1958 Playoffs: Division Finals

East Division Final: Philadelphia Rattlesnakes @ New York Lions
For the first time in their history, the New York Lions got to host a postseason game at Metropolitan Stadium. They welcomed their expansion brother in Philadelphia, who was coming off of their first playoff win against Washington. The Lions were attempting to replicate their postseason success from last year, and that included making the rare change to wear their white uniforms at home. They had worn them for every game of last year’s run, and made it clear to both the league office and Philadelphia that they would be wearing white uniforms at home. The Rattlesnakes did not believe the Lions would actually wear their away uniforms, but were proved wrong at the odd sight of both teams coming out of the locker rooms wearing white. Philadelphia tried to protest the change, but since it was made well in advance the game had to be delayed while the Rattlesnakes changed into their gold uniforms without letting the issue bother them too much.

Q1
The odd change of uniforms did, in fact, seem to bother Philadelphia. On the third play of the game, QB Raymond Oram threw a ball to the sidelines only to misjudge the pass’s trajectory, and the ball went directly into the arms of DB Joe Bellisario. Bellisario got a decent return for the Lions, and the home crowd roared with excitement. That momentum kept swinging New York’s way, with QB Freddie Hughes getting back-to-back first downs on excellent passes to WR Joey Staniskovski. The Lions mixed it up by giving RB Felix Philipow the ball, who took it to the outside. He got a crucial block from TE Leon Kurtz, and tip-toed down the sideline untouched for a 40 yard touchdown. Philadelphia struggled to regain any ground after that drive from the Lions, going three and out on their follow-up drive. Going three and out would be a recurring trend through the rest of the first quarter, as neither team could move the chains any further. These two teams knew each other well, and their gameplans quickly went out the window with both teams knowing what the other was going to do. The Rattlesnakes prevented Hughes from getting any time to throw and prevented Philipow and RB Jon Dawson from gaining anything on the ground. The Lions’ defense also found a way to stop the two-headed running machine of RB’s Mickey Greene and Neal Earnhardt. This stalemate seemed like it was going to break at any moment, as the Lions finally converted on third down to move the chains for the first time since their first drive.
NY 7, PHI 0

Q2
That first down was a mirage for the Lions, as they went three and out immediately after and punted the ball back to Philly. The ‘Snakes got a first down of their own, but that momentum would be halted on the literal next play. Rookie of the Year DL John Lee Hines came screaming unguarded up the middle, taking down Oram in the middle of handing the ball off to Greene. The ball was knocked loose before Greene could get the ball, and the ball rolled into the hands of New York DL Moe Greene. The Lions once again lucked into getting great field position, and that would come in handy when they couldn’t convert on another third down and K Tyrone Jackson was summoned for an easy field goal. That would have been an automatic kick for him, but the snap was botched and he never got the chance to attempt the field goal. Philadelphia took the chance to make something of their own, as a few plays into their ensuing drive Oram threw an amazing pass to a wide-open WR James Redd for a 36 yard gain, but Redd caught the ball at the sideline and couldn’t get any more yards after the catch. That seemed to get them enough to put them into field goal range, and that was confirmed after a run by Greene and two short passes to Earnhardt went nowhere. K Duke Lake was able to kick the ball through the uprights to keep the game within a possession before they inevitably received the ball in the second half. The Lions would have one last chance to move the ball before the end of the half, and they moved into scoring range with little time left remaining. That time would end up becoming a waste, as QB Freddie Hughes threw a pass to RB Felix Philipow that Philadelphia DB Roosevelt Richter leapt in front of the pass for the interception, ending any chance of additional points in a low-scoring half.
NY 7, PHI 3

Q3
New York tried to get their run game going once again, but the Rattlesnakes seemed to know exactly what their game plan was and shut them down. The Lions also seemed to figure out what Philadelphia’s plan was, and kept players always on both Greene and Earnhardt and that stopped the ‘Snakes right in their path. This standoff would continue throughout the third quarter, and would finally be broken by the Rattlesnakes late into the third. QB Raymond Oram heaved a pass to his favorite deep threat, WR James Redd, who looked over his shoulder to complete the pass. He fell on the opposite shoulder while S George Schmitz fell on top of him, and was writhing in pain after the play was over. Redd was still able to make the big play, but without essentially their only playmaker Philly’s offense took a massive hit. The ‘Snakes had made the first down on a pass from Oram to WR Henry Conley, but the referee did not see Conley not letting the ball touch the ground and ruled it incomplete. Conley argued otherwise, but his arguments fell on deaf ears. K Duke Lake was summoned once again to kick the field goal, hitting a career long from nearly midfield to cut the deficit to a single point. 
NY 7, PHI 6

Q4
The fourth quarter would continue the stalemate that plagued pretty much the entire game, with both teams taking turns punting the ball daring the other offense to actually do something. The Lions took up on that challenge and embarked on a grueling drive that would take up most of the quarter, essentially playing keep-away with the ball. Their drive got them right up to the goal line, and instead of taking their points, head coach Jacob Crowe decided that the Lions would go for the killing blow and potentially end the game. QB Freddie Hughes lined up under center, and leapt over the offensive line directly into a group of Philadelphia defenders. Hughes was sent back over his line and on his feet, and when he attempted to scramble away it was too late and was tackled in the backfield for the loss of downs. Philadelphia still had enough time to get into field goal range for the win, and started a march of their own with a little over 4 minutes left in the game. Despite missing their primary receiver, the Rattlesnakes made work of the Lions secondary, relying on quick throws to their backs or receivers to slowly but surely make their way downfield. They made their way to midfield when QB Raymond Oram stepped back for a longer throw on first down when he saw that DL Moe Greene was staring him down unblocked. Oram could not evade Greene, and Greene whipped around Oram and got the ball loose. Greene would fall on top of it for the fumble recovery, and would essentially clinch the win for the Lions. The Rattlesnakes got the ball with little to no time left after New York could not run out the rest of the clock, but Oram threw one last interception to DB Joe Bellisario on the final play of the game to seal it for the Lions. New York proved that last year was no fluke, and were more determined than ever to win their first AFL title.
NY 7, PHI 6

West Division Final: St Louis Stallions @ Detroit Knights
The gates of Kaiser Field welcome its first postseason crowd in what felt like forever, as the Detroit Knights could finally get a taste of the playoffs after years of holding themselves back. With an invigorated new owner and head coach, the Knights were just a game away from going to their first championship since their days in the MWFC. At their doorstep are the ragtag St Louis Stallions, who usurped the defending champions the week prior and wanted to replicate New York’s miracle last year by taking down arguably the best team in the league. Detroit had seen some light snow earlier in the week and field conditions were a bit hazy, but that wouldn’t stop either team from making their first AFL championship game.

Q1
The Stallions knew they had to get the ball first if they wanted to make a statement against the Knights. They got off to a decent start, with QB O.J. DeMille peppering a few passes across the Detroit secondary before getting a pass across the middle to WR Max Ausloos to put themselves in scoring range. Detroit’s defense held firm after that, stopping RB Spike Roosevelt on two straight carries and a swing pass to him that went nowhere. K Kevin Finch came out for the field goal, and knocked it right through the uprights for the first points of the game. Detroit tried to get QB Mike Major their passing game going that got them here, but St Louis seemed to be prepared for that and kept the Knights to a single first down conversion before forcing a punt back to them.,Luckily for the Knights, the Stallions couldn’t do anything either and gave themselves another chance to take the lead. Detroit would take advantage of St Louis’ relatively weak defensive line and kept running it with backs Jesse Brown and Brady Walters and dared the Stallions to stop them. That strategy worked well enough for Detroit, as they marched on downfield with relative ease and wound up on the 2 yard line, where Brown would get the handoff up the middle for the touchdown. Both teams exchanged the ball another time before the first quarter ended with less fanfare than expected. 
DET 7, STL 3

Q2
The Knights managed to get something going, sparked by a 22 yard run up the middle by RB Jesse Brown. Major would get the Knights within the 10 yard line after evading pressure from the Stallions and firing over the middle to WR Jonathan Kindrachuk. That momentum would fade quickly after, with Major throwing two incompletions and a short pass to Brown getting stopped at the line of scrimmage. K David McGinnis sent the ball through the uprights to put the game at a touchdown’s length between teams. St Louis had two chances this quarter to get into scoring range, but both times they came up just short of getting any points. DeMille had overthrown WR Anthony Wheatland to fail to convert on third and long the first time, and they couldn’t get another yard to put K Kevin Finch within field goal range. So instead of being down by a single point, the Stallions instead were separated by a touchdown that seemed like it was becoming more and more of a challenge. Detroit kept relying on the run game, but at this point St Louis had figured them out and were killing clock more than anything. It seemed to be working though, as they went into halftime still up by a score and had the chance to extend the lead getting the ball out of the second half.
DET 10, STL 3

Q3
Unfortunately for the Knights, they were unable to extend their lead with their first drive of the second half, going three and out. That momentum would swing towards the Stallions, where on their first play of the half, DeMille would get off a pass to WR Anthony Wheatland, who escaped from a tackle and began to gallop towards the endzone. He began to slow before he got to the endzone, and S Thomas Bentley was able to push him out of bounds at the 5 yard line. That play became representative of the next three plays for St Louis, as they failed to get any more yardage and had to settle for a field goal.Both teams would exchange punts and took the clock pretty much down the end of the quarter before anything of note would happen in a so far drab game. Detroit would have the ball and was just trying to get something moving. QB Mike Major would hand the ball off to RB Brady Walters on a second and short, who shook off DL Kerry Haley right after he took the handoff. However, while evading Haley, Walters lost control of the ball and fell out of his reach. It landed within the scrum that was the clashing offensive and defensive lines, and St Louis DL Leo Ziegler would arise with possession of the ball. The Stallions would start out the final quarter with the ball, and potentially the momentum to take the game away from the Knights
DET 10, STL 6

Q4
QB O.J DeMille knew he had to get to work quickly, as he threw over the middle to WR Max Ausloos for a big gain, shoving off a tackler before finally being taken down at Detroit’s 15 yard line. RB Spike Roosevelt would get the pitch a few plays later attempting to go around the end, but found a gap inside where he ran in untouched for the touchdown and the Stallions’ first lead of the game. Finally finding some fight within them, Detroit embarked on a drive of their own. Fully adjusted to their run game, Major showed off why he was named most valuable by finally picking apart the Stallion secondary and getting decent yardage. Momentum stalled out on a third and short, and Major found an opening on a passing play to do something he rarely does to keep their drive alive. He found a small opening to run, and extended the ball over the chains to get the first down. The Stallions would clamp down after that run, bringing K David McGinnis out for the field goal to tie the game at 13 apiece. The Stallions offense would try to respond shortly after, methodically making their way downfield and getting back into scoring range on the back of RB Spike Roosevelt’s 22 yard rush that gave St Louis life they had not seen all game. The Stallions did not seem to have it in them, as they again could not convert on another third down and brought back out K Kevin Finch to give themselves an antsy three point lead with roughly 5 minutes to go in the game. All St Louis had to do was stop the Knights one last time, but that would prove to be harder than it seemed. Major had gotten the read on the Stallions defense, and began to target gaps in the secondary to gain yardage bit by bit. Soon enough, they found themselves on the goalline on a contested 10 yard pass from Major to WR Pat Kimball. Major would hand the reins of the game to RB  Jesse Brown, who took the toss to the outside before diving through Stallion defenders for the endzone. He got the ball into the endzone before a Stallions player could get him down, and the Detroit crowd erupted when the referee signaled the touchdown was good. To add insult to injury for St Louis, Detroit managed to pin the Stallions deep within their own territory, putting QB O.J. DeMille in a rough spot to get a touchdown with a minute to go. That drive would not last long, as DeMille threw a ball towards the sideline, but the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage and fell right into the hands of DB Sammy Weems. The Knights ran down the remainder of the clock, and the home crowd celebrated heading to their first title game in over a decade. 
DET 20, STL 16

 

Ninth American Football Championship: (W1) Detroit Knights @ (E1) New York Lions
1958 H2H: Did Not Play
Historic H2H: 1-1
Playoff H2H: 0-0

For the first time since the 1953 season, the AFL will see two teams battling for their first championship, and it’s the first time since then when the top two seeds will play each other in the title game. Additionally, it will be the latest the AFL has ever played in a season, with the league pushing the title game back a week after complaints from teams that the stagnated playoffs provided the team with an extra day of rest with an advantage. The All-Star Game will slot in the week before the championship game as a result. It will be a heavy-weight bout between two teams on the rise, and they’ve certainly proved they deserve to be here. A two year turnaround for the Lions has been a sight to behold, bringing life to a sport that was firmly in second place in the city. Their offense led by QB Freddie Hughes, RB’s Felix Philipow and Jon Dawson, and hometown hero WR Joey Staniskovski has propelled them from the basement to a game away from the city’s first football title in a league not centered on itself. Detroit’s offense similarly took them out of the rut they were stuck in for the past decade, with MVP QB Mike Major leading one of the highest scoring offenses in the league with arguably the best supporting cast around him and behind the league’s best offensive line. With two high powered offenses going up against one another, it will come up to their defenses to make the stops necessary to get and stay ahead. The two look about even on paper, but the Lions have done better statistically and held the league’s highest scoring offense to just 6 points the last time they played at home. They have the home field advantage one last time this season, and if New York can hold Detroit on offense the same way they stifled the Rattlesnakes in their last game, they should just narrowly find a way to win their first title. 
My Pick: New York