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The USFL will be halfway through its regular-season schedule this weekend. Saturday's matchup will feature a clash between two of the league's top teams. The New Orleans Breakers and New Jersey Generals are both 3-1. Only one team can win in what's bound to be a competitive game.
The biggest storyline for the Breakers is the emergence of quarterback Kyle Sloter, who leads the USFL in passing yards by a considerable margin. Meanwhile, the Generals have scored seven rushing touchdowns to three passing touchdowns.
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New Orleans Breakers vs. New Jersey Generals Match Preview USFL Week 5
The Breakers are coming off a tightly contested contest in their Week 4 victory over the Houston Gramblers. The Breakers' offense is the most potent and explosive in the league.
Sloter is the only quarterback in the USFL with over 1,000 passing yards. He's joined by the league's leading rusher, Jordan Ellis, and the league's leading receiver, Sal Cannella, on the Breakers' offense.
Defensively, they've been just as marvelous. They've allowed the fewest points through four weeks (56). They're tied for the league lead in sacks (11) and have also allowed the least number of total yards per game (226.3)
Meanwhile, the Generals' victories haven't been due to their passing offense lighting the world on fire. They average 79.7 fewer passing yards per game than Sloter's Breakers.
De'Andre Johnson and Luis Perez have split reps at the quarterback position, with the latter receiving slightly more of the work. Their connection to Alonzo Moore in Week 4 was a welcomed sight.
The Generals are old school and lead the USFL in rushing yards per game (178.3). It'll be fascinating to see how the Breakers' second-ranked pass defense clashes with the Generals' dynamic rushing attack.
Breakers vs. Generals USFL Week 5 match details
When: Sunday, May 14, 3 p.m. ET
Where: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
TV: Fox
Spread: Breakers -3.5
O/U: 37.5
Breakers vs. Generals preview and prediction
The Breakers and Generals are arguably the two best teams in the league. The teams have allowed just 29.8 points per game combined on the season. With that in mind, the oddsmakers projecting 37.5 points scored in this game seems unrealistic.
The Generals can control the pace of the game with their ground attack. But the Breakers' defense isn't a favorable matchup for that strength. The Breakers' pass-first offense is also preferable to the Generals' run-first philosophy.
Both defenses will keep this game a tightly contested affair. However, Sloter's the best player in the league. The Breakers have won three straight since their Week 1 loss. They're on a roll that even the Generals won't be able to stop.
Prediction: Breakers 17 - 14 Generals
