Tier 1 & Option 1
When I saw that the New Orleans Second Line and Baltimore Hawks were going to be facing each other in the season 49 Ultimus, I was super excited. Through my time as general manager of the Orange County Otters, I was able to spend a good amount of time getting to know the general managers for both teams, and I can safely say that both groups are incredible people. I unfortunately do not know very much about the Portland Pythons, so will not be able to discuss their winning season in the Developmental Simulation Football League too much.
I will start out first by saying that I was not surprised at all to see thee two teams matchup against each other in the final big game of the season. Both rosters are pretty loaded with talent, and each have top tier management as well. Both teams were also among the preseason favorites in the prediction task as well.
On the NSFC side of the playoffs, Baltimore was a team on the war path. They crushed the Sarasota Sailfish all game long, with a final score of 41-7. This victory led to an NSFC Championship game against the Spooky Yellowknife Wraiths. Yellowknife has had some recent success themselves, so this was a great matchup on paper. Unfortunately for the Wraiths, this matchup was only good on paper, and not on the field. Baltimore dominated this game in similar fashion to their opening playoff game, winning by a score of 34-13.
On the flip side of the playoff bracket, you had a New Orleans Second Line team that felt like they had a lot to prove. They beat Austin in their first game by a score of 17-7. This set up a showdown against the fabled Arizona Outlaws in the ASFC Championship Game. Arizona on paper was not quite as good as years past, but this is a team that lives for big moments and big games, and here they found themselves in one. Through this game though, New Orleans would absolutely not be denied another shot at a championship. They thoroughly dominated the Outlaws in this one, the final score being 36-17. This set up the stage for the two most dominant teams in the playoffs to face off versus one another. This also leads to questions about Arizona on if this was the final page of a golden chapter in their history that has seen them in championship contention year in and year out.
Onto the Ultimus and oh my this game did not disappoint. Not only did these teams matchup well on paper, but they also matched up well on the field. This game lived up to and more than what everyone could have dreamed of. Going in to the fourth quarter, the Baltimore Hawks were leading the New Orleans Second Line with a score of 20-17. With momentum on their side, Baltimore looked like a team that could smell blood in the water, as they effortlessly began moving the ball down the field. With a championship on the mind, they inched closer and closer to scoring position early in the quarter. A huge fumble by the Shrub cost the Hawks a chance to go up 10 points. This fumble was recovered by New Orleans. New Orleans was able to capitalize on this mistake and tie the game up eventually at 20-20. The ensuing possession had two quick first downs for the Hawks with gains of 22 and 10 years. But then disaster struck and McDummy lived up to his name and through an interception. With momentum now clearly on their side, New Orleans capitalized and had a long touchdown drive to essentially seal the game with one minute left. Overall, this was a very fun game to watch.
630 words
When I saw that the New Orleans Second Line and Baltimore Hawks were going to be facing each other in the season 49 Ultimus, I was super excited. Through my time as general manager of the Orange County Otters, I was able to spend a good amount of time getting to know the general managers for both teams, and I can safely say that both groups are incredible people. I unfortunately do not know very much about the Portland Pythons, so will not be able to discuss their winning season in the Developmental Simulation Football League too much.
I will start out first by saying that I was not surprised at all to see thee two teams matchup against each other in the final big game of the season. Both rosters are pretty loaded with talent, and each have top tier management as well. Both teams were also among the preseason favorites in the prediction task as well.
On the NSFC side of the playoffs, Baltimore was a team on the war path. They crushed the Sarasota Sailfish all game long, with a final score of 41-7. This victory led to an NSFC Championship game against the Spooky Yellowknife Wraiths. Yellowknife has had some recent success themselves, so this was a great matchup on paper. Unfortunately for the Wraiths, this matchup was only good on paper, and not on the field. Baltimore dominated this game in similar fashion to their opening playoff game, winning by a score of 34-13.
On the flip side of the playoff bracket, you had a New Orleans Second Line team that felt like they had a lot to prove. They beat Austin in their first game by a score of 17-7. This set up a showdown against the fabled Arizona Outlaws in the ASFC Championship Game. Arizona on paper was not quite as good as years past, but this is a team that lives for big moments and big games, and here they found themselves in one. Through this game though, New Orleans would absolutely not be denied another shot at a championship. They thoroughly dominated the Outlaws in this one, the final score being 36-17. This set up the stage for the two most dominant teams in the playoffs to face off versus one another. This also leads to questions about Arizona on if this was the final page of a golden chapter in their history that has seen them in championship contention year in and year out.
Onto the Ultimus and oh my this game did not disappoint. Not only did these teams matchup well on paper, but they also matched up well on the field. This game lived up to and more than what everyone could have dreamed of. Going in to the fourth quarter, the Baltimore Hawks were leading the New Orleans Second Line with a score of 20-17. With momentum on their side, Baltimore looked like a team that could smell blood in the water, as they effortlessly began moving the ball down the field. With a championship on the mind, they inched closer and closer to scoring position early in the quarter. A huge fumble by the Shrub cost the Hawks a chance to go up 10 points. This fumble was recovered by New Orleans. New Orleans was able to capitalize on this mistake and tie the game up eventually at 20-20. The ensuing possession had two quick first downs for the Hawks with gains of 22 and 10 years. But then disaster struck and McDummy lived up to his name and through an interception. With momentum now clearly on their side, New Orleans capitalized and had a long touchdown drive to essentially seal the game with one minute left. Overall, this was a very fun game to watch.
630 words
![[Image: Tbo.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/d07tPGD3/Tbo.png)
