All the Soul needed was a touchdown on the final play of the game to punch their ticket to Arena Bowl XXVIII. But they came up short, with their season ending on the last play of the game for the second straight year.
This opportunity presented itself despite a first half which was the worst two-quarter performance we’ve seen from the Soul all season, from a Raudabaugh interception to a costly fumble that put the Soul in a 28-14 hole at the half, and they were lucky it was that close.
Philadelphia attempted to close the gap throughout the entire second half, and could not get closer than a seven-point deficit until the final minute of the game. Trailing 61-56 with 38 seconds remaining in the game, the Soul attempted their third onside kick of the game, which they failed to recover for the third straight time. However, a three-and-out by Jacksonville forced Julian Rouch to attempt a 28-yard field goal which slid wide right.
The official was quick to signal that the attempt was good, but further review showed that it was an incomplete kick, which gave the Soul new life holding the ball at their 13 yard line with 18 seconds remaining.
On the very first play of the drive, Raudabaugh was sacked for a costly four-yard loss that shaved four seconds off the clock.
Philly was able to march the ball down to the Jacksonville 14 yard line with two seconds remaining on the clock, setting up a last-second touchdown attempt. As Raudabaugh dropped back and aired the ball to the left side of the end zone, defensive back Laroche Jackson picked off Raudabaugh’s heroic attempt to dash the hearts of the Soul and send the Sharks to the Arena Bowl.
Although entertaining, the game was not clean by any means for the Soul, who were given plenty of opportunities to get back to their 2015 form and take control of momentum and the game countless times. There were mistakes by the offense, blown coverages by the defense and questionable calls by the officiating, including the field goal call that left fans scratching their heads wondering what the refs were watching.
But in the end, the Soul had the ball on the final drive of the game with the exact amount of time they needed to march down the field to score the game winning drive that would send them to the Arena Bowl.
And with the best quarterback in the league lining up with the opportunity to lead you to victory, you couldn’t ask for anything better than that.
Unfortunately, the offensive line that was stellar all season long let Raudabaugh down when it mattered most, which cost the Soul four yards, four seconds and a play that could have gained a great deal of yardage. Had the defense stood tall and protected their guy as they had done all season, we probably would be sipping champagne and preparing for an Arena Bowl XXII rematch Saturday night.
But the storybook ending was closed before we could reach it. The Jacksonville squad that was put together in the offseason including former Soul greats Tiger Jones and Derrick Ross, who has more than made his opinions on his former team known all season long, have reached the league’s highest game.
The Sharks never were the better team in the American Conference this season until the final day. Jacksonville started off the year 1-5 with a bunch of players who had great individual accomplishments but never earned a ring. Quarterback Tommy Grady only earned his third postseason win Sunday night, despite his stellar performances over the years. Yet he walked off the field with a smirk on his face, knowing he put the struggles of his season and his playoff career behind him, at least for six nights.
It stings to see a former player such as Ross, who meant so much to the franchise and was a fan favorite, taunt the Soul organization on social media after the game as he has done all season long. There was much talk throughout the season on if the locker room was better without the
league’s all-time leading rusher, and Ross seemed content to be out of Philly as well. But he ran his words once again Sunday night, because his team earned it.
The Soul compiled one of the greatest seasons in franchise history, finishing the year 16-4 with an Eastern Division Championship.
There is no doubt that Dan Raudabaugh will receive the league’s MVP award, as he was hands down the best player in the AFL this season and picked up his game and leadership throughout the season. The Soul added a number of great players to their roster in 2015, and the team will now try to regroup, reevaluate themselves and try to figure out what it will take to take the next step and finish a championship season.
Once again, it’s been a great season bringing the greatest fans in the league coverage on the best team to cover in the AFL. We cannot guarantee the future of this league, but if all goes according to plan, we will see you in seven months for the 2016 kickoff.
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