Saturday
Philadelphia Stars at Birmingham Stallions
Philadelphia Stars: The Stars finished the season 10-8 and grabbed one of the wild card spots in the Atlantic. They never truly found their footing on offense, ranking in the middle or bottom in nearly every category. However, their defense kept them in games most of the year and were a primary reason that the Stars made the playoffs.
Birmingham Stallions: Birmingham put together another outstanding season, finishing at 14-4 and winning the South by a game over Jacksonville to take the number two spot in the conference. Their defense was even more impressive than Philadelphia. In addition, their offense ranked number 3 in total yards and 2 in rushing.
Quick Pick: The Stallions are just too much for the Stars. Plus they’re playing at home. Take Birmingham
Michigan Panthers at Denver Gold
Michigan Panthers: Michigan bounced back to 11-7 after two disappointing seasons. Their young and exciting quarterback Jim Harbaugh led the team to the tune of a fourth ranked scoring offense. Their defense had some bumps, ranking in the bottom quarter of the league in many categories.
Denver Gold: Denver finally found their footing under Mouse Davis and exploded on offense. They came in number two in scoring offense, number 1 in total yards, number 4 in rushing, and number two in passing. Never known for their defense, they held teams under 30 points per game to allow the explosive offense to steal some wins.
Quick Pick: Denver is just too powerful for Michigan and their young quarterback. The Panthers will be back, but take Denver this time.
Sunday
New Jersey Generals at Boston Breakers
New Jersey Generals: No surprise, but Jersey sported the number one rushing offense in the league. With Walker and Carthon, they averaged almost 200 yards rushing a game. But where they really shone was on defense, ranking in the top 5 in many categories.
Boston Breakers: By now, everyone knows the story of how the Breakers fan collective made a huge splash in the offseason by luring CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan to the team. It paid off in huge dividends with an 18-0 regular season and only one game where they sweated the outcome. Their defense can be some of an achilles heel, but the offense is just too powerful.
Quick Pick: Walker may have a big game, as he often does. But, Dunigan and the Breakers are on a mission. There’s no way they bow out this early.
Los Angeles Express at Houston Gamblers
Los Angeles Express: After last year’s disaster, they decided to go in a different direction and give their young quarterback Steve Young some time to develop. It paid off as they bounced back and made it to the playoffs, defeating the Ace in the wild card round.
Houston Gamblers: The Gamblers know nothing other than success in their time in the league. They’ve made the playoffs every year, winning the division and taking the number one seed each time. They won the Championship in their inaugural season and lost last year to Denver in the second round.
Quick Pick: Houston just wins at home. We don’t expect any less out of them this wekeend.
Be sure to return for full coverage of the games as they happen!