[MIJB#19]

2078 Regular season, week 6
The Maassluis Merchantmen continue to flip flop, posting win number three of the season, beating the Rochester Razorbacks 20-10 in a sold out Oranje Haven. Rookie Walt Blair continues to impress as he ran 25 times for 163 yards and 1 touchdown. Merchantmen fans are getting flashbacks from the days Norbert Talley wore orange-white-and-blue, the only player with 8 or more 100-yard games in a single season for Maassluis.

J.R. Mills isn't completely out of the picture, he was crucial in the Merchantmen passing game with 7 catches for 108 yards. Bennett Morris completed 18 of 26 passes for 215 yards, 1 touchdown and his 2nd interception of the season. On the other side of the ball, the Merchantmen defense sacked Rochester quarterback Brian Sams 5 times, yet at times struggled to disrupt that passing game.

Elsewhere, the Paris Musketeers ran into their first deficit, getting clobbered 38-10 in Toronto. The Gothenburg Giants didn't trip over the North Plainfield Plague and posted a 16-13 road victory to stay in pursuit of the Merchantmen. The Bordeaux Vineyards stumbled into a 16-16 tie with the also 1-win Harlem Apollos.

European division:
1 Paris 4-1
2 Maassluis 3-2
3 Gothenburg 3-3
4 Bordeaux 1-3-1

Morris has dropped to 4th in passer rating at 104.0. Blair moved back into the rushing yards lead, despite having a played a game less than the six next best. Mills has dropped to 6th in receiving yards.

Injury of the game came on the game clinching field goal with 31 seconds left. Holder Jamie Holmes hurt his elbow and is expected to miss at least the next game at home against the undefeated Toronto Lake Monsters.

Those Lake Monsters are the only team with a perfect record at this point. Their throw on first, on second and on third approach has done well in recent seasons. Clay Andrews has thrown for 6,731, 5,987 and 6,081 yards with 48, 47 and 62 touchdowns in the last three seasons. It got them the IHOF Bowl victory last season. It will be hard to stop them, but the Merchantmen staff is locked up in the film room, with one task only: to figure out a game plan that can stop that seemingly unstoppable passing game.