Wild Card Recap: Upset Sunday shakes up bracket

by Cameron Irvine

The 21st SFL Postseason is underway and the Wild Card Round gave us our first glance at what the playoffs look like in SFL 4K23. Here's what made these Wild Card games unlike any other in league history:

  • The Canton Classics blanked the Vancouver Legion 40-0. It was the first shutout in 159 SFL playoff games played.
  • The Arizona Scorpions took care of business against the 4-8 Legend 23-16. It was the 9th time a team has scored 23 points in the playoffs and only the third time it was enough to win a game. Carolina won a Season 20 Wild Card game 23-20 over Tulsa and Mexico City earned a 23-20 win over Vancouver in the Season 9 Semifinals, the 'Cade Stephens in bounds' game.
  • No. 11 Charleston upset No. 6 Seattle 37-17. The Predators are the third 11-seed to pull a Wild Card upset. The previous two winners - Season 17's Las Vegas squad and Season 16's Arizona team - both lost in the Quarterfinals. The highest seed to ever advance to the Semifinals is a 7-seed. Queen City did it in Season 14 upsetting No. 2 Baltimore and Arizona did it in Season 17 topping No. 3 Atlanta.
  • No. 10 San Diego went to No. 7 D.C. and won a 31-30 thriller. It's the fourth one-point playoff win in the last three seasons. The others: 
    • Season 19 Quarterfinals: No. 5 Arizona 36 @ No. 4 Florida 35
    • Season 19 Wild Card: No. 9 Houston 21 @ No. 8 Sioux Falls 22
    • Season 20 Quarterfinals: No. 12 Alamo City 23 @ No. 1 Atlanta 24

For a full list of all the playoff scores and results in league history, check out our new playoff history page here and stay tuned for the SFL Quarterfinals November 11 and 12.