THREE WEEKS BEFORE PLAYOFFS- 10 TEAMS IN THE HUNT

There are just 3 weeks remaining in the PFL season. 10 of the 16 teams remain in the running for the 8 play-off places. These last 3 weeks all feature exclusively divisional contests.

Tonight the Bears who are in the 8th spot entertain the Knights in an important match up. If the Bears lose, the Miners can gain ground on the 8th spot. The Knights are one game behind the 96ers at the top of the PFL East and will be looking to keep this competitive until the two meet on the final day. The Landor 96ers host the Melborg Giants at noon on Sunday.

Also competing for the final play-off place, are the Chakota Wasps, who will need to win all their remaining 3 games to have even a chance. They are away to the Oakland Ravens this week. The Ravens themselves, being two games behind the Adelphia Phoenix will be looking to continue to press for the PFL Central divisional title. The 12-3 Phoenix are away to the Rochester Trojans, who will be looking for revenge for their earlier thrashing.

The PFL North has been headed by the Caligara Bulldogs since day one, with the Ballymore Tigers coming over a losing streak to maintain a challenge from the runner-up position. The number one seed Bulldogs are at home to the abysmal Harteford Hawks, whilst the Tigers entertain the equally woeful Steelers. With a three-game lead, the Bulldogs are still expected to be the divisional winner and the number one seed.

It’s been a one team show in the PFL West, with the Hallas Stars running through the opposition. The San Angelo Miners have been at around .500 the entire season, they need victories to end the season to gain the final play-off place. The Aragorn Eagles began the season in disarray, when Cameron read had to leave the team for personal reasons so that he could return home to America. They have been 3-6 since his return, which is not bad bearing in mind he’s had to hit the ground running.

The St George Sharks have been a disaster this season, with quarterback Dre Nalen suffering a regression and later injury. The team will likely be moving on from Nalen in the 2021 draft, unless somebody becomes available in free agency.

Current play-off standings:

	PLAYOFF ORDER
	PFL	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	PCT	PD
1	Caligara Bulldogs	15	13	2	0	426	306	.867	120
2	Landor 96ers	15	12	3	0	429	333	.800	96
3	Adelphia Phoenix	15	12	3	0	475	316	.800	159
4	Hallas Stars	15	10	5	0	459	345	.667	114
5	N.C. Knights	15	11	4	0	396	339	.733	57
6	Ballymore Tigers	15	10	5	0	383	356	.667	27
7	Oakland Ravens	15	10	5	0	384	335	.667	49
8	Bristow Bears	15	9	6	0	342	345	.600	-3
–	San Angelo Miners	15	7	8	0	361	340	.467	21
–	Chakota Wasps	15	6	9	0	407	364	.400	43
x	Melborg Giants	15	5	10	0	313	354	.333	-41
x	Rochester Trojans	15	4	11	0	330	429	.267	-99
x	Iomagh Steelers	15	4	11	0	245	411	.267	-166
x	Eregon Eagles	15	3	12	0	281	384	.200	-103
x	St. George Shark	15	2	12	1	284	391	.167	-107
x	Harteford Hawks	15	1	13	1	214	381	.100	-167

‘-‘ in contention, ‘x ‘eliminated

Week 18 fixtures:

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

CB XLVIII Preview

Rochester Trojans vs Landor 96ers| Sunday March 4th 2018.

The  big game is almost upon us, here are the key matchups:

QB Ryan Bruce vs ‘Sixers Defence

Ryan Bruce has been calm and composed as he led the number 7 seed past number one and two seeds away from home. He has not faced a defence like this before. Rookie DE Vin Marshall has broken pass rushing records and been a revolution to this defence. ‘Can Bruce buy enough time to get the passes off?’ will be key question we look to on Sunday. WR Jason Galant is listed as probable for the game, after limping out of the semi-final.

QB Kurt Sierra & Asante Brown vs Trojans Defence

Kurt Sierra has been a master of the aerial arts throughout his career, but has he played this mystery scheme of the Trojans. Coordinator Ian Rudolph has dreamed up some creative systems to confuse both the Wasps’ and Stars’ attacks. If Sierra and co can figure it out, they will be hard to beat. Asante ‘Downtown’ Brown is perhaps the best open field receiver.

Trojans Run Game

The Rochester run game has depth, both Ray Shell and DeAngelo Jenkins gained 1,000 yards, as they marched through the defences as the top running tandem. You don’t get a down off where you can be facing a top runner. The 96ers will need to rotate their line to keep fresh if the Trojan ground game gets going.

So how will it all play out next Sunday? Who are you picking?