Maulers cap USFL season with 5th straight loss, miss out on next year's No. 1 pick

Thanks to a 33-21 loss to the Michigan Panthers on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Maulers finished the regular season with the worst record in the rebooted USFL.

Turns out the loss also will keep the Maulers from the top of next year’s draft.

The league announced before the start of Sunday’s game at Protective Stadium and Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., that the winner would receive the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Michigan raced to an early three-touchdown lead and held on, handing the Maulers their fifth consecutive loss.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Paxton Lynch threw for three touchdowns, including a 4-yarder to Ishmael Hyman with 7 minutes, 5 seconds left in the first quarter and a 3-yard score to Lance Lenoir Jr. less than four minutes into the second. In between, the Panthers (2-8) scored on a 63-yard fumble return by Cory Rahman.

The Maulers (1-9) scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first on a 6-yard pass from former Slippery Rock standout Roland Rivers to Matt Seybert. Vad Lee added a pair of late touchdown passes to Isiah Hennie, the second of which got Pittsburgh within 30-21 with 3:49 remaining.

Lee finished 12 of 22 for 157 yards. Rivers wenr 11 of 14 for 123 yards and a QBR of 127.1. DelVonHardaway led the Maulers, who finished with a USFL-low 147 points — with six receptions for 100 yards.