DSFL Week 6 had some games that looked to be great matchups on paper, and some that looked like they should be blowouts. As per usual, the recap will follow the same format, and hopefully I can get Week 7s released as well before weeks 8 and 9 roll around on Tuesday.
Game 1 : Portland Pythons (3-2) @ Dallas Birddogs (0-5), Portland wins 23-17
Portland travelled to Dallas looking to get an easy win after a bad loss the previous week to the Grey Ducks, and were probably not expecting much of a fight from Dallas. However the Birddogs were looking to snap the winless streak that had taken a stranglehold over their season and get a big upset win against Portland, which nearly resulted in a very embarrassing loss for Portland, who managed to just edge out the win. If there had been more time on the clock at the end of the game this might not have been the case, as Dallas finished the game with ball on Portland’s 10 yard line.
Portland may not have been too happy letting the final score get that close, but will be pleased with some of their performers, including quarterback LeBron James III who had 77% completion on 22 attempts, leaving him with 148 yards a TD, and their overall impressive defensive performance, forcing 3 turnovers.
On the other hand, it was a day to forget for Birddogs qb Caliban who threw 3 interceptions and finished with a QBR of just 47.5 on the day. Running back Cobra Kai had an impressive performance, getting 102 yards on 18 carries, helped by offensive lineman McGhees’ 6 pancakes.
OPOTG :
Anders Christiansen, Running Back, Portland – This back did not get the most carries in this game, but certainly showed what he can do when given the ball. On 16 carries, Christiansen recorded 115 yards and a TD, giving him a whopping 7.2 YPC and OPOTG in this game.
DPOTG :
Evan Jones, Safety, Portland – At first glance this safety did not have great numbers, but when you look at the stats those numbers were in you’ll know why I picked him here. Jones only managed 2 tackles, but had a forced fumble, 2 PDs and the main stat, 2 interceptions, returned for 33 yards combined.
Game 2 : London Royals (3-2) @ Minnesota Grey Ducks (4-1), Royals win 17-14
The Royals travelled to Minnesota in a matchup that was crucial for placement, in a division that looks like it will be finishing extremely close. The Royals, looking to tie their record with Minnesota’s, managed to come away with the win, by the skin of their teeth.
One of the main reasons for this tight Royals win was stellar play by their quarterback, with Cortez out-throwing his rival gunslinger Ryan Negs by 54 yards and a touchdown, however his QBR was lower than Grey Ducks’ Negs was. The best connection on the day was between Cortez and receiver Mitchell who caught 8 of Cortez’ passes for 90 yards, 1 for a 5 yard touchdown.
Minnesota running back Mike Rotchburns had big shoes to fill as they no longer had ISFL call-up Jameson Vermillion running for them, and fill them he did. Rotchburns had a day, with 153 yards rushing and a touchdown on 35 carries, with another 10 yards receiving. The Grey Duck offensive line was a key part in Rotchburns great day on the ground, amassing 22 pancakes between them, however they did allow two sacks
OPOTG :
Mike Rotchburns, Running Back, Minnesota – As I said before, with big shoes to fill,Rotchburns came in and did a great job. With 163 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown to boot, Rotchburns was easily my OPOTG.
DPOTG :
L’Gazzy Burfict, Linebacker, London – Another DPOTG he impressed in this game. He recorded double digit tackles, with 11, more than anyone else in this game, aswell as a sack and a PD.
Game 3 : Norfolk Seawolves (1-4) @ Myrtle Beach Buccaneers (4-1), Buccaneers win 42-10
In this game, my number 8 Seawolves went to my number 1 Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, and it looked like it was going to be a pretty straightforward game. Sure enough, the Buccaneers completely dominated the matchup, on both offense and defense and came away with a 32 point win, coming away with a season high total of 42 points scored.
As per usual, the Seawolves do not have many positives to take from this game, bar the excellent performance from their running back Mr. Forty Two, who had 29 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown, and maybe the fact that two players on their defense had double-digit sacks, compared to none on the Myrtle Beach defense.
In contrast with the Seawolves performance, the Buccaneers had a superb day on offense, which they will be ecstatic with. The Buccaneers scored 6 touchdowns, with quarterback Jackie Daytona throwing two, running back Big Chungus scoring 3, two on the ground and 1 receiving, other running back Ozymandias also rushing for two and receiver Reed catching the other one. They racked up just shy of 448 total offensive yards and of course, their defense performed decently as well, only allowing 10 points.
OPOTG :
Akil Ozymandias, Running Back, Myrtle Beach – Their was fierce competition for this between all 3 of this games running backs, but, in my opinion Ozymandias did the most with football with regards to the amount of touches he got, registering 120 yards and 2 TDs on just 21 carries, for an average of 5.7 YPC.
DPOTG :
James Hoffman, Cornerback, Myrtle Beach – This man had a great day, similar to everyone on his defensive unit, but he put up the best stats. Hoffman recorded 4 Tackles and a whopping 5 PDs, putting him 1st in the league in the stat, a truly solid performance by the corner.
Game 4 : Kansas City Coyotes (2-3) @ Tijuana Luchadores (3-2), Coyotes win 16-10
The Coyotes travelled to Tijuana in a game that I, personally, favoured the Luchadores to win. Obviously I was wrong with this prediction, as Kansas City took home the win in a bit of a boring game, bring their record up to, and Tijuanas down to, .500.
It was a very stale game offensively, with their being only 1 player surpassing 100 yards, which was Luchadores quarterback Boss Jr. and neither team managed to rack up over 300 total offensive yards, resulting in a score that would have very easily covered the under, had their been one. The reverse of this, then, was that it was a very good day for both defenses as neither team allowed more than 20 points, or more than 1 touchdown.
OPOTG :
Mike Boss Jr., Quarterback, Luchadores – For this selection I did not have much top quality choice, so I decided to select the only player who had 100< yards. Don’t get it twisted though, Boss Jr. still had a stellar game with 80% completion on 25 attempts, for 184 yards and a QBR of 97.3
DPOTG :
Thomas Rose, Linebacker, Coyotes – Rose had a solid game, despite being on the losing side. He notched 11 tackles including 1 for a loss, plus a sack, which was enough for me to award him with DPOTG.
Offensive Player of the Week
Minnesota Running Back Mike Rotchburns
Rotchburns was unlucky that his team did not manage to record a win this week, despite the fact that he played very well all game, with 163 yards and a TD.
Defensive Player of the Week
Portland Safety Evan Jones
Perhaps a slight bit of bias in this selection, as it was a toss up between Jones and James Hoffman, but that does not mean Jones did not have a fantastic performance, because he most certainly did, with his 2 tackles, Forced Fumble, 2 PDs and 2 INTs.
POWER RANKINGS
1. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers (5-1)(-) – The Buccaneers strengthen their grip on the number one spot with a blockbuster win of Norfolk, and are the only team with only 1 win, leading their division comfortably now and being almost a sure thing for playoff qualification.
2. London Royals (4-2)(+2) – The Royals move up to spots, leapfrogging the Pythons and Grey Ducks, whom they beat, as they have beat two teams out of their division already and have a big game against Portland in Week 7. However their division is still anyone’s for the taking.
3. Minnesota Grey Ducks (4-2)(-1) – The Grey Ducks drop a spot due to losing at home to the Royals at home, but remain above the Pythons due to their big win over them in the previous week.
4. Portland Pythons (4-2)(-1) – The Pythons will be happy to get back on track after back to back losses, however they almost gave the winless Birddogs their first win, which would have been very bad. They do drop to fourth however, as personally I think they don’t look better than any of the teams above them.
5. Kansas City Coyotes (3-3)(+1) – The Coyotes rise a spot up above the Luchadores after a big away win against them, and this means that all 4 of the NFC teams are in the top 5, as the division looks like it could still go anyone’s way.
6. Tijuana Luchadores (3-3)(-1) – If the playoffs were the 4 teams with the best record in the league overall, I wouldn’t back the Luchadores to make it, therefore they will be glad that the two worst teams in the league are in their division. They drop below the Coyotes after a bad home defeat to them.
7. Dallas Birddogs (0-6)(-) – A non mover at number 7, they have a tank bowl next week vs the Seawolves to determine who truly is the worst team, but for now, I didn’t move them because I simply felt there was no reason to.
8. Norfolk Seawolves (1-5)(-) – See point 7 lol.
Game 1 : Portland Pythons (3-2) @ Dallas Birddogs (0-5), Portland wins 23-17
Portland travelled to Dallas looking to get an easy win after a bad loss the previous week to the Grey Ducks, and were probably not expecting much of a fight from Dallas. However the Birddogs were looking to snap the winless streak that had taken a stranglehold over their season and get a big upset win against Portland, which nearly resulted in a very embarrassing loss for Portland, who managed to just edge out the win. If there had been more time on the clock at the end of the game this might not have been the case, as Dallas finished the game with ball on Portland’s 10 yard line.
Portland may not have been too happy letting the final score get that close, but will be pleased with some of their performers, including quarterback LeBron James III who had 77% completion on 22 attempts, leaving him with 148 yards a TD, and their overall impressive defensive performance, forcing 3 turnovers.
On the other hand, it was a day to forget for Birddogs qb Caliban who threw 3 interceptions and finished with a QBR of just 47.5 on the day. Running back Cobra Kai had an impressive performance, getting 102 yards on 18 carries, helped by offensive lineman McGhees’ 6 pancakes.
OPOTG :
Anders Christiansen, Running Back, Portland – This back did not get the most carries in this game, but certainly showed what he can do when given the ball. On 16 carries, Christiansen recorded 115 yards and a TD, giving him a whopping 7.2 YPC and OPOTG in this game.
DPOTG :
Evan Jones, Safety, Portland – At first glance this safety did not have great numbers, but when you look at the stats those numbers were in you’ll know why I picked him here. Jones only managed 2 tackles, but had a forced fumble, 2 PDs and the main stat, 2 interceptions, returned for 33 yards combined.
Game 2 : London Royals (3-2) @ Minnesota Grey Ducks (4-1), Royals win 17-14
The Royals travelled to Minnesota in a matchup that was crucial for placement, in a division that looks like it will be finishing extremely close. The Royals, looking to tie their record with Minnesota’s, managed to come away with the win, by the skin of their teeth.
One of the main reasons for this tight Royals win was stellar play by their quarterback, with Cortez out-throwing his rival gunslinger Ryan Negs by 54 yards and a touchdown, however his QBR was lower than Grey Ducks’ Negs was. The best connection on the day was between Cortez and receiver Mitchell who caught 8 of Cortez’ passes for 90 yards, 1 for a 5 yard touchdown.
Minnesota running back Mike Rotchburns had big shoes to fill as they no longer had ISFL call-up Jameson Vermillion running for them, and fill them he did. Rotchburns had a day, with 153 yards rushing and a touchdown on 35 carries, with another 10 yards receiving. The Grey Duck offensive line was a key part in Rotchburns great day on the ground, amassing 22 pancakes between them, however they did allow two sacks
OPOTG :
Mike Rotchburns, Running Back, Minnesota – As I said before, with big shoes to fill,Rotchburns came in and did a great job. With 163 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown to boot, Rotchburns was easily my OPOTG.
DPOTG :
L’Gazzy Burfict, Linebacker, London – Another DPOTG he impressed in this game. He recorded double digit tackles, with 11, more than anyone else in this game, aswell as a sack and a PD.
Game 3 : Norfolk Seawolves (1-4) @ Myrtle Beach Buccaneers (4-1), Buccaneers win 42-10
In this game, my number 8 Seawolves went to my number 1 Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, and it looked like it was going to be a pretty straightforward game. Sure enough, the Buccaneers completely dominated the matchup, on both offense and defense and came away with a 32 point win, coming away with a season high total of 42 points scored.
As per usual, the Seawolves do not have many positives to take from this game, bar the excellent performance from their running back Mr. Forty Two, who had 29 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown, and maybe the fact that two players on their defense had double-digit sacks, compared to none on the Myrtle Beach defense.
In contrast with the Seawolves performance, the Buccaneers had a superb day on offense, which they will be ecstatic with. The Buccaneers scored 6 touchdowns, with quarterback Jackie Daytona throwing two, running back Big Chungus scoring 3, two on the ground and 1 receiving, other running back Ozymandias also rushing for two and receiver Reed catching the other one. They racked up just shy of 448 total offensive yards and of course, their defense performed decently as well, only allowing 10 points.
OPOTG :
Akil Ozymandias, Running Back, Myrtle Beach – Their was fierce competition for this between all 3 of this games running backs, but, in my opinion Ozymandias did the most with football with regards to the amount of touches he got, registering 120 yards and 2 TDs on just 21 carries, for an average of 5.7 YPC.
DPOTG :
James Hoffman, Cornerback, Myrtle Beach – This man had a great day, similar to everyone on his defensive unit, but he put up the best stats. Hoffman recorded 4 Tackles and a whopping 5 PDs, putting him 1st in the league in the stat, a truly solid performance by the corner.
Game 4 : Kansas City Coyotes (2-3) @ Tijuana Luchadores (3-2), Coyotes win 16-10
The Coyotes travelled to Tijuana in a game that I, personally, favoured the Luchadores to win. Obviously I was wrong with this prediction, as Kansas City took home the win in a bit of a boring game, bring their record up to, and Tijuanas down to, .500.
It was a very stale game offensively, with their being only 1 player surpassing 100 yards, which was Luchadores quarterback Boss Jr. and neither team managed to rack up over 300 total offensive yards, resulting in a score that would have very easily covered the under, had their been one. The reverse of this, then, was that it was a very good day for both defenses as neither team allowed more than 20 points, or more than 1 touchdown.
OPOTG :
Mike Boss Jr., Quarterback, Luchadores – For this selection I did not have much top quality choice, so I decided to select the only player who had 100< yards. Don’t get it twisted though, Boss Jr. still had a stellar game with 80% completion on 25 attempts, for 184 yards and a QBR of 97.3
DPOTG :
Thomas Rose, Linebacker, Coyotes – Rose had a solid game, despite being on the losing side. He notched 11 tackles including 1 for a loss, plus a sack, which was enough for me to award him with DPOTG.
Offensive Player of the Week
Minnesota Running Back Mike Rotchburns
Rotchburns was unlucky that his team did not manage to record a win this week, despite the fact that he played very well all game, with 163 yards and a TD.
Defensive Player of the Week
Portland Safety Evan Jones
Perhaps a slight bit of bias in this selection, as it was a toss up between Jones and James Hoffman, but that does not mean Jones did not have a fantastic performance, because he most certainly did, with his 2 tackles, Forced Fumble, 2 PDs and 2 INTs.
POWER RANKINGS
1. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers (5-1)(-) – The Buccaneers strengthen their grip on the number one spot with a blockbuster win of Norfolk, and are the only team with only 1 win, leading their division comfortably now and being almost a sure thing for playoff qualification.
2. London Royals (4-2)(+2) – The Royals move up to spots, leapfrogging the Pythons and Grey Ducks, whom they beat, as they have beat two teams out of their division already and have a big game against Portland in Week 7. However their division is still anyone’s for the taking.
3. Minnesota Grey Ducks (4-2)(-1) – The Grey Ducks drop a spot due to losing at home to the Royals at home, but remain above the Pythons due to their big win over them in the previous week.
4. Portland Pythons (4-2)(-1) – The Pythons will be happy to get back on track after back to back losses, however they almost gave the winless Birddogs their first win, which would have been very bad. They do drop to fourth however, as personally I think they don’t look better than any of the teams above them.
5. Kansas City Coyotes (3-3)(+1) – The Coyotes rise a spot up above the Luchadores after a big away win against them, and this means that all 4 of the NFC teams are in the top 5, as the division looks like it could still go anyone’s way.
6. Tijuana Luchadores (3-3)(-1) – If the playoffs were the 4 teams with the best record in the league overall, I wouldn’t back the Luchadores to make it, therefore they will be glad that the two worst teams in the league are in their division. They drop below the Coyotes after a bad home defeat to them.
7. Dallas Birddogs (0-6)(-) – A non mover at number 7, they have a tank bowl next week vs the Seawolves to determine who truly is the worst team, but for now, I didn’t move them because I simply felt there was no reason to.
8. Norfolk Seawolves (1-5)(-) – See point 7 lol.