Better late than never is an apt title for this late weekly review, but also sums up that Monday Night game. What a wild way to end the week with a Monday night matchup that saw HUGE points that turned a 99% projected victory for Takada Monster Army into a 157-144 loss at the hands of bitter rival World’s Finest. The “Granddaddy of them All” Rivalry wasn’t the only highlight this week, as Nash Kato scored the fifth-highest single-game point total of all-time and blew out Sanctus Koala by an unprecedented 94 points. 4 QBs scored 40+ points with Lamar Jackson leading them all with 51. Outstanding QB play in a year when there were no scoring adjustments to the position. Certainly, an indicator that the NFL has opened up the receiving game. What else happened this week in USAFL? Let’s see how it all went down.
The #4 D.C. Whitefish extended their league-best record (tied) to 4-1 in a 137-133 shootout against #7 Vinegar Strokes. It’s heartbreaking to score 133 in a losing effort, but with a 119.4 points-per-game average, they are not in a bad spot despite the 2-3 record. The Strokes made the right roster moves to win the game, but the loss of Kenny Golladay to a knee injury early in the game likely cost them the win as he was unable to generate even one point. Derrick Henry was projected to be one of the top-performing RBs this week and he exceeded expectations by 11-points. He and Josh Allen are the heart and soul of the D.C. Whitefish, performing better than any other starter over the last three weeks. No surprise, but he’s currently the best RB in the league.
Hot off their upset of then #1 D.C. Whitefish, the #10 Southern Delaware Wood Ducks laid the smackdown on #11 Hawks Bench in a 137-79 whooping. Justin Herbert again led the Ducks to victory scoring 50 points. Herbert has thrown for 300 yards and/or three touchdowns in every game so far. In Week 5, he accomplished both, and then some with a 26-of-43 effort for 398 yards and four scores. GM Avery’s franchise first pick came through this week, as Nick Chubb contributed 25 points to the cause with 161 yards and his 5th 80+ yard game in a row. The former two-time champion, GM Rich H. has to be scratching his head as everyone but DK Metcalf and Greg Zuerlein underperformed this week. Even an optimal lineup wouldn’t have netted a 100+ point game.
After a rough 1-3 start and two back-to-back 90-point games, the #8 Holy Penguins bounced back this week against #5 Ebola who has now lost two straight after the 140-112 loss. Ebola can now add Russell Wilson to their IR list along with George Kittle and Julio Jones meaning Ebola has lost their 3rd, 4th, and 6th round picks. One player was the ultimate difference-maker in this game and it was the 44-year-old Tom Brady. Brady now leads the USAFL in passing attempts, completions, and passing yards at 1,767. Typically, Stefon Diggs is the go-to receiver for the Pens, but Robert Woods stepped up big with 28-points, 16 above projections. The Pens look to keep the momentum going as they take on the 1-4 Hawks Bench next week. Meanwhile, the banged-up Ebola squad face off against a red-hot Nash Kato express.
In an upset, that really didn't seem like an upset, Nash Kato decimated the Sanctus Koala by 94-points in a 183-89 final. 183 points mark the fifth-highest single-game point total in the 19-year history of the USAFL and the second highest in the modern era. In a week where QBs torched opposing defenses, #9 Nash Kato didn’t need to rely on Matthew Stafford to do anything beyond his 18-points. Instead, Nash Kato’s RBs, WRs, and TEs took over and combined for 151-points. GM Dave S. of the World’s Finest has to be kicking themselves for dropping Alexander Mattison, as Nash Kato gave the free agent a chance and returned the favor with 27 points. It was a perfect lineup, the first such of the season for GM Kevin G. #2 Sanctus Koala lost JuJu Smith-Schuster for the season early Sunday which certainly hurts their campaign going forward. One has to theorize that the embarrassment of riches in the QB position that Koala has made for valuable trade bait to replace their hole at the WR position.
With a miserable performance from the Browns D/ST and the heartbreaking injury to Saquon Barkley, the Deer Antler Addicts were dead on arrival going into Sunday Night. Meanwhile, Yankee Zulu was just getting going as the Monday Night kicked off and when everything was said and done, Lamar Jackson connected on 37 of 43 passes for 442 yards and four scores, along with 14 carries for 62 yards plus a pair of two-point conversion tosses adding up to a week-high of 51-points. Yes, Lamar Jackson alone almost outscored the entire starting lineup of the Addicts. The Dynamic Duo of the Week was Lamar Jackson and Jamar Chase who combined for 80 points, the margin of which YZ beat the Addicts. That 80-point thrashing moved Yankee Zulu to 4-1 and that’s without stud RB Christian McCaffery who is hopeful to return this week.
As the Sunday night game concluded, the World’s Finest Football Club was down 144-81 with two players left to play. The projections had Takada Monster Army as 99-1 favorites as the duo of Mark Andrews and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown were assessed to score somewhere in the range of 25-30 points, nowhere near the 64-points needed to comeback from behind. It certainly looked like the #12 Takada would knock off the #1 ranked World's Finest. Takada would move on to take a 3-game lead in the lifetime series against WFFC at 15-12 in the “Granddaddy of them All” Rivalry Game. Yet, fate is a fickle mistress and nothing is guaranteed in the USAFL. When the dust settled and the clock hit 00:00, Brown and Andrews combined for 76-points and World’s Finest stood victorious 157-144. The win allowed WFFC to keep pace with the Whitefish in the Premier Division, while the loss sends Takada to the basement of the US Division, but if they can maintain the 120+ point games, they are far from out of the race this early in the season.
Keep Calm and Win: Takada Monster Army; 46 pts
Sunday Night Stud: DC Whitefish; Allen; 42 pts
Mr. Monday Night: World’s Finest; Andrews/Brown; 76 pts
Team of the Week: Nash Kato; 183 pts
Employee of the Week: Lamar Jackson; Yankee Zulu; 51 pts
Dynamic Duo: Jackson and Chase; Yankee Zulu; 80 pts
Stud Finder: Nash Kato; Mattison; 27 pts
Rivals: World’s Finest def Takada Monster Army
Crush Your Enemies: Nash Kato-94 pts; Ducks-58 pts; Yankee Zulu-80 pts
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