The Fab Four
Super 16 – The season has wound its way down to the 2015 final four, and it’s a magnificent collection of fantasy juggernauts. Between the four of them, the semi-finalist teams have lost only 12 games all season, 9 if you remove the ones they lost to each other, and they collectively account for 16 playoff wins or byes over the League’s 4 seasons. All four are 2015 AF Pro Bowl nominees – the only league in the AF family to have a playoff bracket made up entirely of Pro Bowl nominees, and are ranked #1-4 in the league both by standings and total points.
Will Super Bowl IV be another round of Arizona and 1 Eye’s West Division war? A rematch of Super Bowl II? Of Super Bowl I, even? Or the first time ever meeting of two teams? Whoever the final two turns out to be, it’s going to be exciting.
The #1 seed Birds of Prey are in familier territory. They have been the #1 seeded team in every playoff in league history. They have won the League Title twice. They are 4-0 in head-to-head playoff matches, and, at 44-12-0 all time, they are the league’s winningest team. They are the league number two in points scored this season, and, at an average of 199 points per game, are outscoring 1 Eye by 30 points per game.
The expansion 1 Eye, has played surprisingly dominant football all season outside of a week 1 walloping, 97-213, delivered by cross-bay rival Bowmen Their only other two losses came from Arizona in week 6, and Motor City in week 11. But they followed those latter two losses with rematch wins, in week 10 vs the Firebirds, and in last week’s Wild Card game vs the Kitties. They are in the midst of a 3 game win-streak, having posted final numbers of 234, 200, 196 over that span. The only other time a Raider franchise has made it to the playoffs in the S16 was in 2012, and they were one and done in the Wild Card game.
The Arizona franchise has been to the playoffs twice, and are 2-2, but they are undefeated in week 15. They are 1-1 vs the Bruschis, the last meeting between the two of them all the way back in week 2 of 2014, a contest the Firebirds won. Led by a tandem of the number 3 and 4 QBs and a trio of tight ends, they have scored 190 or more points 6 times this season, and only once scored below 175.
Ice Cold Brushcis are 1-2 in the playoffs, 1-1 in week15. Both of their playoff losses have been to the eventual league champion. They are the league points leader on the season, having broken scoring record after scoring record all year. They averaged an unbelievable 226 points per game through an opening season 8 game win-streak. Thanks to a rash of injuries to close the latter portion of their schedule, that per game average fell to 186 on the season, however, it appears they have gotten most of their injuries back just in time for the playoffs.