The British Are Coming - A London Bulldogs Franchise

[St. Francisco]

WEEKS 12-15 GAME RECAP

WEEK TWELVE
LONDON BULLDOGS 24, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS 35
Texas' newest NFL franchise continued their quest for the #1 seed in the AFC with a 35-24 win over the Bulldogs. Andrew Luck completed 75% of his passes for 338 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception to lead his team to victory, while Ryan Grant had six catches for 104 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, London's Justin Herbert completed 63% of his passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a solid outing, but it was not enough to propel his team to victory.

WEEK THIRTEEN
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 31, LONDON BULLDOGS 28

The ageless Tom Brady kept the Patriots' playoff hopes alive by leading the team to a 31-28 victory over their division foes, guaranteeing that the Bulldogs would finish their first season in London with a losing record after dropping their 9th game this year. Brady completed 29 of 47 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, Julian Edelman had seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, and Damien Harris (HB) and James Develin (FB) combined for 80 yards and two scores off 20 carries. On the other side of the ball, rookie QB Justin Herbert completed 20 of 26 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, while Collin Johnson led the receiving corps with six catches for 74 yards. Defensively, Raekwon McMillan (MLB) was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 9 tackles and an interception.


WEEK FOURTEEN
LONDON BULLDOGS 7, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 45
The downward spiral continued in California, where the Bulldogs suffered their worst loss of the season in a 45-7 thrashing to the Chargers. Phillip Rivers was nearly perfect on the day, completing 22 of 26 passes for 286 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Rookie Tylan Wallace (WR) out of Oklahoma State led the receiving corps with three catches for 96 yards and a touchdowns, while runningbacks Melvin Gordon III and Justin Jackson combined for 114 yards and two touchdowns off 29 carries. Jatavis Brown (OLB) led the defense with 8 tackles, one sack, and an interception. Justin Herbert had a lackluster day under center, completing 23 of 36 passes for 218 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. His favorite target was rookie wide receive Collin Johnson, who had six catches for 73 yards. Fresh off his return from injury, Kenyan Drake only carried the ball 11 times for 41 yards.

WEEK FIFTEEN
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 23, LONDON BULLDOGS 16

London's upset bid over the Chiefs fell just short in a 23-16 loss. Patrick Mahomes completed 23 of 30 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while Damien Williams added 55 yards and a score off 21 carries on the ground. As for the Bulldogs, Justin Herbert completed 18 of 26 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and Collin Johnson led the receiving efforts with six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, but the team fell one big play short of pulling off the upset. With the season effectively over at this point, the Bulldogs will stay at home for the next two weeks to host the San Francisco 49ers (2-12-0) and Arizona Cardinals (2-11-1) in a two-game stretch that will help to determine the pecking order of the top three spots in next year's draft.

[St. Francisco]

[IamArtifice]

The playoff race is looking pretty tight this season!


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[St. Francisco]

Quote: Originally Posted by IamArtifice

The playoff race is looking pretty tight this season! Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

No doubt! Very close races in the AFC North and AFC West, NFC East, and NFC South. Gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out, I'm gonna update after the week 16 game.

[St. Francisco]

WEEK SIXTEEN
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2-12-0)
VS
LONDON BULLDOGS (3-11-0)


BULLDOGS SNAP 10 GAME LOSING SKID VS. 49ERS
JUSTIN HERBERT'S 3RD TD PASS OF THE DAY SEALED THE TEAM'S 4TH WIN OF THE YEAR

The season may be all but over at this point, but a win is still a win. Led by the arm of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, the Bulldogs celebrated a 34-27 victory on Sunday to snap a ten-game losing streak for the team, while the 49ers clinched the #1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Justin Herbert continued his campain for rookie of the year by completing 72% of his passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. His favorite target was DeVante Parker, who had 7 catches for 97 yards, while rookie wide receiver Collin Johnson had seven receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Mike Gesicki was also heavily involved, racking up 52 yards and a score off 6 grabs. As for the ground game, Kenyan Drake led the charge with 21 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown, and also had three catches for 46 yards. Defensively, Andrew Van Ginkel led the charge with 8 tackles and two sacks on a day that the Bulldogs recorded six total sacks, and Xavien Howard had two game-changing interceptions to double his season total.

On the other side of the ball, Jimmy Garoppolo was far less impressive, completing 28 of 43 passes for 290 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. George Kittle (TE) played like a man possessed, racking up 12 catches for 101 yards, while Trent Taylor had seven receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Tevin Coleman made the most out of his limited touches, carrying the ball 13 times for 66 yards and a score, and also catching four balls for 59 yards. Defensively, Nick Bosa (DE) recorded a sack and Ken Crawley (CB) had five tackles and an interception, but the unit as a whole allowed 420 yards and four touchdowns on the day. San Francisco's defense has been a liability all season, ranking 26th in total yards allowed, and 31st with 27.1 points per game allowed.

Fresh off a long sought after win, the Bulldogs will close the season out with another very winnable game against the Arizona Cardinals (3-11-1), while the 49ers will host the Los Angeles Rams (6-9-0).

San Francisco 49ers (2-12-0) at London Bulldogs (3-11-0)
TEAM NAME	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
San Francisco 49ers (2-13-0)	0	10	10	7	27
London Bulldogs (4-11-0)	7	13	7	7	34

Team Stats Comparison
	SF	LON
Total Offense	375	420
Rushing Yards	85	78
Passing Yards	290	342
First Downs	20	20
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Conversion	7-14 (50%)	5-11 (45%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1 (100%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-1	2-1
Penalties	5-37	5-45
Posession Time	25:51	34:09

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		SF	LON
8:08	(LON) Justin Herbert 7 yard pass to Mike Gesicki	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SF	LON
13:11	(LON) Jason Sanders 25 yard field goal	0	10
9:14	(LON) Jason Sanders 32 yard field goal	0	13
8:40	(SF) Tevin Coleman 32 yard run	7	13
4:08	(LON) Justin Herbert 13 yard pass to Albert Wilson	7	20
0:30	(SF) Robbie Gould 32 yard field goal	10	20
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SF	LON
12:10	(SF) Matt Breida 3 yard run	17	20
7:19	(LON) Kenyan Drake 2 yard run	17	27
1:58	(SF) Robbie Gould 43 yard field goal	20	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SF	LON
9:52	(SF) Jimmy Garoppolo 28 yard pass to Trent Taylor	27	27
5:22	(LON) Justin Herbert 1 yard pass to Collin Johnson	27	34

San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jimmy Garoppolo 28/43 290 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Tevin Coleman 13 66 5.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD George Kittle 12 101 8.4 0 Trent Taylor 7 85 12.1 1 Tevin Coleman 4 59 14.7 0 Deebo Samuel 3 31 10.3 0 Dante Pettis 2 14 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Shyheim Carter 10 0 0 0 Kwon Alexander 9 0 0 0 Ken Crawley 5 0 1 0 Nick Bosa 3 1.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Robbie Gould 2/2 3/3 9 43

London Bulldogs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Herbert 31/43 342 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kenyan Drake 21 64 3.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD DeVante Parker 7 97 13.8 0 Collin Johnson 7 64 9.1 1 Mike Gesicki 6 52 8.6 1 Albert Wilson 4 41 10.2 1 Kenyan Drake 3 46 15.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jerome Baker 10 1.0 0 0 Andrew Van Ginkel 8 2.0 0 0 Raekwon McMillan 6 1.5 0 0 Xavien Howard 6 0 2 0 Davon Godchaux 3 0.5 0 0 Margus Hunt 3 0.5 0 0 Charles Harris 2 0.5 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Sanders 2/2 4/4 10 32

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

WEEK SEVENTEEN
ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-11-1)
VS
LONDON BULLDOGS (4-11-0)


MURRAY'S 5 TDS LEAD CARDINALS TO VICTORY
HERBERT THREW FOR 478 YARDS, BUT IT WAS MURRAY'S PERFORMANCE THAT WON THE GAME

Rookie Justin Herbert and 2nd year pro Kyler Murray put on a quarterback clinic in the regular season finale, combining to complete 74% of their passes for 728 yards and 7 touchdowns, but it was Murray who walked away with a 35-30 victory to lock the Bulldogs into the #2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Kyler Murray's offense only put up 358 yards compared to London's 543, but Arizona's defense made just enough stops to give the Cardinals the edge. Murray put in an inspiring performance in his season finale, completing 18 of 26 passes for 250 yards and five touchdowns in the win. His favorite target was Kendrick Bourne, who had six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Andy Isabella, tight end Colby Parkinson, and Aaron Ripkowski (FB) also recorded TD receptions. As for the ground game, David Johnson carried the ball 19 times for 73 yards, and also had four catches for 52 yards and a score. Defensively, Patrick Peterson had seven tackles and the game's only interception, and the Cardinals recorded eight sacks on the day. The pass rush was led by Dante Fowler Jr. (OLB), who finished the day with a team-leading 11 tackles and 3 sacks, while Taco Charlton (DE) had five tackles and two sacks.

Justin Herbert capped off a great rookie season with another brilliant performance, completing 79% of his passes for 478 yards, two touchdown, and one interception. Collin Johnson led the receiving corps with 8 catches for 106 yards, and Albert Wilson had 127 yards and a score off just four catches. Kenyan Drake was limited on the ground, carrying the ball 14 times for 46 yards, but also had five catches for 48 yards. As for the defense, Jerome Baker (MLB) and defensive ends Christian Wilkins and Emmanuel Ogbah each recorded a sack.

The Bulldogs' first season in London was a 4-12 dud, but the future looks bright with Justin Herbert at the helm and a pair of high first round draft picks next season. London will now turn their attention to improving the roster in the offseason while the best teams in the NFL get ready for the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals (3-11-1) at London Bulldogs (4-11-0)
TEAM NAME	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Arizona Cardinals (4-11-1)	7	14	7	7	35
London Bulldogs (4-12-0)	7	3	6	14	30

Team Stats Comparison
	ARI	LON
Total Offense	358	543
Rushing Yards	108	65
Passing Yards	250	478
First Downs	15	23
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Conversion	3-10 (30%)	6-14 (42%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0 (0%)	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-1 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-0	3-0
Penalties	2-22	2-10
Posession Time	26:19	33:41

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ARI	LON
9:30	(LON) Gus Edwards 5 yard run	0	7
1:55	(ARI) Kyler Murray 4 yard pass to Aaron Ripkowski	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ARI	LON
9:22	(LON) Jason Sanders 54 yard field goal	7	10
5:39	(ARI) Kyler Murray 12 yard pass to Colby Parkinson	14	10
1:03	(ARI) Kyler Murray 33 yard pass to Andy Isabella	21	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ARI	LON
11:17	(LON) Justin Herbert 79 yard pass to Albert Wilson (2 pt. conv. failed)	21	16
8:42	(ARI) Kyler Murray 49 yard pass to Kendrick Bourne	28	16
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ARI	LON
12:39	(LON) Gus Edwards 4 yard run	28	23
4:08	(ARI) Kyler Murray 11 yard pass to David Johnson	35	23
0:40	(LON) Justin Herbert 3 yard pass to Jakeem Grant	35	30

Arizona Cardinals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kyler Murray 18/26 250 5 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD David Johnson 19 73 3.8 0 Kyler Murray 6 26 4.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kendrick Bourne 6 92 15.3 1 David Johnson 4 52 13.0 1 Colby Parkinson 3 28 9.3 1 Andy Isabella 2 43 21.5 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Dante Fowler Jr. 11 3.0 0 0 Chandler Jones 9 1.5 0 0 Patrick Peterson 7 0.5 1 0 Jordan Hicks 7 0.5 0 0 Taco Charlton 5 2.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Matt Prater 0/0 5/5 5 N/A

London Bulldogs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Herbert 34/43 478 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kenyan Drake 14 46 3.2 0 Gus Edwards 2 6 3.0 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Collin Johnson 8 106 13.2 0 Mike Gesicki 7 71 10.1 0 Kenyan Drake 5 48 9.6 0 DeVante Parker 5 69 13.8 0 Albert Wilson 4 127 31.7 1 Jakeem Grant 3 33 11.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jerome Baker 7 1.0 0 0 Christian Wilkins 5 1.0 0 0 Emmanuel Ogbah 3 1.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Sanders 1/2 3/3 6 54

[St. Francisco]

-Tom Brady and the nation's #1 ranked offense will miss the playoffs at 10-6 after losing a three-way tie to the Ravens and Jets for the AFC wild card spots. The Patriots have appeared in the postseason for 11 straight years, but won't get the chance to extend that streak in what is very likely Tom Brady's final season.