As most of you know, I missed the entirety of last season. Since I’d gained some functionality back in my hand, I wanted to see just how far I could push things before it began to give me issues. I figured to do that, I needed to come up with a decent media series where I could really pump out some words. Then I’d push it until my hand wouldn’t let me go anymore and then call it done. I had the perfect idea in mind. In an effort to catch up and refamiliarize myself with the league and our lovely players, I decided to take a dive into some of the games I missed last season. I wanted to see who had the best performances and really had breakout games. Figured I’d list two offensive performances and two defensive performances for each, but there is no guarantee that one team won’t own both slots in a game! Unfortunately I only made it to the end of week five, but still let’s dive in!
Week 4
Wraiths 20 over Liberty 10
Offense
Yellowknife: Mathias Hanyadi - RB - It perhaps took the league a season longer than it should have to realize, but now there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Hanyadi has quietly developed into Yellowknife’s greatest weapon. He is an absolute machine who’s had a nose for the end zone since he entered the league. He’s been racking up touchdowns at a rate few other players can match, but he hadn’t quite entered the league’s general eye due to his lack of yards to match to production. That now seems to be no longer a problem for Hanyadi as he continues to diversify himself and make plays both on the ground and through the passing game. He ground out 87 yards on 19 carries for a 4.6 yard per carry average rushing and then hauled in six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown just for good measure. His consistency on the ground allowed Yellowknife to control the clock for 34 minutes in this game and as such, they controlled the entire pace of the game. His big play ability through the air helped them convert a few key first downs and helped them put this game away on the scoreboard. He’s a dual threat and a ton of fun to watch.
Philadelphia: Venus Powers - K/P - Philadelphia can thank their lucky stars that they brought in Powers. She alone kept this game from getting out of hand and without her ability to control the field, this game likely would have been an absolute stomp that Philadelphia never had a chance in. She booted six punts in this game for a combined 323 yards. She had punts of 40, 41, 44, 65, 66, and 67 yards. Her punts completely reset the field every time she hit one and while she only landed two within the 20, all six were within the 25. Her punts were so on point that Yellowknife didn’t attempt a single return the entire game. She was nearly perfect on the night as she made sure that no matter how much Philadelphia faltered, Yellowknife would still have to work for their points.
Defense
Yellowknife: Mervin Leonard - CB - Leonard has been one of those players who hasn’t really gotten a lot of fanfare in his career. He’s always been steady and consistent for Yellowknife, but he’s never quite had those standout moments that really made people focus on him. That has never meant that he wasn’t a solid player, just that he’s quietly done his job. This game was a little different though as Leonard set the tone in the first quarter. Philadelphia started off steady and began to drive down the field, working their way to Yellowknife’s side. It looked like Philadelphia was going to go down and score on their very first drive. Leonard wasn’t having any of it though as he forced himself into a lane between Phoenix and Vuxta and picked off the pass. This killed the Liberty’s first drive and they never really seemed to recover. Then midway through the third quarter, he found himself jumping Nacho Varga on a route and once more went the other way with the ball. This set up Yellowknife on the 32 yard line of Philadelphia. The touchdown that followed put this game out of reach for the Liberty. Smart plays and clutch hands allowed Leonard to put together one of his better games.
Yellowknife: Nero Alexander - DE - When you think of Neo Alexander, you think of hard work and dedication. This is a man that has completely dedicated himself being the best version of himself and at this point in his career is arguably the best player in the NSFL. He’s long been a top talent, but as many older players have begun to regress, Alexander finds himself standing alone at the top of the podium. As you would expect, that comes with results on the field Alexander had four tackles, two of which went for losses in this game. All together he allowed less than three yards on his stops and he forced three punts. Philadelphia was forced to punt six times and half of those were forced off the back of a Nero Alexander play. He’s a dominant force who sets his team up for success in the trenches and when you can claim this kind of success by yourself, you expect your team to finish the job. Lucky for him in this one, they did just that.
Hawks 49 over Butchers 17
Offense
Baltimore: Corvo Havran - QB - As the younger crop of quarterbacks have begun to develop into real stars, Havran is no longer as dominant as he once was. When I entered the league, this guy was consistently a top three quarterback who could take over a game at any time. Just because competition has stiffened doesn’t mean he’s not the same guy though. While he has more rivals than ever before, Havran is still an elite talent capable of making tough throws and putting together a near perfect game plan. He showed that here. 290 yards, four touchdowns, a 63 percent completion rating, and only a single interception was enough to get Havran to a 115.2 quarterback rating. That mark was the best of any quarterback on the season at this point. He controlled the game throughout as he scored the first points of the game with a five yard laser to Earl Sauce and also scored the final points of the game with a three yard toss to Errol Maddox. He never let up and took his time reminding everyone that Havran may be aging, but he isn’t out of the picture yet.
Baltimore: Ludicolo Bigby - RB - Bigby finds his way into the highlight reel once more as he shows that he can do a lot even with limited action. On this day it seemed the gameplan for the Hawks was to do everything through Havran and as such, the ball went through Havran for the majority of plays in this game. That meant Bigby was to be limited to just 19 carries and two targets in the passing game. That didn’t remotely matter to him as he made the most of every opportunity provided to him. He rumbled out 93 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging a more than respectable 4.9 yards a carry and then added another 15 yards in the air. He converted six first downs in the game including two clutch third and longs. One was a 3rd and 8 where he picked up 14 and another was a 3rd in 10 where he quickly galloped for exactly the 10 yards they needed. Both first downs resulted in touchdowns for the Hawks.
Defense
Baltimore: Fatih Terim: - S - It seemed like the entire strategy of the Baltimore defense coming into this game was to confuse Jenkins into making mistakes. They played lockdown coverage all night while effectively making it look like receivers may be open. They found a way to punish this multiple times as the game went on, starting from the opening quarter. Half way through the first, Terim put himself in position to pick off the first of Jenkins’ three interceptions this game. His effectiveness didn’t end there though as for some reason, Jenkins continued to test him and more often than not, he won. He knocked another four passes down, stopping another two drives in their tracks and five of his tackles were on receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage, ultimately putting a halt to two other drives. All in all, Terim’s efforts can be credited with ending five total Chicago drives and it is hard to ask for more effort than that.
Baltimore: Juan Marston: - CB - I looked pretty thoroughly to find something Chicago did well so I could have at least one player of theirs involved here. The more I dug and the more I looked, the more I realized that none of them came close to the kind of impact Marston had on this game and it would be a disservice to not have him fill this final spot. Three tackles, two of which were sacks and another was in run support one yard from the point of attack. One pass defense, one interception, one touchdown. Everything Marston was involved with in this game was huge for Baltimore. He didn’t give up a single reception the entire night and the one time he was truly tested, he punished Jenkins with a 23 yard return touchdown early in the third. That play alone was enough to put the nail in the coffin for this game. Mix this with the fact that one of his sacks stopped the only promising Chicago drive in the entire first half of the game, forcing them to kick a field goal, and you have a guy who can’t have his impact questioned.
Copperheads 16 over Outlaws 13
Offense
Austin: Mako Mendonca - RB - With a 16 to 13 scoreline, you know that there wasn’t a lot happening on offense for either team in this one. Both sides seemed to struggle moving the ball and on the few occasions where it looked like they might start gaining ground, they’d make a careless error and give the other team the ball back. Luckily for Austin, Mako Mendonca seemed immune to the curse. His ability to make a little something out of absolutely nothing really highlighted his abilities in this game. His combined 132 yards and a touchdown in this game don’t tell the entire story as it’d be a shame to ignore what Arizona did on defense in this game. They set the tone on the line of scrimmage and even Mendonca had his struggles as he found himself stuffed fairly often, but when the team absolutely needed a play, it was Mendonca carrying the load. He had a long reception for 36 yards that set Austin up for their first field goal of the game, giving them their first lead. Then half way through the second, he converted a third and 9 with his longest run of the day, setting up Austin for another field goal. Then finally it was nothing more than a heavy dose of Mendonca late in the third that let him score their only touchdown of the game. They needed anyone to step up in this mess, Mako was the one who answered the call.
Arizona: Jammerson Irving - TE - While there were a few splash plays from a couple of players on the side of Arizona, they really didn’t have the consistent performances to be a top player in this game. Irving on the other hand seemed to be the only guy really able to get open all game long. His 10 catches made him the recipient of more than 50 percent of Cue’s completions and as he was only targeted 12 times on the day, he hauled in nearly everything tossed his way. He converted five first downs with his catches, providing Cue a safety blanket to check to as not a single one of his receivers seemed to be able to reliably shed coverage. The few times Arizona moved the ball in this game, it was on the back of a Jammerson Irving catch. Including two first downs that led to their fourth quarter touchdown. Irving’s ability to do this was more than proven during his time with Reese and it is good to see his game is flexible and he can fill any role the Outlaws ask of him.
Defense
Austin: Dermot Lavelle Jr. - CB - Late in the second quarter, Arizona was driving on one of their most promising pushes of the entire game. Austin was only up six to three and Arizona was surgically picking them apart, snapping up three third down conversions and controlling the clock. They worked their way down to Austin’s 27 yard line and it looked like they were all but guaranteed to tie the game up at a minimum. That was when Levelle Jr stepped in front of an errant pass to Saba Donut and took the ball back for Austin. Throw in that he had two pass deflections in the first half, both of which directly led to Arizona punts and you have the guy who may solely be responsible for Austin’s lead at the half. In a game this close, defense really tends to make the difference. Lavelle Jr carried the load for Austin here.
Arizona: Tyler Swift - S - I’d mentioned before that despite Mendonca’s efforts, even he had some struggles being stuffed in this game. Swift was a big reason why. It looked like Arizona had him play close to the line the entire game to cause disruption for Austin. He had eight total tackles and four were within three yards of the line of scrimmage, allowing him to repeatedly prevent Mendonca from getting free. More than just run support though, he was also asked to pass rush and he was the only guy in the game able to get Cole to the ground all day. Austin’s offensive line seemed to be handling Arizona’s front seven with ease, so it was up to Swift to create a numbers mismatch and frustrate Cole. The adjustment seemed to come in the fourth quarter as Swift took him down twice early in the final phase of the game. It seemed to be effective as Austin didn’t manage to piece together another drive in the game once Swift started rushing. That said, neither did Arizona and as such the adjustment came too late.
Sabercats 31 over Second Line 14
Offense
San Jose: Dan Wright - QB - After a rough start to the season, Dan Wright came out and decided to have what very well may be the most efficient game for a quarterback all season long. He only passed 19 total times, but he completed 74 percent of those passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. His 155.2 quarterback rating was an obscene number that showed just how little the New Orleans defense bothered him on the day. Every single pass that he completed seemed to pick up chunks of yards and he dissected his opponents effortlessly. At no point did he seem like he was struggling and as such he was averaging an absurd 20.9 yards per completion. He played absolutely lights out, completely shredded New Orleans, and gets to walk out of this one with what very well may be the best game of his career. You can’t buy precision and efficiency the likes of which Wright held on this day.
San Jose: Deondre Thomas-Fox - WR - To have a performance like what Wright had here today, you need a receiver who is play lights out. A guy who can find holes in a defense and completely carve them up. For San Jose that man was the young Deondre Thomas-Fox. The SaberCats raised a lot of eyebrows when they selected Thomas-Fox with the second overall pick in the S19 draft. Now in his second season in the league, he is completely rewarding their faith with his second incredible game of the season. He had only four catches in this game, but he was also only targeted four times and all four were brought in for massive gains. 18 yards, 28 yards, 28 yards, and 36 yards for a total of 110. Of those catches, three were on third down and two went for touchdowns. Any time it looked like San Jose may stall and get themselves in a bad situation, Thomas-Fox showed up in a big way and bailed them out. New Orleans simply could not find a way to cover this guy as he burned them every time his name was called. I for one look forward to seeing what Thomas-Fox is capable of as his career progresses.
Defense
San Jose: Desmond Scarlett - CB - After going down early in this game, New Orleans had to lean on their passing game and the arm of Stan Francisco. It is a situation that the Second Line has never really been proficient with. They’re at their best when Stan can play off of their dominant run game. When they have to look away from it, things tend to go south for New Orleans. This game was no different and the rookie Desmond Scarlett was a big reason why. He seemed to be able to read Francisco throughout the entire game. Three of his tackles were on receivers within four yards of the line of scrimmage as he only really got beaten once and he continuously put himself in front of the ball to boot. He had a pass deflection in the second quarter on a third and 10 that forced a punt, he made a tackle near the line of scrimmage on a third and 15 that forced a punt early in the third, and on the very next drive he picked off Stan Francisco and set up San Jose at the opposing 26 yard line. It was an impressive game by a rookie and one he can be proud of early in his career.
New Orleans: Ben Tu’inukuafe - DE - While the secondary was getting absolutely shredded for the majority of the day, it was Tu’inukuafe who kept his head down and never gave up. Though one of the newer members of the Second Line squad, Tu’inukuafe is beloved by most of the team and chooses to lead by effort and example more than anything. The team was falling apart around him, they were getting scorched, and there were no signs of recovery and yet he did his job anyways. Though San Jose often seems to lean on their run game more than the pass, Tyerucker didn’t have one of his best days and averaged less than four yards per carry. This can be contributed to Tu’inukuafe. All four of his tackles brought Tyrucker to the ground either at the line of scrimmage or behind it. Looking at the numbers, any time they tried Tu’inukuafe, they came to a net neutral. His stops ended three San Jose drives and New Orleans can thank him for this game not being worse than it was.
Otters 41 over Yeti 17
Offense
Orange County: Franklin Armstrong - QB? - The advantage of having a dual threat like Armstrong behind center is that even when he is absolutely abysmal in one phase of the game, he still has the opportunity to show up in another. This is where the question mark comes into play! He completed eight of 26 passes for a near embarrassing 198 yards. He scored a single touchdown, but then really negated that with an interception that gave Colorado their first points of the game. His 56.2 quarterback rating was one of the worst I’ve seen from him. All of this and yet Armstrong still did it all and carried the day for the Otters. How you might ask? 221 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 rushing attempts. This average of 22.1 yards per gallop was mind boggling, but it was because everything Armstrong did well he did big. Everything in this game that was positive? It came in massive chunks. To make it worse, it all came in the first 20 minutes of the game! It started in the first quarter as the Yeti got a small taste of what this day would have in store as Armstrong took off for an 82 yard touchdown run in which he absolutely torched everyone in a Colorado uniform. Then later in the first, he tossed a 55 yard dime to Hugh Mongo that set up Armstrong to run it in for another score the very next play. Finally as the first quarter came to an end, he capped off this assault with a 32 yard touchdown pass to Dexter Banks. Unfortunately for the Yeti, they had the absolute audacity to dare score on the Otters in the second quarter. Armstrong rewarded their efforts by immediately embarrassing their defense for another 71 yard run just two plays later, resulting in another score for the Otters. Armstrong was simply piling it on and it seemed to crush the spirits of the Yeti because not much went their way for the rest of the game. It is actually insane that Armstrong could play this badly while being that good.
Colorado: Wolfie McDummy - QB - While his team was getting absolutely trounced in incredible fashion by Armstrong, McDummy didn’t lose his cool and he at least made an effort to keep Colorado in this game. He put up decent numbers and put together a respectable 64 percent completion rating for 279 yards and a touchdown. While his 96.9 quarterback rating wasn’t spectacular, it was respectable enough in a game where he had to play catch-up basically the whole time. Not to mention, somehow McDummy was the only offensive player for Colorado who really seemed to put up a complete game here. His running game was stifled, his receivers struggled to get separation, and he continuously found himself being taken to the ground in the backfield. His 26 yards rushing was enough to outperform both of his backs and it was on him to carry this game for Colorado. Too bad for McDummy that Armstrong was busy treating the Colorado defense like he was in a game of Madden.
Defense
Colorado: Pete Parker - S - Perhaps it was his spider sense that isn’t quite spider sense that was tingling, but somehow Parker was really the only person on the Colorado defense that didn’t get burned in this game. In fact, he also happened to be the only guy who was able to force a real mistake out of Orange County. His interception of Armstrong led to Colorado’s first points of the game, a field goal that gave them a temporary lead. At least until Armstrong switched the game to easy. All five of his tackles were within five yards of the line of scrimmage and he even managed to take down Armstrong on a scramble. That was more than most of his teammates could say. He stayed consistent throughout the game and never let anything behind him. In a game where every positive play seemed to be a huge one, that made Parker’s efforts particularly special.
Orange County: Kacey Dream - CB - It is rare that you look at a player who really only has tackles and decide they had a great game. Dream really shook that up a bit in this one. One of the biggest storylines in this one was Colorado’s incredible ineffectiveness when running the ball. Their running backs combined for 2.2 yards per carry on a combined 18 carries. They couldn’t find any running lanes and they kept being met at the line again and again. They couldn’t find momentum for the entire game. While Dream did get burned for a 23 yard pass at one point in coverage, his impact on the run game can’t be understated. His other eight tackles all happened within three yards of the line of scrimmage and six of them brought runners down before they could even pick up two. He was absolutely dominant in run support and it forced Colorado to be one dimensional and lean on McDummy and McDummy alone. He simply couldn’t keep pace by himself and Dream making that happen was huge for this defense.
Week 4
Wraiths 20 over Liberty 10
Offense
Yellowknife: Mathias Hanyadi - RB - It perhaps took the league a season longer than it should have to realize, but now there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Hanyadi has quietly developed into Yellowknife’s greatest weapon. He is an absolute machine who’s had a nose for the end zone since he entered the league. He’s been racking up touchdowns at a rate few other players can match, but he hadn’t quite entered the league’s general eye due to his lack of yards to match to production. That now seems to be no longer a problem for Hanyadi as he continues to diversify himself and make plays both on the ground and through the passing game. He ground out 87 yards on 19 carries for a 4.6 yard per carry average rushing and then hauled in six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown just for good measure. His consistency on the ground allowed Yellowknife to control the clock for 34 minutes in this game and as such, they controlled the entire pace of the game. His big play ability through the air helped them convert a few key first downs and helped them put this game away on the scoreboard. He’s a dual threat and a ton of fun to watch.
Philadelphia: Venus Powers - K/P - Philadelphia can thank their lucky stars that they brought in Powers. She alone kept this game from getting out of hand and without her ability to control the field, this game likely would have been an absolute stomp that Philadelphia never had a chance in. She booted six punts in this game for a combined 323 yards. She had punts of 40, 41, 44, 65, 66, and 67 yards. Her punts completely reset the field every time she hit one and while she only landed two within the 20, all six were within the 25. Her punts were so on point that Yellowknife didn’t attempt a single return the entire game. She was nearly perfect on the night as she made sure that no matter how much Philadelphia faltered, Yellowknife would still have to work for their points.
Defense
Yellowknife: Mervin Leonard - CB - Leonard has been one of those players who hasn’t really gotten a lot of fanfare in his career. He’s always been steady and consistent for Yellowknife, but he’s never quite had those standout moments that really made people focus on him. That has never meant that he wasn’t a solid player, just that he’s quietly done his job. This game was a little different though as Leonard set the tone in the first quarter. Philadelphia started off steady and began to drive down the field, working their way to Yellowknife’s side. It looked like Philadelphia was going to go down and score on their very first drive. Leonard wasn’t having any of it though as he forced himself into a lane between Phoenix and Vuxta and picked off the pass. This killed the Liberty’s first drive and they never really seemed to recover. Then midway through the third quarter, he found himself jumping Nacho Varga on a route and once more went the other way with the ball. This set up Yellowknife on the 32 yard line of Philadelphia. The touchdown that followed put this game out of reach for the Liberty. Smart plays and clutch hands allowed Leonard to put together one of his better games.
Yellowknife: Nero Alexander - DE - When you think of Neo Alexander, you think of hard work and dedication. This is a man that has completely dedicated himself being the best version of himself and at this point in his career is arguably the best player in the NSFL. He’s long been a top talent, but as many older players have begun to regress, Alexander finds himself standing alone at the top of the podium. As you would expect, that comes with results on the field Alexander had four tackles, two of which went for losses in this game. All together he allowed less than three yards on his stops and he forced three punts. Philadelphia was forced to punt six times and half of those were forced off the back of a Nero Alexander play. He’s a dominant force who sets his team up for success in the trenches and when you can claim this kind of success by yourself, you expect your team to finish the job. Lucky for him in this one, they did just that.
Hawks 49 over Butchers 17
Offense
Baltimore: Corvo Havran - QB - As the younger crop of quarterbacks have begun to develop into real stars, Havran is no longer as dominant as he once was. When I entered the league, this guy was consistently a top three quarterback who could take over a game at any time. Just because competition has stiffened doesn’t mean he’s not the same guy though. While he has more rivals than ever before, Havran is still an elite talent capable of making tough throws and putting together a near perfect game plan. He showed that here. 290 yards, four touchdowns, a 63 percent completion rating, and only a single interception was enough to get Havran to a 115.2 quarterback rating. That mark was the best of any quarterback on the season at this point. He controlled the game throughout as he scored the first points of the game with a five yard laser to Earl Sauce and also scored the final points of the game with a three yard toss to Errol Maddox. He never let up and took his time reminding everyone that Havran may be aging, but he isn’t out of the picture yet.
Baltimore: Ludicolo Bigby - RB - Bigby finds his way into the highlight reel once more as he shows that he can do a lot even with limited action. On this day it seemed the gameplan for the Hawks was to do everything through Havran and as such, the ball went through Havran for the majority of plays in this game. That meant Bigby was to be limited to just 19 carries and two targets in the passing game. That didn’t remotely matter to him as he made the most of every opportunity provided to him. He rumbled out 93 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging a more than respectable 4.9 yards a carry and then added another 15 yards in the air. He converted six first downs in the game including two clutch third and longs. One was a 3rd and 8 where he picked up 14 and another was a 3rd in 10 where he quickly galloped for exactly the 10 yards they needed. Both first downs resulted in touchdowns for the Hawks.
Defense
Baltimore: Fatih Terim: - S - It seemed like the entire strategy of the Baltimore defense coming into this game was to confuse Jenkins into making mistakes. They played lockdown coverage all night while effectively making it look like receivers may be open. They found a way to punish this multiple times as the game went on, starting from the opening quarter. Half way through the first, Terim put himself in position to pick off the first of Jenkins’ three interceptions this game. His effectiveness didn’t end there though as for some reason, Jenkins continued to test him and more often than not, he won. He knocked another four passes down, stopping another two drives in their tracks and five of his tackles were on receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage, ultimately putting a halt to two other drives. All in all, Terim’s efforts can be credited with ending five total Chicago drives and it is hard to ask for more effort than that.
Baltimore: Juan Marston: - CB - I looked pretty thoroughly to find something Chicago did well so I could have at least one player of theirs involved here. The more I dug and the more I looked, the more I realized that none of them came close to the kind of impact Marston had on this game and it would be a disservice to not have him fill this final spot. Three tackles, two of which were sacks and another was in run support one yard from the point of attack. One pass defense, one interception, one touchdown. Everything Marston was involved with in this game was huge for Baltimore. He didn’t give up a single reception the entire night and the one time he was truly tested, he punished Jenkins with a 23 yard return touchdown early in the third. That play alone was enough to put the nail in the coffin for this game. Mix this with the fact that one of his sacks stopped the only promising Chicago drive in the entire first half of the game, forcing them to kick a field goal, and you have a guy who can’t have his impact questioned.
Copperheads 16 over Outlaws 13
Offense
Austin: Mako Mendonca - RB - With a 16 to 13 scoreline, you know that there wasn’t a lot happening on offense for either team in this one. Both sides seemed to struggle moving the ball and on the few occasions where it looked like they might start gaining ground, they’d make a careless error and give the other team the ball back. Luckily for Austin, Mako Mendonca seemed immune to the curse. His ability to make a little something out of absolutely nothing really highlighted his abilities in this game. His combined 132 yards and a touchdown in this game don’t tell the entire story as it’d be a shame to ignore what Arizona did on defense in this game. They set the tone on the line of scrimmage and even Mendonca had his struggles as he found himself stuffed fairly often, but when the team absolutely needed a play, it was Mendonca carrying the load. He had a long reception for 36 yards that set Austin up for their first field goal of the game, giving them their first lead. Then half way through the second, he converted a third and 9 with his longest run of the day, setting up Austin for another field goal. Then finally it was nothing more than a heavy dose of Mendonca late in the third that let him score their only touchdown of the game. They needed anyone to step up in this mess, Mako was the one who answered the call.
Arizona: Jammerson Irving - TE - While there were a few splash plays from a couple of players on the side of Arizona, they really didn’t have the consistent performances to be a top player in this game. Irving on the other hand seemed to be the only guy really able to get open all game long. His 10 catches made him the recipient of more than 50 percent of Cue’s completions and as he was only targeted 12 times on the day, he hauled in nearly everything tossed his way. He converted five first downs with his catches, providing Cue a safety blanket to check to as not a single one of his receivers seemed to be able to reliably shed coverage. The few times Arizona moved the ball in this game, it was on the back of a Jammerson Irving catch. Including two first downs that led to their fourth quarter touchdown. Irving’s ability to do this was more than proven during his time with Reese and it is good to see his game is flexible and he can fill any role the Outlaws ask of him.
Defense
Austin: Dermot Lavelle Jr. - CB - Late in the second quarter, Arizona was driving on one of their most promising pushes of the entire game. Austin was only up six to three and Arizona was surgically picking them apart, snapping up three third down conversions and controlling the clock. They worked their way down to Austin’s 27 yard line and it looked like they were all but guaranteed to tie the game up at a minimum. That was when Levelle Jr stepped in front of an errant pass to Saba Donut and took the ball back for Austin. Throw in that he had two pass deflections in the first half, both of which directly led to Arizona punts and you have the guy who may solely be responsible for Austin’s lead at the half. In a game this close, defense really tends to make the difference. Lavelle Jr carried the load for Austin here.
Arizona: Tyler Swift - S - I’d mentioned before that despite Mendonca’s efforts, even he had some struggles being stuffed in this game. Swift was a big reason why. It looked like Arizona had him play close to the line the entire game to cause disruption for Austin. He had eight total tackles and four were within three yards of the line of scrimmage, allowing him to repeatedly prevent Mendonca from getting free. More than just run support though, he was also asked to pass rush and he was the only guy in the game able to get Cole to the ground all day. Austin’s offensive line seemed to be handling Arizona’s front seven with ease, so it was up to Swift to create a numbers mismatch and frustrate Cole. The adjustment seemed to come in the fourth quarter as Swift took him down twice early in the final phase of the game. It seemed to be effective as Austin didn’t manage to piece together another drive in the game once Swift started rushing. That said, neither did Arizona and as such the adjustment came too late.
Sabercats 31 over Second Line 14
Offense
San Jose: Dan Wright - QB - After a rough start to the season, Dan Wright came out and decided to have what very well may be the most efficient game for a quarterback all season long. He only passed 19 total times, but he completed 74 percent of those passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. His 155.2 quarterback rating was an obscene number that showed just how little the New Orleans defense bothered him on the day. Every single pass that he completed seemed to pick up chunks of yards and he dissected his opponents effortlessly. At no point did he seem like he was struggling and as such he was averaging an absurd 20.9 yards per completion. He played absolutely lights out, completely shredded New Orleans, and gets to walk out of this one with what very well may be the best game of his career. You can’t buy precision and efficiency the likes of which Wright held on this day.
San Jose: Deondre Thomas-Fox - WR - To have a performance like what Wright had here today, you need a receiver who is play lights out. A guy who can find holes in a defense and completely carve them up. For San Jose that man was the young Deondre Thomas-Fox. The SaberCats raised a lot of eyebrows when they selected Thomas-Fox with the second overall pick in the S19 draft. Now in his second season in the league, he is completely rewarding their faith with his second incredible game of the season. He had only four catches in this game, but he was also only targeted four times and all four were brought in for massive gains. 18 yards, 28 yards, 28 yards, and 36 yards for a total of 110. Of those catches, three were on third down and two went for touchdowns. Any time it looked like San Jose may stall and get themselves in a bad situation, Thomas-Fox showed up in a big way and bailed them out. New Orleans simply could not find a way to cover this guy as he burned them every time his name was called. I for one look forward to seeing what Thomas-Fox is capable of as his career progresses.
Defense
San Jose: Desmond Scarlett - CB - After going down early in this game, New Orleans had to lean on their passing game and the arm of Stan Francisco. It is a situation that the Second Line has never really been proficient with. They’re at their best when Stan can play off of their dominant run game. When they have to look away from it, things tend to go south for New Orleans. This game was no different and the rookie Desmond Scarlett was a big reason why. He seemed to be able to read Francisco throughout the entire game. Three of his tackles were on receivers within four yards of the line of scrimmage as he only really got beaten once and he continuously put himself in front of the ball to boot. He had a pass deflection in the second quarter on a third and 10 that forced a punt, he made a tackle near the line of scrimmage on a third and 15 that forced a punt early in the third, and on the very next drive he picked off Stan Francisco and set up San Jose at the opposing 26 yard line. It was an impressive game by a rookie and one he can be proud of early in his career.
New Orleans: Ben Tu’inukuafe - DE - While the secondary was getting absolutely shredded for the majority of the day, it was Tu’inukuafe who kept his head down and never gave up. Though one of the newer members of the Second Line squad, Tu’inukuafe is beloved by most of the team and chooses to lead by effort and example more than anything. The team was falling apart around him, they were getting scorched, and there were no signs of recovery and yet he did his job anyways. Though San Jose often seems to lean on their run game more than the pass, Tyerucker didn’t have one of his best days and averaged less than four yards per carry. This can be contributed to Tu’inukuafe. All four of his tackles brought Tyrucker to the ground either at the line of scrimmage or behind it. Looking at the numbers, any time they tried Tu’inukuafe, they came to a net neutral. His stops ended three San Jose drives and New Orleans can thank him for this game not being worse than it was.
Otters 41 over Yeti 17
Offense
Orange County: Franklin Armstrong - QB? - The advantage of having a dual threat like Armstrong behind center is that even when he is absolutely abysmal in one phase of the game, he still has the opportunity to show up in another. This is where the question mark comes into play! He completed eight of 26 passes for a near embarrassing 198 yards. He scored a single touchdown, but then really negated that with an interception that gave Colorado their first points of the game. His 56.2 quarterback rating was one of the worst I’ve seen from him. All of this and yet Armstrong still did it all and carried the day for the Otters. How you might ask? 221 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 rushing attempts. This average of 22.1 yards per gallop was mind boggling, but it was because everything Armstrong did well he did big. Everything in this game that was positive? It came in massive chunks. To make it worse, it all came in the first 20 minutes of the game! It started in the first quarter as the Yeti got a small taste of what this day would have in store as Armstrong took off for an 82 yard touchdown run in which he absolutely torched everyone in a Colorado uniform. Then later in the first, he tossed a 55 yard dime to Hugh Mongo that set up Armstrong to run it in for another score the very next play. Finally as the first quarter came to an end, he capped off this assault with a 32 yard touchdown pass to Dexter Banks. Unfortunately for the Yeti, they had the absolute audacity to dare score on the Otters in the second quarter. Armstrong rewarded their efforts by immediately embarrassing their defense for another 71 yard run just two plays later, resulting in another score for the Otters. Armstrong was simply piling it on and it seemed to crush the spirits of the Yeti because not much went their way for the rest of the game. It is actually insane that Armstrong could play this badly while being that good.
Colorado: Wolfie McDummy - QB - While his team was getting absolutely trounced in incredible fashion by Armstrong, McDummy didn’t lose his cool and he at least made an effort to keep Colorado in this game. He put up decent numbers and put together a respectable 64 percent completion rating for 279 yards and a touchdown. While his 96.9 quarterback rating wasn’t spectacular, it was respectable enough in a game where he had to play catch-up basically the whole time. Not to mention, somehow McDummy was the only offensive player for Colorado who really seemed to put up a complete game here. His running game was stifled, his receivers struggled to get separation, and he continuously found himself being taken to the ground in the backfield. His 26 yards rushing was enough to outperform both of his backs and it was on him to carry this game for Colorado. Too bad for McDummy that Armstrong was busy treating the Colorado defense like he was in a game of Madden.
Defense
Colorado: Pete Parker - S - Perhaps it was his spider sense that isn’t quite spider sense that was tingling, but somehow Parker was really the only person on the Colorado defense that didn’t get burned in this game. In fact, he also happened to be the only guy who was able to force a real mistake out of Orange County. His interception of Armstrong led to Colorado’s first points of the game, a field goal that gave them a temporary lead. At least until Armstrong switched the game to easy. All five of his tackles were within five yards of the line of scrimmage and he even managed to take down Armstrong on a scramble. That was more than most of his teammates could say. He stayed consistent throughout the game and never let anything behind him. In a game where every positive play seemed to be a huge one, that made Parker’s efforts particularly special.
Orange County: Kacey Dream - CB - It is rare that you look at a player who really only has tackles and decide they had a great game. Dream really shook that up a bit in this one. One of the biggest storylines in this one was Colorado’s incredible ineffectiveness when running the ball. Their running backs combined for 2.2 yards per carry on a combined 18 carries. They couldn’t find any running lanes and they kept being met at the line again and again. They couldn’t find momentum for the entire game. While Dream did get burned for a 23 yard pass at one point in coverage, his impact on the run game can’t be understated. His other eight tackles all happened within three yards of the line of scrimmage and six of them brought runners down before they could even pick up two. He was absolutely dominant in run support and it forced Colorado to be one dimensional and lean on McDummy and McDummy alone. He simply couldn’t keep pace by himself and Dream making that happen was huge for this defense.
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