February 2019

For the first time in over a decade, the XBFL saw two rookies take the stage for a clash between two juggernaut teams.  One was coming in to the final game with tremendous momentum, while the other slid through to the final without their starting quarterback.

KingDong444 took his 14-2 Washington Redskins through the playoffs with ease, including a major upset win over the 15-1 Atlanta Falcons coached by former XBFL Champion LOCKNLOAD WEEZ.  Without the help of league MVP Derrius Guice who was injured going into the playoffs, the combination of Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson turned out to be more than sufficient in helping the Redskins down the Falcons, winning the NFC title game in convincing fashion 52-21.

Fellow league rookie, TheDuke2119 shared the best record this season at 15-1.  In the Conference Championship against the Jacksonville Jaguars (TheJames), the Chargers got off to a screaming start of 21-0 at the end of the first half, however Jacksonville scored 21 of their own points in the second half to the Chargers’ three.  Down by only a field goal, the Jags worked their way down the field in the final few minutes of the game, largely in part from big plays by tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who got the Jacksonville offense to the one yard line with only five seconds on the clock and the final time out taken.

Jacksonville could opt for the tie off an easy chip shot field goal, or go for the win with a touchdown.  One play was all that time would allow.

Jacksonville opted for the chance to win outright in regulation time but fell just short of the goal line on a pass play that saw TJ Yeldon come back towards the ball, out of the end zone, and get tackled mere inches from the goal line.  While it was a nail-biter of a game and while a huge relief for Los Angeles, the win came at a hefty price:  Field commander Phillip Rivers went down late in the third with a torn biceps.  It was revealed afterwards that Rivers would not be available for the Super Bowl. In his absence, quarterback Geno Smith would captain the Chargers’ offensive unit.  Seeing Smith’s performance during the final quarter and a half of the Jacksonville game, the odds that Washington would win increased exponentially

The Super Bowl had action right out of the gate with the Redskins scoring 10 unanswered points in the first quarter.  The Chargers closed the gap 10-7 with a score from Melvin Gordon who was initially leaned on heavily both on the ground and in the air.  Washington then countered with a field goal to bring the score to 13-7 going into the half.

Coaching adjustments were apparently made in the locker room during half-time, because the Redskins went on to score 39 points in the second half of the game to only 14 by the Chargers. Alex Smith had an impressive day throwing for 268 yards and four touchdowns to only one interception.  Adrian Peterson had a conservative effort of 11 carries but maximized those opportunities by netting 127 yards and a score on the ground.  On defense, Ryan Kerrigan had a monster game with four solo sacks. 

The mobile Geno Smith had 37 yards on the ground for the Chargers, but was sacked eight times overall.  Melvin Gordon was a dominant force early on but the Chargers had to abandon the ground attack in the second half as the game was becoming out of hand. 

Melvin Gordon finished with 138 rushing yards and a touchdown off of 16 carries, and had another 42 yards from seven receptions.  League receptions leader Keenan Allen had 12 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns, but it was Geno Smith’s inaccurate arm that led to three interceptions that turned the tide in favor of Washington.

The final score was the most lopsided in league history at 52-21 in favor of the Washington Redskins.

Season 36 Super Bowl Notes:

Total yards between the two teams was comparable: 530 for LA and 538 for Washington.

There were four turnovers by the Chargers and two by the Redskins.

Washington was perfect in Red Zone Scoring while Los Angeles was at 66%.

Los Angeles had 23 penalty yards to Washington’s 7.

Time of Possession was also fairly close between the two teams: LA Chargers: 15:50, Washington: 12:10.

Congrats to KingDong444 on his success throughout the regular season, MVP status for his running back Derrius Guice and The XBFL’s Madden 19 Super Bowl Championship!