Unlike present-day America, the Larkspur Bowl has a burgeoning middle class! Three teams rose to 1-1, three teams fell to 1-1, and all six are stuck in the middle of four HAVES with two wins, and four HAVE NOTS with two losses.
At least for now- stat corrections can come until Thursday morning, and a matchup between two former champions had a wild finish decided by two tenths of a point; McFly linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, a late addition to the starting lineup, ended the game with a pick to cap an improbable comeback for a Hill Valley team that appeared destined for an 0-2 start. Now South Park will have to pay to the meticulous football gods that there was a tackle assist off in the balance sheets, as pretty much any net gain would flip the result and launch South Park to the land of the undefeated, while dropping Hill Valley to the pavement. STAY TUNED!
For now, these are the results- Phoenix leaves points on the table but comes away unscathed; The other five winners (Manitoba, Mar-A-Lago, Binghamton, South Philly, and HCM City) put up much more robust point totals in their no-doubt victories. Besides the aforementioned South Park folly, the hardest luck belongs to Deputy, who is now 0-2 despite the sixth most points tallied to date.
Our most recent Champions, LBXII title holder New Jersey and LBXI winner Pawnee are in the cellar, both 0-2 and yet to break 340 points on the season. Neither has to sound the alarm just yet, as both clearly know how to win games- but the less than auspicious start is hemorrhaging leverage and beyond the lack of wins, they are both already 165+ points behind the points leading Treason. Tiebreaks will matter down the road and every point missed could be the difference.
Week 2 Matchups
TEAM OF THE WEEK 2:
QB: KYLER MURRAY (CRT) 32.40
This could have easily been Binghamton's Lamar Jackson (who had a great day and actually won his matchup over Ohio) but Murray edges him by fractional points, throwing for 400 yards and three TDs and scrambling for another 31 yards, taking the ball to the end zone on his own. Two games in and Murray is an MVP candidate
RB: DERRICK HENRY (DVH) 53.80
Henry proved he was still the league's preeminent juggernaut in week two, rumbling for 237 total yards on 41 touches, finding the end zone thrice and moving the chains a dozen times. Perhaps one day the big man will slow down, but until then he's an unstoppable a force as this sport has ever seen.
WR: COOPER KUPP (MMC) 40.80
The 39th overall pick in August's draft, Kupp is the WR1 so far, only surprising because he continues to be underrated. Nine catches for 163 yards, two big plays, two scores, and eight first downs in this one- the only blemish was an ill-fated rush for -5 yards. OH NO! Kupp may not end up the WR1 for the duration of the season, but then again, MAYBE HE WILL.
TE: TRAVIS KELCE (PHX) 26.70
As a first round draft pick, a lot is expected of Kelce- but the veteran keeps on delivering. This time it was seven catches for 109 yards and a TD, nabbing a new set of downs half a dozen times. He goes for big plays, he gets volume, he finds the end zone, and as long as he keeps on doing that, Phoenix can justify their investment.
DL: DANIELLE HUNTER (OTB) 26.50
Hunter was projected as the top DL in 2020 coming off back-to-back monster campaigns, but instead had a lost season, as injuries kept him from appearing in a game. Well, he has not lost a step, adding three sacks in week two, counting among his seven total tackles.
LB: ROQUAN SMITH (BIN) 33.65
Ousting his teammate Bobby Wagner (he of 20 total tackles) by just over a point and a half, Roquan took a pick 53 yards to the house in this one, while also adding eight tackles, a sack and a TFL, and a PD for good measure. Binghamton's swarming defense is a clear difference maker.
CB: TRAYVON MULLEN JR (PRH) 22.25
With Ohio leaving JC Jackson in reserve, Mullen gets the honor here; seven tackles, two swats, and a pick returned for 15 yards helping to provide the difference in a hotly contested matchup with Deputy.
SS: KHARI WILLIS (MAL) 19.5
With the Honey Badger left on the shelf in Joisey, it's the Treason's duo of Safeties that made the biggest impact on week two: Willis made seven tackles with a PD and a pick; teammate Justin Reid matched the PD and pick, added a forced fumble, and chipped in four tackles of his own. That's how you disrupt a game plan!
K: GRAHAM GANO (SAV) 22.00
The kicker was aa bright spot in a game where the Petes' woeful lack of offensive weapons was highlighted; If you thought Patrick Mahomes and DeAndre Hopkins could do it on their own, well, no. Top waiver claim Eli Mitchell suffered a stinger and everyone else was terrible- their second, third, fourth, and fifth receiving options accounting for a grand total of 4.3 points. Oh, Gano! He was awesome, hitting 5 field goals and 2 PATs.
We'll keep an eye on that Hill Valley vs South Park booth review, with power rankings coming after we put a third sample on the books. Trade market remains quiet, but with injuries being sustained and clear needs being identified, transaction solutions are likely around the corner.
No comments:
Post a Comment