Never Know What's Going to Happen in Football
PJ Walker Puts on a Show in Houston
March 7, 2020
Houston, TX - We finally have AAF controversy, and it screwed over the Seattle Dragons. The heavy favorites had a 14-0 lead in the 1st half against the winless Houston Roughnecks but squandered it all by halftime, then surged to a 25-14 lead in the 3rd quarter, only for QB PJ Walker and WR Cam Phillips to help lead Houston to 18 unanswered points for the 32-25 win.
QB Geno Smith was 14/22 for just 114 yards but a critical lost fumble that meant his first turnover of the game doubled as Seattle’s final offensive play. He did pass for two touchdowns but the offense as a whole, despite the 23 points, only averaged 3.46 yards per play in their first lost of the Geno Smith era. Two of their touchdown drives were 1 yard and 18 yards respectively.
The Dragons defense intercepted QB Walker twice, strip-sacked him once, but couldn’t make critical stops whatsoever in the 4th quarter. WR Phillips caught a pair of touchdowns but thanks to big stops on the point-after conversions, Seattle was still in it in the final two minutes. Unfortunately, with the game on the line, they were gashed on a 3rd and 10 draw that should’ve resulted in kneel downs and the clock running out.
Well technically, that’s what happened. In reality, the Dragons should’ve had a chance to tie the game with a play from Houston’s 21. In what can only be considered a horrible look for what has otherwise been a smooth-sailing season, QB Walker was instructed to kill the remaining four seconds of game clock on 4th down. Usually this means flinging the ball along the sidelines and out of bounds. Instead, he took another kneel and was clearly down with :02 left. That should’ve been a turnover on downs and Seattle getting the ball back.
Instead, we had the clock run to :00, game over, referees leave the field, and no one could do a thing about it. The officiating supervisor Wes Booker then went on live TV and spewed some verbal diarrhea that, if this were the NFL, would dominate headlines for an entire week.
No one is saying the Dragons got screwed out of a win, but they sure as hell got screwed out of a chance to tie. The Alliance is trying to establish itself as a long-term viable league and with a glaring clock error in a one-possession game, they handled it in the most erroneous way imaginable.
Now speaking of clock problems, Jim Zorn blew both of his timeouts in the 3rd quarter because of total failure to get the play off in time. One of them was at the 1-yard line after a near pick-six by DB Chris Cook. Hardly the first time a Seattle football team had the ball at the one and then forgot to have the next play and the right personnel ready.
Roughnecks - 32 Dragons - 25
(0-3)HOU: QB PJ Walker - 27/38 351 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, RB Karlos Williams - 22 carries, 106 yards, 2 TDs, WR Cam Phillips - 10 catches, 122 yards, 2 TDs, WR Sammie Coates - 6 catches, 95 yard, 1 TD
(3-0)SEA: QB Geno Smith - 12/22 114 yards, 2 TDs, RB CJ Prosise - 22 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD, WR TJ Graham - 6 catches, 76 yards
Renegades - 45 Alphas - 17
(1-2)DAL: QB Landry Jones - 22/24 256 yards, 4 TDs, RB Cameron Artis-Payne - 14 carries, 151 yards, 2 TDs, RB Lance Dunbar - 15 carries, 128 yards, WR Brice Butler - 6 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs, WR Terrence Williams - 8 catches, 78 yards, TE Donald Parham - 3 catches, 27 yards, 2 TDs
(0-3)CHI: QB Aaron Murray - 11/23 226 yards, 1 TD, RB Jacques Patrick - 22 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD, WR Antonio Callaway - 6 catches, 101 yards, WR Shaq Evans - 1 catch, 81 yards, 1 TD
Panthers - 24 Stallions - 28
(1-2)OAK: QB Brett Hundley - 16/27 206 yards, 3 TDs, RB Spencer Ware - 21 carries, 155 yards, WR Tajae Sharpe - 8 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD, WR Chester Rogers - 3 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD
(1-2)STL: QB Paxton Lynch - 16/24 216 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, RB Christine Michael - 18 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD, RB Matt Jones - 12 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD, WR Terrelle Pryor - 4 catches, 82 yards, WR Kaelin Clay - 3 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD
*Generals - 13 Wildcats - 31
(2-1)COL: QB Cooper Rush - 5/17 57 yards, 2 INTs, RB CJ Anderson - 15 carries, 88 yards, RB Charcandrick West - 19 carries, 100 yards, WR Devier Posey - 2 catches, 28 yards, 1 TD
(2-1)LA: QB Josh Johnson - 18/27 287 yards, 3 TDs, RB Branden Oliver - 20 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD, WR DaVaris Daniels - 7 catches, 94 yards, 2 TDs, WR AJ Jenkins - 2 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD
*Columbus benched QB Rush for backup QB Chris Streveler at beginning of 4th quarter
Conquerors - 35 Commanders - 27
(3-0)LV: QB Ryan Mallett - 15/20 259 yards, 4 TDs, RB Isaiah Crowell - 20 carries, 136 yards, 1 TD, WR Corey Coleman - 2 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD, WR Brandon Coleman - 3 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD, TE Troy Fumagalli - 4 catches, 42 yards, 2 TDs
(3-0)SA: QB Tim Tebow - 13/20 192 yards, 1 TD, RB David Cobb - 19 carries, 92 yards, 1 TD, RB Daryl Richardson - 22 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD, WR MeKale McKay - 4 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD, WR Greg Ward - 4 catches, 53 yards
Fleet - 34 Soul - 17
(2-1)SD: QB Colin Kaepernick - 15/20 229 yards, 3 TDs, RB Kapri Bibbs - 26 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD, WR Martavis Bryant - 5 catches, 88 yards, 2 TDs, WR Braxton Miller - 3 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD
(2-1)PHIL: QB Cody Kessler - 11/34 189 yards, 2 INTs, RB Alfred Blue - 18 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD, RB Wendell Smallwood - 11 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD, WR DeAnthony Thomas - 5 catches, 99 yards
Brigade - 8 Valor - 25
(0-3)BAL: QB Tom Savage - 11/20 126 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, RB Alfred Morris - 24 carries, 69 yards, WR Paul Richardson - 6 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD
(0-3)DC: QB Dalton Sturm - 15/29 232 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, RB Lorenzo Taliaferro - 14 carries, 109 yards, RB Buck Allen - 21 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD, WR Rashod Ross - 5 catches, 82 yards, WR Eli Rogers - 3 catches, 65 yards, 1 TD
Predators - 38 Storm - 27
(2-1)ORL: QB Garrett Gilbert - 19/26 178 yards, 2 TDs, RB Akeem Hunt - 21 carries, 120 yards, 2 TDs, WR Charles Johnson - 6 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD, WR Donte Moncrief - 5 catches, 44 yards, 1 TD
(3-0)TB: QB Blake Bortles - 13/22 190 yards, 2 TDs, RB Alex Collins - 18 carries, 95 yards, RB Mark Walton - 18 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD, WR Kelvin Benjamin - 6 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD, WR Rashad Greene - 3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD
Gladiators - 30 Express - 0
(1-2)CLE: QB Brock Osweiler - 12/17 219 yards, 1 TD, RB Jeremy Hill - 26 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD, RB Paul Perkins - 11 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD, WR Josh Doctson - 4 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD, WR Carlos Henderson - 4 catches, 40 yards
(1-2)MEM: QB Brandon Silvers - 17/28 186 yards, 1 INT, RB Zac Stacy - 21 carries, 81 yards, WR Brandon Gibson - 4 catches, 62 yards
Blues - 41 Iron - 38
(2-1)MIA: QB EJ Manuel - 20/26 242 yards, 1 TD, RB Denard Robinson - 23 carries, 101 yards, 2 TDs, RB Montee Ball - 23 carries, 87 yards, 2 TDs, WR Leonard Hankerson - 7 catches, 97 yards, WR Kevin White - 4 catches, 41 yards, 1 TD
(3-0)BIRM: QB Tahj Boyd - 11/16 170 yards, 1 INT, RB Trent Richardson - 30 carries, 237 yards, 4 TDs, WR L'Damien Washington - 3 catches, 65 yards
Guardians - 18 Defenders - 35
(1-2)NY: QB Matt McGloin - 12/27 131 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, RB Orleans Darkwa - 21 carries, 117 yards, WR Hakeem Nicks - 3 catches, 51 yards, 1 TD
(0-3)ATL: QB Cardale Jones - 19/24 267 yards, 4 TDs, RB Corey Clement - 20 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD, RB Kenneth Dixon - 12 carries, 75 yards, WR Justice Liggins - 3 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD, WR Justin Hardy - 4 catches, 58 yards, 2 TDs
