3 weeks in and we have 3 undefeated teams (Boston, Addis Ababa, and Rio de Janeiro) and 3 winless teams (Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Cape Town). But the better games of the week were in the middle.
The best game of the week–and of the young season–was London’s 22 point 4th quarter explosion leading them to a comeback win over Berlin. Both Russell Wilson and Sid Luckman threw for over 300 yards, with Michael Irvin, Steve Largent, and Bill Hewitt all ending with over 100 yards receiving. Defensive Player of the Week (for the 2nd consecutive week) Bobby Wagner had 13 tackles for London.
Normalcy returned in Dublin, where the surprising 2-0 Roman Empire fell to the Damhas, giving Dublin their first win of the season. Boomer Esiason continued to play well, but a balanced Dublin offense and a solid defensive performance were too much for him to overcome, especially with the injured Edgerrin James missing from Rome’s offense.
Led by Offensive Player of the Week Drew Brees, San Francisco got their 1st win of the season, handing New York their first loss in a game dominated by both offenses. Brees threw for over 400 yards and New York’s Eli Manning for just under 300.
Istanbul ran out a huge lead, then held on for dear life to triumph over Sydney, sending both teams to 2-1 on the young season. Franco Harris was, once again, spectacular, rushing for just under 150 yards, and Sydney’s Dan Marino threw for over 300 yards. Special Teams Player of the Week Darren Sproles had over 200 return yards for Sydney, including a punt return for a TD.
Jim Brown continues to dominate game in and game out, with over 500 rushing yards in 3 games. Even at 0-3, Tokyo remains an offensive juggernaut, and Lionel Taylor leads the lead with 466 receiving yards. Wagner has 43 tackles already in a dominant beginning to the year for London’s LB.
Week 3 concludes the 8-games-a-week part of the schedule until the very end of the year. San Francisco and Berlin are the first WFL teams with a bye week, as 7 games are on the slate for week 4.