The Playoff Preview: Week 4 Update

Anglia Dark Knights

Player	Pts
Kitna, Jon DET QB	17
Graham, Earnest TBB RB	21
Taylor, Fred JAC RB	6
Cotchery, Jerricho NYJ WR	8
Mason, Derrick BAL WR	2
Witten, Jason DAL TE	16
Dawson, Phil CLE PK	4
Haye, Jovan TBB DT	4
Taylor, Jason MIA DE	8
Fujita, Scott NOS LB	10
Henderson, E.J. MIN LB	8
Pace, Calvin ARI LB	11
Clements, Nate SFO CB	6
Newman, Terence DAL CB	6
Harris, Chris CAR S	12
Total:	139

Washington Braves

Player	Pts
Hasselbeck, Matt SEA QB	25
Barber, Marion DAL RB	17
Tomlinson, Ladainian SDC RB	28
Engram, Bobby SEA WR	11
Johnson, Andre HOU WR	17
Johnson, Chad CIN WR	13
Vinatieri, Adam IND PK	6
Rogers, Shaun DET DT	2
Umenyiora, Osi NYG DE	9
Brooks, Derrick TBB LB	9
Crowell, Angelo BUF LB	6
Dansby, Karlos ARI LB	10
Phillips, Shaun SDC LB	8
Reed, Edward BAL S	5
Sanders, Bob IND S	10
Total:	176

The Playoff Preview: Week 3 Update

I missed one prediction last week, as the Anglia Dark Knights are proving to be a tougher opponent than I initially thought. In fact, heading into the weekend the Dark Knights look like the favorite against the 2006 champion Austin Predators. Austin has dealt with major injuries all year, and this week will be no different. The receiving corps has been decimated by injury, but the big two of Joey Galloway and Tony Gonzalez look like they will be available for this week's game. RB Selvin Young threw up a dud on Thursday, and with Dark Knights RBs Earnest Graham and Fred Taylor playing well of late the Predators have a lot to overcome after Young's three-point game. Another factor against the Predators is the weather, with QB Derek Anderson due to battle the Bills in inclement conditions. On the flip side, Anglia QB Jon Kitna is playing in sunny San Diego this week. All this adds up to a Dark Knights victory in this game.

Brady vs. Hasselbeck. Peterson vs. Tomlinson. Johnson & Johnson vs. Wayne & Fitzgerald. This is undoubtedly going to be a high-scoring shootout between the top two teams in the NFFL. Halifax Armada QB Tom Brady might be dealing with bad weather in his game, but since the opponent is the Jets he'll definitely be looking to set passing records in that game. Don't be surprised if Brady sets NFFL records in this game either. The Washington Braves struck the first blow, with WR Andre Johnson scoring 14 points on Sunday. WR Chad Johnson is in for a big game tonight against the 49ers as well. The defenses look pretty even on each side. I'm going to have to give the edge to Washington. While Brady will probably outscore Hasselbeck, Braves RB Tomlinson will get a lot of those points back, and the team's other RB Marion Barber will have a big game against the rival Eagles. I'm also wary of Halifax WR Larry Fitzgerald, who's been limited this week. The injury didn't affect him last week, so don't count him out, but I have my doubts this week. I'll take the Braves to win this game by a few points as the teams combine for nearly 350 points.

The Playoff Preview: Week 2 Update

Well, I correctly predicted the winners of the first-week games. I did have the second round matchup wrong in the NFC, which amounts to a slip-of-the mind by myself in regards to the rules.

AFC Update

Anglia vs California should still be a close game, but Cali is going to be hard to beat for the rest of the playoffs. Xtreme QB Drew Brees has a fantastic matchup on Monday night against Atlanta, so the Dark Knights will need a big lead heading into the game. Dark Knights LB Scott Fujita won't be able to keep up with the Cali QB. Will the offense be able to win the game for Anglia? The RBs have great matchups. QB Jon Kitna will be throwing all day in an attempt to keep up with the Cowboys (not that that team runs the ball much anyway). I'll stick with my original prediction of a Cali win, though this will definitely be a close game.

Austin LB Zach Thomas was finally put on the IR, ending his season, so the Predators will be lining up extra DBs for their playoff games. Austin WR Joey Galloway is injured and a game-time decision, as is Predators RB Jesse Chatman. With Selvin Young back to backup status, the Predators are going to struggle mightily to score points. Cincinnati suffered an injury to Reggie Bush, but the Keepers have enough solid backups with good matchups that it shouldn't be a problem. Cincy QB Phillip Rivers is ugly on the road. But the WRs will do enough to make up for any deficiencies from the rest of the offense. I'm flipping on my prediction; the injuries prove too much for the Predators and Cincinnati wins this game.

NFC UPDATE

OK, I swtiched the teams but it doesn't change the fact that Halifax and Washington have dominated this season and will be near impossible to beat. Boston has a lot of stars on offense, and if they all play to potential then this game will be a shootout. I'll still take the team with Tom Brady though. Glasgow got a nice game from WR Bernard Berrian, so this contest could be closer than originally expected. The Braves' offense just looks too dominant and I'll stick to my prediction of them winning this game and facing Halifax in the NFC Championship.

The Playoff Preview

After a long layoff, I'm back to preview the 2007 NFFL Playoffs. Will the NFC be able to take the title away from the AFC this year? Or will the AFC come through with another NFFL Bowl championship?

Round 1

Cincinnati (9-7) vs Greenville (5-11)

The Keepers are rolling into the playoffs on a hot streak, winners of three straight games (all in their division). The Keepers' offense features a deep RB rotation and a stud trio of WRs. The Cincinnati defense suffered a big loss when LB Mike Peterson went down with a season-ending injury, and if LB Lofa Tatupu (currently questionable) can't overcome his injury problems then the defense will be the ultimate Achilles' heel that brings the Keepers down. The Storm suffered a one-point loss in the last game of the season. QB Jay Cutler is solid as the starter, but the team doesn't have enough depth to overcome the loss of RB Marshawn Lynch. The Storm WRs have been absolutely abysmal this season. The strength of the team is definitely on defense, where LBs Ray Lewis, Julian Peterson and Ernie Sims are all over 110 points. The secondary and D-Line are also solid. The defense is going to have to play flawlessly for the Storm to beat the Keepers, and I don't see it happening.

The pick: Cincinnati by 22.

New Mexico (9-7) vs California (6-10)

Last week, the Xtreme toppled the Raiders 162-137 and ultimately cost New Mexico the division title. And it hasn't gotten any better this week; New Mexico QB Brett Favre was injured in Thursday's game and ended up posting a total of -2 points. With California QB Drew Brees as hot as almost any player in the league, the Raiders might have dug themselves a hole they won't be able to escape. Of course, the rest of the Raiders offense (led by WR Randy Moss) could easily pick up the slack and outscore a California offense that has been mediocre most of the season. California has the best defensive player in this game, but New Mexico has a much deeper defense. Even with the California win last week, I'd be tempted to take New Mexico if I didn't already see a -2 at the QB position.

The pick: California by four.

Fairfax (11-5) vs Glasgow (8-8)

Despite the three game swing in the records, these are two evenly matched teams when healthy. Unfortunately for the Foxes, QB Donovan McNabb is out with an injury. A.J. Feeley looked decent in his last start but is anything but a lock for a repeat performance this week. RB Brian Westbrook should have another outstanding game for Fairfax, while the solid WR corps should rack up a good number of points as well. The defense is a little sparse at LB; Bradie James played on Thursday and only managed three points. The Warriors have lost two straight heading into the playoffs, but they have a great chance at knocking off the favored Foxes. QB Matt Schaub has played well and saves Glasgow from the inevitable Eli Manning meltdown. RBs Joseph Addai and Edgerrin James highlight a great running game that can match up to the Fairfax pair of Westbrook and Maurice Drew. Glasgow has a very good defense that should lead them to a victory here.

The pick: Glasgow by 10.

Lower Saxony (10-6) vs Boston (8-8)

The fireworks started early for this contest. Inferno WR Terrell Owens had a great game scoring 21 points, a total that Patriots RB Ryan Grant matched. Patriots WR Greg Jennings tacked on another 14 to give Lower Saxony the early lead. Lower Saxony QB Ben Roethlisberger has outperformed Boston QB Peyton Manning this season and has a far better matchup than his Inferno counterpart this week. The rest of the individual matchups in this game are pretty close, but the absence of DL Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila could cost the Patriots the game. Another critical matchup is Boston's Roy Williams and Antonio Gates versus Lower Saxony's Anquan Boldin and Jeremy Shockey. Since both those matchups favor Boston, I'll give them the slight edge to knock out the defending NFC champions.

The pick: Boston by eight.

Round 2

Anglia (11-5) vs California (6-10)

The Dark Knights weren't the best team in the AFC, nor did they score the most points in their division. But smart management and key personnel decisions propelled them to a late-season surge to the division title. But the playoffs might expose the Dark Knights as a good-but-not-great team. QB Jon Kitna is good. The RBs are good but missing a star-caliber #1 back. The WRs are O.K and definitely weakened by the loss of Jerricho Cotchery. The defense is good. But the Dark Knights can ill afford to have any players not show up against a hot California team. The Anglia defense should keep them in the game, but it will be up to the offense to win it.

The pick: California by two.

Austin (9-7) vs Cincinnati (9-7)

The Predators have been overcoming injuries all season. QB Marc Bulger goes down and the team turns to David Garrard and Derek Anderson, both having exceeded expectations. RB Ronnie Brown goes down and the team turns to a Jesse Chatman/Selvin Young platoon. WR Marvin Harrison goes down and the team turns to Reggie Brown and Joe Jurevicius. LB Zach Thomas goes down and the team turns to Leroy Hill and four-DB formations. It wasn't pretty, but Austin was able to win another division title. Even without Thomas, the Predator defense has been much better than the Keeper defense, so if Austin can keep up with that great Cincinnati defense they have a good shot at winning this game.

The pick: Austin by seven.

Washington (13-3) vs Boston (8-8)

Washington started the season as the favorite to win it all, and after a blazing start and a strong finish the Braves still stand as one of the only teams with a shot at winning it all. RBs LaDanian Tomlinson and Marion Barber are capable of running the team right to a huge lead, and the pass-first Seattle defense has greatly benefited Washington QB Matt Hasselbeck. With WR Andre Johnson back for the playoffs alongside Chad Johnson, it will be very difficult for most teams to match the Braves' offense step-for-step. The depth of the LB corps doesn't leave much room for opponents to catch up on defense. Boston is a good team, but Washington is a great team.

The pick: Washington by 20.

Halifax (12-4) vs Glasgow (8-8)

Tom Brady. Adrian Peterson. Reggie Wayne. Larry Fitzgerald. Kellen Winslow. An 11-game winning streak to finish the season. Halifax is the definitive favorite to win the championship this year, averaging 160 points a game. The defense hasn't been as dominant as the offense, but everyone on the Armada defense plays well and can definitely keep up with any other defense in the league. This game shouldn't be close.

The pick: Halifax by 32.

Round 3

Austin (9-7) vs California (6-10)

This will be a brutal game, but Austin has the defensive edge and should enter this game as the favorite.

The pick: Austin by three.

Washington (13-3) vs. Halifax (12-4)

Most probably feel like this is the actual championship game, and whomever wins this game will definitely be the NFFL Bowl favorite.

The pick: Halifax by nine.

NFFL Bowl

Austin (9-7) vs Halifax (12-4)

The Predators have played well, but they are no match for the juggernaut that is Tom Brady and the Halifax Armada.

The pick: Halifax by 25.