To give you a rundown of the Mantis vs Bulldozer game....you don't have to spend time on it. Bulldozer was shut down from the start of the game. Mantis ran away at the start of the game and did not look back for a 48-6 win. Bulldozer only had 89 total yards of offense compared to 580 for Mantis. Yeah...don't spend anytime on that!

Also, 2 undefeated teams go down. Deflators and Falcons had their sails punctured today.

This leaves these teams as our remaining undefeated teams:

Wolflings 5-0
Basterds 5-0
Istanbul Whitings 5-0
Vicious Attack Dogs 5-0

Thunder Week 5 By The Numbers: Results and Preview

The best fighters continue to get back up after getting knocked down. Like Rocky Balboa, QB Juan Jose' Martin did just so, getting sacked 7 more times (21 times on the season-1st among human-controlled teams) but leading his team the Waukesha Wolverines (3-2) to a dominant victory over the previously undefeated Deflators (4-1) by the score of 33-17. Overall he was 34 of 42 passing (83%) with 349 yards and 1 touchdown. This game was 33 -3 in the fourth before a few late scores from the Deflators made it look as if they weren't clawed badly in this game. But...they were.

Some matchups you wish happened twice a year. Unfortunately, that's only guaranteed between divisional opponents. The Woflings defended "The Den" in beating visiting Inbhir Narann 23-21 in yet another classic between these two clubs. Narann's final drive ended on the opponent's 41-yard line where they elected to punt on 4th and 2 with 1:47 left to play. Narann's running game was once again non-existent, rushing 23 times for only 38 yards (1.7 average). The Wolflings S41 award-winning DL Benjamin Siverstenvwas credited with 8 tackles, 0 missed, and 4 for a loss in this slugfest.

Some playbooks in RZA are complex. Others are simple. Some are unexplainable. STATE oF (2-3) beat former Elite member Boonley Bulldozers (0-5) 29-10, as the Bulldozers rebuild continues. STATE oF finished with 253 total yards in this game with 253 coming on the ground. What? That's right, no pass attempts, no passing yards for STATE oF who used only the Big I formation to rush the ball all game long. Their 757 passing yards on the season ranks last amongst all human-controlled teams, so maybe this was a deliberate single-game strategy and not the start of something new.

Speaking of rushing.... multiple award-winning and S36 3rd round FB Jamie Pellegrino ran the ball 22 times for 128 yards (7.5 average) and 1 touchdown as the Valiant Pinoys (4-1) beat the previous undefeated Vienna Falcons (3-1) 26-21. The Vienna Falcons enjoyed a 14-3 lead at one time in this game before the Pinoys would score 23 unanswered and show why they have the number 3 rushing attack (1,147 yards) in all of Thunder right now with 202 yards coming in this game.

The Mantis (3-2), Whitings (5-0), and Eskimos (4-1) all proved to be better prepared than their opponents while the Wild Thangs (3-2), Basterds (5-0), Flames (1-4), Patriots (3-1), Attack Dogs (5-0), Bam Boogie (3-2) all beat bots.

Barossa Bulldogs (3-1) and Jarheads (1-3) had byes.


Upcoming games to watch

Basterds (5-0) @ Xu Da (3-2)

Fredericksburg Comanches (3-2) @ Barossa Bulldogs (3-1)

Inbhir Narann (3-2) @ Istanbul Whitings (5-0)

Valiant Pinoys (4-1) @ Wap Bam Boogie (3-2)

Vicious Attack Dogs (5-0) @ Totoras Patriots (3-1)



Why watch em'

Without a doubt, this will be the Basterds' 2nd real test of the season, as they easily handled Barossa 44-19 earlier this season. The bailiff has been seen at Xu Da lately, as they look to rebound from 2 straight losses. These 2 teams haven't clashed since S19, in which Xu Da won 55-14. Since the Basterds have had 7 elite appearances, Xu Da 0.

The Comanches edged the Bulldogs 20-16 in last season's matchup. In fact, the previous 3 matchups (s41, s38, s37) all ended with a combined margin of 14 points. Both teams have won 2 in a row and are in 2nd place in their respective divisions.

The Whitings have won 3 of 4 vs Narann, and looked dominant in all those victories. The Whitings currently hold the top seed in the NC and only have yielded 36 points vs 5 human managers. Narann hopes to bounce back after a tough loss last game and keep their division title hopes strong.

Wap Bam Boogie has won 2 in a row and should feel good about themselves. However, facing a team like the Pinoys might be too much for them to handle.
The Pinoys enter this game just 2 PD behind the Eskimos for first place in the AC North. Boogie sits in 3rd.

By now we know that any NC South showdown will be a good one. The Patriots have won 6 of the last 10 matchups between these two teams, a few times in dominant fashion, and will be looking to avenge last season's wildcard playoff defeat to the Attack Dogs 34-20. They most likely will, as the teams have alternated victories in the last 6 meetings.

All great games to watch for sure! Thank you again for that great write up in advance of the games!

Thanks.

Was very surprised we didn't meet more often. Cracy...

Great game Johnathan.

Thunder Week 6 By The Numbers: Results and Preview

Remember being young and never wanting to play with a "ball hog"? The Fredericksburg Comanches (4-2) held the ball for 38+ minutes in route to a dominating victory over the Barossa Bulldogs (3-2) by the score of 30-21. Their balanced attack featured 48 rushes and 44 passes, and S37 1st round draftee/S41 award-winning QB Gustas Stanevicius was beautiful. He finished 32-44 (73%) for 273 yards with 3 touchdowns. He did give up 1 sack and interception but still finished with a 101.8 passer rating.

It is not how you start ... but how you finish. The Istanbul Whitings' (6-0) first pass of the game was intercepted and Inbhir Narann (3-3) jumped out to a 13-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. What followed was 31 unanswered points for the Whitings and a 34-20 home victory at Ucaksavar Sahasi. Narann was able to force 4 total interceptions and 2 sacks, but they themselves were sacked 6 times and held to 48 yards rushing on 26 attempts (1.8 average). LB Ed Conrad finished with 7 tackles and 3 sacks for the Whitings.

A manager's decision can leave him up very late some nights. Down 4 with 4:17 in the fourth Wap Bam Boogie (3-3) converted on a 4th and 1 from their own 44-yard line. On that same position from their opponents' 42-yard line and 2:20 left to play, on 4th and 3 to go, they elected to punt, and the Valiant Pinoys (5-1) hang on to win it 20-16. A clean game with 0 sacks, 0 fumbles, and 0 interceptions, the eye-opener was the 227 rushing yards the Pinoys tallied despite losing the time-of-possession. For the second straight week, it was FB Jamie Pellegrino leading the attack with 21 rushes for 152 yards (7.2average) and 8 broken tackles.

Every kid who has played imaginary football with himself has driven his team down the field for the winning or tying score. Totoras Patriots (3-2) QB Eustaquio Prieto received the ball down 7 on his own 20 and 4:39 left to play. Then with 16 seconds left on the opponent's 18 and facing a 4th and 7, he threw incomplete and his John Elway dreams of "The Drive 2" was not to be. The Vicious Attack Dogs (6-0) win 30-23 in a game that featured 4 lead changes. The Attack Dogs registered 4 sacks and 2 picks while QB P.J Myers finished 28-43 (65%) for 260 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 104.8 rating.


The Basterds (6-0), Bulldozer (4-2), Wild Thangs (4-2), Wolverines (4-2) and Flames (2-4) all proved to be better prepared than their opponents, while the Deflators (5-1), STATE oF (3-3), Eskimos (5-1), Falcons (4-1), and Woflings (6-0) all beat bots.

The Kokomo Mantis (3-2) had a bye


Upcoming Games To Watch

Deflators (5-1) @ Totoras Patriots (3-2)

Istanbul Whitings (6-0) @ Valiant Pinoys (5-1)

Kalapana Wild Thangs (4-2) @ Xu Da (3-3)

Woflings (6-0) @ Vicious Attack Dogs (6-0)


Why Watch Em'

The Deflators boast the league's #2 passing offense, #8 rushing offense, #5 passing defense, and #2 rushing defense. The Patriots will have to rely heavily on DL Javier Roman who has 4 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 defensive touchdown this season. The Defltors have won 8 straight against the Patriots.

The #2 rushing offense (Pinoys) matches up against the #3 rushing defense (Whitings) in this one. The Whitings currently holds the top spot in the NC and are 1 of 4 remaining unbeaten teams, while the Pinoys are fighting to overtake the Eskimos for first place in the AC North. The Whitings have won all 3 matchups between these two teams.

Two teams that like to pass the ball ( Wild Thangs #1 and Xu Da #5) face off in this AC South showdown. The Wild Thangs lead the division by one game over Xu Da, and while both teams give up a lot of points in losses, Xu Da's financial trouble has them on a 3 game slide. This is the first of 2 matchups between these two teams this regular season. The Wild Thangs have beaten Xu Da 4 straight times including a 56-21 thumping in last season's Wildcard playoff round.

2 undefeated teams square off in what should be a great one to watch! Both the Attack Dogs and the Woflings have run the ball well on offense and defended the run well on defense. Both teams currently sit 2nd in their respective conferences. These teams have split two matchups with the Attack Dogs winning at home 31-26 last season.

Great write up again. Some pretty tough games that could go down to the last drive of the game again just like you and Totoras had this week!

Great game Wofling! That defense of yours was smothering and dominating. Gheese, I did nothing on offense all game long.

Thunder Week 7 By The Numbers: Results and Preview

Good things happen when you consistently move the chains. With 32 total first downs in almost 36 minutes of time-of-possession, The Deflators (6-1) went on the road and defeated the Totoras Patriots (3-3) at Iriondo Stadium 34-20. With only 7 of those first downs coming on 3rd down, it's clear the passing game was clicking for 30-year-old Deflators S34 2nd round draftee QB Jeronym Pipal. It was indeed! He completed 38 passes on 49 attempts for a stellar 78% with 354 yards (7.4 avg), 3 touchdowns, and finished with a 108.67 passer rating. His one blemish was a 3rd quarter interception which allowed the Patriots to tie the game at 20 with 5:16 left in that quarter. But a stout defense that held the Patriots to 42 yards rushing on 27 attempts (1.6 avg), including a critical 4th and 1 stop with the Patriots on the opponents 11 only down 7 with 11:40 to play, helped seal the deal.

Winning the battle up front on the lines can be the underlying reason for winning against other great teams sometimes. The Istanbul Whitings (7-0) had 4 guys produce on the OL which allowed them to overcome the first-play-of-the-game sack and enable the offense to later score 20 unanswered points for a 23-10 win over the Valiant Pinoys (5-2). Plenty of pancakes were produced from Marko Simonic' (23), Wedat Khoury (21), Fath Khatib (19), and Philip Bolin (36) which help them win the time of possession despite losing the total yards gained stat (412- 358). Sometimes the OL deserves the credit, in this game we give it to them.

Turnovers kill. Despite gaining 247 more total yards (501-254), holding their opponent to 67 rushing yards on 24 attempts (2.8 avg), holding the ball for 35:52 (60% time-of-possession), moving the chains more efficiently ( 31 first downs vs 13), and only punting 2 times, the Woflings (6-1) literally threw the game away, 23-19 vs the Vicious Attack Dogs (7-0) on the road, a game between 2 undefeated teams. The passing game for the Woflings threw 4 interceptions (1 pick-six) and allowed 5 sacks. That lead to an exciting game with 4 lead changes, and 2 late 4th quarter field goals for the Attack Dogs courtesy of turnovers. The Attack Dogs 29-year-old S34 1st round draftee LB D.J. Mullins had 14 tackles (1 missed), 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 1 TD for 36 MVP points. The Woflings finished S41 regular season 15-1, that loss also courtesy of the Attack Dogs.

Bulldozer(5-2), Vienna Falcons (5-1), Kokomo Mantis (4-2), and Kalapana Wild Thangs (5-2), all proved to be better prepared than their opponents while the Jarheads (2-4), Inbhir Narann (4-3), Fredericksburg Comanches (5-2), STATE oF (4-3), and Wap Bam Boogie (4-3) all beat bots.

The Basterds (6-0), Duluth Eskimos (5-1), Moorefield Flames (2-4), and Waukesha Wolverines (4-2) had byes.


Upcoming Games To Watch

Kokomo Mantis (4-2) @ Deflators (6-1)

Wap Bam Boogie (4-3) @ Vienna Falcons (5-1)


Why Watch Em'

The Mantis will pit their #2 pass defense against the current #1 passing offense in the Deflators. Both teams have won 2 in a row. Mr. Dumpling once said in S34: "My miserly ways are catching up with me - I hit the meat of my schedule and realise I’m not as good as I thought". He started 7-0 that season on route to finishing 9-7. The Mantis begin a stretch with 5 straight games against teams with winning records. Will they say different...or the same? The Deflators on the other hand are assured a minimum of 5 more wins and the NC North crown. Still, this game will help them keep pace for a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Deflators have won all 6 matchups between these 2, although none of the last 5 have been by more than 10 points.

Wap Bam Boogie has yet to beat a team with a winning record. This will be a great measuring stick for them to see where they stand vs a team that is just one season older (S40 vs S41). The Falcons have given the Eskimos their only loss so far this season, and also have played Bulldozer (won by 1 point), and Pinoys (loss by 5 points) extremely competitive. A win here would keep them in the 1st wildcard place and within striking distance for the NC East title. This is the first meeting between these two teams.