Tipping off the greatest postseason week in league history, the No. 3 Irwin Hellions withstood a late rally from the No. 6 Abstract Machines to claim a 21-20 victory at Purgatory Field. Having already beaten Irwin twice this season, the Machines seemed primed to do it once again. But with the ball deep in Hellion territory and the game clock winding down, Machine halfback T.J. Duckett was stripped of the football, killing the rally and preserving the one-point victory for the home team.

Entering the game on the momentum of a three-game winning streak, the Hellions did their best to put the Machines away early. Donovan McNabb posted a season-high 15 points, and Edgerrin James ran for 12 more in building a quick lead. Kicker Jeff Reed booted 9 and veteran Jimmy Smith brought in 6, but some of the other Hellion newcomers struggled in their playoff debuts. The Johnson twins -- receivers Chad and Andre -- were held to a single point apiece, and Eddie George, brought over from the C.W.O.T. in a midseason trade, managed only 3. Irwin's Buccaneer defense showed some of their playoff swagger, hammering the Machines for 22 points.

In the face of all of this adversity -- not to mention the Hellhole faithful -- the Machines fought back. Trent Green nearly matched McNabb's efforts with a team-high 14 points, and rookie Anquan Boldin made for a reliable target with 7. Marvin Harrison and Darrell Jackson combined for 10 more, and Troy Hambrick rumbled for 4 on the ground. Placekicker Morten Anderson suffered a season-worst mark of 3, but the Ravens defense brought the upset clearly within reach by stripping an amazing 29 points away from the Hellions. Down five heading into Sunday Night, Duckett found the endzone and got the yards needed to tie the game, but his costly fumble ultimately gave the victory back to Irwin.

Despite the a heartbreaking Wild Card loss, the Machines finish their 2003 campaign at 6-8, a noticeable improvement from last year's dismal 3-8-2 finish. For the Hellions, they've now won four straight games, defeating each of their Western Division rivals in that span. They now set a course for En Fuego Field to meet the Piana Raze in next week's Western Championship Game.

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While the Machines' WIld Card Rally fell just short, the Bock Boys came up big on Monday Night to catch back up to the visiting Profiteer$. With P.W.O.P. holding a formidable 14-point lead, Thomas placekicker Jeff Wilkins came up clutch, booting four field goals and two extra points to tie the game. The hero almost became the goat, however, as he missed on his final attempt, a potential game-winning kick late in the fourth quarter. That left the score tied after regulation, and for the first time in league history, playoff tiebreakers were called in to decide the game. With the Bockville crowd in a frenzy, Thomas' Thomas Jones beat out P.W.O.P.'s Rudi Johnson 5-1, giving the Bock Boys the one-point victory.

Sixty minutes before the dramatic ending, The Profiteer$ struck fear in the hearts of the Bockyard faithful by coming out and lighting up their Bock Boy defense. The indestructible Steve McNair led the assault with a season-high 16-point effort. Randy Moss did his part downfield, collecting two scores and 13 points. Hines Ward and Peter Warrick managed to grab some attention from Randy with 9 points between them and also helped to free up the running lanes. Ahman Green and Travis Henry didn't disappoint, posting 8 and 9 points, respectively, from out of the backfield. Kicker Aaron Elling added 10 points, but Pirk's Titan defense was held in check, managing only 3 sacks (for 6 points) against the Bock Boy offense.

Needing to engineer a comeback to extend his team's season, Thomas' Daunte Culpepper rose to the occasion, throwing for 3 scores and 14 points without surrendering a turnover. Priest Holmes rumbled for 10 more, but wingman Michael Pittman was held to a pedestrian 2. Not much help came from the receivers, either, as Keenan McCardell, David Boston, and Tony Gonzales combined for only 11 points. With the game possibly slipping away, Thomas' Eagles defense went to work. Matching a season-high effort with 17 points, the defensive unit put them in place for Wilkins' Monday Night heroics.

The win is the first playoff victory for the Bock Boys since their inaugural season of 2000, and it completes an impressive three-game sweep over the Profiteer$ this season. Their reward for a hard-fought win: a rematch of last year's Championship Week game with the top-seeded Jody's Colossal Waste of Time. P.W.O.P., who had snapped a four-game losing streak just last week, is going home following a Wild Card loss for the second consecutive year.

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The Anderson Brewmeisters overcame a historic day from Clinton Portis to clip the Naughty Figs in Draft Bowl VII, 36-35. Portis scored an FLF-record 28 points against the Brewskies, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Naughties from tying the league mark in season futility at 3-11.

The Brewmeisters, who landed in the Draft Bowl following two straight losses to close the season, put together a strong effort behind LaDainian Tomlinson's 17 point-day. Placekicker Mike Vanderjagt finished off his perfect season with five more field goals for 17 points, and Peyton Manning and Brian Westbrook tossed in 6 more apiece. Perhaps most impressively, Anderson's battered Vikings defense showed up in a big way, besting a stellar effort from the Figs' Bills squad, 20-17.

Faced with a mounting deficit, the Figs roared back into contention behind Fred Taylor's 11 points and Portis' 28. Joe Horn brought in 6, but the other four starters combined for only four additional points. Despite this lack of production outside of the backfield, the Figs went into Monday Night with a one-point lead. Brewmeister Torry Holt made it interesting in prime time, catching for only 31 yards and a season-low 2 points, but it was just enough for Anderson to steal the win.

With their first Draft Bowl victory, the Anderson Brewmeisters finish the season at 7-7 and have secured the rights to the first-overall draft pick in next year's draft. The Figs, meanwhile, close out a forgettable campaign in the same way they began it -- losing by a single point.

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