What a season, especially when you dive into that West Division with Cleveland getting completely rejected on what they thought was a breakaway lay-up for a playoff spot and Detroit getting endlessly beaten and then losing their owner. Chaotic. Nice to see Nathan Aldenberg has taken up the starting QB role well at least to start, while I love seeing a DPOY out of DB Kerry Lantz. 

I'm excited to see how the playoffs turn out and what other craziness will ensue.

As a New Yorker, I was glad the Lions didn't have the worst record in the AFL this year, but I certainly hope the Rivermen don't disappoint me in the playoffs like they usually do. I mean, the Bengals fan in me has gone through enough heartbreak in the playoffs under Marvin Lewis as it is, LOL. 

Also, it was sad to hear about August Riddle passing away. Will his family maintain control of the Knights, or will they sell the team?

1955 Playoffs: Division Semi-Finals

West Division Semifinal: Tri-Cities Hawks @ Cincinnati Rivermen
River Field was hosting its first playoff game in 3 years, and a mild early December day allowed for Rivermen fans to flood the stadium, with plenty of navy blue in the stands. Hawks fans still managed to show up, but were significantly outnumbered by the home crowd. It is a vital matchup for both teams; Cincinnati needs to win to prove they belong with the top tiers of teams, while Tri-Cities needs to prove they are still able to compete.

Q1
The Rivermen deferred the coin toss to the Hawks, who were looking to start off against the league’s best defense in points allowed. QB Gilbert Clay would begin to work the Rivermen defense, though the game didn’t start out with a bang like the away fans would have wanted. Clay relied more on his backfield, splitting carries between RB’s Brian Bruce and Spike Roosevelt. The Rivermen would clamp up after a couple minutes of grinding offense, forcing Hawks’ K Gene Fitzpatrick to kick a 45 yard field goal to score the first points of the game. Cincinnati would endure a similarly grueling drive, with QB Lester Parker unable to make a big play to turn momentum in their favor. However, they did get farther than the Hawks on their first drive, with RB Perry Ferguson breaking free for a 20 yard rush to finally break the deadlock to get to the 1 yard line. Ferguson would plunge into the endzone one play later to take the lead late in the first quarter. With little time left in the quarter, the Hawks thought they would just start again in the second quarter to get the lead back. However, WR Max Ausloos would quite literally trip up DB Adrian Barboza and was left wide open. QB Gilbert Clay saw the open receiver and heaved it downfield to the open man. Ausloos dodge past the only other defender in his way as he strutted 83 yards for a touchdown and reclaimed the lead for Tri-Cities at the very end of the first quarter.
CIN 7, TRI 10

Q2
The offenses would slow down a bit entering the second quarter, with both teams trading punts for the first two drives of the quarter. The Rivermen would finally get the ball moving after spending most of the quarter failing to get past the Hawks’ defense. After trading handoffs to RB’s Perry Ferguson and Billy Garcia, QB Lester Parker would look back to pass. His top option, WR Alfred Dunn, was in a mismatch with DB Dan Hoover, and immediately went for the attempt. Dunn leaped up over Hoover, made the contested catch, and outran both the defender and the rest of the Hawks defense for a 53 yard score. River Field went into a frenzy that would not settle until the half, causing the Tri-Cities offense to be stunted for the entire rest of the half. Even with the home crowd supporting them, the Rivermen continued punting back and forth with the Hawks, realizing a little too late that they needed to get one final drive before the half ended. QB Lester Parker would trade passes between WR’s Alfred Dunn and Chris Marks to quickly move downfield with a little over 30 seconds left. The Rivermen would get down in their own territory, but didn’t have enough time to make one last play for the endzone. They brought on K Bryan Singer to kick it from 44 yards out. Singer would easily send it down the middle, putting the home team up 7 to end the first half of play.
CIN 17, TRI 10

Q3
Cincinnati would hope to keep the momentum going into the second half, but it started about as badly as it could have. After punting away their first drive, the Rivs hoped they could extend their lead on their second attempt. However, QB Lester Parker would misjudge a jump ball to WR Alfred Dunn, throwing it directly to S Tom Meltzger for the interception. Tri-Cities would get to moving the ball down, relying on their tandem of RB’s to get the ball down into their own territory. After a couple of grueling minutes of driving the ball down the field, QB Gilbert Clay would take a rare passing opportunity, launching the ball to WR John McLean in the back of the endzone to tie the game at 17 on a 28 yard score. The Rivermen would attempt to retaliate, though their slow and meticulous approach to the game only took them half of the quarter before RB Billy Garcia had the ball punched out of his hands by S Tom Meltzger and forced a fumble. The Hawks recovered the ball back, but the Rivermen weren’t going to let them score with their newfound field position. The Cincinnati defense held strong, and stopped them just after Tri-Cities passed midfield. K Gene Fitzpatrick narrowly made it through the uprights from 46 yards away, and took a 3 point lead at the end of the quarter.
CIN 17, TRI 20

Q4
The fourth quarter saw a lot less action than the first three, with both defenses clamping up to either hold the narrow lead or the narrow deficit in each case. Cincinnati could not convert on each of the three drives they had in the quarter, and Tri-Cities similarly struggled in the final quarter. The Hawks did manage to extend their lead on one of their drives, kicking another field goal to put their lead at 6 points. Now at the end of the quarter and with little time on the clock, the Rivermen faithful believed that they had to get something going, and fast at that. The Rivermen got within the 20 and started to look for the endzone, getting to the 5 before they faced a crucial 4th down. QB Lester Parker threw up a catchable ball for WR Alfred Dunn, but DB William Owens came in at just the right time to swat the ball away for the turnover on downs. It was all but game over for the Rivermen unless they could stop the Hawks from taking away too much time on the clock. Tri-Cities chewed down as much clock as they could, getting out of the Rivermen scoring range within a couple of minutes. However, they weren’t able to convert on a 3rd down, and with a little over a minute they were set to punt the ball back to Cincinnati.  P Dwight Roberts took the snap to punt the ball, and the ball only got a couple of inches away from him, as Cincinnati defender Jesse Blanchard broke through the offensive line and clobbered Roberts as the kick went off. The ball was sent loose, and it landed directly at the feet of Cincinnati’s Bobby Richmond, who ran back the other way for an incredible 48 yard touchdown to retake the lead. River Field had never been more loud, and several fans began rushing the field, though there was still a little under a minute to play in the game. After getting the game back under control, the Hawks just needed a single point to win. After a short pass that was completed to RB Brian Bruce and two straight incompletions, the Hawks faced a crucial fourth down. QB Gilbert Clay took the snap and dropped back, looking to the sidelines for either of his receivers to get open. He threw it to his right to connect for the first down intended for WR John McLean, but Cincinnati DB Kerry Lantz came in just the right time to intercept the ball, sealing the game for the Rivermen and sending them to Chicago to fight for a spot in the championship.
CIN 24, TRI 23



East Division Semifinal: Pittsburgh Shamrocks @ Buffalo Hammers
Instead of getting a bye week, the Hammers instead are hosting a Pittsburgh Shamrocks team that limped into the postseason with how top-heavy the rest of the league was. Due to rain and snow earlier in the day, Roesch Stadium’s field conditions were less than ideal, even with the grounds crew working throughout the day to make it playable.

Q1
Buffalo elected to receive the kickoff instead of differing, wanting to start out strong against their main rival. They would get just past midfield before some unfortunate incompletions forced the Hammers to punt away their first possession. The Shamrocks had slightly better luck on their first possession, utilizing RB Paul Barker to get small chunks of yardage and get past the 50 on their first attempt of the day. Their drive would stall out there, forcing K Vernon Hebert onto the field to kick the first points of the game. Buffalo would manage slightly better on their second drive, as QB Brendan Turnbull would connect with rookie WR Justin Harris for 2 big plays that put them inside the 10 yard line. After RB Tyler Dye took them down to the 1, RB Calvin Townsend would punch in the first touchdown of the game and take the lead for the home team. Pittsburgh would go about the same as their first drive, a particularly slow one relying on RB’s Paul Barker and Marion Waters to get any sort of movement for the Shamrocks. They would once again stall out near the 30 yard line, forcing another kick by Hebert to put the game within a point.
BUF 7, PIT 6

Q2
The mud that started at the endzones began creeping more and more towards midfield for each team, making the second quarter slightly harder to play. Buffalo QB Brendan Turnbull would throw a rare interception to begin the second quarter, throwing a ball just over WR Ben Ferrell and DB Jerry Pruitt was there to intercept the ball before it hit the ground. The Shamrocks would get past the 20 for the first time all game, though it would be their time to turn the ball over. RB Marion Waters took the handoff up the middle to convert on a short 3rd and 1, but DL Martin Stark knocked the ball loose and sent both sides into a frenzy trying to recover the ball. Buffalo LB Stefan Stauer would end up with the ball at the bottom of the scrum, giving the Hammers another chance to extend their lead. QB Brendan Turnbull would quickly take advantage of the situation, reading a blow coverage over the middle to throw to WR Ben Ferrell for a massive 44 yard gain. That momentum would not stick for long, as a botched snap sent the Hammers back 10 yards before failing to get the first down on the next two plays. The Shamrocks continued their methodical approach, but faced a 2nd and long a couple of plays into their drive. QB O.J. DeMille got pressure almost immediately after taking the snap, facing down both DL Ray Payne and DL Martin Stark. DeMille was pummeled by both of them, knocking the ball loose and was quickly picked up by Payne to put the ball back in the Hammers’ hands. They tried getting another drive going, but were quickly stopped by the clock hitting 0, ending a somewhat eventful quarter with a whimper.
BUF 7, PIT 6

Q3
The Shamrocks would have the first opportunity to take the lead on their first drive of the second half, but immediately sputtered out after gaining a single first down. Buffalo would face similar issues, but still managed to get within the 45 to attempt a field goal to extend their lead. K Guy Moran would kick the ball that appeared to go straight but curved to the left for the failed attempt. Both teams traded punts once again, Pittsburgh got a little further than their first drive but still had to punt after their second set of chains, and Buffalo just went 3 and out on their next attempt. It wasn’t until Buffalo’s 2nd attempt at a drive that they finally got back within scoring range, thanks to a QB Brendan Turnbull pass that landed in the arms of WR Justin Harris for a 28 yard pickup. After RB Calvin Townsend couldn’t pick up the first down, it went back to K Guy Moran to kick a field goal from a closer distance. This time the kick landed between the uprights and the Hammers were now up by 4.
BUF 10, PIT 6

Q4
Pittsburgh would get back at the Hammers after their field goal, slowly marching downfield on the legs of RB Paul Barker to get past midfield and within striking distance of the endzone. QB O.J. DeMille was tasked with getting the ball in the endzone, but three straight plays of overthrown passes and near interceptions forced the Shamrocks to kick for 3 to cut the deficit back to 1. Something would then click within the Hammers after that drive, as QB Brendan Turnbull would efficiently lead his men in an almost effortless drive to get them within the 10. He would hand it off to RB Tyler Dye from 8 yards out, and he beat everyone to the edge for the first touchdown since the first quarter. The Buffalo defense would also hold strong against the ailing Pittsburgh offense, holding them to a total of 10 yards gained on their next drives. Buffalo would chew off most of the clock in the process, adding another field goal after the Shamrocks front 7 stopped the rushing attack from scoring at the 4 yard line. Buffalo forced a quick 3 and out against the Shamrocks, and ran out the remaining time to play a well-anticipated game against the Federals.
BUF 20, PIT 9



West Division Final: (2) Cincinnati Rivermen @ (1) Chicago Hogs
1955 H2H: W5 - CIN 13-16 CHI, W13 - CHI 23-25 CIN
Historic H2H: 7-3 CHI
Playoff H2H: 2-0 CHI

Cincinnati barely got past a Tri-Cities squad, and now have to face the league’s best team in the Chicago Hogs. Both games this season were decided by 3 points or less, meaning this game will more likely than not be a tough one for each side. Chicago’s offense led by RB Billy Gould has stormed past most of the competition, and all but 1 of their losses by 1 possession. Cincinnati did manage to take down the Hogs on Thanksgiving, but both teams started their backups on offense, so if the Rivermen figure out how to beat the Hogs like they did in the last week of the season, then they’ll make this game close. Chicago has had the Rivermen’s number the past few years, so it will more likely than not be the same Hogs and charge to their 5th championship in 6 years.
My Pick: Chicago


East Division Finals: (2) Buffalo Hammers @ (1) Washington Federals
1955 H2H: W8 - WAS 34-9 BUF, W10 - BUF 23-26 WAS
Historic H2H: 3-1 WAS
Playoff H2H: 0-0

After cruising past Pittsburgh, Buffalo finally gets its chance to take revenge on the team that took its division title away from them in Washington. The Federals took their chance to take hold of a relatively weak East Division and stole the title away from the Hammers late in the season, thanks to some late season heroics from last year’s OPOY QB Johnnie Sellers. These two teams have had some of the best offenses all year, but it will come down to the defenses to determine who will come out on top. Buffalo has been suspect at times, so Washington will have the advantage to keep scoring on the Hammers to make it to their second title game.
My Pick: Washington



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1955 Playoffs: Division Finals

West Division Final: Cincinnati Rivermen @ Chicago Hogs
With the Rivermen’s victory over the Hawks the previous week, the matchup between Cincinnati and Chicago quickly became one of the most anticipated games of the playoffs, even exceeding that of the championship game the following week. Chicago had a chill in the air throughout the week, and the cold was not expected to lift for a very important football game. Gametime had temperatures ranging from the low 20’s to the mid teens, so the offenses could suffer from the chill. That didn’t stop Hogs and Rivermen fans from showing up in droves, splitting Union Stadium into two sides each wanting their ticket punched to the title game.

Q1
Chicago would receive the opening kickoff, though they could only manage to move the ball for 20 yards before punting it over to the Rivermen. Cincinnati would get about as far on their first drive, and the ball went right back to the Hogs. QB Nathan Aldenberg would step back to pass on a third and medium, but DL JJ Worthington came barreling towards him. Aldenberg would roll to his left, but was quickly met by both DL Roy Kelly and LB Cade Masters. The Rivermen would force the ball out of his hands, and would recover the fumble in their own territory. Cincinnati would capitalize upon the Hogs’ mistake a few plays later, as RB Perry Ferguson leaped over the line for a 1 yard score. K Brian Singer would make a rare whiff on the extra point, and Chicago could take the lead on a touchdown of their own. Aldenberg and the Hogs would rely on the run after his mistake, using their lethal backfield of Billy Gould and Arthur Busch to make their way downfield. They would crawl their way down field, eventually losing steam after passing midfield. The Hogs would take their chances at points, sending on K Freddie Donnelly for the attempt. He would sail it right through the uprights, ending the first quarter on a high note for the home team.
CHI 3, CIN 6

Q2
Both teams traded punts to each other before anything of meaning happenedCincinnati would have the ball midway into the second frame when QB Lester Parker lobbed one up to WR Chris Marks up the middle. Marks would catch the ball, but was immediately surrounded by Hogs players. LB Jerry Flowers hit Marks down low, and Marks coughed the ball up on the hit. A scrum ensued to take possession of the ball, and Chicago DB Clarence Newman appeared at the bottom with the ball. The Hogs now found themselves in the same scenario they put the Rivermen in the previous quarter, deep in their own territory with a near-guaranteed score just a couple of yards away. Chicago RB Arthur Busch would take the handoff up the middle, and found himself clear of defenders. He would have been clear if not for S Virgil Romano trying to cut him off near the endzone, and Busch dove to avoid the oncoming hit. On the dive, Busch couldn’t hold onto the ball, as it rolled towards and out of the endzone for a touchback. The Rivermen dodged a bullet due to the rookie’s mistake, and now had a chance to extend their lead before the half. QB Lester Parker would lead the Cincinnati offense downfield with relative ease, but quickly lost momentum once they got near the opposing endzone. Parker would take three shots at the endzone, the first two sailing incomplete and the third would have been a touchdown had WR Alfred Dunn not bobbled the catch for a third straight incompletion. Cincinnati settled for 3 points instead, and the Hogs tried and failed to get a drive going before the first half was over.
CHI 3, CIN 9

Q3
The offensive woes would unfortunately continue into the second half, as Cincinnati would immediately go three and out on their first drive. There would not be much of any action until midway through the quarter, after both teams had multiple chances with the ball but kept coming up short of advancing into scoring range. It was mostly a punters’ duel to begin the half, with Chicago’s Calvin Tate and Cincinnati’s Michael Swanson pinning the other team against their own goal line to make the offensive woes worse. The Hogs once again had the ball and were trying to take the lead away, but faced a second and long to advance past midfield. QB Nathan Aldenberg spent a little too long in the pocket waiting for someone to get open, and facing down J.J. Worthington barrelling towards him, heaved it downfield in the direction of WR Ciarán Murphy. Murphy happened to be guarded by both DB Kerry Lantz and LB Cade Masters, who would get in front of Murphy and get the interception for the Rivemen. Cincinnati would get some progress on the ensuing drive, finally making it past midfield for the first time in the half. The Rivermen were then almost immediately stopped 40 yards out after two quick running plays, and could have gotten closer to the endzone if WR Anthony Wheatland was able to hold onto the ball while somehow getting past any nearby defenders. K Brian Singer came out onto the field to kick it straight through the uprights to take a 9 point lead on the defending champions.
CHI 3, CIN 12

Q4
Chicago would take very little time getting back within scoring range. After being held for almost the entire game, RB Billy Gould would take a handoff up the middle on a first down and dart and weave his way for a 42 yard gain. After getting another first down a few plays later, the Rivermen would finally clamp up on the rushing attack and force a fourth down. Since it was still early in the 4th, the kicking unit came out for Chicago and K Freddie Donnelly would send it through the uprights for a score, now needing a touchdown to take the lead. Cincinnati spent the majority of the quarter just chewing clock away from Chicago, leaving a little over a minute on the clock. With the rushing attack getting stuffed and the receiving game almost nonexistent, the Hogs quickly came up on a 4th down where they needed to make something work downfield if they had any chance of winning. QB Nathan Aldenberg would take the snap, and quickly threw it towards WR Donnie Stout over the middle. LB Edgar Abney was there to break up the pass, swatting it down and sealing the game for the Rivermen. After a few years of horrendous luck, the Cincinnati Rivermen would finally be competing for a championship as serious contenders.
CHI 6, CIN 12



East Division Final: Buffalo Hammers @ Washington Federals
After blowing the division lead in a week 10 matchup, the Hammers were ready to take revenge on the Federals on a fairly mild Washington day. With the knowledge that Chicago would not be in the championship, both teams felt that a win would mean a potential title coming to town. The only problem is that two of the best offenses would be put up against each other. Federals fans made up a majority of Washington Stadium’s full capacity, and Buffalo would be at a disadvantage if they wanted to fight for a title.

Q1
Washington wanted to start the game the right way, and thus chose to receive the opening kickoff. It would be a slow and meticulous drive for the Federals, slowly moving down the field on the legs of RB Rip Rooney. QB Johnnie Sellers threw a pass every couple of plays to keep them moving, easily threading through the relatively weak Buffalo front seven. It was not until they reached the 20 yard line when the Federals tried to air it into the endzone, but were denied all three times by the Hammers secondary. Washington K Eugene Hickman would easily drill the field goal from 20 yards out. Buffalo’s ensuing drive would essentially take the remainder of the quarter, as second year QB Brendan Turnbull found it significantly more difficult to move through the potent Washington defense. The Hammers would continue their march to the endzone, with Turnbull trading between handoffs to RB Calvin Townsend and passes to WR Justin Harris to get down the field. Their plight would be stopped around the same place as the Federals, as Townsend would get stuffed on a third and short by the Washington front 4. Buffalo K Guy Moran would come onto the field to kick it through the uprights to make it a tie game at the end of the quarter.
WAS 3, BUF 3

Q2
The second quarter would almost be like the first quarter, as both offenses struggled to get anything going. The defenses would have their time in the spotlight, holding both offenses to less than 50 total yards of offense combined. The deadlock was broken late into the half, when Washington QB Johnnie Sellers would hit WR Darius Sanderson for a big 39 yard gain that got them within kicking distance. K Eugene Hickman would come on as time expired in the half to kick it from 45 yards out and go into the half on top.
WAS 6, BUF 3

Q3
Offenses would finally begin to click in the second half, starting with a Buffalo drive that actually got moving. QB Brendan Turnbull would hit WR Harry Chilton on the first play of the quarter, who ran through the Federals secondary for a 34 yard gain. Their momentum would quickly die out, only gaining 3 more yards on that drive but were in range for K Guy Moran to try for a 54 yarder. The ball would just barely get through, tying the game at 6 a piece. Washington would immediately retaliate, getting a big drive of their own going and quickly getting across midfield on just 3 plays. After slicing and dicing their way closer to the endzone, RB Rip Rooney would take a handoff to the left and power his way 6 yards for the first touchdown of the day and the lead back for the Federals. Buffalo would be unsuccessful in the remainder of the quarter, being forced to punt on their two remaining drives this quarter. After Washington punted away their first, they would look to extend their lead in the remaining time in the third. The Federals would get an easier start to their drive, as returner Benjamin Glass would receive the ball at the 15 and get clear of almost everyone on the Hammers, only getting pushed out by K Guy Moran after a 35 yard gain. One first down later, QB Johnnie Sellers found WR Joseph Atkins in a 1-on-1 scenario with DB Rogelio Amos, and hoped for the best as he threw it up to one of his top receivers. Amos would jump for the ball a bit too early, completely missing the ball as Atkins caught the pass and strutted into the endzone for a 37 yard score to put the Federals up by two possessions.
WAS 20, BUF 6

Q4
Buffalo would get its offensive groove back in gear, as they finally got going in the fourth. QB Brendan Turnbull would work the Washington defense to allow small but significant gains as they marched down to the endzone. RB Calvin Townsend would get them within the 5, and Turnbull faked the handoff to Townsend and found TE Dan Finley all by himself to get back within a single score. Washington would get right back at it, as QB Johnnie Sellers would once again rip and tear through the Hammers defense to embark on a long drive. After a couple of grueling minutes of humiliating the front seven, Sellers would utilize the run game to take away time from the Hammers. RB Rip Rooney would almost get into the endzone on the first play within the 20, and plowed his way in from 2 yards out to extend their lead. The Federals defense would keep the Hammers offense on the field just long enough to stall for time. Washington would go on another drive like their last one, wasting clock and moving downfield to clinch the game for themselves. The Hammers defense would once again get dominated by Sellers, who worked his way downfield and inside scoring range. Sellers decided that he wanted to call game, and lobbed a ball up for WR Darius Sanderson.  Sanderson would leap up and grab the ball away from DB Joe Merritt, and get both feet in for an 11 yard score that would effectively seal the game away. Buffalo would not have enough time to score, as time ran out before they got to midfield. Washington would not only get a chance to establish themselves as a premier team in the league with another title, but they would get to host the championship game against one of their biggest rivals.
WAS 34, BUF 16



Sixth American Football Championship: (W2) Cincinnati Rivermen @ (E1) Washington Federals
1955 H2H: W1 - WAS 19-6 CIN
Historic H2H: 5-4 CIN
Playoff H2H: 0-0

One of the league’s budding rivalries of Cincinnati and Washington will be the focus of the sixth AFL championship. It started in 1952, when the then-Columbus Buckeyes upset the Rivermen to end the season, ruining the mood enough for Cincinnati to lose the next week against Chicago in the West Play-off. The next two years, the Federals denied the Rivermen playoff berths on late scores, with the first time in 1953 starting their incredible run to a title in their first year in the nation’s capital. For each of these teams now, it’s about cementing themselves as one of the next top teams in the league and getting themselves out of Chicago’s shadow. The Federals still have the same core that won them the title 2 years ago, with QB Johnnie Sellers leading an offense with RB Rip Rooney and WR’s Darius Sanderson and Joseph Atkins as incredible options. Cincinnati has consistently had an incredible team, but injuries and bad luck prevented them from entering the playoffs the last two years. QB Lester Parker and WR Alfred Dunn are one of the league’s top duos, and have another great duo in RB’s Perry Ferguson and Billy Garcia. Both defenses are competent enough, but this championship game looks more likely to be an offensive shootout. As Washington is the only team with championship experience and is hosting the game at home, they will have a slight advantage in this title game.
My Pick: Washington



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Let's go Rivermen!