Week 3 Rundown: Flipped on its Head

by Cameron Irvine

Each week, the SFL will run through the biggest headlines of the week, touching on every result and every preview in the process. Let's go >>>>>>>>

  • Last season, Atlanta was the No. 1 overall seed with an 11-1 record and Baltimore won its fourth consecutive championship. Now they're both 0-2 and while neither team has reason to panic (largest margin of defeat in any of the four losses is 15 points) there is a reality check that both teams are sitting with this week: the game has truly changed. How will they respond? Atlanta has no time to feel sorry for themselves - they kick off the week Saturday at division rival and unbeaten Florida (1 pm ET) who won Week 1 on the ground and Week 2 with special teams. Atlanta has only scored 19 points this season so that will most certainly be the point of emphasis this week after two top performances from their defense. Baltimore has the opposite problem and need to sure up the defense against Louisiana (Sunday, 9:00 pm ET).
  • The lead in the North is on the line this week. Motor City is 2-0 and many have put the asterisk on it. Canton (1-1) can put them behind the eight ball with a win on Saturday (6:45 pm ET) or the V8s can bounce back and show they can get it done with more than just a couple of plays. A lot of a lot to prove in this Battle for the Golden Dog Bone.
  • Denver is the only team through the first two weeks that has run more than 70% of the time in two-straight games. If you looked at their roster, there might be a reason. Baylee O'Shaughnessy makes twice as much as any of his teammates on a rebuilding team. He's carried Denver to a 1-1 start, but the Nightwings desperately need others to grow up and grow up fast. Their opponent Saturday (9:15 pm ET) is Sioux Falls, who has struggled to keep up in the second half of games. Both of these rosters are lean - 23 star players - and the team that manages to be the least gassed in the 4th quarter, probably comes away with a win.
  • Welcome back Week 2 byes! Vancouver, Las Vegas, Houston, Charleston and Portland were all off last week and it'll be good to get a second look at these squads. The Legion and Fury play Monday Night in Vancouver's home opener and we're all sure the Legion are chomping at the bit to get that 0 out of the win column. Vegas is unbeaten and their secondary appears dangerous - we'll see how Vancouver's stacked receiving core stands up against it, albeit down a man - they've already lost a player off the roster, Justice Blackwell. Houston's Jason Peace is back after a stellar Week 1 and the HeadHunters are back in Houston for their home opener Saturday against Indy (9:00 pm ET). Portland heads to Mexico City (Sat. 6:30 pm ET) and unbeaten Charleston is at an annoyed Jacksonville (Sunday, 6:45 pm ET).
  • Man, Seattle's getting tested early. Last week, they were in Fort Worth and battled the unbeaten Toros to a 34-31 defeat, only to turn around and have to rush back home for a date with the unbeaten Arizona Scorpions (Sunday, 9:15 pm ET). Arizona has been sharp in all phases, and their impressive dismantling of Tulsa without DJ Moses II in Week 2 shows they can beat you in many different ways. It feels like a rookie quarterback vs. Belichick but we'll see if the new Seattle Head Coach Ptak can outsmart the smart.
  • Right now in the SFL, there are no bad games. Don't forget about Queen City (0-1) headed to Carolina (1-1) Saturday at 1:15 pm ET, where Tony Zoma AKA James Cline used to own the Skyhawks. San Diego (1-1) takes on Minnesota (1-1) to start Sunday off (6:30 pm ET) easily the most underrated game of the weekend since both of these strong playoff contenders already have an early loss to some strong unbeatens (Arizona, Alamo City). Speaking of which...
  • Byes for Fort Worth (2-0), Alamo City (2-0), Tulsa (0-2), Los Angeles (1-1) and D.C. (1-1) this week. Tulsa needs it more than anyone, LA needs it to fix their pants and D.C. is feeling much better after a Monday night win. Fort Worth doesn't play again until their Monday night meeting with Tulsa and Alamo City gets an extra week to gear up for divisional rival, Houston - which could end up being a battle between two, 2-0, squads in Week 4. If Houston wins, three teams in the South will all be undefeated entering Week 4...wild.

You're all caught up. Winners this season in the SFL will be the most diverse, unpredictable and smart teams in the SFL. We'll leave you with this through two weeks: the more players you have rostered on your team, the more you win - 

  • Teams with the smallest rosters (minimum 23 players): 1-6 (Atlanta, Denver, Queen City, Sioux Falls)
  • Teams who are 2-0: Alamo City (34), Arizona (28), Florida (28), Motor City (27), Fort Worth (24) = 28.2 per team
  • Teams who are 0-2: Atlanta (23), Sioux Falls (23), Tulsa (25), Mexico City (26), Baltimore (30) = 25.4 per team

Fort Worth is doing the most with the least, while Baltimore has done the least with the most through two weeks. A long season ahead!