(8) BUF (7-7) @ (1) PIT (12-2) - OCT 9 - 2:00 PM ET
1971 Head-to-Head: W14 - BUF 15-29 PIT *(This is the first time Pittsburgh has beaten Buffalo)Historic Head-to-Head: BUF 7-1 PIT
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: BUF 1-0 PIT
The City of Pittsburgh will host its first playoff game in decades as the Blacksmiths enter the playoffs as the #1 seed in the NAAF. QB Louis Vaughn has played at an MOP level this season, paired up with a strong performance from RB Max Tracy and a solid defence. Standing in their way of getting a big win at home is a team that has been a thorn in their side since joining the league: The Buffalo Blue Wings. In 9 total matchups between the teams, the Blue Wings have won 8 of them. The lone win for the Blacksmiths came just 2 weeks earlier. Buffalo enters the playoffs after pulling off a miracle in the final game of the regular season to continue their playoff streak. There are going to be a couple of firsts in this game for Buffalo as they will wear their white uniforms in a playoff game for the first time since 1961. On top of that, this will be their first non-championship, road playoff game since 1961. The Blacksmiths will enter the game riding an 11-game win streak, their last loss coming in week 3 against Louisville. They have all the momentum in the world, but last week also showed why you can never count out the Blue Wings despite several key injuries impacting their roster. I expect Buffalo to put up a fight, but Pittsburgh is still the better team right now and I don’t see them losing here.
My Pick: Blacksmiths
(7) VAN (7-7) @ (2) MTL (12-2) - OCT 9 - 7:00 PM ET
1971 Head-to-Head: Did Not Play
Historic Regular Season Head-to-Head: Have Not Played
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: Have Not Played
The Montreal Rouge return to the postseason for the first time since 1967. They feature a roster that has a good balance of players like DB Lamar Brown, WR Antonio Villanueva, and RB Bo Frazier, who have not seen the playoffs before, and veterans like QB Gene Bishop, WR Taylor Karis, and S Mathieu Cazenave who have been there before. The Rouge will be up against the Vancouver Wolves. The Wolves enter the postseason riding a pair of excellent performances from QB Kevin Westwood, to get them into the dance. The Wolves do face the question of which team is going to show up for this game, as they have had games where they have beaten top teams like Providence and Boston, but then others where they have fallen to bottom-dwellers like Regina and London. As for Montreal, they enter the game as a team that has been very strong in close games this season, tending to find ways to win when it gets down to the wire. I am expecting a close game, but I see the Rouge as a stronger team in crunch time.
My Pick: Rouge
(5) LOU (9-5) @ (4) PRO (11-3) - OCT 10 - 2:00 PM ET
1971 Head-to-Head: W7 - LOU 21-17 PRO
Historic Regular Season Head-to-Head: LOU 5-7 PRO
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: Have Not Played
The Gold Stars’ defence has been the driving force behind the team’s 11-3 record this season. They will have to continue to rely on the stars as they enter the playoffs looking to get to another McCallister Cup being hosted at their home stadium. They will also be without young starting QB Red King, who is out for the remainder of the season. QB Landon Ross will lead the way, and should still provide solid play as he is 9-3 as a starter for the team. Visiting Providence is a team that has already gone up to the Rhode Island capital and won a game this season. With the high-flying offence behind WR Casey Coleman, WR Lloyd Lane, and WR Ben Graham leading the way, they were able to overcome the strong offence. However, the Thunder have struggled as of late, going 1-3 in their last 4 games, and will be missing Lane in the receiving corps. The shaky play from the team as a whole and starting QB Buck Murphy, who was outplayed by his backup, QB Xerxes Wynn, last week. The Gold Stars on the other hand have won their last 4 games and will be hungry for revenge. I think the defence will pull it together and the Gold Stars will move on.
My Pick: Gold Stars
(6) OTT (9-5) @ (3) MIN (10-4) - OCT 10 - 7:00 PM ET
1971 Head-to-Head: W11 - OTT 17-23 MIN
Historic Regular Season Head-to-Head: OTT 1-1 MIN
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: OTT 1-0 MIN
The final game of the week is a rematch of the 1969 East Division Semi-Final, which saw the Royals take down the Serpents in Minnesota’s first season in the NAAF. Minnesota will be looking for revenge and some redemption after losing to the 4 seed Wolves last year in the first round of the playoffs. They will have to do it without a couple of key contributors on offence in WR Sebastian Dassler and RB Hugo Hughes. Ottawa, on the other hand, is getting a lot of their talent back this week with DL Bernhard Hartmann, RB Corbyn Knight and LB Tuukka Tariitt returning to the lineup. However, they will still be without QB Drake Young, who will miss at least one more week, meaning QB Ulysses Lawyer will make his first career playoff start. Lawyer has become more comfortable in the Royals’ offence with each game he has started since Young’s injury, while the Serpents will be without their stars for the first time this week. I feel like there has got to be an upset somewhere, and I feel like this is the perfect storm to see the Royals top the Serpents once again.
My Pick: Royals
Team Awards
Boston Independents
MOP: QB Nathaniel Braddock
OPOY: RB Reggie Whitehead
DPOY: S Ernie Osborne
OLOY: OL Carlton Vanderbilt
BPOY: WR Tyreek Flores
ROY: DL Joseph Kerr
Buffalo Blue Wings
MOP: QB Charles Lemieux
OPOY: WR Tracy Driscoll
DPOY: LB Randall Lambert
OLOY: OL Artem Sobakov
BPOY: RB Yancy Harrison
ROY: DL Kevin Patterson
Calgary Predators
MOP: DL Damian Battles
OPOY: RB John Drexel
DPOY: LB Junior Abbott
OLOY: OL Charles Schwartz
BPOY: QB Emmitt Jackson
ROY: LB Marcus McGhee
Edmonton Rangers
MOP: RB Gary Hubbard
OPOY: WR Stanley McClendon
DPOY: DL Steven Montgomery
OLOY: OL Charles Creighton
BPOY: S Josh Spight
ROY: WR Stanley McClendon
Halifax Mariners
MOP: DL Pat Butler
OPOY: WR Shane Steadman
DPOY: DB Joe Robinson
OLOY: OL Kane Warwick
BPOY: LB Frederic Macnamara
ROY: DB Jack Treadaway
Indiana Victors
MOP: DB Neville Falkner
OPOY: QB Tom Applewhite
DPOY: DL Eugene Case
OLOY: OL Viktor Stahl
BPOY: DB Byron Knight
ROY: WR Lew Wallendowski
London Tigers
MOP: QB Tyrion Gainsborough
OPOY: WR Cole Fletcher
DPOY: LB Reuben James
OLOY: OL Shane Willis
BPOY: WR Leon Hudson
ROY: DB Victor Vratislav
Long Island Raiders
MOP: WR Frank Drysdale
OPOY: QB Ivan Sanchez
DPOY: DB Ross Conroy
OLOY: OL Doyle MacInnis
BPOY: LB Callum Owen
ROY: DL Chris Price
Louisville Thunder
MOP: WR Casey Coleman
OPOY: QB Buck Murphy
DPOY: DB Aquilio Ruiz
OLOY: OL Gordie Hammarstein
BPOY: LB Daniel Timothy
ROY: WR Ben Graham
Minnesota Serpents
MOP: RB Tyler Kuhn
OPOY: WR Sebastian Dassler
DPOY: DB Austin Sherebernikoff
OLOY: OL Elias McCarren
BPOY: DB Davey Woods
ROY: WR Sam Gorychka
Montreal Rouge
MOP: DB Lamar Brown
OPOY: WR Taylor Karis
DPOY: S Mathieu Cazenave
OLOY: OL Elliot Barrett
BPOY: DL Alan Franjkovic
ROY: WR Antonio Villanueva
Ottawa Royals
MOP: QB Drake Young
OPOY: WR Marshall Leonard
DPOY: DB Sergio Alvarez
OLOY: OL Matt Helmut
BPOY: WR Matthew de la Cruz
ROY: WR Charles Toothacre
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
MOP: QB Louis Vaughn
OPOY: RB Max Tracy
DPOY: DB Zed McLaughlin
OLOY: OL Erik Nelson
BPOY: LB Patrick Hamilton
ROY: WR Edward Washington
Providence Gold Stars
MOP: DL Bartolo Cruz
OPOY: RB Tresean Jones
DPOY: LB Kurt Warlock
OLOY: OL Emil Jennings
BPOY: DB Michael Cope
ROY: QB Red King
Regina Wheat Kings
MOP: DL Butcher Callahan
OPOY: RB Deion Chapman
DPOY: LB Brett Pride
OLOY: OL Hugh Johnson
BPOY: QB Stanley Evans
ROY: DL Butcher Callahan
Toronto Steelheads
MOP: LB Judge Barrett
OPOY: RB Shannon West
DPOY: DB Santino Arriola
OLOY: OL Alan Farquharson
BPOY: DB Santino Arriola
ROY: DL Max Russland
Vancouver Wolves
MOP: QB Kevin Westwood
OPOY: WR Keshawn Johnston
DPOY: LB Shawn Anderson
OLOY: OL Aaron Wilkinson
BPOY: DL Qian Zhou
ROY: DB Apollo Duckworth
Winnipeg Falcons
MOP: RB Joe Rivers
OPOY: WR Terry Upshaw
DPOY: LB Claude Clarke
OLOY: OL Josh Rowell
BPOY: WR Ryan Conway
ROY: S Vernon Redgate
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