There weren't a lot of "big" games this week - most of the good teams were playing relatively bad teams. There were a few matchups worth noting, however:
Arizona (6-2) 28, Honolulu (5-3) 31 - Hard to believe, but I found myself rooting for Honolulu in this one so as to keep Arizona within striking distance. Ronnie Tu came through for me with a 22/29, 292 yd, 3TD - 1 INT performance in this squeaker. Arizona's Freddie Matthias also thre for 3 TDs, but was otherwise unimpressive (19/37, 227 yds). Slightly better QB play might have won this one for 'Zona.
Hartford (3-4) 23, Boston (4-3) 21 - Hartford continues their roll with a tough two-point win over Boston. There were two big stories in this one: turnovers and injuries. Dwayne Bridges had a solid game (23/36, 277yds, 2TDs, 1 INT), but it was his one interception that was the difference - it was caught by Hartford's Sherman Lee in the 4th quarter and returned 45 yards for a TD. Hartford also seemed as determined to beat the living shit out of Boston players as they were to win the game. Six Panthers were injured in the course of this one, including the loss of starting WR Irv Schwartz for 4 weeks and the guy whose starting job he took, James Hoch, for 16 weeks. Bridges was slightly dinged up in this one too, and now his offensive weaponry is much more limited. Boston may be in for a few rough weeks, at least until they can get some warm bodies back out there.
San Antonio (5-2) 0, Atlantic City (4-3) 30 - Let's take a quick trip down memory lane, shall we? Last week I had this to say about the Eddie Crawford's great start:
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Crawford, in particular, has fueled a somewhat surprising Stingers squad with his 70% completion rate and 95.9 QB Rating. Nobody expected that kind of performance from him, and many are waiting for him to drop back to earth like a very, very heavy rock.
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Heavy, heavy rock indeed. Crawford was stinky in this otherwise winnable match, completing just 11 of 25 passes for 115 yds, 3 INTs (all of which came in the 4th quarter), and suffering 4 sacks. His running game didn't help much, as they were held to just 57 yards, and San Antonio overall gained just 148 yards on the day. In fact, the Stingers' special teams also sucked, with an average starting field position of their own 17 against AC's average start at their own 44. Nothing went right for SA, and everything went right for AC. Colin Sawyer had a solid day (25/33, 241 yds, 2 TDs), and Lanny Hower went over 100 yds. This big win vaulted AC into the Land Of Respectability with a winning record, a land they have not visited since the CFL's inaugural season of 2003.
Tulsa (6-1) 23, Fargo (6-2) 26 (OT) - Both offenses were really clicking in this big matchup, and it is a bit surprising that the game didn't produce a higher score. All of the offensive stars were on display today, producing over 900 yds in total offense, but the return units for both squads were a bit disappointing, as both teams averaged a starting field position at their respective 20 yd lines. Fargo's QB Brett Hedges directed the winning field goal drive in OT, but on 2nd and 7 from the Tulsa 19 he suffered a serious high ankle sprain that knocked him from the game. Two plays later Fargo kicked the winning FG, but learned that Hedges injury would keep him out for nearly three months. Fargo won the battle, but the injury to Hedges may have cost them the war.
Detroit (7-1) 26, Cleveland (2-6) 21 - Detroit continues their season-long tendency to play
just well enough to win, but this game featured both good and bad news for the Vampires. They won this one thanks to their great defensive play, as poor Ernest Lorenzo was mercilessly harrassed all day long. He had 7 passes defensed, 3 passes blocked at the line, got hurried 8 times and was sacked thrice, and added a nasty
5 picks to boot. That's the good news. The bad news is that Detroit suffered quite a few injuries in this one, including the loss of studly RT Larry Peters for 14 weeks and three-quarters of their excellent starting secondary. The secondary will be okay in a month or so, but will they be able to continue shutting teams down in the meantime? Detroit had better hope so, because their offense is not teh shiznit.