Quarterly report:
Record: 2-2 overall record: 9-7
London finds some offense too late to return to the playoffs for the third straight season.
- In their best chance to get back in the division race, the Monarchs come out flat in a 23-9 loss at Roswell. After falling behind 6-0 on a pair of Brandon Shah field goals, the Invaders are in control the rest of the way. QB David Montoya finds TE John Denman for a 49 yard TD in the first quarter, and RB Elliott Ali in the second for 47 yards, and isn't seriously threatened the rest of the day. London can only muster 211 yards of offense as QB Matthew Avila is sacked seven times, five by eventual league sack champion CB Brian Barry. The win essentially sews up the AFC South title for Roswell, who sweep London on the year.
- London returns to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in week 14, and decide to put on a fireworks display for the fans in their home finale. The Monarchs dominate the hapless South Brisbane Raiders and cruise to a 48-20 victory. The offense is clicking on the day, scoring TDs on five of six first half possessions. Avila tosses four first half touchdowns, including scores of 6 and 66 yards by RB Archie Daniels. Daniels adds a three yard TD plunge in the fourth quarter, finishing the day with 184 total yards and three scores. The Tough Blokes defense picks off Raider QB Quinton Muncy four times, including a pair by CB Frank Ball, to improve to 8-6 on the season.
- The Monarchs travel to Wisconsin for a rematch with the SnowSharks in week 15, and keep the offense rolling in a 36-6 win. London is able to move the ball at will all day, finishing with an astounding 599 yards of total offense. The offensive outburst is possibly the strongest in franchise history, topping the total of 597 yards in a 50-23 win by the former Indianapolis Colts over the Los Angeles Red Dragon in 2019 week 4. Matthew Avila continues his strong second half performance, tallying three more TD passes and 376 yards passing. Avila finds WR Seth Rollins for a 70 yard score in the first quarter, and gets the youngsters involved in the mix with a 13 yard toss to WR William Ortiz in the second quarter and a 25 yard strike to TE George Payne in the third. The Monarchs run game shows how dominant it can be, finishing with 234 yards rushing, 125 by Archie Daniels and 83 by RB Alvin Dillon, who breaks a tackle and scampers for a 48 yard TD, London's longest run of the season. However, watching the scoreboard brings heartbreak, as Roswell's 17-0 win over the South Brisbane Raiders officially eliminates the Monarchs from playoff contention.
- With nothing to play for but pride in week 16, London travels to Los Angeles to face off against the Xtreme. Any dreams of being a spoiler and keeping the Xtreme out of the playoffs are quickly extinguished, as LA rolls to a 38-6 win. Los Angeles holds the ball for more than 38 minutes, and converting short third downs keeps the offense moving all afternoon. RB William Holmes controls the game for LA, rushing for 131 yards and two scores, while adding 52 yards on six catches. MVP candidate QB Ernest Williams has a quiet day finishing with just 182 yards passing, but tosses three TDs, including a pair of short scores to WR William Burch. Reports that former Xtreme QB Matthew Avila was seen returning to some of his favorite LA nightclubs could not be substantiated, but there is no other plausible explanation for his atrocious performance in the season finale. After two strong games in a row, Avila throws a pair of interceptions, loses a fumble, and is sacked three times. Misfiring badly all game, Avila completes less than fifty percent of his passes, and finishes with only 80 net yards passing in an embarrassing return to the city he spent the first five years of his career.
With a record of 1-6 against playoff teams, the London coaches will have to examine their gameplanning to take the next step into the upper tier of Moguls championship contenders. Pass protection continues to be the Achilles' Heel on offense, as the slowfooted Avila once again lead the league in getting sacked by a wide margin. The quarterback was dropped 49 times on the year - embarrassingly that was actually an improvement over the 54 sacks he suffered in 2033. Avila's Jekyll and Hyde performance continues to frustrate London fans, as he has four 300+ yard passing games in 2034, as well as six games with less than 175 yards passing. With RB Archie Daniels missing seven games on the year due to injury, management will look to improve the team's overall offense to be a week in week out squad in 2035.
Team MVPs:
Offense: RB Alvin Dillon 639 yards rushing 4 TDs 36 catches 364 yards 4 TDs
Defense: SLB Mark Weesner 74 tackles 3 sacks 2 QB pressures 15 passes defended
Last edited at 5/21/2021 9:01 pm
