Week 15 is finished and the playoff picture is getting clearer. Vic Mackey set the all time rushing record while Lynn McLaurin extended his record for most receptions in a season.

San Jose got one step closer to the #1 seed with a 74-58 win over Oakland. I could spend a lot of time going drive by drive but there is simply too much scoring for all of that, plus cover 15 other games. San Jose got out to a fast start, leading 54-9 at the half. Oakland started the 3rd with a 20-0 run to get within 54-29 before the SaberCats scored again to make the score 62-29 after 3 quarters. Oakland started the 4th with 21 straight points to pull within 62-50 but Dwayne Redden returned the kickoff 101 yards to push the lead up to 18. The Invaders scored the next TD and 2 point conversion to get within 10 before San Jose closed out the scoring with a pair of FGs.

San Jose stats: David Babin 4 rushes 128 yards 2 TDs, Myron Dustin 43/73, 711 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs, 9 sacks, Lynn McLaurin 16 catches, 236 yards and 2 TDs, Scott Isaacs 8-234-2, Lee Ramos 4-101. Michael Stagg and Richard Gregory had 2 INTs each.

Oakland stats: Joseph Nelson 8 rushes 103 yards and a TD, Domingo Robinson 29/44, 408 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INTs, and 3 sacks. Backup QB Andy Fulkerson 2/2, 31 yards and a TD. The 6 TD passes went to 5 different receivers and no receiver topped 100 yards but the 5 who caught TD passes also had between 57-97 yards. Joe Wilhite had 4 sacks.

New Jersey beat New York 37-17 behind 4 Kevin Via TD passes and 180 yards rushing from Vic Mackey as he blew by Scott Randall for the all time rushing lead. Via was benched last week but he's back this week and while his yardage total was low (113 yards), he completed 25/31 with 4 TDs, 0 INTs and 1 sack. New York was able to move the ball against the Generals and Dylan Fryar caught 5 for 104 yards and a TD, but QB Jamie Orman was intercepted 3 times and the Stars lost 2 fumbles while New Jersey had just 1 lost fumble. This win clinches a playoff spot for New Jersey while New York will need to beat Pittsburgh next week plus have New Jersey beat Baltimore.

Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh 16-10 and now the Maulers find themselves in danger of missing the playoffs if they lose to New York next week. Kenneth Allen did everything he could for Pittsburgh, rushing for 70 yards and catching 7 for 120 yards and a TD. The Maulers led 10-6 at the half but William Barron found Larry Stafford for a 64 yard TD late in the 3rd to take the lead, then added a FG early in the 4th to make the score 16-10 Jacksonville. Pittsburgh had a 1st and goal at the 1 with 5:32 to play but they couldn't crack the end zone in 4 plays and turned it over on downs. Jacksonville then ran out the remaining 3:46 to seal the deal.

Michigan eliminated Georgia with a 27-18 victory today. The Panthers weren't efficient offensively as Willie Reddish threw 2 INTs but they did enough to build a 27-3 lead after 3. Reddish ended with 295 yards and a TD pass while Charles Keller caught 8 for 111 yards and the running game contributed 84 yards and 2 TDs. Georgia made things interesting late as Adam Patrick threw a pair of 4th qtr TD passes but it was too little too late.

Those were the only 4 games involving two teams in the playoff picture.

Philadelphia beat Boston 26-3. Boston's pass defense is tough as Joel Jasso was just 13/32, 127 yards, 1 TD and 3 sacks. Gerald Moore had 109 rushing yards and John Dean was 4/4 on FGs. Boston had the ball for 37:30 but still managed just 3 points.

Washington beat Shreveport 23-12 behind 3 TD passes by Michael Erickson. Two of the scores went to William Flock, who caught 6 for 128 in all. James Ford ran for 127 yards. Washington did have 3 turnovers on offense and allowed 4 sacks but the Federals defense kept the Steamer out of the end zone until the final minute of the game.

New Orleans clinched home field with a 37-0 win over Detroit. James Wright threw 4 TDs, all to different receivers and Gerald Waldon ran for 106 yards to lead the offense. The VooDoo defense didn't force a turnover and only had 2 sacks but they also didn't allow many yards, 87 in all as they limited the Wheels to 18:40 minutes of possession.

Birmingham had a come from behind 27-20 win over Florida today. Birmingham moved the ball more consistently but settled for 4 FGs through 3 qtrs while Florida was hit or miss with their drives. The Blazers scored a couple of TDs though, both Nicholas Meis TD passes and they led 20-12 mid 4th qtr. Russell Gall led 2 long 4th qtr TD drives to lead the Stallions to victory. Gall tied the game with a 41 yard TD pass to Arthur Griego and the Gary May 2 point run made it 20-20. Then with 0:33 left, Gall found Mohamed Manno for a catch and run 80 yard game winning TD.

San Antonio crushed Cleveland 47-3 thanks to 5 TD passes by George Warner, all to different receivers. Warner finished 22/36, 365 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, and 1 sack. Daniel Cruz caught 9 for 141 yards and a TD, Frederick Paradiso ran for 116 yards and Eric Rodriguez had a double triple without leading the team in rushing or receiving. Rodriguez ran for 103 yards while catching 4 for 108 and a TD. Defensively the Gunslingers had 6 sacks and 2 INTs.

Houston beat Chicago 23-6. Dale Baber did throw 2 INTs but he also threw for 385 yards and 2 TDs while the Gamblers defense stopped the Blitz except for Marco Anderson. Under Taker and Macho Man Randy Savage caught 8 passes each with Taker having 188 yards and a TD while Savage had 130 and a TD. For Chicago, Marco Anderson was the leading rusher with 82 yards while also leading the receivers, catching 8 for 77 yards. QB Eric Hansen was sacked 4 times and threw an INT.

Oklahoma beat Memphis 28-10, forcing 4 turnovers. Neither offense topped 240 yards and Oklahoma led just 14-7 through 3 qtrs of action. All four of the Memphis turnovers occurred in the final 16 minutes of play, leading to 2 short Outlaws TD drives to break open a close game. Raymond Settles only threw for 181 yards but he had 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers.

Honolulu beat Southern California 18-3. This game was a microcosm of the Hawaiians season, solid offensive play with contributions from several players, with no one star to funnel plays through plus a solid defense that makes opposing offenses earn every yard. Honolulu had 352 offensive yards with their leading rusher gaining 57 yards and a TD while their leading receiver had 65 yards. Victor Russell was solid at QB, 235 yards without a TD but also without a sack or INT. Defensively they had an INT and 6 sacks, with one coming in the end zone for a safety. Doyle Miller was the star of the game with his 5 sacks, although ironically he wasn't the one with the safety.

These final four games are between teams playing for 2011.

Arizona beat Denver 31-9. Rafael Ray kicked 6 FGs and Jeremy Alleman ran for 2 TDs to lead the Wranglers to victory. Denver played Joseph Rudolph at QB over Bernard Smith, but the results were similar as Rudolph was intercepted 3 times, finishing 34/56, 271 yards.

Charlotte beat Baltimore 9-0 thanks to 3 Myron Gilbert FGs. Hornets QB Keith Carter completed 22/23 for 156 yards as they played keep away, holding the ball for 40 minutes. Charlotte held Baltimore to 50 total offensive yards with 6 sacks and 2 INTs.

Orlando got 14 the hard way, winning 14-7 over Tampa Bay. The Renegades started Michael Smith at QB over Dwayne Byrd but Smith looked like Sam Axe did for New Jersey last week, bad. Orlando did get 4 Roger Love FGs and a sack in the end zone for a safety for their 14 points, and their 203 total yards was nearly double the 103 they allowed Tampa Bay. The Bandits got their TD from an instant red zone opportunity following an INT.

Portland overcame a turnover deficit of 3-1 to beat Los Angeles 22-3. Richard Akins had an 88 yard TD pass to Howard Gidden on the opening drive, then Aaron David kicked 5 FGs to lead the Storm to victory. Akins finished with 296 yards but also 2 INTs, but the Portland defense shut down the Express running game and kept everything in the passing game in front of them. Los Angeles did miss a few scoring opportunities though as Lawrence Trujillo made just 1 of 4 FG tries.

Week 16 is finished with some teams having an important game while other teams have their bags packed, ready to gtfo as soon as the game is over.

The game of the week was the battle for the #1 seed in the American Conference between San Jose and Honolulu. San Jose is usually a pass happy team but today they ran the ball on every play, 87 rushes in all for 330 yards. The SaberCats got the ball first and kept the ball for nearly the entire 1st qtr, running 18 times for 75 yards, taking 11:39 off the clock in taking a 6-0 lead. Honolulu had the ball for 22 seconds before they punted and on their second drive, the SaberCats kept the ball even longer. 21 runs covered 90 yards in 12:36 and they got another TD with a failed 2 point play for a 12-0 lead.

The Hawaiians defense had to be wore out, but to their credit they kept the SaberCats from scoring any more points. Unfortunately for them, the Honolulu offense could muster just 111 yards with just 12:21 time of possession. San Jose wins 12-3 to claim home field advantage. Honolulu will travel to Michigan for the Wildcard Round.

Pittsburgh beat New York 34-16 in a play in game so to speak. Pittsburgh needed a win to get in the playoffs while New York needed to win and have New Jersey win. Pittsburgh took a 21-6 halftime lead before New York pushed back to get within 21-16 in the 3rd. Arthur Ortega scored a pair of 4th qtr TDs to push the Maulers into the playoffs with the win. Thomas Hampton completed 15/19, 94 yards and 3 TDs, with 0 INTs or sacks. Kenneth Allen ran for 115 yards and was the leading receiver with a whopping 27 yards. Christopher Goins ran for 85 and a TD while Arthur Ortega had 3 total TDs, 1 rushing and 2 receiving. Pittsburgh travels across the state of Pennsylvania to face Philadelphia in the Wildcard Round.

Most of the rest of the games weren't all that close and while some games did impact playoff seedings, there were no surprises other than the Generals flop.

In a strange twist of fate, New York needed New Jersey to win to help them make the playoffs but neither team was up to the task. New Jersey hosted a 1 win Baltimore team and lost 16-13 in OT after a Raylan Givins lost fumble allowed the Stars to kick the game winning points. To be fair, there wouldn't have even been an OT period if Kevin Via didn't lead an 8 play, 79 yard TD drive in the final 2 minutes. Vic Mackey extended the all time rushing record by 82 yards but the Generals played like they were avoiding injuries while Baltimore played like a team that didn't care about the #1 draft pick, they just wanted to win. New Jersey goes to Washington D.C. to play the Federals in the Wildcard Round.

Philadelphia beat Charlotte 24-0 in their tune up for the post season. Joel Jasso threw for 278 yards and a TD to James Walker, who caught 10 for 109 yards. The Bell defense held Charlotte to 125 yards as they will host Pittsburgh Wildcard Weekend.

Washington beat Boston 43-3 behind a strong running game. James Ford ran for 182 yards and a TD while Norman Thomas ran for 84 and a score to lead the Federals offense. Defensively, they forced 4 turnovers, had 2 sacks, and allowed 141 total yards. Washington hosts New Jersey Wildcard Weekend.

Oakland got back on the winning track approaching the playoffs as they beat Los Angeles 20-9 today. Joseph Nelson had 161 combined yards with a rushing TD, leading the team in both rushing (80 yards) and receiving (81). Oakland spread the ball around for 210 passing yards, though Domingo Robinson did throw 2 INTs. The Invaders defense limited the damage though and Oakland will host San Antonio in the Wildcard Round.

Jacksonville beat Oklahoma 34-23 in a playoff tuneup for both teams. There was no playoff drama in this game as both teams were pretty much locked into their seeds coming in. Jacksonville got 402 passing yards from William Barron with 2 TDs as they built a 27-3 lead. Oklahoma came back in the 4th with a pair of Raymond Settles TD passes but it was too little, too late. Jacksonville will host Birmingham while Oklahoma travels to Houston for Wildcard Weekend.

Birmingham lost to AI Georgia 23-3 as they had 4 turnovers, including 3 lost fumbles. Georgia QB Adam Patrick is prone to taking lots of sacks but the Stallions didn't touch him today. Patrick finished with 230 passing yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Birmingham will look to bounce back next week when they go to Jacksonville for Wildcard Weekend.

Michigan beat Memphis 33-22 behind 478 yards and 3 TDs by Willie Reddish. Charles Keller led the receivers, catching 7 for 175 and a TD. Reddish did throw 2 INTs but so did Memphis QB Gary Westerfield, and Westerfield also took 6 sacks while Reddish went untouched. Michigan hosts Honolulu Wildcard Weekend.

New Orleans beat Florida 22-0. Gerald Waldon ran for 94 yards and 2 TDs while Charles Grogan caught 12 for 162 yards to lead the VooDoo offense. Defensively they held the Blazers to 32 total yards, sacking Nicholas Meis 5 times. New Orleans has the BYE this week as they wait to see who comes to town for the Divisional Round.

San Antonio beat Tampa Bay 26-9. Frederick Paradiso had a TD run and George Warner found Daniel Cruz for an 80 yard TD, with the rest of the game's scoring coming via FGs. Cruz finished with 153 receiving yards and the San Antonio defense forced 5 turnovers and had 6 sacks. San Antonio travels to Oakland for the Wildcard Round.

Houston didn't play their best offensive game but it was enough to beat Detroit 23-10 today. Dale Baber threw 2 INTs while Mark Lott threw none, and Lott's INTs have dropped significantly since AI took over. Lott was sacked 6 times however, while Baber went down just twice and found Randy Savage for 2 TD passes. Houston will host Oklahoma in the Wildcard Round.

The final 4 games involve teams playing their last games of the season.

Denver beat Southern California 18-10 in large part due to a defense that intercepted 4 passes and had 5 sacks with one for a safety. Joshua Rudolph threw for 325 yards for Denver but was sacked 6 times and threw an INT. Kevin Hillman led the Gold in rushing (42 yards and a TD) and receiving (13-98).

Arizona beat Portland 16-0 thanks to John Adams and Patrick McManus and the defense. Adams completed 16/24, 225 yards and a TD to Patrick McManus who caught 3 for 108 yards. The Wranglers defense pitched a shutout, intercepting George Schacht 3 times and sacking him 3 times. Rafael Ray kicked 3 FGs...power of 3 haha.

Orlando beat Shreveport 16-2 in a game without many stats to talk about. Orlando out gained the Steamer 319-63 with a balanced offensive attack. Michael Smith completed 25/43, 237 yards with 0 TDs or INTs but he was sacked 8 times, once for a safety. Joseph Calkins had the Orlando TD on a 5 yard run.

Chicago got out to a 20-0 first half lead and that was it as the Blitz beat Cleveland 20-0. Marco Anderson ran for 117 yards while Douglas Lee completed 21/25, 152 yards and a TD. Chicago scored on their first 4 possessions to seize momentum and never letting it go.