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

In memory of our good friend Pete "The Greek"

This photo is from the early 70's when Pete was the best man for his buddy's wedding. Pete was a long time and valued member of the IFL and will be missed.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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                   70 Calm
In a contest that featured teams with a combined four wins in 18 games, the fans got what they expected – a game marred with mistakes and poor execution.

The 1-8 Dallas Cowboys managed to prevail 31-17 despite committing four turnovers. Fortunate for the Cowboys, the New York Jets turned the ball over five times. Four of the five gifts to the Cowboys came from Jimmy Garropolo who threw four picks. Garropolo was also sacked three times and fumble three times. Jimmy G. did throw for 412 yards when he wasn’t misfiring.

The Cowboys’ CB Amani Oruwariye intercepted Garoppolo three times in the game to bring his season total to seven.

Deebo Samuel led the Dallas offense with six catches for 151 yards and three TDs.

Minnesota 22 Detroit 3                      70 Calm
Minnesota Vikings improve to 4-6 with a 22-3 victory over the Detroit Lions, who drop to 1-9. The Vikings held the Lions' offense to under 100 yards. The Lions only twice experienced the Vikings' side of the 50 years line, both times as a result of turnovers.

New England 31 Buffalo 3                    47 10-20
The Patriots come into Buffalo riding high and Buffalo his hit the skids lately after a solid start. The Bills decide to rest Kyler Murray and a few other key players to save them for the rest of the season. The game was 7-3 after one and 17-3 at the half. Trevor Sieman struggled most of the day and the Patriots made the plays with Lamar Jackson hitting Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill on crucial plays. After scoring 14 in the 3rd Kevin took his foot off the gas pedal and cruised home to 31-3 victory. The Patriots go to 9-1 while the Bills fall to 4-6. The Patriots will host the Jaguars next week while the Bills will host the Steelers.

Cincinnati 26 Chicago 0                     42 10-20 Rain
On a rainy, windy Chicago afternoon, the Bengals built up a 10-0 in the first quarter. Derrick Gore went for a 35 yard touchdown run toward the end of the half and extended the Cincinnati lead to 17-0. Cincinnati added three second half field goals for the 26-0 win.

The Bears struggled offensively generating just five first downs. Four turnovers also did not help the Chicago cause.

Keyshawn Vaughn rushed for 57 yards and a score for Cincinnati. Nwosu led the defense with two sacks and an interception.

Sam Darnold struggled completing just 3 of 15 for 34 yards and an interception.

Next week the Bears travel to Dallas while the Bengals host the J-E-T-S.

Baltimore 34 Tennessee 27                   58 Calm
Baltimore tightens up the tough AFC Central with a 34-27 win in Tennesse. The turning point of the game occurred with 10:19 to go in the 3rd quarter. Tennesse was ahead 17-13 with 3rd & 8 at their own 38 yard line when Ryan threw a pick to LB Pratt with Baltimore taking over at the Tennessee 45. Baltimore marched in for the go-ahead TD on a run by Jonathan Williams, to go up 20-17. The next major turning point occurred with 4 minutes to play. Tennessee had 4th & 1 on their own 37, trailing 34-27 when Dillon got stopped on 4thh down.

Los Angeles (N) 26 New Orleans 21           70 Calm
The Saints play one of their sloppiest games of the year committing 14 penalties for 123 yards and there were probably 5 more declined. You can't do that against one of the better coaches in the league in Ryan Heaton. The Saints would also commit 3 turnovers including a bad snap on a punt. The Rams would take full advantage and pull off the road win. Daniel Jones would throw for 2 TDs in the win for the Rams. AJ Brown would catch 2 TDs for the Saints in the loss. Excellent game called by Ryan as the NFC West tightens up.

Kansas City 28 Los Angeles (A) 3            62 Calm
David Montgomery rushes for 113 yards and four touchdowns as the Chiefs cruise past the Chargers.

Las Vegas 27 San Francisco 20               61 10-20
The RAAAAIDERS score with 21 seconds left to beat the 49ers 27 to 20.

Indianapolis 17 Miami 15                    71 0-5
The Colts visit the Dolphins hoping to avenge a week 4 home loss to the Dolphins and repay the favor in Miami. They did in almost the exact same fashion. In week 4 Miami scored with 17 seconds left in the game to win and in week 10 the Colts scored with 28 seconds left to win. The Dolphins did manage to attempt a 58 yard FG with 8 seconds but Prater missed the kick, for the final score to be 17-15 Colts.

Miami was penalized 9 times to the Colts 3 (no home cooking there) and was only 1 of 11 on 3rd down, always coming up a yard or 2 short. A good win for the Colts and a bad loss for the Dolphins.

Next week the Colts host Baltimore and the Dolphins host the Titans.

Houston 6 Denver 16                         58 Calm
Broncos defense harasses Texan QB Kirk Cousins into two picks and only 119 yards passing in a 16-6 victory.

Jacksonville 17 Pittsburgh 28               49 0-10
Jacksonville comes to Pittsburgh looking for revenge of their week 4 loss at home to division rival Steelers at the time giving the black and gold their first victory of the season.

Josh Allen took the opening kickoff marched right down the field and connected with Metcalf from 28 yards out to take an early lead. Brady not to be outdone takes his opening possession right down the field and throws a 14 yard TD pass to rookie RB Javonte Williams to tie things up.That would be all the scoring until late in the 2nd quarter as the defense's stiffened forcing 7 punts . Brady would take over from his own 15 and the Steelers would take the lead into the locker room as he would connect with his favorite receiver Justin Jefferson(who was doubled almost the whole game ) from 21 yards out leaving Allen only 42 seconds to work with. But Josh Allen hits Metcalf for a 39 yard play and the Jags are at the 33 and use a timeout with 17 seconds to go. 2 plays later after their last timeout was used and 9 seconds remained they try for a short out pass that was complete but Robinson fails to get out of bound and the half ends.

Backup RB Ty'son Williams jaunts 44 yards to pay dirt on the opening drive of the second half and the home team surges in front 21-7. Allen trying to answer drive the Jags right down the field but has an errant pass from the 11 to the end zone is picked by LB Zaire Franklin. On Jacksonville's next possession Allen would run it in from 9 yards out to cap a 9 play drive and the score is 21-14 heading into the 4th.

With 10 minutes to go the Jags settle for a 36 yard Bullock FG after Josh Allen who would run for 111 yards is stoned on a bootleg for a 5 yard loss by the Steelers best defender DL Christian Wilkins 21-17.
Brady does what he does and leads the Steelers on a 4th quarter march down the field trying to close the game out would once again connect with Jefferson with 4:30 to go from 20 yards out and give the home team some breathing room 28-17. The Jags would turn it over on downs as the Steelers get a tough fought home win against Jacksonville. Metcalf has 6 catches for 119 receiving yards and a TD to lead the visitors.   Pittsburgh (4-6) travels to take on the Bills(4-6) While Jacksonville continues on the road and heads up north to take on the (9-1) Patriots.

Green Bay 20 Tampa Bay 38                   76 10-20
In the second “Battle of the Bays” this season, Green Bay traveled south to Tampa Bay. The Packers, taking things a week at a time, are looking to get back to 500 on the season, while the Buccaneers aim to keep their undefeated season rolling. The coastal Gulf winds, at 10 to 20 mph, play a large role in how well the teams were able to move the ball on offense.
Early in the opening quarter, with the wind at his back, Tampa’s QB Derek Carr coughs up the ball on his own 44-yard line and it’s recovered by Green Bay’s star defensive back Stephon Diggs. However, Tampa’s defense is able to hold the Packers to an impressive into the teeth of the wind 47-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. The ensuing kickoff is returned 99 yards for a touchdown by versatile Buccaneer, Cordarrelle Patterson. The remainder of the opening period saw the Packer offense sputter and the Buc offense light it up. Carr completes three passes over 30 yards, two for touchdowns. The score is 21 to 3 going into the second quarter.
Five minutes into the second and with the helping wind, Packer QB Ben Roethlisberger hits WR A.J. Green long over the middle for a 50-yard score getting Green Bay within 11 at 21 – 10. With 5 minutes left in the half, Gould adds a second field goal to bring The Pack within 8 points, 21 – 13. Tampa Bay grabs back the momentum when a scrambling Carr finds Patterson open in the endzone for his second TD. The teams head to their halftime locker rooms with the scoreboard reading 28 – 13 in Tampa’s favor.
Green Bay has the wind and the ball to open the third quarter. They get the TD they need, but the drive takes 8:28 over 14 plays, chewing up much of the wind advantage the Packers have left in the game. Knowing coach Conners favors the long pass, this concerns his faithful fans. The Pack are certainly back in the game with the score at 28 – 20. On the next defensive set, Green Bay is not able to keep the game close as the Bucs use their short passing game to go back up 15 points, 35 – 20, heading into the final quarter.
In that last frame, the Packers are not able to effectively move the ball into the wind under nearly must pass conditions. Tampa adds a field goal to make the final 38 – 20.
Next week Green Bay flies west to take on a tough Settle Seahawks squad while Tampa Bay hosts the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philadelphia 10 Seattle 27                  55 0-5
Philly came to Seattle for round 2 of their yearly matchup but forgot to bring the offense. Seattle would get on the board first with a FG that was setup by a Howard INT. A TD would follow after a nice punt return by Isiah McKenzie to give Seattle a 10-0 lead. Pinned deep in their own territory inside of 2 minutes Philly would attempt to move the ball to run the clock out but a strip sack by Chandler Jones would lead to a defensive TD to make it 17-0 at halftime. Philly would get on the board in the second half with a FG but that is all their offense would manage as they would end the game with only 78 yards of net offense. Their defense would play hard all game holding Seattle to 246 yards of offense and scoring a TD on a late fumble return for a TD but they could not overcome the poor offensive performance.

Atlanta 31 Carolina 6                       77 0-10 Heavy Rain
Falcons drag the Panthers through the mud in a heavy downpour at Bank of America Stadium.

Neither team mustur much offense in the first half. Atlanta has 101 yards, and Carolina 96 yards at the half. A Surtain 80 yard interception return for a touchdown being the difference as Atlanta took the lead 10-3 going into the locker room.

The second half was all Atlanta as Hurts is able to ignite their offense and the Panther offense remains stagnant.

Atlanta scores 21 unanswered including two touchdown passes by Hurts and finishes out the Panthers 31-6.

For Atlanta, Hurts finishes with 221 yards passing and 2 passing TD's. He also led the team in passing.

For Carolina, Wilson had 215 passing yards. Most came in garbage time however and Carolina mustered only 266 yards total.


New York (N) 6 Arizona 16                   84 Calm
The Cardinals and Giants were both still playoff hopefuls before the game. This game was important to both teams. The Giants only trailed Zona by one game and a win would put them solidly in the hunt for a wildcard spot. The Cards were coming off a terrible game last week where both the offense, defense and coaching staff under performed with some help from the yellow bandits.

So the stage was set and the fans were excited. What the fans got was a defensive juggernaut. Both teams knew what they had to do to win. Zona had to stop Weddle and Renfrow which is the heart of the Giants offense. The Giants needed to only stop Mahomes. Whichever team succeeded would win.

Zona received the opening kickoff and methodically moved the ball down the field. Mahomes was patient and took was the D gave him. Barkley highlighted the drive with a 23 yard gain on a reception out of the backfield. Zona would make it to the Giants 2 yard line before being halted and had to settle for a FG.

The Cardinal game plan was simple enough, do not let Waddle or Renfrow catch the ball. And the defense executed the plan masterfully. At times it seemed to Giants fans as if the Zona D knew the play call by the Giants before it was executed. The Arizona D was nasty and stuck to the Giants receivers as if they were tarred and feathered. Wentz was frustrated. The Giants offense did try to utilize their ground game, but the Zona front four would not allow the Giant runners to consistently pick up yardage. Once the Giants were in a 3rd and medium or long yardage, the Zone D would lock down the receivers. Over the game, the Giants only converted 3 third down attempts in 12 tries.

Unfortunately, Mahomes was having the same issue. Make no mistake, the Giants defense is tough as nails. Mahomes struggled with pressure all day and was sacked three times. While Zona could move the ball, it often resulted in a sack, penalty or turnover to end the drive. Or just good Giant D.

The Giants big break came near the end of first quarter. With less than two minutes left Zona got the ball on their 25 yard line after a punt went into the end zone. Barkley was hurt which left Zona with only one RB. Wanting to take some time off the clock, Hill ran off tackle but fumbled. The Giants took over the ball on the Zona 22 yard line. The Zona D bent but did not break. It gave up some short runs and short pass completions, but was able to keep Waddle and Renfrow out of the end zone. The Giants settled for a FG the game was tied at the half 3-3.

The Giants took the kick after halftime and did exactly what Zona did with their first possession. The Giants moved the ball methodically down the field mixing runs and passes until they finally stalled near the red zone. The Giants kicked a 46 yard field goal and took control of the game 6-3.

The kickoff was received by Kirk, but the Giants special teams was on him like bees to honey. The drive would start at the Zona 10 yard line. Mahomes got serious and began to pick apart the Giants D moving the chains down the field. After a holding penalty at the Giants 43 yard line, Mahomes faced a 2nd and 14 yards for the first down. Pitts would pick up 13 yards but just could not quite make the first down. With a third and one to go for a first, the Giants went all out to stop a Mahomes QB sneak. However, Mahomes read it perfectly and went long to Mike Williams. It was beautiful execution, Williams took it to the house for a 40 yard TD and the first TD of the game.

The momentum changed on that play. Wentz took the field and missed a pass to his back. Wentz then completed the next pass to the wrong team. It was intended for Waddle, but fuller had been ready to pounce and pounce he did. Zona would play it safe as they moved the ball into FG range. The FG was good giving Zona the lead 13-6.

The Giants would doom themselves as Carson fumbled their possession away which ultimately lead to another Zona FG which sealed the game.

Rushing Leaders
Elliott(Min)    17-150 1 TD
Montgomery(KC) 19-113 4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Allen(Jax)      17-111 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Moore(LV)        9-174 1 TD
St. Brown(NYJ) 10-153 2 TD
Samuel(Dal)      6-151 3 TD
Swift(Ind)      17-133 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Garoppolo(NYJ) 47-29-412   2 TD 4 Int
Stafford(LV)    48-24-354   3 TD 1 Int
Ryan(Ten)       34-25-314   3 TD 2 Int
Carr(TB)        25-19-302   4 TD
Burrow(Ind)     46-36-267   2 TD

Defensive Standouts
Oruwariye(Dal)   3 Int 7 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Zuerlein(Min) 5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
Wright(Cin)    4-4 FG

WEEK 10 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 10 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 9 RECAP

Dolphin quarterback Jared Goff leads Miami to a surprising upset of playoff hopeful Arizona.

Game Scores
Miami 16 Arizona 6                          92 Calm
The Dolphins travel to Arizona in a week 9 tilt that has a banged up Dolphin Team against a mostly healthy Cardinal Team.

After a scoreless 1st quarter Arizona gets on the board with a 43 yard FG with 14:12 left in the 2nd to take a 3-0 lead. After a Miami punt, LB Cole Holecomb picks a Mahomes pass and the Dolphins go 21 yards capped by a 10 yard Jared Goff run for the TD. The XP is Bocked /missed and with 8:20 left in the half, Miami is up 6-3. Arizona goes on a drive that started at their 25 and stalls at the Miami 12, they kick the FG to make it 6-6, and that's how it would go to the half.

After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Miami gets a 34 yard FG to go up 9-6 with 14:06 left in the game. After a 9 play drive that stalls at the Miami 48 , the Dolphins get the ball back and on a 3rd and 1 Goff hits Hardman for a 50yard TD with 3 biltzers in his face to make the score 16-6, and that's how it would end. A big upset for the Dolphin Team and a big disappointment for the Cardinals.

Next week the Dolphins are at home to play the Colts and the Cardinals are at home against the Giants.

Tennessee 30 Minnesota 6                    68 Calm
The Vikings took nearly ten minutes off the clock with their initial drive that resulted in a field goal. It was all downhill after that as the Titans scored 30 unanswered points for an impressive 30-6 victory.

Tampa Bay 19 Chicago 13                     42 5-15
As you might expect a tight game for intra divisional rivals Tampa at Chicago. The game was in question until the last possession. The Bears didn't have enough offense to take advantage of Tampa miscues The Bucs were able to escape with a win 19 to 13.

Detroit 22 Green Bay 34                     33 0-10
Big Ben throws three touchdown passes as the Packers down Detroit in NFC Central action.

Los Angeles (A) 14 Carolina 17              69 0-5
The Chargers controlled the first three quarters of the game, but the Panthers woke up in the fourth to pull out the victory.

The highlight of the game was late in the first quarter after the Panthers punt the ball down to the Chargers one yard line. Mills hands it off to Chubb and he proceeds to run it 99 yards for the touchdown!

Chargers lead at half time 14-3 with the Panthers mustering almost no offense. Neither team could do anything in the third quarter as the score remained 14-3. Carolina finally puts one in the endzone with 7 minutes left in the game as Abdullah punches it in from two yards out.

Carolina holds the Chargers on their next possession and proceeds to drive down the field. With two minutes left, and facing fourth down, Wilson hits Schultz on a 3 yard pass for the touchdown to take the 17-14 lead. The Chargers are unable to move the ball and the Panthers take over and run out the clock for the win.

The Chargers deserved a better fate and played a great game.

Chargers 14
Panthers 17

Chubb ran for 142 yards including a 99 yards touchdown scamper for the Chargers.

Wilson passed for 217 yards and a TD for the Panthers.

Derrick Henry breaks his foot and is out the rest of the year for the Panthers.

  Pittsburgh 17 Cincinnati 37                 45 5-15
The IFL Bengals started like a house-a-fire as Aaron Rodgers connected with Diontae Johnson on a 75 yard scoring strike on their first play from scrimmage. But TB12 answered with a 12 play 75 yard drive capped by an 18 yard touchdown pass to Byron Pringle to knot it at seven with about eight minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Rodgers and the Bengals came right back with a seven play 87 yard drive as Johnson secured his second TD of the game: this time from 13 yards out.

The second quarter begin with Pittsburgh marching into field goal range. However, Jalen Ramsey blocked the attempt. Cincinnati took advantage thanks to a 29 yard pass to Freddie Swan and a 19 yard pass to Gerald Everett. This set up Johnson's third touchdown of the half on a five yard out giving the Bengals a 20-7 lead. Fairbairn's extra point was no good.

The Steelers got back in the game as Brady led a ten play 69 yard drive as he found Pringle again for the 21 yard score to cut the deficit to 20-14.

With a little over a minute to go in the half the Bengals went into their two minute offense and once again Rodgers makes a bad decision as Danny Johnson intercepts, setting Pittsburgh up at the Cincinnati 46 with 27 seconds remaining. Brady found Justin Jefferson for 15 and a few plays later Gronk for 19 to allow Tyler Bass to connect on a 26 yard field goal as the Steelers trailed just 20-17 at the half.

Cincinnati would score a field goal and two touchdowns in the second half. The Bengals defense would hold the Pittsburgh offense scoreless as Brady threw two interceptions and Cincinnati would win 37-17 in a game closer than the final score indicates.

Brady finished 20 of 35 for 216 yards with two TDs and two Ints. Pringle finished with 4 receptions for 53 yards and two scores.

Rodgers went 19 of 26 for 327 yards with 4 TDs and an Int. Johnson had five receptions for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Ramsey and Micah Hyde led the defense, each with an interception.

Next week the Steelers host division rival Jacksonville while the Bengals travel to the windy city to take on the Bears.

Buffalo 24 New York (A) 30                  65 0-10
The Buffalo Bills come into New York, and dominate the first half of play 21-10. Murray had a great first half throwing, and more importantly running the ball.

Buffalo had a 24-10 lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Jets cut it to 24-13 a minute into the 4th, and then recovered the onside kick. A minute later Jimmy G hit Higbee for a 36 yard TD. Feeling lucky the Jets go for 2, and convert, 24-21 Bills.

Both teams couldn’t move the ball on their next possession. Then Buffalo started at their 10, and took 6 minutes to go 41 yards. At the Jets 49, Coach Smith gambled and went for it on 4th and one. No luck, and Jets take over. Jimmy G moves the Jets into FG range, and Hopkins nails a 42 yarder to send the game into OT.

The Jets had first crack at it, but had to punt. Clark picked off Murray on the Bills 5th play, and returned it to the 14.

Jimmy G then hit Berrios on a 14 yard pass to make it 30-24 Jets.

Next week the Jets fly to Dallas, and the Bills host New England, which is always a fun time.

Baltimore 21 Jacksonville 27                69 10-20
A close hard fought game that that was eventually won by the Jags late in the in the 4th quarter. While Baltimore was behind the entire game they pulled ahead 21-20 on a one yard Bell run with with just over 7:29 to go. Uncharacteristically, Josh Allen rose to the challenge and put together an eight play 86 yard drive that resulted in an Amari Cooper TD from 16 yards out. Baltimore after the kick-off goes four and out leaving the Jags to run out thte clock giving them a 27-21 victory.

Josh Allen had his best day of the year throwing for 303 yards 2TD, 1 INT along with 80 yards rushing and 1 TD. Baker Mayfield on the other hand struggled greatly........Going 4 of 13 for 28 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTS.

Los Angeles (N) 23 Atlanta 19               68 Calm
LAR came into Atlanta seeking revenge for Atlanta pulling out an OT victory a few weeks ago, and revenge they got.

For Atlanta, practically the only player that showed up to play was Jalen Hurts, running for 129 (of the teams 165) yards and 2 TDs. However, the O-Line let him down allowing him to get sacked 7 times, 3 by Floyd alone. Atlanta also lost their starting RB, and their #2 corner, out for a while. Atlanta fumbled the ball 4 times and lost two of them, Hurts threw two picks, and Coach Alberry got stopped twice on 4th and short around midfield.

While Atlanta kept CeeDee Lamb on lockdown for 2 catches, Corey Davis tore up the secondary for 5 catches/85 yards and a TD, which would be LA's only TD on offense. On defense Simmons grabbed a fumble and returned it to the house (along with 17 tackles), and LA chipped in 3/4 FGs. Atlanta had an extra point blocked that would have cut it down by 3.

On a drive with around 2 minutes left, Kadarius Toney took his rap songs too seriously, and committed a personal foul negating a 17 yard first down that pretty much killed Atlanta's chances of another magical comeback.

LAR 23, ATL 19

LA moves to 5-4 and takes on New Orleans next week and Atlanta is 6-3 and goes on the road to Carolina.

Dallas 10 Philadelphia 30                   48 0-5
The Eagles take advantage of 3 Justin Herbert int's to cruise to a 30-10 win. The Eagles Ryan Tannehill would connect with WR Brandin Cooks on 2 TD's to lead the Eagles to victory.

Indianapolis 0 New England 20               42 10-20
Jonathan Taylor made his debut for the Patriot fans, and he did not disappoint. Taylor carried the rock 26 times for 152 yards and a TD as the Patriots cruised to a 20-0 win over the Colts. Indy could manage only 2 first downs and 78 yards of offense all day (to NE's 25 first downs and 378 yards of offense) and 18 minutes of offense total. Patriots committed the only 2 turnovers, but it didn't matter in this one.

Patriots go to Buffalo next week while Indy travels to Miami.

Kansas City 14 Houston 23                   70 Calm
Houston controlled the ball for over 40 minutes and defeated visiting KC 23-14.

Denver 0 Las Vegas 28                       70 0-5
Led by Matthew Stafford's near-perfect passing day and D'Onta Foreman's 27 carries, the Raiders were able to defeat their division rivals 28-0.

Seattle 23 New York (N) 19                  51 Calm
Tee Higgins grabs 12 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown as the Seahawks remain undefeated.

New Orleans 30 San Francisco 0              52 15-25
Cam Jordan makes nine tackles, including two stuffs, and a sack to lead the Saints “D” to a shutout of the 49ers.

Rushing Leaders
Taylor(NE)      26-152 1 TD
Chubb(LAC)      20-142 1 TD
Murray,K(Buf)   10-130 1 TD
Hurts(Atl)      15-129 2 TD
Williams,T(Min) 22-116
Foreman(LV)     27-112 1 TD
Patterson(TB)   16-103

Receiving Leaders
Higgins(Sea)    12-142 1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Johnson,D(Cin)   5-118 3 TD

Passing Leaders
Garoppolo(NYJ) 38-25-340   3 TD 1 Int
Rodgers(Cin)    26-19-327   4 TD 1 Int
Bridgewate(Sea) 41-30-315   1 TD
Allen(Jax)      34-24-303   2 TD 1 Int

Defensive Standouts
Okereke(Ari)     16 Tk
Pratt(Bal)       19 Tk
Floyd(LAR)       3 Sk 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Simmons(LAR)     1 Int 17 Tk
Al-Shaair(Den)   16 Tk

Special Teams
Carter(Bal)    5-178 Kick Ret 1 TD 2-1 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK NINE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK NINE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 8 RECAP

Patriots Austin Ekeler shows off his air guitar skills following his fourth touchdown as Pats down the Jets.

Game Scores
New England 42 New York (A) 24              47 0-10
In a game which was in doubt into the 4th quarter, the Patriots outlasted the upstart Jets to win in a game much closer than the score would indicate.
Austin Ekeler scored 4 rushing TDs on the day, tallying 117 yards on the ground on 16 carries. Cooper Kupp snared 8 passes for 147 and a score. For the Jets, Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 10 passes for 148 and a score, while Jimmy Garoppolo torched the Pats secondary for 307 yards and 2 TDs.

After three first half lead changes, a 12-yard TD reception by St. Brown drew the Jets to within 28-24 nearing the 4th quarter. NE responded with a 14 play, 77 yard drive which ate nearly 8 minutes of game clock and was capped by an Ekeler 2 yard TD. A late pick-6 (the game's only turnover) extended the Patriot lead to a margin not reflective of the overall competitive nature of this one.

Miami 30 Buffalo 24                         41 0-5
The Miami Dolphins came into Buffalo nine point underdogs with a depleted WR group looking for revenge against the Bills after losing their home opener in Miami. Game time temperature was 41 with 0-5 mph winds, the Dolphins win the toss and elect to receive. The first two drives for both teams result in punts until the Dolphins march 76 yards in ten plays as Tua hits Hardman on a 3 yard pass to be followed by a Prater PAT to end the first 7-0. The first possessions in the second end in three and outs for both teams. Buffalo then fumbles away the ball to give Miami great field possession at the Buffalo 13 but the Bills defense stiffens, and Prater kicks a FG to make it 10-0. Buffalo then goes on a 87 yard 15 play drive to be capped off by Murray to Bolden pass with Elliott kicking the PAT to make 10-7. Miami then goes 64 yards to have Prater kick a 29 yarder to end the half with the Dolphins leading 13-7.
The Bills take the opening kickoff and march 68 yards only to see Elliott kick a 25 yarder to make 13-10. Miami then goes for it on their own 34 on 4th and one and Tua is stopped cold! The Bills having the momentum then take advantage and score on a 13 yard run by Freeman to make 17-13, Bills. Miami then goes on a 75 yard 9 play drive capped off by a Harris 1 yard plunge to make 20-17 Miami to end the third.Kyler Murray hits Conklin on a 33 yard pass to give the Bills a 24-20 lead with 7:02 remaining. Tua and the Dolphins would not be denied as he marches them down the field 75 yards on 13 plays as Tua hits Collins from 10 yards out to make it 27-24 Miami with 1:15 remaining. The Bills start from their 25 when Murray hits Crowder and he fumbles it over to Miami where they take over and run three times as Buffalo uses their timeouts as Prater boots a 28 yarder with 50 seconds left to make it 30-24. From the 28 on third down Murray hits Vales-Scanting for 40 yards to the Miami 32 where Murray spikes the ball with 7 seconds left. The Bills get two bomb post routes off but they both fall incomplete as the Dolphins hang onto win 30-24.
The Dolphins improve to 2-6 while the Bills fall to 4-4. Miami heads to Arizona next week while the Bills will head to the Jets.

  Los Angeles (N) 28 Kansas City 19           45 0-5
Kansas City's 2 point conversion attempt to tie the score at 21 with 1:05 left failed and LAN added a late touchdown to defeat the Chiefs 28-19. Damien Harris had 122 yards rushing and 2 TD's to pace the Rams.

Los Angeles (A) 10 Denver 13                50 Calm
Denver wins a close game at home 13-10 over the Chargers. Trubisky throws 2 TD passes and Taylor runs for 97 yards in the win.
Denver front 7 held Chubb to 30 yards on 17 carries.

Tennessee 24 Pittsburgh 41                  50 0-5
In the first game of the year Pittsburgh traveled to Tennessee and got hammered 34-10 so this time around we were looking for a little revenge. But the handicappers favored the Titans by 2 as the Steelers try to get their first home win of the year.

Steelers win the toss and defer, and Matt Ryan takes Tennessee right down the field all the way to the 12. Ryan to Hopkins for 37 being the big play. But an incomplete pass followed by a 5 yard run loss by Penny shut down the drive after a Penalty Gonzalez connects from 40 and its 3-0. Brady takes the Pittsburgh right down the field on his first possession and finishes the drive with a 7 yard TD pass to Rookie Rondale Moore 7-3 home team after one.

2nd Quarter - On a drive that started in the 1st quarter on their own 20 Tennessee once again marches down the field on a 12 play drive this time Ryan connects with Hopkins from 25 yards out on a 3rd and 10 to put the Titans up 10-7. Three Drives 3 scores so far in this one. Make that 4 for 4 as Brady and the offense are showing some life in this game after a very poor start to the season. Again, Brady mixing run and pass make it to the Titans 3 after a miss connect with Gronk Brady hands it off to Rookie RB Javonte Williams who finishes off the drive to make it 14-10 Steelers. Our first punt of the game comes with 6 minutes left in the half by the visitors. Brady starting on his own 43 connects for 17 with Gronk and Williams gets a 25 yard run from the 34 and Pittsburgh is threatening to go in again. But not this time 3 straight incomplete passes and they have to settle for a Bass 27 yard FG 17-10. Another Titans Punt and Brady again gets the offense down the field but stalls at the 29 and Bass comes out for a 48 yard FG but shanks it and we go to the half at 17-10 home team

3rd Quarter- Pittsburgh takes the second half kickoff and goes right down the field big play was a 30 yard completion to Jefferson getting them to the 7 where Brady again throws a 7 yard TD to Moore and its 24-10 Steelers. The teams actually trade punts, but the field position swings to the visitors as they start on their own 45. an 8 play drive results in another Hopkins TD catch from 11 yards out and its 24-17 with 2 minutes left in the quarter. And then Jefferson sorta takes over the game on the second play of the next possession Jefferson catches a medium out against a double team (he was doubled most of the night) and takes it 64 yards to the house as we head to the 4th 31-17.

4th Quarter - Tennessee seemed unfazed as their offense marches right down the field to open the 4th and Dillion runs it in from 9 yards out 31-24 with 11 minutes to play. On Pittsburgh's next possession Coach Alberry Sr finally saw the offense he envisioned during the off season but had yet to see on the field. Brady goes 5-5 and Jefferson catches a 19 yard TD to put the Steelers up by 14 with seven to play. Harris picks off Ryan on the next Titans possession to seal the first home win of the year .

Brady is 25-37 for 349 yards 4TD and Jefferson catches 7 passes for 168 yards 2TD . For the Titans Hopkins catches 7 for 111yards and 2 TD.

Pittsburgh heads to Cincinnati next week while Tennessee travels to Minnesota.

Chicago 17 Minnesota 23                     68 Calm
In a game that set the game of football back 50 years, the Minnesota Vikings prevail 23-17 over the Chicago Bears. It was divine intervention primarily as the Vikings' inexperienced stat-packed quarterback, leading with three minutes remaining in the game, tossed an interception that was returned inside the ten-yard line, but Mason Crosby gave him the business after the throw causing a zebra to throw a flag, giving the Vikings 15 yards and their third win of the season.

Arizona 23 Dallas 21                        70 Calm
This contest featured the 6-1 Arizona Cardinals visiting the 1-6 Dallas Cowboys. The “experts” on the pre-game show predicted an Arizona blowout. But you never know – you do have to play the game.

After each team punted on the first three possessions of the game, Dallas scored first on a Justin Herbert pass to TE Goedert for a 7-0 Cowboy lead after the first quarter.

Arizona answered with a Patrick Mahomes scramble and 9 yard race to the cone to tie the game. Dallas came right back to retake the lead on a Herbert to Mattison pass from the Cardinals 7.

Zona got a break when, after an 11 yard gain, Deebo Samuel fumbled. Arizona was unable to tie the game though as Dallas’ defense executed a goal line stand following a 1st and 5 situation. The Cardinals settled for a 19-yard FG to go into halftime trailing 14-10.

In the third quarter Dallas’ offense three times and gave the ball away on an interception. Arizona’s O wasn’t any better, having to punt three times themselves and Herbert threw one to the wrong team. Early in the fourth quarter, Dallas’ Herbert found Samuel with his first reception of the game (he was double-teamed constantly) for a 40-yard TD strike to put Dallas up 21-10.

The game changed when Dallas, already playing with a Nickle Back who is rated a 4 vs the pass having the play due to injured in the secondary, lost Taron Johnson, a CB-7, to an injury. His replacement was another 4 pass defender.

Mahomes picked my secondary apart and contributed a 21-yard scramble (following a holding penalty) on a pass play to score twice and take a 23-21 lead.

Arizona improves to 7-1 and Dallas falls to 1-7.

Detroit 7 Tampa Bay 27                      80 0-10
A one sided affair from start to finish. Both teams stay in the division again next week. The Lions go to Green Bay while the Bucs head to the Windy City.

Houston 0 Las Vegas 27                      70 0-10
Led by a stout defense that held the Houston Texans' QB Kirk Cousins to 89 yards passing, the Las Vegas Raiders rolled to a 27-0 victory. QB Matthew Stafford's 285 yards and three touchdowns combined with RB Alvin Kamara's 115 yards rushing was too much for the Texans' offense to overcome.

Jacksonville 13 Cincinnati 21               47 5-15
The Jaguars visit the Jungle for a critical AFC Central battle. The Bengals were trying to avoid a three game losing streak. After a scoreless first quarter, Jacksonville is the first to crack the scoreboard as Damien Williams capps off a nine play 98 drive with a two yard run with about six minutes left in the half. The Bengals gambled on fourth and nine from the Jags 41 but failed to convert. Jacksonville took advantage and was able to extend their lead to 10-0 at the half as Fat Randy's 40 yard field goal was true.

After an inspiring speech from IFL Bengals owner Mike Brown at the half the Bengals finally dented the scoreboard as RoJo went in from three yards out to cut the deficit to 10-7. A key play on the drive was Diontae Johnson's 27 yard gain on an end around on third and four.

The Cincinnati defense forced a three and out and the Bengals converted another big play. This time Aaron Rodgers connected with Rashod Bateman for a 35 yard gain. On the next play Rodgers found another rookie Derrick Gore for the 16 yard catch and run touchdown to give Cincinnati a 14-10 lead.

The Jags offense continued to struggle with another three and out. Rodgers connected with Bateman again for 11 but a penalty added 15 more to the end of the play. Rodgers hit Gerald Everett for the 15 yard score to extend the Bengals lead to 21-10.

Jacksonville finally got something going in the fourth quarter with about eight and a half minutes remaining but had to settle on a 29 yard Bullock field goal to cut it to 21-13 Cincinnati.

The Bengals were able to eat up about five minutes of time and the Jags, after driving to the Bengals 30, turned it over on downs.

Josh Allen finished 17 of 27 for 204 yards and an int. He also rushed for 61 yards. DK Metcalf caught 5 passes for 87 yards including a 64 yard gain.

Rodgers did not have a great game going 21 of 30 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Bateman finished with 83 yards receiving on five receptions. Jerry Hughes had a sack and Jalen Ramsey an interception to lead the defense.

Next week, both teams continue division play. The Jags host Baltimore while Pittsburgh visits the Bengals.

Atlanta 10 New Orleans 29                   70 Calm
Atlanta and New Orleans would clash for first place as both teams came into the game 6-1. The game would be played at the Saints. New Orleans would get the opening kick and have a quick 3 and out. the punt would go to Hakeem Grant who would return the punt 84 yards for a TD. Atlanta 7-0. The Saints would get the ball and take it to the Falcons 32 before stalling. McManus would then kick a 50 yard FG. 7-3 Falcons. Atlanta would get the ball back and on the first play Jalen Hurts would throw a pick to Ward on a long pass. Saints take over at their own 30. After a 6 minute ball control drive McManus would kick his 2nd FG from 47 yards out. 7-6 Atlanta. Atlanta would then have a 3 and out and the Saints would take over at their own 39. They would then drive to the Falcons 37 and face a 4th and 1. The Falcons D would get a big stop stuffing James Conner and take over. Atlanta would go 3 and out and be forced to punt. The next big play would happen now as the snap would go over the punters head and be scooped up by Jordyn Brooks and ran in for a TD. 13-7 Saints. Atlanta would get the ball and after 1 first down punt again. Saints ball at the 20. After a 6 minute drive McManus would kick his 3rd FG from 47 yards. 16-7 Saints. The Falcons would have a quick 3 and out and the Saints would take over at the 37 with 1:04 left in the half. They would take it to the 30 where McManus would kick his 4th FG of the day(fantasy gem) from 41 yards out as time expired. 19-7 at the half. Atlanta would open the second half with a 3 and out and then the Saints would control the ball for 5 minutes and you guessed it McManus would hit a 57 yard FG to make it 22-7. The rest of the game was basically great defense by the Saints and ball control from their running game. James Conner would add a late TD for a final of 29-10. It just wasnt Jalen Hurts day as he only completed 5 passes for 50 yards all day. Heinecke would have an efficient 16-19-201 day and the Saints running game would rush 47 times for 139 yards. The story really was the Saints D though holding the tough Falcons offense to 79 yards.
Atlanta is at home against the Rams next week and the Saints travel to San Fran.

Green Bay 23 Baltimore 30                   58 5-15
Green Bay makes a furious comeback attempt, outscoring Baltimore 16-7 in the 4th quarter, but, Baltimore holds on for a 30-23 victory, evening Baltimore's record at 4-4 and dropping Green Bay to 3-5.

San Francisco 21 Carolina 26                71 0-5
San Fran jumps out to a 21-7 first half lead behind Mac Jones pinpoint pass attack. Carolina was able to muster little offense, but Wilson was able to find Drake on a short pass to put some points on the board.

The second half San Fran continued to move the ball, but unfortunately the drives kept stalling. Carolina offense picks up and slowly works their way back into the game. A couple of field goals in the third brought Carolina within 8. Early in the 4th Wilson found Hooper on a 12 yard pass to make the score 21-19. Carolina goes for two but cannot complete the short pass.

San Fran then started deep in their territory after the kick off at the 7. Mac Jones hits Jakobi Meyers on a 20 yard pass, but he fumbles on the run and Carolina covers it up. Wilson then hit Cobb on a 30 yard score on the first play of the possession for the TD. Carolina takes the lead 26-21.

Mac Jones takes over with 4 minutes left in the game and drives San Fran all the way down to the goal line. Three running plays are stuffed, then Jones goes back for the pass on fourth down only to have it fall incomplete.

Carolina 26
San Fran 21

San Fran dominated most of the game and deserved a better fate. San Fran outgained Carolina 440 to 287.

Mac Jones was 36 out of 50 for 308 yards and 1 TD.

Russel Wilson was 13 for 24 with 205 yards and 3 TD's.

Seattle 27 Indianapolis 13                  69 Calm
7-0 Seattle would travel to 1-6 Indy for another out of conference game. In an effort to spark the slow starts Teddy Bridgewater was given the nod to start the game however it didn’t fix their early offensive woes. Seattle got on the board first with an early field goal but the Colts run game was unstoppable as Swift just kept churning out yards. Due his consistent success Seattle took its eyes off Chase for one play and Burrow made them pay hitting him for 6 on a 3rd and short. While Seattle would respond with its own TD but a pair of Indy FGs would put them ahead 13-10 at the half. From there Seattle finally woke up and would score 17 unanswered to cruise to a 27-13 win. While Swift had a massive amount of success in the first half the holes began to close up and with so much attention paid to chase there was little he could do.

Swift ran 18 times for 150 yards and Burrow was 12-22 for 118 yards and a TD.

Bridgewater was 24-38 for 287 yards and 3 TD and the run game chipped in 24 carries for 100 yards.

New York (N) 16 Philadelphia 3              44 0-5   Rain
In what will probably go down as one of the ugliest games of the year, the NY Giants take down the Philadelphia Eagles 16-3. The Giants Wentz had a QB rating of 43 while the Eagles Tannehill would go one worse with a 36 rating. Both teams turned the ball over 3 times but the Giants would take advantage of theirs for the difference in the game.

Rushing Leaders
Swift(Ind)      18-150
Harris(LAR)     14-122 2 TD
Ekeler(NE)      16-117 4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Kamara(LV)      21-115
Williams,P(Bal) 23-109

Receiving Leaders
Jefferson(Pit)   7-168 2 TD
St. Brown(NYJ) 10-148 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Roethlisbe(GB) 46-24-370   2 TD 1 Int
Brady(Pit)      37-25-349   4 TD
Carr(TB)        25-22-343   2 TD
Jones,M(SF)     50-36-308   1 TD
Garoppolo(NYJ) 36-24-307   2 TD 1 Int
Mahomes(Ari)    49-32-297   1 TD 1 Int

Defensive Standouts
Okereke(Ari) 8 tkl 1 Int – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
McManus(NO)    5-6 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK EIGHT IFL STANDINGS

WEEK EIGHT IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 7 RECAP

Darnell Mooney's 27 yard touchdown catch with 16 seconds remaining gives LA the upset win.

Game Scores
Los Angeles (A) 27 Tennessee 24             66 Calm
This game was back and forth and the teams were tied 17 all after 3 quarters. Starting the 4th the Chargers drove 57 yards in 8.5 minutes before settling for a field goal. The Titans responded quickly in 5 plays finishing off the drive with a 13 yard Ryan to Aiyuk TD pass.24-20 for Tennessee with 3 and a half to go. LA used a succession of short passes to move the ball to the Titan 27 yard line but only 16 seconds remained. Coach Banko called a long slant against a 3-2 defense and Darnell Mooney pulled it in for the game winning TD.

Tampa Bay 31 Los Angeles (N) 14             64 Calm
The Bucs take a 21-0 lead into the locker room at the half and cruise to the win.

Kansas City 38 Baltimore 41                 64 0-5   Rain
Ravens rally from 24-10 down at the half to score 31 second half points.

Chicago 20 Carolina 23                      71 0-5
Carolina doesn't take their first lead until less than two minutes left in the game, but holds on for the win.

Chicago played well and looked to be in control of the game, but two uncharacteristic field goal misses by McPherson allowed Carolina to hang around.

Game was tied until 12 minute to go in the fourth when Chicago hit a field goal to take a 20-17 lead. Carolina tied it with 3:05 left in the game with a field goal from Pineiro. Chicago then loses possession of the ball with a fumble and Carolina is able to hit the field goal with a minute left to secure the win.

Darnold was very efficient for Chicago, going 22 of 36 for 177 yard and 2 touchdowns.

Wilson passed for 280 yards and a touchdown, and Henry added 104 yards on the ground and a touchdown also.

Detroit 3 San Francisco 33                  71 5-15
Rookie Mac Jones throws three touchdown passes as 49ers down the Lions.

New York (N) 34 Buffalo 14                  62 30-40
The G-Men come into Buffalo and dominate the Bills 34-14 as game time temp was 62 with 30-40 mph winds and the Bills O-Line allowed Kyler Murray to be sacked six times! Carson Wentz threw 3 TD passes as he was very efficient despite the conditions. Both teams ran the ball well but in the end the Giants pass rush was the difference in the game. The Giants move to 5-2 while the Bills fall to 4-3.The Giants head to Philly next week while the Bills will host Miami.

Green Bay 17 Atlanta 30                     68 Calm
Green Bay came into town 3-3 vs Atlanta, who is 5-1. Prior to the game the press had been asking Coach Alberry how his team had managed to stay so injury free this season so far. Unfortunately, it was bad timing as injuries affected the flow of this game as well as an excellent game plan from Coach Connors.

1st Quarter: Atlanta got on the board 1st and the two teams traded TDs. Green Bay was determined not to let Atlanta run the ball so much, however Jalen Hurts started the game on fire and the score after one was ATL 10, GB 3

2nd Quarter: Started off with a bang for Atlanta as a Kickoff was fumbled by GB and Atlanta drove 21 yards to the house. GB had 1 of their 2 controversial 4th down calls that they missed. Had the right play, just wasn't executed by the players. Atlanta scored another TD to make it 24-3 with a few minutes left in the half.

Then the tide started to turn, a few injuries on the line and then Patrick Surtain 2 went out with an injury and he was done for the game. Rothlisberger connected on a 66 yard TD to finish the half and gain some momentum ATL 24 GB 10

3rd Quarter: Atlanta came out and knocked in a FG to try and turn the momentum, but the secondary was in trouble as GB took just 5 plays to go 75 yards and get a TD. ATL 27, GB 17

4th Quarter: Now the injury bug bit GB and their rookie WR Moore was injured and gone for a while. Both sides slowed and punted it away. Jakeem Grant for Atlanta fumbled a punt and GB lost a 4th and 1 conversion. Atlanta knocked in a FG with 8 minutes left to make it ATL 30-GB 17 and that is how it would end.

Game MVP: Jalen Hurts who had a passer rating of 128.

Next week the shorthanded Falcons (6-1) take on division rival New Orleans on the road. While the Packers (3-4) take on the Ravens who are rallying behind their new coach.

Houston 21 Jacksonville 24                  84 0-5
The Jags hold on to beat the Texans 24-21. The Texans scored 21 points in the second half but were unable to catch up after being down 14-0.

The Jags ran the ball well gaining over 200 yards as a team. The Texans were led by Chris Goodwin who shredded the Jags D for 9 catches and 146 yards and 1 TD.

Next Week Jacksonville travels to Cincinnati white the Texans visit Sin City.

Minnesota 3 New Orleans 24                  70 Calm
The Saints win at home against the Vikes 24-3. Veteran Joe Flacco got the start for the Saints and threw 3 TD's. The Saints Defense were swarming all day collecting 7 sacks and holding the Vikes to 168 yards and 3 points.

Cincinnati 17 Las Vegas 21                  78 Calm
Trailing 17-14 with about four and a half minutes remaining in the game, Matthew Stafford connected with tight end Travis Kelcie from 22 yards out for the go-ahead score, 21-17. The Bengals got as close as the Vegas 26 but turned it over on downs.

The Raiders enjoyed some home cooking with Cincinnati being charged with ten penalties for 78 yards and Vegas only one for five yards.

Cedric Wilson caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown to lead the Raiders offense.

Aaron Rodgers went 27 of 42 for 338 yards and two TDs.

Next week the Bengals host Jacksonville in an AFC Central match-up while the Raiders welcome Houston in an AFC West division game.

Denver 21 Pittsburgh 17                     58 5-15
Well when they announce the game as two cellar dwellers you’re not looking for a well-played game and yes there was many miscues in the game but it came down to the final possession.

1st quarter - Denver wins the toss and defers, Brady marches the Steelers right down the field and on a 3rd and 7 from the Broncos 20 Brady throws an out to Jefferson but is picked off by CB Desmond King to stop the drive and give the visitors their first possession. Trubisky leads the Broncos on an 11 play drive highlighted by Rookie Devonte Smith's 52 yard reception to take them to the 9 but the dive stalls and Vizcaino comes on for the 26 yard FG which is good but WAIT there is a holding call retry from 36 yards you guessed it missed and we are still scoreless. Brady again drive the Steelers down the field highlighted by Pringles 39 yard reception and its 1st and goal from the 4. But once again on the first play the goat is pick this time by Al-Shaair. So we will go into the 2nd scoreless.

2nd Quarter.- Denver would draw first blood as Jonathan Taylor would break free for a 49 yard TD run and the Broncos lead 7-0 with 12:33 to go in the half. The Steelers feeling some pressure having not won a home game this year answers on the next possession as they once again drive down the field mixing pass/run and get a score from back up RB Patrick Taylor from 9 yards out and we are tied at 7 with 6:50 left in the half. Interesting event at the end of the 2nd coach Crandell elects to go for it on a 4th and 1 from the Steelers 44 but Trubisky pass to TE Gesicki falls to the Turf leaving the Goat 10 seconds and he connects with Pringle once again this time for 25 yards unfortunately for the home team he fumbles and the Broncos have it back with 4 seconds to go. From their own 31 Trubisky heaves one down field but is picked by Safety Anthony Harris to end the half 7-7.

3rd Quarter - Denver receives the second half KO and on the first play Trubisky to Sutton nets 11 yards plus a 15 yard face-mask Penalty   and Denver is on the move a few plays later its 2nd and 6 from the 22 and Trubisky connects with rookie Smith to give Denver a 14-7 lead with11:53 left in the 3rd. The rest of the quarter was traded punts as we head into the 4th with Denver up 14-7

4th Quarter - 3 plays into the 4th on a drive that started with 2:12 to go in the 3rd Brady would connect with his main man Jefferson from 22 yards out to once again tie the score at 14 with13:59 left in the game. On a 3rd and 2 from the Steelers 40 Trubisky is sacked by Dexter Lawrence for a 5 yard loss pushing Denver out of field goal range and forcing a punt with 8:34 to go. As you would expect Brady would lead a 4th quarter drive and take time off the clock. No super big plays on the drive but a 2nd and 6 from Pittsburgh's 31 would result in a 13 yard PI call against Denver's S Andrew Wingard and that would catapult the Steelers drive down to the the 11 yard line with a Steelers 1st and 10. Taylors gets 3 yards on a sweep time out Denver 2:48 to play . To me the key play off the game I felt Coach Randall would be keying the run and he did however instead of coach Alberry Sr going to stud WR Jefferson he felt he had an advantage with TE Dawson Knox but the pass fell incomplete. On a 3rd 7 a run by Rookie Javonte Williams gains zero yard's and with 2:32 to go and no timeouts for Denver’s Bass connects from 26 yards out Pittsburgh gets their first lead of the game. But Bass would kick the kickoff out of bounds and Trubisky and his Broncos would start 1st and 10 from the 40 plenty of time even with no timeouts to at least get in position for a tie. it gets down to a 4th and 4 from the Steelers 38 and coach Crandell forgoes the 55 yard FG attempt to tie and goes for it. Trubisky was on tonight as he connects with Cortland Sutton for 12 yards to keep the drive alive with 1:01 to go. On the very next play DT Tuttle was called for Roughing the passer on a incomplete pass giving Denver a 1st and 10 from the 13 with 34 seconds to go. After an incomplete pass on1st down Trubisky he Finds Smith on a slant from 13 yards out with 29 seconds to go to give Denver a 21-17 lead. And that's the way it would end as Brady does not have enough time for any chance at a comeback.

Jonathan Taylor would have 17 Carries for 100 yards and a TD and Devonte Smith would grab 6 for 121 yards 2 TD.

For Pittsburgh Rookie Javonte Williams would rush for 119 yards on 20 carries and Justin Jefferson would have 8 catches for 119 yards 1 TD. LB steven Means would make 11 tackles for Pittsburgh.

Denver (2-5) takes on the Chargers (2-5) at home whom they lost to 23-10 opening night while Pittsburgh (2-5) host division rival Tennessee (5-2) who they lost to 34-10 to open the season.

Arizona 35 Indianapolis 14                  69 Calm
The Colts were totally outclassed and the Cardinals won a game that was more lopsided than the score would indicate.
The Colts simply could not stop Arizona when they had to. Patrick Mahomes 300+ yards passing and the Cardinals running game averaged 6+ yards per carry through the 3rd quarter.

Philadelphia 16 Miami 3                     92 0-10
Philly came to Miami as Two 1 and 5 Teams go at it.

The injuries continue to pile up for Miami and not a lot of Defense to counter the Eagles. While the Eagles Defense was pretty stellar. Miami gets on the board 1st with a 37 yard FG in the 1st but that would be it. Eagles score the next 16 points to win the game 16-3.

Dallas 0 New England 37                     53 15-25
Alexander Mattison fumbled on the Cowboys first play from scrimmage, setting up an Austin Ekeler 8 yard TD run. It was downhill from there for the visitors.

The rough year continues for Justin Herbert, who completed but 19 of 41 pass attempts for 155 yards and an INT. Dallas did put up a fight early, getting within FG range twice while trailing by one score, only to see Matt Ammendola miss 43 and 41 yard field goals with a strong wind at his back. Geno Smith threw for 3 TD passes, 2 to Cooper Kupp as the Patriots win it 37-0.

New York (A) 10 Seattle 38                  62 Calm
Jimmy Butterfingers Garoppolo fumbles 3 times and throws an INT while the Seahawks ground game finally gets going as they roll over the poor jets 38-10.

Rushing Leaders
Williams,P(Bal) 24-123
Williams,J(Pit) 20-119
Gibson(Jax)     21-109
Henry(Car)      22-104 1 TD
Taylor(Den)     17-100 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Mooney(LAC) 8-119 1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Passing Leaders
Mayfield(Bal)   36-25-342   3 TD
Rodgers(Cin)    42-27-338   2 TD
Jones,M(SF)     25-22-317   3 TD
Mahomes(Ari)    27-20-306   5 TD 1 Int

Defensive Standouts
Leonard(SF) 8 tkl 1 FF 1 Int – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Berrios(NYJ)   4-162 Kick Ret 1 TD 3-37 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK SEVEN IFL STANDINGS

WEEK SEVEN IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 6 RECAP

Aaron Donald and the Baltimore defense force five Bengal turnovers as the Ravens upset Cincinnati.

Game Scores
Cincinnati 13 Baltimore 20                  69 5-15
Baltimore gets a lucky win against Cincinnati which is explained by a 5-0 turnover differential

Rodgers was 26 of 38 for 278 with 2 TDs, but, also threw three interceptions. Cincinnati lost 2 fumbles, including a KR fumble by Swain. . Mayfield wasn't all that great, 18 for 30, 155 yards and a TD, but, outperformed Rodgers by not having any picks

The Bengals had a hard time running the ball, 17 carries for 35 compared to Baltimore's 33 carries for 153 yards.

The Bengals went into halftime with a 13-10 lead, but, got shut out in the 2nd half, 10-0.

Baltimore will host KC next week, hoping to continue their 2-game winning streak, while Cincinnati travels to Las Vegas.

Arizona 24 New York (N) 38                  62 5-15
James Robinson rushes for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants earn a big division win.

Pittsburgh 20 Chicago 17                    55 15-25
Steelers kick FG as time runs out in a close game throughout.

Los Angeles (A) 3 Houston 20                70 Calm
Joe Mixon rushes for 115 yards and two touchdowns and the Texans defense holds the Chargers offense to 132 yards.

Denver 6 San Francisco 30                   78 0-5
The Niners defense collects three sacks and force three turnovers as they cruise past the Broncos.

Buffalo 16 Dallas 13                        70 Calm
The Buffalo Bills made a key stop late in the game on 4th and 1 and went on to score the game-winning FG for a narrow 16-13 win.

Dallas intercepted a Kyler Murray pass in the first quarter and parlayed that into a FG for a 3-0 early lead. On its next possession, Coach Greg Smith led his team on a 20-play, 85 yard drive that culminated with a Murray pass to
halfback Brandon Bolden in the flat that he turned into a nice 19-yard score.

With the first half winding down, Dallas had moved the ball to the Buffalo 19 before Justin Herbert was picked off by Jaron Kearse. After a long return, Murray connected with Denzel Mims for a 30 yard play and kicked a FG before the half expired to extend Dallas’ lead to 10-3.

In the third quarter, Dallas found itself on the Buffalo 14. On third and six, Jamaal Williams dropped the pass from Hebert and the Cowboys had to settle for a short Ammendola FG to make the score 10-6.

In the fourth quarter, Hebert connected with Deebo Samuel for a 9-yard score to put Dallas on top 13-10.

On the ensuing possession, Murray pulled the ball down and ran for 22 yards. On third and six from the Dallas six, Murray fumbled the snap from his center and fell on it to maintain possession, but torpedo the team’s TD aspirations. The Elliott FG knotted the score at 13 with 3:41 left.

Dallas was faced with a third and one. Herbert tried a QB sneak but was stopped inches short of the first down marker. With little time in the game, Dallas was faced with a tough call. With a feeble 1-4 record, Dallas decided to go for it on fourth down. A Jamaal Williams run off tackle was thwarted by the Buffalo defense who keyed him.

Buffalo’s first play from scrimmage on the change of possession on the Dallas 35 was a one-yard run by Bolden. Then Dallas double teamed Bolden, whose number was called for an incompletion. On third down, Buffalo called a screen to Bolden. It went for eight yards – one yard shy of the first down. On fourth and one, on the 25, Elliott’s FG put the Bills on top 16-13.

With less than two minutes in the game and Dallas down to its final possession, Buffalo was called for a five-yard penalty. Hebert then threw an incompletion. Than Buffalo was offsides again. Herbert then passed 12 yards to Watkins and then 12 yards to Samuel. Then Hebert was sacked for nine yards. Hebert then connected with Samuel for 8 yards to put Dallas close to FG range. On fourth down and about five yards to go, Hebert was sacked again to end the threat.

Buffalo improves to 3-2 and Dallas falls to 1-5.

Miami 14 New England 27                     45 0-10 Heavy Rain
Tyreek Hill beat a double team midway through the first quarter for a 20 yard TD catch from Lamar Jackson to stake NE to an early 7-0 lead. Later in the 2nd quarter, Robert Woods blew past the Patriot secondary for a 28 yard TD reception to tie the game at seven apiece.

Patriots would respond with an 11 play 77 yard drive to make it 14-7, thanks in large part to the legs of Lamar Jackson and Kareem Hunt, who ran NE into scoring territory before Jackson would hit Kupp for a 5 yard TD to make it 14-7 at the half.

Lamar came out of the locker room blazing, finding Kupp, Hill, Hayden Hurst and Hunt on consecutive plays to march the Pats to the Miami 28. A 10 yard run by Hunt followed by a 18 yard TD reception by Nyheim Hines lifted NE to a two TD lead. A 6 yard TD rush by Najee Harris in the 4th quarter finished the Dolphin scoring, as NE would win this one 27-14.

Neither team would turn the ball over in this one despite a wet and sloppy field. Miami was penalized 7 times however for 44 yards, while the zebras refused to call even one penalty on the home team. Miami did manage to sack Lamar 4 times on the day, while the Dolphin OL kept Tua upright pretty well, allowing only one Patriot QB sack on the afternoon.

Kareem Hunt rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries, while Lamar Jackson threw for 3 TDs and 235 to go along with his 44 yards on the ground. Tyreek Hill led the NE receivers with 108 yards through the air. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 181 and a TD, while Najee Harris found few holes to run through on the day, finishing with 41 yards on 17 carries.

Detroit 9 Minnesota 17                      68 Calm
The Minnesota Vikings (2-4) score 17 second-half points to a closely-contested 17-9 victory over the pesky Detroit Lions (1-5). Colt McCoy played well under center (14-22-174) and a touchdown without turning it over. Ezekiel Elliott netted 83 yards on 22 carries.
Deshaun Watson led the Lions with 143 yards completing 16 passes on 28 attempts and a score. Give that man a massage.

Jacksonville 14 Tennessee 23                62 10-20
Injuries on the o-line played a big role in this one as the Jags didn't have Zach Martin, Brandon Shell and then lost Andrus Peat during the game. The normally fierce some Jaguar rushing game was stymied with only 117 yards on 40 attempts. The Titans found enough offense to be leading 20-7 early in the 4th quarter. With 6 minutes to go Josh Allen came alive and marched Jacksonville down the field, scoring the TD on an 8 yard pass to Antonio Gibson. However, the onside kickoff failed and the Titans were able to gain 34 yards in 2 minutes and kick the clinching field goal.

Next week Tennessee hosts the Chargers while the Jaguars host the Texans.

New Orleans 45 Los Angeles (N) 21           78 Calm
Taylor Heinicke and the Saints offense puts up 21 unanswered points in the second half to stomp the Rams in Los Angeles.

Heinicke played pitch and catch to WR AJ Brown all game, torching the Rams best CB, Marshon Lattimore, to the tune of 6 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

The Saints also managed 199 rushing yards spread across several running backs.

The game started optimistically enough for Rams fans as QB Daniel Jones led an opening TD drive connecting with CeeDee Lamb to go up 7-0. The Saints quickly answered with two scoring Drives to take the lead 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter again, the teams traded touchdown drives to make it 17-14 Saints. Saints tried to run a 4 min offense to score and end the half, they managed to get their TD on a Heinicke to Brown hook up, 24-14 Saints. Saints left the Rams about a minute and some confusion in their secondary by some back up safeties allowed Corey Davis to catch a simple pass and take it 58 yards for the Rams third TD of the day to make it 24-21 Saints.

The Rams opened the second half by kicking the ball out of bounds and it was all downhill from there as Heinicke would scramble for a 36 yard TD run and later in the third quarter find AJ Brown again for his second TD catch of the game.

The Saints added a garbage time TD to get to the final of 45-21.

Next week the Saints return home to host the Vikings, while the Rams host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Seattle 12 Philadelphia 6                   56 Calm
Division leading Seattle traveled to Philly and both teams decided to get a head start on Halloween as they put on an offensive horror show. The two teams COMBINED for 12 points, 456 yards of net offense in regulation, 3 turnovers and 14 punts, and one missed FG. It was so bad they decided they needed extra time. At that point the Seattle offense finally woke up and marched 75 yards down the field for the game winning TD.

Tampa Bay 28 Green Bay 27                   56 10-20
Battle of the Bays did not disappoint.

Packers led a back and forth game by 6 late in the 4th when Derek Carr found Hollywood Brown for a 45 yard TD to win it for the Bucs. Final score 28-27

Both QB's played well but Carr got it done when it mattered.

Thanks to Tony for subbing. He coached a great game.

Tampa Bay has a stranglehold on the division at 6-0, Pack drops to 3-3

Indianapolis 17 New York (A) 24             67 5-15
Jets kicker Dustin Hopkins connects of six field goals as New York edges the Colts.

Carolina 12 Atlanta 44                      68 Calm
Division rivals come head to head in Atlanta, and it was clear this game who had the home field advantage.

Carolina had 3 turnovers to Atlanta's 0 including a 90% challenge for Coach Britt early on that was a big call that was ruled against the Panthers! This was some foreshadowing that the 10% call would signify that fortune smiled upon the Falcons on this day.

The game started off as a low scoring affair as both offenses struggled to move the ball and the 1st quarter ended 7-3 in favor of the Falcons.

Then came the 2nd quarter explosion with Atlanta scoring 4 TDs in a row including a fumble recovery TD by Pat Surtain 2. Derrick Henry would rush for a 68 yard TD with 10 seconds left in the 2nd quarter to breathe some life into the Panthers. 34-9 at half.

The second half was a low scoring affair with the game ending and the coaches putting in the backups.

Final Score: Carolina 12 Atlanta 44

Next Week Atlanta takes on the Packers, while Carolina hosts Da Bears

Kansas City 24 Las Vegas 28                 76 0-5
Trailing 28-7, old pro Andy Dalton tries to rally the Chiefs with two fourth quarter TD passes but falls just short.

Rushing Leaders
Kamara(LV)      22-120 1 TD
Mixon(Hou)      22-115 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Robinson,J(NYG) 12-110 2 TD
McFarland(Phi) 25-108
Henry(Car)      11-101 1 TD
Gordon(NYJ)     13-101
Scott,B(Atl)    6-49 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Brown,A(NO)      6-178 2 TD
Chase(Ind)       9-155 1 TD
Johnson,D(Cin) 10-110
Bourne(KC)       5-106 3 TD
Patterson(TB)   10- 50

Passing Leaders
Carr(TB)        42-33-363   3 TD
Mahomes(Ari)    45-23-305   2 TD
Burrow(Ind)     36-21-304   2 TD 1 Int

Defensive Standouts
Donald(Bal) 4tkl 1 sk 2 hur – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Hopkins(NYJ)   6-6 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK SIX IFL STANDINGS

WEEK SIX IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 5 RECAP

The Cardinals Patrick Mahomes threw for one TD and rushed for two more including the game winner.

Game Scores
New England 24 Arizona 31                   87 Calm
It is well know that there is little love in Arizona for New England. Being a Shula disciple and many year Dolphin fan, the Zona Coach still remembers the "Snow Plow" incident with disdain!

The New England team has all the weapons "Except" a legitimate QB. It appears the GM only drafted Mountain Men as offensive linemen. If they cannot open a hole, no one can. Then they added two race cars as running backs who can also catch the ball. To then top it all off, New England has the two best WRs in the game with Hill and Kupp. Who the hell can defend against them? So the Zona D was somewhat intimidated taking the field. Seemed like everyone on the Mountain Men were 6 inches taller than the entire Zone defensive line. The damn linebackers had to struggle to even see the QB.

Arizona had only two hopes. First and fortunately, Kupp and Hill were the ONLY wide receivers who could actually catch the ball! And second, Arizona does have Mahomes. And that was just enough to allow Zona to win at home 31 to 24. Mahomes took the field on fire in his first drive moving right down the field only to stall and settle for a FG. Geno presented the Zona D with a present on the NE first possession throwing an INT right into Fullers hands. Mahomes was ready to take advantage, the NE D took advantage instead and Mahomes immediately returned the favor with a pick of his own.

NE would dominate the remainder of the first quarter to tie up the game with their own FG late in the quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same as both teams checked and then thrust at each other up and down the field. Mahomes would add a TD and NE would answer. Zona would add another TD to take a 17-10 lead. The Zona D was motivated actually shut down the NE O for a three and out. Mahomes would complete a long pass for 30 yards and the momentum felt like Zona would finally take real control of the game. And then disaster struck as Mahomes threw his second pick of the day. NE would rally and tie the game at the end of the half 17-17.

For 13 minutes in the 3rd Quarter, both defenses played the bend but do not break defense. Finally, Mahomes found Claypool for another go ahead TD. Zona 24 and NE 17. Maybe the Zona D could finally hold. And they did for the first 9 minutes of the 4th quarter. However, the Zona D was tired. The Mountain Men, well they are Mountain Men and they kicked the Zona defensive line ass. Ekeler had holes you could drive a dump truck through. In total Ekeler and Hunt combined for 94 total rushing yards on the way to a TD to tie the game.

It only took Mahomes 2 minutes and 24 seconds to add another TD. NE took the kick off with 1:36 left in the game. Minshew immediately threw long for a 38 yard completion. It was looking like OT right around the corner. However, the secondary sucked it up and stuck to Kupp like glue.

San Francisco 15 New Orleans 24             70 Calm
San Fran rolls into New Orleans and plays a hard fought game. Mac Jones would throw for 226 yards and a TD for the 9ers but get sacked 4 times. The Saints offense wasnt on the field much as the 49ers had some nice long drives and Tremon Smith for the Saints would return 2 kickoffs for TD's.

Houston 17 Carolina 20                      68 0-10
Exciting game in Carolina that goes down to the wire.

Neither team garnered much offense in the first half with both teams scoring late as Houston went into halftime leading 7-3.

Offense picked up in the 3rd as both teams traded touchdowns as Houston ended the third leading 14-13.

Carolina Picks up a field goal in the 4th to pull within one. Houston responded with a long drive to kick a field goal with two minutes left and lead 17-3, as Cousins displayed pinpoint accuracy dissecting Carolina's defense.

Wilson assembled the two minute offense and was able to drive the length of the field, capping it off with a 6 yard run to the endzone for Carolina's first lead of the day 20-17 with 27 seconds left..

Houston Moved the ball on their final drive but ran out of time and Carolina secured the victory.

For Houson, Cousins was 27 for 34 for 232 and 1 touchdown. Godwin finished with 113 yards receiving and one touchdown.

For Carolina, Wilson passed for 281 and ran in the game winning TD. Evans had 146 yards receiving including a 50 yard scamper.

  Philadelphia 23 Dallas 3                    70 Calm
With 0-4 Philadelphia coming to Dallas to face the 1-3 Cowboys, it was no surprise the teams played before a half empty stadium.

Here are the results of Dallas’ five first half possessions:

3 and out, PUNT
3 and out, PUNT
Herbert interception
We got a first down and the had to PUNT
3 and out, PUNT
Herbert connected with Quez Watkins for a 26-yarder before throwing an interception

It only got slightly better in the second half for the Cowboys but Herbert would throw his third INT of the game and the team would lose a fumble.

Philadelphia had trouble moving the ball on the ground, however.   But the Ryan Tannehill’s passing game (though not spectacular) was enough for a 23-3 victory by the Eagles.

A frustrating game for the home team, for sure.

There were also roughing the passer and pass interference penalties called against us on third downs and Brandin Cooks caught a couple of balls while double covered (no complaints there, he’s that good).   I finished with just 211 yards total offense.

Indianapolis 26 Buffalo 28                  58 10-20
The Bills host the Colts and the Indy squad came to play despite being a 12 point underdog. The Colts led 10-0 after the first quarter only to see the Bills get the offense going in the second stanza scoring 3 TD's to take 21-10 at the half.
Both teams score a TD in the third to make 28-17 heading to the 4th.
With 7 minutes to go Burrow hit Perriman on a 10 yard pass to cut the lead to 2 but the Colts failed on the 2 point try.The Colts had it on their own 46 but were only able to gain 1 yard and turn it over on downs only to see the Bills make some key plays to run out the final 3:07 as the Bills win a close one 28-26. Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray both played well. Swift and Chase had solid games for the Colts. The Bills ran the ball 44 times for 253 yards.
The Bills are now 3-2 while the Colts fall to 1-4.

Jacksonville 19 Minnesota 15                68 Calm
The Vikings started rookie quarterback Trey Lance 14-30-183 and 3 second-half interceptions that allowed the Jags to execute a fourth-quarter, comeback victory.
The Vikings stopped Josh Allen's aerial attack 7-17-46 but had difficulty with stopping the run as Allen scampered for 118 yards and starting halfback Antonio Gibson rushed for 230.

The Vikings drop to 1-4 and will face the Detroit Lions next week.

Tennessee 23 Cincinnati 51                  58 10-20
While it is a little early to call any game critical, that is how the IFL Bengals viewed this game for first place in the AFC Central. Bengal QB Aaron Rodgers started hot throwing three first quarter touchdown passes to three different receivers as Cincinnati jumped out to a 20-0 lead with a little less than six minutes remaining in the quarter. The Titans got on the board in the second quarter as Gonzalez converted a 31 yarder to cut the Bengals lead to 20-3. The Bengals would answer with a Wright field goal and a 23-3 lead heading into the locker room for the half.

The Titans would open the third quarter with a six-play 62-yard drive capped by a 44-yard touchdown from Matt Ryan to Kalif Raymond to make it 23-10. Raymond had a nice game with four catches for 111 yards. Once again Rodgers answered with a 50-yard connection to Diontae Johnson to increase the lead to 30-10. Johnson had a day himself with 11 receptions for 199 yards and 3 TDs. The Titans would answer with a A.J. Dillon 11 yard run to cut the Cincinnati lead to 30-17. Tennessee outscored the Bengals for the quarter 20-14.

The Bengals would score three more touchdowns to the Titans one for the 51-23 final.

Matt Ryan finished 17 of 32 for 248 yards and 2 TDs. A.J. Dillon rushed for 71 yards on 17 attempts.

Rodgers went 24 of 30 for 416 yards and 6 TDs and an INT. Besides Johnson rookie Rashod Bateman reached the 100-yard receiving mark with 5 receptions and a score.

Next week the Titans host Jacksonville while the Bengals travel to Baltimore to take on new Ravens coach Lawrence Green in another AFC Central battle.

Green Bay 23 Detroit 0                      70 Calm
Big Ben throws a couple TD passes and Robbie Gould kicks three field goals and the Packers “D” throws the shutout.

Atlanta 26 Los Angeles (N) 20               65 Calm
QB Scrambles, penalties and turnovers would end up being the difference in the Rams and Falcons Division matchup. Both teams feature limited offenses with effective defenses, but in the end Falcons QB Jalen Hurts made more plays than Rams QB Daniel Jones leading allowing the Falcons to keep pace in the race for the division.

The first half was played almost to a stalemate. The Falcons made a point to take Rams WR Ceedee Lamb out of the game, which they did as he managed only 1 catch for 6 yards. The Rams would go into the half with a 10-7 lead mostly behind 2nd WR Corey Davis, who was effective but had a costly fumble later in the game. The Falcons managed a Touchdown drive of their own fueled by big passes to WR Nelson Agholor and TE Zach Ertz.

The second half provided much more tension as both teams were able to move the ball with more success. The Falcons with effective scrambling by Hurts complemented by deep passes managed another TD drive in the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead. The Rams would only answer with a FG, mainly thanks to their scrambling QB Daniel Jones who ripped off a 40 yard run, 14-13.

The Falcons put together another scoring drive this time their first FG to push their lead back to 4 pts, 17-13. With 6 minutes Remaining Daniel Jones needed an 80 drive for a TD. The Rams quickly found themselves in a 4th down, but a Jones check down converted to extend the drive. Then the refs who made huge calls all game affecting both teams at key moments this time favored the Rams awarding a personal foul penalty to get the Rams to the Falcons 13 with only 1:38 remaining. Jones found TE Brevin Jordan on a crossing pattern to take the lead, 20-17 Rams.

The Falcons saved all of their timeouts and felt good about their chances to get a FG. A clutch kickoff return of 38 yards by Jakeem Grant got the Falcons off to a flying start. Some Hurts short passes fizzled but he made two key runs for 4 and 13 yards to get the ball to the Rams 36. Then a 9 yard QB draw put the Falcons well into FG range which they converted to tie the game, 20-20 OT.

The Falcons won the coin toss and the rest would be history. Hurts hit two big passes, one to Gabriel Davis for 32 yards to get them to the Rams 39 yard line. Then with the Rams on their heels the Falcons would eventually punch in the game winning TD from Boston Scott to go to 4-1.

Jalen Hurts was effective in the air and on the ground throwing for 265 yards and TD and running 15 times for 94 yards.

The Falcons defense stifled the Rams run game holding Damien Harris and Miles Sanders to 3.1 YPC and 2.1 YPC respectively.

Next week the Rams host the Saints while the Falcons take on Carolina.

Baltimore 24 Pittsburgh 21                  55 10-20
Coach Green makes his IFL debut at the helm of the 0-4 Ravens as they travel to their in division rivals the 1-3 Steelers.

The first quarter was a series of punts until Brady drives the Steelers to the 21 of the Ravens. But the Goat is picked off by Anthony Brown to kill the drive. Mayfield takes the turnover and drives down the field as the first quarter moves into the second. Mayfield goes 4-6 on the drive with a 37yard completion to Adam Thelen taking them to the 13 then on a 3rd and 7 Mayfield connects with Mark Andrews from 10 yards out to give the visitors the lead. On Brady first play from scrimmage, he is picked again this time its LB Germaine Pratt and the Ravens are in business again with a first and 10 from the 35. It takes Baltimore 4 running plays to score as Pooka Williams takes it in from 18 yards out for his first TD of the year and the Ravens are up 14-0. After the team’s trade punts Pittsburgh starts at their own 14 with 2:51 to go in the half. Brady connects with Rondale Moore for 28, Jefferson for 11 and Dawson Knox for 18 and find themselves at the Ravens 22 after a penalty gives them a 1st and 5. then Knox is hit with a 15 yard personal foul so its 3rd an 20 from the 37. No problem, Brady finds his buddy Gronk from 37 yards out and its 14-7 with 1:06 to go. Baker connects with Andrews (43 yards) and Peoples Jones (29yards) and Baltimore is at the 19 with 6 seconds to go. They risk the clock running out and goes for it and Baker connects yet again with Andrews from 19 yards out leaving 1 second on the clock and at the half its 21-7

3rd quarter Baltimore possessions Punt, Turn over on downs (went for a 4th and 3 at the Steelers 47),Punt ,Punt. Pittsburgh Punt,Punt, Turn over on downs (went for a 4th and 1 at their own 45).
4th quarter Pittsburgh Punt, Punt Baltimore Punt . That leaves us with just under 9 to play and things get a little unusual. Baltimore punts after a 3 and out but Rookie returner Moore fumbles trying to return the punt and the Ravens are in prime position to close things out with 6:18 to go and a 1st and 10 from the Steelers 20. on the second play Pooka Williams fumbles but the ravens recover then 2 plays later they face a 4th and 1 at the 11 and go for it and convert the next 3 plays only gain 1 yard for Baltimore timeout Pittsburgh and a 4th and 9 from the 9 Baltimore lines up and goes for it . What coach Green would say in the post-game interview was a mistake of trying to not pile on and run the clock out but that is usually a mistake against Brady who was having another bad night until the last 2 minutes. So with 2:06 to go starting at their own 7 Brady marches them down the field and hits Jefferson from 35 yards out and its 21-14 with 44 seconds left. Onside kick recovered by Pittsburgh on the 1st play Brady hits Moore in stride from 53 yards out and incredible we are tied at 21 with 29 seconds to go. Baltimore still has time with a couple of timeouts in their pocket to get in FG range. From their 47 Mayfield hits People Jones for a 28 yard gain time out Ravens with 4 seconds left and Badgley trots on to try a game winning FG from 37 yards out and calmly splits the uprights and the Ravens get their first win of the year.

Baltimore rushes 40 times for a 174 yards Mayfield was not great 16-32 for 215 yards but 2TD and zero picks sacked twice. Pittsburgh ran 19 times for 109 yards and Brady also was subpar for most of the game goes 20-38 for 309 yards 3TD 2INT

Next week Pittsburgh travels to Chicago while Baltimore is at home to face the division leading Bengals.

Las Vegas 31 Los Angeles (A) 0              87 Calm
Matthew Stafford throws four TD passes as the Raiders cruise in Los Angeles.

New York (N) 17 Seattle 20                  71 0-10
The Giants would travel to Seattle for their first game of the year against the Seahawks as 2-point underdogs. They would receive the ball first and Carson Wentz would proceed to carve up the Seattle D leading the offense to 7 points. In typical Seahawk fashion the offense sleepwalked through the first half promptly going 3 and out and losing a yard before punting. The defense would bail them out by stopping the Giants on a 4th down attempt and give them decent field position to start their second drive. Dak would start to put it together and get them into the redzone before promptly throwing an INT ending the drive. Again, Seahawks defense would go on and bail out Dak by picking off Wentz along with a nice return to put them in prime scoring position. However, again the offensive struggles would continue and would result in 54 yard FG from Sly to put the game at 7-3 at the half. The 2nd half would start with the Seahawks getting the ball and on the first play Dak would throw a perfect pass to Buda Baker.. Unfortunately, Buda happens to play safety for the Giants. The defense would immediately step up again when Vita Vea sacked Wentz on the next play and force a fumble that the Seahawks would recover. Prescott would begin to put the pieces together and hit Pittman for a TD to put the Seahawks up 10-7. 3 plays later and Xavier Rhodes would pickoff Wentz and provide the offense with great field position. Prescott would hit Pittman to put them up 17-7. The Giants would fight back and tie it up 17-7 with 7 minutes left but the Seahawks would put together a long drive to and Sly would hit a 41-yard FG to put them ahead 20-17 with just 1:30 left in the game.

Seattle will take their 5-0 record to Philadelphia where they will face the struggling Eagles and the Giants will host the red-hot Cardinals at home.

New York (A) 26 Miami 24                    90 0-5
After some confusion with the venue the Jets come to Miami trying to get their 1st victory of the season and the Dolphins trying to get their 2nd win.

Each Team scored a Touchdown on their opening drive and with 6:08 left in the 1st quarter the score was knotted at 7. The Jets scored the next 10 points to take a 17-7 lead only to see Miami close to within 3 with 1:08 to go in the half and it would go to the half with the Jets leading 17-14.

The Jets would get the only score of the 3rd quarter a 44 yard FG to go up 20-14 going into the 4th. With 14:08 left in the game the Jets would add another FG to go up by 9 at 23-14. The Dolphins were not done as they would take the ensuing KO 75 yards in 11 plays using 7:07 of the clock and get the TD to close the gap to 2 points at 23-21 with 7:01 remaining in the game. After a 1st down run the Dolphins force the Jets to punt and Miami gets the ball back at it's own 18 yard line with 3:58 to go in the game with the Dolphins trailing by 2. Miami would drive to the Jet 36 and on a 3rd and 2, Tua would get tackled for a 2 yard loss bringing up a 4th and 4 from the Jet 38 yard line. With only a 51% chance of hitting the FG the Dolphins call time out to ponder the situation. After heavy debate between the HC and offensive coordinator. Head Coach Tony Cox made the decision to attempt the FG (51% is a better chance than 0 if you don't get 4 yards). Veteran kicker Matt Prater nails the 56 yard FG and with just 1:02 left in the game, Miami has it's first lead of the game, 24-23. NY Decided to bring the ball out on the KO from 5 yards deep only to be stopped at the 9. The Jets are 91 yards away with only 51 seconds to go. After a 10 yard gain DT Wharton gets a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty which stops the clock and gives the Jets 1st and 10 at their own 34 yard line with only 33 seconds to go. a underneath pass forces the Jets to use their last TO with 33 seconds to go. Then Jimmy G hits St.-Brown on a 38 yard long slant and the Jets are able to get to the line and spike it with 3 seconds left on the clock setting up the 45 yard game winning FG as time runs out to take the 26-24 win.

The Jets totally dominated offensively rolling up 455 yards compared to 248 for the Dolphins. Penalties and a key turnover kept the Dolphins in the game. Now each Team is 1-4 on the year with the Jets going home to take on the Colts and the Dolphins taking the eastern seaboard trip to play the Patriots.

Kansas City 23 Denver 10                    64 Calm
Kansas City came into Mile High Stadium in Denver and behind QB Andy Dalton they were victorious 23-10.

Dalton completed 17 of 23 passes for 237 yards and a TD to lead the team
Trubisky threw for 275 yards for the Broncos but had a pick and no TD passes.

Chicago 7 Tampa Bay 26                      88 0-10
Bears fought hard early, moving the ball down the field multiple times only to turn it over. The refs were no favorite of the Chicago faithful either. Final Tampa 26 and Chicago 7.

Next week Chicago hosts Pittsburgh while Tampa goes to Green Bay.

Rushing Leaders
Gibson(Jax)     30-230 1 TD
Ekeler(NE)      15-144 1 TD
Cook(GB)        23-142
Williams,P(Bal) 22-122 1 TD
Allen(Jax)      15-118 1 TD
Kamara(LV)      17-112
Gordon(NYJ)     16-108
Elliott(Min)    14-107 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Johnson,D(Cin) 11-199 3 TD
Godwin(Hou)     13-113 1 TD
Swift(Ind)      10-110 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Rodgers(Cin)    30-24-416   6 TD 1 Int – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Mahomes(Ari)    35-21-311   1 TD 2 Int
Brady(Pit)      38-20-309   3 TD 2 Int
Garoppolo(NYJ) 39-28-306   1 TD
Stafford(LV)    28-17-213   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Williams,Q(Ind) 16 Tk
Armstrong,D(GB) 11 Tk - IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Smith,T(NO)    4-257 Kick Ret 2 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
Roberts(Ten)   5-156 Kick Ret
Hopkins(NYJ)   4-4 FG

WEEK FIVE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK FIVE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 4 RECAP

The Giants win the battle of New York as Jaylen Waddle scores three touchdowns.

Game Scores
New York (N) 38 New York (A) 10             60 0-10
Billed as the “Battle for New York” this game should have had a different billing. Maybe “The fall from the top?”

In 2020 the Jets went 14-2, and their rival for New York City fans, the Giants went 9-7. Last season the Jets finished at the top of the IFL standings at 15-1, while the Giants fell to 4-12.

Things have changed in New York, the biggest change was DeShaun Watson being accused by 24 different women of a variety of sexual offenses. The Jets dumped him in the off season figuring that the City already had enough perverts. He was replaced with Jimmy Garoppolo, supposedly a good game manager. In the NFL Garoppolo finished with 20 TD passes, and 12 interceptions in 15 games.

Coach Durfee came into the season still feeling a little paranoid on how last season ended at the hands of Dave Koch, excuse me, I mean the New England Patriots. A missed extra point, and a blocked punt cost the Jets the game, and afterwards Coach Durfee kept saying “snake eyes, snake eyes!”

Well after 4 games the once high flying Jets(like that?) are 0-4, and Garoppolo has thrown 10 interceptions, and has a rating of 68, compared to his NFL rating of 99.

As for this game, Carson Wentz looked like TB12 going 17-23 with 5 TD passes. He was one of many Giants that had huge games.

Giants Coach Dylan Mays told the Jets Coach after the game that the Jets didn’t get a break all game, something he’d heard in the previous 3 games. His reply was “the snake eyes continue.”

Next week the Giants travel to Seattle, and the Jets will limp into Miami trying to avoid anymore snakes.

Tampa Bay 19 Minnesota 10                   68 Calm
Carr ate up the Vikings between the 30s but stalled in the red zone. The Vikings were outgunned but kept it reasonably close.

Tennessee 23 Baltimore 13                   57 0-10
Ravens' miserable season continues. DKS really hates this team.

First possession, the Ravens' drive stalls at the Titans 6. Michael Badgley boots a 23 yard FG, but no. A holding penalty moves it back to the 16, where Badgley attempts a 33 yard FG...which is blocked.

Second possession, Ravens start at their own 7, earn 3 first downs but stall at their own 44. Rigoberto Sanchez comes in to punt and Morgan Cox snaps the ball over his head. Even with a penalty setting the Titans back 10 yards before their first play, it only takes them 6 plays to score. TEN 7-0.

After a Ravens punt, Tennessee scores again in three plays. TEN 14-0.

The teams trade FGs before the half. TEN 17-3.

Titans boot another FG to go up 20-3 before Baltimore finally finds paydirt with Baker Mayfield finding Adam Thielen for two 30+ yard passes. TEN 20-10.

The teams again trade FGs keeping it a 10-point game. TEN 23-13.

With under 6 minutes left, Baltimore moves downfield to the Titan 19. Mayfield hits Donovan Peoples-Jones at the 10, but Cameron Dantzler hammers Peoples-Jones, who fumbles. Tennessee recovers with 2:42 left and Baltimore never sees the ball again. FINAL: TEN 23-13.

Tennessee's Matt Ryan was the game's MVP with a 21/28/242 night with 1 TD. Adam Thielen had his best game of the season for the Ravens, catching 8/11 for 173 and a TD.

Tennessee takes their 4-0 record to Cincinnati to face the perennial powerhouse Bengals. Baltimore (0-4) will seek their first win of the season in Pittsburgh next week.

Thanks to Titan Rick for getting the game in with my tight schedule.

Green Bay 19 Chicago 16                     59 5-15
In a super close game, that was within 3 pts either way the whole 2nd half. The Packers came out on top 19-16.

The teams combined to go 1/7 on 4th down. & the Bears stunk up the place going 1-11 on 3rd. I'm sure the always tough GB D had something to do with it. 22 blitz's by Chi got us 0 sacks. yards 232 to 237.

Probably the most amazing stat is GB had only 35 yards in Penalties. Anyone in their right mind knows thats way too few for them cheatin' F*#ks.

Nest week GB in Motor City & TB gets an easy one.

Detroit 0 Cincinnati 20                     57 5-15
After a scoreless first quarter, the Bengals finally broke the ice as RoJo went in from six yards out. Fairbairn added a field goal just before the half and Cincinnati went into the locker room with a 10-0 lead.

The scoring in the second half was inverse to the first as Fairbairn extended the Bengals lead to 13-0 midway through the third quarter. Rojo would finish off the scoring with another TD run. This time from four yards out.

As the score indicates the Detroit offense struggled throughout the game. Jacobs and Edmonds had some nice gains but stat pack quarterback Watson threw for only 46 yards and with an interception.

Rodgers threw for 271 yards but struggled in the red zone with no touchdowns but an interception. Diontae Johnson had seven catches for 99 yards. Veteran Jerry Hughes led the Cincinnati defense with eight tackles and Uchenna Nwosu got to wear the turnover mittens with his second interception of the season.

Next week the Lions welcome Green Bay while the Bengals host undefeated Tennessee in a big divisional match-up.

Miami 24 Indianapolis 20                    69 Calm
Close game. Miami got off to a 14-0 lead and were just short of dominating the game, but the Indianapolis Colts showed some life and scored 20 unanswered points and were driving late to perhaps seal the game....
...but a penalty on a made FG forced the Colts back to try again, and missed with the score 20-14.
Then with the score 20-17 a Joe Burrow fumble late in Dolphin territory, and returned 25 yards was devastating as Miami was able to move the ball close to the goal line and with 17 seconds took the lead and the game 24-20.
Miami is now 1-3 next week home vs NY Jets
Indianapolis is also 1-3, next opponent is at Buffalo

Seattle 42 Dallas 24                        70 Calm
The Seattle Seahawks remain undefeated after impressive performances by Dak Prescott and Tee Higgins in a convincing 32-24 win on the road in Dallas.

Prescott threw for 302 yards and five TD passes while Higgins caught two of the balls for scores among his six for an astounding 194 yards receiving.

Dallas took the opening kickoff and marched down to the Seattle six yard line before having to settle for a field goal. Both teams exchange punts but Prescott hit Higgins on a long slant for a 39 yard score. Dallas came back on a drive that featured two 16 yard runs by Jamaal Williams and a Justin Herbert 27 yard tuck and run to set up Herbert’s pass to Uzomah from the Seahawk six. This put Dallas on top 10-7.

That lead didn’t last long. After the touchback on the kickoff, Prescott connected with Higgins on a Medium Slant that Higgs took the house for 75 yards.

After a Cowboy turnover on downs, Higgins caught a 28 yard pass off a short slant and Prescott hit Pittman for the TD strike making it 21-10 Seattle at the half.

Things got ugly in the second half for Dallas after a Herbert interception that Seattle turned into a score.

Whereas Prescott was sensational, Herbert (again) was lousy: 17/35 for 166 yards. For the year, he’s only completed 53.8% of his passes.

Arizona 27 Philadelphia 10                  63 0-5
Pat Mahomes threw for one touchdown and rushed for another as the Cardinals get past the Eagles.

Buffalo 14 New England 27                   63 10-20
In a battle of backup QBs, New England's Gardner Minshew and Buffalo's Trevor Siemian went at it in an AFC East matchup. In the end, New England had more weapons at their disposal and won by the score of 27-14. Minshew completed 22 of 31 passes for 231 yards and 2 TDs, while Siemian threw for 125 yards and a score. Neither team turned it over and only one penalty was called the entire contest.
Cooper Kupp caught 8 passes for 118 yards and a TD for the Patriots.

Los Angeles (N) 34 San Francisco 23         74 5-15
The 49ers jump out to a 10 - 0 lead, but Danny Dimes comes alive to lead the Rams to a 34 to 23 win.

Pittsburgh 27 Jacksonville 20               73 10-20
The Steelers come to Jacksonville and strangle the Jacksonville passing attack en route to 27-20 road victory.

The Steelers offense was efficient and balanced as Tom Brady went 18 of 32 for 209 yards and 2 TDs while Javonte Williams bruised his way to 101 yards on 23 carries and a TD. While the Jags ran the ball well, 35 carries for 250 yards and 2TDs, Josh Allen continued his season woes going a paltry 16 of 30 for a measly 103 yards and 2 Ints.

The score was flattering to the Jags, Sam coached a great patient game

After four games Allen has a 53% completion percentage, 3Tds thrown, 6 Ints and less than 600 yards with a 54 QB rating. I don't think Dave Koch likes Josh Allen very much.

Oh well....

Next week Jacksonville travels to Minnesota while the Steelers host Baltimore.

Atlanta 23 Las Vegas 20                     80 Calm Heavy Rain
Raider’s rally falls short. Hurst throws a touchdown passes and rushes for almost 100 yards.

Denver 10 Houston 16                        70 Calm
The Texans pick up their first win of the season at home vs the Broncos.
Kirk Cousins connect on 24 of 35 passes for 249 yards with Godwin catching 11 of those passes for 135 yards.

The Broncos got 149 rushing yards from Jonathan Taylor as he ran off tackle for a 76 yard score in the 2nd quarter.
The Broncos had the ball inside the Houston 25 yard line but were stopped inches short on a 4th and 2 late in the game.

Los Angeles (A) 17 Kansas City 41           55 10-20
Andy Dalton threw 4 td passes and KC rushed for 200 yards as the Chiefs defeated the Chargers 41-17. Nick Chubb for LA ran for 116 yards on only 12 carries.

Carolina 14 New Orleans 27                  70 Calm
The Saints win a division game at home over the injury riddled Panthers. Heinecke threw for 291 yards and 2 TDs. James Conners rushed for 2 TDs also for the Saints. AJ Brown caught for a whopping 186 yards and a TD. Derick Henry rushed for 88 yards and a TD for the Panthers.


Rushing Leaders
Taylor(Den)     23-149 1 TD
Harris(Mia)     21-130 2 TD
Gibson(Jax)     19-127 1 TD
Allen(Jax)      15-123 1 TD
Chubb(LAC)      12-116 1 TD
Robinson,J(NYG) 10-106
Williams,J(Pit) 23-101 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Higgins(Sea)     6-194 2 TD
Brown,A(NO)     6-186 1 TD
Thielen(Bal)     8-173 1 TD
Godwin(Hou)     11-135
Waddle(NYG)      6-119 3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Passing Leaders
Mayfield(Bal)   40-24-341   1 TD
Garoppolo(NYJ) 50-30-340   1 TD 2 Int
Stafford(LV)    43-26-329   2 TD 2 Int
Prescott(Sea)   28-19-302   5 TD
Wentz(NYG)      23-17-235   5 TD
Dalton(KC)      21-17-207   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Tomlinson(Min)   3 Sk 7 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Patterson(GB) 4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
Agnew(SF)      6-209 Kick Ret 2-19 Punt Ret

WEEK FOUR IFL STANDINGS

WEEK FOUR IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 3 RECAP

Bucs Coach Chase deliberates his next play call from the RV park.

Game Scores
Tampa Bay 34 Detroit 10                     70 Calm
Maybe the most remarkable feature of this game was that Tampa played it using our mobile as a hotspot during a RV camping trip. The game would only work with Tampa hosting via Hamachi. It didn't work when we tried to join coach Merlenbach as the host. After that it was a flawless game from an IT perspective.

As for the game, Tampa's Carr was able to throw passes at will averaging 18.75 per completion, going 20 of 28 for 375 yards and 5 TDs. I'm sure the Lions will remember this one when Deshaun Watson gets back on track in the many years to come.

My thanks to Don for working with us on game time plans and initial connection issues.

Next week the Lions travel to Cincinnati while the Bucs head to Minnesota.

New Orleans 31 Atlanta 21                   68 Calm
Atlanta hosted division rival New Orleans from an unfamiliar spot...1st Place in the IFL West. N.O remembers the game late last season that Atlanta stole from them to try and hamper the Saints' playoff spot.

However, this Atlanta team is different...no Rivers/Mostert or Fitzgerald. The Saints came ready to play this game.

NO 31, ATL 21

Game MVP Heinike 4TDs and 2 INTs. Threw two huge plays to AJ Brown- Brown ended with 2 catches for 115 yards... and 2 TDs as he burned the Falcons deep.

The Falcons knew there would be some hiccups along the way for developing QB Jalen Hurts, as he still struggles with accuracy and has a young receiver corps. Today his inexperience showed. Hurts went 11 for 22 with only 53 yards passing. The Saints defense had the offense all confused. The Falcons had great field position many times due to 3 takeaways by the defense including a questionable fumble call. However, they were only able to come away with a FG most of the time.

The 4th quarter things got a bit more tense as Atlanta pulled some starters and threw in Mason Rudolph. Rudolph is competing for #2 on the depth chart and saw his arch nemesis Myles Garrett still on the field for the Saints. Rudolph went 9/14 with 1 TD on a 40 yard pass to James Washington to cut the lead to 10. However, the Falcons with Rudolph couldn't muster another drive and the game ended with N.O taking the victory.

Minnesota 27 Chicago 17                     82 5-15
Close back and forth game, but the Vikes had Colt McCoy who began the game 14/14 & ended up 31-36 248yrds 2 TDs, Bears had Sam Darnold. 27-17 final.

Minny hosts TB, while GB visits Chi

Houston 17 Kansas City 27                   72 Calm
Kansas City had 469 yards of total offense and defeated visiting Houston 27-17. The Chiefs ran for 264 yards and controlled the ball for 36 minutes in the win.

Philadelphia 17 New York (N) 20             78 5-15
The Eagles visited the Giants for a divisional game and it wouldnt disappoint. The Eagles take a 14-2 lead into the 2nd quarter. The Giants offense couldnt stop committing penalties (9 total in the game) and also had a fumble, a int, and a blocked punt in the first half.

New Yorks defense stepped up big sacking Tannehill 8 times (Quinn - 3, Preston Smith - 2, Autry - 2, Bosa - 1) and picking Tannehill off once and forcing a fumble.

New York has a lot to clean up on offense but they look forward to next week when they will face off against the Jets.

New England 37 Indianapolis 14              69 Calm
With Jamar Chase coming off a 200+ yard receiving week, NE made a concerted effort to prevent the rookie WR from beating them. But like last week at Philadelphia, the stud receiver proved to be a handful early on, scoring his 3rd 1st quarter TD pass in 2 weeks when Burrow hit him in stride on a slant pattern for a 68 yard catch and run TD to tie the game at 7 apiece. NE took the lead once again on a short TD run by Austin Ekeler, and soon got the ball back again looking to extend the lead. Rasul Douglas was having none of it, as he picked off a Jackson pass and raced 38 yards for the score.

Tie game at 14-14 heading to the 2nd quarter.

An 11 yard Kupp TD reception and a couple Tucker field goals gave NE a 27-14 lead heading to halftime. The second half saw the Patriot D stiffen considerably, as Burrow and Chase were unable to get anything going after the early TD. Patriots wind up pulling away to win this one 37-14.

Lamar Jackson accounted for 401 yards (276 yards passing, 2 TDs, 125 yards rushing) while Tyreek Hill led all receivers with 8 catches for 77 yards.

Patriots controlled time of possession with nearly 40 minutes on offense, with 31 total first downs to Indy's 7.

Colts won the turnover battle (3 to 1) and penalties drawn (4 to 2) but most all else favored the visitors on the day, Pats go home to face Buffalo next week while Indy hosts Miami.

New York (A) 27 Buffalo 28                  70 Calm
The Jets come to Buffalo with an 0-2 record after playing two of the best teams in the IFL very tough. The BIlls knew they had their hands full with a solid Jets team as they looked to go to 2-1. After three quarters the Jets were up 24-7 as Melvin Gordon punched in two runs for TD's and Jimmy G. hit Marvin Jones on a short 4 yard pass and Hopkins chipped in with a FG to account for the 24. Kyler Murray struggled to keep drives going as Valdes-Scanting caught a 11 yard pass for the only points for the Bills through 3 quarters.

With 10:30 left Murray hit Conklin from 6 yards out to close the gap to 24-14. The Buffalo defense stiffens as Epps picks Jimmy G. and the Bills then go 41 yards on 8 plays capped off by a Gaskin 1 yard plunge to make it 24-21. The Jets then go 50 yards on 11 plays as Hopkins kicks a 43 yarder to make 27-21 Jets with 2:09 remaining. on the ensuing KO Nwangwu fields the KO 5 yards deep in the endzone and takes it to the HOUSE and Elliott kicks the PAT to give the BIlls a 28-27 lead with 2:01 remaining.Berrios returns the KO to the Jet 38 only to see Jimmy G. picked off by Jayron Kearse to essentially end the game as the Bills run out the clock and win a game that looked like a certain loss and the Jets are just shaking their heads. The Jets fall to 0-3 while the Bills improve to 2-1. The Jets will host the Giants next week while the Bills travel to Foxboro to take on the powerful Patriots.

Miami 10 Seattle 33                         69 10-20
After a scoreless first quarter, Dolphins score first with a Goff TD pass but the 12th man holds Miami to a field goal the rest of the day as Seattle puts up 33.

Dallas 17 Arizona 33                        100Calm
Mahomes was unstoppable as he provided fans with a clinic of how to play QB in the IFL. Mahomes consistently hit picture perfect deep balls to Mike Williams. Who need Tyrek Hill? Pitts showed why he was the number 1 TE off the board in the recent IFL draft. He provided a big and fast target for Mahomes all day. Linebackers just could not cover him. Kirk, Claypool and *Owegambamba (*dont ask how to spell his name and I am not looking it up) provided additional reliable targets for the outing.

Mahomes made one critical error on the day on a pass to Kirk which misfired and resulted in a pick. Herbert took advantage of field position and quickly connected for a quick TD which did tighten up the game.

The main casualty of the day was the Arizona Special Team Coach who was fired immediately after the game. For who knows why he sent his punting team in to put on a 4th and goal at the 5 yard line. Of course, the punter kicked the ball into the bleachers for some lucky fan. Dallas immediately got the ball at their 25 yard line. In a press conference after the game the Special Teams coach tried to blame Koch by claiming the punt and field goal button positions were intentionally changed. There were not buyers for the story. Good luck finding a high school coaching position.

The Zona defense consistently confused Herbert throughout the afternoon. Of course, the Cowboys only have two receivers of merit, so it did make the job easier. Dallas was able to chip away by running and completing some short passes, but often one negative play would allow the Zona D the ability put more DB on the field.

Good thing Zona has Mahomes because it would be a long season if they had to rely on Barkley.

Jacksonville 32 Baltimore 17                81 0-10
Baker Mayfield thought Christmas came in early September and gift-wrapped a victory to Jacksonville, complete with 4 INTs, including 2 pick-sixes. Ugh.

Cincinnati 34 Pittsburgh 3                  67 0-10
Bengals jump out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and cruise to the win.

Tennessee 31 Green Bay 30                   67 0-10
Packers jump out to a 20-3 lead only to see Titans battle back before the half to make it 20-10

Up 27-17 late in the 3rd and hosts felt pretty confident but Matty Ice drove his team quickly downfield. Rashad Penny capped off the clutch drive with a 14 TD run and it was 27-24.

Packers move back downfield and extended their lead to 6 with a Riley Patterson FG. 30-24

On the Titans next possession Penny took a handoff and broke free for a shocking 75 yard run to send the Lambeau faithful home in a foul mood.

31-30 the final, as Rick's Titans remain undefeated thanks to some stellar play calling.

Penny was obviously the game star, 13-149, 2TDs

Dalvin Cook had another 100+ yard day in the loss

Green Bay (1-2) finally goes on the road to face Chicago (1-2)
Tennessee (3-0) visits winless Baltimore (0-3)

Carolina 13 San Francisco 34                85 5-15
Devin Singletary scores three rushing touchdowns as the 49ers down the Panthers.

Las Vegas 24 Denver 6                       76 0-10
Denver jumps out to a 6-0 lead and the Vegas rips off the next 24 to move to 3-0 on the season as Denver falls to 1-2.

Los Angeles (A) 3 Los Angeles (N) 27        72 Calm
Rams and Chargers met in the Freeway Faceoff on Monday Morning. It was as big a struggle for fans to navigate the traffic to get the game as it was for each team to mount an offense in this one.

The 1st quarter went into the books scoreless. Early in the 2nd the Rams finally broke through with a field goal. Later in the quarter the Rams again mounted a drive after a key third down check down pass by Rams QB Daniel Jones gained 23 yards. Jones eventually found RB Samaje Perine in the end zone to cap the drive, 10-0 Rams. The Chargers would answer behind All Pro RB Nick Chubb, even with 2 mins left in the half he made key plays that helped set them up for a field goal before the half.

Rams started the 2nd half with the ball and hit two modest pass plays for 23 and 24 yards. That eventually setup a Miles Sanders TD run, 17-3 Rams.

Even though the chargers were only down two scores due to the difficulty moving the ball it felt more than that. As a result they had to resort to some gambles and on their next drive went for a 4 and 3 instead of settling for a FG. Chubb was stuffed for one of the few times on the day. The Rams were able to capitalize and managed another TD drive, 24-7/

The Chargers continued to move the ball into the Rams end but just could not find paydirt as Chargers Rookie QB Davis Mills struggled in the red zone.

Neither team managed a pass play of over 25 yards.

Both teams had some success running the ball

Chargers RB Nick Chubb finished with 128 yards rushing with a 7.5 ypc avg.

Rams RB Damien Harris found some room in the second half finishing with 118 yards on 19 carries.

Next week the Rams travel to SF to finish off that season series early, while the Chargers take on division foe KC.

Rushing Leaders
Penny(Ten)      13-149 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Chubb(LAC)      17-128
Jackson.L(NE)   13-125
Harris(LAR)     19-118
Jones,A(Sea)    20-116
Mitchell(KC)    15-107 1 TD
Cook(GB)        27-104 1 TD
Kamara(LV)      18-103 2 TD
Singletary(SF) 13-68 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Godwin(Hou)      8-163 1 TD
Kelce(LV)       10-121 1 TD
Meyers(SF)      10-104 1 TD
Elliott(Min)    10- 24

Passing Leaders
Mahomes(Ari)    39-29-422   3 TD 1 Int
Carr(TB)        28-20-375   5 TD
McCoy(Min)      36-31-248   2 TD
Heinicke(NO)    22-16-221   4 TD 2 Int

Defensive Standouts
Watt,T(Atl)      1 Sk 15 Tk
Warner(Hou)      18 Tk
Quinn(NYG)       3 Sk 9 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Zuerlein(Min) 4-4 FG – IFL Special Team Player of the Week
Slye(Sea)      4-4 FG
Carlson(Ari)   4-4 FG

WEEK THREE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK THREE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 2 RECAP

Colts Ja'marr Chase catches 9 passes for 202 yards and 2 TDs as Indy upends Philly.

Game Scores
Indianapolis 24 Philadelphia 20             80 5-15
Colts snap 17 game losing streak with a late scoring 24-20 win at Philadelphia.

Jamarr Chase was a force in the game catching nine passes out of twelve attempts for 202 yards and 2 TD's. All nine of his catches resulted in first downs.
In the first quarter he caught a 27 yard touchdown on a 3rd and 1, and later in the same quarter caught a 40 yard pass on a fourth and inches giving Indy a 14-0 lead.
But his biggest catch was late in the fourth quarter in what turned out to be the winning drive. After two sacks in a row, the Colts were facing a 3rd and 20 on their own 20 with 2:21 left in the game. In an obvious passing down the Eagles doubled Chase and were in a pass formation. Colts quarterback Joe Burrow, who was 25 of 36 for 299 yards on the day with two TD's, his best game in his IFL career, threw a medium pass to Chase who caught it for 24 yards and a critical first down.

Philly fought back in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 17-14 and would take the lead at 20-17 in the final quarter.
However, the Colts would not be denied. On the game winning drive in a critical moment, D'Andre Swift was able to gain 22 yards on the ground with a draw play with 1:09 left in the game. A 12 yard TD to Breshad Perriman gave the Colts the lead with 56 seconds left and the Colts held on to win for the first time in over a year.

Colts 24, Eagles 20
Colts 1-1 Next game: Home vs New England
Eagles 0-2 Next game Home vs NY Giants
MVP: Jamar Chase

Carolina 23 Minnesota 20                    68 Calm
Eddy Pineiro’s 37 yard field goal in overtime gives the Panthers the three point win.

Dallas 36 Miami 28                          91 0-5   Light Rain
Dallas came to Miami for a week 2 meeting with both Teams searching for their 1st win. Once again rain was uncharacteristically falling in Miami with a light wind, it didn't seem to matter.

A lot of offense in this one as the lead changed 6 times. Both Teams had a massive upgrade offensively compared to each teams week 1 numbers, but the only lead that matters is which team is leading when the final clock hits zero and that Team was Dallas. Final score Dallas 36 to 28 over Miami.

Quarterbacks were King for both Teams. Miami was doused with penalties in the 1st half but the penalty Gods evened in up in the 2nd half, with each team ended up with 10. Three of the categories the Dolphins lead in were turnovers, missed tackles, and dropped passes that helped lead to the Dolphin demise.

Quarterback Justin Herbert led the Cowboy offense by throwing for 336 years on a spectacular 23/33 afternoon. ILB Tremaine Edmunds led the Dallas defense with 18 tackles, including a forced fumble.

It doesn't get any easier for either Team next week as they are both on the road as Dallas heads to the desert to take on divisional foe Arizona and Miami makes about the longest road trip there is in the IFL and their 1st time ever visit to Seattle.

Cincinnati 27 Houston 10                    70 Calm
Rookie Michael Carter rushed 12 times for 154 and one score as the Bengals got by Houston 27-10. The Texans struck first as Joe Mixon finished off a nice 10 play 52 yard drive with a two yard run with a little over a minute remaining in the opening quarter. After a failed fourth down gamble by Cincinnati, the Bengals "D" forced a Houston pooch punt. After the team's exchanged punts. Carter broke off a 75 yard scoring run to tie the game at seven with about five minutes remaining in the half. Cincinnati forced another Texan punt but Rodgers was intercepted as the teams went into the half tied.

The Bengals put together a ten play 75 yard drive capped off by another rookie, Rashod Bateman with a five yard TD catch to give Cincinnati a 14-7 lead. The Bengals would add two field goals to increase their lead to 20-7 with Ronald Jones scoring from two yards out. Houston would add a field goal for the 27-10 final.

Rodgers finished 20 of 31 for 189 yards with one TD and a pick. Zach Sieler collected the Bengals first sack of the season. Cincinnati rushed for 222 yards as a team.

Joe Mixon led the Texans offense with 102 yards on 24 carries and a TD. Kirk Cousin finished 17 of 31 for 152 yards.

Houston couldn't take advantage of the home cooking as the Bengals were penalized nine times for 47 yards to just one penalty for the Texans for 15 yards.

Cincinnati converted 7/12 on third down while Houston managed to convert just 3/13.

Next week the Bengals travel to Pittsburgh (third road game in a row) in a key AFC Central game while the Texans go to Arrowhead to take on the Chiefs in an AFC West contest.

San Francisco 27 Chicago 7                  75 0-10
SF handled Bears. Singletary busted loose for at least 3 long runs & ended with 162 yards on 15 carries.

Atlanta 23 Detroit 22                       70 Calm
Lions score with less than two minutes remaining but two point attempt fails. Hurts runs for one touchdown and throws for another to lead the Dirty Birds.

Arizona 40 New York (A) 10                  80 0-10 Light Rain
The Red Birds are energized after getting off to a two and no loss start this season after a poor showing last year. Of course, they were helped along the since the pervert Deshawn Watson ruined his career giving the NYJ GM additional gray hairs.

While AZ has few true stars on their team aside for Mahomes, they do have an abundance of young and rising talent. AZ got off to a solid start after receiving the ball in the first quarter moving the ball down the field but made a very odd 4 down decision on the opponents 38 yard line. Had AZ lost, the decision to had off the ball to Barkley with 7 yards needed for the first down would have come under scrutiny. Coach Heaton does not remember even sending in the call.

Nevertheless, the Jets were inept without Watson. AZs next drive would stall but was rewarded by JIMMY Gs first of 5 interceptions on the day! Yes, you read it correctly, JIMMY G did in fact throw 5 picks in the game. Mishaps lead to AZ scoring 3 TDS in the second quarter and two more in the 3rd quarter.

Zona sent the young bucks into the game for game day experience in the 4th quarter. Jimmy G better get his act together or it will be a very long season.

Pittsburgh 3 Las Vegas 38                   91 0-10
The Raiders win going away in the Las Vegas home opener as the Raiders started out fast and never let up with an easy 38-3 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England 33 New York (N) 20              64 0-10
Two Lamar Jackson TD runs helped stake NE to a 20-6 halftime lead. An Ekeler TD run extended the lead to 27-6 midway thru the 3rd quarter.
With the Pats seemingly cruising, Nyheim Hines put the ball on the ground and gave NY life deep in NE territory. A Wentz to Waddle 18 yard TD drew NY within two scores.

After an exchange of punts, Chris Harris picked off Lamar and raced all the way the the NE 8 yard line. Two plays later, Edwards-Helaire ran it in from 5 yards out and it was 27-20 heading to the final quarter.

Another exchange of punts. NE took over at their own 27 with 11 minutes to play. Jackson to Kupp for 28 yards immediately put NE in Giant territory, which led to a 42 yard Justin Tucker FG. Patriots led 30-20 with 7:57 to play.

Giants were forced to punt and NE put together an extended drive, capped by another Tucker FG. 33-20 with less than 2 minutes to play. That's how it would end. Giants fought back hard, but the 21 point deficit was too much to overcome.

Lamar would finish with 118 rushing yards and 2 TDs. Austin Ekeler ran for 84 yards and a score also. For NY, Carson Wentz completed 16 of 34 for 155 and a TD in the loss.

Seattle 19 Buffalo 16                       71 0-10
The Seattle Seahawks visit New Era Stadium to take on the Buffalo Bills as both teams won their opener. The temperature is 71 with wind at 0-10 mph, Seattle is a 2 point favorite. The Seahawks win the toss and defer and kickoff to the Bills where Kyler Murray takes the Bills on a 14 play 69 yard drive only to stall at the 7 where Elliot kicks a 24 yarder to give the Bills a 3-0 lead with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter. Dak Prescott then takes Seattle down the field 75 yards in only 2:23 as he hits Pittman jr. 39 yards for the TD but Sly misses the PAT, 6-3 Seattle which is how the first quarter ends.

The Bills now go on another long drive (13-58-7:23) which ends up stalling with Elliott adding a 35 yarder to tie the score at 6. Dak Prescott once again takes Seattle to paydirt again he he hits Hockenson on a 9 yard pass as Rosas does add the PAT to give Seattle a 13-6 lead heading into halftime.
Seattle gets the opening kickoff and goes 3 and out , Buffalo starts from the 36 and drives 61 yards only to see Elliott have to kick a 21 yarder to make it 13-9 with 6:11 left in the third. Seattle starts from the 25 and goes 29 yards to the Buffalo 46 and goes for it on 4th and two only to have Prescott's pass tipped by Young aand the pass is incomplete turning the ball over to Buffalo.The momentum was clearly with Buffalo and Kyler Murray hits Tyler Conklin for 33 yards and 6 with Elliott adding the PAT to give the Bills a 16-13 lead headed to the 4th.

The Bills use 8:06 on a 13 play drive but are forced to punt with 2:48 left and Prescott starts at his own 7 and takes the Hawks on drive and with time winding down Prescott hits Higgins on a back shoulder catch for 12 yards on 4th down, Seattle calls timeout with 2 seconds and Joe Sly drills a 58 yarder to win it at the gun to give Seattle a 19-16 victory as the hometown fans went home with their heads hanging but watched a heck of a game as there were no turnovers and the yardage was 310-303 in favor of Seattle.

Seattle will host Miami next week while the Bills will host the Jets.

Los Angeles (N) 21 Green Bay 22             71 0-10
1-0 Rams visit the Pack, who were coming off a disheartening loss to Chicago.

Green Bay controlled things in the first quarter but could only manage to put up a pair of FG's as L.A. bend but don't break defense kept things close.

Early in the second the Rams put together a nice drive featuring several effective Damien Harris runs. Daniel Jones hit CeeDee Lamb from ten yards to cap things off 7-6 Rams.

The teams would go on to exchange a pair of FG's as the visitor led 10-9 late in the half.

Packers get a huge play right before the break when Jalen Guyton got behind the secondary for a 61 yard TD...15-10 Green Bay at halftime.

Rams came out strong in the 3rd and cut the lead to 15-13 midway through the frame. Moments later RB Dalvin Cooked coughed up the ball on his own 32.

CB Trevon Diggs appeared to get the ball right back for the hosts with his 1st INT of the season but a Chris Jones roughing the passer penalty nullified the pick.

Two plays later a pass interference on CB Jamel Dean had Coach Conners fuming.
Penalties were 10-2 at that point and the whining from the Green Bay sideline, 63 yard drive that stretched between the end of the 3rd and early 4th primarily on the legs of Cook. He would run it in from a yard out, 22-21 Green Bay midway through the 4th

The hosts would dial in the defense and ball control the rest of the way and escape with the victory.

22-21 final.

Daniel Jones put in a pedestrian 13/24 138 1 TD/1int
WR Corey Davis 5-65 played well
Justin Simmons was all over the field with 12 tackles

Ben Roethlisberger 21/28 221 1TD
Cook 33-153, TD (MVP)
TE Darren Waller 7/63

Always a challenge playing a coach with a Super Bowl pedigree and Ryan called a
great game, as expected.

1-1 Rams host the battle of LA next week
1-1 Packers play their 3rd straight home game when Tennessee pays a visit

Tennessee 23 Kansas City 16                 85 5-15
Matt Ryan threw for 272 yards and A.J.Dillon ran for an even 100 as Tennessee defeated Kansas City 23-16.

Baltimore 14 Denver 26                      69 0-10
The Denver Broncos, led by QB Mitch Trubiski defeated the Ravens 26-14.

Trubiski would throw for 352 yards and 2 scores while Jonathan Taylor and DeVonta Smith both reached 100 yards receiving in the contest.

Jacksonville 20 Los Angeles (A) 17          78 Calm
Chargers rally with less than two minutes remaining as rookie Mills finds rookie Freiermuth from eight yards out. Chubb converts the two point conversion to tie it at 17. But in overtime Jags kicker Bullock hits the game winner from 45 yards out.

Tampa Bay 30 New Orleans 20                 70 Calm
The Bucs win on the road. The key play was a pick 6 on a screen by Van Noy for 30 yards. That put the Saints down 2 TDs at that point. Derick Carr was unstoppable in the first half. He finished with 312 yards and 2 TDs. Davante Adams and Tyler Lockett both caught 7 balls for 115 and 100 yards. Heinecke threw for 239 yards and a TD on a day where most of the Saints offense was mediocre. Great called game by the Bucs.

Rushing Leaders
Singletary(SF) 15-162 1 TD
Carter(Cin)     12-154 1 TD
Cook(GB)        33-153 1 TD
Gibson(Jax)     24-141
Jackson.L(NE)   18-118 2 TD
Allen(Jax)      11-106 1 TD
Henry(Car)      25-104
Mixon(Hou)      24-102 1 TD
Dillon(Ten)     13-100

Receiving Leaders
Chase(Ind)       9-202 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Osborn(LV)       6-151 2 TD
Harris(Mia)     10- 89

Passing Leaders
Stafford(LV)    36-25-420   3 TD 1 Int
Goff(Mia)       50-36-352   4 TD 1 Int
Trubisky(Den)   31-23-352   2 TD
Herbert(Dal)    33-23-336   2 TD
Wilson(Car)     50-31-324   2 TD 1 Int
Carr(TB)        39-26-312   2 TD
McCoy(Min)      44-32-289   2 TD
Mahomes(Ari)    28-20-267   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Edmunds(Dal)     18 Tk
Okereke(Ari)     2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Smith,P(NYG)     15 Tk

Special Teams
Tucker(NE)     4-4 FG – IFL Special Team Player of the Week

WEEK TWO IFL STANDINGS

WEEK TWO IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 1 RECAP

Bears rookie kicker Evan McPherson converts six field goals as Chicago downs Green Bay.

Game Scores
Chicago 32 Green Bay 24                     56 Calm
Much improved Bears come into Green Bay and dominate for most of this one.

Total yards were 249-33 in favor of Chicago at halftime!

Packers did mount a furious 4th quarter comeback, but it fell short.

Final score: Chicago 32 Green Bay 24

Bears QB Josh Johnson was outstanding 27/37, 316, 1TD, 107.5 passer rating.

Chicago defense stymied the Green Bay running game, holding Dalvin Cook to just 11 yards on 8 carries

Well called game by Coach Nordberg

Baltimore 20 Detroit 26                     70 Calm
In the Stat-Pack Super Bowl (oddly opening the season) the Lions, led by stat-packer Deshaun Watson (18/29 244 2/0 123.3 QB rating), bested the sad sack Ravens, 26-20, led by stat-packer Pooka Williams Jr (13/47) and might-as-well-be-a-stat-packer QB Baker Mayfield (22/42 253 2/2 66.9 QB rating).

Lions' RB Chase Edmonds (13/104/1) ripped the Ravens often. WRs Michael Gallup (7/101/2) and Jerry Jeudy (5/101/1) burned Baltimore regularly. TE Cole Kmet went 2-for-4 in PATs. When their "regular" kicker tried a FG, the Lions were flagged for consecutive holding penalties and the front office sent word down to the field to just call a dive play.

In summary the Lions were well coached and played accordingly and the Ravens, well, same old, same old.

It's going to be another long season in both cities, but at least the Lions got out of the gate well.

Buffalo 14 Miami 10                         73 0-5   Rain
The Bills visit the Dolphins, opening week of the IFL 2022 season in the 1st of 2 annual divisional meetings.

Not a lot of highlights in this one, both Teams played fairly solid considering there was heavy rain at times throughout.

Miami actually out gained the Bills by over 100 yards but it didn't show up on the scoreboard. The game ended after the Dolphins got the ball on their own 26 yard line with a minute and 16 seconds but no timeouts. Miami managed to drive the ball almost the length of the field only to see the clock expire with the Dolphins on the Bills 9 yard line. Buffalo 14 Miami 10

Highlights for the Bills were the 2 off season WR/TE acquisitions of Crowder and Conklin as they combined for 12 receptions (6 each) but only mustering 99 yards total. Chase Young started off the year in grand fashion with 2 sacks, 2 stuffs, and 2 FF.

Highlight for the Dolphins were WR Sterling Shepard, with 9 catches for 175 yards and QB Jared Goff had a fairly solid game although he did fumble 4 times but only losing 1.

Next week the Bills are home against Seattle and the Dolphins stay in Miami as Dallas comes to town.

Denver 10 Los Angeles (A) 23                99 Calm
Rookie Davis Mills leads LAC to a season-opening win.

Indianapolis 10 New York (N) 30             86 Calm
This was a game of two halves as both of these teams battled it out in the first half but it would be all Giants in the 2nd half.. The Colts led 10-7 with with 4 minutes to go in the 1st half but the Giants would drive the field and take a 14-7 lead on a pass from Carson Wentz to Hunter Renfrow from 1 yard out. The Giants would not look back in this one as their defense stood strong and would not allow another point from the Colts offense.

The Giants defense picked off Joe Burrow 3 times and also sacked him 3 times.

The Giants offense was led by Carson Wentz who threw an INT of his own but also threw 2 touchdowns and 217 yards despite only completing 53% of his passes. The running game by the Giants is what led the way in this one as James Robinson took 15 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown with the team running for a total of 177 yards on 36 carries.

Player of the game : Carson Wentz

NEXT WEEK:

Giants vs Patriots
Colts @ Eagles

San Francisco 7 Los Angeles (N) 23          65 Calm
The Rams and 49ers kicked off their IFL seasons in Los Angeles on Thursday night. The game had some additional intrigue beyond the typical division rivalry. The Rams traded up in the IFL draft to pick #2 overall and had the pick of QBs after J'marr Chase went #1. The Rams passed on Mac Jones to take Trevor Lawrence, that left Jones for the 49ers setting up the inevitable "what if" questions for the Rams front office for the next dozen years every time they meet SF. Much to the dismay of the beat writers who already drafted their Lawrence vs Jones articles the Rams started Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones' performance won't keep Lawrence supporters up at night, be he did enough to top Mac Jones who's accelerated indoctrination to the IFL could pay dividends later in the season.

The game was a defensive battle with each team only managing 1 offensive touchdown. The Rams first score came on a controversial decision by the 49ers, deep in their own end the 49ers went for it on 4th and 22. It wasn't clear if this was a decision from the 49ers analytics team or they could not clearly see the down marker, but Mac Jones' pass was intercepted by Justin Simmons and returned for a TD, Rams 7-0. The 49ers regrouped and answered with an impressive drive capped by a Mac Jones screen pass to Devin Singletary, 7-7. Later in the 1st half another 4th down gambit by the 49ers again put the Rams in good field position. Daniel Jones would do just enough to get the Rams into the end zone on pass to Ceedee Lamb, 14-7 Rams.

In the 2nd half the 49ers offense would consistently short circuit, thwarting their attempts to get back in the game. Sometimes it was a timely sack, other times a penalty would undo the momentum they had going, and eventually another interception by Mac Jones was the nail in the coffin. The Rams cobbled together a few FG drives in the second half, but Daniel Jones only finished 12-24 for 142, hardly staking a claim to being the Rams answer at QB.

It was a rough debut for Mac Jones 20-36 for 151 yards and a TD, but also 2 ints. There will be brighter days ahead for the 49ers with their weapons on offense and an up and coming defense.

Next week the 49ers stay on the road travelling to Chicago to take on the Bears (Who used to be the Lions I think...)

While the Rams also travel north to take on the Green Bay Packers.

Pittsburgh 10 Tennessee 34                  82 0-10
What was a close 10-3 Titan lead at the half turned into a blowout early in the 3rd quarter. Tennessee's Andre Roberts returned the 2nd half kickoff for a TD, the Steelers had a 3 and out and the Titans took advantage of a short field to score on a 20 yard Matt Ryan TD pass to Beckham. DKS piled it on in the 4th as Titan Tae Crowder returned a Javon Williams fumble 54 yards for a TD. Final score was 34-10 Tennessee.

Net offense was similar for both teams but 3 Steeler turnovers and the kickoff return TD decided the game. Pittsburgh's Justin Jefferson had 7 receptions for 88 yards while Tae Crowder had 7 tackles, one pass defensed, 2 run stuffs, a forced fumble and the TYD on the fumble recovery.

Minnesota 20 Tampa Bay 34                   74 10-20
The Vikings traveled to Tampa Bay to start their first season since 2016 without future Hall of Famer Drew Brees on the roster. Stepping into the fill the Minnesota QB duties is the well-regarded journeyman, Colt McCoy.
Tampa Bay starts the year still trying to get over the loss of number one running back Kam Akers to a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the preseason. While they return their dynamic receiving corps, their number one running back heading into the season is converted wide receiver Cordarrell Pattison.
At kickoff the thermometer reads a cool-for-Florida 74 degrees with winds of 10 to 20 miles an hour.
McCoy starts off hot while Buccaneer Derek Carr does not. The Viking QB’s first three completions go for 22, 19 and 50 yards. Keenan Allen has a quick 72 yards with Antonio Brown adding 19. In all, McCoy notches 5 completions in his first 6 attempts. Mix in an interception of Carr by Minnesota cornerback Darnay Holmes, 2 rushing TDs by Ezekiel Elliott, and less than 10 minutes into the season, the Vikings have jumped out to a 14 – 0 lead.
Beginning with the next possession, the momentum shifted towards Tampa Bay. Carr goes his own hot streak completing 7 of 9 over two drives for 113 yards. He connects with Hunter Henry and Davante Adams for touchdowns, knotting the game at 14 at the 10:45 mark of the second quarter.
The remainder of the second quarter is a back-and-forth affair with Carr getting picked off for a second time, this time by Jordan Poyer. The Vikings manage two field goals to take a 20 – 14 lead into the locker room.
With the hefty wind at their backs in the third, Tampa takes their first lead on two more Carr TD passes, one each to Adams and Hollywood Brown. With 4:34 left in the third, it’s 28 – 20 Tampa to go along with all the momentum.
After the halftime break, Tampa’s defense finds McCoy’s number. The first three Minnesota second half possessions are all 3 and out. The Vikings get shut out in the second half. The final tally is Bucs 34 – Vikes 20.
Individual stars for the game were no surprise. Viking Keenan Allen grabbed 5 balls for 101 yards. Tampa's DeVonte Adams 11 for 126. The Bucs defense managed 4 sacks.
Next week Minnesota hosts Carolina, while Tampa travels to the Big Easy.

Philadelphia 10 Arizona 39                  96 Calm
The game got off to a late start. The game between Arizona and Philadelphia was to be played in the newly constructed SoFi stadium in CA. However, the Refs flew in from the East Coast. Seems the enjoyed an night on the town and neglected to set their alarm clocks ahead three hours. Needless to say, 2:30 PM EST time is in fact 11:30 AM PST time. As a result, the Refs were a no show at game time. Luckily, they were escorted to the stadium by LA's finest and the game was able to get underway.

The Eagles seemed to have no answer for the Red Bird offense. Mahomes and Barkley seemed to pick up the first downs whenever they were needed. Arizona wide receivers are much improved over last year giving Mahomes options he has never seen during his tenure in Arizona. Even taking a fourth quarter vacation, the Cards were able to put up 366 yards of offense on their way to a 39 to 10 victory.

Philadelphia on the other hand was stymied on offense. The Eagle offensive line and running backs enabled the Cards to focus on the passing game. As a result, the Eagles often found themselves in 3rd and long situations. Tannehill had trouble all day attempting to thread the needle through just too many defensive backs. The Eagles only committed one turn over, but it was a costly one resulting in a defensive touchdown.

Dallas 7 Seattle 31                         68 10-20
Dallas D puts up a hell of a fight for 3 quarters keeping the Seahawks offense in check and giving the Dallas offense a chance to score a week 1 upset. Unfortunately the wheels fell off the offense in the 4th quarter by committing 3 turnovers in 4 possessions the most crushing being a fumble Jamaal Williams that was returned by Xavien Howard for a TD to put the game out of reach.

Prescott was 18-31 fro 256 yards and 2 TDs. He struggled with accuracy issues most of the day but did enough to keep Seattle ahead.

Justin Herbert had a day to forget. He was 18-34 for 173 yards 1 TD and 2 INTs. He was sacked 2 times. I’m sure there are better days ahead for the stud sophomore.

Steve coached a great game and put up a hell of a fight despite being outgunned personnel wise.

Dallas will head to Miami while Seattle heads to Buffalo.

New York (A) 28 New England 37              76 10-20
New Jet QB Jimmy Garoppolo tossed 4 TD passes while completing 23 of his 34 throws for 263 yards in his debut against division rival New England. And while Jimmy G was on his game, it would not be enough on this day as the Patriots would have success on the ground and thru the air building a 34-14 lead through three quarters. Two 4th quarter TD passes would draw the Jets within range, but time would run out as NE would go on to win 37-28.

Cooper Kupp caught 10 passes for 220 yards, while Kareem Hunt and Austin Ekeler would combine for 3 rushing scores (including two by Hunt, each from 13 yards out). Justin Tucker hit all 3 of his FG attempts.

Both teams turned it over 3 times, with NE getting flagged 7 times to NYJ 4. NE actually made it into the red zone 10 times converting 7 times (4 TDs, 3 FGs).

Well coached game by Bob, as usual.

Kansas City 21 Atlanta 31                   68 Calm
Week 1 matchup between 2 teams looking to rebound from disappointing 2021 seasons. KC has a QB competition brewing... who would get the nod for Week 1? Would they go with 1st round rookie Trey Lance? Nope.. old veteran Andy Dalton... nope Drew Lock wins out the spot looking to turn things around for KC.

On the flip side, both Phillip Rivers and Larry Fitzgerald have retired and Jalen Hurts leadership has given him the keys to the franchise. Can he step up and lead a re-tooled team to continue to be competitive? Or would he flounder and have the Falcons in search of a QB in the off season?

1st Quarter
Well, things did not get off to a good start for Hurts... 1st possession of the game, and 1st throw of the season was thrown to the other team! Intercepted by Chinn leading to a 6 minute drive where there was some controversy. Two plays on 2nd and goal and 3rd and goal went to review...both were stopped short of the goal line. On 4th and Goal Drew lock snuck it in to give the Chiefs a 7-0 lead

After a few short offensive sets, Jalen Hurts took off with the ball...except he forgot the ball, fumbled and KC recovered in ATL territory. Another drive, another 4th and 1 for the Chiefs.. more guts from Coach Bob Sarcewicz... QB sneak with Lock again...success!   KC 14 ATL 0

2nd Quarter (KC 14, ATL 0)

Hurts and the Falcons are determined to get things going, and Hurts completes some long throws to rookie Kadarius Toney to set them up in the red zone... Hurts throws to Agholor for the TD. KC 14 ATL 7

After a 3 and out for KC, Hurts leads the Falcons on a 6 minute 75 yard drive that ends in a Boston Scott 2 yard TD. KC 14 ATL 14

KC punts after 5 plays, and Hurts leads the 2 minute drill that ends with an ATL FG as time expires putting them up...somehow KC 14 ATL 17

3rd Quarter (KC 14 ATL 17)

KC has another 3 and out and Atlanta takes advantage ending with a Boston Scott running TD again putting Atlanta put 2 possessions KC 14 ATL 24

4th Quarter (KC 14 ATL 24)

KC ends up with an almost 7 minute drive that ends with 12 minutes to go with a TD pass to George Kittle... twice on this drive Atlanta stopped them on 3rd down only to have it taken away by penalties. KC 21 ATL 24

Atlanta comes firing back with Jalen Hurts scrambling on 3rd down and making an 11 yard run to the endzone. KC 21 ATL 31

KC defense held the rest of the way, unfortunately their offense took too long to get down the field, with about a minute left, KC was stopped on 4th and goal, and that sealed the ball game.

Game MVP: Jalen Hurts

New Orleans 41 Carolina 24                  79 0-10
Two turnovers on the first two drives lead to easy touchdowns for the Saints and doom any chance for the Panthers.

The Panthers held the lead surprisingly until the dying minutes of the half when Heinicke hit Beasley on a 5 yard pass to take the lead at the half 24-21.

Panthers are never close again as the Saints pull away 41-24.

Heinicke had a good game for the Saints with 3 td passes and 1 rushing.

For the Panthers, Wilson throws for 251 with two td's but also throws 3 picks.

Cincinnati 36 Jacksonville 10               88 0-5
In an AFC Central battle, the Jags struck first on their opening series as Josh Allen connected with DK Metcalf for the 54 yard score. After forcing a three and out, Randy Bullock connected from 36 yards out to extend the Jacksonville lead to 10-0. Once again, the Jags forced a Bengal punt as it looked like this one could get out of hand early. However, on third and ten, Chidobe Awuzie took an Allen pass to the house for the pick six as Cincinnati cut the lead to 10-6. The point after was blocked. Regardless, Allen was never the same. The Bengals would score 20 unanswered points in the second quarter and cruise to the 36-10 road win.

Rodgers finished 20 of 30 for 235 yards and three touchdowns. Besides Awuzie's pick six, Ramsey and Nwosu also got to wear the turnover mittens.

Allen finished just 11 of 30 for 122 yards, one TD, and 3 ints for the Jags. Antonio Gibson ran for 86 yards on 14 attempts.

Next week, Cincinnati stays on the road to face the Texans while Jacksonville visits the Chargers.

Las Vegas 35 Houston 23                     70 Calm
The Las Vegas Raiders opened their season against the vaunted Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Saturday. The Texans took the opening kickoff and got started quick with a long drive that netted them a field goal to start the day's scoring. The Raiders were clearly still feeling the effects of preseason as their opening offensive play resulted in a sack and fumble recovery by the Texans. The Texans took full advantage of that turnover and punched in a quick touchdown to take a 10-0 lead.
The Raiders fought back with an efficient and effective passing attack and was able to go into the half with a narrow 21-20 lead. After a rousing halftime speech from newcomer Joel Bitonio, the Raiders came out and outscored the Texans 14-3 in the second half to win the opener 35-23.
Raiders quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 25 of 31 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns, while his Texans' counterpart Kirk Cousins threw for 271 yards.

Rushing Leaders
Edmonds(Det)    13-104 1 TD
Robinson,J(NYG) 15-100 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Kupp(NE)        10-220
Shepard(Mia)     9-175
Adams(TB)       11-126 2 TD
Godwin(Hou)     11-114 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Carr(TB)        50-29-366   4 TD 2 Int
Stafford(LV)    31-25-332   5 TD (IFL Offensive Player of the Week)
Goff(Mia)       44-29-329   1 TD
Johnson(Chi)    37-27-316   1 TD
Garoppolo(NYJ) 34-23-263   4 TD 1 Int
Mahomes(Ari)    24-16-258   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Campbell(NO)     2 Int 11 Tk (IFL Defensive Player of the Week)
Wilson,L(LV)     16 Tk

Special Teams
McPherson(Chi) 6-6 FG (IFL Special Teams Player of the Week)

WEEK ONE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK ONE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

ROUND ONE BY THE NUMBERS

To continue my yearly analysis of R1 picks in the IFL draft, I offer this update:

As previously mentioned, (last year), all these numbers refer to this year's R1 selections and positions as designated by DKS.
The most selected position this year was, not surprisingly, QBs and WRs with six each selected in R1. That's the most QBs taken per the data I have (starting with the 2012 season) and surpasses the five that were selected in 2012, 2019 and 2020.

The six WRs selected is pretty much in line with the historical average (5.4 over 11 years) and also with the last two years' R1 selections (seven in each). The most ever WRs selected in R1 was nine in 2015.

CB were in high demand this year also with four being selected in R1 (and another seven taken in R2!)
Here's how the rest of the positions fleshed out:
OT - 3 (for the second straight year)
DE, LB, RB and TE - 2
DE-LB, OC and OG - one each

Summary: There was a huge demand for QBs with 5 going within the first 10 picks, while skill positions on both sides of the ball outweighed R1 draft picks in the trenches. Excluding QBs, skill positions (RB, WR, TE, CB and S) were selected 14 times, while trench-guys (OL, DL and LBs) were taken 10 times.

Scott
IFL Ravens

HE'S BACK!! KIPER OFFERS HIS EXPERTISE ON THE IFL DRAFT.

I am happy to be doing my 3rd 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.

As with every year I like to give my take on the most important position the QB and how I view them .

This year we have 6 QB in the mix to go in the first round as Davis Mills is the surprise candidate with a chance to go in round 1.

Trevor Lawrence- Was the top high school QB and the top college QB and when asked his College coach at Clemson Dabo Sweeney said when recruiting Trevor the one thing that struck me was he never asked about the QB competition we were bringing into Clemson he was not afraid of competition and believed in his abilities to win the job no matter the competition. Lawrence played pretty fearless, which is expected of the No. 1 overall pick and a guy coming into the league with franchise messiah expectations. Lawrence had a propensity of holding onto the ball a bit long, too. That's probably a product of the skill position cast more than him, and that's something that will likely work itself out over another full NFL offseason.With his situation (Head Coach) more stable this year I expect Lawrence to be the number 1 QB off the board in the IFL. Top QB off the board top 3 pick

Zach Wilson- Statistically speaking the worst performance of all the rookie QB's. As the saying goes, it's not how you start, but how you finish: Wilson's final seven games of the season (after returning from injury) resulted in some of his best performances of his rookie year. Much like the other QBs listed here (not named Mac Jones), Wilson had to deal with a lot of turmoil surrounding him. Through all that, Wilson had some of those "Wow" plays throughout the 2021 season and flashed the potential to remind people why he was a top prospect in the draft.While the numbers won't jump out at you, Wilson performed well enough down the stretch in a tough environment to give fans a little taste of what they can expect in Year 2 — if he can keep building on his solid finish. Top 10 pick

Trey Lance- The promise is there for Trey Lance. We just haven't seen enough of him.What we saw that was good: Arm strength, physicality, not afraid to truck a defender or two on his way to the sticks.
Lance will need to learn to be more decisive with the ball, an issue that was especially apparent in his lone start of the year. The biggest question for Lance is what will become of Jimmy Garoppolo, and how much of the offense Kyle Shanahan will be willing to change to cater to Lance's skill set.

projections late 1st early 2nd

Justin Fields-  "I think he is the second-best quarterback in this draft some agree some disagree however I heard the same negatives about Josh Allen,I heard the same thing about Justin Herbert. It’s a scout’s job to project. His 16 big time throws (PFF graded) was the most by any rookie QB. To me the situation around the young man is more concerning than his talent he could be the drafts best deep thrower before its all said and done. Top 10 pick

Mac Jones - Although scouts project him as a low ceiling type of QB he was by far the best rookie QB last year. While he made his living in the short and medium-range game this year, Jones' 58 deep-throw attempts ranked second in the class behind Trevor Lawrence (62). Like any QB he was at his worse under pressure.While Jones' arm strength isn't an issue, there's room for growth there, too: A full off season of an NFL strength and conditioning program will definitely help. What's really next? Another Patriots dynasty, probably. Top 10 pick

Davis Mills - The surprise of the draft class for QB's. Mills graded out as the rookie class's best deep thrower per PFF (89.4 grade) with six touchdowns deep. A rookie that isn't afraid to throw deep and allow plays to develop is a good sign for future progress. Mills was also good at extending plays and throwing outside the pocket, though that's not a focal point of his game. Mills' 7.8 average depth of target (ADOT) was the lowest of any of the QBs on the list, meaning he didn't exactly push the ball deep with consistency in 2021 (even though he did make due on those opportunities). He attempted just 42 deep passes, the lowest among the rookie QBs.Does that mean that Mills' season was more smoke-and-mirrors? Potentially — but there's enough promise there to build on heading into Year 2.He was my personal favorite as a late round pick coming out of Stanford he was limited in games played due to injury in college but Mills was rated a five-star recruit by Scout, Rivals and 247 Sports coming out of high school – and all three of those recruiting services also listed him as the top-ranked quarterback in his class. Top 20 pick

Now onto the mock.

1-Indianapolis Colts - Last Year new GM Charles Evans went against conventional wisdom by picking Burrows over Herbert with the first pick of the draft . Both players had outstanding year .In the draft you are trying to match need to talent available when your turn comes up this year for the Colts it fits like a glove. With their franchise QB in the house they bring in his college teammate to give him a number 1 receiver.  Pick WR Ja'Marr Chase

2-Los Angeles Rams - For the second year in a row the Rams aggressively come up the draft board and land in the #2 spot giving up 5 NFL players headliner was Debo Samuels why? GM Ryan Heaton wants a franchise QB and likely does not believe in Daniel Jones to take his team were they want to go. Pick QB Trevor Lawrence

3-Chicago Bears - I always look at QB and GM Norberg has only Sam Darnold on his roster a fringe bust at this point but may get one more season to prove himself. Lots of choices here with a dynamic play making LB on the board in Parsons and elite TE -Pitts and LT- Slayton on the board and a need at WR . I feel QB should be the way the Bears go but do you take upside or production.

Pick QB Justin Fields

4 San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers hit a home run last year picking Tristen Wirfs RT 6th last year but this team needs to take a QB to jump start this rebuild as they have a solid roster. Pick QB Mac Jones

5 New York Jets - Wow quite an off season already GM Durfee moves on from the  DeShaun Watson situation and moves him for QB Jimmy Garoppolo and this pick and he has Jameis Winston on the roster. The Needs of LT and 2nd WR Play making LB and a second CB opposite Bradberry. With a pick later in the first round I just feel you need to take the best player available that will also fill a need . Pick LB Micah Parsons

6 New York Giants - 3 Directions I see this team going TE, OT or WR Slater is an outstanding OT prospect but this team does have LT Trent Brown already on the roster although injured much of last season is only 28 years old do you pair him and Slater or go get an outside receiver as they already have an outstanding slot receiver in Renfrow.However they have no one that compares to PItts at TE. As they rebuild this offensive the unicorn is still on the board I say they give Wentz another weapon.
Pick TE Kyle Pitts

7 Miami Dolphins - GM Cox went the way of in Tua we trust in last years draft a bit of a surprise and there is still hope that pick pans out . I don't see them taking another swing at QB as they have more needs to address. They could go RB, WR, Although they have the best LT in the game in Trent Williams they could move Slater to RT, CB is another area that could use an up grade. Pick WR Jaylen Waddle

8 Minnesota Vikings- Another team that needs a QB with only Colt McCoy and Nick Mullens in the room. Wilson and Davis still on the board the Vikings go with the player that showed in his rookie season with not a great supporting cast around him that he may have a good future in this league.

Pick QB Davis Mills

9-Kansas City - With their 3rd pick in the draft in 2020 the Chiefs selected QB Drew Lock which to this point has not panned out however with him looking like he will get a chance to start this year the Chiefs may wait another year to address the QB position and get their QB's another weapon .

WR Amon-Ra St Brown

10- Baltimore Ravens - With JK Dobbins going down with a year ending injury just one year after being selected in the first round #23 the Ravens have a couple of RB's sitting their for them to choose from. And yes they could use a CB but the draft is deep a CB. Workhorse RB's more hard to find in this draft

Pick RB.Najee Harris

11- Pittsburgh Steelers - With their only RB on the roster Gus Edwards put on the IR for the year RB is a desperate need and they almost have the same needs at the CB position. But the way the board fell Slater is still on the board and although a lesser need Creed Humphrey is still there along with the CB of their choice. This may be a trade down spot for the steel curtain but if they stick and pick I believe they will take who they like as the best RB on the board. Pick RB Javonte Williams

12- Arizona Cardinals - Arizona has a need at C and the best center in the draft is still here. The rest of there roster is solid and when you have Mahomes you just want to protect him.
Pick C Creed Humphrys

13 - Buffalo Bills - This team has been coming on adding Kyler Murray and Chase Young in the first round of the last 2 drafts . Although Slater is still sitting there to be had and it is a need I think a WR on the outside is imperative to the continued growth of Murray. Pick WR Devonte Smith

14- Tennessee Titans - The Titans have their dream draft board as Slater just falls to them they run the card up to the commish. Pick OT Rashawn Slater

15-Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons have needs at RB, WR after having drafted what they hope to be their franchise QB in Hurts in the first round last year they can focus on other areas this year . But with their pass rush (TJ Watts and Von Miller) they crave a #1 CB and they have their choice Surtain, Newsome, and Stokes but from what I hear if this man is on the board he will be the pick.

Pick CB Greg Newsom

16- LA Chargers - With only Tyrod Taylor in the QB room this is a perfect landing spot for a rookie QB who has surprisingly drop down the draft board and hope he can be their future. Pick QB Zach Wilson

17- Denver Broncos - Denver has 1 WR on the roster and Tubysky and Minshew as QB's. I think they take a chance here for their QB of the future. He will not be there when the Broncos pick again and they hope the rumors of him not being ready are not true.But even if he is not ready this year he will be ready in the near future Pick QB Trey Lance

18 Carolina Panthers - No glaring needs for Carolina as they seem to have a well balanced team.Their OT and DL needs some attention also CB is an area of concern after Steven Nelson. With one of the best rookie CB on the board I think this is the direction Coach Britt will go.
Pick CB Patrick Surtain

19 LA Chargers - Back on the clock after picking up their QB. After TE Irv Smith went down for the year they have a glaring hole at TE and need some OL help .With the depth in OL in this draft I can see then turning the card in for the last impactful TE in the class. Pick TE Pat Freiermuth

20 Houston - With Becton going down for most of the year although they have CB needs I don't see them passing on an opportunity to grab OL help with this pick. Pick OT Penei Sewell

21 Green Bay - The OL and DL are solid in GB they have a solid roster with the exception of this being Big Bens last year but no QB worth drafting in this spot they do need serious help at LB and their WR are getting old in the tooth. Pick WR Rashod Bateman

22 - LA Rams - The Rams moved up and picked their franchise QB with the second pick of the draft. Now they will add a weapon for him picking a slot receiver to compliment Cee Dee Lamb and Corey Davis on the outside. Pick WR Rondale Moore

23 - New Orleans Saints - With a couple of guys who can play multiple positions on the OL and injuries taking a toll on the line the Saints pick up the best rookie Guard in the draft . Pick OG Trey Smith

24 - Las Vegas Raiders Coach Jackson has a solid team it looks this year needs are a 2nd WR , OG, DL because of injuries another LB , and S .Pick DE Gregory Rousseau

25 Tampa Bay Bucs - Position of Needs are few with RB and OT being at the top of the list.

Pick RB Elijah Mitchell

26 NY Jets - The second pick of the 1st round for the Jets and they fill another Defensive need area with a top CB in the class . Pick CB Eric Stokes

27 Cincinnati Bengals - Year after year coach Storer continues to pick near the bottom of the draft. The needs are at RB and a second WR . Pick WR Elijah Moore

28 Detroit Lions - So the Lions moved way down in the draft to pick up Deshaun Watson last month who's situation has made a turn for the worse in the last week so right now QB is still a need for this year with the only other QB on the roster is Mariotta. feeling they can get a QB later in the draft the Lions make a pick on the defensive side of the ball and grab a player who may not help them this year much but would have been a top 10 pick this year if not injured . Pick CB Jaycee Horn

29 Philadelphia Eagles - Another CB is a need for the Eagles . Pick CB Nate Hobbs

30 Denver Broncos - with their 2nd pick in the first and to close out this mock draft and with WR a need they pick a player that has a chance to elevate his game in year 2 Pick WR Kadarius Toney

IFL REPORTER IAN RAPOPORT MOCKS THE 2022 IFL DRAFT!

It is my pleasure to introduce IFL beat reporter Ian Rapoport to the IFL dot com. Ian keeps close ties to the heartbeat of the IFL with news and rumors. Ian will be mocking the first round of the 2022 IFL draft.

Thank you Commissioner Storer, it is my pleasure to mock the 2022 IFL draft. It’s always challenging to predict what direction each team will go but I will try my best.

1. COLTS
Early on I thought Indianapolis might dangle this pick in hopes that a quarterback needy team might pay a king's ransom to move up. However, as I understand it the ink is all but dry and the Colts make wide receiver Jamar Chase the number one overall pick.

2. RAMS (from Dallas)
Los Angeles was able to move up to the number two overall slot. There is an old saying you don't trade up for a top five pick to take a tackle. However, it was only a couple years ago the Rams moved up to the number four overall spot to draft current Rams quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones has been serviceable but his fifth year option was not exercised by his NFL team. So, it's possible Los Angeles does not take a quarterback. If that's the case the selection will be tight end Kyle Pitts. If the Rams traded up to grab a quarterback I believe the top two choices are Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones. Jones is much more productive but Lawrence is considered to have the higher ceiling. I lean toward Jones if Los Angeles goes with a quarterback but I think the pick will be Pitts.

3. BEARS
Chicago is another team that recently invested heavily in a quarterback with mixed results. In the 2019 IFL draft the Bears selected Sam Darnold with the number two overall pick. My sources indicate management wants to move on from Darnold. The Bears roster looks to be a year away from the playoffs so I like Lawrence ceiling over Jones production. Trevor Lawrence to the Midway.

4. 49ERS
The 49ers are the first true team in desperate need of a quarterback at this point of the draft. One could make an argument that linebacker Micah Parsons would be a worthy of consideration. I believe San Francisco will be a surprise team this coming season. Mac Jones to the 49ers.

5. JETS (from Detroit)
New York finally tired of the Deshaun Watson circus and shipped him to Detroit. It would be easy and maybe logical to pin quarterback Trey Lance to the Jets. However, while gifted there are a lot of questions surrounding Lance. And the Jets quarterback room is more than adequate as is. I think New York takes the best defensive player in the draft in linebacker Micah Parsons.

6. GIANTS
Like their AFC counterparts from the "City That Never Sleeps" the Football Giants aren't desperate to upgrade the quarterback room. I think if Lawrence or Jones were available the Giants would jump on the chance to take either one. However, I think tackle Rashawn Slater would really upgrade the New York O-line for years to come. Slater to New York.

7. DOLPHINS
Miami could go many different routes with this selection. They have already proven that they aren't afraid of a crowded quarterback room. I am not sure if Tua or Goff can take the Dolphins to the Super Bowl. So, Trey Lance has to be considered. They also could use another receiver such as Jaylin Waddle or DeVonta Smith. Miami also needs a number one corner such as Patrick Surtain. But, I think the Dolphins take the bell-cow back in Najee Harris at seven.

8. VIKINGS
Veteran Action Football Coach Mark Jones begins his first offseason in the IFL. Minnesota is another team that needs a quarterback. Offensive line is also an area that needs improvement but I look for the Vikings to address that later in the draft. Quarterback Trey Lance is a good gamble at eight.

9. CHIEFS
Kansas City is slowly moving back to respectability. While Andy Dalton's best days are behind him, Chief fans have concern about hitching their wagon to Drew Lock. I think Kansas City selects quarterback Zach Wilson in hopes he can pull them to the promise land.

10. RAVENS
Baltimore and the Jets have to be the two unluckiest franchises in the IFL. Everyone knows about the Jets and Watson but the Ravens have been snake bitten over the years with holdouts and injuries. Injuries are a big reason 2022 looks to be a restructuring campaign in Baltimore. Selecting Jaylin Waddle or DeVonta Smith would rejuvenate the receiving room. But Patrick Surtain would be a nice addition to the Baltimore secondary. You can't go wrong with any of the above but I think the Ravens select corner Patrick Surtain.

11. STEELERS
One could make a case for offensive tackle Penei Sewell going to Pittsburgh here but I like the combination of Jefferson and Jaylin Waddle for Brady to throw to. Wide Receiver Jaylin Waddle to the Steelers.

12. CARDINALS
The Cardinals look to be poised to make a return to the postseason. They have a dizzying amount of players rated seven or higher on their roster. Their receiving room is crowded as is so I don’t think they will go with Smith. Sewell is tempting but because the running back room is so beat up I think the selection will be running back Javonte Williams.

13. SAINTS (from Buffalo)
The Saints gave up their second round draft choice to move up ten spots. So, they must have someone in mind. I have to think it was for a quarterback and like the NFL Bears, they trade up to select Justin Fields at 13.

14. TITANS
Tennessee has enough receivers to fill their route tree but Smith has to be a consideration. Still, they could really use a tackle. Penei Sewell to the Titans.

15. FALCONS
IF DeVonta Smith falls to this pick it will be an easy selection. If he doesn’t, Atlanta could take another quarterback in the first round for the second year in a row. Otherwise, cornerbacks Eric Stokes or Greg Newsome have to be a consideration. I think Smith’s fall ends at 15 though.

16. CHARGERS
The Chargers need offensive line help and a tight end with Irv Smith out for the 2022 IFL season. Cred Humphrey would be a nice get for the pivot. I think it’s a little too early to take Pat Freiermuth but Jerry might surprise us. Cornerback is another consideration but I think Los Angeles takes the last remaining quarterback in the IFL Green Room. Davis Mills to the Chargers.

17. BRONCOS
Denver has a help wanted sign in their wide receiver room but I don’t think that will be their focus. The Broncos have an IFL Championship in their trophy case and know how important defense is. I say edge Gregory Rousseau goes to Denver at 17.

18. PANTHERS
After just missing out on the playoffs last season, the Panthers are another team that could use help getting to the passer. I think Jaelan Philliips is a purr-fect fit at 18.

19. CHARGERS (from Jacksonville)
The Chargers address the offensive line taking center Cred Humphrey to anchor the middle for years to come.

20. TEXANS
Houston needs to upgrade their secondary. Stokes and Newsome are both still available. I see Stokes going at 20.

21. PACKERS
The big surprise is that Green Bay still has this pick. The linebacker room sticks out like a sore thumb. Safety is also a concern but that must be addressed later in the draft. Nick Bolton or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah look to be the best available. The question is do the Packers go inside or out? I think in, Nick Bolton to Green Bay at 21.

22. RAMS
The Rams need help at tight end and offensive line. Wide receiver could also be a consideration. I think it’s still early to take a tight end and while there are offensive lineman worth consideration I don’t think Los Angeles pulls the trigger. They will go with the best player remaining on their board and that is defensive end Kwity Paye.

23. BILLS (from Saints)
The Bills could also use an upgrade at linebacker but I think they will inject some youth into the receiving room with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

24. RAIDERS
It’s been unusually quiet in Vegas this offseason. While the Raiders could use an upgrade at guard and linebacker, the defensive line really needs attention. Edge Odafe Oweh seems to be a player that many scouts think is just touching his potential. Oweh to Las Vegas at 24.

25. BUCCANEERS
Tampa Bay doesn’t have any glaring needs except tackle. They may go that direction but after losing last year’s first round pick for the majority of this IFL season I think they will bite their lip and take another running back. Elijah Mitchell to the Bucs.

26. JETS
I think Gang Green continues to focus on the other side of the ball and selects corner Greg Newsome here.

27. BENGALS
Running back is a need but the Bengals usually don’t take a running back in the first round. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman would help offset the loss of D.J. Chark for the majority of the IFL season. Bateman to Cincinnati at 27.

28. LIONS
The Lions have a chance for a real bargain at 28. Jaycee Horn is a top ten talent who missed the majority of the season due to injury. A nice building block at 28.

29. EAGLES
Philly could go a few directions at this pick. They could reach for a running back, upgrade guard, or upgrade the secondary. I think they will go with corner Nate Hobbs at 29.

30. BRONCOS (from New England)
Denver closes out the first round by addressing the help wanted sign in the wide receiver room. Rondale Moore goes to Denver with the final pick of round one.

IFL SUPER BOWL

PATRIOTS 34 EAGLES 24

New England's Tyreek Hill caught four passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns

Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) vs. New England Patriots (15-1)

The Eagles came into this game looking for their first title against the defending champions from New England, winners of 3 of the last 5 IFL titles and entering this game on an 18 game winning streak after dropping their 2021 opener. The fates of these two teams were intertwined to an extent, as Eagle QB Ryan Tannehill and Patriot WR Cooper Kupp were integral pieces to a trade between these two teams less than two years ago. Both players would play key roles in this one......

Philadelphia would get the ball first looking to get out early.....and boy did they! Tannehill hit on all three of his pass attempts on the opening drive, short gains of 8 yards to both Julian Edelman and Brandin Cooks for 8 yards, mixed in with a few short Brian Hill runs. Then on 2nd and 6 from the 50, Tannehill hit Edelman on a quick out who was seemingly dead to rights, but Ronald Darby whiffed on the tackle and Edelman raced the distance to give the Eagles a quick 7-0 lead.

Lamar Jackson looked to answer, hitting 4 consecutive first down plays to start the NE drive. Completions to Kupp for 13 on two occasions were mixed in with a 22 yard completion to Kareem Hunt and a 15 yard Jackson scramble to set up a 3 yard Austin Ekeler TD run.  Eagles 7 Patriots 7

Starting their next drive from their own 25 Tannehill dropped back but was sacked by Justin Houston. Completions to Evan Engram and Tim Patrick weren't enough to convert a first down and the Eagles would punt it away. Starting from his own 25, Lamar Jackson decided to test Eagle all-pro CB JC Jackson (10 interceptions during the regular season) by throwing one up deep for Tyreek Hill. Hill raced past Jackson and caught the pass in stride, taking it to the house!  Eagles 7 Patriots 14

Tannehill would connect with John Brown for a 12 yard gain on 3rd and 11 to give the Eagles a spark on their next drive, but they'd stall from there and punt it back to NE, who would go 3 and out before punting back to the Eagles, who with great field position at the 50 yard line looked to mount a drive heading into the 2nd quarter........

After a Tannehill to Cooks completion netted 13 yards, Rex Burkhead got the call for carries of 2 and 5 yards and then another 9 yard Cooks reception for the first down at the NE 24. Burkhead for 2 more on the ground was followed by a defensive PI call on Marcus Williams giving the Eagles first and goal at the 8. Alfred Morris rushed for 5 yards to the 3, but a false start on Edelman and a sack by Devin White pushed the Eagles into a 3rd and goal from the 11 yard line. Patriots go with 7 DBs, but it isn't enough to stop Tannehill from finding Cooks once again for the 11 yard TD!!  Eagles 14 Patriots 14

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Lamar Jackson dropped back and lofted another high arching pass in the direction of Hill, who once again hauled it in to beat J.C Jackson for a 38 yard gain. An 8 yard pass to Hayden Hurst was followed by short gains on the ground by Hunt and Jackson. The drive was capped off by back to back completions to Kupp of 15 and 8 yards - the second for a TD - and the Pats were up once again.  Eagles 14 Patriots 21

Eagles would go 3 and out and hand it right back to the Patriots. 12 plays and 55 yards later NE was looking poised to extend their lead. But on 1st and 10 from the Eagle 26, Lamar tried to force one in to a doubled Kupp, but was picked by Bashaud Breeland to end the threat. Game would move to halftime with NE up by a touchdown.

The two teams would exchange punts to start the second half before NE would take over at their own 32 with 9 minutes to play in the quarter. A 10 yard reception by Ekeler on 3rd and 7 kept the chains moving. After 4 yard runs by Ekeler and Jackson brought a 3rd and 2 from the Eagle 47, Jackson dropped back to pass and aired another one out to Hill, who for the 3rd time got by J.C. Jackson - this time for the 47 yard TD giving him 3 receptions for 160 yards and 2 scores!  Eagles 14 Patriots 28

Runs of 8, 9 and 2 by Rex Burkhead kick started the ensuing Eagle drive. Another pass interference call on Marcus Williams gave Philly first and 10 from the NE 45. An 18 yard run by Brian Hill ultimately led to a 9 yard Engram TD catch with under a minute to play in the 3rd quarter.  Eagles 21 Patriots 28

Patriots looked to answer early in the 4th quarter. Faced with a 4th and inches at their own 35 yard line, NE lined up to go for it. Jackson tried to draw the Eagles offside to no avail.....but instead of calling time out, the ball was snapped and with the Eagles keying on Jackson, Lamar dropped back and found Kupp over the middle for 13 yards and a first down. On the very next play, Jackson found Tyreek Hill for the 4th time streaking down the field, this time for 39 yards to the Eagles 13 yard line. Justin Tucker would come in for the short field goal after the drive stalled.  Eagles 21 Patriots 31

With 10:44 to play Philly needed to make something happen. With NE playing pass, the Eagles turned to Brian Hill who rushed for 3 and 8 yards out to the Eagle 36. After a 14 yard catch by Tim Patrick, Tannehill soon after found John Brown for a clutch 13 yard reception on 3rd and 10 out to the 37 of NE. Another false start by Edelman pushed them back 5 yards, and ultimately Butker was brought on for the 47 yard field goal. With under 7 minutes to play it was back to a one score game.  Eagles 24 Patriots 31

On 2nd and 10, Lamar Jackson dashed around the left side for a 19 yard pickup and a first down. Jackson to Kupp for 14 and another first down - clock continued to tick away. Eagles desperately in need of a stop now, but with Hill and Kupp both doubled, Jackson took off once again for 13 yards and another first down. Two minute warning......Patriots first and ten at the Philly 24.

Eagles had all 3 timeouts still but needed a stop and they got it when Nyheim Hines was stuffed for a 4 yard loss on first down. Eagles call time. On 2nd and 14 from the 28, the Eagles were expecting another run when Jackson dropped back and for the 10th time found Kupp who beat Breeland once again for 15 yards and a first down. Three Jackson kneels and a short Justin Tucker field goal stretched the Patriots lead to 10 points, which is how it would end.

FINAL SCORE EAGLES 24 PATRIOTS 34

Lamar Jackson completed 21 of 27 passes for 385 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. He also rushed for 58 yards on the game. Jackson saved his best football for the playoffs, as he threw 13 TDs with only 1 INT in 4 games, while averaging nearly 50 yards rushing a game as well. Tyreek Hill (4 receptions, 199 yards and 2 TDs) was also a beast, hauling in 6 TD passes in 4 playoff games. Cooper Kupp caught 10 passes in the game for 117 and a score, while ILB Devin White was all over the field on defense, with 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

For the Eagles, Ryan Tannehill kept his team in it with his stellar play and some clutch throws (50% on 3rd down), completing 21 of 34 for 257 and 3 TDs (and no interceptions). Brandin Cooks caught 7 for 75 and a TD to lead the Eagles receivers.

Penalties were relatively even on the day and NE had the game's only turnover. TOP was fairly even while the Patriots outgained the Eagles 496 to 320 in net offense.

Congratulations to Greg on a fantastic season, winning 15 games on the season and coming within spitting distance of an IFL championship. Patriots wrap up their second back to back title, and fourth in six years. With some personnel issues looming however, there's a good chance there'll be a different AFC participant in next year's IFL title game.

IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

PATRIOTS 28 BENGALS 23

Lamar Jackson throws for 162 yards and 3 TDs and rushes for another 69 as Patriots return to the Super Bowl.

Patriots return to Cincinnati for a rematch of their Week 16 contest, where NE won 31-10 in a game that saw the Bengals resting many of their starters.
Not the case in this one, as both teams were at full strength.

New England received the ball first and Lamar Jackson immediately looked to Cooper Kupp for consecutive plays of 14 and 26 yards. A 14 yard hook up to Hayden Hurst was followed by an 11 yard TD pass from Lamar to Austin Ekeler. 7-0 Patriots

Aaron Rodgers completes 7 or 8 pass attempts on the first Cinci drive, while Ronald Jones rushed for 18 yards on 3 carries - but the drive stalled at the NE 17 and the Bengals had to settle for a FG. 7-3 NE

After an exchange of punts, the Patriots found themselves at midfield starting their next drive. Runs of 15, 2 and 4 by Kareem Hunt helped NE move deeper into Bengal territory, as did a 16 yard Lamar Jackson hookup with Tyreek Hill. On 3rd and 6 from the Cinci 9 yard line, the Bengals blitzed 3 and doubled Kupp, leaving Jalen Ramsey on Tyreek......but Hill got free and Jackson found him for the 9 yard TD. 14-3 Patriots

Rodgers looked to rally the home team and completed 4 straight passes including to Chark for 15 and 11 yards. But 2 consecutive holding penalties on the Bengals OL stymied the drive and the home team had to settle for another Fairbairn FG. 14-6 Patriots

NE responded in the final minutes of the 2nd quarter, thanks in large part to the legs of Lamar Jackson, who broke off runs of 14, 19 and 18 yards within the span of 4 plays. Ekeler capped the drive with a 4 yard TD run and it was 21-3 NE headed to halftime.

Other than a Bengal FG in the 3rd quarter, there was not much offense to speak of. But, with a 21-9 lead, NE was threatening toward the end of the quarter as Jackson found Kupp for 8 and 15 yards to move into Bengal territory. NE would have the ball at the Bengal 27 yard line as the game transitioned to the 4th quarter.

After a holding penalty on the defense, Jackson quickly connected with Cooper Kupp for 22 yards and a TD to extend the Patriot lead to 28-9.

Aaron Rodgers would lead the Bengals on consecutive TD drives in the 4th quarter to narrow the gap to 28-23, but there wasn't enough time for another Bengal possession and the Patriots would hold on for the 5 point win.

The Bengals finished with 350 yards of net offense to the Patriots' 305. Each team made it into the Red Zone four times, with the Patriots scoring 3 TDs to the Bengals 2. Individually, Lamar Jackson had 3 passing TDs and 69 yards rushing, while Kareem Hunt ran for 61 yards on 10 carries. Aaron Rodgers completed all but 7 of his 32 pass attempts for 215 yards and a TD pass to Travis Fulgham. Ronald Jones was a beast on the ground for the home team, rushing for 126 yards on 20 carries in the losing effort.

Congratulations to John on another strong season in Cincinnati, and as always, for running an outstanding DKS league.

EAGLES 20 WASHINGTON 13

Ryan Tannehill's 70 yard TD pass to Tim Patrick just before the half proved to be the difference.

The Washington Football Team would invade Lincoln Financial to face their NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, for the 3rd time this year but this time it would be for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. The Eagles were able to win both regular-season games which would make it that much harder to advance to their 1st IFL Super Bowl.

WFT would win the toss and elect to defer. Eagle QB Ryan Tannehill and company would take the field. So far, Tannehill has not been what he was in the regular season and he was looking to turn that around. On their first possession, the Eagles would move down the field but it would mostly be behind the legs of RB Adrian Peterson as WFT would employ a mostly pass defense. The drive would stall at WFT's 36 and Eagle K Harrison Butker would come on and kick a 54 yard FG to give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead.

WFT and their vaunted run game would take the field on their first possession and, thanks to RB Aaron Jones 46 yard run, get into Eagle territory quickly. The Eagle defense, as it has done all season, would bow up and cause WFT to kick a FG of their own. WFT K Joey Slye would kick a 43 yarder to tie the game at 3.

The Eagles were unable to move the ball on their next possession and would punt it back to WFT. WFT would waste no time mixing their run game with QB Dak Prescott's timely passes. Early in the 2nd quarter, deep in Eagle territory, the Eagles were caught napping looking for a Damien Williams run. Prescott would fake it and hit WR Tee Higgins on a 31 yard out route to give WFT a 10-3 lead.

Tannehill would get things rolling on their next possession and hit a couple of medium-range passes. However, it would be the running of Peterson and Brian Hill that would get the job done as Peterson would take it in from 2 yards out to tie the game at 10.

Washington would once again move the ball and stall out. This time Slye would hit a 49 yard FG to put WFT back in the lead 13-10 as halftime was closing in. Attempting to move the ball quickly down the field, Tannehill would make a mistake. Looking for standout WR Brandin Cooks, Tannehill would let it fly. The pass appeared to fall incomplete but WFT star corner Xavien Howard looked to have gotten his hands under the ball for an interception. After review, Howard would indeed have the INT setting up WFT in good field position to score before halftime.

After a couple of untimely penalties (a big story of the game) and a negative loss on 1st down, WFT decided to run clock. The Eagles would use all of their timeouts plus the 2-minute warning to get the ball back. With one more shot before halftime, Tannehill would try to at least get 3 more points for the home team. After a WFT roughing penalty on 1st down and a Vita Vea sack on the next play, Tannehill would line up in shotgun position. As he stood in the pocket, he would find WR Tim Patrick on the medium crossing route. Patrick would make a couple of defenders miss and 70 yards later, hit paydirt! With:36 left in the half the Eagles would be back in front 17-13 and that would be how the half ended.

The 3rd quarter saw WFT, with their ball-control offense, move twice into Eagle territory. The first possession would end with a pooch punt putting the Eagles inside their own 5. After getting a couple of 1st downs. the Eagles would punt it back. WFT would again stall out but this time they were close enough for a chip shot FG. Unbelievably, Slye would shank the 25 yarder and the score would remain 17-13 Eagles as the 4th quarter began.

The Eagle's offense would get things rolling and move into WFT territory. Attempting to eat away some clock, they would mostly stick to the run game. After a penalty and a couple of incomplete passes, Butker would come on and nail a 40 yard FG to extend the Eagle lead to 20-13.

WFT would have one last chance to tie the game and take it into OT or win it with a 2 point conversion. Unfortunately, 2 holding penalties and DT Deforest Buckner's sack of Prescott would mean that WFT would have to punt especially since they had all 3 of their timeouts. After a 1 yard Peterson run, followed by a WFT timeout, Coach Mason decided to take a chance by throwing the ball. Tannehill would fake it to Hill, who had replaced Peterson and find WR Julian Edleman (in his final season) on a crossing route for a 27 yard gain. The 1st down would mean that WFT couldn't stop the clock. The Eagles would let the clock run down and the celebration would begin! Final score 20-13 Eagles!

Congrats to Coach Heaton on a well-played game and a great season. He is one of the toughest coaches in the league. His team was hampered by 10 penalties for 85 yards and a couple of missed opportunities.

The Eagles go to their 1st ever IFL Super Bowl. I got into this league in 2008. (Yikes) It is every coach's goal to get to the big dance and after 14 years it feels mighty good to be there. We shall see if this Eagle team can finish it out.

IFL DIVISONAL ROUND

PATRIOTS 21 JETS 20

New England's Cooper Kupp scores the go-ahead touchdown with just 12 seconds remaining.

New England travels to visit the Jets in the 3rd matchup of the season between the two teams. Jets won the opener in Week 1, while New England squeaked out an overtime win in the second matchup. Neither team had lost another game all year heading into this one.

Jets take the opening kick and move into NE territory behind completions from Watson to Robert Woods for 10 and 13, and a 16 yard pass play to Marvin Jones. Facing a 4th and 1 at the NE 32 Watson dives up the middle for 10 yard.......but the play is negated by an Iupati holding penalty. Jets forced to punt.

Patriots go 3 and out on their first drive, as do the Jets on their next drive, and the Patriots on THEIR next one............scoreless game after the first quarter.

Jets have the ball at their own 25 to start the second quarter. On 3rd and 1, Watson took it himself once again but no penalty this time as he rushes for 16 and a 1st down. A 15 yard facemask penalty on Whitney Mercilus on a screen to Melvin Gordon brought the Jets to the NE 28. Watson took a shot down the middle of the field for Robert Woods, hitting him in stride for the 28 yard TD. Hopkins would miss the XP however. 6-0 Jets.

A penalty on the return sets NE back deep in their end. Pats then go 3 and out and hand ball right back to NY near midfield. Watson breaks off a nifty 14 yard run to get the Jets into Pats territory, but a Tuitt sack a couple plays later stalled the drive. Jets attempt a pooch punt to pin NE again, but Rashan Gary races from the outside and blocks the kick, setting NE up at their own 48.

Lamar Jackson starts the drive with an 11 yard carry, followed by completions to Kareem Hunt for 19, Tyreek for 14 and then an 8 yard TD strike to Kupp. Pats convert the XP and lead 7-6.

Jets take over at their own 25 with under 4 minutes to play. Consecutive passes to Woods for 11 and 14 yards have NY in Pats territory. On 2nd down at the NE 40, Watson looked for Jones but was picked by Darious Williams ending the drive.

Patriots would go 3 and out giving it back to NY with a chance to take the lead before halftime. Completions to Jones Jr. and Woods had NY at the Patriot 38 yard line with 29 seconds to play. Short pass plays to James White failed on consecutive attempts setting up 3rd and 10. Looking to catch the NE defense creeping trying to prevent a more makeable field goal, Watson looked for Jones on a fly pattern and CONNECTED inside the 10 yard line....but Ronald Darby tripped him up at the 7 yard line with 6 seconds to play!! NY would try to get back to the line but with no time outs the clock would run out.

7-6 Patriots headed to the locker room.

Pats take the initial possession and on 3rd down, Lamar looks to make something happen on a fly pattern to Richie James - who hauls it in for a 20 yard gain on 3rd down but then lays it on the ground..............mad scramble...........and the Jets recover!! First and 10 Jets at the NY 38.

Jets take advantage, with consecutive completions to Higbee from Watson for 11 and 13 yards, followed by runs by Melvin Gordon of 15 and 5 yards (of his 117 on the day) setting up a Watson to Jones 15 yard TD strike. Hopkins hits the XP and Jets lead 13-7.

Pats look to respond but on their first play Jamie Collins sacks Jackson, setting NE back and sabotaging the drive. Patriots punt to NY who get a nice 15 yard return by Berrios. First and ten at the NY 26.

Jets took to the ground, with runs by Gordon of 14, 4 and 11, 7 and 10 on 5 of the next 6 plays. A Watson 17 yard run on the other play had NY inside the red zone once again. Then, Watson found Jones on a quick out which he took to the house for the 11 yard score!!  Jets up 20-7.

Patriots looked to draw closer and faced a 3rd and 1 at their own 49 yard line. The give to Hines was sniffed out by the defense bringing up 4th and 1.

NE decides to go for it, but with the Jets keying on him, Kareem Hunt was stopped short and the Jets would take over with :18 seconds to play in the 3rd.

Tyson Alualu sacked Watson to put NY in a deep hole entering the 4th quarter, forcing the punt. Starting at their own 13, Lamar Jackson raced outside for a 13 yard gain. After a 2 yard gain by Hunt (who was being swallowed by the Jets D line all day), Lamar looked downfield to Hill.....who got by Bradberry and caught the pass in stride for the 73 yard TD!!  Jets lead cut to 20-14 with 12 minutes remaining.

A couple Watson to Jones passes had NY out near midfield once again, but on 3rd and 2 Gordon was stuffed forcing the punt back to NE with 7:40 remaining in the game.

An Ekeler 11 yard run followed by a pass play to Hayden Hurst for 11 had the Patriots out to their own 45 yard line quickly. A holding penalty by Quenton Nelson killed the drive for NE however, as they'd punt it back to NY.

With 5:23 to play NY looked to kill some clock with Gordon. Runs of 0 and 3 yards brought up 3rd down, and Watson failed to connect with Jones forcing a punt. Patriots take over with 4:20 to play trailing by 6.

After a Jackson 5 yard rush brings NE to their own 21, Shelby Harris sacked Lamar setting the Patriots back at their own 12 facing a 3rd and 14 with the clock ticking toward the 3 minute mark.

Lamar created a little magic however, hitting Hill for 14 yards and a first down.

After an 11 yard Jackson rush, the Pats were stuffed on the next play and faced a 2nd an 10 from their own 41.  TWO MINUTE WARNING.

Jackson checked down to Ekeler for 8 yards on the next play bringing up 3rd and 2. Clock ticking..........

Jets decided to key on Hunt again but this time Jackson faded back and hit Kupp for 14 yards to the NY 37 yard line. NE uses their first time out and its first and ten with 1:15 to play.

A reverse to Tyreek Hill from his own 37 gains 11 yards......but clock is still ticking............

On the next play, Jackson sweeps right for 16 before heading out of bounds at the 10 yard line. 28 seconds to play................

An incompletion to Hunt in the flat brought up 2nd down, but on the next play Jackson tried again and Hunt caught the pass and ran for 6 yard to the NYJ 4 yard line. Timeout NE with 19 seconds to play........................

On 3rd and goal from the 4 yard line..............Lamar rolls out looking for an open man.......buying time with his legs he lets it fly................

Streaking across the end zone is Cooper Kupp who grabs it between two defenders for the TD!! With 12 seconds to play, the Patriots were an XP away from taking the lead.

Justin Tucker would line up....................and nail it to send the Patriots on to the AFC Title Game!

Final Score Patriots 21 Jets 20

Jets outplayed NE for most of this one, with 24 first downs and 414 net yards offense to only 14 and 289 for NE. Unlike the regular season however where Lamar Jackson was picked off FIVE times in two games by Jet defenders with only 1 passing TD, he tossed 3 TDs (2 to Cooper Kupp) today without an interception to help NE rally with 14 unanswered points in the final quarter.

Each team would turn the ball over once and penalties were essentially even. The missed XP in the first quarter was huge, as was the Gary blocked punt which helped set up the Pats initial TD.

DeShaun Watson threw for 255 and 3 TDs in a fine game for him. Marvin Jones caught 8 of 11 targets for 116 and 2 TDs, while Robert Woods hauled in 7 for 93 and a score.

Other than Lamar's 57 yards rushing (most late in the game) the Patriots running game was throttled by the NY defense. Avoiding the key turnovers was key on this day, as was a couple special teams miscues for the Jets.

Congratulations to Bob for a fantastic season, and for being a good sport after a tough end result. The Jets have certainly been good enough to win an IFL Title two consecutive seasons now, and but for a missed XP might have moved on from this one.

Pats will face off with the Bengals next week for the chance to defend their title.

BENGALS 34 RAIDERS 20

Brandon Wilson's 103 yard kickoff return proved to be the difference as the Bengals advance to the conference finals.

The IFL Bengals traveled to Las Vegas to face the #2 seed Raiders. In a week 11 trip to Vegas, Cincinnati fell 35-31. The Raiders performed like a well oiled machine during their opening drive, going 89 yards in nine plays with Matthew Stafford finding Greg Ward from five yards out and a 7-0 lead with a little over nine minutes remaining. After the Vegas defense forced a three and out Stafford was intercepted by Bengal safety Micah Hyde and Cincinnati set up shop at the Raider 11. One play later Aaron Rodgers connected with Diontae Johnson for the tying score with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Las Vegas was able to reach the Cincinnati 37 but had to settle on a booming 55 yard Jason Myers field goal to regain the lead 10-7.

Rodgers and D.J. Chark Jr. were able to connect on a couple completions for 20 yards with the second going for six as the Bengals took their first lead 14-10 with a little less than 12 minutes remaining in the half. After forcing a Raider punt Cincinnati stalled at the Las Vegas three and played it safe with the Fairbairn 21 yard field goal to extend their lead to 17-10 with less than two minutes remaining in the half. The half would end with the Bengals holding on to the seven point lead.

Cincinnati fumbled on the opening drive of the third quarter with the Raiders recovering at the Bengals 30. Three plays later Stafford connected with Marcus Johnson for the nine yard tying score. But the Bengals answered with a 10 play 75 yard drive as RoJo went in from four yards out to regain the lead at 24-17. Another booming Myers field goal, this time from 59 yards out cut the Cincinnati lead to 24-20. However, the Bengals special teams once again came up big in the postseason as Brandon Wilson returned the kickoff 103 yards to extend the Cincinnati lead to 31-20 with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter. (A small group of IFL Bengal fans that made the cross country trip got beat up by a hoard of Raider fans for celebrating a little too much).

The only scoring in the final quarter was another Cincinnati field goal for the 34-20 final.

Rodgers finished 23 of 30 for 239 yards and two TDs. RoJo rushed for 84 yards and a score.

Stafford went 21 of 38 for 229 yards and two TDs but also three interceptions. Kamara rushed for 52 yards.

Congratulations to Keith on another fine season. The Bengals wait to see which monster they will face in the conference final; hoping they have one more sling shot in their arsenal.

WASHINGTON 23 BUCCANEERS 14

Washington's Aaron Jones rushed for 181 yards and two TDs as the Football Team advances past Tampa Bay.

After a home win in the wildcard round Washington would head to Tampa to face off against the #1 seed who had an impressive regular season.

Tampa would win the toss and elect to defer giving Washington first crack at it and the theme would become clear very early in the game. Aaron Jones right side for 12 yards. Then another carry for 12 yards. A quick pass to Higgins and a 24 yards pass interference for 24 yards and Washington was quickly at the 11 yard line. 3 more jones runs and they were in the endzone with a 7-0 lead. Tampa and Washington would then exchange 3 and outs. Following a nice punt return the Bucs would gain nice field position at their own 39. On 2nd down Tillery would come up big with a sack pushing them to 3rd and 3 in an obvious passing down. Fitzpatrick would look for Lockett on the crossing route but would be picked off by Minkah Fitzpatrick. Harris would then take his shot in the backfield with carries of 10 and 22 yards to bring the ball to the 5 yardline. However a 5 yard penalty for Washington for running a play for 12 yards (and embarrassingly failing to score despite the advantage) would force a 28 yards field goal that Joey Slye would hit.

Tampa would start to move the ball with the next drive utilizing their run game and tight ends to get the ball down to the 35 yard line but on 1st down Carr would attempt to go deep to Marqise Brown and be intercepted by Darqueze Dennard. Washington would move the ball into no-mans land and be forced to attempt a 4th and 7 which would bounce of Higgins hands turning the ball over on downs. Despite back to back interceptions ending drives the Bucs faith in Carr did not dimmish as he just kept slinging it. Tampa would find some success utilizing the middle of the field with both Cook and Henry to get the ball to the 48yard line. From there Carr would reward Henry for his hard work for an 8 yard TD with 3:35 to go in the half.

Washington would take the next drive starting at the 25 and would attempt to eat some clock as they tried to tack on a score. On 3rd down Aaron jones would break out a big run for 63 yards getting knocked out at the 6 yard line. 2 carries later and he was in the endzone for the second time today to put Washington up 17-7 with 1:35 left in the half. Tampa would try to drive down the field to at least put a FG on the board but the drive would fizzle out on the 47 with 3 seconds left. From there Washington would take a page out of Joe Judge’s playbook and shockingly call a quick kick to end the half.

Tampa would get the ball to start the second half and it was clear they worked something out during the half because Carr marched the ball right down the field to put up a quick TD to make it 17-14 and put pressure on Washington to respond. Following the kick Washington would go right back to what had worked all game long: the run game. The WFT would run the ball on the next 8 consecutive plays getting the ball all the way down to the 24 yard line. After picking up a crucial 3rd and 7 with a dump-off pass to Aaron Jones, Dak Prescott would find Tee Higgins on the play action pass for 6. And it would only be 6 as it was time for both Washington and Tampa Bay to put on a special teams clinic. Joey Slye would shank the extra point to keep it a 9 point game with 3:47 to go. Patterson would break off a nice return on the kickoff but unfortunately, they were flagged for an illegal block putting the ball at the 5 yardline. A quick 3 and out would force them to punt from their own 13 giving Washington great field position and a chance to put the game away. Unfortunately for some inexplicable reason Xavien Howard decided to play a little special teams and lined up offsides giving the Bucs a first down. The Bucs would take advantage of their new found life and get the offense in gear pushing the ball down to the 39 yardline. A sack by Chubb would cause the drive to stall out and force Tampa to settle for a 49 yard field goal with their reliable kicking Boswell. Unfortunately, at this point quality special teams play had gone completely out the window and Boswell would one up slye and shank the FG.

Following the missed field goal Tampa would get the ball two more times but with the defense knowing they had to throw they struggled to protect Carr long enough to make anything happen as they would fall 23-14.

Washington will head to Philly for a 3rd meeting this year. The Eagles already have two impressive wins over Washington on the year so it will be an uphill climb.

EAGLES 17 SAINTS 14 (OT)

Harrison Butker's game winning overtime field goal allows Eagles to slip past Saints.

I've played many Action PC football games over the years and I'm sure I have had some important games that came down to the wire. However, I can't remember anything like the contest completed last night vs Jim Rice's Saints especially with a chance to get to the NFC Conference Championship. I think we both aged about 10 years by the time the final whistle blew. It was an epic game with lots of twists and turns. The write-up follows but I'm not sure I'll be able to do it justice.

The weather conditions in Philly were cold and rainy at game time. Both teams knew that was going to be difficult conditions to compete in but both teams had to deal with it. The Saints would win the toss and elected to defer. Starting from their own 25-yard line, the 1st mistake of the game would be made by Eagles QB Ryan Tannehill. On 2nd and 12 from their own 38, Tannehill would look for WR Julian Edleman and what seemingly was an incomplete pass would be intercepted by Saint LB Jordan Hicks to set the Saints up in Eagle territory. However, the Saints would be unable to move the ball and would punt it back to the Eagles.

The next 4 possessions would be defensive stands by both teams. After the Eagles pinned the Saints deep in their own territory, they got field position on a 3 and out. Starting from the Saints 48, Coach Mason decided to let Tannehill air one out on 1st down. With the Saints keying on RB Adrian Peterson, Tannehill would fake it and hit a streaking Brandin Cooks on the post pattern for a TD. The Eagles go up 7-0 heading into quarter 2.

After another 3 and out from the Saints, the Eagles decided if it worked once why not try it again. This time, from their own 28, Tannehill would hit Edleman on a post fly pattern for a big 50 yard gain setting them up deep in Saints territory. 2 plays later, Tannehill would hit WR Tim Patrick on a 9 yard out pattern for a 14-0 lead. The Saints would take the ensuing kickoff and get their first great drive of the game. However, at the Eagle 18, the weather conditions would kick in and Saint QB Cam Newton would fumble with the Eagles recovering. The half would end as it started with the teams exchanging punts except for a Newton int late in the half. The halftime score would stay 14-0 in favor of the Eagles.

The 3rd quarter would begin with the Saints receiving the ball With a mix of runs by RB's Edwards-Helaire and John Connor along with timely passes by Newton, the Saints would move methodically down the field, consume 9:20 of game clock and score their 1st TD of the game on a Newton to WR Cole Beasley pass of 8 yards. Saints cut the lead to 14-7. The 3rd quarter would end that way.

Entering the 4th quarter, the Saints were on the move again. They would get to the Eagle 21 before being stopped. Saints K Brandon McManus would line up for a FG and make it. However, a holding penalty would push the Saints back and another try would have to come from the Eagle 31. This time McManus would shank the kick and the score remained 14-7. On their next possession, the Eagles would move into Saint territory only to be stopped at the Saint 36. Eagle K Harrison Butker would line up for the long FG and he would make it! However, the Eagles would encounter the same fate as the Saints did. A holding penalty would take them out of FG range and the Eagles would punt it back to the Saints. With time beginning to run out on the Saints, Coach Rice would call a deep ball of his own. Newton would hit WR AJ Brown on a 44-yard bomb to set up the Saints for a game-tying TD. It would only take 3 plays for Newton to connect with Brown again on a 13-yard hitch and the game would be tied at 14 with just over 3 minutes left in the game. The two teams would trade punts and the Eagles would get the ball with a little over a minute left in the game and two timeouts. Attempting to move into FG range for Butker, Tannehill, who did not have one of his better games, would do the unthinkable and throw an interception to Saints S Darian Thompson. Set up on the Eagles 49-yard line, Newton would run for 11 yards and Edwards-Helaire would run for another 3 to put the ball on the Eagles 35-yard line and :03 left in the game. McManus would line up, the snap, the kick... wide left! We go to OT!

The Eagles would win the toss in OT but go 3 and out. The Saints could not move the ball either and go 3 and out as well. Behind the legs of RB Adrian Peterson and the arm of Tannehill finally hitting his stride, the Eagles would move the ball to the Saints 16-yard line. After 1 run by RB Brian Hill, Coach Mason would send Butker in. The kick would go straight down the middle and the Eagles would escape with a 17-14 OT victory!

It was a hard-fought game with lots of nail-biting moments. Congrats to Coach Jim Rice who called a great game and got the raw end of the game engine a couple of times. The Eagles move on to the NFC Conference Championship and await the winner to Tampa-Washington.

IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

BENGALS 33 TEXANS 20

D.J. Chark Jr. caught 7 passes for 134 yards and 2 TDs as Bengals down Houston.

The Texans travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals in the wild card round of the IFL playoffs. Houston got the best of the Bengals in week 13 of the IFL season, 28-13. After multiple exchanges of punts, the Texans took a 3-0 lead at the 5:40 mark of the opening quarter. Cincinnati answered with a 15 play-75 yard drive as Rodgers connected with Diontae Johnson from nine yards out for a 7-3 Bengals lead with 10:57 remaining in the half. After forcing another Houston punt, Cincinnati extended their lead to 14-3 as Rodgers found Chark from 19 yards out. The Texans cut the Bengals lead to 14-10 as Cousins connected with Ridley for the 13 yard score just after the two minute warning. Cincinnati was able to add a field goal as time expired at the half as they went into the locker room up 17-10.

After forcing a Cincinnati punt, the Texans went on a 10 play-69 yard drive capped off by a Cousins six yard scoring strike to McLaurin to knot things up at 17 with about six minutes remaining in the quarter. The Bengals marched to the Houston 20 but Texans corner Mike Hilton intercepted a Rodgers pass to end the threat. However, Houston was forced to punt once again. After a third down conversion, Rodgers hit Chark in stride for the 46 yard score to regain the lead at 24-17 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. A poor kickoff return by Claybrooks and a holding penalty resulted in Bengal safety Micah Hyde catching Cousins off guard with a blitz and a safety to extend the Cincinnati lead to 26-17. The Bengals would add another touchdown and Houston would end the scoring with a field goal for the 33-20 final.

Cousins finished 17 of 28 for 203 yards and two TDs. Ridley led the Texan receivers with five catches for 73 yards and a score.

Rodgers went 28 of 34 for 329 yards and four TDs with an INT. Chark finished with seven receptions for 134 yards and two scores.

Congrats to Pete on a fine season.

PATRIOTS 33 JAGUARS 13

The Patriots Lamar Jackson throws for 312 yards and 4 TDs as New England defeats the Jaguars.

Jaguars travel to Foxboro looking to spring the upset. DKS had the game with an EVEN line, so it seemed something might be up here......

It wouldn't take long for the visitors to strike. On their first play, Josh Allen found Rashard Higgins for 48 yards. Two plays later, David Johnson broke loose for a 27 yard TD run and it was 7-0 Jaguars.

Patriots would respond with a 13 play drive on their first possession. A nice balance of run and pass had them at the Jax 18 yard line. Lamar Jackson misfired on passes to Tyreek and Kupp however and the Pats had to settle for a Tucker FG. 7-3 Jaguars.

Jaguars looked to extend their lead on the next drive but ultimately had to punt it away after an Allen to DK Metcalf pass play came up short of a first down near midfield. Patriots took over at their own 13 yard line.

With the D spying on Lamar, Jackson fired one deep hitting Tyreek Hill in stride for the 87 yard TD........10-7 Patriots.

The two teams would exchange punts and the Jags would take over looking to tie or take the lead. An Allen to Antonio Gibson 29 yard pass play had the visitors near midfield. Gibson would tear off a 10 yard run on the next play, ultimately setting up a long 54 yard field goal attempt, but Randy Bullock would miss and the game remained 10-7 NE.

With under 4 minutes to play the Patriots took over inside Jax territory after a 14 yard Nyheim Hines punt return. On 3rd and 1, Jackson found Cooper Kupp for a 24 yard TD. 17-7 NE.

Josh Allen would hit 5 straight pass plays to bring the Jags into field goal range before halftime. Randy Bullock would come on for the 40 yard FG attempt, but again, he would miss. (it was at this point that Coach Dave would share with me the most amazing factoid I've heard surrounding DKS....possibly ever. Jacksonville went the entire IFL 2021 season without attempting a single field goal. Their first two attempts came in this playoff game. Both misses)

The Patriot D stiffened in the 2nd half, allowing two Bullock field goals but not much else. Lamar Jackson tossed a couple more TD passes while the defense added a safety to boot. Final Score: Patriots 33 Jaguars 13

Lamar Jackson threw for 312 and 4 TDs. Tyreek hauled in 3 passes for 156 yards and 2 TDs.

SAINTS 27 PACKERS 17

Cam Newton throws two touchdowns and runs for another as Saints down Green Bay.

The Packers would come into New Orleans for the wild card round in which seemed to be a pretty even matched game. The Saints would defer to Green bay and we were off. Green Bay would make a statement in their first drive taking the ball right down the Saints throat 60 yards ending in a Big Ben to Emanual Sanders 5 yard TD. 3 encroachment penalties showed how over anxious the Saints D was. 7-0 Green Bay. The Saints would get the ball at their own 25 and answer the bell, driving 75 yards ending in a 4 yard TD from Cam to Beasley. This was almost a 7 minute drive. The 2 teams defenses settled down and they would exchange 2 punts each, which takes us to 10:47 left in the 2nd quarter. The Packers had made it clear they were here to stop the #1 run offense. The Packers would then take a 17 play, almost 9 minute drive down the field. Big Ben would then hit Emanual Sanders for his 2nd TD of the game. 14-7 Pack. The 2 teams would exchange punts and we would go to half time. The Saints would get the ball the 2nd half and come out aggressive and on the 3rd play Cam would hit AJ Brown slanting over the middle and he would break a tackle and go 69 yards for a TD. All notched up at 14. Coach Conners was not even phased and his Pack would drive down the field and retake the lead on a Mike Nugent FG from 40. 17-14 Green Bay. The Saints would get the ball back and waste no time, throwing a bomb to AJ Green for 48 yards down to the Packs 27. Looks like we are at least tied. Oh wait. The Packers defense sack Cam on first down for -9, and then a botched snap for -4, and then a -1 yard carry by Johnson would take that away. Then the Saints would kick a potential inside the 10 kick into the end zone. Coach Rice thought this was a huge missed opportunity. We would then have our first big game changing play as the Packers would be 3rd and 14 from their own 28. Big Ben would make his first mistake of the day, throwing a pick to veteran AJ Bouye at the 37. the Saints would capitalize as Cam Newton would rush it in on a scramble from 13 yards out on the first play of the 4th quarter. Saints first lead 21-17. Green Bay would start at their own 40 after an out of bounds kick and Big Ben would make another mistake, throwing a pick to rookie CJ Henderson at the Saints 38. Cam would return the favor 2 plays later throwing a pick to Peterson at their own 48. What a crazy game. Ok wait for it....Big Ben would then return the favor 2 plays later and throw a pick to Marcus Maye. Thsi time the Saints would hold on to the ball and McManus would kick a huge 45 yard FG giving the Saints a TD lead. 24-17 with 9:20 left. The Packers would then loo for a game tying drive. New Orleans D would come up big stopping them at their own 42 and force a punt with 5:04 left in regulation. The Saints would get shut down and have to punt on a 3 and out setting up another chance for Green Bay. Green would field the punt at his own 31 and out comes the ball and the Saints recover. the offense would hold the ball for 3 minutes and McManus would kick another big FG from 37 yards out giving the Saints the 10 point lead. Saints 27-17. Green Bay would have the ball the rest of the game ultimately running out of time. New Orleans wins 27-17. For the Pack Big Ben would throw for 275 yards and 2 TD's a long with 3 costly Ints. Emanual Sanders had 12 catches and 2 TDs. For the Saints Cam would throw for 242 yards and 2TDs. Beasley would catch 7 balls and a TD. The Packers D would hold the #1 rushing offense to just 70 yards in an awesome job. It was a great job coaching by John but 4 turnovers was just to much to overcome.

WASHINGTON 24 RAMS 17

Micah Fitzpatrick's 47 yard pick six turns out to be the game winner as Washington gets past the Rams.

Rams and Washington meet for the 2nd time this season. Betters had the line as even and the Rams would receive the ball first. On the opening drive the Rams 3rd and 8 pass would fall incomplete however the refs would flag Minkah Fitzpatrick for pass interference giving the Rams a first down. This would continue the season long theme of Washington of shooting itself in the foot. 2 plays later Sanders would run for a 56 yard TD. Washington would seem to right the ship and respond with a quick 55 yard TD to Hockenson which would be followed up by a 7 yard Aaaron Jones TD reception and a long 55 yard FG by Joey Slye with the wind at his back. Things would look pretty good for Washington but that whole self destructive thing would rear its head again. Washington would first receive a penalty on the punt return backing them up to their own 12. They would then go 3 and out and prepare to punt from their own 20. However a bad snap by the longsnapper would result in a block by rookie Josh Uche and covered up for a Rams TD. Washington would follow that up with a holding penalty and a false start on back to back plays forcing another quick 3 and out. The Rams would take advantage of the short field and Succop would a short FG to tie the game.

Washington’s 2 minute drill would fail to pickup a first down and force another punt. The Rams would attempt to run their 2 minute drill when Taysom Hill would throw an INT to Minkah Fitzpatrick who would return it for TD to put Washington up 24-17 at the half. Washingtons first drive in the 2nd half would show some promise getting the ball to the 28. But third and 5 a great defensive play call would bait Prescott into throwing a pick at the 2 yard line. The defense would respond though and stop the Rams in their tracks and secure what would be good field position. However this being Washington there was still work to be done and on a 4th and 4 they would jump offsides and give the Rams a first down. The Rams would then march the ball down to the Washington’s 29 yard line and face a 4th and 8. Unfortunately for the Rams they were unable to bleed enough time to end the quarter so he would have to kick the 47 yarder into a 5-15mph wind and he would shank it. Washington would move the ball a little but the dysfunctional offense would bog down again and be forced to punt.

The Rams would get their first penalty of the game at the start of the 4th quarter which would be a hold again their tackle. This would set them up for a 3rd and 19 which would look like a daunting ask but as usual Washington would do what they could and let Perine pick up 24 yards on the run to keep the drive going. Washington and the Rams would trade some punts and with 2:53 left Washington would be unable to pickup a first giving the Rams one last chance.

The Rams drive would quickly begin to head towards disaster with a sack by Chubb and then a personal foul on their tackle setting them up with a 2nd and 28 with 1:21 left. But as with every down circumstance the rams found a way with a 32 yard draw by Daniel Jones to tak ehtem to the 45. They would then complete a couple of passes to Get the ball to the 27 yard line with 18 seconds left. However they would be unable to complete another pass and turn it over on downs with 1 second left.

Ryan coached a great game (better than me) and used every player he could but despite all their timely plays they couldn’t overcome their inability to throw the ball. Employing a QB rotation the Rams QBs went 19-42 for 117 yards 1 INT(for a TD) and 3 Sacks.

Washington offensively was brilliant on the first 3 drives and then quickly became incompetent. Jones was highly ineffective as a runner finishing with 16 carries for 61 yards with 1/3 of that coming on 1 run.

Washington will head to Tampa to play the top seed Tampa and if they continue to play like they have most of the year they will be taking a vacation shortly after.

WEEK 16 RECAP

Taysom Hill throws for one touchdown and runs for another as the Rams earn a playoff berth.

Game Scores
Los Angeles (N) 24 Green Bay 20             36 0-10
Rams came in fighting for their playoff lives and jumped out to an early 7-0 lead thanks to a Taysom Hill to CeeDee Lamb 6 yard TD pass on the visitors second drive.

Big Ben and company were befuddled by the strong Los Angeles defense for most of the first half but finally put together a nice drive before the break while trailing
10-0. Unfortunately they would have to settle for a short FG to cut the score to 10-3 with 1:53 left the 2nd Q.

Rams got a HUGE play just a few seconds later when Daniel Jones got flushed out of the pocket and scampered 60-yards right through the Green Bay defense to extend the lead to 17-3. The silence was deafening at Lambeau going into the locker room.

The Packer offense finally produced a big play on the opening drive of the 3rd when Phillips Lindsay took a pitch 46 yards to the house. Extra point was missed 17-9 Rams.

After an L.A. drive stalled, Green Bay moved the ball again on the stingy Ram defense, going 80 yards in 15 plays. On 4th and goal from the 3, Coach Conners decided to go for it down by 8. Roethlisberger's pass was just out of the reach of Darren Waller's fingertips. Blown opportunity, the score remained 17-9.

After that big defensive stand, the Rams offense went to work. Deebo Samuel caught passes of 42 and 41 yards to set up a short Hill TD run to open the 4th, 24-9 L.A.

After a quick Green Bay 3 and out, this one seemed to be over. However, on the next play Daniel Jones was picked off by LB Nick Kwiatkowski at the Los Angeles 31. Packers would have to settle for a Robbie Gould 47 yard FG. 24-12 Rams

On the next series the Pack got another break when Hill was picked off by Patrick Peterson after going to the Deebo Samuel well once to often. Host would capitalize when Big Ben found A.J. Green from 12 yard out. Dalvin Cook ran the 2pt convert to cut the lead to 24-20 with 6:17 left. We had a ball game.

Packers defense forced a 3 and out and the offense got the ball back with 3:17 left, needing a TD to win it. Aided by a pass interference penalty, Green Bay moved into Rams territory.

Facing a 3rd and 7 at the L.A. 32, with 20 seconds left, Big Ben was picked off by little known CB Amani Oruwariye.  Final score 24-20 Rams.

Daniel Jones was named the game star (16-22, 166, 1 int) but it was Deebo Samuel who really stood out 8-141

Dalvin Cook had 116 yards of total offense but had to work for every yard of it. A.J Green hauled in 6 passes for 65 yards

With the victory the Rams (11-5) advance to the playoffs and face The Washington Football Team (11-5). Green Bay (11-5) backs in as the 6th seed and will travel to New Orleans (11-4-1)

Carolina (11-5) becomes the first I can remember to miss the playoffs with 11 wins. Eliminated by the Rams on the first tiebreaker, due to being swept in their head to head series.

Dallas 10 Houston 17                        70 Calm
Texans score 10 unanswered points in final five minutes to rally past Dallas.

Washington 24 Los Angeles (A) 7             77 Calm
Washington clinches a playoff spot as it cruises against a tired and beat up Chargers team.

Tennessee 26 Buffalo 24                     25 0-10
In maybe the wildest 4th quarter I've ever played the Titans come away victorious 26-24. Heading into the 4th the Bills held a 17-13 lead, with 7:36 remaining the Titans cap off a 71 yard 12 play drive on s Matt Ryan to Fant 6 yard pass to give the Titans a 20-17 lead. The Bills then go on a 9 play 85 yard drive with Murray hitting Arnold on 7 yard pass to give the Bills a 24-20 lead with 1:02 left on the clock. With Titans backed up at their 7 yard line and the Bills playing a dime prevent defense Matt Ryan hits Kalif Raymond for 93 yards as the Bills secondary whiffed on a number of tackles to give the Titans seemingly a victory, the extra point was missed to make it 26-24 Titans. With 42 seconds to work with the Bills start from their own 25 and after not moving an inch the Bills on 4th down Kyler Murray hits Tyron Johnson for 49 yards to the Titans 26 as the Bills call their final timeout and bring on Jake Elliott for a 44 yarder to win it, the kick had the distance but was wide right! Both teams end the season at 7-9.

New Orleans 16 Chicago 3                    23 5-15
Bears were hanging around, 3-3 at half. Then the Saints brought in their starters on defense & won 16-3. Pained me to watch Cam Newton play so well.

San Francisco 13 Minnesota 16               68 Calm
In a game that set professional football back 50 years, the Minnesota Vikings managed to eke out a win over the 49ers. The 49ers ran of clock trying to run their field-goal team.

Tampa Bay 20 Carolina 17                    63 0-10
In a battle of division leaders, a hard fought struggle goes down to the wire.

Both teams traded blows and went into the half tied at 10 a piece. Tampa takes control in the second half with a TD from Adams on a pass from Carr, and then a field goal with 5 minutes to go in the game to push the lead to 20 to 10.

Wilson, who had struggled all day, finally found a little mojo and drove the Panthers down field and capped the drive with a 6 yard TD pass to Schutz to draw within 3. The Bucs recover the onside kick however, and run out the clock to preserve the win.

Tampa Bay 20
Carolina 17

For Tampa, the dynamic duo of Lockett and Adams lead the way with 98 and 100 yards receiving respectively.

For Carolina, Henry rushed for 82 yards and 1 TD.

Philadelphia 20 Denver 27                   47 Calm
Denver ends their eight game losing streak as they win after a fumble recovery scooped up by safety Karl Joseph and goes 91 yards for the go-ahead score in the 4th quarter.

Baltimore 3 New York (A) 28                 36 10-20
The Baltimore Ravens came to New York to play the Jets, and to finish the regular season for both teams.

New York received the opening kickoff, and matriculated 65 yards down field in 5 minutes to open the scoring. The scoring came on a 31 yard pass from Watson to Woods…7-0

Baltimore was held to a 3, and out on their first possession. This time the Jets went 80 yards in 6 plays to make it 14-0.

The Ravens picked up a FG on the second possession making it 14-3 Jets.

Again New York moved the ball into the red zone, and scored on a Watson to Woods pass…21-3…Jets.

The second half included a turnover by each team, 2 punts by New York, and Baltimore turning it over 3 times on downs.

New York tacked on a touchdown to make the final 28-3…Jets.

Baltimore finished their season 6-10.

New York ends up 15-1, with their only blemish an overtime loss at New England.

Jacksonville 28 Miami 21                    78 0-10
In the last game of the season for Miami, the Dolphins host the Jaguars in south Florida

After each Team punting on their opening possession, Miami gets a rare Allen interception and return it to the Jags 16 yd line and on 3rd and 10 Goff finds Shepard from 16 yards out and the Dolphins take the early 7-0 lead. On the next possession Miami gets the ball back on a recovered fumble and go the 49 yards to pay dirt, finishing with a 20 yard Tua to Hardman TD pass on the first play of the 2nd quarter and the Dolphins take the 14-0 Lead.

Jacksonville then gets on track and goes 77 yards and get the TD to cut the Dolphins lead to 7 points at 14-7. After exchanging punts the Jags get the ball back with 1:36 at their own 38 and quickly go the 62 yards and score the TD with 14 seconds left in the half to deadlock the score at 14.

After a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Dolphins mount a drive and again on the very 1st play of the 4th quarter get the TD, to regain the lead at 21-14. On the ensuing Jaguar drive, they respond with a 79 yard drive and get the score to once again notch the score at 21 with 7:38 left in the game. On the second play of the next Miami drive, Jacksonville gets the 34 yard pick six and take the lead for the 1st time in the game. that would be the last scoring as the Dolphins would get 2 more cracks at it in the last 6:20 but are unable to get back to the end zone and Jacksonville leaves Miami with the 7 point win and appears to secure their playoff spot. Miami finishes a dismal 4-12 on the season and looks forward to next year.

New England 31 Cincinnati 10                29 0-10
The Bengals closed out the 2021 IFL season hosting the defending champion Patriots. Receiving the opening kickoff it did not take New England long to draw first blood. Isaiah Rodgers had a nice kickoff return to midfield and five plays later Lamar Jackson connected with Cooper Kupp from 21 yards out. After forcing a Cincinnati punt, the Pats were back in business as Jackson dumped it off to Kareem Hunt for a 26 yard gain. However, Chidobe Awuzie intercepted the Jackson pass on the next play. The Bengals got into field goal position but Ka'imi Fairbairn shanked the kick. New England took over but Jackson was picked again! This time by rookie Isaiah Simmons. Cincinnati took advantage as Aaron Rodgers connected with Diontae Johnson for 14 and two plays later Rodgers scampered in from nine yards out as the quarter ended tied at seven.

This seemed to wake up the Pats as another Jackson to Kupp pass from 25 yards out capped an 8 play-72 yard drive to regain the lead 14-7. After forcing a Cincinnati three and out, Jackson connected with Hill for 53 and then Kupp again for the 15 yard score, 21-7 New England. The Bengals were able to add a field goal to make it 21-10 at the half.

The Pats would add 10 more in the second half for the 31-10 final.

Jackson finished 13 of 20 for 233 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs. He also rushed for 126 yards on 13 attempts.

Rodgers had a rough game as Ronald Jones was sidelined and New England played pass. He finished just 14 of 27 for 151 yards and an INT.

Arizona 13 Kansas City 20                   31 5-15
Kansas City held the ball for close to 42 minutes and then had to endure a furious rally led by Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs prevailed by stopping the Cardinals at the 14 yard line with a minute left to secure the 20-13 victory. Mahomes finished with 281 yards passing but was sacked 4 times. Andy Dalton went 36-28-198 for KC.

Pittsburgh 27 Indianapolis 3                69 Calm
Indianapolis comes in looking for their first win of the season hoping not to end the year winless.

Pittsburgh was hoping to have their most wins since Coach Alberry Sr took over midway through the 2018 year as they sit at 6-9 .

No scoring through the first with multiple punts . Pittsburgh gets the offense rolling in the second and puts up 17 points with 2 TD tosses to Jefferson .

In the third the Colts manage a FG to make it 17-3 . But late in the quarter Brady sneaks it in from one yard out making it 24-3 and pretty much the ball game . Lots of running in the fourth by both teams the Steelers get in FG range making the final score 27-3.

Good luck to all the playoff teams! Until the draft next year take care and Happy Holidays.


Atlanta 22 Detroit 0                        70 Calm
In a battle of pride, Atlanta and Detroit did their best to finish the season strong. Each team during the game was hit with injuries and usage difficulties. More so for Detroit than Atlanta and that proved to be the turning point.

The Rivers-Fitzgerald farewell tour had an encore as Rivers won Game MVP with 28-36 for 274 yards and 1 TD. Fitzgerald had 6 catches for 65 yards and led all Atlanta receivers.

Though Detroit gave up 22 points, on defense Wagner was a star accounting for 19 tackles in this game with 2 stuffs. He accounted for 19 of the 60 total tackles Detroit made!

Both first year coaches are looking forward to next year.

Atlanta ended up 7-9 in the brutal NFC West and ended the last 8 games at a 5-3 clip, and the Lions ended 4-12 in the Central division.

Las Vegas 26 New York (N) 17                34 0-10 Heavy Rain
Raiders kicker Jason Myers boots four field goals including three from 50 plus yards out to help Las Vegas get by the Giants.

Rushing Leaders
Jackson,L(NE)   13-126
Chubb,N(LAC)    13-111
Gibson(Jax)     20-106
Mostert(Atl)    18-103

Receiving Leaders
Woods,R(NYJ)    10-157 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Kupp(NE)         5- 85 3 TD

Passing Leaders
Jackson,L(NE)   20-13-233   4 TD 2 Int

Defensive Standouts
Johnson,A(Cin)   16 Tk
Wagner,B(Det)    19 Tk
Gregory,R(Pit)    5 Tk 1 Sk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Myers,J(LV)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

FINAL 2021 IFL STANDINGS

FINAL 2021 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 16 IFL PLAYOFF PICTURE

By Ravens Scott

With about a week and a half's worth of games to play, here's how the AFC playoff picture is shaping up:

#1 seed - The winner of the AFC East. According to the game's ranking, the Jets currently own the #1 and get to travel to 7-7 Buffalo then host 6-9 Baltimore. The Jets' competition is the Patriots (also 13-1), who are on the road for their last two games of the season - @ 0-14 Indy and @ 8-5-1 Cincy. My bet is on the Jets, with the Pats becoming one of the best #4 seeds in league history.

#2 seed - Looks like Vegas pretty much has this wrapped up. With a home game against 5-9 KC and a road game @ 3-11 NY Giants, there's a good chance they could win 13 games, but both the Jets and Pats would have to lose both their scheduled games to even give the Raiders a chance at the #1 seed. Those things are about as likely as a snowflake in Aruba. On the flip side, even if the Raiders lose their last two games, they'll finish with more wins (11) than Cincinnati, even if the Bengals (currently 8-5-1) win their last two games.

#3 seed - The AFC Central winner will likely seed in here. That'll probably be Cincinnati, though they've got a tall order to defeat the Patriots in their Week 16 match-up. Cincinnati's Week 15 opponent is the 6-8 Steelers, so the Bengals are realistically looking at a 9-6-1 finish. That gives Jacksonville a reasonable shot. Should Cincy split and 8-6 Jacksonville sweep - against 10-4 Panthers on the road (a tall task in itself!) and at 4-11 Miami - they could finish 10-6, a half-game ahead of the Bengals, which would give them the #3 seed.

#4 seed - the runner-up in the AFC East race. My guess: New England.

#5 seed - the runner-up in the AFC Central race. My guess: Jacksonville*.

#6 seed - The Chargers Week 15 loss to Philly really hurt. LA is now 7-8 and reciting Hail Mary's in the league's rectory. Denver, Houston and Buffalo all currently have 7-7 records. The Broncos and Texans face each other in Week 15, so the winner will create a little breathing room for themselves. Denver takes on 13-2 Philly in Week 16 (not a good thing if you're a Bronco fan), so you're hoping they can end their 7-game free fall with a win at Houston. The Bills get to host the 13-1 Pats in Week 15, so they'll likely be hoping to return to .500 with a Week 16 win against the 6-9 Titans. My money is on the Texans to continue Denver's misery and then beat the 2-12 Cowboys in Week 16 to finish at 9-7 and sneak past the other middle-of-the-road contenders.

*should Jacksonville lose their last two games, they could finish 8-8 and potentially fall completely out of the playoffs, but there's too much algebra and trigonometry involved for me to figure it all out if that happens, so I'm sticking with Jacksonville at least getting a split of their last two games and earning that #5 seed.

NOTE: All this prognostication was done with very little research or analysis, a beer in one hand and the other stirring the tea leaves. Errors or omissions were inadvertent. Write to your congressman if you feel slighted.

Good luck to all the playoff participants and contenders.

By Packer John

Here it is. Somebody with a ton of wins is missing the playoffs

1) y-Tampa Bay 13-2 = Clinched division and a first round bye. Can earn home field

                                     throughout with win at Carolina or a Philadelphia loss

2) y-Philadelphia 13-2 = Clinched division and a first round bye. Can earn #1 seed
                                     with a win at Denver and a Tampa Bay loss

3) Carolina       11-4    = Can clinch division with a win over Tampa Bay or a loss by New Orleans.

                                      Can clinch a playoff berth with a win or a loss by Washington or Rams

4) Green Bay    11-4    = Can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Rams or a loss by
                                     Carolina or Washington

5) New Orleans 10-4-1 = Can win division with a victory over Chicago and a Carolina loss. Can clinch a playoff

   berth with a win over Chicago or a loss by Rams or Washington

6) Washington    10-5   = Can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Chargers OR a Rams loss

                                       (wins a 10-6 tie with Rams due to head to head victory)



7) L.A. Rams     10-5   = Can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Packers
                                     (Carolina knocked out in a 4 way 11-5 tie due to first tiebreaker being the

                                       application of the division tiebreaker which Rams hold over Carolina)

                                      (Packers knocked out in 3 way 11-5 tie between WFT, Rams, GB due to

                                      Packers 0-2 head to record versus Rams and Skins).

Rams eliminated with a loss.

WEEK 15 RECAP

Buffalo has no answers versus a suffocating Jets defense as New York improves to 14-1.

New York (A) 24 Buffalo 0                   32 20-30
On a cold windy day in Buffalo the Bills and Jets struggle to move the ball as the score is 7-0 Jets at the half. Despite throwing two picks Watson does throw 3 TD passes which is more than enough to get the victory 24-0 as the Jets defense dominates holding the Bills to only 135 yards of offense. The Jets improve to 14-1 while the Bills fall to 7-8. The Jets will host Baltimore next week while the Bills will host the Titans.

Los Angeles (A) 12 Philadelphia 29          29 0-5
The LA Chargers visited Philly to take on the Eagles hanging on to hopes of a playoff spot. The Eagles were looking to keep their top 2 ranking in order to get a bye in the 1st round of the upcoming playoffs.

It would be a back and forth game early as both teams would score early. The Eagles would score first on an 8 yard Adrian Peterson run while the Chargers would come back early in the 2nd quarter and put it over the goal line on a 1 yard Tyrod Taylor sneak. The extra point would be no good and the Eagles would remain on top 7-6. The Eagles would take the ensuing kickoff and drive 71 yards on 10 plays with QB Ryan Tannehill hitting TE Evan Engram on a 16 yard out pattern. The Eagles would miss their extra point and go up 13-6. Both team's defenses bent but didn't break for the rest of the half as both offenses managed FG's before halftime. The Eagles would be up 16-9 at the half.

The 3rd quarter would open up with Eagle return man Marvin Hall fumbling and the Chargers would take advantage by kicking a FG to close the gap to 16-12. The Chargers would make the mistake on the ensuing kickoff by kicking the ball out of bounds. The Eagles would go to their ground game with Peterson who would break a long 54-yard run. Tannehill would hit WR John Brown on the next play and the gap would widen to 23-12.

The Eagle defense would tighten up the rest of the game while the offense would add a couple of more Harrison Butker FG's. The final score, 29-12.

The Eagles would move to 13-2 and keep their hopes alive for a 1st round bye while the Chargers (7-8) chances of making the playoffs in the AFC took a hit. The Eagles finish off the season by playing another AFC foe, Denver, who is fighting with the Chargers for one of those playoff spots. The Chargers will finish off the season against Washington who is fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC.

Detroit 28 Chicago 14                       26 0-10
Lions roared out of the locker room & lead 28-0 after only 18 minutes or so. Even worse news is that's about 2 games worth of points for the Bears who average just over 15 pts a game. Final lions 28-14 as coach Merlenbach showed a tremendous amount of mercy on the Chicago team.

Dallas 0 Washington 23                      55 5-15
Washington shuts out Dallas and cruises to their 10th win.

Los Angeles (N) 36 San Francisco 10         52 15-25
Daniel Jones throws two touchdown passes and runs for another as Rams cruise past San Francisco.

Cincinnati 37 Pittsburgh 31                 32 5-15
1st Quarter - The Steelers first 2 possessions they get a total of 5 yards as things do not look good for the home teams offense on this day. The Bengals after punting on their first possession get a Rodgers to Diontae Johnson 7 yard TD toss to take a 7-0 lead after one quarter. Pittsburgh's total yards for the quarter? 13 Ouch.

Bengals lose starting DT Sheldon Rankins and Starting RB Ronald Jones for the game in the 1st

2nd Quarter- With a drive that started in the first on their own 16 the Bengals go on a 10 play drive that culminates in Rodgers 2nd TD pass of the game this time to Chaulk from 17 yards out 14-0 .On the Steelers 4th drive Brady is picked by Rookie LB Isaiah Simmons . Two plays later Rodgers to Eifert from 21 yards out and its 21-0 visitors and looks like a blow out is about to happen. However on the first play of Pittsburgh's next possession a short Hitch to Justin Jefferson is turned into a 75 yard TD by the rookie and the home crowd has some hope. Fairbairn does knock in a 36 yard FG in the final minute of the half to make it 24-7.

Steelers lose starting DL Christian Wilkins and little used LB Sean Lee (who announced his retirement after the game) for the game in the second.

3rd Quarter - Bengals get the ball to start the second half and puts what seems to be a dagger in Steeler faithful. As Rodgers takes a broken play and runs it in from 10 yards out to put the visitors up 31-7. Brady does warm up a little on their opening drive of the second half and aided by a 26 yard PI call Edwards runs it in from 1 yard out and its 31-14 and that's how the 3rd ended.

4th Quarter - On a drive that started late in the 3rd Pittsburgh gets to the 45 of Cincinnati before stalling. With little choice they go for it on a 4th and 6 and the Bengals force an incompletion and take over with 12 minutes left in the game. Then things get interesting. After a Bengals 3 and out and the Steelers go 3 and out in turn The Bengals give the home team some life with a fumbled punt return and Pittsburgh takes over on the 33 with 9 minutes to go. a Brady to Chris Herndon 22 yard play gets them to a first and goal and Edwards runs it in from 8 yards out now its a 10 point game 31-21 with just over 7 to play. Another 3 and out by the Bengals offense and Brady gets the ball on the 24 to start the drive. With the aide of 2 long connections with Jefferson Pittsburgh's drive stalls on the 22 facing a 4th and 9 they bring Bass out for a 40 yard attempt and he connects 31-24 with 2:47 to go. Pittsburgh elects to kick it deep and hope to stop the Bengals. The strategy works as they force a punt with 2:25 to play and used all their timeouts. However this time its the Steelers who fumble the punt return and Cincinnati takes over with 2:17 to go and Pittsburgh has no timeouts. More strange turns the Bengals call a safe run and with Vaughn covering the ball up and the Steelers just playing a basic man d LB Adams strips the ball and the Steelers take over with 1:52 left needing a TD from their own 27. With Brady you just felt like the home team had a chance. And Pittsburgh does drive down the field a big 30 yard connection with little used Keesean Johnson helps get the ball down the field. Facing a 3rd and 10 from the 19 with 13 seconds to go Johnsons number is called again as Jefferson has received a double team the whole game. Johnson catches a 19 yard TD and the game is unbelievable tied as we head to OT.

OT- The Steelers win the toss and get the ball first but go no where and are forced to punt . The Bengals take over on their 21. But the unthinkable happens Rodgers is picked by CB Dontae Johnson and the home crowd cannot believe they are in position to win the game. Getting the ball at the 35 however Pittsburgh is only able to pick up 5 yards as the Bengals D stand strong. facings a winds of 5-15 miles and hour in his face Bass come for a 47 yard game winning kick to send the fans home happy. The snap is good the kick is BLOCKED UGH as the air comes out of the stadium. Rodgers takes over on his own 37 and the Bengals already have a tie on their record this year do not want another one. It just felt like the momentum was clearly on the Bengals side now and Rodgers would make up for his pick after his D and Special teams pick him up.He quickly gets to the Steelers 31 on 2 completions and Pittsburgh's D is desperately trying to not let them get another yard are caught by Rodgers in a bad Defense and he makes no mistake hitting Fulgram in stride for the game winning TD as the Bengals escape with a 37-31 victory.

The Bengals will need to clean up their D as they missed 12 tackles on the game. Rodgers is the game MVP going 34-48 for 376 yards 4 TD 1 int and a running TD. While Brady is a little off going 23-48 for 319 yards 2 TD 1 Int . Jefferson facing a double the whole game was targeted 13 times but only caught 4 passes but still managed 123 yards and 1 TD .

Pittsburgh (6-9) travels to (0-14) Indianapolis to finish their season while the Bengals (9-5-1) host the Patriots (13-1)

Baltimore 32 Tennessee 21                   50 0-10
The Ravens come to Tennessee and play an excellent game. They are up 22-7 at the half thanks to forcing a fumble deep in Titan territory and stopping a 4th down gamble by Tennessee just past mid-field. In the second half every time the Titans scored Baltimore responded with their own score - keeping the lead at at least 8 points for the duration of the game. A Badgley field goal with 2 minutes to go sealed the deal.

Another interesting DKS quirk is the Ravens had 0 penalties for 0 yards in the game while the Titans had 6 for 56 yards.

Baltimore gets the Jets next weekend (ouch!) while Tennessee finishes against Buffalo.

Miami 7 Tampa Bay 26                        70 0-5
The Dolphins made the trip across the Florida peninsula to Tampa Bay and it just didn’t go well. Both Miami quarterbacks, Goff and Tagovailoa, couldn’t get anything going. Their shorthanded defense was unable to keep Miami in the game. The final was Tampa 26 - Miami 7.
Next week Miami finishes their campaign on the road, but without leaving the Sunshine state once again, this time playing in Jacksonville. They hope to pull off the upset and damage the Jaguars playoff hopes. Tampa Bay plays a game full of playoff implications in Carolina.

New England 24 Indianapolis 3               69 Calm
Colts hang tough for awhile as Patriots held off the scoreboard until a Tucker field goal at the 9 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. A Kareem Hunt 6 yard TD boosted the Patriot lead to 10-0 at halftime. Austin Ekeler scored two TDs in the 2nd half (one rushing, one receiving) as the Patriots pulled away to win 24-3.

Minnesota 17 Green Bay 23                   31 0-10
Close contest between division rivals that came down to the last drive.
Vikings were stopped on 4th and 2 on the Green Bay 42 with 1:06 left, down just 6.

Packers were lucky too come escape with a 23-17 victory thanks to 3 Minnesota turnovers.

Mark coached a great game and had me sweating throughout 4 quarters.

JuJu Smith-Shuster had 10 catches for 86 yards
Keenan Allen 7-42 despite seeing plenty of double teams.

Phillip Lindsay (20-107) filled in admirably for the injured Dalvin Cook
Emmanuel Sanders had 7 catches for 116 yards, including a huge 49 yard TD grab.

Vikings (4-11) host San Francisco (3-12) to close out the season
Packers (11-4) welcome the Rams (10-5) in a game with playoff implications.

Kansas City 7 Las Vegas 24                  58 0-5
Alvin Kamara rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries and Travis Kelce had 7 receptions for 115 yards as Las Vegas defeated KC 24-7.

Arizona 16 New York (N) 19                  40 5-15
Giants hold off Arizona thanks to four field goals and a defensive touchdown.

New Orleans 20 Atlanta 30                   68 Calm
New Orleans came into Atlanta the 3 point favorites. Coach Jim Rice had some of his players resting and getting ready for the playoffs with load management.

On the Atlanta side, Phillip Rivers and Larry Fitzgerald met this week and announced that they would be retiring together at the end of the season. They have 2 games left, and upsetting New Orleans would be their Super Bowl

1st Quarter: New Orleans opens up against a depleted Atlanta secondary with a short slant to AJ Brown and he could....go...all.. the.. way! 52 yard TD NO 7-ATL 0

ATL answers with 60 yards running on this drive from Mostert who was probable for this game and ends with a 2 yard Fitzgerald TD from Rivers. TIE NO 7- ATL -7

2nd Quarter: Atlanta jumps out to a lead with a 5 minute 88 yard drive capped by a 20 yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald from Rivers. ATL 14- NO 7

NO wears down the Atlanta defense on a 8:37 drive that goes 73 yards...but only comes out with a FG ATL 14- NO 10

Atlanta answers back with a 75 yard drive capped by a 9 yard TD pass to Agholor (ATL 21- NO 10)

With 28 seconds left in the 1st half, Newton tries to throw but is picked off by Atlanta setting up a Folk FG going into half (ATL 24- NO 10)

3rd Quarter: At half, the defenses make adjustments and start to clamp down. Newton starts to heat up, leading the Saints on a 71 yard drive capped by an 11 yard TD to Akins. ATL 24- NO 17)

Atlanta answers with a 26 yard FG after being stopped in the Red Zone. ATL 27- NO 17

4th Quarter

Things got very interesting in the 4th quarter...whacky ending. NO was within the 10 yard line on 3rd down, when Newton dropped back to pass and got obliterated by TJ Watt, knocking Newton out of the game for a bit. So on 4th down, the Saints kicked a FG and made in ATL 27- NO 20.

Atlanta's next drive they are marching down the field and Coach Alberry calls for a slant to Nelson Agholor, must be in Rivers old age (or game error) they draw up a medium slant to Austin Corbett... what? Stalls the Falcons out and they are forced to punt.

New Orleans next drive Flacco takes control, even though Newton is begging Coach Rice to put him back in! After a 3 and out they punt... or do they... Atlanta gets a roughing the punter penalty and N.O gets new life- but Flacco is unable to convert.

Atlanta takes possession and immediately gets a false start with 5 minutes left. Coach Rice hits 100% on every play call and Atlanta is forced to punt.

Flacco is unable to move NO down the field as they have to punt still only down a TD. Jakeem Grant takes the PR 51 yards and gives Atlanta great field possession at the NO 34 with 2:56 left... but what will they do with it?

Mostert was stuffed and held to -2 yards on 2 runs. On 3rd down Mostert was hit with a screen that he busted for 7 yards. A 98% FG for Folk to make it a 2 score game... but Atlanta jumps... False start backing them up. Now a 50% FG for Folk....but he makes it! ATL 30 NO 20

NO takes the ball and Newton comes back trying to lead a miracle with 1:43 left and 2 Time outs. However they got down to the 33 with 15 seconds and tried a FG... miss! That's the ballgame!

MVP: Old Man Rivers: 23-28/269/ 3TD/ 0 INT 142.4 Rating

Denver 27 Houston 31                        70 Calm
Houston holds on for a wild offensive game between the Broncos and Texans as Denver drops their 8th straight game as Houston wins 31-27.

Jacksonville 27 Carolina 29                 57 Calm
Carolina jumps to a 17 -0 lead and looks to be cruising to the win, but Jacksonville makes a furious comeback and almost pulls off the victory.

The Jags scored right before half to pull the game to 17 - 7. Carolina receives the second half kick and drives down and kicks a field goal. The Jags then kick into overdrive and take the lead with 3 minutes left in the game on an Allen 8 yard run. The two point conversion fails and the Jags lead 27 to 26.

Carolina is able to drive the length of the field and kick a short field goal as time expires to pull out the hard fought victory.

For Carolina, Henry rushes for 118 and 1 TD.

For the Jags, Allen passes for 2 TD's and Gibson rushes for 91 and 1 TD.

Rushing Leaders
Mostert(Atl)    19-119
Henry,D(Car)    18-114 1 TD
Kamara(LV)      18-113
Lindsay(GB)     20-107

Receiving Leaders
Smith-Schu(Min) 10- 86
Davis,C(LAR)     5- 58 3 TD

Passing Leaders
Ryan,M(Ten)     37-23-402   2 TD 1 Int
Rodgers,A(Cin) 48-34-376   4 TD 1 Int
Cousins(Hou)    25-19-357   4 TD 1 Int
Brady(Pit)      48-23-319   2 TD 1 Int
Garoppolo(Det) 22-16-167   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Defensive Standouts
Smith,R(Buf)     2 Int 4 Tk
Mathieu(NYA) 1 int 5 Tk PD – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Roberts,A(Ten) 6-157 Kick Ret 3-13 Punt Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
Santos(NYG)    4-4 FG

WEEK 15 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 15 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 14 RECAP

The Bucs Derek Carr earns IFL week 14 offensive honors as Tampa Bay defeats New Orleans.

Tampa Bay 48 New Orleans 32                 70 Calm
Tampa wins a big road game all but sews up at least a 2 seed in the playoffs. The score not shocking at all seeing that Tampa was down 2 Cb's and the Saints down 3. Derick Carr shreds the secondary throwing for 354 yards and 5 Tds. Davante Adams would snag 9 balls for 154 yards and 2 TD's. Cam would throw for 270 yards and 2 TD's. AJ Brown would haul in 2 TD's giving him 18 on the season. The Saints RB's would combine for 184 yards on the ground. The key play was a 103 yard kick return by Cordarrell Patterson. The Saints played catch up the rest of the game after that happened.

New York (N) 18 Los Angeles (A) 10          77 Calm
Chris Harris Jr. has a pick six and Cairo Santos add four field goals as the G-Men put a dent in the Chargers postseason hopes.

Miami 21 Cincinnati 34                      31 0-5
Bengals signal caller Aaron Rodgers threw two first half touchdowns and Dionate Johnson returned a punt for a TD with less than a minute left in the first half as the Bengals looked to be in control with a 24-7 halftime lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, Cincinnati would add a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal, his second of the day, to increase the lead to 27-7. However, Jared Goff would connect with KJ Hamler for 59 yards and then Anthony Firkser for the 13 yard score to cut the lead to 27-14. Then Bengals rookie tailback Ke'Shawn Vaughn would fumble with Johnathan Abram scooping it up and running in for the score and suddenly the Cincinnati lead was only six, 27-21! However, the Bengals scored their second special teams touchdown of the game as Brandon Wilson went 104 yards for the score and Cincinnati would hold on for the 34-21 win.

The duo of Tua Tagovailoa and Goff went a combined 14 of 28 for 154 passing yards with a TD each.

Rodgers finished 21 of 24 for 251 yards and two TDs.

Next week the Dolphins do not have to travel far as they visit NFC Central leading Tampa Bay while the Bengals go to Pittsburgh for a big division game.

Kansas City 0 Philadelphia 30               33 5-15
The Chiefs and Eagles would tangle in a pre-Thanksgiving game. The Eagle defense wouldn't be very giving this day as they tossed their second consecutive shutout. The Chiefs tried valiantly to move the ball but neither QB Andy Dalton or QB Drew Lock could get anything done. The Eagle offense was balanced and efficient. Ryan Tannehill was 12-19 for 222 yards and 3 TD's. He hit long passes to TE Evan Engram, WR Julian Edleman, and WR John Brown. RB Adrian Peterson did yeoman's work on the ground carrying 12 times for 86 yards. The Eagles did lose top WR Brandin Cooks but he should be ready for the upcoming playoffs. The Chiefs fall to 5-9 and are looking forward to the upcoming draft.

Minnesota 16 Atlanta 29                     68 Calm
Minnesota comes into Atlanta on a 5 game losing streak, while Atlanta has lost 2 in a row. Phillip Rivers was looking to redeem himself after his two worst games of the year sporting a sub 60 QBR in each outing.

1st Quarter:
Mullins got the start for Minnesota and led the Vikings on a 14 play 75 yard drive to start the game with Elliot running all over the Falcons D. MissedXP (Min 6, ATL 0)

Atlanta answers with a 5 minute 75 yard drive of their own, capped by a Zach Moss TD run. XP blocked. Game tied (Min 6 Atl 6)

2nd Quarter:
Injuries mount for both sides, Zeke is out for the game and Atlanta goes 51 yards and hits a FG to take the lead instead of going for it on 4th and 1! (ATL 9 Min 6)

Minnesota touches the ball twice in the 2nd quarter and has 3 and outs each time.Although they did pick up a Fumble for a TD that was overturned by an offsides call, ouch.

Atlanta takes advantage with a TD pass from Rivers to Agholor. Atlanta also sneaks in a FG with 1 second left in the half to go into halftime with a 19-6 lead.

3rd Quarter:
The 2nd half it seemed whatever Coach Jones said in the locker room really pumped the Vikings up because they came out a new team. After causing a 3 and out the Vikings went on a 10 play 81 yard drive that ended with a Mullens to Allen TD. (ATL 19 Min 13)

The very next possession Atlanta answered right back with a 6 minute 75 yard drive of their own that ended with a Josh Adams 10 yard run. (ATL 26, MIn 13)

4th Quarter:

Minnesota continued the pressure adding a 13 play drive that ended in a FG (ATL 26, Min 16)

Atlanta offense was sputtering, luckily their defense saved the day despite the multiple injuries to their secondary. On a crucial drive with Minnesota driving Cam Heyward picks off a tipped ball and Atlanta gets the ball back. With 3:30 left Atlanta gets stuffed on 3rd and 2, unfortunately an encroachment penalty gives Atlanta the 1st down and 3 more runs that end in a FG with 2 minutes left, and the ballgame. (ATL 29- Min 16)

MVP: Rivers 28-39 for 330 with 1 TD

Buffalo 21 Pittsburgh 28                    27 0-10
The Steelers take the opening kickoff and on a 4th and 2 from Buffalo's 40 they catch the Bills in a Run defense and throw a long shot to rookie wide out Jefferson for a 40 yard TD . After Buffalo's offense goes 3 and out Pittsburgh gets a 2 yard Edwards TD run after an 11 play drive making it 14-0 after 1.

Buffalo lost starting CB Kirpatrick and backup DE-LB Beasley due to injury in the 1st

The Bill offense mounts a drive that began at the end of the first and ends with a Murray to Arnold 10 yard TD strike cutting the lead in half with 12 minutes to play in the 2nd. The Steelers get a 39 yard FG from Bass after a 12 play drive stretching the lead to 17-7 with just over 5 left in the half. The Steelers D then forces a 3 and out and are thinking about going into the half with at least a 10 point lead. But when PR Taylor fumbles on his own 13 giving Buffalo a very short Field Murray only needs 1 play a 13 yard pass to Gaskins and it 17-13 with 2:28 to go. Pittsburgh with 2 timeouts left would take 12 plays and get Bass in line for another 39 yard FG and at the half its 20-14 Pittsburgh.

Buffalo lost Starting LT Staley for the game in the 2nd. Pittsburgh Losses RB Gore for the game

The 3rd quarter see's Buffalo take the opening half kickoff and go on a 14 play 7:49 drive that ends with Gaskins 4 yard TD and Buffalo has their first lead of the game 21-20. To make things worse Pittsburgh goes 3 and out on their next possession and a tired defense comes out to face the Bills offense again.
end of 3 Buffalo 21-20 lead.

Steelers losses rush LB Attaochu in the 3rd

Buffalo goes on another long drive that starts at their 3 yard in the 3rd quarter they mount a 16 plays 82 yard drive that ends at Pittsburgh's 15. However Elliott hooks a 33 yard FG attempt and the score remains 21-20 with 12 minutes left in the game. Brady gets the ball on his own 23 but after getting into Bills Territory is sacked by Nichols . Facing a 2nd and 17 Brady and Rookie sensation Jefferson takes over the game a 21 yard strike for a 1st down on the next play a 29 yard TD to take the lead 26-21. Brady to Gronk on the 2 pt conversion and the Steelers are back out in front 28-21 with 6:46 to go. Buffalo takes the methodical approach and runs the ball 5 out of the first 6 plays.they get to the Steelers 23 with 1:52 to play facing a 4th and 5 Murray has no one open attempts to run for it but is taken down after only getting 1 yard and that seals the victory for the Steelers 28-21

Buffalo losses WR Mims in the 4th and Pittsburgh losses starting LB Littleton

MVP is Justin Jefferson 6 catches 146 yards and 2 TD

Steelers (6-8) host division leading Bengals (8-5-1)

Buffalo (7-7) goes home to take on division leading Jets (12-1)

Houston 7 Washington 34                     37 5-15
Washington offense and defense finally show up in the same game knocking Houston to .500 and keeping Washington’s playoff hopes alive.

New York (A) 42 Tennessee 21                45 0-10
This one was decided quickly as the Jets steamrollered the Titans by scoring TD's on their first 3 possessions and following it up with a Tyronn Mathieu pick 6. At the end of the first quarter the Jets led 28-0 and had outgained Tennessee 228 yards to 15. Tennessee played respectably after that but the final score of 42-21 Jets is flattering to the Titans.

Dallas 17 Denver 14                         39 0-10
Denver's streak continues as they lose for the 7th consecutive week 17-14 to Dallas.
This one was on a fumble recovery for a TD by the Cowboys defense and then a missed FG to tie with under a minute left to play.

Chicago 6 Los Angeles (N) 21                69 Calm
The Rams and Bears met in something that resembled a pillow fight rather than a football game as both teams struggled to put points on the board. Many drives for both teams died at mid field. Effective days by both punters helped keep the offenses pinned in their own end. Rinse and repeat for most of the game. The score sat at 14-6 until a late interception return for touchdown put the game out of reach for the visiting Bears. Both teams finished with barely over 200 yards of offense, Bears starting QB Trace Mcsorley out passed Rams QB Daniel Jones who only managed 83 yards passing.

Next week the Rams visit the 49ers while the Bears host the team they used to be, the Lions.

Green Bay 24 San Francisco 12               61 5-15
The 49ers took the opening kickoff and drove down the field to take an early 6 - 0 lead, unfortunately there were still 55 minutes left to play in the game. Big Ben had a season high in passing yards with 247 yards and added 3 TD passes, 2 to Emanual Sanders.

Indianapolis 0 Jacksonville 27              76 10-20
Jacksonville races out to a first half 21-0 lead and never look back as the Jaguars defeat the Colts 27-0. The Jags offense was hot grinding out 427 totals yard to the Colts 99.

DK Metcalf was unstoppable early on finishing with 7 catches 127 yards, 1TD

Jacksonville climbs to 8-6 while the Colts fall to 0-14.
New England 33 Baltimore 0                  51 10-20
No surprises here as this one was over one possession after the KO. Baker Mayfield goes 1-for-7 for 3 yards (yes, that's his game totals) as Lamar Jackson (19/24/242) throws 4 TDs and Austin Eckler rolls up 104 yards on 16 carries.

Arizona 14 Las Vegas 35                     65 Calm
Kamara and the Raiders jump out to a quick lead and never relinquish it.

Detroit 7 Carolina 27                       64 0-5
Penalties, interception and sack stalls whatever moment Detroit tries to establish as Carolina walks away with the win.

Henry rushes for over 100 yards for the Panthers.

Wagner was a tackling machine for the Lions with 20 tackles.

Rushing Leaders
Henry,D(Car)    28-137
Gallman Jr(LAC) 19-107 1 TD
Kamara(LV)      24-105
Ekeler(NE)      16-104
Wilson Jr.(NYJ) 17-100 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Adams,D(TB)      9-157 2 TD
Gesicki(Den)    11- 84 1 TD
Jones Jr.(NYJ)   5- 68 3 TD

Passing Leaders
Carr,D(TB)      34-21-354   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Rivers,P(Atl)   39-28-330   1 TD
Mullens(Min)    45-32-329   2 TD 1 Int
Jackson,L(NE)   24-19-242   4 TD
Watson,D(NYJ)   20-15-231   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Wallace,L(NYG)   2 Int 5 Tk
Baker,B(NYG)     3 Int 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Wagner,B(Det)    22 Tk

Special Teams
Santos(NYG)    4-4 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 14 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 14 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 13 RECAP

Kirk Cousins throws 3 TD passes as Texans keep playoff hopes alive with win over the Bengals.

Cincinnati 13 Houston 28                    70 Calm
The Bengals traveled to Houston for their week 13 IFL game. The Texans were ready as quarterback Kirk Cousins engineered a 10 play 75 yard drive capped off by a eight yard scoring pass to Chris Goodwin for an early 7-0 lead. After a Cincinnati punt, the Bengals bend but don't break defense - broke. Cousins scampered in from 11 yards out to finish a 13 play 78 yard drive and it was 14-0 Houston just before the end of the opening quarter.

With about three minutes remaining in the first half, the Texans extended their lead to 21-0 as Cousins dumped it off to Joe Mixon and he went in from seven yards out. The Bengals finally dented the scoreboard thanks to a Ka'ami Fairbairn 28 yard field goal as the half ended.

The Bengals fought back in the third quarter as Aaron Rodgers found Dionate Johnson for the 12 yard scoring strike. Then defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw came down with a batted ball and Cincinnati added another field goal to cut the lead to eight. The back breaking play as far as IFL Bengals fans were concerned was a 47 catch and run touchdown by Calvin Ridley on third and 11 as the Texans extended their lead to 28-13 and that was the final.

Rodgers finished 24 of 42 for 240 yards, TD and three INTs. (I am not going to blame DKS though as the Bengal receiving corp is near usage issues.)

Cousins went 16 of 29 for 215 yards, 3 TD and one INT. Mixon ran 18 times for 81 yards.

Next week the Bengals host Miami while the Texans travel to the nation's capital to take on Washington.

Chicago 24 Miami 3                          71 0-5
The 2-9 Bears come to the 4-8 Dolphins and totally dominate the Dolphins and leave Miami with a 27-3 Victory. Miami loses 4 more players to injuries to go with the 8 that were already out for the game and finish with several players playing out of position. Add the 8 Miami penalties to the 1 Chicago penalty, and the 3 Miami turnovers to none for Chicago (no home field love here), and it was a recipe for disaster, and it was. Coach Steve had a methodical game plan that kept the Miami Defense off balanced the entire game, and the Bears leave Miami with the win.

Next week the Bears travel to the Rams and the Dolphins head to The Bengals

Baltimore 24 Denver 21                      43 0-5
Ravens kicker Michael Badgley connects on the 46 yard game winning field goal with less than a minute remaining in overtime.

Minnesota 13 Buffalo 45                     32 0-10
Bills take advantage of two defensive touchdowns to defeat Minnesota.

San Francisco 20 Arizona 26                 75 Calm
The Cards are tired. The Cards are banged up. The injuries are not enough to keep players out of the game, every offensive skill player except Mahomes is less than 100% and it showed during the game. The Niner's entered the game hungry. Still, Perkins versus Mahome's, really?

Perkins began badly missing every target. Barkley and Mahomes led the Cards to an early field goal on their first drive. The Niner's were tenacious and answered with there own field goal. However, Mahomes led the Red Birds on a 75 yard drive to put them up 10 to 3. Then the bumps and bruises on offense took over. Arizona stumble through the remainder of the half, but so did Perkins. It was looking like Zona could dominate on defense and wait for a fortuitous turn over.

Wishful thinking. The Niners returned for the second half as a different team. Perkins connected on pass after pass. He moved the ball down the field like an all pro QB. First for a TD to tie up the game. Then for a FG to put the Niners up by 7 with just over 2 minutes left in the game.

Mahomes had been in this situation before though. Mahomes methodically picked the Niner D to pieces. His rag tag bunch of receivers dove to ensure they made it out of bounds to stop the clock. Using every receiver on the team, Mahomes made it happen. With just 13 seconds, Kirk would break away into the end zone to lock the game 20-20.

Now they had momentum and only needed to win the coin toss in OT. No luck, the Niners would get the ball first. The late TD by the Cards seemed to rattle Perkins. The pressure was on and after one completion for a first down, the Niners would go three and out.

Then the miracle. Punting to Kirk at the 6 yard line, Kirk had had enough. Just like James Kirk of Star Trek, Christian Kirk punched the warp speed button and returned the punt for 94 yards to pay dirt. No flags! The Cards taste the sweetness of victory.

Tennessee 20 Kansas City 13                 42 5-15
Tennessee overcame 6 sacks and 7 penalties, but controlled the ball for 38 minutes and came up with the road win over Kansas City by the score of 20-13, scoring the go ahead touchdown with 2:50 left after a 14 play 75 yard drive which took 9 minutes off the clock.

New Orleans 17 Washington 10                48 0-5
Another ugly game from Bridgewater and the Washington defense leads to another L for Washington. Jim coached a great game and score would have been worse if he had a kicker that could hit a FG.

Los Angeles (N) 17 Dallas 2                 70 Calm
In a defensive struggle, the 7-5 LA Rams defeated the 1-11 Dallas Cowboys 17-2. The solid Dallas Defense held the Rams to 264 yards total offense, including 0-8 on third downs. However, the anemic Dallas Offense managed a paltry 181 total yards (which, sadly, is average for this team) in the loss. Dallas’ only score came on a safety. Corey Davis had two TD receptions in the Rams’ win. The Rams featured the run in the contest while the QB tandem of D. Jones and T. Hill were an efficient 12/18 passing for 145 yards.

With the win, the Rams improve to 8-5 while the horrid Cowboys fall to 1-11. The rest of the season looks bleak as the Boyz lost two starters to injuries in this contest.

  New York (A) 20 Green Bay 7                 26 0-10
Jet come into Green bay and win easily.

Game got interesting for about 5 minutes in the 4th when the Packers had apparently cut the lead to 17-10 with a Robbie Gould FG. A holding penalty moved us back 10 yard however, and the subsequent FG was blocked. Game over.

Final score 20-7 New York.

Over the last 2 seasons the Jets and Pats are a combined 53-0 in the IFL when not facing each other.

Pretty impressive.

Atlanta 0 Philadelphia 23                   39 5-15 Heavy Rain
The Falcons do all they can to hang with the Eagles but are unable to as the Eagles shut them out 23-0.

A harbinger of how the game would go would happen early. The Falcons would get stopped on their 1st possession as they would get stuffed on 4th and 1 from the Eagle 45. The Eagles would drive down the field and go for it on 4th and goal from the 1-foot line and the Falcons would come up with a stop of their own. After being unable to move the ball inside their own 10, the Eagles would get a blocked punt and go up 7-0. The Eagle offense would add the additional points and take the Eagles to 11-2 on the season.

That along with the WFT loss means that the Eagles are NFC East division champs! The Eagles finish out the season out of conference and look forward to the upcoming playoffs.

Pittsburgh 20 Los Angeles (A) 25            63 Calm
Wayne Gallman Jr. rushes for 100 yards and a TD as the Chargers hold off Pittsburgh.

Detroit 38 New England 45                   24 0-5
In Week 11, the 2-win Lions put a major scare into the Patriots and seemed to have the game in hand, only to see Isaiah Rodgers return a kick for the game winning TD as New England barely escaped with a 38-35 win. In Week 13, another struggling NFC central team - the 3-win Lions - had their own bag of tricks with them as they traveled to Foxboro looking to spring the upset.

A Jimmy Garoppolo TD pass to Chase Edmonds capped a great opening drive by Jimmy G (5 for 5 for 72 yards) and the Lions.  7-0 DETROIT

Isaiah Rodgers returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for the Pats - TYING THE GAME AT SEVEN.

Detroit responded with a 14 play 75 yard drive, highlighted by a Jimmy G QB sneak on 4th and inches from just outside the goal line.  14-7 DETROIT

Lamar and the Pats worked their way into Detroit territory as the first quarter ended. 10 plays 64 yards and nearly 7 minutes into the drive, NE faced a 3nd and 4 from the DET 6 yard line. Lamar dropped back looking for Hill but Nik Needham picked him off and returned it 29 yards. Pats come away emply.

Jimmy G put a 3rd consecutive TD drive together in response, hitting all 4 of his pass attempts. On 3rd and 2 from the NE 19, Edmonds ran it in for the TD.  21-7 DETROIT

Lamar went to work on the next NE drive hitting Kupp and Hill each for 20+ yard completions. Runs from Kareem Hunt of 8 and 11 set up a Jackson 10 yard TD run.  21-14 DETROIT

Garoppolo and Michael Gallup hooked up 4 times on the Lions 4th consecutive scoring drive of the game, but this time NE kept the Lions out of the end zone. A 39 yard field goal with 27 seconds to play in the half extended the Lions lead however.  24-14 DETROIT

A 33 yard Rodgers return had NE at their own 47 yard line. Jackson quickly hit Kupp for 17 yards setting up Justin Tucker for the long 54 yard field goal........which he made to cut the lead to 24-17 DETROIT at the half.

NE took the ball to start the 3rd quarter and put together a 13 play 75 yard drive, capped by a Jackson to Isabella 10 yard TD on 3rd and 10.  GAME TIED 24-24

Lions look to respond, but Patriots finally force a Lion punt - Patriots take over at their own 29 yard line. Jackson completes 4 of 5 passes including a 25 yarder to Tyreek to start the drive and an 18 yard TD strike to finish it.  Patriots lead for the first time, 31-24

Lions weren't going away however. On 2nd and 11, Garopollo connected with Gallup (10 catches, 179 yards) on a 76 yard TD strike to TIE THE GAME AT 31.

A 44 yard kick return by Rodgers set NE up at the Pats 42 yard line. Completions to Kupp for 13 and 16 bring NE to the Detroit 24 yard line as the 3rd quarter closes out. A 19 yard run by Jackson was followed by a Kareem Hunt 3 yard TD.  Patriots lead 38-31.

A Lions 3 and out gives the ball right back to NE. Pats looked to run some clock, and with Detroit's defense winded, Pats put together a 12 play drive (9 runs including 13 and 15 by Nyheim Hines) eating more than 7 minutes of game clock. A 2nd 4th quarter TD run by Hunt put NE up 45-31 with 3:34 to play.

Jimmy G went right back to work however, hitting Jeudy for 11 yards and then a 32 yard TD strike, and with 1:37 remaining, NE led 45-38

Onside kick fails, and NE has the ball but Detroit has all 3 time outs. Hunt is stuffed for 2 yards on first down, but with Detroit looking run, Jackson hits Kupp for 16 yards and a first down. Jackson kneels to finish the game.  Patriots win 45-38

Garopollo threw for 312 yards and 3 TDs (Gallup, Jeudy and Edmonds), torching the NE secondary. Lions also run for 102 yards and 2 TDs for the game.

For NE, Cooper Kupp caught 10 balls for 137 yards, while Jackson threw TD passes to Tyreek and Isabella. Isaiah Rodgers had 3 kick returns for 175 yards and a TD.

Great game called by Don. Pats keep playing with fire - but have won 12 in a row as they will now finish the year with 3 straight road games, starting next week in Baltimore.

Indianapolis 7 Tampa Bay 30                 83 5-15
Tied at seven after one quarter, the Bucs put up 23 unanswered points to down Indy.

Jacksonville 28 Las Vegas 30                62 0-5
Trailing by two in the final minute, the Jags force a Las Vegas punt but can’t get into field goal range before time runs out.

Carolina 16 New York (N) 13                 45 Calm
Despite a strong attempt to break their 10 game losing streak, the Giants lose their 11th straight to the Panthers on a field goal with 6 seconds remaining.

Rushing Leaders
Robinson,J(NYG) 24-136 1 TD
Dobbins(Bal)    16-108 1 TD
Allen,J(Jax)    13-104 2 TD
Jones,A(Was)    14-104
Henry,D(Car)    19-100
Gallman Jr(LAC) 18-100 1 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Receiving Leaders
Gallup(Det)     10-179 1 TD
Kupp(NE)        10-137
Diggs,S(SF)     10-105 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Minshew II(Den) 36-29-335   2 TD
Allen,J(Jax)    31-21-332   2 TD 1 Int
Carr,D(TB)      33-26-328   1 TD
Garoppolo(Det) 29-22-312   3 TD

Defensive Standouts
Highsmith(Was)   1 Sk 16 Tk
Watt,T(Atl)      3 Sk 7 Tk
Jackson,J(Phi)   2 Int 2 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Kirk(Ari)      1-11 Kick Ret 2-100 Punt Ret 1 TD - IFL Special Team Player of the Week
Rodgers,I(NE) 3-175 Kick Ret 1 TD

WEEK 13 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 13 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 12 RECAP

Safety Marcus Maye collected one of three interceptions as Saints defeat Atlanta.

Game Scores
Atlanta 9 New Orleans 15                    70 Calm
Huge defensive battle in which there were 8 turnovers(4 each team) in the first half. The Saints would run the ball 43 times for 201 yards in the victory.

Tennessee 21 Cincinnati 35                  36 0-10
The IFL Bengals hosted Tennessee in an AFC Central division match-up. The Titans edged Cincinnati in week five at Tennessee 25-24.

The TItans received the ball first as the Bengals deferred after winning the coin toss. The Cincinnati defense forced a turnover on downs as Latavius Murray fell just short on fourth and three at the Bengals 41. The Cincinnati offense went right to work mixing Ronald Jones runs with passes to tight ends Eric Ebron and Tyler Eifert as RoJo took it in from five yards out for an early 7-0 lead. The Titans started with good field position thanks to a Andre Roberts 34 yard kick return. Tennessee marched down the field thanks to an OBJ 16 yard reception and a Jason McCourty PI on third and nine. Rookie A.J. Dillon took it in from five yards out to tie it at seven with about two and a half minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The teams exchanged punts as the game moved into the second quarter. With about ten minutes remaining in the half Aaron Rodgers connected with D.J. Chark for the 52 yard score giving Cincinnati a 14-7 lead. Titans QB Matt Ryan was intercepted on Tennessee's next drive by rookie Isaiah Simmons and the Bengals offense converted it into a Rodgers to Ebron score from 11 yards out for a 21-7 lead with seven and a half minutes remaining in the half. The score would remain 21-7 as the half expired.

The Titans defense turned the tables on the Cincinnati offense to open the second half as Carlton Davis intercepted Rodgers. The Tennessee offense took advantage as Ryan found DeAndre Hopkins from six yards out to cut the lead to 21-14. However, Bengals kick returner Brandon Wilson went 103 yards to increase the Cincinnati lead to 28-14. The Titans drove to the Bengals 16 but Zane Gonzalez hooked the 34 yard field goal attempt. Rodgers threw his second interception (OMG) of the game but the Bengals defense stepped up and forced a three and out. Cincinnati went on a 12 play-58 yard drive with RoJo going in from three yards out to increase the Bengal lead to 35-14 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Titans would close out the scoring with a Dillon one yard burst for the 35-21 final.

Matt Ryan was held to 129 yards passing, going 16 of 31 with a TD and an INT. A.J. Dillon ran for 69 yards and two TDs as he saw extensive playing time with Murray injured during the contest.

Rodgers finished 21 of 31 for 278 yards with two TDs and two INTs. RoJo rushed for 95 yards on 16 attempts with two TDs.

Next week the Titans are at red hot Kansas City (winners of five in a row) while the Bengals travel to Houston.

Los Angeles (A) 20 Kansas City 17           40 5-15
Nick Chubb of LAC scored from 7 yards out with 8 seconds left to cap an 80 yard drive and lead Los Angeles to a 20-17 win on the road against Kansas City.

Miami 14 Indianapolis 7                     69 Calm
Miami goes to Indy as a 1 point favorite but with both Teams really banged up.

Miami totally dominates the statistics but Indy hangs tough for the entire game, emboldened by 2 Miami turnovers and ends up losing a one score game 14-7. Both Teams looking ahead to next year.

Next week Indy travels to Tampa Bay and Miami goes home to face Chicago.

Tampa Bay 10 New York (A) 41                37 0-10
Tampa Bay comes into New York to face the Jets, and both teams stand at 10-1. Both teams have top 10 rated offenses, and defenses.

The game starts out as one would expect, the defenses are playing well, and the offenses are feeling them out. Each team goes 3, and out on their first possession, and New York, who started with the ball, actually gets to 4 plays on their second possession.

The Bucs did much better on their 2nd attempt with the ball, going 76 yards in 12 plays, and ended up with a 22 yard FG after taking 6 minutes off the clock…3-0 Tampa

New York matched them on the next drive settling for a 42 yard FG…3-3

After a Tampa punt the Jets covered 80 yards in 5 plays, with most of the yardage coming on a Gordon 46 yard run. The drive ended with Gordon going 13 yards for a TD…10-3…Jets

What happened on Tampa’s next drive was the first of many Buc mistakes. Hyder sacked Carr who fumbled, and the ball was picked up by Young who took it in from 50 yards out…17-3 Jets

Carr gets another shot to move his team, but this time is sacked by Jones, and fumbles again. New York recovers. Three plays later Watson hits Woods for 6 more…24-3…Jets

With 4:15 left in the half, Carr decides to hand the ball off to his own team, with good results…Gurley goes 67 yards to the Jets 8 yard line. On the next play Coach Chase calls Gurley’s number again, 8 yards later it’s a TD…24-10…Jets

New York gets the ball back with 2:55 on the clock…Watson matriculates his team 75 yards downfield in 9 plays, finishing the drive on a 16 yard pass to Jones Jr…31-10…Jets

Tampa opened the 2nd half with the ball, and after 9 plays, and 25 yards, Carr turns it over again, this time on an interception by Bradberry. On the very next play Watson hits Jones Jr. for 40 yards, and another TD…38-10.

That was basically the game. New York tacked on a FG in the 4th quarter to make the final 41-10…Jets.

This was just one of those games where nothing went right for Coach Chase…the score certainly wasn’t indicative of the talent the Bucs have. Four turnovers will do that to a team.

Not sure if it was all luck, but to win by that score against Coach Chase, there certainly had to be some luck involved.

For Tampa, Carr was 22-38 with 2 interceptions, Gurley carried 14 times for 126, and Brown caught 5 for 59 yards.

New York had Watson go 12-22 for 182 yards, and 3 TDs, Gordon carried 17 times for 136 yards, and Jones Jr. caught 6 for 116 yards with 2 TDs.

Next week Tampa hosts Indianapolis, and New York travels to Green Bay.

Carolina 24 Baltimore 21                    51 5-15
Oh DKS, let me count the ways you frustrate me...

Ah, here's an old favorite...down by 3 at mid-field with :14 on the clock and a TO in my pocket. Mayfield completes pass to Scotty Miller for 19 and everyone rushes to the LOS to spike the ball in hopes that we'll have one more play to get closer than a 50 yard FG attempt for shaky, at best, Michael "No Money" Badgley (6-for-12 on the season). In the event that the last attempt to get a little closer doesn't get OB, I've still got that TO in my pocket, right? Well, TOs don't matter if the clock strikes :00 before you even get to attempt that play.

OK, pundits will tell me I should have used the TO immediately at the end of the Miller catch and lived or died with the long FG attempt, but no coach in their right mind would allow the clock to run out if he saw that his players weren't going to make it to the snap. He'd be yelling "TIMEOUT! TIMEOUT! TIMEOUT" at the officials to stop the clock and, yes, put it all on Badgley's leg. But, no, the game doesn't let you "see" that, beyond the estimate that a hurry-up, no huddle offense could take anywhere between 13-17 seconds. And why does it even take 13 seconds if everyone on the field knows they have got to stop the clock with at least :01?!

Had Badgley miraculously kicked the game-tying FG, who knows what would have happened in OT. Coach Britt called a fantastic game, taking a 14-0 lead mostly on the strength of Derrick Henry plowing through Baltimore's 5-2 D. The 14-0 lead evaporated 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter when Mayfield hit Adam Thielen for a 51-yard score (their longest connection of the year). Then Russell Wilson couldn't handle the snap on a 4th-and-inches near mid-field, but Baltimore promptly gave the ball right back when Mayfield handed the ball to OT Jordan Mailata(?!?) on a busted play! If I hadn't watched Miami's OT Robert Hunt steal a screen pass right out of the air later in the night, I wouldn't have believed it. That TO turned into 3 two plays into the 4th quarter as the Panthers regained the lead.

DKS decided to let everyone know they were lurking by turning a long slant to Theilen into a hook-and-ladder, as Theilen lateralled to Mark Andrews after the catch for a 24-yard gain. Six plays later Andrews turned a short hitch into a 27-yard TD. Ravens took the lead, 21-17 with 9:30 left. Carolina failed again on a 4th-and-inches, this time an incomplete pass with Baltimore's D selling out on stopping Henry (thank you DKS for that!). But Michael Brockers sacked Mayfield for a 12 yard loss on the first play of the series and Baltimore couldn't recover. After the 15-yard punt, Carolina took over on their own 25 with a little under 6 minutes remaining. Coach Britt and Russell Wilson matriculated the ball down field, stalling at the Raven 4. Needing a TD, down by 4 with 1:16 on the clock, Carolina had no choice but to go for it. Baltimore went with a 5-man front again just to guard against a potential Henry run, then played tight man favoring the inside to guard against any quick slants. None of that mattered since Wilson checked down to Henry who bulldozed in with the go-ahead score.

The clock mismanagement ended the game in disappointment for the Ravens (a weekly occurrence it seems...who also lost RB JK Dobbins on the first play of the game), but kudos should be handed out to Coach Britt and Derrick Henry (23/143 + that 4-yard TD rec).

FINAL SCORE: CAROLINA 24, BALTIMORE 21

Carolina moves to 8-4 and the road warriors (4 straight road games?!) travel to NY to face the 2-9 Giants next week.

Baltimore, now 4-8, will see what DKS has in store for them next week when they travel to the thin-air of Mile High Stadium (or whatever they call it now) to take on the 7-4 Denver Broncos.

Philadelphia 19 Houston 27                  70 Calm
The Eagles kick FG's while the Texans score TD's as they are able to upset the Eagles 27-19. The Eagles made it interesting at the end as they got to the Texan 7 yard line as time expired.

Jacksonville 28 Pittsburgh 21               33 Calm
Divisional game in Pittsburgh as both teams try to stay in the division race and playoff contention.

Jacksonville wins the toss takes the ball and drives right down the field in 4 minutes as Gibson takes it in from 1 yard out 7-0 Jags. After a couple of punts the Steelers take over on their own 27 and on the 3rd play Brady hits Jefferson in stride on a bomb post 62 yard TD Strike 7-7.No more scoring until 5 minutes left in the 2nd as Allen connects with Metcalf from 20 yards out 14-7 Jags at the half.

On the first possession and first play of the 3rd quarter Brady to Jefferson for 16 yards but Gilmore drills him causing a fumble and the 1st turnover of the game. Jacksonville cannot take advantage although they drove down to the Steelers 10 coach Hood decides to roll the dice on a 4th and 8 and a pass to Metcalf falls incomplete. After another Steelers punt Jacksonville goes on a 10 play drive with Metcalf hauling in the final 2 passes of 22 yards then 13 yards for a TD Jags 21-7 with 3 minutes to go in the 3rd. With 11 minutes to play in the 1st Jacksonville suffers their first turnover as Allen is intercepted by Wilkins (yes DL Wilkins has his 3rd INT of the season) and his run back sets up Brady at the 17.on the 3rd play Brady connects with little used Keesean Johnson from 8 yards out making it 21-14 with 9 to play. Allen answers for his miscue leading Jacksonville on a 7 play drive resulting in a Allen to Higgins 19 yard TD and with 4:35 to play the Jags regain their 2 score advantage. Brady would answer back with a 20 yard strike once again to Johnson but with only 1:23 left on the clock they would need an onside recovery for any hope of tying the game. It does not happen and the Jags walk out of Pittsburgh with a 28-21 win moving them to 7-5. While the Steelers fall to 5-7.

Josh Allen is game mvp going 26-43 for 342 yards 3TD 1 pick. Brady was 14-24 200 yards 3TD .

For the Jags David Johnson ran 17-105 and Metcalf had 8 catches for 119 yards and 2 TD

For the Steelers Jefferson had 5 catches for 124 yards and 1 TD and LB Littleton made 11 tackles.

The Steelers 5-7 travel to the LA to take on the Chargers 5-6 while Jacksonville 7-5 heads to Vegas to take on the 8-3 Raiders.

Washington 34 Dallas 7                      70 Calm
Dallas came out showing a lot of fight for a 1-10 team. They picked Bridgewater off on his first drive and get the ball to the 2 yard line but fail to punch it in on 4th down. Washington then drives 98 yards for a TD and it was all downhill from there. A blocked punt for a TD to start the 3rd kept them from being shutout.

Green Bay 17 Minnesota 14                   68 Calm
Turnovers and a late pass interference penalty does the Vikings in.

San Francisco 20 Los Angeles (N) 43         56 Calm
Rams and Niners participated in a turnover fest, both teams combined for 4, but still produced an entertaining game despite the limited QBs on both teams. The final score was deceiving as it was only 29 to 20 in the 4th qrtr Niners ball with 3 minutes left. Niners QB Bryce Perkins had a chance to make the Rams very nervous. After several injuries to the Rams offense they were not able to move the ball and extend their lead Still needing two scores the 49ers could not afford to lose any opportunities. After an incomplete third down pass, Perkins and the Niners went for it deep in their own end, incomplete again turnover on downs. The Rams pick up a garbage time touchdown from Taysom Hill and then on the next Niners drive the Rams intercepted a Perkins pass for a TD to give the final score of 43-20. Both teams suffered key injuries that will likely impact them down the stretch.

Next week the Rams take on the Dallas Cowboys and the 49ers travel to Arizona.

Buffalo 7 New England 31                    45 5-15
Lamar Jackson bounced back from his 4 interception game a week ago to throw two TD passes and run for two more TDs as the Patriots handled a fatigued squad from Buffalo by the score of 31-7. Cooper Kupp hauled in 7 passes for 83 yards while Austin Ekeler caught 5 for 59 and a score.

Las Vegas 27 Denver 21                      42 0-10
Raiders get out quick on two Denver turnovers and then hang on to win 27-21 to hand the Broncos another loss.

Chicago 21 Detroit 29                       70 Calm
Lions run out to a 14-0 lead. From there on out it was a fairly even game, but anyone who's seen the Bears offense knows that's just too many point to overcome. Lions 29- Bears 21.

Garoppolo played well hitting 17 of 22 passes for 274 yrds & 2 TD's, one of which was a 66 yarder to Jeudy on a call that caught the Bears off guard.. Jacobs & Edmonds ran just good enough to keep the Bears defense off balance.

Next week Det heads to NE to face the Patriots. Chi goes & plays at the Dolphins.

New York (N) 9 Arizona 31                   84 Calm
Patrick Mahomes throws four touchdown passes as the Cardinals have their way with the G-Men.

Rushing Leaders
Henry,D(Car)    23-143 1 TD
Gordon III(NYJ) 17-136 1 TD
Gurley II(TB)   14-126 1 TD
Kamara(LV)      17-114
Cook,D(GB)      27-112 1 TD
Johnson,Da(Jax) 17-105
Taylor,J(Den)   22-101 2 TD
Chubb,N(LAC)    19-100 2 TD
Sanders,M(LAR) 14-58 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Cooks(Phi)      10-128
Kelce,T(LV)      7-113 3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Passing Leaders
Tannehill(Phi) 50-32-375   1 TD
Allen,J(Jax)    43-26-342   3 TD 1 Int
Bridgewate(Was) 28-25-321   2 TD 1 Int
Mullens(Min)    36-27-309   1 TD 1 Int
Mahomes(Ari)    40-24-295   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Smith,R(Buf)     15 Tk
Simmons(LAN)   6 Tk 1 Int 1 TD – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Patterson(TB) 4-153 Kick Ret
Butker(Phi)    4-4 FG
McManus(NO) 3-3 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 12 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 12 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 11 RECAP

Raiders quarterback Matthew Stafford throws 5 TD passes to lead Vegas past Cincinnati.

Game Scores
Cincinnati 31 Las Vegas 35                  61 0-10
The Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1) traveled to the arid desert of Nevada to face the Las Vegas Raiders (7-3) in a battle of division leaders. Led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Bengals opened up with an opening nine play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 42-yard touchdown pass to scoring with a nine play seventy-five yard touchdown drive with a beautiful 42-yard pass to running back Ronald Jones II.
The Raiders answered with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with the Raiders’ QB Matthew Stafford throwing a 16-yard dart to tight end Travis Kelce. The drive featured 11 consecutive passes as the Raiders’ quickly disposed of the running game after realizing that Bengals’ coach John Storer was keying on the run to stop Raiders’ running back Alvin Kamara.
“If AK twitched, the Bengals’ ‘backers flowed towards him, said Raiders’ coach Keith Jackson, “When we saw that, we thought we’d get some coverages in the secondary we’d like and changed our offensive gameplan to be more pass focused.”
Offensively, the gameplan worked as the Raiders used their pass often offensive gameplan to score 21 first half points but defensively they were a leaky sieve and found themselves down 24-21 at the halftime break.
The second half was a see-saw battle as both defenses tightened up and tried to take away what the other wanted to do. The Raiders tried to stop Bengals’ running back Ronald Jones II and the Bengals tried to stop the Raiders’ air attack.
Ultimately neither was successful as Jones II finished the game with 139 rushing yards and Stafford 285 yards and five touchdowns in the 35-31 Raiders’ victory.

Tampa Bay 20 Buffalo 10                     38 10-20 Heavy Rain
In windy, rainy and cold conditions the Bucs come into Buffalo and stifle the recently hot Kyler Murray who goes 16-37 and 85 yards. Murray did sneak it in from one yard out as the TD was setup by a Darnell Savage int. The Bucs offense was slowed down by the conditions and a stout Bills defense that sacked Carr three times and picked him once while also holding the Bucs to 70 yards on the ground for 2.7 a carry. Tyler Lockett and Davnante Adams each had a TD but were held in check for most of the game. The Bucs move to 10-1 while the Bills fall to 6-5.

Dallas 10 San Francisco 29                  57 0-10
San Francisco’s defense holds Dallas to 11 first downs and 3 of 12 on third down to defeat the Cowboys.

Washington 14 Los Angeles (N) 6             60 Calm
The Rams and Washington Football Team (WFT) put on a less than impressive offensive showing in Los Angeles. Both teams have an eye to the wildcard, but their offensive performance casts doubt about whether they are true threats.

Going into halftime the score was 3-0 Rams. A bevy of sacks, penalties and turnovers kept a lid on the game.

In the second half Washington QB Teddy Bridgewater started to have some success and eventually broke through with a short touchdown pass to TJ Hockenson. On the next Rams drive star Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Rams QB Daniel Jones. That helped Washington get their second TD, a perfectly thrown ball from Bridgewater to Tee Higgins.

The Rams could only muster a Field Goal with a faint hope of somehow finding a lucky td and two point conversion to tie the game, but it was not to be. Washington ran out the clock and held on for the victory.

Next week Washington takes on division foe Dallas, while the Rams host the 49ers.

  Houston 27 Baltimore 14                     48 10-20
Kirk Cousins throws three touchdown passes as the Texans get by Baltimore.

Carolina 24 Philadelphia 27                 47 0-10
A game with playoff implications happened when the Carolina Panthers visited the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a great back and forth game with the Eagles coming out on top 27-24. This looked like a game where the team with the ball last would win.

The Eagles, down 24-20, would drive down the field attempting to take as much time off the clock as possible. Knowing that they had to score a TD, the Eagles wouldn't take any chances and scored the go ahead TD at the 2:00 warning. Panthers QB Russell Wilson would be faced with a 4th and 16 from the Panther 23 facing almost impossible odds. He would drop back but couldn't find an open receiver. Wilson decided to scramble and would take it 40 yards to the Eagle 37. Needing just a few yards and just 1 timeout left, Wilson would go long to WR Mike Evans who had scorched the Eagles to this point. However, Eagle CB JC Jackson would step in front of Evans and intercept the Wilson pass with just 30 seconds left in the game. Eagles QB Ryan Tannehill would kneel and take the team to 10-1 on the season. The Panthers would fall to 7-4 but still have a good chance of making the playoffs.

New England 38 Chicago 35                   45 0-5
9-1 New England travels to 2-8 Chicago to face the Bears. Oddsmakers had Pats as 12 point favorites.

The game did not go as expected.

New England did jump out to an early 14-0 lead, thanks to an 8 yard TD run by Lamar Jackson on the Patriots' initial drive, and a 44 yard TD strike to Tyreek Hill after Chicago failed on a 4th and inches attempt in their own territory.

On the Bears second drive, QB Trace McSorely answered the Hill TD with consecutive completions to Ruggs and Fournette, before hitting Allen Robinson from 50 yards out for the score, and the Pats lead was down to 14-7.

Lamar answered with completions to Kupp for 12 and 16 yards on consecutive plays and the Patriots were in business once again. But on 1st and 10 from the Bear 25, Jackson threw one right into Rayshawn Jenkins arms - Bears take over at their 35.

McSorely went to work again, finding Robinson for a 24 yard gain and McDonald for 12 and Sammy Watkins for 11. A couple Pollard runs of 3 and 7 set the Bears up for a field goal to cut the lead to 14-10.

Patriots answered with a scoring drive of their own, keyed by a 25 yard scramble on 3rd and 8 by Lamar (even with the D keying on him). A few plays later Jackson hit Nyheim Hines for a 12 yard catch and run for the TD. Pats up 21-10 with 5:34 in the half.

Bears go 3 and out and Lamar and the Pats take over. But on the first play from his own 22, Jackson is picked for the second time in the half by Foye Oluokun. A McSorley to Trautman 7 yard pass set up a Lutz field goal to make it 21-13.

Pats go 3 and out on their next drive and with 29 seconds left McSorley lofted one downfield but was picked by Logan Ryan. Lamar took over at his own 41 and on the very next play, *he* was intercepted AGAIN by Oluokun. McSorley quickly hit Watkins and Rugs on short gains but attempts to get into FG range were foiled when Devin White sacked McSorley to end the half.

Bears came out of the locker room inspired. McSorley completed 4 of 6 passes for 46 yards, setting up a 30 yard TD scamper by Pollard. A successful 2 point conversion and the Bears had overcome a 14-0 deficit to tie things up at 21 apiece!

An 8 play 75 yard drive followed, as Jackson hooked up twice with TE Richard Rodgers, including a 26 yard TD pass. 28-21 Pats.

But Chicago was not going away. The trio of McSorley, A-Rob and Tony Pollard carved up the Pats D on the next drive, including a 26 yard completion to Pollard and 15 and 9 yard pass plays to Robinson (9 catches, 163 yards on the day). After runs of 14 and 6 by Pollard, Leonard Fournette rumbled in for the 3 yard TD on the first play of the 4th quarter - and the game was tied once again, this time 28-28!

The two teams exchanged punts before NE took over with 10 minutes to play. That's when Lamar looked to take matters into his own hands. 4 carries for 26 yards and a completion to Hayden Hurst for 14 put NE at the Chicago 12 yard line. Faced with a 4th and inches from the Chicago 12 and just under 7 minutes to play, the Pats brought on Justin Tucker who hit the 30 yard field goal to give NE a 31-28 lead.

But did they leave too much time for McSorley??

Starting from their 25 yard line, the Bears methodically moved out to midfield. First and 10 from their own 49 and McSorley proceeded to miss on 3 straight pass plays. The Bears decided to go for it - but McSorley missed Ian Thomas and the Pats would take over.

With 2:36 to play, Jackson handed off to Kareem Hunt who was stuffed after a short 1 yard gain. Bears called an immediate time out. On 2nd down, Lamar dropped back to pass looking for Kupp but was PICKED OFF by Trayvon Mullen, who returned it 30 yards!! Lamar's fourth interception of the game had given Chicago life once again - with first and 10 at the NE 40 yard line!

With 2:27 to go, McSorley immediately went to work finding Allen Robinson for 11 yards and a first down before heading out of bounds. After an incompletion, Trace hit Robinson once again for a 5 yard out. 3rd and 5 and the Bears gave it to Pollard who got 4 yards before the 2 minute warning.
Facing a 4th and 1 from the Patriot 20 yard line, the Bears eschewed the field goal which would have tied it up. Instead, with the Patriots looking for Pollard to carry the ball, McSorley dropped back and found a streaking Robinson as he waltzed into the end zone!!! The extra point was good, and with just 1:49 left - the Bears had their first lead of the game at 35-31!!!

Four Jackson interceptions (for the 2nd time this year) had the NE coaching staff considering Nick Foles for the game's final drive.

It wouldn't matter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Isaiah Rodgers decided to return the kick from 8 yards deep.......

Carrying it out he crossed the 20, out to the 30..............near midfield............

......and Rodgers was (unbelievably) gone.

A 108 kick return TD had brought NE right back(!), and they now led 38-35 with 1:25 to play.

McSorley would have one more chance to bring the Bears into field goal range, but Devin White sacked him driving him back 12 yards to his own 8 yard line - bringing up a 3rd and 27. It was too much to overcome............and the Patriots ultimately escaped with a miracle 3 point finish.

Lamar Jackson completed only 14 passes on the day, with 3 TDs and 4 interceptions. For the Bears, McSorley passed for 294 yards, 2 TDs and one interception. Allen Robinson torched Patriot's top corner Darious Williams all day, scoring twice to go along with his 163 yards. Tony Pollard ran for 78 yards on 11 carries. Chicago had 368 yards of net offense. NE had 369.

Los Angeles (A) 26 Jacksonville 35          65 10-20
A great game involving two evenly matched teams. Both teams ran the ball well but the difference in this one was Quarterback play. The Chargers picked off two Josh Allen passes but other than that the Jacksonville passing game was unstoppable. Had Fitzpatrick played better LA would have come out of Jacksonville with the win.

Allen (Jax) 23 of 27 for 306 yards, 4TDs, 2 INTS
Fitz (LAC) 16 of 31 for 185 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTS

Johnson (Jax) 18 carries for 120 yards, 1 TD
Chubb (LAC) 18 carries 120 yards, 2TDs

Metcalf (Jax) 9 catches for 159 yards, 3TDs
Cooper (LAC) 9 catches 121 yards, 1TD

The Jags go above .500 for the first time this year (6-5) while the Chargers fall to (5-6).

Green Bay 20 Miami 0                        84 0-10
The Packers travel to sunny Florida and get away from a dreary Wisconsin November. The sunshine must have been what the doctor ordered:

The Pack was very methodical in dismantling the Dolphins weary defense and forcing the Miami offense into tough situations. When Miami would start to get something going, two Goff interceptions would have the ball going the other way. 2 Teams going in opposite directions as Green Bay wins this one 20-0.

A banged up Miami Team travels to Indianapolis next week
Green Bay is also on the road at Minnesota

Minnesota 7 New York (A) 37                 53 5-15
The Vikings came into New York, and were greeted with some great weather, but not much else.

Minnesota won the coin flip, and on the opening drive went 75 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a Mullens to Smith-Schuster 10 yard pass…7-0.

New York held serve, going 75 yards in 8 plays, scoring on a White 7 yard run…7-7…

The Vikings couldn’t get anything going on their next possession, and punted after only gaining 27 yards. The punt pinned the Jets down to their 9 yard line.

The Jets then went 91 yards in only 6 plays, two of which were big yardage plays. Both were to Jones Jr. The second covered 45 yards for a TD…14-7…Jets

The next three possessions resulted in punts, 2 by Minnesota, and one by New York. After the Vikings second punt, the Jets once again matriculated down the field(a shout-out to Hank Stram.) This time going 76 yards in 8 plays…resulting in a Watson to Jones Jr TD… 21-7…Jets at the half.

New York took the 2nd half kickoff, and took 6 minutes to travel 74 yards, and get another TD. This one was a Watson to Hilton strike…28-7…Jets

At this point both teams started to take the air out of the ball, no not like the Patriots did in the NFL, just figuratively…

Final score…37-7…Jets

The Jets lost Gordon(RB), and Cox(DL) during the game to injury, and both will miss next weeks game. Minnesota lost Hayward(CB), and Joseph(CB), and both will miss next week too.

Next week Minnesota hosts Green Bay, and New York hosts Tampa Bay

Kansas City 23 Pittsburgh 7                 40 0-5
Chiefs(4-6) come in as winners of 4 in a row after a 0-6 start. the Steelers are 5-5 after a 3-1 start to the year.

Chiefs win the toss and defer . Pittsburgh overcomes a sack and a holding penalty by Brady connecting with rookie WR Jefferson on plays of 26 and a 37 yard TD reception puts the home team out in front 7-0. KC manages a FG on their first drive as Koo connects from 41 yards out . End of 1 Pittsburgh 7 KC 3

KC on their 2nd drive that started with 2 minutes left in the first ended with a Lock to Landry 16 yard connections with 9 minutes to go in the 2nd Chiefs 10 Steelers 7. After the teams traded punts Gus Edwards rumbles for a 28 yard gain setting the Steelers up at the 26 . However on the next play Brady was picked by Edwards Jr. two long connections 25 yards to Bourne and 24 yards to Landry put the Chiefs at the 14. On a 2nd and 10 the Lock finds Landry again from 14 yards out at the 2 minute warning . After the Steelers go 3 and out the Chiefs have a 1:07 left to do something. Lock to Landry for 22 and Lock to Reynolds 16 yards sets up a Koo 43 yard FG . Chiefs lead on the road at the half 20-7.

KC is forced to punt on their 1st possession and Pittsburgh takes over on their own 10 they take 7 minutes and drive down to the Chiefs 10 yard line. Facing a 4th and 3 coach Alberry decides to go for it well it backfires as Brady's pass is knocked harmlessly to the ground. End of 3 Chiefs still lead 20-7.

With 12 minutes to go facing a 4th and 2 from their own 44 the Steelers go for it again and fail again as the home crowd who was all for the decision before the result showed their displeasure with the decision by booing for most of the rest of the game as Edwards was stuffed on the run attempt .The Chiefs turn this into a Koo 39 yard FG and that was the end of the scoring in this contest. As the Steelers get one more failed 4th down attempt at the Chiefs 11 yard line with just over 5 to play.

Both teams suffered some injuries in this one the Chiefs lost Wilson (1 week) Lazard (5 weeks) and Mcphee (1 week). For Pittsburgh they lost Mekari (1 week) and Reid (3 weeks)

Drew Lock is game MVP going 23-34 for 299 yards 2 TD good for a 114.7 rating.

The Steelers 5-6 stay at home and face division rivals Jaguars 6-5 while the Chiefs 5-6 go home and face their division rivals LA Chargers 5-6

Arizona 17 Atlanta 20                       68 Calm
Arizona traveled into Atlanta looking to make a push for a playoff spot, while Atlanta is trying to prove their aging veterans can hang on and make a respectable ending to their careers. Both teams banged up, but they all played their hearts out in this crazy game.

1st Quarter: Arizona would make a splash first with a Mahomes 40 yard pass to Johnson to take a 7-0 lead while Atlanta's offense was completely gassed and couldn't gain any yardage against the Cards D.

2nd Quarter: The next 8 possessions total both teams would punt the ball in an epic game of field position. Punters may be fatigued next week :)

Atlanta finally started some offense with 8 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter as Rivers hit Brown with a 10 yard TD strike to even up the score 7-7. That is how the half would end after and Atlanta drive stalled out with 36 seconds left.

At halftime, Atlanta's offense was miserable. Arizona's was connecting with Mahomes, but unable to muster any points.

3rd Q: Atlanta fresh out of the locker room put on an epic drive of 7 minutes for a whopping total of 45 yards. However, the Cards D held strong and forced a FG (10-7 ATL)

After a 3 and out Atlanta again went on a long drive in time only 5 minutes, 36 yards only to end up with another FG (ATL 13, ARI 7)

Coach J. Heaton makes some great strategic personnel decisions and the boost of fresh legs allows Mahomes to go 11 plays 65 yards only to be held to a FG as well (ATL 13, ARI 10)

4th Q: Here is where all the action happens. After trading 3 offensive series that ended with a combined 10 yards from both ball clubs, Mahomes throws a pick 6 to Takati that puts Atlanta up 20-10 with about 4 minutes to go.

On their next possession, Claypool redeems his QB after catching a short slant and taking it 43 yards to the house to bring Arizona within 3 with a little over 3 minutes left. (ATL 20, ARI 17)

Veteran Phillip Rivers makes a noob move on a 3rd and short as the pass is open, but he holds on to the ball too long, gets sacked and fumbles, Arizona ball on the Falcons 28 yard line!

Arizona looks to be able to send this game into OT, or even take the win! However, S. Barkley takes a pitch to the outside on the 1st play and gets hammered.. fumbles... Atlanta recovers with 2:02 left!

Atlanta plays it safe and runs the ball 3 times leaving Arizona with one timeout and 1:25 left. Mahomes makes some plays, but on 4th and 4 the Cardinals try a 58 yard FG with 34 seconds left, which was wide right.

Atlanta didn't deserve to win as P. Rivers was held to 82 yards in the air, had 2 fumbles and the team had 4 fumbles total! Mahomes threw for 334 yards, but was unable to guide the Cards to a victory.

Next week Arizona hosts the Giants, while Atlanta travels to the mighty Saints.

Detroit 17 Indianapolis 13                  69 Calm
The Colts had a chance to win with a 13-3 lead with about 7 and a half minuets left in the fourth quarter....and the ball...

Defensive breakdowns and stupid penalties including two personal foul penalties sent the Colts to their 11th loss in a row.

New York (N) 17 New Orleans 23              70 Calm
Father versus son in this one and it wouldn't disappoint. The Giants would get the opening kick and punt after 5 plays. The Saints would then put together a 6 minute drive resulting in a Mcmanus 28 yard FG. 3-0 New Orleans. The Giants would then let everyone know that they werent going to just roll over and Wentz would lead a 71 yard drive resulting in a Wentz to Renfrow 6 yard TD. The Saints would suffer a big loss in the quarter as Myles Garrett got hurt. 7-3 Giants. The Saints would get the ball and answer the bell as Cam Newton would connect with AJ Brown from 22 yards out. This was AJ Browns 15th TD. Saints 10-7. The teams would exchange punts and the half would end with McManus missing a 47 yard FG. The Saints would get the ball in the second half and go 3 and out. New York would then put together a 7 minute drive which would end in a Santos 21 yard FG. The Saints D would make a big stop on 3rd and 3 from the 3 stuffing Matt Breida. 10-10. The first big play would come on the Saints next possession. After driving down to the Giants 33, the Saints would dial up a play action and caught the Giants in run D. It wouldn't matter though as Cam would throw the pick to Baker, who would return it the whole way to the Saints 20. On the first play of the 4th quarter the Giants would gamble on 4th and goal from the 1. Wentz would dive over the top and barely get in giving the Giants a 17-10 lead. Upset alert. The Saints would once again answer the bell as they would go on a 7 minute drive ending in AJ Browns 16th TD catch from 17 yards out. 17-17. The Saints would finally land an angle kick and the Giants would start from the 10. The Saints would get a big 3 and out and the punt would start the Saints from their own 35. The Saints would drain 3 minutes of clock and McManus would kick the go ahead FG with 2:46 left. 20-17 Saints. The Giants next drive would stall after a big holding call and the Saints would take over at the 16. The Saints would run 3 straight times to make sure the Giants used all their timeouts and would kick another FG by McManus. 23-17 Saints with 38 ticks left. Wentz would throw a few bombs to no avail and the Saints pull out a close one.

Denver 17 Tennessee 37                      58 0-10
sim

Rushing Leaders
Jones II(Cin)   23-139
Chubb,N(LAC)    18-120 2 TD
Johnson,Da(Jax) 18-120 1 TD
McCaffrey(Den) 26-118 1 TD
Cook,D(GB)      23-104

Receiving Leaders
Robinson,A(Chi) 9-163 2 TD
Metcalf(Jax)     9-159 3 TD
Perriman(Ind)   10-111 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Mahomes(Ari)    44-20-334   2 TD 1 Int
Watson,D(NYJ)   29-21-331   3 TD
Allen,J(Jax)    27-23-306   4 TD 2 Int
Stafford(LV)    40-23-285   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Defensive Standouts
Jackson,J(Phi)   2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Oluokun(Chi)     2 Int 7 Tk

Special Teams
Agnew(SF)      5-123 Punt Ret 1 TD
Rodgers,I(NE) 3-171 Kick Ret 1 TD – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week
Roberts,A(Ten) 2-63 Kick Ret 4-108 Punt Ret 1 TD

WEEK 11 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 11 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 10 RECAP

The Eagles sweep NFC East opponents as they defeat the Giants 16-3 in week ten IFL action.

Game Scores
New York (N) 3 Philadelphia 16              51 0-10
The Giant and Eagles would hook up for what would be the last game in the Eagles schedule against division foes. So far, the Eagles are a perfect 7-0 and, with a win, would be sitting in the cat bird's seat to take the division title. Last week, against the Cowboys, it was a struggle for QB Ryan Tannehill as he had his worst game of the year by throwing 3 int's. Fortunately, the Eagle defense has been playing lights out by only giving up 35 points in the last 5 games.

The opening kickoff would see the Eagle defense continue their dominance by getting the Giants to go 3 and out. The Eagle offense would take the ensuing kickoff and get close enough for a Harrison Butker FG to go up 3-0. After another Giant 3 and out, the Eagles would drive the ball down the field again but this time it would be for 6 as Tannehill would hit TE Evan Engram on a 13 yard slant. 10-0 Eagles. That would be the last touchdown of the game.

The narrative of the previous week's game against the Cowboys would take effect as Tannehill would again struggle (14-31 136 yds 1 TD) but the Eagle defense would continue their high level of play. The teams would trade FG's for the rest of the game with the final being 16-3 Eagles.

By winning, the Eagles go 8-0 against their division and hope to continue their winning ways to a division title. From here, it's conference and non-conference games and the desire is to at least get a top 2 conference finish to get a bye in the 1st round of the playoffs. Only time will tell.

Houston 24 Los Angeles (A) 31               69 Calm
Amari Cooper gives Houston secondary fits with nine catches for 127 yards and a touchdown as Chargers down Texans.

Cincinnati 20 San Francisco 10              69 15-25
The banged up Bengals traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. Starters Ronald Jones, DJ Chark, Brandon Linder, and Mike Purcell did not make the trip. No excuses, everyone has their share of injuries this time of year in the IFL.

Cincinnati shot themselves in the foot early on as tight end Eric Ebron fumbled on what would have been a third down conversation. The 49ers were able to convert the turnover into a Mason Crosby 46 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. On the Bengals next possession Rodgers was intercepted by Jordan Whitehead. Cincinnati dodged the bullet as cornerback Kyle Fuller intercepted stat pack QB Bryce Perkins. After multiple exchanges of punts and a failed fourth and four attempt by the Bengals the quarter would end with the 49ers hanging on to the 3-0 lead.

After San Francisco failed to convert on fourth and four, Devin Singletary was stopped just short, the Bengals took over at their own 48. Cincinnati finally put a drive together, thanks to a couple Ty Montgomery eight yard runs with a Rodgers to Johnson 11 yard pass mixed in. The Bengals finally dented the scoreboard as Rodgers found Dionate Johnson from 14 yards out for the 7-3 lead with about 12 minutes remaining in the half. Thanks to another Cincinnati turnover on a punt return the 49ers were able to regain the lead at 10-7 as Perkins connected with Tyler Boyd from 13 yards out. Cincinnati took over with about four minutes remaining in the half. Rodgers put together a 10 play 75 yard drive that saw him scramble into the end zone to regain the lead at 14-10.

The Bengals were able to add a couple field goals in the second half and hang on for the 20-10 win.

Rodgers was held to 197 yards passing, going 25 of 43 with a TD and an Int. Both Fuller and Jalen Ramsey collected interceptions.

Perkins finished 14 of 28 for 124 yards with a TD and 2 Int. Singletary was held to 43 yards on 15 attempts. Diggs caught six passes for 57 yards while Boyd added four receptions for 38 yards and a TD.

Cincinnati stays west next week to take on the Raiders. While San Francisco remains at home to host the Cowboys.

Chicago 10 Tampa Bay 25                     75 10-20
The Bears paid a visit to the Buccaneer stadium but felt right at home with 10 to 20 mile an hour wind. You can throw the records out the window when these division rivals square off.
In the first quarter the Bears had the wind and ran 19 offensive plays to Tampa’s 11. A methodical drive put together by Chicago’s QB Trace McSorley had the Bears up when the quarter ended. After 1 quarter 7 – 3 Chicago.
What you do when you have two wins on the season and you have your mojo going? The Bears Will Lutz with the onside kick… recovered by LB Aaron Brewer of Chicago! (Fun fact, the Bears have 2 players named Aaron Brewer!) Despite the fired-up offense, the possession resulted in a disappointing field goal. The remainder of the first half possessions result in two Buccaneer field goals. Tampa was unable to get into the end zone due to strong Chicago defensive play that included two sacks. The teams go to the locker room for strategy adjustments. Halftime score 10 – 9 Chicago.
The Bears defense continues its hot play in the third quarter picking off Tampa’s Derek Carr at midfield during the first Buc possession. To Coach Nordberg’s disappointment, the Bear offense is not able to capitalize producing a three and out. The Chicago pass rush continues to wreak havoc. Carr is sacked at his own 10-yard line on the first play after the punt. On the following play Carr finds Marquis Brown deep down the left sideline, Chicago DB Ugo “ALL-THE -WAY” Amadi, whiffs on the tackle, and 90 yards later Hollywood dances into the end zone. For the remainder of the quarter the Bears are not able to respond on offense while Tampa added a second TD. After 3 quarters 22 – 10 Tampa.

The 4th quarter sees a lot of conservative play. Final Tampa 25 – 10.

As per usual, Coach Nordberg called an excellent game utilizing his limited roster to the maximum giving Coach Chase an elevated heart rate well into the third quarter. While social media trolls seeking a top draft pick for a new quarterback hammer him, Nordberg gives it his best every single game. He is often heard to say that's what's expected by the IFL, the Bears and himself.
Next week the Bears host the mighty Patriots while the Bucs travel for a tough one versus the Bills.

Las Vegas 35 Dallas 7                       70 Calm
Vegas blows out Dallas 35-7.   Matt Stafford completed an outstanding 26 passes in 33 attempts for 379 yards. He was a perfect 9/9 in targets to D.J. Moore (9/155 yards, 1 TD) and 7 of 8 to Travis Kelce (7/122, 2 TD).

New York (A) 31 Miami 7                     89 Calm
Not much to see in this one folks, from the opening drive to the end, the Jets lead and controlled the ball game. Dominating the Dolphins from start to finish. The Jets stay tied for the division lead pending the Patriots weekly outcome. The Jets host the Vikings next week and the Dolphins host the Packers.

Baltimore 9 Jacksonville 35                 70 Calm
Baker Mayfield struggled from the start allowing the Jags to sprint out to a 21-3 halftime lead resulting in a 35-9 Jacksonville win. For one of the few times this year the Jacksonville D actually stopped someone while Josh Allen continues his Pro-Bowl like performance throwing for 250 yards and 1 TD.

Scott coached a great game but was hampered by poor QB play and tons of injuries.

Allen (Jax) 19 of 28 for 250 yards 1TD, 44 yards on 6 carries 1TD
Mayfield (Bal) 12 of 29 for 109 yards 1 TD

Gibson (Jax) 13 carries for 70 yards 1 TD
Dobbins(Bal) 10 carries for 97 yards

Metcalf 6 catches 95 yards 1 TD
Thielen 5 catches 37 yards 1 TD

McCourty (Jax) 3 tackles, 1 FR, 1 TD

New England 38 Minnesota 0                  68 Calm
Patriots traveled to Minneapolis for some Thursday Night Football, and the home crowd didn't get much to cheer about. Tyreek Hill caught 10 passes for 157 yards and 2 scores, while Lamar Jackson threw for 333 yards and 3 TDs. Meanwhile, the Viking offense was held to 9 first downs on the day. Patriots take this one 38-0.

Green Bay 17 Detroit 0                      70 Calm
Packers win another defensive struggle. 17-0 was the final

Emmanuel Sanders had a pair of TD's in the win. Josh Jacobs had a nice game for the Lions
going for 77 yards against a strong Packer defensive front.

Pittsburgh 33 Tennessee 24                  66 0-10
Matt Ryan torched the Steelers for 450 passing yards while Tom Brady had a mere 300 for Pittsburgh. Big plays dominated as the Titans had pass plays of 58, 43 and 36 yards while the Steelers countered with ones of 57, 39 and 39. Why did Pittsburgh win 33-24 when a late Titan touchdown made the score more respectable?

Indianapolis 10 Buffalo 21                  42 20-30
Despite being out-gained 379 to 89 the Colts do get their first offensive TD of the year after a Beebe fumble the Colts score on a 5 yard pass from Burrow to Hollins to take a 7-0 lead. It was a struggle after that for the Colts offense and once again Kyler Murray leads the way for the Bills throwing 3 TD passes and 320 yards. The Bills win their third straight game moving to 6-4 while the Colts fall to 0-10.

Carolina 27 New Orleans 24                  70 Calm
The Panthers have the Saints number this year, winning both games. Derick Henry was a complete beast rushing for 177 yards and a TD. The Saints keep it tight despite that as Cam threw for 214 yards and 2 TDs. The win by the Panthers tightens the division up again.

Los Angeles (N) 24 Atlanta 19               68 Calm
In the 2nd matchup between division rivals, the Rams stormed into Atlanta to take on the banged up Falcons (missing 4 starters), who are on a 2 game winning streak (a big deal for them).

While the refs swallowed their whistles last week, they were not so kind this week, evening out the penalties between both clubs.

Coach R. Heaton coached a great game, and it looked like it was to be a blowout again like the last meeting (34-17 with the Falcons adding some points with the benches cleared).

The Rams started off with a 6 minute drive capped off with a throw to Lamb for a TD. The Falcons countered with an 8 minute drive of their own, only to end in a FG, which is going to haunt them in this game. (LAR 7 ATL 3)

Coach Heaton had the Falcons number in Quarter 2 as the Rams put together two drives, one ending in a TD to Lamb again, and another on a FG. The TD coming after a P. Rivers interception. (LAR 17, ATL 3)

The Falcons did have some fight left in them as right before the half they drove down to kick another FG (LAR 17, ATL 6) Halftime

The 3rd quarter things slowed down, with Atlanta stalling out on two 4th conversions around mid field, and the Rams unable to take advantage with a Taysom Hill fumble.

In the 4th the Falcons drove down the field and stuffed it in to bring it closer, although they missed the 2pt conversion (LAR 17, ATL 12) However, veteran Coach Heaton took the Rams down the field and ran it down the Falcons defense on a backbreaking 12 play, 79 yard and nearly 8 minute drive that ended in another Daniel Jones TD pass. (LAR 24, ATL 12)

With around 5 minutes left, the Falcons had their backs to the wall. QB Rivers makes rookie Coach Alberry and his depleted WR core look good and they drive down the field with a 75 yard drive of their own to bring them within a score with 2:20 left. (LAR 24, ATL 19)

Unfortunately for the home team, the Rams just had their number. On 2nd and 7 with 2:10 left, the Rams decided to pass the ball instead of running out the clock... and the Falcons were ready as they double teamed Deebo Samuel and were expecting the pass...however that didn't matter as he pulled in the catch anyway, moving the sticks and breaking the spirit of the Falcons. LA ran out the clock and that was the ballgame.

MVP D. Jones 14/20 w 171 and 3 TD 135 passer rating

Next week Atlanta hosts the Cardinals and LAR hosts Washington.

Arizona 0 Washington 37                     44 Calm
Washington beats up a battered and fatigued Arizona.

  Kansas City 28 Denver 24                    44 0-10
Drew Lock came off the bench in the 2nd half and threw for 149 yards and 3 TD's as the Kansas City Chiefs rallied to defeat the Denver Broncos 28-24.

Rushing Leaders
Henry,D(Car)   25-177 1 TD
Peterson,A(Phi) 15-131
Henderson(Was) 14-110 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Hill,T(NE)      10-157 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Hopkins,D(Ten) 12-157 1 TD
Moore,D(LV)      9-155 1 TD
Brown,M(TB)      5-151 1 TD
McLaurin(Hou)   11-131 1 TD
Davis,M(Buf)    10- 35

Passing Leaders
Ryan,M(Ten)     47-32-450   3 TD 2 Int
Stafford(LV)    33-26-379   4 TD
Jackson,L(NE)   36-28-333   3 TD
Murray,K(Buf)   47-39-320   3 TD 1 Int
Carr,D(TB)      32-23-308   2 TD 1 Int
Brady(Pit)      34-19-300   2 TD

Defensive Standouts
Wagner,B(Det)    18 Tk
Buckner(Phi)   4 Tk, 2 Sk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Bass(Pit)      4-5 FG
Dowdle(KC)     4-172 Kick Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 10 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 10 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 9 RECAP

J.K. Dobbins rushed for 115 yards and two TDs as Ravens down Steelers.

Game Scores
Pittsburgh 21 Baltimore 28                  59 0-10
Pittsburgh (4-4) traveled to Baltimore (3-5) to face their bitter rival. The Ravens were favored by 1, but the line never seems to matter in these games.

Baltimore received the opening kick and went on a 10-play, 75 yard drive that ended with a Baker Mayfield-to-Patrick Ricard 8-yard TD pass. BAL 7-0.

Pittsburgh moved the ball downfield on their first possession, reaching the Baltimore 17 after two Tom Brady-to-Damiere Byrd completions (13 and 26 yards), but Tom's next pass was tipped by LB Matt Judon and picked-off by Raven teammate Terrell Edmunds. On the first play after the TO, the Ravens escaped disaster when Scotty Miller recovered Mayfield's fumble at the Steeler 31, but four plays later, Mayfield took the more direct route to giving the ball to the other team and threw an INT, his league-leading 10th (where's Jameis Winston when you need him?!), to Steeler LB Cory Littleton. Brady made quick work of the 47 yards they had to go, hitting WR Trent Taylor from 15-yards out. Game tied, 7-7.

The Ravens responded with an 8-play, 75 yard drive that culminated with JK Dobbins reaching the endzone on a 15-yard trap. BAL 14-7.

On Pittsburgh's next possession, their attempt at a 4th-and-5 at the Raven 44 failed when Edmunds tipped away Brady's toss to Bryd. Mayfield connected on 3 of 4 passes to move the ball down to the Steeler 8, where, two plays later, Dobbins again found the endzone, this time from 5 yards out. BAL 21-7.

On the ensuing KO, Steeler returner Byron Pringle took the ball 2 yards deep, but the Ravens' special teams swarmed him under at the 5 with 2:34 remaining before the half. Brady moved the Steelers out to their own 35, but trying to hit his ol' buddy Rob Gronkowski on a crossing pattern, Raven S Keanu Neal intervened and picked-it off. With 1:28 left on the clock with the ball sitting near mid-field, surely the Ravens could get into FG range (which is like the 10 yard line with Michael "No Money Badger" Badgley as your kicker). They gained 9 and faced with a 4th-and-1 from the 42 with :09 on the clock, they decided to go for it and hope they'd have time to get the FD, spike the ball and attempt a long FG. Well, that all went out the window when Dobbins broke through the line and ran for 29 yards, down to the 13. Nice run, but the fat Raven linemen couldn't keep up and get to the LOS fast enough to spike the ball.

Opening the second-half, Pringle took the ball 6 yards deep and again, the Ravens' special teams swarmed him under at the 3! No worries, Tom Brady led his team on an 18-play, 97 yard drive that took up 11 of the quarter's 15 minutes. Brady hitting Dawson Know from 2-yards out, cut the Ravens lead to 7. BAL 21-14.

Baltimore used up the last 4 minutes of the 3rd and nearly 2 1/2 of the 4th to go 82 yards in 12 plays to extend their lead back to 14 when Mayfield hit Ricard for a second time in the game. This time from 6 yards out. BAL 28-14.

Brady tried to get the Steelers back in the game with 12:34 left, but cranky vet DL Allen Bailey sacked Brady for an 8-yard loss on a 4th-and-4 at the Steelers' own 43. Baltimore failed to get a first down, so they lined up for a 45-yard Badgley attempt...which failed miserably with 6:40 left on the clock. Badgley is now 5-of-10 in FG attempts. Ugh.

As DKS is want to do, Brady somehow moved his team downfield, despite all his receivers not named Justin Jefferson or Rob Gronkowski having exhausted their receptions. Then, like a lightning bolt, Brady found Gronk for a 29-yard TD with 2:57 remaining, making it a one-score game. BAL 28-21.

This time it was the Steelers' special teams that pinned the Ravens at their own goal line when Donovan Peoples-Jones decided to take the KO 2-yards deep and return it all the way to the 4 yard line. What is up with DKS KRs this game?! KO returns of 9, 7 and 6 yards?! Playing conservative to force PIT to use their TOs, Dobbins couldn't gain the necessary yards for a game-clinching first down. Thus, Pittsburgh forced a punt with 2:16 remaining. Rigoberto Sanchez's 52-yard punt and Trent Taylor's fair-catch put the ball on the Steelers 35 with 2:07 to go.

A PI penalty on Ravens CB Tavon Young and a 6 yard run by Gus Edwards put the Steelers near mid-field, but a Malik Reed sack pushed the Steelers back into their own territory where Brady failed to connect with Gronkowski on two consecutive plays needing 11 for a first down. Baltimore took control on the turnover by downs and ran out the clock. FINAL: BAL 28-21.

JK Dobbins was named the game's MVP with 115 yards on 13 carries and 2 TDs. Five of the 13 carries went for more than 10 yards and 8 were for first downs. As a team, the Ravens rushed for 205 yards on 31 carries.

With such dominance on the ground, there wasn't much need through the air. Mayfield completed 16-of-22 for 160 yards and 2 TDs. Patrick Ricard caught both of those TDs among his 3 receptions, which tied for the team lead with Steven Sims (43 yards) and Logan Thomas (31).

Brady completed 23-of-42 attempts for 226 yards and 3 TDs, but also threw two INTs, lowering his QBR to 74.1 for the game. Gus Edwards (11/69) and Frank Gore (12/65) combined for 134 ground yards while Damiere Bryd took advantage of the constant double-teaming of Jefferson to haul in 7 of 8 targets for 79 yards. The double-teaming must have worked as Jefferson only caught 4-of-11 targets for 39 yards.

Next week, the Ravens (4-5) travel to Jacksonville (4-5) seeking revenge for the 35-13 thumping the Jags put on the Ravens in Week 4. Jacksonville has been installed as 10-point early favorites.

The Steelers (4-5) will try to right the ship after losing 4 of their last 5, traveling to Tennessee (4-5) to take on the Titans, who are currently riding a 2-game losing streak of their own. Tennessee is an early 5-point favorite.

San Francisco 13 Carolina 34                74 0-5
A tight game going into halftime with Carolina holding a 7 point lead. Perking played solid QB in the first half for the Niners except for one interception.

San Fran received the ball after the half and marched down the field and kicked a field goal to bring them within 4. The Panthers were able to control the clock the rest of the way though with Wilson finishing the day with a ridiculous 20 for 21 passing for 219 and 2 touchdowns.

Buffalo 34 Detroit 10                       70 Calm
The Buffalo Bills go into Detroit and defeat the Lions 34-10. The Lions had no answers in stopping Kyler Murray as he threw for 272 yards while throwing 4 TD passes and runs in another to account for all 5 TD's.

Los Angeles (A) 14 Las Vegas 34             80 0-5
Raiders score 17 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Chargers.

Jacksonville 21 Cincinnati 38               52 15-25
After a disappointing loss to last place Baltimore last week, the IFL Bengals came out on fire against Jacksonville. Aaron Rodgers threw four first half touchdowns as Cincinnati built up a 35-0 lead at the half. RoJo started the scoring with a five yard run before being knocked out of the game. It's not looking good for next week as the trainer held up two fingers and RoJo said he saw six. Rodgers finished 18 of 24 for 232 yards and the four TDs to four different receivers.

Jaguars quarterback Josh Allen completed 21 of 28 for 215 yards and a touchdown. However, he started the landslide by throwing a pick to Bengals safety Jessie Bates on the opening drive. Despite being either double-teamed or having the Bo Derek of cornerbacks covering him, Jags receiver DK Metcalf finished with 8 catches for 109 yards and a score.

Next week, the Jags hope to bounce back as they host Baltimore while the Bengals travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.

Washington 17 New York (N) 3                51 0-5
Washington visits the Giants and comes out with a win 17-3. The Giants lose their 7th straight. Wentz goes 11 - 25 with an INT.

Miami 6 New England 38                      45 5-15
Miami gave the Patriots all they could handle in Week 3, losing a tight one 17-14. It was a different story in Foxboro however, as the Patriots built a 21-0 lead at the half and coasted to a 38-6 win. Rashad Fenton's pick 6 of Lamar Jackson was one of the few highlights for the Fins, as their offense was held under 150 yards on the day.

Patriots visit Minnesota next week while the Dolphins go home to play the Jets.

Philadelphia 10 Dallas 0                    70 Calm
Philly shuts out Dallas 10-0. Dallas’ defense played with great spirit (considering Dallas entered the game 1 -7 vs Philly who was 7-1), and also factoring in its secondary is decimated.

Tampa Bay 23 Minnesota 20                   68 Calm
Great game. The clock ran out on Minnesota while they were toiling around mid-field.

Chicago 7 Green Bay 27                      41 Calm
Packers prevail in a defensive struggle that featured
12 punts, 3 int's and 2 turnovers on downs.

Green Bay looked to be on their way to an easy victory early until Dalvin Cook
went down late in the first quarter with the hosts up 10-0.

To make matter worse for the Pack, OT D.J. Humphries was ejected with
4:45 left in the second leaving Green Bay with three 4.5 rated offensive lineman
on the field.

Bears saw the opportunity to make it a game and when Tony Pollard went in from 10 yards out
the Packers held a tenuous 17-7 at the half.

The 3rd quarter was all about the defenses as neither team could get anything going.

Packers managed to tack on a FG to start the 4th to go up 20-7, and basically hung on from there.

Final score 27-7 Green Bay

Steve coached a solid game but just couldn't sustain many drives versus a strong Packers
defense bolstered by the recent addition of DE-OLB Aldon Smith (7 tackles, 2 sacks).

California pretty boy Sam Darnold did not enjoy the 5 degree celsius temperatures
at Lambeau going 10 of 24 for just 63 yards and an interception. He was also sacked 5 times.

Forgotten RB Phillip Lindsay played well after Cook went down (19/88 1TD)

Both team stay in division next week:
Chicago is at Tampa Bay
Green Bay visits Detroit

Tennessee 14 Atlanta 37                     68 Calm
An autumn wind swept through Atlanta, as the Falcons returned home after being on the road for a few games. Since the Falcons were at home, the autumn breeze forced the refs to swallow their whistles, calling 0 penalties against the home team the entire game.

Game MVP: Zach Moss 17-131 2TD

Rick called a good game, unfortunately fate was with the Falcons in this game as penalties stalled the first few drives for the Titans allowing Atlanta to jump out to the early lead in Q1 on a Zach Moss run.

Quarter 2 saw both teams trade TDs including a Rivers Pick 6 putting the Titans on the board in the 2nd. Tennessee closed out the 2nd with a nice drive ending with a Matt Ryan TD pass with 20 seconds left.

Halftime: Ten: 14, Atl: 21

The 3rd quarter changed the game, Atlanta came down with a swift drive that ended in a Folk FG to make it 24-14. The Titans then fumbled the ball in their own territory and was recovered by ATL. Rivers connected on a quick pass for a TD to make it 30-14. Tennessee was forced to punt, and then Rivers led a 5 minute drive that capped off with a running TD to make it 37-14.

Atlanta had all the luck in this game including going 2-2 on key challenges, having zero penalties called against them, missing on every 3rd down attempt all game and the Titans had 7 missed tackles. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good.

However the injury bug did bite Atlanta, as we lost Raheem Mostert for the rest of the year, and are a bit banged up.

Next week Atlanta hosts division rival the Rams and the Titans host the other Alberry coach as Pittsburgh rolls into town.

Indianapolis 0 New York (A) 30              64 0-10
Deshaun Watson tosses four touchdown passes and Jets cruise to the win.

Kansas City 30 Houston 17                   70 Calm
Kansas City forced 3 interceptions which paved the way for a 30-17 road win over the Houston Texans.

Denver 7 Arizona 13                         85 Calm
Two fourth quarter Daniel Carlson field goals was the difference as the Cardinals edge Denver.

New Orleans 28 Los Angeles (N) 20           62 Calm
Cam Newton throws three touchdown passes to three different receivers as the Saints hold off the Rams.

Rushing Leaders
Elliott,E(Min) 21-157
Moss(Atl)       17-131 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Dobbins(Bal)    13-115 2 TD
Booker(LV)      19-114 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Woods(NYA)   6-132 2 TD

Passing Leaders
Watson,D(NYJ)   37-25-371   4 TD
Bridgewate(Was) 31-24-341   1 TD 1 Int
Stafford(LV)    36-26-337   3 TD 1 Int
Murray,K(Buf)   37-29-272   4 TD
Rodgers,A(Cin) 24-18-232   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Smith,J(NYG)     16 Tk
Martinez(Ten)    19 Tk
Queen(KC)        2 Int 4 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Moore II(Den)    2 Int 6 Tk

Special Teams
Carlson(Ari) 2 FG 7 Pts – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 9 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 9 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 8 RECAP

Charger running back Nick Chubb accounts for 5 TDs as L.A. hangs first loss on Denver.

Denver 27 Los Angeles (A) 46                70 Calm
After losing their first 4 games, LA has stormed back to win their last 4, including a 46-27 win over previously unbeaten Denver....

LA’s offense was in high gear, never having to punt in the game, scoring 7 touchdowns[3 missed xp] and only turning the ball over on a missed and
a blocked field goal attempt.... Denver on the contrary turned it over on 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles; as they were able to move the ball also....

Fitzpatrick led the LA offense completing 92%[23-25] of his passes for 232 yards and 2 tds, while adding 36 yds and a td on the ground; normal workhorse Nick Chubb
was only called on for 79 yards in the game, but made the most of them with 5 tds.... Cooper added 8 catches for 100 yds....

For the Broncos, Trubisky completed 21 of 27 for 140 yards and 2 tds and added a rushing td; but was hurt by the 2 picks.... Jonathan Taylor had 78 yards rushing for
the Broncos, including a 54 yard score on Denver’s 2nd play of the game....

Basically a very close even game except for the turnovers....

Minnesota 31 Detroit 12                     70 Calm
Drew Brees throws for 357 yards and three TDs as Vikings declaw Lions.

Buffalo 16 Miami 10                         83 Calm
Buffalo comes to Miami in game #2 between the teams.

The 1st quarter was fairly benign with Goff throwing picks on his 1st two possessions, however both teams manage a FG to end the quarter at 3-3

The 2nd quarter wasn't much better but the Dolphins did manage a TD with 1:10 to go in the half to go up 10-3 just before the intermission.

The 3rd quarter started better for the Bills, after a dismal 1st half, (2 for 9 for 39 yards) Kyler Murray opened the 3rd with a 11 play drive consuming almost half the quarter but the drive stalls and the Bills get the FG to cut the Dolphin lead to 10-6

After an exchange of punts moves the game to the 4th quarter, the Bills get headed in the right direction and go on a 12 play, 76 yard drive but this time they get the TD to go ahead 13-10. After Goff's 3rd interception of the day on Miami's next drive in Miami territory the Bills add another FG to make it 16-10 with 1:52 to go in the game. Miami goes 74 yards to the buffalo 1 yard line with a 1st and goal with 13 seconds left on the clock. Having used their time outs to get there, the Dolphins couldn't risk a run and had 4 plays to get in for the score. Sadly for the Dolphins, each pass fell incomplete as time expired after a 4 play goal line stand by the Bills at their own 1. Miami outplayed Buffalo in every category, unfortunately that also includes penalties and turnovers. Kudos to coach smith on sweeping our series this year and the Bills move to 4-4 and the Dolphins fall to 3-5. Next week the Bills stay on the road at Detroit, and the Dolphins go on the road to visit the Patriots.

Green Bay 24 Tampa Bay 34                   77 5-15
This second 2021 season battle of the NFC North Bays was a game for first place in the division. Green Bay walloped Tampa Bay at Lambeau Field 27 – 10 in week three. Both teams had nearly their full complement of players dressed for the game. It was clear, 77° with 5 to 15 MPH winds.
The first half was a wild affair. The second play of the game saw Packer running back Dalvin Cook hit a gaping hole off left tackle, shake off arm tackles by Tampa’s Kyle Van Noy and Julian Love, and finish the run with a somersault into the end zone for shockingly quick 7- 0 Green Bay lead.
After a Tampa turnover on downs and a Green Bay punt, the Buccaneers started their second possession at their own 8-yard line. This time it was Bucs running back Cam Akers who sprang for a huge run. Benefiting from three missed tackles he’s brought down after gaining 87 yards, down to the Green Bay 4-yard line. Tampa’s Derek Carr finds Tyler Lockett to tie the game at 7 all.
This began a string of five consecutive possessions resulting in scores of four touchdowns and a field goal. Both defenses had their hands full facing Carr and Packer Ben Roethlisberger. A game changing play took place with Green Bay punting from their own 23 halfway through the second quarter. Long snapper L.P. Ladouceur sailed the snap over Jake Bailey’s head where it was scooped up and run into the end zone by Tampa’s Donte Jackson. The score at halftime was 21 – 17 Tampa with the Bucs set to receive the second half kickoff.
The defensive coordinators made good adjustments in the locker room. The first four possessions of the third quarter ended with punts. Once again the Packer punt team made the kind and difference they don’t want to make. Bailey kicked one off the side of his foot from his own 12-yard line setting up Tampa Bay at the Packer 36. Lockett hauled in his second touchdown pass of the day, this time on a 29-yard toss. The scoreboard reads Tampa 28 Green Bay 17.
On the ensuing possession Green Bay drives to the Buccaneer 33 but comes up short on a 4th and 2 pitch to Cook. 8 plays later Tampa’s Chris Boswell stretches the lead to 14 with a 50-yard field goal. Tampa 31 Green Bay 17 with 12 minutes left.
With Tampa playing soft and safe defense, the Packers cut the lead to 7 points after 16 plays but had to chew up 6:29 of clock. Tampa 31 Green Bay 24 with 5:29 left.
The Bucs were able to sustain a drive and tack on a field goal leaving Green Bay behind 10 points with two minutes left and no timeouts. The game ends with a score of Tampa 34 Green Bay 24.
Tampa put up 384 yards of offense while Green Bay went for 375. It was a good day for rushing with Tampa’s Akers averaging 8.7 per carry for 166 yards and Green Bay’s Cook averaging 6.8 per carry for 170 yards. Buccaneer Tyler Lockett and Packer Darren Waller each had two TD receptions.
The 7 and 1 Buccaneers travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings next week. The 5 and 3 Packers host the Chicago Bears.

New York (N) 7 Kansas City 30               41 20-30
The Chiefs defense forced 3 turnovers and held visiting New York to 144 yards passing as Kansas City defeated the Giants by a score of 30-7.

Tennessee 21 Jacksonville 42                80 5-15
The Jags race out to an early 21-0 lead and never look back as the Jags down the visiting Titans 42-21. The Titans defense was nowhere to be found as Jacksonville racks up 462 yards of offense to Tennessee's 250. Rick coached a great game but his D let him down.

Josh Allen was dominant once again throwing for 4TDs, 0 Ints and 259 yards.

Next week the Jags travel to Cincinnati while Tennessee is in the Peach State.

Baltimore 24 Cincinnati 19                  41 5-15
Division rival Baltimore visited the Bengals in week eight IFL action. After an exchange of punts, Baltimore went for it on fourth and inches but was turned back. The Cincinnati offense took advantage as Rodgers connected with Chark from 35 yards out for a 7-0 lead. The Ravens put together a long 17 play-78 yard drive but had to settle on a Badgley 24 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 with about 10 and a half minutes left in the half. After forcing a Bengals punt Baltimore needed two plays to take the lead. A Mayfield to Fuller 62 yard reception and then a 20 yard pass to Logan Thomas to take a 10-7 lead with about six minutes remaining in the half. The Cincinnati offense was forced to punt again. However, the Bengals won a challenge regarding a Jesse Bates interception and took over at midfield. Instead of punting Cincinnati fell a yard short on fourth and eight and the Ravens took over just before the 2:00 warning. With a little less than a minute remaining in the half, Mayfield connected with Thielen for the 40 yard score to increase their lead to 17-7. Just like in real life Rodgers was able to move the offense to the Baltimore 33 to allow Fairbairn to hit the 51 yard field goal to cut the Ravens lead to 17-10 at the half.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle. The Bengals did get another field goal to cut the lead to 17-13. Baltimore got a big break at the end of the quarter as Dwayne Harris fumbled a punt return deep in their own territory and the Ravens took advantage as Dobbins scored from seven yards out to increase their lead to 24-13. Cincinnati answered with a 10 play-75 yard drive with Rodgers finding Dionate Johnson from a yard out. The try for two failed. The Bengals forced another Baltimore punt and drove from their own 21 to the Ravens 12. However, Ravens safety Keanu Neal intercepted Rodgers with 38 seconds remaining and Baltimore hung on for the win.

Baker Mayfield finished 18 of 34 for 297 yards and two TDs and 1 int for the victors. He also rushed for 38 yards. Fuller caught three passes for 95 yards.

Rodgers finished 32 of 44 for 359 yards and two TDs with an int. He was also sacked six times.

Next week the Ravens host Pittsburgh while Jacksonville, coming off a big win, visits the Bengals.

Chicago 27 Indianapolis 3                   69 Calm
Colts fall to 0-8 losing 27-3 to the Bears.   Colts moved the ball early and came within two yards of scoring their first offensive touchdown of the season, but a 4th and goal at the
3 failed.

Chicago (2-6) utterly dominated the second half and won going away to
win their second game of the season.

New Orleans 20 Pittsburgh 17                40 5-15
Saints stroll into town 5-1-1 and a 3 point road favorite to face the Steelers who have a 4-3 record. This was a good game Saints had some turnover problems and the Steelers some penalty issue's.

Steelers win the toss and on the second play hit Jefferson for a 19 yard play but wait a minute holding against rookie LT Jonah Williams Pittsburgh quickly punts it away after getting behind the chains. The teams trade punts and the 1st ends with no score.

But that changed quickly in the second as McManus connects from 47 yards out after a drive that started with over 6 minutes left in the 1st ended at the 29. Steelers have to punt again as the offense could not get going but at least they have them inside the 20. Well in 2 plays New Orleans strikes both Newton to Brown covering 82 yards (47&35) and the Saints go up 10-0. That seemed to wake up the Steelers offense a little as on the next drive they go on a 10 play drive that Culminates in a Brady to Jefferson 25 yard TD 10-7 Saints with just over 2 minutes left in the half. Newton takes those 2 minutes and drive the ball down the field mixing pass and run as the Saints had all their Timeouts remaining. A couple of key Plays early in the drive the Saints faced a 3rd and 13 the Steelers used one of there timeouts hoping to get the ball back to Brady but they failed to hold up as Beasley gets 15 to keep the drive alive. Then a 3rd and 9 from their own 45 but the Steelers get an encroachment making it 3rd and 4 saints covert and take it down to the 11 with 14 seconds left when they go into a hurry up and Newton is picked off by NB Diante Johnson end of the half . New Orleans 10 Steelers 7.

The teams trade punts to open the quarter on their 3rd possession Newton is picked again this time by DL Wilkins on the 1st play of the drive this time in Saints territory and Pittsburgh takes over on the 17. A 10 yard holding call on Gronk puts them behind the chains again and they can only get 14 yards back with some conservative play calls as the crowd was not happy with 2 runs and a short completion to Gronk but Bass would come on and connect from 31 yards out and we are tied at 10 as we head to the 4th.

Brady goes 3 and out to open the 4th then a Saints punt after a 9 play drive that included 2 successful challenges by both coaches but started on the 5 and ended on their own 26. On the next drive Pittsburgh gets a drive going. but avoided disaster on the 5th play when Brady trying to run gets stripped but Gronk covers up and the drive continues and ends with a 6 yard TD pass to Jefferson 17-10 with 3:58 to go the home team in front for the first time. Newton starts at his own 25 with 3:47 to go.A newton to Aikens 26 yard pass gets them inside the 40 with 2:24 to go. The next play is a 10 yard PI against Shetfield . Clyde Edwards Helaire would get an 8 yard run then bust up the seam 18 yards for the tying TD as we are tied at 17 with 1:50 to go but did they score to soon with Brady on the other side with the wind (5-15) at his back only needing a FG we have seen this plenty of times. But not on this day 3 in completions and the Steelers are punting the ball back with 1:15 to go.But New Orleans could not get past midfield as time ran out we are going to OT .

The Saints 2nd OT game in a row as they tied the Bengals last week. And the Steelers 2nd OT of the year as their opening game in LA against the Rams ended with a Jefferson TD catch in his first game .

Pittsburgh wins the toss and receives the ball again Brady in the clutch has been good in the past.On a 3rd and 10 from their 42 Brady hits Knox for a 15 yard completion but Knox fumbles the ball but once again a Steeler is their to save the day (Pittsburgh had 3 fumbles lost none) next play is a PI and gets them down to the Saints 36. An incomplete pass then Brady is sacked as Garrett comes up big getting his 6th sack of the year forcing a 3rd and 20 from the 46. a long pass to Jefferson falls incomplete and the Steelers are forced to punt. The punt is a good one though as Newton has to start from his own 5.Clyde Helaire would run for 42 yards Newton would pass for 17 yards mix in another 12 yard PI call against the Steelers and its down to the 9 yard line with 1:16 to go with a FG winning it. McManius lines it up from 27 yards out and wins it for the Saints on the road .

The Saints win a fun one as Steeler fans go home not happy but entertained anyway.

The Saints did lose AJ Brown midway through the game making it harder on there offense. Edwards Heliere runs for 127 yards on 20 carries. DL Christian Wilkins for the Steelers had 9 tackles 1 pd 1 Stuff 2 hurries and an Interception.

New Orleans 20 Pittsburgh 17 in OT

Pittsburgh (4-4) travels to face division rival Baltimore (3-5) in a revenge game for the Ravens who lost to Pittsburgh 31-21 in the 3rd game of the season.

New Orleans (6-1-1) travels to their division rival LA Rams (4-3) as LA seeks revenge from a 27-11 loss a few weeks back in the Big Easy.

Washington 10 Philadelphia 20               41 0-10
More turnovers, penalties and terrible QB play from Washington as they turn 400 yards into 10 points. Philly plays efficient and mistake free for an easy win.

New York (A) 10 New England 13              48 0-5
In Week 1, Lamar Jackson was intercepted four times in a 19-10 loss at MetLife Stadium. Jets come into Foxboro undefeated, hoping to put New England two games behind in the AFC East. Not helping matters - the heart of the Patriot defense, Devin White, is out with an injury.

Jets take the opening kick but go 3 and out. Lamar answers with completions to Hill (9), Kupp (12), Ekeler (4) and Hurst (9) to put NE into field goal range. Justin Tucker, perfect for the season on field goal attempts, comes in and promptly misses a 38 yard field goal. Game remains scoreless.

Jets respond with a heavy dose of Melvin Gordon, including a huge 26 yard scamper into NE territory. Watson finds Robert Woods for 15 yards, but the drive stalls and Dustin Hopkins comes in to nail the 30 yard FG.  3-0 Jets

Second quarter sees the defenses take over, as neither team can mount much offense. After a couple punts from both sides, Patriots take over with under 5 minutes to play in the half looking to put some points on the board.

Starting from their own 14, Kareem Hunt, Nyheim Hines and Lamar Jackson take turns running the ball out to the NE 33. A short pass to Hines before the 2 minute warning brings up 2nd and 3 from the NE 40. On the next play, Tyreek Hill blows past James Bradberry for a 46 yard gain all the way to the NY 14 yard line. Ekeler runs of 0 and negative 2 yards push NE to a 3rd and 12. An incomplete pass to Hurst and NE is forced to settle for the 34 yard Tucker field goal. BUT NO - Tucker missed again!

Jets lead 3-0 heading to halftime.

Patriots get the ball to start the 3rd quarter and Lamar wastes no time, finding Hill again for 15 yards before rushing for another 6 yards, into Jet territory. Ekeler for 5 yards ultimately brings NE into long field goal range. This time, Tucker converts from 51, and the game is tied at 3-3.

Jets and Pats each go 3-and-out on respective drives before Deshaun Watson and the Jets take over with 7:15 to play in Q3. Starting from their own 10, the Jets look to Gordon who carries for 7 and 5 yards sandwiched around a short James White reception. An big intentional grounding call on Watson sets the Jets back to their own 18, facing a 3rd and 15. Fading back to pass, Watson looks for Marvin Jones on a fly route but Richard Sherman PICKS HIM OFF - racing all the way to the Jet 5 yard line!! First and 10 New England!

After Hunt is stoned on first down, Lamar drops back to pass..........looking, looking.......he spots Ekeler in the end zone...........throws..........INTERCEPTED BY Tyron Mathieu!!!! (Mathieu picked Jackson twice in week 1 also). Patriots waste a GOLDEN opportunity here, and NY takes over.

Game still tied at 3-3.

Jets are forced to punt and NE takes over at the their own 13 yard line as the game moves to the 4th quarter. Lamar rushes for 8 and 2 yards to move the chains, out to the NE 23. After a false start, Jackson hands to Hunt who is STONED by Suh in the backfield, forcing a fumble!!! Mad scramble.......and the Jets have it! First and 10 from the NE 8 yard line!!

Gordon is stuffed on the first play, but the Jets go right back to him on 2nd down and Gordon races around the end for the 8 yard TD!!  With just over 12 minutes to play, Jets lead 10-3.

Patriots go 3 and out as Lamar cannot find any open receivers. Jets respond by burning 3:30 of clock time, while moving the ball into NE territory thanks to completions to Higbee (10) and Jones Jr. (19). Another 11 yard completion to Jones sets Hopkins up for the 48 yard field goal. With 7:40 remaining in the game, Hopkins MISSED the field goal, and NE still had life.

On their ensuing drive and facing 2nd down and 6, Lamar dropped back to pass but once again couldn't find an open receiver. Jamie Collins blasted Lamar for the sack and a 12 yard loss!! NE cannot convert on the 3rd and long, and are once again forced to punt it away.

5:13 to play and the Jets turn to Melvin Gordon. Gordon runs for 2 on first down, but a holding penalty pushes them back 10 yards. Consecutive short runs by Gordon eat another 1:30 off the clock before the Jets are forced to punt it away. Lamar and the Patriots have one final chance with 2:55 to play.

Jackson hits Richie James for a short 4 yard completion on first down. On 2nd and 6, Jackson drops back and hits Cooper Kupp on a button hook. Bradberry whiffed on the tackle and Kupp is able to race 49 yards...........all the way to the Jet 16 yard line!

Lamar is stoned on a sweep on 1st down, but on 2nd down he finds Austin Ekeler out of the backfield for an 11 yard gain and a first down. With just over a minute to play, Kareem Hunt plows into the end zone from 5 yards out and Tucker hits the extra point.  Game tied at 10 apiece.

But with a minute to play......does Watson have time to answer?

A kick return of 35 yards sets the Jets up at the 31 yard line, but the Pats D holds. Patriots get the ball with 23 seconds left, but this game is going to overtime.

Patriots win the toss and take the ball first. A poor kick return has NE starting from their own 14 yard line. A 4 yard run by Hunt is followed by a 7 yard Jackson run, giving the offense a little breathing room. A quick out to Hurst for 3 followed by a 3 yard Jackson run brings up 3rd and 4. Jackson finds Kupp for the crucial first down - 13 yards out to the Patriot 44.

A Jackson 3 yard run and an encroachment penalty on the Jets D brings up a 2nd and 2 from the Jet 48. Ekeler is stopped for a loss bringing up 3rd and 3. Lamar tried to convert but is stopped after only a 1 yard gain. Patriots facing a 4th and 2 from the NY 48 yard line and only 3:38 to play in overtime.

Patriots make the decision to go for it.......

Jets expecting run, but Jackson drops back to pass............looking for Hayden Hurst.......... but he's not open..............Jackson tucks and runs.......across the 40, the 35 to the Jets 31 yard line and a first down!

A Hunt rush nets only 2 yards on first down. Jets call timeout.

2nd down from the NY 29, and Quentin Nelson is whistled for the false start. Ball pushed back to the 34 yard line..........2nd and 13.

Kareem Hunt carries for one yard, followed by the Jets final timeout of overtime.

On 3rd and 12 from the 33, Lamar sweeps left and gains 8 critical yards. Clock winds to the 2 minute warning.

Justin Tucker, 1 for 3 on the day, comes in to attempt the 43 yard field goal..............

Good! For the first time in the game, NE has the lead,13-10

Deshaun would get one final chance.

Jets take over from their own 25 yard line and 1:47 to play. Gordon sweeps to the right but is dropped after a short gain. An 8 yard completion to Jones Jr nets 8 yards.........but the clock is ticking. Down to 53 seconds........

From their 36, Watson drops back and hits TY Hilton.............16 yard gain and another first down at the NE 48 yard line!! But he didn't get out of bounds.
Jets race to the line and Watson quickly finds Mel Gordon for a quick out and 2 yard gain.

Jets facing 2nd and 8 with 16 seconds to play, from the NE 46 yard line. Watson drops back but cant find anyone...........dumps to Gordon who is stopped for just a 1 yard gain. Watson races to the line and spikes with 6 seconds to play!!

From the Patriot 45, a field goal isn't an option. Watson drops back looking for the last second miracle bomb to Marvin Jones, but the pass is knocked down and the Patriots escape with the 13-10 win.

Neither QB threw a TD pass on the day, with both Watson and Jackson being intercepted once on the day. Jackson did carry for 79 yards on 14 carries including the huge 4th down conversion in overtime. Tyreek Hill (4 catches, 86 yards) and Cooper Kupp (6 catches ,91 yards) each managed big plays against the incredibly tough Jet secondary, something they were unable to do in Week 1. For NY, Melvin Gordon (24 carries 98 yards, TD) was the offensive standout, while Tyler Higbee (4 for 58) was the leading NY receiver.

With the two teams now each 7-1, both teams are at home in Week 9, with the Patriots hosting Miami and the Jets hosting Indy.

Dallas 6 Arizona 23                         75 Calm
The Cardinal defense played surprisingly well against Herbert. Herbert was held to under 200 passing yards during the game with most of Dallas' yards coming during garbage time in the fourth quarter. The Red Bird offense chipped away at the Cowboys D adding points in every quarter. After building a 23 point lead, there was simply not enough time left on the clock for the Cowboys.

The Cardinal offense was balanced between the run and pass during the game. The real difference between the two teams turned out to be Mahomes third down efficiency. Mahomes was able to convert 9 of 14 third down attempts. The Cowboys only managed 3 of 12. Mahomes was also able to hit his receivers downfield setting up some big plays which netted additional points.

Atlanta 30 San Francisco 20                 62 10-20
The 49ers built a 17 to 6 lead with just under 2 minutes left in the first half by blocking a punt for a TD and a 16 play 75 yard scoring drive. Unfortunately for the good guys Old Man Rivers finally loosened up and orchestrated a 5 play 75 year scoring drive to close out the first half, followed by a10 play 75 yard drive to open the second half to take a 20 - 17 lead. Game over. The Falcons kept the 49ers off balance the whole game.

Houston 24 Las Vegas 35                     58 0-10
Matt Stafford has a day, throwing for 390 yards and four touchdowns as the Raiders get by Houston.

Los Angeles (N) 31 Carolina 3               58 0-5
Carolina's slide continues as they are thoroughly defeated at home by the Rams. Carolina musters a whopping 161 yard to 434.

Daniel Jones looked like the NFL MVP as he passed for 259 yards and two td's while adding 73 yards and another touchdown on the ground.

For the Panthers, Wilson was the standout by being sacked 6 times.

Rushing Leaders
Cook,D(GB)      25-170 1 TD
Akers(TB)       19-166
Jones,A(Was)    19-134
Edwards-He(NO) 20-127 1 TD
Robinson,J(NYG) 18-104
Ozigbo(Chi)     18-101
Chubb,N(LAC)    18-64 4 TD

Receiving Leaders
Kelce(Oak) 9-109 2 TD

Passing Leaders
Stafford(LV)    33-28-390   4 TD
Rodgers,A(Cin) 44-32-359   2 TD 1 Int
Brees(Min)      36-31-357   3 TD 1 Int
Allen,J(Jax)    27-19-251   4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Defensive Standouts
Edmunds(Dal)     16 Tk
Alexander(Buf) 10Tk 1 Int – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Folk(Atl) 3-3 FGs, 12 Pts – IFL Special Team Player of the Week

WEEK 8 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 8 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 7 RECAP

Lamar Jackson rushes for 68 yards and two touchdowns as Pats down Las Vegas.

Las Vegas 20 New England 34                 60 5-15
Matt Stafford throws for 283 yards and 2 TDs, while the Vegas D holds Tyreek Hill without a catch, Cooper Kupp to 3 grabs all day, and the Patriot offense to a grand total of 81 yards through the air.

However, Kareem Hunt (11 rushes for 103 yards), Austin Ekeler and Lamar Jackson spurred the Patriot running game to the tune of 262 yards on the ground, while Alvin Kamara was forced from the game on the Raiders' first offensive series. Raiders did hang tough in the first half, leading until the final minute before the break when Jackson hit Ekeler on a short pass that Ekeler turned into a 28 yard score. Two 3rd quarter rushing TDs by Jackson allowed NE to pull away, en route to a 34-20 win.

Neither team turned the ball over, and there were only 6 penalties called all game. Raiders' struggles against the run (and inability to run the ball without Kamara) were the difference in this one.

Philadelphia 27 Chicago 9                   62 15-25
Philly handles Chicago behind Ryan Tannehill’s three touchdown passes.

Indianapolis 7 Kansas City 27               57 10-20
Kansas City rushed for 172 yards and Andy Dalton threw for 2 td's as the Chiefs defeated Indianapolis 27-7.

Carolina 17 Tennessee 21                    71 0-5
In what is becoming the norm for Tennessee the Titans got pushed around by Carolina for 3 quarters. In the first half two Russell Wilson medium passes were turned into 40 and 36 yard Carolina TD’s by Randall Cobb and Mike Evans respectively. The Titans 2nd quarter TD resulted from 8 straight Matt Ryan completions, the last being a 14 yarder to Kyle Rudolph. The Panthers used up over 12 minutes of the 3rd quarter with an 88 yard drive. However it stalled deep in Titan territory thanks to a key sack by Marquis Haynes. Rodrigo Blankenship kicked the field goal and Carolina led 17-7 going into the 4th.

After a Carolina three and out the Titans started out from their 43 yard line. They worked the ball down to the Panther 8 where it was 3rd and 4. AJ Dillon pounded into the line for 4 yards but on review it was judged just short of the first down. Coach Brunskill passed on the sure tying field goal and Matt Ryan got the first down on a sneak. A quick slant pass to Deandre Hopkins finished the drive. Carolina 17-Tennessee 14.

There were 10 minutes left in the game as Carolina downed the ensuing kickoff. On 3rd and 9 Wilson hit Dalton Schultz on a medium slant. He slipped a tackle and was rumbling for a seeming touchdown. BUT Matt Milano did not give up on the play and he tracked down Schultz at the Titan 28 and punched the ball out. CB Tre Herndon scooped up the ball and started picking his way through the oncoming Panthers. DKS took forever to describe it but Herndon went all the way for the go ahead touchdown. Tennessee 21-Carolina 17.

With 7:53 left in the game Carolina couldn’t get their ground game going and had to punt after three unsuccessful Derrick Henry runs. Tennessee was able to burn up nearly 5 minutes on the clock before Titan punter Jack Fox pinned the Panthers at their own 10 yard line with a minute to go. That was too much even for Russell Wilson to overcome and the game was over.
Final score Tennessee 21-Carolina 17.

For the Panthers Russell Wilson was stellar (23/28 300yds 2TDs) but Derrick Henry was stymied for only 53 yards on 23 carries. As usual Deandre Hopkins was the Titan star with 9 catches for 107 yards and a TD.

Carolina hosts the LA Rams next week while the Titans visit the Kitsilano Showboats (aka Jacksonville Jaguars).

Arizona 10 Tampa Bay 36                     79 Calm
The Arizona Cardinals traveled to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers on a clear 79° day with no wind in the air. Both teams played the game as if they were in a tropical storm.
The game was a tight battle in the first half with Arizona going ahead 7 to 3 late in the first quarter when a Patrick Mahomes bullet hits Christian Kirk in the numbers on 3rd and 14 from the Bucs 24. Mahomes was 5 for 6 on the drive for 60 yards. This was the first time Tampa has trailed in a game since week 3 versus Green Bay.
On the next possession, Derek Carr tries to channel his inner Mahomes and fumbles the ball away at midfield when he gets smashed by Emmanuel Ogbah. The home crowd is silenced, but the Cardinals don’t take advantage. After a three and out punt, the Buccaneer sails catch the wind with a good mix of runs and passes covering 89 yards in 12 plays. In a game trend, even though Coach Heaton had the right defense called, Todd Gurley finished the drive with a 4 yard off tackle run. Not to be outdone by any means, the Cardinals answered back with a 16 play 63-yard drive, however, it stalls out at the Tampa 12. After a Daniel Carlson field goal, the halftime score is tied at 10.
The second half included both Carr and Mahomes throwing 2 interceptions. The Cardinals added 4 penalties negating positive plays including a 15-yard reception by Kirk that would have brought the ball to the Tampa Bay 26 when the game was still tied at 10 early in the third quarter. After success with the running game, Tampa’s Carr took over in the third quarter with play calling over two drives that included 13 passes in 15 plays with only two incompletions. During the stretch Carr was good for 152 yards and two touchdowns. At the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard read 29 – 10 Tampa. The final score was 36 - 10. There were numerous times when coach Heaton called the right offensive or defensive play only to see Tampa come out on top.
Tampa Bay was 5/5/0 in the red zone while Arizona only managed 4/1/1. The Cardinals were penalized 9 times for 75 yards as compared to the Bucs 3 for 21. Total yardage was 377 Tampa to the Cardinals 213.
Next week the Cardinals host the Cowboys. It’s a big one in the NFC Central when the 5 and 2 Green Bay Packers head to Florida. The Pack handed the Bucs their only loss of the year in a week 3 Wisconsin drubbing 27 – 10. The Buccaneer cannons will be loaded and ready to tear into some plentiful Packer fatty tissue!

San Francisco 20 Baltimore 17               64 0-5
San Fran traveled to Baltimore and Coach McCormick earned my vote for Coach of the Year. Considering what tools he has in the shed...one...Stephon Diggs...he did a masterful job, squeezing everything out of his players. In the end, I guess the Ravens...Baker Mayfield in particular...just didn't want the W.

Mayfield threw 3 INTs, the last of which the Niners turned into a TD that gave them a 17-10 lead with about 12 minutes left in the game. Baltimore would put together a 14-play, 75-yard drive that knotted the game at 17-17 when Mayfield found Le'Veon Bell from 5 yards out. The key play in the drive, however, was TE Logan Thomas' 9-yard snag on a 4th-and-3 from the Niner's 26 that kept the drive alive.

SF had two chances to win in regulation, but couldn't get past midfield. Baltimore drove to the SF 39 with a little over a minute remaining, but with Michael Badgley kicking, Coach Master didn't want to chance a missed FG that would hand the ball to the Niners near mid-field with a minute left in regulation.

On to overtime...Baltimore received the kick and reached midfield, but the Niner D stiffened and, again playing conservative, the Ravens punted. The choice seemed like a wise one as Rigoberto Sanchez's boot pinned the Niners at their own 4 and the Ravens D held. After SF's punt, the Ravens had it at midfield with 4:33 remaining. Though the Purple-and-Black did get a first down, two incomplete passes saw the drive stall and out came Badgley to attempt a 49-yard FG. Of course, he missed it - now 4-for-8 - and SF advanced quickly downfield, where Mason Crosby booted a 42-yard, game winning FG as the OT clock expired.

San Francisco (2-4) 20
Baltimore (2-4) 17

Stat-pack QB Bryce Perkins (a UVa grad) did just enough to lead his team to victory, going 25-for-39 for 226 yards with no INTs and 1 TD (a 44-yard strike to Stephon Diggs in the 2nd Q).

Diggs hauled in 11 of 14 targets for 139 yards, including a key 18-yard gain just before Crosby's GW FG.

It was one of those games where the losing team pretty much dominated the stats all across the board...except the one that mattered.

Miami 0 Los Angeles (A) 24                  73 Calm
Nick Chubb rushes for almost six yards per carry with a touchdown and the Charger “D” tosses the shutout.

Cincinnati 35 New Orleans 35                70 Calm
The Bengals traveled to N'awlins to take on the NFC West leading Saints. Saint Jim is out of town until after the week seven deadline so Buc Mike stepped in and proved to be a worthy foe.

After an exchange of punts the Bengals went on a 17 play 76 yard drive as Aaron Rodgers found Travis Fulgham from eight yards out for a 7-0 lead with about four minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Saints countered with a 75 yard drive that took just seven plays to complete with Clyde Edwards-Helaire breaking free for the 40 yard score.

The Bengals took control in the second quarter as Rodgers found new addition Eric Ebron from eight yards out. The Bengals forced another New Orleans punt and Rodgers connected with D.J. Chark Jr. for 20 and then for a 42 yard scoring strike to take a 21-7 lead with five minutes remaining in the half. However, a Jaydon Mickens 76 yard kickoff return set the Saints up as Cam Newton found A.J. Brown from 22 yards out. The point after was no good so Cincinnati led 21-13. After forcing another Bengals punt, New Orleans was able to march down the field for a Brandon McManus 45 yard field goal on the final play of the half, cutting the Bengals lead to 21-16.

The Bengals got a big break to open the third quarter as Chidobe Awuzie intercepted Cam and the Bengals took over at the New Orleans 21. But Rodgers fumbled on the very next play and the Saints recovered. A Brown reception for 36 yards set up a Newton to Edwards-Helaire seven yard score. The try for two failed so New Orleans led 22-21 with a little under eight minutes remaining in the quarter. Cincinnati had a chance to regain the lead but Ka'imi Fairbairn's 38 yard field goal attempt was no good.

The Saints extended their lead to 29-21 as the pesky Helaire caught another touchdown pass from five yards out. It got more bleak for the IFL Bengals as Breon Borders intercepted a Rodgers pass on the Bengals next series. However, the Cincinnati defense stepped up and forced a three and out. The Bengals offense put together another long drive with Rodgers taking it in himself to cut the lead to 29-28. New Orleans answered as Brown caught his second touchdown to increase their lead to 35-28. The try for two failed once again. Cincinnati had one last chance with a little over two minutes remaining in regulation. The Bengals went 65 yards in a little less than two minutes as Rodgers found rookie receiver Bryan Edwards from seven yards out to tie the game at 35 with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. (I thought about going for two but chickened out).

Neither offense could get into field goal range much less score a touchdown. So, the IFL have their first tie of the season, 35-35.

For visiting Cincinnati Rodgers finished 32 of 55 for 396 yards and four touchdowns with an INT. He was also sacked five times. Dionate Johnson caught nine passes for 131 yards and two TDs. Chark Jr. also went for 103 receiving yards and a score.

Edwards-Helaire rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and added eight receptions for 86 yards and a score. Newton finished 21 of 36 for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns and an INT. He was sacked four times. Brown finished with seven receptions for 86 yards and two scores despite being shadowed by Jalen Ramsey for most of the game.

Next week the Bengals host Baltimore in a key AFC Central contest while the Saints travel to Pittsburgh.

New York (A) 23 Houston 21                  70 Calm
Dustin Hopkins keeps the Jets undefeated with a game winning field goal from 26 yards out.

Buffalo 17 Denver 24                        68 0-5
Buffalo heads into Denver and gives the undefeated Broncos all they can handle as the Bills led at the half 10-7. The Bills defense stymied Jonathon Taylor all game long and other than a couple long completions to Samuel the Broncos offense and Mitch Trubisky struggled. Early in the 4th Kyler Murray hit Valdes-Scanting for a 40 TD to tie the score at 17. On the ensuing kickoff Adderley returned it 100 yards to the Buffalo 2 where Taylor ran it in to end the scoring and give Denver a 24-17 victory! I want to thank Tony Cox for filling in for Denver.

Atlanta 24 Pittsburgh 31                    54 0-10
The 3-3 Steelers are installed as a 6 point favorite at home against the 1-5 Falcons but when its a father vs son throw the records out the window.

Steelers get the opening kickoff and a Brady to Byrd 40 yard connection is the big play in an 8 play 75 yard drive finished off by Edwards 1 yard TD. 7-0 . The Falcons take their first possession down to the Steelers 29 but Harris picks off Rivers on the 10 to end that drive. End of the 1st Steelers 7 Falcons 0

On a drive that started with 6 minutes left in the first Gus Edwards runs it in from 14 yards out with 13 minutes to go in the half to give Pittsburgh a 14-0 lead. Atlanta responds with an 11 play 75 yard drive that takes 7 minutes finishes with a Richards 4 yard TD run. as the Falcons cut into the lead 14-7. The Steelers take their next drive down to the Falcons 4. A Gore 2 yard loss , a false start , then Watt picks off Brady on a tipped check down pass to end the drive and keep it a one possession game. At the Half Steelers 14 Falcons 7

The Falcon come out fired up and the offense continues what they started in the first half and take the second half Kickoff 9 plays and Mosert runs it in from 8 yards out and we are tied at 14. After a Steelers punt the Falcons take over at their 16. on their 3rd play Rivers is picked again by S Anthony Harris setting up the home team at the 22. On the 2nd play Brady checks down to Knox who takes it in from 19 yards out and Pittsburgh goes back on top. End of 3 Steelers 21 Falcons 14

On the Falcons next possession it bleeds over until the 4th a 25 yard screen play to Agholor is the big play in this drive but it stalls on the Steelers 29. Folk 45 yard FG makes it 21-17 . on the ensuing kickoff Pringle breaks one 104 yard TD seems to give all the momentum to the home team 28-17 but their is still over 14 minutes left in the game. Atlanta has another long drive on their next possession this time a 10 play drive capped off by a Richards 16 yard TD on a draw play 28-24 with 7 minutes to go. Pittsburgh not wanting to let their tired defense back on the field puts together a Brady like drive and drains the clock down to 1:47 left and Bass attempts a 49 yard FG and makes it 31-24. Atlanta just ran out of time as they drove it down to the Steelers 35 but a desperation heave false harmlessly to the ground and Dad takes the 1st game in this father -son rivalry.

Just to give you a little taste of the friendly (sometimes bitter) rivalry . I am a Giants fan most son's follow dad to his team nope he roots for their bitter rival Cowboys (I guess Aikman, Smith, Irving had an influence on him growing up) .....I am a Yankee fan a harmless mistake in a hat bought by mom when he was young turns out it was a Mets hat not a Yankee hat (what it has NY on it lol) so he has had to live as a fan of the hapless Mets .

Anyway he called a very good game and it came down to Turnovers and a Kick return for a TD that decides round 1.

Washington 21 Minnesota 17                  68 Calm
Dak Prescott came off the bench to rally the Football Team to a road win over Minnesota.

Dallas 20 Detroit 21                        70 Calm
Marcus Mariota throws two touchdown passes but Frankie Luvu’s 20 yard fumble return for a touchdown proves to be the difference as the Lions pick up their first win of the season.

Los Angeles (N) 21 Jacksonville 14          81 0-10
A tough Rams D shuts down Josh Allen and the Jags 21-14 in Jacksonville. Ryan did a great job coaching and bottled up the jags passing game all day long. The Rams climb to 4-3 while the Jags fall to 3-4.

New York (N) 17 Green Bay 21                62 10-20
Big Ben’s four-yard touchdown pass to Perriman with a little over a minute remaining gives Pack the win.

Rushing Leaders
Edwards-He(NO) 21-132 2 TD
Hunt,K(NE)      11-103
Gurley II(TB)   15-73 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Diggs,S(SF)     11-139 1 TD
Allen,K(Min)    10-110 1 TD
Watkins,Q(Dal) 11-103

Passing Leaders
Rodgers,A(Cin) 55-32-396   4 TD 1 Int
Watson,D(NYJ)   40-24-353   2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Newton(NO)      36-21-306   3 TD 1 Int
Rivers,P(Atl)   45-34-301   1 TD 2 Int
Wilson,R(Car)   28-23-300   2 TD
Brees(Min)      47-34-286   2 TD

Defensive Standouts
Harris,A(Pit)    2 Int 6 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Smith,J(Det)     15 Tk

Special Teams
Hopkins(NYJ) GW Field Goal – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 7 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 7 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 6 RECAP

Patrick Mahomes throws 2 touchdown passes and runs for another as Cardinals hold off Washington.

Game Scores
Washington 24 Arizona 27                    72 Calm
There is no better example of everything going right for one team and everything going wrong for the other team than last Sunday’s game between the Skins and Cards.

Mahomes repeatedly make difficult throws to double or triple covered receivers. Of course the receivers also helped him along by making acrobatic one handed catches outside of their normal catch radiuses. On the other side of the ball, Bridgewater over threw wide open receivers or had receivers running the wrong routes or just plain sleeping. As a result, the Cards moved the ball down the field time and time again, often looking too easy. The Skins either failed to complete the pass or stalled the drive by missing on easy plays.

Making life even more difficult for the skins was the newly found Cardinal running game. Barkley had been a disappointment all season long. Suddenly, he ran the ball like a bell cow. It was the first time this season that the Cards had over 100 yards rushing.

The Skins simply could not recover from their miscues and turnovers. Vegas had this game all wrong.

Tampa Bay 24 Chicago 8                      54 10-20
Ugly evening in Chicago as TB rolls all over DaBears. But much thanks to my friend Mike for calling off the dogs. Something the Packers coach has mucho problems doing. Hey if you have a friend, put your boot on his neck & kick him, or her as far as Conners is concerned. Weak stuff.

Next week somebodys gonna have to play the Bucs & the Bucs are tough. The Eagles get to push around the Bears.

Los Angeles (A) 20 Dallas 7                 70 Calm
In a defensive struggle between two one-win teams, the Los Angeles Chargers prevailed 20-7 over the Dallas Cowboys Wednesday afternoon. The Cowboys took the early lead when Cowboy cornerback Taron Johnson picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick and took it 38 yards to the house for an early 7-0 Dallas lead. That would be the only scoring the Chargers would allow this afternoon.

The Bolts tied the contest in the second quarter on a 13-play, 69-yard drive when Nick Chubb bulldozed his way into the end zone. Dallas had a chance to pull within four but Gostlowski missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Los Angeles pulled ahead 14-7 on a Fitzpatrick to Amari Cooper pass that went for 28 yards.

Dallas would then miss another FG, this one from 47 yards out.

Dallas’ Alex Erickson, who dropped a punt the previous series but was able to recover it, then dropped another punt only to have a Charger pounce on the ball at the Dallas 4.   With my keying Chubb, McFarland scored on a short run. But the PAT was missed making it 20-7 Los Angeles with 4:29 left in the game.

The game was iced when Quandre Diggs intercepted a Justin Herbert pass on Dallas’ next possession.

Though Dallas’ offense remains inept, it’s defense held the Chargers to only 264 yards. However, we could only muster 188 (and I’m running out of stat pack receptions already).


Pittsburgh 10 Cincinnati 31                 54 5-15
In a battle for first place in the AFC Central the Bengals host the Steelers. After forcing Pittsburgh to punt, the Bengals went on a 12 play 79 yard drive capped off by an Aaron Rodgers to D.J. Chark 15 yard scoring pass. Cincinnati would increase their lead to 14-0 as Rodgers found Travis Fulgham from 20 yards out with a little over nine minutes remaining in the half. Highlighted by a Frank Gore 20 yard run the Steelers finally got on the board but had to settle on rookie kicker's Tyler Bass 47 yard field goal to make it 14-3 with a little less than six minutes remaining in the half. Rodgers did not let off the pedal as he completed five passes with the last good for a 14 yard score to Dionate Johnson for a 21-3 lead.

Cincinnati opened the second half with a ten play 75 yard drive ending with Rodgers fourth passing touchdown of the game to Gerald Everett for 11 yards. The Bengals added a field goal before the Steelers closed out the scoring as Tom Brady found Gronk from 31 yards out.

Brady finished 16 of 26 for 159 yards with a TD and an INT. Rookie sensation Justin Jefferson was held to six catches for 66 yards.

WIth a potential three game losing streak starring the Bengals in the face, Rodgers was the story of this game. He finished 28 of 33 for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Travis Fulgham caught five passes for 97 yards and a score.

Next week will be a special game for the Steelers as the Falcons come to town. Throw out the records when father faces son. The Bengals have a tough one as well as they travel to the Big Easy to take on the currently undefeated Saints.

Miami 28 Minnesota 23                       68 Calm
It was like old times for the Dolphins as Jared Goff throws three touchdown passes and the defense sacks Drew Brees four times as Miami edges the Vikings.

Indianapolis 0 New England 31               57 0-5
Nick Foles completes 30 of his 32 pass attempts for 304 yards and 2 TDs as the Patriots dispatch of the rebuilding Colts by the score of 31-0. Nyheim Hines ran for 2 more TDs to go along with his 92 yards rushing.

Colt rookie QB Joe Burrow will have better days (61 yards passing on the day).

Jacksonville 35 San Francisco 9             73 0-10
IFL Player of the week DK Metcalf hauls in nine passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns as the Jags down San Francisco.

Detroit 6 Green Bay 28                      45 10-20 Heavy Rain
Packers score touchdowns on their first 4 possessions to jump out to a 28-0 lead
and never look back.

Cold, windy night at Lambeau matches the mood of an ugly second half.
Lone highlight came early 4th when Marcus Mariota found Jerry Jeudy for a 59 yard
catch and run TD.

Dalvin Cook was the game star with 126 yards on 22 carries and 3 TD's.

Green Bay host the Giants week 7, while Detroit welcomes Dallas.


Buffalo 14 New York (A) 33                  69 5-15
Buffalo comes to New York to play the Jets in Friday afternoon Divisional matchup.

The Jets win the toss, and elect to receive the opening kickoff. Five minutes later Hopkins converts a 27 yard FG to open the scoring.

After 6 plays, and only 23 yards Buffalo punts the ball back to New York. This time Watson drives his team 73 yards in 6 minutes, and hits Jones Jr. on a 10 yard pass to make it 10-0 Jets.

On their next possession the Bills get 18 yards on 6 plays, and have to punt again. New York strikes quickly this time with Watson hitting Woods on a 52 yard catch, and run to make it 17-0.

Buffalo is held to a 3, and out, and the Jets score again…24-0.

New York scored on all 5 first half possessions, and at the half it was 27-0.

To start the 2nd half Kyler Murray took the Bills 89 yards in 7 minutes to get his team on the scoreboard…27-7. Both teams were taking their time on offense the entire second half, and the final was 33-14…

For the Jets Watson was 20-29 for 295 yards, and 3 TDs. Gordon ran for 135 yards on 13 carries, and Jones Jr. had 8 receptions for 114 yards.

The Bills saw Murray go 21-29 for 186 yards, and 1 TD. Gaskin ran 12 times for 38 yards.

Next week Buffalo visits Denver, and New York visits Houston.

Tennessee 38 Baltimore 7                    71 5-15
That thud you may have heard was the Ravens plummeting to the ground like a meteor going 32,000 mph.

Tennessee's offense was unstoppable, scoring on their first four possessions. Their third touchdown came after the Titan D stopped the Raven O on a 4th-and-2 at the Tennessee 8. Fourteen plays and 92 yards later, it was 21-7 Titans. Their fourth TD came again after the Titans D stopped the Ravens O at the Titan 46. With just :22 left on the clock before the half, Coach Master thought they'd gamble on 4th-and-10. The gamble failed and the Titans got the ball back with :16 remaining and a little over half the field to go. Matt Ryan barely needed the :16 as he hit Kalif Raymond for 12 and DeAndre Hopkins for 42 and a 28-7 lead at the half...and receiving the 2nd half kick-off.

While Baltimore's D forced a Titan punt, Baker Mayfield threw an INT that led to a Titan FG...and then threw another that resulted in a 1-play, 16-yard TD to Brandon Aiyuk. 38-7 and we were barely into the 3rd quarter.

On the bright side...well, there wasn't a bright side...but stat pack back Kenjon Barner almost made it to the 100 yard benchmark on a steady diet of 20 dive plays in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Probably would have made it had he not been gassed and pulled himself out of the game begging for mercy from the Raven coaching staff.

Atlanta 17 Los Angeles (N) 34               67 Calm
This was the first matchup between the two rivals since Paul Alberry has taken over the stewardship of the Atlanta Falcons. The game was much more competitive than the score would make it seem. Coach Alberry has inherited somewhat of a rebuilding job, the Falcons have some quality young players on defense, but the offense still relies on the old guard that troubled the Rams for so many years. Father time has not been kind as Philip Rivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Zach Ertz were held in check most of the day by the Rams defense. A blocked punt in the first half helped stake the Rams to a 21-7 lead at the break.

In the 2nd half the Falcons defense held, but needed help from the offense. It just never came. A 4th quarter interception by Rams safety Justin Simmons put the Rams in short field position again. That led to the nail in the coffin score. Young QB Jalen Hurts made a cameo for the Falcons and provided a jolt. Perhaps he will get some more time in the future. If not for the two short fields the game would have been much tighter. The Rams expect the next meeting with the Falcons to be a battle, until then the Rams evened up their record at 3-3, while the Falcons fall to 1-5.

Some notable performances

Falcons:
DE Josh Sweat 2 sacks

Rams:
QB Daniel Jones 4 TD passes, but only 133 yards passing.

Next week Los Angeles Travels to Jacksonville and Atlanta visits Pittsburgh.

  Las Vegas 28 Kansas City 7                  62 5-15
Visiting Las Vegas recorded 6 sacks and DJ Moore had 7 receptions good for 124 yards and a TD as the Raiders defeated Kansas City 28-7.

New Orleans 14 Carolina 20                  68 0-5
Panthers hold on by the skin of their teeth to pull out a home win.

Carolina looked in control taking a 20-0 lead after a Blankenship field goal with 2 minutes left in the third. The Saints then went into comeback mode scoring with two long passes to A.J. brown to pull within 6 with 3 minutes remaining. The Saints then hold on D and get the ball back but can't drive to the endzone and fall just short.

New Orleans 14
Carolina 20

For the Saints, Edwards-Helaire only averaged 11 yards a carry and A.J. Brown only 30 yards a reception, finishing with 89 and 91 yards respectively. Slackers!

For the Panthers, Henry rushed for 139 yards and Wilson threw for 208.

Philadelphia 23 New York (N) 10             70 5-15 Light Rain
Giants continue to struggle in a loss to division foe Philadelphia.

Houston 24 Denver 27                        68 Calm
simmed

Rushing Leaders
Henry,D(Car)    30-139 1 TD
Gordon III(NYJ) 13-135
Cook,D(GB)      22-126 2 TD
Taylor,J(Den)   27-108 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Metcalf(Jax)     9-190 3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Passing Leaders
Allen,J(Jax)    28-25-367   4 TD 1 Int
Rodgers,A(Cin) 33-28-326   4 TD
Foles(NE)       32-30-304   2 TD
Brees(Min)      48-31-272   3 TD 1 Int
Jones,D(LAR)    25-16-133   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Davis,J(Was)     15 Tk
Jenkins(TB) 7 Tk, 3 PD, 1 Int – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Hopkins,D(NYJ) 4-4 FG – IFL Special Team Player of the Week

WEEK 6 IFL STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 6 LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 5 RECAP

DeAndre Hopkins catches two touchdown passes as the Titans tighten the AFC Central race.

Game Scores
Cincinnati 24 Tennessee 25                  68 5-15
The Bengals dominated this game statistically with 457 net yards versus Tennessee's 265 as well as having the ball for 38:13 of the game. However it was a tight game from beginning to end as neither team had more than a 7 point lead at any time in the game.

Cincinnati scored a TD early in the 4th quarter to take a 24-17 lead. Then the defenses stiffened and it became a field position game. With 3 and a half left in the game a Titan drive stalled at its own 37. Tennessee punter Jack Fox boomed a 57 yarder that returner Tommylee Lewis fair caught at the Bengal 6. Three Ronald Jones runs netted the Bengals only 5 yards and the subsequent punt and return left the Titans at mid-field with just over 2 minutes and one time-out left.

A Jalen Ramsey grabbing the facemask penalty put the ball at Cinci's 36 yard line. An 8 yard completion Ryan to Hopkins moved the ball to the 28. Coach Brunskill called a short cross to Aiyuk while coach Storer dropped into a 3-1 defense with tight man and a double team on Hopkins. DKS did its magic and Ryan zipped the pass to Hopkins who sprinted into the end zone. Cincinnati 24-Tennessee 23.

With 1:43 left in the game, an unreliable placekicker (Zane Gonzalez) and an exhausted defense coach Brunskill opted to go for 2. Designated RB AJ Dillon went off right tackle and squeezed into the end zone. Tennessee 25-Cincinnati 24.

Normally Aaron Rodgers with 1:43 on the clock and needing only a field goal would be a sure thing. However after one first down Rodgers had two incompletions sandwiched between a 3 yarder to Eifert. On 4th down and 7 a short pass to Freddie Swain only netted 3 yards and the game was over. Final score Tennessee 25-Cincinnati 24.

The Bengals Diontae Johnson caught 10 passes for 139 yards and a score. Titan DeAndre Hopkins caught 7 for 117 yards and two scores.

Next week Tennessee visits Baltimore while Cincinnati hosts Pittsburgh

Kansas City 14 Los Angeles (A) 31           70 Calm
Ryan Fitzpatrick throws one touchdown and runs for another as the Chargers pick up their first win.

Minnesota 14 Tampa Bay 30                   90 10-20
The Minnesota Vikings traveled to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in a game for first place in the division. Both teams came in with 3 wins and 1 loss.
In the first quarter Minnesota could get nothing going on offense despite three possessions. In addition, they mixed in a bad snap to their punter. Meanwhile, Tampa’s Derek Carr was 6 for 6 passing including two over 20 yards and two short touchdown passes to Devante Adams. After a missed extra point, End of first quarter: Tampa 13 – Minnesota 0.
The second quarter did not treat the Vikings more favorably. Inexplicably, Drew Brees was intercepted twice. The turnovers were turned into 10 Tampa points. Halftime: Tampa 23 – Minnesota 0.
The early third quarter saw the Vikings score after interior lineman Dalvin Tomlinson batted a Carr pass in the air that was then will picked off by safety Jeff Heath and returned 42 yards to the Buccaneers 6-yard line. Two plays later Brees connected with Keenan Allen for a touchdown. Tampa 23 – Minnesota 7.
Tampa answered right back covering 79 yards in 5 plays. Carr found Tyler Lockett streaking down the right sideline from 43 yards out for the score. Tampa 30 – Minnesota 7.
The final score of the game was credited to the Vikings late in the third quarter. Vikings running back Darwin Thompson finished off a 12 play 75-yard drive with a scoring blast up the middle. Tampa 30 – Minnesota 14.
The fourth quarter was consumed by Tampa Bay working to chew up clock and Minnesota heaving the ball around to four wide receivers. No more scoring resulted. Final Tampa 30 – Minnesota 14.
Next week the Vikings host the Dolphins while the Bucs travel to Chicago to take on the Bears.

Indianapolis 6 Miami 20                     78 Calm
Indy's massive rebuild struggles continue on the road at Miami. Miami scores 3 first half touchdowns and cruises to a 20-6 victory as the Colts get on the board twice in the 2nd half with a FG in each of the 2nd half quarters.

Both Teams are on the road next week with the Colts visiting the Patriots and the Dolphins traveling outside the conference to the Vikings

Carolina 35 San Francisco 31                63 5-15
The 49ers jump out to a 21 7 lead in the first 20 minutes of the game against the heavily favored Panthers. Unfortunately the home team was unable to retain the lead as the Panthers roared back outscoring the Niners 28 to 10 the rest of the way.

Panthers were lead by Russel Wilson's 286 passing yards and 3 TD passes, Mike Evans had 110 yards in receiving while catching 2 tuddies. The Panthers added 167 in rushing yards.

Tyler Boyd had 113 in receiving yards and 2 TD receptions for the 49ers.

Carolina host the undefeated Saints in week 6, while the 49ers host the Jags.

New England 34 Buffalo 0                    62 15-25
The New England Patriots come to Buffalo and dominate the Bills in every category and lead 31-0 at the half and go onto win 34-0! The Pats improve to 4-1 while the Bills fall to 3-2. The Patriots will host the Colts next week while the Bills head to New York to take on the division leading Jets.

Dallas 6 Philadelphia 27                    58 10-20
The early season divisional matchups in the NFC East would continue as Dallas would make a visit to Philly. The Eagles came in leading the division but knew that they couldn't let the 1-3 Cowboys sneak up on them.

The Cowboys would win the toss and elect to take the ball first. Moving methodically down the field with rookie QB Justin Herbert making accurate throws, the Cowboys would draw first blood on a Steven Gostkowski 52 yard FG. 3-0 Cowboys. The Eagles would go 3 and out on their first possession and Herbert & company would go right back to work. Another Gostkowski FG, this time from 45, would put the Cowboys up by 6.

The Eagles would get their offense going in the 2nd quarter and would get the score to 6-3 on a Harrison Butker 45 yard FG. It was at this point in the game that the Eagles would get both their defense and offense going. After stopping the Cowboys on their next possession, the Eagles would get their first TD of the game as Eagle QB Ryan Tannehill would hit WR Brandin Cooks on a 40 yard fly pattern to take the lead 10-6. They would follow that with a quick drive before the half by adding another Butker FG to take a 13-6 lead into halftime.

The 2nd half would open up with the Eagles taking the opening kickoff and getting their 2nd TD of the day with Tannehill connecting with Cooks again from 16 yards out. 20-6 Eagles. The Eagles defense would stymie the Cowboys on their next possession. The play of the game would occur on the Eagles possession. Starting from their own 20, Tannehill would take the snap and hand it off to RB Brian Hill. Hill would hit the hole between the guard and tackle, break a couple of tackles and race 80 yards for the TD! The Eagles would take a commanding 27-6 lead and that would be the final score.

The Eagles would be led by Tannehill (19-25, 252 and 2 TD's), Hill (12-127 and a TD) and Cooks (6-101 and 2 TD's). The Cowboys would see Herbert go 17-26 and 184.

The Eagles continue their play against divisional opponents by visiting the Giants next week while the Cowboys will go out of conference to play the Chargers.

Houston 28 Arizona 17                       84 Calm
The Arizona Cardinals came in like a Lion but went out like a Lamb losing 28 - 17 to Houston.

During the first quarter, the Cards could do no wrong as they dominated on both sides of the line and took a 10 nothing lead. Arizona's first possession with a 16 play drive resulting in a TD was a thing of beauty. Houston helped throwing an interception on the next series allowing the Red Birds to capitalize with a field goal.

After shutting Houston down with a 3 and out after receiving the next kickoff, it began to look like the Cards were going to have an easy day. Them Mahome's fumbles and Cousins steps up. It only took Kirk two plays to find the end zone, but more importantly he found his confidence.

Houston would stall the next Arizona threat and force the Cards to settle for 3 again. Kirk on the other hand caught on fire. It took him only 5 plays to add another TD and close the gap to 17 - 14. It no longer mattered what Zona tried on defense, Cousins countered it with uncanny accuracy to thread the needle time and time again for drive saving completions. It looked as if the Cardinals could have played 22 men on defense and it would not have made a difference. Making life more miserable for Arizona, the Houston defense stepped up to play just as well.

Already, the Zona future for this year seem to be in jeopardy. Hopefully, they will turn it around next week.

New York (A) 38 Detroit 14                  70 Calm
Lions only trail by a touchdown at the half but Gang Green puts this one away with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh 14 Jacksonville 35               67 10-20
The Jags race out to an early 2nd quarter 21-0 lead and never look back. The Jaguars O was unstoppable while the D made just enough stops for the Jacksonville win. Josh Allen for the second week in a row throws for over 300 yards and 4tds while Rashard Higgins had a career game with 6 catches for 141 yards and 2TDs in support.

Sam coached a great game but the football gods were not on his side today.

Allen (Jax) 18 of 23 for 320 yards, 4TDs
Brady (Pitt) 26 of 43 for 225 yards, 2TDs

Gibson(Jax) 11 carries 106 yards, 1TD
Gore(Pitt) 10 carries for 48 yards

Higgins(Jax) 6 catches 141 yards, 2TDs
Metcalf(Jax) 3 catches 90 yards,1TD
Jefferson(Pitt) 7 catches for 81 yards, 1TD

Green Bay 24 Chicago 0                      57 5-15
GB handles Chicago with relative ease 24-0. The crazy thing is, that Conners still managed to win this game despite getting completely out coached. It was sad in a way to see such a good team underperform in such a manner under this bumbling fool.

Next week GB plays somebody & DaBears host another arch rival in Mikes TB team. Hopefully Mr Chase will be out on parole by then, cuz it just wouldn't be as much fun waxing his ass't coach.

Baltimore 42 Atlanta 28                     68 Calm
The 1-3 Ravens traveled to Atlanta to take on the 1-3 Falcons. The Falcons were favored by 5 if you were betting...

In the 1st quarter, each team traded passing TDs ending the quarter tied 7-7.

In the 2nd quarter it was more of the same, trading TDs with Atlanta kicking a FG to go up 17-14 with 2 minutes left. Baltimore couldn't be stopped and scored a TD before half making it 21-17.

Things changed in the 3rd Quarter as Atlanta couldn't stop Baker Mayfield even in a Quarter defense.. Baltimore scored another passing TD to go up 28-17. Atlanta answered with a FG to make it 28-20 going into the 4th.

Baltimore put another passing TD on the Falcons secondary to make it 35-20. Atlanta looked to get it going in the 4th however a catch was fumbled by Jakeem Grant on their own 30. Baltimore capitalized with another TD to balloon the game to 42-20.

Atlanta scored another TD with a 2 pt conversion to make it 42-28, but it was too little too late.

Baker Mayfield torched the Falcons secondary going 24-29 with 5 TDs and a passer rating of 149.2.

Denver 34 Las Vegas 17                      83 Calm
Broncos slayed the Raiders as Mitch Trubisky played exceptionally well completing his first 10 passes while Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions including a costly one late.

Los Angeles (N) 11 New Orleans 27           70 Calm
The saints win behind their D. Their defense only gave up 169 yards and the Saints controlled the clock having the ball for over 36 minutes.

New York (N) 3 Washington 31                62 5-15
Teddy Bridgewater throws three touchdown passes to three different receivers as the Football Club cruises.

Rushing Leaders
Cook,D(GB)      25-145 2 TD
Hill,B(Phi)     12-127 1 TD
Chubb,N(LAC)    17-127 1 TD
Gibson(Jax)     11-106 1 TD
Hunt,K(NE)      14-104

Receiving Leaders
Johnson,D(Cin) 10-139 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Rodgers,A(Cin) 55-35-380   2 TD 1 Int
Stafford(LV)    45-22-350   2 TD 2 Int
Allen,J(Jax)    23-18-318   4 TD
Carr,D(TB)      30-20-317   4 TD 1 Int
Brees(Min)      44-32-310   1 TD 2 Int
Mayfield(Bal)   29-24-299   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week

Defensive Standouts
Dunlap II(NE) 3 TK, 1 SK, 1 FF - IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Bailey(GB) 47.7 ave, 2 inside I20, LG 62 - IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 5 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 5 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 4 RECAP

Cowboys put a dent in Giants playoff hopes with week four upset.

New York (N) 23 Dallas 28                   70 Calm
Entering the game 0-3, the Dallas Cowboys played a terrific first half and took a 21-0 lead into the half.   But they had to overcome an ill-advised Justin Herbert interception on a flat pass and a 60-yard punt return to hold off the New York Giants in a 28-3 win. Dylan Mays put 20 points on the board in the fourth quarter but came up short on the final (would-be) game-winning drive as time expired.

Chicago 24 Minnesota 21                     68 Calm
Da'Bears win a close one in Minny. 24-21

It was a very enjoyable game. Brees & his receives had me scared the whole game. He lead Minny to the lead with 6 min left, but then Sam Darnold returned the favor with a 4th qtr winning drive.

Chicago was able to over come coach Nordberg. The idiot lost complete knowledge of the game clock there for a bit.

Next week, Vikings go to TB.

Bears host the team in Halloween cat puke green, GB.

Buffalo 17 Indianapolis 0                   69 Calm
The Buffalo Bills went into Indy 5 point favorites and came away with a 17-0 victory as the game was scoreless heading into the 4th quarter. The Colts struggled all game as they only had 66 yards and 2 first downs and were 0-10 on third down. While the Bills had 297 yards in offense they struggled most of the game sustaining drives. Both punters boomed the heck out of the ball as both averaged over 50 yards a punt. The Bills move to 3-1 while Indy falls to 0-4. Buffalo heads back home to host the Patriots next week while the Colts head to Miami.

Los Angeles (N) 20 Cincinnati 17            43 15-25
The Rams visited Cincinnati in an out of conference IFL game. Los Angeles won the toss and deferred. The Bengals looked to be clicking as Aaron Rodgers connected with Dionate Johnson for a seven yard touchdown to cap a seven play 63 yard drive. Cincinnati's mojo continued as Jalen Ramsey intercepted a Taysom Hill pass. But the Bengals could manage only one first down before being forced to punt. After multiple exchanges of punts, the Rams went on a 17 play 63 yard drive with Hill going in from a yard out to tie the score at seven with 8:35 remaining in the half. After another three and out it looked like Los Angeles would score again but the Bengals defense forced a turnover on downs and took over at their own two. The score remained tied at seven at the half.

The Cincinnati defense forced a three and out on the Rams first possession of the third quarter. However, Brian Burns strip-sacked Rodgers and Los Angeles took over at the Bengals 19. Miles Sanders ran for 13 to take it to the six and one play later Daniel Jones connected with rookie Ceedee Lamb for the six yard score and a 14-7 lead. Cincinnati answered with a 14 play 80 yard drive with Rodgers connecting with Everett for the eight yard score and a 14-14 game early in the fourth.

After forcing a Ram punt, the Bengals faced a third and 12. The pass to Travis Fulgham was inches short at the Los Angeles 13. Initially the Cincinnati coaches staff decided to gamble and go for it. But after seeing like 10 seven rated defensive lineman, the Bengals called timeout and kicked the field goal for a 17-14 lead. Once again the Cincinnati defense forced a turnover on downs. The Bengals made the Rams burn timeouts but were forced to punt.

The Rams took over with 1:05 remaining. The first pass to Lamb went for only eight yards. The second pass to Lamb, despite playing quarter deep zone, went for 57 allowing Los Angeles to tie the score at 17 with a Ryan Succop 33 yard field goal as time ran out in regulation.

Once again the Rams won the toss but this time took the ball but were forced to punt. The Bengals were hit with multiple penalties and were forced to punt from their own 17. Los Angeles took over at their own 31. Sanders runs of 17 and 21 yards and a Hill to Lamb pass for 12 yards setup Succop for the game winning 28 yard field goal.

Rookie Lamb was the star for the Rams with seven catches for 110 yards and a score. He also rushed two times for 20 yards. Jones completed only 18 of 35 passes for 201 yards and a score but rushed for 53 yards. Sanders finished with 85 yards on 17 attempts.

Rodgers was 23 of 27 for 196 yards and two touchdowns for Cincinnati.

Ryan coached a really good game.

Next week, the Rams travel to New Orleans while the Bengals travel to Tennessee for a key division game.

Detroit 3 Tampa Bay 20                      83 0-10
The winless Detroit Lions flew south to play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. The first game of the season saw the Buccaneers down the Lions in Detroit 30 to 23. The large difference between that game and this game was the loss of Lions QB Jimmy Garoppolo to injury. In the Friday press conference Coach Merlenbach expressed a lot of faith in back up Marcus Mariota, who attempted exactly 400 passes for 2,400 yards last year.
The Bucs drove the first possession of the game to the Detroit 5 yard line but came up short on 4th and 3 ill-advisedly attempting a pass to the double covered Hunter Henry. Tampa Bay’s defense forced a 3 and out setting up the Buccaneers at midfield. Derek Carr connected with Hollywood Brown, Hunter Henry and then finally Preston Williams for the touchdown. After a missed extra point, the score is 6 - 0 Tampa.
Mariota, WR Jamison Crowder and RB Josh Jacobs moved the Lions to the Buc 22-yard line however, 4th down conversions were tough to come in this game. Jacobs’ 4th and 1 run is short by inches, turning the ball over on downs. After getting the ball into Detroit territory, Derek Carr audibles at the 23 and hits Tyler Lockett for a scoring strike. 13 – 0 Tampa Bay.
The next 3 possessions are not the finest examples of football. Detroit punts, Carr fumbles the ball away and then the Lion’s kicker, Sam Sloman, misses a short field goal.
With 2 minutes left in the first half, Tampa takes 1 minute to score its third touchdown to go up 20 – 0. TE Jared Cook was the difference. He took a Carr check down 55 yards and then a second check down for 10 yards into the end zone. 20 – 0 at the half.
The second half was composed of good defense by the Lions and extra defensive backs for Mariota to contend with. The only score was a Sloman field goal to get the Lion goose egg off of the scoreboard. Final score Tampa Bay 20 - Detroit 3.
The 3 and 1 Buccaneers host the 3 and 1 Vikings next week. The Lions have a tough one against the mighty Jets.

Tennessee 24 Pittsburgh 31                  66 0-5
Division Rival coming into the Steel City for a Wednesday night Match up.

The Steelers feeling good about the start of their season look to match last years win total tonight. Coming in as 13 point favorites at home .

The game starts out good for the home team also , Lose the toss, get the ball, march down the field in a 9 play drive Brady to Gronk from 15 yards out up 7-0 a little over 5 minutes in the game . Aww this is going to be a good night . That is until the Titans punch them in the gut and show what a quick strike offense looks like with a 4 play TD Drive . 41yard bomb to Hopkins to start the drive finish with a 22 yard TD to Aiyuk tie game 7 minutes into the game. A Brady Interception on the next drive and Matt Ryan is on fire this time it took them 8 plays after the turnover around midfield Hopkins gets a 7 yard TD and its 14-7 Titans after 1.

The Steelers Defense is re grouping as they gather around their d coordinator for a good ole fashion tongue lashing . It seemed to work slightly. Brady connects with Byrd from 25 yards out and the game is tied early in the second. Pittsburgh's Defense still allowed the Titans to drive down the field but this time with the help of a Holding penalty stopped them at the 24. The Special teams got the crowd fired up with a blocked 41 yard FG attempt by Gonzalez . Brady seized the momentum took the team 66 yards in 5 plays and connects with Gronk 24 yards out and his 2nd TD of the game (Coach Alberry is so happy he came out of retirement). That's the half Steelers 21 Titans 14

Crucial opening 3rd quarter drive for both teams but the Steelers were hoping to get a stop and get control of the game . The Titans had other ideas and did it impressively a 5 play 75 yard drive engineered by Ryan who connected with Hopkins from 36 yards out for his 2nd of the game and we are knotted at 21. A quick 3 and out by Pittsburgh and you could sense the crowd getting nervous as this was not their father or for that matter their grandfathers defense. They manage to buck up and get a stop at mid field but Brady and the offense are shut down again in another 3 and out possession. But the opening play for the Titans Reid steps in front of a pass intended for Rudolph and Pittsburgh has their first turnover of the game. It came at a good time as field position was tilted in Tennessee's favor. Brady took over on his 34 got in FG range and Bass made it from 41 yards out. 24-21 Steelers heading into the 4th.

Ryan leads a drive that started at the end of the 3rd and culminated with a Gonzalez 38 yard FG with 11 minutes to go in the game and we are tied once again. Brady takes over and does what Brady does in the 4th Quarter methodically drives the home team down the field on a 10 play drive that stalls on the 12 with 5:31 to go. Bass comes out for the go ahead FG and leaves the field with his head down and still a tie score. The fans really felt this was going to be the way they lost this game as Matt Ryan had been terrific all game and well counting on the Steelers d to hold up this year is asking a lot. Well to everyone's surprise they did hold up and forced the first 3 and out of the game by the Titans ,a sack on first down helped the cause. Tennessee punts and Brady takes over at their own 45 with 3 minutes to play. The Steelers turn to the run game with Edwards churning some clock and gaining yards as the defense was worried about Rookie WR Justin Jefferson.Pittsburgh ran down to the 28 with 2 minutes to go Brady to Gronk short out gets them to the 17 a couple more runs down to the 5 and Titans were down to their last timeout with 1:28 to go. The Titans selling out for the run in a goaline defense Brady goes play action hits his rookie Jefferson for the go ahead TD . Ryan gets 1:16 to pull off the comeback but could only move the ball to midfield as time ran out .

Great game called by Rick .

Pittsburgh 3-1 travels to take on division rival Jacksonville 0-3
Tennessee 1-3 gets a home game against division rival Cincinnati 3-1

Brady 26-35 305 Yards 4TD 1INT 2 sacks
Ryan 30-42 332 Yards 3TD 1INT 2 sacks

Edwards 13-90 yards
Murray    9-85 yards

Jefferson 9-102 yards 1TD
Hopkins    7-148 yards 2TD

Jacksonville 35 Baltimore 13                53 5-15
Josh Allen throws four touchdown passes as the Jags pick up their first win of the season.

Los Angeles (A) 32 Houston 42               70 Calm
Kirk Cousins goes off throwing for 443 yards and five touchdowns as Texans outlast Chargers.

Miami 7 New York (A) 45                     68 0-5
The Miami Dolphins came to New York to play the Jets, after a tough loss to New England the previous week.

New York was ready for a tough divisional game, especially after seeing how well the Dolphins had played against the Pats.

The Jets scored on every one of their possessions in the first half to build a 31-7 advantage.

To add insult to injury Miami opened the second half by fumbling on the opening drive of the half. The Jets took over on the Dolphin 29 yard line, and 3 plays later it was 38-7. New York scored on each of their first 6 possessions in the game.

The final was 45-7…Miami head coach Tony Cox couldn’t get a break the entire game.

For the Jets Watson was 18-21 for 228 yards, and 2 TDs, Gordon ran 17 times for 131 yards, and 3 TDs.

Miami’s Goff was 13-22 for 131 yards, and 1 TD.

Next week Miami hosts Indianapolis, and New York travels to Detroit.

Philadelphia 34 Arizona 27                  86 Calm
Last minute heroics by Mahomes were not enough to dig the Cardinals out of the hole they had dug.

Mahomes threw an early pick in the game when his receiver slipped and fell to the turf after he had released a picture perfect pass. The Eagles tried to get their 7 but a stingy defense held them to just three points.

Arizona could not get things going as their poor run offense could not coax the Eagles out of a heavy pass defense. Philly was able to finally move the ball in for seven to take a commanding 10-0 lead.

Much of the game was uneventful as the Cards offense stalled time and time again. They were age to snag a couple of long field goals to close the gap to 4 points.

The turning point in the game was a Mahomes fumble as he struggled to ignite the Card offense. The Eagles quickly converted it to 7 points. However, The Cards continued to challenge even in adversity. After the Eagle score it took only 4 plays to move down the field to add their own 7 points. The Cards remained within striking distance with the score 20 to 13.

Not wanting to give the Cards momentum, the Eagles attempted to convert a 4th down play. The Cards held and the fans sensed a come back. And Mahomes made it come true. The Cards move 59 yards down the field in 8 plays to tie the game.

Tannyhill had been quiet for most of the game. Nevertheless he stepped up big to move his team 75 yards in just 5 plays to recapture the lead. Then disaster struck again. Mahomes committed his 3rd turnover of the day throwing another pick at the Card 40 yard line. Tanny converted again to go up by 2 touchdowns with only 5 minutes left on the clock. It looked hopeless.

However, with Mahomes, the Cards are NEVER out of the game. Mahomes was able to connect on two bomb passes which lead to 7 and closed the lead to just 7 points. Yet, now the team absolutely had to recover the onside kick. The NFL sissy rules for onside kicks just about make them impossible and it was not possible for the Cards this Sunday. The win goes to Philly.

New Orleans 30 San Francisco 3              66 5-15
Newton throws 3 Tds, 2 to AJ Brown, and rushes for a TD.
The Saints force 3 turnovers and block a punt

The 49ers had 128 yards of total offense and 54 yards in penalties.

Atlanta 33 Carolina 35                      70 Calm
Thanks to Scott Master for subbing this week and coaching a great game. Carolina was a 16 point favorite heading into this game. Crazy game with big momentum swings, unfortunately a few mistakes by Atlanta costs us the game.

We could not stop Carolina as they ran for 245 yards on 41 carries and wore out our defense. Even though Atlanta was out to a 13-0 lead, Carolina came roaring back. A few mistakes by the Falcons including a missed extra point, missed field goal, and interception gave Carolina the breathing room they needed to march down the field vs our defense. Atlanta also had 8 crucial penalties for 78 yards that hurt us.

Even with a Punt return for a TD and a late score to bring the game within 2, Atlanta failed to get the onside kick and that sealed the game.

Denver 17 Kansas City 14                    59 10-20
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 117 yards and a TD on 21 carries as Denver defeated Kansas City 17-14.

Green Bay 10 New England 22                 55 0-10
Patriots jump out to an early 10-0 lead only to see Green Bay rally before halftime thanks to a muffed kick return with a minute to play - leading to a 19 yard Dalvin Cook TD run. In 3rd quarter, Lamar Jackson broke free for a 24 yard run on 3rd and 10, keeping NE's initial drive of the 2nd half alive and setting up a 20 yard TD strike to Tyreek Hill to give the Pats a 17-10 lead. NE forced a punt on the next Packer drive and Lamar had NE on the move once again inside the Packer 20 before throwing an ill-advised interception to give Green Bay life. The ensuing Packer drive went nowhere however, like most of the other possessions in the 2nd half for GB (only 19 offensive plays run by Packers after halftime) as the Patriots dominated time of possession in this one.

Washington 23 Las Vegas 28                  75 0-10
Jason Myers kicks three field goals as Raiders edge Washington.

Rushing Leaders
Henry,D(Car)    22-143 2 TD
Gordon III(NYJ) 17-131 3 TD
Taylor,J(Den)   21-117 1 TD
Kamara(LV)      21-111 1 TD
Jones,A(Was)    15-110

Receiving Leaders
McLaurin(Hou)    9-185 2 TD
Cooper,A(LAC)   10-174 2 TD
Metcalf(Jax)     6-151 1 TD
Davis,G(Atl)     5-114 3 TD

Passing Leaders
Cousins(Hou)    38-29-443   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Fitzpatric(LAC) 35-26-370   3 TD 1 Int
Brees(Min)      50-32-361   3 TD 2 Int
Mahomes(Ari)    45-29-358   3 TD 2 Int
Ryan,M(Ten)     42-30-332   3 TD 1 Int
Rivers,P(Atl)   33-19-308   4 TD 1 Int
Brady(Pit)      35-26-305   4 TD 1 Int
Allen,J(Jax)    24-19-296   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Thompson,S(Phi) 15 Tk
Williams,M(NE)   2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Myers(LV) 3 FG 1XP – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 4 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 4 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 3 RECAP

Phillip Rivers throws for 232 yards and two scores as the Falcons defeat San Francisco in week 3 IFL action.

Game Scores
San Francisco 3 Atlanta 26                  68 Calm
Coming into this divisional matchup, SF was 1-1 and ATL was still searching for their first win. Veteran Phillip Rivers has a chip on his shoulder seeing how the legendary StatPack QB has outperformed him thus far.

SF was 8 point favorites coming into the game

GAME MVP: P Rivers: 22/32 for 232 with 2 TD

1st Q:

SF started off with the lead after a 32 yard kick from Crosby (SF 3- ATL, 0)

ATL struggled in the 1st after getting hit with multiple penalties, but finally get on the board after a 6 minute drive with a 24 yard Folk FG after being stalled on the GL. (SF3 ATL 3)

2nd Q:

ATL scored on a 20 yard TD to Agholor (SF 3 ATL 10)

After a 3-out, ATL takes the ball and ends up making a 41 yard FG (SF 3, ATL 13)

With 1:46 and 3 time outs left, Rivers drives ATL down the field and punches it in with a pass to G. Davis to take a 20-3 lead. (SF 3, ATL 20)

3rd Q:

The 3rd Quarter starts with a Perkins INT leading to an ATL FG (SF 3, ATL 23)

ATL would end the 3rd by driving down and kicking another FG to push the lead to (SF 3, ATL 26)

Arizona 10 Dallas 3                         70 Calm
In a defensive struggle (or was it due to Dallas' #2 and #3 wide receivers being Statpack players and Arizona's RB also being a Statpack slugo?), Arisonza's defense survived an 84-yard drive on Dallas' final possession to prevail by a score of 10-3.   Down seven, the Cowboys took possession at their own five. Jamaal Williams' 17 yard run got Dallas going. On fourth and 3 on it's own 29, Williams broke a 23-yard run. A Mattison run of 8 yards brought Dallas to the Arizona 33. But the Cardinals dropped Mattison for a four yard loss on second down. Herbert's third down pass was incomplete …. but Zona was called for Encroachment. On 3rd and 2, with 57 seconds remaining, McKissic took the handoff from the shotgun on a dive play for four yards and the first down. Following an incomplete pass, Herbert threw a screen pass to McKissic that went for 15 yards … to the Arizona 11 with 31 seconds left.   Herbert then elected to dump the ball to Snead for a mere 3 yard gain forcing Dallas to call their final timeout (come on, man!). Then Herbert was sacked and time expired to preserve the Arizona Cardinals' win.

Houston 34 Kansas City 26                   85 20-30
Kirk Cousins threw for 312 yards and 2 TD and Calvin Ridley had 8 receptions for 137 yards and a TD as Houston defeated Kansas City on the road by a score of 34-26.

Buffalo 24 Chicago 3                        56 0-5
Bears QB Darnold threw a couple costly interceptions that lead to some free points for the Bills. It was a good fun close game. Chicago racks up about 140 yrds total offense & Buffalo was dang near as bad. Buffalo QB-Murray was frustrated with his team mates, sorta cuz they aren't very good. (sorry Greg).

Las Vegas 31 Los Angeles (A) 14             92 Calm
Matthew Stafford throws three touchdown passes as Vegas cruises past the Chargers.

Detroit 0 Minnesota 34                      68 Calm
Drew Brees tosses four touchdown passes as Vikings maul the Lions.

Tampa Bay 10 Green Bay 27                   59 5-15
This game was supposed to be the showcase contest of the September 9-13,
2021 Conners Coaching/GM clinic, until the pandemic cancelled the
Vancouver event.

Tonight's tilt featured star pupil Mike Chase taking on his mentor in a prime time match up
which had most talking about the infamous "Boston Pizza Bowl" of 2017, where
the two teams had their face to face game scrapped midway through the first quarter
due to a combination of WiFi incompetence and overall intoxication.

That game had to be rescheduled to the following day. Coach Chase clearly had
a huge edge as he got to relocate to the palatial Hood estates overlooking Kitsilano beach
while Conners had to play from less than ideal settings next to a clearly askew Bears
coach Steve Nordberg.

Bucs came in as huge 8 point favorites having owned the division the past couple of seasons

Green Bay took the opening kickoff and drove down to the Tampa 19 only to see RB Dalvin Cook fumble
the ball away.

After a Tampa Bay three and out, the Pack moved right back down the field and found paydirt on
a Ben Roethlisberger to AJ Green 27 yard strike, 7-0 home team

On the Bucs next possession LB Nick Kwiatkowski picked off David Carr to set up a 39 yard yard
Mike Nugent FG, 10-0 Green Bay.

Chase's offense finally found some traction on the next series driving all the way down to the
Packers 5, but 2 straight Carr incompletions forced them to settle for a Cody Parkey 29 yard chip shot
10-3 Packers.

Unlike last weeks beat down at the hands of Washington, the Packers offense looked poised
in this one. On the next series they would drive 75 yards in 13 plays capped off by a Cook 6 yard TD run
17-3 Packers

After the Bucs turned it over on downs near midfield, a strange series of events saw
TE Darren Waller cough the ball up at the Tampa Bay 46, only to see Derek Carr fumble it right back
on the next play. Hosts would tack on a FG to go up 20-3 at halftime.

Green Bay's embattled defense really took over in the second half as the high powered
Tampa Bay offense couldn't seem to get going. When Big Ben found Waller for a 10 yard
TD midway through the 3rd this game became a blowout, 27-3 Pack.

A late Tampa Bay touchdown would make the final 27-10 Green Bay.

This one seemed like the Action PC game engine was doing a little self correcting
as Big Ben came in about 20 points under his real life QB rating and Derek Carr was about
20 points over his. Based on that Mike was really fighting an uphill battle all game long.

Carr 15/35 192, 1 TD, 2ints, 58.3 endured a rough outing
The dynamic duo of Adams and Locket had a combined 9 rec for 110 yards on 21 targets
LB Demario Davis was all over the field on defense with 16 tackles.

Dalvin Cook was named the game star with a 29/187, 1 TD stat line
Waller had 10 recs for 80 yards and a TD
Big Ben an efficient 22/28 197, 2TDs

After the game Coach Chase vowed "Revenge will be swift and unmerciful week 8
in Tampa Bay"

New York (A) 31 Indianapolis 3              69 Calm
New York Jets quarterback Deshaun Watson passes for 325 yards and the Jets win easily by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-3 in a game that was not as close as the score would Indicate. The Jets dominated in all phases of the game and the Colts were fortunate to get their lone score.

Tennessee 10 New Orleans 28                 70 Calm
The Titans would roll into New Orleans. the Titans would drive down the field on their first drive but a 52 yard FG would be wide right and the Titans would take over with good field position. On the 4th play Benny Snell would bust one for 38 yards and a TD. 7-0 Saints. The teams would exchange punts and the Titans would get the ball and we move into the 2nd quarter. After an 11 play drive Gonzalez would convert on a 42 yard FG- 7-3 Saints. The Saints would punt after a 3 and out which would lead to our first big play of the game. the Titans would have a 3rd and 1 from the Saints 33. After being stuffed on third down, the Titans would go for it. the hand off would go to rookie AJ Dillon again and he would be stuffed short. New Orleans would then put together a 6 minute drive ending a Cam Newton to Cole Beasley 17 yard TD. 14-3 Saints and that's how we would go to the half. The Saints would take the 2nd half kick off and after a 49 yard bomb to AJ Brown, Newton would throw his 2nd TD of the day, checking down to Edwards Helaire from 14 yards out. Saints 21-3. The Titans would get the ball and on the third play of the drive the Saints D would come up big again. Jabril Peppers would get the pick at the Titans 23. 4 plays later Cam Newton would throw his 3rd TD of the day to Beasley(his 2nd TD) from 8 yards out. 28-3 Saints. The rest of the game was mainly ball control for the Saints. The Titans would add a TD in the 4th as Matt Ryan connected with Aiyuk from 15 yards out. the final would be 28-10 and the Saints go to 3-0 and the Titans fall to 1-2.

Cincinnati 34 Jacksonville 27               89 0-10
The Bengals come to Jacksonville looking to feed on the hapless Jags, and feed they did. The game once again saw the Jags competitive in the first quarter only to see their D disappear from the second quarter on. Arron Rodgers slaughtered the Jaguars throwing for 4TDs and a 140+ QBR. He was well supported by Ronald Jones who bulldozed his way to 98 yards on only 15 carries.

The Jags ran the ball well (32 carries for 198 yards and 3TDs), but once again their non-existent let them down.

Bengals-34 Jags-27

Rodgers (CIN) 26 of 32 for 266 yards, 4TDs
Allen (JAC) 15 of 22 for 163 yards, 1 TD

Gibson (JAC) 16 carries 111 yards, 3 TDs
Jones (CIN) 15 carries for 98

Chark Jr. (CIN) 7 catches for 93 yards, 1 TD
Metcalf (JAC) 4 catches 47 yards, 1TD

Carolina 13 Los Angeles (N) 16              76 Calm
The Rams and Panthers renewed their rivalry in Los Angeles in a game that went to overtime. It was a game of bizarre stats, the Panthers dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 41 minutes, but managed only 293 yards on offense. In contrast the Rams moved the ball effectively totaling 461 yards, but were 0-8 on converting third downs and turned the ball over three times.

The result was a low scoring affair, the Panthers led 6-3 at the half. After an uneventful third quarter the Rams finally managed a second field goal in the 4th quarter to tie the game. Carolina would eventually respond with a long Touchdown drive capped off with a 9 yard Russell Wilson run, leaving the Rams with only 2 minutes left. A fairly standard pass from Rams Quarterback Daniel Jones to rookie WR Ceedee Lamb changed the game as Lamb weaved through multiple defenders for a 72 yard gain. Rams RB Miles Sanders would get the tying score.

In overtime Carolina was able to drive the ball to the Rams 29yard line, but the Carolina Kicker pushed the winning field goal wide right. Again the Rams got the ball with 2 minutes left. Lamb played a key role catching two balls on the subsequent drive. From 39 yards out the Rams kicker redeemed himself from an earlier miss to give the Rams their first win of the season, 16-13.

Next week the Rams hit the road and travel to Cincinnati, while the Panthers host another division rival, the Atlanta Falcons.

Philadelphia 23 Washington 21               72 0-5
Division rivals in the tough NFC East would face off for the first of two games in DC. Both teams have high hopes so the winner would get an early leg up in the title hunt.

The Eagles would take the opening kickoff mixing the run and pass to slowly move down the field. They would cap it off with QB Ryan Tannehill hitting WR Julian Edleman on a 14 yard out route to put the Eagles up 7-0. WFT would waste no time on their first drive and tie the game by moving 75 yards in 2 1/2 minutes with QB Dak Prescott hitting WR Devonte Parker on a 20 yard TD strike. Game knotted at 7. Not to be denied, the Eagles would end the offensive first quarter by having K Harrison Butker kick a 41 yard FG to give the Eagles the lead 10-7.

The 2nd quarter would see a key turnover give the Eagles momentum. Prescott would go deep and be intercepted by Eagles CB JC Jackson. Another methodical drive would end with RB Brian Hill taking it in from 2 yards out. Eagles up 17-7. However, WFT was not going away this day and again moved down the field. They would close the gap to 17-14 on RB Darrell Henderson's 12 yard run with just under 2 minutes left in the half. With little time on the clock, Tannehill would try to get the Eagles in FG position. On 1st and 10 from midfield, Tannehill would find a streaking Brandin Cooks on a post pattern. He would be tackled at the 20 of Washington but that would be enough for another Butker FG and the Eagles would go into halftime up 20-14.

What was an offensive back and forth in the first half would be the opposite in the 2nd half as both coaches would make defensive adjustments. The 3rd quarter would see 6 punts between the two teams which were the first punts of the game.

The 4th quarter would begin with another long WFT drive. They would get to the Eagles 7 yard line and face 4th and 1. Down 6 with just under 7 minutes left in the game Coach Heaton would go for it. A play action fake and a pass to TE TJ Hockenson would go incomplete and the Eagles would take over. Unable to move the ball, the Eagles would go 3 and out and punt back to Washington. WFT would move into scoring position once again and have another 4th and 1. This time, Prescott would hand off to RB Aaron Jones from the 12 who would go up the middle for the score and put Washington up 21-20 with just over 2 minutes left in the game. The Eagles would have one last chance to win the game. Tannehill faced a max pass defense but would do enough, assisted by a PI, to get the Eagles into scoring position. With :52 left in the game, Butker would kick a 46 yard FG to give the Eagles the win as Prescott and company could do nothing in return. The Eagles would win a hard fought 23-21 game.

Great job by Coach Heaton it just ended up that the Eagles were able to scratch this game out. Next week the Eagles go to Arizona who will be looking for revenge after the Eagles first week victory while WFT goes to Vegas in an out of conference match up.

New England 17 Miami 14                     91 Calm
The Patriots travel to Miami for a divisional tilt with both Teams sporting 1-1 records

The 1st quarter sees very little in the way of offense as each Team punts twice, but with 4:45 left in the quarter New England starts a drive at their own 21 yard line which carries over into the 2nd quarter with the Patriots finally getting on the board with back to back Jackson runs for 13 and 7 yards to take the lead 7-0. Miami gets the ball at their own 25 and put together a 75 yard drive on 12 plays and consume 8 minutes and 51 seconds and get the tying TD on a Goff to Hardman 19 yard pass, 7-7 with 3:52 left in the half. The Patriots aren't done yet, going 75 yards in 3:11 (aided by a Peters 38 yard pass interference call) and get the TD with just 41 seconds to go in the half to go up 14-7, and that's the way the half ends.

The 3rd quarter shows no scoring although the Dolphins did drive it to the Patriot 9 yard line but a sack and fumble ended the drive as New England recovers the ball. We go to the 4th and Miami drives it to the New England 24 but Goff is picked off and it's going the other way with 10:28 left in the game. However Lady Luck shines both ways as 2 plays later Jackson throws a pick and the Dolphins are in business at the Patriot 23 yard line. Four plays later the Dolphins get the TD and PAT and tie the game at 14 with 7:46 left. New England's not done as they move the ball to the Miami 16 yard line using almost 6 minutes but the drive stall but the Patriots do get the go ahead FG with 1:48 left in the game to go ahead 17-14. The Dolphins get the ball at their own 25 and quickly move it down to the Patriot 27 yard line with 58 seconds left (after converting on a 4th and 14), but from there they go backwards on back to back sacks and on a 4th and 20 with 24 seconds left the Dolphins attempt a 55 yard FG to tie the game but Prater misses the long attempt and the game ends with a 17-14 New England win. A hard fought battle that the Patriots were able to pull out and get the win.

Next week New England gets a home game against Green Bay and the Dolphins travel to divisional leader NY Jets

Baltimore 21 Pittsburgh 31                  66 5-15
We had a lot of difficulties getting this game in it took 3 different days and we had to restart a game. So I wanted to thank Scott for his patience as we worked through the difficulties and where able to complete the game yesterday.

Ok that's enough of the pleasantries as the Ravens are always weary coming into Pittsburgh that there are some shenanigans going on behind the scenes. There antennas especially up with all the delays to get this game under way.

Pittsburgh starts out great first drive ends in a Brady to Gronk 14 yard TD pass. Mayfield start to the game was lets say not good. At least 5 bad passes in the first quarter missing receivers all over the place. Coach Alberry (Sr) would have like to think it was brilliant game planning but he understood it was not and that Baker would get going at some point. The Steelers do take advantage though and score another TD Brady to Byrd from 13 yards out with 4 minutes left in the first its 14-0.

With a drive that started with 4 minutes left in the 1st Baker finally starts to get going as he is 5-8 on the drive culminating with a 9 yard TD pass to Andrews cutting the lead to 14-7 with 13 minutes left in the half. On the next possession the home team takes advantage of a 41 yard Kick off return by Pringle and Tom gets them in FG as an Aaron Donald 8 yard sack puts a damper on the drive that was down to the Ravens 17. Bass hits a 41 yard FG 17-7 Steelers 9 minutes left in the half. People Jones answers with a 30 yard Kick off return and Baker is rolling now going 4-5 on passes and the Ravens score in 2 minutes as Fullers hauls in an 18 yard TD. 17-14 now with 7 minutes left in the half. The Ravens get the ball with 2 minutes left and with one timeout in their pocket from the Steelers 33 trying to get their kicker in better FG range Mayfield sets up a screen to Bell with 11 seconds to go he does gain 8 yards but the clock expires on the Ravens coach Master is steaming as he heads to the locker room down 17-14.

All fired up from coach Master lighting into the offense for the sloppy play of the first half the Ravens who received the second half kick off march right down the field and Dobbins runs it in from 5 yards out and Baltimore has their first lead of the game 21-17 11 minutes left in the 3rd. After a Steelers drive stalls Baker gets the Ravens in FG range but Badgley misses from 47 yards out and the score remains 21-17 heading into the 4th.

On a drive that started with 4 minutes left in the 3rd the Steelers are driving . Baltimore starts the 4th in a dime defense (3-2) vs Pittsburgh 2 TE set. From the 21 Brady checks down to Knox for 13 yards as Jefferson and Gronk where doubled.Brady seeing a chance to run goes into a hurry up offense to catch the Ravens in their dime package Gore runs for 5 and 2 yards and its 3rd and goal from the 1 and the Ravens still in their 3 man front a Gore inside run is stuffed and 4th and goal coach Alberry keeps the offense in a hurry up as he can not believe a 3 man front with stop the run again well guess what they did stop Gore and the Steelers turn it over on downs. Now the Turning point of the game Dobbins from their 1 yard line runs it out but is stripped and the Steelers recover 1st and goal from the 8. Edwards runs it in from 8 yards out and Pittsburgh takes a 24-21 lead with 13 minutes to go. On Baltimore's next possession on a 4th and 7 from their own 46 Coach Master decides to go for it and it backfires as Thomas is stopped 3 yards short. Pittsburgh takes over from the 50 and rookie Sensation Justin Jefferson puts his stamp on the game after being doubled the whole game he was doubled again on this play but beats the double on a bomb Fly from Brady and scores his 3rd TD of the year putting the Steelers up 31-21 8 minutes to go. Baker leads a long drive down the field find them down to Pittsburghs 9 yard line at the 2 minute warning. On the next play Baker throughs into a double team and is picked off by Safety Anthony Harris in the end zone ending the game.

Pitt - Brady     18-28 269 3TD 2Sk
Balt Mayfield 30-48 398 2TD 1INT 4 Sk

Pitt Edwards 10-56 1TD
Balt Dobbins 14-81 1TD

Pitt Jefferson   4-96 1TD
Balt Thielen    10-132
Balt Fuller        8-127 1TD

Pitt Edler 11 tackles 1pd 1 sack
Balt Judon 9 tackles

Pittsburgh (2-1) stays home to play Tennessee (1-2)
Baltimore (1-2) goes back home for a division game against Jacksonville (0-3)

Denver 41 New York (N) 14                   67 0-5
Giants get smacked around by the Broncos in this one.

Rushing Leaders
Cook,D(GB)      29-187 1 TD
Jones,A(Was)    19-128 1 TD
Gibson(Jax)     16-111 2 TD
Sanders,M(LAR) 16-107 1 TD
Chubb,N(LAC)    21-101
Gordon III(NYJ) 13-63 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Thielen(Bal)    10-132
Waller(GB)      10- 84 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Mayfield(Bal)   48-30-398   2 TD 1 Int
Trubisky(Den)   29-21-342   4 TD 1 Int – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Dalton(KC)      37-25-333   3 TD 1 Int
Watson,D(NYJ)   30-20-325   1 TD 1 Int
Cousins(Hou)    34-22-312   2 TD
Brees(Min)      34-24-273   4 TD
Rodgers,A(Cin) 32-26-266   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Davis,D(TB)      16 Tk
Jewell(Mia)      17 Tk
Smith,J(NYG)     1 Int 15 Tk
Lawson(Min)    2 SK FF – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Folk(Atl)      4-4 FG – IFL Special Team Player of the Week

WEEK 3 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 3 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 2 RECAP

The 49ers Tyler Boyd caught 9 passes for 144 yards and a TD as San Francisco wins at Tennessee.

Game Scores
San Francisco 19 Tennessee 17               75 0-5
I'd never heard of Bryce Perkins but this stat pac quarterback outplayed Matt Ryan and led the 49ers on an 8 minute 4th quarter drive that resulted in a game winning field goal with 4 minutes left. San Fran's defense forced a 3 and out after that and the 49ers were able to run out the clock after the punt. Final score was 19-18 San Francisco.

The 49ers Tyler Boyd caught 9 of 10 targets for 144 yards. A key play was him beating a double team and going 61 yards for the score. Hopkins was his usual reliable self as he caught 10 for 100 yards for the Titans.

San Fran (1-1) visits Atlanta next week while the Titans (1-1) go to New Orleans (or maybe Jacksonville).

Houston 37 Buffalo 27                       70 Calm
Houston comes to Buffalo with three excellent Wr's (McClaurin-Godwin-Ridley) which makes it tough on the Bills secondary as Kirk Cousins throws for 348 and 2 TD's...The Bills did hold Joe Mixon to 31 yards on 18 carries.Kyler Murray threw for 284 yards and 4 TD's but did throw two costly picks, he also ran for 70 on 5 carries. Both teams are now 1-1 as the Texans head to Arrowhead next week while the Bills head to Soldier Field.

Atlanta 10 Cincinnati 34                    73 15-25
The IFL Bengals hosted the Atlanta Falcons in week two IFL action. The Falcons are under new management in Paul Alberry.

The Falcons received the ball first after Cincinnati deferred. After picking up a first down on two plays Atlanta was forced to punt. The Bengals put together a 12 play drive but turned it over on downs. There was no score as the quarter ended.

Atlanta marched to the Bengals 23 but Nick Folk missed a 41 yard field goal into the wind. The Cincinnati offense finally got going as Rodgers connected on 6 of 7 passes, capped off by a five yard dump off for the score and a 7-0 Bengals lead. The Falcons went three and out but rookie Isaiah Simmons blocked the punt and Cincinnati took over at the Atlanta 22. On third and nine, Rodgers found Fulgham for 14 yards. RoJo took it in from seven yards out to increase the Bengals lead to 14-0. Atlanta had another opportunity to get on the board but Folk missed the 54 yarder. Cincinnati was able to move into field goal position just before the end of the half with Fairbairn connecting from 37 yards out increasing the Bengal lead to 17-0 at the half.

The Bengals would add two more touchdowns and a field goal while Atlanta dented the scoreboard with a field goal and a Fitzgerald 13 yard touchdown reception for the 34-10 final.

Rivers finished 20 of 31 for 202 yards and the TD for the Falcons. Gab Davis caught four passes for 57 yards.

Rodgers completed 25 of 38 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. RoJo rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries with two TDs. He also caught three passes for 43 yards and a score.

Next week the Falcons host San Francisco while the Bengals travel to Jacksonville for a key division game.

Kansas City 10 Miami 13                     75 0-5
With the Flag at Half Staff and both Teams having heavy hearts each Team enters the game looking for their 1st win of the season.

After a scoreless 1st quarter, KC mounts a 18 play 86 yard drive as Andy Dalton takes it in from 4 yards out to score the games 1st points and take a 7-0 lead. Miami mounts a drive that covers 52 yards but stalls at the KC 24 yard line and on a 4th and 2 the Dolphins op for the FG to cut the lead to 7-3 with 9:01 remaining in the half. Unable to get much going the Chiefs punt the ball back to the Dolphins, getting the ball at their own 20 with 6:09 left in the half. The Dolphins travel 66 yards in 15 plays and kick another FG as times expires in the half to make it a one point game 7-6 Chiefs at the half.

Miami receives the 2nd half KO and goes backwards, punting it back to KC from their own 3. With a short field the Chiefs drive it down to the Dolphins 11 yard line and stalls but they kick the FG to push the lead back to 4 at KC 10 Miami 6. That's the way it would go to the 4th quarter.

After an exchange of punts Miami gets the ball back with 12:21 to go in the game at their own 44 the Dolphins go 56 yards in 8 plays and hit pay dirt with a Mark Ingram 15 yard scamper to the end zone and give the Dolphins their 1st lead of the game at 13-10. After an exchange of punts, KC gets the ball back at their own 44 needing only a FG to tie and a TD to win but only have 2:10 left in which to get it done. However they can only manage to get to the Miami 38 yard line and turn it over on downs and the Dolphins run out the clock to end the game. Not much offense in this one, but KC did get nailed with some serious injuries, all in the 1st quarter.

Next week the Chiefs gets a home game against the Texans and the Dolphins stay home and host the Patriots.

Chicago 13 New York (N) 19                  79 0-10 Rain
The Giants pull out a victory in overtime on a 13 yard jet sweep by Ray Ray McCloud despite Carson Wentz throwing 3 interceptions. New York went run heavy in this one carrying the ball 42 times for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns. James Robinson led the way with 22 carries for 120 yards.

Next week :

Giants host the Broncos
Bears host the Bills

Minnesota 20 Dallas 14                      70 Calm
This game featured a Minnesota offense with Ezekial Elliott at RB and Drew Brees at QB with four elite receivers running routes (Allen - 10, Antonio Brown - 8, Smith Schuster - 8 and Gage - 7). Their foe, a weak Dallas offense with receivers 2 and 3 stat pack dudes.

Despite that, Dallas played Minnesota tough and had a chance to win on its final drive.

Minnesota moved the ball on a 14-play, 55 yard drive to the Dallas 20 with 1:03 on the clock. Up 20-14, a FG would seal the win. However, Dallas blocked the kick.   But Dallas expended all its timeouts in Minnesota's final drive and had two penalties to compound the comeback attempt.

Dallas did hole Zeke to 49 yards on 22 rushes.

Certain Hall of Famer Drew Brees picked me apart, though. He completed 33 of 47 passes fof 307 yards and 2 TDs. Making it easier for Mike, subbing for Minnie, was the fact Dallas lost two DBs to injuries in the contest.

Denver 20 Indianapolis 3                    69 Calm
Denver goes on the road and wins in Indy with a 20-3 victory.


Philadelphia 22 Tampa Bay 38                93 0-5
The week 2 Tampa Bay - Philadelphia game was a rematch of a divisional round playoff game from last year. That contest saw the Eagles end the Buccaneers season, in Tampa Bay no less. There’s no doubt both teams have deep playoff aspirations once again.
Played in the Florida heat, the first quarter and early second quarter were completely dominated by the offenses. Derek Carr connected with Devante Adams for a 24-yard score and Ryan Tannehill hit Brandin Cooks from 14. After a missed extra point, Tampa is ahead 7 to 6.
As the third possession of the game lead into the second quarter, a sign of things to come took place when Tampa failed on 3rd and 3 at the Eagles 20 but was gifted a first down by a Brandon Graham defensive encroachment. Tyler Lockett scored from 15 on the next play. Tampa Bay 14 Philadelphia 6.
First the Eagles then the Bucs failed to move the ball effectively resulting in punts by both teams. Philadelphia’s Marvin Hall signals for a fair catch but then muffs it at his own 15-yard line where it’s recovered by Tampa’s Tyler Biadasz. On the second play thereafter, Carr passes for his third touchdown of the first half, this time to Hunter Henry. Tampa Bay 21 Philadelphia 6.
The following Philadelphia possession is killed by a Bradley Bozeman holding penalty. The Philadelphia hole gets deeper after Carr finds Adams once again, this time from 28 yards. Tampa 28 Philadelphia 6.
With the ball, two minutes left in the half as well as the opening second half possession, the Eagles have an opportunity to get back in the game. A Harrison Butker field goal just before the first half expires and a thgird quarter Tannehill short hitch TD pass to Evan Engram closes the gap. Tampa 28 Philadelphia 16.
Momentum is on Philadelphia side after they hold the Buccaneers and start a drive from their 20 down 12 points. The Eagles smoothly move down to the Tampa 28 when the referees took over the game. In a manner of four plays, three holding penalties are called on the offensive line. Philly almost overcomes the multiple stripped obstacles but comes up short on 4th and 2 at the Tampa 20.
The Eagles defense, which has not allowed a Tampa score since mid-second quarter, is not able to hold any longer. The first six minutes of the fourth quarter result in a Tampa touchdown effectively ending the game. Tampa 35 Philadelphia 16.
The teams exchanged meaningless field goals producing a final score of Tampa 38 Philadelphia 22. Coach Mason was undone by the muffed punt turnover and 7 penalties for 56 yards.
Next week Tampa Bay travels to Green Bay and Philadelphia heads to Washington.

Los Angeles (A) 10 New England 38           62 10-20
Lamar Jackson rebounded from his dismal week 1 performance (4 INTs) by throwing for 230 yards and 3 TDS on only 11 completions, while rushing for 115 yards on 11 carries and a TD. Tyreek Hill was the primary beneficiary of Lamar's passing proficiency, catching 4 passes for 172 yards and a 73 yard TD score to give NE an early 7-0 lead. Pats extended the lead to 24-7 at halftime, en route to a 38-10 win.

Las Vegas 17 New York (A) 28                85 Calm
The Raiders came to the Big Apple looking to take a bite out of the Jets in a rare IFLWednesday night football game.

Flags were lowered, and there was a moment of silence for former Vikings Coach Rich Robb. Many coaches, players, and fans know of Coach Robb’s time with the IFL Vikings, but Rich was also a basketball coach. He was the Commissioner of the NFBA for close to 30 years, and coached in the same league for 44 years. His teams garnered 10 NFBA Championships, and his teams were almost always in the mix of top teams. His presence will be missed in both the IFL, and NFBA.

After the Raiders won the coin toss, and deferred to New York, the home teams offense took the field. On their opening drive the Jets went 75 yards in 9 plays to take a 7-0 lead. The scoring came on a Watson to Jones Jr. pass of 6 yards. Gordon accounted for 33 yards on the ground during the drive.

Not to be out done, the Raiders took their first drive down field 75 yards in a 7 minute drive that resulted in a Stafford pass of 16 yards to Ward to tie the game at 7.

New York took over, and drove into FG range, but Hopkins missed a 46 yard attempt.

The games first punt came on the Raiders next possession after being held to 20 yards on 5 plays.

New York again moved the ball downfield, and ate up almost 6 minutes going 88 yards. The final play was a Watson to Gordon pass of 9 yards for a score... 14-7 Jets.

The Raiders tacked on a FG with just over a minute to play in the half to make it 14-10...Jets.

After stopping Las Vegas on the first possession of the second half, the Jets again matriculated down field for another TD. This one came on a 8 yard run by Gordon...21-10 Jets.

Once again the Raiders were forced to punt after having the ball for nearly 5 minutes. The Jets took over on their 13 yard line, and put together a 12 play, 7 minute drive that spilled over into the 4th quarter. The final play came on another Watson to Jones Jr. pass play...28-10 Jets.

The Raiders responded with a 9 play 75 yard drive that took almost 5 minutes, and culminated in a Stafford to Kelce 6 yard scoring play...28-17...Jets.

After receiving the Raiders kickoff New York used an 11 play drive to eat up almost 8 minutes. The result was a missed 26 yard FG. The good news was that the Raiders only had a minute on the clock.

Final score 28-17...Jets.

Watson was 24-31 for 302 yards, and 3 TDs
Gordon was 18-92yards with 2 TDs

For the Raiders Kamara was 17-99 yards, and Stafford was 14-28 for 142 yards, and 2 TDs.

Next week Las Vegas travels to LA to play the Chargers, and New York travels to Indianapolis.

Green Bay 8 Washington 31                   82 0-10
Green Bay came to Washington this week in hopes of building off their 1-0 start and rebounding from last year with the help of a healthy Big Ben. Unfortunately hope is all they seemed to bring as Washington dominated the game on both offense and defense. On offense Bridgewater was an efficient 21-24 for 272 and 1 TD while the ground game combined for 31 carries for 189 yards and 3 TDs. Big Ben would have a rough game completing 20 of 38 attempts for 164 yards and 1 INT. Offseason big ticket item Dalvin Cook carried the ball 16 times for 70 yards and 1 TD. While he was effective he was good enough to offset Big Bens rough day.

John coached a good game just sometimes the players won’t want to cooperate.

Next week will be big games for both teams as they host division rivals.
Green Bay will host Tampa Bay and Washington will give Philadelphia a warm welcome.

New Orleans 34 Jacksonville 28              95 5-15
The Saints torch Jacksonville for 487 yards in total offense en route to a 34-28 trashing of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the same story as week one for the Jags. The Jags raced out to a quick 14-0 lead early in the first half but in the second half it was all Saints as they outscored Jacksonville 34-14 in the second half.

Cam Newton was phenomenal going 21 of 27 for 351 yards and 4TDs while AJ Brown annihilated Tre White with 6 catches for 193 yards and 3TDs. White is having truly an awful year surrendering 13 catches for 340 yards and 3TDs in just two games.

Antonio Gibson played well with 100 yards on 16 carries and 1 TD in the loss.

Jim coached a masterful game and deserved the win. New Orleans goes to 2-0 while the Jags fall to 0-2.

The Jags have an awful defense.

Detroit 8 Arizona 20                        88 Calm
Arizona handled Detroit somewhat easily if their home opener. Although, it did look like it could be a repeat of last weeks game early on. The Lions seemed able to move the ball on the ground with ease in the first series before stalling at midfield. However, O'Donnell made the perfect punt pinning the Cards back on their own three yard line. An aggressive Lion defense came away with the safety.

The Lions were not able to do anything with their free kick after the safety. However, the Lion defense was just a little too ferocious against magic man Mahomes. Lining up near mid field Mahomes noticed the 8 men in the box and went deep to Williams for a 44 yard TD.

The Zona D was able to adjust to the game tempo and control the Lion offense. The Lion coach gambled on a 4th and one at about midfield and lost. With the momentum change, Mahomes found Kirk deep for a nice gain. Another completion and then then a 14 yard scramble by Mahomes set up the next Zona TD.

However, any chance of a Lion comeback was squashed when Garrappolo was carted off the field. NFL Mariota stepped in to lose the game. NFL actually translates to NOT FOR LONG in the the league. The Cardinals basically enjoyed taking the rest of the game off while Mariota self destructed.

Baltimore 17 Los Angeles (N) 10             74 Calm
Thanks to Buc Mike for subbing the second half of this game after connection issues prevented Ram Ryan from making it past the two-minute warning in the first half. The Rams were favored at home by 3.

With Ryan steering the Rams, the first quarter was scoreless, but saw the Ravens driving into Rams territory. Five plays into the second quarter, JK Dobbins bulled into the endzone from 2 yards out. Michael Badgley's PAT made it: 7-0 Ravens.

The Rams responded with a strong drive that ultimately stalled at the Raven 7. Ryan Succop's 25-yard FG, made it: 7-3 Ravens.

The Ravens responded to that with a drive down to the Rams 12 at the 2 minute mark, but multiple disconnects throughout play to this point put Coach Heaton over the edge. While maintaining his composure despite the frustrating (for both sides) circumstances, he pulled his team off the field and announced that the game would have to be postponed until a substitute coach could be found.

In stepped Buc Mike, the first of a few offers. Taking over cold, with his back against his own goalline, the Ravens' Baker Mayfield found WR Adam Thielen from 8 yards out to go up 14-3 and that's how things remained 'til the half.

Rams stand-in Coach Mike opened the second half with a sustained drive. On 2nd-and-5 from the Ravens 19, RB Miles Sanders went off-tackle left behind T Mike McGlinchey and headed for the endzone. At the two, Sanders was met by a host of Ravens defenders where S Deshon Elliott stripped the ball out and teammate Malik Reed recovered! Baltimore ball! But wait! Coach Mike challenged that Sanders was on the ground before the ball came out and he was right. Rams retain possession at the Raven 2. QB Daniel Jones hit WR Corey Davis on a quick out for the score. Rams pull closer at 14-10 Ravens.

The rest of the third quarter saw the teams exchange punts and the Ravens took control on their own 42 on the second play of the 4th. Moving swiftly down to the 17, Dobbins was dropped for a 6 yard loss on 3rd and 2 and the Ravens had to settle for a 41-yard Badgley FG. Baltimore, 17-10 with 10:44 remaining.

The teams exchanged punts on the next two possessions and the Rams took over on their own 33 with 2:34 left. Los Angeles would move across mid-field, but Josh Allen sacked Jones for a 10-yard loss on a 4th-and-9 and the Ravens took over and ran out the clock.

FINAL SCORE: BALTIMORE 17-10.

Raven QB Baker Mayfield was named the game's MVP with a modest 16-for-27 game, compiling 168 yards with 1 TD and no INTs. Le'Veon Bell (9/37) and JK Dobbins (15/36) led the ground attack. Adam Thielen led the receiving corps with 4 catches and 52 yards.

Ram QB Daniel Jones nearly matched Mayfield with a 15-for-27 game, totalling 143 yards, 1 TD and no INTs. The O-Line allowed only two sacks, but they were costly. RB Miles Sanders probably should have been the game's MVP after toting the rock 26 times for 126 yards. Six rushes gained more than 10 yards and four were for first downs. WR Corey Davis caught 7 passes for 58 yards and 1 TD.

Next week, the Ravens (1-1) travel to Pittsburgh (1-0), while the Rams (0-2) host Carolina (1-0).

Pittsburgh 16 Carolina 33                   91 0-5
The Steelers play Carolina tough in Charlotte.

Pittsburgh jumps to the early 7-0 lead as Edwards punches it in from 10 yards out. Carolina then stalls on their next couple of drives and it looked like a long day for the Panthers.

Carolina finally broke into the scoring column with Wilson connecting to Evans ona 11 yard TD pass to knot the score at 7 all. A short time later, in perhaps the key play of the game, Nelson scoops up a fumble and races 33 yards to the end zone to put the Panthers up 14-7. The Panthers would add a field goal to up the score to 17-7 at the half.

The Steelers were able to drive the ball in the second half but came up with 3 field goals and were not able to punch it into the end zone. The Panthers added a couple of TD's and a field goal to pull out a hard fought victory in the end.

Pittsburgh 16
Carolina 33

Henry had 149 yards and two TD's to lead the Panthers.

Jefferson caught 7 passes with 91 yards for the Steelers.

Rushing Leaders
Henry,D(Car)    27-149 2 TD
Sanders,M(LAR) 21-126
Robinson,J(NYG) 22-120
Jackson,L(NE)   11-115 1 TD
Gibson(Jax)     16-100 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Brown,A(NO)      6-193 3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Hill,T(NE)       4-172 1 TD
McLaurin(Hou)    8-167 1 TD
Hopkins,D(Ten) 10-100

Passing Leaders
Newton(NO)      27-21-351   4 TD 1 Int
Cousins(Hou)    35-25-348   2 TD
Brees(Min)      47-33-307   2 TD
Watson,D(NYJ)   31-24-302   3 TD
Murray,K(Buf)   39-26-284   4 TD 2 Int
Carr,D(TB)      29-22-276   5 TD

Defensive Standouts
Simmons(Den) 2 Sk, 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Oluokun(Chi)     1 Sk 17 Tk
Kendricks(Chi)   16 Tk
Griffin,Si(Chi) 2 Int 5 Tk

Special Teams
Sanders(Hou) 3-3 FGs, 4 xp, 13 pts – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 2 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 2 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 1 RECAP

Rookie Justin Jefferson caught 13 passes for 149 yards and two TDs as Pittsburgh defeats the Rams.

Game Scores
Pittsburgh 30 Los Angeles (N) 24            78 Calm
The Steelers top the Rams in overtime behind a great effort by Tom Brady. A late interception thrown by Rams QB Daniel Jones gave the ball to the Steelers in good field position with 2 minutes left. Brady proceeded to lead the game tying drive with clutch passes. Steelers win the coin toss in overtime and go right down the field on a tired Rams defense for the game winning TD, Brady to rookie WR Justin Jefferson who had a huge game, 13 catches for 149 yards.

Next week the Steelers travel to Carolina and the Rams host Baltimore

Dallas 6 New York (N) 21                    70 5-15
The Giants start off the season hosting the Cowboys. New York receives the opening kickoff and the 2021 IFL season is underway!

Starting Carson Wentz in this one, Coach Mays dialed up a long ball to open the game and connected with Robby Anderson for 28 yards. After 2 carries by James Robinson (1 yard and a 9 yarder), Wentz throws a screen to Robinson that he takes 24 yards to Dallas' 7 yard line. Two plays later, Robinson punches it in from 6 yards out to open the scoring. 7-0 Giants
Dallas receives the kickoff and decides to go run heavy (39 carries in the game), starting off their drive with 5 straight runs by Jamaal Williams, a 1 yard completion from Herbert to Quez Watkins and then followed up with 2 more runs by Alexander Mattison to end the drive with a punt back to New York from the Giants 42 yard line. After 2 runs by Robinson and an incomplete pass by Wentz, the Giants punt back to the Cowboys. Dallas only held onto the ball for 3 plays before again punting it back to New York. The Giants call run 2 plays (a completion for 6 yards to Renfrow and a completion for 10 yards to Anderson) before the 1st quarter ends. Still 7-0 Giants after Quarter 1

With the first play of the 2nd quarter, Robinson takes the handoff and gains 33 yards to the Dallas 15. After an 8 yard pass interference, Wentz hits Anderson for a 6 yard score. 14-0 Giants
Dallas takes the ball and continues their run heavy game plan running the ball 9 out of 11 plays, driving down the field before being stopped and forced to kick a 32 yard field goal. 14-3 Giants
The Giants led by Robinson and Wentz drive down the field and cap off the drive with a 13 yard strike to Renfrow. 21- 3 Giants
Two runs by Dallas and the half ends. 21-3 Giants end of Half

Dallas receives the kickoff to start the 2nd half and drive down the field running all over New Yorks defense. The defense holds tough and halts the drive at the 11 yard line forcing another field goal by Dallas. 21-6 Giants
The rest of the game was a back and forth game of trading punts.

New York wins this one 21-6 to start the season off.

Wentz: 10-14 138 yards 2 TD
Robinson: 16-100 1 TD
Anderson: 4-62 1 TD
Jaylon Smith: 10 Tackles
Joey Bosa: 1 Sack

Herbert: 10-18 66 yards
Williams: 14-61
Snead: 2-26
Tremaine Edmunds: 8 Tackles
Haasan Reddick: 1 Sack

Los Angeles (A) 17 Denver 19                76 0-5
The Broncos got a big win in the season opener with the LA Chargers 19-17
as LA just couldn't seem to catch a break as Chargers kicker McLughln missed a game winning Fg from 31 yards out
with under a minute to play.

Miami 17 Buffalo 27                         62 10-20
The Dolphins come to Buffalo in rebuild mode and hang with the Bills early as Hardman takes a punt 88 yards to paydirt to give the Dolphins a 7-0 lead after one. Elliott connects on a 23 yard FG early in the second after the Bills drive stall to make it 7-3. Buffalo defense stiffens and the Bills offense scores the next 24 points before Mark Ingram pounds paydirt for 6 which is setup by a 59 yard reception by KJ Hamler and that ended the scoring as the Bills take it 27-17. The Dolphins lose Geno Atkins for 7 weeks while the Bills lose Ronnie Stanley for 9. The Dolphins will host the Chiefs next while while Buffalo will host Houston.

Cincinnati 26 Baltimore 21                  67 Calm
After last year's 11-5 campaign, and season split against Commissioner John Storer's Bengals, the Ravens were looking forward to hosting the 2021 season opener between the two clubs. With a 2-18 record against those Bengals with HC Scott Master at the helm, history wasn't behind the Black Birds, though those two wins have come in the last three seasons, so hopes were high in Ravenland.

Deferring to the second half, the Bengals kicked to the Ravens, who took it at the 25. With rookie RB JK Dobbins behind QB Baker Mayfield, Cincy was expecting run, run, run, but the Ravens opened with four straight passes, gaining 50 yards and setting up the Birds at the Bengal 25. At this point, the Ravens did run, run, run (and passed once), but it was long-time stalwart, RB Le'Veon Bell who carried it in from 5 yards out for the first Ravens score of the year. K Michael Badgley's PAT made it 7-0, Baltimore.

Aaron Rodgers started the first Bengals drive from their own 25 with three straight passes, but only gained 1, -1 and 1 yard (on passes!). Kevin Huber's punt put the Ravens on their own 19 to start drive #2. After two completed passes, Mayfield dropped back looking for TE Logan Thomas, but Cincy LB Isaiah Simmons made a diving interception, giving the Bengals the ball at the Raven 32. Four plays later, Rodgers found WR Diontae Johnson on a short out from the 6 yard line. Ka'imi Fairbairn's PAT attempt was blocked by DT Folorunso Fatukasi. Baltimore maintained a 7-6 lead.

Baltimore started drive #3 on the 25 and Mayfield hit TE Mark Andrews for a 12-yard gain, but Cincy was onto the Ravens pass-heavy game by this point and the next time Mayfield dropped back to pass, Simmons was hot on his tail. Mayfield tried to check-down to Dobbins, but CB Jalen Ramsey leapt in front and stole the ball out of the air, returning it 24 yards to the Raven 20. From there, it only took Rodgers 4 plays to get the Bengals into the endzone, even with the drive set back by a holding penalty on their first play. WR Travis Fulgham caught Rodgers' 10-yard cross and Fairbairn's PAT was good this time. Cincinnati, 13-7.

After the teams exchanged punts early in the 2nd quarter, Baltimore went on a 9-play, 75-yard drive that saw Le'Veon Bell take a Mayfield screen pass 24-yards to paydirt. Badgley's PAT made it 14-13, Baltimore.

The teams alternated punts before Baltimore raced down to the Bengal 25 and called timeout with :03 remaining in the half. Badgley trotted out to try a 43-yard FG and extend the Raven lead. Cincy's ILB AJ Johnson had other ideas and blocked the boot.

Cincinnati started the second-half with a 5-minute drive that stalled just over midfield. After fielding the punt, Baltimore responded with a 13-play drive that took 7:46 off the clock, but only mustered 53 yards. Baltimore punted back to Cincy, who took over on their own 13. Four plays later, the quarter would end with the Bengals at their own 32, 2nd and 3. On the first play of the last quarter, Rodgers dropped back to pass, but Raven OLB Matt Judon and S Keanu Neal brought the heat. Judon dislodged the ball. Though the Bengals recovered, they lost 7 yards on the play. But wait! A zebra dropped a yellow hanky. Illegal contact on Raven S Terrell Edmunds! Buoyed by the ref's assistance, Rodgers led the Bengals downfield and found Diontae Johnson on a 16-yard slant for his second TD of the game. Cincy's 2-point conversion failed. Cincinnati, 19-14.

After receiving the kick-off, Baltimore moved to mid-field with about 8 minutes remaining, but faced with a 3rd-and-13, Mayfield tried to hit Andrews on an out-route...only to see Andrews drop the pass. Rigoberto Sanchez's punt pinned the Bengals at their own 6, giving the Ravens hope, if they could just stop the Bengals quickly. RB Ronald Jones II carried for 8 on 1st down, but the Ravens were looking for him on 2nd down. DL Aaron Donald separated Jones from the ball and the Ravens scrambled for it. In the scrum, Cincy G Will Hernandez consumed the pigskin and the Bengals retained possession.

Chewing up the clock, Cincinnati marched downfield with little resistance. At the 43, HC Storer caught the Ravens D off-guard and called a 1st down slant. Rodgers hit WR DJ Chark in-stride and CB Ahkello Witherspoon whiffed on the tackle. Chark did the rest and Fairbairn put the icing on the cake. Cincinnati, 26-14.

Baltimore did save face when Mayfield led his back-up WR corps to a score. The big play was a Mayfield-to-Scotty Miller 49-yard gain to the Bengal 15. From there, Mayfield scrambled in on a 4th-and-10 to make the final score:
Cincinnati, 26-21.

Cincy QB Aaron Rodgers was named the game's MVP, hitting 23 of 33 pass attempts for 227 yards and 4 TDs. Diontae Johnson caught 9 of 10 targets for 86 yards and 2 TDs. Ronald Jones rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries.

Ravens QB Baker Mayfield threw for 318 yards, completing 25 of 41 attempts, passing for 1 TD and rushing for another. JK Dobbins was limited to 35 yards on 9 carries. Will Fuller (5/86) and Logan Thomas (5/42) led the receiving corps.

As a team, the Ravens had more first downs (27-20), more yards rushing (103-98), more yards passing (318-227), more total yards (407-315) and more turnovers (2-0). Yeah, those TOs turned out to be the difference.

Cincinnati (1-0) hosts Atlanta in Week 2.
Baltimore (0-1) travels cross-country to take on the Rams in LA.

Indianapolis 3 Green Bay 28                 62 0-10
Season opener at Lambeau Field as the locals were in an optimistic mood
despite suffering through last year's 6-10 debacle.

Big Ben is back and he has a new best friend by the name of Dalvin Cook.

Across the sideline, new GM/Coach Charles Evans is tasked with restoring the
Colts to past glory in the strong AFC East. By all accounts those inside the Indianapolis
organization feel they have the right man for the job, he might just need some
time to bring it to fruition.

Packers came out and dominated early in this one. Big Ben took the team on an
11 play, 78 yard opening drive capped off by a Cook 27 yard TD run....7-0 Green Bay

After a promising Indy drive stalled out near midfield (and the ensuing perfect Bojorquez punt) the hosts
got the ball back in their own 1 yard line. 16 plays and 99 yards later Cook would score again from
4 yards out. 14-0 Packers.

On the very next series CB Jamal Dean jumped a route on rookie QB Joe Burrow and took it
40 yards to the house. The pick 6 made it 21-0 GB at the half.

Colts would put together their best drive of the game to start the second half going 37 yards on 10 plays
but would have to settle for a 57 yard Graham Gano FG. 21-3 Packers.

That long drive seemed to get the Big Ben's attention as he took the team right back down the field.
Dalvin Cook would rumble in from 4 yards out for his 3rd TD of the game 28-3 Green Bay.

From there the Packers defense were able to keep Burrow and co. out of the end zone. 28-3 Final

Cook was the game star 29/148 3 TDs
Roethlisberger 17/27 152
E. Sanders and D,Waller each had 5 catches

Burrow 13/16, 71 yards didn't have much time to throw.
The rookie was sacked twice and repeatedly hurried.
RB Malcolm Brown led the team with 19 touches but didn't break off many big plays
ILB Devin Bush, 10 tackles, led the defense

Indy hosts Denver next week,
Packers travel to WFT to begin a brutal stretch of 3 games
(at Washington, vs Tampa Bay, at New England).

Kansas City 20 Washington 31                72 0-10
The WFT gets off to a hot with Aaron Jones punching in his first TD of the season from 15 years out on the first drive of the game as the WFT never looked back. An early INT setup a Bridgewater run. KC Finally get things going to get on the board with a FG but any momentum as short lived as Washington would but up another TD to make it 21-3. KC would fight back to stay in the game putting up a TD before ethe end of the half but another INT and a turnover on downs would end any come back hopes.

Washington will host Green Bay next week while KC to stays on the road and heads to Miami.

Minnesota 31 Chicago 28                     81 5-15
Minny won on a long FG on the last play of the game. 31-28

Carolina 30 Atlanta 12                      68 Calm
The favored Panthers come into Atlanta to matchup with rookie Coach Paul Alberry in their first divisional matchup.

Quarter 1: The Falcons start off with a bang with a long kick return followed up by a 45 yard Field Goal to go up 3-0 and take the lead 2 minutes into the game.

On the flip side, Carolina takes the ball 39 yards on a 3rd and 35 to break the back of the Atlanta defense and Henry punches it in with an 8 yard run, extra point is missed. (Car 6 ATL 3)

Atlanta is plagued by 3 penalties in a row, forcing them to punt from their own 9 yard line. The punt was blocked and grabbed in the end zone. TD Panthers (Car 13 ATL 3)

Quarter 2: The Falcons claw back into the game driving down the field and converting a short TD pass to Ertz from Rivers. Atlanta missed the XP. (Car 13, ATL 9)

With 1:54 left in the 2nd, Carolina converts on a 41 yard FG to go up. (Car 16, ATL 9)

Rivers throws a pick with 30 seconds left as Atlanta was driving down the field on the Panthers 46. That ends the half.

Quarter 3: Russell Wilson cannot be stopped as he throws a 35 yard pass to Mike Evans for the touchdown and Carolina went 75 yards for the score. (Carolina 23, Atlanta 9)

Atlanta tries to answer with a 52 yard FG kick that was missed. Henry takes over the tired Atlanta defense and punches in a 14 yard run to blow the game open (Car 30, Atlanta 9)

Quarter 4:

Atlanta tries to make it interesting, but fails to get into the end zone, and kicks a 42 yard FG with 13 minutes left. Unfortunately this would be the last points from either team for the rest of the game. (Car 30, Atl 12).

Russel Wilson was on fire all game completing 15 of 18, but was sacked 5 times, which was the only way we could stop him. Henry ran 26 times for 136 with most of his damage coming in the 2nd half.

Tampa Bay 30 Detroit 23                     70 Calm
Trailing 16-6 at the half, Bucs score 21 unanswered third quarter points to rally for the win.

Arizona 17 Philadelphia 45                  71 0-5
The IFL season opener between division rivals Arizona and Philadelphia was a tale of two halves. Both teams came into the season with high expectations with the Cards being led by QB Patrick Mahomes and the Eagles being led by QB Ryan Tannehill. This would be only one game but divisional games are of the highest priority for Cards Coach Jim Heaton and Eagles Coach Greg Mason.

The Cards would take the opening kickoff and after one first down, would punt to the Eagles. The Eagles would take their opening drive of the 2021 campaign and march down the field mixing in the run and the pass. The drive would culminate with a Tannehill scramble into the end zone to give the home team an early 7-0 lead. Not to be denied, the Cards would roll the other way behind the arm and legs of Mahomes. Mahomes would tie the game at 7 by hitting WR Mike Williams on a slant. The Eagles would come right back and go ahead on RB Adrian Peterson's 18-yard run. Eagles go up 14-7. Mahomes would engineer another drive hitting Williams again for a 26 yard TD. The game tied at 14. The Eagles go back up 21-14 on a Tannehill sneak. This looked to be a shootout in the making.

At this point, the tide began to turn as Cards WR Chase Claypool would fumble after a completed pass. The Eagles couldn't get it in the end zone but would get a Harrison Butker 56 yard FG to take a 24-14 lead and begin to get some breathing room. However, the Cards would not go away and would cut the lead to 24-17 with 1 minute left in the half. Tannehill would engineer a masterful drive to end the half culminated by a Peterson 3 yard TD jaunt with 03 left in the half. Eagles up 31-17 at the half.

The 2nd half would be dominated by the Eagles as they score 2 TD to none for the Cards. Final score 45-17.

Stars of the game:

Mahomes 24-42 for 260 yards and 2 TD's
Williams 8-144 and 2 TD's

Tannehill 19-27 for 240 yards, 1 TD passing, and 6-67 rushing and 2 TD's
Peterson 13-116 and 2 TD's

Next week the Cards have their home opener vs the Lions while the Eagles go on the road to battle the always tough Bucs of TB.

Las Vegas 34 Houston 16                     70 Calm
The Las Vegas Raiders travel to Houston and pull out a convincing 34-16 victory behind Alvin Kamara's 127-yards and two touchdowns and tight end Travis Kelce's nine catch, 136-yard game. The Raiders bend but don't break defense held Texans' quarterback Kirk Cousins to 239 yards on 18-of-36 passing.

Jacksonville 35 Tennessee 39                76 Calm
The first 55 minutes of this game played out as a “normal” NFL game where two inept defenses couldn’t stop the other team for blood or money.  4th quarter 7 minutes left Jacksonville 28 – Tennessee 24.

Then the weird stuff started. The Jags had a 4th and 2 at midfield and gambled, perhaps not realizing it was a 4th down. Josh Allen gained only a yard and Tennessee took over. From the Jax 34 AJ Dillon broke through for a 20 yard run but Samson Ebukam stripped the ball and Nickel Robey-Coleman of the Jaguars picked it up and took it all the way to the Titan 19. Next play Allen threw his 4th TD pass of the game to DK Metcalf.  4:22 left Jacksonville 35 – Tennessee 24.

With nothing to lose Matt Ryan turns into a mad bomber and in 3 consecutive plays completes a 40 yard bomb to DeAndre Hopkins, a 19 yard hitch to Brandon Aiyukyuk and a 16 yard TD strike to Odell Beckham. Dillon runs in the 2 point conversion.  2:37 left Jacksonville 35 – Tennessee 32.

Boston Scott receives the ensuing kickoff but Raven Greene forces the fumble and it is recovered by Christian Covington (the Titans 300 pound special teamer). A roughing the passer penalty on the Jags John Franklin-Myers puts the ball at the Jaguar 12 yard line with 2 minutes left. Two runs by Latavius Murray and a short pass to him set up a 4th and 2 on the 4 yard line. Coach Brunskill rolls the dice and Murray goes off tackle for 3 yards and a first down. He dives into the end zone on the next play.  0:48 left Tennessee 39 – Jacksonville 35.

Needing a TD Josh Allen tries a long slant but Raven Greene picks it off and that’s the ballgame.  Tennessee 39 – Jacksonville 35

Stat Stars
Jaguars Josh Allen 17 of 26 for 271 yards and 4 TD’s. DK Metcalf 5 receptions for 118 yards and 2 TD’s. Zach Cunningham 11 tackles, 2 stuffs and a pass defensed.

Titans Matt Ryan 32 of 50 for 3745 yards and 2 TD’s. Hopkins 7 receptions for 138 yards. Raven Greene forced a fumble and an interception.

New England 10 New York (A) 19              76 0-5
It’s been an up, and down 10 days for Jets’ Coach Bob Durfee. First he gets the IFL schedule, and his team has to face the defending Super Bowl Champions New England, who went undefeated last year, including a 16-0 record in the regular season. The Jets had the IFL’s second best regular season record at 14-2, but it was also the second best in their conference, and division because that’s where New England resides too.

Then it got even worse when Coach Durfee found out that his friend of over 40 years, Vikings’ Coach Rich Robb was in the hospital awaiting open heart surgery. I’m sure all the IFL coaches have him in their thoughts, and prayers.

Things got better as the Durfee’s welcomed their 3rd grandchild into their family, a baby boy, their second grandson.

Next came a Saturday game against New England. The Jets got off to an inauspicious start, receiving the opening kickoff, and going 3, and out. The Pats moved the ball 45 yards in 7 plays, but were forced to punt. New York could only gain 35 yards, and had to punt again.

This time ran 5 plays, and Jackson threw an interception to Bradberry. Watson moved his team only 34 yards, and the Jets scored first on a 33 yard FG.

Jackson threw his second interception on the Pats next possession, this time to Allen. Again the Jets can’t get in the end zone, and settle for a 42 yard FG.

After only 2 plays on their next drive, Hill makes a big play on broken coverage, and takes it to the house 51 yards later...NE 7-6.

The Jet’s offense stalls out again, and the Pats get the ball back. This time Jackson throws a pick 6 to Mathieu, who took it 32 yards...Jets miss the extra point, and it’s 12-7. That’s the way the half ends.

Neither team could score in the 3rd quarter of this defensive battle.

The Pats made it 12-10 Jets early in the 4th on a Tucker 43 yard FG.

When NY got the ball back they finally got their offense going, moving the ball 75 yards in 11 plays, taking 6 minutes off the clock. The last 23 yards were on a Watson to Jones pass...19-10 Jets

The Jets stopped the Pats, and forced another punt.

New York then put together another 6 minute drive getting to the NE 15 yard line where Watson then took the knee twice to end the game...Jets 19-10...

Coach Kolb’s defense was stifling for most of the game, and they look to be ready to defend their Championship.

Most of the team stats were really close, as would be expected in a game between two good teams. Jackson’s 4 picks were the story of the game. The Jet’s defense was also pretty good.

Next week New England hosts the LA Chargers, and New York hosts Las Vegas.

San Francisco 23 New Orleans 28             70 Calm
No time for a write up so Ill just do an overview. Saints win at home behind Cam Newtons passing. He threw for 265 yards and 4 TDs. AJ Brown and Cole Beasley would both catch 2TD's. Bryce Perkins was on fire for the 49ers completing 24 of 29 for 266 yards and 2 TDs. Diggs caught 9 balls for 141 yards and a TD and Tyler Boyd caught 9 balls for a TD for the 49ers.


Rushing Leaders
Taylor,J(Den)   28-152
Cook,D(GB)      29-148 3 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Henry,D(Car)    26-136 2 TD
Kamara(LV)      16-127 2 TD
Mixon(Hou)      22-121
Peterson,A(Phi) 13-116 2 TD
Robinson,J(NYG) 16-100 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Jefferson(Pit) 13-149 2 TD
Lockett(TB)     10-104 1 TD

Passing Leaders
Ryan,M(Ten)     50-32-375   2 TD
Mayfield(Bal)   41-25-318   1 TD 2 Int
Carr,D(TB)      37-30-307   3 TD
Brady(Pit)      42-33-307   2 TD
Allen,J(Jax)    26-17-271   4 TD 1 Int
Newton(NO)      20-15-265   4 TD
Rodgers,A(Cin) 33-23-227   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Watt,T(Atl)      3 Sk 5 Tk
Bradberry(NYJ)   2 Int 3 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
Duvernay(LAC) 4-163 Kick Ret 1 TD
Hardman(Mia)   1-25 Kick Ret 2-104 Punt Ret 1 TD
Pringle(Pit)   5-158 Kick Ret – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK ONE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK ONE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

COLTS TURN TO BURROW

Coming off a two win season, first year IFL Coach Charles Evans selected LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall selection in the 2021 IFL draft. Evans hopes Burrow will be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. Rounding out the top five, Dallas selected quarterback Justin Herbert second overall. The Steelers selected dynamic wide receiver Justin Jefferson third. In somewhat of a surprise move, the Dolphins, despite having quarterback Jared Goff already on their roster, selected Tua Tagovailoa fourth overall. Defensive end Chase Young went fifth overall to the Bills.

ROUND ONE BY THE NUMBERS

Thought I'd share this, in case anyone was interested. All these numbers refer to this year's R1 selections and positions as designated by DKS.

The most selected position this year was WRs. Seven (7) were taken; the same number as last year, but still two less than 2015 when 9 were taken, the most times any one position has been selected in R1 in IFL Draft history (at least since I've been keeping track...2012). Over those 10 years, 53 WRs have been taken, for an average of 5.3 per year in R1.

The second most selected position was RBs. Six (6) were taken; tied for most ever taken in R1 (also done in 2018). The 10-year average is 4 RBs taken in R1.

Four (4) QBs were taken. Five (5) is the most ever taken in R1. That has been done three times - 2012, 2019 and 2020). Four were also selected in 2013. The 10-year average is 3.5, so the number this year is pretty much on par.

Here's how the rest of the positions fleshed out:
OT - 3
OG-OT - 2
CB, DE, DL, DT, LB, ILB, OC and S* - one each

*I counted Jeremy Chinn as a S, though his LB-S position designation by DKS is a first (at least since I've been keeping track).

Summary: Seems WRs and RBs were in big demand, a little over their 10-year averages. CBs were behind the curve. An average of 2.7 were selected in R1 over the last 10 years, but just 1 was selected this year. DEs were a little behind too - 1.7 on average vs. just 1 selected this year. Every other position was pretty much on target.

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of nothing.

Scott
IFL Ravens

THE GURU SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE IFL DRAFT

I want to welcome Mel Kiper Jr back for his 2nd year of doing the mock draft for the IFL league .

Thank You Mr Commissioner it is great to be back. I had a wonderful time last year mocking for the IFL. I look forward to this exercise and maybe shedding some light on what teams might be thinking and why.

Before I start the mock I want to do a quick overview of the stars of the draft and a position that is over drafted based on value every year, the QBs.

This year we have 4 QB that appear can be starters for the foreseeable future . Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow appear to be Franchise type QB that can carry a franchise for years to come.

Herbert seems to have the least amount of questions of any of the quarterbacks. He has the size, arm strength and poise in the pocket to be a generational QB. He has a chance to break most IFL Rookie throwing records. To me a no brainier top pick of this draft

Burrow has some of Herbert's qualities but is a one year wonder in college and is coming off an ACL tear. His arm is good but he is said to be working on his deep ball accuracy this off season. Still Burrow should turn into a fine QB who should earn an extension at the end of his rookie contract and deserves to be one of the top picks in this draft.

The other two QB Tua Tagovailo and Jalen Hurts come with more question marks

Tua is a much celebrated QB coming out of college but hip surgery has some questioning his durability which has led some to question his size and arm strength also his athleticism to escape a collapsing pocket. Tua has talent and I believe if he gets to team and a fan base that has some patience they have a chance be rewarded with a franchise QB.

Jalen Hurts started for 3 years in college and is a proven college commodity. earned a 41-3 mark at Alabama helping them win the national title in 2017 Helping being the key word as Tua came in for him in the national championship game and lead them to an OT win. Alabama never looked back it was Tua time. Hurts landed in Oklahoma and had an outstanding season as he was a Heisman Trophy runner up. Listen this is what I know in college Hurts was accurate and was a superb runner. Will this translate to the IFL game I don't know for sure but I do know he will be given an opportunity to be a franchise QB with whatever team picks him.

Now on to my mock and btw its nice to see McShay take some time to do some work after palling around with his IFL executive buddies at pro days all spring.

1. Indiannapolis: Coming off a miserable 2-14 season Justin Herbert is exactly what this community needed to help get the arrow pointed in the right direction and give them some hope.  Pick QB Justin Herbert

2. Dallas: For the second year in a row the Cowboys will be picking a QB and hope to get it right this time. There is nothing else to say except Minshew is not the long term answer. They have needs all over as they also went 2-14 but until they get the QB right they will not be able to move forward Burrow should prove to be the franchise QB they are looking for. Pick QB Joe Burrow

3. Pittsburgh: Well I know this front office well and they understand they need a QB of the future as Brady has at most a couple years left(insert a smiley face if you have heard this before) But right now he is still a top 10 QB in the league and deserves a weapon after the cupboard being bare the last few years of play makers this young man will inject some excitement in the Steel City. Pick WR Justin Jefferson

4. Miami: So Miami trades picks 1.13 1.27 and 2.12 plus a 5th to move up to this spot and are not coming up for a QB? They have holes at RB WR and a Pass Rusher plus needing help in the CB room. Some are questioning this move up however Coach Cox has proven he knows what he is doing and the Dolphin faithful motto is in Tony we trust after an undefeated IFL Championship in 2018. This could be a surprise QB pick as maybe they are not sold on Goff/Winston but they fill a hole and turn the card in for one of the best players in the draft . Pick DE Chase Young

5. Buffalo: The Bill got their Franchise QB last year now they need to protect him. They can find WR in the 2nd round this is a plug and play Tackle who will be their for a decade. Pick OT Tristian Wirfs

6. San Francisco: They literally have no one in the QB room they hope this young man comes to life and becomes the franchise QB that he is projected to be coming out of college. Its Tua time in the Bay. Pick QB Tua Tagovailoa

7. Denver: TODD TODD TODD TODD TODD...... a guard ? Their QB is Mitch Tribisky! They have 2 solid guards. The Broncos have a solid team but look they need a QB of the future and their is only one left on the board. Obviously I have a higher grade on Hurts then new school or old school but he does have a chance to be a franchise QB. You need to make the pick if he is here at 7. Pick QB Jalen Hurts

8. LA Rams: The Rams made an aggressive move up the draft board last year and they picked Daniel Jones to be their Franchise QB. The jury is still out on this QB as he needs to cut down on his turnovers but he has shown signs of being the answer for years to come. Where does Coach Heaton (Youngest) go from here to get his team back in the playoffs? I believe he opts for a WR here to help Jones. Cee Dee Lamb fits like a glove in this WR Room. Pick WR Cee Dee Lamb

9. Arizona: This is a tough call for coach Heaton (Senior) other than the fact they have the greatest QB on the planet they have needs at RB , WR and the OL. So players available are Jonathan Taylor RB, A Guard shooting up the board in Mike Onwenu or WR with a choice from Chase Claypool , Brandon Aiyuk , Jerry Jeudy , or Tee Higgins. They do have an injury prone Saquon Barkley at RB so I think they will address this later in the draft The OL needs to be improved but what this team is missing is a slot receiver for Mahomes to go along with their outside threats of Mike Williams and Christian Kirk. Pick WR Tee Higgins

10. Tennessee: Do they need a WR to go with Hopkins yes but they have a 31 year old Latavius Murray and nothing else. They have Jonathan Taylor fall to them at 10 and they get a young workhouse that can help setup the play action pass to go with WR Hopkins and last years 1st round pick TE Noah Fant . Pick RB Jonathan Taylor

11. Detroit: Another team that will need a QB soon as Injured Garoppolo has an uncertain future but they can pick a veteran up later in the draft and punt on the position until next year. They have a stout RB in Josh Jacobs and WR and OL are good their defense needs some help especially DB room. Pick CB Jarius Sneed

12. Atlanta: Phillip Rivers announced that this will be his last year and unless they make a massive move up to the top of the draft there will be no QB's here. This is a pretty veteran team with good players throughout the roster. They have needs at RB , WR and CB although they just pulled off a trade to bring in William Jackson to fill 1 CB need they will need more DB's but will this be the spot? I see this coming down between Claypool or Aiyuk or a young corner to pair with Jackson. I think with Larry Fitzgerald Mulling retirement I believe a WR will be the pick(based on an anonymous source with knowledge of the front office thinking) Pick WR Brandon Aiyuk

13 Kansas City: The Chiefs picked Drew Lock with the 3rd pick last year and they must be sold on him to trade out of a chance to pick Tua. Coach Sarcewicz gets a massive haul to move down 9 spots and they get a player at a need position to fall to them as they are in need of Interior Linemen . Pick OG Mike Onwenu

14. Houston: This team could use a RB as Mixon is injury prone they need a true OT as everyone on their line is better suited on the interior , and more DB's are needed . I can see them using this pick on the line and going with a player that projects as a franchise LT . Pick LT Mekhi Becton

15. Washington: What do we get a team that needs OLB help and Safety help . How about a player that can do both at a high level. Pick LB-S Jeremy Chinn

16. Detroit: Listen if I am Detroit I would double up at CB with this pick and bring in either AJ Terrell or Trevon Diggs and lock up a couple of young corners at an important position. Pick CB Trevon Diggs

17. Chicago: Coach Nordberg probable needs to build in the trenches after moving up for Darnold 2 years ago and drafting an edge rusher in the 1st last year in Maxx Crosby. This to me comes down to what does this team feel it needs most OL or DL choices between a talented Derrick Brown as Starter McLendon has reached 35 years old or go wiith OG Damien Lewis to help protect Darnold. I know this is not what McSeay picked but for me I believe Brown has more upside. Pick DT Derrick Brown

18. LA Chargers: Fitzmagic is in town get your tickets now because its usually a short show. Yes they need a QB of the future but they will kick that can down the road what they need is a slot receiver to play in between Julio and Amari Cooper who can run a few Jet sweeps also . Pick WR Laviska Shenault Jr

19. Arizona: They get their Slot Receiver earlier in the 1st round now they get their LT of the future . Pick LT Jedrick Wills Jr

20. NY Giants: So the Giants can grab themselves a workhorse RB and he can catch passes out of the backfield. Sign me up . Pick RB James Robinson

21. Oak...Las Vegas: A position of need is interior line and one of the best in the class falls to the Raiders here at 21 . Pick OG-C Damien Lewis

22. Baltimore: This team is in desperate need of a stud RB luckily for them this draft is full of RB1 types. Antonio Gibson has the chance to put a lot of points in the paint and is my choice for the Ravens.

Pick RB Antonio Gibson

23. Jacksonville: The Jags need some talent in their front 7 . while they could use a RB or a second WR to go with DK Metcalf they also need a potential big time play maker on defense . I believe this player with his speed and coverage ability can turn into that play maker and after having just traded for S Devon McCourty they definitely have a defensive frame of mind . Pick LB Isiah Simmons

24. New Orleans: Coach Rice needs help at CB and another DL and LB . I lean towards a young CB.  Pick CB AJ Terrell

25. Tampa Bay: Another big time need that matches an available player and you can bring him on the blitz also. Pick S Antoine Winfield Jr

26. Cincinnati: Well we got to the commish's team. Listen they just traded for a 35 year old LT so this is a clear need for the future unless they feel Christian and Pipkins will develop into reliable options next year, they also just traded their 3rd CB William Jackson They could use an upgrade at LB and DL is an area of need they have 2 of the next 3 picks But a WR has unexpectedly fell into the Bengals lap who will give them some run after catch ability . This pick will help keep Aaron Rodgers mentally in the fold for the upcoming year. Pick WR Jerry Judy

27. Kansas City: Lane Johnson has had some injury issues and they have their choices of a couple of Tackles here Robert Hunt , Jonah Williams and Andrew Thomas are still all on the board . And although Jonah Williams has had some injury issues himself he is in my opinion the best fit for them at LT and appears to have the best upside of the 3. Pick LT Jonah Williams

28. Cincinnati: The Bengals love their DL and Javon Kinlaw has slid to this spot and cannot be past up.  Pick DL Javon Kinlaw

29. Carolina:Making it to the Super Bowl last year this team is in win now mode. They need a Center who can step in and help facilitate the running game of Derrick Henry while he is in his prime. Pick C David Andrews

30. Denver: The Broncos need RB despite trading for McCaffrey but I believe they will wait until later to address this issue they need a LT to help protect the blind side of their new Rookie QB Jalen Hurts . Pick LT Andrew Thomas

NEW SCHOOL VERSUS OLD SCHOOL

Todd McShay offers a different perspective on how the IFL Draft could turn out....

Can't argue with Musberger's first four picks...

1. Indiannapolis: Burrow might be the better long-term choice, but QB Justin Herbert is here and now. The trick will be filling in the holes of this block of Swiss cheese.

2. Dallas: With Minchew, the Cowboys don't need QB Joe Burrow to produce right away, but he will for 10 games or so and give a glimpse of what will be in Da-Da-Land.

3. Pittsburgh: Just what Coach Alberry (the senior one) wants as QB Tom Brady rides into the sunset...whenever he decides it's time for the the sun to set...all-powerful deity that he is. WR Justin Jefferson heads to the black-and-gold Heinz Stadium at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.

4. Miami: Yummy, yummy, yummy. DE Chase Young is going to love eating up QBs in South Beach.

OK, here's where Musberger and I differ somewhat. We both agree that the Bills need help on the offensive side of the ball, but rather than give QB Kyler Murray a toy to play with, I see the Bills going the protection route:

5. Buffalo: OT Tristan Wirfs will bookend nicely with Ronnie Stanley for years to come and protect Murray from all those big, mean defenders like Chase Young, who now resides in the AFC East.

6. San Francisco: With the QB room empty, the Niners have got to find somebody to throw the ball to Stefon Diggs and Co. The question is whether to go with who's available or pass on a QB (figuring Alex Smith will surely be around for their second pick) and use this pick to find another foundation stone...maybe along the D-line? Maybe a trade back is in order here. Since I can't trade in the mock, I'll go with Musberger: Tua Tagvailoa, QB.

7. Denver: With Wirfs taken two slots ahead, Denver fills the void with versatile Michael Onwenu, OG-OT.

8. LA Rams: Coach Heaton (one of the younger ones) doesn't want QB Daniel Jones throwing the ball too much, so again, I'll go with Musberger: Jonathan Taylor, RB will team with Miles Sanders for a terrific one-two ground attack.

9. Arizona: Conversely, Coach Heaton (the eldest one) does want his QB to throw the ball. Mahomes gets a new toy and is happy that WR CeeDee Lamb fell into his lap.

10. Tennessee: As Musberger notes, Tennessee has a history of great WRs. Claypool could be that guy, but I think Coach Brunskill will go with WR Brandon Aiyuk instead.

11. Detroit: The Lions actually have a decent O-Line. There's not much depth behind it, but the 11th overall pick is not to be used for depth. Their defense, on the other hand, needs some help. The D-Line is stout, but aging. The LB corps and secondary are thin. Coach Merlenback will probably give Chinn some serious consideration, but I see CB L'Jarius Sneed as a good fit here.

12. Atlanta: Like Musberger, I see new coach Paul Alberry (the younger of the Alberrys) giving the old grizzled Phillip Rivers someone to throw to for his last hurrah. Unlike Musberger's choice of Tee Higgins, I think WR Chase Claypool will be available here.

13 Kansas City: This pick is a question of need vs value. DT Derrick Brown is a tremendous value at this pick, but the Chiefs have six DL and only one LB. I see Coach Sarcewicz taking versatile LB-S Jeremy Chinn and keeping his options open for his second pick later in the round.

14. Houston: The Texans have quietly assembled a solid team - good QB, good RBs, good WRs, a versatile O-Line, good D-Line, good ILB and good DBs (though thin). Could maybe use a little help at OLB, but none stand to help his unit like OT Mekhi Becton.

15. Washington: With Chinn stolen from him two picks before, Coach Heaton (the other young one) gives his Prescott/Bridgewater QB tandem a target - WR Jerry Jeudy.

16. Detroit: The Lions use their second pick of the round to stick with defense and take LB Isaiah Simmons over the WR Musberger said they'd take (Jeudy). Can't have enough D in the black-and-blue division.

17. Chicago: Like the Rams with Daniel Jones, GM/Coach Nordberg, who swapped cities with the Detroit franchise this year, doesn't want QB Sam Darnold putting the ball in the air too much. Though Musberger has da Bears taking RB Antonio Gibson, I see da Bears backfield as already pretty strong with Pollard and Fournette. I see da Bears selecting that road-grader, OG-OT Damien Lewis, to give them highways to run on.

18. LA Chargers: While Coach Banko needs a QB-of-the-future, I don't think he's sold on Hurts. Fitzmagic could buy him some time, but he needs someone to throw to. WR Tee Higgins is a nice solution that let's Coach Banko look for short-term help at QB in the next round.

19. Arizona: I think Musberger is right on this. OT Jedrick Wills Jr should still be available and Coach Heaton will use the pick to protect the franchise jewel, Mahomes.

20. NY Giants: Two in a row! I agree with Musberger. As tempting as it is to take QB Jalen Hurts and put him in competition with residing QB Carson Wentz, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be a great fit on a solid Giants squad.

21. Oak...Las Vegas: Coach Keith Jackson can't believe his fortune! The dice rolled and came up DT Derrick Brown. What a D-Line these guys are going to have!

22. Baltimore: The Ravens nearly had their guy. Historically taking trench guys, they were licking their lips at the thought of a D-Line with Derrick Brown, Aaron Donald, Josh Allen (the DE one, not the QB one) and Folorunso Fatukasi! Alas, they're happy to welcome (real Raven) RB JK Dobbins into their needy backfield, leaving James Robinson and others wondering what the Ravens brass is thinking.

23. Jacksonville: RB James Robinson will wear the teal-and-black, just like real life, and share time with David Johnson in an explosive Jaguar backfield.

24. New Orleans: The skid stops here. Saints feel blessed to take DL Javon Kinlaw this deep in the draft.

25. Tampa Bay: The Bucs need a safety and a good one is available. Coach Chase selects S Antoine Winfield Jr, just like Musberger said.

26. Cincinnati: Despite the mis-information that GM/Coach John Storer provided to Musberger's interns, the Bengals can't follow the lead of the real Packers and not give QB Aaron Rodgers some help...can they?! I see the striped Cats taking WR Gabriel Davis and putting a smile on Rodgers' face.

27. Kansas City: Taking advantage of their first pick's versatility, KC goes with another LB, but it's not the one that Musberger thinks. Coach Sarcewicz takes LB Kenneth Murray, not Patrick Queen.

28. Cincinnati: Bengals double-down and broaden Rodgers' smile. WR Darrell Mooney is their second selection in three picks.

29. Carolina: Musberger and I agree again. OT Andrew Thomas to the Panthers.

30. Denver: After trading to acquire McCaffrey, the Broncos want to ensure he'll have a stout line to run behind once he's healthy. After taking Wirfs at 1.7, they stick with the O-line and take C Lloyd Cushenberry.

All-in-all, Musberger and I agree on a lot of selections (14 of 30!). Musberger thinks highly of RBs Antonio Gibson and Cam Akers, QB Jalen Hurts and ILB Patrick Queen, while I favor RB James Robinson, WR Gabriel Davis, ILB Kenneth Murray and C Lloyd Cushenberry. Let's see whether old school or new skool gets it right.

YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE.....................

at the IFL Indianapolis Colts draft room.

Hello everyone, I'm Brent Musburger and I have been allowed the privilege of mocking the 2021 IFL draft. I am here in Indianapolis where I spoke with first year IFL Coach Charles Evans with regard to the pressure of making the first overall selection. Charles agreed it is a critical selection that could determine the fate of the IFL Colts for years to come. He added the franchise is prepared and excited to make this selection. Now, on to the mock.

1. COLTS - Indianapolis needs a quarterback and there are at least two that merit consideration, Joe Burrow was the first overall selection in the NFL draft but suffered a season ending injury. The other candidate is Justin Herbert, who enjoyed a fine rookie season. As Phyllis points out the reports on Burrow's recovery are positive still I look for the Colts to go the safer route and select Herbert number one overall.

2. COWBOYS - Dallas is another franchise in need of potential franchise quarterback. The Colonel, Steve Hart already shipped Cam Newton out of Big "D" in preparation of the selection. Joe Burrow to the Cowboys.

3. STEELERS - With quarterbacks going with the first two selections, the Steelers have the opportunity to select what they feel is the best player at the other positions. The Greek believes the odds favor Pittsburgh taking LSU receiver Justin Jefferson over the best defensive prospect in the draft Chase Young. Jefferson to the Steelers.

4. DOLPHINS - In a proactive move, Miami traded up to the fourth overall spot. Ohio State defensive end, Chase Young would beef up a suspect Dolphins defense.

5. BILLS - After selecting exciting playmaking quarterback Kyler Murray number one overall last year, the Bills will give him another weapon with the selection of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

6. 49ERS - San Francisco will go to the well again after giving up on former first round quarterback Mitchell Trubisky this past offseason. The 49ers will gamble that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will fully recover from a serious hip injury.

7. BRONCOS - Denver is giving said Mr. Trubisky another chance. To help increase his chance of success the Broncos will add building block left tackle Tristan Wirfs.

8. RAMS - Coming off an IFL Super Bowl Championship just two years ago, Los Angeles is still feeling the affects of losing their franchise quarterback Andrew Luck to retirement. Quarterback Daniel Jones, last year's first round selection, shows promise. Selecting the best running back available in Jonathan Taylor could help escalate Jones development.

9. CARDINALS - After trading up, Arizona will take advantage of adding to a thin receiving corps with the selection of Brandon Aiyuk.

10. TITANS - Historically Tennessee is known for having an exciting receiving corps with Beckham and Hopkins. The Titans hope receiver Chase Claypool adds to that legacy.

11. LIONS - Mike Onwenu was one of the better late round success stories in the 2020 NFL draft. He will help upgrade the Lions O-Line.

12. FALCONS - With the great Larry Fitzgerald finally showing signs of slowing down, wide receiver Tee Higgins looks like a nice addition to Atlanta.

13. CHIEFS - Kansas City traded down from four to gain an additional first round pick and additional roster depth. It looks like a solid move so far as they select defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

14. TEXANS - I look for Houston to add mammoth offensive tackle Mekhi Becton.

15. FOOTBALL TEAM - Washington could use help at outside linebacker and safety. Our resident defensive expert Irv Cross, believes the versatile Jeremy Chinn offers a solution at either position.

16. LIONS - With their second of two first round picks, Detroit adds to their wide receiver room with Jerry Jeudy.

17. BEARS - Running Back Antonio Gibson adds another dimension to the Chicago back field.

18. CHARGERS - With the quarterback room needing an injection of youth, Los Angeles selects Jalen Hurts.

19. CARDINALS - Another team making their second selection of the first round, Arizona hopes to improve Mahomes' protection by adding tackle Jedrick Willis Jr.

20. GIANTS - The New York Football Giants could use help in the back field. They have at least a trio of choices in Cam Akers, D'Andre Swift, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. I lean toward Edwards-Helaire.

21. RAIDERS - At this point in the draft I could see Oakland, oops I knew I would do that. I mean Las Vegas of course, beefing up the interior of their offensive line by selecting road grader Damien Lewis.

22. RAVENS - Passing on home town product J.K. Dobbins would be shocking. The running back room is rather thin in Baltimore.

23. JAGUARS - One of the rising franchises in the IFL, look for Jacksonville to add dynamic linebacker Isaiah Simmons to the defense.

24. SAINTS - New Orleans adds depth to the defensive line with the addition of Javon Kinlaw.

25. BUCCANEERS - One of the more successful IFL franchises that seems to fall just short in the postseason. I think they will address a major need with the addition of second generation defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr.

26. BENGALS - Acquired from the Jets, Cincinnati traded cornerback William Jackson for offensive line help. I look for the Bengals to replenish their defensive back field by adding L'Jarius Sneed.

27. CHIEFS - Kansas City continues to add to the defense with the selection of linebacker Patrick Queen.

28. BENGALS - With their second selection of round one, Cincinnati adds to their receiving corps with Darnell Mooney.

29. PANTHERS - Carolina will take a chance on offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, who started slow but begin to justify his top five selection in the NFL.

30. BRONCOS - Denver closes out the first round of the IFL draft with the selection of running back Cam Akers.

IFL SUPER BOWL

Lamar Jackson continued his postseason roll as the Patriots defeat Carolina to complete a perfect season.

In a battle of #1 seeds, Carolina (13-3) and New England (16-0) hooked up in the IFL Super Bowl for all the marbles. Carolina is led by their franchise QB Russell Wilson (3600 yards, 18 TDs only 3 INT), with support from running back Derrick Henry (1646 rushing yards w/17 TDs) and stud receiver Mike Evans (1210 yards 9 TDs). Meanwhile, undefeated New England sports a multi-dimensional offense led by QB Lamar Jackson (3350 passing yards, 27 TDs and 992 rushing yards) with help from RB Christian McCaffrey (1126 rushing yards and 24 TDs) and the receiving duo of Cooper Kupp and Courtland Sutton (17 total TDs).

Patriots win the toss and elect to defer. Carolina opens up with a quick Wilson to Amendola strike for 9 yards and a short run by Kenyan Drake for the first down. The drive stalled from there and the Panthers punt it away.

Jackson hits Sutton on the first play for 11 yards and a first down. A couple McCaffrey runs leaves the Patriots with a 3rd and 3. Jackson rolls out looking for a receiver but the coverage is excellent...........he checks down to McCaffrey but is INTERCEPTED BY MAURICE CANADY who runs it all the way back to the Patriot ONE YARD LINE! A huge early break for the Panthers! A false start penalty backs Carolina up, but Kenyan Drake runs it in from 6 yards out and Carolina is on the board first, 7-0.

Lamar Jackson wastes little time answering, rushing twice for 13 yards and completing 4 of 5 passes on the next drive, the last to Courtland Sutton for a 21 yard TD and the game was tied at 7-7 at the 5:26 mark of the first quarter.

Patriots appeared to enter the game looking to stop Derrick Henry. This didn't work out well on the next drive as Russell Wilson connected three times with Drake out of the backfield for gains of 3, 26 and 24 yards to carry the Panthers deep into Patriot territory. After a 5 yard Drake run, Wilson found him for a FOURTH time on the drive for a 5 yard TD pass, and Carolina leads 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Patriots looked to answer but the Panther defense was up to the task, forcing a 3 and out. Russ starts to cook once again, finding Drake for 6 yards and Amendola for 18 yards.......down to the NE 38 yard line. Facing a 4th and 2 from the 30, Carolina calls on Josh Lambo who connects on the long field goal, and Carolina had a 10 point lead early in quarter number two.  17-7 Panthers

New England puts together a nifty nine play 75 yard drive in response, highlighted by completions to Hayden Hurst for 13 and Sutton for 16 out to the Panther 31 yard line. A 9-yard rush by Jackson was followed by a 19-yard TD strike to John Ross.  17-14 Panthers.

On first and ten Carolina looked to unleash their big dog Derrick Henry who cut inside and was hit by Logan Ryan, jarring the ball loose into the arms of rookie LB Devin White................who ran it all the way back for the TD!  Patriots take their first lead of the game at the 6:52 mark of the 2nd quarter, 21-17.

Panthers looked to answer as Wilson hits Drake and Hooper for short completions to start the drive. TWO holding penalties killed the momentum however and Carolina had to punt it away. New England would have it at their own 23 yard line.

Runs by McCaffrey (2 yards) and Jackson (18 yards) preceded the two minute warning. On the next play, Jackson faded back but couldn't find a receiver.........but instead of forcing a throw as he did in the first quarter, Lamar headed into the open field for a 45 yard gain to the Panther 12 yard line! Two plays later, McCaffrey ran it in for the TD. A missed PAT by Tucker left the game at 27-17 Patriots heading to halftime.

The Pats offense started out the 3rd quarter rolling, with completions from Jackson to Sutton and Hurst for 10 and 28 yards respectively, down to the Panther 30 yard line. Three straight rushes left NE with a 4th and 1 at the 21 yard line. New England took the points as Tucker hit the FG, and the Patriots were up 30-17.

Two false start penalties on the next Panther drive dug them into a 1st and 20 hole which they could not escape. A Panther punt was returned by Nyheim Hines 26 yards out near midfield. Four plays later, Jackson hit John Ross once again for a TD, this one from 31 yards out, and NE was up three scores, 37-17.

A sense of urgency was setting in for Russell Wilson and the Panthers. After a Drake run went nowhere, Wilson went it alone and ran for a 12 yard gain and a first down. He then hit Mike Evans, thus far held in check by Richard Sherman, for 14 and another first down, across midfield. Drake was stuffed on the next run and the Patriots forced a 4th and 7 decision. Panthers decided to punt it away, but changed course when NE jumped offside. Wilson looked to hit Amendola on 4th and 2 but the ball was knocked away by Logan Ryan.  Patriots maintain their lead 37-17 heading to the 4th quarter.

Lamar and Co. were on the move once again early in the 4th quarter, as Jackson hit Hurst and Kupp for 14 yards apiece. In between those completions, Lamar scrambled for another 19 yards. On first and goal, CMC ran it in from 7 yards out for his 2nd TD of the day.  44-17 New England.

Wilson drove his squad right down the field on their next drive setting up Henry for a 5 yard TD.  Patriots lead was cut to 44-24 with 7:17 to play.

New England went to the ground game exclusively on the next drive. Carolina appeared a bit worn down as New England, highlighted by a 46 yard run by Lamar, ran it continuously all the way into the endzone as McCaffrey eventually scored his 3rd rushing TD of the game Carolina would add a late field goal but Patriots would prevail in the end. FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND 51 CAROLINA 27

Lamar Jackson was the game MVP, as he shook off the early interception to throw for 237 yards and 3 TDs. Equally as important, Lamar was unstoppable with his legs, rushing for 171 yards on only 12 carries. Courtland Sutton led NE receivers with 6 grabs for 83 yards and a TD. Christian McCaffrey ran for a mere 57 yards on 15 carries, but 3 of those runs were to paydirt.

For Carolina, it was a disappointing end to a terrific season. Kenyan Drake caught 8 passes for 71 yards and a TD to lead the Panther offense. Derrick Henry was held to 65 yards on his 12 carries.

Each team turned the ball over one time resulting in a TD for the opposition. Carolina was stung by 8 penalties for 50 yards while NE was flagged 5 times for 47 yards.

Patriots navigate their way through the postseason by outscoring their three playoff opponents 134-48 to wrap up their perfect 2020-2021 season.

IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bengals 15 Patriots 45

Lamar Jackson threw three touchdowns and rushed for another as New England advances to the Super Bowl.

Cincinnati travels to New England on a high after their remarkable comeback win last week against the Jets. Aaron Rodgers is always dangerous, and he has all of his weapons sharpened for this matchup. Meanwhile, New England dispatched Jacksonville with relative ease last week, and were hoping to run their unbeaten streak to 18.

Patriots would get the ball first. Completions from Lamar to Hurst and Ekeler had NE quickly into Bengal territory. A pair of Jackson runs for 10 yards each set up a Lamar to Kupp 12 yard TD pass. 7-0 Patriots.

Brandon Wilson was back to receive the kick, hoping for some more magic after last weeks dramatic KR TD which sparked the Bengals rally. Wilson fielded at the goal line and was off to the races.......................across the 30 near the 40 yard line.......... before getting blasted and coughing it up! A mad scramble for the ball....and NE would recover!

Starting at the Bengal 40, Lamar to CMC for 9 yards followed by a couple more CMC runs down to the Bengal 22. With the Bengals focused on CMC, Jackson hooked up with a streaking Courtland Sutton for the 22 yard TD. Before Aaron Rodgers could even get on the field, it was 14-0 New England.

Bengals go three and out, and the Patriots are on the move again. Jackson to Ekeler for 19 yards followed by another 19 yard completion to Kupp down to the 8 yard line. Consecutive runs by Lamar are met with force as the Patriots lose 6 yards on the two plays. Ultimately they would settle for a FG and it was 17-0 after one quarter.

The 2nd quarter begins with NE driving once again. Jackson to Kupp for 16 followed by a rushes from CMC and Ekeler have NE at the Bengal 15. On 3rd and 1, CMC rips off an 11 yard run to the Bengal 4 yard line. On the next play, Jackson runs it in and it's 24-0 Patriots.

Things would get no better for Cincinnati on the day. New England would finish the half with another long scoring drive capped by an Ekeler 1 yard TD run, and it was 31-0 at halftime.

Final Score: Patriots 45, Bengals 15

For NE, Lamar Jackson threw for 231 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 66 yards and a 4th TD. McCaffrey ran for 84 yards and a TD himself, to go along with 2 grabs for 24 yards.

Aaron Rodgers was not himself on this day. It wasn't until the 4th quarter before he had eclipsed the 100 yard passing mark, as Richard Sherman and the Patriot secondary kept DJ Chark, Alshon Jeffrey and the Bengal passing attack under wraps. A couple 4th quarter TD passes salvaged what had been a rough day for the future hall of famer.

Congrats to John on a great season. This one got out of hand quick after the costly fumble in the first quarter, and the Bengals just couldn't supply enough offense to keep up with the home team on this day.

Eagles 24 Panthers 30

Russell Wilson continues to "cook" with three touchdown passes as Carolina punches their ticket to the IFL Super Bowl.

Philadelphia and Carolina meet with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

The Panthers jumped out to the early first quarter lead with a Lambo field goal followed by Wilson hitting Drake on a 9 yard swing pass to take the early 10-0 lead.

The Eagles would respond though, at the start of the second, as Tannehill drove them down the field then ran in it himself from the 4 to bring the Eagles within a field goal 10-7. Carolina would roar back and after a 52 yard field goal by Lambo, Wilson would hit Hooper on a 4 yard pass to place the Panthers in great position, up 20-7. The Eagles were able to drive down the field and hit a field goal as time expired in the half to bring the half time score to 20-10.

The Eagles received the kick to start the third and promptly drove down the field and capped the drive with Tannehill connecting with Edelman on a 16 yard pass to draw the Eagles within a field goal 20-17. The Panthers offense then stalled on their next few drives and the quarter ended with the Eagles with striking distance.

The Panthers were able to distance themselves a little as Wilson hit Cobb on a 15 yard TD pass to push the lead back out to 27-17. They then added another field goal to lead 30-17 with 10 minutes left in the game. The Eagles would continue to play hard and Winston came in to QB and threw a 6 yard pass to Brown to draw within a TD 30-24. The Panthers got the ball back with 3 minutes left in the game and were able to convert a couple of first downs to seal the victory.

The difference in the game came down to turnovers. The Eagles had 3 and the Panthers none. Had that been more balanced, the Panthers would have been in trouble. Greg coached a great game and had a very good season.

Russel Wilson was the star for Carolina, throwing for 3 TD passes. For the Eagles, Brown had 116 yard receiving and a TD. Peterson added 103 yards on the game. The Panthers advance to their first Super Bowl.

IFL DIVISONAL ROUND

Jaguars 6 Patriots 38

Patriots Lamar Jackson rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more as New England remains perfect.

Lamar Jackson threw interceptions to Tre'Davious White and Stephon Gilmore in the span of 3 minutes in the first half, as the Jacksonville Jaguars looked poised to spring another upset after their impressive win at Oakland a week ago. But Lamar snapped out of his funk and proceeded to toss a 66 yard TD to Courtland Sutton and a 31 yard TD to John Ross, as the Patriots exploded heading into halftime with 28-0 lead. It would not get much better from there for the Jaguars, who were held to two field goals on the day as the Patriots would win going away 38-6.

Christian McCaffrey was held to 21 yards on 10 carries, but Lamar Jackson rushed for 97 yards and 2 TDS, to go along with his 2 passing TDs, to pace the Patriot offense. Damien Williams rushed for 83 yards for the Jags, but Josh Allen and DK Metcalf (man, that's going to be a tough tandem to stop starting next year) were completely shut down by Richard Sherman and the New England D.

New England advances to face the Bengals in the AFC Title game next week. Congratulations to Dave on a fine season.

Jets 28 Bengals 31 (O.T.)

Brandon Wilson's 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown ignites Bengals rally.

The Jets, coming off a convincing 31-6 win over the Ravens in the Wild Card round, travelled to Cincinnati to take on the AFC Central Champion Bengals in the divisional round. New York had little trouble with the Bengals in week 11 also at Cincinnati, 35-10.

After an exchange of punts, the Jets put together an 11-play, 66-yard drive capped off by a Deshaun Watson eight yard run. The Bengals answered with an 8-play, 61-yard drive but had to settle on a 21 yard Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal.

The Jets increased their lead to 14-3 at the 9:25 mark of quarter two as Watson connected with Michael Thomas from 12-yards out. Thomas would go on to a monster day with 13 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Cincinnati would reach the Jets 36 thanks to a Brandon Wilson 46-yard kick return but Fairbairn's 54-yard attempt hooked right.

Cincinnati created the first turnover as Jalen Ramsey intercepted a Watson pass on the Jet's first play from scrimmage. The Bengals drove the ball from their own 45 to the New York two but once again settled on a Fairbairn chip shot to cut the lead to 14-6 with two and a half minutes remaining in the half. And that was the score at the half.

After another nice return by Wilson, the Bengals set up shop at their 41. However after a 12-yard completion to Diontae Johnson, Jamie Collins Sr. intercepted a Rodgers pass and the Jets took over at their 49. However, the Bengals defense stiffened forcing a New York punt. The teams would exchange multiple punts until Rodgers threw his second interception to Bradley Roby as the Jets took over at the Cincinnati 48. New York would march down the field with Marlon Mack taking it in from 12-yards out to increase the Jets lead to 21-6 as the third quarter ended. A key play during the drive was Watson's 15 yard strike to Robert Woods on third and ten. New York would convert 8 of 17 third down attempts.

Cincinnati would get back in the game quickly as Wilson took the kickoff and went 98 yards for touchdown, cutting the Jets lead to 21-13.

The Bengals defense forced another New York punt, thanks to a challenge that revealed a Thomas catch actually hit the ground. Once again Cincinnati struck quickly as Aaron Rodgers hit D.J. Chark in stride for the 52 yard score. The Bengals went for two and the Rodgers' pass to Alshon Jeffery was good to tie the game at 21 with 9:44 remaining in the game.

Watson fumbled during a seven-yard run with Cincinnati recovering but the Bengals could get nothing going and were forced to punt. Thanks to a Jurrell Casey strip-sack New York fumbled again with the Bengals recovering. This time Cincinnati took advantage as Rodgers connected with Jeffery for the 13-yard score and their first lead 28-21 with 3:13 remaining.

New York moved down the field quickly. However, a penalty and a Dante Fowler Jr. sack left them with fourth and 18 at the Cincinnati 24. The Bengals played a deep zone, in retrospect Cincinnati should have played loose man and doubled Thomas. In other words, Thomas would haul in the 24-yard score for the tying touchdown. Heartbreaking for IFL Bengal fans.

The Jets won the toss but were forced to punt. Multiple punts would follow until from their own 42, Rodgers would hit Chark for 16-yards on third and two. On third and 11, a Melvin Gordon III six yard run would set up Fairbairn's 47-yard field goal attempt. Fingers crossed, the kick was good as the Bengals advanced.

Watson finished 29 of 43 for 319 yards, two touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and an INT. Thomas caught 13 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and Mack rushed 22 times for 111 yards and a score.

For Cincinnati, Rodgers completed 21 of 37 for 240 yards, two touchdowns and two INTs. Chark caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

To say the better team did not win would be correct. New York had 26 first downs to the Bengals 13. The Jets went 8 of 17 on third down to Cincinnati's 2 of 14. The Bengals did win the turnover battle, three to two and the Jets were charged with 11 penalties for 97 yards to Cincinnati's 4 for 35 yards. Plus the Bengals Special Teams played a big part in the win.

Congratulations to Bob on a great season. He is a very good coach and did a nice job building the Jets.

Cincinnati awaits the winner of the Jacksonville and New England contest.

Saints 19 Panthers 36

Russell Wilson threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns as Panthers advance to the conference championship game.

Division rivals meet in the playoffs in the rubber match to determine who would advance to the next round.

Carolina jumps to the early lead with a field goal on the first drive and then Wilson connects with Evans on a 56 yards toss to take the 10-0 lead. The Saints would get a field goal at the end of the first quarter to get within a touchdown.

The Panthers would then own the second quarter with three field goals aided with a middle linebacker Schobert's interception of Flacco. Carolina goes into the half with a strong 19-3 lead.

New Orleans would strike first in the 3rd with Conner scoring from the one, as a change in quarterbacks to Manning seems to energize the Saints. Carolina would again answer though as Wilson hit tight end Hooper on a slant pass for a 22 yard touchdown to push the lead back up to 26-11 as the 3rd quarter drew to a close.

The Saints still had plenty of fight left in them. Flacco re-entered the game and hit Brown on a 37 yard pass for the TD and then converted the 2 point conversion to pull within 7. Wilson would respond with a strike to Evens with 6 minutes left in the game to push the lead out to 33-19. Saints would fight on but were unable to put any more points on the board as Carolina added a late field goal to walk away with the 36-19 victory.

The key to the game was Carolina winning the turnover battle 4-0. Had this not been the case the Saints may have very well pulled this out in spite of shaky QB play. Saints ended a great season as Jim got every ounce out of his team to advance as far as they did.

Wilson passes for 302 with 3 TD's to lead the Panthers. The Saints pass catchers did a fine job as 8 different players caught a pass led by Beasley and Brown with 65 and 68 yards respectively.

Eagles 24 Buccaneers 18

Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as the Eagles hold off Tampa Bay to advance to conference finals.

The 3rd seeded Eagles flew into Tampa to take on the 2nd seeded Bucs in a rematch from earlier in the season which Tampa won 37-26 after outscoring the Eagles 34-7 in the 2nd half. Would this be a repeat of that game or would there be a more evenly matched game? Commish John Storer expected an offensive shootout which had both D Coordinators fired up.

Philly would win the toss and defer giving the Bucs the first shot. They would methodically move down the field but could only manage a 52 yard Chris Boswell FG to go up 3-0. The Eagles would go 3 and incomplete on their first drive which was a sign of things to come in the 1st half. The Bucs wouldn't waste any time as they would go 74 yards in 3 plays as Buc QB Derek Carr would hit WR Tyler Lockett on 52 yard out pattern that would put the Bucs up 10-0.

Most of the rest of the 1st half would be a back and forth with both defenses dominating. Tampa would move the ball but penalties (9-90 for the game) would stymie the Bucs. The Eagles had a couple of opportunities in the 2nd quarter but red zone turnovers by RB Adrian Peterson and QB Ryan Tannehill would be their undoing. Fortunately for the Eagles, Tampa could not take advantage and hold on to their 10-0 lead.

With just over 2 minutes remaining in the half, the Eagle offense would get going again. This time, Tannehill would hit WR Julian Edleman on a long slant pattern with :06 left in the half and the Eagles would cut the lead to 10-7 going into halftime.

The 2nd half would start off with the Eagles moving the ball into Buc territory. Staring at a 4th and inches on the Buc 49 yard line, Coach Mason would go jumbo and run the QB sneak with Tannehill. The Bucs would be up to the challenge and stop Tannehill short. Attempting to take advantage of the good field position, the Bucs would, also, go for it on 4th and 2. The Eagle defense was looking for RB Todd Gurley and stacked the line. However, Coach Mike Chase would call for the play-action fake and go deep to Lockett. Eagle CB Bashaud Breeland did not get fooled on the fake and stuck like glue to Lockett making the pass incomplete.

The Eagles would immediately take advantage of the Breeland play, On 1st down, Tannehill would fake it to Peterson and hit WR John Brown on a quick slant. Brown would slice and dice through the Buc defense and take it 57 yards to give the Eagles their 1st lead of the game 14-10.

The Bucs would come right back but as they were crossing midfield WR Darvin Adams would get hammered coming over the middle by Eagle CB JC Jackson (already with an interception on the day) and DB Buster Skrine would recover. The Eagles would take advantage of the turnover and Peterson would score from 4 yards out. 21-10 Eagles going into the final quarter.

The 4th quarter may have been one of the most intense quarters either Coach played all year. The Bucs would score early on a Carr to Adams 7 yard TD. RB Todd Gurley would take in the 2 point conversion and the Eagle lead would be cut to 3 at 21-18. On the ensuing possession, the Eagles would move quickly into Buc territory. On a 4th and inches from the Buc 23 yard line, Coach Mason would remember the stuff from earlier in the game and have K Harrison Butker kick a FG to go up 24-18. With 6 minutes left in the game, the Bucs knew this was their time to win the game and advance to the NFC Championship game.

The Bucs would get to the Eagle 7 yard line with 2 minutes left. They would have 2nd and 1 and it seemed certain they would take the lead. On 2nd down, the Eagles would stuff Gurley for no gain. On 3rd down, the Eagles guessed pass and were right as the pass to Lockett was incomplete. Now, it's 4th and 1 with the game on the line for the Bucs. The Eagles stack the line and play goalline defense. Coach Chase decides to go to Lockett on a fade. Just as in the long pass that Breeland defended to perfection earlier on 4th down, he did so again on the fade and the Eagles would take over with 1:43 left. The Bucs still had 2 timeouts so it wasn't over yet. The Eagles would gamble with a pass on 1st down but it would be incomplete, clock stops. Uh oh. Not wanting to let the Bucs get the ball back, Coach Mason put his trust in Tannehill and threw again on 2nd down. This time, he would connect with Peterson who would barely make the 1st down. The Eagles would, then, run out the clock and take the win 24-18.

What a great game! Coach Chase did all he could to pull the Bucs through but penalties and the inability to get in the end zone at the end of the game was the Bucs undoing. Congrats to Mike on a great season!

The Eagles now fly to Carolina to take on the top seed Panthers. The Eagles will need more magic to take down the favored Panthers.

IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

Ravens 6 Jets 31

Robert Woods catches two touchdowns as Jets advance past Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens flew into NYC to play the home town Jets to open up the AFC playoffs.

MetLife Stadium still had their flags at half mast to honor longtime IFL Coaching legend Ken Griffith when the Ravens arrived for the game. As he entered the stadium Coach Master was wondering which version of QB Baker Mayfield his team would have for the game. The answer would be a key for his team.

The Jets received the opening kickoff, and started from their own 10. They moved the ball to their 47 when Watson looked downfield to Woods, Raven CB Trufant made the interception at the Raven 39, but fumbled, and Jet’s center Kelce recovered it. That was a big break for New York because they continued the drive, and finished it with a Watson 14 yard pass to Woods for the score. The drive took 7 minutes off the clock, and made it 7-0 Jets.

Coach Master’s question was answered on their first possession when Mayfield hit 4-5 passes to get his team into FG range, and they made it 7-3...Jets.

Watson took his team 75 yards in just over 3 minutes, and capped it off with a 1 yard TD run by Mack. The big play on the drive was a 55 yard catch, and run by RB White...14-3 Jets.

After these 3 long drives the teams combined for 4 three, and outs...2 for each. The Ravens broke that mold on their next possession, and once again drove down the field with Baker going 4-7. They got to the Jets 3 yard line. Bell got to the 1, on first and goal. On 2nd Bell lost 2, bringing up 3rd, and 3...but then the Ravens were called for motion, making it now 3rd, and 8. Baker, and Samuels couldn’t hook up, and they had to settle for 3 making it 14-6 with 2:53 to go in the half.

The Jets once again drove the ball down field with Watson going 5-6, and hitting Woods once again for a TD... Jets 21-6 with 18 seconds to go in the half.

When the second half started the Ravens still looked confident, even though getting stopped at the Jets 3 yard line, and having to settle for a FG, had to be in the back of their minds. What looked like it could have possibly been a 14-13 game going into the half was 21-6. The Ravens had a three, and out to start the second half, but their defense was still confident, after all they had DT Donald, a defensive MVP candidate.

Things changed quickly when the Jets went 68 yards in 4 plays, the last one being a 49 yard pass play from Watson to Thomas...28-6...Jets

Baltimore had to start to look to pass more, and the Jets knew it. New York put pressure on Mayfield, and forced him into 2 interceptions in the 3rd quarter. For the remainder of the game Watson slowed his offense down looking to run clock. The Jets defense played well limiting the Ravens to drives of 2, 3, 4, and 6 plays in the 3rd quarter, which ended 28-6.

The only scoring in the 4th quarter was FG by the Jets which gave the final score of...31-6 Jets.

For the Ravens Mayfield was 19-41 for 166 yards. In his defense he played a good first half, and in the second, once they were down 28-6, he didn’t have much of a chance.

New York had Watson go 18-32 for 270 yards, and 3 TDs.
Mack ran 17 times for 85 yards....

New York will travel to Cincinnati in round 2...

Congratulations to Baltimore, and Coach Master on a fine season going 11-5, and making the playoffs for the first time in a few years.

Jaguars 16 Raiders 14

Randy Bullock blast a game winning 58 yard field goal as Jacksonville upsets the Raiders.

The Jags travelled to Oakland looking for revenge for an early season drubbing at the hands of the always tough Raiders.

The game started with a Jags three and out followed by a promising Raiders drive that ended on a turnover on downs at he Jacksonville 33. While the pushed the ball inside the 10 they had to settle for a Bullock 25 yard FG. Following the ensuing kickoff, Oakland settled down quickly and surgically dissected a confused Jags secondary who left a wide open Travis Kelce for a 45 yards score.
End of the 1rst ,7-3 Oakland.

The second quarter continued to be a defensive struggle with Tre White ending Oakland's only deep foray into Jags territory with a pick deep in his end zone. The Jags only offense in the quarter consisted of an 83 yard TD bomb on 3rd and 3 to rookie DK Metcalf.

At the half, Jacksonville-10 Oakland-7

The third quarter saw both D's take control with very little offense and a lot of work for the punters. The only points of the quarter came in the form of a FG following a Stephon Gilmore interception.

After the 3rd, Jacksonville-13 Oakland-7

The fourth quarter was very, very interesting. Following a Jacksonville punt the Oakland offense finally put together a solid 5 play 71 yard drive that saw Matt Stafford hit DJ Moore for a 28 yard strike giving Oakland a 14-13 lead with 6:44 to go. Following an exchange of punts it looked to be over for the Jags a Joe Haden jumped in front of a Josh Allen to Hurns pass with 2:47 left. Oakland efficiently moved to ball down field to set up at 38 yard FG attempt with 51 seconds left on the clock. The 38 yard attempt was wide giving the Jags one last chance with no TO's and the ball on their 24.
Josh Allen wasted no time and fired at 27 yard out to Demarcus Robinson giving the Jags the ball 1rst and 10 at the Oakland 49. On the next play Josh Allen tried to find DK Metcalfe at the 39 but Slay batted it away.....but wait, defensive holding penalty on Slay. Jags 1rst and 10 on the Oakland 39. Following three hurried runs that saw the Jags loses yardage Randy Bullock lined up for a desperate 58 yard FG into the wind with less than 7 seconds left.....

Miraculously, it was good. The Jags win, 16-13!

Thanks to coach Jackson who coached a great game and frankly lost due to the IFL Gods.

Kelce was dominant for Oakland with 7 catches for 161 yards and 1 TD. The Jags dynamic duo of Stephon Gilmore and Tre White were dominant for Jacksonville with DK Metcalf providing just enough help for the O (5 catches 112 yards 1 TD)

Cardinals 7 Eagles 34

Adrian Peterson rushes for 111 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles power past Arizona.

Division foes would meet for the 3rd time this season in the NFC Wild Card game as the Arizona Cardinals would visit the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles won both regular-season games, but as they say, it's really tough to beat the same team 3 times in a season.

The Cards would win the toss and elect to defer. The Eagles would take the opening kickoff and move into Cards territory quickly. On a 3rd and 1, Eagle QB Ryan Tannehill would try to sneak his way to a 1st down but the Card defense would have none of it. Faced with a 4th and 1 on the Cards 44, Head Coach Greg Mason would decide to go for it early. Fearing that Tannehill would be stopped again, Coach Mason would call a slant to WR Julian Edleman. Arizona Coach Jim Heaton would call an all-out blitz and take Tannehill down on a sack. The Eagle faithful were not happy with the gamble this early in the game and booed heartily as Philly fans are apt to do.

Arizona would go to work quickly and move the ball into Eagle territory at the 28-yard line. However, a holding penalty and the inability to move the ball any further would take the Cards out of FG range. Attempting to pin the Eagles deep, the punt would be blocked by DT Corey Peters and the Eagles would take over on their own 48,

The Eagles would move methodically down the field all the way to the Cards 8 yard line. On 3rd and 1, Eagle RB Adrian Peterson would go straight up the middle for the first down. However, he would forget to hold onto the ball and the Cards would recover.

The 1st quarter would end, after the comedy of errors by both teams, with neither team able to put points on the board.

The 2nd quarter would be a different story as the Eagle offense would get on track early. The first score of the game would be a Tannehill to WR John Brown 44 yard jaunt on an out pattern. 7-0 Eagles. The teams would trade punts and, then, the Eagle offense would get rolling again. This time it would be on a RB Rex Burkhead 2 yard run up the middle to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead and that would be the score at halftime.

The 3rd quarter would see the Cards get the ball first, This is when things began to unravel for the visitors from Arizona. On the first play from scrimmage, Card QB Patrick Mahomes would throw a slant pattern that would be picked up by Eagle DB JC Jackson. It would only take the Eagles 3 plays to hit paydirt as Peterson would score from 4 yards out to go up 21-0.

The Cards would stall on their next possession deep in their own territory and punt it back to the Eagles. The Eagle brass knew that with the way their defense was playing if they could put another score on the board, it would be all but over. The offense went to work mixing in the pass with the run. It would be an 11 play 73-yard drive that would culminate in a Peterson TD. 28-0 Eagles and it was all but over for the Cards.

The Eagles would add a FG at the end of the 3rd to go up 31-0. The Cards would finally get on the board early in the 4th to cut the lead to 31-7 but it was too little too late. The Eagles would add 1 more FG to make the final 34-7.

The Eagles were paced by Tannehill (15-18 176 yards 2 TD's), Peterson (17-111 1 TD), Brown (7-106 1 TD), and a stifling defense that would hold the Cards to 188 yards of offense.

Congrats to the Cards and Jim Heaton for making it into the playoffs! The Eagles will next face the Tampa Bay Bucs in a rematch of a game earlier in the year won by the Bucs.

Giants 10 Saints 24

Veteran Joe Flacco comes off the bench to throw two touchdown passes to lead Saints past the Giants.

The Giants would come into New Orleans in the coaches first father-son playoff matchup. As the Giants took the field, they were met with video of Darth Vader on the big screen screaming "I AM YOUR FATHER!!!!". Coach Rice hoped this scare tactic would work.

The Saints elected to start Eli Manning in his final hurrah season. The Saints would put together an efficient 8 play drive resulting in a 37 yard FG by McManus. Saints 3-0. Bud Dupree would get a sack on the drive in which shockingly was the only sack of the game for the sack monster Giants. The Giants would get the ball and after 3 straight runs to Carson, Wentz would hit Anderson on a slant that he would take to the house for 47 yards. 7-3 Giants. The teams would exchange punts and the Saints would get the ball at the Giants 49 after a 14 yard punt return by Peppers. Conner would run for 1 first down and then after 3 straight run plays the Saints were faced with their first decision. 4th and 2 from the Giants 31 and about a 70% chance for FG. Coach Rice would gamble and go for it. Conner would run the ball and come inches short. Ouch.
After an exchange of punts, the Giants would get the ball at their own 31. The Giants would quickly get the ball to the Saints 42 yard line and we were about to have the play of the game. Wentz would pitch to Chris Carson and he would run for 10 yards and get hit hard and fumble. Devondre Campbell would scoop up the fumble and race 69 yards for the defensive TD. Saints 10-7. The teams would exchange punts the rest of the half as it looked like we were gonna have a defensive battle. 10-7 Saints at the half.

New York would get the ball in the 2nd half and 3 plays into the drive we would get our first turnover as Carson would fumble at his own 28 yard line. The Saints would take the ball down to the 9 and on first down Eli would make a huge mistake, throwing a pick in the end zone to Levi Wallace. The Giants would then have a 3 and out and punt. They would start at their own 35. manning would throw a couple passes and Joe Flacco approached Coach Rice and said "it looks like old Eli is getting tired"(1 pass left before fatigue). he then said "Coach, I won't miss a pass today if you put me in". In entered Flacco. Flacco would come in and complete 5 straight passes with the last one going to James Conner for the 11 yard TD. 17-7 Saints with 4:39 left in the 3rd. Wentz was really struggling at this point and after an exchange of punts the Giants would get the ball at their own 37. the drive would stall at the Saints 33 and Zane Gonzalez would come in for an all-important 50 yard attempt. he would nail it and we would have a one score game, 17-10 Saints with 10:47 remaining in regulation. This all-important drive would start at the 25 and Joe Flacco would orchestrate a 12 play drive covering 6:30 minutes ending in an 11 yard TD strike to Shepard. Flacco went 5 for 5 on the drive. Saints 24-10. The Giants would get the ball back with 4:16 left and Wentz would throw a pick to Ward sealing the Giants fate. Flacco would end the day 13-13 for 113 yards and 2 TD's. Wentz would throw for only throw for 114 yards with 47 coming in one play.

The Saints move on to the next round and the Giants head home after an excellent season and a bright future.

WEEK 16 RECAP

Led by Stephon Gilmore's two interceptions, Jacksonville punches their ticket to the IFL playoffs!

Washington 14 Jacksonville 16               62 0-5
In a must win game for the Jags a tired Washington came to spoil the party in what turned out to be a very close game. Both team's O's struggled through player malaise moving the ball well put garnishing few points. The difference in this one was the Jags D that picked off a tired Dak Prescott four times on route to a 16-14 victory and a trip to the playoffs.

Thanks to coach Heaton for giving it his all in a tough game. Thanks also goes out to Coach Bob Durfee and the Jets for dispatching the LA Rams.

The Jags are going to the show.....I think

A. Jones (Wash) 77 yards rushing 2TD's, 5 catches 106 yards
S. Gilmore (Jags) 2 INTS, White (Jags) 1 INT, Vacarro (Jags) 1 INT

Philadelphia 29 Pittsburgh 13               25 5-15
The Eagles would take on the Steelers to end the IFL regular season for both teams. The Eagles, already having secured the 3rd seed in the NFC playoffs, would look to rest a ton of players and prevent any serious injuries while the Steelers were looking to gain some momentum into next season.

Both teams would struggle early but it would be the Eagles who would get on track and take a 19-7 lead into halftime. It would be a ho-hum 2nd half as the Eagles would cruise to their 12th victory of the season. The two big takeaways from the game for the Eagles would be no major injuries and WR Julian Edleman ending his season with a 200-yard game and over 100 catches for the season. For the Steelers, they have the opportunity to pick in the top 4 of the 2021 draft and continue to build for the future.

Houston 7 Buffalo 10                        32 5-15
A one yard Justice Hill touchdown run with less than 30 seconds remaining secures the come-from-behind win for the Bills.

Green Bay 14 Los Angeles (N) 13             61 Calm
Rams and Packers closed the book on their 2020 seasons in Los Angeles. Neither team had much to play for. Some players were noticeably fatigued during the game and both teams suffered a number of injuries. In spite of all of that the game was an entertaining affair that went back and forth. Rams QB Daniel Jones was sharp early leading the Rams to a 10-7 lead at the half. During halftime the Packers cooked up some unconventional approaches to generate some offense. That paid dividends midway through the third quarter when Packer QB Big Ben threw a bomb out of a heavy formation connecting with star WR Emmanuel Sanders. Pushing GB into the lead 14-10. The Packers though left an opening for the Rams to seize the game, a fumble by the Pack in their own end led to a Rams FG. And then later in the 4th quarter the Rams blocked a field goal attempt putting the Rams in good field position. But the Packers' defensive line really dominated the 4th quarter shutting down any run plays, forcing holding penalties and coming up with big sacks. The Pack end 2020 with a W on the road as their 2 touchdowns were just enough.

Packers Stars
Ben Rothlisberger 206 yards 2 TDs
Emmanuel Sanders 97 yards receiving 2 TDs

Rams Stars
Daniel Jones 236 Passing 1 TD
TY Hilton 71 yards receiving

Both teams finish the year 6-10 and await the IFL Combine to evaluate prospects for next season.

Good Luck to all the playoff teams.

Cincinnati 16 Arizona 7                     77 Calm
Fans watching the Bengals and Cardinals game were in a state of shock and awe. It would be unfair to call film snippets High Lights. It would be more accurate to describe them as Low Lights. How in the hell are these two teams going to the play offs? THAT is the question everyone is askings.

The first Low Light belongs with the Cardinals. How is this for a game? The TEAM, used lightly here, had 2 first downs with 28 yards on the ground and 17 yard through the air! Yeppers, and in addition Zona had 17 total net yards!!!! Arizona's Mahomes threw 2 interceptions before being pulled from the game. Mullens did not do any better and added two more interceptions. In addition to the 4 turn overs, there were also 5 sacks as the offense struggled and only converted one third down play.

The Bengals did not do much better. Consider the score of 16 to 7 when the team having the 7 only had 17 yards of total offense! While Bengals did have 147 yards of offense, they really did not play that much better. Their offense also yielded 5 sacks, had two turnovers, missed a chip shot field goal and converted a total of 2 first downs.

Fans can hardly wait to see what happens in the play offs. Watching this game reminds me of going to the Dentist, except I would prefer the dentist.

In fairness, both teams were hurting and had nothing to gain. So players were being rested. Nevertheless, they could have simply told the fans to not bother coming:)

Kansas City 14 New England 42               29 15-25
KC hung tough in the first half, playing the homestanding Patriots to a 14-14 tie deep into the 4th quarter. Some nifty running by David Montgomery (23 carries for 99 yards) and two clutch TD receptions by George Kittle had the Patriots looking for answers on the defensive side of the ball. Nyheim Hines provided the answer actually, when he returned a punt 77 yards for a TD to give NE a 21-14 lead at halftime.

The Patriots had their way in the 2nd half, en route to a 42-14 win.

Christian McCaffrey added 3 more rushing TDs to bring his season total to 24. Courtland Sutton had five grabs for 116 yards and a TD to lead NE receivers.

Minnesota 14 San Francisco 30               58 10-20
Vikings (6-9) meet the 49ers (4-11) to close the season for both sub-500 clubs.

The Niners had won their last 2 games coming in because their defense finally woke up after sleep walking for the first 13 games in theseason, allowing only 16 points total.

The Niner defense performed well again against Minnesota. The only scores the Vikings made resulted from 2 blocked punts leading to 2 Vikings drives of 23 and 11 yards for TDs. These punts were the only 2 the 49ers attempted in the game.

Jordan Howard and Singletary ran for over 100 yards. Trubiskey was efficient (16-22, 182 yards, 2 TDs). The Niners rolled up 30 first downs to 15 for the Vikings, 440 yards to 180. For the Vikings Brees (17-34, 151 yd) and Zeke Elliot (56 yards) were held in check most of the game.

The final Niners 30, Vikes 14. So the 49ers finish with a 3 game win streak and a 5-11 record and the Vikes finish 6-10.

Season wrapup: The NIners made the playoffs in 2019 and the 2020 squad appeared to be improved -- on paper. On the field though, it was a different story. Of their 11 losses, only 1 game was close. All other losses were by 2 scores or more. We were just not competitive until the final 3 games. C'est le Guerre.

Atlanta 13 Tampa Bay 38                     75 0-5
The 6 – 9 Falcons paid a visit to the 12 -3 Buccaneers hoping to end the season on a high note and Richard Robb Tampa of any shot at the number one seed in the NFC.
In the first quarter and early second, Falcons Quarterback David Rivers grinds out two beautiful long drives of 14 and 13 plays and comes away with 10 points. The drives included 15 running plays behind the Monster Atlanta offensive of line. The downside for Mr. Rivers was throwing an interception on his own side of the field in between those drives. When the dust settles, it’s 10 – 7 Atlanta.
The way the Falcons are controlling the ball, the Bucs feel they have to score on every possession. Unlike the balanced Atlanta offense, on the next drive Tampa throws the ball 8 of 9 plays. (And you’re surprised?) Derick Carr finds Tyler Lockett on a slant across the middle for a TD. 14- 10 Tampa Bay.
Although the final turnover total was 3 for Atlanta and 2 for Tampa, the Falcon turnovers took place on the wrong end of the field for the “Birds.” Pierre Desir picks off Rivers and three plays later it’s 21 – 10 Tampa.
As the half draws down Tampa's Derek Carr drops the ball on the ground at his own 38. The Falcons move the ball down the field and threatened to get the game back to 4 points - but have to settle for a field goal just before the half. 21 – 13 Tampa at half time.
The feathers came off in the third quarter for the Falcons. After Tampa goes up 28 – 13 on the opening drive, once again Pierre Desir makes a big play. He knocks the Ulysses out of Jakeem Grant after grabbing a short pass and recovers the fumble. Soon it is 35 – 13, deep in the third quarter. To top it off, the Falcon players are dropping like pigeons into the blue tent.
The late third quarter and all of the fourth quarter are essentially watching the clock run out. The final was 38 – 13 Tampa.
Thanks to Baltimore Scott Master for subbing. It felt like forces beyond his control would not let the good deed go unpunished.
Carr finished his over-the-top season with a perfect QB rating of 157.1. His season rating finished at 117.6 on 41 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions.
Rivers’ final game of the season rating was a 64.4, which had him in a… Gosh darn it!? Can you believe it!? That shouldn’t happen! - never cusses tirade at the end of the game. The 35 touchdowns were OK. The 13 interceptions and a 6 – 10 record, unacceptable for a passer of his caliber.

Dallas 0 Tennessee 13                       46 Calm
Not to keep anyone in suspense the final score was 13-0 Tennessee. Dallas finished 2-14 and is in line for Burrows or Herbert. Tennessee finishes 6-10 and demands a refund from Coach Conners most recent coaching clinic.

Los Angeles (A) 9 New York (A) 28           37 0-5
The LA Chargers came to NYC to play the NY Jets hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive. On the other hand, the Jets knew they were in the playoffs, and just wanted to stay healthy for the playoffs. Even though they could end up with the IFL’s second best record at 14-2 with a win, they’d still finish second in their division, and not receive a bye. So, staying healthy was the main goal.

New York received the opening kickoff, and went 75 yards in 14 plays capping the drive with a 1 yard TD pass to Thomas. LA responded by going 56 yards in 13 plays over 7 minutes to get a 37 yard FG...7-3 Jets

LA forced a punt, and once again dove into FG range, this time getting a 28 yard FG....
7-6 Jets.

The Jets responded on their next possession going 94 yards in 11 plays, getting a Watson 9 yard TD run...14-6 Jets at the half.

Neither team could get much going in the 3rd quarter with the only points coming on another LA FG...14-9 Jets.

LA QB Fitzpatrick threw a pick in his own territory early in the 4th quarter, and Mathieu returned it to the LA 3 yard line. On the next play Mack took it in to make it 21-9 Jets.

The Chargers drove to the Jet’s 28 yard line hoping to make it 21-16, but Fitz coughed it up, and Mathieu picked it up, and took it 70 yards for a TD...28-9 Jets

That was the final...and the game was much closer than the final score. The Chargers were in it all the way...the two turnovers were the difference...game ball went to Mathieu...

The Jets finish 14-2, second best record in the IFL, second best record in the AFC, and sadly enough, second best record in their division...LOL

LA finished 9-7 which may, or may not be good enough for the playoffs. Either way they’ve had a good season with Fitz at QB.

Hopefully onto the playoffs for both teams.

Denver 0 Indianapolis 3                     69
Have to think Ken had a hand in this one.

3-0 final as Indy wins at home vs Denver.
7 turnovers in the game with Indy 4 and Denver 3 and Denver missed two FG's, one 88% and one 98% chance.

Miami 17 Oakland 20                         65 0-10
Trailing 17-13, Matthew Stafford throws a 37 yard scoring strike to Cody Latimer with a little over a minute remaining in the game.

New York (N) 7 Baltimore 24                 42 5-15
With both teams having secured playoff berths, there wasn't much to play for in this one. As such, the Giants rested their top three WRs and it showed. Giant QB Carson Wentz completed just 13 of 31 pass attempts for a grand total of 88 yards. His two INTs earned him a 22.7 QBR. As a team, they generated just 110 yards of total offense.

Baltimore didn't rest anyone, but it didn't make too much of a difference as everyone was tired and someone had to play.

Neither team did much offensively. Four of the five scores in this game were direct results of turnovers. The fifth came after a failed fourth-down conversion late in the game deep in the Giants own territory. Since Baltimore won the turnover battle 4-to-2, the Ravens also won the game, 24-7.

The win was a costly one as WR Adam Thielen, who had a durability of just 6, but somehow made it through 15 games without getting hurt, was injured and expected to miss the entire postseason, regardless of how far the Ravens go.

The game didn't start well for the visiting Giants. After a motion penalty on the first play from scrimmage, Wendall Smallwood fumbled with the ball being recovered by Raven LB Shaquil Barrett at the Giant 20. After an offsides penalty moved the ball to the 15, Baker Mayfield checked down to Jaylen Samuels, who ran it in for the score. Baltimore, 7-0 after the PAT.

On the Giants first play after the ensuing kickoff, Wentz was picked off by Raven CB Desmond Trufant. The Ravens reached the Giants 8, but had to settle for a 36-yard Michael Badgley FG. Baltimore, 10-0.

After eight punts (four by each team), Baltimore took over at the Giants 40. On the first play, Mayfield was stripped of the ball by Giant ILB Jaylon Smith and returned 40-yards by CB Byron Jones for a TD.  Baltimore, 10-7.

The next six possessions resulted in punts. The Ravens had a chance to move into FG range before the half, but an INT by Jaylon Smith ended that hope.

Mid-way through the 3rd quarter, Baltimore's Baker Mayfield ran it in from 7 yards out after another Desmond Trufant INT gave the Ravens a short field at the Giant 13. Baltimore, 17-7.

Feeling the game slipping away, the Giants gambled on a 4th-and-1 from their own 33 as the 3rd quarter was nearing its end, but Smallwood was stonewalled by a blitzing Benardrick McKinney for a 1 yard loss. Three plays later Mayfield hit TE Logan Thomas for a 16-yard TD. Baltimore, 24-7.

The 4th quarter was filled with more punts, another failed 4th-down attempt and a kneel down.

With the win, Baltimore (11-5) secures the 5th seed in the AFC half of the playoff bracket and is happy(?) to earn a match-up with arguably the 2nd best team in the league - the New York Jets (14-2).

The Giants(9-7) earn the 5th seed in the NFC half and will face the New Orleans Saints (10-5 as of this writing).

Chicago 22 Carolina 30                      69 Calm
Chicago gives the Panthers all they can handle to end the regular season.

The Panthers looked in good shape in the first half as they took a 21 -10 halftime lead as Russell Wilson and Mike Evans connected on two TD passes.

Chicago would claw back in the second half behind Cook's explosive run game. If not for a safety by the Panthers in the third it could have been a loss for the Panthers. Panthers were able to hold on in the end as Wilson threw 4 TD passes to lead Carolina. Gallup went over a 100 in receiving for the Bears and Cook added 100 on the ground to pace the Bears.

Detroit 17 New Orleans 10                   70
The Saints sit a lot of starters and the Lions lose Darnold early. Hope everyone took the under.

Rushing Leaders
Freeman,D(Buf) 26-128
Michel(Ind)     26-117
Chubb,N(LAC)    25-106
Singletary(SF) 16-106 1 TD
Cook,D(Chi)     14-106 1 TD
Howard,J(SF)    19-102
Mack,M(NYJ)     13-100 1 TD
McCaffrey(NE)   11-65 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Edelman(Phi)    11-200 2 TD
Kamara(Oak)     10- 87
Parker,D(Was)   10- 74
Freeman,D(Buf) 10- 64

Passing Leaders
Stafford(Oak)   49-31-439   2 TD 2 Int
Carr,D(TB)      28-26-342   5 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Wilson,R(Car)   30-23-297   4 TD

Defensive Standouts
Omenihu(Buf)     3 Sk 4 Tk
Ngakoue(Ten)     3 Sk 7 Tk
Gilmore(Jax)     2 Int 12 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
Trufant(Bal)     2 Int 6 Tk
Wagner,B(Chi)    1 Sk 19 Tk
Campbell,D(NO)   2 Int 8 Tk

Special Teams
Butker(Phi)    5-5 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

FINAL IFL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

FINAL IFL REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE LEADERS

IFL PLAYOFF PICTURE HEADING INTO WEEK 16

AFC OUTLOOK

The #1 and #2 seeds are clinched - NE and CIN.
OAK can secure the #3 with a win over Miami in Week 16, but a loss coupled with a Charger win over the Jets would make things messy. Division (6-2) and common opponents records match, so I think it comes down to records against conference opponents. They both went 1-1 vs AFC Central opponents, but a loss to Miami would make Oakland 0-2 vs AFC East, while a win vs the Jets would give the Chargers a 1-1 record. Thus, if they tie, I think the Chargers would get the #3 seed and Oakland would fall into a WC slot...and likely some tie-breaker scenario with Baltimore.

The Jets have the #4 seed.

Baltimore could secure the #5 seed with a win over the Giants, but a loss would make them (10-6) and they'd fall into a potential tie if the Raiders also lose or if the Chargers win. Baltimore also went 6-2 in division, so they tie with both OAK and LAC in that tie-breaker. The next tie-breaker is common games (opponents?). BAL and OAK had the following opponents in common: JAX, TEN, DEN and HOU. Baltimore went 5-1 vs those teams, so did Oakland. BAL and LAC had the following common opponents: CIN, TEN, DEN and HOU. Baltimore went 4-2 against those opponents, while LAC also went 4-2.

The next tie-breaker is strength of victory and I can't really figure that out based on what the other team's records would be after Week 16.

Suffice it to say that a Charger win over the Jets is unlikely, but who really know if the Jets choose to rest some of their players to insure they're healthy for the playoffs. An Oakland win over 6-9 Miami is likely and would make things simpler.

I'd say Oakland gets the win and the #3 seed. The Jets get the #4 with Baltimore getting the #5 seed - regardless of whether they win or lose against the Giants...as long as the Jets beat the Chargers. If that happens, the Chargers would still make the playoffs as the #6 seed.

NFC OUTLOOK

All playoffs berths in the NFC have been decided. Seedings 1/2 and 5/6 are still up for grabs

x-1) Carolina 12-3:       Has clinched a first round bye (conference record over Philadelphia)
                                   Can clinch 1st seed and home field throughout with a win vs Chicago or a Tampa Bay loss

                                   (conference record over Tampa Bay)

x-2) Tampa Bay 12-3:     Has clinched a first round bye (head to head over Philadelphia).

                                  Can get 1st seed with a win vs. Atlanta AND a Carolina loss vs. Chicago



x- 3) Philadelphia 11-4:    NFC East Champion, #3 seed

y- 4) New Orleans 10-5   Clinched playoff berth and #4 seed (owns tiebreaker over Giants-conference record)

y- 5) N.Y. Giants 9-6       Clinched playoff berth. Will be #5 seed with a win at Baltimore OR Arizona loss vs. Cincinnati.

y- 6) Arizona 8-7    Clinched playoff berth. Owns tie breakers over 7-8 Washington (division record),

                                    7-8 Chicago and Detroit (conference record). Can claim #5 seed with a win vs Cincinnati AND a

                                     New York Giant loss at Baltimore (2-0 head to head vs. NYG).

x= division champion
y= clinched wildcard berth

* in case of a discrepancy between this list and the official IFL list, the latter shall prevail

WEEK 15 RECAP

The Cardinals Patrick Mahomes celebrates a last second TD pass as Arizona edges Washington.

Game Scores
Arizona 31 Washington 28                    47 0-10
Arizona would head to Washington with identical 7-7 records in what was an elimination game. The winner would keep their playoff hopes alive while the loser would likely be sitting at home on January. With a playoff atmosphere in the air the game would not disappoint. After forcing a punt from midfield the Redskin offense would get going quickly with a 48 yard pass to Devante Parker followed up by a Aaron Jones 8 yard TD run. For this drive anyway it would look like the free falling Redskins had finally gotten everything together and were going to get back to their winning ways. But Arizona would say not so fast. They would put together their own impressive drive with a 36 yard completion to Kirk followed by a 3 yard scramble TD by Mahomes to tie it up 7-7 near the end of the first quarter.

Washington then decided enough was enough and decided to push the self destruct button one more time. Washington would punt on the following possession however a piss poor snap by the long snapper would go over Jake Scotts head giving Arizona prime field position. 1 play later it would be 14-7. 4 plays later Prescott would throw an INT to Marlon Humphrey. Mahomes would quickly turn that into another 7 points making it 21-7. Washington would follow that up with another 3 and out and again Mahomes would just march down the field with a FG with 1:33 left in the half. With a little time left in the half Washington would finally wake up and start to move the ball down the field. A couple of dumpoffs to Aaron Jones and they were in business. Prescott would manage to get the ball to the 11 with 13 seconds left and no timeouts. Down 24-7 they would try one more pass into the endzone and dial up the corner fade. However a poor pass by Prescott would be intercepted by Harold Landry to end the half 24-7. It was quickly looking like a blowout snooze fest.

To start the second half the Redskins would get the ball and build on their last drive and dink and dunk the ball down the field for a FG. A quick stop by Washington and they would ge the ball back and score yet again. But in typical Washington fashion this year even in success they find a way to fail as Slye would miss the extra point. Arizona would begin to feel the pressure and another drive would stall out and they would punt yet again. Perscott was now sizzling and would hit Dissly for a 22 yard TD to make it 24-22 with 7 minutes left.   Arizona would begin to feel the game slipping away when Mahomes would throw an INT on the next drive and give Washington 3 points to make the game 24-25 Washington. Barkley would then fumble on the very next play but again Washington would be able to do nothing with it and have to settle for another 3 points to make it 24-28 with 1:50 left. Unfortunately for Washington that was about 10 seconds too much for Mahomes as he would march the offense down the field and on a 4th and 1 from the 11 yard line with 7 seconds left he would find Kirk on the corner fade for the W.

Washington’s hopes of January games go out the window and will finish up with Jacksonville while Arizona heads to Cinci with their playoff hopes still on life support.

Buffalo 3 New England 28                    34 5-15
Lamar Jackson wasn't on his game, but still managed to rush for 82 yards while tossing 2 TD passes as the Patriots handled Buffalo by the score of 28-3.

Bills rookie QB Kyler Murray completed 18 of 24 pass attempts while rushing for 56 yards himself, but the Bills couldn't find their way into the end zone against the Pats D.

Los Angeles (A) 31 Denver 14                42 Calm
Los Angeles ruins the commissioner’s upset special of the week, as they win big, cover the spread and lighten Mr. Storer’s pockets. :=)

With Denver gearing to stop Nick Chubb, LA turned to Fitz’magic’ and the passing game to control the contest, amassing 29 first downs and 472
total yards. With Chubb being keyed most of the game(115 total yards), the Chargers turned to the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick who threw for a season
high 340 yards and 4 touchdowns. Julio Jones was the recipient of 9 passes for 157 yards and 3 touchdowns. Amari Cooper added 5 catches for
106 yards and a touchdown.

Denver’s main highlight came on a 37 yard fumble return for a touchdown.

Denver returns home to close out the season versus Indianapolis; L.A. travels to New York to try and keep their playoff hopes alive versus the Jets.

Miami 9 San Francisco 16                    52 15-25
In a ho-hum inconsequential league game, MIami and the 49ers played ho-hum ball. Usually someone win these games and in this case, it wasthe Niners. The teams wandered around trading FGs until late in the 4thquarter. Finally, the Niners put a meaningful drive together finishing with a Trubiskey-Boyd 20 yard TD pass. Stars of the game? Only one.
Boyd caught 8 passes for 102 yards.

Kansas City 28 Houston 24                   70
Drew Lock throws four touchdown passes as the Chiefs get by Houston.

New York (N) 12 Dallas 6                    70
Some viewers would label the contest between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in week 15 a profound defensive contest. Others would call it a matchup of two utterly horrible offenses.

Though having to punt 11 times, the Giants mustered enough offense to prevail against the Cowboys 12-6.    Dallas coach Steve Hart had to pull Gardner Minshew after he completed just four passes in 16 attempts. Cam Newton was only slightly better in relief. To be fair, Cowboy receivers dropped six balls and the QBs were under constant pressure by a Giant defense that managed five sacks (one for a safety) and many more hurries. Cowboy skilled players also managed three fumbles in the (pitiful) contest.

The Cowboys' general manager fired the team trainer following the game that saw five more players exit the game with injuries. For much of the year, the Cowboys have had to put a team on the field with an average of six players nursing injuries.

Pittsburgh 20 Baltimore 26                  54 0-5
A day after the real Ravens and Steelers hooked up for an ugly game that was postponed time and time again, the IFL Ravens and Steelers met a day earlier than previously scheduled. Baltimore was favored by 11 (double-digit spreads are always troublesome) and the visiting Steelers seemed to take notice. Playing with the bravado of an 11-point favorite, the Ravens forced a punt on the Steelers first possession, then marched 78 yards to paydirt in 12 plays. With Raven RB Le'Veon Bell resting an undisclosed injury, Jonathan Williams carried the rock in from 8 yards out. Baltimore, 7-0.

The next three possessions resulted in punts. Pittsburgh's second punt was fielded by DeAndre Carter at his own 13, where he was speared by Derek Watt. Carter's fumble was recovered by Pittsburgh on the Raven 18. A sack by Shaquil Barrett set the Steelers back and they ultimately had to settle for a FG from Eddy Pinero. Baltimore, 7-3.

Baltimore received the ensuing KO and returned it to their own 29, but a holding penalty on second-and-ten set them back to the 19. A short pass for 11 and a Baker Mayfield scramble gained it all back, but a challenge flag was thrown by Steelers coach Sam Alberry and the replay revealed that Mayfield was stopped an inch short of the line to gain. With all the gusto of a team that knew they were going to win, the Raven coaching staff sent Mayfield back out to his own 39 to gain that inch. The Steeler Curtain lived up to their name and stuffed the dive attempt by Williams. Pittsburgh ball! Four plays later Steeler RB Gus Edwards raced into the end zone from 15 yards out on a draw play. Pittsburgh, 10-7.

The Ravens got big plays from WR Will Fuller (38 yard slant) and RB Williams (20 yard jaunt) on their next possession, but couldn't find paydirt from 7 yards out. Michael Badgley booted a tying FG from 25 yards out. Tied, 10-10.

Pittsburgh seemed content to take a tie into the locker room with two minutes left before the half and the ball on their own 35, but after TE Dawson Knox took a short slant from Brady and raced 59 yards to the Raven 6, coach Alberry was seeing blood. Going for the jugular, Brady hit WR Golden Tate on a fade to the back corner. Pittsburgh, 17-10 at the half.

Baltimore took the second half kickoff and again marched half the length of the field (52 yards technically) in 12 plays, but the Steel Curtain raised up again, stopping the Raven drive at the 23. Badgley's FG cut the lead to 4. Pittsburgh, 17-13.

The next six possessions resulted in punts (BOR-ING!) as neither team could gain any traction. The Ravens thought they got a break when Brady hit WR Byron Pringle on a screen and CB Desmond Trufant punched the ball out. Raven S Terrell Edmunds scooped up the loose ball and returned it 10 yards to the Steeler 40, but once again, the Steelers D tightened. A sack on first down and two incomplete passes forced a Raven punt.

Four more punts ensued, making it 10 punts in 11 possessions. Most of the Ravens fans were asleep at this point, but were awakened by the raucous Steeler fans when a medium out pass from Mayfield was batted high (and I mean HIGH) into the air and intercepted by DT Shy Tuttle!

Pittsburgh was mixing up the icing to put on this cake, but couldn't get past the Raven 11. Still, Eddie Pinero's 29-yard FG with 2:25 left seemed like it would be enough. Pittsburgh, 20-13.

Starting on their own 35, Baltimore moved to their 46 after a Mayfield sneak netted a first down. Trying to save their only TO, Mayfield spiked the ball and called for a short out to RB Jaylen Samuels. The Steeler pass rush forced Mayfield out of the pocket, but just as he was about to hit Samuels for a short gain, he saw Fuller streaking down the sideline (figuratively, not without his uniform!). Fuller hauled it in for a 30-yard gain! Baltimore was at the Steeler 24 with 1:20 on the clock. Two quick passes got the Ravens to the 14 with :49 left. Thinking the Ravens might be doubling Fuller and/or TE Mark Andrews, coach Master made the gutsy call to target high risk/high reward WR Scotty Miller. Mayfield hit Miller square on the hitch, TD BALTIMORE! Feeling the momentum, Baltimore opted to kick the PAT and take their chances in OT. Game tied, 20-20.

Pittsburgh won the OT toss and elected to receive. A missed block resulted in a 4-yard loss on first down and a motion penalty set the Steelers back another 5. A dropped pass on a questionable non-call on a potential DPI put the writing on the wall for the Steelers. A short run on 3rd-and-19 was just to give the punter a little more room. A 6-yard return by PR Steven Sims Jr had the Ravens starting on their own 41. Mayfield targeted WR Will Fuller on a first-down short hitch, where the Steeler defender gambled to bat the ball away...and lost. Fuller turned quickly and headed up field. Steeler CB Kendall Sheffield cut Fuller off at the 25, but couldn't bring him down. As Fuller raced on, a tumbling Sheffield took out all the trailing Steeler defenders. 59-yard TD for Fuller. Ravens win, 26-20, in OT!

New Orleans 38 Atlanta 35                   68
In a game that was played after hearing the awful news of one of our great owners Ken Griffith. RIP to Ken and thoughts and prayers are with his family. This game would not disappoint as we think Joe Montana came out of retirement and put on a Duck Hodges jersey. The Duck would throw for 322 yards and 5 TD's in the victory. Phillip Rivers would keep pace all day throwing for 321 yards and 5 TD's himself. In the end it came down to fatigue of the Falcons WR's, so Coach Rice's strategy worked to let them throw all over them for 3 1/2 quarters so they would be fatigued at the end. Saints move to 10-5 and are jockying for playoff position. Atlanta looks to next year as they fall to 6-9.

Tennessee 27 Philadelphia 37                42 0-10
The Titans would visit the Eagles in Week 15 with the Titans playing the spoiler role to the Eagles desire to get a first-round bye in the playoffs. While the Eagles did want to win to remain in competition for that bye, they also wanted to rest a few players in preparation for the playoffs. Thus, the Interception machine, Jameis Winston would start for the Eagles. He would not disappoint.

On the first drive of the game, Titan QB Matt Ryan would throw an interception to Eagle S Rodney McLeod who would return it to the Titan 7 yard line. Instead of attempting to run the ball into the endzone, Coach Mason would show strange confidence in Winston by calling a pass play on 1st down. Shockingly, Winston would throw an interception to Titan LB Nick Vigil. Oy Vey! The Titans would move quickly down the field and Ryan would hit WR Odell Beckham on a long slant pattern to give the Titans the lead 6-0 after the missed extra point. On the ensuing kickoff, Winston would throw a bomb hoping for something other than an INT and he would get it in the form of a pass interference penalty setting up the Eagles deep in Titan territory. Winston would connect with WR John Brown and the Eagles would take the lead 7-6. The Eagles would not give up the lead after that.

The Titans would get close late in the 4th quarter. Behind 34-27, the Titans would take advantage of another Winston INT, and, with 4 minutes left in the game, from their own 34, they would fail on both 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1 to get a 1st down. The Eagles would run some clock and get a Harrison Butker FG to put the game away, 37-27.

Winston would do just enough this day to not lose the game although he tried very hard. Thanks to excellent receiving from Brown and Julian Edleman, he was able to muster 3 TD's on the day in addition to the 2 Ints. Penalties would hurt the Titans as they committed 10-122 including a couple of PI's that would be costly. The duo of Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins would burn the Eagle secondary for over 200 yards and 2 TDs.

The Titans will close out their season against the Cowboys while the Eagles go to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers still hoping to get a 1st round bye in the playoffs.

Chicago 6 Green Bay 17                      38 0-10
Packers last home game of the season was filled with drama surrounding
GM/Head Coach John Conners.

All week long callers to local sports radio shows were calling for his head, as the Packers
endure their worst season in recent memory.

Ben Roethlisberger, who had been nursing a sore elbow, vowed to return for the last
2 games of the season in hopes of salvaging Conners' job.

Earlier in the week Big Ben was quoted as saying "I would take a bullet for that man, no way I won't be out
there to face the Bears"

Sure enough Roethlisberger suited up and went out and had himself a ball game. The veteran QB completed
passes to 8 different receivers as he methodically dissected one of the best defenses in the IFL.

Despite being stopped cold by the Chicago defense on 4th and goal from the 2 yard line late in the 1st quarter,
the Green Bay offense struck twice in the first half on route to a 14-3 halftime lead.

From there the Packers defense shut the door on Jimmy Garoppolo holding him to just 184 passing yards and
sacking the Bears pivot 5 times. The Chicago running game never got going as well. Delvin Cook was held to just
29 yards on 13 carries.

With the score 17-6 Packers and Chicago driving, S Rashad Jones secured the win as he picked off Jimmy G. deep
in Green Bay territory with just 1:53 left.

Final score Green Bay 17 Chicago 6

Big Ben threw for for 323 yards and a TD. Packers defense held Chicago to just 197 yards of net offense.

Barring a tie between Washington and Arizona, the loss eliminates Chicago (7-8) as they finish the regular season
at Carolina next week.

Packers (5-10) will try to ride Roethlisberger to a second straight win to end the season
on a high note at L.A versus the Rams.

Conners sleeps well for at least another week

Detroit 13 Tampa Bay 23                     74 10-20
The Lions came to Tampa and gave the Buccaneers all they could handle. Detroit tied the game up at 13 on a Wil Lutz field goal with ten and a half minutes left in the game. The next possession sees the Bucs manage a six minute 12 play touchdown drive to which the Lions were not able to answer. Big play during the drive was on third and 14 at mid field when Derek Carr dropped a dime to a double teamed Jared Cook for 19 yards.

Next week Detroit pays a visit to The Big Easy while Tampa hosts Atlanta.

Cincinnati 27 Jacksonville 21               69 10-20
The Bengals came to Jacksonville looking to secure a division championship whereas the Jags were looking for a path to the post season. While it was close game throughout a balanced running and passing game the Bengals saw them garner a seven point lead at the half. The second half saw both defenses hunker down with the only TD being a Samson Ebukam fumble recovery late in the 4th giving the Jags one final chance. The Jags forced the punt on the ensuing Bengals drive but with 49 seconds left on the clock the Jag drive died at their 49 ensuring the Cinci victory.

Next week is a week off for the Bengals while the Jags must win and receive some help to make the post season.

Passing
(Ben) Rodgers 25 of 37 262 yards, 3tds 1 int
(Jax) Allen 21 of 36 for 236 yards 1 td

Other
(Ben) A. Jeffery 8 catches for 92 yards 2tds
(Jax) S. Ebukam 15 tackles, 2 stuffs, 1 FF, 1 TD

Carolina 16 Los Angeles (N) 3               53 Calm
The Panthers and Rams met in Los Angeles for what ended up being a fairly straight forward victory for the Panthers. The Rams got big brothered (Where the big brother puts his hand on the little brother's forehead while the little brother swings furiously at air) . The game was played with heavy hearts as the IFL experienced a major unexpected loss in Colts Coach Ken Griffith. Ken was an incredible amount of fun to play the game with, he will be missed without a doubt. I did not know him well, but I did know he enjoyed playing in our league a great deal. You could tell just from writeups he did. They always had bells and whistles, like being the format of an actual article and including quotes (which I have lifted from him from time to time). With that in mind rather than posting about a fairly uneventful game between the Panthers and Rams, and not to take away from the Panthers (Next week they play the Bears) march towards a potential number 1 seed, I thought it would be better to post a write up from Ken. In looking for one I forgot how often Ken volunteered to sub, it looked like some seasons he sent emails weekly offering his time. It was tough to choose from his writeups, one that made me laugh he had a line that he was on the hot seat after a loss. But I decided to go with a win, Ken you will be missed,

From December 2014:

COLTS 30 PATRIOTS 7

Indianapolis, IND (IFL.COM) The fans are partying in the streets following a 30-7 Colts (10-6) win over the visiting Patriots (2-12) which secured its first playoff appearance under Head Coach Ken Griffith. When Griffith was asked about his first entrance into the IFL post-season he couldn’t avoid taking a shot at a certain Bay Area organization that heavily criticized the Colts for moves made during the 2013 and 2014 draft, “well, in 2013 and 2014 they had pieces to move and we had deals structured that we felt could help both clubs, when the deals fell through I was told we will never make the playoffs building a club in the manner in which the Colts had decided. We might be one and done, but it sure feels good right now.”

The game was never in doubt. Indianapolis started the game with a drive that ate up 10:36 of the first quarter with an 18 play, 74 yard drive that ended with a Steven Hauschka 24 yard field goal, Colts 3-0. Indianapolis was ahead 30-0 when the Pats got its first score on a 5 yard TD pass from Sam Bradford (13-33, 203 Yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) with 31 seconds left in game. Peyton Manning finished the game with 3 TDs on 19-26 for 261 Yds, 1 pick and was named game MVP.

Other notables:

Keenan Allen, IND (WR) 6-103 Yds, 2 TDs.
Mike Leshoure, NE (RB) 15-77 Yds, 5.1 per carry.
Akeem Dent, NE (LB) 12 Tackles.

Indianapolis 0 New York (A) 30              40 5-15
The Indianapolis Colts came to New York to play a divisional game against the Jets. Colts players were going to be playing with heavy hearts after the death of their longtime head coach, Ken Griffith.

The flags at MetLife Stadium were at half mast, and players on both teams wore black armbands, and decals on their helmets with the letters KG on them.

Scott Master took over as interim head coach of the Colts, and he and Jets coach, Bob Durfee, together asked the National television audience to “Please, wear the damn mask, if not for yourself, for others.”

As the game started it was clear that players on both teams were just going through the motions. On the combined first 8 possessions of the game 3 points were produced, on a FG by the Jets.

The Jets Chase Daniel was starting at QB for the first time this season, and also playing in meaningful minutes for the first time. He wasn’t happy with the circumstances, but on the Jets 5th possession of the game drove his team 82 yards in 6 plays. It ended with Daniel hitting Mack for an 8 yard TD pass...10-0 Jets.

New York tacked on another FG with 11 seconds to go in the half to make it 13-0...Jets.

The halftime show was in honor of Coach Griffith. Highlights from his years as the Colts head coach were shown on the scoreboard, and on the National TV broadcast on ESPN. Many of Coach Griffith’s famous quotes were shared, as well as video of that big smile that his team, and his opponents were used to seeing.

In the second half Daniel threw 2 more TD passes, both to Thomas. It seemed Daniel was the only player that wanted to play on this day.

The Jets won, but most everyone was left thinking only of their, and the IFL’s lose of one of their finest coaches.

RIP Coach Griffith...

Oakland 38 Minnesota 28                     68
The Oakland Raiders brought their offense and their defense to this game; the Minnesota Vikings brought their offense, but the bus carrying their defense apparently missed the turnoff to the stadium.

Oakland snuffed out two Viking drives with an interception in the end zone and another interception in their own territory, and that was the difference. Otherwise, the two teams took turns driving the length of the field for touchdowns. In one stretch there were 5 straight long touchdowns.

In the end, the Raiders had an unstoppable (at least by the Vikings) offense. Stafford threw for 230 yards and 2 TDs for a 125.2 QBR. Brees amassed 324 yards and 4 TDs, but his two interceptions dropped his league-leading QBR to only 87.3.

Moore and Kelce led Raider receivers with over 100 yards each (Moore 121, Kelce 105). Allen again stood out for the Vikings with 15 catches, 102 yards and 3 TDs.

Hyde carried the ball for 96 yards and Elliott for 90 yards.

Oakland finishes its regular season hosting Miami and Minnesota closes out its season at San Francisco.


Rushing Leaders
Mack,M(NYJ)     17-155
Barkley,S(Ari) 17-122
Sanders,M(LAR) 15-108
Hyde,C(Oak)     22-98 3 TD

Receiving Leaders
Fuller V(Bal)    8-178 1 TD
Jones,J(LAC)     9-147 3 TD
Kittle(KC)      12-122 2 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Ertz(Atl)       12-113 3 TD
Kirk(Ari)       10-108 2 TD
Brown,A(NO)      5-105 3 TD
Allen,K(Min)    10-102 3 TD
Landry(KC)      10- 86 2 TD
Thomas,M(NYJ)   11- 85 2 TD

Passing Leaders
Mayfield(Bal)   50-29-380   2 TD 1 Int
Fitzpatr,R(LAC) 32-23-340   4 TD
Brees(Min)      54-33-324   4 TD 2 Int
Roethlisbe(GB) 39-26-323   1 TD
Hodges(NO)      28-20-322   5 TD 1 Int
Rivers(Atl)     45-34-321   5 TD
Ryan,M(Ten)     45-29-315   3 TD 2 Int
Lock(KC)        37-28-249   4 TD 1 Int

Defensive Standouts
Ebukam(Jax)      15 Tk
Sherman(NE)      5 Tk 1 pick 6 - IFL Defensive Player of the Week

Special Teams
McManus(NO)    8 Pts GW 47 FG – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 15 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 15 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 14 RECAP

In the IFL upset of the week, one win Dallas surprises the Ravens.

Dallas 21 Baltimore 17                      40 0-10
As with many late-season games, you never know what DKS has in store for either team. In years past, it's been the Ravens who pulled the big (relatively speaking) upset and thus, retarded their draft position. This year, it was the 1-12 Cowboys who pulled the upset, besting the 9-4 Ravens in the only category that mattered - the scoreboard. Dallas led most all game, yet trailed in most every statistical category. But, time and time again, they got big plays when they needed them, enroute to a 31-27 Cowboy win on the road in Baltimore. Kudos to Coach Steve Hart, who called a masterful game.

Dallas received the opening kick-off and Coach Master could tell from the first series that DKS wasn't going to be very giving to his Ravens the day before Turkey Day. On the first play from scrimmage, Gardner Minshew hit Shady McCoy for a relatively modest 8-yard gain on a screen. After the play, Raven rookie DL Folorunso Fatukasi lay on the turf in agony - out for the game and likely the rest of the season. On the second play from scrimmage, Minshew called an audible and threw deep down the sidelines where Raven S Terrell Edmunds tipped the ball away. But wait! The zebras flagged Edmunds for a DPI and a 43-yard penalty! On the third play of the game, Minshew hit WR Kenny Stills on a medium slant and Still took it to the house, 24-yards away. Dallas, 7-0.

After a nice, 41-yard KO return by Steven Sims, Baltimore started from their own 36, but on their first play from scrimmage, Cowboy OLB Markus Golden sacked Baker Mayfield for a 6-yard loss. Two incomplete pass attempts later, Baltimore would punt. Then Dallas would punt and Baltimore would string together a modest drive of 9 plays to go 78-yards and put 7 on the board, courtesy of a 34-yard jet sweep from WR Steven Sims. Game tied, 7-7.

Dallas found themselves faced with a 4th-and-1 on their own 49 in their next series and decided to try to catch the Raven defense off-guard. Minchew's pass attempt to TE Dallas Goedert was unsuccessful and Baltimore took over. Three plays later, the Ravens were faced with a 4th-and-1 on the Dallas 40. After Le'Veon Bell was stopped for no gain on 3rd down, Coach Master called for a read-option, but Cowboy DT Jonathan Hankins didn't bite and threw Bell for a 5-yard loss. Four plays later the Cowboys were faced with another 4th-and-1. This time, at the Raven 46, Minshew handed the ball to McCoy, who gained just enough to get the first down. Five plays later, McCoy toted the rock across the goal line and Dallas took back the lead, 14-7.

Baltimore and Dallas would exchange punts and the Ravens took over just shy of midfield. Mayfield would march the Ravens down the field, but the drive stalled at the 10. Faced with yet another 4th-and-1, Baltimore opted to go for it rather than kick the FG. Mayfield's pass to TE Mark Andrews was tipped away by Cowboy ILB Termaine Edumunds. A sack by Raven OLB Matthew Judon would push the Cowboys back to their own 7, but Minshew managed his way to a Cowboy first down before they had to punt the ball away just before the half. With :51 seconds remaining Baltimore started at their own 35 and matriculated down the field to the Cowboy 25 where Michael Badgley would trot out to attempt a 43-yard FG (86% success rate) with :04 left on the clock. The kick started right and continued that way, despite very little breeze.

Baltimore's KR extraordinaire, Steven Sims, returned the 2nd half kickoff 47 yards to allow the Ravens to start at their own 45. Switching to pass-centric offense, Baltimore received more bad news when Le'Veon Bell came up lame 4 plays into the half. Disappointed, but undeterred, the Ravens moved the ball downfield until the drive stalled at the Cowboy 18 after three straight incomplete passes. No worries. Badgley would surely hit this FG from 36 yards out (92% success rate), right? WRONG. Badgley missed again!

The next four possessions resulted in a field position battle between the punters with Baltimore gaining the edge. With 5:40 left in the 3rd quarter, Baltimore would start at the Cowboy 35 after the Cowboys punted 44-yards from their own 6 and PR DeAndre Carter returned it 15. Soon thereafter, Baltimore would find itself on the Cowboy 6 with 2nd-and-goal. I think the Cowboys tried something sneaky and OT Tyron Smith took offense. Of course, the DKS refs only saw the second punch and Smith was flagged for a 15-yard personal foul that killed the drive. Confused after the ruckus had been cleared from the field, Baltimore trotted out Badgley on third down (though it was 3rd-and-19). Luckily, Badgley converted to cut the Cowboy lead to 14-10.

Baltimore's defense would hold the Cowboys to a 4-and-out (one completion for a 1st down, the 3 incomplete passes), then engineer a 12-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in a Baker Mayfield 3-yard bootleg TD. Baltimore takes their first lead, 17-14.

The lead was short-lived as Dallas responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that included a 4th-and-inches dive by Minshew that successfully earned a first down by inches and a fumble recovered by Baltimore that was overturned on replay. Five plays after the overturned fumble, Dallas retook the lead with a 33-yard Minshew-to-Tyrell Williams TD. Dallas, 21-17.

With a little over 6 minutes remaining and Baltimore starting on their own 25, a Za'Darius Smith sack and Tyron Smith holding penalty set the Ravens back such that they couldn't recover. The Ravens D forced a 5-and-out (2 passes for first downs, a run for 0 yards and two sacks netting -13 yards) and Baltimore started their last-gasp attempt to win the game from their own 27 with 2:11 left on the clock. Mayfield worked his team to the Cowboy 14 with 26 ticks left, but passes to Will Fuller and Jaylen Samuels failed. On 4th-and-4 Mayfield's hitch to Fuller was broken up by Markus Golden and intercepted by Edmunds to seal the game for the Cowboys. FINAL: DALLAS, 21-17.

Baltimore outgained Dallas in total yards (371 to 256), first downs (24 to 16) and TOP (34:17 to 25:43). Even though the number of penalties accepted against each team were even at 7, the Ravens' miscues cost them 93 yards (vs 47 for the Cowboys). The 43-yard DPI was huge, but so were the two against OT Tyron Smith. The difference makers were the Cowboys success on 4th down (2 of 3 vs 1 of 4 for the Ravens) and timely sacks early Ravens series (3 came on first down, setting Baltimore in a hole early). In short, Coach Hart called a heckuva game and out-coached his Raven counterpart.

The Cowboy win puts Indianapolis in the driver seat for the #1 overall pick in next June's draft, while creating a gooey mess for the 2-4 picks. Next week, Dallas (2-12) hosts division rival New York Giants (7-6) before finishing up against 4-9 Tennessee.

Baltimore (9-5) clings to playoff hopes. Just two years ago, they went 10-6 and failed to earn a spot and don't want to see a repeat. With 3-10 Pittsburgh next on the docket, followed by the 7-6 Giants, the Ravens are hoping they can secure their first playoff spot since...a LONG time ago.

New Orleans 20 Chicago 17                   35 20-30
Chicago's playoff hopes are fading fast as they lose their final home game of the season, 20-17 in overtime, to New Orleans.

Carolina 30 Green Bay 5                     19 5-15
Reeling Packers managed to stay in it for a while but another poor outing by stat pack QB AJ McCarron sealed the hosts fate.

Derrick Henry and Russell Wilson didn't have to do much as the Panthers defense ruled the day.

Mike Evans seemed to get open whenever he wanted.

Carolina improves to 11-3 and will be a tough out come playoff time, especially if they secure home field

Green Bay's 10th loss assures it will be our worst season under the Conners regime. Legendary G.M./Coaching clinic now facing a serious credibility crisis.

Packers home finale next week versus the Bears, Carolina visits the Rams

Miami 21 Denver 13                          56 Calm
The Dolphins come into Mile High and get just enough offense to beat a depleted and injury riddled Bronco squad 21-13.
Goff throws for 2 TD's and Ingram runs for 100 yards in the Dolphin win.

San Francisco 30 Detroit 7                  70
Seemed like coach Glandville lost his squad when he punted from the SF 20 yard line trailing 3-0. I believe most coaches would have opted for the 37 yard FG, but it is the Lions.

Singletary ran well, Diggs caught well for the victors.

Det travels to TB, thats got ugly written all over it. SF hosts Miami, which looks to be a good one.

Pittsburgh 10 New York (N) 24               51 5-15 Heavy Rain
Not a whole lot to write about in this one as their wasnt much offense after the 1st half as Pittsburgh would score their only touchdown of the game on a fumble recovery that was taken back 26 yards. The Giants would throw a touchdown on 3 drives in the first half and their defense would hold strong all game shutting Tom Brady down. Brady was 13-31 with an interception.

The Giants move to 8-6 and stay alive in the close playoff chase.

Buffalo 3 Kansas City 17                    24 0-5
Rookie quarterback Drew Lock earns the start and throws two touchdown passes as the Chiefs pick up their third win of the season.

New England 24 Los Angeles (A) 20           77 Calm
Chargers hold NE to their lowest point total of the year and score the second most points versus them but the undefeated Patriots hold off the upstart Chargers 24-20.

Philadelphia 31 Cincinnati 28               44 0-5
In an epic battle between two division leaders, nothing was settled after four quarters as the score stood at 28 all. The overtime saw Cincinnati punt, Philly punt, and the Bengals punt once again with a little over two minutes remaining. Finally the Eagles got a couple nice runs by Peterson and a big 23 yard scramble by Tannehill putting the Eagles in field goal position for Butker. To add icing to the cake Peterson added a 10 yard run and Butker hit the chip shot for the 31-28 win.

Tannehill went 17 of 33 for 238 yards with 3 TDs and an Int. He was also sacked four times. However, it was Tannehill's legs that proved to frustrate the Bengal defense all day. He scrambled for 66 yards on eight attempts and many times converting critical third downs.

Peterson rushed for 85 yards on 19 attempts. Edelman caught five passes for 84 yards and all three of the touchdowns.

For the Bengals Rodgers finished 33 of 46 for 291 yards and four touchdowns but with two Int.
Melvin Gordon rushed 19 times for 77 yards. Jeffery caught 10 passes for 90 yards and two scores. Defensively Fowler collected two sacks.

Next week the Eagles host Tennessee while the Bengals travel to Jacksonville.

Arizona 16 Jacksonville 24                  53 0-10
The Jags win a close game at home keeping their playoff hopes alive as Jacksonville edges Arizona 24-16. Both QB's played well but in the end it was the Jags defense that rose to the occasion forcing three Mahomes turnovers while Josh Allen and his O were spotless on the bad sheet.

Thanks to coach Heaton for a well coached, hard fought, fun game.

Passing

Josh Allen - 25 of 31 for 250 yards, 2TDs
Mahomes - 26 of 39 for 352 yards, 2TDs, 2 INTS

Rushing

B. Scott - 18 carries 97 yard, 6 catches for 41 yards, 1 TD
Barlkey - 10 carries 62 yards, 7 catches for 62 yards

Recieving

Metcalf - 5 catches for 91 yards
Kirk - 7 catches for 137 yards 2 TDs

Los Angeles (N) 14 Tampa Bay 23             70 0-10
The 6 and 7 Los Angeles Rams come to Tampa Bay to take on the 10 and 3 Buccaneers. It’s a must win game for LA’s playoff hopes. Tampa has a playoff spot locked up but would like to secure the number one seed. Several stars are listed as out with injuries including Devante Adams and Kyle Van Noy for the Bucs as well as Marshon Lattimore and T.Y. Hilton for the Rams.
Both offenses come out hot and after four possessions it’s a 10 – 7 Tampa Bay lead. However, that would finish the first half scoring. Midway through the second quarter, LA’s young quarterback Daniel Jones threw away a likely game tying 3 points in the form of a Pierre Desir interception in the end zone on a long toss towards Deebo Samuel on 3rd and 14 from the 16-yard line.
The Bucs Cordarrell Patterson takes the second half kickoff at his 2 and rolls 40 yards to the 42. Five plays later Tampa’s Derick Carr finds Tyler Lockett for a 25-yard scoring pass and provides a little room for Tampa, now up 17 – 7.
After the teams exchange punts, Jones leads the Rams on a 69 yard drive that fizzles out when coach Heaton forgoes a 45 yard field goal attempt and sees Tarik Cohen take a Jones check down for a 4 yard gain on 4th and 6. Coach Chase is seen exhaling a huge sigh of relief on the Tampa sideline.
However, this game is far from over. After the Bucs add a field goal to go up 20-7, the well-coached Heaton Rams successfully go to the run; pick up a 4th and 10 to the Tampa 25; draw a 19-yard PI on Janoris Jenkins; and cut the lead to 20 – 14 on a short Jones to Samuel crosser. This is still anybody’s game.
Now up less than a TD, Tampa’s first play is a hold to set up first in 20. The LA secondary is unable to take advantage when Carr hits three passes in a row for a total of 53 yards. The key play was 31 yards to Preston Williams. After Todd Gurley runs for 16 and gets Tampa close enough for short field goal, LA has to use its timeouts. Chris Boswell makes the chip shot putting the Buccaneers up by nine, 23 – 14. That is where the score would end up.
Ryan called a heck of a game and had his guys made 1 or 2 more plays, would have changed everything. Case in point - late in the third quarter a long play action pass was off the mark versus Tampa’s run sniffing play call.
Next week the Rams look to trip up the mighty and powerful Carolina Panthers in LA while the Bucs host their bitter division rivals the Detroit Lions.

Atlanta 28 Minnesota 45                     68
With his Vikings averaging about 10 points a game the previous 5 contests, all but one with a substitute quarterback, Drew Brees unleashed his best game of the year, or possibly the best game of his career with the Vikings, as Minnesota pummeled Atlanta, 45-28.

Brees completed 30 of 36 passes for 364 yards and 5 TDs, en route to a QBR of a near-perfect 148.4. Although Philip Rivers, the Vikings' original QB, played well, he couldn't match Brees' performance, compiling a 105.2 QBR based on 320 passing yards and 3 TDs.

Brees's heroics were aided by Zeke Elliott's 119 yards on 23 carries and Keenan Allen's 112 yards and 4 TDs on 9 catches. Zach Ertz had 120 receiving yards for Atlanta.

In Week 15, Atlanta will host New Orleans and will host Oakland.

Indianapolis 6 Houston 20                   70
Kirk Cousins tosses two more touchdown passes as the Texans down the Colts.

New York (A) 17 Oakland 13                  58 5-15
The New York Jets traveled to Oakland in week 14 of the IFL season. The Jets didn’t have starting CB Dunbar, starting DT Williams, or backup DT Jones with them on the trip.

To make things worse this game could be called a war of attrition...4 minutes into the game starting DE Griffen went down, and he was followed by WR Woods 5 minutes later. Then in the 3rd quarter DE Blair went down for the count too.

The Raiders didn’t feel sorry for their opponents either, on their second possession they went 94 yards in 14 plays, eating up 8 minutes, ending with a Hyde TD run of 1 yard...7-0 Raiders.

New York was not playing very well, their first 3 possessions ended up with punts, and their 4th ended with an interception. In between the punts, and pick, the Raiders tacked on 2 FGs to be up 13-0. On their last possession of the half the Jets drove to the Oakland 25, where they went for a 43 yard FG...it was good, but Conklin was called for a 5 yard penalty...the 48 yarder was wide left... 13–0 Raiders.

Oakland received the 2nd half kickoff, and was held to a 3 and out. The Jets went 77 yards in 11 plays, over 5 minutes, and got a White 9 yard TD catch to make it...13-7 Raiders.

The Raiders were running the slow down offense all game, and on their next possession they only went 32 yards, but managed to take over 5 minutes off the clock. After the punt the Jets got their offense going moving the ball down the field. As the 4th quarter started the Jet’s thought this game could be a tale of two halves...Watson hit White with a pass in the flat that gained 13 yards to the Raiders 14 yard line, BUT wait, the balls on the carpet...Raiders ball!!

Once again the Raiders can only go 29 yards, but eat up over 3 and a half minutes. Their punt puts the Jets on their own 9 yard line. New York moved quickly down the field with a 16 yard pass, and 30 yard pass to TE Higbee, and then topped off the drive with a 20 yard TD run by Mack... 14-13 Jets.

The Jets held Oakland to a 3 and out. Allen, the Raiders QB who looked like a young Tom Brady for the entire 1st half, and was 15-20 early in the 3rd quarter...he ended up 19-37.

New York tacked on a 43 yard FG to make it 17-13...

Allen attempted 7 passes on the Raiders last possession, completing only one.

Jets win 17-13.

Next week the Jets host the Colts, and with the Jet’s MASH unit, the Colts have a good chance at a win. Oakland travels to Minneapolis to play the Vikings.

Tennessee 24 Washington 3                   39 5-15
Matt Ryan throws two touchdown passes and rushes for another as the Titans put a dent in the Redskins playoff hopes.

Rushing Leaders
Chubb,N(LAC)    23-166
Jones,A(Was)    15-126
Elliott,E(Min) 23-119 1 TD
Freeman,D(Buf) 18-102
Ingram II(Mia) 15-100 1 TD

Receiving Leaders
Thomas,M(NYJ)   11-161
Allen,K(Min)     9-112 4 TD – IFL Offensive Player of the Week
Chark Jr.(Cin) 10-103 1 TD
Jeffery(Cin)    10- 90 2 TD
Edelman(Phi)     5- 84 3 TD

Passing Leaders
Brees(Min)      36-30-364   5 TD
Mahomes(Ari)    39-26-352   2 TD 2 Int
Mayfield(Bal)   58-30-331   1 Int
Flacco(NO)      43-31-322   2 TD 1 Int
Rivers(Atl)     38-24-320   3 TD 1 Int
Carr,D(TB)      32-22-316   2 TD
Watson,D(NYJ)   45-26-309   1 TD 1 Int
Rodgers,A(Cin) 46-33-291   4 TD 2 Int

Defensive Standouts
Jackson,J(Phi)   2 Int 9 Tk – IFL Defensive Player of the Week
White,T(Jax)     2 Int 6 Tk

Special Teams
Crosby(SF) 3 for 3 FG 12 Pts – IFL Special Teams Player of the Week

WEEK 14 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 14 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 13 RECAP

The Saints Brandon McManus fourth field goal proves to be the game winner in the final seconds versus Philadelphia.

Game Scores
Philadelphia 31 New Orleans 32              70
The Eagles go into New Orleans hoping to stretch their lead in the NFC East while the Saints hoped to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Eagles would take an early lead and extend it to as much as 24-9 early in the 3rd quarter only to see the Saints fight back. With 2 minutes left in the game, clinging to a 31-29 lead, the Eagles would run a stretch play to RB Adrian Peterson on 3rd and 2 hoping to ice the game. The Saints played pass defense but were still able to drop Peterson for a loss. The Saints would take the punt and drive down the field and kick the game-winning FG with 1 second left in the game.

The Eagles, still up by 2 games in the division, will finish out the season out of the conference. The AFC division-leading Bengals are up first. The Saints, meanwhile, will take on the Chicago Bears in a fight for a playoff spot.

Oakland 24 Detroit 3                        70
Kyle Allen continues to do an admiral job filling in for Stafford with two touchdown passes.

Chicago 30 Houston 34                       70
Houston scores with 12 seconds on the clock to beat Chicago 34-30.

Tennessee 26 Indianapolis 3                 69
Three turnovers deep in their own zone killed the Colts chances as the Titans scored on TD drives of 17 and 9 yards and a pick 6. Remove those from the game and the final score would have been 6-3 Tennessee.

Cincinnati 30 Miami 14                      68 Calm
The Bengals come to Miami with the Dolphins hoping to play a spoiler role down the last stretch of the season having all but given up on the post season.

Both Teams exchange a pair of punts in the 1st qua

In memory of our good friend Pete "The Greek"

IFL 2023 DRAFT ORDER

IFL SUPER BOWL

Bengals 19 Seahawks 17

​IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bengals 20 Jaguars 17 (O.T.)

Seahawks 28 Saints 0

​IFL DIVISONAL ROUND

Jaguars 21 Patriots 14

Bengals 22 Raiders 17

​Saints 31 Buccaneers 24

Seahawks 30 Falcons 19

​IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

Jaguars 23 Chiefs 20

Raiders 41 Ravens 34

Falcons 36 Giants 21

Saints 30 Cardinals 3

WEEK 17 RECAP

FINAL 2022 IFL STANDINGS

FINAL 2022 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​IFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

NFCby Packer John

WEEK 16 RECAP

IFL WEEK 16 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 16 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 15 RECAP

IFL WEEK 15 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 15 LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 14 RECAP

IFL WEEK 14 STANDINGS

IFL WEEK 14 LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 13 RECAP

WEEK 13 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 13 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 12 RECAP

WEEK 12 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 12 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 11 RECAP

WEEK 11 IFL STANDINGS

WEEK 11 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 10 RECAP

WEEK 10 IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK 10 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 9 RECAP

WEEK NINE IFL STANDINGS

​WEEK NINE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 8 RECAP

WEEK EIGHT IFL STANDINGS

WEEK EIGHT IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 7 RECAP

WEEK SEVEN IFL STANDINGS

WEEK SEVEN IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 6 RECAP

WEEK SIX IFL STANDINGS

WEEK SIX IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 5 RECAP

WEEK FIVE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK FIVE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 4 RECAP

WEEK FOUR IFL STANDINGS

WEEK FOUR IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 3 RECAP

WEEK THREE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK THREE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 2 RECAP

WEEK TWO IFL STANDINGS

WEEK TWO IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

​WEEK 1 RECAP

WEEK ONE IFL STANDINGS

WEEK ONE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

ROUND ONE BY THE NUMBERS

HE'S BACK!! KIPER OFFERS HIS EXPERTISE ON THE IFL DRAFT.

IFL REPORTER IAN RAPOPORT MOCKS THE 2022 IFL DRAFT!

IFL SUPER BOWL

PATRIOTS 34 EAGLES 24

​IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

PATRIOTS 28 BENGALS 23

EAGLES 20 WASHINGTON 13

IFL DIVISONAL ROUND

PATRIOTS 21 JETS 20

IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

IFL DIVISONAL ROUND

Saints 31 Buccaneers 24

IFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

IFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

NFC
by Packer John

WEEK 15 RECAP

WEEK 14 RECAP

WEEK 11 RECAP

WEEK 10 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 9 RECAP

WEEK NINE IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 8 RECAP

WEEK 7 RECAP

WEEK 6 RECAP

WEEK 5 RECAP

WEEK 4 RECAP

WEEK 3 RECAP

WEEK 2 RECAP

WEEK 1 RECAP

IFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

FINAL 2021 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 16 IFL PLAYOFF PICTURE

WEEK 14 RECAP

WEEK 13 RECAP

WEEK 12 RECAP

WEEK 11 RECAP

WEEK 11 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 10 RECAP

WEEK 9 RECAP

WEEK 9 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 8 RECAP

WEEK 7 RECAP

WEEK 7 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 6 RECAP

WEEK 5 RECAP

WEEK 5 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS

WEEK 3 IFL LEAGUE LEADERS