Week 8 Summary:
Oh man, London had this one in the bag. Going into the 4th quarter, the Royals were up 13-6. After 16 straight unanswered points by the Coyotes, the game ended in a devastating loss, 22-13. The Royals drop even further into last place. It was a big game for Gunner Thorbjornsson as he led the rookies in both yardage and receptions, coming in at 6 for 69 (nice). Michell went 4 for 20 (double nice) and snagged his 2nd career TD. J’Vathon only managed to catch 3 passes, but he did have a nice average taking them for a total of 42 yards. Turnovers and penalties put the team into a hole too many times and they lose a tough one to the conference leaders.
Week 8 Drive Recap:
London gets its most dominating win of the year as they defeat the Minnesota Grey Ducks 29-10 at home. It was a relatively quiet game for both J’Vathon and Michell and they both only registered 2 catches, with J’Vathon gaining 21 yards and Michell 9. This was due to Cash Jr breaking the all-time single game record with 106 receiving yards. What a ball hog. Share the wealth, buddy. Despite Cash Jr’s selfish ways, Thorbjornsson had himself another solid game with 6 more catches and 71 yards. That’s a career high on yards and ties his career high on catches. He’s still looking for that elusive first touchdown. The Royals still continued their high turnover ways, coming in a -3 on the game, but that didn’t slow them down as they rolled through the Grey Ducks to jump them in the standings, now in 3rd and only a game off Portland for the final playoff spot. (disclaimer: shots at Cash Jr are clearly sarcastic)
Week 9 Drive Recap:
After already losing to the Norfolk Seawolves at home, London travelled to Virginia to seek revenge on the road. Things started off well enough with London scoring a couple TDs early, and Norfolk only able to answer with FGs. A late push from Norfolk was rendered moot as London, finally, dominated a 4th quarter to seal a huge away win, 31-16, putting them in a tie for 2nd place with Portland. As for our set of rookie pass catchers, J’Vathon and Thorbjornsson had themselves some games. Thorbjornsson lead the team in receptions with 5, while picking up 60 yards in the progress. J’Vathon had a career game scoring twice as many touchdowns in this game as his entire career. He went for 80 yards on 4 catches, 2 of which saw him dance in the end zone. Michell had a quite game with only 1 catch and 11 yards, but he made a larger impact on blocking for the run game. This was quite the interesting game as London only had 8 possessions, by far the fewest of any game this year. They were able to capitalize on their red zone appearance, while Norfolk were not.
Week 10 Drive Recap:
It wasn’t the perfect week that London had wanted, but taking 2 out of 3 and some friendly results see them going from last place to tied for 2nd in the conference. The next three weeks will be frenetic as it starts with a very tough road game against Dallas. The good news is London has already beaten the Birddogs once this year, the bad news is that was at home and Dallas is a much different team sitting atop the league standings at 8-2. Not wanting to get too carried away with the recent results, I think the Royals will come back down to earth with a loss. Their next two games are very winnable, both against 4-6 teams in the Tijuana Luchadores and the Portland Pythons. In contrast to the Dallas game, the bad news is London has already lost to these two teams, one being a 40-24 trouncing by Tijuana. The good news is the games are both in London and the Royals roster is much improved from player updates. Repeating a 2 out of 3 performance from this week should see the Royals claim a sole share of 2nd place. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for this one and hope the rookies continue to ball out.
Here’s an updated chart for the Royals rookie contributions. I’ve also added one to show the stats of all rookie WRs. London arguably has the top two spots as Thorbjornsson leads the bunch in yardage and J’Vathon in receptions and TDs. After bonafide superstar Cash Jr leaves for the NSFL, the Royals should be in good hands next year as these two rookies continue to impress.
Royals Team Totals:
S23 Rookie Totals:
Oh man, London had this one in the bag. Going into the 4th quarter, the Royals were up 13-6. After 16 straight unanswered points by the Coyotes, the game ended in a devastating loss, 22-13. The Royals drop even further into last place. It was a big game for Gunner Thorbjornsson as he led the rookies in both yardage and receptions, coming in at 6 for 69 (nice). Michell went 4 for 20 (double nice) and snagged his 2nd career TD. J’Vathon only managed to catch 3 passes, but he did have a nice average taking them for a total of 42 yards. Turnovers and penalties put the team into a hole too many times and they lose a tough one to the conference leaders.
Week 8 Drive Recap:
- 1st Drive, 1Q 9:33 – Down 3-0 after an early FG, the Royals start off well by moving the ball down the field. Two runs pick up 13 yards and Thorbjornsson has a catch of his own, also for 13 yards. Two more runs for 8 yards leave the team in a 3rd and short, but Cortez gets stuffed on a QB keeper. An odd play call stalls the drive as the Royals are forced to punt.
- 2nd Drive, 1Q 5:34 – Cash breaks off a massive 35 yarder, followed by a long run, and a big 17 yard gainer by J’Vathon. On 2nd down, Cortez finds Michell for the TD. Royals lead 7-3.
- 3rd Drive, 1Q 1:25 – The Royals defense is able to force a three and out and London looks to capitalize. The drive starts off with a couple quick first downs, one from a 6 yard catch by Thorbjornsson and another on 4th down on a 7 yard run by King. King follows it up with another 7 yarder, but on the ensuing play inside the red zone, the ball intended for Thorbjornsson is picked off and the drive ends.
- 4th Drive, 2Q 6:04 – Two straight rushes see the Royals in a 3rd and long. J’Vathon is able to pick up just enough with his 8 yard snag. Another short rush and an incompletion to Michell provide the Royals offense another challenge on 3rd and long. This time Cash Jr answers the call with a big 19 yarder of his own. Four more runs followed by two penalties put the Royals in their last 3rd and long of the drive. King drops the short swing pass and even if he caught it, they would’ve punted.
- 5th Drive, 2Q 1:18 – With great starting field position, the Royals play it safe and run the ball three times to set up a FG attempt for PhastBawl. He’s able to connect on the 44 yarder and the Royals head into halftime with the lead, 10-6.
- 6th Drive, 3Q 15:00 – Not much going on 1st and 2nd down, but Thorbjornsson picks up the 1st on 3rd and long with a 21 yard catch. A pass to Michell for 8 proceeds three straight rushes for 17. The following two plays are incompletions to Thorbjornsson, but on 3rd and long, he’s able to pick up another 1st, this time with a 13 yard snag. However, the drive stalls after a penalty and a short run. Royals punt from the KC 33 instead of attempting a 50 yard FG. The touchback results in a 13 yard net punt.
- 7th Drive, 3Q 4:00 – KC was driving and in the red zone, but a timely interception by Greedy Sly gives the ball back to London. Two rushes by King pick up the first down. Another 4 yarder to Michell is followed by King’s third carry, this time for 6 yards. Cash rips off another long catch for 26 yards and the Royals are inside the KC 10. A holding penalty and a sack give the Royals a difficult 3rd and goal from the 21. The pass falls incomplete at the feet of Cash Jr, and London settles for another FG. The lead extends to 13-6.
- 8th Drive, 4Q 12:07 – KC had tied the game on their first possession of the 4th quarter. The very next play, Colby Jack is sacked in the end zone for a safety and now the Royals are down 15-13. This type of event seems to be a reoccurring theme for London. It seems like every time the Royals surrender the lead, they immediately turn it over and promptly lose the lead.
- 9th Drive, 4Q 7:47 – KC again scored, this time after they got the ball back from the safety. In a 4 minute span the Royals went from up 7 to down 9. London looks to put together a game saving drive. J’Vathon catches one for 17, then Thorbjornsson rips off one for 10 and another for 6. Two runs later and the ball is at the KC 6. King and Cash both drop the ball in the endzone and Michell can only pick up his patented 4 yards on the Royals turn it over on downs on the KC 1. Another tough break for a team that can’t seem to buy any of their own.
- 10th Drive, 4Q 1:32 – After forcing a three and out, the Royals aren’t quite dead yet. However, a King fumble on 1st down ends that debate. When the momentum shifts for the Royals, it shifts quickly and aggressively. London loses another, 22-13.
London gets its most dominating win of the year as they defeat the Minnesota Grey Ducks 29-10 at home. It was a relatively quiet game for both J’Vathon and Michell and they both only registered 2 catches, with J’Vathon gaining 21 yards and Michell 9. This was due to Cash Jr breaking the all-time single game record with 106 receiving yards. What a ball hog. Share the wealth, buddy. Despite Cash Jr’s selfish ways, Thorbjornsson had himself another solid game with 6 more catches and 71 yards. That’s a career high on yards and ties his career high on catches. He’s still looking for that elusive first touchdown. The Royals still continued their high turnover ways, coming in a -3 on the game, but that didn’t slow them down as they rolled through the Grey Ducks to jump them in the standings, now in 3rd and only a game off Portland for the final playoff spot. (disclaimer: shots at Cash Jr are clearly sarcastic)
Week 9 Drive Recap:
- 1st Drive, 1Q 10:49 – Royals take over after Minnesota punts on their first drive. Two QB keeps for nothing leave the Royals in an all familiar 3rd and long. As was the case a few times last game, Thorbjornsson finds himself in space and picks up 14 yards. His stock should continue to rise should he keep making plays like this throughout the year. Three straight incompletions, including one drop by J’Vathon, stall the drive and the Royals punt.
- 2nd Drive, 1Q 7:39 – An early penalty puts the Royals behind the chains. A run for no gain, and incompletion to Cash Jr, and a drop by Cash Jr cause a 2nd straight punt by London.
- 3rd Drive, 1Q 5:19 – London’s special teams come up huge with a blocked punt, setting the team up with great field position. Six straight rushes lead to 2nd and short. An incompletion to Michell and another one to Thorbjornsson force a deep FG from PhastBawl. Last game they punted from the 33, this time they go for the FG from the 34 and it’s wide left. Game still tied 0-0.
- 4th Drive, 1Q 0:33 – The Royals end this snoozer of a 1st quarter with an incompletion to Cash Jr and a completion to Michell for 7. However, another incompletion to Cash Jr ends the drive with a punt.
- 5th Drive, 2Q 12:17 – Now down 7-0 after a Grey Duck tug, the Royals look to get the home crowd involved by being aggressive on 3rd down from midfield. The pass intended for Thorbjornsson is intercepted. Just as mentioned above, the Royals turn the ball over immediately after allowing the other team to score.
- 6th Drive, 2Q 8:35 – Luckily, the defense steps up and forces a three and out to keep some momentum. Thorbjornsson rips off another 14 yards to move the sticks. However, two short runs and an incompletion to J’Vathon see the Royals in a 4th and 8. Keeping with the aggressive mindset, they roll the dice and it pays off as Cash Jr picks up 15 of his own. A short completion to J’Vathon and another to Cash Jr, with a few runs mixed in, put the ball inside the red zone. Four straight runs have Batista in the end zone and the game is tied 7-7.
- 7th Drive, 2Q 1:46 – Sweet poetry ensues as the Royal’s special teams pin Minnesota deep inside their own territory. On the first play of the drive, London gets a lead changing safety of their own. They now have the ball and look to extend the lead. With the ball on the MN 45 following the free kick, the Royals again play it safe as they go into half. Drive ends in a FG and the Royals extend their lead 12-7.
- 8th Drive, 3Q 15:00 – The drive starts with a decent 8 yard pick up by Thorbjornsson, followed by four straight runs for 21 yards. Thorbjornsson drops a catch on 2nd down, but Cash Jr is there to pick up his teammate and hauls in a long 46 yard catch setting up the team on the MN 1. Danny King slams it home on 1st down and London now leads 19-7 with all the momentum.
- 9th Drive, 3Q 9:03 – Thorbjornsson picks up 9 yards on 1st down, but a penalty on 2nd puts the team in a 3rd and long. Cash Jr is only able to pick up 5 yards on 3rd. The ball in on the MN 36 and in the last two instances, they’ve punted for a net 13 yards and missed a FG. Looking behind Door 3, the offense keeps the foot on the pedal and goes for it. King is able to pick it up with a 7 yard run. A penalty on 1st puts the team behind the ball again, but the Royals offense won’t be stopped. Cash Jr hauls in a 20 yarder for a touchdown on 3rd down. What a game from the Royals stud WR. London leads 26-7.
- 10th Drive, 3Q 4:16 – Two consecutive penalties put the team in trouble, but once again the offense doesn’t skip a beat. Thorbjornsson picks up 5 on 2nd and J’Vathon picks up 17 on 3rd and 14. The Royals then start playing the clock and run it three times. A short pass to Michell and a drop by Michell end the drive in a punt.
- 11th Drive, 4Q 13:56 – Maybe a little early to put the back ups in, but Cortez throws an interception intended for Thorbjornsson. MN only gets a FG out of it and still down 16.
- 12th Drive, 4Q 12:06 – Still trying to show off his capabilities, Cortez doubles down on the interception approach, this time on a pass intended for J’Vathon. London’s defense bails him out and forces Minnesota to punt after three plays.
- 13th Drive, 4Q 9:54 – Two runs take some of the pressure of Cortez, but his ego is still pumping. He zips one in to Cash Jr for 12 yards and throws a seed to Thorbjornsson for 21 yards. Three straight runs put the team in FG range and they extend the lead 29-10. Minnesota’s following drive sees the clock hit triple zeros and Royals get their 3rd win of the season.
After already losing to the Norfolk Seawolves at home, London travelled to Virginia to seek revenge on the road. Things started off well enough with London scoring a couple TDs early, and Norfolk only able to answer with FGs. A late push from Norfolk was rendered moot as London, finally, dominated a 4th quarter to seal a huge away win, 31-16, putting them in a tie for 2nd place with Portland. As for our set of rookie pass catchers, J’Vathon and Thorbjornsson had themselves some games. Thorbjornsson lead the team in receptions with 5, while picking up 60 yards in the progress. J’Vathon had a career game scoring twice as many touchdowns in this game as his entire career. He went for 80 yards on 4 catches, 2 of which saw him dance in the end zone. Michell had a quite game with only 1 catch and 11 yards, but he made a larger impact on blocking for the run game. This was quite the interesting game as London only had 8 possessions, by far the fewest of any game this year. They were able to capitalize on their red zone appearance, while Norfolk were not.
Week 10 Drive Recap:
- 1st Drive, 1Q 15:00 – After winning the toss, London elected to receive the ball hoping to maintain the offensive momentum from last game. The drive starts off nicely with a 13 yard reception by Cash. Three runs later have the ball on the positive side of midfield. Cash hauls in another 13 yarder and then J’Vathon works some magic. He hauled in the short comebacker, juked his defender to create some space and dragged him the remaining 10 yards into the endzone. What a statement drive and statement play from the rookie. London up 7-0.
- 2nd Drive, 1Q 2:12 – After a 9 minute drive by Norfolk ends in only a FG, the Royals offense is well rested and starts things off just how they left them. Thorbjornsson picks up 11 yards on 2nd and long, and luckily recovers his own fumble. King picks up the first with a nice run and the ball heads back to Thorbjornsson again, this time for a big 19 yard play. A penalty, short run, and incompletion see London in a 3rd and long, but Cash Jr is able to rip off an 18 yard reception to pick up the first. With the ball on the NOR 16, the Royals show off their power and run it down hill 5 times in a row until Jack finds pay dirt. Royals lead 14-3.
- 3rd Drive, 2Q 5:35 – Another long, time consuming drive by Norfolk sees the defense bend, but not break as they force another field goal inside the 10. J’Vathon is able to keep the chains moving on 3rd down with a nice weaving 11 yard catch. The Royals then go run heavy on four straight plays and punt at the two minute warning, still up, 14-6.
- 4th Drive, 2Q 1:22 – With not much time left in the half, London runs the clock out on four straight plays. Royals take the game to halftime with a 7 point lead.
- 5th Drive, 3Q 9:05 – As has been the case at so many points this year, London starts to look shaky after giving up an opening drive TD to the Seawolves and their lead is only 1. Heads start to drop as confidence is shaky. However, team captain and #1 overall draft pick Greedy Sly, kick starts the momentum back in the Royals favor as he takes the kickoff back 61 yards. A penalty on the play sees the Royals drive start near the red zone. Keeping it simple, London runs it four straight times setting up a 2nd and goal from the 9. J’Vathon doubles his tally and hauls in the corner route in the endzone and London extends their lead to 8.
- 6th Drive, 3Q 0:22 – Norfolk cannot get the ball in their end zone again and has to settle for a FG after 6 minutes of possession. A pass heavy drive sees Michell pick up 11, J’Vathon streak for 34 and Cash Jr scamper for 12. A clipping penalty puts the team in a tough long yardage situation, but they are able to knock in a 43 yard FG to extend the lead to 24-16.
- 7th Drive, 4Q 8:45 – This was London’s worst drive of the game. With a lead in the 4th quarter, the Royals attempt three straight passes, two of which were dropped by Michell and Thorbjornsson, and only run 18 second off the clock. Luckily the Royals defense forces a three and out of their own and give the ball back to the offense.
- 8th Drive, 4Q 7:59 – Looking to seal the game, but not settling for a passive approach, the drive starts off with two completions to Thorbjornsson, one for 5 yards and another for 12. With the ball at the midway point, the Royals six times in a row before encountering a 3rd and 10. Well within FG range, Colby Jack stays aggressive and finds Thorbjornsson who’s able to juke his way for 13 yards, but gets tackled as he reaches for the endzone. On the very next play, Danny King slams home the game sealing TD. Norfolk’s final drive sees the game end in a Royals victory, 31-16.
It wasn’t the perfect week that London had wanted, but taking 2 out of 3 and some friendly results see them going from last place to tied for 2nd in the conference. The next three weeks will be frenetic as it starts with a very tough road game against Dallas. The good news is London has already beaten the Birddogs once this year, the bad news is that was at home and Dallas is a much different team sitting atop the league standings at 8-2. Not wanting to get too carried away with the recent results, I think the Royals will come back down to earth with a loss. Their next two games are very winnable, both against 4-6 teams in the Tijuana Luchadores and the Portland Pythons. In contrast to the Dallas game, the bad news is London has already lost to these two teams, one being a 40-24 trouncing by Tijuana. The good news is the games are both in London and the Royals roster is much improved from player updates. Repeating a 2 out of 3 performance from this week should see the Royals claim a sole share of 2nd place. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for this one and hope the rookies continue to ball out.
Here’s an updated chart for the Royals rookie contributions. I’ve also added one to show the stats of all rookie WRs. London arguably has the top two spots as Thorbjornsson leads the bunch in yardage and J’Vathon in receptions and TDs. After bonafide superstar Cash Jr leaves for the NSFL, the Royals should be in good hands next year as these two rookies continue to impress.
Royals Team Totals:
S23 Rookie Totals: