a big test next week as they travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams.  The Bengals are in Tennessee for another tough AFC Central matchup.
 
 Tampa Bay 16 Detroit 7                      70 Calm
Trailing 7-3 at the half David Carr connects with Hunter Henry from 16 yards out as the Bucs rally.
               
 Minnesota 20 Green Bay 29                   32 Calm 
Packers score 17 in the 2nd quarter to break open a pretty even game.
 
Kicker Jake Moody went 5-5 FG and the hosts needed every one as Minnesota cut the lead to just 6 points late in the game.
 
Moody's final FG iced it with 2:28 remaining. 
 
Final score Green Bay 29 Minnesota 20
 
Vikings were hurt by the loss of WR JuJu Smith Shuster early in the 1st.
To make matters worse the visitors also had a slew of in game injuries.
 
CJ Stroud didn't get a lot of help from his other pass catchers as he was held to 225 yards on 21 of 36.
 
Packers rushed for 179 yards including several key Brock Purdy scrambles on 3rd down.
Darren Waller caught 7 balls for 110 yards and a TD
 
Packers try to remain unbeaten next week when they face the winless Jets while Minnesota host the Lions.
 
 San Francisco 9 Atlanta 20                  68 Calm     
Division rivalry with SF taking the first game at home 12-10- that game Jalen Hurts had a 17 passer rating as Atlanta couldn't move the ball. SF just put up 27 on the Bengals the week prior and were looking to keep their momentum.
 
1st Quarter:
 
Both teams started out slow with Atlanta getting the ball and 3 traded punts to start the game. Evan Engram grabbed a 38 yard reception to setup SF on the ATL 14, but the next pass was picked by Kerby Joseph to halt the SF scoring threat. Atlanta was unable to do anything with the ball again and punter away. End of the 1st is 0-0
 
2nd Quarter:
SF went on a 7 minute drive, but was stuffed on a 3rd and 1 so they kicked a FG to make it SF 3, ATL 0. Atlanta just couldn't get anything going, after a 9 yard run by Moss on 1st down to bring up 2nd and 1, Atlanta ran twice and went backwards and had to punt again. 
 
Pickett was picking up steam completing 3 passes to Engram throwing in some running game to march into Atlanta territory, only to be picked again by Spillane this time, who would run back to set up Atlanta midfield. During the 2nd quarter both SF #1 and #2 CB got injured for the game leaving the #3 and #4 CB starting. Hurts tried to take advantage of this going 5 of 6 and hitting Parham Jr for the TD to take the lead. ATL 7, SF 3
 
With 2 minutes left, Atlanta was able to use timeouts and get a 3 and out to get the ball back before half. With about a minute left on their own 35, Hurts would go 4 for 4 and take a timeout with 1 second left to let Folk kick a 50 yard FG to make it 10-3 at the half in favor of ATL. 
 
3rd Quarter:
 
SF would receive the ball first and on 3rd and 15 on their own 25, Bland would get a pick and take it to the house giving Atlanta's woeful offense a boost. ATL 17, SF 3
 
SF would start running the ball down Atlanta's throat, and on a 4th and 2 on their own 43 SF would go for it, but Joseph would come up with his 2nd pick on the day. Atlanta ran it with Moss to the 20, but the penalty bug from last week came back in full force. Atlanta would get hit with 2 holding penalties and a sack for force 3rd and 32. Hurts would find Gabe Davis to setup a FG and make it ATL 20- SF 3. 
 
4th Quarter:
 
After a few 3 and outs, and Atlanta's offense stalling, SF would take the ball where they ran the ball 9 times, Atlanta would get another penalty, and Evan Engram would get loose for a 32 yard pass. On 4th and 2, Tayson Hill would find the endzone, but the XP would be blocked to make it ATL 20 -SF 9 with 9 minutes to go. 
 
Atlanta looking to seal this game up took the ball and after back to back penalties were looking at 1st and 30, that wasn't going to do it... so they punted away with 6:22 left. SF would have their own penalties, and the drive took too long running out of time before scoring. 
 
SF really missed their 2 CBs- both will be back next week vs New Orleans. SF had 304 net offense to ATL 184, SF had 16 1st downs vs Atlanta's 9, SF time of possession was 37:21 vs 22:29 for Atlanta. The difference was Pickett threw 4 picks and 1 was a pick 6. Game MVP was Joseph with 2 INTs. 
 
Cameron Hayward is out for 6 weeks for the Falcons, as the Falcons host Carolina next week. 
 
 Los Angeles (N) 24 Carolina 7               62 0-5
Panthers get off to a fast start scoring on the opening drive, but then struggle on offense rest of the game. Panther’s defense suffered numerous injuries but did it's best to keep the game close.
 
 Seattle 27 Houston 10                       70 Calm
Michael Pittman Jr. catches 9 passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns as Seattle gets by the Texans to remain undefeated.               
 
 Philadelphia 24 Arizona 23                  87 Calm
 Missed chip shot FG dooms Cardinals.  Cardinals could not stop the Eagles when it counted.
 
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 White,R(Phi)    26-131  1 TD
 Goodson(LAC)    14-113
 Vaughn(Bal)     27-107
 Pollard(Chi)    15-105  1 TD
 Montgomery(KC)  19-104
 Evans(Sea)      28-101
 Henry(NE)       16-85  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Lamb(LAR)       13-183  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Engram(SF)      11-140
 
 Passing Leaders
 Lawrence(LAR)   32-26-311   3 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Joseph(Atl)      2 Int 11 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 McKinney(Ari)    2 Int 7 Tk
 Oliver(Ari)      3 Sk 7 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Elliott(Buf)   5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Moody(GB)      5-5 FG


​

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IFL WEEK 8 STANDINGS

​​IFL WEEK 8 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 7 RECAP

T.J. Watt celebrates one of his three sacks as the Falcons edge Pittsburgh.

Game Scores
 Atlanta 20 Pittsburgh 16                    53 5-15
 A father -son brawl at Heinz field in Pittsburgh. Atlanta comes in as a 1 point favorite and the finish comes down to the wire.
 
1st Quarter- Pittsburgh get the ball first and goes 3 and out. However PR Turpin coughs it up and the home team catches the first break getting it at Atlanta's 22. Three plays 3 yards and they have to settle for a 36 yard FG. The teams trade punts but Atlanta would go on a 10 play 83 yard drive that ends with a Gabe Davis 22 yard TD reception . Atlanta 7 Pittsburgh 3 after 1.
 
2nd Quarter - The Steelers would get a FG early in the 2nd on a long carryover drive from the 1st a 10 play drive of their own however aided by a couple defensive penalties. Pittsburgh got to a 2nd and goal from the 3 but a -8 yard jet sweep to Moore killed the chance and they have to settle for a 26 yard Bass FG.A couple Atlanta punts sandwiched in by 1 Steelers punt leads to the last drive of the half. an 11 play Steelers drive looks promising as its gets to the Falcons 21 yard line but a sack by Watt with 31 seconds left and Pittsburgh for some reason does not call a time out (Coach  Alberry sr senior moment) instead a 3rd down pass falls incomplete as time runs out in the half. The steelers fans scratch their heads as they head to the concession stand at halftime to grab more beers for the 2nd half wondering wtf was that. Atlanta 7 Pittsburgh 6 at the Half.
 
3rd Quarter -  Atlanta opens the second half and methodically drives down the field this time a 13 play drive ending in a 3 yard Moss TD run however Folk misses the extra point. Pittsburgh answers the drive with a good drive of their own with the big play being Moore's 38 yard scamper getting the Steelers down to the 17. Once again they could not get a TD and settle for a Bass 28 yard FG. Pittsburgh forces a punt and that's when the best receiver in football is heard from on the first play a 62 yard strike from Devito to Jefferson and suddenly the home team grabs the lead as we head to 4th. Pittsbugh 16 Atlanta 13
 
4th Quarter - The 4th is filled by punts with neither team able to move the ball. Two by Pittsbugh one by Atlanta. The Falcons start their 2nd drive of the quarter with 2:58 to go from their 34. Hurts to Tremble for 10 starts things off then 3 moss runs for 9 yards brings up a 4th and 1 from the Steelers 42 with 1:31 to play. With the Steelers looking run Coach Alberry Jr ( the smart one) Calls a pass and Hurts connects with his new favorite receiver traded for in the off season Kupp for a 28 yard strike. down to the 14 timeout Atlanta 1:03 to play. A holding penalty on the next play ,makes it 1st and 20 from the 24. Hurts to Agholor for 12 then and incomplete pass and its 3rd and 8 with 25 seconds to go Hurts calls Kupps number once again and he delivers a 12 yard TD reception to put the Falcons up with 20 seconds left and that is the game as Tommy Devito had no magic in the arm.
Final Atlanta 20 Pittsburgh 16.
 
Atlanta was called for 10 penalties making the younger Alberry wonder how much Sr paid the refs. I think we all agree no price is to much in a family feud. TJ Watt was great and balanced out all the penalties by sacking Devito 3 times in all Devito took 7 sacks. Steelers fans were saying hey coach how about mixing in a few max protections. Atlanta losses WR Watson for 8 games . And although he was not lost for any games beyond today S Kyle Hamilton went out for the game late in the 3rd would have been nice to have in the secondary on that closing drive.  Hurts is named MVP 20-28 208 yards 2TD 0 picks and a 115.9 qb rating.
 
Pittsbugh (3-4) head to division rivals Bengals (3-4) to see who gets the upper hand in staying in the playoff race. 
while Atlanta (5-2)  host their division rival SF (3-4).
 
 San Francisco 27 Cincinnati 13              60 5-15
"Love Hurts" by Nazareth would have been an appropriate song of choice after this contest as Bengals quarterback Jordan Love was sacked seven times.  The Bengals did jump out to a 7-0 lead as a botched snap on a punt led to a James Cook one yard plunge with a little less than nine minutes remaining in the first quarter.  The 49ers answered with a 16 play 75 yard drive capped off by a Devin Singletary's 16 yard gallop to tie the game at seven with about three minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
After forcing a Cincinnati punt, the 49ers went on another long drive, 16 plays 73 yards but settled on a Matt Gay field goal from 20 yards out.  The Bengals managed to tie it at 10 with a Fairbairn 35 yard field goal.  With about two and a half minutes remaining in the half, San Francisco quarterback Kenny Pickett completed four passes including a back breaking 16 yard strike to Tyler Boyd just before the half as San Fran took a 17-10 lead into the locker room.
 
Each team kicked a field goal in the third quarter.
 
Needing a touchdown to tie the game with a little over two minutes remaining, Love made a critical mistake as Jaylon Johnson intercepted a pass and took it 47 yards to the house to ice the game 27-13.
 
Pickett finished 30 of 36 dinking and dunking his way to 209 yards and a touchdown.  Singletary rushed 16 times for 118 yards and a touchdown.  Three 49er defenders collected two sacks each and made Love uncomfortable the entire game.
 
Love finished 20 of 27 for 180 yards and the interception.  Cook rushed for just 60 yards and a score. 
 
Next week the 49ers are at Atlanta in a critical NFC West match-up while the Bengals host Pittsburgh in a AFC Central square-off.
 
 New York (N) 23 Detroit 26                  70 Calm   
Blaine Gabbert throws an 11 yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams with nine seconds remaining to pick up their first win of the 2024 IFL season.
            
 Philadelphia 7 Minnesota 20                 68 Calm
The Minnesota Vikings improved to (5-2) with a 20-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, who dropped to (3-4) with the defeat. The Vikings didn't allow an offensive touchdown. The Eagles scored on an interception return for a score at the end of the second quarter. 
The Vikings scored on two TJ Stroud touchdown passes and two field goals.
The Eagles won the time of possession and total offense statistic but turned the ball over three times and failed on two fourth-down conversions.  
            
 Miami 21 Las Vegas 49                       79 Calm 
Raiders Win Big, but Concerns Linger
The Las Vegas Raiders may have cruised to a 49-21 win over the Miami Dolphins, but there are still reasons for concern despite the impressive scoreline. While Matthew Stafford delivered a flawless performance with 360 yards and 5 touchdowns, the defense once again raised some red flags.
The Dolphins, a struggling 3-4 team, were able to move the ball at will early in the game. Jared Goff threw for 337 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Miami’s top receivers, Chris Olave and Nico Collins, combined for over 200 yards. The secondary allowed three big plays of 25+ yards, a troubling sign against more dangerous teams on the horizon.
Miami also managed to convert 7 of 14 third downs, and the defense missed five tackles, continuing a pattern of inconsistency that’s plagued the Raiders all season. Sure, the offense looked great, but can they keep winning shootouts? If the defense doesn’t tighten up, Las Vegas may not be as much of a contender as their 5-2 record suggests.
With tougher opponents coming up, this type of performance won’t be enough to hang with the league's elite.
 
 Arizona 10 Chicago 3                        50 15-25
Patrick Mahomes fourth quarter touchdown pass to Christian Kirk allows the Cardinals to survive a hard fought defensive battle.
 
 Denver 13 New England 38                    59 15-25
New England took the opening kick and wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard.  After Derrick Henry was stopped for a short one yard run, Lamar Jackson connected with Dalton Schultz for 36 yards.  On the very next play, Lamar found a streaking Tyreek Hill for a 38 yard TD and the home team was up 7-0 before much of the crowd had settled into their seats.
 
Broncos (with a stiff wind in their face) go three and out on their initial drive, and NE takes over at their own 37.  Jackson to Schultz gained 9, and on the second play of NE's second drive, Jackson found Hill again, this time for 54 yards and a score.  14-0 Patriots.
 
A Christian McCaffrey 41 yard run set Denver up for a field goal later in the quarter to cut the Patriot lead to 14-3 heading to the second quarter.
 
Mid-way into the quarter Jackson connected with Derrick Henry for a 25 yard pass play, setting up a short Henry TD to extend the NE lead to 21-3.
 
Denver QB Geno Smith was scuffling much of the first half, but did connect with Courtland Sutton late in the first half to set up another Denver field goal.  21-6 heading to halftime.
 
Denver would take the opening kick of the second half looking to cut into the lead with the wind at their backs.  On their first play however, Geno was intercepted on a tipped ball giving possession right back to Lamar and Co.  The Patriots needed only one play to cash in as Lamar hit Hill for his 3rd TD of the game, this one from 21 yards out.  28-6 Patriots.
 
Geno would toss ANOTHER interception on the next Denver drive but this time NE wouldn't capitalize.  McCaffrey would break loose later in the quarter for a 46-yard TD run, but it was too little too late.  Patriots would go on to win 38-13.
 
Denver could muster only 8 first downs in the contest, as the New England D played one of their better games of the season.  It was a near flawless game for the home team overall, as they had zero penalties and zero turnovers on the day.  Lamar Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 308 and 4 TDs.....all to Tyreek Hill (7 for 157).  CMC ran for 97 yards on only 8 carries and was the lone true producer for Denver in this one.  Tough day for Geno who completed only 10 passes for 128 yards and 2 INTs.
 
Denver will look to rebound next week at home vs the Raiders, while the Patriots will welcome Miami into town for a rematch of Week 1.
 
 Carolina 6 Jacksonville 34                  69 0-5  
This one was never in doubt as a full Jaguar squad beat the Panthers 34-6. Josh Allen played his best game of the year throwing for over 300 yards and 4TD's. The Panthers just didn't have the guns to stay close.

Thanks to coach Britt who in spite of the challenges coached a great game.

Next week the Jags are in Tennessee to meet the Titans while Carolina hosts the Rams.
 
 Buffalo 10 Los Angeles (A) 9                70 Calm 
Jake Elliott hits from 53 yards out as time expires as Buffalo keeps the Chargers winless.
 
 Dallas 17 Green Bay 31                      52 0-5  
Packers got about as much home cookin' as a team could ask for in a 31-17 victory.
 
Dallas and its ferocious defense did a solid job bottling up Green Bay's running game but the Brock Purdy to Tank Dell connection was good for 143 yards and a TD. Zack Charbonnet added a pair of Td's (one rushing and one receiving).
 
Offensively the Cowboys were killed by untimely penalties (11 for 82). Justin Herbert was under pressure all game long leading to 6 sacks and a ton of rushed throws. TE Dallas Goedert had a solid game 3/75, 2 TDs but this was a game Action PC decided was going to go the home team's way.
 
Steve called a solid game in defeat but seemed to be playing against two opponents. The Cowboys roster looks like an offensive lineman or two away from becoming a powerhouse. They gave us fits leading up to this one.    
 
Things don't get any easier for the 7-0 Packers as 5-2 Minnesota comes to town for a huge divisional game.
 
Dallas 4-3 visits the winless Giants
 
 New York (A) 10 Kansas City 27              59 20-30
The Jets had advantages in time of possession 33-27, first downs 21-13, total yards 360-273…unfortunately they also had the more missed tackles 7-4, bad passes 5-1, dropped passes 2-0, and turnovers 3-0.
 
Kansas City was up 17-0 at the half thanks to 3 Jets turnovers, one an interception in the Chiefs end zone. Stat pack Winston seems to be a thing this season.
 
The final was 27-10.
 
Next week the Jets travel to Buffalo, and Kansas City visits the LA Chargers.
 
 Indianapolis 26 Houston 24                  70 Calm 
Indianapolis offense is too much for Houston defense. Burrow to Nacua are unstoppable and Colts win at home.
              
Tennessee 20 New Orleans 26                 70 Calm   
 The Titans would roll into New Orleans and have upset on their mind. The first quarter would have the Titans turning the ball over twice and the Saints kicking 2 FGs. At the end of the quarter the Saints would turn the ball over and the Titans would convert to a TD on the first play of the 2nd quarter with a Jimmy G to Keenan Allen 22 yard TD. 7-6 Titans. Tua would throw a pick which led to a 51 yard FG by Grupe. 10-6 Titans. Grupe would add another FG at the end of the half, and it was 13-6 Titans at half.
The Titans would open the 2nd half with an awesome 9 minute drive with Jimmy G throwing TD #2 from 5 yards out to Bates. 20-6 and upset on the horizon. Saints would go 3 and out and punt. The Titans would then drive down for an attempted FG to put them up 3 scores. Grupes kick would be wide right and end up being a costly miss. The Saints would then take the ball to the Titans 37 yard line but have to settle for a 55 yard FG attempt. McManus would knock it thru. 20-9 Titans. The Titans would go 3 and out and the Saints would take over and drive the length of the field ending in a Tua to Jaylen Warren 9 yard TD toss. The 2 point conversion would be converted and its 20-17 Titans with 4:58 left in regulation.
The Titans would take the ball and run the clock down to 1:46 before having to punt. Austin would have a great 49 yard punt return though and set the Saints up at the Titans 46. The first play Warren would take the screen but FUMBLE and Titans ball. The Saints D would come up big and force a 3 and out but Fox would punt the ball to the Saints 5 yard line with 1:17 left and no timeouts for the Saints. Tua, who had been less than mediocre all day, would connect on 6 of 7 passes and set McManus up with a 43 yard FG attempt to tie it. The kick is up and GOOD. 20-20 OT.
The Titans would get the OT kick and convert 1 first down before having to punt. The Saints would take over at their own 26. A few completions would get the Saints to the 43 and then Tua would hit Njoku across the middle down to the 15. Rather than kick the FG that wasn't automatic), Tua would hit AJ Brown over the middle for the TD and the win 26-20.
Tough loss for the Titans but an excellent game called. Tua would finish with 344 yards and 2 TD's for the Saints and AJ Brown would catch 9 balls for 133 yards and a TD. Jimmy G would be on fire all day completing 30 of 38 and 222 yards and 2 TD's for the Titans. Aiyuk and Allen would both catch 9 balls. 
         
 Los Angeles (N) 27 Baltimore 0              66 0-10 
Rams manage to contain the Ravens offense in Baltimore holding on for the shutout. Ravens defense flustered the Rams offense most of the first half, but the Rams found some traction as the game went on.
 
 Seattle 35 Tampa Bay 14                     87 0-10 
Dak Prescott throws for 294 yards and four touchdowns as the Seahawks cruise past Tampa Bay.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Singletary(SF)  16-118  1 TD
 White,R(Phi)    25-115
 Jacobs(Det)     20-114  1 TD
 Kamara(LV)      16-100  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Nacua(Ind)       7-166  1 TD
 Hill,T(NE)       7-157  4 TD
 Waddle(NYG)      9-151  1 TD
 Pittman Jr(Sea) 10-140  2 TD
 Diggs(SF)       11- 86
 
 Passing Leaders
 Stafford(LV)    29-23-360   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Tagovailoa(NO)  44-30-349   2 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       42-27-337   2 TD  1 Int
 Allen,J(Jax)    32-25-323   4 TD
 Burrow(Ind)     32-21-319   2 TD
 Jackson(NE)     19-16-308   4 TD
 Lawrence(LAR)   36-24-304   3 TD
 Prescott(Sea)   34-20-294   4 TD  2 Int
 Garoppolo(Ten)  38-30-222   2 TD  2 Int
 Pickett(SF)     36-30-209   1 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Baker(NYG)       15 Tk
 Watt(Atl)        3 Sk 5 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Fitzpatric(Sea)  15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Badgley(Det)   4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Carlson(Ind)   4-4 FG
 McManus(NO)    4-5 FG

​

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IFL WEEK 7 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 7 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 6 RECAP

Jacksonville's Josh Allen throws 4 TD passes to edge the Steelers.

​Game Scores
Pittsburgh 31 Jacksonville 33               81 5-15 
Jacksonville narrowly edges out Pittsburgh with a final score of 33-31. Pittsburgh started strong with two touchdowns in the first quarter, leading 14-0. The Jags struck back in the second quarter, scoring 20 points to take the lead at halftime, 20-21 with both QB's playing well. The third quarter saw Jacksonville with the wind extend their lead to 33-21, thanks to touchdowns from Allen and Mitchell. Pittsburgh fought back in the fourth quarter with a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Jacksonville’s lead, final score Jacksonville -33, Pittsburgh -31.

Pittsburgh’s QB Browning had an impressive game, completing 26 of 36 passes for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Jacksonville’s QB Allen also performed well, completing 19 of 28 passes for 312 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Sam coached a great game but in the end the wind and luck favored Jacksonville.

Next week: Pittsburgh hosts Atlanta while the Jags invite the Carolina Panthers to Jacksonville.
 
Las Vegas 20 Kansas City 27                 54 5-15
 The Raiders choke away a 20-6 lead, with the Chiefs scoring three TD's in 10 minutes during the 4th quarter.
 
 Cincinnati 31 Carolina 10                   71 Calm
 Tis the season of Love as Jordan passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as the IFL Bengals got a big road win at Carolina 31-10.  The Cincinnati defense held the Panthers to 3 of 11 on third down attempts while the Bengal offense went 3 for 4 on fourth down.
 
Next week the Bengals host a tough San Francisco team while the Panthers try to regroup in Jacksonville.
 
 Detroit 7 Chicago 14                        50 15-25
The wind was gusting in Chi, as the Bears pull out a close one.  Teams combined for 21 accepted penalties.  If you liked 1970's NFC North football, this was your game.  Crosby & Parsons played well.  Bears kick 4 FGS & get a safety to get their 14 points.
 
 Indianapolis 6 New England 38               62 15-25
New England rushed for 214 yards and 4TDs collectively, keeping Indy's twin terrors Chase and Nacua off the field a good part of the day.  Derrick Henry ran for 80 yards and 3TDs, while Kareem Hunt added 66 yards and a score as the Patriots ran away from the Colts, 38-6.
 
 Buffalo 10 Minnesota 23                     68 Calm
The Minnesota Vikings improved to a 4-2 record, securing second place in the NFC Central Division after a hard-fought 23-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills, who dropped to 1-4-1. The Vikings took an early 10-0 lead with a 30-yard field goal by Cameron "Dicker the Kicker" Dicker and a 14-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Michael Wilson. In the third quarter, the Vikings extended their lead to 17-3 with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Wilson. Buffalo managed to narrow the lead to 17-10 with a one-yard touchdown by Travis Etienne Jr. However, the Bills could not mount a comeback as the Vikings controlled the game, holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes and outgaining the Bills in total offense 335-123. The Bills also added two field goals (46, 47) in the fourth quarter, sealing the 23-10 victory.      
         
 New York (A) 15 Miami 25                    83 0-10 
It was all jets in the 1st half as they kick 4 FG's and leave the Dolphins with 1:55 to go in the half. The Dolphins had been unable to move the ball the whole 1st half while the jets rolled up the yards but stalled deep in Miami territory on their way to their 12 first half points. The dolphins manage a drive with 1:55 but have to settle for a FG of their own before half to make it 12-3 Jets at the break.
 
As Jets coach Bob said late in the 4th it was a tale of 2 halves. The Dolphins score on their 1st possession of the 2nd half to make it 12-10 NY. NY answers with their 5th FG of the game on their 1st possession of the 2nd half to make the score 15-10 Jets with 3:05 left in the 3rd qtr. Miami takes control on their next drive and travel 75 yards and score the 2pt conversion with 14:45 to go in the game, they take their 1st lead of the game at 18-15. After holding the Jets and forcing a punt, the Dolphins drive 76 yards and get the TD to make it 25-15 Miami and that would end the scoring on the night. The Jets put up a tremendous fight but just didn't have the punch when they needed it, playing with stat pack QB Winston.
 
Next week the Jets travel to KC while the Dolphins go to LV
 
 Los Angeles (A) 7 Dallas 23                 70 Calm       
    The Dallas Cowboys' Justin Herbert completed an amazing 22 of 26 passes for 254 yards and two TDs to lead the Cowboys to a 23-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
 
On the second play from scrimmage, Herbert connected with Deebo Samuel on a medium pass and Samuel showed great run after the catch ability to take it to the house for a 63-yard score.   Samuel would finish with 9 catches for 161 yards and would rush for 43 more yards.
 
Stat Pack RB Tyler Goodson rushed for 99 yards for Jerry's squad.
 
The win advances the Cowboys' record to 4-2 while the Chargers fall to 0-6.
 
    
 Philadelphia 37 New York (N) 17             74 0-10 
The Giants commit 6 turnovers and lose 37-17.
 
 Green Bay 27 Tampa Bay 20                   84 Calm 
Brock Purdy throws a dump-off pass to rookie Zach Charbonnet who takes it 16 yards for what turned out to be the winning score for the Packers in the battle of the bays.
 
 Baltimore 20 Tennessee 30                   66 10-20
The Ravens turnover dial was set at 11 as they fumbled five times, lost three of them and also had a punt blocked.  This allowed the Titans to score 17 second quarter points off turnovers and take a 20-6 lead at halftime.  Tennessee took the second half kickoff and put together a 73 yard drive to make it 27-6.  Baker Mayfield responded with a 75 yard drive of his own finished off with a 33 yard TD pass to St. Brown.  Down 14 points the Ravens forced a Titan punt and things were looking up.  However, Tavai caused a Mims Jr. fumble on the punt return and Tennessee recovered at the Raven 26.  A Grupe field goal made it 30-13 and the game was effectively over.  The Ravens scored a TD with a minute to go when Desmond Ridder sneaked on the field and scampered for a 12 yard TD run. 
 
 New Orleans 30 Atlanta 17                   68 Calm  
  Both Atlanta and N.O came into this game with an identical 4-1 record, with big division implications in this one. Flashback to last year in the divisional round, N.O came into Atlanta and stunned them by taking a 24-0 lead, but Atlanta came back in and won in the clutch 30-24, so revenge was on the minds of the Saints. 
 
1st Quarter: 
 
1st play of the game, Atlanta received a holding penalty and had to punt. Coach Rice wasted no time with a drive all the way down the field highlighted by a 38 yard screen on 3rd and 5 against a short pass defense and a face masking penalty vs Atlanta in the red zone capped off by a Boston Conner TD run. (NO 7 ATL 0) 
 
On Atlanta's next possession, they got 3 plays before Hurts throws an interception, coughing the ball up again, NO would get the ball in the red zone again, but was forced to kick a FG. Another 3 and out for Atlanta and a punt for N.O would end the 1st Quarter (N.O 10 ATL 0)
 
2nd Quarter: 
 
4 plays for Atlanta and another punt, starting on their 2 gave N.O good field position which they used to hit Lockett for a 27 yard TD strike to make the score Saints 17, Falcons 0. 
 
With 8 minutes left in the 2nd Quarter, Hurts finally did some damage including a 41 yard dump off to Rhamondre Stevenson, capped by a Davis TD to get the Falcons on the board. Saints 17- ATL 7 at the end of the half.
 
3rd Quarter: 
 
Atlanta's D would tighten up stopping the Saints and Hurts would connect with Davis again for another TD to bring the Falcons back, reminiscing of last year's playoffs. 
 
Pat Sutain II would pick off Tua and Atlanta would march down the field again, only to be killed by another holding penalty, they were forced to kick a FG to tie the game. 17-17
 
4th Quarter: 
 
After a few punts, Coach Rice decided he would dial up a shot to quiet AJ Brown... Coach Alberry was ready, playing pass on having Bland on him Man to Man- the throw had a 30% for an INT- however, AJ Brown came down with the ball and knocked the wind out of the Falcons sails with a 54 yard bomb. On 3rd and 1, N.O would win a challenge to get the 1st down, then throw a screen that would go 18 yards into the endzone for a huge TD. NO 24- ATL 17
 
Falcons would get the ball with decent field position ready to do damage, but a holding penalty would make it 1st and 20 and an incomplete pass on 2nd down was ruled an interception for Hurts after a N.O challenge. With 5 minutes left ATL would bend but not break holding N.O to a FG to make it a 2 score game 27-17. 
 
On the kickoff, Atlanta would fumble it and New Orleans would recover and kick another FG virtually ending the game there. Score was 30-17, a combination of turnovers by the Falcons, and Bland getting beat by AJ Brown would seal the deal. 
 
N.O improves to 5-1 and takes on Tennessee next week, Jim as always coached a great game. While Atlanta falls to 3-2, and travels on a tough rivalry game vs Pittsburgh in a Father/Son matchup, that not only has bragging rights associated with it, but both teams are looking to keep a positive record as they hunt for the playoffs. 
           
 Los Angeles (N) 24 San Francisco 10         65 10-20
Lawrence, Lamb and Achane dominate on offense and the Rams shut down the 49ers offense.
 
 Denver 40 Houston 23                        70 Calm    
Denver came into Houston and started out fast as they jumped to a 21-3 lead early in the 2nd quarter and then rolled to a 40-23 victory.

Denver would rush for 203 yards thanks in part to a McCaffrey 63 yard TD run in the 1st quarter and he would finish with 178 yards on 23 carries.

Denver QB Geno Smith was brilliant all day as he connected on 25 of his 29 passes for 303 yards and a TD.

Texans QB Kirk Cousins had a fine day passing for 294 yards and 2 TD's with RB Joe Mixon catching 12 balls out of the backfield for 69 yards.
        
 Arizona 14 Seattle 38                       70 0-10 
Seattle forces 3 turnovers and holds Arizona twice on 4th down attempts to cruise to a 38-14 W. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 McCaffrey(Den)  23-178  3 TD
 Robinson(KC)    20-135
 White,R(Phi)    17-112  1 TD
 Henry(NE)       20-80  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Lamb(LAR)       10-173  1 TD
 Samuel(Dal)      9-161  1 TD
 Smith,D(Den)    10-113
 Mixon(Hou)      12- 69
 
 Passing Leaders
 Browning(Pit)   36-26-382   3 TD
 Purdy(GB)       34-27-344   3 TD  1 Int
 Allen,J(Jax)    28-19-312   4 TD  1 Int – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Smith,G(Den)    29-25-303   1 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    46-30-294   2 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Reed(NE)         3 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Smith,R(Buf)     18 Tk
 Walker,Q(NYJ)    15 Tk
 McKinney(Ari)    15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Lutz(Chi)      4-4 FG  - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Crowder(Buf)   3-104 Punt Ret
 Hopkins(NYJ)   5-5 FG
 Butker(Den)    4-4 FG
​

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IFL WEEK 6 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 6 LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 5 RECAP

Justin Herbert throws three TD passes as the Cowboys defeat Arizona.

​Game Scores
Dallas 34 Arizona 17                        87 Calm 
Arizona's dream of an undefeated season went up in smoke when the Cowboys invaded the Cardinals.  The game was not without drama, but every time Zona could sniff victory the fickle finger did its job.  Dallas put up 13 points in the first quarter holding Zona scoreless.  Zona could not seem to make plays as neither the running game or passing game could move the chains.
 
The Cards came out in the second quarter and drove down the field before stalling at the Dallas 25 yard line.  The kicker Carison who is typically reliable shanked the FG attempt.  Dallas would take over and flawlessly move down the field to go up 20 to zip.  With their backs against the wall, Zona finally answered with their own TD, but had to convert on two fourth down plays.  Both defenses played with spirit and there were no other scores in the first half.
 
Zona got some offense going after receiving the kickoff, but again stalled and had to settle for 3 to make it 20-10.  If only they had made the first field goal attempt.  The defense stepped up and force a punt.  Then disaster struck.  Mahomes throws a pick on their 12 yard line and Dallas takes over on the Zona 15 yard line.  Three plays later and the score is 27 to 10.  Zona would put up another TD, but the game was over.  Dallas capped it with a final TD.
 
Houston 17 Los Angeles (A) 10               72 Calm
Kirk Cousins throws for 224 yards and a touchdown as the Texans get past the Chargers.
 
 Baltimore 30 Cincinnati 20                  63 0-10 
The Ravens visit the Jungle with yet a familiar face back at the helm, in long time Raven coach Scott Master.  
 
Things did not start out great for Cincinnati as Britain Covey could only return the kickoff to the 12 yard line.  After a pass interference call against the defense, Jordan Love would fumble with rookie Julius Brents recovering at the Cincinnati 24.  The Bengals defense forced a three and out and Baltimore had to settle on a Michael Aubrey 35 yard field goal for a 3-0 Raven lead with 13 minutes remaining.
 
Cincinnati put together a 12 play 75 yard drive as Love connected with Gerald Everett from nine yards out to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead with 7:51 remaining in the quarter.
 
The Ravens cut it to 7-6 thanks to another Aubry field goal from 35 yards out with 4:18 remaining.
 
The Bengals would kick two field goals in the second quarter and take a 13-6 lead into the half.
 
Aubrey would cut the Cincinnati lead to 13-9 with another field goal.  This one from 56 yards out.  Baltimore would finally reach pay dirt with two minutes remaining in the quarter as Kyren Williams would go in from ten yards out giving the Ravens a 16-13 lead.
 
But there was no quit in the 2024 IFL Bengals as Love led them on another ten play 75 yard drive capped off by a 14 yard pass to Diontae Johnson as Cincinnati regained the lead 20-16 with about twelve minutes remaining.
 
After an exchange of punt, rookie Marvin Mims Jr. produced a 40 yard punt return setting Baltimore up at the Bengals 33.  After a short pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for nine yards, Baker Mayfield found Adam Thielen from 24 yards out to regain the lead 23-20 with about three minutes remaining.
 
Cincinnati failed to convert on fourth and five and the Ravens took over with under two minutes remaining.  The Bengals defense was able to rip the ball from Williams but Baltimore recovered. Mayfield threw a short little flat pass to Patrick Ricard for 26 yards and Williams took it in from 11 yards out to ice it 30-20 Ravens.
 
Mayfield finished 18 of 30 for 225 yards and a touchdown.  Williams rushed for 77 yards and two scores and Thielen caught six passes for 88 yards and a score.
 
Love finished 26 of 36 for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  James Cook rushed for 108 yards on 16 attempts.
 
Baltimore was penalized 8 times for 51 yards while the Bengals just once for 5 yards.  However, the Ravens won the always critical turnover battle 2-0.
 
Next week the Ravens travel to Tennessee for another AFC Central battle.  The Bengals go to Carolina for an out of conference contest.
 
 
 Las Vegas 31 New York (N) 13                67 0-5
Matthew Stafford throws four touchdown passes to four different receivers as Las Vegas best the Giants.
 
 Tennessee 38 Pittsburgh 14                  61 5-15
Division Rival Titans come in to face the Steelers who are off to a good 3-1 start while the Titans have yet to win a game. But we know how the IFL is any given Sunday type a league.
 
The Titans win the toss and defer. Pittsburgh takes the ball and scores as Browning completes a short pass to Jefferson as he beats a Double team and takes it to the house from 39 yards out 7-0 Steelers. Titans answer right back on a 1st and 15 after a penalty a long slant to RB Jerome Ford connects for 76 yards then Ford runs it in from 4 yards out and we are tied at 7 after each team possesses the ball.Pittsburgh takes the next possession down to the 35 yard line  but the drive stalls and Bass hooks one from 53 yards out to keep the game tied. Titans take over at there 43 and march right down the field despite the Steelers forcing a fumble the ball lands safely in the Titans hands they finish off an 11 play drive with a 1 yard Dillion run for a 14-7 lead.  Ngakoue strip sack off Browning on the first play of the Steelers  next drive sets up Tennessee's offense  at the 26 and ends with a 31 yard Grupe FG for a 17-7 lead after 1
 
The 2nd quarter does not start out any better for the home team as Browning is picked by Byrum and Tennessee once again takes over in plus territory at the 35. Three Jimmy G passes later and the Titans are up 24-7 as he hooks up with Raymond from 8 yards out . The Steelers would punt on there next possession and the  Titans would continue there first half dominance over the Steelers with a 13 play drive culminating in Aiyuk  21 yard TD reception and a dominating first half performance for Tennessee makes it 31-7 as the Steelers D which has played well all season has no answers . The home teams offense does give the home crowd some hope as they take over with 3:28 left in the half and drive for a TD as Browning runs it in from 13 yards out making it 31-14 at the half.
 
The Stunned crowd settles in for the second half hoping some defensive adjustments would get them back in the game as the Titans get the ball first to start the 3rd. The defense has nothing for Tennessee as Garoppolo continue to tear apart the Steelers D
going 6-7 on the drive and Ford catching the last pass from 9 yards out to conclude an open half 9 plays drive making it 38-14.Pittsburgh would go on a long 7 minute drive but after a sack on a 3rd and 3 forcing a 4th and 8 Browning's pass falls incomplete and the Titans take over late in the 3rd. 
 
There would be no more scoring in this game and while time of possession actually favored the Steelers 31-29 it was the Titans that actually did something with there 29 minutes. 5 sacks for Tennessee and 4 fumbles by Pittsburgh along with 2 interceptions thrown by Browning led to a 3-0 turnover advantage for the Titans as they capitalized on the numerous errors by the home team to secure their first win of the year coming on the road. No long term injuries for either team this game
Tennessee 1-4 are at home to take on Baltimore 2-3 while the Steelers are on the road to take on division leading Jacksonville 4-0. 
 
 New England 30 New York (A) 9               64 10-20
Not much to say here...
 
The Patriots are very good, and the Jets are very bad.
 
Next week New England host Indianapolis, and New York visits Miami.
 
 Tampa Bay 3 Chicago 27                      58 15-25
TB QB Carr ends up with a 7.6 QBR.  That combined with turning the ball over inside their 30 a few times got the Bears a win.
 
 Atlanta 30 Carolina 10                      66 Calm  Heavy Rain
Atlanta thrashers Carolina 30-10 in the rain.
 
Carolina's woes continued as the only highlight of the game was a 1st half 45 yard TD run by J. Taylor.
 
Hurts is solid for the Falcons, completing 21 of 32 for 3 TD's.
 
Atlanta moves to 4-1 while Carolina drops to 0-5.
    
 Miami 24 Green Bay 41                       62 5-15 
Packers remain unbeaten but it wasn't easy.
 
Both teams went up and down the field in a first half that the Dolphins led through most of.
A late Brock Purdy to Tank Dell TD pass gave the hosts a slim 24-17 lead at the half.
 
Both teams combined for over 500 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes
 
Visitors took the second half kickoff and moved down to the Packers 33 but a 4th and 3 gamble was snuffed out by the Packers.
Purdy took the team right back the other way and found Demario Douglas for an 8 yard TD. 31-17 and the momentum had shifted.
 
Jared Goff then threw back-to-back INTS as Green Bay opened up a 21 point lead 38-17 early in the 4th
 
A Fins TD drive with about 7 minutes left in the 4th made it interesting, but Green Bay was able to tack on a FG and hang on for the 41-24 victory.
 
Purdy was named MVP 17/22 286 4td's
Bijan Robinson went for 143 all-purpose yards and a pair of TD's
 
Nice Collins and Chris Olave were virtually unstoppable, combining for
277 yards on 16 receptions
 
 Kansas City 24 Denver 23                    62 0-5 
 Denver gets TD with 30 seconds to play and tries for 2 pt conversion for the win but McCaffrrey is stuffed and the Chiefs get the win 24-23.
 
 San Francisco 10 New Orleans 30             70 Calm
All Saints in this one as they put together 378 yards of offense compared to 186 by the 49ers. Tua throws 2 TD's and throws for 213 yards in the win.           
   
 Indianapolis 21 Buffalo 16                  54 15-25
Indy comes into Buffalo and walks away with victory 21-16. Buffalo scores a couple of td's late in garbage time.
 
 Jacksonville 43 Los Angeles (N) 62          60 Calm
IFL redzone couldn't cut away from the Rams vs Jags on Saturday. Both teams combined for nearly 1000 yards of offense, 7 turnovers and only 2 punts. The score was 38-30 at the half. Josh Allen singlehandedly kept the Jags in the game getting to within 2 points of the Rams. A key holding penalty on a late drive led to a 4th and 18 attempt by the Jags on their own side of the field. The failed conversion gave the Rams some breathing room and ultimately the win at home. 
 
 Minnesota 23 Detroit 3                      70 Calm  
 Rookie wide receiver Michael Wilson catches both of the touchdown passes rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud threw as the Vikings defeat Detroit.
          
 Seattle 28 Philadelphia 3                   63 0-10 
Philly comes out with an impressive first drive of the game that unfortunately ends in a redzone INT.  A 2nd drive gets into the redzone and they are forced to settle for a FG.  After that the offense struggled to keep up and it was all downhill from there.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 McCaffrey(Den)  28-131  1 TD
 Sanders(LAR)    13-118
 Cook(Cin)       16-108
 Robinson(GB)    23-108  1 TD
 Allen,J(Jax)    13-106  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Collins,N(Mia)   7-177  1 TD
 Waddle(NYG)     14-154  1 TD
 Chase(Ind)      14-131  1 TD
 Lamb(LAR)        7-103  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Passing Leaders
 Goff(Mia)       43-29-374   3 TD  2 Int
 Fields(KC)      36-22-323   1 TD  1 Int
 Lawrence(LAR)   29-20-320   5 TD  2 Int
 Stafford(LV)    28-18-286   4 TD
 Purdy(GB)       22-17-286   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Stingley(NYJ)    2 Int 3 Tk
 Douglas(Ind)     2 Int 5 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Simmons(LAR)     2 Int 5 Tk
 
 Special Teams
Joseph(LAR) 2 FGs, 8 XPs, 14 PTs – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK 5 STANDINGS

​​IFL WEEK 5 LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 4 RECAP

Tyreek Hill has 10 receptions for 200 yards and a score.

Game Scores
 Tampa Bay 16 New England 31                 59 20-30
New England scored on their first drive thanks to a Lamar Jackson to Mike Evans TD pass, but Tampa put up the next 10 points thanks in large part to Rico Dowdle.  Dowdle, doing his best Marshall Faulk impersonation, tore through the Patriot defense much of the day to the tune of 94 yards on 22 carries, while also catching 5 passes from Derek Carr for 46 yards.  Carr would find Hollywood Brown on a nifty 31 yard TD pass on 4th and 1 to knot the game at 7 apiece.  On their next drive it was more Dowdle and Brown, ultimately setting up a field goal to take the 10-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter.
 
New England would answer quickly thanks to a long Jackson to Tyreek pass play, which set up a 14 yard TD reception by Hill soon after to give NE a 14-10 lead.  A Justin Tucker field goal would extend the lead to 17-10 Patriots at halftime.
 
The Patriots couldn't get much offense going on their first possession of the 3rd quarter and looked to punt.  Long snapper Tyler Ott had other ideas though, snapping the ball well over the head of his punter allowing the Bucs to take over at the NE 30.  A holding penalty on the Bucs killed the momentum however and they settled for a FG.  17-13 NE.
 
Lamar would take over from there, tossing a TD and running for another as the Patriots would win going away 31-16.
 
Jackson had 3 TD passes and another on the ground, while Tyreek Hill grabbed 10 passes for 200 yards and a score.
 
Each team committed a turnover, but the Bucs got the short end of the penalty stick, getting flagged eight times to just one for NE.
 
Green Bay 38 Detroit 17                     70 Calm
Brock Purdy throws four touchdown passes and runs for another as Packers cruise past Detroit.   
            
 Buffalo 13 Miami 41                         83 Calm 
Buffalo visits Miami without QB Kyler Murray and really never got on track as the Dolphins offense comes alive and puts up 41 in route to a 41-13 win over the Bills in their 1st match up of the year. Buffalo QB Hendon Hooker throws 3 picks while Miami QB Jared Goff throws 4 TD's in route to a 41-13 Miami win for the Dolphins to even their record at 2-2. The Bills fall to 1-2-1 and face a win less Colts team as of this writing in week 5 and the Dolphins travel to Green Bay to face the division leading Packers.
 
 Pittsburgh 34 Baltimore 23                  54 0-5  
I think Tom Brady un-retired to play one more game with Pittsburgh...in a Jake Browning jersey. The Steeler QB threw for 260 first-half yards, leading to a 24-20 advantage at the break. Brady...eh, er...Browning finished with 336 yards (189 to Justin Jefferson on 11 receptions) and a Brady-like 141.7 QB rating. Brady/Browning's third TD of the game iced it for the Black and Gold. PIT 34-23.
 
 
 Cincinnati 28 Jacksonville 33               80 10-20
“Fat” Randy Bullock kicks two fourth quarter field goals as Jacksonville rallies to defeat Cincinnati.
 
 Kansas City 31 Houston 17                   70 Calm    
David Montgomery rushes for 148 yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs get by Houston.
           
 New Orleans 31 Carolina 13                  68 0-5
Much like in real life from the past weekend, The Saints rout the Panthers.The Saints strike early with a 45 yard TD pass to A.J. Brown and never look back.
 
Tagovailoa completed 19 of 22 passes for 4 TD's in a strong effort for the Saints.
 
Wilson was able to muster two TD passes for Carolina's only scores.
 
 San Francisco 33 Tennessee 31               70 0-5  
A very entertaining game as the two teams traded the lead throughout the game.  The Titans thought their first victory was at hand when O'connell threw two TD passes to Aiyuk within a 7 minute span.  That put Tennessee up by 8 (31-23) with 10 minutes left in the game.  The 49ers responded with a 75 yard drive culminating with a Pickett to Tyler Boyd 11 yard TD pass.  However Coach McCormick opted for the convert rather than attempt a two-pointer to tie the game.  It turned out he knew DKS's tricks as the Titans drive to kill the clock stalled out thanks to a holding penalty on Thuney!!!  The punt pushed SF back to its own 22 yard line.  Pickett was stellar completing 6 of 7 as the 49ers marched down to the Titan 7 yard line and Matt Gay kicked the game winning field goal as time expired. San Francisco wins 33-31.

 Seattle 20 Dallas 13                        70 Calm    
Dallas struggles to stay healthy as 4 players leave the game early.  They keep in interesting late recovering an onside kick down 7 but turn it over on downs.  The backbreaking play was a 34 yard scramble TD by Prescott on 2nd and 19.
           
 Los Angeles (N) 18 Atlanta 31               68 Calm  
The 2-1 Rams come into Atlanta to face off against the 2-1 Falcons. The week 1 loss to Atlanta is the only blemish on an impressive start for the Rams- a 1 point heartbreaker at that! 
The Falcons barely edged out their first two games and haven't looked themselves. Hurts had a 16 passer rating game, Bland has 0 picks, and TJ Watt has 1 sack in 3 games. 
 
1st Quarter:
 
The Rams ran all over the Atlanta defence in game 1, so they switched it up on the opening drive and threw the ball all over Atlanta's supposed strong secondary ending up with a 17 yard TD to Samuel. LAR 7 - ATL 0
After a few punts, Atlanta had a good punt return that put them starting on their own 40.. however they were only able to get into LAR territory resulting in a made 53 yd FG. LAR 7- ATL 3
LAR had a 3rd and 7 and ATL had the play dialed in... a tipped pass led to an INT by Bland who would take it around 40 yards to the house for Atlanta's first TD of the game. ATL 10 - LAR 7
 
2nd Quarter:
 
LA and Lawrence were driving and recovering from the pick, until penalties slowed their drive. On a 3rd and 14, Shaheed snuck behind rookie Porter JR again in a Deja Vu from Week 1 for 25 yards..but Atlanta held tough and forced a 38 yard FG as things were all knotted up at 10 a piece. 
 
Atlanta did have the home field in this game... and thus on a 3rd and 5, Stevenson was stopped short, but the refs reviewed and gave a first down. Atlanta ran the ball down the field and capped it with a 15 yard Hurts scramble for a TD. ATL 17- LAR 10
 
With 4 minutes left Lawrence got the team rolling trying to cut into the lead before half, and set up a nice 38 yard FG with a minute left, but the Atlanta Special Teams was on point today, blocking the FG attempt and getting the ball. Atlanta couldn't get anything going, and went into half with a 7 point lead. 
 
3rd Quarter: 
 
Atlanta started the half pounding the ball when Hurts found Davis deep for a TD which put ATL up two scores. ATL 24- LAR 10
 
Atlanta looked to be putting the clamps on defensively, but it all turned when on 3rd and 11 Lawrence found Perine out of the backfield who shook CB Lewis and scampered for 28 yards. This deflated Atlanta and LAR just moved the ball so easily ending with a 3 yard Achane TD to cap an almost 8 minute drive. To demoralize Atlanta even more, Coach Heaton elects to go for 2, and hits Musgrave for the 2 pt conversion. ATL 24- LAR 18.
 
4th Quarter: 
 
A TD for LAR would put them ahead, so when Atlanta got the ball they tried to make something happen. After a few plays Atlanta was driving on their own 40 yard line when on 2nd and 6 Mostert took the ball and coughed it up! Coach Alberry got the refs to review the call...it was a 50/50 call, but Atlanta had home cooking in this one, and got to keep the ball. Next play on 3rd and 3 Mostert redeemed himself with a 31 yard run, which ended in Zack Moss punching it in with 13 to go. ATL 31 LAR 18
 
LAR got the ball and were driving into the Atlanta 28 yard line thanks to big runs by Achane. However after a penalty and an end around stuffed, LA was out of FG range and had to punt. The Falcons couldn't muster anything and went backwards after 3 plays and punted it back .
 
Lawrence was looking to make something happen with 6 minutes left but was picked by Surtain and it was a costly turnover. Atlanta was able to run some decent time down, but penalties stalled their drive and rather than attempt another 53+ yard FG with 2:37 left, they elected to punt it deep up two scores and rely on their defense. 
 
LA was not able to muster anything at the end as TJ Watt had 2 big sacks in the last drive and Atlanta won the game 31-18. 
 
Hurts was the game MVP with 110 passer rating and a running and passing TD. Ryan coached a great game, the only difference were the 2 turnovers, and the turnover by Atlanta that was called back. 
 
Atlanta moves to 3-1 and travels to Carolina next week. LA is 2-2 and hosts the Jags. 
             
 Philadelphia 7 Denver 31                    69 0-10
 The Broncos started out fast scoring 2 TD's in the first 5 minutes of the game and then cruised on to a 31-7 victory.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 13 Las Vegas 38             89 0-5  
The Las Vegas Raiders cruised to a 38-13 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium, improving their record to 3-1. Las Vegas quarterback Matthew Stafford delivered a stellar performance, throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns. After Los Angeles opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run by Zach Wilson, Stafford responded with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to tie the game. From there, the Raiders took control, adding a 57-yard field goal and two more touchdown passes in the second quarter—one to DeAndre Hopkins and another to Kelce—taking a commanding 24-10 halftime lead.
The Raiders' dominance continued in the second half as Alvin Kamara added a 17-yard rushing touchdown, and Stafford capped off his impressive day with a 26-yard strike to DJ Moore in the fourth quarter. Las Vegas outgained the Chargers 487 yards to 184, with the Raiders' run game bolstered by Kamara and Breece Hall, who combined for 159 rushing yards. Despite a solid effort from Los Angeles’ running back Jashaun Goodson, who rushed for 101 yards, the Chargers struggled to keep pace. Vegas' defense was efficient, keeping the Chargers’ passing game in check and forcing multiple punts to secure the win.
 
 Chicago 7 Minnesota 20                      68 Calm
The Vikings clinched a 20-7 victory over the Chicago Bears, improving to 2-2 on the season! The game was close statistically, but the Vikings scored three big plays in the passing game, giving them a 17-0 lead at halftime. This allowed them to control the clock in the second half. Great job, Vikings!
               
 New York (A) 12 Indianapolis 16             69 Calm  
  Colts hold on to win a very sloppy game 16-12  
 
Both sides combined for 15 penalties and was otherwise a generally messy game, except, inflexibility, when it comes to turnovers. There were none.
 
Colts get their first win of the season.
           
 Arizona 29 New York (N) 19                  70 0-10 
The Giants didn't get blown out. Thats about the only good news. 
 
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Montgomery(KC)  19-148  2 TD
 Walker III(NYG) 20-145  2 TD
 Jacobs(Det)     22-130
 Dillon(Ten)     10-116  1 TD
 Fields(KC)      20-111  1 TD
 Goodson(LAC)    14-101
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Hill,T(NE)      10-200  1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Jefferson(Pit)  11-186  1 TD
 Aiyuk(Ten)       9-140  3 TD
 Flowers(NYJ)    10- 96
 
 Passing Leaders
 Jackson(NE)     30-22-365   3 TD
 Pickett(SF)     44-30-349   1 TD
 Browning(Pit)   32-26-336   3 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    32-25-326   4 TD
 Love(Cin)       37-26-309   1 TD
 Purdy(GB)       31-24-304   4 TD  2 Int
 Stafford(LV)    36-22-295   4 TD
 Tagovailoa(NO)  22-19-294   4 TD
 Goff(Mia)       39-27-282   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Poyer(Ten)       17 Tk
Bosa (Sea)  1 Sk, 1 Tk, 4 Hur – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Gay(SF)        4-4 FG
 Hopkins(NYJ)   4-4 FG
 Carlson(Ari)   5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK 4 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 4 LEAGUE LEADERS 

​WEEK 3 RECAP

49ers safety Geno Stone's two interceptions helps lead to upset of Atlanta.

Game Scores
Atlanta 10 San Francisco 12                 77 10-20  
The Falcons run for 244 yards but get only 97 yards from the passing game as the 49ers rely on 4 FGs to squeak past the Falcons.  San Francisco enjoys a 4-0 advantage in the all-important turnover category.  Safety Geno Stone intercepts two of Jalen Hurts three interceptions.
 
New England 37 Buffalo 17                   78 0-5
The Patriots come to Buffalo knowing they won't be facing Kyler Murray and may have underestimated the Bills early as Hendon Hooker kept the Bills in the game as it was 17-10 Pats at the half. The Pats combo of Jackson (16-20 295 3 TD and 1 Rushing TD) and Tyreek Hill (9 receptions 217 yards and 2 TD's) was too much in the end for the Bills to overcome. The Patriots go to 3-0 and will host Tampa Bay next week while the Bills fall to 1-1-1 and head to Miami week 4.
 
 Denver 34 Los Angeles (A) 6                 87 Calm
The Denver Broncos came into LA and left with a 34-6 victory over their division foe.  Bronco QB Geno Smith was 14 of 14 for 316 yards in the 1st half and the Broncos coasted in the 2nd half.
 
 Tennessee 23 Cincinnati 28                  70 0-10 
Week three of the IFL season saw long time division rival Tennessee invade the Jungle.  If you recall, the Titans eliminated Cincinnati 16-6 in the Wild Card round of last year's IFL playoffs.
 
After forcing a Titan three and out on the opening drive, Bengals punt returner Britain Covey muffed the punt return with Tennessee recovering at the Bengals 23.  Three plays later Jimmy G found pesky Kalif Raymond for the nine yard pitch and catch as the Titans drew first blood 7-0.
 
The Bengals put together a nice nine play drive but on the tenth play with fourth and inches, Love was stuffed as Tennessee took over from their own 31.  The Cincinnati defense forced a three-and-out.  However, Love was intercepted by Cameron Sutton who returned it 32 yards for the score to increase the Titan lead to 14-0.  The young Bengal quarterback was shell shocked and all Aaron Rodgers could do was limp around.  
 
After forcing another Cincinnati punt, the Bengals defense picked up the spirits of their young QB as hybrid linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons stepped in front of a Jimmy G pass and took it to the house!  The 56 yard return cut the Tennessee lead to 14-7.  The Titans would increase their lead to 17-7 by the half thanks to a Blake Grupe field goal.
 
The Cincinnati offense started clicking to open the third quarter with a eight play 75 yard drive capped off by a Love to Carter 10 yard dump off to cut the Titans lead to 17-14.  The momentum continued to swing the home town's team way as All-IFL safety Jessie Bates intercepted a Jimmy G pass.  The Bengals would take over at the Tennessee ten and Love would run it in from seven yards out as Cincinnati finally had the lead 21-17.  
 
The Titans would put together a 14 play 70 yard drive but had to settle on another field goal to cut the Bengals lead to 21-20 as the third quarter ended.
 
The fourth quarter began with Love throwing his third interception of the game allowing Tennessee to regain the lead 23-21.  Cincinnati would go on a 11 play 75 yard drive highlighted by a 21 yard run by backup running back Michael Carter.  The drive was capped off by a four yard pass to Carter on a read option play to give the Bengals a 28-23 lead which they would hold for the big AFC Central win.
 
Jimmy G finished 19 of 32 for 183 yards and a touchdown but two interceptions.  The Titans defense sacked Love four times with rookie Byron Young collecting two of them.
 
Love finished 23 of 31 for 245 yards with two touchdowns but three interceptions.  Carter had both of the touchdown receptions.
 
Next week, the Titans host San Francisco while the Bengals are in Jacksonville for another big AFC Central matchup.
 
 Arizona 27 Philadelphia 24                  75 0-5
Mahomes throws three touchdown passes as Arizona holds off a Philadelphia second half rally.
 
 Pittsburgh 23 New Orleans 27                70 Calm     
 Pittsburgh would roll into New Orleans with their undefeated record against the 1-1 Saints. The Steelers would receive the kick and both teams would exchange punts. Pitt would get the ball again and take it to the Saints 17 before Bass would kick the 35 yarder. Key play in the drive was a Rondale Moore 27 yard end around.

The Saints would get the ball and take it to the Steelers 44 yard before Tua would throw his 5th pick of the young season. Pitt would do nothing though and punt after a 3 and out. The Saints would get the ball and put together a 7 minute drive which ended in a Jaylen Warren 8 yard scamper for a TD. 7-3 Saints with 9 minutes left in the 2nd.
Steelers would get the ball and face the first big decision of the game facing 4th and 1 at their own 48. Steelers would key Devito and it didn’t matter as he ran right up the middle for 23 yards. The next play he would find Justin Jefferson from 29 yards out. 10-7 Pitt. Saints would get the ball and take it to the Steelers 49 and Tua would throw pick #6 of the year. The Saints again stop the Steelers and they would punt the Saints to their 17 with less than 2 minutes in the half. Tua would lead the Saints down the field and Mcmanus would kick a 51 yarder as time expired. 10-10 HT.

Saints would get the ball to open the half and Tua would hit Lockett for 44 yards and then McManus would connect again from 50 yards out. 13-10 Saints. The teams would exchange punts and the Saints would get the ball at their own 8. The play was a bomb but Tua would try to check down and what do you know pick #7 of the season by Davis. The Steelers would not take advantage and Bass would kick a 21 yard FG. 13-13. The teams would exchange punts to the 14:45 mark of the 4th quarter.
The Steelers would put together a great 5 minute drive which would end in a Devito to Brown from 9 yards out. 20-13 Steelers. The Saints would bounce right back with their own 5 minute drive in which Tua would connect with Njoku from 14 yards out. 20-20 with 4:50 left in the game. The Steelers would come right back with a drive down to the Saints 28 yard line and Bass would kick his 3rd FG of the day to give the Steelers the 23-20 lead with 1:48 left.

The Saints would get the ball and take the ball down to the Steelers 24 yard line with 7 seconds left and 2nd down. The Steelers would play tight thinking the Saints would try a quick short out to get closer for a game tying FG and honestly that's what Coach Rice had thought about doing. At the last second Coach changed the play to a long pass and Tua would connect with AJ Brown for the game winning TD. Very exciting game and a well called game by Pittsburgh. 4 more turnovers for the Saints. Not sure Coach Rice's blood pressure can sustain this kind of turnover rate.    
  
 New York (N) 22 Dallas 25                   70 Calm
The Dallas Cowboys overcame six players leaving the game with injuries (for the duration of the game) to squeak by the New York Giants thanks to a game-winning 49-yeard field goal with no time on the clock by Greg Zuerlein to lead the Boyz to a 25-22 win.
 
The Giants scored with 5:12 left in the game on an 8-yard inside run by Kenneth Walker on third and 8 to close to 22-20.  Walker would reach the end zone on a run to convert the 2-point conversion and tie the game.
 
Dallas would then go three and out.
 
With momentum on their side, the Giants got 14 yards on a jet sweep by Reagon and then a 9-yard run by Walker.  On second and one and victory in sight, Dallas came up with consecutive sacks to force a punt.
 
Dallas took over from its own five.  Justice Hill ran for 5, 1 and 5 yards for a first down.  Then came another 5-yard run by Hill followed by a screen pass which went for 24 yards to the Dallas 40 with 1:27 left on the clock   Justin Hebert then checked down for a 2-yard pass to Goedert, followed by an incompletion.  Herbet then found Doubs for 12 yards for a first down and again for 9 more.  Herbert completed a short out pattern to Pickens for a first down and to stop the clock.  A screen pass to Hill fell incomplete.    Hill rand for three yards to the Giant 34 and Dallas ran the clock down to 3 seconds when Zuerlein connected on his long field goal to give the Cowboys the win.
               
 Jacksonville 27 Baltimore 25                81 0-5  
After a connection hiccup in my first week back, my first game was a memorable one.
 
Jacksonville came to Baltimore a 2 point underdog and elected to receive the opening kickoff. After a three-and-out, it didn't take long for the Ravens to hit paydirt. On a 2nd-and-2, Kyren Williams bolted through the line for 73 yards. BAL 7-0.
 
After a second Jacksonville three-and-out, Baltimore looked to put this one away early, quickly moving to the Jaguars 35, but two consecutive holding penalties put the Ravens back in their own territory where they punted. Josh Allen, the Jags QB, not the Ravens LB, got Jacksonville to mid-field, but a failed try on 4th down gave the ball back to the Ravens...where they did nothing and punted the ball back to Jacksonville.
 
As the quarter came to an end, the Jags ran the ball five straight times (four by Allen) to move into Ravens territory as the 2nd quarter began. From there, Allen connected with DK Metcalf for a 30-yard strike. Tied 7-7.
 
Baltimore responded by driving into Jags territory, but stalled on a 4th-and-3 at the Jags 39. Jacksonville took advantage of the momentum swing, driving 61 yards for another score - Allen hitting Metcalf again, this time from 19 yards out. JAX 14-7.
 
The Ravens got 3 back when their ensuing drive stalled at the Jags 11 with 18 ticks before the half-time two-minute warning. JAX 14-10. That was plenty of time for Coach Hood to matriculate his offense downfield, masterfully managing the clock 'til Antonio Gibson plunged in from the 1. JAX 21-10 at the half.
 
Baltimore would receive the second-half kick and move downfield to score when Baker Mayfield (he's still on the team?!) hit Amon St. Brown from 22 yards out. Coach Master elected to go for two in an attempt to cut the lead to 3, but the try failed. JAX 21-16.
 
The Ravens D held Jacksonville to a 3-and-out and the O marched to the Jags 5, but had to settle for another FG. JAX 21-19.
 
Jacksonville put together a 12-play drive that covered 52 yards, but Randy Bullock missed from 41 yards out. Baltimore gobbled up a couple first downs, but punted and Jacksonville took over with 10:57 remaining. After a 28-yard gain got the Jags out of the shadow of the endzone, Allen chucked it up again, but Greg Newsome II picked it. Unfortunately, the Ravens couldn't capitalize and punted back to the Jags.
 
Coach Hood, looking to ice the game away, again masterfully managed his team downfield. Allen guided his pawns on a 14 play, 52-yard drive. This time Bullock hit from 46 yards out with 2:30 left on the clock putting pressure on the Ravens to reach the endzone. JAX 24-19.
 
Then the stunning happened. Bullock booted the kick-off two yards deep and Marvin Mims Jr decided to run it out. 102 yards later, he crossed over the Jags goal line. Again, Baltimore went for two...and failed. BAL 25-24.
 
With just one TO in his pocket, Allen/Hood moved deftly downfield with two surprise dive plays to Dameon Pierce chunking up enough yards for Bullock to hit a GW, 38-yard FG as time expired. JAX 27-25.
 
Unsurprisingly, Josh Allen (the QB, not the LB) was named the game's MVP. He hit 25-of-39 passes for 265 yards and 2 TDs. His counterpart, Baker Mayfield, hit 20 of 31 for 261, 1 TD and a 101.7 QB rating. What put Allen over the top was his 93 yards rushing on 15 attempts. Kyren Williams ran for 121 Raven yards on 16 carries and St. Brown caught 10 passes for 172, but they couldn't match Allen and Metcalf (7 catches for 122 yards and 2 TDs).
 
Next week, Jacksonville (3-0) puts their undefeated record on the line as they host division rival Cincinnati (2-1). Baltimore (1-2) remains at home to take on the 2-1 Steelers and try to muddle-up the AFC Central.
 
 Kansas City 21 Seattle 38                   63 Calm
Seattle takes a commanding 24-7 lead heading into the half then proceeds to implode allowing KC to score 2 quick 4th quarter TDs.  KC had the ball down 3 with a  shot but then Seattle woke up and put the game out of reach with 2 late TDs. 
 
 Miami 42 Indianapolis 20                    69 Calm
Game close in the first quarter but Miami broke it open in the second quarter and went on to win easily 42-20.
                
 Green Bay 27 Minnesota 23                   68 Calm
The Green Bay Packers, who are currently leading their division, managed to secure a 27-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Despite trailing for most of the game, the Packers were able to make a comeback. They were behind from midway through the first quarter and were down 20-10 at halftime, but they rallied late to maintain their first-place position in the division. Robinson scored on a plunge play with one minute remaining, securing the hard-fought victory for the Packers. The Packers led in almost every category except for turnovers (1-0). They had 201 yards rushing, held the ball for 34 minutes, got 27 first downs compared to the Vikings' 18, and gained 449 total yards compared to the Vikings' 346. Notably, their final drive was an exceptional 80-yard, 14-play drive that ate up 8 minutes and 3 seconds of the clock, including a fourth down conversion.
               
 Detroit 14 Tampa Bay 19                     86 5-15
Chris Boswell booted four field goals as Tampa Bay nips the Lions.
 
 Carolina 3 Los Angeles (N) 29               63 Calm 
Rams defeat a beat up Panthers team in Los Angeles. Panthers were missing several OL and interior DL which was too much to overcome.
 
 New York (A) 6 Chicago 15                   72 0-5  
Exciting game...5 FGs to 2 FGs
 
Bears get the home win.
 
Next week Chicago visits Minnesota, and New York visits Indianapolis.
 
 Las Vegas 20 Houston 21                     70 Calm    
sim           
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Moss(Atl)       13-131
 Williams,K(Bal) 16-121  1 TD
 Pollard(Chi)    19-116
 Akers(Ind)      20-113  1 TD
 Robinson(GB)    24-111
 Mixon(Hou)      21-109
 Mattison(Dal)   12-103  1 TD
 Fields(KC)      15-31  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Hill,T(NE)       9-217  2 TD
 Adams(Sea)       9-175  2 TD
 St. Brown(Bal)  10-172  1 TD
 Smith,D(Den)     6-156  2 TD
 Lamb(LAR)       10-149  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Tagovailoa(NO)  46-29-331   2 TD  3 Int
 Smith,G(Den)    17-16-318   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Stone(SF)        2 Int 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Mack(LAR)        3 Sk 5 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Gipson(Phi)    1-32 Kick Ret 2-103 Punt Ret  1 TD
 Zuerlein(Dal)  4-4 FG
 Mims Jr.(Bal)  3-167 Kick Ret  1 TD
 Gay(SF)        4-4 FG
 Olszewski(Det) 7-138 Punt Ret  1 TD
 Boswell(TB)    4-4 FG
 Lutz(Chi)      5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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IFL WEEK 3 STANDINGS

​​IFL WEEK 3 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 2 RECAP

Pittsburgh defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence leads the Steelers to a 2-0 start!

Game Scores
 Carolina 14 Pittsburgh 23                   76 0-10 
Pittsburgh 1-0 opens the season with  back to back home games this week taking on Carolina 0-1
Each team punted to open the game but the Steelers get something going on the 2nd drive . Tommy Devito getting the start had just completed a pass to Jefferson down to the 27 but a holding penalty derails the drive and they settle for a 45 yard Bass FG for a 3-0 lead. Carolina has a drive into Steeler country but a 4th and 1 Taylor run falls inches short at the 45 yard line.
As we move into the 2nd Devito scrambles 3 times for 35 yards but another holding penalty sets them back and again Bass comes out for a FG this time from 35 and its 6-0. Carolina's offense stalls again and has to punt . Devito opens up with a 25 yard scramble then a 12 yard pass to Jefferson to get them in plus territory 6 plays later they are 3rd and inches from the goal line and Allgeier punches it in for a 13-0 lead. The Panthers offense gets things going on their next drive big play from Russell Wilson to rookie Kayshon Boutte for 28 yards on a 4th and 5 from the Steelers 41 sets Jonathan Taylor up 3 plays later for a 6 yard TD . At the half its 13-7.

A holding penalty stops the Panthers opening drive but after Pittsburgh got across the midway line Devito is picked by D'Anthony Bell as the Panthers win a challenge and get the ball back. It did the Panthers little good the first play is a Shy Tuttle sack the next play is a Dexter Lawrence's strip sack his 3rd sack of the game and the Steelers take over at the 18 yard line. 2 plays later Devito hits Javonte Williams out of the backfield from 8 yards out to make it 20-7 midway through the 3rd. Carolina answers back immediately the big play is Taylors 54 yard run down to the Steelers 8 yard line. 3 plays later its Taylor again from 5 yards out for his 2nd of the game 20-14. Pittsburgh ends the 3rd on a 12 play drive but another holding penalty sets them back and in no mans land facing a 3rd and 16 from the 37 they decide to punt and its a good one pinning the Panthers down at the 4. 

Carolina has to punt twice sandwiched by a Steelers punt to open the 4th. Pittsburgh takes over on their 30 with 8 minutes to play and the drive ends with a 32 yard Bass FG with 59 seconds left to close the game out as the Panthers have only 1 time out left. The big plays were Devito's QB sneak on a 4th and inches at the 50 with just over 4 minutes left to play and a 12 yard Devito scramble to get it to the 34 then a 12 yard Jefferson catch to get them down to the 22 well within FG Range. 

Final Pittsburgh 23 Carolina 14
 
Sean called a great game as his team held in there after losing a couple of defensive line players in the game. The only injury for either team beyond this game was Tomon Fox for the Panthers out 15 weeks.

Pittsburgh highlights . Team ran for 184 yards on 37 carries although Devito lead the team in rushing with 75 yards on 7 carries.
Dexter Lawrence 3 sacks and a forced fumble. 

Carolina highlights - Team ran the ball 23 times for 128 yards Jonathan Taylor ran 12 times for 102 yards and 2 TD.

The Steelers 2-0  head out on the road down south to take on the always well coached 1-0 Saints while Carolina 0-2 has there 3rd straight road game to open the season (who did they piss off) taking on the 0-1 LA Rams.
 
Denver 23 Miami 16                          86 0-10  Rain  
Miami takes a 10 point lead into halftime at 16-6 but fails to score in the 2nd half as Denver runs off 17 unanswered points in the 2nd half to take a 23-16 win at Miami in week 2. Denver evens it's record at 1-1 while the Dolphins fall to 0-2.

Next week Denver stays on the road at LA Chargers and the Dolphins go on the road at Indy.
 
 New Orleans 20 Cincinnati 36                72 10-20
After a disappointing opening week loss at Pittsburgh, the IFL Bengals host the Saints for their 2024 home opener.
 
The Bengals came out more focused this week after a good old fashion week of physical practices.  Defensive lineman Zach Sieler set the tone intercepting Tua on an attempted screen pass.  James Cook would go in from two yards out for a 7-0 Cincinnati lead.
 
On the Saints next series Tua would be intercepted again, this time by All-Pro Cornerback Jalen Ramsey.  Cincinnati had to settle on a Fairbairn 36 yard field goal to extend their lead to 10-0.  New Orleans would strike quickly as A.J. Brown took advantage of one of his rare times not 2-teamed for the 64 yard TD pass from Tua to cut the deficit to 10-7.
 
James Cook, somewhat fumble prone, lived up to his reputation, by coughing it up with the Saints taking over at the Cincinnati 40.  New Orleans would have to settle on a McManus 41 yard field to tie it at 10.
 
The Bengals would be forced to punt early in the second quarter and Tua looked to be heating up with completions to Brown for 31 despite the 2-team, Lockett for 15, and Lockett for 14 for the go-ahead score, 17-10 Saints with a little over eight minutes remaining in the half.
 
Cincinnati put together an eight play 71 yard drive with Love finding Gerald Everett from six yards out to tie it at 17.  After forcing a New Orleans punt, Britain Covey went the distance, 74 yards, and the Bengals regained the lead 24-17.  IFL Bengal fans could feel the big "MO" changing.  DKS was very good to the IFL Bengals as after an 11 yard completion to Dionate Johnson with nine seconds remaining and no timeouts, Love was able to spike the ball, leaving two seconds on the clock.  Fairbairn would convert the 39 yard attempt and the Bengals would head to the locker room with a 27-17 lead.
 
The Bengals would add four field goals in the second half while holding New Orleans to one field goal for the 36-20 final.
 
Tua's struggles were a big surprise.  He finished 12 of 26 for 242 yards and two touchdowns but also four interceptions.  A.J. Brown was a beast and despite being double 95% of the time finished with five catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.
 
Jordan Love was 18 for 31 for 202 yards and a touchdown but zero interceptions.  
 
Next week the Saints host undefeated Pittsburgh while the Bengals host long time division rival Tennessee.
 
 Houston 7 Buffalo 13                        61 10-20
Houston comes to Buffalo looking to even their record, only to lose 13-7 as two missed FG's by Sanders really hurt the momentum and in turn sparked the Bills.  Kyler Murray was knocked out of the game late in the game. Cousins struggled in the second half to complete third down conversions as the Bills defense really stepped up. Murray had a few key runs and hit a Conklin for a TD. Mixon scored on a 4 yard run for the Texans.

Houston will host Las Vegas next week while the Bills will host the Patriots with no Kyler Murray.
 
 Arizona 34 Detroit 21                       70 Calm 
The Cardinals score ten unanswered fourth quarter points to escape Detroit with the win.  Patrick Mahomes throws for 251 yards and two touchdowns.       
      
 Las Vegas 28 New York (A) 17                77 5-15 
Matthew Stafford throws two touchdown passes as the Raiders get by the Jets.
 
 Chicago 5 Seattle 16                        65 0-10 
Chicago defense and special teams played tough and kept the Bears in the game in the first half with a turnover that turned into a sort field FG followed by a punt to the 1 yard line that would lead to a safety.  They started the second half only down 7-5 and receiving the ball but unfortunately that would be the end of the road as the Bears offense would fail to pick up a first down in the second half.  This would be further complicated by their punter leaving the 2nd half with an injury.  Seattle would tack on a couple of FGs to take a 16-5 W.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 3 New England 27            73 5-15 
New England jumps out to a 24-0 halftime lead en route to a 27-3 win against the Chargers.  Mike Evans caught 6 passes from Lamar Jackson for 103 yards and a score, while Derrick Henry ran for 77 yards on 20 carries and a TD to lead the NE offense.  LA's Zach Wilson struggled most of the afternoon, completing 10 of 21 passed for a mere 55 yards and one INT. 

NE will travel to Buffalo next week while the Chargers will host Denver.
 
 Minnesota 26 Dallas 36                      70 Calm  
Entering game two with a week one loss to Seattle, things looked bleak for Dallas in week two when Justin Herbert was sacked in the end zone by Trey Hendrickson to put the Cowboys in the hole early, 2-0.  Meanwhile, Minnesota seized the momentum for a 16-7 lead after the first quarter.  Vikings quarterback C.J. Stroud was sensational in the quarter, completing 13 of 15 passes for 125 yards.  The Vikings were helped by four Cowboy penalties in the quarter.
But Dallas came back to close to 23-20 at the half.  The big play was inside linebacker Tremain Edwards returning a fumble to the house.

Stroud, the number one pick in the draft, finished the half 24/131 for 233 yards.

Things would change for the rookie in the second half.  Stroud only completed 7 of 17 passes the second half for just 56 yards.

Dallas continued to score and prevailed 36-26.   Justin Herbert completed 20.30 passes for 296 yards in the contest.
Dallas held the Vikings' running game to just 30 yards on 10 carries.

Greg Zuerlein connected on five field goals in five tries for America's Team.
             
 Green Bay 31 New York (N) 3                 79 0-5  
Packers score 31 unanswered points in the first half to cruise to the win.  All-Rookie Bijan Robinson rushes for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 42 Tennessee 24             86 0-5  
The Titans sieve defense gives up over 40 points for the second straight game.  Trevor Lawrence is stellar for the Rams with 4 TD passes and 43 yards rushing including a crucial 27 run.
 
 Tampa Bay 16 Philadelphia 24                86 10-20
In one of the strangest beginnings in IFL history, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Tampa Bucs 24-16.  
The game began with both teams showing their muscle on defense.  After an exchange of punts, Tampa began to move the ball only to be stopped by the Eagle 11.  On the ensuing punt, Eagle returner Xavier Gipson fumbles the ball at the Eagle 34-yard line.  After a mad scramble for the ball, Eagle DB Derion Kendrick scooped up the ball and raced 66 yards to put the Eagles up 7-0.  Both coaches were dumbfounded at the result and went to the rulebook to make sure the fumbled punt could be returned.  The TD stood up!  It was a strange beginning that would give momentum to the Eagles.  

After a Tampa FG early in the 2nd quarter, the Eagles would extend their lead to 14-3 on WR Jayden Reed's jet sweep.  That would be how the 1st half would end.

The Eagles would take the 2nd half kickoff and put up 3.  17-3 Eagles.  On Tampa's first possession of the 2nd half, player of the game, Derion Kendrick would intercept a Derek Carr pass and returned it to the Bucs 40-yard line.  3 plays later Eagle QB Nick Mullens would hit HB Chigoziem Okonkwo on a 36-yard fly pattern and put the Eagles up 24-3.

The Bucs would make a furious comeback but ultimately fell short.  With the win, the Eagles start the season 2-0 despite going with a 3-headed QB of Stat Pack Malik Willis, Nick Mullens, and Ryan Tannehill.  Will this continue?  Only time will tell.
 
 Kansas City 34 Indianapolis 19              69 Calm 
Justin Fields throws three touchdown passes to lead the Chiefs past Indy.
              
 Jacksonville 40 San Francisco 28            84 15-25
Josh Allen throws four touchdown passes as the Jaguars defeat San Francisco on the road.
 
 Baltimore 33 Atlanta 34                     68 Calm                
A Week 2 matchups between two teams with a lot of talent and hype coming into the season. The Falcons were under the radar a bit coming into last season and ended up falling a game short... while the Ravens have been re-tooled and finally mostly healthy.

Thanks to Don for subbing this one as Scott has some technical delays this week. 
 
This game was played at home for the Falcons and they started with the ball:
 
1st Quarter: 
 
Hurts would hit Gabe Davis for a 30 yard TD as Kupp and Ertz were doubled leaving one on one coverage for Davis. ATL 7 BAL 0
 
Baltimore would set the tone for the game early by running 7 straight times down the field for a quick TD to answer. ATL 7 BAL 7
 
Atlanta would shoot themselves in the foot with a few penalties and punt it to Baltimore who got the throwing game going with 5 straight completions capped off by a 17 yard TD run and was looking unstoppable. BAL 14 ATL 7
 
2nd Quarter: 
 
Atlanta would answer back with a drive of their own and on 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 9, Hurts took off and scrambled for a TD to tie it up BAL 14 ATL 14
 
After Baltimore was forced to punt after a holding penalty, ATL took the ball with 7:30 to go, and led a drive into Baltimore territory, Don had some calls spot on... however Coach Alberry was bailed out on a 2nd and 7 when Hurts' target was double covered so Hurts scrambled in for another TD to put ATL up 21-14 with 1:17 seconds left. 
 
Rookie CB Joey Porter JR not proving his worth today as Mims JR, rated a 2, burns him deep on back to back plays for a total of 58 yards, and Atlanta, lucky to hold to a FG before the half ends. Halftime score: ATL 21, BAL 17
 
3rd Quarter: 
 
The Atlanta defense looked to be settling in as the Ravens were stopped on 3rd down, Atlanta would then take the ball and drive into Ravens territory but Hurts was sacked twice and a holding penalty made it 3rd and 24, which the Falcons just ran and took the FG. This was a 9 minute drive and took up most of the 3rd quarter.  ATL 24- BAL 17
 
4th Quarter: 
 
Two back to back 20+ yard runs by Williams would demoralize the Atlanta sidelines as one went for a TD and Baltimore took 5 plays to score another TD to tie the game with 14 minutes left in the game. ATL 24- BAL 24. 
 
Two perfect calls by Don would stop the Falcons drive to a FG with 9 minutes left with a 4th and 2. ATL 27- BAL 24
 
The Falcons defense continued their sleepy slumber into the season giving up a 7 minute drive in which the Ravens ran for 60 yards and set up the tying FG with 1:17 left in the game.  ATL 27 BAL 27
 
Now Atlanta had lost two challenges coming into this final drive, a costly mistake by Coach Alberry since it only gave them 1 TO left. However, young QB with playoff experience led the Falcons drive. A crucial moment came with 8 seconds left and 1 TO still... Coach Alberry chose to go for it by throwing long.... it fell incomplete with 1 second left. He could have maybe thrown a shorter pass and called a time out, but the elected to go long... he tried again and Hurts was picked! But no return... we head into overtime... 
 
Overtime:
 
Baltimore received the Ball first in overtime and Odigizuwa for the Falcons started it off with an offsides penalty. Baker Mayfield had a great game and dumped and hit some targets to get near the redzone... Williams for the Ravens ran for 12 yards to get them close... Coach Alberry decided to play the run and Don and Mayfield made him pay with a cross to Thielen for the score. Odigizuwa remembering the offsides that was a crucial call in the game decided to step up and block the XP!  BAL 33 ATL 27
 
Pressure on Hurts to respond, game on the line and they need a TD... On 3rd and 8... Hurts would find Melton for a 10 yard reception... on 4th and 6... Melton again for a 14 yard catch, a few catches later on 3rd and 1 from the 24... Aaron Donald with a clutch sack! But no! Home cooking... he was offsides... first down for the Falcons. Hurts would hit Christian Watson for 13 yards... and then his specialty... scrambled in from 6 yards and the Falcons would make the XP and escape with a 1 point victory. 
 
ATL 34, BAL 33
 
Don subbed for this game and coached an amazing game... I got really lucky and didn't deserve to win this one. 
 
Williams ran 18 times for 172 and 2 TD, also Mayfield had a 107 QBR. Hurts was the MVP with a QBR of 88... went 24/36 for 282 but scrambled for 3 TDs in the victory. 
 
ATL travels to division rival SF next week as Baltimore hosts a division rival of their own in Josh Allen and the Jags. 

 
 Rushing Leaders
 Williams,K(Bal) 18-172  2 TD
 Montgomery(KC)  14-130  1 TD
 Hall,B(LV)      14-127  1 TD
 McCaffrey(Den)  20-124  1 TD
 Mitchell(Jax)   10-110  1 TD
 Taylor(Car)     12-102  1 TD
 Hurts(Atl)      10-42  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Lamb(LAR)       10-117  1 TD
 Chase(Ind)      10- 99  1 TD
 Smith-Njig(Det)  7- 68  3 TD
 Metcalf(Jax)     3- 53  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Lawrence(LAR)   30-23-358   4 TD  1 Int
 Stroud(Min)     48-31-289   3 TD
 Allen,J(Jax)    16-12-217   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Lawrence(Pit)    3 Sk 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 McKinney(Ari)    1 Int 15 Tk
 Chubb(Sea)       3 Sk 7 Tk
 Hooker(Jax)      15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Fairbairn(Cin) 5-5 FG
 Zuerlein(Dal)  5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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IFL WEEK 2 STANDINGS

​​IFL WEEK 2 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 1 RECAP

Eagles QB Nick Mullens reacts to Rachaad White's game winning touchdown.

Game Scores
​ Houston 31 Philadelphia 35                  77 10-20
In an exciting back-and-forth game, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Houston Texans 35-31. 
 
The game began with the Texans taking command behind the arm of QB Kurt Cousins, the running of RB Joe Mixon, and the receiving of WR's Godwin, McLaren, and TE McBride.  The lead was 14 before the Eagle faithful got comfortable in their seats.  However, the Eagles would fight back in the latter half of the 1st quarter behind the arm of stat-pack QB Malik Willis, the running of RB Rashaad White, and the receiving of London, Reed, and Okonkwo.  At the end of the quarter, it was knotted at 14.
 
The Texans dominated the 2nd quarter as they used a lot of clock, kept the Eagles at bay, and added 10 points before the half was over to take a 24-14 lead into the locker room. 
 
Both teams changed QB's at halftime.  The Texans wanted to protect QB Cousins as much as possible and the Eagles decided to go with QB Nick Mullens to see if he could ignite the offense.  The move by the Eagle brass worked as Mullens would throw a TD to RB White and close the gap to 24-21 at the end of the 3rd
 
This would lead to Cousins being inserted back into the game in the 4th to re-establish the Texans offense.  After another Eagle TD by RB White put the Eagles up 28-24, Cousins would lead the Texans on a long methodical drive that would culminate in a Cousins to Godwin TD with 44 seconds left in the game and the Eagles owning only 1 timeout.  Texans up 31-28.  With time running out, the Eagles would go to the air with Mullens.  On the very first play from scrimmage, The Texans brought a blitz.  Mullens was rushed hard and decided to dump the pass to White in the backfield.  Somehow, White was able to romp 75 yards for the go-ahead score!  The Eagle crowd went nuts!  The Texans tried to get close but could only get to midfield.  Eagles win their home opener 35-31
 
That was a tough one for Nino and his Texan team to lose.  The Eagles in the meantime will see if this is a fluke or the beginning of a special season.  Only time will tell.
 
Detroit 7 Green Bay 35                      76 Calm
Packers took on the NFC Central division champion Lions to kick off the IFL season.
 
After 50 cent got the Lambeau field fired up with a short pregame concert, we were set to roll
 
Green Bay won the opening toss but chose to defer. After the first Detroit drive stalled out around midfield the Packers offense started on their own 12 . Darren Waller got things going, taking a Brock Purdy slant 26 yards. Rookie RB Bijan Robinson then had a couple of nice runs sandwiched in between a pair of Lions penalties.Facing 3rd and 11 from the Detroit 20, Purdy somehow got the ball to a double teamed Elijah Moore who made a spectacular grab for the TD.
 
After teams then exchanged punts, Deshawn Watson threw an untimely pick to Brandon Stephens in his own end of the field. Two plays later Purdy found Waller from 10 yards out to make it 14-0 Green Bay after the 1st.
 
As Watson continued to struggle, Purdy was dialed in, hitting Tank Dell for a pair of second quarter TD's 28-0 at the half.
 
The lone highlight for the visitors didn't come until late in the 3rd when Josh Jacobs broke free for an 89 yard touchdown to give Detroit a sliver of hope.28-7
 
A 6-play, 63-yard Packer TD drive, capped off by a Bijan Robinson 12 yard TD reception, midway through the 4th put the game out of reach. Final score 35-7
 
Brock Purdy was named MVP 22/33, 260 yards, 5 TDs
Josh Jacobs paced the Lions with 26 carries for 136 yards and a TD
 
Thanks to Don for staying up late to get this one in. Packers got a lot to hometown calls coupled with an off night for QB Watson.
 
 Denver 31 Las Vegas 41                      89 0-10  Rain 
The Raiders get off to a fast start in the season with a 41-31 victory over their division rivals from Denver.
The game featured 664 yards of offense as neither team could stop the opponent passing game.
The raiders Stafford passed for 473 yards and 5 TD's while Denver's Geno Smith threw for 367 and 4 TD's.
Jason coached a great game.  On to the practice field to work on our pass defense!!!
     
 Carolina 17 New Orleans 35                  70 Calm    
The Saints open at home and get a big division win over Carolina. The Saints offense would be potent scoring Td's on their first 5 drives. Tua would have a solid debut as a Saint going 14-19 and 219 yards and a TD. 4 different RB's would rush for Td's on the day for New Orleans. Carolina would never give up and put together a few very solid drives led by RB Jonathan Taylor, who would rush for 105 yards and a TD on the afternoon.
           
 New York (N) 14 Arizona 31                  89 Calm
Mahomes gets off to a good start leading Cardinals to opening season win.  Daniel Jones was haunted all game by the Zona D.  Mahomes spread the ball around giving everyone on offense a chance to make plays and they did.
 
 New England 35 Miami 3                      77 0-5   Rain   
New England picks up where they left off by coming into Miami and thrashing the Dolphins 35-3 on a rainy day in Miami. Goff throws a interception on his first drive and it led to the Patriots 1st early TD after the Dolphins had held the Pats on their opening drive and forced a punt, many consider that the Dolphins highlight of the game. Thanks to coach Kevin for hitting cruise control in the 2nd half. The Dolphins will try and regroup for week 2 as they host Denver and the Patriots get their first home tilt hosting the Chargers.
      
 Minnesota 23 Chicago 20                     59 20-30
Vikes win on a last-minute FG & Sam Howells 28 QB rating.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 10 Kansas City 20           73 15-25
The Chiefs have over a 17 minute time-of-possession advantage that allows them to hold off the Chargers in a tight game.
 
 Indianapolis 9 Tampa Bay 17                 98 5-15 
The Buccaneers win their season opener at home versus the Colts by a score of 17 to 9, despite their QB Derek Carr tossing 3 interceptions.
Tampa Bay held Indianapolis to 13 first downs and 189 yards of total offense. Offensive weapons QB Joe Burrow (61.1 QBR), WR Ja’Marr Chase (41 yards), WR Puka Nacua (58 yards), and RB D’Andre Swift (24 yards) were not effective.
On the Tampa side, WR Hollywood Brown hauled in 120 yards of passes and scored from 49 yards out on the game’s only big play.
Next week Indy hosts KC while Tampa travels to Philly.
 
 Cincinnati 13 Pittsburgh 20                 74 5-15 
Opening night in Pittsburgh and the terrible towels are out as the rival Cincinnati Bengals come to town for the opener.
 
The Bengals finished last year 10-7 good a for a wild card spot but lost in the first round of the playoffs to division rivals Tennessee Titans. As for the Steelers they ended 7-10 and out of the playoffs which also marked the end of hall of Fame QB Tom Brady's career as the Steelers have to turn to some unproven QB in 2024.
 
The Bengals Jalen Ramsey picks off said new QB Jake Browning on the Steelers first possession but the D holds and the Bengals settle for a Fairbair 32 yard FG and a 3-0 lead just 4 minutes into the game. Browning shakes off the pick and drives the team down the field on the next drive and Javonte Williams runs it in from 13 yards out making it 7-3 just 3 minutes later. Browning then connects with Jefferson from 10 yards out early in the 2nd making it 14-3. Bass makes it 17-3 with a 21 yard FG with 3 minutes left in the half. The Bengals offense was not good in the 1st half only gaining 23 yards. 
 
But the second half was a different story as Coach Storer must have had some choice words for his offense at the half. Love connects with Diante Johnson from 23 yards out making it 17-13 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd. The Steelers offense was bogged down in the 2nd half but managed to put a drive together late in the 3rd to allow Bass to kick one threw from 26 yards out 20-13 heading into the 4th. 
 
The Bengals offense really controlled most of the second half as far as possession time is concerned. A 15 play 7:10 drive that gained them 53 yards comes up short as they are stopped on 4th and 6 from the Steelers 22 yard line with 2 minutes left in the game. Christian Wilkins picked up his 2nd sack of the game to seal the home opening victory for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh had 5 sacks in all as the defense played a very good game holding the Bengals to 4-16 on 3rd downs. Pittsburghs offense runs 37 times for 173 yards.
 
Final Pittsburgh 20 Cincinnati 13
 
Both teams come out of the game with no injuries. Next week the Bengals are at home to take on the 1-0 New Orleans Saints  while the Steelers continue at home vs the 0-1 Carolina Panthers.
 
 Buffalo 37 New York (A) 37                  81 5-15
Buffalo came to New Jersey to play the Jets in week one of the IFL season.
 
The Jets started a rookie QB, Anthony Richardson, a rookie RB, Spears, and a rookie WR, Flowers.
They all had good games for the Jets starting with the first drive. Richardson went 3-3 on the drive
for 34 yards, and a TD. Spears had 2 runs for 29 yards, and things looked good for the Jets.
 
At the half the Jets were up 17-9, but the second half turned into a shootout. The Jets went up 24-9, but the Bills scored the next 10 to make it 24-19. The Jets responded with 10 in a row to go up  34-19 with 7 minutes to go in the game. That's when the Jets defense caved in and gave up two big plays, and a 2 point conversion that sent the game into OT. Murray hit Valdes-Scantling for a 24 yard TD with 24 seconds to play.
 
The Jets bounced back in OT, and took the ball down the field eating up 6 minutes, but after losing Richardson to injury, Winston came in and took a 12 yard sack to end the drive, and the Jets settled for a FG.
 
Once again Murray moved the Bills down the field, but the Jets held, and forced the Bills to attempt a 58 yard FG, and of course Elliott hits it with 34 seconds remaining in OT. It was his second 58 yard FG of the game, to go with 2 48 yard FGs...he ended up with 17 points.
 
For the Jets Richardson was 21-26 for 3 TDs, and 236 yards. He also ran for 77 yards on 8 carries. Spears had 102 yards in 16 attempts with 1 TD.
Flowers had 10 receptions for 110 yards, and 1 TD.  Unfortunately, Richardson was injured in OT, and is out for the next 13 games.
 
The Bills saw Murray go 32-49 for 316 yards with 3 TDs, and 1 interception. Etienne ran 15 times for 88 yards, and caught a 51 yard TD pass.
LaPorta had 7 receptions for 75 yards and a TD, but Elliott was the player of the game with two 58 yard field goals.
 
 Tennessee 17 Jacksonville 43                87 5-15 
The Jags open up the season with a 43-17 win over the rival Titans. The game was much closer than the final score indicated as the Titans defense humbled Josh Allen with three second quarter interceptions that led to 17 Tennessee points.  It remained a close game until the 4th when the Jags behind the running of Kenton Mitchell exploded for 22 unanswered points.

Jimmy G outplayed Josh Allen for much of the game.
 
 Baltimore 34 San Francisco 14               65 0-10 
The Ravens dominated all aspects of the game.  Mayfield threw for 2 TDs to Thielin and Kyren Williams rushed for 125 yds and 2 TDs.  The Ravens defense had 6 sacks and forced 2 Interceptions.  Ravens 34 49ers 14
 
 Atlanta 20 Los Angeles (N) 19               74 Calm 
Falcons convert a key third and short to secure the win in LA. 
 
 Dallas 14 Seattle 26                        69 0-10  Heavy Rain
Dallas takes a 14-10 lead into halftime but Seattle wakes up in the second half and scores 16 unanswered.   
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Jacobs(Det)     20-136  1 TD
 Williams,K(Bal) 25-125  2 TD
 Achane(LAR)     19-121
 Taylor(Car)     16-105  1 TD
 Mostert(Atl)    12-104
 Barkley(Ari)    18-104  1 TD
 Spears(NYJ)     16-102  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Moore(LV)        8-157  1 TD
 Thielen(Bal)    10-141  2 TD
 Andrews(NYJ)    11-133  2 TD
 Flowers(NYJ)    10-110  1 TD
 Elliott(Min)    10- 94
 Godwin(Hou)     12- 94  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Stafford(LV)    53-30-473   5 TD  1 Int
 Smith,G(Den)    49-26-367   4 TD
 Allen,J(Jax)    30-19-330   2 TD  3 Int
 Murray(Buf)     49-32-316   3 TD  1 Int
 Mahomes(Ari)    39-24-300   2 TD  2 Int
 Cousins(Hou)    41-32-283   4 TD  1 Int
 Jackson(NE)     16-14-275   4 TD
 Purdy(GB)       33-22-260   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 McCloud(NYG)     2 Int 9 Tk
 Adebo(Min)       2 Int 9 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Winfield(Dal)    1 Int 18 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Elliott(Buf)   5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Santos(Sea)    4-4 FG
​

---

IFL WEEK 1 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 1 LEAGUE LEADERS

A MOCK DONE RIGHT!  MEL'S ANNUAL MOCK DRAFT.

Well listen I am so glad to be back to analyze the IFL draft and thank Commissioner John for inviting me back.

I love talking rookie QBs every year before we do our mock draft, and this year is no different. 

CJ Stroud - The rookie out of Ohio St is far and away the clear cut #1 pick in this year's draft. How good was he? He is the 5th rookie to throw for 4000 Yards only the 2nd one to do it in 15 games (Herbert 2020). Most passing TD for a Texans Rookie and his 470 yard passing game is a rookie record. Houston is not sitting back as they swung a big trade to add WR Stephen Diggs to an already pretty good receiving core.


Bryce Young - Sorta the opposite just a horrible campaign but to his credit the coach is fired halfway through the season and his weapons were severely limited as Adam Theilen was his most prolific target. But hey things can only go up right? New head coach Dave Canales who helped mentor Baker Mayfield to a successful season last year as his OC and also guide Geno Smith before that to his pro bowl season in 2022. They also added better weapons 1st rd WR Xavier Legette and a trade for WR Diantae Johnson, also interior line upgrades give hope that Young will have a chance to live up to his pre-draft hype.

Anthony Richardson - What a shame he only lasted 4 games. An obvious uber athletic QB with what many consider to be an elite head coach and play caller in Shane Steichen who as an offensive coordinator who elevated Jalen Hurts in Philly and as a 1st time head coach after Richardson was injured was within 1 incomplete pass of having Gardner Minshew led them to the playoffs. So, who will roll the dice on a QB with huge upside and athleticism a great coach, but he has limited experience in both college and now the pros.

Will Levis - a 2nd rounder that has been handed the keys to the franchise after Ryan Tannehill was shown the door. He played 9 games and showed glimpses of being a franchise QB with a big arm. But he too has a new coach an unproven head coach in Brian Callahan who was the OC with the Bengals for 4 years and helped develop Joe Burrow. Callahan also brought in his father Bill Callahan a respected O-line guru. The Titans added a JC Latham in the 1st round to protect Levis's blind side and signed WR Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to give him an additional weapon. Time will tell if Levis is the guy, but he will be given every opportunity to succeed as 2nd year GM Ran Carthon is the one who drafted him.  


All right let's get to the draft and see where these QB end up


1.1   Minnesota   Not much to say Trey Lance is the only QB on the roster. Pick QB  CJ Stroud


1.2   Dallas   Coach Hart is in a tough spot, heard news from the Dallas camp they would be willing to trade down the reason? They need to protect Herbert and O-Line is a big need area. the top players on the board do not necessarily match a need as Dallas has a solid or better D-Line and CB rooms. The WR room is in pretty good shape also with Deebo Samuels and George Pickens plus Romeo Doubs.  You know where they could use a big upgrade, and this is a special player and you know I hate picking them in the 1st round much less at #2 but Cowboys top 2 RB ave under 4.0 YPC behind this O-line it will be worse. Let's go get a guy who averages 4.6 YPC adds big balance to a team that has all those WR and TE Goedert plus give Herbert a screen guy to help slow down the pass rush. They have a boatload of RB in Dallas but no one like this guy. I would also be looking to move some of the extra RB's for picks this year. Pick RB Bijan Robinson


1.3   Indianapolis  The Colts picked OT Braxton Jones last year in the 1st round and he played fine in his rookie but missed 6 games with an injury. This is yet another team that needs more OL help but none available this early in the draft this year. Their DL and CB situation is in a little better shape than the WR room after Jamar Chase. Burrows and Chase and Puka this is the start of something nice on offense if Burrow can stay healthy and it will eliminate teams from doubling Chase. Pick WR Puka Nacua


1.4  Houston The Texans started rebuilding their front 7 last year with 9th pick in the draft DE-OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux and need to continue to do so . Obvious choice is between Will Anderson and Jalen Carter both super talented. But going to go with the bigger player. Pick DL Jalen Carter


1.5  Philadelphia  Interesting situation in Philly. They obviously need a QB but does Coach Mason like one enough to forgo the talent that is sitting in front of him on the defensive side of the ball with both Edge Will Anderson and CB Devon Witherspoon  available. Tannehill who appears to be out of a job this year and career backup Nick Mullins are the top 2 QB on the roster. They have a lot of young corners but at this point in their career are all average players. I think they upgrade this position and with another pick left in the 1st round (#16) to address other needs take the best outside CB in the draft.
Pick CB Devon Witherspoon 


1.6  NY Jets . J-E-T-S jets jets jets they make a big off-season move trading Amon-ra St Brown (WR) and New York (A) 2.07 to the RAVENS for Mark Andrews and Baltimore 1.09. This gives them 2 top 10 picks and one will be a QB and by picking 9th guarantees them 1 of the 3 rookies still on the board with the way this board has fallen. They took Kenny Picket with the 12th pick last year and traded him for a 3rd this off-season not really the plan. Now this puts them in a tough spot because Will Anderson is sitting here but they have basically zero WR's (1 to be exact) and Jameis Winston as their only QB. I am positive the plan was to get a QB and WR with these 2 picks but how in the world do you pass up Will Anderson. I believe they will end up taking the best QB on their board and hope he has a great turnaround season with the new coaching staff and weapons in place. 
Pick QB Bryce Young


1.7  Carolina - The Panthers did not expect the board to drop this way. They would have probable taken a QB in this spot with Russell Wilson on the back 9 of his career. However, their DL has a bunch of average to below average veterans and when building a team sometimes you just have to take the best player and at this point the best player is fairly obvious as their defensive rebuild continues after taken CB Woolen with the 6th pick last year. Pick DE Will Anderson


1.8  Tampa Bay - The Bucs need a RB and multiple WR's as Marquise Brown is their only legitimate threat outside and they have Hunter Henry as their TE. But they need a cowbell RB they only have Cordarrell Paterson on their roster with 50 carries. In this draft there are only 2 RB that have over 180 carries. Leaving one for the Bucs so unless they want to draft multiple RB's in early rounds in this draft, they might want to consider one here before they are all gone. TB did make a trade moving Davante Adams (WR) and Demario Davis (LB) to the SEAHAWKS for Seattle 1.22 and Seattle 2.22.So they have multiple 1st and 2nd rd picks to address their other needs. Pick RB Jamar Gibbs


1.9  NY Jets - Listen this could not have fallen better for the Jets. Other than having to pass on a premier pass rusher to get their QB of the future now they take the 2nd best WR in the draft. Pick WR Zay Flowers


1.10 Pittsburgh - The Tom Brady era is now over with his retirement. Now the Steelers need to reboot the position with zero QB on the roster. The Choice Will Levis or Anthony Richardson. I say they bet on the very athletic QB with huge upside with a coach with a proven record of helping mobile QB succeed in this league. Pick QB Anthony Richardson


1.11 Buffalo - Some talented players to choose from for the Bills who do seem set at QB with Kyler Murray so I don't suspect they will be using this pick at that position. The players to pick from I believe comes down to which WR do you like Rice or Addison. Could you fortify the D-Line with 3rd round rookie sensation DL Kobie Turner or does TE Tyler Conklin with 61 catches stop you from picking Sam Laporta whom in his first year looks like a hall of fame type player. Darius Slayton and Johan Dotson are the 2 notable receivers with the Bills and because they have no receiver behind them of note I would lean toward the receiver that fits in the slot nicely for them . Pick WR Rashee Rice


1.12  NY Giants  - The G-MEN . But really how comfortable do you feel with Daniel Jones as your QB. Here is the thing with NY they could pick Levis or they have a great need in the WR room behind Waddle, no one with more than 25 catches, Their D-Line could use an infusion of youth with 3 of the 4 players in their 30's and all just average at best players and their CB room has 1 low end starter and a career backup for a total of 2 CB on the roster. So, I believe with some many positions to cover they will ride with Jones and hope he reverts back to the promise he showed 2 years when he received the big payday. So that leaves a choice of DL Turner or WR's that could include Addison -Downs or Tank Dell. But the best player on the board is a DB to me and this is a dire need for the Giants. Pick DB Brian Branch


1.13 Green Bay  - They have Brock Purdy in place as a franchise QB a great trade up by Coach Connors who moved up to the 7th pick last year and snagged the young signal caller when the jury was still out. Now they need to get him some weapons as they are very thin at WR with Elijah Moore being their leading receiver at 59 catches no one else over 20. They do have Darren Waller as a TE who played 12 games with some effectiveness but is retiring after the season. So, for another team it's a WR they like or Laporta. I believe they will take the receiver that looked to be the 2nd best rookie receiver until he was injured. Pick WR Tank Dell


1.14 Kansas City -  The Chiefs have Justin Fields so they have a starter for this year and since Levis dropped could make him the pick to ensure they have a starter next year. They have Kittles as their TE so I don't see them taking LaPorta, and they are short in the WR room with Josh Reynolds leading the room with 40 catches and Kendrick Bourne had 37 catches but only played 8 games. The D -Line is in need of a major upgrade. In the last 3 drafts the Chiefs have gone O-Line 2 times I think they go D-line this year.
Pick DL Kobie Turner


1.15 San Francisco - What a dream draft this would be for the 49ers who traded a 3rd rounder to get Kenny Pickett and have Mac Jones on the roster. Both players are destined to back-up at this point and time in their career and when the trade for Pickett was made it was probable just to get them through the year but what do you know Will Levis is still on the board. They will begin making calls to move one of their QB right after this pick. Pick QB Will Levis


1.16 Philadelphia - Well Levis almost got to them for their 2nd pick of the 1st round, but they just missed. I think they will be very happy that a top WR is still here. They traded 3 LB;s in the off season to obtain this pick trading Kaden Elliss (LB), Christian Elliss (LB), and Shaquil Barrett (OLB) to the RAIDERS for Las Vegas 1.16 and Las Vegas 3.16.Pick WR Jordan Addison


1.17 Detroit - I would love to find a spot for Laporta but the Lions have 2 TE's with over 50 catches one is 24 yr old Cole Kmet who had 73 grabs. They could defiantly use a QB as their franchise guy Deshaun Watson cannot stay on the field and when he is on the field looks to be a shell of himself after some lets say personal issues. However, no QB is worthy of this pick, so we move to the rest of the team which is pretty solid. The WR room needs some help with Jerry Jeudy leading the way however Michael Thomas played only 10 games and at this moment has no home to call his own next year. They will be picking a WR to help shore up the room.
Pick WR Jayden Reed


1.18 Chicago - Da Bears -Chicago needs offensive weapons as their defense is more than solid. Sam Laporta finds a home and adds a much needed target for this Sam Howell lead offense. Which coming into the draft is relying on WR Calvin Ridley to make all the plays. Pick TE Sam Laporta 


1.19 Miami - The Dolphins have this pick and pick 1.24 thanks to an early off-season trade of Tua Tagovailoa (QB) to the Saints for Elgton Jenkins (OG), Jabrill Peppers (SA), and New Orleans 1.24.Miami needs are upgrades and to get younger at G-T . D-Line has a lot of bodies but most are average players.with Jonathan Greenard and his 12 sacks leading the group. The LB group is ok but Van Noy with his 9 sacks is 32 years old so another spot where an injection of youth would be welcomed. The CB room could also use an upgrade. With all that said and with another pick coming up and the way the board fell let's strengthen a strength.   I would say hey what if I could put TE Jake Ferguson (71 grabs) WR's Chris Olive and Nico Collins and add this TE plus the two very good RB's on this team. Pretty scaring looking offense for Goff and company. Pick TE Dalton Kincaid


1.20 Cincinnati - The Bengals? what is the commish picking this high for? Had to go back to 2017 the last time they picked higher than 25th and that was 10th. Fortunately (well not for the rest of the lead) coach Storer looks like he hit on franchise QB Jordon Love a late 2nd round pick in 2021. The Bengals will need some help for WR Dionte Johnson and are in need of a center with no one on the roster capable of starting. The defense is in decent enough shape to concentrate their first pick on the offensive side. The pick in this spot should be a WR as a center here might be considered a reach  Pick WR Josh Downs 


1.21 LA Rams - The Rams traded Kevin Dodson (OG) and Amani Hooker (SA) to the JAGUARS for Jacksonville 1.21 and Jacksonville 5.21 so they will have 2 of the next 3 picks. This is a solid football teams with not many glaring needs. The Rams should take a player that most believe has big upside to be a special player in this league and will be their best run defender as soon as he steps on the field. Pick DT Keeanu Benton


1.22 Tampa Bay - We spoke to the Bucs needs at pick 8. Pick WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba


1.23 LA Rams  - Going with one of the most exciting prospects in the draft and with plenty of speed with a ridiculous 7.8 ypc with just over a 100 carriers to add to the RB committee in LA. Pick RB De'Von Achane   

1.24 Miami - We spoke of their needs at pick 1.19 . There is a player still left that fits like a glove in between WR Olive and Collins and lets Robert Woods at this stage of his career be the 4th wide out. Pick WR DeMario Douglas


1.25 LA Chargers - The Chargers have two 2022 1st round QB's on their roster Zach Wilson and Davis Mills neither look to be the long term answer for the Bolts. However, all the QB in this draft are gone who have what looks to be a reasonable future as a franchise QB in the league most look like good backups or worse. RB is a dire need as all everything back Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome injury and only played 2 games. LA could use help everywhere throughout the roster. I think they address the interior O-Line with a choice of Avila,Skoronski and Sow. With all things being fairly equal I say they take the younger prospect. Pick OG Peter Skoronski


1.26 Denver - A 3rd WR or a TE would be just what the doctor ordered but with all the 1st rd WR taken in my opinion.  I think they look at a TE with some great upside.  The offense has a chance to be special with all-world back Christian McCaffery and Austin Ekler in the backfield a more than solid OL and Devonte Smith and Cortland Sutton as receivers. While the defense looks very solid the question is how far can Geno Smith take them.. Pick TE Luke Musgrave


1.27 Tennessee - Does Coach Brunskill think he has enough to compete for a division title this year? If so, he is going to need a QB to get the ball to Allen and Ayuk which would be someone who filled in for Burrow this year and played really well completing 70% of his passes. Or will they look to pick up a QB or 2 later in the draft with just Garoppolo on the roster who only played 7 games and appears his starting days are over. They could go ILB Pace who had a terrific and surprisingly so rookie year.Pick QB Jake Browning

1.28 Arizona - A really well rounded team with Mahomes leading the way. The problem they have is at WR and CB and not because they don't have talent but because these rooms were devastated by the injury bug. Christian Kirk, Josh Palmer and Mike Williams played a total of 25 games and while the CB room was slightly better their top 3 combined to miss 15 games just one injury and they lack the depth to compete. With all that said I think based on how the board fell and the type of talent left on the board along with the injuries to their top 2 tackles Wills Jr(whom some say could be a bust at the very least not the player he was projected to be) and Terron Armstead who is outstanding but only played 10 games and is 32 years old the Cardinals jump at the chance to infuse youth and a very talented tackle this late in the 1st round. Pick OT Paris Johnson


1.29 Atlanta - The Falcons made it to the big game behind the stellar play of QB Jalen Hurts. This off season they made a trade of Jarran Reed (DL), Demontae Kazee (SA), and Atlanta 3.29 to the PATRIOTS for Copper Kupp (WR). this shored up and added a veteran to the WR room who when he is on is one of the best in the game health is his only question at 30 years old. Although the Falcons would probably like to add more weapons for Hurts in my eyes there is simply not anyone left worthy of this pick. I would look on the other side of the ball. Listen TJ Watt is great, but it may be time the way the board fell to get some youth and some pass rushing help for TJ. Pick OLB  Byron Young


1.30 Carolina - In a big off season trade with the Champs the Panthers get the last of the first round picks. PATRIOTS trade Brandin Cooks (WR), Mike Geisicki  (TE), Trevor Penning (OT), and New England 1.30 to the PANTHERS for Mike Evans (WR), Dalton Schultz (TE), Cornelius Lucas (OT), and Carolina 6.06.With this pick I see them filling a hole on the O-Line now they need a guard as they only have one but with the depth of the guard position in this draft  I don't see them passing up a rock solid OT who should get better as he gains more experience  . Pick OT Broderick Jones
​

Bucky Brooks mocks the 2024 IFL Draft!

NFL Draft analyst Bucky Brooks has agreed to share his expertise and mock the 2024 IFL draft. 

Thank you, Mr. Commissioner; It's both a pleasure and a challenge to predict the selections of the 2024 IFL draft.


1.  VIKINGS
There is no debate in what direction the Vikings will go with the number one overall selection.  Minnesota made it abundantly clear quarterback C.J. Stroud would be the first selection of the IFL draft minutes after the IFL season ended. Stroud looks like a franchise changing player, something the Vikings desperately need.
 
2.  COWBOYS
Originally, I thought the Cowboys would choose between one of the two promising defensive linemen, Will Anderson or Jalen Carter.  However, Dallas went out and acquired veteran Leonard Williams to boast the defense.  Could this open the door for the Cowboys to select surprising wide receiver Puka Nacu and his 105 receptions?  I can’t believe NFL scouts are so bad that the second-best player in this class is a fifth round pick.  I project Dallas to go defense and I think Will Anderson will be the selection.
 
3.  COLTS
The rebuild in Indianapolis is coming along although not quite as fast as IFL Colt fans would like.  There are still a few holes to fill and not having their franchise quarterback for a portion of next season won’t help.  Still, Indy has a chance to upgrade their team.  The Colts could take Nacu but they already have a number one wide out in Chase.  The defensive line is workman like but Jalen Carter would provide a player the defense could be built around.
 
4.  TEXANS
I am in contact with a lot of IFL scouts and talk around the league is that Houston wants one of Anderson or Carter.  Like Mick Jagger crooned “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.”  The Texans should be happy with shutdown corner Devon Witherspoon.  Witherspoon along with Martin Emerson Jr. gives Houston a top-notch corner duo for future IFL seasons.
 
5.  EAGLES
It’s not easy to find a franchise quarterback in the IFL.  Last year’s draft saw four quarterbacks taken in the first 31 selections; only one has solid footing as a starter this coming season.  Philly retained three quarterbacks prior to the draft but none give a lot of hope for the future.  There is pressure on the Eagles front office to at least provide a glimpse of hope to a fan base that is not known for their patience.   Philly management might as well throw the names of Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis into a hat and draw one out.  I pulled Bryce Young’s name out of my hat.
 
6.  JETS
Here we go again, last year the Jets selected quarterback Kenny Pickett 12th overall and have already shipped him out of town.  Thus New York continues their search for the next “Broadway” Joe.  I think that ship sailed after the first pick.  They could take Puka but would he catch 50 passes from a stat pack Jamis Winston?  The Jets won’t be able to avoid the temptation of selecting Anthony Richardson.  Can he stay healthy?
 
7.  PANTHERS
Carolina has a quarterback even though Sean Payton doesn’t think so.  Russell Wilson can’t help but benefit from a nine rated receiver, the Puca Nacu slide stops with the Panthers.
 
8.  BUCCANEERS
One of the more successful IFL franchises in recent years suffered through a disappointing 2023 season.  Tampa Bay selected running back Cam Akers 26th overall in 2021 but Akers has struggled to stay on the field and Bucs management decided not to retain his services for the 2024 IFL season.  However, the stars seemed to align this draft as they have a chance to select Bijan Robinson. Normally running backs should not go in the top ten of the IFL draft but Robinson looks to be a special talent and its always good to add a special talent to an IFL roster.
 
9.  JETS (from Baltimore)
The Jets are another team in need of electricity in their running back room.  Jahmyr Gibbs averaged over five yards per carry and can catch the ball out of the backfield.
 
10.  STEELERS
Tom Brady has officially retired from the IFL.  While he didn’t bring a championship to the Steel City, he did give Pittsburgh a punchers chance in most of their IFL games.  The Steelers do have the best receiver in the IFL with Justin Jefferson and perhaps he can elevate quarterback Will Levis.  Levis is the last of the draft eligible quarterbacks available that is scheduled to start this fall.  For that the fans of the “Terrible Towel” should be thankful.

11.  BILLS
Another team that will not have their starting quarterback for a portion of the upcoming season, this won’t prevent Buffalo from upgrading their receiving core with Zay Flowers, if my draft board holds true.

12.  GIANTS
New York’s current tight end situation leaves something to be desired.  I really like Sam LaPorta and think he is a great fit for the G-Men.

13.  PACKERS
Green Bay moved up to seventh overall and was able to select the only quarterback that worked out in last year’s IFL draft.  The Pack will provide him with another weapon by selecting wide receiver Jordan Addison and his six-receiver rating.

14.  CHIEFS
Another team with the opportunity to improve their receiving room with the selection of multi-dimensional Jayden Reed.  Last year’s Kansas City offense was compared to 1971 Oklahoma with quarterback Justin Fields rushing for over 1,000 yards.  Besides catching 64 passes Reed ran 11 jet sweeps and averaged over ten yards a pop.

15.  49ERS
San Francisco turns the tide back to defense and selects surprising defensive lineman Kobie Turner.  Turner brings a four-pass rush rating and many IFL teams may be questioning how they could have passed on him this time next year.

16.  EAGLES (from Las Vegas)
This decision will be a little easier decision for Philadelphia then pick number five was.  The Eagles upgrade their defense with seven rated Brian Branch, who can play anywhere in the secondary.

17.  LIONS
The Lions are taking the smart steady approach to building their IFL team.  They will grab the best offensive lineman, Peter Skoronski at 17.

18.  BEARS
To the surprise of the Chicago faithful, tight end Dalton Kincaid is still in the IFL Draft Green room.

19.  DOLPHINS
Last season Miami ranked 30th (that is dead last) in defense but the Dolphins ranked sixth overall on offense and secured a playoff spot.  The Fins hope to improve the defense and add a little beef to the defensive line with Keenau Benton.

20.  BENGALS
Another team with a near empty running back room, Cincinnati could take electric De’Von Achane.  However, in 18 previous IFL drafts the current Bengals front office has participated in they have never used their first round pick on a running back.  I think Cincinnati continues that trend and will jump at the chance to draft a potential number one corner in Christian Gonzalez.

21.  RAMS (from Jacksonville)
If the above trend holds, Los Angeles will select De’Von Achane.  The Rams have a really nice roster and Achane could make a difference, especially in the postseason.  Otherwise, defensive lineman Calijah Kancey would provide nice depth on the defensive front.

22.  BUCCANEERS (from Seattle)
While Gonzalez could be in play here, I think Tampa Bay will go with an anchor like offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

23.  RAMS
One pick later and Calijah Kancey is still on the board.  Maybe you can have your cake and eat it too?

24.  DOLPHINS (from New Orleans)
Miami continues to add to the other side of the ball with cornerback Joey Porter.  Another Steeler at that!

25.  CHARGERS
The Chargers are another team that could go running back but offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. seems to be a good value here. 

26.  BRONCOS
After returning to the postseason last year, the Broncos, once again seem to be in it to win it.  Wide out Rashee Rice would be a nice catch here.

27.  TITANS
Tennessee made it all the way to the AFC Championship game last year.  While the wide receiver group is solid, Jackson Smith-Njigba fits what the Titans are all about.

28.  CARDINALS
Another strong organization that has Super Bowl aspirations, offensive tackle Broderick Jones offers a slight upgrade this season and possibly a major upgrade in the future.

29.  FALCONS
The NFC Champions hope for one more win this upcoming IFL season.  The NFC West is going to be a knockout, drag out affair with the Rams and Saints.  Safety might be an area that could be improved but unless the Falcons trade up, they won’t be able to upgrade there.  Center Joe Tippmann does offer an upgrade though.

30.  PANTHERS (from New England)
Carolina, with the final pick of the first round, take the proverbial best player available, which I deem as cornerback Deonte Banks.

​

IFL SUPER BOWL

The Patriots Lamar Jackson took MVP honors rushing and passing for a touchdown.

Falcons vs Patriots for all the marbles.  Atlanta comes into the game having won 8 of their last 9, while the Patriots come into the game on an 18-game winning streak, with their only defeat of the year coming back in Week 1.  Each team has their own dynamic force of nature at QB (Lamar vs Jalen), as well as dominant defenses.  Who would come out on top?

Patriots get the ball first and Lamar Jackson wasted little time, as he connected with Tyreek Hill on a 25 yard catch and run against Patrick Surtain, out to the Atl 47 yard line.  A short pass to Cooper Kupp and a 3-yard run by Derrick Henry moved the chains again, but the drive would sputter from there and Justin Tucker would come on for the 47-yard FG.  3-0 NE

Falcons would go 3 and out on their initial drive as Jalen Hurts would fail to connect with Zach Ertz and Rhamondre Stevenson.  

On the next NE drive, Derrick Henry carried for two short runs before Lamar would connect with Brandin Cooks for 12 yards and a first down.  On 3rd and 6 from the Atlanta 40, Jackson would find Kupp for 8 yards and a first down.  Kupp for 21 yards on the next play had NE in the red zone, and then Jackson would find Kupp on a third consecutive pass play for an 11 yard TD, and NE had a 10-0 lead.

Feeling some pressure to get cooking, Jalen would start the next drive with a 19-yard run out to the Falcon 41.  Facing a 3rd and 9 Hurts would connect with Christian Watson for 18 yards and a first down.  Watson for 15 on the next play and the Falcons were at the NE 7.  After Stevenson was stuffed on first down, Hurts would drop back to pass but would underthrow Gabe Davis and was picked off by Tyrann Mathieu in the end zone.

The game would move to the second quarter with Atlanta once again on the move.  Hurts to Davis for 11 and then Ertz for 9 more, and the Falcons were inside the Patriot 40 yard line. The drive would stall however and Nick Folk would come out to attempt a 55 yarder - but Jeffrey Simmons would get a big paw up and block the kick, keeping the game at 10-0 NE.

Hurts was picked off again late in the 2nd quarter leading to a Patriot FG.  
NE led 13-0 at the half.

A 34-yard run by Stevenson out of the locker room had Atlanta on the move.  Hurts would hit Davis on the next play for 27 yards, and soon after would convert on a 3rd and 10 with a 14 yard run to paydirt.  Just like that, Atlanta had cut the NE lead to 13-7.

Not to be outdone, Lamar would scramble for 27 yards on the Patriot's very first play of the half, to the Falcon 48.  On 3rd and 5, Derrick Henry took the pitch and ran for 24 yards and a first down.  Three plays later, Jackson would dash around left end for the 3 yard TD.  Patriots once again had a two score lead at 20-7, with eight minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.

New England's defense would take control of the game from there, as none of the  next five Falcons possessions would result in any points, or even trips across midfield.
For the third time in four seasons, the Patriots would come out on top in the final game of the IFL season:  New England 20  Atlanta 7

Each team would have 17 first downs on the day, with New England out-gaining Atlanta 327-272 in total yards offense.  The two Hurts interceptions were the only two turnovers on the day, while New England was flagged six times to Atlanta's two.

Derrick Henry ran for 101 yards on 20 carries, but it was Lamar Jackson who would walk away with MVP honors, throwing for one TD and running for a second.  Cooper Kupp caught 7 balls for 100 yards to lead the NE passing attack.

For Atlanta, Hurts had his worst game of the year, completing just 18 of 41 pass attempts for 173 yards and 2INTs.  

Congratulations to Paul, who led the Falcons to a very successful regular season and three wins against quality NFC opponents to get to the final game.  While they came up a bit short, it doesn't diminish the accomplishment of making the Super Bowl in a league as strong as the IFL.  

Best of luck to everyone in the upcoming off-season.

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IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

FALCONS  25  CARDINALS 19

The Falcons Jalen Hurts earned game MVP honors with 2 TDs passing and 1 TD rushing.

The Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons were teams destined for each other the whole season. The Falcons got off to an 8-1 record thinking they would be the team to beat in the NFC, but they would be playing catchup to the Cardinals the whole year. The Cardinals ended the year 15-2 clinching home field for this classic matchup. Want star quarterback play? See Mahomes and Hurts. A game with unexpected events? Sure, a game with a comeback? Look no further. What about OT? Maybe.. 


1st Quarter: 

Atlanta would defer and give Mahomes and Coach Jim Heaton the ball, they would drive in Atlanta territory and after a coach's challenge, go for it on 4th and inches... but were stuffed on the ATL 27. The Falcons would start out with a nice drive as well leading to a 47 yard FG by Folk... wait holding... back that up and this would push ATL out of FG range, so they would have to punt. 

Big break for Atlanta as Mahomes would throw a pick on 3rd and 1, and Atlanta would take over on ARI 13 yard line. The Falcons couldn't convert from 2nd and 3, and were forced to kick a chip shot taking the lead 3-0. 

2nd Quarter:

This game started as a defensive slugfest as neither team could get any traction, however Arizona was winning field position, and were able to setup a 32 yard FG to tie the game at 3 point a piece. Determined to get a failing running game going, the Falcons ran the ball 6 times in a row, which set up a Gabe Davis TD, with a blocked XP attempt. (ATL 9, ARI 3). Arizona runs a great play to Barkley who shakes free finally for 52 yards, but the ball gets punched out by Kerby Joseph and jumped on by Bland, saving potentially a TD. Atlanta was on a roll completing a few 3rd and longs, including a 3rd and 7 where Hurts let loose on a scramble for 26 yards, setting up a Watson TD catch with :43 left in the half. Falcons 16, Cards 3

3rd Quarter:

Atlanta would take the ball to start the 3rd, and knew they were facing a great coach, and quarterback knew they needed to keep the petal on the metal in order to secure the win. There was a 4th and 2 on the midfield, and Coach Alberry elects to punt the ball and play conservative. Rumor has it Dan Campbell threw his remote at the TV somewhere. Atlanta defense was still strong, forcing the Cards to punt. 

Atlanta was on a roll, hitting Stevenson for a 25 yard pass, then on 3rd and 4 from midfield Hurts hit little used Tommy Tremble for a big 17 yard gain. We know why he is little used since he coughed the ball up on that play and Arizona took the ball, and all the momentum. 

Mahomes would catch fire hitting long passes against the secondary, but the tired Atlanta D held strong in the redzone and Arizona was forced to kick a FG making it Falcons 16, Cards 6. 

4th Quarter

Early in the 4th, on a 3rd and 2 on Arizona 28, Coach Alberry calls the tush push. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have Kelce as his center, and Hurts is stonewalled forcing a 4th and 2. Coach Alberry kicks the FG to make it 19-6. with 14 minutes left. All they had to do was keep Mahomes in check, easy right? Wrong. 

It was the 4th quarter after all, Mahomes would hit Palmer for a 32 yard TD  in 3 minutes. Big call as Coach Heaton draws up a 2 pt conversion that would make it 19-14, but it is incomplete leaving the score 19-12. 

Atlanta is barely able to move the ball gaining only 18 yards in 4 plays and forced to punt- they seem to be falling apart. After 1:30, the Cards would get the ball back with a chance to tie! Mahomes takes the ball with 9 minutes left, and it was the Mahomes and Palmer show. Palmer would catch 3 of 4 on the drive. Patrick Surtain had a chance to really take over the game- he jumped a pass route with 5 minutes left... but dropped the INT.  The big play was when Mahomes hands the ball off to Strong JR (who?), for a huge 25 yard run against the exhausted Atlanta defense. On a 3rd and 8, and goal to go- 2 minutes left... Mahomes in the clutch... would drop back to pass, and everyone was covered, except Strong JR, would grab it and scamper for all 8 yards. With the XP would tie the game at 19 all! 

The looks on the Falcons bench was totally dejected. They just gave up 13 points on drives that took the length of the field, while only gaining 18 yards themselves. Not to space, they only needed a FG to take the game. With 1:14, on 3rd and 3 Coach Alberry goes for a gamble and hands the ball off thinking they will catch Arizona off guard, but Coach Heaton is playing the run! Stuffs for a -4 yard loss! So they punt it away to Mahomes with 43 seconds and 3 timeouts... not good for the Falcons- looking like a collapse! 

What a comeback for hero Mahomes- one more drive and they are SuperBowl bound! After a couple passes and a run by Mahomes- 22 seconds left and 3 timeouts at their own 41. About 20-25 yards for a FG to win the game! Next play, sack by the closer- Von Miller - loss of 12 saving the Falcons season as they would stop the Cardinals and the game would end at 19-19 tie. 

Overtime:

No more sudden death rules in overtime... Atlanta would get the ball first and look to get their offense going which in the 4th Quarter collapse combined for a grand total of 21 yards. First play- run to Rhamondre Stevenson for -4 setting up a 2nd and 14. Hurts would go 4 wide and find Gabe Davis for 25 yards, big play. On 2nd and 10 from their own 46, Hurts would play action the run, but toss a pass to Nelson Agholor, who would break free with a big 45 yard run. On 1st and 9, Hurts would drop back but find no one- so he scrambled all the way to the end zone. XP comes to make it a 7 point lead... but no good! ATL 25, ARI 19

Arizona catches Atlanta playing for the pass in a Dime, and tries to run it with Barkley, but he was stuffed at the line on 2nd and 3rd down. On 4th and 4 Mahomes can't find Williams and the game is over. Atlanta 25- Arizona 19. 

Coach Jim Heaton made some great calls- gutsy calls when it counted. He really stuck to his game plan to keep Stevenson and the run game in check. Unfortunately for him Mahomes had one of his worst games of the year, and the Falcons got a little bit of luck. Mahomes passer rating of 82.4 vs Hurts of 117.4 was the big difference. Great season by the Cards- really hard to go 14-2 and make it here. With Mahomes, every year is a Superbowl window- you never know what can happen next year. 

Falcons fans are happy they won't be known for choking a 13 point lead in the 4th quarter and not making the Super Bowl. 

Game MVP Hurts 24/35 for 329 with 2 passing TD and 1 rushing TD. 

Atlanta is vegas heavy underdogs to face the Pats dynasty. Rematch from 2016 Super Bowl, different Coach for the Falcons. Coach Kolb has 4 Super Bowls to his name including 2 of the last 3, the younger Coach Alberry is in his 3rd year.
​

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PATRIOTS 13  TITANS 6

The Patriots' Cooper Kupp's 13 yard first quarter TD reception was the only touchdown of this contest.

For the second consecutive week Lamar Jackson and the Patriot offense would sputter, mainly due to a Tennessee Titans D which had come to play, resulting in a tight football game for the right to advance to the IFL Super Bowl.

Jackson was picked off three times on the game, but a first quarter TD pass to Cooper Kupp did give NE an early 7-0 lead.  Mason Crosby would hit field goals of 49 and 51 yards later in the first half to draw the Titans to within a point, 7-6.  

With 2:30 remaining until halftime, NE engineered an 11-play drive which resulted in a Justin Tucker 45-yard field goal to extend the NE lead to 10-6.  Those 3 points would not have been scored but for a fight on the field which ultimately resulted in the ejection of Tennessee's top CB Tyson Campbell, along with 15 critical yards - all with just 4 seconds to play in the half.  


Matt Milano intercepted Jackson early in the second half, putting the Titans in position to cut the lead to 10-9 - but Patriot DT Jonathan Allen would get a big paw up to block the 33-yard Crosby FG attempt and the game remained 10-6 with six minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.  

An 11-play 69 yard drive would eat more than 6 minutes of game clock as the contest transitioned into the final quarter.  The Titans would stop NE inside their own 10 yard line, but Justin Tucker would hit the short field goal to extend the NE lead to seven points at 13-6.

After the next 2 possessions resulted in no points, Jimmy G began methodically moving the Titans out near midfield thanks to back-to-back 10-yard receptions by Allen and Hopkins, and a couple more short pass plays to Latavius Murray and then Hopkins once again.  A 12-yard reception by Allen had the Titans at the NE 26 yard line, but Jonathan Allen would blow the entire drive up with a QB sack, resulting in a huge 15-yard loss and ultimately a Titan punt with 5:28 to play.

Lamar and the NE offense would not give the ball back to Tennessee......converting four first downs along the way before ultimately taking three knees to end the game.  

Tennessee's QB combination of Jimmy Garappolo and Matt Ryan could manage a mere 102 passing yards on the day, as the NE defense somehow managed to contain the terrific WR trio of DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen and Brandon Aiyuk.   On the flipside, Tyreek Hill was held to only 4 catches for 54 yards for NE.  Cooper Kupp was the star of the game, catching 11 passes for 103 yards and the only NE TD of the game.  Tennessee was limited to only 8 first downs on the day, and while NE committed the only 3 turnovers in the game.........the NE defense managed to overcome them and lead the Patriots to the W.

Congratulations to Rick for a fine season and great coaching job in this one.

​

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IFL DIVISIONAL ROUND

CARDINALS 21  RAMS 17

The Cardinals Patrick Mahomes threw 2 TD passes and ran for another as Arizona gets past the Rams.

The good thing about a father son game is the father has no pressure.  He would prefer his son win the game anyway.  It makes all of the bad Koch events much more enjoyable.  In the Heaton family, Dad never wins.  So in this game, Koch won, it is the only explanation.

Zona won the coin toss and decided to defer.  

The Rams wasted no time flexing their offensive muscle as they earned first down after first down.  The Rams would only need to convert one third down on their journey to the red zone.  Seemed like every first down earned them another first down.  Somehow, the Zona D finally remembered it was a playoff game and made a stand at their own 5 yard line to force a field goal.  Rams 3 Zona 0

Finally, the Zona offense made their way to the field.  However, Mahomes was too busy reading his press clippings on the team provided iPad while sitting on the bench.  One poor run by Barkley and two incomplete passes from Mahomes quickly returned the ball to the Rams.

Both Ds took over the remainder of the first quarter forcing punts from each team except for the last play in the first quarter.  Mahomes looked to throw downfield, but everyone was covered.  He checked down to Barkley who found himself in the open field and scampered for 50 yards.  Mahomes would finish off the drive in the early in the second quarter with a long strike to Williams for the TD to take a 7-3 lead.

Defense again, as both teams' offenses struggled.  Mahomes would throw an interception on their second possession in the 2nd quarter.  It gave the Rams excellent field position as they drove to the Zona 17 yard line.  A failed 3rd down conversion resulted in a short field goal attempt.  Enter Koch to give the Rams a fickle finger as Succop missed the chip shot.

Neither team could move the ball for the remainder of the half.  Mahomes seemed to be unable to complete a pass for more than 1 yard.  The Ram's D was on top of their game, but so was the Zona D.

As with most defensive struggles, at some point something breaks.  And so, it did for the Zona D.  Starting at their own 17 yard line, the Rams moved the ball all the way down the field to put up their first TD.  Rams lead 10-7.

The one yard gains and one yard losses continued to plague the Arizona offense until near the end of the 3rd quarter.  Late in the 3rd quarter, Kirk would breathe life into the offense as he converted a short slant pass into a 31yard gain.  Mahomes would find Williams deep for another 23 yards and Zona was threatening.  The quarter ended with the Rams leading 10-7, but Zona was deep in Rams territory.  Koch would again step in and flag the Rams for pass interference as he tried to help dad out.  On a Zona 3rd down 14 yards to go, Koch would say why not as he awarded Kirk a 15 yard gain for the first down.  Two plays later Mahomes would scramble into the end zone when unable to find an open receiver.  Zona leads 14-10.

The lead would be short lived as the Rams put together a long drive taking 7 precious minutes off the clock on their own TD drive.  The key play to the drive was a 4th and inches conversion on the Zona 39 yard in a do or die decision.

Zona had 6 minutes to make something happen.  On the first play of the drive, Mahomes gets sacked for 3 yards.  Then he connects with Palmer for 12 yards bringing up a 3rd and one.  Should be no problem for Barkley on third down, except it was.  So it is 4th down with one yard to go in Zona territory. There is really no decision and dad knows Koch bet money on Zona to win this game.  Presto, Barkley converts the 4th down.  On the very next series Zona is faced with a 4th and 7 decision just prior to the two minute warning on their own 39 yard line.  Since Zona has 12 men, it was an easy conversion.  Zona would complete the drive for a winning TD with only 23 seconds left.  The Rams got the ball back with 23 seconds of game time.  It was just not enough time.

Zona advances.

​

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FALCONS 30  SAINTS 24

Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 170 yards as the Falcons advance past the Saints.

​Calm weather in the dome in Atlanta, as the Atlanta Falcons prepared for a long time division rival to roll into town. New Orleans coached by Jim Rice has been hot lately, and not to be taken lightly in the playoffs due to his vast coaching experience. 


Atlanta lost in the divisional round last year to Seattle, who New Orleans had taken out in the prior week. Hurts had come off of a shaky start vs Chicago where he fumbled a few times, and was hoping to reverse that trend. 

1st Quarter:
Atlanta got the ball first and didn't waste any time, Rhamondre Stevenson foreshadowed events to come as he took off for a 49 yard run to set up Atlanta for a punch in from 3 yards out for Raheem Mostert. (7-0 ATL)

Atlanta's defense looked strong, and New Orleans defense perked up as each team traded punts. Until Jalen Hurts in his own territory threw a pass which was tipped and picked by Pitre, and returned for a pick 6. This was a huge swing in momentum, and shook the Atlanta players. (7-7 TIE)

2nd Quarter:

New Orleans was driving with Heinicke, until Surtain jumped a hitch route and picked them off around midfield. Coach Rice had a great defense scheme and adjustments as Atlanta actually went backwards and tried a 55 yard field goal that was no good. 

The Saints then hit Jay Jones on a short crossing route that he took all the way to the house for a 43 yard TD.(NO 14- ATL 7)

Very first play from scrimmage Hurts threw a lollypop screen that was intercepted by the New Orleans defense giving them field position at the 26 yard line. On 3rd and 3 from the goal line, Heinicke finds Njoku for the TD to make in 21-7 Saints. 

Hurts can't get it going for the Falcons as even the announcer is saying how off Hurts looks today, and that he "can't find it" which was not a good sign for the home team. As Hurts at this point had a passer rating of 10, and not looking himself, Coach Alberry decided to make a genius move, with 53 seconds left he trots out Cooper Rush to see if he can get some things going with the passing game and get some momentum before halftime... Rush threw one pass, and it was to the other team. NO would get a FG, but go up 24- 7 at halftime. 

3rd Quarter:

The home crowd was stunned as in 20 minutes the Falcons gave up 24 points, and scored 0. New Orleans, looking to pile on and put this game way out of reach got the ball first. However, rising star DeRon Bland would pick off Heinike at midfield. Hurts went deep to Gabe Davis, but threw an awful throw, and Coach Rice was waiting for him... but a 23 yard pass interference call was the biggest play the Falcons had in a long time, and sparked a few complete passes from Hurts, and he hit Ertz for 13 yards for a TD. (24-14 NO up) 

With a long way to go, the Falcons held on hope as New Orleans tried to answer, but on 2nd and 20 on their own 36, Heinike threw another pick to TJ Watt. Hurts, still not himself started to pick up the pace, converting a big 3rd a 4 with a 4 yard scramble before hitting Gabe Davis for a TD to close the gap with 1 minute left in the 3rd.. (NO 24- ATL 21) 

4th Quarter:

Nervous time, 3 point game in the playoffs. Both defenses are holding strong, not allowing really the ball to move at all, trading punts. With 9:30 left in the 4th, the Falcons would get the ball, and Jalen Hurts would pull out some clutch plays. On a 3rd and 9 from their own 30, Hurts would scramble on a pass, even though there was a spy, he would get the first down to keep the drive alive. Then on another 3rd and 9 on the opposing 33, Hurts would find Nelson Agholor for 15 yards against a quarter defense, for the 1st down. Then he would find Donald Parham Jr for the TD with 3 minutes left in the game. Atlanta was up 3, but the XP was blocked by the pesky Saints defense. So the score would stand (ATL 27- NO 24) 

The Saints came out now needing to throw, but unfortunately were stopped on 3 plays. With 1:54 left, Coach Rice opted to punt since he has all 3 timeouts on his own 30. First play from their own 21, the Falcons would hand it off to Stevenson, the Saints knew he was coming, and Coach Rice played the run, but Stevenson broke some tackles and ran for a 54 yard gain. The Falcons would run 3 more times, and hit a FG to make it 30-24 with N.O having no timeouts left. 

The Saints couldn't pull it out and Atlanta help on for the victory. 

This was a weird game with polarizing momentum swings. As a team, through 18 games the Falcons threw 5 interceptions, but we threw 3 in 15 minutes. Jim beat the pants off of us for a good 20-25 minutes and scored 24 points in a row. Then it was a swing in the other direction, where I rattled off 23 points in a row, and luckily just made it. 

Jim had a great game plan, I guess in the end it came down to Jalen Hurts is better than Taylor Heinike. Heinike has a 61 passer rating and Hurts had a 77. Game MVP was Stevenson who ran 20 times for 170 yards. I'm sure Jim will come reloaded next year as he always is. Atlanta will make it to their first conference finals under the younger Alberry regime. 

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​PATRIOTS 17  CHARGERS 16

Bradberry's pick six allows Patriots to escape with the win over the Chargers.

LA and New England hooked up for a chance to advance to the AFC Championship game.  Patriots got on the board first after Lamar Jackson connected with Tyreek Hill for a 30 yard reception.  Justin Tucker would nail a 49 yard field goal and NE was up 3-0.

A three and out for LA gave the Patriots the ball back at their own 37.  After a couple Derrick Henry runs gained very little, Jackson connected twice with Kupp, once for 9 and again for 12 yards.  A penalty slowed the drive however, and Tucker would come on to try a 58 yarder with a strong wind behind him, but he'd miss and LA would take over with good field position.

Davis Mills would open the next drive hot, hitting Garrett Wilson twice for 20 yards, and then Darnell Mooney for 6.  The drive would stall out at the 32 and Chase McLaughlin came on for a 49 yarder, but Bobby Wagner would get a hand on it and the game remained 3-0 NE.

Starting at their own 42, Lamar would find Kupp twice, both times for 13 yards, before Henry would pick up 16 more yards on a couple carries.  Kareem Hunt for 3 and then 4 and facing 3rd and 3 from the LA 6, Jackson dropped back and hit Kupp for the 6 yard TD.  10-0 Patriots.

The crowd was in a frenzy now, but Devin Duvernay would calm that nonsense down right away, taking the ensuing kick back 101 yards for a TD.  Just like that, it was 10-7 with 12 minutes left until halftime.

Patriots would go 3 and out, and LA would take over.  A personal foul by Carlos Dunlap gave LA 15 yards, and Davis Mills would hit Laviska Shenault for a 25 yard gain.  Mclaughlin would nail a 29 yard field goal and the game was tied at 10 apiece.

NE would try to get their offense in gear, and Lamar would connect with Henry for an 11 yard gain, then with Brandin Cooks for another 11 yards.  The drive would fizzle around midfield though, and LA would take over with 4:48 before the break.  

A pair of punts and LA had it back once again with 1:43 before halftime.  LA would start in NE territory though thanks to a 26 yard Marcus Jones punt return.  Nick Chubb would bust loose for a 26 yard run, setting up another McLaughlin FG.  13-10 Chargers at halftime.

LA would get the first possession out of the locker room, but could do little and punted away.  Patriots would put together a nine play drive eating close to 6 minutes of game clock, but facing a 4th and 4 at the LA 42 and into a strong wind, would punt it away.  6:58 to play in the 3rd and the Chargers would have the ball looking to extend their 13-10 lead..........

Davis Mills would complete 5 consecutive passes on the drive, while a Nick Chubb 10 yard run had LA across midfield, then Malik Davis came in and busted loose for 15 more yards.  Heading to the 4th quarter, Chargers driving inside the NE 30 up by 3 points............

Mills to Wilson was incomplete, then Davis for 4 yards brought up 3rd and 6 from the NE 25.  Mills would drop back to pass but was leveled by Justin Houston for a 12 yard loss, pushing LA out of FG range (20+ MPH wind in their face).  NE would start their next drive at their own 17 yard line with 13:46 left in the game......

Kareem Hunt for 9, then 3 yards moved the chains.  Lamar was stuffed for a 3 yard loss on a sweep outside but would then hit Kupp for an 8 yard gain.  LA's defense held on 3rd and 5, and NE would punt it away.....

LA would start at their own 12 yard line with just over 10 minutes to play.  Patriots had been keying on Chubb most of the day, so LA called pass and Mills dropped back and looked for Garrett Wilson on a slant but James Bradberry would jump the route...........intercepting the pass and racing 30 yards for the TD!  Patriots had their first lead since midway in the 2nd quarter....17-13.

LA wouldn't wait long to respond.  Chubb for 7 yards, then a huge 42 yard run on the next play.......and just like that it was first and ten from the NE 26.  Mills to Shenault twice, once for 6 and then for 9, and LA had it at the NE 11.  A reverse to Shenault lost yards, and a Bobby Wagner sack killed the LA momentum.  McLaughlin would hit the FG and it was 17-16 with 4:40 to play.

NE would look to kill some clock, but the Chargers would have none of it.  Kareem Hunt was stopped for 3 yards on first down, and then two incompletions and NE had to punt.  

3:22 to play and starting from their own 35 yard line.........LA was stung immediately by a holding penalty.  Facing first and 20 now, a short run lost a yard and it was 2nd and 21.  NE jumped offsides giving LA 5 yards.  2nd and 16 and Mills scrambled for 6.  3rd and 10...............Mills looking for Wilson across the middle but it missed the target.  Facing 4th and 10, Mills dropped back but was leveled by Dunlap.  Turnover on downs.

NE would run the clock out, having narrowly escaped with a 17-16 victory.

Both defenses were terrific on the day, with neither team eclipsing more than 243 net yards of offense.  NE was limited to one offensive score and one field goal, while LA made it to the redzone 3 times, but failed to score a TD in any of those trips.  Lamar Jackson struggled but did just enough, completing 14 of 23 passes with the short first half TD to Kupp.  Nick Chubb rushed for 87 yards on 14 carries, and Davis Mills did a great job of game-managing, until that critical pick-6 in the fourth quarter that turned the game completely around for the Patriots.

Great coaching by Jerry, who really deserved to win this one but caught a horrible break at the worst of moments.  

NE advances, but just barely.

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TITANS 27  BRONCOS 24

Matt Ryan's TD pass with just 25 seconds remaining allows the Titans to advance past the Broncos.

It was a game that went down to the wire.

Tennessee came into Denver where it was raining and 41 degrees at kickoff.
​
The defenses were the story early as neither team could get anything going as the 1st quarter was scoreless.
But with 9 minutes left in the 2nd quarter Denver would have to punt from their own 10 yard line.
The Titans PR Raymond would fumble the catch and was stuffed at the line but the ball must have popped up and DL Ngakoue recovers it,  Touchdown!  
You got me on how he scored a TD on it but that is what the game film says.
After another 3 and out by the Denver offense the Titans had the ball back and on their first play of the series Matt Ryan throws a pick-6 to King and we are tied at 7.

Tennessee would get the ball on the kickoff and marched down the field in 11 plays before Murray would take it off tackle the lst 5 yards for the TD.
The Denver defense would go 3 and out and the Titans had the ball looking for a late 1st half score.
However, Garappolo would throw a pick and the Broncos got a nice pass play to Sutton before half to get a FG to close the game to 14-10 at the half.

The 3rd quarter was more defense as the teams exchanged two punts each before the Titans put a drive together near the end of the quarter and added a FG for a 17-10 lead.
After a big run from McCaffrey got the Broncos in the redzone a Smith to Smith 4 yard TD tied the score at 17 early in the 4th quarter.
The Titans tried to get a 1st down from the Denver 40 yard line but the 4th down run was stopped short and Denver had the ball at their own 40.
On the first play the Broncos QB Geno Smith hit McCaffrey on an out and McCaffrey ran it down the sideline for a  51 yard gain to the Titan 9 yard line.
Two plays later McCaffrey rumbled into the end zone for a 24-17 lead with 9 minutes left in the game.

Tennesesse started throwing to Hopkins as the Broncos were short to CB for the game and Hopkins was having his way.  Tennessee got down to the Denver 30 before they had to settle for a FG to make it 24-20.
With 5 minutes left in the game the Broncos needed to run the clock and gain a few 1st downs to run out the clock. They did get a few 1st downs but with 1:47 left to go and facing a 4th and 5 from the Titans 40 yardline, they decided to try and get the 1st down and out the game away.
However, the 4th down pass to Sutton was dropped and the Titans had new life.
Matt Ryan was back at the helm for Tennessee and he was 6 for 8 on this drive with the final 25 yard TD pass to Hopkins with just 25 ticks left and the Titans were back on top 27-24.

Denver would not be able to complete a pass in the final seconds and the Titans would take the dramatic victory and end the Broncos season.
​

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IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

FALCONS 33  BEARS 0

The Falcons Gabe Davis caught two TD passes to help Atlanta advance past Chicago.

Exciting time in the IFL, as the Cinderella Bears guided by coach Steve Nordberg make their first playoff appearance in a while, exceeding expectations and carried by a young star studded defense. On the flip side, Atlanta players were coming off a rest week where many didn't play, however were looking to make it back to the divisional round where their season ended last year. 

1st Quarter: 

This game proved to be a defensive battle as both Darnold, and Hurts didn't quite look themselves. After trading 3 and outs, Atlanta was able to get a drive going into Bears territory. On a 3rd and 1, Hurts fumbled the ball, but the Falcons recovered. On 4th down, Coach Alberry decides to go for it, and Hurts break off a run to get a new set of downs- but Atlanta would settle for a FG. (CHI 0 ATL 3) 

Jalen Hurts was looking rusty after that rest, as he would fumble again after a sack from the ferocious Bears' D on their own 15 yard line... but the Falcons recovered.After a few more 3 and outs by each team, Darnold throws a pick to Kerby Joseph who sets up Atlanta on the Bears 32. Atlanta gets it to 4th and 1 on the 11 and elects for another FG to make it 6-0 Atlanta. 

2nd Quarter: 

With 4:00 left in the half, Tony Pollard breaks off a 40 yard run to get the Bears going and at the ATL 21. A sack by Von Miller, and a penalty would push Chicago back and they would miss a 58 yard FG. Getting the ball with 2:00 left at midfield, it took Hurts 5 plays to find Gabe Davis in the end zone, although Folk would miss the XP. 
At Half: Chicago 0, Atlanta 13) 

3rd Quarter: 

Atlanta would start with the ball, but each team would punt away a few times. Atlanta got the ball and drove down to the 8 yard line, on 3rd and 8 Hurts was able to connect with Gabe Davis again for his 2nd TD of the day, this time pushing the lead out to 20-0 in favor of Atlanta. 

Sam Darnold kept struggling mightily, and would go 3 and out, giving the ball to Atlanta who after a 4th and 2 FG attempt, the Bears were called offside, allowing Hurts to throw another TD to Ertz making the score 27-0 in favor of Atlanta. 

4th Quarter: 

The 4th quarter would show more of the same, except Chase Daniels would try to provide a spark, but it wasn't enough. The Falcons would tack on another TD, and the game would end 33-0. 

Although the score may look lopsided, the game was incredibly competitive for most of the game... Atlanta fumbled 3 times and recovered them all, could have swung the game in a different direction... Atlanta pulled away in the end of the 3rd. Coach Nordberg did a great job guiding his Bears to the playoffs, his defense is young but phenomenal (Parsons, Crosby, Sauce etc.) However, he was plagued by usage issues and lack of offensive firepower. Congrats to Steve for a successful season, and playing a fun game! 

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RAMS 26  LIONS 23

Ryan Succop connects on the game winner as time expires as the Rams edge Detroit.

In his first ever playoff appearance as a head coach, Don Merlenbach led the surprise Detroit Lions into a thrilling overtime battle against the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, coached by Ryan Heaton. Though the Lions ultimately fell 26-23, they served notice that their Cinderella 10-7 turnaround season was no fluke.
The two teams traded scores all night long at Ford Field. Lions QB Deshaun Watson was highly efficient, passing for 231 yards and 3 TDs while adding 113 yards rushing. RB Josh Jacobs chipped in 105 yards on the ground and found the end zone twice. Their balanced attack allowed the Lions to keep pace with the Rams, led by QB Trevor Lawrence's 220 passing yards and RB Miles Sanders' 155 rushing yards and a score.

Detroit led 23-20 with just over 3 minutes left after Watson hit Jacobs for a 6-yard TD. But the Rams would rally, driving into field goal range where K Ryan Succop nailed a 28-yarder with 3 seconds remaining to force overtime at 23-23.
In the extra period, the Lions had opportunities but ultimately couldn't finish drives. Meanwhile, Lawrence meticulously moved Los Angeles into scoring range, setting up Succop's game-winning 28-yard kick with only 3 ticks left on the clock.
While disappointed, Coach Merlenbach had to be proud of his team's outstanding effort against the favored Rams. Coming into the year with low expectations, the Lions emerged as a feisty upstart capable of contending with the IFL's best. This playoff run proved Detroit has a promising nucleus of young talent and a bright future under Merlenbach's leadership.
​

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SAINTS 27  SEAHAWKS 17

Taylor Heinicke tossed 2 TD passes to lead the Saints past Seattle.

New Orleans would roll into Seattle to take on the Dakless  Seahawks in a tough environment to play.

The Seahawks would take the opening kickoff and waste no time taking it right down the field behind Aaron Jones rushing and get a TD with a pass from Teddy Bridgwater to Michael Pittman from 15 yards out. 7-0. The Saints would however answer the bell as they would also be run heavy with James Conner but end with a TD pass from Heinecke to Jaylen Warren from 23 yards out. 7-7 4:29 left in the first. Seattle would then get the ball and have a 3 and out and the first huge play was about to happen. The punt would be muffed by Tremon Smith at the 9 and Seattle recovers. 1 play later Henderson would bust it in from 9 yards out to give Seattle the 14-7 lead. The Saints would look to bounce back and hold the ball for 6 minutes and face a 4th and 2 from Seattle's 40. Having the Seahawks in a 4-2 Coach Rice would go no huddle and run the ball with Conner. The D would switch to a 4-3 somehow and stuff it.

Basically no one should use no huddle as it obviously isnt fixed. The Saints D would stiffen up though and force another 3 and out and a punt. The Saints would start at their own 10 and put together a nice 7 minute drive that ended in a FG from 44 yards out by McManus. 14-10 Seattle. With 2:32 left Seattle would put together a drive down to the 34 but Slye would miss the 52 yarder into the wind. 14-10 halftime. The Saints would get the ball to open the second half and go into full aggression mode. Heinecke would connect on a bomb for 45 yards and then follow up with a 25 yard strike over the middle for the TD. 17-14 Saints.

The teams would then exchange punts until the Saints got the ball back with 8:06 left in the 3rd. The Saints would then go into ball control mode and hold the ball for over 6 minutes and James Conner would punch it from 1 yard out for the 24-14 lead. Seattle would not fold as they would put together a nice drive of almost 7 minutes converting 3 4th down plays and end up with a 50 yard FG from Slye to cut the game to one score. 24-17 Saints. This drive would be critical and the Seahawks D would come thru as the Saints would hold the ball for 4 minutes but be forced to punt. Seahawks take over at their own 24 with just over 6 minutes to go.

Seattle would take the ball to the Saints 47 yard line and face a 4th and 2 with 2:06 to play. Bridgewater would look over the middle but Devondre Campbell would step in front of the pass and get the pick off and take it the whole way to the Seattle 16. Conner would run 3 times and McManus would kick the FG from 27 out to give the Saints the 2 score lead. Duggar for Seattle would fumble the kick off with the Saints recovering and they would take a knee. 27-17 final.

​Heinecke would throw for 211 yards and 2 TD's against a tough Seattle secondary and most importantly throw 0 picks. Aaron Jones would rush for 102 yards for the Seahawks.

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​BRONCOS 43  DOLPHINS 10

DeVonta Smith caught three TD passes as the Broncos defeat Miami.

The Maimi Dolphins came into mile High stadium for a wild card round playoff game.  The Dolphins were heavy underdogs but it hardly looked that way early on.

Miami won the toss and deferred so the Broncos had the ball to open the game.  On the 2nd play from scrimmage Broncos QB Geno Smith hit RB Ekeler on a screen and after gaining the 1st down Ekeler coughed up the ball and the Dolphins had the ball near midfield.  But the Bronco defense would force a 3 and out to escape that turnover.

On their next possession the Broncos ran 2 plays before Smith would throw an errant pass that was picked off by CB Jackson and he would return it 17 yards for a pick-6 TD to make it 7-0 early in the game.

The Bronco offense started to move the ball a bit but would stall at the Miami 30.  Maher would come on to attempt the 48 yd FG but it was Wide Left.

The Dolphins had the ball at their own 38 and Tua would start to move the offense. It took 13 plays and 57 yards before a FG made it 10-0 early in the 2nd quarter.  The Bronco fans are a bit on the edge of their seats at this point.  The Bronco offense came back out and quickly off the field after a 3 and out and a punt.

On a 2nd and 12 after a Miami penalty, Tua would throw a bad pass that was picked off by OLB Willie Gay and nthe Broncos got their first big break.  Starting at the Dolphin 40 the Broncos had some momentum.  That lasted all of one play and OLB Houston would sack Smith for a 12 yard loss.  Smith would hit McCaffrey on a short pass for 11 yards and on 3rd and 11 Smith hit Courtland Sutton for 10 yards bringing upo 4th and 1 at the Dolphin 31 yard line.  RB Austin Ekeler got the short yardage call and he gained 1 yard on the dive to get the 1st down.  QB Geno Smith then hooked up with WR DeVonta Smith on a 30 yard strike for a TD and a 10-7 game.with 6 minutes to play in the opening half.

After each team exchanged punts the Dolphins had the ball near midfield when Tua threw his 2nd pick off the game as Safety Hooker would step in front of the pass just under the 2:00 warning.
QB Geno Smith would go 5 for 5 in the series and hit DeVonta Smith from 9 yards out for their first lead of the game 13-10 as the PAT was no good to end the scoring in the half.

Miami had the ball to start the 2nd half.  Tua would throw his 3rd interception of the game and LB Nick Bolton would ramble down inside the red zone before he was brought down.
On 3rd and 3 from the 10 yard line Smith hit Smith again for a TD and the Denver lead was extended to 20-10.
The Bronco defense forced a 3 and out and had the back at their own 20.

Denver would tack on a FG after a nice drive to make it 23-10.

Miami would take a little gamble on their next drive facing a 4th and 2 at their own 33 but the pass would get knocked down and Denver had the ball in great field position.
It would be very early in the 4th quarter when RB McCaffrey would take the handoff and go 4 yards for a TD and the Broncos were up 30-10.
​
The Dolphins would go 3 and out again and after the punt Sutton would get behind the Miami secondary and go 55 yards for another score.

After Tua threw his 4th INT of the game the Broncos brought in Trubiski to QB and on a 2nd and 10 he hit McCaffrey on a screen and McCaffrey took it to the house for another TD and a 43-10 lead.
Maimi would go 4 and out on their next two possessions as they could not convert on 4th down and the Broncos ran out the clock.
Tua's 4 picks earned him a 26.2 passer rating as Geno Smith threw for 336 yards and 4 scores for the Broncos.
​

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TITANS 16  BENGALS 6

Rashaad Penny scored from 5 yards out accounting for the only TD as the Titans get past Cincinnati.

The Bengals and Titans got to play a third game after splitting their two regular season games.  Temperature was 41⁰ F with the wind 5-15 MPH which did have an effect on the game.

1st Quarter – The Titans took the opening kickoff and put together a 13 play 73 yard drive that consumed nearly 7 minutes.  Rashaad Penny capped it off with a 5 yard TD run.  Tennessee 7 – Cincinnati 0.  The Bengals respond with their own 14 play 70 yard drive consuming 7 minutes.  However with a 1st down at the Tennessee 7 they are stymied by the Titan defense and settle for a Kai Fairburn field goal.  Tennessee 7 – Cincinnati 3 

2nd Quarter – Titans get one first down and then are forced to punt.  Jack Fox’s punt pins Cincinnati at their own 8 yard line.  Aaron Rodgers goes to work and takes the Bengals down to the Titan 6 yard line.  However on 2nd down Rodgers tries a medium slant and Matt Milano picks it off and starts rumbling downfield.  Eighty-four yards later he is tackled at the Bengal 22.  The Titans can’t push it into the end zone and settle for a Mason Crosby field goal.  Tennessee 10 – Cincinnati 3.  The next 5 minutes see neither team doing much.  At the two minute warning Cincinnati advances past mid-field but then Rodgers throws his second interception.  Jordan Poyer is the thief.  The Titans can’t do anything, punt and then the Bengals also go nowhere and are forced to punt.  With 40 seconds left Matt Ryan replaces the dog tired Jimmy Garoppolo, completes 3 of 4 passes to move the Titans to the Bengal 34 yard line.  Mason Crosby kicks a 52 yard field as time expires.  Tennessee 13 – Cincinnati 3

3rd Quarter – Cincy takes the kickoff and eats up 8 minutes with an 18 play 62 yard drive.  Then on a 2nd and 3 from the Titan 7 big Al Woods somehow is able to sack Rodgers for a 6 yard loss.  The Bengals settle for a Fairburn field goal.  Tennessee 13 – Cincinnati 6.  The Titans can’t do anything with their next possession but Fox’s punt again forces Cincinnati to start from their own red zone.  On second down with 4 wide receivers Rodgers throws his 3rd interception.  This time Carlton Davis makes the pick.  From the Bengal 31 the Titans quickly move down to the Cincinnati 6.  However two short runs and an incomplete pass finish off the quarter.

4th quarter – After a 5 yard Titan penalty Crosby kicks a 29 field goal.  Tennessee 16 – Cincinnati 6.  The Bengals have a 3 and out.  Tennessee starts from their 30 and gains “nearly” 10 yards on the next 3 plays.  Coach Brunskill foolishly has Ryan sneak and he is stopped inches short and it’s Cincy ball.  Rodgers is able to find Johnson on a medium slant for a 33 yard gain down to the Titan 7.  Of course you know what happens next as Rodgers is intercepted for the FOURTH time.  Cameron Sutton joins the pick party.  There are still 10 minutes left but the next 5 minutes sees both teams running in mud.  At that point Cincy has the ball on their 18 yard line.  They move it 50 yards in 3½ minutes but are 4th and 4 at the Titan 32.  Coach Storer opts to try a 50 yard field goal in order to make it a one score game.  However Fairburn hooks the kick and the game is effectively over.  Tennessee 16 – Cincinnati 6.

Without doubt the 4 picks won the game for the Titans.  The Bengals outgained the Titans 367 to 242 yards and won the possession battle 34 minutes to 26.  Cincy’s heavy reliance on the passing game might have been affected by the weather, Rodgers’ fatigue or even DKS’s foibles.  Diontae Johnson was the Bengal standout with 9 receptions for 140 yards.  The Titan standout was Milano whose red zone pick changed the game.  Punter Jack Fox was stellar pinning Cincinnati inside their 20 yard line on 5 of 7 punts.
​

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CHARGERS 22  JAGUARS 7

Nick Chubb rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers advance past Jacksonville.

LA allowed a touchdown on the opening possession of the game, and then closed the door the rest of the way for a 22-7 win in the opening round of the IFL playoffs. LA's defense was instrumental in the win as they turned an interception, a fumble recovery and a safety into 12 unanswered points.

As noted, JAX took the opening kickoff and marched 68 yards in 10 plays for an early 7-0 lead. LA responded with a 12 play 70 yard drive to knot it at 7-7. On JAX ensuing possession, S Duron Harmon picked off Allen to set the Chargers up at the JAX 30. Four plays later, Rex Burkhead ran it in from 4 yards out to give the Chargers the 14-7 lead they held at the half. The crushing blow came early in the 2nd half. LAC received the kickoff; but was forced to punt which backed JAX up deep in their territory. On a 2nd down screen attempt, Hargrave burst through the line and dumped Allen in the end zone for a safety. LAC's drive after the free kick stalled and punted back deep into JAX territory again. On 2nd down, on a rollout, EJ Speed nailed Allen forcing a fumble, recovered by Harmon(his 2nd turnover of the game) and set LAC up at the 20 which led to a McLaughlin field goal. McLaughlin would add a late field goal for the final margin.

LA was paced by Chubb who had 70 yards rushing and 22 receiving and QB Mills who threw for 197 yards. Dameon Pierce was the lone bright spot for JAX with 80 yards rushing. JAX was held to 185 total yards by the Charger defense, which accounted for a safety, an interception, a fumble and 3 sacks.
​

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Week 17 Recap

Matt Prater's 4 field goals help boot the Dolphins into the IFL Playoffs.

​Game Scores
 Miami 26 Chicago 10                         24 15-25
The Dolphins clinch the final playoff berth in the AFC with a road win in Chicago as they watched the scoreboard and celebrated Seattle defeating the Raiders.  A 13-0 advantage in the second half led to the win over the Bears.  Matt Prater booted four field goals for Miami.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 10 Philadelphia 13          37 0-10 
Charger backup quarterbacks throw 4 interceptions, as Philly grinds out a tough win to close the year.
 
 New York (A) 6 Minnesota 3                  68 Calm 
The Jets (5-12) and the Vikings (1-16) set the sport of football back 60 years as the Jets won a close one 6-3. The Vikings kicked a field goal in the last seconds and the subsequent onside kick failed. Both teams boast pro-bowl punters.
              
 Cincinnati 6 New Orleans 20                 70 Calm         
The IFL Bengals traveled to the Big Easy to close out the 2023 IFL regular season.  Pinned at their own one after an opening Saints punt, Cincinnati drove to the New Orleans seven before settling on a Fairbairn field goal for a 3-0 lead.  The Saints countered with a big play as grizzly old Joe Flacco connected with Zay Jones for a 53 yard score to give New Orleans a 7-3 lead with about three minutes remaining in the first quarter.  Cincinnati cut the lead to one with another field goal.  
 
The wheels fell off after that for the Bengals as Rodgers threw another pick six as Kyler Gordon went 40 yards for the score and a 14-6 Saints lead.  Cincinnati quarterbacks would throw four more interceptions, Rodgers two and Love three total.  New Orleans would cruise to the 20-6 win.
 
Flacco finished 14 of 19 for 139 yards and a touchdown to lead the Saints.  Jones finished with four receptions for 71 yards and the touchdown.  The Bengals secondary held A.J. Brown catchless although he was only targeted three times so the game plan was successful.
      
 Denver 31 Dallas 28                         70 Calm 
Dallas was bracing for a blow out at the 2-14 Cowboys were scheduled to host the 14-2 Denver Broncos to end the 2023 IFL season.  Not only have the Cowboys been horrible this year, they had to play with nine players on the injured list.
 
But then the game started.
 
There were not enough minutes in regulation for the Broncos to prevails.  Rather, they had to wait to overtime to put the Cowboys away 31-28.
 
The Cowboys had leads of 7-0, 16-3, 22-10 and 28-20 in the game but faded at the end to the powerful Bronco squad.  Dallas lost two players for the remainder of the game and had to play with a 1 and 3 Safety in its starting lineup and a 3 nickle back.
 
But Justin Herbert overcame the decimated defense and connected on 21 of 25 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns and Jamaal Williams ran for 127 yards and a score to scare the living daylights out of Doug Crandall.
 
Doug was able to match the Cowboys offense as Geno Smith was 39/51 for 431 yards and 3 TDs.  The Cowboys had no answer for Ekeler catching passes out of the backfield (he had nine receptions for 106 yards and three scores).
 
              
 New England 27 Tampa Bay 7                  74 10-20
In several way a close game statistically, but not so much on the scoreboard. The Patriots go 9 of 13 on third down. Once they got ahead a couple scores, they may have been saving a few attempts for the playoffs. (As they should.) Only three players were thrown towards in the whole game, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill and Derek Henry. 
Tampa's QBs Derek Carr and Jacoby Brissett were a combined 22 of 41 for 125 yards. 
Time to gear up the draft room in Florida.
 
 Jacksonville 20 Atlanta 3                   68 Calm  
Both teams rest players, Cooper Rush vs Josh Allen. The Atlanta faithful fans became much more appreciative of Jalen Hurts as the Jags take the game 20-3 with over 400 yards of offense.  
 
More importantly, both teams remain relatively healthy heading into the postseason next week. 
             
 Kansas City 26 New York (N) 18              28 5-15
Giants lose 26 - 18 in the season finale. No passing game was their ultimate downfall.
 
 Las Vegas 3 Seattle 14                      46 Calm 
Mark Rypien and an impressive defensive performance lead Seattle to a 14-3 home win over Las Vegas as they head to the playoffs.
 
 Buffalo 26 Green Bay 24                     34 0-10 
Great great between two teams out of the playoff race.
 
Multiple lead changes and plenty of big plays. 
 
Everything comes down to 2 big plays with about a minute left, Packers leading 24-23.
Buffalo faces 3rd and 7, backed up their own 22 with only 1 timeout left.
 
Green Bay plays a deep zone but somehow QB Kyler Murray finds WR Marques Valdez-Scantling for a 27 yard gain, all the way out to the Buffalo 49.
 
3 plays later the hosts feel like they have come up with a huge stop on 3rd and 10, holding Valdez-Scantling to just a 6 yard gain. Inexplicably a 15 yard unnecessary roughing penalty gets called taking the ball all the way down to the Green Bay 30. A couple of running plays later Buffalo uses its last timeout and sets up for a Jake Elliott 34 yard FG as time expires.
 
He nails it, Bills win 26-24
 
 Tennessee 17 Los Angeles (N) 28             62 Calm
The Tians and Rams closed out their 2023 IFL seasons in Los Angeles. The Titans started back up QB Matt Ryan. His performance was good enough to win the game. But key components of the Titans WR core look fatigued from the long season. Additionally, an injury to Titans ILB Blake Martinez seemed to unlock the Rams running game. The Rams rushed for 235 led by Damien Harris, while the Titans run game struggled, managing only 77. 
 
The Titans will look forward to the playoffs getting back starting QB Jimmy Garroppolo. The Rams also will get several key contributors as each team hopes for a deep run.
 
 Baltimore 30 San Francisco 10               51 0-10 
The Ravens rushed for 174 yds against the injury decimated 49er defense.  The 49ers playoff hopes are over.
 
 Pittsburgh 16 Carolina 15                   56 0-10
As if driven by fate, Tom Brady ends his career by driving the length of the field and throwing a game winning touchdown with 20 seconds left in the game to lead Pittsburgh to victory. 
 
Good hard fought game which Carolina led almost the entire way until Brady engineered a perfect drive to go out a winner.
 
Brady finished with  33 out of 42 for 290 yards and the one final td to finish off a great career.
 
Wilson was not as good for Carolina finishing with two critical interceptions and looking forward to redemption next season.
 
 Indianapolis 13 Detroit 10                  70 Calm 
Burrow runs in from four yards out and Graham Gano kicks a field goal with about a minute remaining as the Colts finish the 2023 IFL season on a winning note.
              
 Houston 17 Arizona 31                       59 Calm 
Houston was aggressive, but Arizona won resting some players.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Walker III(NYG) 25-183  1 TD
 Williams,J(Dal) 17-147  1 TD
 Johnson,D(Jax)  22-138
 Herbert(Bal)    18-126
 Singletary(SF)  18-119
 Cook(GB)        24-118  1 TD
 Elliott(Min)    21-114
 Harris,D(LAR)   16-105  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Jefferson(Pit)  12-171
 Palmer(Ari)      9-110  3 TD
 Ekeler(Den)      9-106  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Smith,G(Den)    51-39-431   3 TD  1 Int
 Mahomes(Ari)    41-27-352   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Burrow(Ind)     41-28-309   2 Int
 Brady(Pit)      42-33-290   1 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Pitre(NO)        2 Int 9 Tk
 White,D(Den)     1 Sk 15 Tk
 Reddick(Dal)     3 Sk 7 Tk
 Edmunds(Dal)     15 Tk
 Smith,R(Buf)     2 Int 9 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Prater(Mia)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Elliott(Buf)   4-4 FG

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IFL FINAL STANDINGS

​IFL FINAL LEAGUE LEADERS

​PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 17

NFC
Seed #1 Arizona clinches with a win or an Atlanta loss.

Seed #2 Arizona or Atlanta

Seed #3 Detroit with a win or Chicago loss.  Lions hold better division record as the tiebreaker.

Seed #4  Seattle - Even if they lose, they finished with a better record in conference games, 8-4 then the Saints and Rams, who both finished 7-5.

Seed #5  If the Saints win they are the number five seed based on sweeping the two games versus the Rams.  If the Saints lose and the Rams win, Rams are #5 seed.  If the Saints and Rams lose, each will be in a three-way tie with Chicago, if Chicago wins and Detroit wins.  The Rams would be eliminated based on division tiebreaker H2H with the Saints and the Saints have a better record in common games than the Bears.

Seed #6  Rams or Saints (see above).  Rams hold tiebreaker over Bears based on common games record. 

Seed #7  San Francisco or Chicago or Detroit.  The Packers are eliminated based on the H2H division tiebreaker, swept by Chicago.  If the 49ers win and the Lions win, 49ers are in, defeating Chicago H2H.  If Chicago wins and Detroit loses, the Lions are in over San Francisco based on a better conference record.


AFC
Seed #1  New England clinches with a win or Denver loss.  If New England loses and Denver wins the Broncos win the tiebreaker based on the Strength of Victory tie breaker.  No H2H, both 11-1 in conference, and both 7-0 in common games.

Seed #2  Denver or New England based on the above.

Seed #3 Tennessee has clinched the AFC Central.  Better conference record than Cincinnati and swept Jacksonville H2H.

Seed #4  Chargers

Seed #5  Cincinnati or Jacksonville or Las Vegas.  Cincinnati wins the tiebreaker over Jacksonville with a better record in the division. Cincinnati would win tiebreaker over Las Vegas based on common games tiebreaker, 5-3 to 3-5.  

Seed #6  Cincinnati or Jacksonville or Las Vegas.    Raiders have the tiebreaker over the Jags with a H2H win.

Seed #7  Raiders or Dolphins - Vegas can punch their ticket with a win or Miami loss.  If Vegas loses and Miami wins, the Dolphins are in with a better conference record.

Week 16 Recap

The Saints continue their march to a playoff berth.

​Game Scores
 Green Bay 3 New Orleans 30                  70 Calm
Saints win a big game at home against a fatigued Green Bay club that had playoff implications. Flacco made the start and threw for 166 yards and 2 TDs in the win and the defense comes up big for the 2nd weekend in a row. Brock Purdy threw had tough sledding today with 3 picks but has a bright future in Green Bay unless of course John wants to trade him to me. Lol
               
 Los Angeles (A) 26 Miami 14                 73 0-5  
Nick Chubb rushes for 90 yards and a touchdown as Los Angeles tames the Dolphins.
 
 Detroit 7 Los Angeles (N) 34                53 Calm 
The Rams final home game of the season came against the 9-6 Lions. Had this game been played earlier in the season the result would likely have been different. But fatigue and injuries have taken a toll on the Lions. Missing a cornerback and other key contributors on defense hamstrung the Lions options on defense. The Rams would manage to score touchdowns on their first four possessions to take a 28--0 lead into the half. The Lions continued to battle and received an impressive performance from RB Josh Jacobs. He went over the century the mark averaging nearly 12 yards a carry. But by the the time the run game got going for the Lions they were already against the clock. A third quarter TD on an impressive drive led by Mariota got the Lions on the board, but that was all the scoring they could manage as the pass game was a struggle.
 
In the final week of the season the Lions host the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams travel to Tennessee to take on the division leading Titans.
 
 Dallas 17 Jacksonville 40                   67 Calm 
A tie game until 33 second left to go in the first half Josh Allen hit Dameon Pierce on a 4 yard TD and after that it was all Jacksonville.The Jags scored three touchdowns in the 3rd to go up 38-10 enroute to a 40-17 win. Steve coached a great game and had me frustrated in the first half, I just got lucky and hit on a couple of long bombs to Cooper and Metcalf.

Josh Allen was the start in this one throwing for 239 yards and 5 TDs. He also added 49 yards on the ground breaking 1,000 yards on the year.

Jags go to 10-6 and the Cowboys fall to 2-14.

Next week the Jags finish the season at Atlanta and the Cowboys wind it up hosting the Broncos.
 
 Houston 6 New York (A) 17                   40 5-15 
A battle between two 3 wins teams...not much to say.
 
The Jets got lucky that Cousins continued his sad season by not getting McLaurin the ball on any thing other than short looks.
 
Stat pack RB Lindsay ran for 152 yards, and the game winning TD for the Jets.
 
Besides Lindsay the Jets had WR St. Brown catch 8 for 108 yards, and 1 TD.
 
Cousins was 27-44 for 165 yards, and McLaurin caught 8 for 62 yards. Mixon carried 10 times for 24 yards.
 
Next week NY visits Minnesota, and Houston visits Arizona.
 
 Cincinnati 23 Seattle 7                     37 0-5 
The Bengals took advantage of a couple turnovers to defeat a short-handed Seattle team 23-7.  Fill-in quarterback Brett Rypien, just signed to the active roster this week, led the Seahawk offense on a 13 play 75 yard drive to tie the score at seven in the first quarter but finished 15 of 31 for 127 yards with a touchdown but three interceptions.  DeVante Parker caught seven passes for 101 yards.
 
Aaron Rodgers threw just 25 passes, completing 15 for 115 yards and a touchdown with an interception.  Workhorse stat pack back Ke'Shawn Vaughn rushed 20 times for 61 yards.  Cornerback Jalen Ramsey picked off two passes.
 
Next week the Bengals travel to New Orleans to close out the regular season while the Seahawks host Las Vegas.
 
 Arizona 34 Tennessee 7                      54 0-5  
Lots of turnovers by both teams.  Az wins game and turnover battle.
 
 Philadelphia 6 Baltimore 31                 44 10-20
Philadelphia was able to make some short passes, but, couldn't run the ball.  194 yards of total offense that included a 47 yard bomb to Shi Smith. Baltimore's Cisco had a 69-yard pick 6 with less than a minute before half which turned the game around.  Hasty had a 54-yard TD run in the 4th quarter to seal the win. Both teams looking forward to next year.
 
 New York (N) 17 Pittsburgh 27               42 Calm
his was a tight game with both teams having some depth issues . The turning point with the score 13-10 Steelers with under a minute left in the 3rd and Pittsburgh having pinned the Giants deep in their own territory much of the 3rd quarter they get a punt blocked for a TD to make the score 20-10 heading into the 4th. Each team scores a TD in the 4th for the final score of 27-17 for the Steelers . 
 
The Giants were really short handed in this one with fatigue and injuries both before and during the game and made them have a hard time defending Brady to Jefferson the later had 13-153 and 1 TD and was the game MVP .
 
Steelers 27 Giants 17
 
NYG (7-9) finish their season at home against Kansas City (6-9) while the Steelers (6-10) head to Carolina (4-11) for the season finally.
 
 Kansas City 23 Buffalo 6                    22 20-30
Both teams are playing out the string and it looked that way as each team had 11 first downs and 3 turnovers. The Chiefs out-gained the Bills 295-204. Kyler Murray was awful while the combo of Fields and Dalton did enough to give the Chiefs a 23-6 victory. Allan Lazard was the player of the game catching 4 for 97 and a TD! The Chiefs improve to 7-9 while the Bills fall to 6-10. The Chiefs finish the season against the Giants while the Bills head to Lambeau to finish it out.
 
 Minnesota 10 San Francisco 27               47 5-15 
Mac Jones throws three touchdown passes as the 49ers get past Minnesota.
 
 New England 24 Las Vegas 14                 62 0-5 
Raider fans had some hope that the team might pull out a win thanks only being down 3 (10-7) at halftime, but losing 3 starters (a CB and both OLB) as well as the replacement OLB let the Patriots offense start rolling. A 98 yard scamper by Patriots RB Derrick Henry was the final nail in the coffin, both for the game and likely the Raiders playoff chances.
 
 Denver 23 Indianapolis 21                   69 Calm 
Indy played a great game vs Denver and nearly pulled off the upset.  They were lining up for the GW FG as time expired.
              
 Atlanta 30 Tampa Bay 27                     62 0-10 
On a beautiful Florida Sunday afternoon, the NFC West leading Atlanta Falcons, sporting a 13 and 2 record, took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have stumbled to a 6 and 9 record.
1st quarter - both teams scored a TD in the opening quarter. Tampa also made a field goal, while Atlanta missed one. 10 – 7 Tampa leads.
2nd quarter - each team had two possessions. The results were symmetrical. The first portion of the quarter saw each team turn the ball over on downs. The latter resulted in a field goal by each team. 13 – 10 Tampa leads at the half.
3rd quarter - Atlanta starts with the ball and is forced to punt. Tampa Bay’s QB Derek Carr passes the Bucs to the Falcon 14 yard line, but is picked off by Vonn Bell. Starting at his 20, Atlanta’s QB Jalen Hurts completes passes of 25 yards, 18 yards, and a TD scoring 28 yards, to put the Falcons up 16 – 13, after the extra point is missed. The Buccaneers mix in a few Cordarrell Patterson runs with more long passes by Carr to score a TD. Buccaneers lead 20 – 16.
4th quarter - Carr throws another pick giving Atlanta the ball at the Tampa 34 yard line. The Buccaneers draw a personal foul and Falcon coach Alberry calls a nice mix of plays that result in a Falcon TD, now it’s 23 – 20 Falcons. After exchanging punts, the Buccaneers regained the lead with a TD on 31 yard toss by Carr. 27 – 23 Tampa with 2:25 left. Tampa safety Jordon Love is called for a 25 yard pass interference penalty on Atlanta’s RB Rhamondre Stevenson, (only rated for Short receiving,) which moves the ball to midfield. On the next play, Hurts finds Stevenson 33 yards downfield for a 40 yard gain to the Buc 12. Tampa’s coach Chase can’t believe they are getting beat deep by this guy! On the next play, Hurts hits Donald Parham for what turns out to be the game winning score, after Tampa’s last possession ends at its own 37. Final Atlanta 30 Tampa 27.
The game featured 7 lead changes; 398 Falcon yards; 526 Buccaneer yards; 234 Atlanta rushing yards; 410 Tampa passing yards; and maybe the decider, Atlanta winning the turnover battle 3 – 0.
The 6 and 10 Buccaneers look back on the debris of its nearly finished season seeing 6 of their losses were by a total of 16 points. The combined record of the teams winning those games is currently 57 wins and 34 losses. We played these good teams tough, but keep coming up just a little short. All eyes are upon their 26th ranked defense.
Next week, Tampa plays its third division leader in a row when they host the Patriots, while Atlanta welcomes the dangerous Jaguars.
 
 Chicago 14 Carolina 23                      69 0-5  
Tiraq Woolen’s two pick sixes leads Panthers to the win.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Pollard(Chi)    19-188  1 TD
 Williams,J(Dal) 18-161  1 TD
 Henry(NE)       16-152  1 TD
 Lindsay(NYJ)    26-152  1 TD
 Dillon(Ten)     21-136
 Taylor(Car)     25-132
 Jacobs(Det)     9-123
 Hubbard(SF)     13-112
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Jefferson(Pit)  13-153  1 TD - IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Chase(Ind)      13-111
 Waddle(NYG)     11- 94
 Patterson(TB)   10- 46  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr(TB)        55-29-410   3 TD  2 Int
 Mahomes(Ari)    28-18-336   1 TD  1 Int
 Smith,G(Den)    40-26-335   2 TD  1 Int
 Allen(Jax)      31-19-239   5 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Edmunds(Dal)     15 Tk
 Ramsey(Cin)      2 Int 4 Tk
 Smith,R(Buf)     1 Int 16 Tk
 Woolen(Car)      2 Int 1 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 McLaughlin(LAC)4-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

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IFL WEEK 16 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 16 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 15 Recap

Lamar Jackson tosses two TDs as the Patriots win in San Francisco.

Game Scores
 New England 34 San Francisco 10             65 15-25
San Fran controlled the time of possession 39:15 to 21:45 as the 49ers rushed 44 times for 238 yards against the Patriot defense.  SF RB Chuba Hubbard's 13 yard TD rush at the nine minute mark in quarter number two gave the Niners a 10-7 lead. 
 
Justin Tucker's 48 yard field goal before the halftime break sent the teams to the locker room tied at 10-10.
 
NE awoke from their slumber in the second half as Lamar Jackson hit Cooper Kupp for a 46-yard gain before finding Tyreek Hill for a 10-yard TD to put NE up 17-10.  A Derrick Henry 45-yard TD run in the 4th quarter put the Pats up 17, and James Bradberry returned a fumble 84 yards for a TD to end the scoring.  Pats 34  49ers 10
 
Derrick Henry ran for 103 on 14 carries for NE, while Kupp caught 8 balls for 173 yards.
 
For SF, Chuba Hubbard rushed for 76 yards on 13 carries while Devin Singletary gained 58 yards on 19 carries.
 
 Chicago 3 Tampa Bay 20                      71 5-15 
Bears are not able move the ball enough to be much of a threat to win the game. Tampa gets the win 20- 3.
 
 Las Vegas 24 Minnesota 3                    68 Calm
Las Vegas Raiders Cruise Past Minnesota Vikings, 24-3

In a decisive victory at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders sailed past the Minnesota Vikings with a dominant performance, securing a comfortable 24-3 win.

The Raiders set the tone early in the game when quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with tight end Travis Kelce for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Las Vegas showcased their offensive prowess throughout the match, capitalizing on opportunities and dictating the tempo of play.

Stafford demonstrated his skill, throwing a total of 2 touchdowns and completing 11 of 19 passes for 116 yards before exiting the game due to an injury. However, his absence didn’t deter the Raiders' momentum as backup quarterback Kyle Allen seamlessly filled in, completing 10 of 13 passes for 110 yards.

The Raiders' rushing game was a force to be reckoned with, notably led by running back D'Onta Foreman, who rushed for an impressive 143 yards on 15 carries while starting in place of injured Alvin Kamara.

Defensively, the Raiders were relentless, causing disruptions in Minnesota's offensive strategies. Linebacker Logan Wilson led the defensive charge, making 12 tackles and securing an interception. Las Vegas capitalized on turnovers, effectively shutting down Minnesota's attempts to gain momentum.

The Vikings struggled to find their footing throughout the game, facing challenges in both offensive execution and defensive containment. Quarterback Colt McCoy completed 18 of 26 passes for 117 yards but faced significant pressure from the Raiders' defense, resulting in four sacks and an interception.

Despite the valiant effort from the McCoy and the rest of the Vikings offense, they were unable to break through the Raiders' sturdy defense, settling for a single field goal early in the second quarter.

With this win, the Las Vegas Raiders improved their record to 9-6, and providing fans some hope as they continue to pursue a spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings faced another setback, dropping to a 1-14 record for the season.

Injury woes plagued both teams throughout the match, with key players on both sides forced to exit the game due to various injuries. For the Raiders' CB Terrance Mitchell and FB Sean McKeon, along with Stafford, faced short-term sidelining, while the Vikings' CB Zyon McCollum received a one-week prognosis.
               
 Kansas City 22 Houston 10                   70 Calm
Kansas City controlled the ball for 39:36 and penetrated into the red zone on it's first six possessions in defeating Houston. The Chiefs picked up 196 yards on the ground with 3 players gaining over 50 yards each.  Houston was held to 11 first downs and 249 yards of total offense, being hampered by missing one of their top weapons in Chris Godwin who was out due to injury.
                
 Tennessee 31 Pittsburgh 13                  22 0-5  
The Titans (10-4) come into division rival Steelers (5-9) looking to put a strangle hold on the division. A win gives them a 2 game lead with 2 games to play IF the Bengals win this week if they lose the Titans would clinch the Division with a win.
 
Coach Brunskill decides to start Matt Ryan saving Garoppolo for either the playoffs or a game that he would be needed more.
 
The teams trade FG in the 1st quarter  Crosby from 47 for the visitors and Bass from 54 for the Steelers
 
Ryan to Hopkins early in the 2nd from 9 yards out gives the Titans a 10-3 lead. After a couple of punts the Steelers would move into scoring range thanks to Jefferson who was facing doubles every play but beat the doubles for 17 and 30 yard catches. Javonte Williams fresh off the IR scores from 7 yards out and we are tied at 10 midway through the 2nd.  Titans go on a long 12 play drive to close out the half as Penny runs it in from 2 yards out and its 17-10 at the half.
 
Titans receive the ball to open up the 3rd but the Steelers D gets a 3 and out. Javonte Williams runs the ball 6 out of 8 plays for 38 yards but gets tired and on a 3rd and 2 from the 6 its Allgeier that is stuffed losing a yard and Bass trots out and kicks the 25 yard FG making it 17-13 midway through the 3rd. The teams trade punts then Pittsburgh forces another Titans punt on a 3 and out. And That's when the big play happened as PR Jones Jr takes the ball 10 yards and is crushed by a hit fumbles and the Titans recover . Really from that point on it was all Titans as all the momentum the defense had gained this quarter was gone and the crowd was now silent. 3 plays later Tennessee was in the end zone as Ryan connected with Allen from 11 yards out and its 24-13 heading into the 4th.
 
The 4th does not go well for the Steelers offense and Penny runs in his 2 TD of the game midway through the quarter making it 31-13 and that's how it would end.
 
Penny was the game MVP 21-134- 2TD  And Matt Ryan throws 2TD and error free ball (Although he did fumble but the Titans recovered)
 
Tennessee moves to 11-4 and gets a home game against the 13-1 Cardinals while the Steelers 5-10 will try to play spoiler the rest of the year and have a home game (wonder if anyone will show) vs the NYG 7-7 as they hope to secure a spot in the big dance .
 
 Denver 26 Los Angeles (A) 6                 73 Calm 
Cornerback Desmond King goes 31 yard for the pick six midway through the first quarter and the Broncos cruise to the win.
 
 New York (A) 10 Buffalo 13                  37 10-20
With both teams depleted by injuries it turned out to be an exciting game as the Bills hang on for the 13-10 victory as John Wolford got the start at QB for the Bills and was solid throwing for 180 yards on 23 of 28 with one TD and one pick. Travis Etienne rushed for 132 yards and 6.9 average which was the key to the Buffalo win. Kenny Pickett played well for the Jets throwing for 187 yards and a TD. Higbee caught 7 balls for 75 yards and a TD reception, Dulin and Berrios each caught five balls. The Bills held the ball for almost ten more minutes and out-gained the Jets 352 to 255. The Jets fall to 3-12 while the Bills improve to 6-9. The Jets will host Houston next week while the Bills will host Kansas City.
 
 Miami 24 Indianapolis 13                    69 Calm
The Miami defense holds the Colts to three second half points and rally for the win.
               
 Cincinnati 24 Baltimore 10                  51 5-15
The IFL Bengals traveled to MT Bank Stadium for a key division game with Baltimore.  Cincinnati's hopes to repeat as division champions is diminishing but there are still wild card possibilities.  
 
The game got off to an inauspicious start as the Ravens marched down the field on a seven play 75 yard drive with Mayfield finding Mark Andrews for the ten yard score.  The Baltimore crowd went crazy as they hate the IFL Bengals.
 
The teams exchanged field goals and Aaron Rodgers connected with Pierce for the seven yard touchdown to tie it at ten just before the half.
 
The Bengals defense tightened up in the second half while RoJo went in from two yards out and Rodgers connected with Hardman for a 19 yard scoring pass as Cincinnati went on to the 24-10 win.
 
Rodgers starred in this one, going 20 of 28 for 263 yards and two touchdowns.  Johnson caught six passes for 97 yards.
 
Mayfield finished 22 of 38 for 197 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.  He was sacked six times.  Mark Andrews caught 9 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
 
Next week the Bengals travel to Seattle for a rematch of the Super Bowl while the Ravens host Philadelphia.
 
 Jacksonville 24 Arizona 20                  76 Calm
Josh Allen connects on a 24 yard touchdown pass to Trent Irwin with just over a minute remaining as the Jags pick up a big win on the road.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 10 New Orleans 24           70 Calm     
The Saints win a huge divisional game at home 24-10 over the Rams that could very well play into the playoff implications. The game was tied 10-10 going into the 4th quarter but the Saints would score 2 TD's for the victory. The Rams suffered some major injuries to their secondary that made things tough pass defending in the second half. Coach dumbass Rice did his best to even the playing field by leaving 3rd string QB David Blough in the whole 3rd quarter accidentally. lol. He threw 2 interceptions. Very well coached game by Ryan as usual. The wild card race is tightening up.
          
 Detroit 24 Green Bay 6                      20 0-5  
Packers lose third straight at home as Detroit comes in and runs the ball down the hosts throat.
 
24-6 Detoit was the final score
 
Josh Jacobs runs for 99 yards despite sitting out much of the 4th quarter.
Maritota was an efficient 11/17 for 129 and 2TD's to TE Cole Kmet.
 
Packers had 4 turnovers and only 9 first downs as they got shut out in the second half for consecutive games. QB Mike White posted a 15.8 QB rating.
Green Bay defense was no better, missing 14 tackles during the contest.
 
Lions leads the NFC Central at 9-6 with the victory, as they hold the tiebreaker over Chicago based on divisional record
 
 Carolina 10 Atlanta 20                      68 Calm     
The 4-10 Carolina Panthers headed into Atlanta (12-2) as 15 point underdogs in Week 15. Carolina has just pulled an upset of Detroit, and were hoping to play spoiler for the Atlanta Falcons too. 
 
1st Quarter: 
 
Russell Wilson would look like he stepped in the hot tub of youth this game as he came out on fire finding Schultz for an 11 yd TD as the Panthers went up 7-0. They were helped by a crucial 3rd and long PI call vs the Falcons. 
 
Atlanta would answer back after another penalty on 2nd and 20, Hurts finds Kadarius Toney for 23 yards, and Hurts ends up with a tush push into the endzone to even the score 7-7. 
 
2nd Quarter:
 
After a Carolina punt, Atlanta would drive again, only to be backed up by their own penalty, on 4th and 1 the Falcons convert, but were unable to find the end zone as the Panthers secondary was blanketing their wide outs. FG made in CAR 7 ATL 10
 
Wilson was not to be outdone, on a 3rd and 1 the Panthers would get tricky and risk it to Mike Evans, however the Falcons were ready and had him double teamed with Surtain, but the Russell-Evans connection was superior for a 13 yard gain. On 4th and 2 the Panthers kicked a FG to tie the game at 10 all. 
 
After a huge kick return from Turpin, Hurts found Gabe Davis for a 28 yard pass, but Atlanta would stall out after a sack, and on a 43 yard FG attempt would get a false start pushing it back to a 48 yard kick- luckily Folk was more reliable today and he nailed it. 
 
Halftime- ATL 13 Car 10
 
3rd Quarter: 
 
Atlanta would start with the ball, but again penalties would shorten up their drive forcing a punt. Carolina would punt, then Atlanta would get a 15 yard penalty on offense and was unable to overcome 1st and 25 so we had another punt. Carolina missed 2 short yardage passes to also be forced to punt. The 3rd would end at 13-10 ATL. 
 
4th Quarter: 
 
With 11 minutes to go, Raheem Mostert would finally break a big one- 55 yard running TD to put Atlanta up 20-10. Carolina was out of gas and would go 3 and out twice to end the game. 
 
Well coached by Sean and Carolina, too many injuries on the D-Line to overcome as Atlanta ran for 250 yards. Atlanta tried to give it away with 7 penalties for 72 yards. Key injuries to Von Miller and Josh Sweat for the Falcons, they were knocked out this game and possibly next week too. 
 
Next week, Carolina (4-11) travels to Chicago (9-5) and Atlanta (13-2) travels to Tampa Bay (5-9) 
          
 Seattle 28 Philadelphia 0                   45 0-5
Seattle wins the battle of the backup QBs.  Eagles offense just couldn’t get anything going and Seattle takes the  28-0 W. 
  
 New York (N) 6 Dallas 21                    70 Calm                
Jamaal Williams rushed for three TDs and Justin Hebert finally had a good game (21/28, 232 yards) as the Dallas Cowboys won just their second game of the season with a 21-6 upset over the previously 7-7 New York Giants.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Foreman(LV)     15-143
 Penny(Ten)      21-134  2 TD
 Etienne(Buf)    19-132
 Pacheco(Mia)    12-124  1 TD
 Mostert(Atl)    12-119  1 TD
 Pierce(Jax)     20-113  1 TD
 Chubb(LAC)      16-110
 Williams,J(Dal) 17-109  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Henry(NE)       14-103  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Kupp(NE)         8-173
 Williams,M(Ari)  9-166
 Hollins(Ind)    11- 57
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mahomes(Ari)    42-30-399   1 TD  2 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Karlaftis(NYJ)   16 Tk
 Kendricks(Jax)   1 Int 16 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Delpit(Det)      2 Int 1 Tk
 
 Special Teams
Folk(Atl)  2 FGs – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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IFL WEEK 15 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 15 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 14 Recap

Arizona continues their march to the top seed of the NFC dispatching Cincinnati.

​Game Scores
 Arizona 34 Cincinnati 13                    36 15-25
On a gusty Cincinnati afternoon, the one loss Arizona Cardinals invaded the Jungle.  The Bengals had a big opportunity on the opening drive as Arizona fumbled the snap on a punt with the Bengals recovering at the Cardinals 18.  The Cincinnati offense sputtered and settled on a Fairbairn 32 yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
 
On their next series, Arizona was able to get things going with Mahomes finding Kirk for 28 yards and a pass interference penalty setting up the Cardinals at the Cincinnati 19.  After an incompletion, Barkley ran it in from 19 yards out and a 7-3 Arizona lead with about ten minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
 
After exchanges of punts, Fairbairn missed from 55 yards out.  However, with his back to the wind Carlson converted from 57 yards out to extend the Cardinals lead to 10-3 as the quarter ended.
 
The Bengals had a chance to go deep into Arizona territory on their next drive but a holding penalty killed it and Cincinnati was forced to punt.  The stubborn Cincinnati defense once again held Mahomes and company to another field goal to make it 13-3 Cardinals with about six minutes till the half.  After Cincinnati was forced to punt the tide turned ugly for IFL Bengal fans as the Cardinals converted a fourth and two from deep in their own territory.  The very next play Barkley took a screen pass and rambled to the Bengals 12.  Mahomes would once again hook up with Barkley from 12 yards out to increase their lead to 20-3.  Cincinnati was able to kick another field goal before the half and trailed 20-6.
 
After exchanges of punts to begin the third quarter, Rodgers heated up with completions of 14 and 16 yards.  After a roughing the passer penalty placed the ball on the three, Rodgers was able to sneak it in from the one inch line to cut the deficit to 20-13.  But Arizona answered as Mahomes connected with Kirk for a 59 yard gain to set up another Barkley score from three yards out to increase their lead to 27-13.
 
Forced to throw into the wind the Bengals offense struggled.  McLeod intercepted a Rodgers pass and went 45 yards for the pick-six and a final of 34-13.
 
Mahomes finished just 12 of 22 for 221 yards and a touchdown.  He was sacked seven times.
Barkley rushed 18 times for 72 yards and two scores.  He also caught 3 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
 
Rodgers completed just 18 of 35 passes for 169 yards and an interception.  Defensive linemen Zach Sieler and Kentavius Street collected two sacks each.
 
Next week the Cardinals host Jacksonville while the Bengals travel to Baltimore for a critical game with their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
 
 New Orleans 31 Tampa Bay 27                 76 0-10 
The 7 and 6 New Orleans Saints came to Tampa to take on the 5 and 8 Buccaneers. New Orleans was looking to stay in the playoff race, Tampa was looking to save face.
1st quarter: Both New Orleans QB Joe Flacco and Tampa’s Derek Carr came out hot, as the teams combined for 7 rushes and 19 passes. Flacco connected on 7 of his first 10 throws for 103 yards. Saints scoring included a 13 yard TD pass to TE David Njoku and a Brandon McManus 32 yard field goal. Tampa’s Carr went 8 of 9 passing for 112 yards. Davante Adams hauled in a 26 yard scoring toss, but Chris Boswell missed a 47 yard field goal. End of the first, Saints 10 - Tampa 7.
2nd quarter: In the second stanza, the play callers flipped the script, totaling 9 passes, 2 sacks, and 19 runs. The Saints gained 39 yards rushing on 6 attempts, but Flacco was unable to complete any passes. As a result, the 10 stayed on the New Orleans side of the scoreboard into the half. The Bucs, led by RB Cordarrell Patterson, tallied 62 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Carr continued to be effective going 4 for 6, while accounting for 76 yards through the air.  Adams hauled in his second TD pass, this time from 28 yards out. Boswell missed his second field goal, but was able to make one. End of the second, Saints 10 - Tampa 17. 
3rd quarter: The play calling was balanced. New Orleans gained 76 yards, 29 on the ground and 47 in the air. Flacco was 3 of 4, including a 10 yard scoring strike to A.J. Brown. Tampa’s offense put up 121 yards, 51 running the ball and 70 through the air. Carr threw his third TD of the day, this time to WR Hollywood (Florida that is) Brown. Boswell made his second field goal in 4 attempts. End of the third, Saints 17 - Tampa 27.
4th quarter: Few IFL fans will be surprised to learn the final quarter included only 8 runs as compared to 31 passes. The Saints struck a semblance of play calling balance, gaining 19 yards on 7 rushes. In the air, Flacco figured it all out at the right time, throwing for 143 yards on 16 attempts.
In the deciding quarter, New Orleans struck first when Flacco found A.J. Brown for his second TD reception via a long crosser. Saints 24 - Tampa 27. Next, relying completely on their quarterback Carr, the Bucs got close enough for a 51 yard Boswell field goal attempt, but in a huge turn of events, 14 year veteran long snapper Jon Weeks rolled the ball back to holder Brian Anger, who in turn got buried. New Orleans found themselves still down only 3.
Next, the Saints QB Flacco continued his hot fourth quarter, moving the ball down to the Buccaneer 7 yard line, but he was then intercepted by rookie LB Christian Harris at the 2. Fortunately for the wearers of the fleur de lys, the Saints defense had Facco’s six, forcing a three and out and keeping advantageous field position.
New Orleans started at their own 42 with 2:21 on the clock. Flacco passes account for all of the yards gained, including the last 13 on a scoring pass over the middle to WR Zay Jones. With only 42 seconds left, the Saints had the lead for the first time since the first quarter. Saints 31 - Tampa 27.
Carr took over with two timeouts and 38 seconds from his 25 yard line. He keeps everybody’s eyes glued to the TV as he connects for 46 yards on the drive, including a 27 yard long slant to WR Equanimeous St. Brown. In the last 15 seconds, Tampa gets three plays from the New Orleans 17 yard line to win the game, but alas, it was not to be. Final Saints 31 - Tampa 27.
Jim called the great game especially when it mattered most. Flacco’s line was 23/34 for 293 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 pick, and only 1 sack. That’s a QB rating of 121.3. The Saints had a good game on the ground as well, gaining 108 yards on 22 attempts, for a 4.9 average. A.J. Brown was absolutely dominant, hauling in 8 receptions for 174 yards, an average of 21.8, and two TDs.
Carr was 25/36 for 337 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 sacks, good for a QB rating of 126.7. Adams accounted for 8 catches, 135 yards, and 2 TDs. Patterson gained 96 yards on 18 attempts, a 5.3 average. The Buccaneers downfall may have been lining up five times for field goals and coming away with only 6 points. Of course, even lining up for 5 field goals is a good way to lose too.
Next week Tampa Bay hosts the division leading Chicago Bears while New Orleans plays their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.
 
 Dallas 6 Pittsburgh 15                      35 0-10  Rain 
Back in the day Cowboys vs Steelers was must watch tv tonight's game not so much.
 
The Cowboys (1-12) come into Pittsburgh on an unbelievable 9 game losing streak with Justin Herbert pulling the strings while the Steelers (4-9) are struggling along in Brady's farewell tour having lost 6 of their last 7 games.
 
Cowboys win the toss and elect to take the ball. Herbert engineers a 7 minute drive that results in a 14 yard TD pass to Goedert and things are looking good for the visitors until their kicker Ammendola misses the extra point. The 6-0 lead however would stand until the final play of the half when Bass (who has been horrible this year hitting at a 70% clip coming into the game) would knock in his 3rd FG of the half coming from 35,50 and the final one from 41 for a 9-6 lead for the home team heading to the locker room.
 
Not much offense in the second half as the teams did have to contend with heavy rain most of the game in 35 degree weather. The Steelers must have woke up their kicker Bass by bringing in competition during the week as he connects on both of his second half opportunities 51 and 19 and that is all the offense the Steelers would need.
 
Herbert is picked off twice in the second half and the offense goes 1-16 on 3rd down opportunities just killing any momentum they would have. Neither QB was real good Brady just avoided the Interceptions tonight going 19-34 for 179 yards and a 72 QB rating while Herbert was 19-41 1TD 2 INTs for a 42 rating not much you can do as a play caller with those numbers. 
 
The MVP is a kicker Bass which tells you all you need to know about the game .
 
Steelers win 15-6 and move to (5-9) get to host division leading Tennessee (10-3) as of this writing while Dallas falls to (1-13) go home to take on the (6-7) NY Giants 
        
 Miami 20 Denver 40                          51 Calm
Miami came into Mile High and both teams were lighting up the scoreboard early on with Miami holding a 14-13 lead one play into the 2nd quarter. (Miami blocked Denver's first PAT).
However, the rest of the 1st half had Denver mounting long drives with a TD at the end to make it 27-14 at the half.
Miami started the 2nd half with a 3 and out on defense and then a FG to cut the lead to 27-17.
Denver's offense proved too much for the rest of the game as they got a TD and 2 FG's to put the game away by a final score of 40-20.
 
 Buffalo 27 Las Vegas 20                     57 Calm 
 The Bills pull of the upset, beating the heavily favored Raiders 27-20. However it wouldn't be an ActionFB game without something bizarre occurring and this game was no exception.
 
The Raiders are down 27-20 with 36 seconds remaining. They've got the ball and are on the Bills 46 yard line with all three timeouts remaining. Vegas is in a 3W1 formation with QB Stafford in shotgun and FB McKeon as the lone RB. I call a Medium Slant to Kelce with McKeon staying back in pass protect. Here's what Action decides to run.
 
1 10 opp46  0:36 LV  Staffor-Stafford -1  3W1 B-Fly/SG/BK1         4-2  Z Pass
 
1st and 10 at the 46
Las Vegas hustling to the line
Stafford fades back to pass
he throws deep down the sidelines to Stafford
complete!
loss of 1
 
1 10 opp46  0:36 LV  Staffor-Stafford -1  3W1 B-Fly/SG/BK1         4-2  Z Pass
 
So Matt Stafford threw a  Bomb-Fly to himself and caught it deep down the sidelines for a 1 yard loss.. The play also ran 15 seconds off the clock, quite a bit of time for a 1 yard lateral to himself, deep down the sidelines...
 
The next play Stafford throws an interception (not targeting himself) and it's game over.
 
 San Francisco 16 Chicago 6                  38 5-15 
My eyes are bloodshot trying to squint & see a hint of offense coming out of the Windy City.
 
Watching this fiasco makes me not care my new gal looks like Broom Hilda.
 
Please don't think I'm taking anything away from Brendan & SF.  The best coach won.
 
I think the fact they had male cheerleaders done throwed us off our game.
 
 Seattle 12 Baltimore 3                      43 5-15  Rain
Heavy rain, ugly/sloppy game.
 
Baltimore throws 4 picks, Seattle throws 2 picks.
 
Baltimore coach taking a lot of heat for throwing to TE Mark Andrews at the SEA 2 to see it picked off in the endzone by 10+ Minka Fitzpatrick.
         
 Indianapolis 27 Kansas City 38              29 10-20
Kansas City ran for 314 yards and controlled the clock for 38 minutes in defeating visiting Indianapolis. Turnovers on back to back possessions at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th quarters hurt Indy in their comeback attempt.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 19 Green Bay 10             26 0-5  
Tied 10-10 at halftime then the Rams shut out Green Bay the rest of the way en route to a 19-10 victory
 
Key play in this one came late in the 3rd with the game still tied.
 
Packers were knocking at the door on the Rams 7 when DT DreMont Jones picked off a Mike White screen pass intended for Dalvin Cook
 
Rams then put together an impressive 20 play, 87 yard drive capped off by Curtis Samuels 3 yard TD reception. Hosts could not regroup after that
 
Rams appear to be headed for the post season; Packers are falling like a stone.
 
Entertaining afternoon matching plays with coach Heaton who came up with the right calls when it really counted and was full value for the win.
 
 Atlanta 28 Minnesota 3                      68 Calm
Atlanta coming in at 11-2 were facing the 1-12 Vikings at home. 
 
1st Quarter: 
After stopping Minnesota for a 3 & out, Atlanta took the ball down the field and scored on a Hurts TD Pass to Davis. Atlanta may have thought they were going to cruise in this one, but Coach Jones had a fantastic game plan that slowed them down despite the talent gap. 
 
2nd Quarter:
The teams would trade punts 7 times, until Atlanta made the first mistake, as a member of the return team was hit with a punt and Minnesota recovered on the Atlanta 22, but were held to a FG. ATL 7 MIN 3. 
After a few more 3 and outs, Atlanta would take the ball and get their 2 minute offence going with the help of a few penalties, Hurts throws to Stevenson for the TD. ATL 14- MIN 3
 
3rd Quarter: 
Atlanta would start with the ball and look to use their momentum to push the game out a bit. Hurts would hit Davis with another TD pass to go up 21-3. 
 
4th Quarter:
Hurts would take a 45 yard run to the house to start the 4th and put this one out of reach. The final score would be Atlanta 28, Minnesota 3. 
 
Coach Jones made it tough for Atlanta, even pulling Trey Lance for Colt McCoy but they didn't have enough firepower this year on offense to keep up. Minnesota hosts Las Vegas next week, while Atlanta hosts the division rival Carolina Panthers.
 
Game MVP: Hurts 
                
 Tennessee 12 New York (N) 19                35 0-5   Light Rain  
The Giants defense held strong keeping Tennessee out of the endzone in the 19-12 upset. The Giants are back to .500.
 
 New England 23 Houston 7                    70 Calm 
Kirk Cousins hit Terry McLaurin for a 45 yard TD strike late in the first quarter to put Houston up 7-3 on the visiting Patriots.  From there, NE would score the final 20 points of the game including two Tyreek Hill TD grabs, as the Patriots downed the Texans by the score of 23-7. 
              
 Jacksonville 34 Philadelphia 0              50 10-20
Jaguars run roughshod over Eagles.  Josh Allen throws for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns.
 Carolina 16 Detroit 6                       70 Calm        
Frankie Luvu leads a strong Carolina defensive effort with two sacks.
       
 New York (A) 10 Los Angeles (A) 20          73 Calm
Nick Chubb rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers rally to defeat the Jets.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Etienne(Buf)    21-176  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Wee
 Jacobs(Det)     22-134
 Williams,J(Dal) 13-117
 Gibson(Jax)     19-111
 Wilson(NYJ)     16-110
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown(NO)        8-174  2 TD
 Hill(NE)        10-164  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr(TB)        36-25-337   3 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    33-26-325   5 TD
 Flacco(NO)      34-23-293   4 TD  1 Int
 Allen(Jax)      34-23-278   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Fitzpatric(Sea)  2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Gipson(Phi)      15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Bass(Pit)      5-5 FG
 Taylor(Pit)    8-106 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Slye(Sea)      4-4 FG
 Crosby(Ten)    4-5 FG
​

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IFL WEEK 14 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 14 LEAGUE LEADERS

Week 13 Recap

Tampa Bay's Davante Adams scores 3 touchdowns as Bucs down Houston.

​Game Scores
Tampa Bay 23 Houston 15                     70 Calm   
Two struggling teams struggled to score for much of the game. Halftime score was Houston 6, Tampa 3.  Tampa starts the 2nd half by scoring the game's first TD to take the lead 10 - 6. Things got crazy late in the 4th quarter when 3 TDs were scored in 1:20 of game time, resulting in a 23 - 15 Tampa lead. Houston's effort to drive down for a TD and potential game tying 2 point conversion came to an end at Tampa's 11 yard line. 
            
 Las Vegas 17 Chicago 7                      26 Calm 
3 yards and a cloud of dust, while not quite a literal description of this game, is very close. There was exactly one score per quarter and only 1 turnover. Even the highlight plays were dull, 2yd 4th down conversion, 4 yd stuff, 1 yd 4th down conversion. Urgh.
 
At the same time, it was a fun game to coach. Until a roughing the passer penalty against Chicago with 2 minutes left, it really felt like Action was staying out of it and letting the teams play. 
 
In the end the Raiders came out on top, 17-7.
 
 Tennessee 33 Buffalo 6                      34 5-15
The Titans come into Buffalo and dominate on both sides of the ball and win it going away 33-6.
The Titans improve to 10-3 while the Bills fall to 4-9. The Bills will head to Las Vegas next week while the Titans head to New York to play the Giants.
 
 Dallas 6 New Orleans 17                     70 Calm 
The Saints win a defensive battle at home to remain in the wildcard race 17-6. There would be 19 punts combined and the Cowboys punter would put an amazing 7 punts inside the 20. 
              
 Denver 25 Green Bay 18                      32 Calm 
10-2 Denver came into Green Bay looking to put a damper on the 8-4 Packers playoff hopes
 
On the Broncos first drive they went 60 yards in 10 plays, capped off by a Geno Smith 15 yard scramble TD, to go up 7-0.
 
Hosts respond with a decent drive of their own (versus arguably the top defense in the IFL) but have to settle for a short Riley Patterson FG to cut the lead to 7-3.
 
On Denver's ensuing possession, consecutive penalties and a sack took them out of FG range and forced a punt.
 
Packers hung around for the rest of the half thanks to a Geno INT and actually cut the lead to 7-6 on another Patterson FG.
 
With just under 3 minutes left before intermission, Coach Crandall orchestrated a brilliant 12 play, 92 yard drive that RB Christian McCaffrey finished off with a 9 yard TD reception, 14-6 Denver at the half.
 
The second half started out poorly for the hosts as Dalvin Cook fumbled on his own 33 to give the Broncos great field position. Green Bay's defense held tough however and forced a 35 yard FG, 17-6 Broncos
 
That defensive stand seemed to get the Packers going as they ran off 12 straight points to take a 18-17 lead with just under 8 minutes left.
 
On Denver's next drive they faced a 4th and 5 at their own 44 with 5:07 remaining. Rather than punt, Coach Crandall rolled the dice. Geno Smith found little used WR Richie James Jr. for a 13 yard gain to keep the drive alive. Two plays later Sammy Watkins took a harmless looking slant and burst free for a 43 yard TD. 2 point convert made it 25-18 Denver.
 
Lambeau was deadly silent
 
Green Bay got two more chances to even things up but both drives went nowhere. 25-18 Final
 
Smith finished 34-44 for 294 and 2 TDs.
McCaffrey, Devonte Smith, Austin Ekeler was troublesome all game long
 
Packers QB MIke White was a less than spectacular 14-34 for 161.
Dalvin Cook rushed for 99 yards on 24 carries
 
Doug has his Broncos looking like serious contenders and coached a great game
 
Denver (11-2) hosts Miami next week, while Green Bay (8-5) stays home to take on the Rams
 
 Baltimore 31 Miami 15                       73 0-5  
Baker Mayfield throws for 357 yards and a touchdown as Baltimore puts a dent in Miami’s playoff hopes.
 
 Detroit 0 Los Angeles (A) 17                75 Calm 
The Charger defense provides the edge, holding Detroit to 200 yards for the game.... it was a tight 10-0 contest with a late pick-6 providing the final margin.
 
 Seattle 21 San Francisco 28                 58 5-15 
The Seahawks turned the ball over 5 times and lost Dak in the game.
 
 New York (N) 13 Atlanta 27                  68 Calm  
The G- Men came into Atlanta as 6-point underdogs looking to pull off an upset to help their playoff chances, while Atlanta is looking to secure the division and maybe hope for an Arizona slip up. Both sides had injuries coming into the game, but with the season winding down its "next man up." 
 
1st Quarter: 
 
The Giants started the game running all over the Falcons defense. Looking a little sluggish from last week's big win vs LA, the Atlanta defense started with 2 injuries to Von Miller and Josh Sweat although they would return. The Giants kicked a FG to go up 3-0. 
 
Both teams would trade punts, and Atlanta would put together a drive that was helped by a 3rd and 9 roughing the passer penalty that setup a Stevenson run to make it 7-3 ATL
 
2nd Quarter: 
 
The Giants didn't waste much time on a 2nd and 1 from their own 34, Ray Ray McCloud would take a reverse 66 yards to the house to put NYG up 10-7. Atlanta would put together an answer as they were on OPP 19 when Hurts completed a pass to Agholor who coughed up the ball and the Giants took over. The Giants would go for it on 4th and 12 but would be stopped handing the ball over to Atlanta around midfield.
 
2 plays into the next drive Jalen Hurts was stripped and the Giants took over again! With a little over 2 minutes left in the half the G-Men would kick another FG to make it 13-7. Atlanta would put together some timely passes to get into Giant territory and hit a FG with time expiring to make it 13-10 G-Men up 3 at half. 
 
3rd Quarter:
 
Important play on the kickoff to Atlanta, NY's kicker pulled a hamstring and was ruled out for the game, without a backup kicker. Atlanta had a drive going and on 4th and 1 around midfield tried the "tush push" but Hurts was stopped short! NY would drive into ATL territory but on 4th and 9, instead of kicking they were forced to go for it, and it was a turnover on downs. 
 
Atlanta was able to get rolling from here, inserting Mostert who came up big with 39 yards on 4 runs, setting up Hurts to find Davis for a 48 yard TD. Atlanta up 17-13. 
 
4th Quarter:
 
NYG would punt to start the 3rd quarter, with a crucial 3rd and 3, Hurts would audible and hit Toney for a 13 yard gain. Stevenson would break a run 49 yards getting knocked out at the 4 yard line and Hurts would find the endzone to put Atlanta up 24-13. 
 
Now under pressure to throw, NY would start to have problems with the ball, a fumble by NY's Heyward would lead to Stevenson making a 29 yard run to set up an Atlanta FG to put it to 27-13. A Daniel Jones INT to Bland would seal the game. Injuries and usage were issues for both teams. However, losing a kicker is a big problem. 
 
Both teams still banged up are back in action next week. Atlanta travels to Minnesota, while it doesn't get easier for NYG as they travel to Tennessee. 
             
 Philadelphia 17 Los Angeles (N) 31          55 Calm 
Both teams came in with beat up secondaries and it lead to a field day for both QBs.  Unfortunately for the Eagles you need hold on to the ball after catching it and the fumbles ultimately doom their chances for the W.
 
 
 Minnesota 10 Kansas City 23                 35 10-20
Kansas City ran for 172 yards and were able to hold off a very stubborn Vikings team to secure the victory.
 
 
 Jacksonville 35 New York (A) 17             42 0-10 
Jacksonville came into New York hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive. They showed they were serious by scoring a TD on each of their first 3 possessions of the 1st quarter. In the meantime the Jets had a 3 and out, an interception, and a turnover on downs on their first 3 possessions.
 
At the half it was 28-10, and the final score was 35-17.
 
The Jets won the time of possession 34 minutes to 26, had more first downs, and out gained JAX 421 yards to 350…oh well…
 
The biggest stat of the game was Jeff Wilson’s career game of 26 carries for 235 yards!! He had TD runs of 39 yards, 56 yards.
 
For Jacksonville Allen was 12-17 for 174 yards and 2 TDs, and he ran 6 times for 42 yards, and 2 more touchdowns.
 
Next week Jacksonville travels to Philadelphia, while the Jets travel to LA to play the Chargers.
 
 Arizona 45 Carolina 23                      59 0-5  
Carolina, with their third string running back and second string QB, keep it interesting for a half, but Mahomes is too much in an eventual rout.
 
Carolina actually leads at the half 17 to 14 behind a hot Zappe and a consistent running game. 
 
The second half was a totally different story as Arizona scored at will behind Mahomes' passing. 
 
Mahomes finished with 334 yard and 5 td's while almost three different receivers had 100 yards receiving.
 
Zappe has an amazing game for Carolina going 26 of 29 for 304 and 2 td's. Evans had 149 yards receiving and 2 td's. Backup running back Zamir White even chips in with 101 rushing yards.
 
Carolina even leads in total yards, a small victory, but are still demolished for their 8th straight loss.
 
 Pittsburgh 31 Indianapolis 20               69 Calm          
Pittsburgh welcomes 3 players back to their lineup and they all contributed to a road victory.
 
WR -Rondale Moore catches a 17 yard pass from Brady with 2:26 to play to put the Steelers up 24-20
 
CB - Jaylen Watson Picks off Burrow and takes it to the house 46 yards with 1:24 to play to seal the road win
 
LB - Randy Gregory had a sack and 3 hurries
     
 Cincinnati 14 New England 40                34 0-10 
Aaron Rodgers threw two TD passes but was also intercepted three times paving the way for the Patriots and Lamar Jackson to hang 40 on the Champs.  Jackson threw for 197 yards and 3 TDs while also rushing for 72 yards. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Wilson(NYJ)     26-235  2 TD
 Stevenson(Atl)  17-135  1 TD
 Williams,T(Min) 20-106  1 TD
 Gibson(Jax)     21-101  1 TD
 White(Car)      27-101
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Adams(TB)        9-162  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Peoples-Jo(Bal)  8-154  1 TD
 Lamb(LAR)       10-136  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mayfield(Bal)   39-27-357   1 TD
 Mahomes(Ari)    20-17-334   5 TD
 Tannehill(Phi)  41-34-313   2 TD  1 Int
 Cousins(Hou)    48-36-305   1 Int
 Prescott(Sea)   31-22-305   3 TD  2 Int
 Zappe(Car)      29-26-304   2 TD
 Lawrence(LAR)   32-24-301   3 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    44-34-294   2 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Holcomb(Mia)     15 Tk
 Jones,Jo(SF)     2 Int 10 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Jones,Dr(LAR)    3 Sk 5 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Crosby(Ten)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Patterson(GB)  4-4 FG
 Tucker(NE)     4-5 FG
​

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IFL WEEK 13 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 13 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 12 Recap

Keenan Allen and the Titans hold serve in their quest for the AFC Central title.

Game Scores
 Pittsburgh 21 Tennessee 37                  45 0-10 
The game was close halfway through the 3rd with the Titans up 24-21.  A Steeler drive stalled at the Tennessee 35 and Tyler Bass attempted a 53 yard game tying field goal.  Unfortunately he hooked it and the Titans needed only 5 plays to score on a 3 yard Latavius Murray run and increase the margin to 9 points (extra point was missed).  The Steelers followed with a 3 and out.  Tennessee then had a nearly 8 minute drive finished off with another Murray TD run. 
 
 Baltimore 7 Cincinnati 23                   35 0-5   Light Rain 
Week 12 saw the Bengals host another division foe as Baltimore visited the Jungle.  Cincinnati took advantage of a Mayfield interception and a turnover on downs as Fairbairn converted two field goals for a 6-0 first quarter lead.  The Bengals extended their lead to 13-0 in the second quarter as Rogers found Dionate Johnson from 19 yards out.
 
After the half, rookie Alec Pierce hauled in a 46 yard pass to increase the lead to 20-0.  The Ravens would cut the lead to 20-7 in the final quarter as Mayfield connected with Logan Thomas from ten yards out.  Cincinnati would add another field goal for the 23-7 final.
 
Mayfield had a rough go finishing just 12 of 32 for 135 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.  Herbert rushed 18 times for 98 yards.
 
For the Bengals, Rodgers completed 18 of 29 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.  Johnson caught nine passes for 80 yards and a score.
 
Next week the Ravens travel to Miami while the Bengals venture to New England for a big conference match-up.  
  
 Chicago 20 Minnesota 10                     68 Calm    
In another riveting Chicago game, both teams combined for nearly 300 yards.
 
Wayne Fontes has not only been contacted / begged to come & help this Bears offense; he has been hired as assistant Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator.
 
Head coach Jerry Glandville says he'll welcome him with open arms, "It's not like we have Barry Sanders & he can waste him"
           
 Houston 13 Kansas City 25                   36 5-15 
Justin Fields threw 2 td passes and picked up 108 yards on the ground as Kansas City defeated Houston 25-13. The Chiefs has a season high of 424 yards total offense while keeping Cousins and company relatively in check.
 
 Tampa Bay 31 Detroit 34                     70 Calm   
Marcus Mariota throws three touchdown passes as the Lions nip Tampa Bay.
            
 Philadelphia 3 Arizona 34                   62 Calm 
Eagles were overmatched in game.  Tanny needs more WR help.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 13 Denver 37                47 0-5  
In a game for the division lead with both teams sitting at 9-2 the Broncos were able to get off to a fast start and coated to a 37-13 victory.
 
Denver QB Geno Smith would throw for 366 yards and 3 scores.  WR Devonta Smith hauled in all 9 of his targets for 206 yards and a TD.
 
 Green Bay 28 Las Vegas 20                   63 0-5  
Green Bay controls the game from start to finish. The only time the Raiders managed to get the lead was off a pick6 and Matt Stafford gave the lead away on their next drive with his third pick of the night. Apparently he was struck deaf, dumb and color blind, taking multiple sacks along with his three picks.
 
  Indianapolis 6 Miami 27                     73 0-10
Indy comes to Miami for a divisional game and runs into a buzz saw. The Dolphins were clicking on all cylinders on this night and the Colts without WR Ja'Maar Chase couldn't muster much punch. Indy is looking toward next year while the dolphins are trying to stay in the playoff hunt.
 
Next week Indy host Pittsburgh and Miami host Baltimore.
 
 Atlanta 32 Los Angeles (N) 21               65 Calm 
4 interceptions doom the Rams in Los Angeles against division rival Atlanta. One run in for a TD to give Atl the momentum and LA could never recover.
 
 Buffalo 10 New York (A) 0                   27 0-10 
Buffalo traveled to New York to play the Jets, and what a game it was!
 
The two teams combined for a total of 346 yards of offense…and a total of 10 points.
All 10 points were scored by the Bills, 7 coming with 1:30 left in the game.
 
But, not much can be expected when the starting QBs are named Winston(Jets) and Ehlinger…
 
The Jets lost 4 players to injuries in the 1st quarter, one being their best receiver, St, Brown, the leagues 2nd leading receiver.
 
No highlights to list…
 
Next week Buffalo hosts Tennessee, and the Jets host Jacksonville.
 
 New Orleans 28 New England 33               39 0-5
Saints look to halt a 2 game losing streak in New England, but things start out rough for the visitors as the Patriots jump to a quick 10-0 lead on their first two drives.  Patriots took that 10-0 lead thanks in part to back to back penalties resulting in 53 yards.  Derrick Henry ran in a 6 yard TD to make it 10-0 after a Tucker field goal had opened the scoring.
 
Taylor Heinicke engineered a 12 play 75 yard drive resulting in an AJ Brown 17 yard TD reception to cut the lead to 10-7 early in the 2nd quarter.
 
Lamar Jackson would bring NE right back down the field, as he scrambled for 24 yards across midfield and then connected with Tyreek Hill twice, the second a 13 yard TD to extend the NE lead to 17-7.
 
After 3 uneventful series by both teams, NE looked to extend their lead with under 4 minutes til halftime.  On first and ten from his own 28, Derrick Henry broke a tackle and looked headed for a big gain before being stripped of the ball - which the Saints would recover at the NE 35 yard line.  On the very next play, Heinicke hit Brown for a 35 yard TD and just like that it was 17-14 Patriots.
 
After a NE 3 and out, NO looked to maintain the momentum and James Conner would oblige, ripping off runs of 8 and 11 yards and into NE territory.  With under a minute to play, Heinicke hit Zay Jones for 11 and then - there was that guy again - AJ Brown for a 32 yard TD (his 3rd of the second quarter) to give the Saints a 21-17 lead at the half!
 
Saints take the ball out of the break and take the bubble wrap off RB Darrell Williams, who proceeds to tear off consecutive runs of 9.7.3 and 12 yards into Patriot territory.  On the next play Heinicke dropped back to pass and tried to dump it off to Williams, but Dre Greenlaw would intercept the pass at the NE 33.
 
Short completions to Hill and Brandin Cooks had NE across midfield, and Jackson would soon find Cooks again for a 39 yard TD pass to give NE the lead back with 9:07 remaining in the 3rd quarter.  Patriots up 24-21.
 
The teams would swap punts a couple times as the game drifted into the final quarter.  Brandon McManus was brought on to try a 54 yard FG to tie the game for the Saints, but it would fall short, keeping it a 3 point NE lead.
 
After 3 straight incomplete passes by Lamar, Heinicke took over and started to cook once again.  A 23 yard pass to Brown followed by a 14 yard play to David Njoku had NO into Patriot territory.  A pass interference penalty would give the Saints 9 more yards and a first down, and two plays later RB Jaylen Warren broke loose for a 33 yard TD run - giving New Orleans a 28-24 lead with 11:01 remaining in the game.
 
After a nice kick return by Isaiah Rodgers, Jackson would find Randall Cobb for 9 and 14 yards, down to the Saint 31 yard line.  Runs of 11 and 7 for Henry had NE at the 13 yard line, but the drive would stall and Justin Tucker would come on for the short FG to make it a 1 point game - Saints 28, Patriots 27.  7:06 to play..........
 
Saints take over and get immediate traction as Conner breaks loose for runs of 9 and 15 yards, moving the chains and eating some clock as the Saints were inside the NE 40.  Saints go play-action on the next play, but a blitzing Bobby Wagner wasn't fooled - sacking Heinicke and knocking the ball loose - a mad scramble...............Saints would recover however and after the negative play, would ultimately have to punt - pinning NE back at their own 5 yard line with 4:40 to play.
 
Kareem Hunt for runs of 7 and 4 give NE some breathing room.  On the next play a roughing the passer penalty gave NE an extra 15 yards after a short pass play to Henry netted 7 - first and ten from the Patriot 38 with with 3:17 remaining in the game.
 
A 4 yard Henry run and a big 24 yard reception by Cooks would bring NE to the Saint 34 yard line at the two-minute warning.  After an incomplete pass and a 7 yard Henry run, NE faced a 3rd and 3 from the Saint 27.  New Orleans decided to send 3 blitzers at Lamar in the hope of knocking NE further back and out of FG range, but Jackson would hit Cooks (6 receptions, 124 yards) on a short slant  and Cooks would do the rest - racing the distance for the TD to give NE a 33-28 lead (2 point conversion failed).    1:37 to play........
 
Saints would start at their own 25 and Heinicke would hit Zay Jones twice, once for 9 and once for 14 yards to bring NO out to the Patriot 45 yard line with 45 seconds.  A Bradberry DPI added another 11 yards as the Saints were sniffing the end zone, at the Patriots 35........
 
Jeffrey Simmons would sack Heinicke on the next play however, pushing NO back to the Patriot 42 yard line and from there it was 3 consecutive incomplete passes - with the Patriots barely hanging on for the 5 point win.  
 
Taylor Heinicke and AJ Brown (4-107-3TDs) were the stars for the visitors, hooking up for the 3 first half TDs and giving the Saints life.  James Conner rushed 18 times for 91 yards, as the New Orleans ground game (supported by Williams and Warren) was cooking all day (202 yards in total).
 
For NE, Lamar threw for 247 yards and 3 scores, two to Brandin Cooks.  Derrick Henry ran for 87 yards and a score to lead the NE ground game.
 
Great game called by Jim, who had us off-stride the entire game.  They'll fly home to face Dallas next week, while NE will play their final home game of the season in Week 13 against the Bengals. 
 
 Dallas 7 Seattle 27                         45 5-15
1-10 Dallas came to Seattle with a case of butterfingers fumbling the ball away 3 times.  Herbert would also toss a pick six in the 27-7 loss.  Prescott would carry the offense going 18-25 with 2 TDs.
 
 New York (N) 23 Jacksonville 27             69 Calm 
A close game throughout that saw the Jags give up the lead late due to a blocked punt only to win it on the last play of the game with a Josh Allen 3 yard TD.

Kind of a dull game offensively that saw both teams score and move the ball well in the first half but struggle in the second half. Other than the Jags final two minute drive to win the game there was very litttle O in the second half.

Both D's played well. Next week the Giants are in Atlanta while the Jags host the JETS.
 
 Carolina 34 San Francisco 44                57 10-20
Both teams' starting quarterbacks are knocked out of the game but the Panthers defense still gives up over 40 points and 400 yards. 
 
Drake has a career day rushing for 111 yards on just 10 carries before he too is knocked out of the game. The Panthers are barely able to field a team at this point.
 
San Fran averages 5.7 yards a carry on 43 attempts. Hubbard leads the way with 90 yards and 2 td's.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Foreman(LV)     20-141
 Sanders(LAR)    19-123
 Drake(Car)      10-111  1 TD
 Fields(KC)      15-108
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Smith,D(Den)     9-206  1 TD
 Jeudy(Det)       8-177  2 TD
 Allen(Ten)      10-140  1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Brown(NO)        4-107  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Smith,G(Den)    34-27-366   3 TD
 Garoppolo(Ten)  36-27-350   1 TD
 Mariota(Det)    36-21-319   3 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Jenkins(Chi)     2 Int 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Tranquill(Car)   15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Koo(KC)        4-4 FG
 Patterson(GB)  5-5 FG  - IFL Special Team Player of the Week
 Folk(Atl)      4-5 FG
 Nixon(Jax)     4-155 Kick Ret 5-14 Punt Ret

​

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IFL WEEK 12 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 12 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 11 Recap

The Seattle defense keeps the Falcons offense in check to pick up a big conference win.

​Game Scores
 Seattle 21 Atlanta 13                       68 Calm  
Seattle 7-3 was on the road coming to Atlanta 9-1 in a matchup that although Atlanta had the better record, Seattle is the most experienced team, with more playoff coaching experience, so it would be a good test. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Seattle came in on fire, while Atlanta, who scored 48 points last week, could only muster one TD. In fact, each team only scored one TD. 
 
It was 13-6 Seattle at the end of the first half, and Atlanta made two crucial mistakes. 1st play of the second half for Atlanta, Hurts was sacked for a safety. Then the very next play for Atlanta, Hurts hit Agholor on a slant that he fumbled and gave Seattle the ball on the Atlanta 15 yard line. Even then it was 18-13 Seattle going into the 4th and Hurts went ice cold only throwing for 22 yards in the 4th quarter at home, as injured Zach Ertz watched from the sidelines. Seattle added another FG to make it 21-13. 
 
Great game coached by Kris, played clean ball with 0 turnovers. Fun fact (not so fun for me), Seattle knocked the Falcons out of the playoffs in the divisional round last year, and Atlanta still can't seem to have their number. 
 
Next week Seattle hosts Dallas, and Atlanta hopes to regroup as they have a huge divisional game against LA on the road. 
             
 Buffalo 6 Cincinnati 27                     40 15-25
The Bills and their contingent visit Cincinnati for an IFL week 11 match-up.  Buffalo fans travel as well as any team's in the IFL.  However, the Bills were without starting quarterback Kyler Murray.  

After an exchange of punts, Bills sensational running back Travis Etienne fumbles with the Bengals taking over at the Buffalo 29.  Four plays later Rodgers connected with Chark for the 17 yard score and a 7-0 Cincinnati lead with about seven minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

After a Bills punt Fairbairn made it 10-0 with a 43 yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.  Buffalo quarterback Sam Ehlinger seemed overwhelmed by the complex Cincinnati defense as Bengals safety Jesse Bates intercepted a pass and the Bengals took over at the Bills 27.  Three plays later Michael Carter goes 19 yards and extends the Cincinnati lead to 17-0 with 13 minutes remaining in the half.  The Bengals add another touchdown before the half as Rodgers finds Gerald Everett for the 18 yard score.  After a Buffalo punt and the Bengals turning it over on downs Ehlinger seems to be finding his footing completing a 24 yard strike to tight end Tyler Conklin to set up a Jake Elliott 27 yard field goal as the Bills cut into the lead at the half 24-3.

Each team collected another field goal in the second half making the final score 27-6 Cincinnati.
 
Ehlinger finished 14 of 27 for 164 yards and two interceptions.  He also rushed for 41 yards on five attempts.
 
For the Bengals, Rodgers was a pin point 21 of 26 for 201 yards and two touchdowns.  Vaughn rushed for 94 yards on a workhorse like 22 carries.
 
Next week the Bills (and their contingent of fans) travel to the big city to face the division rival Jets while the Bengals host division rival Baltimore.
 
 
 San Francisco 30 Arizona 34                 81 Calm
Well coached game by Brendan.  SF gave Zona all they could handle.  Mahomes marched the team down the field and tossed the winning TD with only 28 seconds left in game.  Mac Jones attempted the same thing but threw an interception with two seconds left in game. 
 
 Chicago 9 Houston 6                         70 Calm        
Bears win tight one with a late FG.  Each team was barely able to hit 200 total yards.  Houston had 3 turnovers to Chi's 1, that was probably why Chicago was able to pull out the W.
       
 Miami 51 Pittsburgh 28                      37 5-15 
Pittsburgh (3-7) came into the week 11 match up scuffling along losing its last 4 games as injuries continue to mount up.
Miami (5-5) has not fared well either on a  2 game losing streak something had to give .
 
Well its was the Steelers defense that gave and gave this game as Tua did virtually anything he wanted on this night  as he had 3 TD passes in the 1st quarter staking the Dolphins to a 21-0 lead after one. As Pittsburgh Offense could not get anything going in the 1st.
 
In the 2nd Allgeier 5 yard TD run cuts the lead to 21-7 early in the 2nd. Miami again drive right down the field with a only a Lawrence sack making them try a FG and Prater makes a 35 yarder 24-7. Pittsburgh offense finally wakes up for the second drive as Brady to Brown from 5 yards out and its 24-14. On Miami's next drive the d finally played good enough for a stop or so the home crowd thought. As Coach Cox with a humming offense decides  to go for it 4th and 6 on the Steelers 44 with 1:46 left in the half. The  Gamble pays of as Tua hits Olive for 16 yards , They would finish the drive Tua to Cambell from 5 yards out and its 31-14 at the half.
 
The Steelers once again would cut the lead to 10 on their opening drive as Allgeier gallops 63 yards for a TD and its 31-21 early in the 3rd. The Dolphins made it look so easy on this night even with momentum on their side the home crowd could not affect the visitors. 6 plays 75 yards Rookie Pacheco runs the last 7 yards into the end zone and its back to a 17 point lead for the Dolphins. The game pretty much comes to an end as Brady throws a pick 6 on the next drive as Marco Thomas gets his 2nd TD of the year and makes the score 45-21. On the next possession at the Dolphins 44 on a 1st down Brady again turns it over this time a strip sack from Cameron Thomas . As we head to the 4th.
 
The Dolphins once again finish off the drive with a Prater 25 yard FG 48-21 .Prater hits another FG 42 yards out on their next possession making it 51-21 as this game got away from the home team. Jefferson who was doubled every play this game gets a 31 yard TD reception with just over 3 to play making the final 51-28.
 
Jefferson although constantly  double team still has 7 catches for 120 yards and a TD. The Steelers also ran for 198 yards on 27 carries, Allgeier had 144 yards and 2 TDs.
 
But Tua was the story beating, pass defense, blitzes , 3 man rush , double teams no matter what the Steelers ran did not seem to matter. He end going 27-37 for 385 yards 4 TD  QB rating of 142.3 and of course game mvp honors.
 
The Steelers also added more injuries to their depleted troupes Schofield RT out 3 weeks , Bohanna DT 3 weeks , starting CB Watson out a week making them 10 players injured for next week game  unless Watson and Gregory whom both have questionable labels are cleared for the game
 
Tony as always calls a great game
 
Miami 6-5 heads home to take on (as of this writing) a 2-8 Colts team. While the Steelers 3-8 lick their wounds and heads out of town (probably a good thing) to face division leading Titans 7-3 . 
 
  Green Bay 16 Los Angeles (A) 27             82 Calm 
LAC avoids Groundhog Day, part 3, and comes from behind to down the game Packers.... the 17 4th quarter points eclipsed LA’s total from
the last two games combined.... for the 3rd game in a row, Chubb was banging out 1 and 2 yard runs till he finally busted loose for a couple
20+runs in the last quarter.... a 75-yard drive accounted for the winner with just under 2-minutes with a pick-6 providing the final margin....
 
GB deserved a better fate; but LAC finally got some breaks in the 4th quarter that they haven’t seen over the previous three games.
 
 Kansas City 29 Tampa Bay 28                 78 0-5   Heavy Rain  
The 4 and 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers played host to the 2 and 9 Kansas City Chiefs. It was not a Chamber of Commerce Day, as there were heavy rains throughout the game. 
The first quarter saw only one possession by each team. Kansas City opened the game by driving down the field for a touchdown using 15 plays and 9:11 of clock. The drive included two fourth-down conversions. Tampa liked what they saw and return the favor using 14 plays and 7:14 of clock. Early in the second quarter the game was tied at 7. 
The second quarter included a Tampa Bay touchdown and a KC field goal, making the score 14 – 10 in favor of the Buccaneers at halftime. As would prove important throughout the game, Chief’s kicker Younghoe Koo appeared comfortable kicking his first field goal during the Florida downpour. 
Big plays were the norm in the second half as the field became soaked. Often, the defenders looked as if they were doing their work on a huge Wham-O Slip n’ Slide. 
To start the third, Buccaneers quarterback Derek Carr threw an interception that led to a second KC field goal by Koo. Carr made a quick recovery by connecting on a 57 yard TD scoring slant and go to Davante Adams, which moved the Bucs ahead 21-13. 
The Chiefs QB Justin Fields got hot on the next possession, completing long throws to TE Juwan Johnson and WR Allen Lazard, but Kansas City had to settle for a third Koo FG, this time he was good from 44 yards. Tampa 21 – 16. 
Tampa’s answer was Carr to WR Tyler Lockett for 48 yards and a finishing TD run by RB Cordarrell Patterson from 7 yards out to put the game in jeopardy for KC, now down 28 – 16. Off to the 4th quarter. 
The Chiefs move down the field in large part due to a 27 yard Fields to WR Kendrick Bourne pass, but had to settle for a fourth successful Koo kick, this time from 43 yards away. 28 – 19 Tampa with 10 minutes left in the game. 
KC forced a 3 and out and then earned its fifth field goal from one South Korean born Younghoe Koo, this one a 49 yard rained soaked bomb. Now it’s 28 – 22 Tampa, and all the momentum is with the visitors. 
A second fourth quarter three and out by the Bucs Carr and his team, lead to what felt like the inevitable. Extending a 1st and 10 play from the Tampa 49 yard line, Fields hits Kendrick Bourne for a TD pass with just over 2 minutes left in the game. With the Koo extra point, the score was 29 – 28 Kansas City! 
Carr tries to make it happen, but on a first play deep drop, he’s sacked by KC’s edge rusher Mario Edwards Jr. Soon after, a second inevitable result was realized – Carr was intercepted by safety Josh Metellus, clinching a sweet comeback victory for KC. 
In our opinion, Tampa’s 2 turnovers to none for KC was not critical to the result. KC put up 403 yards, had the ball for 35:35, and went 4 of 5 on 4th down conversions. Add in Fields going 20 of 32 for 286 and Koo going 5 for 5, and there you have it.   
Next week KC can make it 2 in a row while hosting Houston. The Lions are licking their chops awaiting the Floridians visit.
 
 Indianapolis 9 Tennessee 26                 69 0-10 
The Colts put up a good fight and the issue was in doubt halfway through the 4th as Indy trailed 16-9 but had the ball at their own 42.  However, the Titan defense held firm and the Colts had to punt.  Then a short slant Ryan to Hopkins broke for 38 yards and this set up the clinching field goal.
 
Indy visits Miami next week while the Titans host Pittsburgh.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 24 Dallas 6                 70 Calm  
Dallas' Deebo Samuel got injured early in the contest and Dallas' already lousy offense had an even smaller chance to move the ball against one of the best defenses in the league.   The Ram defense held Dallas to 190 yards total offense (including just 113 yards passing from Justin Herbert) and it's defense recorded five sacks (two each by LB Josh Uche and DLman DeMarcus Walker) in a convincing 24-6 win.  Uche now has 10 sacks on the season!   Dallas' defense held the Rams scoreless in the first quarter before Miles Sanders scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter to give the Rams a 7-0 lead at halftime.

In the third, the Ram offense clicked as Trevor Lawrence hit Samaje Perine out of the backfield on a short pass as Perine put a move on a defender and turned the play into a 35 yard scoring pass.  On its next possession, Lawrence threw a 31 yard pass and run to CeeDee Lamb to put the Rams up 21-0.

Dallas showed "some" fight and scored on a Jamaal Williams run.  Of course, the Cowboys' Statpack kicker missed the PAT  ...   and the onside kick attempt.

With the win, the Rams are now 7-4.   The loss makes the Cowboys' record 1-11 heading into week 12.

Trevor Lawrence was 14/16 for 168 yards with two TD throws. 
             
 New York (A) 3 Baltimore 24                 51 0-5
Khalil Herbert rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns as the Ravens defeat the Jets.
 
 Jacksonville 7 New England 38               39 5-15 
Lamar Jackson threw 5 TD passes (4 to Tyreek Hill) as the Patriots exorcised the demons from last year's home playoff loss to the Jaguars.  Hill caught 6 passes for 193 yards and the four scores, while Cooper Kupp grabbed 5 balls for 107 and a TD as NE jumped to a 35-7 halftime lead.  Neither team did much in the second half, as NE wins this one 38-7.
 
 Minnesota 3 Denver 27                       52 0-10
Denver's defense makes things tough on the Vikes in a 27-3 game.
Geno Smith throws for 383 and 2 TD's in the win.
 
 Carolina 10 Philadelphia 17                 40 5-15
The Eagles get their 3rd win of the year in a 17-10 slugfest with the Panthers. The play of the game was by Eagle CB Decobie Durant as he intercepted Panther QB Russell Wilson and took it to the house to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead which it never gave up.
 
 Detroit 18 Las Vegas 26                     71 0-10
The Raiders finally get QB Stafford back and while he did have to shake off some rust (2 picks) he also put up 321 yards and 2 TD's to get the home win against the Lions, 26-18.
 
 New Orleans 21 New York (N) 22              63 5-15 
Saints have trouble in the red zone all day as they are forced to kick 5 FGs. Giants kicker Santos kicks a go ahead FG with 58 seconds left to take the lead and the D holds on. Heinecke throws for 275 yards but fails to throw for a TD for the Saints. Daniel Jones throws for 246 yards and rushes for another 63 against the Saints D. He throws and rushes for a TD a piece. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Allgeier(Pit)   15-144  2 TD
 Davis-Pric(Bal) 20-130
 Jones,A(Sea)    26-124
 Herbert(Bal)    14-101  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown(NO)        6-198
 Hill(NE)         6-193  4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Olave(Mia)       7-151  1 TD
 Waddle(NYG)     10-141  1 TD
 Aiyuk(Ten)      11-116
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mahomes(Ari)    41-31-411   4 TD  1 Int
 Tagovailoa(Mia) 37-27-385   4 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    45-34-383   2 TD
 Stafford(LV)    35-23-321   2 TD  2 Int
 Jackson,L(NE)   20-13-312   5 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Delpit(Det)      2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Jackson,Ju(SF) 5-158 Kick Ret
 Slye(Sea)      4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Koo(KC)        5-5 FG
 Myers(LV)      4-4 FG
 McManus(NO)    5-5 FG
​

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IFL WEEK 11 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 11 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 10 Recap

Denver's Geno Smith completes 29 consecutive passes as the Broncos defeat Houston.

Game Scores
 Houston 7 Denver 38                         63 Calm 
It was all Denver in the Mile High city as Bronco QB Geno Smith was 29 of 30 for 340 yards and 5 TD passes and the Bronco defense gave up just 211 yards in the 38-7 victory.
​
Geno Smith's first pass was incomplete and then he completed his last 29 passes consecutively in the win.
 
 Buffalo 13 New England 19                   39 0-5  
Sam Ehlinger, on for the injured Kyler Murray, completed 13 of 18 passes for 113 yards and a score while Travis Etienne (14 carries 100 yards) ran wild as the Buffalo Bills gave the home team Patriots all they could handle.  Justin Tucker hit 4 field goals for New England (3 form 46 yards and beyond) and Derrick Henry ran for 100 yards and a TD as the Patriots narrowly escaped with a 19-13 win.
 
 San Francisco 43 New Orleans 30             70 Calm           
  Both coaches bet the over and told their defenses to stay home. The 49ers get their 2nd big win in a row as they beat the undefeated Falcons last week. Mac Jones was unstoppable as he completed 21 of 26 for 2 TD's and 0 mistakes. Devin Singletary also couldnt be stopped(do we see a theme here lol) as he rushed 18 times for 136 yards. K ready for it...Stefon Diggs couldnt be stopped as he caught 9 balls for 102 yards. The 49ers only punted once all day. He punted once and went and drank beers with the Saints D who took the day off and went to the bar. Heinecke wasn't very accurate on the day but threw for 254 yards and 3 TD's for the Saints. The NFC West is tightening up.
  
 Tennessee 24 Baltimore 7                    50 0-10 
 Easy win for Tennessee two goal line stops keep Baltimore out of the game.
 
 Jacksonville 31 Cincinnati 42               38 Calm 
Fittingly enough the Jaguars visited the Jungle for a pivotal AFC Central match-up.  It didn't take long for the high octane
Jacksonville offense to strike as Josh Allen connected with D.K. Metcalf for a 45 yard score and a 7-0 lead with about 11:30 remaining in the opening quarter.  After exchanging punts and another Rodgers interception, the Jags put together a 10 play 70 yard drive with Allen scoring from five yards out on the first play of the second quarter to increase their lead to 14-0.  The Bengals finally got something going as Rodgers capped a 12 play 75 yard drive with a one yard sneak to cut the Jacksonville lead in half at 14-7 with 9:15 remaining in the half.

  The Jags answered with another Allen five yard touchdown scamper and a 21-7 lead with about three minutes remaining.  The track meet was on!  Cincinnati marched down the field with their new secret double tight end offense.  Granson caught two passes for 30 yards and Hardman finished the drive off with a ten yard touchdown reception, 21-14 with less than a minute remaining.  Jacksonville was not finished as Allen connected with Trenton "F'n" Irvin for the 50 yard score and their lead was back to two touchdowns at 28-14 at the half.

Behind the rushing of Ke'Shawn "Stat Pack" Vaughn the Bengals opened up the half with a 13 play 77 yard drive with Michael Carter going in from three yards out to cut the Jaguars lead to 28-21.  The Cincinnati defense finally stiffened and forced a Jacksonville punt.  The Bengals used an array of players to march down the field with Rodgers finding rookie Alec Pierce for the 16 yard score to tie the game at 28 with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Both offenses seemed to be running on fumes in the final quarter as punts were exchanged.  Jacksonville marched to the Bengals four but decided on a field goal to take a 31-28 lead with about nine minutes remaining.  The Jags "D" forced another punt as did the Cincinnati defense.  It was the Bengals ball at their own 37 with about two and a half minutes remaining.  On second and ten at their own 47 Rodgers connected with Pierce for a 53 yard score giving Cincinnati their first lead at the two minute warning, 35-31.  There was plenty of time for the high-powered Jacksonville offense.  But, after a short completion to Metcalf, he fumbled and Jalen Ramsey scooped up the loose ball and went 32 yards to put the game on ice!

A frustrated Allen finished 25 of 38 for 316 yards and two touchdowns.  He also rushed for 59 yards and two more touchdowns.  Metcalf finished with five receptions for 91 yards and a score.

Rodgers completed 22 of 37 for 275 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.  The key to the win was the Bengals ability to run the ball finishing with 175 yards, good for a 4.7-yard average.

Next week, Jacksonville travels to New England. We all know what happened the last time the Jaguars traveled to Foxboro.  While the Bengals welcome the Bills, who put up a good fight versus New England this week.
 
 Miami 31 Atlanta 48                         68 Calm    
tlanta (8-1) hosted Miami (5-4). Atlanta is looking to rebound from their last second loss to snap their undefeated season, while Miami was looking to pull an upset to improve their wild card chances. 
 
1st Quarter: Miami would take the ball and go 3 and out, setting up a Rhamondre Stevenson 4 yard TD. Miami would drive the length of the field and was knocking when Tua threw an interception in the end zone which Atlanta would capitalize on by driving down the field and hitting rookie Watson for a TD. At the end of the 1st (MIA 0, ATL 14) 
 
2nd Quarter: Miami would start their drive again until Surtain would pick off Tua in Dolphin territory setting up a Falcon FG. Miami would go 3 and out, yet again the Falcons were off the a hot start with a few runs setting up an Ertz TD from Hurts. Miami would insert Goff for the struggling Tua who came out on fire, leading Miami down the field and they kicked a FG to end the 1st half (MIA 3, ATL 24)
 
3rd Quarter: The tide started to turn as the second half opened with a Hurts pass being batted in the air and picked off. Miami would capitalize on it by throwing a 32 yard TD to Olave who was double covered, cutting the lead to 14. Atlanta answered back after a 47 yard Stevenson run, capped off by a 9 yard Mostert TD. Miami would come right back with a 5 minute drive of their own and score cut it back to two scores again. The Falcons would answer again in 4 plays with a 54 yard run from Stevenson, and then a 6 yard TD run to push the lead to 38-17. Goff was intercepted by Bland near midfield as the 3rd quarter was winding down, setting up the Falcons with good field position. 
 
It was then, Coach Cox sent word over to the Falcon sidelines that he cried Uncle. Coach Alberry, being a good sport and not wanting to run up the score took some starters out, ran the ball and punted, pinning Miami deep. Coach Cox would leave all his starters in and throw the ball hitting Olave who broke a 94 yard reception and just like that it was a 2 score game. (MIA 24- ATL 38). 
 
4th Quarter: Atlanta would insert their starters back in and move down the field in 4 minutes to score on a Hurts 34 yard score (MIA 24- ATL 45) Miami kept the petal to the metal, going 5 wide hurry up offense and Goff was picked again by Atlanta for their 4 INT of the game. With 8 minutes left, Atlanta ran the ball down to 4 minutes left, and punted it back to Miami up 21 points. 
 
Miami wouldn't quit, with under 2 minutes left, down 21 points Miami connected on a long fly to Olave for the TD practicing their no huddle offense. Atlanta would chip in a FG after some runs from the onside kick and that was the game. 
 
MIA 31, ATL 48
 
Notable facts: Miami threw the ball as a team 59 times for 499 yards, 435 came from Goff who essentially played 2 quarters. Atlanta on the other hand ran 301 yards on the ground as a team, Stevenson had 169 yards on 17 carries. 
Injuries: Nico Collins is out for the rest of the regular season for Miami, and a big blow for Atlanta, Zach Ertz is done for the regular season, but hopeful for the playoffs, provided Atlanta can hang on in his absence. 
 
Next week Miami travels to the other Alberry coach in Pittsburgh. Atlanta is banged up but will host a tough Seattle squad that will be a real test for Atlanta.
           
 Los Angeles (A) 9 Tampa Bay 28              74 0-10 
The 8 and 1 Chargers came to Tampa Bay looking to correct an offensive slide that had seen them score 13 points in the last two games, although they were they were able to win one of those games. The Buccaneers were looking to resurrect their season, after falling to 3 and 6 in the first 9 games.
The Charges gained a 9-0 lead, although twice they had to kick field goals deep in Tampa territory. Surprisingly, that would be all the points Los Angeles would score in the game.
The contest turned in the early portions of the third quarter when Tampa’s Julian Love picked off Davis Mills and returned it 63 yards to the Chargers 7 yard line. Veteran Cordarrell Patterson ran it in from there to make it 9-7 LA.
The Bucs Jacoby Brissett was brought in for the ineffective Derek Carr. He garnered the Buccaneers first lead when he hit Davante Adams from 16 yards out to go ahead 14-9.
Mills and the surprisingly ineffective Nick Chubb (22 carries for 43 yards) were not able to get anything going while the Buccaneers added 14 more points for final of 28-9.
A telling stat was 9 points achieved by Los Angeles in three trips into the red zone while the Buccaneers went 4 for 4, all TDs.
Next week the Bucs host KC while the Chargers try to get back on track at home verses Green Bay.
 
 Minnesota 0 Green Bay 31                    33 10-20
Dalvin Cook had 4 TD's (3 rushing and 1 receiving) as the Packers rolled over Minnesota 31-0
 
Vikings were flagged for several penalties and lost multiple players to in-game injuries. 
 
QB Trey Lance struggled for the visitors while his counterpart, Mike White, was efficient.
 
Minnesota has a tough one next week in Denver, while the Pack travels to
face the powerhouse Chargers
 
 Detroit 13 Chicago 6                        53 10-20
Lions use all of their 261 yards total offense to gain a big victory & 1st place in the Black & Blue division.  Now mind you, DaBears had racked up a whoppin' 202 total yards, we even got into plus yardage before the 1st qtr ended.
 
Bears over rated kicker McPherson, or how ever it's spelled, missed 2 chip shot FG's & another in the Bears 7 point loss.
 
That makes me wonder.....Has anything good ever came out of Ohio(except The Pretenders)?  If he kicks bare foot I hope one of my DL accidently stomped his foot.
 
Coach Glandville was so depressed, I took him over Commissioner Burns' pad & we relieved ourselves, on his once beautiful flower bed.
 
 New York (A) 24 Indianapolis 6              69 Calm               
Jets got off to a 21-6 lead at halftime and hold on to win easily 24-6
 
Tyler Higbee 3 TD passes.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 30 Carolina 6               61 Calm 
Rams run all over the Panthers. Literally....
 
LA averaged 6 yards a carry as Sanders rushed for 188 and Perine 82. Lawrence only needed to attempt 14 passes. Carolina's defense is once again worthless, and only highlight was causing the Rams to punt once.
 
Wilson does his best for the Panthers but has no chance with no blocking in front him. He was sacked 9 times with Mack and Uche each getting 3 apiece.
 
Evans did contribute 104 yards receiving for the Panthers.
 
 Dallas 9 Philadelphia 14                    47 0-5   Heavy Rain 
Two teams looking to the future met in week 10 action.  The game would be played in heavy rain which meant 2 inept teams would be even more inept.  The Eagles would win the defensive struggle 14-9 but the Cowboys made it interesting by driving twice into Eagle territory in the 4th quarter but the stingy Eagle D would be up to the challenge this day holding on to the victory.
  
 Las Vegas 20 Kansas City 13                 47 0-5
Las Vegas scored the last 17 points of the game as Kyle Allen threw for 2 td's and Alvin Kamara rushed for 114 yards. KC turned the ball over 5 times and missed a 31 yard FG in the contest, although they did accumulate 399 yards of total offense.
 
 Arizona 21 New York (N) 27                  51 5-15
Trailing 21-13 at the half, the Giants defense holds the high-powered Arizona offense scoreless the second half and rally for the win.
 
 Pittsburgh 24 Seattle 26                    59 0-5  
Seattle leads for much of the game but Pittsburgh mounts a furious 4th quarter comeback highlighted by a 68 yard TD to Byrd with 5 minutes left to take a 24-23 lead.  Prescott responds with a 4 minute drive to put Seattle in range for a game winning FG. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Sanders(LAR)    24-188  2 TD
 Stevenson(Atl)  17-169  2 TD
 Singletary(SF)  18-136
 Williams,T(Min) 24-117
 Kamara(LV)      22-114
 Henry(NE)       26-100  1 TD
 Etienne(Buf)    14-100
 Cook(GB)        22-86  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Olave(Mia)       8-198  2 TD
 Higbee(NYJ)      4- 72  3 TD
 Watkins(Den)     3- 65  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Goff(Mia)       43-30-435   2 TD  2 Int
 Smith,G(Den)    30-29-340   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Allen(Jax)      38-25-316   2 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Uche(LAR)        3 Sk 3 Tk
 Mack(LAR)        3 Sk 11 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Tucker(NE)     4-4 FG -Co-IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Santos(NYG)    4-4 FG  -Co-IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Slye(Sea)      4-5 FG
​

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IFL WEEK 10 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 10 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 9 Recap

Raider safety Harrison Smith intercepts 2 passes as Vegas defeats the Chargers.

Game Scores
 Los Angeles (A) 3 Las Vegas 16              55 0-5  
Raiders Secure a Home Win with Strong Defense and Key Plays

Las Vegas, NV - In a chilly but windless night at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders outshone the Los Angeles Chargers with a final score of 16-3. The Raiders improved to a 5-4 record, while the Chargers dropped to 8-1 in the 2023 season.

The first quarter saw an impressive opening drive by the Raiders, which concluded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Allen to HB Alvin Kamara. The Raiders led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter featured field goals from both teams, with Jason Myers of the Raiders converting two of three attempts and Chase McLaughlin making one for the Chargers. The Raiders extended their lead to 13-3 by halftime.

The Chargers' offense struggled throughout the game, as the Raiders' defense made critical plays, including four interceptions, including two by safety Harrison Smith, one of which led to a field goal. The Raiders added another field goal in the fourth quarter to secure their victory.

The game was marked by turnovers and missed opportunities on both sides, with the Chargers committing four turnovers and the Raiders forcing one. The Chargers had 10 missed tackles, while the Raiders had a strong defensive showing with just three missed tackles.

The Las Vegas Raiders look to continue their momentum, while the Los Angeles Chargers will need to regroup and come back stronger after this defeat. The game's MVP was awarded to Smith, who played a key role in the Raiders' victory.
 
 
Denver 17 Kansas City 10                    44 5-15 
Geno Smith threw for 327 yards and 2 tds and the Denver defense stopped KC at the 1 yard line on the last play of the game to come away with the win. The Chiefs were helped by 11 penalties on the Broncos for 93 yards.
 
 Baltimore 27 Dallas 13                      70 Calm                
Another frustrating week for Dallas as the Baltimore comes to town and leaves with a W.   Bad luck continues to befall the Cowboys.  Tied 7-7 in the first half, Dallas’ punt returner (Coutee) fumbled a punt over to Baltimore that lead to a score.  Coutee tried to redeem himself on the next Baltimore punt and he seemingly took it to the house.  However, he was ruled out of bounds after a short return.  Also in the first half, Deebo Samuel caught a pass and fumbled it over to the Ravens.  Of course, it was returned for a TD. Dallas falls to 1-8 after the loss.  Justin Herbert, who does have decent receivers, continues to play well below his promised QB Rating.
 
 
 Cincinnati 13 Tennessee 24                  57 0-10 
A very close game with the defenses dominating and forcing turnovers.  Tennessee was up 17-13 with 3 minutes gone in the 4th when Cincinnati pinned them on their 2 yard line courtesy of a perfect punt from Jordan Stout.  A short 9 yarder to Brandon Aiyuk got the Titans out of the shadow of their goalposts.  Garroppolo then put together his best drive of the season going 98 yards and scoring on a TD pass to John (Billy Ray) Bates, BTW this was Bates second TD of the game.  Anyway, this made the score 24-13 Titans and a Dontae Johnson fumble on the next possession removed all doubt.
 
Tennessee (6-3) visits Baltimore next week while Cincinnati (5-4) hosts Jacksonville (5-4) in a game with playoff implications.
 
 Pittsburgh 31 Jacksonville 41               81 Calm 
Josh Allen has his best game of the year contributing 5TDs (4 passing, 1 running) as the Jags defeat division rivals Pittsburgh, 41-31. It was a close game throughout with the difference being a game changing Pittsburg turnover late in the 4th quarter. Both teams ran well (over 200 yards each) with the Jag catalist being Josh Allen who had a 138 QB rating leading he Jags to a late victory.

Sam coached a great game and tortured the Jags D with the run but the turnovers were the difference.

Next week the Jags face Cincinnati while the Steelers have a tough one in Seattle.
 
 Houston 24 Detroit 17                       70 Calm   
Key Moments:
·  Detroit started the game with a 7-yard touchdown run by Benjamin.
·  Houston responded with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Johnson.
·  Detroit's Mariota connected with Jeudy for a 23-yard touchdown pass.
·  Houston's Sanders kicked a 38-yard field goal to narrow the gap.
·  Houston pulled ahead with Cousins' 47-yard touchdown pass to McLaurin.
·  Detroit tied the game with a 34-yard field goal by Shudak.
·  Houston secured the victory with Cousins' 10-yard touchdown pass to Haskins.
The game was characterized by a competitive matchup with a notable performance by Kirk Cousins, and Houston ultimately emerged as the victor with a final score of 24-17.
            
 Atlanta 19 San Francisco 24                 63 0-10 
The 49ers jump out to an early 21 to 3 lead over the Falcons, but Paul brings the Falcons back to 21 to 19 with a Hurts TD with 9+ minutes left in the game.  The 49ers are able to stuff the 2 pt attempt to prevent the Falcons from tying the game at 21.  The 49ers added a FG with 4:50 left in the game.  The Falcons then go on a 15 play drive to the 49ers 2 yd line.with 11 seconds left.  Hurts takes the snap, rolls out and gets sacked by Mafe to end the game.
 
 Tampa Bay 27 Minnesota 20                   68           
Minnesota had the ball inside the 30 when time ran out. 
         
 Green Bay 16 Chicago 17                     51 20-30
Packers come back & go for 2 with seconds remaining as opposed to playing for OT.  DaBears hold them & win by 1.  Giant ball sack shown by my buddy John going for 2.  2nd half was a great game.  Pollard busted a 80 yrd run or something like that to put the Bears up 14-0, that was prob the play of the game.
 
 Indianapolis 20 Buffalo 17                  41 5-15  Rain     
In rainy and windy weather the Colts win th game in OT, 20-17. The Colts lose Chase for 3 games as he had 10 catches at halftime and the Bills lose Kyler Murray for 7 games.
    
 New York (A) 10 Los Angeles (N) 24          71 Calm 
The Rams hold off the Jets in Los Angeles. The Jets had a chance to tie the game in the 4th quarter, but a missed on 4th down by Jets QB Kenny Pickett turned the ball back over to the Rams who added an insurance score to put the game out of reach.
 
 New England 34 Miami 6                      82 0-10 
The Patriots come to Miami for their 2nd meeting of the year and the Dolphins hoping to split the season after an earlier loss to the Pats. It was not to be, the Dolphins take the opening drive 72 yards to paydirt but miss the point after and have an early 6-0 lead over the Pats. I wish I had more exciting action to speak of but the Patriots reel off 34 unanswered points and show mercy on the Dolphins the last 25 minutes or so of the game and take this one back to New England 34-6.
 
Next week the Patriots are at home against Buffalo and the Dolphins are on the road at undefeated Atlanta.
 
 Seattle 27 Arizona 32                       84 Calm 
Crazy game....Zona wins thanks to turnovers.
 
 New York (N) 16 Philadelphia 13             44 5-15 
Giants rally scoring ten fourth quarter points including a game winning Santos field goal as time expires.
 
 New Orleans 34 Carolina 14                  71 0-5  
The Saints ram the ball down the Panthers anemic defense throat, even working behind a patchwork offensive line.
 
Saints led 24 to 7 at the half and cruised to a 34-14 victory.
 
For the Saints, backup running back D'eErnest Johnson was consistent on 24 carries for 100 yards. Heinicke was efficient throwing 2 TD's on 21 attempts.
 
The only Panther worth mentioning was the punter, Martin, who averaged 52 yards per punt.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Henry(NE)       20-155
 Elliott(Min)    20-127  1 TD
 Akers(TB)       15-108
 Allgeier(Pit)   16-106
 Pollard(Chi)    9-104  1 TD
 Johnson,D(NO)   24-100
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Waddle(NYG)     10-192
 Chase(Ind)      11-132
 Samuel(Dal)     11-115
 St. Brown(NYJ)  11-102
 Gage(Min)       10- 58
 
 Passing Leaders
 Smith,G(Den)    44-29-327   2 TD
 Herbert(Dal)    56-31-310   1 TD  1 Int
 Burrow(Ind)     51-36-291   2 TD  2 Int
 Allen(Jax)      28-21-233   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Smith,H(LV)      2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Carlson(Ari)   4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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IFL WEEK 9 STANDINGS

​
​IFL WEEK 9 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Packers Week Nine Press Conference 

Packers Head Coach John Conners offers his insights on the big week 9 game.

Green Bay head coach John Conners spoke to a jammed full press room before boarding the team flight to Chicago today.

The media thong always enjoys this matchup based on the bad blood between these two franchises, which has included 3 tunnel fights between Bears head coach Steve Nordberg and Conners (2 pregame and 1 after a Green Bay loss)

There was also an incident 3 years ago when the Bears team bus was pelted by rocks when it arrived at Lambeau field. One of the projectiles burst through a window and pierced Nordberg's cranium resulting in a nasty wound that was visible throughout the game (won by the Packers).

The buzz was palatable as Conners took his seat to address those on hand.

"First of all I want to say how much I respect Coach Nordberg, as well as his G.M., for the fantastic job they have done building the Bears. They are truly a worthy adversary and have made this first place showdown one of the most anticipated games of the season. They are a credit to the IFL and a model franchise"

The media hoard sat in stunned silence.

Conners then got up from his chair and bellowed out , "JUST KIDDING!!!"

As he turned to exit the press conference, those in attendance broke out in uproarious laughter when they saw the back of his sweatshirt.  It featured a giant fist with an extended middle finger and the caption "F' the Bears" written in lime green.

Game time is 12 noon PST, Friday in Chicago

Both teams sit at 6-2
​

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Week 8 Recap

49ers Mac Jones throws game winning touchdown in the final seconds.

​Game Scores
 San Francisco 28 Los Angeles (N) 27         73 Calm 
Mac Jones and the Niners offense catches fire in the fourth quarter scoring 19 points to come from behind and beat the Rams. Jones threw a 5 yard TD pass on 4th down with 5 seconds left for the winning score.
 
 Chicago 6 Kansas City 19                    34 0-10 
Kansas City held Chicago to 33 total yards in the first half and controlled the ball for 38:13 minutes in their victory. The Chiefs ran for 186 yards and Younghoe Koo kicked 4 field goals for the home team.
 
 Philadelphia 6 Cincinnati 9                 50 0-10
The Eagles traveled to the Jungle for an out of conference game.  Things took a turn for the worse for the Bengals as Rodgers was intercepted during the opening series.  With Philly taking over at the Cincinnati 26 they had to settle on a Butker 40 yard field goal attempt which surprisingly he missed.  
 
After a Bengals punt Philadelphia put together a 10 play 51 yard drive with Butker connecting on a 30 yarder and a 3-0 Eagles lead with 14:55 remaining in the half.  After another Cincinnati three and out, Philly went on another long drive, 13 plays 62 yards, before settling on another field goal and a 6-0 lead with about four and a half minutes remaining till half time.
 
Thanks to a D.J. Chark 17 yard reception the Bengals were able to allow Fairbairn to attempt and convert a 54 yard field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3 at the half.
 
The Cincinnati defense forced a punt on the Eagles first drive of the third quarter.  The Bengals offense put together an 11 play 59 yard drive and tied the score at six with another field goal.  The quarter ended with another Rodgers interception and Philly punt.
 
The fourth quarter saw multiple exchanges of punts until Cincinnati was able to put together a ten play 47 yard drive that allowed Fairbairn connect on his second plus 50 yard field goal allowing the Bengals to escape with an ugly 9-6 win.
 
Tannehill finished 17 of 26 for 210 yards.  London and Dortch caught four passes each for 49 and 52 yards respectively.  Jackson and Gipson intercepted a pass each.  Philly had about a ten minute T.O.P. advantage but 11 penalties for 79 yards set them back.
 
For Cincinnati, Chark was the only offensive player worth highlighting with five catches for 87 yards.  The defense was the real heroes with seven sacks.  Barton and Sieler collected two each.
 
Next week the Eagles host the Football Giants while the Bengals travel to Tennessee for a big AFC Central match-up.
 
 Baltimore 30 Pittsburgh 7                   49 10-20
Nothing goes right for the home team as Baltimore gets revenge for a lose earlier in the season. 
 
Baltimore runs 40 times for 154 yards and Mayfield before going down with an injury in the 4th goes 17-23 157 yards and 2 TD . 
 
Brady was 20-35 211 yards 1TD 2Ints
 
Baltimore held time of possession advantage of 37 -22 minutes and was 8-15 on third downs First down 19-10. 
 
Pittsburgh losses there 3rd in a row and fall to 3-5 will Travel to Jacksonville (4-3) next week. While Baltimore (2-6) will head out to take on Dallas (1-6)
 
 Minnesota 7 Detroit 14                      70 Calm                
The Lions scored a late touchdown to edge the Vikings 14-7. The Vikings were led by Punter AJ Cole, who consistently gave the Lions a long field. 
 
 Tampa Bay 26 Green Bay 27                   48 0-5
Battle of the Bays rematch turned into a classic.
 
Bucs decide to start Jacoby Brissett at QB and it turned out to be a good call.
Brissett comes out on fire and dissects the Packers defense for an early 10-0 lead.
 
Hosts got a big break late in the 1st when a Bucs hook and ladder play went wrong deep in their own end, resulting in a turnover. Apparently, the play came in from a drunk who broke into the spotter’s booth and sent down the bogus call.
 
That break seemed to turn the momentum in favor of Green Bay as they ran off 13 points to go into to halftime up 13-10
 
Pack got a big play early in the 3rd as Dalvin Cook to a harmless looking sweep 66 yards to the house 20-10 Green Bay.
 
Then the Brissett show ramped up. The veteran QB was masterful as he began to pick apart the Packers defense at will. 
 
When the dust settled Brissett and his Bucs had ran off 16 straight points to take a 26-20 lead with just under 3 minutes left.
 
Brock Purdy, who was pretty average throughout, would need to conjure up some magic if the Lambeau faithful were to go home happy.
 
After already converting a 4th and 2 near midfield, Purdy faced 4th and 6 at the Tampa Bay 43. With a pass rusher in his face, Purdy flipped a desperation pass to little used veteran AJ Green, who flashed back to his past glory years, taking it an improbable 43 yards to the house. Point after was good, 27-26 Packers in front of a jubilant home crowd.
 
Brissett wasn't done however. After the kickoff sailed through the end zone Bucs took over on the 25. Green Bay played a prevent knowing time was on their side with just 50 seconds left. Devante Adams was having none of it, as he snared a 24 yard slant in front of 3 defenders. Time out Tampa Bay.
 
Montez Sweat took down Brissett for a 9 yard loss on the very next play and that turned out to be huge as the Packers forced three straight incompletions from there. Packers escape with a 27-26 victory.
 
Brissett finished with 365 yards passing and 65 more on the ground (he did throw 2 picks)
 
Devonte Adams and Tyler Lockett both went over 100 yards
 
Purdy was chosen star of the game but it was AJ Green who everybody wanted to talk to after the game.
 
Always a tough battle playing coach Chase and this was no different despite the Bucs having a tough year
 
Packers go to 6-2. I would say that is the shakiest 6-2 in IFL history, but the team we play next week holds that distinction.
  
 Atlanta 27 New Orleans 24                   70 Calm
The Saints put the Falcons on the ropes leading 17-7 at halftime. The Falcons would then score 21 unanswered points led by Hurts 3 TD's to go up 27-17. Game over right? Nope. The Saints would get the ball with 2:25 left. 4 plays later they would score with a TD pass from Heinecke to Akins from 37 yards out. 27-24. The game would come down to a 3rd and 11 and Atlanta had the ball at their own 35. Garrett would put the pressure on and Hurts would dump it to Stevenson and one missed tackle later he would rumble for 48 yards to seal the win and their undefeated record. Great game called by the Falcons. 
               
 Arizona 30 Dallas 17                        70 Calm 
Undefeated Arizona traveled to Dallas for a divisional game Friday night.  The Cardinals manhandled the Cowboys enroute to a 30-17 victory.  Patrick Mahomes threw for 202 yards in the first half (138 of the yards going to Christian Kirk) to take a lead into the half and then let it’s formidable secondary hold Justin Herbert at bay in the Zona win.  Knowing Arizona’s secondary included three very good cornerbacks (rated 8, 8 and 7), Dallas tried to move the ball on the ground.  The ground attack took the opening drive 61 yards in 12 plays before Herbert threw an interception to bring the drive to a screeching halt.   Mahomes marched his team down the field with ease to take an early lead.   Dallas drew to 20-10 before the half when Jamaal Williams scored on a 60-yard run.  The Dallas D played better in the second half somewhat holding Mahomes, but we could not stop Barkley running the ball as we were forced to overplay the pass.   The Cardinals played a clean game – zero penalties called against them.   Arizona improves to 8-0 and Dallas falls to 1-7.
               
 Miami 37 New York (A) 20                    63 10-20 Rain          
The Dolphins came into New York to play the Jets with their starting QB, Tua, in concussion protocol.
 
Goff got the start, and didn't miss a beat completing 16 of his first 19 passes. That plus a Pickett interception gave the Dolphins a 23-7 halftime lead.
 
New York had the ball with the score 30-20, but instead of driving for a TD, Pickett threw his second interception.
 
Goff cooled off, and ended up 28-45 for 287 yards with 4 TD passes.
Olave had 7 receptions for 105 yards and 1 TD...
 
For the Jets Pickett was 23-40 for 249 yards and 1 TD.
Brown had 10 receptions for 137 yards, and 1 TD.
 
Next week Miami hosts New England while the Jets travel to LA to play the Rams.
 
 Houston 3 Los Angeles (A) 10                63 Calm 
LAC squeaks one out over Houston 10-3.
 
 Jacksonville 28 Tennessee 38                59 0-10 
This game had the pattern of Tennessee scoring a TD and then Jacksonville following up with its own today soon after.  This went on until Brandon Aiyuk took a short pass, broke away from Eli Apple and went 83 yards to put the Titans up 28-14 halfway through the 3rd qtr.  The Jaguars responded with their own TD drive and then forced a 3 and out.  The Jaguars moved to mid-field and had a 2nd and 1 at the Titan 46.  BUT two run plays netted 33 inches when they needed 36.  Tennessee took over and eventually scored on a Latavius Murray 3 yard run.  35-21 for Tennessee.  BUT K. Nixon took the ensuing kickoff 106 yards to the house and it was game on again.  The next 3 possessions forced punts BUT K. Nixon fumbled the Titan punt and Joe Thuney recovered for Tennessee.  The Tians ran the clock down and kicked the clinching field goal. 
 Carolina 9 Buffalo 31                       37 0-5  
The Bills were firing on all cylinders as Kyler Murray was on target with his passing and was running like the first pick in the draft he was a few years ago as the Bills win it 31-9. Both teams are now 3-5 with the Panthers hosting the Saints next week while the Bills play host to the Colts.
 
 Seattle 3 New York (N) 22                   54 5-15  Heavy Rain  
Seattle headed to NY this week but left the offense behind.  An abysmal game by Dak Prescott leads to a rough day for the Seahawks who only mustered 115 yards of offense and 3 turnovers.  NY capitalized and takes an easy 22-3 victory.
 
 New England 23 Indianapolis 3               69 Calm 
Colts D came to play, holding the Patriots without an offensive TD all day.  A 99 yard Nyheim Hines KR TD and a defensive score by the visitors provided more than enough points however, as Joe Burrow was held to 129 yards passing. 
              
 Las Vegas 10 Denver 34                      45 Calm 
It wasn't the Raiders night as Denver rolled to a 34-10 victory over their division rivals.
Denver rushed for 208 yards and the Bronco defense was stout much of the night.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Williams,J(Dal) 20-143  1 TD
 Chubb(LAC)      24-142
 Hall,B(LV)      12-130  1 TD
 Jacobs(Det)     29-125
 McCaffrey(Den)  11-121  2 TD
 Barkley(Ari)    23-101  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Aiyuk(Ten)       7-182  1 TD
 St. Brown(NYJ)  10-137  1 TD
 Diggs(SF)       11-126  2 TD 
 Lamb(LAR)        8-125  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Brissett(TB)    43-29-365   1 TD  2 Int
 Jones,M(SF)     52-37-365   3 TD  1 Int – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Goff(Mia)       45-28-287   4 TD
 Garoppolo(Ten)  35-19-272   4 TD
 Hurts(Atl)      21-15-236   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Oluokun(Chi)     23 Tk
 Uche(LAR)        3 Sk 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Koo(KC)        4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Wright(TB)     4-4 FG
 Nixon(Jax)     3-157 Kick Ret  1 TD 5-42 Punt Ret
​

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IFL WEEK 8 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 8 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 7 Recap

Chargers make it seven in a row with an impressive road win at Tennessee.

Game Scores
Los Angeles (A) 30 Tennessee 26             68 0-5  
This game had all the makings of a defensive struggle and played out that way in the first half with the Chargers holding a 10-6 lead at the half.  The second half turned into a shootout as the teams swapped touchdowns, field goals and interceptions.  LA held a 4 point lead and the ball with 2 and a half minutes left.  The Titan defence came up big and forced the Chargers into a 4th and 2 at their own 33 with 2 minutes (and 2 Titan timeouts) left.  BUT on the Chargers punt Ngaakoue was called offside and LA had another set of downs.  By the time Tennessee forced another punt and burnt it's timeouts there was no chance for Matt Ryan to concoct a 70 yard drive with 50 seconds left and no timeouts.  The chargers win 30-26.
 
David Mills had 350 yards passing including TD passes of 80, 68 and 41 yards to Mooney, Freiermuth and Garrett Wilson respectively.  Matt Milano had 2 picks for the Titans.
 
Philadelphia 7 Chicago 21                   60 0-10 
Bears win 21-7 with less than 200 yards in offense & 9 first downs., thank God Philly had Tannehill & his 3 bad interceptions.  Guess my mom making me go to church as a kid paid off.
 
 Denver 37 Cincinnati 3                      55 5-15
Denver came to Cincinnati for a potentially big AFC match-up that could have wild card implications.  On the Bengals first play from scrimmage Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Malik Hooker, setting the Broncos up at the Cincinnati 19.  Four plays later Austin Ekeler took it in from seven yards out for a 7-0 lead.
 
After exchanges of punts the Bengals got on the board with a Fairbairn 44 yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3 with about 3 and a half minutes remaining in the opening quarter.  Denver answered as Ekeler broke open with a 21 yard junt to extend the Broncos lead to 13-3 as Jalen Ramsey blocked the point after.
 
On the Bengals next series Rodgers would throw his second interception of the game and Willie Gay returned it to the Cincinnati one.  However, after a Denver ten yard holding penalty Jessie Bates would intercept Geno Smith's pass in the end zone to avoid the threat.
 
After multiple punts, the Broncos would add a Brett Maher 26 yard field goal and go into the locker room with a 16-3 lead at the half and IFL Bengals fans let the team know how they felt about their performance for the first half!
 
It would get no better in the second half as quarterback Smith would connect with receivers Courtland Sutton for two touchdowns and DeVonta Smith for one touchdown pass and cruise to a 37-3 win.
 
Geno Smith completed 28 of 39 for 313 with 3 touchdowns and an interception.  Sutton finished with 6 receptions for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
Rodgers was awful for Cincinnati finishing 10 of 26 for just 81 yards and two interceptions.
 
Next week the Broncos host Vegas while the Bengals try to regroup as Philadelphia comes to town.
 
 New Orleans 41 Miami 38                     82 0-10 
It turned out to be a shootout in Miami as both Teams pile up tons of yardage. The Lead changed hands 8 times in this one. New Orleans went up by 10 with 3:31 to go in the game, but Miami gets a TD using only a minute ten to close the gap to 34-31 Saints. With all their time outs remaining the Dolphins KO and hold the Saints and get the ball back with 58 seconds left in the game. Miami scores the TD in 12 seconds to go up 38-34 with only 46 seconds left in the game. But no quit in the Saints and with only 2 time outs they drive the length of the field and get the 32 yard TD strike with no time left for the 41-38 win. It was a very exciting game. The Dolphin fans as well as their coach were stunned. This loss may linger for the Dolphins. Great game for the Saints and a big win.
 
Next week the Saints are at home to take on (as of this writing) undefeated Atlanta and the Dolphins travel to the Jets.
 
 Arizona 38 Minnesota 3                      68 Calm
Arizona Defensive scores make it an easy game for Zona.
               
 Houston 20 Pittsburgh 10                    66 0-10 
Houston with a 1-5 record come in too visit the 3-3 Steelers who with a win could share in the division lead. Temp 66 winds 
0-10 MPH. Pittsburgh installed as a 5 point favorite.
 
Houston strikes first on their first drive that went 11 plays Cousins to Goodwin from 10 yards out and it is quickly 7-0 Houston. The teams would exchange punts the rest of the quarter.
 
Pittsburgh gets a drive started in the 2nd and faces 4th and inches from the 9 but Edwards is stuffed and Houstons D comes up big. Houston would get an 11 play drive to close the quarter out with a Sanders 38 yard FG and its 10-0 at the half for the visitors.
 
The Steelers offense could not get anything going to start the 2nd half after a holding penalty set them back. But on Houstons next drive which started on their own 4 yard line got out to their 32 when the Steelers finally though they got their first break of the game when Goodwin appeared to cough up a 3rd down conversion but after booth review the runner was down by contact and the drive continues and ends in a punt but Houston had chewed up some clock and reversed the field. Now the Steelers are the ones beginning on their own 4. Brady was able to get them in FG range as a 2nd down sack by Sanders forced a 3rd and long and Pittsburgh had to settle for a  40 yard Bass FG. We head to the 4th Houston holding a 10-3 lead. 
 
A Steelers punt early in the 4th in which Dickerson again pinned them at their own 1 yard line this time does not help the Steelers D as they cannot get off the field this afternoon on 3rd downs (9-18) as Houston keep themselves in 3rd and shorts the whole game. A 3rd and 7 from their own 19 set up the big play of the game as Cousins found McLaurin for 43 yards.Cousins finishes off the drive as Goodwin catches his 2nd TD pass from 13 yards out and its 17-3 with 2:53 left in the game. Sanders would add a 45 yard FG and Pittsburgh would score a meaningless TD with 25 secords left to make the final 20-10 Houston.
 
Key Stats TOP 33:55-26:05 for Houston 3rd downs Houston 9-18 Pittsburgh 5-14 Red Zone  Houston 3 trips 2TD 1FG Pittsburgh 4 trips 1TD 1FG 4th Downs  Houston 0-0 Pittsburgh 1-3
 
Jefferson had another great night 10 catches 153 yards but 0TD
 
Game MVP was Cousins 25-31 256 2TD.
 
Houston (2-5) stays on the Road take on division foe LA Chargers whom are undefeated at 7-0 who won in Houston 21-13 in week 3. While Pittsburgh (3-4) try to regroup at home for a rematch with the 0-6 (as of this writing) Baltimore Ravens whom Pittsburgh narrowly defeated 24-20 in Baltimore week 3. 
 
 Dallas 7 Detroit 27                         70 Calm              
The Detroit Lions dominated the game, particularly in the second half, with strong offensive and defensive performances. They secured a comfortable victory over the Dallas Cowboys with a final score of 27-7.

Notable Player Performances:
·  Dallas Cowboys:
o    Herbert (QB) had 123 passing yards and threw 1 touchdown pass.
o    Williams, J. (RB) rushed for 56 yards.
o    Samuel (WR) caught a 13-yard touchdown pass.
·  Detroit Lions:
o    Mariota (QB) threw for 178 yards and 1 touchdown.
o    Jacobs (RB) had an impressive game with 228 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown.
o    Jeudy (WR) had 109 receiving yards and caught 1 touchdown pass.
 
 
Las Vegas 6 Baltimore 27                    56 0-10  Heavy Rain    
Baltimore wins 1st game after floundering under the curse of Jimmy G.
 
The Gods were against Las Vegas today.
 
Baltimore had the ball for 38:31 compared to 21:29 for Las Vegas
Baltimore had 73 plays compared to 51 plays for Las Vegas
Baltimore ran the ball 47 times for 253 yards - Kyle Shanahan would have been proud.
​
 Buffalo 10 Atlanta 34                       68 Calm            
Buffalo traveled to Atlanta to try and pull off an upset and get back in the fight in their division. Atlanta is trying to keep pace with the Cardinals as the two undefeated teams in their conference, and with some tough games coming up, keep their lead in the division. 
 
1st Quarter: Buffalo starts the game with a haymaker to the Falcons! Coach Greg Smith and team converted not one, but two 4th downs, and a 3rd and 16! They had the ball until 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter for a 21 play 68 yard drive for 12:48, but it resulted in a FG.   (BUF 3, ATL )
 
Unfortunately for the Bills, this was about as good as it would get as it took the Falcons 5 plays to go 75 yards to put it in the end zone Hurts finding Davis. (BUF 3, ATL 7). 
 
2nd Quarter: Atlanta defense would tighten the screws and force some 3 and outs, and Atlanta would take two 11 yard drives that ended in rushing TDs as going into half the score was (BUF 3, ATL 21) 
 
3rd Quarter: Atlanta would take the ball and immediately drive into opposing territory and a Stevenson run would setup a FG to push the lead to Buf 3 ATL 24
 
Buffalo was forced to punt and pin Atlanta deep, however Hurts would lead his team down the field in 5 plays and toss another TD to Davis to put this one out of reach. (Buf 3, ATL 31) 
 
4th Quarter: Atlanta hit a FG to start the 4th, and Buffalo was able to get a TD on the board late in the 4th and that is how the game would end. (Buf 10, Atl 34) 
 
Game MVP was Jalen Hurts who ended with a 158 passer rating. 
 
Next week Atlanta travels to a tough division rivalry vs N.O and Buffalo travels to Carolina on the 2nd of their 3 game road trip.  
   
 Carolina 20 New York (A) 24                 81 0-10  Light Rain   
Rookie Kenny Pickett tosses two touchdown passes as the J-E-T-S pick up their second win of the season.
 
 New York (N) 12 Green Bay 13                48 0-5   
Packers got the running game going in the second half to win a nailbiter 13-12 over the Giants.
 
New York had a chance to win it but was stopped on 4th down in Green Bay territory with just a few seconds left.
 
Well coached game by Dylan..... two very evenly matched teams
 
The Cook brothers combined for 215 yards for the Pack, Jalen Waddle and Hunter Renfrow were solid in defeat.
 
 Tampa Bay 32 Seattle 36                     72 0-10 
Seattle scores 14 points in the final 3:30 to win a 36-32 shootout with Tampa.  Carr throws 4 TDs for Tampa but has a crucial INT at the end of the game when trying to run the clock out to give Seattle the life they needed for the comeback.
 
 San Francisco 41 Indianapolis 31            69 Calm        
Wild game.
 
Colts defense cannot hold off the 49ers late and end up losing the game despite a stellar game by Jam'ar Chase.
 
The difference was the 49ers had a running game, and the Colts had none.
       
 Los Angeles (N) 6 New England 37            62 5-15  Light Rain    
Lamar Jackson threw two TD passes and also ran for 2 scores as the Patriots handled the visiting Rams by the final score of 37-6.
 
Ram QB Trevor Lawrence was limited to 148 yards through the air, and stud RB Miles Sanders was held to just 25 yards on his 10 carries by the tough New England defense.  The Rams were also stung by turnovers (3), including an interception of Lawrence in the end zone just before the half on a first and goal which would have cut the Patriot lead to one score before halftime.  
 
Patriots made the most of their trips to the red zone, scoring 4 TDs and a field goal in 5 opportunities.  Rams visited the RZ 4 times, but could manage just two field goals.
 
Rams look to break their losing streak next week at home against SF.  Patriots will travel to Indy in the first of a two game road trip against divisional foes.
 
 Kansas City 21 Jacksonville 24              83 0-5  
Randy Bullock kicked that game winning FG from 32 yards as time expired to give Jacksonville the comeback win. The Jags scored 17 unanswered points in the 2nd half to pick up the victory.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Jacobs(Det)     28-228  1 TD
 Cook(GB)        25-163
 Conner(NO)      20-106  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Brown(NO)        8-162  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Chase(Ind)      13-154  3 TD
 Jefferson(Pit)  10-153
 Diggs(SF)       10-145  2 TD
 Pittman Jr(Sea) 11-143  2 TD
 Smith,D(Den)    10- 98  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Tagovailoa(Mia) 51-33-455   5 TD  1 Int
 Flacco(NO)      33-21-378   3 TD
 Mills(LAC)      30-18-350   3 TD  2 Int
 Wilson(Car)     40-25-343   2 TD  2 Int
 Prescott(Sea)   36-24-335   3 TD
 Smith,G(Den)    39-28-313   3 TD  1 Int
 Jones,M(SF)     43-32-306   4 TD  1 Int
 Carr(TB)        30-19-267   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Milano(Ten)      2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Crosby(Ten)    4-4 FG
 Santos(NYG)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

​

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IFL WEEK 7 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 7 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 6 Recap

Graham Gano's six field goals help Colts pick up their first win.

​ Indianapolis 25 New York (A) 14             74 10-20
The numbers tell the ugly story...
 
Burrows 30-40, 245 yards, 1 TD
Hollins 8 catches for 88 yards
Chase 8 catches for 66 yards, 1 TD
Colts hold the ball for 35 minutes
 
Jets QB's combine for 14-36 for 90 yards
 
 Miami 44 San Francisco 43                   77 Calm
Tua carves up the 49ers for 6 tuddies.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 24 Minnesota 3              68 Calm
LAC shuts down MINN 24-3 to move to 6-0 on the year.
               
 Tampa Bay 38 Chicago 28                     65 0-10 
Carr started slow, but the last 3 qtrs he was nearly flawless.  Adams & Lockhart were happy.  Bucs by 8 over the Da'Bears.
 
 Denver 30 Houston 3                         70 Calm  
The Denver Broncos moved to 4-2 on the season with a convincing victory over the Texas in Houston 30-3.
Three turnovers by the Texans was the difference as both teams struggled to get much offense going.
             
 Baltimore 6 Tennessee 24                    66 0-10 
The Ravens took the opening kickoff and marched 55 yards before the drive stalled.  However Badgley missed the FG and the Titans went on a 72 yard drive capped by a Garoppolo to Aiyuk TD pass.  The rest of the half was defense dominated.  The Tians managed a FG after a Poyer interception.  The score at the half was 10-0 Tennessee.
 
The Titans offense came alive in the second half and scored TD's on drives of 95 and 98 yards.  The best the Ravens could manage was two field goals.  Final score was 24-6 Titans.
 
Raven's top performers were Josh Allen with 9 tackles, 2 stuffs and a FF.  Greg Newsome had 4 PDs while guarding DeAndre Hopkins.  Jimmy Garoppolo woke up in the second half and finished with 270 yards passing and a couple of TD passes.
 
Baltimore will look for its first win of the season at home against the LV Raiders.  A healthy Aaron Donald will surely help.  Tennessee hosts the currently unbeaten Los Angelas Chargers.
 
 Cincinnati 21 Jacksonville 33               78 10-20
he division leading Bengals travel to Jacksonville to face the struggling Jaguars only to be upset 33-21. Josh Allen was effective throwing for 2TD and running for over 80 yards while Dameon Pierce was a bulldozer in the second half picking up 85 of his game high 101 yards on the ground. The Bengal offense struggled in this one but still had a chance late as Josh Allen committed his third TO for a TD this season after fumbling away a first down that looked to ice it for the Jags. The Jags D showed some toughness for once and Jacksonville came away with the win.


The Bengals fall to 4-2 while the Jags reverse their slide to go 3-3. Next week the Bengals host the Broncos while the Jags are at home vs the Chiefs.

Good seats are still available for the Jags/Chiefs game.
 
 New England 20 Buffalo 9                    59 10-20
Hard fought game but in the end Patriots talent takes them to victory!
 
 Atlanta 31 Carolina 9                       68 0-5  
Atlanta absolutely manhandles the Panthers. Carolina does not pass the 100 yard mark in total offense until the 4th quarter and finishes with a paltry 115 yards. Atlanta could have picked their score and finished with 458 yards. The only battle Carolina wins was turnovers as Atlanta had three fumbles to Carolina's zero. If not for that it would have been way worse. 
 
The only player of note on Carolina was Tranquil with 12 tackles.
 
Atlanta's run game pounded the Carolina defense as Mostert and Stevenson finished with 100 and 83 yards respectively. 
 
  New Orleans 20 Los Angeles (N) 3            75 Calm 
Rams get destroyed at home and look like pretenders this season. Saint defense took the Rams apart even after losing Miles Garrett. Trevor Lawrence looked like a rookie throwing 3 ints, two to Saints safety Jalen Pitre. Saints played ball control and managed over 100 yards rushing. Saints barely had to throw the ball as the Rams could not muster any offense to pose any threat. Combined with the turnovers it was an easy trip to LA for the Saints. 
 
 Green Bay 19 Detroit 14                     70 Calm 
The game was closely contested, with Green Bay holding on to secure a 19-14 victory over Detroit. Cook's performance and a strong defensive effort were key factors in Green Bay's win.


Key Performances:
·  Green Bay's Cook had a strong game with 92 rushing yards and a touchdown.
·  Purdy, the Green Bay quarterback, threw for 157 yards and a touchdown.
·  Mariota, the Detroit quarterback, threw for 159 yards and a touchdown.
              
 Pittsburgh 27 Arizona 37                    85 Calm 
It was a tough loss for the Steelers.  Pittsburg out played the Cardinals totaling 485 yards of offense.  Most of the time Brady passed at will and the running backs added 170 yards.  Mahomes has an off night and even checked the air pressure in all the balls at half time.  There were two plays where the Zona D shined.  The Steelers missed two attempts at 4th down and one.  One was deep in their own territory.  The Zona D held them to no gain on both tries.  One resulted in a quick 7 points for Mahomes.
 
 Kansas City 10 Las Vegas 28                 75 Calm 
On a beautiful Sunday at Allegiant Stadium with ideal weather conditions (Temperature: 75°F, Wind: Calm), the Las Vegas Raiders faced off against the struggling Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders, with a record of 4-2, were the favorites, holding a 7-point lead according to the betting line.

The game was characterized by a dominant performance by the Las Vegas Raiders, who established their lead early on. In the first quarter, Allen connected with tight end Travis Kelce for a touchdown, setting the tone for the Raiders' offensive prowess. Kelce would go on to account for three of the Raiders four touchdowns, giving him seven through six games. The Raiders continued to build on their lead throughout the game, scoring touchdowns in the second and third quarters, with Allen distributing passes effectively.

Despite a late touchdown by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter, the Las Vegas Raiders secured a convincing victory with a final score of 28-10. This game showcased the Raiders' strong offense and solid defense, as they improved their record to 4-2, while the Chiefs struggled to secure their first win of the season, dropping to 0-6.

Backup quarterback Kyle Allen was the star of the game, earning the MVP title in relief of injured starter Matt Stafford.
 
 Dallas 6 New York (N) 30                    67 5-15 
Daniel Jones throws for a touchdown and also runs for 1 in the 30 - 6 victory over the Cowboys. 
 
 Philadelphia 7 Seattle 27                   49 10-20
Philly offense struggles to get it going until the 4th quarter but by then it’s too late.  Seattle closes it out with 2 late interceptions to seal the game.    
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Singletary(SF)  20-133  2 TD
 Jones,A(Sea)    11-111  1 TD
 Pierce(Jax)     17-101  1 TD
 Mostert(Atl)    16-100  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Waddle(NYG)      7-161  1 TD
 Kelce(LV)        7- 56  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Tagovailoa(Mia) 47-34-470   6 TD  1 Int – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Brady(Pit)      45-27-315   2 TD  1 Int
 Carr(TB)        34-22-313   2 TD  1 Int
 Jones,M(SF)     39-25-309   1 TD
 Burrow(Ind)     40-30-245   1 TD
 Allen(LV)       26-19-174   4 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Pitre(NO)        2 Int 2 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Edmunds(Dal)     15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Bullock(Jax)   4-4 FG
 Gano(Ind)      6-6 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK 6 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 6 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 5 Recap

Atlanta celebrates after taking sole ownership of first in the NFC West.

​Game Scores
Los Angeles (N) 17 Atlanta 21               68 Calm
It was the IFL game of the week as the 4-0 Falcons hosted the 4-0 Rams for an early season battle of the division rivals. Notable injuries for the Falcons included Von Miller and TJ Watt as they watched from the sidelines. Coming into this one the high powered Rams offense has led the way, winning all of their games by at least 20 points! 
 
1st Quarter: Atlanta defers and Coach Ryan Heaton takes his team on a 7 minute drive down the field including converting a 4th and 2. However Atlanta came up tough around the red zone and held the Rams to a FG (LAR 3 ATL 0). The Atlanta offense came out incredibly sluggish, and the Rams Pass Rush was on point. Atlanta couldn't get anything going at all on the ground, and the pass game was hit or miss. Atlanta was forced to punt. 
 
Bland was able to pick Lawrence for his 4th INT of the year, but Atlanta was only able to muster 3 yards and had to punt. 
 
2nd Quarter: The teams seemed to be in a deadlock, trading punts until LAR had a 2 minute drive going. With 12 seconds left and LAR knocking on the redzone, Lawrence threw a screen the HB Perrine who took it 33 yards to the house as time expired on the half. (LAR 10, ATL 0)
 
3rd Quarter: Atlanta took the ball, but was forced to punt after a few plays, pinning LAR deep in their own territory. Atlanta's defense would step up as Patrick Surtain II would pick off Lawrence and leave Atlanta the ball knocking on the 10 yard line. Hurts was able to find Raheem Mostert for a 10 yard pass and Atlanta was on the board (LAR 10, ATL 7). 
 
LAR were rolling again with the ball until Deebo Samuel fumbled the ball and Atlanta recovered in Rams territory. Hurts throws two darts to get inside the 10 yard line... this is when things got funky... On 2nd and 2 from the 2 yard line, Stevenson punches it in for a TD.... wait Coach Heaton challenges the call and wins! Just short, 3rd and 1 from the goal. Hurts sneaks it in for the TD! But wait, Coach Heaton challenges the call again and wins! 4th and inches for the Falcons, Coach Alberry was sweating, but decided to go for it again and Stevenson on the dive... after a delay.... the refs confirm it... TD Atlanta. (LAR 10, ATL 14) 
 
LAR would answer right back with some runs that were taking their toll on the tired Atlanta defense. Lawrence was able to find CeeDee Lamb for a TD from 10 out taking back the lead. (LAR 17, ATL 14). 
 
4th Quarter: Atlanta would look to answer right back as on 2nd and 15 in deep in their own territory, Hurts would hit Davis for a 25 yard pass, then Agholor for a 16 yard pass culminating with a 14 yard Gabe Davis TD from Hurts. (LAR 17, Atlanta 21). 
 
LAR punt would give ATL the ball, Stevenson broke loose finally for a 35 yard gain into LAR territory as Atlanta was rolling. But the late fumbles pop up again for Atlanta as Stevenson coughs it up and LAR recovers
 
Coach Heaton had his team driving for the win. After a 4 minute drive LAR were knocking on the 6 yard line. 3rd and 3, run by Sanders is stuffed. Coach Heaton decides to go for it on 4th and 3 down 4. Sanders again, stuffed at the line. Atlanta takes over. 
 
Atlanta wouldn't give the ball back as a 10 yard run from Stevenson and another one from Hurts would clinch it. 
 
Few lucky breaks for the Falcons on defense allowed them to sneak out with a victory. However, things will be different  on the road next time they play. 
 
Next week Atlanta travels to Carolina in another tough divisional matchup as the injuries keep piling up for the Falcons. While the LAR host Carolina, as they look to get back on a winning streak. 
               
Minnesota 3 Chicago 17                      61 5-15 
Viking punter Cole had a day for the ages, punting 12 times for 50 yards at a shot, with 7 inside the 20.  This kept the Bears pinned back all day.  A late Chicago fumble gave Minny a chance in this one, but the Chigao Def was able to hold.
 
 Jacksonville 14 Pittsburgh 38               63 10-20
Both teams come into the game looking to move over 500 and both just won close games against division rivals last week.
 
On Pittsburgh's first possession Tom Brady finds Jefferson  for a 40 yard TD. The Jags would answer on their next drive a 10 play drive Allen to Metcalf from 20 yards out and we are tied at 7 as we head to the 2nd. 
 
The next possession for the Steelers would bleed into the 2nd and it would end the same as the last drive Brady to Jefferson for a 15 yard TD and its 14-7 early in the quarter. After a Jags punt Pittsburgh who's offense has been less then stellar so far this year is clicking tonight as Edwards runs one in from 16 yards out and they have scored on all 3 possessions so far 21-7. After a couple of traded punts Pittsburgh would end the half with a Bass (who was 1-3 in FG coming into this game) wind aided 55 yard FG to make it 24-7 at the half.     
 
The Steelers get the ball to start the 2nd half and march down the field eating up 6 minutes of the clock and ends with a Brady to Jefferson for the 3rd time tonight TD from 15 yards. Their was a key call as the Jags win a challenge making it 4th and inches from Pittsburgh's 48 but they decide to go for it and convert with a Brady sneak. its now 31-7 midway through the 3rd. Jacksonville does not give up though as they have a high powered offense and they go on a 5 minute drive Cooper from Allen 16 yard TD pass cuts the score to 31-14.
 
Pittsburgh's offense however keeps humming on the 2nd play of the 4th Brady throws his 4th TD pass this time to Noah Brown 12 yards and open up a 38-14 lead. That pretty much ends the game as no one scores the rest of the way.
 
It was just one of those weeks for Dave and his Jags as he called a good game but nothing seemed to go right .
 
Tom Brady has had a rough start to his final season as coming into the game he had 6TD and 5INT's but tonight was vintage Brady 21-26 259 yards  4TD 0 Picks and a QB rating of 147.8. However the game MVP goes to Justin Jefferson 9 receptions 159 yards and 3 TD he also ran the ball once for 12 yards .
 
For the Jags the night can be summed up with this their two leading receivers DK Metcalf  and Amari Cooper combined for 4 catches and 3 drops. they did both have a TD however. Allen was off  12-25 (3 drops did not help)  123 yards 2TD 0 picks 89.3 QB rating.
 
Pittsburgh (3-2) has a tough task traveling to at this moment undefeated Arizona (4-0) while Jacksonville (2-3) has no picnic taking on the defending champs Bengals (3-1) at home .
 
 Tennessee 16 Cincinnati 19                  62 10-20
The Bengals hosted IFL rival Tennessee for an AFC Central match up.  Both teams entered the game with a 3-1 record.  
 
After forcing a Cincinnati three and out, the Titans drove 65 yards on 13 plays with Latavius Murray taking it in from three yards out and a 7-0 lead.  An exchange of punts would take up the remainder of the quarter.
 
Tennessee would put together another long 12 play drive but this time the Bengals defense forced a field goal attempt which Mason Crosby converted from 22 yards out and a 10-0 lead.  Cincinnati finally dented the scoreboard as Ka'imi Fairbairn blasted a 54 yarder just before the half to make it 10-3.
 
The Titan offense continued to move up and down the field to begin the second half as Crosby increased their lead back to ten with a 37 yard field goal.  The Bengals answered with a 13 play 75 drive with Darrynton Evans going in from two yards out to cut the deficit to 13-10 with about two minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
After forcing another Cincinnati punt early in the final quarter, the Titans would increase their lead to 16-10 with another Crosby field goal.  Once again the Bengals would answer with another Fairbairn field goal to cut it back to 16-13 with about six minutes remaining.  It looked like the Titans were going to increase their lead but Jimmy G, who threw for over 250 yards at this point, was intercepted by Isaiah Simmons.  The Cincinnati offense was able to set up Fairbairn with another field goal attempt from 24 yards out and the score was tied at 16 with less than a minute remaining.
 
After an incomplete pass, Bengal corner Amik Robertson stepped up as he intercepted another Garoppolo pass and the Bengals took over at the Titans 34.  An Aaron Rodgers to Diontae Johnson 12 yard pass set up Fairbairn with the game winner from 40 yards out as the Bengals escaped with the win.
 
Titan Rick coached his usual strong game and deserved a better fate.
 
Jimmy G threw for 269 yards but the two interceptions were killer and he was sacked four times.  Brandon Aiyuk finished with eight receptions for 91 yards.
 
For Cincinnati Fairbairn was the player of the game drilling all four field goal attempts.  Simmons had a sack along with the interception.
 
Next week the Titans host Baltimore while the Bengals travel to Jacksonville.
 
 Detroit 39 Tampa Bay 20                     88 0-10 
Not at all what Bucs fans are used to seeing at Raymond James Stadium. Detroit roars, scores and puts Tampa on all fours Final is 39 to 20. Josh Jacobs posts nice, round numbers of 30 rushes for 200 yards. Toss in 52 yards receiving as well. DeSean Watson has a QB rating of 158.3 to Derek Carr's 40.poop. 
 
Next week is division week in the NFC North with Tampa at Chicago and Green Bay at Detroit.
 
 Miami 10 New England 44                     51 5-15  Rain     
A battle for first place as two 3-1 teams go head to head in New England.  Tua gets the Fins off on the right foot, engineering a 13 play drive to open the game, peppering 4 different receivers and culminating with a short TD reception by Nico Collins (6 reception, 65 yards on the day).  
 
New England responded with a large dose of Derrick Henry - runs of 6, 13, 15 and 14 yards had the Patriots deep into Miami territory.  After 6 straight running plays, Lamar Jackson dropped back and hit Tyreek Hill for a 21 yard TD to tie the game at 7 apiece.
 
James Bradberry would pick Tua on the next Miami drive, setting the stage for a Justin Tucker 31 yard field goal to end the first quarter.
 
Miami would tie the game at 10 on a Prater field goal after a 14 play 69 yard drive stalled at the NE 2 yard line.  10-10
 
Jackson would start the next NE drive with a 15 yard pass play to Hill.  He'd go right back to him on the next play - this time a 60 yard strike for the TD and the Patriots were up 17-10.
 
A 3 and out for Miami and the Patriots would have the ball again at their own 25.  Derrick Henry would bust loose on the first play of the drive, gaining 58 yards all the way to the Miami 17.  Two plays later Henry would run it in for the TD, and it was 24-10.
 
Miami would look to answer before halftime,  A quick first down had Miami out across their own 30.  On 2nd down however, Tua was picked by Tyrann Mathieu which set NE up for another Henry TD.  At the half, it was 31-10 NE.
 
Patriots would keep the Miami offense off the board in the second half, as they cruised to the 44-10 victory.
 
Derrick Henry ran for 154 yards and two scores, while Tyreek caught 7 for 112 and 2 TDs.  
 
For Miami, Tua started off well, but ultimately had his worst outing of the year completing 20 of 40 passes for 159 yards and a TD.  He also had a couple INTs before giving way to Jared Goff (7 of 15, 53 yards)
 
NE will be in Buffalo next week, while Miami travels out west to SF.
    
 Kansas City 0 Denver 14                     60 0-5  
The Broncos defense pitched a shutout against division rival KC 14-0.
 
Neither team had much offense but Denver was able to get a few balls in the end zone for the win.
Thanks to Bob for a great game.
 
 Houston 16 Green Bay 20                     54 5-15  Light Rain    
This game was close throughout. 
 
Texans came out and dominated defensively in the first half but only led 13-7, thanks to a couple of stops by the Green Bay defense.
 
QB Kirk Cousins was on target early finding his top two WR's Terry McLauin and Chris Godwin at will.
 
Packers came out inspired in the 3rd quarter putting up 13 points to take a 20-13 lead into the final 15 minutes. QB Brock Purdy heated up, spreading the ball around to multiple receivers. Cousins, on the other hand, struggled to find his top two weapons who faced numerous double teams.
 
Texans hung tough however and cut the lead to 20-16 with just over 12 minutes left. Play of the game came at the 1:53 mark when a nice drive by Houston was stopped on a 4th and 8 near midfield. Cousins looked to McLaurin but S Juan Thornhill came across and swatted the ball to the turf. Packer were able to run out the clock for the 20-16 win.
 
Well coached game by IFL newcomer Nino who did a great job mixing up coverage, confusing the Packers
 
Brock Purdy was MVP 16/26, 285, 2 TDS, 127 rating
 
 Las Vegas 9 Los Angeles (A) 19              73 Calm 
Davis Mills 25 yard scamper was the only touchdown of the game as the Chargers outlast Las Vegas and remain undefeated.
 
 Buffalo 17 Indianapolis 15                  69 Calm   
Jake Elliott’s fourth quarter field goal was the difference in this titanic struggle.
         
 Arizona 41 Philadelphia 19                  57 5-15 
The battle of the birds began with both teams moving the ball.  Arizona did not have a solution for Tannehill and the Eagles struggled to shut down Mahomes.  A fumble by London deep in Eagle territory changed the momentum.  It took Mahomes only one play to toss a 30 yard TD to take the lead 20-13.  Eagles would get another field goal but it was the Mahomes Barkley show for the rest of the way.  Zona wins it 41-19.
 
 Seattle 22 Dallas 10                        70 Calm 
In a game that seemed more convincing in Seattle’s favor, the Seahawks (4-1) defeated the Dallas Cowboys (1-4) 22-10.
 
Dallas coach Steve Hart remains dismayed by his team’s horrible play this year – a year in which .500 seemed possible.  But the Cowboys had four fumbles, allowed four sacks, had seven missed tackles, converted 1 of 12 third down plays and amassed 7 penalties for 68 yards. 
 
After receiving the opening kickoff, Justin Herbert (Dallas’ upper echelon QB) threw an INT on the second play from scrimmage.  But the Cowboys defense held Seattle … except for the unnecessary roughness call on an incomplete pass on third down led to a Seattle first down.  Seattle would settle for a FG on that drive.
 
Dallas punted, then Seattle punted – and the Cowboys returner fumbled the punt (but got it back), then Dallas punted followed by a Seattle punt (with the same returner fumbling the punt again (luckily, he pounced on that one, too).
 
Prescott would throw two TD passes in the first half, with the second coming after a Seattle player blocked a Dallas punt.  But Dallas put 10 points late in the second quarter to go into the locker room only down 16-10.   
 
Seattle extended their lead to 19-7 in their opening possession of the second half.  Dallas was moving the ball though … until Dallas Goedert caught a pass and fumbled it away to Kris Heaton’s club.  It was the Dallas special team’s turn to mess up a third time … after forcing a Seattle punt, the punt return team got called for a roughing the kicker penalty. 
 
Then Seattle unleased Highsmith on the Dallas offense.  Blitzing, he recorded two sacks in the fourth quarter to clinch things for the Seahawks.
 
A tough night for Dallas, indeed.
              
 New York (A) 16 New Orleans 35              70 Calm
The Saints win at home to move above .500. Joe Flacco throws 3 TD's in the win and the defense forces 2 turnovers. Kenny Pickett had a good day for the Jets throwing for 222 yards and running for another 64.
                
 San Francisco 30 Carolina 33                80 Calm
Eddy Pineiro’s overtime field goal, his sixth of the game, gives the Panthers the win.
 
 Baltimore 14 New York (N) 38                62 0-10 
sim
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Jacobs(Det)     30-200  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Henry(NE)       16-154  2 TD
 McCaffrey(Den)  22-129
 Sanders(LAR)    24-116
 Allgeier(Pit)   16-108
 Taylor(Car)     21-106
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Waddle(NYG)      8-175  4 TD
 Jefferson(Pit)   9-159  3 TD
 Chase(Ind)      16-152
 St. Brown(NYJ)  11-101
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mayfield(Bal)   46-32-302   2 TD  2 Int
 Jones(NYG)      36-26-299   5 TD
 Brady(Pit)      26-21-259   4 TD
 Burrow(Ind)     50-33-255   1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
Cox(Den) 6 tk, 1 sk,2 hur – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Fairbairn(Cin) 4-4 FG
 McLaughlin(LAC)4-4 FG
 Pineiro(Car)   6-6 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK 5 STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK 5 LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 4 Recap

Gardner-Johnson's two interceptions leads Dallas over the Eagles.

​Game Scores
 Philadelphia 13 Dallas 28                   70 Calm               
Dallas was seeking its first win of the young season with division rival Philadelphia (1-2) coming to town in week four. 
 
The Cowboys marched down the field in the opening possession as Justin Herbert would complete five of six passes, with the last going to tight end Dallas Goedert for 18 yards to complete the 11-play, 75 yard possession.
 
The Eagles tied the contest a couple of possessions later when Ryan Tannehill found rookie sensation Drake London in the end zone from the 14.  After the Cowboys’ signal caller Justin Herbert threw and intersection, the Eagles took the lead on a field goal.
 
Dallas retook the lead 14-10 on a 35-yard pass from Herbert to George Pickens.  Philly’s Matt Amendola drew the Eagles to 14-13 just before the half on an astounding 59-yard field goal. 
 
The wheels came off the Eagles attempt at victory in the second half as Tannehill thew three interceptions and RB McFarland lost a fumble to give the Cowboys a 28-13 win.  In addition to Tannehill’s interceptions, Greg Mason’s squad made it tough on him by committing 12 penalties totaling 100 yards.  
 
Tannehill did throw for 260 yards in a losing effort, though, including completing nine passes to London for 150 yards.   Justin Herbert had a fine day under center for the Cowboys – completing 20 of 28 passes for three TDs.
 
New Orleans 36 San Francisco 20             65 0-5
Jim Rice brought the Saints to the Bay and won easily against the 49ers 36 to 20.  The Green Lizard threw for 289 yards and added an additional 46 on the ground in the win.  Mac Jones threw 3 interceptions and was sacked 4 times in the loss. 
 
 Atlanta 24 Indianapolis 6                   69 
Ugly game.
 
Indy got off to a 3-0 lead after the opening possession, but after that Atanta dominated the game and win easily 24-6.
 
Indy had their chances, but penalties and turnovers prevented them from being competitive.
                   
 Green Bay 27 Minnesota 0                    68 Calm 
Packers go into Minnesota and shut out the Vikings 27-0 behind strong games by QB Mike White and RB Dalvin Cook
 
Vikings had a few promising drives stall out with sacks and a couple of untimely Trey Lance int's. Minnesota appeared to have a big play punt return touchdown, but returner Hicks was ruled to have a toe come down out of bounds as he tight roped the sideline.
 
Thanks to coach Mark for agreeing to the early week game which freed up my NFL opening weekend viewing!   
 
Packers host Texans next week, while Minnesota takes on the streaking Bears (but hopefully not a streaking Steve Nordberg).
              
 New York (N) 16 Arizona 31                  91 Calm 
Dynamic duo of Barkley and Mahomes make life miserable to defensive coordinators.  The Red Tide is alive and well.
 
 Seattle 44 Tennessee 27                     62 0-10
Sub coach Dave Hood guided the Seahawks to an easy victory over the Titans.  Dak Prescott shredded the suposedly fearsome Tennesee defense for 44 points.  It might have been a shootout but a bogus holding penalty wiped out a 50 yard Latavius Murray run early in the 3rd quarter.  The Seahawks scored a TD on their next possession and the rout was on.  Matt Ryan showed why he now sits in an announcer's booth.
 
 Las Vegas 23 Houston 20                     70    
In a thrilling NFL showdown at NRG Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders managed to secure a hard-fought victory against the Houston Texans, prevailing by a final score of 23-20.

The game started with the Texans drawing first blood as their kicker, Sanders, nailed a 29-yard field goal, putting Houston up 3-0. The Raiders swiftly responded with a field goal of their own by Myers from 29 yards out, tying the game at 3-3.

However, just before halftime, the Texans found the end zone with Cousins connecting with Godwin on an 11-yard touchdown pass, taking a 10-3 lead. The Raiders managed to add another field goal by Myers, making it 10-6 before heading into the locker room.

The third quarter showcased a resurgent Raiders offense led by Allen. He connected with Moore on a 25-yard touchdown pass, pushing the Raiders ahead 13-10. But the Texans answered back with Mixon's 4-yard rushing touchdown, regaining the lead at 17-13.

Las Vegas didn't let up, and Allen found Kelce for a 2-yard touchdown pass towards the end of the third quarter, swinging the score to 20-17 in their favor.

The fourth quarter saw the Texans tie the game again with another field goal from Sanders, making it 20-20. But the Raiders had the final say as Myers hit a clutch 42-yard field goal, giving the Raiders a narrow 23-20 lead.

In the end, the Raiders' defense held firm, and despite a late push from the Texans, Las Vegas secured the win. Quarterback Allen was named the game's MVP for his impressive performance, throwing crucial touchdown passes to Moore and Kelce.

This victory improved the Raiders' record to 3-1, while the Texans now stand at 1-3. The game was marked by a series of intense plays, a tight scoreline, and some excellent performances, making it an unforgettable matchup for fans.
                
 Pittsburgh 17 Cincinnati 15                 53 5-15 
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati the Bengals hosted division rival Pittsburgh.  This was the Bengals first home game of the season and marked with pageantry as the Bengals received their IFL Championship rings!  What could go wrong?
 
After a scoreless first quarter the Bengals struck first thanks to linebacker Cody Barton's interception of a Tom Brady pass.  This set up a Fairbairn 25 yard field goal.  
 
After an exchange of punts, it only took the Steelers three plays to gain the lead.  After Gus Edwards gashed the Cincinnati defense for 37 yards, one play later Brady found Justin Jefferson for 18 yards and a 7-3 just under the two minute mark.
 
Somehow the Bengals offense was able to run 11 plays in under two minutes with Fairbairn adding another field goal cutting the deficit to 7-6 Steelers at the half.
 
The third quarter was scoreless but Brady connected with Dawson Knox from eight yards out on the first play of the final quarter to increase their lead to 14-6. Cincinnati answered with a 12 play 75 yard drive as Aaron Rodgers dumped an eight yard pass to fullback Gionvanni Ricci.  (Ricci's father owns a steakhouse "Tony's" just around the corner where IFL Bengal management has been known to frequent on rare occasions).  Anyway, the try for two was no good and Pittsburgh led 14-12.  A fired up IFL Bengals defense forced a three and out.  The Cincinnati offense went to work and 12 plays later the Bengals regained the lead 15-14 as Fairbairn was true from 36 yards out.
 
IFL Bengal fans felt pretty confident that the defense could turn the Pittsburgh offense away, maybe even a game ending turnover?  The nasty Steelers had other ideas.  A 22 yard run by rookie Tyler Allgeier on third and four stunned the sellout crowd and set the Pittsburgh offense up at the Bengals 28.  Runs of eight yards and seven yards by Edwards and Allgeier set up a chip shot for Tyler Bass who converted the game winner from 30 yards out, 17-15 Steelers.
 
Congrats to Steeler Sam on a masterful coaching and play calling job.
 
Allgeier rushed for 127 yards on 15 carries.  Edwards added 58 on 8 totes.  Jefferson was held to four receptions but averaged 20 yards a catch with a touchdown.
 
Aaron Rodgers finished 34 of 48 for 289 yards and a touchdown.  The Cincinnati rushing attack was held to 2.4 yards a tote.
 
Next week the Steelers host Jacksonville in a key AFC Central matchup while Cincinnati welcomes co-AFC Central leader Tennessee to the jungle.
 
 Baltimore 44 Jacksonville 45                78 0-5  
Not much D in this one other than a Baltimore pick six as the Jags triumph 45-44 in OT. Baltimore goes for the win with a 2 point convert attempt only to see JK Dobbins stopped short of the goalline giving the Jags the win. It was a fun game to play as neither defence put up much of a fight as the two teams combine for almost 900 yards in offence.

Lawrence coached a great game and could have won it....
 
 Miami 31 Buffalo 27                         50 20-30
Looking for redemption after a opening day loss in Miami the Bills were leading 27-10 in the early 4th quarter and  Bills driving in Miami territory, Kyler Murray sweeps right and is hit hard and fumbles where safety Rodney Thomas II scoops it up and races 62 yards for the TD and Prater tacks on XP to make it 27-17 Bills. After that the momentum shifted as the Bills couldn't generate much offense and the Dolphins tacked on two TD's to escape Buffalo with a 31-27 victory and improve their record to 3-1 while the Bills fall to 1-3 despite dominating the stats. The Dolphins will head to New England in what should be a game for first in the AFC East while the Bills will head to Indy.
 
 New England 38 New York (A) 10              61 0-10 
In week #1 the Jets went into Gillette Stadium, and came away with a big upset over the Patriots. This week they Patriots made sure that wouldn’t happen again.
 
They scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions to take a 21-0 lead. The Jets then took the ball 75 yards in 4 plays to make it 21-7, and were hoping to get the ball back to score again before halftime. Well, they got it back quicker than expected because Hines returned the kickoff 98 yards for a TD…28-7 Pats. That was the score at the half.
 
New England received the 2nd half kickoff, and only needed 56 seconds to go 75 yards. The big play was a 69 yard pass from Wentz to Kupp…35-7 New England.
 
The final was 38-10…
 
For the Pats Wentz was 8-17 for 167 yards, and 2 TDs.
Kupp caught 5 for 104 yards, and Hill caught 3 for 64 yards.
 
For the Jets Pickett was 14-20 for 139 yards with 1 TD, and 1 interception.
St. Brown caught 9 passes for 66 yards.
 
Next week New England hosts the 3-1 Dolphins, while the Jets fly to NOLA to face the Saints.
 
 Chicago 27 Detroit 17                       70 Calm
DaBears sneak by the Lions 27-17 on the road.  Personally, I did enjoy Pollards 110 yards on 14 carries, but I'm a bit biased.  Sam Darnold once again made a few big important plays with his legs.  Some how DaBears are 4-0.  In all reallity, we got lucky.  Next week Chi hosts Minny & Det travels to the off't referred to as the "perianal power house Tampa Bay".  About this Tampa Bay thing, the use alot of energy, but not much out put from what I see.
 
on the other hand 
Head coach Jerry Glandville is pleased with the team thus far, especially the week 3 win when we punched Green Bay in the face & kicked 'um in the nuts.
               
 Carolina 6 Los Angeles (N) 28               76 Calm  Heavy Rain    
An unexpected deluge in Los Angeles played havoc with the LA and Car offenses as the passing game was severely limited. Both QBs combined for barely over two hundred yards. The Rams scored a TD on the opening drive relying on their OL and RBs. Car was only able to answer with a FG and the Rams never looked back from there. LA continued rely on the run methodically moving down the field for a few more scores. The conditions made it difficult for Car QB Russell Wilson to mount a comeback. Car was only able to add one more field goal.
 
The Rams go back on the road in week 5 travelling to Atlanta, while Carolina hosts San Francisco.
 
 Tampa Bay 11 Denver 31                      69 Calm 
Tampa Bay came to Denver for their week 4 match up with the Broncos.
The game was sloppy with 6 total turnovers (3 from each side) but the Broncos were able to pull away at the end 31-11.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 17 Kansas City 13           62 0-5
Garrett Wilson scored on an 80 yard catch and run with 25 seconds left in the game on 3rd and 15 and no timeouts as LA defeated KC. 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Barkley(Ari)    26-133  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Allgeier(Pit)   15-127
 Jones,A(Sea)    20-118
 Sanders(LAR)    24-117  3 TD
 Allen(Jax)      12-114
 Pollard(Chi)    14-110
 Cook(GB)        22-108  1 TD
 Murray(Buf)     12-106
 
 Receiving Leaders
 London(Phi)      9-150  1 TD
 Diggs(SF)       10-111
 
 Passing Leaders
 Allen(Jax)      51-36-369   4 TD  2 Int
 Rodgers,A(Cin)  48-34-289   1 TD
 Prescott(Sea)   25-21-289   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Dean(GB)         2 Int 2 Tk
 Gardner-Johnson(Dal)  2 Int 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Tranquill(Car)   16 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Myers(LV) – 3 FG  11 pts – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK FOUR STANDINGS

IFL WEEK FOUR LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 3 Recap

Tua leads the Dolphins to a big division win over New York.

​New York (A) 20 Miami 23                    90 0-5  
The Jets come to Miami in week 3 each Team sporting identical 1-1 records for this divisional tilt.
 
Miami defers and the Jets take the opening drive and take 7:05 off the clock and go 68 yards, but fail to convert on a 3rd down and have to kick the FG to go up 3-0. A 3 and out for both Teams, finds Miami receiving the ball at their own 23 with 3:27 left in the 1st. They go on a 10 play drive that carries over into the 2nd quarter but get the TD to go up 7-3 with 13:59 left in the half.
 
After an exchange of punts, New York gets the ball at their own 26 and travel to the Miami 16 but again have  to settle for the FG to cut the lead to 7-6 Miami with 4:08 left in the half. Miami gets the ball and goes 75 yards and gets the TD with .42 seconds in the half to go up 14-6 and that's the way the half would end.
 
The Dolphins take the 2nd half KO and drive down to the Jet 10 but the drive stalls and the Dolphins settle for the FG but push the lead to 17-6. On the following drive the Jets go 75 yards and get the TD to cut the lead to 17-13 Dolphins with 4:38 left in the 3rd quarter. With 2:35 left in the 3rd the Jets block a Dolphins punt and get the TD to go up 20-17 in the 3rd and that's how it would go to into the 4th quarter.
 
Miami would convert a couple of 1st downs but end up punting the ball back to the Jets with 12:09 to go in the game. After a New York punt the Dolphins would drive to the Jet 12 and on a 4th and 1 decide it's too risky to go for and kick the FG to tie the game at 20. The Jets would get the ball with 2:22 at their own 20 and convert 2 1st downs but have to punt the ball back to Miami. With .41 seconds left in the game and on their own 16 yard line, Tua goes to work, he moves his Team to the Jet 32 yard line and as time expired the Dolphins hit the 50 yard FG to win 23-20. A exciting divisional game from start to finish.
 
Next week the Jets are at home facing the Patriots in a revenge game for the Pats and the Dolphins head to Buffalo to face the Bills for the 2nd time in 4 weeks.
 
Carolina 22 New Orleans 20                  70 Calm 
New Orleans scores a TD on a run from the goal line by James Conner to take the lead 20-19 with 4 minutes to go in the game. Carolina then drives down the field, converting a critical 4th and 10 earlier in the drive, and kicks the field goal as time expires to secure the win.
              
 Minnesota 7 Tampa Bay 30                    80 0-5
Vikings were not able to get it going until garbage time. Tampa shut it down in the second half.
 
 Tennessee 29 Jacksonville 21                87 Calm
The Titans come to Jacksonville and feast on the league's worst defense.  There was nothing that the beaten up Jags D could do to stop Garoppolo and the Titans D came up big when they had to sacking Josh Allen when it mattered.  The Titans win late with a long punt return for a TD. Hats off to Rick for coaching a great game. The Jags fall to 1-2 and the Titans climb to the top of the division. 
 
 Indianapolis 0 New England 13               70 20-30 Rain
Ugly game at windy, rainy Foxboro.  Tyreek Hill (8 catches for 139 yards) scored the only TD when he took a short pass from Gardner Minshew and ran 65 yards for the TD.  That gave NE a 7-0 lead - and it would be enough.  Justin Tucker added two field goals (missed on two other longer attempts against the wind) as the Patriots win 13-0.
 
Even with star WR Jamar Chase doubled much of the day, Indy's Joe Burrow completed 20 of 28 passes, but amassed only 108 yards overall.  
 
Each team committed 2 turnovers, and the two offenses combined for only 24 first downs on the day.
 
Patriots visit the Jets next week while the Colts host the Falcons.
          
 Chicago 25 Green Bay 12                     70 5-15
Bears come in and blow out the host Packers.  Chicago's defense proves to be too much for a shell shocked 
Brock Purdy.
 
Sam Darnold did enough to get the win, especially with his scrambling.
 
Bears running game was effective but the story was the defense which caused 4 turnovers and held Dalvin Cook without a single yard
 
Steve Nordberg was masterful in his play calling and was full value for the win
 
Bears 3-0 are in Detroit 2-0 for a battle of division leaders Packers 1-2 travel to Minnesota.
 
 Cincinnati 38 Dallas 21                     70 Calm
The 3-0 Cincinnati Bengals forced four turnovers, including two pick sixes, enroute to a convincing 38-21 win over the now 0-3 Dallas Cowboys in Week Three IFL action Thursday.
 
Problems arose early for the Cowboys, who lost their first two contests by six points each.  Following the kickoff, the Bengals stopped a run for zero yards and then for -4 yards before Dallas missed converting the third and 14 situation with a dropped pass.  But Dallas would hold Cincy for a three-and-out.  On the fourth down punt, Dallas’ return man fumbled and the Cincy recovered the ball.  Cincy then converted consecutive double team passes to Diante Johnson to get in field goal range.  Cincy converted for a 3-0 lead.
 
Dallas’ offense final found its rhythm and was moving the ball before Dallas Goedert fumbled a completed pass on the Cincy 17. 
 
The Bengals extended their lead on another double-teamed completions and then a pass to it’s RB for a 10-7 score in the second quarter. 
 
On the ensuing possession, Herbert tried to hit Samuel on a slant pattern.  Jalen Ramsey intercepted the ball and took it 36 yards to paydirt, making the score 17-0 Cincy.
 
The Cowboys closed to 17-7 on a Herbert to Goedert TD pass, but Cincy matched the score on a 38-yard pass to Johnson and a 10-yard pass to Chark to go into halftime up 24-7.
 
After Dallas holding Cincy to begin the second half, Kyle Trask threw a pick six interception to give Cincy a convincing 31-7 lead.
 
Surprisingly, Dallas accumulated more yards than did Cincy (333-330). 
               
 Pittsburgh 24 Baltimore 20                  85 0-5  
Baltimore led 17-7 at half, 17-10 going into the 4th quarter, but, Pittsburgh outscored Baltimore 14-3 in the 4th quarter for the win.
 
Baltimore kept Brady & Jefferson under control until it really counted.  Brady hit Jefferson on a 9-yd TD with 1:23 to play for what proved to be the GW TD.
 
Otherwise, pedestrian numbers for Brady 12 of 22 119 yds, 1 TD & 1 INT (pick 6)
Jefferson had 6 catches for 79 yards and the TD.
 
However,  Pittsburgh's running game gashed the Baltimore D.
 
Edwards carried 12 times for 101 yards, with a long of 38. Allgeier carried 14 times for 95 yards, including a long of 57.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 21 Houston 13               70 Calm
LAC moves to 3-0 despite a very shaky offensive performance.... trailing 7-0 at the half and mired in a poor performance; LA used two big plays to get untracked....
deep in their own territory, Quandre Diggs picked off Cousins for a 60 yard interception return and on Houston’s ensuing possession, Marcus Jones returned
a punt for 56 yards; both were followed on the very next play with Mills 19 and 20 yard throws to Garrett Wilson for touchdowns.... their final touchdown
followed an interception and drive from Houston’s 21, capped by a Chubb run....
 
Houston doubled LA 2-to-1 in yardage, first downs and time of possession, and was 5-for-5 on 4th down attempts....
 
Cousins passed for 288 yards, 9 times to Godwin for 73 for Houston....
 
Garrett Wilson led the Chargers with 5 catches for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns, Chubb rushed for 63 and 1 td....
 
LAC had 207 return yards on kicks and interceptions....
               
 Buffalo 7 Los Angeles (N) 46                79 Calm
The Rams hosted the Buffalo Bills in for LA home opener. The Bills defense made the trip, but a slopy performance by Bills QB Kyler Murray left the Buffalo fans disappointed.
 
With confidence in his defense Buf Coach Greg Smith came out very aggressive in the first half. The Bills gambled on 4th down three times in the first half on three separate drives.The Rams d held on two, the third led to a Baffalo TD.
 
Despite the 4th down fizzles the Bills only found themselves down 22-7, and were driving towards the end of the half. On first down with 16 seconds left on the Rams 16 yard lie Murray made a catastrophic mistake fumbling the snap. 31 year old defensive end Khail Mack picked the ball up and somehow out ran all the Wrs and Rbs Buff had on the field for a back breaking TD.
 
The Bills kept fighting, but it just wasn't their day as the Rams were able to extend the lead further.
 
Next week both teams return to division play with Buff hosting Miami and LA hosting Carolina.
 
 San Francisco 20 Atlanta 27                 68 Calm
Week 3 features the 49ers coming to Atlanta in a division game. San Francisco always plays the Falcons tough as they split their series last year. The 49ers were coming in looking to get their first win of the year, while the Falcons were looking to keep pace with the division leader Rams and go 3-0. 
 
1st Quarter:
 
After trading a couple punts, Atlanta would strike first with a Christian Watson 7 yard run for a TD. (ATL 7, SF 0)
 
After a 3 and out SF would kick it to Atlanta, and on 3rd and 10 Hurts would connect with Watson for a 45 yard dagger to put the Falcons up 14-0. 
 
2nd Quarter: 
 
To start the 2nd quarter Singletary would carry the 49ers offense down the field, running for about 50 yards and catching for 22 yards in one drive! ATL 14- SF 7
 
Atlanta would answer with a drive of their own, but was stopped short for a 47 yard FG- which was shanked. SF answered with another drive dominated by Singletary and SF would punch it in to tie the game with 1 minute left in the 2nd quarter. ATL 14 SF 14
 
Jalen Hurts has taken a liking to his new rookie Watson as they connected for a 25 yard pass to get Atlanta to midfield. After a couple botched plays, Hurts heaves a hail mary to Watson into a double team, and somehow Watson caught the ball in the endzone for a 48 yard TD. ATL 21- SF 14
 
3rd Quarter: 
 
SF started the 3rd quarter with the ball and on their own 39 went for it on 4th and 2, and got stuffed. Atlanta couldn't do much with the ball but hit a 36 yard FG to extend the lead  ATL 24- SF 14
 
SF gets the ball again and decide to go for it on 4th an 6 from their own 30 and fall just short. Atlanta gets it and fails to convert a 2nd and 1 and a 3rd and 1 and settled for a 43yard FG.... but missed again! 
 
4th Quarter: 
 
SF would take the ball from the end of the third on a 5 minute drive that ended with a 48 yard FG attempt...and good! ATL 24 - SF 17
 
Atlanta needed a big drive, but instead Hurts was sacked and they were forced to punt. Mac Jones would take his team into Falcon territory and Gay would nail another 48 yard FG to really tighten the game at ATL 24- SF 20
 
With 7 minutes left, the Falcons needed something, as they were losing control of this one. The drive was highlighted by a 3rd and 7 where Hurts scrambled left, then right dodging defenders to throw a 34 yard bomb to Nelson Agholor. Then near disaster as Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled the ball... but upon booth review, his knee was down first. Atlanta fails to punch the ball in, but they take the FG to go up 27-20 with 2:52 left. 
 
Atlanta's defense comes up strong forcing SF to go 4 and out without gaining a yard! Game over right, no. Raheem Mostert takes the ball with 2:23 left, as the announcer says he is carrying with two hands for protection... oops the ball comes out and SF recovers! Maybe he should have used three hands... 
 
Atlanta is falling apart as SF drives, 1 CB gets injured, then Safety Demontae Kazee gets a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for fighting and gets ejected with 1 minute left- SF into ATL territory now on the 33! The defense would hold strong with the closer Von Miller getting the sack on 4th and 6 and the Falcons didn't choke away the QB kneels to end the game. ATL 27- SF 20. 
 
Christian Watson was the MVP hauling in 5 catches for 149 yards and adds 3 TDs making fantasy owners happy.  Singletary ran 23/112 with 2TDs, and Boyd added 7 catches for 66 yards. 
 
Next week ATL travels to Indy to take on Joe Cool and Chase, while SF hosts division foe New Orleans. 
                
 Arizona 26 Seattle 23                       72 0-10 
Slye misses a game winning FG at the end of regulation and Arizona capitalizes to take the W in OT.
 
 Denver 27 Las Vegas 23                      90 0-10 
Geno Smith completes a four yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton with just 13 seconds remaining to rally the Broncos passed Vegas.
 
 Kansas City 22 Detroit 24                   70 Calm
Caleb Shudak kicked a 33 yard FG with 9 seconds left to give Detroit the win. Marcus Mariota threw for 328 yards and 2 td's in the victory.
               
 Philadelphia 21 New York (N) 20             63 0-10 
The Eagles score with 0 seconds remaining in the game to beat the Giants 21-20. Eagles move to 1-2 and Giants fall to 0-3.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Fields(KC)      14-175
 Taylor(Car)     22-136  1 TD
 Jones,A(Sea)    19-133  2 TD
 Singletary(SF)  23-112  2 TD
 Sanders(LAR)    16-104
 Edwards(Pit)    12-101  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Kirk(Ari)       10-102
 Barkley(Ari)    12- 96  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Garoppolo(Ten)  44-25-374   1 TD  2 Int
 Tagovailoa(Mia) 44-29-348   2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Mariota(Det)    39-25-328   2 TD  2 Int
 Hurts(Atl)      30-19-304   2 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    46-31-288   1 TD  3 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Murphy-Bun(Ind)  2 Int 3 Tk
 Greenlaw(NE)     15 Tk
 Edwards(LAC)     17 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Smith,R(Buf)     17 Tk
 Okereke(Ari)     15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Raymond(Ten)   3-105 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 McPherson(Chi) 6-6 FG
 Nwangwu(Buf)   5-152 Kick Ret
 Succop(LAR)    4-4 FG
 Carlson(Ari)   4-4 FG
 Flowers(Den)   4-171 Kick Ret
 Myers(LV)      5-5 FG
 Pineiro(Car)   5-5 FG
​

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IFL WEEK THREE STANDINGS

IFL WEEK THREE LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 2 Recap

Vikings kicker Cameron Dicker connects on the game winner.

 ​Minnesota 18 Philadelphia 16                71 0-10  Heavy Rain 
In a driving rainstorm, Colt McCoy came off the bench with 1:53 remaining in the game and led the Minnesota Vikings on a nine-play 52-yard drive resulting in a Cameron Dicker 41-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the contest giving the Vikings an improbable 18-16 upset victory.
  
 Cincinnati 31 Kansas City 17                61 5-15 
Aaron Rogers threw for 3 td’s and Cincinnati defeated KC on the road 31-17. The Bengals scored all 4 times in the red zone, with 3 touchdowns and a FG.
 
 Baltimore 24 Houston 27                     70 Calm
Baltimore jumped out to a 17-0 lead and went in to half time with a 17-3 lead. 
Houston scored on their final 3 possession to score 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.
 
16 plays 77 yards TD 9:25 off the clock
10 plays 87 yards TD 5:00 off the clock
5 plays 55 yards FG 29 seconds off the clock
 
It looked like the game was going to go into overtime.  Houston had the ball 2nd and 10 on their own 20 with 16 seconds left.  Baltimore was playing a deep zone, blitzing 3  including Judon and Allen, hoping for a turnover.  Instead, Cousins connected with McLaurin on a 51-yd Bomb Fly to get into field goal position and win the game on a 43 YD Jason Sanders FG.
 
Godwin caught 6 balls for 130 LG of 51
McLaurin caught 5 balls for 101 LG of 53
Pascal made a key catch for 41 yards
 
Cousins was 26 of 35 for 372 2 TDs and 1 pick.
 
Congrats to Nino on a thrilling win which was well-deserved.
                
 Atlanta 27 New York (A) 7                   89 0-5
The New York Jets played their home opener before a sold out crowd that was still excited about the teams season opener from last week The Jets had gone to New England, and upset the Patriots.
 

Things started out awkwardly when Winston took the field at QB on the games first possession. Pickett was named the starter, but wasn’t on the sideline. Winston ran 4 plays, and threw a pick which silenced the crowd.
 
The fans found their voices again when the Jets defense forced ATL into a 3 and out.
 
Pickett was under center to start the second drive, and he matriculated the Jets down the field in a 7 play, 80 yard drive. The drive ended with a 22 yard TD pass from Pickett to St.Brown.
 
Unfortunately for the Jets, and their fans, that was as good as it would get. ATL took a 13-7 lead into halftime, and then took the second half kickoff for a 9 play 75 yard drive…20-7.
 
The final score was 27-7…
 
Hurts was 20-26 for 259 yards, and 2 TD.
Ertz caught 5 for 70 yards.
 
Pickett was 18-31 for 165 yards, and 1 TD.
Brown caught 3 for 59 yards, and a TD
 
Next week ATL puts their 2-0 record on the line at home against San Francisco.
The Jets look to rebound on the road against division rival Miami.
 
 Tampa Bay 24 Arizona 54                     95 Calm
Carr managed to keep up with Mahomes for 3 quarters with his exemplary receiver core.  However, Mahomes kept firing strikes.  Zona D practiced the bend but don't break philosophy.  As both teams felt the pressure to continuing to score on each possession.  The Bucs succumbed to attempting numerous 4th and short attempts for first downs.  Zona D step up and stopped the Bucs setting Mahomes up with good field position.  Barkley chipped in with another 100+ yard performance on the ground.  The game was much closer than the score.
 
 Las Vegas 38 Jacksonville 28                83 Calm
The Jags fall 38-28 to the Vegas Raiders in an offensive shootout. Good coaching, turnovers and penalties sink the Jags. Stafford was the game star throwing for four TDs and zero interceptions while Josh Allen struggled with two key second half interceptions, one being a 39 yard Adams pick-six.

The Raider climb to 2-0, while the Jags falter to 1-1.

In a footnote, the Raiders played an honest and sportsmanlike game hence the zero penalties throughout the entire game.

Jason coached a great game.
 
 Pittsburgh 16 Los Angeles (A) 20            79 Calm
The Chargers move into uncharted waters, sitting atop the AFC West at 2-0 after a harrowing escape versus the Steelers.
 
The Chargers marched late in the 4th quarter, going 75 yards in 15 plays, scoring on a 4th and goal from the one with under 2 minutes left and then holding on for dear life for a 20-16 victory.
 
Chubb paced the Chargers with 94 yards and a touchdown; Jefferson led the Steelers with 13 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.
 
 San Francisco 13 Buffalo 23                 61 30-40
With winds gusting from 30 to 40 mph the Bills defense stifled Mack Jones and the Niner offense holding them to 185 yards of offense. Kyler Murray threw for 262 and 2 TD passes and more importantly didn't turn the ball over while rushing for 40 yards on six rushes. Valdes-Scantling was the difference maker as he caught 5 for 128 and a TD. Jaelan Phillips had 2 sacks to lead the Bills defense. Mack Jones had 101.9 rating but couldn't make the big plays when needed as the Niners were 1-8 on third down. Bills win 23-13 and play at the Rams next while San Francisco heads to Atlanta. Bills are now 1-1 while the Niners fall to 0-2.
 
 Chicago 20 Dallas 14                        70 Calm
The Chicago Bears’ defense was terrific in a 20-14 win on the road against the Dallas Cowboys in week two of the IFL.  The Bears’ D held Dallas to 236 yards total offense, 12 first downs and forced four fumbles in the contest.  The Bears’ defense features two players rated 10, one rated 9 and another rated 8.  The key play of the game came in the fourth quarter with Dallas facing a fourth and inches situation.  Dallas elected to go for it.  They called a flat pass to McKissic, an 8 rated receiver.  Chicago did not double him.  Despite that McKissic caught the ball but was dropped by C.J. Mosley for a three yard loss.   Mosley made a number of clutch plays in the contest. 
 
The loss was Dallas’ second in a row by six points.  The win improves the Bears’ record to 2-0.
               
 Green Bay 24 Seattle 34                     63 5-15
Seattle overcomes multiple special teams blunders to hold on to the 34-24 victory.  Purdy had a rough day throwing 3 INTs.
 Los Angeles (N) 36 Miami 17                 76 Calm 
Rams visit Miami in week 2 of the IFL season.
 
The Dolphins manage to keep it close for a quarter and a half but a late 2nd quarter pick leads to a Rams TD to give the Rams a 23-10 lead at the half.
 
Miami would open the 2nd half with a TD to cut the lead to 23-17 but the Rams controlled the rest of the game to win going away 36-17. The Rams dominate the scoreboard as well as the statistics to go 2-0 while the Dolphins fall to 1-1
 
Next week the Dolphins play their 3rd home game in a row while the Rams host the Bills.
 
 Tennessee 20 Denver 13                      76 0-5
The Titans and Broncos had a hard-fought game at Mile High stadium before the Titans won at the end.
 
With just 7 ticks remaining Geno Smith would get picked off in the endzone to preserve the 20-13 Titans victory.
 
Thanks to Rick for a great game.
  
 Detroit 30 New York (N) 16                  82 0-10
Marcus Mariota throws two touchdown passes as the Lions get by New York.  Eight penalties did not help the Giants cause.
 
 Indianapolis 24 New Orleans 31              70 Calm  
The Saints rally with 21 fourth quarter points to defeat Indianapolis.  James Conner rushes for 142 yards and two touchdowns to lead New Orleans.    
        
 New England 34 Carolina 20                  85 Calm 
Tight game early as New England holds the 6-3 lead. A 65 yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill and two defensive touchdowns later and New England opened the floodgates.
 
Carolina at least scores a couple times to make it somewhat respectable but are never really in the game after the above.
 

Hill goes for 162 yards receiving and a TD for New England.
 
Taylor and Wilson both rushed for 75 yards for Carolina.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Conner(NO)      28-142  2 TD
 Barkley(Ari)    17-140  3 TD
 Jones,A(Sea)    19-119  1 TD
 Kamara(LV)      15-114
 Sanders(LAR)    18-109  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Hill(NE)         7-161  1 TD
 Jefferson(Pit)  13-145  1 TD
 Jones,Z(NO)     10-143  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Cousins(Hou)    35-26-372   2 TD  1 Int
 Heinicke(NO)    40-26-355   1 TD
 Brady(Pit)      45-28-324   1 TD  2 Int
 Stafford(LV)    25-16-236   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Thompson(Phi)    15 Tk
 Sweat (Atl)  2 TK, 1 Sk, 2 Hur – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Dicker(Min)    6-6 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Sims(NO)       3-69 Kick Ret 3-102 Punt Ret
​

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IFL WEEK TWO STANDINGS

​IFL WEEK TWO LEAGUE LEADERS

​Week 1 Recap

Jets safety Jevon Holland intercepted two passes as New York edges the Patriots.

New York (A) 20 New England 17              74 0-5
Patriots host division rival NY and look to take an early lead when Carson Wentz connects with Tyreek Hill on a 42 yard pass play, followed by a 14 yarder on the very next play to Hill.  A couple plays later, facing a 3rd down from the NYJ 10 yard line, Wentz attempted a dump off to Derrick Henry but the pass was tipped and intercepted by safety Jevon Holland.  Crisis averted for the Jets, though they'd start the next drive at their own 5.
 
Rookie QB Kenny Pickett engineered a 14 play drive, spanning just over 9 minutes, thanks to a huge 15 yard rush by Pickett on 3rd and 15 to keep the drive alive.  After a 26 yard completion to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Pickett handed to Jeff Wilson for the 2 yard TD.  7-0 Jets.
 
Pats looked to answer and Isaiah Rodgers got them off to a good start with a 46 yard kick return.  After two short Derrick Henry runs had the Pats near midfield, Wentz faded back to pass and was picked AGAIN by Holland (2 picks in the entire 2022 NFL season - 2 in the first half versus Wentz!), who returned it all the way back to the NE 27 yard line!  
 
A Jeff Simmons sack pushed NY back 7 yards, but Wilson rushed for 12 to make it 3rd and 5.  On the next play Wilson took it wide for 4 yards, short of the first down - but wait............encroachment on the defense and NY had a fresh set of downs at the NE 17 yard line!  A few plays later it was St Brown on the end around for the 4-yard TD.  Patriots had dug themselves a hole, trailing 14-0 at halftime.
 
NE came out of the locker room and Wentz picked up where he left off - misfiring on a pass play on 1st down.  The coaching staff had seen enough, and on came Garner Minshew.  This seemed to spark the offense, as Henry immediately broke free for 18 yards and a first down.  After a couple short pass plays, Henry broke free for another chunk play of 17 yards.  First down at the NY 24.  Five plays later, Minshew to Austin Hooper for a 10 yard TD, and it was 14-7 Jets.
 
Even on the road in his very first game, the moment was not too big for Pickett.  He and his Jets teammates responded with a 20-play drive spanning over 8 minutes.  New England did help out, with 2 penalties on 3rd down stoppages that would have otherwise halted the drive.  Still, NY would tack 3 points on thanks to a Hopkins 20 yard FG and early in the 4th, NE trailed 17-7.
 
Wentz to Tutu Atwell for 42 yards sparked the ensuing drive for NE, but a subsequent holding penalty by Jason Peters bogged the Pats down, and Justin Tucker came on for the 47 yard FG.  17-10 Jets with 11:45 to play.
 
After a 3 and out by NY, Wentz came back out and immediately threw deep downfield to Brandin Cooks, who was interfered with resulting in a 40 yard penalty.  First down from the Jets 26.  After a short completion to Randall Cobb, Henry and Kareem Hunt did the rest, rushing for 21 yards on the next 5 plays, capped by a Henry 4 yard run.  The game was tied up at 17 apiece with 5:29 to play.
 
Jets would receive the kick and moved the ball out to their own 39 before being forced to punt with under two minutes left in the game.  With Justin Tucker pacing the sidelines in anticipation of a game winning kick for the home team, Nyheim Hines was back to field the kick at his own 15...........
 
Disaster for the Patriots team however, as Hines would bobble it and get drilled immediately!!  A scramble for the ball ensued and the JETS would come away with it at the Patriot 15............
 
Three running plays, three time outs by NE, before Hopkins would come out for the 26 yard FG.  Jets were back on top 20-17 with 1:29 to play.
 
Patriots would start at their own 25, and on the first play immediately benefitted from a DPI by Duke Shelley which gained 17 yards for NE.  First and ten from their 42.
 
Henry rushed for 6 followed by two incomplete passes.  On 4th and 4, Wentz found Tyreek Hill (doubled for much of the game) for the short slant and a first down.  But the clock was ticking......
 
Henry for a short run had NE at the Jets 45 with 45 seconds to play.  A 1 yard pass play to Cobb did little, bringing up 3rd and 6.  Another attempt for Cobb was fruitless, bringing up a 4th and 6 at the Jet 44 with 33 seconds to play.  Wentz dropped back and with Cooks and Hill both doubled, looked deep downfield again to Atwell........but the pass was off target and nearly picked off.  With the incompletion, NY had sealed the 20-17 win at Foxboro.
 
Pickett completed 13 of 25 for 144 yards.  He did not throw an INT or TD, but did rush for 31 yards on 5 carries.  St. Brown caught 7 for 80 yards for the Jets, while Jeff Wilson ran for 67 yards and a TD.  For NE, Wentz completed 12 of 27 for 171 and 2 INT.  Fans were left wondering why Minshew didn't get a longer run ,as he competed 4 of his 5 attempts for 32 yards en route to a Tucker field goal.  Derrick Henry ran for 124 and a TD while catching 4 passes out of the backfield, but he had little help from his teammates as the Patriot offense  was pretty much held in check most of the day by the Jet D.
 
Congrats to Bob for a well-coached game,  Jets look to move to 2-0 next week vs Atlanta at home, while NE will travel to play the Panthers.

 
Detroit 34 Minnesota 13                     68 Calm   
Detroit, MI - The Detroit Lions started the 2023 season off strong with a convincing 34-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings at home on Sunday. Lions quarterback Marcus Mariota looked sharp in his debut, throwing for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns while running back Josh Jacobs gashed the Vikings defense for 148 yards and 2 scores on the ground.
The Lions set the tone early, marching down the field on their first possession to take a 3-0 lead on a field goal. They then forced a Vikings three-and-out and quickly made it 10-0 when Jacobs plowed into the end zone from 14 yards out. Another quick Mariota touchdown pass put the Lions up 17-0 before the Vikings finally got on the board with a field goal late in the second quarter.
Detroit kept rolling in the second half, with Jacobs adding another rushing touchdown to make it 31-6. Vikings quarterback Trey Lance connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 17-yard score to cut the lead to 31-13, but it was too little too late. The Lions coasted in the fourth quarter, tacking on another field goal for the final margin.
Mariota looked very comfortable running the Lions offense in his first game since taking over for Jared Goff. He spread the ball around to receivers like Michael Thomas and Jerry Jeudy while also utilizing tight end Cole Kmet. But it was Jacobs who really ignited the ground game behind a powerful offensive line.
For the Vikings, Lance struggled to find consistency in his first career opening day start. The second-year quarterback made some impressive plays with his legs, but completed just 11 of 22 passes with several misses to open receivers. Dalvin Cook was held largely in check on the ground as well.
Lions coach Don Merlenbach was pleased with his team's fast start. "We came out ready to play and set the tone early," Merlenbach said. "Marcus played with great poise and command of the offense and we were able to establish the run."
The Lions will look to keep their momentum going when they head on the road to take on the New Orleans Saints next Sunday. The Vikings will look to bounce back when they host the Green Bay Packers in their home opener.
Lions Statistical Leaders
Passing: Mariota 20/27, 278 yards, 2 TD
Rushing: Jacobs 29 carries, 148 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Thomas 9 catches, 107 yards, TD
Vikings Statistical Leaders
Passing: Lance 11/22, 119 yards, TD Rushing: Lance 7 carries, 54 yards Receiving: Smith-Schuster 6 catches, 63 yards, TD
          
  
 New Orleans 12 Atlanta 37                   68 Calm
IFL opening weekend kicked off with a primetime matchup, an inter division game between the Saints and the Falcons. 
 
Last year at week 8 the Falcons were 6-2, with both of those losses coming against the scrappy Saints and Coach Rice. This year looked to be a more interesting year as the Falcons have retooled around Jalen Hurts and added some young players to try and compete against the reigning divisional powerhouse, the Saints. 
 
1st Quarter: 
 
Atlanta would take over at the 25 and drive down into FG range, and hit a 51 yard FG to take the lead. (ATL 3- NO 0)
 
New Orleans would fumble on their very 1st play and recovered by rookie CB Bland. Atlanta had prime field position, but only could gain 3 yards as they settled for another FG (ATL 6 NO 0)
 
N.O would take over again, move the chains once then Heineke would throw an INT to Da'Ron Bland, giving the ball right back to ATL. 
 
Atlanta didn't waste the opportunity this time as Hurts connected with rookie Christian Watson for a TD to put Atlanta up 13-0. 
 
2nd Quarter:
 
After a defensive stop, Hurts ran in a 7 yard TD setup by a 52 yard pass to Nelson Agholor. (ATL 20- NO 0)
 
Coach Rice just couldn't get any luck going, The kickoff return was going about 43 yards, looking to setup NO in prime position to put in work, when there was another fumble recovered by Atlanta. New Orleans defense was holding up decent for all the tough spots it was put in as it held Atlanta to just 1 first down, and Atlanta kicked another FG to go up (ATL 23 NO 0)
 
N.O went 3 and out while Jalen Hurts led his team on an over 6 minute drive. The drive was about to result in a punt on 4th and 4, however home cooking was in effect as the Saints were charged with an offsides penalty and Atlanta capitalized with a TD run to make it ATL 30, NO 0. That is how the 1st half would end. 
 
3rd Quarter: 
 
Starting the 2nd half, the Saints turned to their backup quarterback to provide a spark, and that he did. Old man Joe Flacco entered the game and led the Saints on a 7 minute drive, but could only come away with a FG. (ATL 30, NO 3). 
 
After a few traded 3 and outs, New Orleans was pinned back on their own 1. They had a 4th down from their own 3, they successfully punted the ball away and rookie returner Turpin fumbles for Atlanta giving them essentially 40 yards, and the a 20 yard pass interference call, and the tide is starting to turn, but was it too little too late? Flacco connects for a TD with a missed XP to make it (ATL 30- NO 9).
 
4th Quarter
 
Atlanta's offense is sputtering in the second half as they can't hardly even muster a 1st down. New Orleans was able to get a drive going, but had to punt. Things were still tense, Jalen Hurts threw a pass to Rhamondre Stevenson who ended up breaking one for 44 yards, which finally gave Atlanta some yardage and Boston Scott ran it in from the 3 yard line to put this one way out of reach. New Orleans would tac on one more FG and the game would expire. 
 
Final: NO 12 ATL 37
 
Game MVP: Jalen Hurts (17/22 with 243 and 2 TD (1 Pass 1 Rush)
 
Injuries: TJ Watt made it 2 quarters before leaving with a concussion. His concussion protocol with keep him out 5 more games. 
 
I got some very lucky breaks. Things will be different when the Falcons visit the Saints later this year. 
       
        
 Cincinnati 26 Pittsburgh 14                 58 0-10
The defending champs and division rivals Cincinnati Bengals come to the steel city to open the season. Coach Storer (Mr Commish) won his first title defeating the Seahawks 19-17 in a thrilling IFL Super Bowl. 
 
The Champs start out the season right as Rogers fires one in to Bateman who takes it to the house from 45 yards out 7-0 Bengals. Not a good start for the revamped secondary of the Steelers. On Rogers 2nd possession the secondary shows out as newly acquired CB Emmanuel Mosley picks him off and sets up Brady and the Steelers at midfield. A methodical 10 play drive results in Brady on a 2nd and goal from the 7 cannot find a receiver but is able to dump it off to Allgerier for a TD to tie things at 7. 
 
Early in the 2nd Rogers throws his 2nd TD to Dionte Johnson to go back up 14-7. One thing is clear through the first 18 minutes Rogers despite the INT is accurate completing a high percentage of his passes while Brady is not. On the Bengals next possession they get close enough and coach Storer decides to let Fairbairn attempt a 56 yard FG going into very little wind at the stadium today 0-10mph he rewards his coaches decision and connects making it 17-7 with 7:55 to go in the 2nd. Pittsburgh on the next possession gets down to the 40 but Brady who attempts to run with the ball is stripped by Owens the Bengals recover and take over at their own 38. 12 plays later Fairbairn  connects on a much easier chance of 25 yards making it 20-7 and that is the score as we hit halftime.
 
After the Steelers drive down to the 38 on the opening drive and face a 4th and 3 coach Alberry decides to go for it and they try a misdirection with Jefferson on the end around but it is stuffed for no gain and the Bengals D holds once again. The offense then goes and gets Fairbairn in position for another fg attempt from 49 yards out as they stretch the lead to 23-7 with 9 minutes left in the 3rd. The running game gets going for the Steelers and they drive down to the 17 however they are foiled once again as Brady is picked by Bates at the 2 yard line . Bengals cannot move from their own end zone and are forced to punt. With the help of a face-mask penalty Pittsburgh is in position for a 44 yard FG attempt however as the night has gone Bass shanks it so we stay at a 23-7 game heading into the 4th
 
Pittsburgh takes over on their own 20 and get to midfield when finally all pro WR Justin Jefferson who has been facing doubles plus being defended by one of the best in the game when he was not in Jalen Ramsey takes a short slant 47 yards for the TD and the home crowd has some life at 23-14 with 12 minutes to play. With 8:19 to play the Steelers punt and Covey fumbles with rookie Kyle Hamilton jumping on the ball the home team has some life 1st and 10 from the 31. On the very next play Gus Edwards who rarely fumbles coughs it up and the Bengals recover . A couple plays later Rogers has them in Steeler territory but he is picked by another rookie in the secondary Jalen Watson and Pittsburgh once again has a punchers chance with 6 minutes to go. Brady drive the team down to the 26 but could not convert on a 4th and 8 and Cincy tacks on a late  FG to close out the road victory 26-14.
 
Rogers finishes 24-40 240 yards 2TD 2INT a 72.9QB rating while Brady finishes 18-38 for 165 yards 2TD 1INT a QB Rating of 66.2. 
 
Big Injuries in this one S  Micah Hyde is going to be out 15 games with a bum shoulder for the Bengals while the Steelers got stung twice in the LB core as Randy Gregory is gone 10 weeks with a knee issue and backup Josh Bynes who went down on his only play of the game is also out 10 weeks with a broken foot. 
 
Cincinnati (1-0) stays on the road to take on Kansas City and the Steelers (0-1) hit the road to visit the Los Angeles Chargers .
 

 Jacksonville 34 Baltimore 17                77 5-15
A tight game, 14-10 at half and 21-17 after 3 turns into a 34-17 laugher.  Key play was a Jacksonville stop in the 4th quarter on a 4th & 1 in Baltimore territory.  Baltimore actually outgained Jacksonville 330 to 287, but, lost the turnover battle 2-0, including an interception returned to the 4.  
 

 Green Bay 33 Tampa Bay 21                   87 0-10
In a season-opening game that will have season-long implications, Green Bay made the trip to Tampa Bay. The Packer’s Coach Connors gave “Mr. Irrelevant,” Brock Purdy, his first NFL start.
The two offenses showed no early-season rust while totaling 41 first-half points.
Purdy lit up the Buccaneer secondary, completing 15 of his 20 pass attempts, which were good for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Green Bay’s rushing attack contributed 60 yards in the half as well. The one blemish for the young quarterback was an interception that was returned to his own 19-yard line and resulted in a quick Tampa Bay touchdown. The Packer side of the scoreboard read 20 points after the first half.
Tampa Bay’s quarterback Derek Carr kept pace on 12 of 17 passing for 142 yards and one touchdown. Their rushing attack provided 56 yards and two TDs. The Buc’s put up 21 first half points.
The second half was a defensive story, with the plot very much in favor of Green Bay. The Buccaneers missed a field goal, went 0 for 2 on fourth downs and got shut out.
Green Bay was able to muster 13 additional points, making the final in this one Packers 33, Bucs 21.
The stat sheet showed Green Bay had garnered 454 yards to Tampa Bay’s 333. Purdy threw for 380 yards and a glossy QB rating of 124.1. The other Cook in the Packer kitchen, one James Cook (not Dalvin) gained 83 yards on just 12 carries for a 6.9 average.
Next week Green Bay travels to Seattle while Tampa heads to the Arizona desert.
 

 Tennessee 27 Philadelphia 14                85 5-15
The Eagles struggled throughout the game to move the ball against the stout Titans defense.  Tennesse's ball control offense was methodical and outscored the Eagles 17-0 in the first half.  Then Matt Ryan worked his magic and produced a fumble and an interception - but times giving Philadelphia the ball on the Titan 21 yard line.  Tannehill converted both opportunities with TD passes to Jennings and London so the score was 17-14 Tennessee going into the 4th quarter.  However a 58 yard drive finished off with a Ryan-Noah Fant TD pass increased the lead to 10 points.  A late Titan field goal finished off the scoring. 
 
 Final score Tennessee 27-Philadelphia 17.  Somehow DKS chose AJ Dillon as game MVP when the Titan defense deserved the honor (137 total yards, 7 sacks).
 

 Buffalo 21 Miami 37                         97 0-5
In the annual opening game for both team Buffalo came to Miami on a sunny calm day to start the 2023 season. The odds makers considered the game a toss up.
 
The Bills got off to a rough start, with Murry throwing a pick on their 1st possession and Miami takes over at their own 49. Miami would rum 9 plays and get the TD to go up 7-0. Buffalo would counter with their own 10 play drive aided by a Etienne 43 yard sweep to get the game even at 7.
 
Miami would go 75 yards on 17 plays carrying over into the 2nd quarter burning 7 minutes and 18 seconds and get their 2nd TD to retake the lead 14-7. Buffalo would answer on a quick 75 yard drive with Etienne going the last 37 yards to pay dirt in only 3 minutes and 19 seconds to tie the game again at 14. Miami gets the ball with 7:17 left in the half and travels 75 yards in 13 plays leaving only 40 seconds on the clock and get the TD and miss the XP to go up 20-14. Buffalo would get the ball with 40 seconds at their on 25. Using their time outs they would get it to the Miami 25 aided by a 35 yard pass interference call and attempt a FG but the Dolphins would block it as time ran out in the half.
 
Miami would get the ball to start the 2nd half and travel 75 yards in 10 plays in only 4:38 aided by Rookie WR Chris Olave's only catch of the day of 33 yards and get the score to go up 27-14. Miami would never look back and score another 10 points, while surrendering a late TD to the Bills to make the final score 37-21.
 
Tua Tagovailoa would get the MVP nod, finishing 19 of 24 for 202 yards and 3 TDs
 
Highlight for the Bills was RB Etienne finishing with 104 yards on only 6 Carries
 
Week 2 sees Buffalo at home hosting San Francisco and the Dolphins staying home hosting the Rams.
  

 Dallas 28 Arizona 34                        92 Calm 
There is only one reason Arizona wins.  It is not the coach, he is a dumb ass.  It is not the defense, despite be decent.  It is not Barkley who is a damn fine running back.  Yet none of those matter.  It is Mahomes!  The guy is a machine.  Mahomes did not even break a sweat today playing pitch and catch with every receiver on the team.
 
Dallas tried and their offense is not slouch.  The just kept coming back drive after drive.  Deboo beat a double team for a long score.  Despite his poor rating, George Pickens looks destined for the Hall of Fame with receptions all over the field.  Jammal Williams chewed up yardage as the birds were wary of Justin Herbert's ability to move his team down the field.  
 
Yet it was the last Arizona drive which showed the heart of the team.  Barkley broke a run for a first down despite being keyed.  Then on a basic defense he took a screen pass for 17 yards as Cowboy after Cowboy fell for his jukes and stutter steps.  
 
Big thanks to Patrick!
 

 Los Angeles (N) 37 San Francisco 7          76 15-25 Rain          
 The Niners actually led this game 7 to 6 before the Rams blocked 2 punts, Trevor heated up and the running game took over.  The Rams could have hung a 50 burger on the Niners, but Ryan took it easy on me.
 

 Houston 15 Las Vegas 40                     82 0-5
  Write up courtesy of ChatGPT. Probably a little grandiose for the first game of the season...
 
Only oddity was the final Raider score. Play was from the goal line and I called a QB kneel and somehow that scored a TD.
 
**************
 
(Cue epic orchestral music)

Voiceover by John Facenda

"In the heart of Allegiant Stadium, a battle unfolds like none other. On this warm August day, under the clear desert skies, two mighty titans clash, each driven by a hunger for victory. The date is August 13th, 2023, and the gridiron becomes an arena of legends.*

The Las Vegas Raiders, step onto the field. Stafford, the maestro of their offense, takes command. A 67-yard drive orchestrated in harmony, capped off by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kamara. Myers' extra point conversion is good. The Raiders are up, 7-0.

The Houston Texans, led by the arm of Cousins, step onto the field. From the very start, they showcase their aerial prowess. Cousins orchestrates a symphony of passes, culminating in a majestic 23-yard connection to McLaurin. The touchdown dance is disrupted as the extra point sails wide. The Texans are up, 6-0.

But on the other side of the field the Houston Texans, led by the arm of Cousins, are determined to answer. From the very start, they showcase their aerial prowess. Cousins orchestrates a symphony of passes, culminating in a majestic 23-yard connection to McLaurin. The touchdown dance is disrupted as the extra point sails wide. The Texans still trail by one, 7-6.

Back and forth, the contest rages on. The Texans' Sanders, booting a 34-yard field goal, claims the lead, 9-7. Yet, the Raiders, undaunted, compose a masterful drive of their own. Stafford's artistry culminates with an 11-yard pass to Moore in the end zone. Myers' successful conversion sets the score at 14-9 in favor of the Raiders.

The Texans' Cousins then delivers a magnum opus, a 70-yard symphony to McLaurin that reverberates across the stadium, momentarily placing the Texans ahead, 15-14. But as the first half curtains close, Stafford conducts one last movement, connecting with Osborn for a 35-yard strike, although the 2pt conversion fails. The Raiders lead 20-15 at halftime.

As the second half unfolds, the Raiders' dominance emerges. Myers boots a 50-yard field goal, widening the lead to 23-15. Then, Stafford engineers a 27-yard opus, finding Kamara in the end zone for another touchdown. The Raiders continue to pull away, 30-15.

With the fourth quarter on the horizon, Myers' boot rings true again, this time from 32 yards. The Raiders further extend their lead, 33-15. But they're not done yet. Stafford's play-calling genius leads to a 1-yard rushing touchdown by the quarterback himself. The Raiders' anthem grows stronger, reaching a resounding 40-15.

And so, the final notes of this epic duel resound through Allegiant Stadium. The Las Vegas Raiders claim victory, soaring to a resolute triumph over the Houston Texans. Stafford, the conductor of the day, basks in the glory of his masterful performance, earning the title of MVP.

The sun sets on this monumental clash, etching another chapter in the annals of NFL history. For on this day, under the brilliant lights, the Raiders' anthem echoed, and legends were born."

(Fade out with triumphant music)
 

 Denver 24 Chicago 28                        76 10-20
Denver jumps out to a 14 lead & it looks like it might be a run away game.  Then coach Glanville rallied the troops for the Bears & it turned out to be a good back & forth game.
Maybe the biggest play was after the Broncos held Chicago to a 3 and out, pinned way bad, Bear punter launched an 82 yrd punt. & with only 2 min to go the field was to long for Denver.
 
Thanks to Doug for a good fun game.
 

 Kansas City 21 Los Angeles (A) 26           78 Calm
LA jumps out to an early 17-0 and is seemingly in command; when on a fluke play they lose two top defensive starters
for the game, Williams[10] and Davis[7].... shortly thereafter Fields, KC’s lone bright spot, scrambles for 74 yards[119 for the day]
and KC scores two touchdowns to cut it to 17-14.... the remainder of the game played out fairly evenly....
 
Davis Mills had his career day for the Chargers, passing for 272 yards, 2 tds and adding 37 yards on the ground; his main
target was rookie Garrett Wilson who snagged all 7 of his targets for 158 yards; Nick Chubb balanced out the offense with
118 yards on the ground.
 
 
 Indianapolis 6 Carolina 27                  87 0-10 
One of those games for Indy.  Just couldn't get going.  Carolina had a 20-6 lead at half & we burned the clock in the 2nd half.
 
Glad to get the win as a sub while minimizing the use of valuable resources.
Stat pack player, White, carried the ball 18 times.
 
 New York (N) 14 Seattle 21                  59 0-10  Heavy Rain    
Giants get a lot of breaks and flags early in the game to build a 14-6 lead but the 4th quarter came and the wheels fell off.  Seattle scores two TDs to take the lead and the W in week 1.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Jacobs(Det)     29-148  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Williams,J(Dal) 20-124  1 TD
 Henry(NE)       24-124  1 TD
 Fields(KC)      12-119  2 TD
 Chubb(LAC)      25-118
 Barkley(Ari)    19-117
 Harris,D(LAR)   14-111
 Herbert(Bal)    12-110  1 TD
 Etienne(Buf)    6-104  1 TD
 Sanders(LAR)    13-101
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Wilson,G(LAC)    7-158  1 TD
 Lamb(LAR)        5- 91  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Mahomes(Ari)    37-28-324   3 TD
 Prescott(Sea)   36-23-320   1 TD  2 Int
 Smith,G(Den)    42-30-314   2 TD  2 Int
 Purdy(GB)       31-23-308   3 TD  1 Int
 Stafford(LV)    43-30-296   4 TD
 Ryan(Ten)       41-31-234   2 TD  2 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Smith,R(Buf)     20 Tk
 Holland(NYJ)     2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Fairbairn(Cin) 4-4 FG
 McLaughlin(LAC)4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK ONE STANDINGS

IFL WEEK ONE LEAGUE LEADERS

Detroit Lions Shock Fans with Top Draft Picks Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams

Detroit, MI - In a stunning turn of events, the Detroit Lions of the Independent Football League (IFL) made waves today during the draft by selecting defensive end Aidan Hutchinson with the third overall pick in round one and wide receiver Jameson Williams with the second pick in round two. The unexpected moves left fans and pundits alike in a state of disbelief, as Coach Don Merlenbach declared both players to be key pieces in the team's quest for success.
Just a year ago, the National Football League's Detroit Lions made headlines with their selection of Hutchinson as the second overall pick and Williams as the twelfth overall pick. Now, the IFL Lions have secured both players, and Coach Merlenbach couldn't contain his excitement. "Jameson Williams is the guy we've been looking for," exclaimed Merlenbach. "His speed, agility, and exceptional route running will make him a formidable weapon on offense. He's a true game-changer."
While some may question the unconventional move of drafting players who have already been selected in the NFL draft, Coach Merlenbach remains confident in his strategy. "The IFL is a league where players have the opportunity to showcase their skills in a different environment. Aidan and Jameson have the talent and potential to excel at this level, and I believe they will be instrumental in leading our team to victory."
Aidan Hutchinson, a dominant force on the defensive front, was chosen by the NFL Lions for his sheer strength and versatility. His ability to disrupt offenses and apply constant pressure on quarterbacks made him an obvious choice. Now, the IFL Lions will look to capitalize on his skills and utilize him as a cornerstone of their defensive unit.
As for Jameson Williams, the lightning-fast wide receiver left a lasting impression on NFL scouts with his explosive speed and big-play ability. Despite being drafted lower in the IFL, Coach Merlenbach sees Williams as a potential superstar who will electrify fans with his playmaking abilities. "We believe Jameson is ready to take his game to the next level. He's going to shine bright in the IFL," Merlenbach proclaimed.
While the IFL may not have the same prestige as the NFL, the Detroit Lions are making a statement by acquiring two highly touted prospects who have already tasted success in the professional ranks. With Coach Merlenbach's unwavering faith in their abilities, Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams are poised to lead the IFL Lions to new heights.
The IFL Lions' bold move has certainly sparked intrigue and anticipation among football fans, raising expectations for the upcoming season. Will Aidan Hutchinson continue to wreak havoc on opposing offenses in a new league? Can Jameson Williams replicate his electrifying performances and become the go-to target for the IFL Lions? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the Detroit Lions of the IFL have made a splash and have everyone's attention.


​

MEL'S BACK FOR HIS 2023 IFL MOCK DRAFT!

I am happy to be doing my 4th year mock for the IFL league. I always have a great time trying to match talent with the teams acting as the GM for all 30 teams. Congratulations to the Commish for winning a thrilling IFL Super Bowl.


1-Chicago Bears - The Bears hit a home run with the 3rd pick last year in edge rusher Micah Parsons now with their defense in good shape they have to turn their attention to the offense with needs OL-WR-QB. Sam Darnold has shown multiple times he is not the answer time to take take another shot at QB and this year there is only one that could go #1 overall  

Pick QB Kenny Pickett


2-LA Chargers - LA has 2 young QB's Zach Wilson and Davis Mills both whom appear to have lost their starting jobs but I cannot see Coach Banko going to the well a 3rd time and taking a chance on Brock Purdy when he has enough to address the position later this draft or next year. They could go for WR Garret Wilson here but  with Adoree Jackson Injury history and Michael Davis a good 2nd CB I don't see how you pass on what I consider the best player in the draft and defensive Rookie of the Year and a shutdown CB. 

Pick CB Sauce Gardner


3- Detroit Lions - After trading down last year from the 5th spot they landed at #28 and picked Edge Gregory Rousseau .The Lions future is in the balance as they hope Deshaun Watson can revive his career. Since Coach Merlenbach already announce the 2 players he was choosing from WR Garrett Wilson or Chris Olive and both players were outstanding last year but I would give the edge to the offensive rookie of the year . 

Pick WR Garrett Wilson


4-Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins Offense is in pretty good shape 2 starting caliber QB's a Workhorse RB ,and 2 receivers with over 50 catches with a solid OL. But their D-Line is in shambles and needs some talent infusion. Luckily for Miami talent matches need . 

Pick Edge Aidan Hutchinson


5-Indianapolis Colts - Well the Colts under Coach Evans  in his first two drafts got arguable the best QB (Herbert is very talented so the jury is still out) and the best WR Ja'Marr Chase not a bad start. With needs on the OL and the Defensive front seven why not just complete the trifecta and get the top RB available or how about bringing in Olive to pair with Chase that would be fun. How about any number of OL whom could help. I would just finish the trifecta and get other pieces later in the draft there is just not that many workhorse backs to chose from. 

Pick RB Tavis Etienne


6-Carolina Panthers - This team has a need at WR to try to help straighten out Russell Wilson and let him cook. They could also use an OT but there is an obvious player sitting here that will fill their need.

Pick WR Chris Olive


7- Denver Broncos - Out of the blue Coach Crandall has whats looks to be a franchise QB at the age of 32 as Geno Smith shocks the world who wrote him off but he did not write back as he throws 31TD and only 11Ints. They have 2 stud RB in McCaffrey and Eckler whom both managed to play 17 games this year and last years 1st round pick WR Davonte Smith teamed up with Cortland Sutton and the skill position is more than solid for the Broncos. The are in desperate need of offensive lineman. Again if I am the Broncos I try to move back but If I need to pick I am going to have to pass on the WR and take the best LT on the board. 

Pick OT Braxton Jones


8- Minnesota Vikings - Another team needing a QB even though they took Trey Lance last year with the number 8 pick he did not play well when he played and appears to not have a starting role right now. He may still be a starter in this league but it will take time however he may never get there also. So do you take a QB again with this pick or with so many holes on the team do you just start taking the best player in your assessment available and hope that Trey works it out. I will always go with a swing at QB until I get the position right and although only 5 starts under his belt 13TD and only 4 picks good for a 107.3 QB rating and appears the favorite to be the starter when he returns from injury  

Pick QB Brock Purdy    


9-Houston Texans- The Houston franchise has not taken a 1st Rd defensive player since 2013. With needs at Edge and CB the trend should change . But with Drake London still on the board do not be surprised if he is the pick.

Pick  CB Tariq Woolen


10-Philadelphia Eagles - With a solid defense and many needs on offense the Eagles have 2 picks in the first Rd and should probable go after offense and do not over think this selection . 

Pick WR Drake London


11-Buffalo Bills - Bills Mafia stand up.... with Kyler Murray's injury not letting him play all 17 games Buffalo will need a run game and right now on the roster they have no one with more than 17 carries. 

Pick RB Kenneth Walker


12- NY Jets - Rashaun Slater the Promising LT was the Jets pick in the 1st last year he was 5th overall and a great choice for Coach Durfee but was unfortunately injured last year making only 3 starts So the Jets are going to need to find help at this position again this year. NY has only Jameis Winston at QB but they also have needs throughout their defense with almost every position in need of starters or upgrades.  With 2 more picks in the first round. 

Pick QB Desmond Ridder


13 -Green Bay Packers -This team have a solid OL and Defense, they have needs at QB and WR. With young Receivers Eligah Moore and KJ Hamler in the building whom they hope will grow into threats in the coming years.

Pick WR George Pickens


14- Pittsburgh Steelers - Despite picking a first round RB last year in Javonte Williams due to his injury and questionable timetable to return the Steelers are again in need of a RB but also need CB and Edge help. 

Pick Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux


15- Dallas Cowboys - ah the Cowboys Americas Team they pick Justin Herbert in 2021 with the 2nd pick which allows them to trade the 2nd pick in 2022 draft for featured player Debo Samuel and some other depth players to fill some starter roles. They could go WR or CB in this scenario I again would go with the best player. 

Pick CB Trent McDuffie


16 - LA Rams - The Rams aggressively traded up to that number 2 spot last year and selected their Franchise QB in Trevor Lawrence while also managing to keep their 22 pick to select DE Kwity Paye. This will depend on whom Coach Heaton believes has the most upside out of the WR left to choose from .

Pick WR Christian Watson


17- Philadelphia Eagles- 2nd pick in the first round so many directions to go add a 2nd WR and really solidify that group get a RB because there are not that many available this year as workhorse or turn to the O-Line and get some much needed help. They should pull the trigger on a featured back but I want a back who is in line to be a feature back for the foreseeable future. 

Pick RB Damien Pierce


18-NY Jets - The Jets traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the Titans for this pick. Already having pick their QB of the future the Jets will take a Weapon to add in the backfield . 

Pick RB Issiah Pacheco

 
19- Baltimore Ravens What a fine job Coach Green did taking over the reigns midway through last season. Now he gets his shot at picking the groceries. Although their O-Line is pretty good they do have a need at Guard even if Vera-Tucker which he was not missing 10 games. They could go RB but I think this would be a great value here for a versatile Offensive Lineman. 

Pick OL Tyler Smith


20 - Green Bay Packers- On the clock for the second time in the 1st round. They get the best center in the draft to fill hole in their solid O-Line. 

Pick C Tyler Linderbaum


21- Kansas City Chiefs - With help needed on the DL and a promising young stud still on the board the chiefs get a building block in the middle of their defense. 

Pick DT Jordan Davis


22- NY Giants - The Giants made a trade for Daniel Jones to be their QB Now its time to build around him and there is still a RB on the board that will help their balance the offense. 

Pick RB Tyler Allgeier


23- Atlanta Falcons - Two first round picks for Coach Alberry and two Gems Jalen Hurts and Patrick Surtain not bad can he make it 3 in a row. I think they will go back to CB position here to try and pair someone up with Surtain.

Pick CB Martin Emerson


24- Las Vegas Raiders - This is a pretty well balanced team although they are getting older in some spots. What they do need is a CB with injuries hitting the team. There is also some nice OL at this pick so they could go either way.

Pick CB Jack Jones


25- Houston Texans - After having taken a CB earlier in the 1st the Texans get back to their roots and draft a Young LT.

Pick OT Charles Cross


26- NY Jets - With their 3rd first round pick NY address's the defense's Line. 

Pick DL George Karlaftis


27- Jacksonville Jaguars - This is another pretty good team and they are not worried about what will become of this player next year they want to make a run this year and with Josh Allen leading the way with Metcalf and Cooper on the outside they need a running game not named Allen. 

Pick RB Rachaad White


28 - New Orleans Saints - Coach Rice has a great track record but right now they face uncertainty as they have a good roster but no franchise QB. They take a swing and hope he turns out to be their answer next year. 

Pick QB Sam Howell


29- Seattle Seahawks - Coach Heaton was so close to the championship but they left the field heartbroken. They still have a great looking squad with few holes to fill. They will take a CB to help out their secondary. 

Pick CB Roger McCreary


30- Cincinnati Bengals - The Champs what do they do for an encore. I believe they will turn to a back that has a promising future as a lead back. 

Pick RB Brian Robinson Jr


​

NFL NETWORK'S SCHRAGER MOCKS THE 2023 IFL DRAFT

Peter Schrager, co-host of the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" show accepted IFL Commissioner John Storer's invitation to give his thoughts on the upcoming IFL draft.  Let's turn it over to Peter!

Thank you, Mr. Commissioner, I am a big follower of the IFL and by the way, congratulations to the Bengals on their Super Bowl championship.  That was quite a game!  Now, on to my mock.

BEARS - Chicago is building their own Monsters of the Midway defense with exciting players like last year's number one pick Micah Parsons and veteran Maxx Crosby.  There have been rumors (smoke screens perhaps?) that the Bears may go defense again this year.  I am going to go a different direction.  The quarterback situation in Chicago could use an upgrade.  Sam Darnold, who the Bears invested a high pick on just a few years ago has not developed the way they hoped.  Kenny Pickett, has the starting job with a good organization.  Pickett's ceiling might be of a prime Andy Dalton and that is not bad at all.  The floor could be, well Sam Darnold.  But in my opinion, it is worth the gamble.

CHARGERS - The Chargers invested in two young quarterbacks in last year's draft.  While the jury is still out, I think Los Angeles will invest in a dynamic young wide receiver to help them out.  Garrett Wilson looks to be the best of the bunch.

LIONS - Detroit is another franchise that could use another wide receiver and there are still a couple out that could warrant using the third overall pick with.  However, I think they boast the defense and keep defensive end Aidan Hutchenson in Michigan.

DOLPHINS - Miami could go at least a couple different directions.  They could boast the receiver room with Chris Olave or go defense.  The Dolphins have some promising corners on their roster, but none are considered lock down.  I like Ahmad Gardner to the Dolphins here.

COLTS -  Indianapolis has invested in offense the last two drafts and hit home runs!  There are some defensive players that would at least merit discussion at number five but a combination of Ja'Marr Chase and Chris Olave would make the "franchise" a happy guy.

JETS - This is getting tougher with each pick.  The quarterback room certainly needs upgraded and I wouldn't fault Gang Green if they went that direction. Chasing a quarterback can reap great rewards but usually results in disappointment.  I would snag cornerback Tariq Woolen here and see if a quarterback is available later.

BRONCOS - Denver is loaded at the skill positions.  However, the offensive line is in need of a major upgrade.  The problem is it might be a little early to go that direction.  A trade down might be a good idea.  At this spot I would go with defensive end Kayon Thibodeaux.

VIKINGS - Minnesota took a 49er quarterback last year.  I like the idea of doubling down and taking another.  Let Brock Purdy and Trey Lance battle it out.  Plus, if one gets injured you have the guy likely to step in.

TEXANS - Houston is another team that could consider trading down although they do have another pick at 25 overall.  Regardless the two players that should be in consideration will both be gone at 25.  The Texans could use help at defensive end, corner, and tight end.  But, I don't really see a player at those positions that I would take in the top ten.  I could see Drake London as a nice value pick but not an immediate need.  I think safety Kyle Hamilton offers top ten value and boast the secondary for years to come.

EAGLES - It was not long ago that Philly was in the Super Bowl and the future was bright.  Things can change quickly in the IFL.  I am going to go with Drake London here although I could see center Tyler Linderbaum receiving some consideration.

BILLS - Another team that should give Linderbaum a look, but that running back room looks bare.  Buffalo would have the pick of the litter.  Two running backs I am sure the Bills war room has had spirited debates about are Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker.  I think Travis Etienne is a little more dynamic.

PANTHERS - Another franchise that was in the big game not too long ago.  Its tough to get there and harder to stay there in the IFL.  Carolina needs a "Robin" to Mike Evans "Batman".  George Pickens would be a nice side kick.

PACKERS - Another team that is looking for the next superstar under center.  That probably isn't going to be found at 13 but they can solve the center position for years to come.  Tyler Linderbaum goes to Green Bay.

STEELERS - Pittsburgh drafted a running back in the first-round last year and very well could again this year.  They also need help in the secondary and the future of Trent McDuffie looks bright.

COWBOYS - The Dallas war room is probably not happy that Pittsburgh took McDuffie out from under them.  Still, the future is looking up in Big D.  They have a chance to beef up the O-line with Tyler Smith.

RAMS - In a rare turn of events the Rams missed the postseason last year.  I won't be surprised if they return in 2023.  I think Los Angeles could go a couple different directions.  There are offensive linemen that could boast or add long term value.  But I like the value of cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. at 16.

EAGLES (from San Francisco) - With the second of their two first round picks, the Eagles may look to invest in an offensive tackle.  I like Ikem Ekwonu at this spot.

JETS (from Tennessee) - Another example where patience is a virtue.  New York gets their young quarterback to develop in Desmond Ridder.

RAVENS - The unofficial IFL Coach of the Year, after an 0-4 start, Baltimore secured a playoff spot.  Baltimore has two electrifying running backs.  Guard Zion Johnson will make them even more electric.

PACKERS (from Arizona) - The Packers missed out on Ridder but they can upgrade the receiving core for their next quarterback with Christian Watson.

CHIEFS - Another team whose stock is climbing, Kansas City hopes to return to the Super Bowl soon.  David Montgomery is getting up there in miles.  It's time Kenneth Walker went off the board.

GIANTS - The Giants could use help on the defensive side of the ball, wide receiver, and tight end but I don't see anyone that would provide the value at this selection.  New York likes to be able to run the ball and Dameon Pierce would assist in that.

FALCONS - What a pick Atlanta made in 2021 with Jalen Hurst 12th overall!  Patrick Surtain at 15 last year was pretty good too.  The Falcons have one of the younger front offices in the IFL and its believed lean towards the analytics more than some of the old school IFL members.  Atlanta could use a wide receiver here, but I think they will wait and while this player did not grade well in his rookie season tackle Charles Cross could develop into an anchor for the Falcons offensive line for many years to come.

RAIDERS - Las Vegas could use some help on the interior of the offensive line.  Fortunately, Jamaree Salyer is still available at 24.  Otherwise, a wide receiver like Jahan Dotson or Treylon Burks might be in play.

TEXANS (from Tampa Bay) - After snagging safety Kyle Hamilton with pick number nine, Houston keeps with the theme of defense and selects promising defensive end George Karlaftis.

JETS (from New England) - The Jets could have gambled that Ridder would have made it here but better to play it safe.  I think wide receiver Treylon Burks is a good gamble here.

JAGUARS - Jacksonville gave a glimpse of what may be to come with the biggest upset of the 2022 IFL playoffs.  They could go running back here with Isiah Pacheco but I like beefing up the linebacker corps with free agent Kaden Elliss here.

SAINTS - One of the best coaches in the IFL, the Saints make the most of their roster every year.  Pacheco could be in play here but New Orleans could use big Jordan Davis on the defensive line.

SEAHAWKS - What do you mock to the team that has everything?  Cornerback could use an upgrade.  There are multiple players to choose from but I think Seattle will go with DaRon Bland and his five interceptions.

BENGALS - Cincinnati wraps up the first round.  Paying for their sin of winning the Super Bowl with pick 30.  The Bengals could use a running back, help at wide receiver, and a corner.  But the best player remaining on the board is safety Jalen Pitre.

Best of luck to all in the 2023 IFL draft!

​Peter Schrager

LIONS WELCOME chatGPT TO WAR ROOM 

Detroit draft prospects Chris Olave (#2) and Garrett Wilson (#5)

Title: Detroit Lions Poised to Create a Dynamic Duo in Independent Football League (IFL) Draft
June 2, 2023

In a surprising turn of events, the Detroit Lions, led by their head coach Don Merlenbach, are set to make a bold move in the upcoming Independent Football League (IFL) draft. As anticipation builds, football enthusiasts and experts have been speculating on which talented wide receiver the Lions will select to bolster their offensive prowess.

With the first pick among wide receivers, the Detroit Lions are projected to choose between two highly skilled prospects, Garret Wilson and Chris Olave. Both players have had impressive college careers, displaying exceptional skill sets that have captivated fans and analysts alike.
Garret Wilson, hailing from The Ohio State University, showcased his outstanding abilities during the 2022 season. With 83 receptions, totaling 1,103 yards and 4 touchdowns, Wilson established himself as a formidable force on the field. Known for his incredible speed and precise route-running, Wilson possesses the potential to be a game-changer in the IFL.
On the other hand, Chris Olave, also from The Ohio State University, exhibited his own brand of excellence during the same season. With 72 receptions, accumulating 1,042 yards and 4 touchdowns, Olave's consistent performance earned him recognition as a top-tier talent. His exceptional agility, strong hands, and ability to create separation make him a promising candidate for the Lions.
​
If the Lions do indeed choose either Wilson or Olave, they will join forces with their established wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy, who had an impressive rookie season in the NFL with 67 receptions for 972 yards and 6 touchdowns, has already proven himself as a force to be reckoned with. Adding either Wilson or Olave to the mix would create an explosive offensive tandem that could strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenses.
This potential combination of talent has Lions fans eagerly anticipating the draft and dreaming of the offensive fireworks that could ensue. A formidable trio of Wilson, Olave, and Jeudy would undoubtedly elevate the Lions' passing game and give opposing defenses nightmares. The duo's ability to stretch the field, exploit defenses, and create big plays would undoubtedly make the Lions a formidable contender in the IFL.
While nothing is set in stone until draft day, the possibility of the Detroit Lions selecting either Garret Wilson or Chris Olave to pair with Jerry Jeudy has already sparked excitement and speculation among fans and experts alike. With an eye towards the future, the Lions are poised to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the IFL, and their dynamic trio of wide receivers could be just the catalyst they need to achieve greatness.

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IFL 2023 DRAFT ORDER

IFL SUPER BOWL

Bengals 19  Seahawks 17

Bengals quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP as Cincinnati rallies to defeat Seattle.

​The IFL Super Bowl XXII was held at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.  It featured undefeated and the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks facing the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.  The Seahawks finished the regular season with the number four rated offense scoring 27.3 points per game and number three rated defense allowing just 13.2 points per game.  The Bengals ranked number one in defense allowing only 11.2 points per game.  This was the Seattle franchise's fourth trip to the big game winning championships in 2010 and 2012.  They defeated Cincinnati in both those contests.


The Bengals won the toss and deferred.  Seattle converted a third and eight as Dak Prescott found Antonio Brown for 20 yards but would eventually be forced to punt.  After an incompletion, Michael Carter would sprint 43 yards to the Seahawks 37.  But RoJo would fumble on the next play with Seattle recovering.   The Seahawks would drive to the Cincinnati 35 but a Joey Slye 53 yard field goal attempt would be no good.  Carter would run for 11 yards on the Bengals first play from scrimmage but the Bengals would eventually have to punt as the first quarter would be scoreless.

The teams would exchange punts early in the second quarter.  The Seahawks defensive line had already sacked Cincinnati quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice.  The Seattle offense finally got their footing as Prescott led them on a 17 play 70 yard drive that resulted in a Prescott to Brown 14 yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead with 3:32 remaining in the half. 

Backup running back Derrick Gore ran for 17 yards on the Bengals first play of the next series but two Rodgers incompletions would result in another punt.  Rodgers failed to complete a pass in the first half.  The half would end with the Seahawks up 7-0.

The Cincinnati offense continued to struggle to open the third quarter.  Rodgers would have to fall on a bad snap and Chandler Jones would collect one of his three sacks for the game.  The Bengals would punt but gained only 16 net yards as Mike Hughes would return Kevin Huber's 36 yard punt 20 yards.  Prescott completed two passes to Aaron Jones to set up Slye's 41 yard field goal and a 10-0 lead with 11:07 remaining in the quarter.

Another long Michael Carter run for 67 yards would set Cincinnati up at the Seattle five.  However, after an incompletion Rodgers would be intercepted by Xavien Howard to end the threat and the score remained 10-0.

The teams would exchange punts until Seattle hit a big play as Tee Higgins ran 54 yards on a short slant to the Bengals 37.  Prescott hit Michael Pittman Jr. for 12 and then Darrel Henderson Jr. ran 19 yards to set up first and goal at the Cincinnati six.  Henderson would take it in on the next play as the Seahawks increased their lead to 17-0.

The Cincinnati offense found some success with the short passing game as they slowly began moving the ball as the quarter ended.  This would continue early into the fourth quarter as a Rodgers to Diontae Johnson 11 yard pass would cap off a 14 play 75 yard drive to cut the Seattle lead to 17-7 with 9:41 remaining.  

After an Isaiah McKenzie kickoff return would only reach the Seahawks 18 yard line it looked like Chidobe Awuzie intercepted Prescott's pass and replay would confirm it, setting the Bengals up at the Seattle 32 yard line.  After runs of six and ten yards by Carter and Gore, Rodgers would connect with Johnson for seven.  An incompletion would result in third and three.  A dump off to Carter would gain two and RoJo would convert the fourth and one with a three yard run to the Seattle four.  RoJo would take it in from four yards and the Bengals trailed 17-13 pending the extra point.  Of course the extra point was no good and Cincinnati trailed by four with 6:14 remaining.

The number one ranked defense in the IFL lived up to their billing as they forced a Seahawk punt with 3:07 remaining.  After a Carter three yard run, Nick Bosa would sack Rodgers for a four yard loss making it third and 11.  Rodgers would connect with Rashod Bateman for nine.  After the two minute warning Carter would convert the fourth and two with a three yard run.  An encroachment penalty would make it first and five for the Bengals at their own 31 with just 1:28 remaining.  An eight yard completion to Johnson would move the chains.  A completion to Bryan Edwards would net seven yards but after Jones' third sack of the game, Cincinnati would face third and seven with 0:50 seconds remaining.  Rodgers would scramble for 14 yards to the Seattle 44.  After a Bengals timeout Rodgers would dump it to Gerald Everett for five to the Seattle 39.  Cincinnati called another timeout with 23 seconds remaining.  With Seattle playing a 3-1 quarter defense Rodgers would complete the biggest pass of his IFL career, a 39 yard touchdown on a medium pass to Bateman for the go ahead score, 19-17 Bengals as the two point conversion failed.  After a McKenzie kickoff return to the 21, the Seahawks had 15 seconds remaining to at least reach field goal range.  A Pittman reception for 15 yards left just two seconds remaining.  The Seahawks attempted a long post pattern but it fell incomplete and the Bengals celebrated their first IFL Championship!

Congratulations to Kris on a great season.  Realistically if we played ten times the Seahawks would win eight or nine.  

While he didn't have a great game, Aaron Rodgers was named MVP.  Rodgers completed 13 of 23 for 129 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.  Michael Carter rushed for 175 yards on 18 attempts.  Diontae Johnson caught 7 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.  Linebacker Alexander Johnson led the Cincinnati defense with 12 tackles and their only sack.  Awuzie finished with seven tackles and an interception.  The Cincinnati defense held the Seahawk rushing attack to under 3 yards per carry.

Prescott finished 19 of 25 for 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  Michael Pittman Jr. caught 7 passes for 72 yards.  Brown 4 receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown.  The Seattle defense was led by Chandler Jones with 8 tackles and 3 sacks.  Nick Bosa added four tackles and 2 sacks.
​

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​IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bengals 20  Jaguars 17 (O.T.)

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey's interception in overtime allowed the Bengals to kick the game winning field goal.

​It was rock'n in the jungle as the IFL Cincinnati Bengals hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.  Bengals owner Mike Brown was caught by surprise when it turned out the Bengals would be hosting another postseason game.  Game days require a lot of manpower, supplies, and concessions plus he had to have the plumbing turned back on.  All was not lost as there was plenty of popcorn and beer for the IFL Bengal faithful.


This was the third season in a row the Bengals reached the conference finals only to be outed by eventual champion New England.  I believe this was surprising Jacksonville's first conference final appearance.  Being members of the toughest division in the IFL, the AFC Central, the two teams had already played twice with the Bengals taking both games.  But the Jaguars upset the number one seed and two time defending champion Patriots so the previous two contests meant little.

The Bengals won the opening coin toss and deferred.  Both teams were forced to punt on their opening drives.  On Jacksonville's second drive, Antonio Gibson ripped off a 15 yard run.  Then Josh Allen found DK Metcalf for 23.  Gibson carried two more times for a total of 10 yards and Allen finished it off with a 42 yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper as the Jags drew first blood, 7-0.  Cincinnati answered on its next series as rookie Michael Carter went 45 yards to tie it at 7.

After another Jacksonville punt, the Bengals were hoping to take control but Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Devin McCourty on the first play of the second quarter.  Keyed by an Allen 16 yard designed run the Jaguars would regain the lead on a Randy Bullock 40 yard field goal, 10-7.  Once again Cincinnati would answer with an 11 play drive capped off by a Matthew Wright 37 yard field goal and we were square again at 10 with about five minutes remaining in the half.

After forcing another Jaguars punt, Rodgers would once again try to choke the game away with another interception by Jacksonville's Stephon Gilmore.  This time the Jags were sitting pretty at the Cincinnati 35.  Allen would run for 12 but Bengal safety Micah Hyde would save the day by intercepting Allen on the six yard line.  One play later the Bengals would head to the locker room dodging another bullet.

The Bengals would be forced to punt on their opening drive of the second half.  Jacksonville would go on a 17 play 80 yard drive.  Allen would complete a 15 yard pass to Gibson, 11 yards to Rod Higgins, and Metcalf for 15 yards.  Another Allen 10 yard run would set up the Jags at first and goal on the one.  It looked like Damien Williams scored on first down but the video review reversed the call.  However, Williams would score on the next play as Jacksonville would regain the lead 17-10 with three and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Cincinnati would answer with a 14 play 75 yard drive with Rodgers finding RoJo on a 3 yard dump off pass.  The teams would finish regulation punting to one another.

The Jaguars would win the overtime flip.  Gibson would run for eight.  Allen would hit Jack Doyle for 2 yards but it was short of the line to gain.  Allen would sneak for the first down.  However, on the next play Allen would throw a short out that Hyde would bat into the air and Jalen Ramsey would come down with and return 8 yards giving Cincinnati the ball at the Jags 37.  On first down Rodgers would connect with Diontae Johnson for 14.  After 3 runs for 3 yards each by the law firm of Carter, Jones, and Gore, Wright would convert from 32 yards out and for the first time in ten years the Bengals are heading back to the Super Bowl!

Congratulations to Dave on a great season.  He called a really good game as usual.

Michael Carter led the Bengals, rushing for 100 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.  Josh Allen led the Jags with 73 yards rushing although he completed just 16 of 24 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.  Rodgers was not much better going 15 of 27 for 142 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.  Safety Micah Hyde was the defensive star for Cincinnati with 6 tackles, a sack, and an interception.
​

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Seahawks 28  Saints 0

The Seahawks Dak Prescott threw 3 touchdowns passes as Seattle earns Super Bowl trip.

​New Orleans would travel to Seattle for the second time this season for the NFC Championship and hope for a better result the then 31-14 loss in the regular season.
 
 
New Orleans would get the ball first on a windy day in Seattle.  Even with the wind at their backs they made their gameplan clear early on:  Run the rock.  Early on it would look like a promising plan as Conner and company would run the ball 7 of its first 8 plays to the Seattle 44 yard line.  Unfortunately what would become a running theme the offense line would tart to get grabby and they would be hit with back to back holding calls.  Faced with a first and 30 there wasn’t much New Orleans could do and they would be forced to punt.  First drive: 11 plays net of 24 yards.  The Saints Special teams would show up though and pin Seattle at the 2 yard line.  Seattle, clearly terrified of Myles Garrett and Cam Jordan, called 3 conservative plays and punted it back to New Orleans. 
 
New Orleans would start the next drive on the Seattle 48 but fail to get anything going and were forced to punt.  This time around Gillikin would be unable to avoid a touchback and Seattle would get the ball on the 25.  With room to operate Prescott would start to get the Seahawks offense moving with a couple of quick completions to Hockenson and Pittman.  Facing a 3rd and 1 on the New Orleans 29 yard line Prescot would see the coverage and hit Pittman over the top for a 29 yard TD.  7-0 Seattle.   Both New Orleans and Seattle’s next two drives would stall out and New Orleans would have the ball with 6:56 left in the half on their own 20 yardline.  They would again go back to the run game to pickup a few first downs and get the ball to the Seattle 45.  New Orleans would give Igwebuike on an offtackle play when he would be stripped by Chandler Jones and the ball picked up by Xavien Howard whop would return it 64 yards for a TD. 
 
New Orleans would quickly go 3 and out and give Seattle the ball back with 1:27 left in the half.  Prescott would quickly march them down the field to the 14 yard line with 16 seconds left.  On 3rd down he would hit Tee Higgins in the back of the endzone to put Seattle up 21-0.   New Orleans would get the ball with 5 seconds left and almost ended on a disastrous note when the center snapped the ball over Heinicke’s head.  Fortunately he was able to get on top of it to keep the score 21-0 a the half.
 
The second half would start much like how the first one ended with the New Orleans kicker kicking the kickoff out of bounds.  With great field position it wouldn’t take Seattle long to capitalize as 3 plays later Pittman would be dancing in the endzone with his second score of the game to put Seattle up 28-0.   New Orleans would try to stick to its gameplan but kept running into the same problem:  As soon as they crossed the 50 things seemingly fell apart.   Seattle would hold on to win 28-0 and head to the Super Bowl to face the Cincinnati Bengals for a 3rd time.
 
 
Prescott would rebound from last weeks game to go 17-21 for 170 yards and 3 Tds.  He did have 1 INT. 
 
Hienike wasn’t able to get much going through the air as he would comple 16-29 pass for only 77 yards and an INT.

The New Orleans run game tried to carry the day with 40 carries for 157 yards.  Unfortunately holding penalties and false starts helped kill a number of their drives.  They had 11, 10, and 12 play drives that provided 0 points.
 
New Orleans ran 69 offensive plays compared to Seattle’s 44.
 
Jim did a great job but there just wasn’t a whole lot he could do to overcome his teams mistakes. 
​

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​IFL DIVISONAL ROUND

Jaguars 21  Patriots 14

Antonio Gibson rushed for 137 yards on 24 carries as the Jags stun the defending champs.

​Jacksonville comes to New England looking to avenge an earlier season blowout loss to the Patriots, and wouldn't you know it they jumped out in front early 3-0 thanks to a 10-play drive keyed by some nice passing from Josh Allen, who connected with Metcalf, Boyle and Cooper along the way.  

Marcus Williams picked off Allen late in the initial quarter however, which led to a Kareem Hunt 5 yard TD early in the 2nd.  7-3 Patriots.

Allen went right back to work, hitting Metcalf on consecutive plays for 19 and 13 yards.  Meanwhile Antonio Gibson was running effectively also including a nice 16 yard run straight through the teeth of the Patriot defense.  Jags settled for a field goal however.  The game would go to the half tied 7-6.

A 41 yard Lamar Jackson to Kupp bomb was followed by a Jonathan Taylor 12 yard TD run.  Pats led 14-6 with 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

But this was a different Jacksonville team than the Patriots saw during the regular season, and they would not go away quietly.  On the very next drive, Josh Allen went 8 for 8 passing setting up a short Damien Williams TD run.  Williams then ran straight up the middle for the 2 point conversion and the game was TIED AT 14 with 12 minutes remaining!

Patriots look to respond and move the ball out to their 44 thanks to a 16 yard Kupp reception.  After an incomplete pass, a Taylor 8 yard run was followed by a 1 yard Jackson run, bringing up a 4th and 1 decision from the Pats just across the 50 yard line.  Pats decide to go for it, and with the Jags defense keying on Taylor, Hunt took the handoff but was STOPPED SHORT!!  Jags take over at their own 46 yard line with 9 minutes to play!

Pats D stiffened though and forced a 3 and out.  After a punt NE had the ball at their own 11 yard line with 8 minutes to play.

Even looking pass, Taylor was stopped for a 3 yard loss.  Taylor took the handoff on 2nd down and gained 5, brining up a 3rd and 8.  Jackson to Marquez Callaway for 18 moved the chains however.  First and ten NE with 6 minutes remaining.

After Taylor was stopped for only 1 yard, Jackson dropped back and looked to dump it off to Taylor but to his surprise, CB Tre'Davious White was there and jumped in front and PICKED OFF the pass!  Jacksonville ball at the NE 41 with 5:08 to play.

Pats were expecting run but Antonio Gibson didn't care, ripping through the defense for 18 yards!  A 2 yard run followed bringing up 2nd and 8.........

An incomplete pass to Metcalf followed.......but wait!!  Jonathan Allen was called for roughing the passer!!  First down Jags at the NE 10 yard line.

Gibson rushed for 1 and 3 yards brining up 3rd and goal approaching 2 minutes............

3 WR set - Allen dropped back and hit Amari Cooper for the 6 yard TD!!  Jags up 21-14 with 2:02 remaining!

A penalty on the kick return set NE back at their 5 yard line.   Taylor for 10 yards bought NE some breathing room.  Two plays later, Taylor broke off another 21 yards.  First down at the NE 41 but only 36 seconds to play..................

Jackson to Kupp........but he was doubled.  Incomplete and 2nd down.

Jackson looked for TY Hilton but he dropped the pass.  3rd down. 

Jackson forced to dump it off to Taylor on 3rd down........bringing up 4th and 11 with 18 seconds.........................

Jackson dropped back and aired it out in the direction of Cyril Grayson, but it was knocked down............and Jacksonville had pulled off the upset!!

Antonio Gibson rushed for 137 yards on 24 carries and was virtually unstoppable for most of the game.  WR DK Metcalf caught 6 for 70 yards to lead Jags' receivers.

For NE it was not meant to be.  Jacksonville's defense was up to the task, with corners Stephon Gilmore and Tre' White doing a nice job on Kupp (6 for 108) and Hill (3 for 32), while the front seven held up well against the Patriots previously dominant offensive line.  Taylor did finish the game with 140 yards and a score.........but it wasn't enough.  Pats shot themselves in the foot on a few occasions, while Jags took advantage of the opportunities presented to them.  Great game by Coach Dave!  They came to NE and *took* the game from the Patriots.  Well deserved.

Jags will meet the Bengals next week in the AFC Title game!  

Best of luck to both coaches!
​

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Bengals 22  Raiders 17

Aaron Rodgers throws for 256 yards and 2 TDs as the Bengals get by the Raiders.

​The IFL Raiders traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in one of two AFC Divisional playoff games.  The two teams met in week seven during the regular season with the Raiders winning a hard fought 21-17 decision in Vegas.

The Bengals received the opening kickoff.  Despite the wind at his back, Aaron Rodgers second pass was a pick six compliments of Darius Slay and the Raiders had a quick 7-0 lead.  Cincinnati put together an 8-play 55 yard drive but settled on a Matthew Wright chip shot field goal to cut the Vegas lead to 7-3. The teams exchange punts for the remainder of the opening quarter.

However, the Raiders would extend their lead to 14-3 as Matthew Stafford connected with Cedrick Wilson on a 36 yard pass play on the first play of the second quarter.  The Vegas defense and a Ben Powers holding penalty forced another Bengals punt.  But the Raiders returner Wilson fumbled with Cincinnati recovering at the Vegas 33.  Journeyman tailback Derrick Gore ran for 16 yards and Rodgers connected with Dionate Johnson for the 17 yard score to cut the Raiders lead to 14-10 with about 12 minutes remaining in the quarter.  The Raiders answered with a long 14-play 58 yard drive capped off with a Jason Myers 36 yard field goal, 17-10 Vegas.  Thanks to some power running the Bengals were able to close out the scoring for the half with another Wright field goal as the Raiders led 17-13 at the half.

The third quarter was scoreless as both defenses dug in.

The Raiders had a chance to extend their lead to open the fourth quarter but Myers missed from 36 yards out.  I am sure the wind played a factor.  After an inspiring half time story from Coach Storer the Bengals offense seemed fired up.  On third and eight Rodgers found Johnson for 45 yards.  Michael Carter rushed for 16 yards and Cincinnati was now at the Vegas 11.  After another Carter five yard run, Rodgers found Freddie Swain for the go-ahead six yard score.  The game was still in serious doubt as far as IFL Bengal fans were concerned as the extra point was blocked!  The Bengals led 19-17.

After exchanging punts, the Raiders had one last chance but turned it over on downs.  Vegas could not overcome the strong wind in their face as the Cincinnati field crew opened the gates of the south end zone.  The Bengals tried to run out the clock but Vegas applied their two timeouts so Cincinnati had Wright kick another field goal and Cincinnati would advance 22-17.

Congratulations to Keith on another fine season and another hard fought game.

The Bengals await the winner of the Jacksonville vs New England game.

​

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​Saints 31  Buccaneers 24

A.J. Brown caught 6 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown as the Saints rally to defeat Tampa Bay.

The Saints would visit Tampa in the divisional round of the playoffs. This would be their second meeting of the year with the Bucs taking round 1. The Saints would defer and kick to Tampa. Tampa would get the ball at their own 43 and take it to the Saints 14 yard line and on 3rd down Derick Carr would throw a pick in the endzone to Charvarius Ward. The Saints would try to take advantage of the mishap but on their 2nd play from scrimmage Taylor Heinecke would return the favor throwing a pick 6 to Singleton. 7-0 Bucs. The Saints would get the ball again and have a 3 and out. This game had that bad feel to it early for the Saints as on the first play a long pass was called dead cause of a whistle. Tampa would get the ball and take it down the field again but the Saints would come up with a key stop at the 20 and force a Boswell FG. 10-0 Bucs. The Saints would get the ball at their own 25 and this felt like a key drive. They would take it to the 33 and then Heinecke would connect with AJ Brown on a long pass for the TD. 10-7 Bucs 1 minute into the 2nd quarter. Tampa would get the ball and on 3rd down on a pass play, there would be a snap over Carr's head. He would run back and dive on the ball at the 8 yard line stopping a disaster. Tampa would punt and the Saints would get the ball and great field position at their own 47. The Saints would take the ball down to the 17 and face a 4th and 1. Enter the veteran Cam Newton. But the Saints would give the ball to James Conner to continue the drive. But Cam would stay in the game and run off tackle on the very next play and take it 16 yards for the TD. This would be Cam's 2nd TD run in the playoffs in what very well may be his last season. The Bucs would get the ball with 6:18 left in the half. Carr would lead them right down the field and connect with star receiver Davante Adams on an out pattern from 13 yards out. 17-14 Bucs with 2:31 left. The Saints would not let up and after a 17 yard run by Heinecke and a 29 yard pass to Zay Jones, the Saints would find themselves at the Bucs 9. Heinecke would hit Cole Beasley on a crossing pattern for the TD. 21-17 Saints and thats how we go into the half.

Both teams would be held without a point in the 3rd quarter with key play being a missed 61 yard FG by McManus(tough call by Coach Rice here as it was either a 46% attempt or pin the Saints deep and honestly thought was going to change everything). But the Saints would come up with a 4th down stop at their 13. The Saints actually would start the next drive with 4:24 left in the 3rd at their own 13 and have a key drive in which James Conner would punch it in from 6 yards out with 13:21 left in the 4th. 28-17 Saints. Tampa would get the ball but have a 3 and out and punt. The Saints seemed to be taking control of the game. The Saints would then hold the ball for 5 minutes and McManus would nail a FG from 37 yards to make it a 2 score game. 31-17 Saints with 7:48 left. Just when you think Tampa was down and out Derrick Carr would connect on a 60 yard bomb to Jackson for a TD. Somehow the Saints secondary fell a sleep and it was costly. 31-24 Saints. That was a quick score also as it was in 42 seconds. The teams then actually exchange punts and the Saints would take over at their own 23 and wanted desperately to run the clock out. And they actually put themselves in position to do that as they took it out the 43 with a 3rd and 6 and only needed a first down and then could sit on the ball. The Bus defense would come thru huge as the pass was knocked down and the Saints would punt. The Bucs would get the ball at their own 26 with 1 timeout and here comes the hot hand Carr. After a few completions Carr would find Jackson again on a long pass for 22 yards down to the Saints 14. Coach Rice was spotted saying "man can someone cover this dude". Tampa would call their last timeout and we had 32 seconds left. Coach Rice decided to dial up a safety blitz, even though one of the top sack teams had not got to Carr all day. It finally paid off as Marcus Maye would get the big sack and a loss of 11 back to the 25. No timeouts and the Bucs would rush to the line and run a play in which Carr tried to find Lockett in the end zone. Incomplete and we had 4 seconds left.  One more play. The Bucs would dial up another pass to Lockett which fell incomplete and the Saints would win in dramatic fashion and Coach Rice would age another 5 years in the process.

​Heinecke would throw for 2 Tds and rush for another 55 yards for the Saints. Derick Carr would throw for 308 yards and 2 Tds for the Bucs. The key to the game was for sure the Saints ability to stop the Bucs run, holding them to 23 yards. An excellent game called by Mike as he didnt even seem to blink down 14 with 7 minutes left and congrats on a great season. 
​

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Seahawks 30  Falcons 19

Darrel Henderson rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown as the Seahawks defeat Atlanta.

​Seattle as the top seed would host Atlanta for a divisional round game.  Seattle would get the ball first and Prescott would march them down the field and hit Pittman for a 30 yard TD to take a quick 7-0 lead.  Atlanta wouldn’t find much success against the stout Seahawks D and be forced to pun.  On the next drive Prescott would continue dealing and get the ball into the redzone for a 2nd and 6.   He would try to hit Pittman on an fly pattern but Kazee would read it and perfectly and pick it off.  A quick 3 and out followed by a nice 19 yard return by Meckenzie and Seattle would be knocking on the door again.  With a 2nd and 5 on the Atlanta 27 Prescott would telegraph an out pattern to Pittman that would be read perfectly and intercepted by Jackson.  Despite decent field position Atlanta would again be held to a 3 and out.  The teams would then exchange a pair of punts before Seattle would get the ball for one final drive before the half.  During the drive a strategy change became evident as they seemingly took their ball out of their star QBs hand and decided to take a more run heavy approach.  9 runs and 53 yards later Slye would kick a 24 yard FG to put Seattle up 10-0 at the half that left Seattle fans nervous.  With their first half defensive performance they had every chance to put this game on ice and now Atlanta would be getting the ball to start the half down only 10 points.
 
TO start the second half Atlanta also decided to change up its offensive strategy and take a much more aggressive approach.  This paid ff on the first play as Kadarius Toney got past Xavien Howard for a 31 yard gain.  Two big Stevenson runs would put Hurts in the redzone where he would find his trusty TE for 6.  Unfortunately for Atlanta, 6 is all they would get as the extra point would be blocked.  The Seattle offense would do little to respond and be forced to punt giving Atlanta an opportunity to take their first lead in the game however Hurts would show his inexperience and get stripped by Dugger on QB sweep.  The booth would take a second look at it but the call would stand, fumble recovered by Seattle.  Seattle offense still seemingly stuck in neutral was unable to do much with it and had ad to settle for a 39 yard FG 4 plays later.  Seattle would then kick the ball out of bounds giving Atlanta great field position.  Coach Alberry would decide to take another deep shot but Chandler Jones had other ides and would blindside Hurts forcing a fumble.  Troy Reeder would pick it up and return it to the 31 yard line.  Prescott would hit Hockenson for 23 yards and 2 plays later Henderson would punch it in from 4 yards out to give a 20-6 lead.   In a matter of minutes Hurts had gone from a chance to put Atlanta up 13-10 to down 20-6.  For most young QBs this would only get worse however Hurts would collect himself and put the Falcons on his back.  Most impressive was his 3rd and 13 conversion to his RB Moss for 24 yards followed by some nice QB keepers to put them in the endzone.  They would chase points and fail the 2 point conversion.  20-12 Seattle with 14:37 left. 
 
Up 8, with 2 Prescott INTS in the books already and Atlanta playing heavy pass D Seattle decided it was time to run the rock.  Henderson would run it 6 straight times for a demoralizing 49 yards.  Jones would then pitch in 6.  When they felt that Atlanta had seen enough Prescott took a shot down the field and hit Higgins for a 20 yard td to put Seattle up 27-12 with 9:42 left in the game.  Down 15 Huts was unfazed.  1st and 25?  Nothing a 13 and 21 yard run can’t take care of.  4th and 7?  Hurts would hit Toney for exactly 7 yards.  4th and 6?  27 yard deep slant to Gabe Davis.  Finally he decided to make it easy on himself and throw a touchdown on 1st and 8 from the 8 yard line to give Atlanta some life.  27-19 with 5:02 remaining.  Seattle would recover the onside kick and look to run the clock out however a 10 yard holding penalty by guard Alex Cappa would kill any chance of that happening.  A quick 3 and out and Seattle would have to punt giving Atlanta  shot to tie the game with a TD and a 2 point conversion.  Atlanta would pickup their first first down of the drive however after the drive stalled out.  Hurts was stuffed on a 3rd and 2 QB keeper followed by an incompletion on 4th and 2. Atlanta would use its timeouts but a 34 yard FG by Slye with 25 seconds left would ice the game.   Seattle advances to the NFC championship game with a 30-19 win. 
 
 
Hurts was 18-28 for 196 yards and 2 TDS.  He also ran 11 times for 89 yards. 
Prescott was an unimpressive 17-24 for 202 yards, 2 TDS and 2 INTS
The Seattle ground game would combine to carry the ball 39 times for 217 yards.
 
 
 
Paul called a great game and kept his team in it until the very end.  I’m sure he will be a much bigger problem next year. 
​
 

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​IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

Jaguars 23  Chiefs 20

Jags Josh Allen connects with DK Metcalf for the winning score with just 26 seconds remaining.

Josh Allen hit DK Metcalf with an 18 yard touchdown pass on 4th and 12 with 26 seconds left to give Jacksonville the victory.   Allen threw for 328 yards and 3td's in the game which saw Jacksonville guilty of 4 turnovers in the 17-degree windy day. Amari Cooper and Metcalf each had over 100 yards receiving for the Jaguars.
​
The Chiefs jumped out to a 10-0 lead after one quarter.  Kansas City would lead 20-15 until the final half minute of the game.

​Andy Dalton threw for 223 yards and a touchdown but also two interceptions.

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Raiders 41  Ravens 34

Raiders' Tight End Travis Kelce goes for 208 yards and a touchdown as Las Vegas defeats the Ravens.

​The Baltimore Ravens traveled to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in a fantastic Wild Card matchup. Prior to the game, Raiders’ head coach Keith Jackson II stated that he felt this game would come down to which of the tight ends (Raven’s Mark Andrews and Raiders’ Travis Kelce) would be able to impose their will on the game.
“These are the two best tight ends in the game, coach Green does a great job of moving Andrews around and getting him into favorable matchups, said Jackson. “We have to figure out a way to both stop that and replicate it on our end.”
After forcing the Ravens to punt on their first drive, the Raider got to work getting Kelce involved quickly with a 66-yard pass play on the second play of their drive to take the Raiders from their nine-yard line to the Ravens’ 25. The Raiders’ running back Alvin Kamara was able to punch it in six plays later on a screen pass from QB Matthew Stafford to make the score 7-0.
The Raiders’ bend but don’t break defense was able to hold the Ravens to no points after an 11-play drive, but Stafford was in a Christmas giving mood and threw a pick-six to Elliott to turn it into a 7-7 game.
After back-to-back punts, the Raiders put together a three-play touchdown drive that gave Stafford his third touchdown pass of the game and second to his team to make it 14-7. The Ravens’ answered with a 31-yard strike to Andrews to make it 14-14, but then the Raiders finished the half with 10 unanswered points including Stafford’s second touchdown pass to DJ Moore and technically fourth touchdown pass (three to his team and one to Baltimore) of the half to send the Raiders into halftime with a 24-14 lead.
 The Raiders opened up the third quarter with an 87-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run by Kamara to make it 31-14. Realizing the urgency of the moment, the Ravens scored in three plays with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Andrews to tighten the game to 31-21. The Raiders answered with a grind it out 12-play drive that ended with a 40-yard field goal to make it 34-21.
The Ravens answered with a field goal on the next drive to make it 34-24 with 14 minutes left in the game. After forcing a punt, the Ravens then scored on 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-31 with 7:28 left in the game.
The Raiders then went on a 10-play 75-yard drive that ended with a Kelce 23-yard touchdown reception to make it 41-31 with just under two minutes remaining to ice the game. The Ravens were able to kick a field goal to end the scoring at 41-34 as the Raiders were able to hold on.
Despite Stafford’s 28-of-39, 397-yard, four touchdowns and one interception (technically another touchdown) game, the player of the game was Kelce who finished with nine receptions for 208-yards, one touchdown and a whopping NINE first downs. On the other side, Andrews caught eight passes for 109-yards and two touchdowns.
​

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Falcons 36  Giants 21

Zach Ertz caught 6 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns as Falcons advance.

​It was a 42 degree day in New York as the Atlanta Falcons traveled to NY to take on the Giants in a rematch of Week 17. Week 17 ended in a draw as it was played by mostly backups. Von Miller has been working on his rehab after getting injured in Week 16, and was probable for the game, however footage before the game showed him too injured to go. Atlanta's season would be on the line without the self proclaimed "closer." 


1st Quarter:

NYG won the toss and elected to defer, Atlanta took the ball and drove down the field with a mix of run and pass but would settle for a FG to go up 3-0. NYG would punt, then ATL would punt, however NY would fumble the punt return, and it was covered up by Atlanta in NYG territory. Hurts would scramble and find Ertz in the end zone for a 24 yard bomb. ATL 10-0. NY would answer with a 61 yard run by Robinson, and Wentz would toss it to Robinson to put the G-Men on the board. 10-7 as Q1 ends. 

2nd Quarter:

Atlanta would get another drive going, and had a little luck on their side. Ertz would fumble, but Atlanta would recover. On 3rd down NY would get hit with a def. PI call giving the Falcons 15 yards to keep the drive alive. Atlanta would run the ball quite a bit on this drive punching it in with Boston Scott to go up 17-7. NY answered back with a few penalties  against the Falcons, along with Robbie Anderson having an incredible game for the Giants, culminating with a 14 YD TD from Wentz to keep up with the Falcons 17-14. ATL goes 3 and out, and NY punts on ATL 46 pinning them back deep with just over 2 minutes to go in the half. A combination of Hurts scrambling and a Stevenson 23 yard run have the Falcons knocking, but a Bosa sack forces a FG with time expiring as ATL ends the half up 20-14. 

3rd Quarter:

NYG started slow with a 3 and out, and Atlanta would take the ball. Hurts would make them pay on the 1st play throwing a cross field broken play to Nelson Agholor who breaks free and gains 49 yards, and on 3rd down Hurts finds Gabe Davis for a TD and ATL goes up 27-14. After a couple of punts by both sides, NY is knocking in near the red zone, however a false start and then an 8 yard sack by Cam Heyward would force them to pin ATL deep on their own 8. Hurts would get help by Boston Scott who broke a 23 yard run, and James Washington who caught a big 17 yard 3rd down catch to keep the chains moving. Hurts found Ertz again in the endzone on a 39 yard throw with a missed XP 33-14. 

4th Quarter:
Robbie Anderson benefitted from all the attention Waddle and Renfrow were receiving and caught 3 passes for 50 yards as the G-Men try to mount a comeback. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side as a pass toward the end zone was picked off by Rookie Patrick Surtain II. Starting on their own 2, ATL couldn't do much but run clock and barely escaped a punt block opportunity. NYG relied on Anderson again as they threw it to him 4 times including a TD to make it 33-21 with 5 minutes left. Atlanta runs and punts it back to the Giants. Wentz was unable to convert a 4th and 1 screen and Atlanta took over in NY territory and ran 3 times and chipped in a FG for added cushion. 36-21 and that is how it would end. 

Dylan called a good game, however in the playoffs you need some luck and it was on my side tonight. We fumbled twice and recovered both, He fumbled once and I got it, and he got picked and we had 0 turnovers. NY also had 8 penalties to 5 for Atlanta (who was on the road), Hurts was on fire and claimed the game MVP with a 150 passer rating and running for 69 yards. Waddle on Renfrow were attempted a total of 11 times, but only caught 4  for 32 yards. 

Better to be lucky than good for the Falcons. 
​

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Saints 30  Cardinals 3

Darrel Williams rushes for one TD and catches another as the Saints defeat Arizona.

Arizona would roll into New Orleans for their wildcard match up and take the opening kick. They wouldnt do to much on their first drive and punt. The Saints would then get the ball and take it to the Cardinals 43. From there McManus would attempt a 61 yarder, and it just wouldn't have enough leg. This gave Arizona great field position. The Cards would take the ball down to the Saints 18 before the drive stalled and kick a FG to take the lead. Arizona 3-0. The Saints would then put a nice drive together which ended in a Darrell Williams 7 yard TD run. 7-3 Saints 1 minute into the 2nd quarter. Arizona would then get the ball and have a very nice 6 minute drive but it stalled at the 43 and they would punt. The 2 teams would exchange punts and then the Saints would take over at their own 43. Heinecke would hit Zay Jones for 24 and then follow that with a check down to Darrell Williams and he would take it 34 yards for paydirt. 14-3 Saints. Thats how it would be at the end of the half. The Saints would get the ball to open the second half and wouldnt do much and punt. The Cards would take over at their own 8 and the first game changer would happen as Mahomes would throw a pick to Ward. The Saints would take over at the 25 and on a 3rd down Heinecke would hit Njoku over the middle for 15 yards and a TD. 21-3 Saints. The Cards would then get the ball and have to punt pretty quickly. The Saints would then drive 4 minutes and McManus would nail a 43 yarder. 24-3 Saints. Arizona would then get the ball and have another 3 and out. The Saints D was tough all day. The Saints would start at the 49 and take it to the 15 where Cam Newton would run it in from 15 yards out. 30-3. The rest of the game was mainly killing time for the Saints.
​

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WEEK 17 RECAP

With 4 touchdowns, Mark Andrews helps propel the Ravens into the postseason.

​Minnesota 7 Baltimore 31                    31 0-10 
One of those games....
Baltimore keeps its slim playoff hopes alive.
Happy to finish with a winning record.
Tight End Mark Andrews catches four touchdown passes.  For the day Andrews finished with 11 receptions for 94 yards.  Quarterback Tyler Huntley finishes 29 of 43 for 270 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.  Huntley also rushed for 82 yards on 14 attempts.  The Vikings could not get anything going as Zeke Elliott was held to 47 rushing yards on 15 carries.
 
Detroit 7 Pittsburgh 16                     42 0-5  
Steelers have everything to lose in this one needing a win and lots of help to make the playoffs. Detroit comes in at 3-13 but had won their last 2 games and where looking to finish the season strong not to mention there is a lot of talent in Detroit when they get fully healthy .
 
Josh Jacobs 27 yard TD run in the first give the Steelers fans that uneasy feeling because the TD was setup by Brady being intercepted at the  his own 46 on Pittsburgh's first possession. Bass gets the home team on the board midway through the second with a 53 yard FG. The Steelers turn to the run game late in the second on a possession that started at their own 2 ends when the Steelers catch Jefferson for one of the rare times not doubled and he beats a very good CB Terrell for a 23 yard TD.
 
AJ Terrell is injured and out of the game with 9 minutes left in the 3rd and that's when Pittsburgh began to move the ball in the second half. But on a 3rd and 8 for the Lions 12 they almost lost an opportunity for any points. Brady hit Rondal Moore for 7 but he fumbles and its recovered by the Lions but they fumble and Pittsburgh recovers. So the Steelers end up 5 yards closer than they began and have a 1st down. But only manage 3 points and its 13-7 heading into the 4th.
 
Detroit's drive started with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd and they are 2nd and goal from the 6 early in the 4th. But Watson is picked in the end zone and the Steelers hold on to the lead. Derwin James is then injured for the Lions and their 2 best pass defenders are out so Pittsburgh turns to the passing game and a converted 4th and inches to let Bass come on the field an attempt a 40 yard FG to give the home team a little breathing room. He connects and the fans breathe a sigh of relieve with 3 minutes left in the game and a 16-7 lead.
 
Detroit played a great game but Pittsburgh gets a tough earned win at home to keep their slim playoff hopes alive
 
 
 Miami 25 Los Angeles (A) 29                 76 Calm
LAC overcame a 22-0 deficit and clawed back for their third win 29-25. The offense was revitalized by the return of Nick Chubb from the I.R.,
as he accounted for 3 touchdowns, 171 yards rushing and 43 receiving. The 29 points surpassed the team’s combined total of 26 from the
five previous games. Davis Mills had his best day as a Charger throwing for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
 Dallas 24 San Francisco 16                  49 10-20
LAC overcame a 22-0 deficit and clawed back for their third win 29-25. The offense was revitalized by the return of Nick Chubb from the I.R.,
as he accounted for 3 touchdowns, 171 yards rushing and 43 receiving. The 29 points surpassed the team’s combined total of 26 from the
five previous games. Davis Mills had his best day as a Charger throwing for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
 Tampa Bay 7 Tennessee 37                    43 Calm  Heavy Rain  
Coach Chase rested his stars and for once (at least at the start of the game) the Titans were nearly full strength.  Andre Roberts returned the opening kickoff for a Tennessee TD and the Titans ended the quarter up 17-0.  Derek Carr put together a nice 2nd quarter drive to cut the lead to 17-7 but after that it was all downhill for the Bucs. 
 
 Indianapolis 28 Kansas City 34              27 10-20
Drew Lock threw for 284 yards and 2 TD's as KC defeated Indianapolis 34-28. Joe Burrow passed for 372 yards and 4 td's for the Colts.
 
 Cincinnati 3 Green Bay 13                   32 10-20
John Storer had a glimpse into the future and it was terrifying.
 
Jordan Love gets the start and stinks the joint out for the player-resting Bengals.
Final stat line: 15/34 127, 4 ints, sacked 3 times
 
Big Ben finishes his career with just 143 yards passing but Dalvin Cook (30/161) carries the load as the Packers finish the season on a high note.
 
Final score Green Bay 13 Cincinnati 3
 
Packers (8-9) look forward to the draft
Bengals (13-4) get the enviable first round bye
 
 Arizona 0 Carolina 30                       63 0-10 
Carolina, at about their healthiest roster for the year, beats Arizona as they rest their starters in anticipation of the playoffs.
 
Henry rushes for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
 Chicago 0 Jacksonville 22                   68 5-15 
Both QB's were absolute garbage in this one but the Jags had Antonio Gibson and their defense. Gibson single handedly ran over the Bears garnering 215 yards rushing on 35 carries and one TD. The jags defense was up to the task shutting Chicago out and causing four turnovers.

There wasn't much coach Nordberg could do to stop Gibson.

Jags go to the post season while the Bears get a high pick in next year’s draft.
 
 Buffalo 17 Denver 0                         51 0-5
In a game where the punters were so busy they were needing oxygen on the sidelines the Bills pull out a 17-0 victory over the woeful Broncos.
I believe Mitch Trubiski's time in Denver is over!!!
 
 New York (N) 16 Atlanta 16                  68 Calm               
Both the Giants and Falcons have already clinched the playoffs. The Falcons rested most all of their starters the whole game, The Giants rested them after the 1st quarter. This game was ugly. Atlanta kicked a FG with about a minute left to make it 16-16 and send the game into OT. In OT, neither team could really move the ball. The Falcons were toast, and the Giants were starting to run out of steam. The game ended in a 16-16 tie after OT. 
 
In this game the Giants lost top guard Shaq Mason for a few weeks with a hamstring issue. Seemed to be the only real injury from this game with playoff implications.
 
 Seattle 10 Los Angeles (N) 3                69 Calm 
Seattle taxi squad holds on for the W over the rams. 
 
 New England 27 Houston 3                    70 Calm
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 123 yards and 3 TDs while Justin Tucker added a couple field goals as the Patriots upended a fatigued Texans team in Houston by the final score of 27-3.
                
 Las Vegas 36 New York (A) 24                40 0-5
Alvin Kamara rushes for 117 yards and a touchdown as the Raiders take down the Jets.  
 New Orleans 28 Philadelphia 17              49 0-10 
Saints rested several players but still pull out the victory against the Eagles.
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Gibson(Jax)     35-215  1 TD
 Chubb(LAC)      30-171  2 TD
 Cook(GB)        30-161
 Taylor(NE)      23-123  3 TD
 Henry(Car)      28-122  2 TD
 Kamara(LV)      24-117  1 TD
 Penny(Ten)      19-99  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Chase(Ind)      14-181  3 TD
 Samuel(Dal)      4- 99  3 TD
 Andrews(Bal)    11- 94  4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Swift(Ind)      11- 94  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Burrow(Ind)     49-36-372   4 TD
 Huntley(Bal)    43-29-170   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Odum(Min)        16 Tk
 Holcomb(Mia)     1 Int 1 Sk 16 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Oluokun(Chi)     24 Tk
 Dye(NYG)         15 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Bullock(Jax)   5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Berrios(NYJ)   5-231 Kick Ret  1 TD
​

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FINAL 2022 IFL STANDINGS

FINAL 2022 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​IFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

AFC
by Steeler Sam

​AFC Breakdown - 4 teams battling for 2 positions 


If Jags beat Chicago they are in.


If Jags lose and Baltimore and Tennessee win . Jags are in based on h2h vs Baltimore and Baltimore is in based on better conference record  then Tennessee


If Baltimore and Tennessee lose and Pittsburgh wins - h2h are splits this season and Pittsburgh is in based on better division record.

NFC
by Packer John

​All playoff teams are set


Z   1)  Seattle        16-0  clinched #1 seed and home field throughout NFC playoffs

Y  2) Tampa  Bay 14-2  clinched #2 seed and first round bye

X  3) New Orleans 12-4  clinched playoff berth and #3 seed as NFC west champion

X  4) New York G.  11-5  clinched playoff berth. Will earn #4 seed (and first round home playoff game) with win at Atlanta


X   5) Arizona         10-6  clinched playoff berth. Holds tiebreakers over New York Giants (division record), Atlanta (common victory) and San Francisco (head to head)

                                                                            

X   6) Atlanta           10-6  clinched playoff berth. Holds tiebreaker over San Francisco based on division record.

                                         Could still get #4 seed (and first round home playoff game) with a win over Giants coupled with a Arizona loss in Carolina   


Lots of movement possible within the bottom 3 seeds. Top 3 are locked in.

WEEK 16 RECAP

The 3-12 Dolphins put a dent in the 10-5 Falcon playoff hopes with the 20-17 upset.

​Game Scores
Atlanta 17 Miami 20                         70 0-5    
The Falcons come to Miami in a prime position to possibly lock down the 3rd or 4th seed in the NFC. Miami with nothing to play for but pride, finally was as healthy as they have been in half a season.
 
Atlanta takes their opening drive and goes 75 yards in 7 plays and get the TD to go up 7-0 with only 3:11 gone in the 1st quarter. Miami takes their opening drive and travel to the Falcon 8 yd line in 13 plays but stall and have to kick the FG, 7-3 Atlanta. After a drive that left the Falcons with a 4th and 5 on the Miami 37, Atlanta fails to convert and gives Miami the ball back at the Miami 34. Aided by a personal foul,on 3rd and 5 at the Atlanta 22 the Dolphins hit pay dirt with the TD and go up 10-7 and end the scoring in the 1st quarter.
 
Atlanta scores halfway through the second quarter but only get the FG but it ties the score at 10. Miami gets the lead back with a FG on their next possession  to go up 13-10 and that would be the way it would go to the half.
 
After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Atlanta would retake the lead with a TD with 9:24 to go in the game to go up 17-13. Miami gets the ball on their own 25 with 9:24 left in the game. The Dolphins go on a 13 play drive consuming 8 minutes and 21 seconds and get the TD with 1:03 left in the game to retake the lead at 20-17. That would be the way it would end as Atlanta, unable to convert on 4th down turned the ball back over and the Dolphins were able to run out the clock.
 
Najee Harris had his best game of the year rushing 27 times for 155 yards as Miami was able to control the clock, 36:05 to 23:55 in TOP. Penalties haunted the Falcons at the most inopportune times although Miami had the games only turnover.
 
The final week of the regular season, Atlanta hosts another NFC Contender in the NY Giants and Miami finishes on the road at the LA Chargers in each Teams last game of the season.
 
Minnesota 24 Denver 0                       44 Calm 
Quite possibly the ugliest game I have ever been a part of.
Minnesota shuts out Denver 24-0 as Denver gains a total of 61 yards in the contest!!  Oh my!!
 
 Chicago 20 Kansas City 21                   39 5-15 
Andy Dalton hit Josh Reynolds for a game winning 22 yard touchdown on 4th and 11 with 37 seconds left in the game as KC escaped with a 21-20 victory over Chicago. The Bears forced 4 Chiefs turnovers as well as registering 5 sacks and forcing KC into a dismal 4-17 on 3rd downs, and had led for the entire game until the fateful last minute.
 
 Detroit 3 Los Angeles (A) 0                 84 Calm 
A field goal with 5:50 remaining in the game saves us from possibly the first no score game in IFL history.
 
 Dallas 38 Baltimore 18                      37 0-10
In a matchup that featured the red-hot Dallas Cowboys traveling to Baltimore to face a Ravens team in the thick of a playoff race in the AFC Central, it was Dallas that won in convincing style 38-18.  Dallas, once 2-8 and 3-9, won their fourth in a row and fifth in six games to improve to 7-9.  The loss for the Ravens, who entered the contest with an 8-7, was costly to their playoff aspirations.
 
Dallas took the opening kickoff 75 yards to paydirt on a Justin Herbert to Goedert Dallas Goedert from the six to put the Cowboys un 7-0.  Dallas scored again late in the second quarter when safety Ronnie Harrison scooped up a Baltimore fumble on the Dallas 22 and took it to the house for a 14-0 Dallas lead.
 
Baltimore came back with a field goal and TD and 2-point PAT to close to 14-11, but Dallas scored four times after that to put the game out of reach.
 
Dallas won the turnover battle 4-1.  Dallas’ Amani Oruwarye recorded his 11th interception of the season in the contest and also a fumble recovery.
 
On offense, Dallas ran the ball 39 times for 190 yards.  Justin Herbert only threw the ball 15 times (completing 11 for three scores).
 
Dallas lost three players for week 17 in the game (including Oruwarye and 9-rated DLman Kenny Clark) and Baltimore lost four. 
 
 Philadelphia 15 Cincinnati 35               23 5-15 
The Bengals faced the defending NFC champs in the Jungle.  After an exchange of punts the Eagles put together a 16 play 74 yard drive that ate up much of the opening quarter.  Philly settled on a Harrison Butker 31 yarder for a 3-0 lead.  Philly showed it wasn't fooling around but the onside kick was recovered by Cincinnati.  Two plays later Michael Carter went 50 yards to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead with just nine seconds remaining in the quarter.
 
A Ryan Tannehill to Brandin Cooks 49 yard completion set up another Butker field goal to make it a 7-6 lead.  The Bengals answered with a 13 play 63 yard drive as Fairbairn's 30 yard attempt was true to extend the lead to 10-6.  It looked like the Eagles would take a 12-10 lead into the half as Rex Burkhead scored from 27 yards out.  Butker missed the point after.  However, Aaron Rodgers hit Bryan Edwards in stride for a 51 yard score and Cincinnati regained the lead 17-12.  Things continued to fall apart for Philly as Jesse Bates went 65 yards on a pick six for a 24-12 lead.  
 
The Bengals would out score Philadelphia 11-3 in the second half.  Micah Hyde recorded a safety tackling Tannehill in the end zone.
 
Cooks caught five passes for 83 yards to lead the Eagles offense.
 
Carter was the offensive star for Cincinnati rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Jihad Ward recorded two sacks.
 
Next week the Eagles close out the season hosting New Orleans while the Bengals are at Green Bay.
 
 Green Bay 13 Houston 14                     70 Calm   
Close, well-played game between two teams playing out the string.
 
RB Joe Mixon 28-155 1TD led a balanced Houston attack.  WR duo of Chris Godwin and Terry McLaurin were very tough to deal with especially after Packers CB's Patrick Peterson and Jamal Dean went down.
 
No real standouts for the Packers as Houston was superior on both sides of the football. Well called game by Pete
            
 Carolina 7 Buffalo 31                       31 10-20
The Bills come away with a 31-7 victory as Tyler Conklin has a big day and the Bills defense keep Derrick Henry and Russell Wilson bottled up.
 
 New Orleans 28 New York (A) 7               41 0-10 
New Orleans grounds the Jets.
 
The New York team looked very fatigued.
 
 New York (N) 20 Tennessee 17                39 0-10
A tight defensive battle sees only two touchdowns scored in regulation.  NY's Budda Baker intercepted a Matt Ryan pass late in the 3rd and took it 76 yards for the TD.  However 4 minutes into the 4th a bad punt snap gave the Titans the ball at the Giants' 20 yard line.  Next play Ryan hit Brandon Aiyuk for the TD.  Titans went for two and AJ Dillon ran around end to tie the game at 17 all.
 
Overtime saw the Giants take the kickoff and work down to the Titan 27 where the drive stalled.  Cairo Santos kicked the field goal to put the Giants up 20-17.  Andre Roberts returned the ensuing kickoff to the Titan 43.  Two Dillon runs put the ball at the New York 43.  Following an incompletion the mighty Quinn (3 sacks and a FF) tackled Ryan for a 6 yard loss.  Tennessee was unable to do anything on 3rd and 4th down.  Giants win 20-17 look forward to the playoffs while the Titans scout the upcoming draft.
 
 Arizona 23 Pittsburgh 20                    40 10-20
A tight defensive battle sees only two touchdowns scored in regulation.  NY's Budda Baker intercepted a Matt Ryan pass late in the 3rd and took it 76 yards for the TD.  However 4 minutes into the 4th a bad punt snap gave the Titans the ball at the Giants' 20 yard line.  Next play Ryan hit Brandon Aiyuk for the TD.  Titans went for two and AJ Dillon ran around end to tie the game at 17 all.
 
Overtime saw the Giants take the kickoff and work down to the Titan 27 where the drive stalled.  Cairo Santos kicked the field goal to put the Giants up 20-17.  Andre Roberts returned the ensuing kickoff to the Titan 43.  Two Dillon runs put the ball at the New York 43.  Following an incompletion the mighty Quinn (3 sacks and a FF) tackled Ryan for a 6 yard loss.  Tennessee was unable to do anything on 3rd and 4th down.  Giants win 20-17 look forward to the playoffs while the Titans scout the upcoming draft.
 
 San Francisco 35 Indianapolis 3             69 Calm
One sided rout as the Colts could not provide any competition to the 49ers and lost the game 35-3, and the score does not indicate how utterly one sided this contest actually was.
              
 Los Angeles (N) 10 New England 47           28 10-20
Rams played some tough defense early, forcing Patriots into some long field goal attempts on their first three possessions.  Fortunately, New England has Justin Tucker on their sideline, and the all-pro nailed kicks of 50, 58 and 65 yards to give NE a 9-0 lead early into the 2nd quarter.  Shortly after, Trevor Lawrence would fumble after being sacked giving NE the ball inside the LA 30.  Lamar Jackson hit T.Y Hilton to make it 16-0 at that point.
 
From there the NE offense would settle in and score on their next 5 possessions.  On the day, NE averaged nearly 7 yards a rush on 41 team carries.  Kareem Hunt led the Pats with 104 yards on 10 carries (2TDs).  The Rams got an explosive 68 yard Damien Harris run for their lone TD, but it wasn't enough as NE would roll to the home win.
 
  Seattle 36 Jacksonville 17                  72 0-10 
A close game early on but the Jags had no way of stopping Seattle from from making big-play after big-play as the Seahawks down the Jags 36-17.
 
 Tampa Bay 50 Las Vegas 41                   51 0-5  
Las Vegas' slow limp to the playoffs continues as they drop a barnburner to Tampa 50-41. The Raiders' defense was flummoxed all day by Tampa's high powered offense. A For Sale has been seen on the front lawn of the Raiders'  defensive coordinator's home. Not sure if the coach or owner was the one who put the sign on his lawn. 

 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Harris(Mia)     27-155
 Jones,A(Sea)    17-148  1 TD
 Mitchell(KC)    19-130
 Carter(Cin)     17-128  2 TD
 Harris(LAR)     14-121  1 TD
 Mixon(Hou)      28-115  1 TD
 Conner(NO)      18-104  1 TD
 Hunt(NE)        10-104  2 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Kelce(LV)       10-166
 Williams,M(Ari)  9-162  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Waddle(NYG)     11-135
 Moore(LV)        5- 73  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Stafford(LV)    53-35-524   5 TD  2 Int
 Carr(TB)        52-33-508   6 TD  2 Int
 Wentz(NYG)      46-30-317   1 TD  1 Int
 Brady(Pit)      47-30-267   2 TD
 Cousins(Hou)    40-32-231   1 TD
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Hendrickso(Min)  3 Sk 5 Tk
 Tryon-Shoy(Det)  3 Sk 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Ward(NO)         2 Int 5 Tk
 Quinn(NYG)       3 Sk 8 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Zuerlein(Min)  5-5 FG  - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Johnson,T(LAR) 8-195 Kick Ret
 Tucker(NE)     4-4 FG
​

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IFL WEEK 16 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 16 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 15 RECAP

Jags Antonio Gibson runs for 159 yards and two TDs to keep playoff hopes alive.

​Game Scores
Tennessee 17 Jacksonville 38                64 0-10 
The game was much closer than the score indicated. The Titans had dominated the second half and had the ball down 24-17 with 1:17 to go. Matty Ryan puts up a forced pass and Kenny Norman returns it for 6 from 47 yards out. On the first play following the kick-off, Matty Ryan decides once again to go deep only to be picked off by Apple who again took it to the house from 51 yards out.

Two quick 6's in the last 1:17 sealed the deal in a close hard fought game. The Jags won the turnover game 5-0 and Antonio Gibson had 24 carries 159 yards 2 TDs in the victory.
 
 New England 27 Miami 3                      77 0-10 
Not much suspense in this mismatch. Miami manages to tie it at 3 early in the 2nd quarter, but that would be their only highlight of the game. It's a good thing NE has bigger fish to fry in their quest for another Championship and took their foot off the gas against the hapless Dolphins. This one finishes 27-3 New England.
 
Next week New England goes home to host the Rams and the Dolphins stay home and host the Falcons
 
 Baltimore 16 Cincinnati 40                  19 0-5
The Bengals hosted division rival Baltimore in week 15 IFL action.  In week six, the Ravens took advantage of five Cincinnati turnovers and defeated the Bengals 20-13.  This game it was Baltimore with the butter fingers, committing six turnovers.
 
The Ravens gambled early on the opening possession going for it on fourth and one from their own 36.  The Cincinnati defense stuffed Raven QB Tyler Huntley for no gain.  Aaron Rodgers connected with Rashod Bateman on their second play from scrimmage for a 36 yard score and a 7-0 lead.
 
Baltimore answered with a 12 play 47 yard drive but settled on a Brian Johnson 50 yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game.  The Bengals were forced to punt and Baltimore was marching again but Micah Hyde scooped up a Pooka Williams fumble and went 55 yards for the score and a 14-3 Bengals lead.  On the Ravens first play from scrimmage Huntley fumbled and Cincinnati recovered.  The Bengals capitalized on the turnover as Rodgers scrambled for a ten yard score and a 21-3 lead.  Once again Baltimore would turn it over on their next possession and the Bengals would recover.  RoJo would run it in from a yard out and the Bengals increased their lead to 28-3.  The turnovers continued to pour for the Ravens as DeAndre Carter fumbled the kickoff and Cincinnati would recover.  This time the Bengals settled on a Ka'imi Fairbairn 45 yard field goal to make the score 31-3 Cincinnati with 6:39 left in the half.  The Ravens finally curbed their ball security issues for the next drive as Huntley scored from 18 yards out to make it a 31-10 game.  That would end the scoring for the half.
 
Cincinnati would score again on their first series of the third quarter as Rodgers hit Diontae Johnson for the 43 yard score.  The Bengals would add a field goal and Baltimore would add two field goals to close out the scoring as Cincinnati won 40-16.
 
Huntley rushed for 120 yards on 17 attempts with a touchdown.  He finished 17 of 30 passing for 181 yards with an interception.  Mark Andrews caught six passes for 104 yards.  But the turnovers were too much for the Ravens to overcome.
 
Rodgers went 14 of 25 for 181 yards and two touchdowns.  He also rushed for 27 yards and a score.  
 
Next week the Ravens host Dallas while Philadelphia travels to the Jungle.
 
 Minnesota 18 Green Bay 21                   34 0-10 
Vikings and Packers stage a classic Thanksgiving day tilt, despite both teams having been eliminated from the playoffs
 
Game goes back and forth for all 4 quarters but Minnesota looks headed to victory up 18-14 deep in Packers territory with under 8 minutes left.
 
After 3 failed attempts to punch it in from the 9 yard line, Coach Jones decides to go for the dagger rather than take the easy FG to go up by 7. Green Bay defense gets a huge stop and takes over on downs.
 
On the ensuing possession Pack goes 3 and out and are forced to punt with just under 6 minutes to go.
 
Vikings dial up the run with pass catching back James White, confusing Coach Conners. Visitors move it all the way down to the Green Bay 34 but on 3rd and 4 the Packers sent the blitz and ILB Ernest Jones got to QB Trey Lance for the sack. Minnesota elects to punt, but when the ball rolls into the end zone Big Ben and company get a faint bit of hope, starting at their own 20, down 4 with 2:35 left.
 
After gaining 7 yards on a first down completion to WR Jalen Guyton, three straight incompletions would end it.......but wait!!!  A very late pass interference call would give the Pack new life.
 
Another PI penalty and a huge 4th and 8 reception by Dalvin Cook got the ball down to the Minnesota 20 but the Packers would be forced to use their final timeout with just :47 seconds remaining.
 
Two straight incompletions would make it 3rd and 10. Guyton caught a crossing pattern for 9, as time was quickly running out. On 4th and 1 Conners called a pitch to Cook who got the first down and headed out of bounds at the 5 with just 8 seconds left.
 
Minnesota was expecting the same call and keyed Cook but Big Ben threw an incompletion to TE Mercedes Lewis on a crossing pattern instead.
 
Three seconds remained. Time for one more play.
 
Vikings played the pass this time and Coach Conners guessed right and called a pitch to Cook who just squeezed inside the pylon.
 
Lambeau erupts.......final score: Green Bay 21 Minnesota 18
Could have sworn I heard the faint chuckle of an old pal during all the euphoria.
 
Great game called by Mark, those two late interference calls were huge breaks for the Pack
 
WR Russell Gage, 9-120 1TD, stood out for the visitors
Dalvin Cook took home players of the game honors with 131 combined yards and the game winning score.
 
 Houston 10 Los Angeles (A) 6                71 Calm 
Cousins connects with Pascal for the 39 yard score and the difference in this one.
 
 Buffalo 9 Philadelphia 13                   33 5-15 
Two teams playing for draft position met as the Bills visited the Eagles.  It was a back-and-forth game of FGs into the 4th quarter with the Bills holding a slim 9-6 lead.  With 5 minutes left in the game, the Eagles would mount the only decent drive by either team on the day.  Eagle QB Ryan Tannehill, despite throwing 2 critical int's on the day, would take the Eagles 86 yards on 13 plays and hit little-used WR Mohammed Sanu on 9 yard out pattern with 32 seconds left and the Eagles would hold off the Bills for the 13-9 victory.
 
 San Francisco 0 Atlanta 34                  68 Calm
The 49ers (8-6) traveled to ATL (9-5) in a matchup with big playoff implications as noted by IFL commissioner John Storer earlier this week. In their last matchup in SF, the 49ers were victorious 27-22 against Atlanta. 
 
Some games are just not meant to be....that's why they play the game. Atlanta started off the game with a TD with a key run by Stevenson for 28 yards that setup a Hurts passing TD. SF would get stopped on 4th down and turn the ball over. Atlanta would convery a 4th and 9 to set up a FG to push the lead to 10-0. Hurts would end the 1st quarter with another passing TD to push the lead to 17-0 after 1. 
 
The next quarter the Falcons defense turned into the 85 Bears for a quarter and played better than they ever have. 3 plays into their drive, SF's Mac Jones would fumble and it would be taken to the house by Atlanta. 3 plays into their next drive SF would fumble again leading to Atlanta running the ball in.
 
After a FG to end the 2nd the score was 34-0 and would stay like that. Falcons got lucky when they needed to, Brendan coached a fine game but the dice didn't roll his way. Falcons pay for the victory with another 4 injuries as the coaching staff is beginning to question the Athletic Trainer's credentials. 
 
Next week Atlanta is at Miami while SF goes to Indy. 
               
 Las Vegas 7 Kansas City 30                  26 5-15 
Kansas City ran 45 times for 221 yards and held Matthew Stafford to a passing line of 46-19-221-1-1 as the Chiefs won their 6th game in a row.
 
 Chicago 13 Detroit 23                       70 Calm                
Lions get a glimpse of what the future may hold as Watson throws three touchdown passes.  The Bears are called for holding in their own end zone for a Detroit safety.
 
 New York (A) 17 Indianapolis 27             69 Calm     
Colts win their 4th game of the season and their second in a row.  Another huge Jamar Chase game and Jets mistakes are what gave the Colts the win.
          
 Seattle 29 Arizona 16                       68 Calm 
Seattle beats a beaten up and fatigue Arizona for the second time this season.
 
 Denver 7 New Orleans 18                     70 Calm 
The Saints win a defensive battle at home. New Orleans had 11 sacks to lead the charge. 
              
 Carolina 6 Los Angeles (N) 29               50 Calm 
The Saints win a defensive battle at home. New Orleans had 11 sacks to lead the charge. 
 
 Pittsburgh 17 Tampa Bay 31                  79 0-5   Heavy Rain    
This was the third game in a row played in the rain for the Bucs. Pitt fought hard and played tough as nails through to the end. Steeler's QB Tom Brady chucked it 61 times, eventually gaining 292 yards and 1 TD. He couldn't match Tampa's QB Derek Carr, who threw for 320 yards on 37 attempts, 3 for TDs. The offensive player of the game was Davante Adams with 9 catches for 112 yards. 
 
 New York (N) 21 Dallas 41                   70 Calm
This was the third game in a row played in the rain for the Bucs. Pitt fought hard and played tough as nails through to the end. Steeler's QB Tom Brady chucked it 61 times, eventually gaining 292 yards and 1 TD. He couldn't match Tampa's QB Derek Carr, who threw for 320 yards on 37 attempts, 3 for TDs. The offensive player of the game was Davante Adams with 9 catches for 112 yards. 
                
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Harris(LAR)     18-176  1 TD
 Gibson(Jax)     24-159  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Mitchell(KC)    17-147  2 TD
 Jacobs(Det)     29-129
 Huntley(Bal)    17-120  1 TD
 Mixon(Hou)      28-102
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Chase(Ind)      13-263  2 TD
 Samuel(Dal)      7-190  1 TD
 St. Brown(NYJ)  19-165  1 TD
 Cooks(Phi)      10-103
 
 Passing Leaders
 Burrow(Ind)     38-21-324   3 TD  3 Int
 Prescott(Sea)   40-26-321   1 TD  2 Int
 Carr(TB)        37-26-320   3 TD
 Herbert(Dal)    39-20-313   3 TD  2 Int
 Ryan(Ten)       47-33-263   1 TD  3 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Ford(Ind)        1 Int 15 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Garrett(NO)      3 Sk 4 Tk
 Wormley(NO)      3 Sk 3 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Zuerlein(Min)  4-4 FG
 McManus(NO)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
​

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IFL WEEK 15 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 15 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 14 RECAP

Joe Mixon rushes for 129 yards and two touchdowns as Texans defeat Miami,

​Game Scores
Houston 27 Miami 21                         82 Calm  Two 3-10 teams meet in Miami on a perfect afternoon, trying to gain some respect and finish the season strong and perhaps build some momentum for next year.
 
    Despite a valid effort on Miami's part, Miami just couldn't match the firepower of Cousins, Godwin (19.8 avg and a TD), McLaurin, along with Mixon (season high 129 yards rushing and 2 TD's) on the ground. Miami did score with only 12 seconds left in the game to pull within one score but failed to secure the on sides kick.
 
Next week Houston stays on the road at the Chargers and Miami stays at home to face a powerful Patriot Team.
 
 San Francisco 38 Arizona 17                 81 Calm 
SF smothered the Cards.
 
 Chicago 0 Tennessee 26                      46 0-5  
Chicago's offense couldn't do squat while its quality defense was on the field for almost 40 minutes.  Titans win 26-0.  Chicago plays Detroit next in a game with big draft implications.  Tennessee visits Jacksonville with an injury ravaged squad.
 
 Minnesota 6 Cincinnati 3                    26 0-10
In a game that saw the visiting Vikings confuse, frustrate, and out-coach the home team, Minnesota did just enough to score three more points.  
 
After a scoreless first quarter, the Vikings put together a 15 play 83 yard drive, capped off by a Greg "The Leg" Zuerlein 20 yard field goal.  A Zeke Elliott 18 yard run and a 10 yard pass from Bryce Perkins to Keenan Allen were a couple keys plays in the drive.
 
The Minnesota defense forced a Bengals punt for the next series.  Zuerlein extended the lead with a 51 yard field goal to give Minnesota a 6-0 lead.
 
Cincinnati had a chance to dent the scoreboard but Fairbarin missed a 49 yarder, wide right early in the third quarter.  The Bengals finally scored as Fairbarin connected on a 22 yarder with 14:56 remaining in the game to cut the deficit to 6-3.  It was a costly drive however, as Rodgers was knocked out of the game and is questionable for next week.
 
Elliott rushed for 105 yards on 23 attempts to lead the Vikings offense.  Minnesota's Trey Hendrickson collected two of the Minnesota four sacks.
 
Rashod Bateman caught eight passes for 85 yards for Cincinnati.
 
Next week the Vikings travel to Green Bay while the Bengals host division rival Baltimore.
 
 Atlanta 20 Dallas 29                        70 Calm     
The Dallas Cowboys caught the Atlanta Falcons having to play without its to running back and wide receiver.  The result was Dallas able to stop the Falcons’ backup RBs and was able to double team TE Zach Ertz in a game that went down to the wire. 
 
Jamaal Williams led the Dallas offense with his first 100-yard rushing game of the season (22/112) and defensive backs Amani Oruwariye and Taron Johnson each picked off Jalen Hurts passes in the 29-20 upset win.   For Oruwariye, it was his ninth interception of the year.
 
The win was the second in a row for the struggling Dallas franchise (now 5-9).  The loss hurt Atlanta’s quest to overtake New Orleans for the lead in the NFC West.
 
Dallas entered the game with six players injured and sustained injuries to three additional players. 
          
 Green Bay 34 Pittsburgh 14                  32 0-5  
Green Bay 5-8 comes to Heinz Field to take on the 7-6 Steelers.
 
The Steelers win the toss and defer a 3 and out by the pack and a long scoring drive by the Steelers seeing rookie Javonte Williams punch it in from the 2 yard line to put the home team up 7-0 and it was a perfect start for the black and gold. But that would be the highlight of the night as the visitors get a 51 yard bomb strike from Big Ben to Rookie Eligah Moore to get them to the 27 then a few plays later Roethlisberger to Van Jefferson from 6 yards out and we are tied at 7. Brady on the 1st play of the next drive  is picked by Trevon Diggs and he takes it to the house from 36 yards out and the pack are up 14-7 with 5 minutes to go in the first. .
 
The teams would trade punts and S Anthony Harris would pick off Roethlisberger but nothing lead to points for the Steelers who owned field position pinning the packers inside the 15 and inside the 5 on several occasions but would get to the fringe of at least FG range and either a penalty or a sack would force a punt. With 8 minutes left in the half Roethlisberger would connect with Van Jefferson for a 2nd time from 18 yards out to extend the lead the big play in the drive was a 41 yard connection to AJ Green. Once again the Steelers forced to and Dickerson pins the Pack at their own 1 yard line. Coach Connors dials up a long slant to Jalen Guyton and it works as the D was keying Dalvin Cook 99 yards to the house 28-7.
 
GB would get two FG and the Steelers a meaningless TD the rest of the way for the final tally of 34-14. Big Ben finished 17-19 for 319 yards 3TD 1 pick. Both teams were rocked with injuries throughout the game
 
The Steelers travel to Tampa Bay next week and the Packers host division rivals Vikings
 
 Los Angeles (A) 3 Indianapolis 35           69 Calm
Colts quarterback Joe Burrow tosses four touchdown passes as Indy cruses to the win.
               
 Baltimore 33 Tampa Bay 24                   71 0-10  Rain         
In a week 14 matchup, the Baltimore Ravens traveled to the Sunshine State to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The setting was sunshine in name only as there was consistent precipitation throughout the game.
Tampa, in control of their division and shooting for the number one NFC seed with their 12 and 1 record, is made a large early week favorite by the gambling houses. In a surprise Tuesday morning move, Raven coach Lawrence Green named Tyler Huntley as his starting QB over Baker Mayfield. The announcement causes the line to jump three more points in Tampa’s favor. During the week of practices, observers couldn’t help but to notice how enthusiastically Baltimore’s players rallied around their more personable first-time starter and the perceived disrespect paid to them by the NFL gambling community.
After Tampa forces a Raven first possession punt, the Baltimore defense produces the first big play of the game when, on Tampa’s first play from scrimmage, Raven defensive lineman Justin Madubuike strip sacks Buc QB Derek Carr at his own 5-yard line. Two plays later, the aforementioned Tyler Huntley scrambles in for a TD and a quick 7 - 0 Raven lead. As the cameras panned their way, the entire Baltimore active roster and their coaches are seen jumping around their sideline like popcorn in a hot pot.
After the early dramatics, the weather took over the game as evidenced by 3 turnovers in the next 5 possessions. Eventually, the Ravens paid a price after Tampa’s Kyle Van Noy forces a Baltimore running back Mike Boone fumble and Buccaneer safety Julian Blackmon jumps on it at Baltimore’s 13-yard line. After an inadvertent whistle canceled and apparent touchdown to Tampa’s Devante Adams, Carr finds Tyler Lockett streaking over the middle to tie the game at 7.
Baltimore’s Huntley, supported by his highly rated offensive line, and taking advantage of a depleted Tampa Bay secondary, leads his team to the next 10 points scored in the game. On drives of 9 and 14 plays, coach Green calls a masterful game blowing holes in the Buccaneer sails with a strong running game, which in turn brought about effective play action passing. The teams head to their locker rooms with Baltimore ahead 17 - 7.
The hometown faithful gets reenergized when on the opening drive of the second half, Tampa is able to cut the lead to 3 points at 17 -14. Then they get thunderous when Tampa safety Julian Love picks off Huntley, setting up the Buccaneers at the Baltimore 36-yard line. Surely, we are about to run our blades through these scalawags and pay for our rum with their gold! Alas matey, a Buc Hunter Henry holding penalty, and a Raven linebacker Matt Judon sack kill the drive. Those present could feel the winds get sucked out of their schooner’s sails.
The Ravens get a foot on Tampa’s throat when once again they execute a beautifully long drive, this time 11 plays, to go ahead 24 – 14 late in the third quarter. The TV announcers drone on-and-on about how coach Green is out coaching Tampa’s Chase at almost every opportunity. When Tampa plays straight up D, the Raven running backs get consistently good result. Play the run, and watch the ball go your over your head for chunk plays even though the lightly regarded Tyler Huntley is doing the passing.
The Buccaneers get within one score twice in the fourth quarter, but the Raven offense answers each challenge by adding more points to their side of the scoreboard. The final was 33 to 24.
The two teams running games proved to be the difference makers. Baltimore ran it 34 times for 140 yards. Tampa Bay 14 times for a paltry 16 yards.
Next week Tampa Bay hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers while Baltimore stays on the road at Cincinnati.
 
 Jacksonville 30 Detroit 13                  70 Calm
Josh Allen throws three touchdown passes as the Jags stay in the playoff hunt.
                
 Kansas City 33 Buffalo 28                   28 5-15 
Josh Fields won this game with his legs and arm as he threw 2 TD passes and ran in another while gaining 96 yards on 8 carries while throwing for 258 yards as the Chiefs win it 33-28 to move to 8-6 while the Bills fall to 5-9.
 
 Denver 31 New York (A) 23                   38 5-15 
Denver comes into New York, and puts on an offensive performance to get the road win.
 
Trubisky was 20-29 for 255 yards. Ekeler an 22 times for 100 yards...
 
Denver wins 31-23 by scoring the last 10 points of the game.
 
Next week Denver travels to New Orleans, while the Jets fly to Indianapolis.
 
 Carolina 6 Philadelphia 27                  53 0-10  Rain  
The Panthers invaded Philly to take on the Eagles with backup QB Mike Glennon at the helm.  That is all you need to know about the outcome of the game as the Philly defense would shut down Glennon and company to take a 27-6 victory.  The game was ugly by both teams early on as a Panther FG was all that could be mustered in the 1st quarter.  However, in the 2nd quarter, the Eagle offense would come alive under the leadership of QB Ryan Tannehill.  Tannehill would hit WR Tim Patrick and TE Geoff Swaim in back to back possessions to put the Eagles up 14-3.  That would be followed by RB Joshua Kelly's 2 yard TD run to extend the lead to 21-3 at halftime.  The 2 teams would trade FG's in the 2nd half to complete the scoring.
       
 Los Angeles (N) 16 New York (N) 20          51 0-5 
The Rams traveled to Metlife Stadium to take on the Giants Sunday night. 
 
The Giants got the ball first and drove the field in 5 minutes ending in a 3 yard touchdown run by Chris Carson. That would be the only scoring in the 1st quarter as the next 5 drives resulted in : LAR punt, NYG INT (1 of 4 turnovers committed by the home team in this game), LAR turnover on down, NYG punt, and then a LAR field goal attempt that would be blocked. 7-0 Giants after 1.
 
With the ball going into the 2nd quarter, the Giants would try to drive the field and make it a 14-0 game but the Rams defense had other plans as they would sack Carson Wentz and force a fumble which would be taken the distance to tie the ball game at 7. The Giants next possession didnt go anywhere as they turned the ball over on downs after 5 plays. The Rams however gain 24 yards and kick a field goal to give them a 10-7 lead midway through the 2nd quarter. The Giants offense gained some steam as on their next possession they drive the field but stall at the Rams 17 yard line and bring out Santos to kick a game tying field goal. Santos had other plans though and misses the kick wide right. Leaving only 33 seconds on the clock, the Rams run one time and take the game to the half. 10-7 Rams at halftime.
 
Rams get the ball to begin the second half but nothing would get going and they punt it away to the Giants. Starting at their own 5, the Giants hoped to finally get their offense going and get some points on the board but yet again there was a change of plans as Brieda would gain 10 yards on a run but fumble at the end of it turning the ball over again to the Rams. With the Rams getting the ball at the Giants 24 yard line, they run a few plays and settle for a field goal as the Giants defense remains strong not allowing anything from the Rams offense. Rams kick a field goal and extend their lead to 13-7 midway through the 3rd Quarter. This is where the Giants offense finally decided to do something as they methodically drive the ball down the field and Wentz throws a 10 yard TD to fullback Smith. The Giants take the lead 14-13 with 2:06 left in the 3rd Quarter. The Rams get the ball but on the first play of the drive, Trevor Lawrence throws an INT and the Giants take over on the 30 yard line. The Giants would run the ball 4 straight times, ending the 3rd Quarter but ultimately settling for a field goal. 17-13 Giants. 
 
The Rams could get nothing going on their first drive of the 4th quarter and punt it away. The Giants drive down the field but get stalled and have to settle for yet another field goal. 20-16 Giants. Nothing happens on the next few possessons except a turnover on downs, and a few punts. 
 
 Las Vegas 28 New England 44                 33 5-15 
The 12-1 Patriots hosted the 11-2 Raiders in a late season clash of two of the top teams in the IFL.  Things started a bit rocky for the visitors, who after an unsuccessful initial drive, suffered a poor snap on a punt attempt by long snapper Luke Rhodes - resulting in first and ten for New England at the Raider 23 yard line.  The Vegas defense held however, resulting in a Justin Tucker field goal.  3-0 New England
 
Matthew Stafford led the visitors on an impressive drive, with the Raider QB completing 6 of 7 pass attempts to 4 different receivers.  The drive culminated with a 10 yard Stafford to Cedrick Wilson TD, and the Raiders led 7-3.
 
New England responded with their own impressive 8 play TD drive, with 7 rushing attempts including Lamar Jackson for 12, 10 and then a 14 yard TD scramble.  New England 10  Raiders 7
 
More back and forth, as Stafford continued to shred the Patriot defense, completing 4 of 5 passes including a long 29 yard TD to DJ Moore.  
Las Vegas 14  New England 10
 
With under 12 minutes in the first half, Lamar Jackson took to the air, finding Tyreek Hill for gains of 8 and 18 yards on consecutive plays.  A 15 yard Jonathan Taylor rush moved the chains again, and then later on a 3rd and 9 and Vegas doubling both Hill and Cooper Kupp, Jackson found Marquez Callaway for a 23 yard TD.  Patriots 17  Raiders 14
 
A holding penalty by Joe Bitonio set Vegas back on their next drive, forcing a punt.  New England took over at their own 45 with 8 minutes to play in the half.  A 14 yard Jackson run put the Patriots in field goal territory, leading to a 50 yard Tucker FG.  Patriots 20  Raiders 14
 
A big 3rd down completion to Cedrick Wilson gained 14 yards and kept Vegas moving, with 5:46 to play.  Stafford would then start peppering Travis Kelce  - two completions for 10 yards were mixed in with nice runs by Alvin Kamara (7 and 16 yards).  Finally, inside 90 seconds, Stafford found Kelce for the 11 yard TD!  Vegas 21  Patriots 20
 
With just over a minute to play, Lamar Jackson looked to get New England the lead heading to the locker room.  After a 6 yard Taylor run, Jackson found Hill for 11 yards and out of bounds, stopping the clock.  From the 50 yard line, Jackson then hit his tight end Mike Gesicki for 34 yards down to the 16 yard line.  Ultimately, Tucker would come on for a 28 yard field goal.  At the half, New England 23  Raiders 21
 
A 69 yard kick return by Isaiah Rodgers set New England up at the Vegas 22 yard line.  On the very next play, Jackson found Kupp for the 22 yard TD.
New England 30  Vegas 21
 
A 10 yard Kamara run got Vegas off and running on their first drive of the half, but a pair of incompletions to Travis Kelce resulted in a Vegas punt.  
 
NE proceeded to put together an 11 play drive spanning over six minutes of game clock.  Lamar went 5 for 5 passing on the drive, including an 11 yard TD to Tyreek Hill.  New England 37  Vegas 21
 
Raiders would not lie down however, as Stafford engineered his own 7 play drive, capped by a long 48 yard TD to Travis Kelce.  
New England 37 Vegas 28 heading to the 4th quarter............
 
Patriots answered once again, as their offense was in high gear now.  Jonathan Taylor took center stage with rushes of 4, 7, 28, 9 and 6 yards.  Kareem Hunt capped the drive with a 2 yard TD, which would be the final scoring in the game.  
 
New England 44  Vegas 28
 
Well coached game Mr. Jackson, as his Raiders put up quite a battle despite being short handed with a few key injuries on defense.  Lamar Jackson would toss 3 TD passes and run for another to lead the NE offense.  Kelce caught 10 for 132 and 2 TDs in a losing effort.
 
Raiders travel to KC next week while NE visits Miami.
 
 New Orleans 14 Seattle 31                   36 Calm 
Seattle players are out buying lotto scratch off tickets as they could do no wrong.  New Orleans on the other hand should probably shouldn’t risk getting on the flight home.
 
 
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Taylor(NE)      22-143
 Mixon(Hou)      20-129  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Williams,J(Dal) 22-112
 Cook(GB)        27-108
 Elliott(Min)    23-105
 Ekeler(Den)     22-100  1 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Boyd(SF)         6-194  2 TD
 Chase(Ind)      13-178  2 TD
 Andrews(Bal)    13-167
 Kelce(LV)       10-132  2 TD
 St. Brown(NYJ)  10-117  1 TD
 Woods(Mia)      10- 63  1 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Jones,M(SF)     28-23-398   4 TD
 Roethlisbe(GB)  19-17-319   3 TD  1 Int
 Carr(TB)        43-27-315   3 TD  1 Int
 Stafford(LV)    40-25-288   4 TD
 Burrow(Ind)     27-24-280   4 TD  1 Int
 Goff(Mia)       42-31-197   2 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Okereke(Ari)     15 Tk
 Moseley(Ind)     2 Int 7 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 Gonzalez(Ten)  4-4 FG
 Ammendola(Dal) 5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Patterson(TB)  5-153 Kick Ret
 Koo(KC)        4-4 FG
 Berrios(NYJ)   4-166 Kick Ret 3-7 Punt Ret
 Rodgers(NE)    4-151 Kick Ret
​

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IFL WEEK 14 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 14 LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 13 RECAP

Chief's kicker Younghoo Koo five field goals help Kansas City defeat the Saints.

​Game Scores
Kansas City 22 New Orleans 16               70 Calm
Kansas City comes into New Orleans and wins a big game as they are fighting for a playoff spot. Big defensive game here that honestly can be summed up on 2 plays in which the Saints punt team blew it. The Chiefs returned one punt for a TD and a bad snap on another punt in Saints territory would set up the go ahead FG. Really no offensive stats worth noting as both D's played tough all day. 
                 
Miami 21 Baltimore 37                       45 5-15 
This was one of those games where the score is very deceptive.  This was a tough game that could have gone either way.
 
Miami scored on their 1st possession on a 31yd TD pass from Goff to Hardman.  Baltimore marched down to the Miami 10 and were held to a FG.  (7-3 Miami)
 
MIami took the ball down to the Baltimore 9 and had their FG blocked.
Miami later went up 14-3 on a 14yd TD pass from Goff to Woods. (14-3 Miami)
 
Baltimore brought the game to 14-10 on a 15yd TD pass from Mayfield to Moreau. (14-10 Miami)
Baltimore went ahead 17-14 on a 30yd TD pass from Mayfield to Wesley (17-14 Baltimore)
 
Miami let the 1:13 run out and Baltimore took a 17-14 lead into halftime.
 
Baltimore scored on their 1st possession of the 3rd quarter on a 9yd run by JaQuan Hardy. (24-14 Baltimore)
Miami tightened the game on a 2nd Goff to Woods TD pass, this time for 10yds.  (24-21 Baltimore)
 
Baltimore fumbled the ensuing kickoff and gave Miami possession on the Baltimore 25, but, Miami missed a 2nd short FG.
 
Baltimore lengthened its lead with a 62-yd TD pass from Mayfield to Peoples-Jones. (31-21 Baltimore)
 
Final score:  Baltimore 37 Miami 21.
 
It was one of those games where you feel like you are being out-coached,but, still win.
 
Thanks, Tony!
 
Next week, Baltimore Vs Tampa Bay (ruh-roh)
 
 Buffalo 7 Cincinnati 19                     37 20-30
On another windy Cincinnati afternoon Bills mafia invaded the Jungle.  After forcing a quick Bengals three and out Buffalo went on a 15 play 80 yard drive with Kyler Murray connecting with Stephen Anderson for the 13 yard score and a 7-0 Bills lead.
 
A 22 yard Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal cut the lead to 7-3 with about 14:00 minutes remaining in the half.  After the Bills turned the ball over on downs, the teams exchanged punts.  Cincinnati finally took the lead just after the two minute warning as Aaron Rodgers found his favorite target Diontae Johnson for the 21 yard scoring strike and a 10-7 lead into the half.
 
It looked like the Bengals would increase their lead after Jalen Ramsey recovered a fumble at the Buffalo 27.  But Leighton Vander Esch intercepted a Rodgers pass in the end zone as the Bills dodged the bullet.  
 
Buffalo once again gambled on fourth down and once again the Bengals defense was up to the challenge.  After a Bills sack by Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Rodgers connected on four of five passes capped off by a 10 yard score to Gerald "Don't call me Chris" Everett.  Fairbairn missed the point after and the score stood at 16-7 Bengals with about a minute and a half remaining in the third quarter.
 
Fairbairn would add another field goal for the 19-7 Bengals win.
 
Murray finished 17 of 25 for 122 yards and a TD to lead the Buffalo offense.  Rodgers went 22 of 41 for 245 yards with two TDs and an int for Cincinnati.
 
Next week the Bills host Kansas City as both teams fight for their playoff lives.  Minnesota visits the Bengals.
 
 Arizona 10 Tampa Bay 44                     70 Calm  Rain
What on paper looked like to tough game for Tampa was not because Arizona only had 3 heathy non-practice squad level defense backs. In addition, RB Saquon Barkley went down in the first quarter and was out for the rest of the game. Arizona's QB Mahomes had few options and faced 6 DBs most of the game. Tampa's Derek Carr threw for 346 yards and 4 TDs. Davante Adams caught 7 balls for 166 yards. 
 
Next week a still beat up Cardinal teams hosts the 49ers while Tampa welcomes the Ravens. 
         
 San Francisco 24 Los Angeles (A) 7          75 Calm 
49ers rookie quarterback Mac Jones throws three first half touchdown passes as San Francisco downs the Chargers.
 
 Dallas 21 Minnesota 12                      68 Calm      
Minnesota gets out to an early lead and can't hold on.
          
 Houston 9 Atlanta 21                        68 Calm 
9 point underdogs Houston rolled into town to face the very banged up Falcons looking to rebound from last week's loss. 
 
Initially, luck didn't seem to favor the home team as Atlanta had 8 penalties in this one vs only 1 for the well coached Texans. Also, the injury bug bit again as the Falcons limp towards the end of the season. Kadarius Toney was hurt in the 1st quarter and is done for the year (7 weeks) also TJ Watt was hurt again as well. 
 
Injuries bit for the Texans as well as the lost Joe Mixon after the initial drive where the Texans led 3-0 after 1. 
 
The second quarter was more of the same with Atlanta finally getting on the board with 3 minutes to go with a Ertz TD catch (ATL 7, Hou 3)
 
The only score of the 3rd was another pass this time to Tommy Tremble for the Falcons (14-3) ATL. Houston would only be able to get FGs the rest of the way, while throwing picks that allowed Boston Scott to please fantasy owners by running in his 12th TD of the year. 
 
ATL 21 Hou 9
 
Houston travels to Miami next week while Atlanta keeps fighting for the playoffs taking on a talented and dangerous Dallas team in Big D. 
              
 Philadelphia 19 Green Bay 13                28 0-10 
In a game fit for Amazon Thursday Night Football the Eagles come into Green Bay and beat the Packers 19-13
 
Not much to see here between two rebuilding teams
 
Philly runs the ball well (36 for188) and that seemed to be the difference.
 
 New York (A) 13 Jacksonville 20             76 10-20
As both coaches agreed, an ugly, ugly game. To think that the average IFL ticket is in the $300+ range......not good.

That being said if you like running-backs, this game was for you. Both Gibson (26 carries 143 yards, 1 TD) and the Jets Gordan both played well ( 24 carries 114 yards) but other than there was little to recommend.

Jags win ugly -20 -13 over a determined Jets team.

The Jags go to 7-6 while the Jets fall to 4-9.

Bob coached a great game, it was ugly but........
 
 New England 33 Tennessee 7                  42 5-15
New England pounds the Titans behind the Taylor/Jackson/Hunt rushing machine.
 
 New York (N) 27 Chicago 9                   22 0-5 
The Giants get the win in this one as their defense steps up and sacks Chicago’s QB 11 times while also getting an INT. Wentz throws for only 161 yards in the game but has a touchdown pass and Tevin Coleman runs in for 2 scores. Giants win 27-9.
 
 
Next week:

Giants host the Rams

Bears visit the Titans
 
 Indianapolis 10 Pittsburgh 30               30 0-5 
Pittsburgh wins this one at home 30-10 . The Steelers would defer after winning the toss but still hold the ball for over 11 minutes in the first quarter and lead 10-0 after one as the Colts struggled to move the ball .
 
The Colts moved the ball much better in the 2nd as Pittsburgh's offense slowed down a bit which lead to a Colts FG . On their next possession a Swift catch and Fumble turned into 7 points for the home team as Safety Anthony Harris got a Lateral from Rookie LB Jamin Davis and took it to the house from 35 yards out 17-3. The Colts would answer as Burrow tosses a 1 yard TD to make it 17-10. Steelers get a FG and its 20-10 at the half.
 
Pittsburgh gets the ball to open the second half and goes on a 14 play drive that takes almost 8 minutes off the clock and get a FG 23-10. After a Colts punt they take the next drive 10 plays 96 yards and chew up over 4 minutes and punch it in as rookie Javonte Williams runs it in from 5 yards out .
 
That was all for the scoring as teams traded punts the rest of the game. Pittsburgh ran the ball 39 times for 192 yards and controlled the ball for over 36 minutes. Both teams had a long list of injured players out for this one Colts were missing 9 players the Steelers 8. Both teams added to the list losing 2 more players in this one .
 
The Colts are at home to take on the LA Chargers next week while the Steelers welcome GB to Heinz Field.  
 
 Carolina 14 Las Vegas 27                    56 0-5  
Raiders defeat Carolina 27-14 behind D'Onta Foreman's strong rushing game and early success from QB Matthew Stafford

 Seattle 27 Detroit 10                       70 Calm
Seattle escapes with a win over 1-11 Detroit.  The score was much much closer than the final indicates as 10 points came in the last minute of the game.
          
 Los Angeles (N) 13 Denver 25                47 0-5  
simmed
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Gibson(Jax)     26-143  1 TD
 Ekeler(Den)     25-141  2 TD
 Foreman(LV)     21-133
 Taylor(NE)      22-130  2 TD
 Harris(Mia)     20-118
 Gordon(NYJ)     24-113
 Williams,J(Dal) 18-112
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Adams(TB)        7-166  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Diggs(SF)       11- 97
 Westbrook-(Dal)  7- 87  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr(TB)        25-18-346   4 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Golden(Dal)      3 Sk 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Mack,K(LAR)      3 Sk 9 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 Rogers(KC)     3-52 Kick Ret 4-102 Punt Ret  1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Koo(KC)        5-5 FG
 Butker(Phi)    4-4 FG
 Tucker(NE)     4-4 FG
​

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WEEK 13 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 13 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 12 RECAP

Amari Cooper's two TDs helped the Jags defeat previously unbeaten Tampa Bay.

​Game Scores
 Tampa Bay 28 Jacksonville 42                71 0-10
The Battle of Florida

The Bucs came to Jacksonville looking to go 12-0 for the year while the Jags were looking to avoid being embarrassed for the second week and a row. Apparently, the drubbing the Jags suffered in week 11 lit a fire in their offense for the first time this year.

The Jags raced out to a 14-0 first quarter lead behind the arm of Josh Allen and legs of Amari Cooper. The Buc offense found their stride in the second quarter, but their defense was still troubled by the resurgent Jags O. The Bucs began to move the but couldn't stop the Jacksonville O. Jags led 28-14 at the half.

The third quarter saw the Jags increase their lead to 42-14 following two picks by the Jag defense. The fourth quarter saw the Bucs make a game of it but the Jags lead was too much to overcome.

Final Score, Jacksonville- 42 Tampa Bay- 28

Josh Allen (392 yards 2TD's, 1 TD rushing), Amari Cooper (8 catches 156 yards 2 TD) and DK Metcalfe (5 catches for 125 yards) lead the Jags offense to victory.

Derek Carr struggled early but had over 300 yard in the second half alone finishing with 421 yards, 4TD's and 2 Ints. Marquis Brown had a nice game with 111 yards and 2TD's.
 
 Denver 9 Kansas City 24                     30 5-15 
 Justin Fields went 22-16-178 with 2 TD's and the Chiefs sacked Denver QB Mitchell Trubisky 5 times as KC defeated the Broncos 24-9.
 
 Cincinnati 22 Tennessee 7                   47 0-10 
Leading 3-0 thanks to a Matthew Wright 51 yard field goal.  The Bengals added 16 second quarter points as rookie running back Michael Carter caught an 11 yard touchdown pass and then rushed for an 18 yard score.  Another Wright field goal made it 19-0 at the half.
 
Cincinnati would add another Wright field goal before the Titans would close out the scoring with a fourth quarter Lat Murray nine yard run for the 22-7 final.
 
Carter rushed for 86 yards on 15 attempts with a score to lead the Bengals offense.  The Cincinnati defense stepped up to rebuff three Tennessee attempts on fourth down.
 
Matt Ryan finished 22 of 44 for 253 yards and an interception.  Tennessee lost DeAndre Hopkins mid-game to put a dent in their passing attack.  Brandon Aiyuk caught five passes for 83 yards.
 
The Bengals return home in week 13 to face Buffalo while the Titans host New England.
 
 Dallas 16 New York (N) 27                   60 0-10 
The Giants win this one at home 27-16 to advance to 8-4. Wentz throws for 277 yards and 2 touchdowns and the Giants as a team run for 117 yards. Robert Quinn gets another sack to increase his league lead to 15.

Herbert for the Cowboys also throws for 277 yards and 1 TD.
 
Next week:

Giants visit the Bears

Cowboys visit the Vikings
 
 New Orleans 26 Houston 20                   70 Calm
The Saints go into Houston and hold on for a tight win against the Texans. Taylor Heinicke throws for 239 yards and 1 TD for the Saints. Kirk Cousins throws for 214 yards and 2 TDs for Houston. The Saints move to 10-2 and stay in the division lead in a tough NFC West and the Texans fall to 3-9. 
               
 Detroit 21 Chicago 24                       31 15-25
Tony Pollard rushes for 91 yards and catches a touchdown pass as Bears hold off Lions.
 
 Green Bay 23 Minnesota 13                   68 Calm
The Vikings were up early 10-0 but it was all downhill after that. 
               
 Miami 16 New York (A) 22                    38 Calm
The Jets hit a 37 yard TD pass on the last play of OT to get the win.
 
Jimmy G to Marvin Jones...
 
 Atlanta 22 San Francisco 27                 58 15-25
49ers score 10 unanswered fourth quarter points to rally and upset Atlanta.
 
 Buffalo 24 Indianapolis 17                  69 Calm 
Close game by score but actually dominated by Buffalo as they score a late TD to go ahead and win 24-17.  It was only mistakes by the Bills and a couple of big plays by the Colts that kept the game close, otherwise it was one sided.  Example: TOP was dominated by the BIlls over the Colts by more than 20 minuets.
But, at least unlike last season, the Colts are losing in somewhat competitive games, even winning a couple, as opposed to 2021 where they were totally overmatched every game.
              
 Pittsburgh 44 Baltimore 28                  45 0-10
Tom Brady throw five touchdown passes to keep Steelers alive in the wild card hunt.
 
 Los Angeles (N) 9 Carolina 16               74 0-5
he loss of Daniel Jones and Damien Harris to injuries allowed the Panthers to pull out the victory against the Rams.
 
 
The first half was a battle of field goals with the Rams hitting 3 and the Panthers getting one as the Rams took the lead into the half 9 to 3.
 
Carolina scores a TD late in the third on a 9 yard scramble by Wilson to go up 10-9. Carolina added two more field goals in the fourth, with the last one with 50 seconds left in the game, to go up by the final score.
 
Rams 9
Carolina 16
 
Neither team was able to muster much offense, and if not for the in-game injuries by the Rams, the outcome may have been different.
 
Wilson passed for 248 yards for the Panthers.
 
Sanders rushed for 74 yards for the Rams.
 
 Arizona 18 Seattle 31                       44 0-5
In the battle of the birds Seattle stays undefeated taking down the Division rival Cardinals 31-18.
 
 Philadelphia 14 New England 34              33 20-30
In a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, the Eagles came to Foxboro looking for some revenge against the 10-1 Patriots.  Last year's NE team didn't have running back Jonathan Taylor, and JT wasted little time introducing himself to the Eagle defense, with runs of 12 and 9 yards on NE's initial drive. An Ioannidis sack ruined things and forced a Patriot punt however.  After an Eagle three and out, Taylor came right back and (even with a Philly D keying on him) broke loose for a 79 yard TD run.
 
Philly responded quite nicely, thanks in part to a 35 yard kick return.   Ryan Tannehill completed 4 of 4 passes, including connections of 10 and 13 yards to Brandin Cooks.  Anthony McFarland ran it in from 9 yards out, and the game was tied at 7-7 heading to the 2nd quarter.
 
A Justin Tucker 44 yard field goal put NE up 10-7, and later in the quarter, Taylor would break loose for a 15 yard TD to make it 17-7 heading to halftime.
 
Lamar Jackson hit Cooper Kupp for a 22 yard TD pass early in the 3rd quarter, but JC Jackson would pick Lamar off a few minutes later to cut the Patriot lead to 24-14.  
 
Jackson went right back to Kupp (6-156-1), finding him for a 48 yard pass play, setting up a third Jonathan Taylor TD to put NE up 31-14.  Patriots would go on to win this one 34-14.
 
Jonathan Taylor was a one man wrecking crew, rushing for 191 yards on 19 carries and 3 TDs.  Lamar Jackson was mediocre, tossing two picks (both to JC Jackson) along with a TD, but with Taylor tearing off chunk yardage most of the day, Lamar didn't need to do much.
 
Eagles won the turnover battle (2-1) and were flagged only 4 times to NE's 7, but it was a rough day for Tannehill and the Eagles offense, as they were held to 128 net yards all day.
 
 Los Angeles (A) 10 Las Vegas 33             71 0-5  
Raiders jump out to a 17-0 lead at the half and cruise to the win.
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Taylor(NE)      19-191  3 TD
 Harris(Mia)     20-121
 Foreman(LV)     18-114
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Chase(Ind)      11-197  1 TD
 Kelce(LV)        6-170  3 TD
 Kupp(NE)         6-156  1 TD
 Cooper(Jax)      8-156  2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Jones,M(NYJ)    10-120  1 TD
 Waddle(NYG)     10-116  2 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr(TB)        53-26-421   4 TD  2 Int
 Allen(Jax)      41-28-392   2 TD
 Brady(Pit)      35-25-370   5 TD  1 Int
 Mayfield(Bal)   53-33-363   2 TD  2 Int
 Stafford(LV)    29-19-310   4 TD
 Watson(Det)     43-24-307   3 TD  3 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Reddick(Dal)     3 Sk 6 Tk
 Lynch,B(Det)     2 Int 7 Tk
 Diggs(GB)        2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 Jackson,J(Phi)   2 Int 3 Tk
 
 Special Teams
 McManus(NO)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Folk(Atl)      5-5 FG
 Carter(Bal)    7-170 Kick Ret 1-6 Punt Ret
​

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WEEK 12 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 12 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 11 RECAP

Rams score 24 third quarter points and starve off a Vegas rally.

Game Scores
 Las Vegas 22 Los Angeles (N) 24             59 Calm
Rams and Raiders met in Los Angeles Saturday. The fans did not know what to expect the Rams lost their last 3 games at home, but recently returned from a 3 game win streak on the road. This one looked headed for another L early. The Raiders jumped all over the Rams in the first half getting out to a 10-0 lead. The Rams were given a glimmer of hope before the half when the Raiders kicker missed a FG. Up to this point the Rams were barely able to convert a third down, but a great kickoff return for the Rams to start the 2nd half jump started the offense. The Rams would score all 24 points in the third quarter. Daniel Jones' prayers to Ceedee Lamb were regularly answered as they would connect for 5 big plays in the quarter. A turnover on downs by the Raiders and an Int gave the Rams extra possessions in the quarter to account for all of the points. But once the clock turned to the 4th quarter the Rams went into a shell and Stafford put the Raiders on his back. Down 24-10 Stafford would convert a 4th and 18 and then on the next play connect with KJ Osborn for a 17 yard TD. Kicking woes again struck the Raiders as they miss the XP. On the next Raiders possession Stafford again made short work of the Rams finding Osborn this time a 58 yard TD pass. But the Rams deny the Raiders two point attempt. On the Raiders had two more possessions, the first, faced with a 4th 3 from the Rams 41 Stafford completed a 3 yard pass to Osborn, but he was stopped short of the line to gain. The Raiders last possession faced with a 4th and 21 the Rams relaxed and Stafford again converted, 1st 10 from  the Raiders 42, 1:14 left. The Raiders did not manage much on the first two downs then a catastrophic fumbled snap pushed the Raiders back to 4th 11. Stafford tried one more deep pass but it fell harmlessly to the ground and the Rams hold on.
 
The Raiders offense racked up impressive numbers managing 200 yards on the ground and 350 through the air. Kicking woes and lack of conversions on 3rd and 4th down ultimately doomed the Raiders, 5-17 on 3rd and 3-6 on 4th. 
 
Ceedee Lamb starred for the Rams offense catching 8 targets for 149 yards and a TD.
 
Next week the Rams travel to Carolina while the Raiders host the other Los Angeles team.
   
 Chicago 10 Dallas 29                        70 Calm
Only 17, 284 fans showed up to see the 2-8 Dallas Cowboys host the 1-9 Chicago Bears.  Those who stayed home made good decisions as both teams played lousy football.  Each team had two turnovers and there were seven combined sacks in the game.
 
Dallas’ Justin Hebert had one of his best games of the year, completing 17 of 25 passes and “only” throwing one interception (Believe it or not, that 79.3 QB Rating thrilled the coaching staff).
 
Dallas’ defense held Chicago to 11 first downs, 2/15 on third downs, recorded four sacks and two interceptions and even registered a safety in a 29-10 Dallas triumph.
 
Chicago’s exceptional RB Tony Pollard found no room to run, managing only 30 yards rushing in 15 carries.
 
Chicago had a rough day. They had four players injured during the game, including three for multiple games.  Furthermore, Pollard had a KR for a TD called back on a holding call.
 
               
 New Orleans 19 Los Angeles (A) 10           72 Calm
Brandon McManus converts four field goals to help the Saints survive at the Chargers.
 
 Tennessee 30 Miami 15                       78 Calm 
The Dolphins dominate the statistics including the one that reads turnovers and give the Titans the win in Miami.
 
 Baltimore 28 Indianapolis 7                 69 Calm
After inheriting the 0-4 Baltimore Ravens, new coach, Lawrence Green has won 6 of 7, bringing the Ravens to a 6-5 record, solidly in the Wild Card hunt.
 
The Colts scored first on their 2nd possession, marching 59 yards on 8 plays, with Burrow connecting with Zylstra on a 9-yd TD pass. Baltimore tied it up on their next possession, going 59 yards on 5 plays, with a 15-YD TD pass to TE Mark Andrews.
 
The turning point of the game was a 79-yd punt return by D'Andre Carter that put the ball on the Colts 1 yard, followed by an easy Leveon Bell TD, 14-7 Baltimore. Later in the 2nd quarter, Baltimore went 81 yards in 9 plays with an 8-YD TD pass from Mayfield to Carter, 21-7 Baltimore at Half time.
 
The next turning poing of the game occurred on Baltimore's opening drive of the 3rd quarter.  Baltimore ran 19 plays for 84 yards, burning 11:01 minutes off the clock and scoring on a Bell 4-YD TD run. So, Baltimore up 28-7 with the 4th quarter approaching.  Both teams went into slowdown mode and the game ended 28-7 Baltimore.
               
 Carolina 17 Kansas City 21                  39 5-15
Kansas City ran for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Chiefs defeated visiting Carolina 21-17.
 
 New York (A) 10 Cincinnati 23               36 15-25
The J-E-T-S visited Cincinnati on a windy afternoon.  Bengals coaches viewed this as a very important game despite inactivating first round receiver Rashod Bateman.  Cincinnati believes if they can get to 11 wins that that will be enough to capture the AFC Central.  They viewed New York as a dangerous opponent.  Jimmy G is a competent quarterback and he has some weapons.  Plus Jet Bob is a very good coach.
 
After an exchange of punts the Jets were able to march 53 yards on ten plays with Dustin Hopkins converting a 27 yard field goal for the early 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
 
The Bengals managed to pick up a first down but were forced to punt on their next drive and Braxton Berrios returned it 95 yards to the house and all of a sudden it was 10-0 New York!
 
With the wind at their back, the Bengals finally got something going early in the second quarter.  Aaron Rodgers capped off a ten play 75 yard drive with a 14 yard pass to Diontae Johnson to cut the New York lead to 10-7.  
 
Just like Cincinnati, the Jets offense struggled going into the wind.  The Bengals were able to take advantage as Rodgers hooked up with Johnson again on a 75 yard touchdown to give Cincinnati a 14-10 lead with about five minutes remaining until the half.
 
Cincinnati was able to add three field goals in the second half and the Bengals "D" did not allow another score after the first quarter for the 23-10 win.
 
Jimmy G went 20 for 32 for 163 yards and a pick.  Former IFL Bengal Melvin Gordon rushed for 92 yards on 22 attempts.
 
Rodgers finished 22 of 37 for 271 yards and two touchdowns.  Johnson caught nine of those passes for 152 yards and two scores.  Jalen Ramsey had an interception and Dante Fowler Jr. a sack to lead the defense.
 
Next week the Jets host Miami while the Bengals have a key division game at Tennessee.
 
 San Francisco 27 Houston 10                 70 Calm
Devin Singletary rushes for three touchdowns as the 49ers get by Houston.
                
 Jacksonville 6 New England 35               44 10-20
Jaguars take the opening kick and on their first play RB Antonio Gibson rips off a 9 yard run - also partially ripping his groin - and is lost for the game.  
 
A key play in the game happened early in the 2nd quarter with NE up 7-0.  Jacksonville's Ndamukong Suh had Lamar dead-to-rights, forcing a bad throw which was picked off by fellow DL John Franklin Myers setting up the Jags inside Patriot territory.  But unfortunately for the Jags..............Suh was flagged for unnecessary roughness on Jackson, negating the interception.  On the very next play, Lamar found Marquez Callaway streaking across the field, hitting him in stride for a 56 yard TD reception to make it 14-0. 
 
After that, it was rough sledding for the visitors, as NE built a 35-0 lead midway through the 3rd quarter.  Lamar Jackson tossed 2 TDs and ran for another on the day, while Jonathan Taylor rushed for 72 yards and 2 TDs.  
 
Amari Cooper did catch 7 passes for 116 yards for Jacksonville, while Damien Williams ran for 73 yards in Gibson's absence.  Zach Cunningham and Linval Joseph also went down with injuries for the Jaguars in this one, while NE lost Nyheim Hines and Rashan Gary in the injury-riddled contest.
 
 Pittsburgh 28 Buffalo 23                    38 15-25
Tom Brady tosses three touchdown passes as the Steelers earn a nice road win.
 
 Minnesota 0 Arizona 17                      83 Calm 
The Vikings were down 10-0 early in the first quarter due to two turnovers but held tough until a fourth-quarter Arizona touchdown ended things. Arizona improves to 9-2, whereas Minnesota drops to 4-7. 
 
 Green Bay 14 Seattle 28                     38 0-10 
Green Bay gets off to a fast start driving the ball down the field on their opening drive for a quick 7 point lead.  Dalvin Cook would then exit the game with an injury and derail Green Bays hopes for an upset as they would then surrender 28 unanswered.   They would score late to bring it to 28-14 but the comeback would fall short. 
 
 Philadelphia 31 Tampa Bay 33                75 5-15
One of the craziest and intense games I have been in for some time. Philly Greg called a masterful game and were it not for in game injuries to important Eagles such as Brandon Cooks, would have certainly come out on top.
 
 Detroit 0 New York (N) 24                   52 10-20
The Giants win this one 24-0 over the Lions to move to 7-4 on the season. Carson Wentz throws for 3 TDs.
 
 Atlanta 13 Denver 12                        55 0-10  Rain
This one came down to the wire as Bronco backup QB Geno Smith led a comeback that fell just a 2 pt. conversion short of a stunning upset 13-12.
 
Atlanta was in control early as the Bronco offense could not get going.
 
Down 13-3 in the 3rd quarter the Broncos started to get a little offensive momentum behind an inserted Geno Smith.
 
Denver appeared to intercept a Hurts pass and take at 73 yards inside the 10 yard line but a Roughing the passer penalty brought it back and the Falcons went on to get the FG to put them up 13-3.
 
Smith would move the ball into Falcons territory before he would throw a pick to stall the drive.
 
But the Bronco defense forced a punt and then Smith started to move the ball.  Denver would settle for a FG with 57 ticks left to cut the gap to 7.
Then the onside kick was successful and the Broncos were still alive.
 
two 15 yard penalties on the Falcons would help get the ball down to Atlanta territory and then with just 22 seconds left, Geno Smith found little used Smith-Marsette open down the sideline for a 33 yards score to make it 13-12.
 
Denver brass decides to go for the win and attempt the 2 point conversion for the upset victory, but the Falcons defense stopped Austin Ekeler just shy of the endzone and after the onside kick is recovered by Atlanta, the Falcons kneeled on it and went home with a 13-12 hard fought win.
          
 
 Rushing Leaders
 Foreman(LV)     18-166  1 TD
 Henderson(Sea)  22-142  1 TD
 Harris(Mia)     20-135  1 TD
 Patterson(TB)   17-135  1 TD
 Montgomery(KC)  24-109  3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
 Singletary(SF)  10-33  3 TD
 
 Receiving Leaders
 Johnson,D(Cin)   9-152  2 TD
 Hardman(Mia)    10-143  1 TD
 Jefferson(Pit)   9-111  3 TD
 
 Passing Leaders
 Carr(TB)        44-33-425   3 TD  3 Int
 Murray,K(Buf)   58-42-391   2 TD  2 Int
 Stafford(LV)    54-29-349   2 TD  1 Int
 
 Defensive Standouts
 Pierre-Pau(Car)  16 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
 
 Special Teams
 McManus(NO)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
 Duvernay(LAC)  4-113 Punt Ret  1 TD
 Carter(Bal)    2-55 Kick Ret 3-110 Punt Ret
 Berrios(NYJ)   3-91 Kick Ret 4-129 Punt Ret  1 TD

​

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WEEK 11 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 11 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 10 RECAP

Dallas cornerback Amani Oruwariye intercepts three passes as Cowboys defeat the Jets.

​Game Scores
New York (A) 17 Dallas 31&nbs