Eastern Uprising

SUPER 16 – A pair of franchises try to take control of the Super 16 East Division when Steel Curtain and Geno’s Jaw Breakers face each other for just the second time ever in this week’s Game of the Week.  The defending S16 Champion Northern Fins were the East Division Champ last season, and Eagle has landed finished 2nd, earning a Wild Card spot in the 2016 playoffs, but both of them have struggled this season, opening the door for the blue collar side of the S16 East.  Steel Curtain is 3-1-0 in control of the division and ranked 4th overall in the league and also 4th in total scoring.  They came in at AF#20 on the Week 4 Top 25.  Geno’s Jaw Breakers enter the match just a game behind with a 2-2-0 record, but they’re on a 2 game win streak, each of those wins against S16 East rivals.  They’ve topped 200 points in each of their last two outings, turning in performances that were 3rd and 5th in the league in Weeks 3 and 4.

Steel Curtain leads this series 2 games to zero.  Their second year in the league, the Pittsburgh franchise is undefeated in Week 5 with their only Week 5 game, ironically, being last year’s 185-146 defeat of the Jaw Breakers.  The Jets franchise, on the other hand is a 4 year veteran of the league, however, going back to their days as the RG3PO Redskins franchise, they have never come away with a victory in 4, Week 5 outings.  They’ve lost in Week 5, succesively, to BIGDOGINTEX, (the now defunct) A Thug’s Life, The Dawg Pound, and then Steel Curtain last year.  But stats are just stats, and on any given Sunday in the Super 16 any team can beat any other, or at least that’s what Vegas seems to think, as the latest line on this game has the Jaw Breakers listed as just a 3 point underdog.

Week 5 marks the only week this season in the S16 without a single SimulPlay match, but there’s no lacking of exciting games, nonetheless.  While watching the GOW, Jets and Steelers fans will be keeping an eye on the Fins-Eagle game, the outcome of which could have major implications for the division.  The all-out war for the S16 West continues as the 1-3-0 expansion Broncs look for their first division win against the AF#8 Arizona Firebirds, while the AF#6 SF’s BowMen (3-1-0) take on Coach Mac’s undefeated AF#15 1 Eye Til I Die Raider squad in the first installment of their annual Battle of the Bay.  In the basement of the North, the BEARMINATORS are still looking for their first win and will have to try to find it facing the division leader Motor City Kitties, while WTF Houston, last place in the South, has their work cut out for them vs AF#25 Birds of Prey.  The Dawg Pound and BIGDOGINTEX meet up in a dog fight that’s unexpectedly must-win for each team; both teams are second in their division and need a win to keep pace with the leader.  On the other end of things, the Indy-structibles and the Who Dat Saints meet up in an equally important match, each franchise hoping to prevent a tumble down into the basement.