Monarchs players celebrate on the River Thames following their third straight Super Bowl victory.

History! The London Monarchs have achieved something that hasn't been seen in the Moguls football league in 30 years - three consecutive Super Bowl wins! London joins the Xtreme as the only teams ever to secure three straight championships (Super Bowls 1, 2 and 3), holding off the Seattle Spartans 28-24 in Super Bowl 33.

The contest was practically a home game for the Monarchs, held less than two hours away from London at Cardiff Stadium, home of the Caerdydd Dreigiau. The London faithful turned out in force, as 61,895 fans overran tiny Cardiff Stadium (capacity 50,000). However, the fans of the Blue and Gold had that faith shaken early in the game, as Monarchs QB Stan Gelbaugh was intercepted on just the second play from scrimmage by Spartans FS Michael Boss at the London 40. Two plays later, Seattle QB George Brewster tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass to WR Marty Allen, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead barely ninety seconds after kickoff in their first championship game appearance since winning Super Bowl 18 in 2034. Not to be shaken, the Monarchs regrouped to mount a ten-play, 75 yard drive, capped by a 1-yard TD run by RB Terrence Phillips to tie the game at 7 midway through the first quarter. The Monarchs regained the lead later in the first quarter on their next possession, as Gelbaugh connected with WR John H. Johnson on a 29-yard touchdown pass for a 14-7 advantage.

The Spartans refused to roll over, once again tying the score at 14 early in the second quarter thanks to Brewster's second touchdown pass of the game, a 1-yard toss to WR Tyler Legg. The back-and-forth nature of the game continued after that, as London scored a touchdown on their third straight possession, this time Gelbaugh finding TE Michael Titley for a 24-yard score to go back on top 21-14. After trading punts, the Monarchs put some more distance between themselves and the Spartans, notching their fourth lengthy possession of the first half with an eight play, 78 yard drive ending in a 37-yard TD pass from Gelbaugh to WR Phillip Robinson to move ahead 28-14. Robinson, acquired from the San Francisco Demons during the draft, recorded a stellar postseason recording TD catches in every game, and eclipsing his regular season receiving total in just three contests.

If Monarchs fans were expecting a repeat of their cruise to a championship like their Super Bowl 32 blowout win over the Barbarians, they were sadly mistaken. Seattle ground out their own lengthy scoring drive to open the second half, moving 75 yards in ten plays ending with a 1 yard touchdown run by rookie WR OG "Doc" Octavius, trimming London's lead to 28-21. The Spartans defense, appearing shaky in the first half, made major adjustments at intermission and limited London to just 59 yards of total offense on seven second half possessions. Seattle appeared poised to turn the tide of the game early in the fourth quarter, as CB Ronin Kane picked off Gelbaugh at the London 37, setting them up in prime field position. However, London's Tough Blokes defense was able to limit the Spartans to a 38-yard field goal by K Winford Ferraro, cutting the lead to 28-24.

Unable to drain much more time from the clock with their stagnant offense, London once again called on their defense to seal the victory. A punt pinned the Spartans at their own 13 yard line just before the two minute warning. The first play of the drive had Seattle moving in the wrong direction, as Brewster was sacked at their own 5 yard line. The man who recorded that sack? London's latest crunchtime legend - RDE Rick Kaspar. Kaspar, a disappointing free agent pickup from the Predators, did not register a single sack during the regular season but stepped up in the biggest game of his young career. Kaspar was pressed into duty due to a leg injury to starting RDE Kelly Jensen in the AFC Championship game, and his third sack of the game in the shadows of the Seattle goalposts had fans thinking the game was in the bag. However, Seattle QB Brewster came out of the two minute warning with the perfect play, hitting WR Allen for another big strike, with a 40 yard catch and run moving the Spartans out of danger to their own 45 yard line. Three more completions by Brewster marched the Spartans to London's 35 yard line with 1:43 left but no timeouts remaining, still plenty of time to derail the Monarchs' dreams of entering the record books with their third straight title. But as Brewster tried to scramble for a first down on 3rd and 1, RDE Kaspar tracked him down once again for his second sack of Seattle's desperation drive, and fourth of the game. That set up one final play on 4th and 5, where a name familiar to Spartans fans sealed their team's fate. FS Cash "Money" McManus was a second-round pick of Seattle in 2047, but surprisingly put on waivers after the 2048 preseason, where he was claimed by London. McManus made the most of the opportunity to show his former team the error of their ways, knocking down a pass intended for WR Danny Flynn, forcing a turnover on downs. From there, all that was left was three straight kneeldowns by London on their way to history as three-time defending Super Bowl champions!

Running through perhaps the toughest gauntlet yet of narrow victories over the Kayfabe, Tigers and Spartans to secure the title, the Monarchs closed out a strong decade for the AFC, winning seven titles in ten seasons. QB Stan Gelbaugh remains undefeated in seven career postseason starts, registering an efficient 19 of 28 passing effort for 250 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions without getting sacked, while WR Phillip Robinson's 4 catches for 124 yards and a TD and RDE Rick Kaspar's four sack game also merited game MVP consideration. After accomplishing something that only one team has ever achieved in three straight titles, aiming for the seemingly impossible task of four straight championships is the next target for the London Monarchs, but 31 other owners are aiming to wrestle the crown away from them. Stay tuned as a new decade begins for your three-time defending Super Bowl champions - the London Monarchs!


London QB Stan Gelbaugh. Two seasons. Two Super Bowl rings.

Surprise! The London Monarchs - otherwise known as the Los Angeles Rams of Football Moguls - will not have a first-round pick in 2051. London shipped their 2051 first-round pick along with a 2053 sixth to the Kleinmachnow OrangeCrush in exchange for SLB Alvin Downey, the number 3 overall pick in 2045. Downey, a tackle machine and pass defense specialist, will fill an immediate need for London, after starting WLB John Kinto was injured in the team's week 5 33-24 home loss to the Arkansas Thrashers. While Kinto is expected to miss only a few games, the Monarchs' traditionally strong linebacking corps was lacking depth, and Downey will slot in as the starting SLB upon Kinto's return. The speedy Downey recorded 14 tackles and a sack for Kleinmachnow in five starts this season, while allowing only one pass completion on the year.

London GM Nigel Worthington IV is no stranger to dealing high-round picks, as the three time defending Super Bowl champions have made only five first-round selections since 2040. While insiders predict a large turnover of London's aging roster next year, the 27-year-old Downey is still expected to continue playing at a high level for several more seasons. To make room on the roster following the trade, recently signed free agent CB Dustin Fraser was cut without ever appearing in a game for London.

Triple digits.

London WR Jon Horton became just the third player in Moguls league history to record 100 career regular-season touchdown receptions, reeling in the game-winning score in the Monarchs 20-13 win over the Kayfabe in week 12. Horton had five catches for 57 yards and his second score of the season, in an absolutely brutal performance by injured QB Stan Gelbaugh, who had five passes picked off in the contest.

Horton joins former Red Dragon/Snowsharks WR Ronald Aguilar (103 TDs) and OrangeCrush WR Jerry Jeudy (100), as the only players with at least one hundred scoring catches, and just the eighth player ever with 100 plus career touchdowns. Horton is also closing in on Jeudy for second place all-time in career receiving yardage (11,810 vs. 11,640), and it remains to be seen if he'll be able to hit that mark in London's inconsistent offense this season. Congratulations on the latest accomplishment by one of the titans in Moguls league history.

London Bridge has fallen down.

Street sweepers throughout London may be the only people celebrating today, as there will not be a fourth consecutive Super Bowl victory parade to clean up. The London Monarchs run of three straight world championships came to a disastrous end in the 2050 AFC Championship, where the team was annihilated 69-13 by their longtime arch rivals, the Brooklyn Tigers. Brooklyn, who famously knocked London out of the playoffs six times in seven seasons between 2039 and 2045, is in search of football immortality with their quest for the second perfect season in Football Moguls history - being the only team to accomplish that feat so far.

After the Monarchs beat the Tigers 20-19 in the 2049 AFC Championship in London, Brooklyn showed absolutely no mercy in the rematch at a nearly sold out Ebbets Field. Brooklyn took their first possession of the game and marched 88 yards down the field in thirteen plays, where former Monarchs QB Charles Puleri opened the scoring with a one yard toss to WR Troy Sullivan for a 7-0 lead. Brooklyn's second drive was nearly as impressive, moving 81 yards in six plays with Puleri's second touchdown pass of the opening quarter covering 38 yards to WR Alfred Pickard for a 14-0 lead after one period.

Puleri essentially iced the game barely more than a minute into the second quarter on the Tigers' third possession, with an 84 yard TD pass to Sullivan for a 21-0 lead. Brooklyn turned to the ground on their next two scores, a four yard touchdown run by WR Christopher Sowell and a 42 yard scamper by WR Tank Turner sandwiched around a measly London field goal, for a dominant 35-3 lead at halftime. The Tigers scored touchdowns on their first five possessions, and their sixth lengthy drive of the half was only stopped by an interception by London WLB Alvin Downey.

With Brooklyn's first Super Bowl trip since 2043 already secured at the break, the Tigers let their defense continue the humiliation in the second half. London's first possession of the second half lasted ninety seconds, as Brooklyn LDE Herbert Beverly sacked Monarchs QB Stan Gelbaugh at the London 17, causing a fumble returned by SS/WLB Charles Aguilar for a touchdown and a 42-3 lead. After trading field goals, the Monarchs had a brief moment to celebrate. Two plays after recovering a fumble by Tiger WR/FB Fred Biletnikoff at the Brooklyn 9, the Monarchs scored their only touchdown on the contest on a one yard TD pass from Gelbaugh to WR John H. Johnson to make the score 45-13. However, whatever moral victory that might have been was immediately extinguished, as Tiger WR Jett Black returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown - London's third straight playoff game giving up a kick return touchdown - for a 52-13 lead.

With the game long ago decided, Brooklyn continued to show why they are unquestionably one of the most dominant teams in the league in the fourth quarter. After another field goal pushed the lead to 55-13, Brooklyn's CB/SS Jack Corbitt intercepted a Gelbaugh pass at the London 17 yard line and returned it for the Tigers' second defensive score of the half, making the score 62-13. But just when London fans thought the humiliation couldn't possibly get any worse - it could. While Brooklyn coaches were probably content just to run out the clock at the two minute warning, Biletnikoff made up for his earlier fumble by breaking off an 84 yard touchdown run for the final points in Brooklyn's dominating 69-13 victory.

Rumors that London defensive coordinator Larry Harrison would be immediately fired were quickly shot down by management, but there's no explanation how the Monarchs 4th ranked defense that gave up just 231.7 yards per game in the regular season would surrender an astonishing 656 yards in the loss to Brooklyn. Charles Puleri finally exacted his revenge on the team that let him go in 2047 with a nearly flawless passing performance of 30/36 attempts for 406 yards and three touchdowns and one interception. WRs Troy Sullivan and Alfred Pickard were the main beneficiaries, posting 7-180-2 and 6-124-1 receiving lines respectively. Brooklyn's ground game was just as impressive, as WR Tank Turner ran for 126 yards and a score, as well as Belitnikoff with 108 yards and the long touchdown run. The lone bright spot for London came thanks to the greatest Monarch of them all, WR Jon Horton. Horton returned from a knee injury suffered in the 34-16 wild card win over the Invaders to show what a gaping hole there will be in London's offense with his expected retirement this offseason. The 37 year old Horton finished with six catches for 132 yards in what is almost certainly his final game in a London uniform, while no other receiver could muster more than 37 yards against Brooklyn's stifling defense. Hat tip to Brooklyn owner Duane_Bickett, who pointed out Horton is now the leading receiver in Moguls postseason history, with 139 catches for 2,030 yards and 8 postseason scores.

Speaking of scores, how many postseason scoring marks were set in the game? Plenty. Brooklyn's 69 points scored is tied for third most all time, still behind the 2036 AFC Championship game where the Dildozers bulldozed the Thrashers 73-14. The 56 point margin of victory was also the third most all time, behind only the Dildozers 59 point win vs. the Thrashers, and the XTreme's 58 point win over the Los Angeles Red Dragon by a final tally of 68-10 in Super Bowl 2. The game also marks arguably the worst loss in London franchise history. The 69 points were the most allowed since a 40-21 loss to the Demons in 2046 week 15, and by far the most ever surrendered by current management, surpassing a 48-17 loss to the Invaders in 2031 week 4, the first year of ownership. Amazingly, this AFC Championship humbling was NOT the worst blowout loss in team history, as a 70-6 loss to the Thrashers in 2029 week 6 under previous management remains the largest margin of defeat ever (64 points) and the most points ever given up in a single contest.

The run by the Tigers for a second perfect season will go up against a team seeking their first. Just like Brooklyn, the Battle Creek Barbarians will enter Super Bowl 34 with an unblemished 18-0 record following their third NFC Championship in four seasons in a much more competitive 23-12 win over the San Francisco Demons. The Moguls league is guaranteed to have its second undefeated team ever regardless of who wins. Of the fourteen total 16-0 teams in league history (including the Tigers and Barbarians this year), only seven have reached the Super Bowl. In four of the five previous occurrences, the undefeated team came up short of their ultimate goal by losing the title game - only Brooklyn's unblemished 19-0 season in 2043 stands as as the flawless team. Which team will cap their perfect season with a world championship decided at an undisclosed location remains to be seen.

Another chapter of Monarchs history is now closed, with the team's run of thirteen straight double digit win seasons and the longest active playoff streak in the league (13) still intact. With a number of aging veterans on the offensive line, receiving corps and defensive backfield all expected to retire or be allowed to depart via free agency, GM Nigel Worthington IV will look to reshape a roster that will look to put this humbling loss to Brooklyn far in the rearview mirror. Stay tuned for more news from the London Monarchs coming soon!

An era is over.

There will never be another player to wear #86 in a London Monarchs uniform, as immortal wide receiver Jon Horton has finally ended his legendary career. Horton retired at the end of the 2050 season, bringing an end to a career that spanned both the 4.5 and 4.6 eras and saw him haul in catches from three separate quarterbacks, and finish with three world championship rings.

A first round pick of the Monarchs in 2035, Horton had a solid start to his career with 96 catches and 14 touchdown catches in his first three seasons with QB Matthew Avila. However, his career truly started to flourish in 2038 when QB Preston Jones was named starter, and began a run of playoff appearances that is still active. The chemistry between receiver and QB was immediately evident, as Horton collected an astounding 542 catches for and 8,316 yards and 78 touchdown catches between 2038 and 2047, with only a slight dip in production in 2045 when current backup QB Nicholas Messing served as starter for a single season before Jones regained the starting job the following year. Horton's finest overall season matched the Monarchs' first Super Bowl championship in 2047, when he recorded career highs with 82 catches for 1,303 yards, along with 8 touchdowns (Horton's career high for touchdown catches was 12 in 2043). Horton continued to lead London as a receiver even as he entered the twilight of his career. In his age 35-37 seasons, Horton was still the top target for London's latest quarterback QB Stan Gelbaugh, averaging 68 catches for 756 yards and 3 touchdowns per campaign.

Horton ends his career with some of the greatest receiving stats in Moguls league history. Horton finished with 842 receptions, good for third most all time, along with 11,834 yards and 101 touchdown catches, both good for second ever (WR Ronald Aguilar Los Angeles Red Dragon/Frozen Tundra Snowsharks 2017-2025 12,860 yards and 103 touchdowns). Horton easily stands alone in career postseason receiving stats, with his 139 receptions and 2,030 yards both tops all time, and his eight postseason scores tied for sixth most all time in 32 playoff games. The Monarchs made the playoffs in fourteen of Horton's sixteen seasons, and crowned themselves kings of the league by winning Super Bowls 31, 32 and 33. The final memory of Horton's postseason run will be bittersweet, as he posted the fourth best playoff game in his career with 6 catches for 132 yards in the Monarchs 69-13 demolition at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Brooklyn Tigers in the 2050 AFC Championship game.

It will be impossible to replace Horton's production on the field, or fill his role as the identity of the Monarchs. With several veteran receivers still on the squad, head coach John Anderson will have to decide how to best set up the depth chart to keep London competitive. Pints of Guinness are being raised in pubs across the United Kingdom to celebrate the end of the road for the finest player ever to put on the Royal Blue and Gold - wide receiver Jon Horton.

Oh, and defensive line coach Clarence Weaver also retired at age 52 after just one season in London - annoying.

There were a few record-setting performances in the Monarchs' 36-0 shutout of the Denver Rocky Mountain Bronx in 2051 week 15. RB Terrence Phillips now holds the London franchise record for rushing touchdowns, as his sixty one yard scamper in the first quarter marked the 42nd rushing score of his career, breaking a tie with RB Obafemi Ayanbedejo (41 TDs - 2038-2046). Phillips, part of the Monarchs' "Thunder and Lightning" backfield with WR John H. Johnson, has eight rushing scores on the year (tied for fourth in the league), despite missing five games due to a leg injury earlier this season.

London's Tough Blokes defense spent the contest pounding Bronx QB Luke Aultman, recording eleven sacks on the day. While RDE David Cloutier's three sacks were tops of the four Monarchs with at least two takedowns in Denver, the most historic ones were by veteran LDE Tom Dovo. Dovo's two sacks gave him 152 in his legendary career, moving him into 7th place in league history, passing Shadow Dancers veteran LDE Kevin Scott (151). Dovo has recorded a career-high 17 sacks this season, along with 33 tackles and 12 hurries.

Belated congratulations are also in order for WR Toderick Malone, who moved into second place in the franchise record books for career touchdown receptions. Malone recorded three touchdowns against the Roswell Invaders in week 13, giving him 58 all-time to pass WR Johnathan Baucom (57 TDs 2017-2024), but still trailing franchise cornerstone WR Jon Horton's 101 career scoring catches. Malone is enjoying a late career resurgence in 2051, as the thirty one year old has notched career highs with 69 receptions and 1154 yards (third in the league), and tied his career high with eight TDs (2045 and 2046).

The 14-1 Monarchs head to New Mexico in week 16 for a rematch with the 11-4 Invaders to close out the regular season. Having already secured their sixth straight AFC South division title, London still has much riding on their final contest. The defending Super Bowl champion Brooklyn Tigers stand only one game behind London in the AFC standings, and derailed the Monarchs' dreams of a perfect season with a 34-3 blowout win in week 14. London Head Coach John Anderson knows the importance of home field advantage in the playoffs, especially with Brooklyn's dominance over the Monarchs at Ebbets Field. Avoiding a return trip to New York, and giving London's battered roster an extra week to recuperate, is a vital goal as the 2051 season nears an end. Stay tuned for more updates.

New Monarchs WR Wayne Conner is now the leading receiver in Moguls league history, setting a new mark of 12,896 yards in London's 33-6 season opening win over the Bay State Mariners at Wembley Stadium. The 31 year old receiver signed with London as a free agent before the 2053 season, after spending the first nine dominant years of his career with the Chicago Bears, notching career highs with 123 catches and 1944 yards in his final season in the Windy City along with 11 touchdowns. Conner caught all six of his targets from QB Stan Gelbaugh for 91 yards in the victory, surpassing the old mark of 12,860 yards set by league founding WR Ronald Aguilar (Los Angeles Red Dragon/Frozen Tundra Snowsharks 2017-2025).

With his exceptional route running and pass catching skills still intact, along with great break tackle and ball carry attributes, Conner figures to be a prime target in the London passing attack this season. Congratulations to Wayne Conner on the latest achievement in his legendary career.