Another week of USFL action is in the books. One team stayed undefeated. Another failed to log its first win. And a two-quarterback system may have proved it belongs in professional football! That’s just one of several key takeaways from Week 4 of the new United States Football League, which saw all eight teams take the field in Birmingham.
After you check out the USFL standings and season schedule, as well as all the latest news on our USFL page, you’ll find a rundown here of all the Week 4 scores, plus major takeaways from the games:
Friday
Philadelphia Stars 26, Michigan Panthers 25
Saturday
New Jersey Generals 21, Pittsburgh Maulers 13
Birmingham Stallions 16, Tampa Bay Bandits 10
Sunday
New Orleans Breakers 23, Houston Gamblers 16
Stars stun Panthers in upset
The Philadelphia Stars-Michigan Panthers matchup had no business being so entertaining. We had the No. 1 defense facing off against a backup quarterback making his first start, and it felt like we were in for a slugfest. Instead, we got a wildly entertaining, 26-25 affair. A total of 31 points were scored in the second quarter, a total of six turnovers were committed, including a critical muffed punt late in the fourth quarter. There was also a very controversial catch call on the would-be game-winning drive, but Michael Carrizosa missed a 21-yard field goal at the buzzer. Backup quarterback Case Cookus out-dueled No. 1 overall pick Shea Patterson and led the Stars to their second win of the season. — Jordan Dajani
Generals ride two QBs to another win
The New Jersey Generals (3-1) established themselves as the favorites in the North division, using an impressive quarterback performance from QBs Luis Perez and D’Andre Johnson to beat the Pittsburgh Maulers. Their two-QB system of Perez and Johnson is working — even when Johnson is held to just 14 yards rushing on the ground, as he still went 9 of 10 for 98 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Pittsburgh. — Jeff Kerr
Stallions run the show with ‘D’
Birmingham remains the lone unbeaten team in the USFL, thanks to a dominant defensive performance in a victory over Tampa Bay. The Stallions defense may be the best unit in the USFL — home-field advantage or not. Birmingham held the Bandits to just 36 yards in the second half in Saturday’s 16-10 victory, as Scooby Wright led the way with six tackles and a sack. Wright was all over the field in the effort, while Brian Allen also had six tackles. The Stallions have allowed just 23 points over their last two games, as they are starting to find their stride midway through the year. Birmingham is the lone unbeaten team in the USFL for a reason, winning even when the Stallions offense failed to score 20 points in a game for the first time all year. — Jeff Kerr
Breakers bend but don’t break
The Stallions may own the USFL, leaving Week 4 with a perfect record and stingy defense, but the New Orleans Breakers are quietly surging in the South — even with an ugly outing against the 1-3 Gamblers on Sunday. You can’t expect to turn the ball over four times and win, especially against superior foes, but New Orleans stayed resilient throughout the final contest of Week 4, with former Vikings backup Kyle Sloter hitting Jonathan Adams for a 29-yard score in the game’s final two minutes. Defense and special teams were on point in the win, which confirms the Breakers as one of the top statistical teams in the league; through four games, only one team has scored more points than them (93), and only one has allowed fewer (58). — Cody Benjamin
