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Week 10: vs.
This week, in the first half of their two week home stand, our ASFC leading Arizona Outlaws (6-2-0) will be taking on the San Jose Sabercats (3-6-0). The Outlaws are coming straight off of a bye week, and should be looking to use the rest opportunity they had to their own advantage, knowing they’ll be fresher than their opponents. While by most measures the Sabercats have underperformed this season, it is safe to say that they have been an offensive force, ranking in first place for passer rating (82.5) and second in total rushing yards (958). Unfortunately for San Jose, what the Sabrecats have in terms of offensive production, they lack on the defensive side of the ball. They are the second worst team in the league in terms of total tackles (423) and total sacks (23), and their cornerbacks have also struggled to cover teams’ passing games, only having picked off 9 interceptions on the season. To me, this is an extremely key stat, as the dynamic offense of the Sabrecats obviously flourishes the more possessions they get. A defense that fails to create turnovers via tackles and/or interceptions acts as a ball and chain of sorts for the offense, as the time they’re receiving the ball most often is when their opponents have just scored.
Looking at the Outlaws, they are interestingly enough almost the reverse of the Sabrecats. The Outlaws have struggled to create much offensive production at all, but their defense has stayed sharp and remained one of the best (if not the best) in the league. We’ll go into it more deeply, but this should make it clear that the old “Defenses win championships” adage holds true. While the Outlaws rank dead last in total passing yards (1600), this low number is due to their bye, and if they played another game would probably rank somewhere around third last, just above the Legion and the Liberty—both teams who have struggled to find much success this season. The Outlaws have at this point maintained the third last position for passer rating (63.8), and Quarterback King Bronko has really struggled with his passing precision this season, throwing 12 interceptions. The Outlaws have not been much better at running the ball, only gaining 734 yards this season (second worst in the league) on an average of 3.3 yards per carry. On defense it is a completely different story. The Outlaws are the league leaders (with a bye, and by far) in total sacks with 53, and are also the league leaders in Tackles for losses. They also have the most defensive touchdowns (4) in the league. Their play makes it nearly impossible for even a firepower offense like the Sabercat’s to get into gear, as there is almost always a defensive threat which will set them back a few yards.
My Pick: Outlaws dominate the Sabercats for a few reasons. Their iron wall defense will stop even a great offense from gaining momentum, answering any big offensive plays with a sack, tackle for loss, or an interception. Those guys go out there to play hard, and won’t be denied a victory. I think the Outlaws offense will also have one of its better games this season, as their averageness matches up as better than the sub par defense of the Sabercats. In total, the Sabercats have 30 less sacks than the Outlaws this season, suggesting the Arizona Quarterback, Bronko, will have all the time in the pocket he needs to make smart decisions, and avoid the crippling amount of interceptions which he has been throwing this season. All of that being said, it should be interesting to see how these two teams contend, and is a must win for Arizona if they are to include themselves in talks of who is the dominant team in the NSFL.
GRADED
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