Breakers dominate Bandits to go 2-0 in USFL return

I would tell you not to look at or pay attention now but maybe you should.

New Orleans may have a championship caliber professional football team.

Here is hoping that the description fits the 2022 New Orleans Saints. It may already fit the New Orleans Breakers.

The newest version of the USFL team bearing the city’s name is now 2-0 after blitzing the Tampa Bay Bandits 34-3 at Protective Stadium in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon.

The Breakers scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead and carried a commanding 21-3 lead into halftime and coasted to an easy win.

After a little bit of a shaky first performance, quarterback Kyle Sloter was excellent Sunday.

Sloter completed 25 of 39 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns and the defense was outstanding for a second straight game.

Jonathan Adams was on the receiving end of five of the completions for 92 yards. Jordan Ellis led the rushing attack with 21 carries for 64 yards. T.J. Logan added 10 carries for 43 yards and a score.

Sloter put the Breakers on top on a one-yard touchdown run with 7:35 to play in the first quarter it was 6-0 after a failed conversion attempt before Logan scored on a five-yard run just before the end of the quarter to make it 14-0 after the two-point conversion attempt was successful.

The Bandits got their only score on a 22-yard field goal by Tyler Rausa and it was 14-3 with 5:54 to play in the first half.

Austin MacGinnis made a 24-yard field goal 11 seconds into the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 24-3.

Sloter then connected on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Poindexter late in the half to make it 21-3.

It stayed that way until MacGinnis made a 24-yard field goal 11 seconds into the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 24-3.

Sloter hit Johnnie Dixon with a four-yard touchdown pass and it was 31-3 with 11:33 to play in the game. Dixon finished with five catches for 42 yards and the score.

MacGinnis, who had a field goal attempt blocked in the first half, completed the scoring with a 30-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining.

Defensively, corners Mike Stevens and Nevelle Clark each had an interception while Jarey Elder had a fumble recovery. Vontae Diggs led the way with 10 tackles while Kamilo Tongamoa had two sacks.

The 31-point victory is the largest margin of victory in the two weeks of USFL game competition.

Now 2-0, the Breakers face a tough task against the hometown Birmingham Stallions next Saturday night at 8 p.m. in a game that will be on FOX. Birmingham is the only other 2-0 team in the league so it is an early showdown for supremacy in the league.