Football
SAFL PREDICTIONS Week 7
SAFL PREDICTIONS Week 7
Primetime vs Browns
Primetime
Primetime’s going through one of their toughest stretches of the season. This stretch will truly determine if they’re a legit threat for the championship. They played very well against the Gators last week, but lost 35-26. They’re still one of the most sound fundamental teams in the league. They don’t turn the ball over and they play pretty good defense. This matchup against the Browns will be difficult. Can they upset the Browns?
Browns
The Browns barely beat the Bandits in a shootout. They allowed Jay to look like Sims and the Browns never really adjusted to the Bandits’ attack. The Browns defense has to be concerned at this point. They’re barely the 6th best defense and they’re declining each week. We’re not sure if it’s due to a lack of defensive focus or if they need to adjust their defensive philosophy. The Bandits are the 4th worst offense in the league and for them to give up 35 points is a bit alarming. They go up against the best statistical defense in the league.
Matchup
Both teams play a similar style of zone defense. Primetime has a few athletic game breaking players. Of course the Browns have a few of their own as well. If Primetime plans to enter a shoot out with the Browns, they will lose this game by 2 scores. If they can find a way to fool Shu and bait him into bad throws, Primetime can pull the upset. We believe Primetime will pull the upset!
PrimeTime 33 – Browns 31
Cobra Kai vs Renegades
Cobra Kai
CK really needs this matchup right now. They’ve lost 2 games in a row and they have significant injuries to deal with. This should be a matchup where they can recuperate their losing ways and get back on the winning track. Their last 2 games were against the 2 best teams in the league and we have to admit, they were competitive. That’s a sign of a good team, especially with great leadership. We expect them to rebound nicely against a hapless Renegade squad.
Renegades
They’ve now lost 4 in a row and have the worst net points in the league. They’re actually a decent offense since Anwar is the QB. Their problem is they can’t stop anybody. They have the worst defense in the league by far. Unfortunately, there’s no help in sight. They’re not fooling anyone with their schemes. Anwar has done a great job getting everyone involved in the offense. However, we see way too many drops and poor route running. Poor route running is inexcusable for any receiver. It just shows a lack of interest and practice. What the Renegades have to do is focus on getting out of that 10th spot. Their game against the Thunder will likely dictate who’s in and out of the playoffs. Can they take advantage of an injured CK team?
Matchup
Anwar is clearly a better QB than anyone CK has to throw out there. The problem is that CK has more weapons. We think the Renegades absolutely can pull the upset here with a depleted CK team. We’ve seen them score with ease at times just because Anwar is the QB. We’ve also seen them struggle mightily. Which version of the Renegades will we see? There aren’t a lot of winnable games/teams for the Renegades…this one has to be one of them. If they upset CK, we believe they’ll make the playoffs. We like CK better for this matchup. They’re more organized and have better players.
CK 28 – Renegades 20
Gators vs Bandits
Gators
The Gators beat a very good Primetime team last week and proved they’re indeed the 2nd best team in the league. This team really doesn’t have many holes. They’re well balanced and have great leadership. They’re the 2nd best offensive team in the league, but they’re the 4th worst defense in the league. This is something they have to improve. They rely on their zone too much and don’t have enough substitutes to have a man defense rotation. There were games where inferior opponents were going toe for toe on them offensively. What’s great about this team is their ability to adjust in the second half of games. That’s a sign of a great team.
Bandits
The Bandits nearly pulled off the upset against a declining Browns defense. If the Bandits would’ve pulled off this victory, it would put them in the title picture. They came up short yet again against the Browns. They’ve now lost 3 in a row and have a net pts differential of -1. The problem with this team is their attendance and their lack of QB play at times. If they get more consistent QB play, this team would be a huge threat for the championship. They’re going through their toughest schedule of the season right now and they haven’t been able to beat the top tier teams yet. This is concerning.
Matchup
This is a great matchup for the Bandits. If they can utilize their man defense against the Gators, we believe they can beat them. The Gators have historically struggled against good man defense. The Bandits have the players and athleticism to do so. Will the Bandits play man or stick to zone? If the Bandits can build off their performance from last week, they will pull the upset.
Bandits 37 – Gators 36
Thunder vs AK
Thunder
The Thunder finally notched their 1st victory of the season! They were down big in the first half. They made adjustments in the 2nd half and beat a pretty good Savages team. This was a HUGE win for this team in so many ways. Not only does it build their confidence, but it keeps them in the playoff race. They couldn’t afford to go up against the Renegades with a winless record. Now that they’re in a 3 way tie, they really need 2 more wins to solidify a playoff spot. Their season will rely on their matchup with the Renegades. Of course they can’t look ahead and have to focus on their current opponent AK.
AK
They continue to dominate every week. They play great in all facets of the game. They beat CK 40-21 last week. They really make it difficult for the writers to talk about them. This team really doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. They bring a top notch defense every week. There are times where the defense just toys with the opposing team since they have a huge lead. The real question is…who will show up for this game? Will they bench Richie for this matchup?
Matchup
The Thunder have their hands tied with this matchup. They were seeking to build off an impressive come from behind win against the Savages and put together a winning streak. The Thunder are no where near the class of AK. This will be an impossible game for the Thunder to win.
AK 48 – Thunder 13
Savages vs Elites
Savages
The Savages played so well against the Browns a few weeks ago. Then they play the winless Thunder, put up a big lead in the 1st half, and then blow the lead in the 2nd half while the Thunder were missing key players. That’s just the kind of season this team is enduring. Surprisingly, they’re the 6th best offensive team. They have good athletes and a QB that can put up points. Their biggest weakness is their defense. They can’t stop anyone. They have the 2nd worst defense in the league. The Elites are a good matchup for them. Can they pull the upset here?
Elites
The Elites are finally looking like a respectable team. They beat up on the Renegades 40-21. They still have the worst QB situation in the league. One week its, Yusuf…next week it’s Anas..and another week it’s Mike. They put up 40 points against a terrible defense. They’ve won 2 in a row, but we’re still not convinced this team will make the playoffs. They pulled off a near miracle against the Thunder for their 1st win. Other than the Renegades game, they have not looked impressive. They play against an up and down Savages team this week. Can they pull off another victory and keep the winning streak going?
Matchup
This is another intriguing matchup. The Savages are only a game behind the Elites. This matchup has significant playoff implications. If the Elites can beat the Savages, it almost certainly secures them a playoff spot. This game means a lot more to the Savages than the Elites. If the Savages can bring that same game plan they utilized against the Browns, they will beat the Elites. The problem is, we don’t have any confidence in either team. This will be a close game and we believe the Savages will pull the upset.
Savages 25 – Elites 20