S16 GotW: Double Header Sequel
The outcomes of the Super 16’s Week 10 Double Header Game of the Week were both huge in the playoff race, and they’ve set up two particular Week 11 games that loom just as important. For the second consecutive week, the playoff implications in multiple games are so great, that the league is again featuring both of them in a Game of the Week Double Header.…a sequel to last week’s drama.
The AF#19 SF’s BowMen (6-4-0) upset loss last week, has put them in the position of having to climb back into the division lead from 3rd place after being in front all season long (and also dropped them 3 spots in Top 25 Rankings). To get back on top, they’ll first have to go through the AF#29 Arizona Firebirds (6-4-0) who are now in 2nd. The Firebirds appear in the AF Top 25 for the first time all season after a decisive week 10 win over long-time rival Houston and are big road-dogs in this SimulPlay Game despite having delivered a 171-160 victory over the Bowmen in Week 9. The Bay City Archers have a 43 point edge over Arizona in total season scoring, while Arizona owns the head to head win…..but the first tiebreaker in division standings is division record where Arizona is 2-2 and SF is 1-2; while the 3rd tiebreaker is cumulative head to head points, making this match-up one of the most important ones of the season for both teams.
BowMen have only beaten Arizona once in 9 historical meetings – 222-216 in Week 5 of 2016 – while the Firebirds have ammassed an 1861-1599 scoring advantage in their 8 wins over SF, including the last 6 contests. The two have never met this late in the season. Catch all the action Live in SimulVision Sunday at 4pm Eastern (1pm Pacific).
AF#19 – AF#29
6-4-0 – 6-4-0
All-Time
28-35-0 – 66-45-1
Head To Head
1-8-0 – 8-1-0
Spread
+24 – -24
Results
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Never before in Super 16 history have a pair of Game of the Week winners faced each other in the following week’s featured match-up, but that’s what we’ll see when AF#18 1 Eye Til I Die (7-3-0) face off with AF#30 Birds of Prey (7-3-0) in this heavy-weight caliber match-up. Both zipped into the Top 25 this week after they each came up clutch against their respective rivals in last week’s Game of the Week Double Header – 1 Eye beating AF#16 BowMen 264-235 and the Birds taking down the AF#1 Who Dats for the 7th straight time, 198-149. The wins each put these teams into a division lead they’d each like to hold onto.
Both of these ball clubs are huge league powerhouses – one the 2018 League Runner-Up and the other representing the League in the 2019 Pro Bowl -who have faced each other surprisingly few times. Only 3 times in 5 years has this pair stared across the line of scrimage at each other, and 2 of those games were both even bigger than this one. The Birds took a 186-162 victory out of the first meeting, the 2015 League Semi Final, while 1 Eye returned the favor last season, 230-200 in the 2018 League Semi Final. Their only other historical face off was far from decisive, a 223-219 nailbiter that the black and silver finished on top of in week 2 of 2016.
This one could very well be a preview of a 2019 League Semi Final, with the two of them ranked #1 and #2 in the league right now, both of them battling for division titles, first round byes, and to keep their rivals below them in the standings. This one may turn out to be more trench fight than shootout, with the latest over/under at just 259. Still, 1 Eye are home favorites by almost 2 touchdowns, but the Birds didn’t become the League’s winningest franchise without pulling off a few upsets – this has Don’t Miss It written all over it.
AF#30 – AF#18
7-4-0 – 7-4-0
All-Time
78-33-1 – 41-25-1
Head To Head
1-2-0 – 2-1-0
Spread
-13 – +13
Results
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UPDATE: Nothing but excitement – as always – in the push for the Super 16 playoff season. With an underperforming QB, SF’s BowMen barely survived a Monday night threat from the Arizona Firebirds, but managed to come out with a 184-174 win, while division rival 1 Eye Til I Die was not so lucky in their match with the Birds of Prey, losing 137-193 and leaving the pair locked at 7-4-0. It was a disappointing performance for the black and silver who had scored 230 or more points in each their previous 4 games, but they remain nominally in front of SF with a slight tiebreaker edge through multiple levels of tiebreaker scenarios.
Barring a miracle of everything falling into place with tiebreakers and upsets, Arizona is now all but locked out of a division title, but remain viable for a wild card spot, but have the unenviable burden of having to finish the season with another bout against BowMen as well as a week 12 date with defending Champion WRATH OF ODIN (8-3-0) who have won 5 straight and received their North Division Champions’ Trophy this week.
Birds of Prey’s win over One Eye keeps them in lockstep with the Who Dat Saints who also won in week 11, 188-133 over WTF HOUSTON. With both teams at 8-3-0, and both contending for a first round bye, they’re on a collision course for a de facto Division Championship Game, SimulCast Live in the season finale on Thanksgiving night.
Over in the hapless East Division, the Fins, Eagles, and Jaw Breakers are all still in the running for the division. At 4-7-0 and facing a pair of top ranked teams to finish, Jaw Breakers have the toughest road, while the Fins might be the hottest team in the East right now with 3 straight wins. Both Fins and the Eagle have week 12 match-ups that look good on paper before heading into what might be their own de facto division title game against each other in week 13.