Hi, my name is every New Orleans Breakers fan ever, and I am sad after the 2023 USFL South Division Championship. There were highs and lows, mostly highs. I tuned in each week to watch the good, the bad, and the ugly. I pointed out how good and how bad they were each week, rejoicing with their victories and roasting them over their failures.
With such a long winning streak, the playoffs felt attainable, even probable, despite a few losses in a row. But lo, our arch nemesis, the Braying Birmingham Stallions, galloped in again and stole the South Division Championship out from beneath our hooves.
Fool me once, shame on you…
New Orleans Breakers vs Birmingham Stallions USFL semifinal game 2022 – Brian Fisher/The News Herald
The end of the 2023 season feels awfully similar to that of the 2022 USFL season. Because it is. Last year, the Stallions and Breakers also showed off at the South Division Championship, and New Orleans took the L. Birmingham was first in the Southern Division in 2022, and NOLA was second. Ditto for this year.
There were a few steps in the right direction for the Breakers and their bitter rivalry with Birmingham. Firstly, New Orleans snagged one more win this season, and Birmingham got one less win. Baby steps. Also, New Orleans defeated Birmingham once in the regular season in 2023, and they lost both times in 2022. The Stallions are beatable, and that’s not a fact we could hang our hat on last season.
Birmingham Stallions OL O’Shea Dugas (74) – Gaelen Morse/Getty Images
The No Good, Very Bad South Division Championship
It’s hard to rehash the pain of Sunday night. It feels like getting a root canal and then watching YouTube videos of the procedure so you can re-feel that pain in a visceral way. We lost 47-22. The only thing worse than a loss like that would be getting no points at all. But second place is the first loser, so we basically did get a big 0. I’m sure Coach DeFilippo phrased it just like that in the locker room.
Thankfully, some sort of revitalization came to the Breakers in the fourth because earning just seven in the first quarter and losing by 40 points would be hard to come back from emotionally. The Birmingham Stallions scored the most points in a game, in USFL history. I’m one for fun facts, but that one just stings.
New Orleans Breakers S Taylor (13) – Emilee China/USFL/Getty Images
What happened? How did it end up this way? The Birmingham Stallions came to play. Their offense was spectacular. Quarterback Alex McGough had one of his best games ever, with 310 passing yards and four touchdowns. McGough was on fire, and the Breakers defense couldn’t snuff out the flames. McLeod Bethel-Thompson and the rest of the offense had a few embers, but that was it. What they were able to produce was stamped out by the Stallions defense. New Orleans basically left the game for the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and you can’t win when you only play half the game.
What Really Counts
And what’s better than seeing Dee Anderson with his super-cute kid? We may not win every time, but we have heart, and we have our priorities straight: family, football, and food.
Football is F A M I L Y ??@DeeAnderson21 pic.twitter.com/sSzShtvPY0
— New Orleans Breakers (@USFLBreakers) June 26, 2023
Much love to Coach DeFilippo and the team; hopefully we can keep our head coach and sensational talents in 2024. Birmingham won’t win the division next year. If New Orleans is known for anything, it’s its resilience in the face of adversity. Bring it on, Stallions. The South Division championship is ours in 2024.
