Alex Smith may not have been spectacular in relief of the struggling Manning, but he stepped it up when it counted, leading the Storm to a 4^th quarter comeback and a rematch with the rival Las Vegas Clowns in the White Conference Championship. Las Vegas has possibly their strongest team yet this year, which is a scary thing to say, and they will surely be looking for revenge for last year’s playoff exit at the hands of the Storm. As for the Black, the Sharks overcame lackluster performances from star QB Rodgers and their defense to claim their first playoff win since their 2003 championship season. Instead, they were led by a pair of free agents, Miles Austin and Fred Davis, and the recently acquired Thomas Jones, who have done wonders to turn around the Sharks’ season. Now New Orleans gears up to travel to Tampa to take on the division rival Terps. In fact, this year’s Conference Championship’s features two division rivalries, leaving the Eastern and Northern divisions completely out of the mix. Let’s take a look at the remaining playoff schedule:

MFL Playoffs:

Black Conference Championship: New Orleans Sharks (8-6) @ Tampa Bay Terrapins (9-4)

White Conference Championship: Golden State Storm (12-2) @ Las Vegas Clowns (12-1)

5^th Place Consolation Match: New York Rockets @ Springfield Isotopes

Run of the Mill Bowl: St. Louis Outlaws (7-7) @ Philadelphia Longhorns (7-7)

Consolation: Detroit Wolfpack @ Denver Mountain Katz

Toilet Bowl:

Round 2:

Green Bay Predators @ New England Thunderbirds

Houston Mustangs @ Washington Warlords

Consolation:

Columbus Dragons @ Seattle Slayers

Now for the wildcard playoff recap:

New Orleans Sharks @ New York Rockets: 75-45

New Orleans took an early lead behind another barreling performance from recently acquired Thomas Jones and never looked back. Jacobs added another touchdown on the ground, living up to his trash talking of the New York fans before the game. The best part was when he started chanting Washington back at the crowd (making fun of the Rockets for their embarrassing loss to the Warlords earlier this season, the worst team in the MFL this year). Fred Davis also continued his unsung role in the Sharks recent success being a beast in the red zone, catching two big touchdown passes. He now has 4 touchdowns in the last 3 weeks. New Orleans will need another big game from Davis this week if they hope to knock off the Terrapins in Tampa this week. The Rockets’ D sure put a fight, including returning one of Rodgers interceptions for a 70-yard touchdowns, and Mojo added a td in usual fashion, but they were unable to keep the game even close.

Golden State Storm @ Springfield Isotopes: 73-65

This rivalry just keeps growing, but for the 2^nd straight year, Golden State has knocked off the Isotopes in dramatic fashion. Perennial disappointment Alex Smith, only playing because Eli had been knocked out before the game by Springfield QB McNabb, led the Storm to a thrilling 4^th quarter comeback. Boldin then fumbled away any chance of a Springfield comeback. Ray Rice deserves most of the credit for Golden State though, as he hustled for 166 yards and a score on the ground plus an additional 53 through the air. Now the Storm need to get ready to take on the force that is the Las Vegas Clowns.

Denver Mountain Katz @ St. Louis Outlaws: 63-90

Philadelphia Longhorns @ Detroit Wolfpack: 60-54

Green Bay Predators (4-9) @ Seattle Slayers (4-9): 74-32

Houston Mustangs (4-9) @ Columbus Dragons (4-9): 72-19

Random Notes:

First, I want to apologize to the Terrapins for continually referring to them by their old moniker, the Piranhas. A playoff appearance and first-round bye have earned them the right to be referred to by their proper name.

On a completely unrelated note, I just thought this sign in the Warlords locker room was funny.

Also, in case you haven’t heard, ex-Denver receiver Chris Henry has been hospitalized for serious injuries sustained from falling out of the bed of a pickup truck being driven by his fiancée after some sort of domestic dispute. He is suffering from a lot more than just the public humiliation endured by Tiger after his similar ordeal though. Sports wives are really starting to put up a fight against their philandering spouses.