1956 Playoffs: Division Finals

West Division Final: St Louis Stallions @ Cincinnati Rivermen
The Stallions had not only achieved making the playoffs in their first season, but in their first playoff game they managed to take down the Hogs in somewhat convincing fashion. Their next obstacle might be an even more daunting task, now having to face the new power in the West in Cincinnati. The Rivermen were eager to defend their title, and winning against the upstart Stallions will guarantee they plan another game at home for the championship. The grounds crew had cleared some snow that had fallen in the earlier hours of the day, leaving the field conditions less than ideal at kickoff.

Q1
The Stallions would win the coin toss and choose to get a head start against one of the best teams in the league. They relied on RB Kevin Knox to inch his way down field, which was easier said than done. St Louis QB O.J. DeMille had to step in to bail out his team, hitting WR Anthony Wheatland for a solid first down and finding TE Scott Lutz for another decent gain. Knox tried his best to break through the Rivermen front seven, but ultimately was stopped just after midfield. K Kevin Finch just barely put it over the crossbar to take the 3-0 lead early. Cincinnati got their offense off to a decent start, with RB’s Perry Ferguson and Billy Garcia trading handoffs to gain a pair of first downs. On their third set of sticks, QB Lester Parker didn’t hesitate throwing a ball down the sideline, where WR Jim Ferris outpaced St Louis DB Kevin Prince for the catch and ran 46 yards untouched for the touchdown. The Stallions would get some distance on their ensuing drive, managing to grind through the Rivermen defense for a few new sets of downs. After an incomplete pass on first down, RB Kevin Knox took the handoff up the middle, only for the ball to be punched out by DL J.J. Worthington, and fellow Rivermen DL Dave Patricia fell on top of it for the turnover. A solid pass from Parker to WR Alfred Dunn took Cincinnati a majority of the way to the endzone, and RB Billy Garcia found a gap to the outside that he went through for a 21 yard score to cap off the short drive. The Stallions would get only another first down before having to punt before the end of the quarter.
CIN 14, STL 3

Q2
The second quarter would be a sloppy affair from both sides. QB Lester Parker would make a rare mistake, misreading the route WR Alfred Dunn was taking and throwing the ball directly into the arms of DB Tom Wolf for the interception. The Stallions stalled out on that drive, and were forced to punt after almost making it past their own 40. On the other hand, St Louis’ defense that was acting like a revolving door for most of the first quarter managed to stop the Rivermen again, forcing Cincinnati’s first three-and-out series of the game. The Stallions would not make well off of that situation, with RB Daniel Wall taking a handoff to the outside, but when he tried to switch the ball from one hand to another the ball came loose. Cincinnati DB Adrian Barboza was able to put his body on the ball and would give the Rivermen another chance to score off of a turnover. They would march their way downfield, and the Stallions defense was unable to stop the two-man rushing attack of Ferguson and Garcia, at least until the Cincinnati 10 yard line. The Rivermen tried running it up the gut twice but got nowhere due to the Stallions stacking the box, and Parker was forced out of the pocket and tackled in the backfield by LB Isaac Bullock storming through the offensive line. Cincinnati K Bryan Singer came out and easily nailed the 11 yarder. St Louis QB O.J. DeMille tried to work some magic but was unable to come out with anything, trying to heave a deep pass downfield on the last play of the half that was instead intercepted by S Jackson Jones.
CIN 17, STL 3

Q3
Cincinnati could not get back to the momentum they had in the first quarter, moving the chains only once on the first drive of the second half. The Stallions got to work with QB O.J. DeMille finally moved the ball as he had been during the regular season, continuing his connection between himself and WR Anthony Wheatland for a pair of receptions on the drive. After his two fumbles in the first half, lead rushing duties were handed over to rookie RB Andrew Outlaw, and make quick work proving why he deserved that spot. His speed must have been catching the Rivermen defense sleeping, breaking loose for a 27 yard rush that took them into Cincinnati territory, and then just a play later he would find another opening to the endzone for a 21 yard score. The Rivermen knew they couldn’t coast the rest of the game, since now the Stallions looked hot and could overtake them at any point. The Rivs took it slow, riding the hot hand of RB Billy Garcia for bits and pieces of yardage. Their pace was a little too slow, quite literally running out of steam while taking out a good chunk of clock. St Louis was now pinned at their goal line thanks to an excellent punt from the Rivermen, and made their way out of that jam entering the final quarter.
CIN 17, STL 10

Q4
Now not backed up into his own endzone, QB O.J. DeMille had some breathing room to throw the ball, throwing across the middle to WR Lester Foster, who ran just over midfield for a 34 yard gain to give the Stallions the momentum they might need to score. DeMille hit Foster on the next play for another decent gain, and made the Rivermen start to sweat. Their defense settled in after getting taken off guard, stopping the run game as soon as it began and gave the Stallions a swift three and out before their drive could really get going. K Kevin Finch put a little more power behind this kick, sending it through the uprights with ease and cutting the deficit to 4. Cincinnati would not take long to respond, as on the second play of the drive QB Lester Parker threw a short pass to WR Alfred Dunn on what would be a fairly routine play. Dunn outmaneuvered DB Tom Wolf, and found himself with an empty field ahead of him, walking in untouched for a 67 yard score. The home crowd erupted when Dunn broke free, and left the Stallions rightfully rattled to begin a comeback late into the game. QB O.J. DeMille managed to hit both WR Anthony Wheatland and TE Scott Lutz for a few yards and a new set of downs apiece, but that quickly turned to third and short. DeMille handed the ball off to RB Daniel Wall, but Wall botched the handoff and neither could land on top of it. The player that did land on top of it was DL J.J. Worthington, all but sealing the game for the Rivermen. Cincinnati ran down the remaining time in the game, ending the Stallions’ run to a championship and guaranteeing a chance to defend their title at home the following week.
CIN 24, STL 13

 

East Division Final: Boston Dragons @ Washington Federals
There was a light sprinkling of rain before the game even started, and it continued to mist as the game kicked off. Despite the rough field conditions, the Federals were determined to make it back to the championship game for a potential rematch against their new rival Cincinnati. Boston are eager to prove that they are championship worthy, one year removed from a forgettable inaugural year that had them pegged as title contenders. The gritty playstyle of Boston directly clashes with the flashy play of Washington, so it will either be a domination by the hands of Washington or a close game depending on which team gets the upper hand first.

Q1
Though they had already played twice this year, Washington seemed unable to crack the Boston defense. QB Johnnie Sellers nearly threw an interception on the first play of the game, and failed to establish a run game with RB Rip Rooney. They punted the ball away after a disappointing three-and-out, but P Alfred Smith made the home crowd cheer by pinning the ball at the one-inch line. The Dragons attempted to get out of the situation by running it to the outside with RB Pete Abbott, but their plan was quickly snuffed out by DL Daley Norris, tackling him in the endzone for a safety. Washington would get right to work after receiving the kickoff, with QB Johnnie Sellers hitting WR Darius Sanderson for a 34 yard reception on the first play of the drive. The Federals would continue walking through the Dragons’ defense, with RB Rob Golden ending the drive on a 7 yard dash to the outside. Boston was struggling to get anything going after that safety, only barely getting their first new set of chains after RB Pete Abbott extended himself over the line. They would punt it away just three plays later. Washington continued slicing and dicing through Boston, but the drive stalled out after two straight incompletions forced a third and 10. They gave the ball to Rooney just to gain a few extra yards, but he was stopped just short of the kicking range and the Federals punted it away. Boston QB Sam Eagleburger showed a brief glimpse at why he was the best player in the ASPFL just a year ago, and threw a perfect dot to WR Lloyd Lawson for their first big play of the day. The Federals would clamp down after that shock play, but the Dragons would keep grinding out yardage until they were no longer able to, allowing K Dan Rasmussen to kick an easy field goal from 18 yards out.
WAS 9, BOS 3

Q2
Washington’s offense continued to move through the Dragons, as they were not able to stop their rushing attack. The Federals alternated handing the ball off to either Rooney or Golden pretty much until they reached the endzone, this time Rooney leaping his way over the offensive line for the 1 yard score to take the two possession lead. Eagleburger was called on to try and get the offense moving, but with the Federals locking down his top target in Lawson he struggled to make any sort of progress. Boston punted it away after a quick five play drive. The Federals were right back at it, flawlessly driving downfield with little resistance. They would get within the 30 when disaster struck, as rookie RB Rob Golden was whalloped by LB Bob Jessup and could not keep the ball in his possession. The Dragons were at the bottom of the pile and avoided going down by even more. On the next play, Eagleburger handed the ball off to RB Pete Abbott, who made it through the front seven before nimbly evading the Washington backfield, tip-toeing around a last-ditch attempt by the secondary to take him down and waltzed his way to a 75-yard touchdown. After the extra point was good, Boston was right back in the game after looking dead for an entire half. Both teams struggled to get any traction, and anticlimactically traded punts as the first half wound down.
WAS 16, BOS 10

Q3
The second half would not get off to a great start from either team. Boston would make their first mistake besides not being able to move the ball, as QB Sam Eagleburger made the wrong read of his receivers, throwing it directly to DB Alan Small for the interception. The Federals would not get very far off of that mistake, with RB Rodney Taylor getting wrapped up at the line of scrimmage by DL Ralph Stark, who managed to knock the ball loose before Taylor hit the ground. The Dragons fell on the ball, and avoided a potential game-altering mistake. Washington was not happy losing an opportunity like that, and forced a three-and-out out of Boston, getting the ball back without any major setbacks. Their drive would be an efficient one, as Sellers moved the ball between his backs and his receivers to slice through Boston, and hit WR Joseph Atkins on a perfectly placed pass for the 21-yard score. Boston could not get anything moving in the third, punting on three consecutive drives while Washington moved the ball a bit but was stopped before anything could be done.
WAS 23, BOS 10

Q4
The beginning of the fourth quarter was a slog, with both teams trading another series of punts as the game began to bore fans. That boredom was quickly solved by Boston, who sustained a drive for the first time since the beginning of the game, much to the chagrin of the homestand. QB Sam Eagleburger worked the Washington secondary, utilizing his other targets to keep them guessing while allowing RB Pete Abbott to succeed in the short yard situations. The Dragons made it down to the Federals’ ten yard line, where Eagleburger threw it up where only WR Lloyd Lawson could reach. Lawson caught the ball mid-air, and put both his feet inbounds before DB Johnathan Moon could knock him out. Boston needed just another touchdown to tie the game, but it was Washington’s goal to never give them the ball back. The Dragons could not stop RB Rip Rooney, who slowly but surely ate up the clock while inching his way downfield. The Federals took away all but a few minutes of clock before they were finally stopped at the opposing 21 yard line. K Eugene Hickman kicked a chip shot to put the game out of reach for Boston. The Dragons had one final attempt to get into the endzone, but ran out of time before they could reach it. Washington would make it to the championship for the second straight year in a row, and would face their greatest rival once again.
WAS 26, BOS 17

 

Seventh American Football Championship Game: (E1) Washington Federals @ (W1) Cincinnati Rivermen
1956 H2H: Did Not Play
Historic H2H: 6-4 CIN
Playoff H2H: 1-0 CIN

When the AFL first came together, the Cincinnati Rivermen and the then-Columbus Buckeyes were barely considered rivals. The Rivermen were emerging as potential title contenders, but were blocked twice from participating in close games against the Federals. Now in separate divisions, this will be the second year in a row these two faced each other in the playoffs and both times will be in the title game. Last year’s title game ended in controversy, where a Rivermen fumble was not called and ticked off the home Washington crowd. Now that the location has shifted to Cincinnati, the home fans will get their chance to pester the rival crowd. These two teams are pretty much the same as they were the year before, so it will be a matter of which team will ride the momentum from the game before. Cincinnati played slightly better in their playoff game and has the home crowd behind them, and that may be enough to get ahead in what should be a close game.
My Pick: Cincinnati