Week 9 didn’t have any marquee match-ups on tap but that didn’t stop it from being one of the more competitive weekends in recent memory. Wins by the lowly Mallards and Refugees put a damper on the Beans and Merry Men’s playoff hopes while victories by the Poop and the Brothers have Brian Davidson’s teams in prime position to lock up playoff spots in the next few weeks.
The AFC West race has tightened up after the Buddies 41-40 loss at the hands of the Gooks. Meanwhile, the revamped Gooks got touchdowns from newly acquired Laveranues Coles and TJ Duckett and now find themselves very much alive in the AFC Wild Card race with a record of 4-5. Also in the AFC, the Thugs, aiming for their 4th AFC West Title in 5 years, got a solid performances from the RB trio of Edgerrin James, Charlie Garner and YFFL Scoring leader Ahman Green and moved into a tie with the Buddies atop the division at 5-4. The Merry Men, boasting all week about their Week 10 showdown with the Huskers, may have looked past Week 9 and the Refugees as they were crushed 58-34 and fell to 4-5.
The NFC got more interesting with the Mallards huge upset over the Beans late Monday night. Danny Kanell found Mike Anderson for a 1 yard TD pass to clinch the game. Moments later, Beans owner Bobby Sansone was rumored to be asking around for a noose and a beam in the house that could support 165 lbs. The Mallards, the league’s lowest scoring team, are now all alone in first in the NFC East and control their own destiny with 4 games to go.
The NFC West is much more complicated as all 4 teams boast records of 6-3 or better led by the Brothers at 8-1 who reeled off their 8th straight victory and scored a season-high 62 points. Every Brother scored at least 6 points with the exception of Tyrone Wheatley as Memphis defeated the Boys in what Davidson called “his Rivalry Weekend”. The Huskers and Chickens both won convincingly which the best two teams from 2002 very much alive in the playoff picture in 2003.
Week 10 is highlighted with make-or-break games between the Chickens and Thugs, Beans and Buddies, Merry Men and Huskers, and a battle of division leaders in the Mallards and Poop. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching this Sunday at 12:59 PM EST, expect some owners to make last minute deals to solidify their teams for stretch runs.