[div align=\\\"center\\\"]NSFL (S22) POWER RANKINGS Edition 3 [/div]
Hey there cuties and welcome to the third Edition of your favourite NSFL Power Rankings. We got a lot of great content here today. An Austin Copperheads spotlight, covering some of the reasons why their season has stunk so far, in addition to a great review of the notable games played in this past week of the NSFL. The rankings as a whole didn’t change much, as we approached the midpoint of the season. The top tier teams emerged as predicted, with 2 big surprises thanks to the Sabercats and Copperheads. The other 5 playoff teams were accurately predicted by our power rankings. We will see if this holds true as the season progresses. The Sabercats have a TOUGH 2nd half of the season, so we will see if theyre able to hold on, or if another ASFC team is able to make up the difference. Realistically if San Jose picks up just 1 more win I do think they make it.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] Method[/div]
1. TPE Update based on last Saturdays May 2nd updates
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] RESULTS [/div]
OFFENSIVE POWER RANKINGS
(number in brackets denotes TPE rankings)
1. Yellowknife 2.955 (5)
2. Orange County 2.92 (3)
3. Colorado 2.733(2)
4. Austin 2.623 (1)
5. San Jose 2.609 (9)
6. Arizona 2.524 (7)
7. New Orleans 2.475 (6)
8. Philadelphia 2.397 (4)
9. Honolulu 2.176 (8)
10. Baltimore 2.098 (11)
11. Sarasota 1.873 (12)
12. Chicago 1.532 (10)
Notable Teams:
Most teams are now more or less where they were ranked to be with some exceptions:
1. come in as our #1 offensive teams after going 3-0 this last week, scoring 29, 30 and 30 points respectively. With 2 games on the road against very good Liberty and Sabercat teams, The wraiths showed they can beat on 2nd tier teams. Next week, matchups against NOLA and the Yeti at home will be a good test for this Wraiths offense.
2. continue to overperform their TPE rankings of 9th, by coming in this week at #5. As I mentioned in my intro, the Sabercats have it tough in the back half of this schedule. Expect them to regress to 7th or 8th, while still maintain their playoff position.
3. while San jose overperforms, the Liberty have been struggling to keep up to their projection. In wins against the Copperheads and Outlaws on the road, they managed only 23 and 22 points. They have been putting up the yardage, with 400+ in each game, but those yards have to turn into points. Matchups against the Sabercats at home and the Yeti on the road will be an opportunity to show what this offense is about. A week 9 matchup against the Butchers will be a chance to inflate their stats a bit more.
DEFENSIVE POWER RANKINGS
(number in brackets denotes TPE rankings)
1. Colorado 2.957 (1)
2. Orange County 2.802 (2)
3. Baltimore 2.7331 (6)
4. Philadelphia 2.721 (9)
5. New Orleans 2.700 (3)
6. Yellowknife 2.691 (4)
7. San Jose 2.502 (8)
8. Austin 2.215 (5)
9. Chicago 2.098 (12)
10. Arizona 2.042 (10)
11. Sarasota 1.611 (7)
12. Honolulu 1.560 (11)
Notable Teams:
As with the offense, the defense has also mostly settled into their predictions. Theres a bit more variance here, thanks to Austin. Philly has done the inverse of what they were projected to do by having an elite defense and a mediocre offense (predicted the other way around), and finally Sarasota has managed to underperform and fell to 11th
1. we will start with Austin here. It hasn’t been the case that their offense has been bad alone, but their defense too has struggled too. This will be covered to a greater degree in our team spotlight
2. can thank their defense for their playoff position. It’s pretty smooth sailing from here, I project only 2 more losses in their final 7 games. Hopefully their offense can find their footing in time for the playoffs
3. This team has 3 wins and that itself is confusing to me. They beat the Liberty 26-3 at home, which is more of a testament to how bad the Liberty offense has been. I think the Sailfish have a win in them against the Hawks at home, but apart from that I don’t see much else out of this team. Next year all 3 non playoff teams in the NSFC will be making some big strides, but for now the big 3 in the NSFC will dominate.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] FINAL COMBINED POWER RANKINGS WITH INDEX[/div]
(First bracket number is purely stats/performance. Second number is TPE rankings)
1. Yellowknife 4.680 (3)(5)
2. Orange County 4.576 (1)(3)
3. Colorado 4.202 (2)(1)
4. New Orleans 3.958 (4)(4)
5. Philadelphia 3.726 (5)(6)
6. San Jose 3.653 (6)(9)
7. Austin 3.320 (7)(2)
8. Arizona 2.880 (9)(7)
9. Baltimore 2.732 (8)(10)
10. Chicago 2.302 (11)(12)
11. Sarasota 2.229 (12)(11)
12. Honolulu 2.045 (10)(8)
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Notable Games Review [/div]
Presented by Baron1898
Game Reviews - NSFL Week 2
Philadelphia (2-1) @ Sarasota (1-2), 3-26
Unlike their expansion counterparts in Honolulu, Sarasota has the benefit of playing in the relatively weaker NSFC and thus has a legitimate chance at playoff contention. To do so, they’ll need more victories like this, a resounding win against Sarasota’s primary competition for the third conference playoff berth. This game was dominated by Sarasota from the outset, racking up 20 unanswered points against Philadelphia before the visiting Liberty graciously avoided a shutout via a Lefty Louis field goal at the tail end of the third. The on-again, off-again Sailfish quarterback Zack Vega performed admirably, going 21/29 for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns for a fantastic 128.7 passer rating. His two favorite targets, Dexter Banks II and Rayne Gordon, combined for 10 catches for 199 yards and a score, with the other headed in the direction of Dax Frost. Frost’s day was otherwise unnotable, only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, but he and Paco McTaco did help to bolster the Sailfish’s serious time of possession advantage. It also didn’t hurt that the Liberty turned the ball over twice, both on drives in Sarasota territory. With Yellowknife and Colorado locking down the top two seeds, the Week 12 rematch in Philadelphia looks to be massively important for both team’s playoff dreams.
San Jose (2-1) @ Orange County (3-0), 24-17
It’s safe to say that the San Jose Sabercats have been this season’s largest surprise, jumping out to the top tier of ASFC teams in the wake of Austin’s collapse and NOLA’s sluggish start. If any game hammered in San Jose’s meteoric rise, it was this one, where the road Sabercats took down the undefeated Orange County Otters. Both teams spent the game trading points back and forth - an Armstrong run here, a Wright pass there - until the score was tied up 17-17 early in the fourth. The Otters’ subsequent drive ended early with a midfield interception thrown by Armstrong to safety Trey Staley, who returned it 49 yards to the house. Franklin Armstrong vultured two goal line rushing touchdowns but suffered a rather pedestrian statline, only completing 11 passes on 21 attempts and one passing touchdown to the wrong team. For his part, Dan Wright uncorked for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on double the yardage. The San Jose defense absolutely clamped down on Orange County’s offense, which only managed 233 yards and 10 first downs. In terms of momentum, it’s hard to understate the impact of this game, which both softened OCO’s rather impermeable position at the top of the roost and vaulted the Sabercats firmly into the league spotlight.
New Orleans (2-1) @ Austin (0-2-1), 20-28
Parallel to the surprising rise of the San Jose Sabercats has been the equally unexpected struggles of the Austin Copperheads. Expected to be an easy playoff team, if not top three in the league, they tied or lost three very winnable games in a row to start the season and desperately needed a victory. They finally secured one here at home against New Orleans. The first half of this game was dominated by rushing, with 5 combined rushing touchdowns giving Austin a 21-14 lead into halftime. The Second Line whittled that away to a one point lead by the start of the fourth quarter, but Easton Cole’s sole touchdown pass of the day finally put the game away. Francisco and Cole put up nearly identical yardage lines, but the real powerhouse of both teams were their absurdly efficient rushing attacks - 5.2 yards per rush for New Orleans and 4.6 for Austin. New Orleans also led in time of possession and secured more first downs than Austin, but a lost fumble and six penalties helped to end many of their drives even as both defenses went sackless. The win was an important morale boost for the Copperheads, who face a tough road for that third playoff spot with New Orleans, Arizona, and even Honolulu still being viable competitors.
Arizona (1-2-1) @ Orange County (3-1), 24-30
One of two overtime games in Week 5, this matchup ultimately saw the expected winner in Orange County emerge victorious. But that outcome was certainly in doubt. This match was a roller coaster of momentum, seeing the Outlaws outscore the Otters 7-0 in the first quarter and then the home team respond with 10 unanswered points in the second. After halftime, Arizona again claimed the upper hand with a 14-3 margin in the third and a 21-13 score overall, but after two traded field goals to make it 24-16, Orange County led a crucial drive late in the fourth quarter and converted the 2 point attempt to tie up the game at 24 even and send it to overtime, where they would eventually come out victorious. Both quarterbacks actually led their teams in both passing and rushing yardage - Cue with 429 combined yards, Armstrong with 319 - and threw 2 touchdowns to 1 interception apiece. This offensive shootout saw both teams eclipse 460 total yards, with 25 and 23 first downs for Arizona and Orange County respectively. A team in Arizona’s position, busy jockeying for a shot at unseating New Orleans and Austin for a wildcard slot, shouldn’t be content with moral victories, but playing OCO essentially to a draw on their home turf is nothing to sneeze at.
Yellowknife (3-1) @ Philadelphia (2-2), 30-24
This game was the second game of the week to force overtime, also with a 30-24 final score, but the road team was the winner this time around. Racing to keep pace with the Colorado Yeti, the Wraiths secured a victory largely through second half heroics. The ebb and flow of momentum was neatly symmetrical, with the Wraiths scoring first and early to put them up a touchdown before the Liberty ripped off 17 unanswered points deep into the second quarter. Yellowknife duly responded with a touchdown only a minute before halftime, the first of three straight scores for the away team that gave them 17 uninterrupted points and the lead with 4:45 to go in the fourth. But the Liberty would not go down quietly, putting together a touchdown drive capped off by a 10 yard Torenson scamper to send it to overtime, where the Wraiths immediately responded with a drive of their own to end it. Cooter Bigsby was the very definition of a gunslinger, chucking the rock to the tune of 4 passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while a much more conservative Brock Phoenix had over 100 less yards and only one touchdown to his name. Yellowknife was much more efficient on the ground, albeit with no scores, but dominated in the passing attack, with Swift, Hardagain, Hanyadi, and especially Bender Rodriguez benefitting from Bigsby’s fearlessness. Time of possession and third and fourth down efficiency became the backbones of Yellowknife’s victory, keeping drives alive while Lefty Louis was forced to end 10 drives with punts. Although they fall to 2-3, the Liberty still benefit from their weaker conference and likely need only to beat out the Sailfish in order to sneak into the postseason.
Honolulu (2-3) @ Yellowknife (4-1), 16-30
A tale of two halves indeed. Yellowknife was first on the board with a field goal, but soon enough the Hahalua would rack up 16 points off the backs of Corvo Havran’s only touchdown pass and three field goals from Venus Powers to make it 16-10 going into halftime, with Honolulu holding the advantage. These were also all the points that they were going to be able to score for the rest of the game, as the Wraiths shut out the Hahalua in the second half while their offense scored 20 unanswered points to close the door on any potential comebacks. Cooter threw all three of those aforementioned touchdowns, two of which went to Willie Hardagain, but only for a relatively modest 204 yards; the real engine of the Yellowknife offense was the rushing attack, spearheaded by Mathias Hanyadi. Honolulu actually outgained Yellowknife on the ground, but three primary factors contributed to their anemic second half offense: their dismal 5/21 success rate on third and fourth downs, Havran only putting up 169 air yards, and an absurdly undisciplined effort, pulling in a buffoonishly large 13 penalties for 113 yards. The Danny Grithead and Douglas Quaid led defense of the Wraiths helped clamp down on many of Honolulu’s later attempts to score and even their earlier red zone inefficiency, forced to settle for a field goal twice while deep in Yellowknife territory.
Colorado (5-0) @ Arizona (1-3-1), 27-29
The Outlaws followed up their moral victory against Orange County with an actual one just as impressive - handing the as of yet undefeated Colorado Yeti their first loss of the season. It was a nail biter from the start, as the Yeti got off to a brutally explosive start scoring three touchdowns within 16 minutes of kickoff. An Outlaw touchdown at the tail end of the first and two traded field goal shots led to a less daunting but still formidable 15 point lead for Colorado. But powered by the arm and legs of Jay Cue, the Arizona offense responded with force, pulling off three unanswered touchdowns before a late Yeti field goal made it a one score game for the rest of the match. As unbalanced as the scoring distribution was, the two teams were otherwise practically interchangeable. Both put up practically identical numbers for yardage both in the air and on the ground, with similar efficiency clips, turnover rates, and success converting third and fourth downs. Ashley Owens essentially put the entire team on his back, leading both the rushing and receiving charts of Colorado and pounding in two early touchdowns, while Mo Berry was similarly effective on defense, second on the team with tackles to go along with a sack, two pass deflections, and an interception. But ultimately, momentum made all the difference, and the Arizona Outlaws notched a desperately needed victory to stay even with Austin in the wild card race.
Chicago (0-6) @ Honolulu (2-4), 9-5
What happens when you pit a completely stoppable object against a very movable object? Turns out that the secret recipe for the Butchers’ success is simply hoping that the opposing quarterback throws three interceptions to the same defender. This game was fascinating in the same way that watching the Jets is fascinating - you know it sucks, you know that there are much better things to be watching, and yet you can’t take your eyes off of it. I think that in lieu of an extensive game summary, you can simply look at each team’s first drive of the match and pretty much extrapolate from there:
Chicago: Spends eight plays and five minutes to drive down to Honolulu’s 14 yard mark. Sam Sidekick promptly misses the field goal.
Honolulu: Spends two plays in less than a minute to drive down the field 5 yards, then Corvo throws an interception to Hamish MacAndrew.
Dumpster fires like this game only come around every once in a while. It’s best to simply sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Special props to the aforementioned Hamish MacAndrew, who has a serious case for Performance of the Year.
Yellowknife (5-1) @ San Jose (5-1), 29-23
San Jose’s run of victories came to an end at home in Week 7, suffering their first loss since a Week 1 against a dangerous Yellowknife squad. While the Sabercats remained in it to the end, the Wraiths dictated the pace and flow of the game from the start. The away team built up a quick 22-7 lead by the middle of the third, largely on the efforts of three kicks by Dougie Smalls, and while San Jose fought valiantly with their backs pressed against the wall, a mid fourth quarter touchdown drive by Yellowknife made it 29-16 and essentially ended their chances. It’s not hard to notice exactly where the disparity lay between the two teams. Yellowknife rushed for 197 yards and a score on the backs of Mathias Hanyadi and Acura Skyline, and while the Sabercats also got a touchdown with Rando Cardrissian, the mere 81 rushing yards and 3.2 average likely did little to help San Jose’s offense. The home defense did knock down an impressive six passes, albeit with no picks, and also recovered a Wraiths fumble. Meanwhile, Mervin Leonard contributed mightily for the other team with 3 pass deflections and an interception. Special mention also goes to Matthew McDiarmid, the young punter for San Jose with an uncharacteristically awful day. With 6 punts and only 206 yards to show for it, including a blocked punt, he averaged only 34.3 yards per effort and gave the Wraiths optimal field position. The Sabercats are now a game behind the Otters for the first seed, while the Wraiths leap in front of the Yeti to take the top spot in the NSFC.
Colorado (5-1) @ Orange County (5-1), 17-41
The second of the 5-1 duels in Week 7 was nowhere near as close as the game between Yellowknife and San Jose. Both Orange County and Colorado started the game out with a scoreless first quarter, but from there the Otters were an unstoppable force, scoring points every drive from the second quarter to the end of the game (granted, this technically includes a pick six by Thor Kirkby for the Yeti). As per usual, the engine behind the Otters’ offense was MVP front runner Franklin Armstrong, who passed for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns plus 7 rushes for 102 yards and another touchdown. The only blemish on his record was the aforementioned pick six. Wolfie McDummy avoided such ignominy, but at the cost of a truly anemic offense outgained by OCO by over twice the yardage, both passing and rushing. Lanzer Grievous had a field day anchoring the Otters defense, with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, and 2 sacks. Orange County garnered 25 first downs to Colorado’s 10 and only faced 9 third downs in the entire game, converting more than half of them. Even with the interception and a lost fumble, the Otters still dominated time of possession. The win was much needed for Orange County to stay in front of San Jose, who holds the head to head tiebreaker. For the Yeti, now reeling from two straight losses, they are stuck in second place behind the Wraiths and need to rescue their momentum in time for their Week 9 rematch.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Austin Copperheads[/div]
Presented by Thiath
To the surprise of many, the Austin Copperheads have not met expectations at this point in the season. What many originally considered to be a contending team, now stands with a 2-4-1 record. The question is then, how did this happen? Hopefully, we’ll be able to find an answer. One of the more peculiar things about Austin, on paper, they’re one of the better teams in the league. Before we get into the games, let’s take a look at what Austin’s working with. Starting on the offensive side of the ball, there are quite a few notable players.
Two of the most important pieces of the Copperheads offense lie in dual rushing threat, Mako Mendoca and Ryan Leaf Jr. having 1238 and 985 TPE respectively. The nice thing about having a good back field, is how it opens up the field and creates greater complexity in the offensive attack. We can see this in full effect with teams like New Orleans, Baltimore, and to a lesser extent San Jose.
On top of that, their Wide Receivers aren’t something to overlook either. Rod Tidwell has 874 and Net Gaines has 761. To round it all out, they have 1287 TPEC quarterback Easton Cole in command of the field. Looking at it from the outside in, Austin very easily could have the most well rounded offense in the league right now.
If that is the case, why aren’t they? What could possibly have held this team back to the point they are now? Before we find out, let’s talk defense. Notable players include corner Dermot Laville 1403 TPE. Linebacker Honda Edmund 877 TPE. Former first overall pick, defensive end Kyle Idlewyld 550 TPE. Rounding out the list with safeties Jack Rambo 554 TPE, and Awkward Sexjoke 544 TPE.
As we can see, there is a bit of disparity between the offense and the defense, but that is the case with most NSFL teams in the modern era. What is of note however, the Copperheads only have one true corner on their big league roster. While they do have promising corner prospect Colt Mendoza in the DSFL, it is a bit strange they didn’t call him up immediately. Especially when their secondary is in desperate need to fill the nickel.
Let’s change gears, and take a closer look at their season up to this point. Starting with their game against the Arizona Outlaws in week 1. This game ended in a rare tie, and many began to wonder if the Outlaws were being underestimated. Conversely, many began to wonder if the Copperheads were then being overestimated. Looking more closely at the game, it’s clear that both teams played well.
Looking at the box score more closely, the two teams performed almost identically. Austin’s offense put together 272 yards through the air and a combined rushing effort of 122 yards. Arizona meanwhile had 277 passing yards and 135 on the ground. Looking at quarterback efficiency, both Cole and Cue threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Cue being slightly more consistent going 32/50 over Cole’s 27/50. Both teams managed a measly 4/17 on third down conversions, but Arizona converted on their lone 4th down attempt. Austin beat Arizona for penalties with 5/39 over the Outlaw’s 7/70.
Defensively, Austin out performed Arizona with a total of 70 tackles compared to 43. Though Arizona has them beat again with a combined total of 4 sacks to the Copperheads effort of 2. Other stats of note are Austin’s 4 TFL’s against only 1 on the side of the Outlaws. Both teams also performed nearly identically with 8 pass deflections for Austin and 7 for Arizona.
After looking at the numbers, there are a few conclusions that can be drawn with this limited data set. The first and seemingly most popular is that the Austin Copperheads are being severely over estimated. The second would of course be that Arizona is being underestimated. Though my current theory, and the one I will be attempting to shed some light on, is that the Copperheads are just the unluckiest team in a long time. What the front office down in Texas has done to piss off the football gods remains a mystery, but let’s take a look at another game to be certain.
Let’s now take a look at their first home game against the Orange County Otters in week 3. The otters are of course a much different beast than the Outlaws. Being at home should at the very least level the playing field, one would think. However, it seems that in this instance, Austin may just have been outmatched. The final score was nowhere near as close as the Arizona game, 37-23.
Though like in that game against the Outlaws, Austin put up similar numbers, on the box score at least. What has become apparent however, what kills the Copperheads it seems, is the inability to distribute the ball around. Whereas the Otters and Outlaws get nearly the entire offense involved. Austin clearly has certain players they’re using as work horses. One of those being wide receiver Rod Tidwell, the other, Ryan Leaf Jr. What is interesting in all of this, is that Net Gaines is rarely getting the ball, despite being an above average receiver and only in his 4th season.
The harder thing to figure out, is whether or not it’s due to the opposing teams game plan, the Copperheads game plan, or just bad luck. Or perhaps it could be as simple as not having a second corner. What has quickly become apparent is something in Austin isn’t quite working.
Another important game that should be looked at is their week 4 victory over the defending champion New Orleans Second Line. This was an important test for Austin, as losing this game may have been what decided their season. While it was a close game, the Copperheads managed to take the lead in the second quarter and hold on to it. What separates this game from the previous two, Austin managed to spread the ball around the offense much more frequently. Using both their running backs in the passing game over any of their receivers. Personally, I believe this is what allowed them to win. Having so many players above 700 TPE means nothing if they’re not being used effectively, and whatever Austin changed to game plan against the Second Line will likely take precedent going forward.
Looking towards the future for the Copperheads, a lot of things are still uncertain. While they do get somewhat of a break in their schedule for their next three games. Going against the 1-6 Baltimore Hawks in Baltimore in week 8. The 2-4-1 Arizona Outlaws week 9 at home. The 2-5 Honolulu Hahalua at home in week 10. Despite this, Austin truthfully cannot afford to slip up going into this stretch. As to close out the season they have two away games against the 6-1 Orange County Otters in week 11. The 4-3 New Orleans second line coming off an impressive two game streak. Closing out the season against a surprising playoff frontrunner in the 5-2 San Jose Sabercats at home.
As it stands, none of those games are a guaranteed win for the Copperheads at this point. In their current situation, being 2-4-1, there are several scenarios in the back half of the season where Austin could end up missing the playoffs all together. Especially if they lose a game between weeks 8 and 10. Let’s go over their upcoming matchups one by one, maybe there is still a light at the end of the tunnel.
Week 8 at Baltimore: Win 20-17
This is the one game that I wouldn’t be overly worried about if I were Austin. However that being said, nothing is set in stone. While on paper this should be an easy game, the Copperheads do seem to struggle a bit against run heavy teams. Though the Hawks do have one rather large disadvantage having a rookie quarterback with only 462 TPE. Though when home field advantage gets involved, strange things can happen.
Week 9 vs Arizona: Loss 24-21
I expect this to be one of the closest games of the season. Both teams end up going back to back on scoring, instead of this resulting in another tie a field goal wins it in overtime. Austin’s lack of a true corner number two will be in full affect. As Arizona slowly improves over time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them steal a win somewhere along the line.
Week 10 vs Honolulu: Win 32-13
This game isn’t as easy to predict as you may think. As we’ve already seen multiple times this season, games Austin is the clear favorite doesn’t always guarantee victory. However, like in their game against Sarasota, this game will be won by their defense. Honolulu doesn’t quite have the depth at wide receiver they’d need to come out on top.
Week 11 at Orange County: Loss 35-26
This will likely be a repeat of their first encounter with the Otters. Though there is a high chance it will not be as close as the game is now being played in Orange County. Of course, it’s not all the Copperheads fault, as Franklin Armstrong is currently having a clear MVP calibre season. What will likely be the achilles heel for the Copperheads is Armstrong’s ability to escape pressure and throw on the run. Having already struggled against potent running games in the past, the salt in the wound for this team would be if they’re unable to keep up with the quarterback.
Week 12 at New Orleans: Loss 21-14
While Austin did manage to beat the Second Line in week 4, they came very close to scoring the game winner on several occasions. On top of that, as of recently, New Orleans defense has found a new fire and is performing well above expectations. If they continue at this pace, they could cause some real headaches for the Copperheads. Especially if they don’t get some other parts of their offensive attack involved. Being so heavily reliant on just a few players could cause them to become predictable. However, there is some chance that either New Orleans could collapse, as we don’t yet if the Second Line is still able to compete for the Ultimus.
Week 13 vs San Jose: Loss 31-21
San Jose is still somewhat difficult to figure out. Whether or not they can maintain their surprising momentum going forward is yet to be determined. Whatever the case may be, San Jose certainly has a chance to win this game. Regardless of Austin’s performance to this point, whether they’re 2-6-1 or 5-6-1 or 6-5-1, this will be the game that decides their season. The Sabercats could easily also be looking to secure a spot in the playoffs by this point, and that will certainly become something to watch out for.
Final record: 4-8-1
This is of course a shocking record for many, but even in the best case scenario Austin will manage 6-6-1. Given the fact, the Copperheads are teetering dangerously close to the edge, all it would take is a single unlucky game to knock them out of contention. At the end of the day, the fact of the matter is, Austin was dealt an unfortunate combination of everything that could go wrong, being thrown directly at them; from having a less than Ideal schedule at the start of the season, to out right bad luck. With many of Austin’s most valuable assets on the steep hill towards regression, there are growing fears that the team’s window is about to close. If the Copperheads want any chance at making it back to the Ultimus, they will need to have a near perfect second half to the season. Unfortunate as it may be, perfection is rarely attainable. While it is certainly still too soon to make a definitive claim, morale cannot be high for Austin right now. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how Austin handles the pressure.
Word Count=5307
Please Pay 38% to Thiath, 38% to Baron1898, 10% to Forty Jordy and 14% to Isidore94
Hey there cuties and welcome to the third Edition of your favourite NSFL Power Rankings. We got a lot of great content here today. An Austin Copperheads spotlight, covering some of the reasons why their season has stunk so far, in addition to a great review of the notable games played in this past week of the NSFL. The rankings as a whole didn’t change much, as we approached the midpoint of the season. The top tier teams emerged as predicted, with 2 big surprises thanks to the Sabercats and Copperheads. The other 5 playoff teams were accurately predicted by our power rankings. We will see if this holds true as the season progresses. The Sabercats have a TOUGH 2nd half of the season, so we will see if theyre able to hold on, or if another ASFC team is able to make up the difference. Realistically if San Jose picks up just 1 more win I do think they make it.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] Method[/div]
1. TPE Update based on last Saturdays May 2nd updates
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] RESULTS [/div]
OFFENSIVE POWER RANKINGS
(number in brackets denotes TPE rankings)
1. Yellowknife 2.955 (5)
2. Orange County 2.92 (3)
3. Colorado 2.733(2)
4. Austin 2.623 (1)
5. San Jose 2.609 (9)
6. Arizona 2.524 (7)
7. New Orleans 2.475 (6)
8. Philadelphia 2.397 (4)
9. Honolulu 2.176 (8)
10. Baltimore 2.098 (11)
11. Sarasota 1.873 (12)
12. Chicago 1.532 (10)
Notable Teams:
Most teams are now more or less where they were ranked to be with some exceptions:
1. come in as our #1 offensive teams after going 3-0 this last week, scoring 29, 30 and 30 points respectively. With 2 games on the road against very good Liberty and Sabercat teams, The wraiths showed they can beat on 2nd tier teams. Next week, matchups against NOLA and the Yeti at home will be a good test for this Wraiths offense.
2. continue to overperform their TPE rankings of 9th, by coming in this week at #5. As I mentioned in my intro, the Sabercats have it tough in the back half of this schedule. Expect them to regress to 7th or 8th, while still maintain their playoff position.
3. while San jose overperforms, the Liberty have been struggling to keep up to their projection. In wins against the Copperheads and Outlaws on the road, they managed only 23 and 22 points. They have been putting up the yardage, with 400+ in each game, but those yards have to turn into points. Matchups against the Sabercats at home and the Yeti on the road will be an opportunity to show what this offense is about. A week 9 matchup against the Butchers will be a chance to inflate their stats a bit more.
DEFENSIVE POWER RANKINGS
(number in brackets denotes TPE rankings)
1. Colorado 2.957 (1)
2. Orange County 2.802 (2)
3. Baltimore 2.7331 (6)
4. Philadelphia 2.721 (9)
5. New Orleans 2.700 (3)
6. Yellowknife 2.691 (4)
7. San Jose 2.502 (8)
8. Austin 2.215 (5)
9. Chicago 2.098 (12)
10. Arizona 2.042 (10)
11. Sarasota 1.611 (7)
12. Honolulu 1.560 (11)
Notable Teams:
As with the offense, the defense has also mostly settled into their predictions. Theres a bit more variance here, thanks to Austin. Philly has done the inverse of what they were projected to do by having an elite defense and a mediocre offense (predicted the other way around), and finally Sarasota has managed to underperform and fell to 11th
1. we will start with Austin here. It hasn’t been the case that their offense has been bad alone, but their defense too has struggled too. This will be covered to a greater degree in our team spotlight
2. can thank their defense for their playoff position. It’s pretty smooth sailing from here, I project only 2 more losses in their final 7 games. Hopefully their offense can find their footing in time for the playoffs
3. This team has 3 wins and that itself is confusing to me. They beat the Liberty 26-3 at home, which is more of a testament to how bad the Liberty offense has been. I think the Sailfish have a win in them against the Hawks at home, but apart from that I don’t see much else out of this team. Next year all 3 non playoff teams in the NSFC will be making some big strides, but for now the big 3 in the NSFC will dominate.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] FINAL COMBINED POWER RANKINGS WITH INDEX[/div]
(First bracket number is purely stats/performance. Second number is TPE rankings)
1. Yellowknife 4.680 (3)(5)
2. Orange County 4.576 (1)(3)
3. Colorado 4.202 (2)(1)
4. New Orleans 3.958 (4)(4)
5. Philadelphia 3.726 (5)(6)
6. San Jose 3.653 (6)(9)
7. Austin 3.320 (7)(2)
8. Arizona 2.880 (9)(7)
9. Baltimore 2.732 (8)(10)
10. Chicago 2.302 (11)(12)
11. Sarasota 2.229 (12)(11)
12. Honolulu 2.045 (10)(8)
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Notable Games Review [/div]
Presented by Baron1898
Game Reviews - NSFL Week 2
Philadelphia (2-1) @ Sarasota (1-2), 3-26
Unlike their expansion counterparts in Honolulu, Sarasota has the benefit of playing in the relatively weaker NSFC and thus has a legitimate chance at playoff contention. To do so, they’ll need more victories like this, a resounding win against Sarasota’s primary competition for the third conference playoff berth. This game was dominated by Sarasota from the outset, racking up 20 unanswered points against Philadelphia before the visiting Liberty graciously avoided a shutout via a Lefty Louis field goal at the tail end of the third. The on-again, off-again Sailfish quarterback Zack Vega performed admirably, going 21/29 for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns for a fantastic 128.7 passer rating. His two favorite targets, Dexter Banks II and Rayne Gordon, combined for 10 catches for 199 yards and a score, with the other headed in the direction of Dax Frost. Frost’s day was otherwise unnotable, only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, but he and Paco McTaco did help to bolster the Sailfish’s serious time of possession advantage. It also didn’t hurt that the Liberty turned the ball over twice, both on drives in Sarasota territory. With Yellowknife and Colorado locking down the top two seeds, the Week 12 rematch in Philadelphia looks to be massively important for both team’s playoff dreams.
San Jose (2-1) @ Orange County (3-0), 24-17
It’s safe to say that the San Jose Sabercats have been this season’s largest surprise, jumping out to the top tier of ASFC teams in the wake of Austin’s collapse and NOLA’s sluggish start. If any game hammered in San Jose’s meteoric rise, it was this one, where the road Sabercats took down the undefeated Orange County Otters. Both teams spent the game trading points back and forth - an Armstrong run here, a Wright pass there - until the score was tied up 17-17 early in the fourth. The Otters’ subsequent drive ended early with a midfield interception thrown by Armstrong to safety Trey Staley, who returned it 49 yards to the house. Franklin Armstrong vultured two goal line rushing touchdowns but suffered a rather pedestrian statline, only completing 11 passes on 21 attempts and one passing touchdown to the wrong team. For his part, Dan Wright uncorked for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on double the yardage. The San Jose defense absolutely clamped down on Orange County’s offense, which only managed 233 yards and 10 first downs. In terms of momentum, it’s hard to understate the impact of this game, which both softened OCO’s rather impermeable position at the top of the roost and vaulted the Sabercats firmly into the league spotlight.
New Orleans (2-1) @ Austin (0-2-1), 20-28
Parallel to the surprising rise of the San Jose Sabercats has been the equally unexpected struggles of the Austin Copperheads. Expected to be an easy playoff team, if not top three in the league, they tied or lost three very winnable games in a row to start the season and desperately needed a victory. They finally secured one here at home against New Orleans. The first half of this game was dominated by rushing, with 5 combined rushing touchdowns giving Austin a 21-14 lead into halftime. The Second Line whittled that away to a one point lead by the start of the fourth quarter, but Easton Cole’s sole touchdown pass of the day finally put the game away. Francisco and Cole put up nearly identical yardage lines, but the real powerhouse of both teams were their absurdly efficient rushing attacks - 5.2 yards per rush for New Orleans and 4.6 for Austin. New Orleans also led in time of possession and secured more first downs than Austin, but a lost fumble and six penalties helped to end many of their drives even as both defenses went sackless. The win was an important morale boost for the Copperheads, who face a tough road for that third playoff spot with New Orleans, Arizona, and even Honolulu still being viable competitors.
Arizona (1-2-1) @ Orange County (3-1), 24-30
One of two overtime games in Week 5, this matchup ultimately saw the expected winner in Orange County emerge victorious. But that outcome was certainly in doubt. This match was a roller coaster of momentum, seeing the Outlaws outscore the Otters 7-0 in the first quarter and then the home team respond with 10 unanswered points in the second. After halftime, Arizona again claimed the upper hand with a 14-3 margin in the third and a 21-13 score overall, but after two traded field goals to make it 24-16, Orange County led a crucial drive late in the fourth quarter and converted the 2 point attempt to tie up the game at 24 even and send it to overtime, where they would eventually come out victorious. Both quarterbacks actually led their teams in both passing and rushing yardage - Cue with 429 combined yards, Armstrong with 319 - and threw 2 touchdowns to 1 interception apiece. This offensive shootout saw both teams eclipse 460 total yards, with 25 and 23 first downs for Arizona and Orange County respectively. A team in Arizona’s position, busy jockeying for a shot at unseating New Orleans and Austin for a wildcard slot, shouldn’t be content with moral victories, but playing OCO essentially to a draw on their home turf is nothing to sneeze at.
Yellowknife (3-1) @ Philadelphia (2-2), 30-24
This game was the second game of the week to force overtime, also with a 30-24 final score, but the road team was the winner this time around. Racing to keep pace with the Colorado Yeti, the Wraiths secured a victory largely through second half heroics. The ebb and flow of momentum was neatly symmetrical, with the Wraiths scoring first and early to put them up a touchdown before the Liberty ripped off 17 unanswered points deep into the second quarter. Yellowknife duly responded with a touchdown only a minute before halftime, the first of three straight scores for the away team that gave them 17 uninterrupted points and the lead with 4:45 to go in the fourth. But the Liberty would not go down quietly, putting together a touchdown drive capped off by a 10 yard Torenson scamper to send it to overtime, where the Wraiths immediately responded with a drive of their own to end it. Cooter Bigsby was the very definition of a gunslinger, chucking the rock to the tune of 4 passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while a much more conservative Brock Phoenix had over 100 less yards and only one touchdown to his name. Yellowknife was much more efficient on the ground, albeit with no scores, but dominated in the passing attack, with Swift, Hardagain, Hanyadi, and especially Bender Rodriguez benefitting from Bigsby’s fearlessness. Time of possession and third and fourth down efficiency became the backbones of Yellowknife’s victory, keeping drives alive while Lefty Louis was forced to end 10 drives with punts. Although they fall to 2-3, the Liberty still benefit from their weaker conference and likely need only to beat out the Sailfish in order to sneak into the postseason.
Honolulu (2-3) @ Yellowknife (4-1), 16-30
A tale of two halves indeed. Yellowknife was first on the board with a field goal, but soon enough the Hahalua would rack up 16 points off the backs of Corvo Havran’s only touchdown pass and three field goals from Venus Powers to make it 16-10 going into halftime, with Honolulu holding the advantage. These were also all the points that they were going to be able to score for the rest of the game, as the Wraiths shut out the Hahalua in the second half while their offense scored 20 unanswered points to close the door on any potential comebacks. Cooter threw all three of those aforementioned touchdowns, two of which went to Willie Hardagain, but only for a relatively modest 204 yards; the real engine of the Yellowknife offense was the rushing attack, spearheaded by Mathias Hanyadi. Honolulu actually outgained Yellowknife on the ground, but three primary factors contributed to their anemic second half offense: their dismal 5/21 success rate on third and fourth downs, Havran only putting up 169 air yards, and an absurdly undisciplined effort, pulling in a buffoonishly large 13 penalties for 113 yards. The Danny Grithead and Douglas Quaid led defense of the Wraiths helped clamp down on many of Honolulu’s later attempts to score and even their earlier red zone inefficiency, forced to settle for a field goal twice while deep in Yellowknife territory.
Colorado (5-0) @ Arizona (1-3-1), 27-29
The Outlaws followed up their moral victory against Orange County with an actual one just as impressive - handing the as of yet undefeated Colorado Yeti their first loss of the season. It was a nail biter from the start, as the Yeti got off to a brutally explosive start scoring three touchdowns within 16 minutes of kickoff. An Outlaw touchdown at the tail end of the first and two traded field goal shots led to a less daunting but still formidable 15 point lead for Colorado. But powered by the arm and legs of Jay Cue, the Arizona offense responded with force, pulling off three unanswered touchdowns before a late Yeti field goal made it a one score game for the rest of the match. As unbalanced as the scoring distribution was, the two teams were otherwise practically interchangeable. Both put up practically identical numbers for yardage both in the air and on the ground, with similar efficiency clips, turnover rates, and success converting third and fourth downs. Ashley Owens essentially put the entire team on his back, leading both the rushing and receiving charts of Colorado and pounding in two early touchdowns, while Mo Berry was similarly effective on defense, second on the team with tackles to go along with a sack, two pass deflections, and an interception. But ultimately, momentum made all the difference, and the Arizona Outlaws notched a desperately needed victory to stay even with Austin in the wild card race.
Chicago (0-6) @ Honolulu (2-4), 9-5
What happens when you pit a completely stoppable object against a very movable object? Turns out that the secret recipe for the Butchers’ success is simply hoping that the opposing quarterback throws three interceptions to the same defender. This game was fascinating in the same way that watching the Jets is fascinating - you know it sucks, you know that there are much better things to be watching, and yet you can’t take your eyes off of it. I think that in lieu of an extensive game summary, you can simply look at each team’s first drive of the match and pretty much extrapolate from there:
Chicago: Spends eight plays and five minutes to drive down to Honolulu’s 14 yard mark. Sam Sidekick promptly misses the field goal.
Honolulu: Spends two plays in less than a minute to drive down the field 5 yards, then Corvo throws an interception to Hamish MacAndrew.
Dumpster fires like this game only come around every once in a while. It’s best to simply sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Special props to the aforementioned Hamish MacAndrew, who has a serious case for Performance of the Year.
Yellowknife (5-1) @ San Jose (5-1), 29-23
San Jose’s run of victories came to an end at home in Week 7, suffering their first loss since a Week 1 against a dangerous Yellowknife squad. While the Sabercats remained in it to the end, the Wraiths dictated the pace and flow of the game from the start. The away team built up a quick 22-7 lead by the middle of the third, largely on the efforts of three kicks by Dougie Smalls, and while San Jose fought valiantly with their backs pressed against the wall, a mid fourth quarter touchdown drive by Yellowknife made it 29-16 and essentially ended their chances. It’s not hard to notice exactly where the disparity lay between the two teams. Yellowknife rushed for 197 yards and a score on the backs of Mathias Hanyadi and Acura Skyline, and while the Sabercats also got a touchdown with Rando Cardrissian, the mere 81 rushing yards and 3.2 average likely did little to help San Jose’s offense. The home defense did knock down an impressive six passes, albeit with no picks, and also recovered a Wraiths fumble. Meanwhile, Mervin Leonard contributed mightily for the other team with 3 pass deflections and an interception. Special mention also goes to Matthew McDiarmid, the young punter for San Jose with an uncharacteristically awful day. With 6 punts and only 206 yards to show for it, including a blocked punt, he averaged only 34.3 yards per effort and gave the Wraiths optimal field position. The Sabercats are now a game behind the Otters for the first seed, while the Wraiths leap in front of the Yeti to take the top spot in the NSFC.
Colorado (5-1) @ Orange County (5-1), 17-41
The second of the 5-1 duels in Week 7 was nowhere near as close as the game between Yellowknife and San Jose. Both Orange County and Colorado started the game out with a scoreless first quarter, but from there the Otters were an unstoppable force, scoring points every drive from the second quarter to the end of the game (granted, this technically includes a pick six by Thor Kirkby for the Yeti). As per usual, the engine behind the Otters’ offense was MVP front runner Franklin Armstrong, who passed for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns plus 7 rushes for 102 yards and another touchdown. The only blemish on his record was the aforementioned pick six. Wolfie McDummy avoided such ignominy, but at the cost of a truly anemic offense outgained by OCO by over twice the yardage, both passing and rushing. Lanzer Grievous had a field day anchoring the Otters defense, with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, and 2 sacks. Orange County garnered 25 first downs to Colorado’s 10 and only faced 9 third downs in the entire game, converting more than half of them. Even with the interception and a lost fumble, the Otters still dominated time of possession. The win was much needed for Orange County to stay in front of San Jose, who holds the head to head tiebreaker. For the Yeti, now reeling from two straight losses, they are stuck in second place behind the Wraiths and need to rescue their momentum in time for their Week 9 rematch.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Austin Copperheads[/div]
Presented by Thiath
To the surprise of many, the Austin Copperheads have not met expectations at this point in the season. What many originally considered to be a contending team, now stands with a 2-4-1 record. The question is then, how did this happen? Hopefully, we’ll be able to find an answer. One of the more peculiar things about Austin, on paper, they’re one of the better teams in the league. Before we get into the games, let’s take a look at what Austin’s working with. Starting on the offensive side of the ball, there are quite a few notable players.
Two of the most important pieces of the Copperheads offense lie in dual rushing threat, Mako Mendoca and Ryan Leaf Jr. having 1238 and 985 TPE respectively. The nice thing about having a good back field, is how it opens up the field and creates greater complexity in the offensive attack. We can see this in full effect with teams like New Orleans, Baltimore, and to a lesser extent San Jose.
On top of that, their Wide Receivers aren’t something to overlook either. Rod Tidwell has 874 and Net Gaines has 761. To round it all out, they have 1287 TPEC quarterback Easton Cole in command of the field. Looking at it from the outside in, Austin very easily could have the most well rounded offense in the league right now.
If that is the case, why aren’t they? What could possibly have held this team back to the point they are now? Before we find out, let’s talk defense. Notable players include corner Dermot Laville 1403 TPE. Linebacker Honda Edmund 877 TPE. Former first overall pick, defensive end Kyle Idlewyld 550 TPE. Rounding out the list with safeties Jack Rambo 554 TPE, and Awkward Sexjoke 544 TPE.
As we can see, there is a bit of disparity between the offense and the defense, but that is the case with most NSFL teams in the modern era. What is of note however, the Copperheads only have one true corner on their big league roster. While they do have promising corner prospect Colt Mendoza in the DSFL, it is a bit strange they didn’t call him up immediately. Especially when their secondary is in desperate need to fill the nickel.
Let’s change gears, and take a closer look at their season up to this point. Starting with their game against the Arizona Outlaws in week 1. This game ended in a rare tie, and many began to wonder if the Outlaws were being underestimated. Conversely, many began to wonder if the Copperheads were then being overestimated. Looking more closely at the game, it’s clear that both teams played well.
Looking at the box score more closely, the two teams performed almost identically. Austin’s offense put together 272 yards through the air and a combined rushing effort of 122 yards. Arizona meanwhile had 277 passing yards and 135 on the ground. Looking at quarterback efficiency, both Cole and Cue threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Cue being slightly more consistent going 32/50 over Cole’s 27/50. Both teams managed a measly 4/17 on third down conversions, but Arizona converted on their lone 4th down attempt. Austin beat Arizona for penalties with 5/39 over the Outlaw’s 7/70.
Defensively, Austin out performed Arizona with a total of 70 tackles compared to 43. Though Arizona has them beat again with a combined total of 4 sacks to the Copperheads effort of 2. Other stats of note are Austin’s 4 TFL’s against only 1 on the side of the Outlaws. Both teams also performed nearly identically with 8 pass deflections for Austin and 7 for Arizona.
After looking at the numbers, there are a few conclusions that can be drawn with this limited data set. The first and seemingly most popular is that the Austin Copperheads are being severely over estimated. The second would of course be that Arizona is being underestimated. Though my current theory, and the one I will be attempting to shed some light on, is that the Copperheads are just the unluckiest team in a long time. What the front office down in Texas has done to piss off the football gods remains a mystery, but let’s take a look at another game to be certain.
Let’s now take a look at their first home game against the Orange County Otters in week 3. The otters are of course a much different beast than the Outlaws. Being at home should at the very least level the playing field, one would think. However, it seems that in this instance, Austin may just have been outmatched. The final score was nowhere near as close as the Arizona game, 37-23.
Though like in that game against the Outlaws, Austin put up similar numbers, on the box score at least. What has become apparent however, what kills the Copperheads it seems, is the inability to distribute the ball around. Whereas the Otters and Outlaws get nearly the entire offense involved. Austin clearly has certain players they’re using as work horses. One of those being wide receiver Rod Tidwell, the other, Ryan Leaf Jr. What is interesting in all of this, is that Net Gaines is rarely getting the ball, despite being an above average receiver and only in his 4th season.
The harder thing to figure out, is whether or not it’s due to the opposing teams game plan, the Copperheads game plan, or just bad luck. Or perhaps it could be as simple as not having a second corner. What has quickly become apparent is something in Austin isn’t quite working.
Another important game that should be looked at is their week 4 victory over the defending champion New Orleans Second Line. This was an important test for Austin, as losing this game may have been what decided their season. While it was a close game, the Copperheads managed to take the lead in the second quarter and hold on to it. What separates this game from the previous two, Austin managed to spread the ball around the offense much more frequently. Using both their running backs in the passing game over any of their receivers. Personally, I believe this is what allowed them to win. Having so many players above 700 TPE means nothing if they’re not being used effectively, and whatever Austin changed to game plan against the Second Line will likely take precedent going forward.
Looking towards the future for the Copperheads, a lot of things are still uncertain. While they do get somewhat of a break in their schedule for their next three games. Going against the 1-6 Baltimore Hawks in Baltimore in week 8. The 2-4-1 Arizona Outlaws week 9 at home. The 2-5 Honolulu Hahalua at home in week 10. Despite this, Austin truthfully cannot afford to slip up going into this stretch. As to close out the season they have two away games against the 6-1 Orange County Otters in week 11. The 4-3 New Orleans second line coming off an impressive two game streak. Closing out the season against a surprising playoff frontrunner in the 5-2 San Jose Sabercats at home.
As it stands, none of those games are a guaranteed win for the Copperheads at this point. In their current situation, being 2-4-1, there are several scenarios in the back half of the season where Austin could end up missing the playoffs all together. Especially if they lose a game between weeks 8 and 10. Let’s go over their upcoming matchups one by one, maybe there is still a light at the end of the tunnel.
Week 8 at Baltimore: Win 20-17
This is the one game that I wouldn’t be overly worried about if I were Austin. However that being said, nothing is set in stone. While on paper this should be an easy game, the Copperheads do seem to struggle a bit against run heavy teams. Though the Hawks do have one rather large disadvantage having a rookie quarterback with only 462 TPE. Though when home field advantage gets involved, strange things can happen.
Week 9 vs Arizona: Loss 24-21
I expect this to be one of the closest games of the season. Both teams end up going back to back on scoring, instead of this resulting in another tie a field goal wins it in overtime. Austin’s lack of a true corner number two will be in full affect. As Arizona slowly improves over time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them steal a win somewhere along the line.
Week 10 vs Honolulu: Win 32-13
This game isn’t as easy to predict as you may think. As we’ve already seen multiple times this season, games Austin is the clear favorite doesn’t always guarantee victory. However, like in their game against Sarasota, this game will be won by their defense. Honolulu doesn’t quite have the depth at wide receiver they’d need to come out on top.
Week 11 at Orange County: Loss 35-26
This will likely be a repeat of their first encounter with the Otters. Though there is a high chance it will not be as close as the game is now being played in Orange County. Of course, it’s not all the Copperheads fault, as Franklin Armstrong is currently having a clear MVP calibre season. What will likely be the achilles heel for the Copperheads is Armstrong’s ability to escape pressure and throw on the run. Having already struggled against potent running games in the past, the salt in the wound for this team would be if they’re unable to keep up with the quarterback.
Week 12 at New Orleans: Loss 21-14
While Austin did manage to beat the Second Line in week 4, they came very close to scoring the game winner on several occasions. On top of that, as of recently, New Orleans defense has found a new fire and is performing well above expectations. If they continue at this pace, they could cause some real headaches for the Copperheads. Especially if they don’t get some other parts of their offensive attack involved. Being so heavily reliant on just a few players could cause them to become predictable. However, there is some chance that either New Orleans could collapse, as we don’t yet if the Second Line is still able to compete for the Ultimus.
Week 13 vs San Jose: Loss 31-21
San Jose is still somewhat difficult to figure out. Whether or not they can maintain their surprising momentum going forward is yet to be determined. Whatever the case may be, San Jose certainly has a chance to win this game. Regardless of Austin’s performance to this point, whether they’re 2-6-1 or 5-6-1 or 6-5-1, this will be the game that decides their season. The Sabercats could easily also be looking to secure a spot in the playoffs by this point, and that will certainly become something to watch out for.
Final record: 4-8-1
This is of course a shocking record for many, but even in the best case scenario Austin will manage 6-6-1. Given the fact, the Copperheads are teetering dangerously close to the edge, all it would take is a single unlucky game to knock them out of contention. At the end of the day, the fact of the matter is, Austin was dealt an unfortunate combination of everything that could go wrong, being thrown directly at them; from having a less than Ideal schedule at the start of the season, to out right bad luck. With many of Austin’s most valuable assets on the steep hill towards regression, there are growing fears that the team’s window is about to close. If the Copperheads want any chance at making it back to the Ultimus, they will need to have a near perfect second half to the season. Unfortunate as it may be, perfection is rarely attainable. While it is certainly still too soon to make a definitive claim, morale cannot be high for Austin right now. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how Austin handles the pressure.
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