CK vs Thunder (Upset special)
CK
CK lost to Primetime 27-21. Not only did they lose the game, but they may of lost their starting QB Yash. We don’t know the severity of the injury, but rumors are he’s ok and should be good to go. CK lost their QB for the majority of the game. That completely took the life out of the team and before you know it, they were down big. They played catchup the majority of the game and almost made a near impossible comeback. This was not the start CK wanted. This team has top 5 expectations and they wanted to come out and make a statement against a brand new team. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned. What did we say about overhyped teams?? Can this team rebound against the Thunder?
Thunder
Ok – what happened to the Thunder? Who were those guys on the field last week against the Bandits?? Hey Thunder – what did you do with the original guys and when will they come back?? This was by far the best Thunder team we’ve ever seen! Their defense was ferocious, scary and had some key lock down moments. Bandits had to go through a gauntlet just to score. Is this team finally coming together and growing in front of our eyes?? They were so close to beating the Bandits. Believe it or not, the Thunder may of laid out a blueprint for other teams in defeating the Bandits. They gave them very little space to operate and were in their face the entire game. They only allowed 14 points to a formidable, potentially top 3 team. The Thunder may of lost this game, but if they keep this up, they may be a top defensive squad! We hate announcing moral victories – let’s be honest, the Thunder deserved this moral victory. Can they build on this? Is this an aberration or can they bring this defensive tenacity against their opponents?
QB matchup
We have no idea if Yash can play. Yash is a better QB and if he’s healthy, CK can put up some points. Jawid didn’t play in the Thunder’s first game. We know what he can bring to the game – a strong arm and excellent experience. If Yash is healthy, CK has the clear advantage. Right now we just don’t know if he is. Edge = Jawid
Offense
CK was able to put up a modest and uninspiring 21 points against a new team. They were very flustered after Yash left the game. They attempted a huge comeback and almost succeeded. Can they get open against an up and coming Thunder defense? Thunder only scored a touchdown against the Bandits, but they could’ve easily scored more. We still feel they need to be more cohesive. Edge = CK
Defense
This is a no brainer. The Thunder held the Bandits to 14 points in a game they were seconds away from winning. The Thunder have speed all over the field and it will be very difficult for the CK receivers to get open. CK doesn’t have a big time playmaker. CK defense is actually decent. They’re more zone oriented. If they can hold the Thunder to 14 points, we believe they win this game. Edge = Thunder
Matchup
CK is limping towards this game with injuries while the Thunder are oozing with confidence. The real question is, can the Thunder show up with the same defense? Will Yash play in this game? And if he does, how healthy is he? CK wasn’t that impressive last week and the Thunder defense was extremely impressive. Do the Thunder have enough on offense to score? This game will come down to Yash’s health and the Thunder defense. We love the Thunder in this game!
Thunder 21 – CK 13
AK vs Prime Time
AK
AK was all business in their game against the Savages. They picked off the Savages a few times and dominated defensively. AK is primed to go undefeated again. They were missing Ritchie and Kenny and still put up 33 points easily. Of course with AK, you’re guaranteed to see a top flight defense with an explosive offense. The Savages have some good athletes on both sides of the ball and AK made it look easy.
Prime Time
It’s difficult for a brand new time to win their very first game in this league. That’s exactly what Prime Time did! They notched their first win behind a solid QB performance. They had a solid game plan on both sides of the ball and limited CK to 21 points. Their QB is a potential rookie of the year candidate. They didn’t make many mistakes and they took advantage of Yash’s injury. Although they haven’t established an identity yet, look for this team to start surprising teams. We believe they will be a solid offensive team.
QB Matchup
Sims has a clear edge. He looked better than ever and he’s an MVP caliber player. Prime Time QB will see a defense unlike anything he’s ever seen. We just can’t see him scoring more than 2 touchdowns. Honestly, we’d be shocked if he did. This is a no brainer. Edge = AK
Offense
AK has a top 2 offense. If Ritchie plays, they will mercy Prime Time. If he doesn’t play, they will come very close to a mercy. Prime Time’s defense will have an impossible time guarding the AK receivers. Prime Time showed us some flashes of a solid offense. They’re just no where near as good as AK. Edge = AK
Defense
AK again has a superior defense. They’ve finished top 4 almost every year. Their defense is just too stingy and rarely gives up more than 21 points in a game. Prime Time defense has some good playmakers and they appear to be promising. They will have their hands full with AK. Edge = AK
Matchup
Prime Time QB will have a very difficult time hitting the open receiver. This will be a big time test for him. AK loves eating up rookie QBs. Look for AK to mercy Prime Time.
AK 44 – Prime Time 14
Browns vs Gators
Browns
In good ol’ Browns fashion they did what they are used to doing and that’s adding to the now uncountable amount of wins to their career record. Seriously, Shu is like 100-5 and that’s just a guess it might be even better then that. Adding Johnny Blaze and Ricky Cotton to the roster was probably the best offseason move by any team. Both dudes can ball like hell and they brought it this past week. As Johnny Blaze said, ” follow the leader”. The Browns are the team to beat this year like it or not.
Gators
The Gators made some major changes in the offseason most notably at the QB position. Richie has left the team and the league and they brought in Ed. Although they put up a healthy 33 points against the Elites the star of the game really was Shady. New player to the league and looking like an early ROY candidate. We are gonna keep a very close eye on the Gators this year. They did add depth to the lineup and did bring back Ramy, Tommy and Will 3 players who are elite talents.
Matchup
How can anyone really bet against the Browns right now? They have top talent at every position and the new guys are fitting in nicely into the system. The Gators have a lot of new moving parts especially at the QB position and it’ll take whoever is at the helm a lot of reps to keep up in the league. Gators defense has got to stop the Browns O at least 3 times for them to have any chance at winning this game.
Going with the Browns
Browns 42 -Gators 28
Bandits vs The Elites
Bandits
Last week the Bandits put up 14 points and shot all the way from 8 to 4 in the Power Rankings. We think its a little early for such a dramatic move but nonetheless the Bandits have always been there towards the end of the season. They fall short of reaching the Final game but maybe this year it’ll be different. From the early on look it looks like the Bandits are focusing on 2 receivers throughout the game. The young bucks Dheeraj and Miguel are clearly the heavy targets on the offense which can be great and detrimental at the same time. Jason needs to spread the ball around a little more to the highly qualified receiver core. Harvey, Osamah and Zobi must see the ball more in order for the Bandits to really have a breakout year.
The Elites
A lot of hype coming into the season with the pickups of Rob Jones and rest of the mercenaries and a last minute addition of Mike Chu we thought The Elites were going to take the next step into their evolution. They have a stacked team but were unable to put away a struggling Gator team. It could be that the QB and the receivers haven’t synced up yet and that’s definitely a possibility. We didn’t really see Rob Jones touch the ball much and a lot of untimely drops put them in a hole early on. Gators were able to take advantage of that and took the W. We really want to see The Elites succeed and the game against the Bandits is the perfect opportunity for them to take an easy win and cement themselves as a real threat.
Matchup
Both teams have large rosters and sometimes that can become an issue where guys are vying to play every down. The management of the players is imperative for both teams. Sacrificing playing time for the greater good is going to have to be a theme for both teams for either of them to succeed. There are some really good matchups in this game but we thunk the one that most want to see is Dheeraj vs Rob Jones. Both guys will end up being locked by each other so everyone else around them have to step up. On paper the Bandits have a little more depth and experience with Burhan, Harvey and Jason but the Elites have The Squirrel, Yusuf and Marion over the top. We believe this is going to be an epic game that’ll come down to the wire.
Is it an upset if we say The Elites will take this? We don’t think it is…
The Elites 33 – Bandits 21
Renegades vs Savages
Renegades
An offshoot of the Savages, Anwar has taken the mantle of this new team as QB and captain. It isn’t an easy task moving from one team to another especially when your former team went to the semi finals last year. A new challenge, a new hope. Anwar, lately, in other leagues has done something similar where he leaves a team and starts another and usually has good success. This past week they faced a tough, tough Browns team. They did get mollywopped but it was only their 1st week. We do believe they will turn it around but it will take some time. We are aware that they are still actively looking for talented free agents to join and they do have until week 5.
Savages
They were a top 4 team last year. After losing their captain to another team and then losing the other captain to injury the Savages are looking at a down year. Hashim suffered a foot injury which will most likely end his season which is a huge blow to the Savages. For all the years that Anwar was gone, Hashim put the tea on his back and stepped up and played any position the team needed him to play. Now that he went down the players must look to another leader. In comes Pavy. Pavy has also been a long time Savage and a main part of the success of the squad. If Pavy, Lutalo, and Joey can take the team on their shoulders the Savages can still salvage the season.
Matchup
This year looks like a rebuilding year for both teams. Both teams are hurting from injuries that and the reality of the talent ending up being spread out between the 2 teams. Taking away pieces of a puzzle ultimately leaves the puzzle incomplete. Savages losing Anwar puts them in a detrimental position and Anwar without Lutalo, Hashim and Joey has left his receiver core depleted. Who’s going to step up? (Both Teams)
Will go with the Savages because they have slightly more depth…
Savages 27 – Renegades 21
