Pretenders vs Contenders Edition
Elites vs Underdogs
ELITES – PRETENDERS
Boy did the Elites dodge a huge bullet last week. They narrowly defeated the Thunder on a fluke last minute play. This was a game they should’ve lost. Luckily for them, the Thunder haven’t been in a situation to close a game in a long time. And what did the Thunder do, they gave the game away to the Elites. Anas played ok as QB. He made some throws when he needed to, but was also picked off twice. It seems like the team is lacking high level talent at both sides of the ball. They held a low powered Thunder offense to 13 points which is a positive. This was a huge win for this team as it practically guarantees a 6th or 7th seed. The Elites want no part of the 2nd seed and are seeking to upset the Underdogs to lock up the 6th seed. This will be a very difficult game for the Elites to win.
UNDERDOGS – CONTENDERS
The Underdogs are this year’s sleeper team. They have a balanced offense, defense and stable QB. They won’t blow out teams and won’t get blown out either. They are also very well rested as they just had a bye week and a forfeit in back to back weeks. This can also be a negative. Too much rest may disrupt rhythm and chemistry. They have the 4th best defense and 4th best defense. Like we said before, they’re very balanced and can beat you in several ways. What makes them contenders? Youth, speed, athleticism and experience.
MATCHUP
The Elites played a very good game against the Underdogs earlier this season. They played with passion, hunger, confidence and precision. They gave away that game towards the end. This Elites team is no where near the team we saw earlier in the season. They barely beat the Thunder and they haven’t been playing very well of late. In their last 2 games, they’ve only averaged 15.5 points. They’d be very fortunate to hand on to that 6th seed as the Bandits climb up the standings. Although it’s a bit of a long shot for the Bandits to take over that 6th seed, it’s still possible. With that being said, Elites need to come out desperate if they want to avoid the 7th seed. The Underdogs have more star power and athleticism. They may play a bit too loose since they’ve basically locked up the 5thseed. The Underdogs will come out and seek to put away the Elites quickly. Underdogs are better than the Elites in every facet of the game. This won’t be a close game.
Underdogs 36 – Elites 13
BANDITS VS THUNDER
BANDITS – PRETENDERS
Bandits won a must win game against the Thunder. Although it was a narrow victory, they still won the game. Jay is playing ok as their QB. He’s doing just enough to win the games without making too many mistakes. The problem with the Bandits is they heavily rely on Miguel. He’s a great player, but eventually he will tire out during games and will really impact his defensive capabilities. The Bandits don’t have much depth this season and it shows. This used to be a star studded team and right now they’re barely fielding a team out there. We do however have to give them credit for their grittiness on the field. Right now they’re in a great opportunity to win 2 very winnable games. Right now, the Bandits hold all the cards that will determine the final standings from 6-8. They have the daunting task of playing 2 games in 1 day which is never easy. If the Elites lose and they win both games, they will lock up the 6th seed. Now if they go 1-1, depending on the result of their games and the other games from the Elites, Thunder and CK, they can actually end up as the 8th seed. CK would need to win their game against the Bandits by a huge margin. Now if the Bandits lost both games, then we would need to look at point differential to determine standings. In all likelihood, the Bandits will win at least one game. If they lose both games, they still have a good shot at the 7th seed. The Bandits control their own destiny.
THUNDER – PRETENDERS
Thunder continue to find ways to lose. They had a victory in the bag against the sinking Elites, and at the very last drive of the game, they give up a huge, inexcusable touchdown. They basically gave the Elites that game. We’ve seen their defense manifest into a more respectable unit. In fact, they’ve only allowed an average of 15.5 points in their last 2 games. Usually, if a defense allows that many points, it should result in a victory. The Thunder are just having that kind of season. They’re close to victory, but can’t get over the hump. They’re basically locked in as the 8th/9th seed unless the Bandits lose both games, barely score any points and the Thunder blow out the Bandits. The Thunder’s anemic offense won’t torch the Bandits…so yea…they’re locked in as the 8th/9th seed. The Bandits and Thunder played a great game a few weeks ago. Can the Thunder bring that same intensity on defense? A few positives to note. Jesse continues to score touchdowns in every game he plays. He’s there go-to receiver and is having a great rookie season. On a negative note, what has happened to Adam? He dropped a huge guaranteed td in the Elites game. Although he dropped that sure td, the Thunder need to get him more involved in their offense.
MATCHUP
The Bandits and Thunder are very similar. Both teams have decent QBs and rely heavily on their star receivers. They played a great game earlier this season. Can they replicate that game? The Bandits will seek to slowdown or stop Jesse. If they stop him, they shut down the entire Thunder offense. The Thunder need to feed Adam the ball a lot more. He’s very difficult to guard and he’s the quickest guy on the field. The Thunder will need to slow down Miguel which won’t be easy. This game will come down to both star receivers making big plays. Which receiver will make the most big plays? Defensively, stats say the Bandits are better, however, the Thunder have been playing great defense lately. We would have to say the Bandits have a slight edge there, but not my much. Offensively, the Bandits are better. Jay has great IQ and play calling while Justin struggles to get the ball down field some times. Can the Thunder put a scare in the Bandits and potentially knock them from the 6th/7th seed? If the Thunder bring that same intensity on defense, this will be a very close game. The Bandits need these 2 games in the worst way possible. We can’t imagine them losing to the Thunder.
Bandits 24 – Thunder 13
BANDITS VS CK
CK – PRETENDERS
CK
CK forfeited their game against the Underdogs for not having enough players. This is not good news. They barely have enough players and half way through their games, they’re gassed and tired due to severe lack of bench depth. This weekend, they have one mission, defeat the Bandits and gain momentum into the playoffs. They played a very good game against them earlier this season. They will seek to replicate that same effort. Their best receiver Anthony seems to be hurt and may not be able to play against the Bandits. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, he may be out for the season due to a foot injury. That would be a crushing blow for this depleted team. The question now is – can they field a complete team this Saturday? They’ve been struggling to score recently and their defense is getting shredded by opposing teams. Can they regroup?
MATCHUP
Bandits will seek to avenge their loss against CK earlier in the season. The Bandits were down most of the game and made a late game comeback to almost pull off the upset. How much energy will the Bandits have left after their game with the Thunder? It’ll be very interesting to see the Bandits approach for the 2ndgame. Do they decide to rest some players in the first game? That likely depends how close that game is. The Bandits are better than CK on offense and defense. Jay and Fabio are fairly equal. This game will either be very exciting or a complete dud. We’re really hoping CK comes with a full squad this game. The Bandits are hungry and want that 6th seed.
Bandits 30 – CK 12
BROWNS – Contenders
The Browns lost in controversial fashion against the Gators. It was as shocking a scene as we’ve ever seen in SAFL history. The game was a back and forth affair when the refs decided to call the game due to unsportsmanlike conduct from the Browns bench. We are just up in arms here. How in the world does the Browns leadership allow this to happen especially when the Commissioner warned every team. In fact, the head ref Ray, warned the Browns on numerous occasions to stop bickering with the refs. The Browns didn’t listen…a member/by stander shouted out profane remark to the ref and the game was over immediately. The Browns are now on a 2 game losing streak at the worst possible time. Leadership needs to rally their troops and regroup immediately. They have another repeat matchup against AK. Wil the Browns come out furious and play their “A” game or will they come out relaxed with no urgency?
AK – Contenders
AK completely shut down and neutralized the Savages offense in a 24-13 victory. Sims threw 4 touchdowns and looked great all day. They made the Savages look relatively pedestrian. Despite a thrilling Lutalo TD run, Savages offense was very quiet. It’s another day at the office for this group. Lock down defense, explosive plays and great QB play. As we all know, AK plays very well against the Browns. Surprisingly, they allow the most points against the Browns. If the Browns don’t bring Nafi, this may likely be another victory for AK.
MATCHUP
AK vs Browns is always a classic entertaining game. You have stars all over the field. You have completely different styles of play. One thing that’s for sure, the league will see a very exciting game. We all know the matchups here so there’s no need to review them. The most interesting factor in this game is how the Browns approach this game. This game is extremely important for the Browns. AK is locked in as a 1 or 2 seed. If the Browns lose, they may fall to the 4th seed. If this happens, they will play the sleeper Underdogs. We can tell you this much, the Browns want no part of the Underdogs and would much rather take their chances against the Elites, Bandits or Thunder. The X factor in this game is Nafi. If he shows up, the Browns will win. Do we think he will show up? Yes! Browns with the upset win.
BROWNS 42 AK 38
SAVAGES VS GATORS
SAVAGES – CONTENDERS
Savages lost against AK in a revenge game. AK was determined to shut down the Savages offense and that’s exactly what they did. As usual, AK’s defense was suffocating and left no room for Anwar to complete a pass. We have to look into the history books here but we don’t think Anwar has ever started game where he didn’t throw a td. Anwar had 2 picks and no TDs. Now we mentioned this in our last predictions. Anwar will have very tight windows to throw the ball. It turned out he wasn’t that accurate. He barely completed over 50% of his passes and was later pulled for Hashim. Anwar had a bad game. We’re not sure if he was injured or if it was indeed just a bad game. Our concern was that we saw Hashim as QB. We’re not sure if this means anything, but it’s something to note. The Savages lost to the best team in the league and they’re still poised for a deep playoff run. We didn’t expect them to go undefeated. This loss may lift the burden of striving for perfection and allow them to relax more. They will now face a hungry Gators team.
GATORS – CONTENDERS
The Gators were up big on the Browns in this game. As soon as the Browns were coming back, the game was called. The Gators escaped this game was a narrow victory. Who knows if they would’ve won the game. Their main issue is their attendance. They start out strong and then phase out a bit in the second half of games. The lack of attendance will come back to bite them. They’re still the 2nd best defense in the league and have a very good QB. They’re ranked 4th on offense and are looking to move up in the standings. If they win and the Browns lose, the Gators will lock up the 3rd seed. If they lose, they lock up the 4th seed and will play the Underdogs in the 1st round.
MATCHUP
The Gators played very well against the Savages earlier this season. They had a strong 1st half and got tired in the 2nd half. The Savages are practically locked in as the 2nd seed unless AK loses. If AK loses, things will get interesting. The Savages are a title contender and will look to rebound from their defeat at the hands of AK. We expect Anwar to bounce back in a big way.
Savages 38 Gators 26
