Opening weekend for the USFL is in the books. The debut slate for this latest spring league had a little bit of everything for the average football fan. We had a last-second decision between the Stallions and Generals, some solid quarterback play highlighted by Bandits signal-caller Jordan Ta’amu as he led his team to an opening win against Maulers, and there was even a player cut by his team over a desire to have pizza. Seriously.
Now that games have actually been played (here’s a look at the standings and schedule), we do have a bit more to digest as we round up these teams for our latest power rankings. While there’s no change at the top of this list, there’s plenty of movement elsewhere, including a previous sixth-ranked team jumping into the top three.
1. Tampa Bay Bandits (1-0)
Previous week: No. 1
The Bandits quickly showed why they were the top-ranked team heading into the season with their opening win against the Maulers. Jordan Ta’amu came out sharp, completing all five of his passes for 58 yards on an opening touchdown drive. From there, Tampa Bay worked with a lead throughout the game. Tight end Cheyenne O’Grady looks like he could be a key piece to the Bandits offense as he led the team with 11 targets, eight receptions, and 86 receiving yards. Pepper Johnson’s defense was also all over the Maulers throughout the evening and limited them to three points while allowing just 3.3 yards per play and totaling three sacks.
Next game: vs. New Orleans Breakers (Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m. ET)
2. New Orleans Breakers (1-0)
Previous week: No. 3
The Breakers took a while to get rolling offensively — failing to score on their first six possessions — but they were able to move the ball on the ground. New Orleans finished the game with 171 yards rushing and two touchdowns, which helped push them over the edge against Philadelphia. While the offense took some time to get into a rhythm, it was…
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