We have games! Oh boy, do we have games
Chicago at Las Vegas

Heading into Vegas to face the 5-1 Bandits, the Chicago Outlaws knew that they were going to have a tough test on their paws. Unfortunately, they didn’t know how tough. Early in the second quarter, star running back Jean-Etienne Tremblay would get pushed right into the path of a charging pass rusher while blocking on a passing play. His head hit the ground hard, and he lay motionless on the field for five minutes while the team doctors attended to him. Though he fortunately seemed to have avoided any neck damage, Tremblay was diagnosed with a concussion, and would miss the remainder of the game. The Outlaws kept the game close throughout, but it seems like Tremblay’s injury had rattled them, and they failed to score on two consecutive late-game drives to tie things up. Final score: LVB 24, CHI 16

New York at New Orleans

The key to beating New York seems to be to contain Justice Matari and the passing game. The Defiant have only won a single game this year where Justice failed to gain at least 100 yards. And that trend continues today. It doesn’t help things that this game was played in high winds. Wind speeds averaged 20 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40. Both team’s passing numbers were well below their season averages. It ultimately came down to whichever team made the biggest mistake. That proved to be New York, when Lukas Barella coughed up the ball on a QB draw in the fourth quarter. The Corsairs were able to run out the clock, and a TD pass to Desmond Widmore at the end of the game was too little, too late. Final score: NOC 26, NYD 14

Easton at Montreal

If you looked at the score at halftime, and then didn’t look at it again until after the game, you could be excused for thinking that your phone app was acting up. This was a close, hard-fought game for two quarters. The Royal got out to a 14-7 lead, but two Virginia Pratt field goals had the score sitting at 14-13 at halftime. I’m not sure what Royal head coach Matthew Machiocha said to his team in the locker room, but they came out in the second half ready to kick ass. Though the Bald Eagles scored on their opening possession of the third quarter to take the lead, Montreal proceeded to rattle off an astounding 36 unanswered points. That includes a 44 yard touchdown run by Vito Ligustica on a first and 20. Montreal QB Tyron Appleby got to sit for most of the fourth quarter, as the game was clearly a blowout by then. Final score: MTL 50, EAS 26

California at Nashville

I think that California might have found something in rookie QB Elise Beaumont. In the 9 ½ quarters since she replaced an injured Robert Goady, she’s thrown for TEN touchdowns. That includes four tonight, three of which were 40+ yard missiles – two to Mylene Jean and one to Randy Stanford. Amazingly, she did all of this on only 16 total passing attempts. The Tuts actually dominated the time of possession and total yardage for the game, with Kiedo Masquarde throwing for almost 400 yards and a league-record 37 completions. Nashville’s Luigi Jordan had a career-high 10 catches for 134 yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Beaumont’s efficiency. Nashville had a chance at the end of the game, but got pushed way back into their own territory by a penalty, and their Hail Mary attempt (while a successful pass) was tackled down about 20 yards short of the end zone. Final score: CAL 28, NSH 21

Texas at Colorado

Texas came into Colorado on a two-game winning streak, but were going to face a significant challenge in containing the Crushers’ number-one ranked offense. It wasn’t the offense that they really needed to be worried about, however. It was Colorado’s defense and special teams. After going three-and-out to start the game, the Ramblers punted the ball away. Kyle Gradkowski proceeded to bring that ball back 74 yards for a return touchdown, putting the Crushers up by 7 before they’d even taken the field. To add insult to injury, Carrice Kenton fumbled the ball on the very next play, giving it back to Colorado. Texas didn’t actually manage a single first down until late in the second quarter, by which point they were already down by a massive 31 points. Texas’s defense constantly shot themselves in the foot, giving up four first downs via penalty during that time, and getting flagged for eight defensive penalties overall. There was still plenty of fight in the Ramblers – Artemis Milano set an all-time league record with a 97 yard catch-and-run TD in the third quarter to bring the game within 17 – but 31-0 is a little much for any team to come back from. Final score: COL 52, TEX 21

North Florida at Richmond

Today two teams went to a placekicking demonstration and a football game broke out. This game was truly a battle of the kickers, with eight successful field goals between the two teams. North Florida kicker Trent Velazquez had four in the second quarter alone, and his five FGs were a career high. The Renegades overall definitely looked like the better team, dominating the time of possession. But they constantly had to settle for field goals thanks to the efforts of linebacker Brad Ulrich, who was constantly wrecking everything that North Florida was doing to the tune of 14 tackles (4 for a loss) and an interception that set up the Flames’ lone touchdown. Richmond got a chance for a last-minute comeback when Max Gold fumbled the ball with two minutes to go. Unfortunately, they were without their best player at that point. Running back Serena Karros was carted off the field on their previous possession after she braced herself against the ground while getting tackled and her elbow ended up bent in the wrong direction. Darnell Paige would ultimately give the ball right back, throwing an interception to end the game. Final score: NFR 29, RIC 16

Baltimore at Downriver

Following that blockbuster trade early in the week, it was a chance for both quarterbacks to prove their worth to their new teams by going head-to-head. Unfortunately, the game had other plans for both of them. Downriver couldn’t stop anything on the ground, leading Baltimore to keep the ball in Seddrick Galloway’s hands and out of Jillian St. Claire’s. She only completed 13 passes for less than 100 total yards. On the other side, Aspen Redfield looked as good as advertised, but was under constant pressure, and suffered five sacks. He got close to 300 yards passing ,but failed to find the end zone. The real star of the game was the aforementioned Galloway. The running back broke the Ponies single-game rushing record for the third time this season, this time with 174 yards, a 35-yard increase over his previous high. Final score: BAL 21, DWN 13

Grand Rapids at Miami

The good news: the Dragons managed to hold Miami on a long final drive that could have given them the win, maintaining a six-point lead over the surprisingly competitive Tropics. The bad news: star wide receiver Kova Lewdko would go down in obvious pain after play in the third quarter. He’d get carted off the field and taken straight to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulderblade. The game overall was a fairly slow, low-scoring one, with nothing but field goals in the first half. The Tropics actually led 9-3 at halftime, but the Dragons came back to score twice in the third quarter. Miami had a chance to tie the game after scoring themselves, but the two-point conversion attempt sailed over Dyana Cobalt’s head. Final score: GRD 24, MIA 18

Offensive PotW: Seddrick Galloway (RB – BAL): 174 rushing yards and 2 TDs, and two catches for 9 yards
Defensive PotW: Sandra Wheeler (LB – MTL): 9 tackles (1 for loss) and 2 sacks
Special teams PotW: Trent Velazquez (K – NFR): five field goals and two extra points