By RJ “The Bullish Brahma” Reid
How the Brahmas Won
The San Antonio Brahmas defeated the Memphis Showboats 20-19 in improbable fashion on Saturday, in Memphis, Tennessee. Trailing 19-8 late in the 4th quarter, San Antonio scored when quarterback Chase Garbers threw a touchdown pass to Jontre Kirkland. After failing to convert on the 3-point attempt, San Antonio elected to go for the 4th and 12 on their own 28 yard line in lieu of the more traditional onside kick attempt. Garbers again connected with Kirkland to convert the 4th down attempt and retain possession of the ball. Trailing 19-14 with under 1 minute to go, the Brahmas quickly marched down the field with big gains on back-to-back plays. With the Brahmas on 3rd down in the red zone and with only 3 seconds left, Garbers made a cold-blooded connection to Cody Lattimore for the game-winning touchdown.
A Look Back
In the first quarter, the Brahmas offense did not start off quickly like they did against DC in Week 1. San Antonio could not move the ball and was on and off the field very quickly with 3 and outs and the one fumble by Chase Garbers on a sack that was recovered by Memphis. The defense was stout, but penalties on San Antonio kept the ball in Memphis’ hands.
Moving on to the second quarter, the Brahmas defense stepped up when Memphis was in the red zone. It was the defense that kept San Antonio in the game as they forced a fumble, stopping Memphis who was gaining momentum at the time. Offensively, the Brahmas continued to struggle mightily. The Brahmas could not convert a 3rd down, and possessed the ball at a bare minimum. Memphis’ defense credit, they are legitimate and very talented on that side of the ball. To prove how good the Showboat’s defense is, the Brahmas only gained 9 yards of offense in the entire first half.
As the third quarter started, the defense again stood tall, and it was the offense’s turn to try to do something, anything. They started well, with the largest gain in the game, but stalled out quickly after that. Defensively, personal foul penalties were getting out of hand. The defense committed 2 pass interference penalties and 5 personal foul penalties. It looked like Memphis was going to put the game away when Cookus connected on a deep ball, but the defense once again held the Showboats to a field goal. As time wound down in the quarter, the offense started to click.
In the final quarter of the game, and with their backs to the wall, the Brahmas started the quarter with an impressive offensive series resulting in an easy touchdown. The Brahmas continued to try to give the game away with silly penalties, but they would again stand tall in the red zone and Memphis could not capitalize on the gifts that San Antonio would give them . AJ Smith’s offense began to heat up before Garbers threw an interception when they went for it on 4th down. Should San Antonio have kicked a field goal? That call to go for it on 4th down when they were in field goal range was critical, and how the game ended would determine if it was the right call or not. As it turned out, Memphis could not do anything on their next possession, and quickly punted the ball to San Antonio. This would be the beginning of the dramatic comeback.
Some Takeaways
The Brahmas’ 3rd down conversion improved from last week, but was still subpar. They converted 3 of 11 3rd down attempts. Better than converting only 1 like they did last week, but 3rd downs continue to be the Achilles heel of the offense. The defense is standing tall, but the offense will need to convert more on 3rd downs to maintain possession longer and give the defense longer to catch their breath.
Very similar to last week, penalties on defense continue to be an issue. The Brahmas committed 2 pass interference penalties and 5 personal foul penalties. That is not a typo, they did, in fact commit 5 personal foul penalties. That speaks of an undisciplined nature, and is quite shocking for a Wade Phillips lead defense. If they continue on this path, it won’t be long before this lack of discipline will cost them dearly. So far, they’ve been lucky and have only given up one touchdown this year, but luck can only last so long.
Center Alex Mollette, the internet sensation from last week, came out of the game with an injury. Last week, the offensive line left the game completely intact. With the injury to Molette, this bears keeping a close eye on. Offensive line is critical for any team, and with San Antonio’s bad history with offensive lineman, they cannot afford to lose anyone, especially someone of Mollette’s caliber.
Brahma of the Game
Chase Garbers. All he did was lead the team to the greatest comeback in franchise history. He allowed Brahmas’ fans to feel what it’s like on the victorious side of a comeback. Remember, in Week 1 last year, the Battlehawks scored two touchdowns with just over a minute left in the game by converting the 4th and 15 option play. San Antonio was on the losing side of that, but this time, Brahma fans were on the positive side.
Sneak Peek at Next Week
The Brahmas (2-0) will return home when they host the Saint Louis Battlehawks (1-1), April 14, 2024 at 2:00PM CT.