Let's talk the Portland Pythons. Entering the season, I don't think there was a team with a lower stock than Portland. They are coming off 3 seasons of missing the playoffs, and the previous season had a rocky showing of 5-9, and they were also 5-9 the season before that. They had the worst record in the league and scored the fewest points while allowing the second most points. All in all, not good. To start the season, they faced off against the defending champion Norfolk Seawolves, who brought back a huge chunk of their players and promptly demolished the Pythons, to the tune of 31-17. Everyone was probably gearing up for another difficult year for the Pythons. However, things have changed since week 1, in a positive direction for the Pythons. Firstly, the Seawolves have proven to be a juggernaut. In week two they beat the Grey Ducks 20-0 at home, and then went on the road and beat Dallas 37-17. That's right, the Pythons have the closest margin of victory against Norfolk out of the three games the Seawolves have played so far. So maybe its less that the Pythons team is poor, and more that Norfolk is just a monster who will be difficult to beat this early in the season. Norfolk will probably come back down to earth, particularly as the season goes on and other teams' rookies progress, but for right now they are the clear best team in the league. For Portland's part, they beat the Royals on the road in week 2, in a convincing 23-10 win. The Royals have one of the best offenses in the league, particularly through the air, and their defense isn't half bad either. This meant a big upswing for the Pythons, as it showed they can compete in the DSFL this season. They would go on to host and lose to the Grey Ducks, 19-15, but this was a weird game in which both teams tried their best to lose. The offense is the biggest question mark for the Pythons, but they have some young talent on that side of the ball that should get much better as the season goes along. They are starting a veteran QB and have a talented WR already, so all they need is to round out that supporting cast a bit. Currently the Pythons lead the NFC, though each team in the division has a 1-2 record. But when you start from the bottom, any sign of life is going to see your stock rise and Portland has that in spades.
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