The Chargers and the Patriots kicked off the 2019/20 season of MFL, and Raza Mawji had the first TD of the season on a long catch and run from Hani Mamdani. The Chargers didn’t wait long to integrate Hani Mamdani as their QB. He started off hot, but as a whole, had a disappointing day with only 3 TDs and throwing 2 interceptions. However, even with that, the Chargers performed reasonably well against the Patriots. It looks like Kumail Meghani and Asghar Molu continued where they left off last season with the latter having 8 receptions and 2 TDs. The Patriots have the makings on an explosive offense, but it may take a little while for them to integrate the new players. After scoring 4 TDs in the first half, the Patriots were held scoreless in the 2^nd half. Unsurprisingly, a Farhan-led defense was strong in the 2^nd half, squeaking a 1-TD victory.

The Colts came into the season #1 on the power rankings, and the Jaguars were dead-last. But you know what they say, we don’t play the game on paper… however this game, we might as well have.

The Jaguars were missing a couple of pieces, and struggled mightily on offense dropping catch after catch. The Jaguars lack a true #1 receiver, and while we expect their defense to be better once they have the Jafri brothers, we’re not sure this offense has what it takes. One guy who may be ready to take a featured role is Mohammed Altahan. He had a couple of highlight-reel grabs, and is looking to take that sophomore leap into stardom. If he can become a true #1 receiver for the Jaguars, this team’s defense will keep them in games in the future. For the Colts, this will not be their best performance. And that should tell you a lot of what we think about them. They made quick work of the Jaguars, but this team is beautifully constructed offensively with Ali Haroon and budding superstar Kazim Raza. We also have seen flashes from Alykhan Gangani during pickup weeks, and he has an opportunity to become a 1B option on that team. Ex-QB Khizer Jamal is another player who balled out as a receiver – making it a receivers-trio for the Jamal family, the first of its kind in MFL history.

The Lions & Steelers was our game of the week, and for good reason. The two teams are built similarly with each team having a game-changing receiver, and sound defensive principles. Unfortunately, the Steelers didn’t have their full team, and lost Ammar Jessa late in the game. Even against those odds, and after a pedestrian start, they had a shot to tie or win the game with a 2-pt conversion. Mikael Ratansi started the game at QB, and struggled. However, when he stepped in as a receiver, he looked like the Most Improved Player that we saw last season, pacing his team with 6 receptions and 1 TD. The Lions also received contributions from Hussein Champsi and Rizwan Merchant. If there’s one fault, it’s that they didn’t get the ball to Ammar Jessa enough, but the Steelers had something to do with that. The Steelers also had a pedestrian start. And if not for two balls that Ahsan Raza snatched away from the defense for a TD, the Steelers may have looked at this game as a missed opportunity. Ahsan also felt like he was in a giving mood, as he dropped a fumble that was returned for a TD. The star of this game was Ammar Dayani. He had himself a game offensively, as we suspect his TD may be the Play of the Week, however his biggest impact may have been on the defensive side of the ball. Limiting Ammar Jessa to 3 receptions, while playing out of position and showing his versatility.