IFL fans were in luck during Week 13! This was one of the best weeks of football, game for game, that we have seen so far this season.
We had 7 IFL games, in which FIVE of them were decided by 3 points or less and SIX total that were nail biters to the end. This was the perfect week to introduce a newbie to the sport with so many different storylines, so many great plays and only minimal amounts of stupidity in terms of playcalling and player utilization! Huzzah!
After reading through this recap, send one of these games to a friend that you've been wanting to get into the IFL. Let's keep on growing the game.
Here's what we learned in Week 13:
Green Bay Blizzard @ Massachusetts Pirates
Result: 36-33 Green Bay
What We Learned: Green Bay are the kings of the East & Massachusetts’ offense is back to being confusing
I’m going to paint a picture for you to visualize a situation these teams were in heading into this game:
Team A has the best passing defense in the league, but has the 4th worst rushing defense in the league.
Team B has one of (if not THE) most dynamic running backs in the league and is starting a backup QB who hasn’t shown much yet this season.
If you were Team B, how would you attack Team A offensively? Surely, you would run the ball early and OFTEN right? I this situation, Team A is the Blizzard & Team B is the Pirates, they did not do that — and the Pirates did not run the ball early and often.
They start the game with 4 carries to Robinson on the opening drive, but then proceeded to THROW THE BALL against the NUMBER ONE passing defense with their BACKUP QB for 16 of the next 18 plays. Despite this, they had an early lead due to their defense doing a great job against the Blizzard offense, but they couldn’t pile on and pounce on Green Bay early and allowed them to catch back up.
Pirates RB Jimmie Robinson ended up with 15 carries for 113 yards & 1 TD, but could have gotten so much more if they really leaned on him in the first half. The Pirates offense continues to confuse me and with how this game played out, the problem lies in the hands of the play caller.
On the other side, Green Bay started this game so slow on offense, but crept back into it thanks to their defense and special teams. DB Ravarius Rivers was a monster in this game (and probably Defensive Player of the Week) with 10 solo tackles, 2 INTs and a blocked FG on the day. WR Demetrius Moore also had a kick return TD late in the first half that really put the momentum back in Green Bay’s favor.
Green Bay had a bit of their own identity crisis in this game due to one of their primary offensive linemen getting hurt in the first half, and they had to rotate some players (including some defensive linemen) into the game to step in relief. First play after he got hurt, they gave up a sack for a Safety and they continued to rotate until they found a combo that worked.
It seems like the gameplay would have played out different for the Blizzard offense had that injury not happened, but they were able to get a win on the road and hand Massachusetts a rare home loss. The Blizzard are now in sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference and was the first team this season to secure their playoff spot. Right now, the number one seed in the Eastern conference is Green Bay’s to lose.
Frisco Fighters @ Quad City Steamwheelers
Result: 52-49 Quad City
What We Learned: Quad City RAN THE DAMN BALL & Frisco little mistakes caught up to them in this one
Starting with Quad City, I would just like to say thank you to the Steamwheelers coaching staff for FINALLY running the ball with PJ Vander!! We (me) have been begging for this for weeks and finally got the game we’ve known they are capable of, with Vander getting 18 carries for 78 yards & 3 TDs. For reference, Vander had 20 carries in the last 3 games COMBINED.
This offense needs to continue to flow through their powerful RB and they need to continue to feed him the ball. In time where Quad City is having QB issues and a different one starting every other week, you have to lean on what is constant in the offense — and that has been Vander.
WR Jarrod Harrington had another kick return TD in this game (bringing his total on the year to 3) and really put Quad City in a good spot to open the second half. The defense did a solid job of containing Frisco early, only allowing 10 points in the first half and really buying some time for the offense to get things going.
On the other side, Frisco played pretty well in this one but just had a couple missed field goals and a slow start in the first half that seemed to throw them off their schedule. QB TJ Edwards had a really good game with 6 total TDs (4 Pass, 2 Rush) and connected with WR Cole Blackman for some massive plays (5 rec, 102 yards, 2 TDs) and really leaned on DB/WR Lionel McConnell (10 rec, 80 yards, 1 TD). But they couldn’t seem to get much going in the ground game, which was shocking to see considering they lead the league in rushing.
Despite some of the hiccups, this game was within Frisco’s grasp but they just let it slip away. They are still on track for the playoffs but are now a game behind Green Bay for the number one seed. They have a pretty favorable final 5 games to end their season, so they are in a good spot to at least have the number two seed.
Definitely worthy of the OffTheWallCertifiedBanger stamp of approval!
Tulsa Oilers @ Jacksonville Sharks
Result: 45-42 Jacksonville
What We Learned: Tulsa’s offense showed life for the first time in weeks & Jacksonville just needs to play Tulsa every week
Tulsa’s offense looked pretty good in the first half of this one and it comes as no surprise that it happened in Jarrod Ware’s first game back from injury. They were able to get him involved in the outside running game and really stretch out the defense horizontally, which opened things up for the Andre Sale and the passing game. But the bad news for Tulsa is that that all seemed to come to a screeching halt late in the 3rd quarter.
The Oilers were up 35-18 with about 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and they traded blows with the Sharks but had a turnover on downs within 5 yards of the end zone TWICE in the second half — including with 2 minutes and change left in the 4th in which they could have gone up 10. Finishing drives is something they had problems with in the past couple of weeks and these old demons poked their heads out late and ultimately led to Tulsa losing the game.
They need to continue to get Ware in open space in the running game and find ways to get positive yards in short yardage situations. Earlier in the season they were spamming the Tush Push and getting any short yardage they needed, but now it’s a toss up if it will actually work. This was a step in the right direction for Tulsa but might be too little too late — they needed this one badly.
On the other side, we talked last week about Jacksonville constantly having the ‘classic Sharks’ game this year where they show up in the first half but collapse in the second. But in this game, they came storming back from being down 17 to scoring the game winning TD with 1 second left on the clock! The Sharks successfully played an anti-Sharks game!
Fred Payton Jr stepped back in at QB for this game and played really well. He went 19/26 for 153 passing yards & 3 TDs, while adding 74 rushing yards & 2 TDs on the ground. This is the type of performance that Jacksonville has needed at QB all year and they are finally starting to see it. Jacksonville’s fire sale approach to their roster overhaul appears to be working, with some of their newest additions getting in the mix — but time will tell if it is because of the changes or because it was Tulsa.
Jacksonville has 2 wins on the year and both of them have come against Tulsa. But unfortunately for the Sharks, they don’t play the Oilers again this season.
Might be one of the uglier ones of the year, but we'll go ahead and stamp it! OffTheWallCertifiedBanger
Duke City Gladiators @ San Antonio Gunslingers
Result: 46-45 San Antonio
What We Learned: Another Duke City QB has entered the fold & San Antonio is staying alive!
This one was a lot more interesting and exciting than I think ANYBODY thought it would be heading into this week, and it was also the tale of two halves.
First half: 20 points scored total and both offenses were struggling to gain any momentum.
Second half: 71 points scored (56 in the 4th quarter alone) and both offenses seemed to be dialed in late in the game
Wait, a Duke City offense dialed in? What the…
You read that right! And it was because yet another Duke City QB entered the fold who ended up being a gamechanger for the Gladiators offense. QB Hasan Rogers signed with Duke City earlier in the week and they worked him into the game as a change of pace running option at first, but he was letting it RIP out there and looked really good passing the ball. (5/6 for 117 pass yards, 3 TDs; 11 rush for 81 yards & 2 TDs)
If I am Duke City, I let him take over as starting QB next week. You know what you have in QB Javin Kilgo, so why not give Rogers a whirl and see if he can be the guy heading into next season? He looked very fast with the ball in his hands on runs and looked surprisingly connected with his receivers considering he signed earlier in the week. Duke City is out of the playoff hunt at this point and that should be the direction they go.
For San Antonio, this wasn’t the game they expected but they have to be relieved to walk away with the win. This was the first game back after the bye for the Gunslingers and QB Sam Castronova looked back in form towards the end of the game (casual 6 total TD performance from Castonova). He left the Bay Area game a few weeks back due to injury, but looked good in this one.
WR Nyqwan Murray had an outstanding game, hauling in 9 catches for 119 yards & 2 TDs. Kicker TC Stevens came up clutch in the 4th quarter with multiple successful deuce attempts that ultimately won them the game.
Gunslingers are still alive in the playoff hunt for now but have to keep on winning from here.
This game was also a sneaky OffTheWallCertifiedBanger!
Vegas Knight Hawks @ Sioux Falls Storm
Result: 46-40 (OT) Sioux Falls
What We Learned: We may have a QB controversy in Vegas & Sioux Falls ain’t hear no bell!
On the podcast last week, during the preview I mentioned how Sioux Falls could be in a great spot to cover a double digit spread. Not only did they do that they decided to just go win the damn thing too! Sioux Falls had a really solid game in all 3 phases and won the turnover battle while minimizing their own mishaps.
On offense, Sioux Falls didn’t necessarily ‘wow’ you but they were put in some good spots early by their special teams where theydidn’t have to reinvent the wheel to get the ball moving — just stick to what they do best and avoid turnovers, which cost them last week. Defensively they got a bunch of stops, including a fumble return for a TD by DL Claude Davis take back momentum in the game.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention kicker Dean Sarris and his incredibly clutch kick with no time left in regulation to send it to overtime. It was about as dramatic as it gets, with a doink off the crossbar through the uprights as time expired. This was a MUCH needed win for Sioux Falls as they cling on to any playoff hopes heading into the last quarter of the season.
On the other side, Vegas is in a pickle. They started 7-0 and looked like an unstoppable force on offense — scoring 60+ multiple times while still leaving some points on the field. They have since lost 3 straight and can’t seem to get things back on track.
Starting at the QB position, I was under the impression that Jorge Reyna was starting due to an injury to Ja’Rome Johnson, but Johnson subbed into the game a couple of times in this one and didn’t appear to be hurt.
Reyna didn’t play bad, but as a team Vegas had 4 turnovers on the day. In the bigger picture, having 4 turnovers and only losing by 6 in overtime is not the worst thing in the world but it has to be frustrating.
The situation with Ja’Rome Johnson will have to be something we monitor closely moving forward, but it is very concerning if Johnson was healthy enough to play and sub in, why didn’t he get the start?
The field goal at the end of regulation alone was thrilling. WHY NOT! OffTheWallCertifiedBanger
Arizona Rattlers @ San Diego Strike Force
Result: 47-46 Arizona
What We Learned: Arizona now controls their destiny to the playoffs & San Diego must find a way to win these close ones
Heading into this game I expected it to possibly be the best game of the weekend. While it was very entertaining, this was pretty damn ugly by both offenses — despite what the scoreboard indicates. There were 9 total turnovers in this game and it just seemed like neither team really wanted to win this game, in which the winner would be in sole possession of the final playoff spot heading into the final quarter of the season!
Arizona had an uncharacteristically bad game on offense — with QB Dalton Sneed only going 15/34 passing and throwing 3 TDs & 3 INTs, exceeding the total he had ALL of last year with Bay Area. They couldn’t get much going on offense and managed to hold on for the win in the second half. The Rattlers only managed to score 2 field goals and 1 touchdown in the third and fourth quarter, but it was enough to escape San Diego with a 1 point win.
On the other side, San Diego just can’t win close games. Their 5 losses this year have been by a TOTAL of 12 points and all of them were winnable in the final moments of the game but they just couldn’t finish it out. In this game in particular, they missed 2 field goals in the final 2 minutes — one to extend the lead to 9 with 1:51 to go in the game and another to win the game with no time left.
Nate Davis managed to go 20/29 with 147 passing yards & 4 TDs, but also threw 3 INTs. WR Elijah Lilly made a big impact on the game with his kick returns, ripping one for a TD and setting San Diego up with solid field position all game. As has been the case for San Diego in most of their losses, they need to get off to a better and more clean start to these games. They managed to put themselves in a 13 point hole heading into halftime, which could have easily been avoided by taking better care of the football.
San Diego no longer controls their own destiny with the playoffs and has a tough road ahead with Bay Area, Northern Arizona & Vegas as 4 of their last 5 games.
Tucson Sugar Skulls @ Bay Area Panthers
Result: 51-12 Bay Area
What We Learned: Bay Area didn’t have to do much to dominate & Tucson is in shambles
Heading into this game, you got the feeling that this was going to be EXTREMELY lopsided and it certainly was. Bay Area was fresh coming off a bye, while Tucson was shuffling the roster around — starting at the QB position. Tucson placed QB Mylik Mitchell on the RTR (Refused to Report) list and ended up signing QB Zach Reader, who was recently released by the Iowa Barnstormers. Pair that with new WRs making their team debuts and it’s a lot for any team to handle, especially at this point in the season.
Now put that newly formed offense up against the best team in the league on two days notice and it’s a recipe for disaster. There wasn’t much positive for Tucson in this one, as they only had 6 points until there was 5 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Bay Area’s defense (specifically their secondary) just dominated the Sugar Skulls from start to finish and made this game look easy.
On offense, Bay Area continued their ground and pound style with a balanced attack from their duo of QB Daquan Neal & RB Shane Simpson — each getting 45 yards on the ground and totaling 3 rushing TDs on the day (2 Simpson, 1 Neal). Neal also flashed the big play ability with a couple of big throws to WR JT Stokes really blow this thing open early.
Bay Area continues to be the cream of the crop in this league and Tucson is starting from scratch in Week 13. These teams are just trending in totally opposite directions and wouldn’t surprise me to see them on opposite ends of the standings at the end of the season.