Quarterly report:
Record: 1-3 overall record: 8-8
The Monarchs avoid an epic collapse to back into the playoffs as AFC South champs.
- The Monarchs begin the final stretch of the season licking their wounds from a poor showing in the week 12 loss to the Dildozers. London's fans are forgiving, as the largest crowd ever of 59,252 fills Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a showdown with the surging Arkansas Thrashers. The Thrashers start the game sloppy, as QB John Spartan's early interception leads to a short drive ending with TE Bernard Smith's third TD catch of the season. London QB Matthew Avila's second TD pass of the day goes to WR Dale Hale, and a 28 yard field goal pushes the Monarchs to a surprising 17-0 lead. However, the tide begins to turn late in the second quarter as Spartan finds Martin Riggs for a two yard TD pass shortly before halftime. Arkansas' pass rush amps up in the second half, as RDE Michael Cherrito causes absolute havoc. Cherrito records five of his six sacks after intermission. All five of Cherrito's second half sacks were allowed by former Arkansas teammate LT Allan Lawrence, leading some to speculate Lawrence may not have been putting forth his best effort. A 46 yard TD pass from Spartan to WR Muhammad Boudreaux late in the third quarter completes the Thrasher comeback to tie the game at 17. London's only sustained drive of the second half ends in disaster, as Avila is intercepted at the Arkansas one yard line by CB Nat Romanov early in the fourth quarter. London seems confused all afternoon, with little variety in the defensive playcalling. That fatal flaw is exploited by Spartan one final time, as he connects with WR Alan "Dutch" Schaefer for a wide open 27 yard TD with only fifty five seconds remaining, leaving London's stagnant offense with no chance for a miracle comeback in a 24-17 loss. Spartan ends the day with 353 yards passing and the three TDs, while the Monarchs can only muster 220 yards of total offense, thanks to 73 yards lost on eight total sacks.
- Former UCLA RB Archie Daniels must really hate cold weather. That's the only explanation for his horrible performance in week 14 at the Frozen Tundra SnowSharks. The 32 degree day starts off with a bang, as Matthew Avila tosses an 80 yard touchdown pass to WR William Ortiz on the very first play of the game. After SnowSharks kicker Rodney Lezama's 39 yard field goal cuts the lead to 7-3, things get ugly fast. Daniels fumbles on two of the next three possessions inside the London 25 yard line, giving Lezama more chip shot field goals. Daniels third fumble of the first half, which end up being his only three fumbles of the entire season, starts another Frozen Tundra drive inside the London 30 and leads to another Lezama field goal for 12-10 halftime lead. A touchdown pass from Marshall Williams to TE Earl Steel and Lezama's fifth and sixth field goals of the day build a comfortable lead, and even as Daniels tries to redeem himself with a 12 yard TD catch with 21 seconds left, it's not enough as the Monarchs fall again 25-18. London gets a taste of its own medicine, turning the ball over five times total while suffering their third straight defeat. The Snowsharks win pulls them within one game of the Monarchs in the AFC South standings with two games remaining, now owning the tiebreaker.
- A bus ride down the I-94 takes the Monarchs from Wisconsin to their week 15 matchup in Chicago with the Bears. Chicago surprises London defensive coordinator George Markowski again, with a strictly pass happy attack in the first half. Chicago QB George Wilson connects with TE Jamie Richeson from two yards out, and WR Norman Kirkland for a 71 yard bomb to quickly go up 14-0 in the first. London's attempt to turn the tide two plays into the second quarter ends in disaster, as Wilson evades a near safety and heaves a desperation throw to WR Charles Rice. Rice is able to break a tackle and zooms to the end zone for a 94 yard TD catch, putting the Bears ahead 21-0 and ending any reasonable chance the Monarchs had for a comeback. London's atrocious offensive line play continues, as they surrender eight total sacks on the day, three by WLB Dwayne Everett. QB Matthew Avila throws for 419 yards on a career high 63 pass attempts, many aimed at TE Bernard Smith who ends up with 12 receptions for 112 yards. The Monarchs finally get their safety in the fourth quarter, but it's not enough as they suffer their fourth straight loss 27-12. Coupled with the SnowSharks 31-6 thumping of the Broncos, the Monarchs suddenly finds themselves outside of the playoff picture as both teams sport unsightly 7-8 records heading into the season finale in London.
- The nervous energy in the stands and pubs around London is finally released, as the Monarchs cruise to the playoffs for the second straight season thanks to a surprisingly easy 31-9 win over the SnowSharks. Deciding that holding onto the ball is a good strategy this time around, an efficient passing attack leads the team to victory. WR William Ortiz notches two touchdowns on the day from 75 and 8 yards out, and rookie George Payne shows there's more than one talented TE on the roster with a 53 yard score. Matthew Avila ends up with 291 yards on just 14-19 passing with the three TDs. Avila proves he can be quite talented when he's not being buried under opposing defensive linemen, not suffering a single sack on the day.
The win over the SnowSharks gives the London franchise its first division title since 2025 in Indianapolis. While a disappointing 8-8 record is by far the worst of any of the playoff teams, one of those wins came over the Wilmington Argonauts, who the Monarchs defeated 27-13 at home in week one. London gets to host 11-5 Wilmington once again, after the Argonauts defeated the Monarchs 6-0 in the 2032 divisional round in Delaware on their way to the AFC Championship. The Argonauts enter the playoffs coming off a 38-17 thumping of the NFC South champ Shadow Dancers in week 16. With the teams heading in opposite directions, gamblers have Wilmington as one point road favorites returning to London to renew this budding rivalry.
