1958 Playoffs: Division Semi-Finals

East Division Semi-Final: Washington Federals @ Philadelphia Rattlesnakes
Philadelphia would be hosting its first postseason game in over 20 years as they welcomed its biggest competition in the Washington Federals. It was a mild December evening, perfect for a game that could determine which way momentum swings in the East for the next few years to come. The Federals needed to go through the playoffs the hard way if they wanted to reclaim a title. The Rattlesnakes represent a new wave of teams ready to take down the current teams on top and change how things are played in the AFL.

Q1
The Rattlesnakes would receive the opening kickoff after Washington won the coin toss. They immediately got off to a great start, as RB Mickey Greene opened the game with a 23 yard rush that got the home crowd roaring. Philly would not be able to improve upon that first play as they went three and out on the next set of downs. Washington’s first chance would be about equally as exciting, getting a first down on a third and long but having to punt a few plays later after three straight passes from QB Johnnie Sellers landed incomplete. They would normally be adding RB Rip Rooney into the mix on their offense, but he had been suffering from a recurring leg injury in the weeks leading up to this game and they wanted to play it safe regarding their power back. The Rattlesnakes seemed like they got something going, but that momentum immediately died when QB Raymond Oram completely misjudged the route WR James Redd was running and threw it directly to S Josh von Bank for the interception. von Bank’s big return set up the Federals in perfect field position, but a failed run up the gut from Rooney and two more incomplete passes forced K Lawrence Singer for the field goal. The kick, however, sailed way to the right and the game remained tied through the first quarter.
PHI 0, WAS 0

Q2
That missed field goal gave Philadelphia another spark, as just two plays later RB Neal Earnhardt took a handoff to the outside, and bobbed and weaved his way for a 32 yard gain to give the home crowd something to cheer about again. That gave them their first real drive of the game, though they needed to convert on two short fourth down conversions to keep the drive alive. They kept chipping away at the Federals defense until they got right near the goalline, and gave the ball to the player they could trust the most. RB Mickey Green raced to the outside, where he beat the defenders to the endzone for the first score of the game. Washington would continue going pass-heavy with how injured Rooney had been, and they eventually made their way downfield before another three straight incompletions forced them to make another field goal attempt. This time they were in closer range for Singer, as he made the kick right down the middle to at least stay within a score. The Rattlesnakes had one last chance before halftime, but the Washington secondary still proved to be a challenge to Oram, this time DB Alan Small intercepted Oram’s errant throw to end the half with momentum leaning towards Washington’s side. 
PHI 7, WAS 3

Q3
Despite the score, Washington seemed to have rattled the ‘Snakes to end the first half, as they got a drive going for what seemed like the first time all game. QB Johnnie Sellers felt this as well, as on a third down he rolled out of the pocket and aired it deep. WR Darius Sanderson fell underneath the pass for a huge 46 yard gain and put the Federals right on the goalline. They would get into the endzone one play later, with Sellers hitting TE Bill Danowski to take the lead. It would not take long for Philadelphia to respond after that. They got the chains moved once, and on first down Oram handed the ball off to Greene, who found a gap up the middle and broke free. He was too fast for any other Federal player to catch up to him, and 50 yards later he found himself in the endzone to retake the lead for Philly. The scoring would cool off for both teams for a brief moment, as they were both forced to punt after barely having any time with the ball. Philadelphia found their momentum shortly after, putting together a solid drive that got them within the 30 and put their lead at two possessions. RB Mickey Greene quickly put that thought to rest, as he outran every Federals player to the outside and scampered into the endzone to go up by 11. Washington was able to recover and put together a drive that passed midfield as they entered the final quarter in a place they are rarely at in the postseason.
PHI 21, WAS 10

Q4
It was a fairly grueling drive for the Federals, as they wasted more time than they needed trying to use a somewhat-injured RB Rip Rooney in the short run game, where the scrappy Rattlesnakes stopped him short every time. Washington was forced to the pass game deep into Philadelphia territory, but a combination of dropped and incomplete passes made them bring out K Lawrence Singer for another field goal. Singer hit it through the uprights, but the Federals still trailed by two scores a little over halfway through the final quarter. Philly did a good job taking time off of the clock, but the ball was left back in the hands of Washington with some amount of time leftover to make something happen. Sellers began looking for the deep ball, something he usually does not rely on but had been throughout the game. Sellers would uncork a pass to WR Gene Cockburn, who was creating some space over the middle to put the Federals back in the game. It would have been a great pass, but Philadelphia S Vernon Rowe managed to jump in front of the pass to effectively end the game for the Rattlesnakes. They would end up giving the ball back to the Federals, but the time they got it back it was too little too late. Time ran out and a win for the Rattlesnakes now means every expansion team from the first round of expansion earned a playoff win within their first 3 years of play.
PHI 21, WAS 13

West Division Semi-Final: St. Louis Stallions @ Cincinnati Rivermen
This is a typical postseason game for St. Louis, finishing the season just a tad short and having to play on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Cincinnati gets to have a home game, but not because they were division winners. With how things could play out, they are unlikely to get another past this one, and so need to make this one count if they want to repeat as champions. The weather was teetering between the low twenties and high teens for this game with some cloud cover, making it perfect football weather for a team still trying to prove itself fighting against a team with everything to lose.

Q1
The Stallions won the coin toss and would elect to receive the ball in the second half, meaning that the Rivs would have the chance to make a statement on their first drive. They started out alright, with RB Perry Ferguson getting a big 15 yard carry on the first play of the game and RB Daniel Welch coming in a couple of plays later to keep the drive moving on a third and medium. Their momentum quickly petered out after that, with the offensive line collapsing on a third down that forced Cincinnati to punt the ball away. St Louis returner Vlademar Kahr could not get a hold on the ball and it slipped through his hands. A scrum for the ball ensued, and Cincinnati lucked out by coming out with the ball deep within Stallion territory. Two plays later, Parker would roll out to his right and throw a jump ball to TE Floyd Rankin, who caught the ball in between two Stallion defenders for the touchdown. The Stallions would continue having a rough time, as on their second play of scrimmage QB O.J. DeMille attempted to throw over the middle to WR Max Ausloos, but DB Kerry Lantz dove in for the interception. St Louis’ day nearly got worse with Parker hitting a dagger over the middle to WR Jimmy Woods for a nearly 30 yard gain, but that play was diminished by back-to-back penalties from the Rivermen’s offensive line. Those penalties pushed them out of field goal range, and were forced to punt. In what seemed to be a theme for the day, St Louis defender Garry Rossi would block the punt, and the ball rolled back to the 20 before a Stallion could leap upon it. That change of fortune would not help the Stallions, as they went three and out and had to settle for a field goal. 
CIN 7, STL 3

Q2
Things seemed to calm down after a fairly hectic first quarter, as Cincinnati would begin on a long drive after being pinned deep in their own territory. The Stallions didn’t allow the Rivermen to get big gains on any play, and Cincinnati had to resolve to chipping away at their defense until it broke. They stalled out right around the 25 yard line and K Bryan Singer had an easy kick for three. The kick had the leg, but it doinked off of the upright to keep the game where it was. The St Louis offense finally got going on this drive, which started out on a deep 24 yard pass from DeMille to WR Anthony Wheatland and kept going from there. The Stallions kept on driving, and RB Spike Roosevelt did what he does best, outrunning every defender to the outside as he scampered to an 11 yard touchdown to take the lead. The remainder of the first half was fairly uneventful, with both teams trying to get something going on offense but getting stopped by the opposing defense. Cincinnati had another chance to tie the game, but Singer missed his second field goal of the half right before both teams would go to the locker rooms at the end. 
CIN 7, STL 10

Q3
St Louis would enter the second half with something to prove, and their offense looked like they were back in form for one of the few times today. RB Spike Roosevelt started the drive strong on a 16 yard rush where he dragged Rivermen defenders with him to rally the away crowd. RB Kevin Knox would split the carries with Roosevelt, as he found a hole that opened up late to get himself within scoring distance for the Stallions. Their momentum would stall out on an incomplete pass on third down, but an uncharacteristic offsides penalty from DL Fergus Prenderghast kept their drive alive. Roosevelt would get to the outside before any Rivermen could touch him, getting into the endzone to extend their lead to 10. Cincinnati struggled making it down the field, limping their way until they were stopped within field goal range. They were at first hesitant to give K Bryan Singer another shot after missing what should have been two easy attempts, but he proved that he could still kick by finally making his first field goal attempt of the day. The Stallions would go right back into form on the second play of the ensuing drive, with DeMille trying to throw to Ausloos on the sidelines but DB Adrian Barboza dove in front for the interception. The Stallions were able to hold within their own territory after allowing just a single first down, and Singer thankfully hit his second straight field goal to keep the game within a single possession.
CIN 13, STL 17

Q4
The fourth quarter would start relatively uneventful, with both teams trading punts and waiting for the other to make another mistake. St Louis would have the ball within their own territory when RB Kevin Finch was stuffed going outside of the tackle by DB Adrian Barboza, who knocked the ball out of his hands. Cincinnati DL Fergus Prenderghast landed on top of the ball, giving the Rivermen prime field position to retake the lead. They did so three plays later, with RB Perry Ferguson finding a gap up the middle for the score. The Stallions seemingly couldn’t do anything with the ball for their next drive, and Cincinnati began taking their time and chewing clock to clinch the victory. They unfortunately left enough time for the Stallions to do something, and this is when they finally kicked into gear. They embarked on a grueling drive to potentially take the win out of the Rivermen’s hands, but Cincinnati’s defense finally came to their senses just in the nick of time, forcing an incomplete pass deep in their territory that would bring out the kicking team with just a minute to go. K Bryan Singer would tie the game up at 20, and the game fell to the Rivermen to retake their lead. That plan would be derailed when returner Jim Ferris muffed the routine kickoff with the ball going right through his hands. He was able to recover the fumble, but by the time he had his eyes back up he was swarmed by Stallions players and stuck deep in his own territory. Gunner Andrew Outlaw managed to get the ball loose from Ferris and the ball began rolling towards the endzone. A pile of Stallions players fell on top of the ball, and S Bobby Nielsen rose from the pile for a touchdown for the lead. An absolute disaster unfolded for the Rivermen, and even worse, they only had a little over a minute to tie the game back up instead of having a minute to win the game. QB Lester Parker was seeing the most pressure he had seen all day, and the Rivermen’s season ended prematurely on four straight incompletions. The Stallions had overcome odds once again, and had defeated the reigning champions in dramatic fashion.
CIN 20, STL 27

 

East Division Final: (2) Philadelphia Rattlesnakes @ (1) New York Lions
1958 H2H: W5 - NY 24-16 PHI, W12 - PHI 17-24 NY
Historic H2H: 5-1 NY
Playoff H2H: 0-0

If there’s been a story over the past year it’s more certainly been how New York and Philadelphia rose from nothing to suddenly become title contenders. The Lions went on their miracle run last year, and doubled down this year by preventing last season from being just a fluke in the moves they made both before and during the season. Philadelphia was similarly on the East’s tail last season, but they made a huge leap offensively and are one of the most entertaining teams to watch. They’ll need to keep up what worked with Washington to shut down the Lions and make it all the way. If New York wants to win, they have to shut down the running game and force QB Raymond Oram to throw the ball. It will be a battle of scrappy defenses, but the Lions should be able to pull this one out and fight for their first AFL title.
My Pick: New York

West Division Final: (3) St. Louis Stallions @ (1) Detroit Knights
1958 H2H: W1 - DET 6-22 STL, W9 - STL 16-24 DET
Historic H2H: 3-2-1 DET
Playoff H2H: 1-0 DET

Detroit was awaiting their revenge on Cincinnati from last year, but instead got a surprise challenger in St Louis. These two have met in the playoffs once before last year, where the Knights sent the Stallions packing 34-9, so the Stallions are looking to prove themselves as more than just the West’s third team. Detroit on the other hand, is out to become the next best team out of the West with Cincinnati firmly out of title contention. The Knights’ offense has become one of the best in the league, and they’ll need St Louis to return to their slump if they want to repeat the result from last year. The Stallions looked like they might be back to their early season form, so this game will be quite the challenge for either side. Detroit has been the team to beat in the West, and they’ll find a way to narrowly escape against St Louis and reach their first title game in a decade.
My Pick: Detroit