REG SEASON ENDS- PLAYOFFS SET

2020-21 Regular Season | Week 20

That’s it! Eighteen games over twenty weeks. 144 games in total. This has now finalised the 8 play-off seedings and matchups.

HOW WE GOT THERE

There were head-to-head title deciders matchups in the PFL East and Central. Landor 96ers took the East with a 30-24 victory over New Chester Knights. The Adelphia Phoenix clung on to a 27-24 win against the Oakland Ravens, ensuring at least one home play-off game as no.3 seed.

Caligara Bulldogs already had sewn up the North and needed a late touchdown to beat Iomagh Steelers 19-16. They rested most of their stars in that game. The Ballymore Tigers lost to Harteford Hawks 20-17 in a way that only they can! They always slip up to a losing team late in the season.

The Chakota Wasps restored some pride with a victory over Rochester. The Trojans led early, but Chandler threw two fourth quarter TD passes to bring them back to a 24-17 win.

Hallas wrapped up their regular season with tidy 37-24 win against the St. George Sharks. The Stars are the no.4 seed. At 2-15-1, the Sharks know they need to rebuild. Relocation is also a possibility.

This left two teams fighting over the number eight spot:

San Andreas, knowing they had to better the Bears’ score, stormed out to a 31-13 first half- lead against the Eregon Eagles. The Bears were losing at half-time to the Melboro Giants 21-14, even though the Giants had only three first downs at that stage.

In the second half, the Miners added two more TD’s – Ryan Bruce passed for 413 yards and 5 touchdowns… but it was to no avail.
The Bears rallied to lead 34-31 with a game-tying 45 yard field goal set up for the Giants with just one second left on the clock. Veteran kicker Billy Young hooked the kick wide right.

AND SO, THE BEARS GO THROUGH VIA HEAD-TO-HEAD.

NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICK

The race for the number one draft pick was nearly lost by the Hsrteford Hawks, who only went and beat the play-off bound Ballymore Tigers. The Sharks also finished 2-15-1, with the tie the game between the two.
Following confirmation of the tiebreakers in this case- The Hawks retained the worst record by virtue of conceding more points and worst points- difference.

They have the first pick in June’s draft.

NEXT WEEKS PLAYOFF MATCHUPS:

Hallas Stars	4	vs	5	New Chester Knights
Caligara Bulldogs	2	vs	7	Oakland Ravens
Landor 96ers	1	vs	8	Bristow Bears
Adelphia Phoenix	3	vs	6	Ballymore Tigers

Just seven games remain before we crown the 2020-21 champions. Who will it be standing in the podium at Crystal Bowl 51?

WEEK 19 RECAP- FINAL WEEK PREVIEW

The Professional Football League’s regular season comes to an end this coming weekend. With 17 games played in the 19 weeks to date, Seven of the eight play-off spots are secured, with the final week bringing up some intriguing encounters.

To recap: with the Caligara Bulldogs lost 29-24 to the Ballymore Tigers, they relinquished the number one seed position to the Landor 96ers (as they lost in the head-to-head encounter). Meanwhile, the Hallas Stars secured their PFL West divisional championship with a 37-10 victory at Eregon Eagles. The San Andreas Miners kept in the play-off chase with their shaky 16-9 win over the St George Sharks – they will need to better the Bristow Bears result in the final week.

The New Chester Knights kept up the pressure on the Landor 96ers with their victory over the Melboro Giants. They will win the PFL East division with a win against the 96ers on Sunday and the team from the capital would fill the number 5 seed as the best runner-up!

The Adelphia Phoenix absolutely dismantled and embarrassed the Chakota Wasps in the penultimate game 56-14. Matt Kelly threw for 6 touchdowns and no interceptions in a clinical display. The Wasps defence capitulated in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, leading to calls for the coordinator to lose his job. Chakota will make their decisions after Sunday.

Wins for the Ballymore Tigers and the Oakland Ravens give them good momentum going into the play-offs in the 6th and 7th respectively. In fact, the Ravens could win the PFL Central with a win against Adelphia – so the Phoenix would be on their travels in the play-offs with a loss. This would have been unthinkable about 5 weeks ago!

W2WO4- What to Watch out for! Wk20 Implications

Divisional title deciders: the PFL East comes down to the final confrontation between the Knights and the 96ers. The Knights must win or they will be on the road in the play-offs. Whoever is the runner-up, will be for definite the number 5 seed and will travel to the Hallas Stars.

In the PFL Central: the Oakland Ravens must be the Adelphia Phoenix to win the division on a tiebreaker, otherwise they will be the number 7 seed. Both of these games are great matchups.

Seed jostling Depending on what happens in the Oakland/Adelphia game, the Tigers the 6 or 7 seed, regardless of whether they win or not.

The final play-off spot will be decided by 2 matches: the Bristow Bears at Melboro Giants and the San Andreas Miners hosting the Eregon Eagles. The Bears have the head-to-head advantage, so will automatically go through if they win or if the Miners do not win. In the rare event that the Bears lose and the Miners tie, the Miners would ‘sneak’ in.

The race for the number one draft pick: at the moment the Harteford Hawks have a one-game advantage over the St. George Sharks. If the Hawks however manage to win and the Sharks lose on the final day, were not quite sure of the tiebreaker here because they drew head-to-head and would have the same divisional records! I think it might come down to points conceded, which still heavily favours the Hawks, but this might require further consultation!

Final Week Fixtures:
All games kick off at the same time on Sunday 31st January-

Melboro Giants		vs		Bristow Bears
New Chester Knights		vs		Landor 96ers
Adelphia Phoenix		vs		Oakland Ravens
Rochester Trojans		vs		Chakota Wasps
Harteford Hawks		vs		Ballymore Tigers
Caligara Bulldogs		vs		Iomagh Steelers
San Angelo Miners		vs		Eregon Eagles
Hallas Stars		vs		St. George Sharks

TwO WEEKS TO GO- THE PLAYOFF RUN-IN

There are just two weeks remaining now and the PFL regular-season. 9 teams remain in contention for the 8 play-off places, with Chakota Wasps being eliminated with their defeat against the Oakland Ravens.

In the PFL East, the New Chester Knights still remain one game behind the Landor 96ers, with the two facing each other in the final week of the season.The Bristow bears still hold the eighth slot, with a one-game lead over the San Angelo Miners who remained in contention following their win last night at home to the Hallas Stars.

Adelphia Phoenix’s lead in the PFL Central is back to one-game, following their loss and Oakland’s win. Again, these two teams go head-to-head on the final day. Adelphia will take on the Chakota Wasps this weekend, whilst the Ravens will be looking to do the double against the Rochester Trojans. Adelphia hold the tiebreaker, which will be neutralised with a Ravens win on final day.

The Caligara Bulldogs still hold the best record in the league with a 14-2 record and dibs on the first seed. Behind them, the Ballymore Tigers have gone past the .500 humdrum in the past few weeks and are now sitting pretty at the number six point with a head-to-head advantage over the Oakland Ravens. The less said about the Iomagh Steelers and the Harteford Hawks, the better. Disastrous campaigns for both teams.

Out in the West, the Hallas Stars remain in control of the division, but have slipped to a 10-6 record.Following three successive defeats, the Stars will need to get back into the winning ways before the play-offs start. It is possible for the Miners to win the division if they win out and the Stars lose out. The Miners would win on divisional record. The Eregon Eagles have fared better since Cameron Reed returned, but have still been shaky opponents. The (St. George) Sharks’ dismal season continued with a loss to the Eagles and their reputation has sunk this season.

W2WO4 -What to watch out for

So looking at this penultimate weekend, the Bears can guarantee a play-off spot with a victory and a Miners defeat. A Bears defeat and Miners victory would make the run for the final play-off spot interesting. If the Knights lose and the 96ers win, then Landor will win the PFL East. If the Phoenix win and the Ravens lose, the PFL Central will go to Adelphia.

The Stars win the PFL West with a win and a Miners defeat, which would seal up the fourth play-off spot.

Playoff standings right now:

	PFL	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	PCT	PD	DIV
1	Caligara Bulldogs	16	14	2	0	460	319	.875	141	4-0
2	Landor 96ers	16	13	3	0	452	353	.813	99	4-0
3	Adelphia Phoenix	16	12	4	0	496	344	.750	152	3-1
4	Hallas Stars	16	10	6	0	487	375	.625	112	2-2
5	N.C. Knights	16	12	4	0	420	356	.750	64	3-1
6	Ballymore Tigers	16	11	5	0	410	373	.688	37	3-1
7	Oakland Ravens	16	11	5	0	413	358	.688	55	3-1
8	Bristow Bears	16	9	7	0	359	369	.563	-10	1-3
–	San Angelo Miners	16	8	8	0	391	368	.500	23	4-0
x	Chakota Wasps	16	6	10	0	430	393	.375	37	0-4
x	Rochester Trojans	16	5	11	0	358	450	.313	-92	2-2
x	Melboro Giants	16	5	11	0	333	377	.313	-44	0-4
x	Eregon Eagles	16	4	12	0	298	398	.250	-100	1-3
x	Iomagh Steelers	16	4	12	0	262	438	.250	-176	1-3
x	St. George Sharks	16	2	13	1	298	408	.156	-110	1-3
x	Harteford Hawks	16	1	14	1	227	415	.094	-188	0-4

Week 19 fixtures:

Bristow Bears		vs		Landor 96ers (FRI)
Eregon Eagles		vs		Hallas Stars (SAT)
Chakota Wasps		vs		Adelphia Phoenix (SAT)
Oakland Ravens		vs		Rochester Trojans
St. George Sharks		vs		San Angelo Miners
Harteford Hawks		vs		Iomagh Steelers
Melboro Giants		vs		New Chester Knights
Ballymore Tigers		vs		Caligara Bulldogs (MON)

Final Week: What went down and who got in

PFL Regular Season | Week 20

It was the final week of the PFL season this weekend, with ten teams vying for th eeight playoff spots. Six teams were guaranteed sports, so some needed a bit of help to get in. What wasn’t secured were the Divisional titles for the PFL East and PFL West.

PFL EAST

Adelphia Phoenix 26-10 Landor 96ers

Matt Kelly threw for 404 yards and 2 TDs, along with Jamal Davies getting 102 yards on the ground as the Phoenix overtook the 96ers to top spot in the East. The Phoenix defence contained veteran QB Kurt Sierra and his supporting cast, holding them to 210 total yards on the day. (Frank Bowman just 66).

The 96ers defence held the Phoenix to 3TDs and 3 FGs, when it could have been much worse. The 96ers also lost WB Edgar Jammer for the playoffs, as he nurses a broken collarbone. Disasterous day for the Sixers.

Playoff Picture- 2 weeks to go!

PFL 2019-20 PLAYOFFS |

With just two weeks remaining, the top teams have made some room in three of the four divisions. It looks like the PFL West will be decided on Prime Time TV, with the Miners hosting the Stars on Saturday 1st Feb. The Sharks, who finish at the Eagles are in control of their own destiny. Win both games and definitely in. lose one and maybe still in- lose both and quite likely to stay home.

In the East the 96ers took the lead, preventing a three-way tie at the top by beating the Knights. Instead, they hold a one game advantage over the Adelphia Phoenix. Landor are still in the wild card spots.

The Central is headed by the Wasps, who have clinched their division. The Ravens and Trojans meet this coming weekend, with the loser, at 8-9 likely to be out of the running.

The Chakota Bulldogs once again have railroaded the North division. Defending CB Champs the Ballymore Tigers are sitting just outside at 9-7. They need others to lose to get back in.

The playoff picture, at a glance:

Playoff picture after Week 17

With three games each to go (all divisional match-ups), there are eleven teams in contention for the eight playoff spots.

The division champions all get a home game. The next best four teams will complete the bracket. Rankings, similarly to the NFL are by record. In the PFL Central it looks like the Ravens and Trojans are both requiring to win out- they face each other in week 19. The Wasps and Bulldogs have already both secured the division titles in the Central and North, respectively.

In the West, the Miners and Stars are equal at 11-4. The Sharks cannot win the division, as tiebreakers already head against them.

The PFL East has three strong teams. a few weeks ago, the Phoenix and 96ers were jostling for top spot. Now, the Landor Knights are right up there at 9-6, equal with the Phoenix. The 96ers have a one game lead. All play against one another, so it will be an interesting climax to the season.

 

Two weeks to go, 12 teams in play!

The 2017-18 regular season has just two weeks left to play, but  there are an astonishing 12 teams vying for the eight playoff spots! In two weeks time four of these teams will be on the outside looking in. We may know more next weekend, as losses eliminate Ballymore and  Adelphia from contention.

The Outsiders;How do either Adelphia or Ballymore get in?

Both teams can get in with two wins, to get to 9-9 and they need other teams to lose both. The Phoenix’s extra-time win over the Melborg Giants was enough to keep them alive, so wins against the 96ers and Knights could let them sneak in.

The Tigers have to beat the Hawks and then the Bulldogs at home. Similar scenario.

Who is in already?

The Landor 96ers, Hallas Stars and Caligara Bulldogs have all guaranteed themselves top spots in their division and will be seeded. The Chakota Wasps are currently atop the PFL Central, however the Oakland Ravens and Rochester Trojans are both 10-6 and could end up topping the division with two wins. It is all to play for.
The defending champions, the New Chester Knights are almost secure in a spot.

On the Cusp

The Knights, Trojans and Ravens are all one win away from sealing their places, this means that the three 8-8 teams are vying for the latter spots- Eregon Eagles, Melborg Giants and St. George Sharks. Basically, keep winning to get in is the key!

Week 20 will see the Wasps play the Ravens and Eagles against the Sharks, so it looks to go right down to the wire.

Call it a draw! Stars and Dogs tie in extra-time game.

HALLAS 30-30 CHAKOTA

Last night’s game between the Hallas Stars and Chakota Bulldogs ended up all square at 30 apiece. They finished regulation tied at 27 all, with both teams only managing a field goal each in the extra time given, then time just ran out. No winner left on the field. This will not happen if the two meet in the postseason!

What use is a tie? It has raised the question for some about how we deal with draws in regular season games. Does sudden death help? One possession each?

Here at PFL dot com, we quite like a tied game, we don’t get them too often, so perhaps there is nothing to fix. In soccer you can have a draw and no one bats an eyelid. At the end of the day, it was a match that neither team deserved to lose, so perhaps a draw was a fair result.

2017- Going out in style?

Bulldogs, Ravens, Trojans, Knights, Phoenix and Giants all win big on last day of the year

Week Fifteen | PFL | Season 2017-18

With five weeks to go, this is crunch time. The last game of the year normally sends out a statement as to how the regular season will end. Manifesting destiny, they call it.

Ballymore Tigers 21 – 34 Caligara Bulldogs

Ballymore were trounced early by Caligara’s ground and pound approach to the first half. This set up perfect play-action to Max Buchanon and Seth Slater in the third quarter and it was soon 34-14.

Chakota Wasps 25 – 27 Rochester Trojans

The Trojans got a key divisional victory in this game. Now there are three teams fixed at 9-4 in the PFL Central. Divisional wins could be key. Ryan Bruce threw for 317 yards and two scores, including the game winning drive for the winning Field Goal.

Eregon Eagles 28 – 19 Iomagh Steelers

Eregon kept themselves in the playoff race with a win over the increasingly hapless Iomagh Steelers side. At 6-7, the Eagles can still make a late push for the knockout phase.

Oakland Ravens 30 – 31 Landor Knights

The Ravens are kicking themselves after a missed field goal as time expired lost them this game. A game that they should never had a chance of winning! The Knights were leading 24-3 at halftime, dominating up front. A third quarter pick six and fumble recovery set up the fight back. Tomkowski snuck in to make it 30-24 in the fourth quarter. This allowed Elijah Brooks to march downfield and find Cooks in the endzone for the final score.

San Angelo Miners 20 – 34 Adelphia Phoenix

The Miners were without Brandon Mullen, and it showed. The Phoenix took control early and led 13-3 at the half. Adelphia QB Matt Kelly is coming back to fitness and form and he threw for 289 yards and three TD tosses.

Hallas Stars 26 – 31 Melborg Giants

The Giants are still in it! A mid-season comeback has helped the Giants continue to stay relevant. Their strong defence shit down Hallas for three Quarters and they led 17-10. Even though Hallas came back, the Melborg men had enough left in the tank to claim the victory.

Stars vs Wasps – Sunday Night Matchup

   HALLAS STARS  35
   CHAKOTA WASPS 14

	1	2	3	4	ET	FT
HALLAS	5	9	14	7	–	35
CHAKOTA	0	7	7	0	–	14

From the Wasps’ Nest, Chakota

Hallas scored two Rogues in the first half (safeties for US fans) and Kobe Carey returned the second half kickoff 96 yards for a TD as the Stars romped away to a 35-14 win over the Wasps in Chakota last night.

After 17 minutes play, the score was 7-0, but with two Rogues and a Field Goal, not the normal way of accumulating these points. it was 14-7 at the half, following an Amani Sanders catch and run. The second half began with a Carey TD return and then following a Chakota three and out- a Wilson 2 yard TD dive. At 28-7 it looked all over.

Drew Williams threw for 311 yards,two scores and one pick, whilst the defence racked up six QB Marks (Sacks for US fans), with three from monster DT Latavius Gill.

When not being pressured, Wasps’ QB Billy Humphrey managed only 171 yards, 1 TD and threw an INT. Humphrey left the game late in the second Quarter, but returned in the 4th Quarter.

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