Week 6 of the 2024 NPIFL season saw the Metro and Plas Coch divisions face off. There was a lot of talk about the Plas Coch looking stronger over the opening phases of the season and in Week 6, it went 4-2 over the Metro across six games.
In those matches, we saw the Brymbo Originals finally get in the win column, seven teams enter playoff contention (two of which are in the 3-3 bubble), and three teams nearing rude awakenings from their Super Bowl dreams.
Before we begin, Nathan’s Pix saw the O’s HC go 3-3, bringing his season totals to 15-21. Meanwhile, the Best Bench of the Week saw some much healthier numbers than normal, but this was largely due to the number of bye weeks and injuries. The Rams got an NPIFL record of 0.00 points from no eligible players, while the WWC took home the coveted award for the second straight week with 47.84 points.
Let’s take a look around the NPIFL:
NPIFL Week 6 Roundup
You are in Chubble (5-1) 103.12 – 89.58 Santos XI (4-2)
We start the roundup with the NPIFL’s ‘Biggest Game of the Week,’ which pitted two 4-1 teams against each other. Perhaps the occasion got to the players, as this was surprisingly the lowest-scoring matchup of Week 6.
YAIC have been reaping a harvest of points from Ravens duo Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, and these two were the difference-makers for the team again. Terry McLaurin put in a very good performance, going for 2 TDs and 20.30 points, and on a day where Chubble struggled to put up points, Henry (25.20 [9 total TDs in 2024]) and Jackson (21.92) again combined for nearly 50 points.
This was enough to get past a Santos team that saw some disappointing performances, with only CeeDee Lamb (12.60), David Montgomery (20.50 [2 TDs]) and DB Paulson Adebo (15) really getting going.
XI HC Chris Faulkner told NFLFQS:
“I’m not worried. We were a couple of DJ yards away from a big win. We lost to the team who look most likely to win the whole competition.”
Bubbly Chubble coach Oliver Bailey spoke to NFLFantasyQs via a phone call on Wednesday:
“A wonderful climax to a close encounter, I have to say it was closer than I anticipated, Pickens didn’t really pick up the pieces, but a lucky bad day in the office for Geno Smith helped secure victory.
“We can taste the trophy, everyone is in chubble now, EVERYONE! You’re next Aminul, Oooooooh I’m gonna be Pickens my win out my teeth.
Chubble face the Pats in Week 7, a team with a reputation for taking down high-flyers, while the XI face a Brymbo O’s team fighting tooth and nail to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
Love Train (3-3) 155.30 – 118.86 Lloyds Leviathans (2-4)
After that tense exchange, it’s now time for the ‘Best Game of the Week,’ which saw the Love Train and Leviathans both come out swinging. Both teams were putting up big points in the early window on Sunday, but eventually, the Love Train started to benefit from the value-trading.
The Leviathans’ ‘Screamin’ Eagle’ was finally back on the field, and Jalen Hurts (23.06) and A.J. Brown (20.60) combined for a TD and 116 yards. 2 TDs from George Kittle (20.30) gave Lloyds fans hope, but a succession of disappointments from Darnell Mooney and Amari Cooper saw them unable to keep up with the runaway Love Train.
Najee Harris saw his first TD of the season (19.20) serve as a consolation score, but with points being a tie-breaker, it could be crucial.
On the other side of the ball, the Love Train put on an offensive clinic, with eight players breaking 10 points. There was almost too much to talk about, as QB Justin Fields (22.90) got another 2 rushing TDs, Breece Hall (19.40) totaled 169 scrimmage yards and Bucky Irving (18.50) got 105 scrimmage yards and in the endzone.
Combine that with Deebo Samuel’s 117 total yards and TD, 134 yards from Zay Flowers (17.9) 11 points from TE Brock Bowers, 16 from kicker Chris Boswell and 12 from the Texans’ D and the Love Train was the team of the week.
TLT HC Damen Griffiths was perhaps not in the most magnanimous mood after the game:
“A brilliant week for the team, and hopefully one we can use to build some consistency and momentum. A word for the leviathans, who looked like putting up a fight but resembled more of a beached whale by Monday night… As always though, we prefer to look forward rather than back.
“There’s only one way we know how to keep this train plowing through this league and that’s with a great rushing attack… if someone could remind Jordan of that we might actually have a close game this week?“
The Love Train will look to keep their momentum going when they collide with the increasingly desperate Tyreek or Treat, while the Leviathans travel southwest and hope to weather the Brymbo Storm.
Brymbo Originals (1-5) 125.12 – 102.46 WWC (2-4)
The Brymbo Originals and WWC faced off in the “Most Desperate Game of the Week,’ with the O’s winless and WWC trying to snap a two-game losing streak. The WWC had a largely frustrating day on offense, with QB Kyler Murray (11.66) apparently struggling with the annual Call of Duty release (yes, this is a real thing) and the team dipping after a huge NFL London performance from Cole Kmet (21.50 [2 TDs, 70 yards]).
Drake London put in another good day, going for 16.4 points, while Tank Dell (15.20) seems ready to fill in nicely for Nico Collins at the Texans. Other than that, only Chuba Hubbard broke 10 points (12.80), and there were simply too many passengers on the day.
Meanwhile, the Originals experienced a euphoric mix of hope and relief getting their first win of the season after a nightmare start. The O’s looked good and were playing real rock n’ roll football, apart from QB Dak Prescott, who came away with an incredible 3.22 points, an NPIFL record low for QBs who didn’t come off injured.
Josh Jacobs (10.50) is still in search of a TD but his volume meant another solid day. Kenneth Walker the third got into the endzone and recorded 16.90 points, while the receiving corps (Tee Higgins [11.20], Garrett Wilson [20.70]) and Bucs defense (17.00) put the WWC down.
HC Nathan Adams spoke to NFLFantasyQs on Wednesday:
“Well obviously we needed a win and although Dak is a little b*tch we didn’t need him. Also, my thoughts go out to Wardie because I rate him as a manager but I needed a win.”
WWC coach Chris Ward shared his thoughts:
“So… I followed up beating the 4-0 team with a defeat to the 0-5 team. We continue to be consistently inconsistent.”
The O’s look to keep winning in what looks like a close game vs. Santos XI in Week 7, while the WWC faces another desperate team in the ERS.
SW 49ers (5-1) 112.40 – 112.18 Tyreek or Treat (1-5)
We now come to the ‘Closest Game of the Week,’ where the SW 49ers squeezed past Tyreek or Treat on Monday night by 0.22 points (a league record in the statistical era). The Treat were beyond close to winning this one and came out on top after a lengthy exchange of blows on Sunday evening.
San Wrexham saw a great display from RB Joe Mixon (16.20) on his return from a hip-drop tackle injury, while Amon-Ra St. Brown escaped with 11.70 points via a TD in Detroit’s rout of the Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers were kept in the game by 11 points from kicker Brandon Aubrey and 16.30 from “Touchdown Tony” Pollard, while they awaited Josh Allen in the night window witching hour.
Meanwhile, ToT saw an injury to Travis Etienne cut his day short on -0.10 points, which was decisive here. On a weekend where C.J. Stroud (20.28), Jayden Reed (11.80) and the Steelers D (11.00) complimented a mammoth day from Chris Godwin, the Treat were so close to getting the win. Godwin came away with 30 points from 11 receptions for 125 yards and 2 TDs in one of the season’s best performances.
Needing 24.19 points from Josh Allen to win, the ToT faithful were stunned by his 24.40 points. This win pushed SW to 5-1, while ToT fell to a reverse record of 1-5. 49ers HC Chris Blockley told NFLFQS:
“Absolutely delighted to win by 0.22 points, fully deserved and amazing news that Davante Adams has joined the Jets and is roaring to go, I am also looking forward to my match-up with Lewis.”
ERS (1-5) 114.82 – 138.36 St. Lewis Rams (5-1)
The ERS came into Week 6 looking to build on a huge win over the Brymbo O’s. However, after a solid outing, had the door slammed shut on them by the St. Lewis Rams. When an opponent puts up 138 points you’re normally in trouble, and the ERS simply couldn’t match the Rams’ output this week.
The ERS fanbase was stunned by a 47-yard TD run by Joe Burrow (19.82), a play so unexpected that it will likely be one of his career highlights. Meanwhile, 15.50 points from Alexander Mattison and 16.20 from Jameson Williams were the highlights on a day where multiple players flirted with big scores but were TDs away from paydirt.
On the other side of the ball, the Rams were led by another big day from QB Jayden Daniels (20.96) and benefited from a career-best day from Falcons RB2 Travis Allgeier (19.30). St. Lewis pulled big points from the unlikeliest places, and aside from Allgeier, the Rams saw Romero Doubs return early from a team suspension for 2 TDs and 19.40 points.
Combine this with a touchdown performance from Diontae Johnson (16.80), as well as 13.60 points from Trey McBride and 14.50 from Tyler Lockett (season-high score) and St. Lewis came away with what originally looked like an unlikely victory.
ERS HC Dan Gittins was disheartened by the loss and the 1-5 start:
“Devastated. Left some good points on the bench… It’s tough when you have this good of a team to choose from… We keep trying… We keep guessing.”
As for Rams HC Lewis Done, he seemed to be unaware that a quote or a comment requires spoken or written word, and at first wanted to talk via IG reels on his phone. NFLFQS can assure you, it was not entirely appropriate for our humble chronicle. After some time, Done said:
“We went into the weekend missing seven players and Big Hutch broke his leg during the game, so it was a tough one for us against an in-form (could be infirm?) ERS. With the form Burrow has been in and the masterclass from head coach Dan in Week 5, it was easy to understand why we had been written off by so many.
“But these guys just know how to win. So that’s what we did. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the f*ckin’ difference between winning and losing! The wild ride continues for this plucky underdog.“
We shall see the “plucky underdog” face the 5-1 San Wrexham 49ers in Week 7, while the ERS try to pick themselves up against the WWC.
Brymbo Miners 90.70 (4-2) – 126.00 Old England Pats (3-3)
The Brymbo Miners finished Brymbo History Month (6 weeks due to extended research) with a slump worthy of the great town’s decline following the closure of the famous Steelworks. The Miners got off to a worrying start with an injury to RB Jordan Mason in the second quarter on Thursday, and this was followed by a flurry of injuries.
Malik Nabers was ruled out for a second week with a concussion, QB Anthony Richardson the same with an oblique issue, and Marvin Harrison Jr. had to exit the game vs. Green Bay in the first with a concussion. The Miners were effectively without four of their first five draft picks and missed 6 quarters of game time, so it was all around a very frustrating week for Brymbo.
HC John Maxwell was furious watching Kirk Cousins stand in for Richardson and hand TDs to his opposing RB in Bijan Robinson, who came away with a season (and career) best performance of 105 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs for 24.00 points.
Maxwell tore up his notes late in the game when the Falcons’ defense elected to not score a pick-six, kneeling near the endzone instead. On the plus side, the Miners saw two good performances, with Alvin Kamara putting in 14.90 points and J.K. Dobbins claiming a starting role with 17.20 points from a TD and 102 scrimmage yards.
There was certainly a lot to like about the Pats in Week 6, who ignored the antics on the Brymbo sidelines and put in a thoroughly professional job. We saw other season-bests, with QB Brock Purdy going for 24.10 and TE Sam LaPorta going for 11.70. Meanwhile, Stefon Diggs’ 16.70 and Dustin Hopkins’ 10 were enough to paper over a tough day for Mike Evans (4.40) lined up against Saints star, Marshon Lattimore.
With the win, Old England climbed up to .500 and showed that they are certainly not a team to underestimate. If they can start to get some momentum going, the Pats may be nigh impossible to stop.
Brymbo HC John Maxwell (no relation) spoke to NFLFantasyQs on Wednesday:
“A nightmare day for us. Everything that could go against us did, and while we were obviously very frustrated with how it went, we should have our best players finally back on the field against the Leviathans.
“We expect to be without Marvin for Week 7, but have every faith Christian Kirk or Javonte Williams will be able to step up and show they deserve to be considered as more than emergency options.”
Pats HC Aminul Hassan told NFLFQS:
“I did not expect to beat John Maxwell but it’s one of those weeks where my key offensive players showed up, even Purdy and LaPorta.”
The Miners, who have now reverted back to the Brymbo Storm, will face the Leviathans in Week 7, while the Pats take on high-flying YAIC.
NPIFL standings after Week 6
