What a way to end the season.
The Houston Gamblers may be owners of a 3-7 overall record, but I guarantee you that no team in the league wants to face them right now.
They’re the equivalent to the 2022 March Madness version of North Carolina, except the biggest difference is that the Gamblers won’t be squeaking into postseason play like the Tar Heels did.
It’s also football and not college basketball, but I digress.
The Gamblers, in all honesty, end the year as the hottest team in the United States Football League (USFL), regardless of being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention by week seven of the regular season.
There’s no denying that this team started clicking on all cylinders in the final two weeks of this inaugural season, as the facts speak for themselves.
Houston concluded the 2022 campaign with two solid wins against two playoff-bound teams, knocking off the then-undefeated Birmingham Stallions in week nine and picking up a lopsided victory over the New Orleans Breakers in week 10.
Both of those teams will still be playing football when the opening round of the postseason begins next weekend in Canton, Ohio; in fact, the Stallions and Breakers will be facing one another when the USFL semifinals kick off on Saturday, June 25.
Gamblers players to conclude the regular season as individual league leaders include Isaiah Zuber with five receiving touchdowns, Donald Payne with 117 tackles (71 solo) and Chris Odom with 12.5 sacks.
Houston also ended the season as team league leaders in kicking points (74).
Although the Gamblers will be watching from the comfort of their own homes next weekend when the playoffs start, one thing is certain: Houston is a legitimate contender.
They’ll just have to wait until next season to prove it.
