Tag: playoffs

WEEK 13 PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS

With a win in Week 13 the Blizzard will head to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
PHOTO CREDIT: Green Bay Blizzard

The playoff push is officially upon us. Three playoff spots remain up for grabs and every team is in action in a week 13 slate spread out over three days. Here’s a preview of all five games this weekend.

RIVER KINGS (1-9)@ STEAMWHEELERS (3-7)

Friday May 17th 7:05 PM

The playoffs may not officially begin for another few weeks but this game has all the importance of a playoff game with none of the excitement. With a loss the River Kings season is mathematically over. With a loss the Steamwheelers are on the verge of elimination. We all know that isn’t going to happen. EJ Hillard is going to have a huge day while Ben Wilkerson and the Cedar Rapids River Kings will yet again struggle to do ANYTHING offensively, and in turn be eliminated from IFL playoff contention.

PICK: Steamwheelers: 63 River Kings 25

SUGAR SKULLS (5-5) @ BUCKS (2-7)

Saturday May 18th 6:05 P.M.

This is a game with a lot of intrigue to it and a lot of the importance for Tucson will be based on how things go down the night before in Moline, Illinois. Tucson controls their own destiny for a playoff spot in their first season, keep winning, and you’ll be in the playoffs. Jake Medlock and Matt Behrendt split time under center last week, yet again opening up a Quarterback controversy out West. Behrendt was the more impressive of the two and would be my pick to start for the ‘Skulls in week 13. Neither team sports an overly impressive record and neither team has managed to defeat a team with a record at .500 or above yet this season. The Bucks are a team on a mission, they defeat a team with a .500 record in front of the home crowd and keep their momentum moving. They’ll pull the upset to stay alive in the playoff hunt.

PICK: Bucks: 48 Sugar Skulls: 45

DANGER (5-5) @ STORM (8-2)

Saturday May 18th 7:05 P.M.

The Nebraska Danger are an interesting case. They have all the talent in the world and have for the most part, managed to piece it together nicely. A rough schedule has done them no favors and this week will be no different. This should be a back and forth contest but the Sioux Falls Storm are in playoff mode now, I expect a big night from Davonte Sapp-Lynch but I also expect some Tommy Armstrong Jr. interceptions, 2 to be exact. Lorenzo Brown will tear up the Danger secondary (a solid one at that) and the Storm will get it done sending Nebraska back below .500.

PICK: Storm: 66 Danger: 56

BARNSTORMERS (9-1) @ BLIZZARD (6-4)

Sunday May 19th 3:05 P.M.

If you follow the page you know by now that I’ve beaten to death the fact that if the Blizzard win this weekend they’ll make the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The only problem, they have to beat the defending IFL champions. Sorry Green Bay, but we’ll have to wait at least one more week before we punch your ticket to the big dance. The Barnstormers I think finally found their mojo with a last second win over the Steamwheelers last week. This could also be the game where Daquan Neal locks up MVP honors. Green Bay hangs tough thanks to their defense, but Iowa will pull away at the end.

PICK: Barnstormers: 49 Blizzard: 34

RATTLERS (9-0) @ STRIKE FORCE (1-9)

Sunday May 19th 7:05 P.M.

Why waste space? It’s the end of the article and my fingers are cramping. Arizona won this game 5 weeks ago. Taylor Genuser has done a fantastic job with this Strike Force offense this season so they’ll put up some points but Drew Powell is going to tear San Diego’s defense apart. Hopefully with the game being on a weekend the Strike Force can improve attendance which has struggled all season.

PICK: Rattlers: 77 Strike Force: 35

WEEK 13 PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

Green Bay Blizzard can lock up a playoff berth this weekend for the first time since 2012
PHOTO CREDIT: OurSports Central

For the majority of teams in the Indoor Football League only 4 games remain for them to try and improve their playoff standing. The exceptions are the Arizona Rattlers and Bismarck Bucks who each have 5 games left on their schedule. For the remainder of the season until the playoffs come around we will be giving you scenarios to look for in each week of action which will set the 2019 IFL playoff bracket. 6 teams will make the playoffs.

TICKETS PUNCHED

The Arizona Rattlers, Iowa Barnstormers, and Sioux Falls Storm have clinched spots in the IFL playoffs leaving three spots still open.

TEAMS ON THE CUTTING BLOCK

Both the San Diego Strike Force and Cedar Rapids River Kings are on the verge of becoming the first two teams eliminated from playoff contention. If the River Kings lose to the Steamwheelers they will be eliminated from playoff contention. If the Strike Force fall to the Rattlers they will be eliminated. Even if both teams win they’ll need some help to stay alive. A win by the Sugar Skulls against the Bismarck Bucks and a win by the Nebraska Danger over the Sioux Falls Storm would eliminate both teams immediately.

CLINCHING SPOTS

The Green Bay Blizzard will have their opportunity to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2012 this weekend. The Blizzard who currently sit at 4th in the standings can lock up a playoff berth with a win over the Iowa Barnstormers or a Quad City Steamwheeler loss to the Cedar Rapids River Kings.

5 SEED UP FOR GRABS

While there is no question who the more talented team is, the Nebraska Danger and Tucson Sugar Skulls are tied in the standings sharing the 5th and 6th spot. If Nebraska wins against Sioux Falls they will hang on to the 5 spot no matter the outcome of Tucson’s game. However, if the Sugar Skulls knock off Bismarck and the Danger lose to the Storm the Danger would fall back to the 6th spot and the Sugar Skulls would move up to number 5.

MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE WEEK

Who would’ve thought the Tucson Sugar Skulls and Bismarck Bucks would be playing in a game with playoff implications. A win for the Sugar Skulls all but eliminates Bismarck from postseason play as the Sugar Skulls will have then swept the season series. With a win Bismarck would put themselves 1.5 games behind Tucson for the sixth and final playoff spot, and with a Storm victory over the Danger the Bucks would be 1.5 behind Nebraska. The Danger do own the tiebreaker over the Bucks.

WEEK 12 RECAP

The Iowa Barnstormers have clinched a spot in the 2019 IFL playoffs.
PHOTO CREDIT Iowa Barnstormers Facebook

BARNSTORMERS 59 STEAMWHEELERS 56

This is going to be the game of the year in the IFL and if it isn’t it’s going to take one of the all-time classics to top it. The Barnstormers continued their flare for the dramatic, using a Daquan Neal touchdown scamper to give them their second last second victory of the season, clinching the defending champs their fourth straight playoff apearence. This is probably going to be the game that ends up winning Neal MVP honors, among others. The first year IFL signal caller threw only 3 incompletions on 17 attempts, 199 yards and 4 touchdowns to go along with a staggering 6 on the ground. The Steamwheelers most likely have run out of time because of this loss. The team sits at 3-7 and are 2 games behind Tucson for the 6th and final playoff spot. With that being said, this is an incredibly fun team to watch. EJ Hilliard, tossed another 4 TD strikes, and still has only thrown 1 interception this season. No QB in IFL history has thrown less than 2 in a season. Quinton Pedroza hauled in 2 of Hilliard’s 4 touchdowns bringing his league high total to 21. This connection is arguably the best in the league and they’ll have a must win game against Cedar Rapids this weekend to keep their hopes alive.

STORM 44 BLIZZARD 37

The final score was only a 7 point margin but the ending of the IFL’s battle for third place ended a bit anti-climatically. With 2:13 left the Blizzard opted to kick the ball deep instead of trying for an onside kick. The Blizzard never got the ball back and fell to 6-4. Despite the loss Lenorris Footman continued to improve as a passer, throwing for 160 yards and 3 TD’s. His 1 interception proved to be costly though as Lorenzo White picked Footman off, in what would turn out to be the deciding possession of the ball game. As for Sioux Falls, Lorenzo Brown was held to under 100 yards passing for the evening, and no player rushed for more than 65 yards. The defense won this game for Sioux Falls, and clinched the IFL’s greatest franchise yet another playoff berth.

SUGAR SKULLS 65 STRIKE FORCE 48

The good news for the Strike Force is they went into the fourth quarter against the Sugar Skulls down 44-41. The bad news, they allowed their expansion counterparts to outscore them 21-7 in the fourth, and the momentum the Strike Force had after a win against Cedar Rapids on April 14th is now a distant memory. Jihad Vercher was solid, throwing for 3 touchdowns. The Achilles heel for San Diego continued to be turnovers as Vercher threw a pick and the normally reliable George Moreira coughed up the ball on a pivotal fourth quarter drive. As for Tucson nothing they did was overly impressive against San Diego. Jake Medlock and Matt Behrendt combined to throw five touchdowns, but most importantly the Sugar Skulls never turned the ball over. Kick returner Jeremiah Harris was impressive yet again as he continues to make his case as a late runner at an all-IFL returner spot, totaling 181 yards on 8 attempts for a 22.6 YPR average with a long of 44 yards.