Crush quarterback John Dutton was right on in his pregame analysis that the team with the fewest turnovers would win Sunday’s playoff matchup against the Chicago Rush.
But he didn’t want to play the role that would make his appraisal come true.
Dutton didn’t perform at playoff caliber and his turnovers provided the Rush with four “courtesy” touchdowns in a 63-46 Chicago victory at the Pepsi Center.
“We gave them a bunch of ball,” Dutton said. “Unfortunately we can’t come back next week and get better. It’s their year, and unfortunately it’s Chicago.”
Dutton wouldn’t blame the week off that went with the first-round bye.
“I’m not going to blame it on anything other than we didn’t play well,” Dutton said. “It didn’t affect San Jose and Dallas, who also had a bye. We kind of gave them 21 of their first 33 points.
“We couldn’t get that one bounce today when we needed it.”
Crush coach Mike Dailey didn’t point fingers.
“He’s one guy on the football team,” Dailey said of Dutton. “Look at all the things he has done as a quarterback here. His good outweighs his bad 1,000-to-1.”
Dailey may have squandered a chance for the Crush to get back into the game just before halftime. With first-and-goal at the 2-yard line with less than a minute to go, he tried two running plays while trying to use the clock and came away empty-handed on two incomplete passes.
Chicago quarterback Matt D’Orazio called it a “complete team win.”
He thought the key turnover was Dutton’s first fumbled snap that came two plays after Rashad Floyd intercepted a tipped ball by Delvin Hughley in the Chicago end zone.
“We got the ball right back,” D’Orazio said. “In this game, you have to have a short memory.”
