IFL Week 3 is a wrap, and what a great week of football. It started off with the Massachusetts Pirates landing at the number one spot on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays and ended with an INSTANT CLASSIC between the San Diego Strike Force & the IFL debuting San Antonio Gunslingers.
I had a ton of fun watching these games interacting on social media with folks, and would love for you to join in! Give me a follow on Twitter, Instagram and/or TikTok. There is so much to unpack with this week -- let's dive right in!
Here’s what we learned in Week 3:
Sioux Falls Storm @ Massachusetts Pirates
The Result: 49-41 Massachusetts
The Bet: Over 77.5 - Winner
What We Learned: This Massachusetts offense is a problem for the rest of the league.
The Massachusetts Pirates offense was clicking on all cylinders for the majority of the game and they are going to be a PROBLEM for the rest of the league this year.
Alejandro Bennifield looked great throwing the ball deep & didn’t have an incomplete pass until there was 2:11 left in the 4th quarter — going 15/16 for 158 yards and 5 TDs on the day. Jimmie Robinson snapped right back into 2023 form with 75 total yards from scrimmage, 3 TDs and the most unbelievable 2 point conversion you will ever see.
Mix in a Catch of the Year nominee from WR Thomas Owens and the entire offense was beboppin' and scattin' all over the place! They are trending in the right direction and I fear they have not scratched the surface of their potential — which is a very scary thought for the rest of the IFL.
The Massachusetts defense also stepped up when they needed them and provided several big plays down the stretch. LB Calvin Bundage was all over the field making plays on the QB and the Pirates got a pivotal stop on 4th down late to seal it. It is going to take a hell of team to defeat the Pirates if they play like this every week.
On the other side, Sioux Falls looked MUCH better than they did last week. QB Billy Hall is finding his groove in the offense and is going to keep them in any game this year. He’s really impressed me with his ability to find lanes on designed runs and get into the end zone.
His connection with the Carlos Thompson & Kentrez Bell was already better this week, and they are going to get more and more dangerous as the season goes on. Sioux Falls isn’t going anywhere, and are a much better team than their 0-2 record indicates.
Duke City Gladiators @ Frisco Fighters
The Result: 49-40 Frisco
The Bet: Under 80.5 - Loser
What We Learned: The TJ Edwards Show is back on track & Drop Kicks are the future of Indoor Football
The TJ Edwards show is officially back on track after a rusty season debut last week. Frisco had 117 rushing yards on the day, with TJ accounting for 48 of them and 3 TDs. Frisco only had a couple of obvious passing down situations where they were forced to throw it, and they were able to dictate the pace with their running game. I’d like to see them get the passing game going until I am fully confident that they are back to their 2023 ways. Backup QB Larry Harrington got some snaps in the game at RB & WR and accounted for 46 rushing yards as well. He was running HARD out there and looked like such a pure runner with the ball.
Frisco’s defense was opportunistic with FIVE turnovers as well — with multiple INTs, a turnover on downs, and a fumble return for a TD early on. This defense looked solid for the second week in a row, especially in the second half.
Duke City started strong in the first half and was holding their own, going blow for blow with Frisco on offense. WRs Greg Dent Jr & Gourney Sloan are going to be a hell of a duo this year. QB Javin Kilgo looked much better than last week, but still unraveled at the end when they were in comeback mode. Duke City needs a complete game from their offense and some type of life in the running game in order to compete with the Friscos of the league.
The Gladiators had a couple flashes of opportunity in the 2nd half to get back into the game, but they got very sloppy down the stretch. I’m not saying they are undisciplined, but they were doing some boneheaded things in the 2nd half that undisciplined teams do.
Side note: We need to have a larger discussion on Drop Kicks. Per the IFL rule book, on a Extra Point attempt you can attempt what is known as a Drop Kick — “a dropkick is a legal action by a player who drops the ball toward the ground and kicks the ball in close proximity to the ball hitting the ground and striking the foot of the Kicker.”
So they basically drop the ball, and as the ball hits the ground, they kick it. Here’s where it gets interesting — if done successfully on an Extra Point, it is worth TWO points instead of one. (If done in the field of play on a normal Field Goal attempt, it is worth 4 points)
Duke City Kicker Ernesto Lacayo successfully converted FOUR straight Drop Kick extra point attempts and got 2 points on each attempt — and was the determining factor in the game before the game got away from Duke City.
Tucson Sugar Skulls @ Northern Arizona Wranglers
The Result: 54-48 Northern Arizona
The Bet: Tucson ML - Loser
What We Learned: Arsiah McCorker might be the most electric player in the IFL.
Through 2 career games in the IFL, Northern Arizona WR Arsiah McCorker has 349 total yards and 6 TDs (3 rec, 2 ret, 1 rush). He is absolutely electric in space and needs to be getting 10-15 touches per game in some way, shape, or form. He is the front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, without a doubt.
Joshua Jones had a huge bounce back from Week 1 — throwing 5 TDs and rushing for another, and was spreading the ball out amongst his skill players pretty evenly, with no receiver having less than 4 or more than 6 catches in the game. The Wranglers offense played mistake free football and were the polar opposite of what we saw in Week 1.
On the other side, the beginning of the Billy Back era in Tucson didn’t start the way they wanted it, but there were a lot of positives to build off of for this team. Tucson QB Mylik Mitchell was making his IFL debut, and you could tell he was a little green with certain things but he is a tremendous athlete that kept Tucson in the game despite some of their hiccups along the way.
As expected, Tucson’s running game had a great showing with Mike Jones (who) getting in the end zone twice and Mitchell had a huge day on the ground — through both designed runs and scrambles — but the passing attack will have to get more consistent to help balance the offense and keep opposing defenses honest.
No doubt that Coach Back will bounce back (hehe).
Arizona Rattlers @ Bay Area Panthers
The Result: 47-41 Bay Area
The Bet: Bay Area -2.5 - Winner
What We Learned: Every Arizona game is going to be a thriller & Bay Area has reloaded for 2024
There is no need to press the panic button in Arizona. Their offense has looked great in every game so far this season, with a different stand out each week. This week, it was Glen Gibbons Jr who exploded from 4 TDs and was undoubtedly QB Lorenzo Brown Jr’s favorite target, as he made several tough grabs that made for highlight worthy plays in the 2nd half.
RB Shannon Brooks missed this week, but backup RB Carl Odom stepped in and he looked really good. He average 6.5 yards per carry and was able to help dictate the tempo in the 2nd half. When Brooks does get back, I really hope they continue to rotate Odom in and get him touches — he is going to be a very good player in this league, especially in this Rattlers offense.
On the other side, I’ve got bad news for the rest of the league — Bay Area is back and they’ve reloaded.
New QB? No problem. New RB? No problem. Position losses that would cripple other teams in this league seemed to barely effect the Panthers in their first game of the season.
2023 QB Dalton Sneed left for Arizona in the offseason (but was hurt in Week 1 — we missed a revenge game opportunity smh), so what does Bay Area do? They get a former league MVP in Daqaun Neal and pair him with the same offensive play caller from his 2019 MVP season.
Daquan Neal season debut: 15/21 for 152 yards and a Passing TD & 80 rushing yards and 4 Rushing TDs
2023 All-IFL Second Team RB Justin Rankin also departed the team to join the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League, so Bay Area goes out and gets RB Shane Simpson from the Quad City Steamwheelers. While Shane Simpson’s stats from his season debut don’t jump off the page in part to a big run getting called back due to penalty, his presence was felt all game long and he was consistently making people miss.
Bay Area has reloaded, and if that was their ‘knock the rust off’ game, the Western Conference is in trouble. Also, this game featured an all time bad beat for Over bettors.
Jacksonville Sharks @ Vegas Knight Hawks
The Result: 39-33 Vegas
The Bet: Vegas -6.5 - Loser (pain)
What We Learned: The Jacksonville O-line is problematic & Vegas might have Top 3 skill position player groups in the IFL
Pee-yew this Sharks O-line stinks. Jax QB Conor Blount was running for his life all game and the pocket was constantly collapsing around him. The Sharks offense had some big plays throughout the game from WR Kamrin Solomon (who missed their first game) and have gotten some really great performances from their defense to keep them in games, but this transition to the IFL for Jacksonville is proving to be tougher than expected.
I will say, the Sharks are bringing a fresh offensive approach that you don’t typically see in the IFL and are using some of those things that worked for them in the NAL. They are running a lot of QB Under Center formations are using different ‘jumbo’ packages in short yardage situations to be less finesse and more power run, but it hasn’t all fully clicked yet for them — and it starts with the offensive line. Jim Harbaugh had a great quote this week about the offensive line that applies here:
“What position group depends on no other position group to be good, but every other position group depends on them to be good -- what position group is that? Offensive line.”
Every other offensive position is dependent on the o-line to do their part, and their struggles are a major reason the Sharks have started 0-2. They got a tough draw with Massachusetts & Vegas off the jump, but they have to right the ship quick with the defending IFL champs Bay Area Panthers coming to town for their home opener.
On the other side, Vegas had a chance to show off some of their depth on offense in their win, with backup RB Taurean Taylor getting the start and looking really impressive in his debut for the Knight Hawks. He had really great bursts of speed and got into the end zone a couple times on the ground.
Vegas QB Ja’Rome Johnson got hurt late in the 3rd quarter and did not return to the game, but sources say he is fine and should be back in the lineup for their next game.
Vegas’ defense looked pretty good in this game, but Jacksonville’s O-line was so poor that it’s hard to really gauge how much was Vegas’ defensive prowess vs how much was Jacksonville’s ineptitude with the big guys. The Knight Hawks also have some great pieces in the secondary, with hometown hero DB Bryce Hampton getting 2 INTs on the day and LB Makes Calhoun causing havoc with the blitz all game long.
This group is going to get better throughout the year and make them a tough matchup for any team this year.
San Antonio Gunslingers @ San Diego Strike Force
The Result: 69-61 San Diego
The Bet: SD -1.5 - Winner
What We Learned: San Antonio is a threat from day one & San Diego is a legitimate title contender
WHAT A GAME! San Diego QB Nate Davis threw NINE touchdown passes. You read that right — NINE! Nueve. Neuf. He was so precise and accurate throughout the entire game and was able to put the ball exactly where he wanted it for his receivers to go and get it. He threw touchdowns to 4 different receivers and tossed the game winner to Arthur Jackson III with 3 seconds left to take the lead for good.
Jackson III had 7 catches for 90 yards and 4 TDs, Jordan Kress added on 2 more TDs & IFL rookie Isiah Cox opened his account with a couple TD grabs in the 1st quarter. San Diego quickly found their passing form from 2023 and leveled up — they didn’t score 60+ in any game last year, and they scored 69 (nice) in their second game of the 2024 season.
On the other side, San Antonio is an extremely good team and is going to be in the mix all year. I truthfully thought that this team would go through some growing pains and struggles just like Jacksonville is currently going through. Not only did they look like they’ve been in the IFL for years, they looked like they were in midseason form already!
Sam Castranova was electric. 139 yards & 4 TDs through the air, with another 64 yards and 4 TDs on the ground — he had a magnet pulling him to the end zone all game. He never looked rattled for a second, and showed why he has won championships in other leagues. He was poised and making plays from the moment the game started until it ended. On the surface, it’s fair to say the defense may be concerning for San Antonio, but Nate Davis was simply lights out tonight so it is difficult to say with certainty where they stand after one game.
This game came down to who would have the ball last, and San Diego did just that. This was a shootout. This game was already an Off The Wall Certified Banger early in the 4th quarter, and this has a strong chance to be the game of the year in the IFL.
I beg you to watch this game if you have not already. It is pure cinema and a must watch for any Indoor & Arena football fan.
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