Fargo (-1) at Atlanta - After escaping Death Valley 's near miraculous comeback, the Sodbusters circled the wagons and punted the Stampede back to the stone age. QB Sherman looked every bit the second year player throwing two interceptions in the first half en route to a dismal 39.9 QBR but RB Holzer and the defense came up trumps. Familiarity with both of Boise City's quarterbacks , along with serious film study, led to a crazy 6 interceptions. An early deficit forced the Stampede to air it out and play right into the Sodbusters' comprehensive game plan.

Atlanta's fans went through the wringer last week. The Firebirds were thoroughly outplayed in the first half and had to overcome a 17 point deficit at the break and they actually did. Whatever HC Shillingford gave the team during halftime had CB Traxler and WR Bunten playing out of their minds and got the whole team back on their feet. They played a nearly perfect half to complete the comeback and that's really all that can be said. Props to them.

This game is a tough one to handicap. On the one hand, Atlanta is a well balanced team with solid talent on both sides of the ball. CB Traxler and the ATL secondary have decent individual matchups against WRs Fence and Crabtree, holding each to 12 and 36 yards respectively in their week 5 meeting while FAR's back end let WR Shelton torch them for 172 yards on 13 receptions without WR Reis around to draw the double team.

But... Fargo is the more consistent, experienced, and well coached team and the betting sharps agree. I would have expected Atlanta to be laying points with as many tickets as there are on the home team but the line has moved the other way. So, sure, I think the Sodbusters will get QB Sherman back on track and make the adjustments on the defensive end to lock the Firebirds down. FAR to face DUR in the championship after taking ATL down: 36-30.

Durham at St. Louis (-4) - Wow, what a performance from Durham this week. An emphatic debasement of Kansas City's air raid offense sees them through to their first conference finals since 2061 and arguably in better shape to fetch QB Ortiz's first ring. The 27 year old is hitting career peaks in his seventh year in the league with an even higher level in the postseason. The eyewatering efficiency is terrifying: 521 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs on a 73.6% completion rate through the air and 15 carries for 101 yards and 1 TD on the ground. He's been hit a few times but to little effect.

QB Ortiz's performance is already crazy but it's a full team effort as each player is making big time contributions on the field. DE Flowers and the defensive front piled the pressure on quick and fast. The secondary was so locked in to what KCY likes to do that QB Grueneich turned in one of his worst postseason statlines (the worst was in 2061, also against DUR). This could be the last time we see him on the field after 16 seasons but the unceremonious ending for the two time MVP is a testament to how good the Bulldogs are right now.

The Silverbacks did well to come away with a win last week. Detroit started hot but frustrations mounted as yellow flags littered the field. Lack of discipline and focus down the stretch led to a tough loss. To STL's credit, defensive adjustments made at the half held the Vampires to just 73 yards after the break and veteran linemen were able to sell enough ticky tack fouls to disrupt DET's drives. QB Joyner and RB Rogers did well to stick to their game plan and won out in the end. It wasn't their best effort but they get to move on.

This betting line confuses me. Durham has been the better team over the recent weeks and beat STL soundly in week 15. I have not seen anything out of the Silverbacks to make me think they should be favored in this highly anticipated rematch but they absolutely must pound the ball with RB Perkins and keep DUR's specialized pass rushers off the field. I don't fully understand why the man has fewer than 100 touches in 2064 but he has to have 15+ this week. Even so, I like the Bulldogs here catching the points and predict their win: 27-21.