The first weekend of the USFL Games is not yet complete. Sunday’s triple blow to the head received a blow due to the weather in Birmingham, Alabama. It started when the first game between the Michigan Panthers and the Houston Gamblers was postponed by one hour and ended with the postponement of the night cup between the Tampa Bay Bandits and the Pittsburgh Maulers (the match will now be played on Monday at 19:00 ET).
The two matches played on Sunday did not disappoint. The first saw that the Houston Gambles could barely withstand the furious return of the Michigan Panthers, whose potential winning touchdown in the final game was incompletely juggled in the end zone. The Gamblers won Sunday’s opening with 17-12, while Mark Thompson rushed 13 times in 71 yards. Shea Patterson made 17 of 25 for 192 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers, but the quarterback also had three fumbles (lost one) in the loss – part of the nine fumbles that Michigan had during the day.
In the second of three scheduled games on Sunday – before the postponement – the New Orleans Breakers took advantage of the mistakes in the first half of the Philadelphia Stars to build a lead in the beginning, then opened their offensive flow in the second half and held on 23-17 wins. Jordan Ellis gave the green light to a two-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter, giving the Breakers the lead forever. The stars faced a 9-0 deficit before tying the game at 17-17 in the third quarter. Darnell Holland rushed to 42 yards to level the game in the third quarter as the Stars scored 10 points in the fourth.
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Philadelphia was in trouble all afternoon. Star quarterback Brian Scott intercepted Vonte Diggs, who was returned 37 yards for a touchdown to bring the Breakers 7-0. New Orleans also blocked Matt Mengel’s safety shot. Mengal also missed two flights, one of 45 yards and the other of 44 yards. Breakers had six jackets in the win, with Davin Bellamy recording three of them.
We had already watched a thriller in the Birmingham Stallions’ victory at the opening of the season on Saturday night, and both games on Sunday were also close. All three winners so far were from the League’s Southern Division – here’s a look at the standings – and all the results were within six points. Here’s a look at Sunday’s results:
SATURDAY Stallions Birmingham 28, New Jersey Generals 24
SUNDAYHouston Gambles 17, Michigan Panthers 12 (Finals) New Orleans Breakers 23, Philadelphia Stars 17 (Final)
MONDAY Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Pittsburgh Maulers, 7pm ET, FS1, fuboTV (Sunday’s PPD due to rain)
Here are our findings from Sunday’s games (you can relive highlights and updates on the live blog below).
Why the Houston Gamblers won
The Gamblers took advantage of two Panthers scoring fouls that failed to score a single point in the first half, using Shea Patterson’s shuffle and another Paxton Lynch scrub to score two touchdowns that led to a 17-0 lead. at half time. Michigan had nine families in the loss, two lost by quarterbacks, which led them to face a deficit of two possessions (in the USFL, the team can score up to nine points in possession).
Why the Michigan Panthers lost
The Panthers had three families in the second quarter, highlighting the inconsistent quarterback play throughout the afternoon between Patterson and Lynch. The Panthers actually made as many passes in the first half as they made a mistake (five), leading to 14 points from the Gamblers. The return in the second half was too big to overcome due to mistakes in the first half.
Why the New Orleans Breakers won
Give credit to the New Orleans offensive for finding their rhythm in the second half after losing in their first six games. The Breakers destroyed the Stars’ defense on the ground, rushing 171 yards and two touchdowns on their way to scoring touchdowns in successive landslides; 58 of those rushing yards came at those two points.
Why Philadelphia Stars Lost
The mistakes of the special teams cost the stars in this one. Two missed field goals took six points from the scoreboard and a blocked shot led to safety from the Breakers – harming the entire progress of Philadelphia in attack in the first half. Brian Scott also threw an interception returned for a touchdown to put the Stars in a 7-0 hole early in the game. The Stars gave the Breakers nine points and missed an opportunity for six of them in attack. They lost by six.
Game of the day
The Gamblers took a 3-0 lead as the Panthers drove into the red zone before the end of the defense. Ahmad Gooden dealt a blow to Shea Patterson when Reggie Northrup took the 87-yard rebound in the opposite direction for the score and gave Houston an 11-0 command before the start of the second quarter.
Patterson stumbled to start the game, but Gooden took advantage of the situation. He ended up with three forced touches and two sacks.
Next
The Panthers (0-1) will play against the New Jersey Generals (0-1) on Friday night at 20:00, while the Gamblers (1-0) will play the Birmingham Stallions (1-0) on Saturday at 19:00 ET. The Stars (0-1) play the Pittsburgh Maullers (0-0) on Saturday at noon ET, while the Breakers (1-0) play the Tampa Bay Bandits on Sunday at 15:00 ET. All USFL regular season games are in Birmingham, Alabama.
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