09-20-2019, 06:32 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-23-2019, 09:43 AM by goodvsevil1275.)
With week 13 in the books, another exciting regular season comes to a close and the playoffs are here! It has been interesting to follow the NSFL and how teams have been doing. For my own fun (and for others to laugh at after the games have been played) I will preview all the first-round playoff matchups, players to watch and also predict how the playoffs will play out. So let's get right into the match-ups.
NSFC
(8-5) 3rd seed at (8-5) 2nd seed
Introduction
This is the match-up out of the two which I think will be more interesting. The Hawks had a slow start to their season but have been on a great run of form recently, especially after their trade deadline additions. Chicago has had their ups and downs throughout the season, but hope that they can show up for the playoffs and show everyone that their quest for an Ultimus was successful
Offence
Baltimore comes into this match-up with new weapons that they added on the trade deadline. As I mentioned in my trade deadline review article, Baltimore added to an already working offence with two star players to make every team’s defensive coordinators fear to face them. Having a one-two punch out of the backfield with Jimbo and Jones and a three-headed monster for which Havran can throw to, they will definitely wreak havoc in this game. The Butchers, on the other hand, have been leaning heavily on their run game and second-year running back Sam Torenson who might even end up winning this years MVP trophy. Quarterback Rose Jenkins has not been asked to do much, but she might be asked to do more now in the playoffs.
Defence and Special Teams
On the defensive side of the ball, both Baltimore and Chicago have been able to get to the quarterback with 36 and 37 sacks recorded respectively. They have both been able to force turnovers but Chicago has been able to pick off the opposing quarterback 12 times, compared to the Hawks 5 and they have 30 tackles for loss, more than double the 12 which Baltimore has and which I feel is a more telling statistic than tackles. In this department I give Chicago the advantage and Baltimore will need to feed their strong running back duo if they want to win. Additionally, I don’t think special teams will play a huge part in this encounter as both teams are a middle of the pack team across all categories and have combined for one special teams touchdown.
Regular Season
The teams have met twice during the regular season and split their series 1-1 with the home team taking the win on each occasion. Their first meeting was all about Sam Torenson who accrued 110 rushing yards on 29 carries and a touchdown while quarterback Jenkins was the epitome of efficiency, completing 17 of 20 passes for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns to push the Butchers to victory. In their second meeting the Hawks defense stifled the Butchers offense as Torenson was limited to 58 rushing yards and Rose Jenkins was picked off twice and threw for 158 yards on 7 more attemps than the previous game. On the other side, Maddox and Espeeyeeseetee went for 111 and 94 yards respectively, as the Butchers defense could not cope with them.
Players to watch
WR Sunnycursed
With their blockbuster trade just before the trade dealine, it is no surprise that the superstar wide receiver is my player to watch for this team. The Hawks are 3-1 after the trade and Sunnycursed has been able to average 85 yards and over a touchdown per game through that stretch. Having such a dynamic threat to further stretch the field for his fellow wide receivers and not allowing the other to stack the box are huge assets for his team. Even though I mentioned the Butchers good pass defense and ability to make turnovers, I feel that Sunnycursed will the key difference maker in this game for the Hawks. His effort might not show up on the stat sheet, but his presence and playmaking ability will allow for other players and the whole Hawks offense to truly shine.
FS Lightsout Lewis
The Butchers may not have the same firepower on offense as their opponents, but they will look to make up for it with on the defensive side of the ball. I feel that the leader on this defense is free safety Lightsout Lewis, who has been putting together a good season and racked up 9 sacks and 18 passes batted out of the sky in addition to a defensive touchdown. Looking back at their two games over the regular season, it was Lewis who was the difference maker when the Butchers were able to win with an impressive statline of 11 tackles, one sack and one pass defended. In their second meeting he was not able to make the same number of plays and the Hawks fearsome pass attack ran over the Butchers. So if the Butchers want to show up, it will have to be through their defense and its leader, Lewis.
Predictions
I think the Hawks will try to come out early and use their home crowd and loud atmosphere to put up points and force the Butchers to have Rose Jenkins beat them, and not be able to use Torenson to grind out the clock. How the Butchers defense is able to respond to the challenges which the Hawks present them will be a major talking point, but ultimately will not be enough. In addition the home field advantage which Baltimore has will be a huge factor. Both teams have not been good on the road and are 6-0 (Baltimore) and 6-1 (Chicago) at home. With the previous meetings going to the home team and the huge additions on offense for Baltimore, I don’t see a way where Chicago will be able to overcome them
31 - 17
ASFC
(6-7) 3rd seed at (7-6) 2nd seed
Introduction
The Orange County Otters have made the playoffs. This is a sentence which should not surprise anyone in this league, with the Otters being ever present in the playoffs since its beginning and here they are again. With star quarterback Gus T.T. Showbiz deciding his talents were better at another position or maybe just being nice, to let up and coming talent Franklin Amrstrong show off his talents, the Otters are a new look team and their records show it. Their opponents are the San Jose Sabercats who have had quite a ride so far this season. They started out the season strong, with a 5-2 record after 7 games and quarterback Joliet L. Christ having an amazing season (I even had him at the top of my quarterback rankings at the halfway point of the season). And oh how the wheels have fallen off since, with the Sabercats on a 1-5 slide since then and picking up their only win on the last day of the season against a hapless Yeti squad. With what was looking like a first round bye for the Sabercats has turned into a first round trip to California.
Offense
The Otters were also active on trade deadline, sending over some pieces of their offense to Baltimore, but I don’t think that will have an effect on this game. The Otters are clearly letting quarterback Armstrong get used to the big leagues and utilized star running back Apollo Reed on the ground much more. Reed has put up 1246 rushing yards which is good for second in the league, just behind Sam Torenson. Armstrong’s best targets have been his rookie wide receiver Hugh Mongo and the league's best tight end, Jonny Blaze. San Jose on the other hand has been all about the Christ show as he has the least amount of interceptions across the league, the second best quarterback rating and completion percentage, and third best yardage total. In addition to this he is a dual threat, with 338 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. With an otherwise absent running game, it will be up to Christ and his two best passing friends in Xavier Flash and Cameron Olsen to get the damage done against the Otters.
Defense and Special Team
On the defensive side of the ball, both teams have been very similar against the run. The Otters have 41 sacks compared to the Sabercats 38 and both have similar tackle numbers and the difference being that the Sabercats have 22 tackles for loss, compared to the 14 for the Otters. If we take a look at how their pass defense and playmaking ability, the Otters have the clear edge. They have 15 interceptions, 78 passed batted, 2 safeties and 3 defensive touchdowns, which put them as one of the leaders in the league. The Sabercats on the other hand are clearly lagging behind their opponents with only 7 interceptions, 63 passes defended and no safeties or defensive touchdowns to speak of so this might be where the Otters take advantage of their opponents. Special teams again does not provide any clear differences between the two with similar statistics across the board and only one special teams touchdown between the two
Regular Season
Another match-up where the teams ended up splitting their series 1-1. The Sabercats took their victory at home on the opening week of the season, at a time where they were firing on all cylinders. Christ led the way with 358 yards through the air, two touchdowns and no interceptions, spreading the ball out to all of his receiving options. The Otters put up similar yardage total but two costly interceptions by Armstrong and Reed being held under 100 rushing yards ultimately led to their defeat. In their second meeting it was a different story as Armstrong had a strong game, passing for 269 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception on a strong second half showing. The Sabercats could not get anything going on the ground with only 78 total rushing yards and Christs 224 yards and one touchdown were not enough and were not helped with horrible third down efficiency
Player to watch
DT Thorian Skarsgard
When you have one of the best defensive players in the game on your team, of course he will be a player to watch. With 14 sacks on the season, Skarsgard will always be a factor in games for the Otters. This can be seen in their previous win over the Sabercats where he was the defensive player of the game, racking up four tackles, two sacks and a safety during the contest. The Otters will need to keep Christ in check and not let him be calm in the pocket to find his receivers or escape and do the damage with legs. Their best option for this is Skarsgard and if he can make Christ’s time difficult and have second thoughts on what to do, it could be a big factor.
QB Joliet L. Christ
The MVP leader during the halfway point of the season and the heartbeat of the Sabercats offense. It seems that everything good and bad that happens on the offensive side of the ball is dictated by Christ and is no surprise that he is the player to watch. Will he be able to find his receivers or use his legs to open up different situation? If this were week 8, I would expect Christ to light up the scoreboard and show everyone what a great player he is. Sadly this has not been the story during the second half of the season, so which version of him will we see suit up on Friday?
Predictions
This will be an intriguing match-up with talent wise the Sabercats having the better quarterback, but him and the whole team have been slumping during the second half of the season. The Otters will look to rely on Apollo Reed in the ground game and for Armstrong to keep drives going and limit any possible turnovers. The Otters defense, and especially their pass defense has been performing exceptionally this season and will create problems for Christ and the Sabercats offense. Add to this that the game is played in California and the Sabercats not being great when travelling (2-5 on the road) I feel that the Otters will put enough pressure on Christ and grind out a victory to move on.
24 - 20
So that is the first round of the playoffs and the previews in the book for me, but as I stated at the top, wouldn’t it be fun to have a look ahead and do some predictions for how the rest of the playoffs will play out? So lets start having some fun!
NSFC Championship Game
(8-5) 2nd seed at (8-5) 1st seed
Many people maybe didn’t see the Hawks making it so far, but a lot of people picked the Wraiths to be in the championship game. The Wraiths have put their faith in their quarterback Cooter Bigsby along with his biggest weapons, Jerrod Canton and Nate Swift and have seemingly abandoned the running game. On their way to the number one seed they have been helped by their defense which has contributed with 4 touchdowns, two safeties and is near the top of the league across different defensive statistical categories. The question is that will this defense be able to stop the full power of the Baltimore offense? I think they will help keep the game close but the Hawks will find ways to do their damage and with no true running game the Hawks will win this close and high scoring game
34 - 31
ASFC Championship Game
(7-6) 2nd seed at (9-4) 1st seed
This is a match-up where I think all the odds are stacked against the Otters. With both teams having very similar defenses throughout the season, I don’t feel that this will decide the winner, but on offense, this is a totally different story. Reese has shown no signs of age slowing him down, leading the league in passing and a potent passing offense. With Vinny Valentine, Landers and Jammerson Irving he has a lot of choices who to throw to and add in dual threat running back Slim Shady who has almost 1500 all purpose yards, this is an offense that will score points and have scored the most throughout the regular season. With the Otters sending some of their weapons to Baltimore at the deadline, I don’t feel they have firepower to keep up or the defense to slow down the Outlaws enough.
28 - 17
Ultimus Bowl
NSFC (8-5) at ASFC (9-4)
So in the Ultimus we have a matchup of two offensive juggernauts going head to head. Will this be a Chiefs vs Rams 50 burger renaissance or more akin to the offensive shit show which we saw in the most recent Super Bowl? Really only time will tell but of course I hope it is more of the former than the latter. In the end I think the difference maker will be the Arizona defense who have surprised many this season that will do just enough to slow down the Hawks offense and bring Arizona its second straight and fifth overall Ultimus
24 - 23
NSFC
(8-5) 3rd seed at (8-5) 2nd seed
Introduction
This is the match-up out of the two which I think will be more interesting. The Hawks had a slow start to their season but have been on a great run of form recently, especially after their trade deadline additions. Chicago has had their ups and downs throughout the season, but hope that they can show up for the playoffs and show everyone that their quest for an Ultimus was successful
Offence
Baltimore comes into this match-up with new weapons that they added on the trade deadline. As I mentioned in my trade deadline review article, Baltimore added to an already working offence with two star players to make every team’s defensive coordinators fear to face them. Having a one-two punch out of the backfield with Jimbo and Jones and a three-headed monster for which Havran can throw to, they will definitely wreak havoc in this game. The Butchers, on the other hand, have been leaning heavily on their run game and second-year running back Sam Torenson who might even end up winning this years MVP trophy. Quarterback Rose Jenkins has not been asked to do much, but she might be asked to do more now in the playoffs.
Defence and Special Teams
On the defensive side of the ball, both Baltimore and Chicago have been able to get to the quarterback with 36 and 37 sacks recorded respectively. They have both been able to force turnovers but Chicago has been able to pick off the opposing quarterback 12 times, compared to the Hawks 5 and they have 30 tackles for loss, more than double the 12 which Baltimore has and which I feel is a more telling statistic than tackles. In this department I give Chicago the advantage and Baltimore will need to feed their strong running back duo if they want to win. Additionally, I don’t think special teams will play a huge part in this encounter as both teams are a middle of the pack team across all categories and have combined for one special teams touchdown.
Regular Season
The teams have met twice during the regular season and split their series 1-1 with the home team taking the win on each occasion. Their first meeting was all about Sam Torenson who accrued 110 rushing yards on 29 carries and a touchdown while quarterback Jenkins was the epitome of efficiency, completing 17 of 20 passes for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns to push the Butchers to victory. In their second meeting the Hawks defense stifled the Butchers offense as Torenson was limited to 58 rushing yards and Rose Jenkins was picked off twice and threw for 158 yards on 7 more attemps than the previous game. On the other side, Maddox and Espeeyeeseetee went for 111 and 94 yards respectively, as the Butchers defense could not cope with them.
Players to watch
WR Sunnycursed
With their blockbuster trade just before the trade dealine, it is no surprise that the superstar wide receiver is my player to watch for this team. The Hawks are 3-1 after the trade and Sunnycursed has been able to average 85 yards and over a touchdown per game through that stretch. Having such a dynamic threat to further stretch the field for his fellow wide receivers and not allowing the other to stack the box are huge assets for his team. Even though I mentioned the Butchers good pass defense and ability to make turnovers, I feel that Sunnycursed will the key difference maker in this game for the Hawks. His effort might not show up on the stat sheet, but his presence and playmaking ability will allow for other players and the whole Hawks offense to truly shine.
FS Lightsout Lewis
The Butchers may not have the same firepower on offense as their opponents, but they will look to make up for it with on the defensive side of the ball. I feel that the leader on this defense is free safety Lightsout Lewis, who has been putting together a good season and racked up 9 sacks and 18 passes batted out of the sky in addition to a defensive touchdown. Looking back at their two games over the regular season, it was Lewis who was the difference maker when the Butchers were able to win with an impressive statline of 11 tackles, one sack and one pass defended. In their second meeting he was not able to make the same number of plays and the Hawks fearsome pass attack ran over the Butchers. So if the Butchers want to show up, it will have to be through their defense and its leader, Lewis.
Predictions
I think the Hawks will try to come out early and use their home crowd and loud atmosphere to put up points and force the Butchers to have Rose Jenkins beat them, and not be able to use Torenson to grind out the clock. How the Butchers defense is able to respond to the challenges which the Hawks present them will be a major talking point, but ultimately will not be enough. In addition the home field advantage which Baltimore has will be a huge factor. Both teams have not been good on the road and are 6-0 (Baltimore) and 6-1 (Chicago) at home. With the previous meetings going to the home team and the huge additions on offense for Baltimore, I don’t see a way where Chicago will be able to overcome them
31 - 17
ASFC
(6-7) 3rd seed at (7-6) 2nd seed
Introduction
The Orange County Otters have made the playoffs. This is a sentence which should not surprise anyone in this league, with the Otters being ever present in the playoffs since its beginning and here they are again. With star quarterback Gus T.T. Showbiz deciding his talents were better at another position or maybe just being nice, to let up and coming talent Franklin Amrstrong show off his talents, the Otters are a new look team and their records show it. Their opponents are the San Jose Sabercats who have had quite a ride so far this season. They started out the season strong, with a 5-2 record after 7 games and quarterback Joliet L. Christ having an amazing season (I even had him at the top of my quarterback rankings at the halfway point of the season). And oh how the wheels have fallen off since, with the Sabercats on a 1-5 slide since then and picking up their only win on the last day of the season against a hapless Yeti squad. With what was looking like a first round bye for the Sabercats has turned into a first round trip to California.
Offense
The Otters were also active on trade deadline, sending over some pieces of their offense to Baltimore, but I don’t think that will have an effect on this game. The Otters are clearly letting quarterback Armstrong get used to the big leagues and utilized star running back Apollo Reed on the ground much more. Reed has put up 1246 rushing yards which is good for second in the league, just behind Sam Torenson. Armstrong’s best targets have been his rookie wide receiver Hugh Mongo and the league's best tight end, Jonny Blaze. San Jose on the other hand has been all about the Christ show as he has the least amount of interceptions across the league, the second best quarterback rating and completion percentage, and third best yardage total. In addition to this he is a dual threat, with 338 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. With an otherwise absent running game, it will be up to Christ and his two best passing friends in Xavier Flash and Cameron Olsen to get the damage done against the Otters.
Defense and Special Team
On the defensive side of the ball, both teams have been very similar against the run. The Otters have 41 sacks compared to the Sabercats 38 and both have similar tackle numbers and the difference being that the Sabercats have 22 tackles for loss, compared to the 14 for the Otters. If we take a look at how their pass defense and playmaking ability, the Otters have the clear edge. They have 15 interceptions, 78 passed batted, 2 safeties and 3 defensive touchdowns, which put them as one of the leaders in the league. The Sabercats on the other hand are clearly lagging behind their opponents with only 7 interceptions, 63 passes defended and no safeties or defensive touchdowns to speak of so this might be where the Otters take advantage of their opponents. Special teams again does not provide any clear differences between the two with similar statistics across the board and only one special teams touchdown between the two
Regular Season
Another match-up where the teams ended up splitting their series 1-1. The Sabercats took their victory at home on the opening week of the season, at a time where they were firing on all cylinders. Christ led the way with 358 yards through the air, two touchdowns and no interceptions, spreading the ball out to all of his receiving options. The Otters put up similar yardage total but two costly interceptions by Armstrong and Reed being held under 100 rushing yards ultimately led to their defeat. In their second meeting it was a different story as Armstrong had a strong game, passing for 269 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception on a strong second half showing. The Sabercats could not get anything going on the ground with only 78 total rushing yards and Christs 224 yards and one touchdown were not enough and were not helped with horrible third down efficiency
Player to watch
DT Thorian Skarsgard
When you have one of the best defensive players in the game on your team, of course he will be a player to watch. With 14 sacks on the season, Skarsgard will always be a factor in games for the Otters. This can be seen in their previous win over the Sabercats where he was the defensive player of the game, racking up four tackles, two sacks and a safety during the contest. The Otters will need to keep Christ in check and not let him be calm in the pocket to find his receivers or escape and do the damage with legs. Their best option for this is Skarsgard and if he can make Christ’s time difficult and have second thoughts on what to do, it could be a big factor.
QB Joliet L. Christ
The MVP leader during the halfway point of the season and the heartbeat of the Sabercats offense. It seems that everything good and bad that happens on the offensive side of the ball is dictated by Christ and is no surprise that he is the player to watch. Will he be able to find his receivers or use his legs to open up different situation? If this were week 8, I would expect Christ to light up the scoreboard and show everyone what a great player he is. Sadly this has not been the story during the second half of the season, so which version of him will we see suit up on Friday?
Predictions
This will be an intriguing match-up with talent wise the Sabercats having the better quarterback, but him and the whole team have been slumping during the second half of the season. The Otters will look to rely on Apollo Reed in the ground game and for Armstrong to keep drives going and limit any possible turnovers. The Otters defense, and especially their pass defense has been performing exceptionally this season and will create problems for Christ and the Sabercats offense. Add to this that the game is played in California and the Sabercats not being great when travelling (2-5 on the road) I feel that the Otters will put enough pressure on Christ and grind out a victory to move on.
24 - 20
So that is the first round of the playoffs and the previews in the book for me, but as I stated at the top, wouldn’t it be fun to have a look ahead and do some predictions for how the rest of the playoffs will play out? So lets start having some fun!
NSFC Championship Game
(8-5) 2nd seed at (8-5) 1st seed
Many people maybe didn’t see the Hawks making it so far, but a lot of people picked the Wraiths to be in the championship game. The Wraiths have put their faith in their quarterback Cooter Bigsby along with his biggest weapons, Jerrod Canton and Nate Swift and have seemingly abandoned the running game. On their way to the number one seed they have been helped by their defense which has contributed with 4 touchdowns, two safeties and is near the top of the league across different defensive statistical categories. The question is that will this defense be able to stop the full power of the Baltimore offense? I think they will help keep the game close but the Hawks will find ways to do their damage and with no true running game the Hawks will win this close and high scoring game
34 - 31
ASFC Championship Game
(7-6) 2nd seed at (9-4) 1st seed
This is a match-up where I think all the odds are stacked against the Otters. With both teams having very similar defenses throughout the season, I don’t feel that this will decide the winner, but on offense, this is a totally different story. Reese has shown no signs of age slowing him down, leading the league in passing and a potent passing offense. With Vinny Valentine, Landers and Jammerson Irving he has a lot of choices who to throw to and add in dual threat running back Slim Shady who has almost 1500 all purpose yards, this is an offense that will score points and have scored the most throughout the regular season. With the Otters sending some of their weapons to Baltimore at the deadline, I don’t feel they have firepower to keep up or the defense to slow down the Outlaws enough.
28 - 17
Ultimus Bowl
NSFC (8-5) at ASFC (9-4)
So in the Ultimus we have a matchup of two offensive juggernauts going head to head. Will this be a Chiefs vs Rams 50 burger renaissance or more akin to the offensive shit show which we saw in the most recent Super Bowl? Really only time will tell but of course I hope it is more of the former than the latter. In the end I think the difference maker will be the Arizona defense who have surprised many this season that will do just enough to slow down the Hawks offense and bring Arizona its second straight and fifth overall Ultimus
24 - 23