Rams shut out Buffalo in USAWFL’s second tourney of the season
It was one dominating performance by the Los Angeles Rams wheelchair football team on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles shut out the Buffalo Bills wheelchair football team, 42-0, in the Move United USA Wheelchair Football League (USAWFL) Phoenix tournament’s championship game inside WestWorld of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Well, for the first quarter, we came out a little slower than we wanted to, but we got two quick interceptions. And that really swung the momentum off of those interceptions, where we went down and immediately scored two touchdowns,” says Rams player Marcus Oden. “And from there, we just kept our foot on the gas pedal. Tried to pull away.”
And pull away the Rams did. By the fourth quarter, the team had extended its lead to 42-0. But Oden didn’t get to finish the game. He was ejected for unnecessary roughness with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
“They felt like I used my hips to thrust into the other players. I’m a big guy, you know what I mean? But that’s the call of the official, and I’m gonna live on whatever they call,” Oden says.
Scottsdale hosted the second regular-season tournament of the USA Wheelchair Football League four-tourney season. The four-city circuit already wrapped up Chicago in late August (with the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association Chicago Bears winning that title), and the Atlanta and Dallas tournaments still to come in October and November.
Six teams — Los Angeles, Buffalo, Carolina, Las Vegas, Cleveland and Arizona — rolled into WestWorld for the Friday through Sunday tournament, run in partnership with Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center. The event ran alongside Abilities Expo Phoenix, bringing adaptive tech, workshops and community resources into the mix.
Los Angeles, though, had a rough start. The Rams had to forfeit their first pool play game because of classification issues after Move United introduced a new classification system for wheelchair football this year.
But the Rams came together in their final three games — defeating Carolina 48-7 in pool play and Arizona 27-0 in the semifinals before shutting out Buffalo in the final. And Oden says it’s his teammates and the other athletes who make a victory like Sunday’s special.
“A lot of the athletes on our team, we play wheelchair basketball against and with each other all year round. So, we’re constantly together,” Oden says. “So, the camaraderie among everyone is crucial for team success.”
The USAWFL times its biggest moments to the NFL calendar: a veteran all-star game during NFL Draft week and its championship game during Super Bowl week. The championship tradition dates back to 2022.
“Hopefully, a Super Bowl title is in our future,” Oden says. “We feel really good about the guys that we have this year, and we’re really competent going into our next tournament.”
USA Wheelchair Football League
Scottdale Tournament
WestWorld of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sept. 11
- Arizona Cardinals 2, Las Vegas Raiders 0 (Cardinals won by forfeit)
- Buffalo Bills 2, Los Angeles Rams 0
Sept. 12
- Arizona Cardinals 2, Cleveland Browns 0 (Cardinals won by forfeit)
- Los Angeles Rams 48, Carolina Football Team 7
- Las Vegas Raiders 2, Cleveland Browns 0
- Buffalo Bills 21, Carolina Football Team 6
- Buffalo Bills 8, Las Vegas Raiders 0 (Pool B #1 seed vs. Pool A #2 seed)
- Los Angeles Rams 27, Arizona Cardinals 0 (Pool A #1 seed vs. Pool B #2 seed)
Sept. 13
- Carolina Football Team 2, Cleveland Browns 0 (5th/6th place game — Carolina won by forfeit)
- Arizona Cardinals 12, Las Vegas Raiders 0 (3rd/4th-place game)
- Los Angeles Rams 42, Buffalo Bills 0 (Championship game)