The Houston Gamblers second half woes continued in week five as the team once again failed to hold a lead and lost the contest with no time remaining on the game clock, 21-20, to the Pittsburgh Maulers.
Let’s hope that trend comes to an end in week six, but the road ahead doesn’t get any easier as Houston (1-4, 4th place in the South division) faces a New Jersey Generals team in firm control of their own destiny at 4-1 overall (1st place in the North division) on Sunday, May 22.
Kickoff is slated for 3 pm Central Time and the game will be televised on FOX.
Let’s review the numbers real quick, with a special focus on week five’s loss to the Maulers.
Gamblers quarterback Clayton Thorson continues to lead the league in passing touchdowns and improved that number to seven with an opening drive score last week against Pittsburgh.
But once again, even after jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the first half of action, Houston failed to capitalize when it mattered most.
Two Maulers field goals later and Houston held onto a slim 10-6 lead at halftime.
The Gamblers came out and immediately drove down the field for another score to open the third quarter of action, converting on a critical fourth down before eventually finding the end zone and a 17-6 lead.
Houston’s defense clamped down on the Maulers next drive and held Pittsburgh to only a field goal but they still found themselves up only one score as the third quarter ended with the Gamblers on top, 17-9.
After a big pass and impressive catch to bring Pittsburgh within two at 17-15, Houston needed to at least score on their pursuing possession.
And the Gamblers did score, but they failed to find the end zone and had to settle for three as Houston drilled a 44-year field goal with 3:34 remaining in the game and a 20-15 lead.
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Then the inevitable happened.
On the final drive by Pittsburgh, the Maulers drove the field and continually converted on third downs — finding themselves on the doorstep with just four seconds left in the game and the team in the red zone.
And on the FINAL play of the game, a beautiful pass and catch ended the game with all 0’s on the clock and Houston once again on the short end of the stick in a heart-breaking 21-20 loss to drop the Gamblers to 1-4 overall and deeper into the South division cellar.
Unfortunately, this scenario has played out in similar ways numerous times for Houston this season as the Gamblers have now dropped their last four games in a row after winning in week one.
Will this awful trend come to a close this weekend, or will the woes continue?
We’ll know soon enough as kickoff is just a day away, but let’s hope and pray this team gets back on track sooner rather than later.
With only five games remaining in the regular season, time is once again not on Houston’s side. Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
